Young Master Bai — Chapter 8
Chapter 8: When You're Young, Retain from Digging Your Own Grave...
Before his death, Bai Chen tempted Li Wuming many times. Not only did he frequently order Li Wuming to bathe him, but even when reading, his robes would conveniently slip off his shoulders three times in a row, forcing the man to climb onto the bed and dress him properly.
At the time, his tongue was stubborn, and his true feelings were buried deep and tightly sealed. Whenever Li Wuming asked, he would say seducing men was a natural instinct of the fox yao; he just wanted to see what it looked like when the emotionless sword immortal lost his mind over him.
Back then, Bai Chen believed he was dying and merely wished to be a brief romantic encounter in Li Wuming's life. The less emotional entanglement, the better — this way, once Li Wuming buried him, he could continue to roam the world freely, and Bai Chen, in the Underworld, would not be too attached to reincarnate. [The author forgot yao don't have an afterlife and cannot reincarnate.]
Who would have thought he wouldn’t actually die? And once he was alive again, all the nonsense he'd spewed back then came back to bite him.
Now, no matter what kind of glance Bai Chen gave him, Li Wuming always chalked it up to the fox yao’s instinct to seduce men. Even if his gaze was full of longing, the sword immortal, who had grown used to resisting such temptations, never thought of it as anything romantic.
What was worse, after years of tactical sparring, Li Wuming had developed a skill: in the blink of an eye, he could dress Bai Chen properly with any piece of fabric at hand, wrapping him up tighter than a mother afraid her child might catch cold.
Today was no different. As soon as Bai Chen returned to the Silent Pavilion and mentioned wanting to bathe, Li Wuming automatically brought out gloves, a blindfold, and armor, asking while fully equipped, "Need my help washing?"
At that moment, Bai Chen remembered the nightmare from long ago.
He had once ordered Li Wuming to bathe him. Li had first refused, then relented, blindfolding himself to wash him.
Unwilling, Bai Chen had pressed his collarbone into Li Wuming's hands — only for the man to don gloves, eliminating all sensation.
Determined to provoke this wooden man, Bai Chen had embraced Li Wuming's waist directly. In response, the man forged a set of black iron armor specifically for fox yao bathing sessions.
What a genius! This bastard was truly the world’s greatest talent when it came to preserving his chastity!
Five hundred years had passed, and Li Wuming still kept the gear. At a glance, Bai Chen felt all the pent-up frustration from those days return. But since this was a mess of his own making, he had no choice but to endure it. Glaring at the man, he grumbled, "I’ll do it myself!"
Instead of disappointment, Li Wuming actually looked relieved. He removed his gloves and casually went to boil water and brew tea.
Bai Chen watched every movement with gritted teeth and suddenly noticed that Li Wuming's right hand was wrapped in bandages. Even when he offered to help with the bath earlier, he hadn’t taken them off. That was his sword hand. A swordsman wouldn't let it be injured unless it was a matter of life and death. Bai Chen forgot his anger and asked with a rare concern, "What happened to your right hand?"
Bai Chen usually spoke to other yao with the pride and poise of a superior. In private with Li Wuming, their feelings never aligned, so he often lost his temper. This gentle tone was rare.
Li Wuming paused, then casually set the kettle on the brazier and said, "Just a minor injury. It’s nothing."
His mouth was a fortress, it seemed. If he didn’t want to talk, no one could pry the truth out of him. Bai Chen knew his nature and stopped asking. Stripping down, he slipped into the tub and snuck a glance: Li Wuming didn’t even react to the sound of water — he was too focused folding the bedding. After a while, Bai Chen peeked again. The Emotionless Sword Immortal had unfolded the blanket and was folding it again!
Even five hundred years ago, Bai Chen had realized he couldn’t win Li Wuming over. Now, without the courage of a man facing death, he simply gave up entirely. After his bath, he obediently got into bed, propped himself on a pillow, and went back to worrying about the yao clan’s difficult situation.
Unexpectedly, when Bai Chen stopped causing trouble, Li Wuming came over on his own, sat on the bed, and nudged his shoulder. He quietly said, "Scoot over."
That nudge sent Bai Chen toppling onto the bed out of instinct. Looking soft and open, he lay among the blankets, fingers hooking around the man’s waistband. "You’re finally willing to share a bed with me?"
Fox yao were famous for their seductive talents, especially Bai Chen — cool and aloof in public, but a flirt behind closed doors. Even Li Wuming sometimes struggled to hold back. Fortunately, his self-control was strong. He kept his eyes straight and pulled up the blanket with a light laugh. "We’re Dao companions now. You want me to sleep on the floor?"
They say no man can resist a fox yao in bed. Bai Chen couldn’t allow himself to shame his kind. With Li Wuming delivered right to him, he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, voice dripping with sweetness. "Then what are you going to do now that you’re on the bed?"
In the past, Li Wuming had always marveled at this Nine-tailed White Fox’s skill — treating him like prey while staring with seemingly boundless affection. But the harder to get the prey, the stronger the fox yao’s desire. If they actually succeeded in seducing someone, their interest would fade quickly.
Li Wuming had no desire to be cuckolded, so he covered the alluring little fox completely with the blanket. His eyes remained clear. "There’s only one quilt. You shift back to your original form — I’ll cover you with the blanket and use your tails for warmth. A perfect solution."
A beauty who falls over with a touch, and he wants him to turn into a fox? Unbelievable!
Before meeting Li Wuming, Bai Chen had never imagined being so powerless against a man. Frustrated, he shifted into his full form and slapped his nine tails in the man’s face. "How thoughtful of you."
"Small matter. Sword immortals like me are immune to all forms of seduction."
A true sword immortal who ruins a good thing and still feels smug about it — he even stroked Bai Chen’s tail while praising, "This texture is amazing. How does it grow like this? Since we’re Dao companions now, why not let me touch your ears too?"
In the past, Li Wuming had avoided the fox yao’s allure by sleeping on beams, floors, even inside wardrobes — just never in the same bed. Now they were finally lying side by side. That was progress.
Still, while most people feared seeing their yao spouse’s original form, Li Wuming was fixated on it. Bai Chen didn’t know whether to feel pleased or furious. His tails were especially sensitive, and being touched made him hot and flustered. He growled, "Li Not-Working, if you're going to touch me, start from the collar and go down. Don’t treat me like a pet!"
Instead of being scolded, Li Wuming smiled. He turned to face him, their eyes meeting. "You're finally alive again. That lifeless look you had earlier wasn’t like you at all — I thought someone had possessed you."
Back then, Bai Chen always had death hanging over his head and a terrible temper to match. Every time Li Wuming annoyed him, he lashed out, sometimes with his claws. Looking back, he hadn’t been very likable, and it was no wonder Li Wuming kept his distance. Now, after dying once, he was unafraid of dying again — he just wanted to stay calm and let the man he loved see his better side. But Li Wuming still provoked him. What kind of kink was this?
Still, the yao clan had countless expectations for him to remain calm and become a leader greater than a Yao King. Yet the only one who could tolerate this silly little fox was Li Wuming.
Realizing this, Bai Chen's anger vanished. He resignedly stuffed his tails into the man’s arms and asked plainly, "If you weren’t seduced by me, why did you spare me back then? And if you dare say it’s because I looked silly, I’ll claw that face right off!"
The little fox’s tone was ferocious, like he’d explode if provoked. But the way his tails twitched betrayed his anticipation.
Fox tails hide no emotions. Li Wuming gently held the tip of one and finally explained, "When Master gave the order, I thought I was just going to kill a fox. I figured it would be no harder than killing a chicken or gutting a fish, so I agreed. But when I saw you — just a sickly-looking youth who hadn’t done anything wrong — I didn’t want to kill you."
That reason caught Bai Chen off guard. He stared at Li Wuming’s calm eyes in disbelief. "Nonsense. I’m a pure-blooded Nine-tailed White Fox. How could I look like a human boy?"
"To me, anything that understands emotions, respects others, and has empathy — be it bird, beast, plant, or tree — is a person. If it lacks all three, even if it looks just like me, it's no kin of mine."
Li Wuming rarely spoke seriously. Even when he did, others often dismissed it as nonsense. But Bai Chen knew this was genuine. When they traveled together, he never felt like Li Wuming treated him as some other species. Even now, the man didn’t see anything odd about his ears or tails. Such a person was truly an outlier among the xenophobic human race.
And yet, this attitude gave Bai Chen peace of mind. He quietly used a tail to hold the man’s hand. "Come with me to the Heavenly Wolf clan tomorrow. I... I’m a bit scared."
Sure enough, Li Wuming had no aversion to his beast form and didn’t ask why. He merely chuckled and said, "You’re a fox with a Dao companion. What’s there to fear from a bunch of howling single wolves?"
Without a yao core, he had no means of self-defense. Facing a pack of vicious wolves alone — of course he was afraid. But if he were to fall, the fox clan would lose hope. He had to be fearless before the younger generation. Only before Li Wuming, who knew everything, could he afford to show worry.
Still, he couldn’t help but complain. "And this Dao companion hadn’t even told me his real name. Completely unreliable."
Bai Chen knew "Li Wuming" wasn’t his true name. [duh, it means Nameless Li after all.] But the man had never shared his past. Even now, Bai Chen only knew he had a powerful older brother whom he trained to protect, and that he became a sword immortal because of it. Nothing more.
This resentment had festered for five hundred years. Li Wuming sensed his lingering grievance and finally revealed a little of what he had never said. "I’ve used too many names in my life. In the end, I found that having none was the most freeing. But... on the marriage certificate I gave to the Fox Immortal, I used the one my brother acknowledged."
Bai Chen had no intention of marrying someone without knowing their true name. He sat up immediately. "Where is it?"
His reaction surprised Li Wuming. "You’re not planning to tear it up, are you? That was a marriage approved by your ancestors. Reneging would be unfilial."
The way he said it almost made it sound like he took the marriage seriously. Bai Chen shot him a glance, deep in thought. "You said you cultivate the Emotionless path. That as long as your sword is in hand, you’d never fall for anyone. You dodged me every which way — so why did you marry me?"
The question circled back to a topic Li Wuming couldn’t answer. Seeing the trap, he deployed his ultimate trick for handling Bai Chen: closing his eyes and instantly falling asleep.
His ability to play dumb was unmatched. Within a blink, soft snores rose.
Bai Chen had traveled with him long enough to know that when Li Wuming truly slept, he made no sound at all — like a top-tier assassin. Clearly, this snoring was a lie. Faced with someone who dodged every heartfelt question, the little fox had no choice but to kick him angrily and roll over to sleep with the blanket.
Fine. Keep faking it. From now on, I’ll sleep in my original form. Let’s see who ends up crying!
~ Chapter End ~
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