Young Master Bai — Chapter 27

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Chapter 27: Quarreling and Suddenly Kissing…

There was no one in the world who hated the Yao King more than Sword Immortal Bai. How could he not pay attention when a Nine-tailed White Fox identical to the Yao King was born? The whereabouts of that yao core could fool the entire yao clan but not Sword Immortal Bai’s divine sense. He knew Bai Chen had lost the yao core, and he also knew that this Nine-tailed White Fox wouldn’t live long, so he sent Li Wuming to take his heart in the final year of Bai Chen’s life.

Li Wuming returned to the inn as if nothing had happened, even buying a bag of snacks for each of the two fox yao as a midnight treat. Chenzui, of course, happily took them back to his room to study the novel trinkets, while Bai Chen didn’t touch his at all, sitting before the mirror deep in thought even when Li Wuming returned.

Night had fallen deeply. Bai Chen, clad once again in white, sat before the bronze mirror in a somewhat eerie manner. Li Wuming paused at the sight before picking up a jade comb to smooth out his hair, smiling as he asked, “Why are you still looking in the mirror so late at night?”

Foxes love grooming their fur. Even in human form, Bai Chen liked the sensation of jade against his skin. But now he was in no mood to enjoy it; instead, he touched his own face with a complex expression. “Has my face changed?”

“It’s exactly the same as when I first met you — still a youth as radiant as the spring dawn, not a hint of age,” Li Wuming replied with a teasing tone, expression unchanged. Bai Chen, however, couldn’t smile, and sighed heavily. “Six hundred years, and still no change…”

At these words, Li Wuming’s hand stilled amidst the strands of black hair, finally letting slip a trace of long-suppressed dissatisfaction. “They say a yao takes the form most easily desired in a person’s heart. I wonder, who were you trying to charm when you first transformed, that you’ve kept this face unchanged to this day? I’m jealous just thinking about it.”

By now he was already a six-hundred-year-old Wandering Immortal, unwilling to quarrel with his Dao companion over old matters. His words left Bai Chen room to play dumb and smile it off. But Bai Chen couldn’t let it go. He immediately stood up. “I only can’t change my appearance because I lost my yao core and can no longer read hearts. Once I recover my power, I’ll change this face at once.”

Bai Chen rose so suddenly that the hair in Li Wuming’s hand was tugged painfully. Seeing him flinch, the man quickly let go and sighed helplessly. “It was just a joke — why react so strongly?”

“You and I have only known each other for a year, but I can still tell which of your words are jokes,” Bai Chen replied seriously.

Seeing how stubborn he was, Li Wuming could no longer equivocate. He poured himself a full cup of tea to calm down before speaking steadily. “I took you from the Great Snow Mountain to Jiangnan, showing you all the talented youths under Heaven, but you didn’t fancy any of them. Only when you met one person did you lose your composure. When you saw him with a woman, you even demanded I catch them. That’s when I knew you and he weren’t ordinary… But he’s dead now. You’re my rightfully married Dao companion. Let’s not talk about the past anymore. From now on, let’s just live happily.”

Li Wuming truly deserved to have survived the battlefield — he forced himself to speak calmly even when mentioning his Dao companion’s past love. At that, Bai Chen confirmed Li Wuming knew everything. Given Sword Immortal Bai’s attitude toward the fox clan, the fact that he didn’t embellish Bai Chen’s disgrace was already a mercy, and there was no hiding anything.

“Yes, I once willingly handed my yao core to a little Daoist priest, and no matter how much Fox Immortal Grandfather pressed me, I never revealed his name.”

Having laid things bare, Li Wuming pulled up the covers, unwilling to talk further. But Bai Chen wasn’t done. “Don’t you really want to know what happened between us?”

This question was like tugging at a tiger’s whiskers. Li Wuming’s eyes darkened as he turned his back. “After all, I apprenticed under the Sword Immortal lineage. My temper is influenced by my master. If you cry while telling me how you pledged life and death to another man, I can’t guarantee what I’d do to you.”

His tone carried a clear threat. In the Sword Immortal lineage, they either didn’t feel, or felt for life — be it love or hate. If the little fox couldn’t forget someone yet still came to provoke him, Li Wuming really could, like his master, make the Nine-tailed White Fox fulfill his vow in death and stay by his side forever.

Bai Chen finally understood why Li Wuming avoided him, why he never believed his feelings. Since he had already given all his power and life for someone once, how could he easily shift his heart before death? Li Wuming wasn’t stupid — he was. Even now, he couldn’t figure out whether he’d really fallen for that person as a child. If it was unintentional, why would he remember a man’s scent for a hundred years? But if it was intentional, why feel nothing upon seeing him again, never wanting to get close?

Bai Chen knew this doubt was something he must never say. Instead, he hugged his Dao companion from behind and confessed honestly:

“I wasn’t born on the Great Snow Mountain. Before I even opened my eyes, I had wandered into the human world. He saved my life in that chaos. Without him, there would never have been a Nine-tailed White Fox. So, even though he promised to return my yao core and never did, I still kept his secret and spared his life. Later, he died in the aftermath of the battle between the Demon Lord and the Dao Lord. Even if I told you, the yao core couldn’t be retrieved, so I didn’t.”

No one understood better than Li Wuming how much Bai Chen cherished the Great Snow Mountain. If it was just gratitude back then, he wouldn’t believe it. Turning around, he grabbed Bai Chen’s wrist. “If a life-saving debt is paid with life, and I help the Great Snow Mountain out of trouble, how will you repay me?”

“With my life, of course.”

Bai Chen knew that after dying once, saying anything more would sound like excuses. Since that was the case, he might as well let Li Wuming believe he won the Nine-tailed White Fox’s heart by his own means. Decision made, Bai Chen, seeing this seemingly indifferent man finally show a bit of fierceness, let out a mocking laugh. “Since you brought me back to life, of course you’re taking my whole heart. Not even the yao clan’s grand cause is allowed a share. If you can’t do that, what right do you have to inherit the Sword Immortal’s name?”

“You’re right. Forget about that little Daoist. You — I must have you.”

The little fox was alone, tricked out of his yao core. Li Wuming had always told himself to treat him gently and not lose his temper. But hearing this, he was truly angered by the heartless fox, finally unable to restrain himself as he pinned the troublesome little fox and kissed him fiercely.

Yet the little fox was no pushover. At first stunned, he soon responded, and even as Li Wuming rose hurriedly, he wrapped his arms around his Dao companion’s neck and took the initiative to kiss back.

A forced kiss with a counterattack — humans didn’t play this way. Li Wuming didn’t know whether to scold or continue. Bai Chen, however, couldn’t hold it in anymore and lay on the bed laughing. “Jealous and goaded — so I’ve given my first kiss to you.”

At these words, Li Wuming realized he’d fallen for the fox’s charms. But seeing the little fox looking so smug from being kissed, he couldn’t even stay angry. He only pinched Bai Chen’s cheek. “No wonder you insisted on provoking me. This was your plan?”

“If I weren’t afraid of upsetting you too much, I would’ve made it a wedding night tonight.”

The words were spoken, the anger vented — now it was time to make up. Bai Chen knew he couldn’t leave Li Wuming. Without him, he couldn’t even smile. Being a fox yao, he naturally didn’t mind acting coy to keep his Dao companion close. Though his words were vexing, his tail quietly twined around Li Wuming’s fingers, swaying as if begging for mercy, even his ears drooping to show his displeasure at being doubted.

Li Wuming had heard about all this long ago when he decided to resurrect Bai Chen. Just now he had only flared up when his Dao companion mentioned another man. Now that he thought it over, Bai Chen’s eagerness to explain at least meant he already had a place in the little fox’s heart. As someone adept at winning battles, he wouldn’t lose patience now and ruin everything. Patting the fox’s tail, he lay down beside his Dao companion, sighing helplessly. “I told you not to mess around. If I lose control when you have no yao power, what then?”

“My temper before I died was unpredictable. Even when I scratched and bit you, you didn’t fight back. I certainly won’t now.”

This man was like a drug. Even angry, Bai Chen didn’t want to leave — in fact, he wanted to get even closer. Though he turned his back to his Dao companion, his tail swept back and forth with his emotions, forcing Li Wuming to gather it up and hug the disobedient little fox into his arms, grumbling, “You’ve always only taken it out on me.”

“I just wanted to leave marks on you so you’d remember me a few more years. But then I thought, if all I left was such a fierce impression, it’d be better not to, so I withdrew my claws.”

After dying once, Bai Chen had become much more obedient, even his stubborn mouth improved. Such candid words were more effective than any seduction. Hearing them, Li Wuming’s expression softened, his left hand gently smoothing the fur on his tail before he suddenly whispered, “It must have hurt, being deceived by your savior.”

The concern in his voice caused all the little fox’s long-suppressed grievances to spill out. Though he knew he shouldn’t, he still muttered, “If he’d just said outright that he wanted my life, I’d have given up my yao core and been done with it. But he had to leave me a shred of hope, making me wait like a fool in the snow every day, refusing to believe someone who was so good to me as a child could lie…”

Be it gratitude or love, entrusting one’s life was true trust — how could betrayal not hurt? He had just endured it.

Li Wuming suddenly felt he shouldn’t keep being stubborn. He covered Bai Chen’s eyes and softly said, “Cry. I didn’t see anything, so it’s as if I don’t know.”

Bai Chen normally had no tears. But seeing him give in like this, his eyes grew moist. He quickly moved that hand to his waist instead, snuggling into his Dao companion’s arms. “If I cry, it’ll be from what you do to me in bed — I won’t shed tears for anyone else.”

That, Li Wuming liked to hear. In a rare event, he refrained from pulling back, instead leaning close to Bai Chen’s ear to whisper, “Under a fallen nest, no egg remains whole. If the yao clan is wiped out, you won’t have it easy anywhere. I was already planning to help you protect the Great Snow Mountain. Now I’ve dug up the man in your heart and gotten a lifelong promise — quite a bargain.”

He sounded rather pleased, unaware that the little fox in his arms never intended to run. Bai Chen glanced at this man who schemed step by step for the fox’s heart and silently sneered in his heart — Li Wuming, big fool.

~ Chapter End ~

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