Have You Put on Weight Lately?
Feng Qi froze on the spot.
The surroundings fell silent for a moment. The disciples had yet to recover from the shock of Ji Chaoyun instantly defeating an Earth-rank disciple when they were struck speechless once more by the sight of him openly giving Feng Qi the cold shoulder.
If their reaction before had been mostly astonishment, now only teasing amusement remained.
Amid all the gossiping, spectacle-watching gazes, only Shuofeng looked completely bewildered. “What’s wrong with Divine One?”
They had been watching just fine. Why had Divine One suddenly stood up?
“...” Feng Qi had no time to explain. He instructed, “I’m going after him. Cough, I’ll be back shortly. Wait for me here.”
Without waiting for Shuofeng to react, he quickly chased after Ji Chaoyun.
Ji Chaoyun was not walking quickly. With Feng Qi’s present cultivation, catching up to him was naturally no difficult matter. Feng Qi was in no hurry, however. He followed Ji Chaoyun all the way into the back mountain and to the waterfall. Only after seeing that there were few people around did he step forward and grab him.
“Still angry?”
Ji Chaoyun did not turn around. He struggled once but failed to break free, then said sullenly, “Let go.”
“Little dragon...” Feng Qi pressed close behind him and hooked a finger around Ji Chaoyun’s, coaxingly stroking upward little by little. “I was wrong, little dragon. Don’t be angry, all right?”
His voice was light and soft. On any other day, if Feng Qi spoke to him in such a tone, Ji Chaoyun would never have been able to stay angry.
Who could have expected that Ji Chaoyun would not fall for it this time? Catching Feng Qi off guard, he abruptly pulled his hand free.
“You don’t keep your word. Don’t touch me.”
Feng Qi looked down at his empty palm and inwardly thought, this is bad. His little dragon was truly angry this time.
He put away his playful manner, walked around to stand in front of Ji Chaoyun, and lowered his head to look earnestly at his face. “I’m sorry.”
Ji Chaoyun froze.
Feng Qi lightly tipped Ji Chaoyun’s face upward and brushed his thumb across his cheek. “I’m sorry. I’m apologizing to you.”
Ji Chaoyun had just opened his mouth to speak when Feng Qi pressed a finger against his lips.
“Hear me out.” Feng Qi said in a low voice, “I shouldn’t have left you here alone. I shouldn’t have missed the time we agreed upon, and I certainly shouldn’t have acted carelessly as though none of it mattered. I knew perfectly well how afraid you are of parting. I was wrong. I’m sorry, little dragon.”
It was rare for Feng Qi to speak to him this way. Ji Chaoyun’s gaze shifted away, nearly unable to withstand the sincere and tender look in those handsome eyes.
Ji Chaoyun turned his head aside and muttered, “You went too far.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m talking about you.” Ji Chaoyun said angrily, “I had clearly decided that I wasn’t going to pay attention to you, yet the moment I saw you, I couldn’t stay angry anymore.”
Feng Qi found his puffed-up appearance unbearably adorable and laughed quietly. “You like me that much?”
Ji Chaoyun’s ears turned crimson, and he turned to leave.
“Don’t go.” Feng Qi wrapped his arms around him from behind, buried his face against Ji Chaoyun’s neck, and took a deep breath. “Don’t go. Let me hold you for a while. I missed you so much.”
Surrounded by that familiar presence, Ji Chaoyun felt his entire body relax until he could not muster the slightest bit of strength.
Feng Qi asked quietly, “Do you know what I thought about every day while I was in the Divine Realm?”
“What?”
“I kept wondering how you managed to endure all those years.”
Ji Chaoyun’s fingers shook slightly.
Feng Qi held him tightly and kissed the ends of his hair again and again, his voice sounding right beside Ji Chaoyun’s ear. “We were apart for only a little more than a month, and I missed you so much I nearly went mad. I couldn’t endure even one day like that.”
“...Yet you endured it for three hundred years.”
Ji Chaoyun’s nose stung, and his eyes abruptly reddened.
Feng Qi kissed the hair at his temple and said softly, “No. Not three hundred years. Four hundred.”
“You... you know everything?” Ji Chaoyun’s throat felt dry.
“Mm. I know.” Feng Qi paused, then said again, “I’m sorry.”
When he recovered his divine power, he had not only regained his past memories but also recovered the wisp of divine consciousness he had left within the phoenix golden feather.
That wisp of divine consciousness had accompanied Ji Chaoyun for three hundred years and witnessed every detail of those three centuries.
During his time in the Divine Realm, Feng Qi had recalled that past almost as though tormenting himself. He remembered how his little dragon had spent every day waiting and hoping amid uncertainty, how he endured those years of displacement and wandering, how he was tortured and lost his life... until finally, he became the youth Feng Qi first met at Hongmeng Academy, a youth whom hardship had honed until his entire body seemed covered in thorns.
Every piece of the past connected into one stark and merciless line, like a blade thrust straight into his heart and twisted until flesh and blood were mangled.
Feng Qi closed his eyes, his voice hoarse. “I’m sorry.”
Ji Chaoyun blinked, seemingly trying to suppress the sting in his eyes. In the end, he could not. He turned around, raised his head, and kissed Feng Qi on the lips.
Ji Chaoyun kissed Feng Qi forcefully. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the dense leaves and fell across their bodies. There were no voices along the mountain path, and even the insects in the forest seemed to have fallen silent.
“...I never blamed you.”
The waterfall gathered into a deep pool below. The two sat side by side on a bluestone beside the water, Ji Chaoyun’s toes dipped into the pool as he said quietly, “Besides, it wasn’t as difficult as you imagine.”
The water was clear enough to see the bottom. From time to time, a fish flashed across the surface and quickly vanished again.
Ji Chaoyun wrapped both arms around Feng Qi’s waist, leaned against his shoulder, and laughed lightly. “Because I always believed that my phoenix would come back.”
“So long as I thought that way, the time I spent waiting for you didn’t amount to much. Every moment I waited brought me one step closer to you. Every day that passed meant one less day before I could see you again.”
Feng Qi stroked the back of the person in his arms, his heart aching and softening at once. “I won’t make you wait again.”
“I know.” Ji Chaoyun rubbed against him, then continued, “Actually... I wasn’t that angry either. I just...”
Perhaps because his body had been so unpredictable throughout this month, Ji Chaoyun had become much more temperamental than before. He knew perfectly well that if Feng Qi had been unable to return, something important must have held him up, yet he still felt wronged.
Ji Chaoyun pursed his lips and did not continue.
“It’s all right. You’re allowed to be angry with me.” Feng Qi said warmly, “You can lose your temper with me whenever you want, throw a fit, do whatever you like. With me, you don’t have to suffer any grievance.”
Ji Chaoyun frowned. “I’m not the sort of person who makes unreasonable scenes.”
“I’m still willing to coax you.” Feng Qi lowered his head and gazed steadily at him. “I’ll coax you for the rest of our lives.”
Ji Chaoyun’s cheeks warmed beneath his gaze, and he changed the subject. “Right, when you arrived earlier, I saw several divine soldiers with you. How did it go? How many people did you bring?”
“Not many.” Feng Qi said, “The divine soldiers suffered heavy casualties during the battle three hundred years ago. I have only just returned to the heavens, and the forces I can mobilize amount to less than half of what I had back then. I’ve hidden the main body of the troops throughout Hongmeng Mountain now. If you want to see them, I can take you there.”
Ji Chaoyun shook his head. “The fewer people who know where the divine soldiers are concealed, the better.”
He thought for a moment, then asked, “What does Immortal Venerable Tianshu intend to do?”
Feng Qi said, “I’ve already reached an agreement with him. Hongmeng Academy will serve as the encampment for the Immortal Realm allied forces. Forming an alliance isn’t something that can be accomplished in a single morning or evening, however. The Phoenix Clan and Heavenly Fox Clan are still doing everything they can to bring it about.”
“Hongmeng Academy?” Ji Chaoyun frowned. “There are still many ordinary disciples here. Won’t that...”
Feng Qi explained, “Hongmeng Mountain is one of the places in the Immortal Realm where pure qi is most abundant. Its terrain is also strategically advantageous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. There is no more suitable place for the allied forces to establish their base. I know what you’re worried about. Once there is progress in forming the alliance, I’ll personally explain matters to the other disciples.”
Ji Chaoyun vaguely felt that something was strange, but he could not determine what it was at the moment. He merely lowered his eyes and did not pursue the subject.
Feng Qi laughed. “In any case, I can finally rest for a few days and stay with you until the Heavenly Ranking Tournament is finished.”
Ji Chaoyun looked up at him and asked in confusion, “Why do you seem completely unworried?”
“Worried about what?”
Ji Chaoyun said, “Three hundred years ago, even with the divine soldiers helping you, that battle was still extraordinarily difficult. This time... more than half the divine soldiers have been lost. Why do you seem so certain of victory instead?”
“Because I’m not the key to this battle.”
“What do you mean?”
Feng Qi said, “I don’t know the details either. Before I left the Divine Realm, Spirit Venerable, Imperial Daughter Feng Xi’s personal mount, said something to me. In essence, he said that the person capable of saving the world would soon appear and that I needn’t worry.”
“There’s someone else who can save the world?”
Feng Qi nodded. “The Primordial Gods can peer through past and present and comprehend the future. Since she said such a person exists, then that person certainly does. I only hope they arrive sooner, so the two of us won’t have to spend every day worrying over these matters.”
Ji Chaoyun fell silent for a moment. Just as he was about to say something, a quiet sound abruptly came from his stomach.
“...”
Feng Qi laughed. “Hungry?”
Ji Chaoyun was somewhat embarrassed and nodded lightly.
“On the way back, I had someone reserve a place at Changyuan Pavilion. Now is just the right time to go.” Feng Qi took Ji Chaoyun’s ankle and raised his foot, placed it in his lap, then carefully dried it with the hem of his robe. “My little dragon has won two matches, and we haven’t even celebrated yet.”
“What’s the hurry? We can celebrate after I finish the remaining four matches.”
“You really are aiming straight for first place.” Feng Qi shook his head with a laugh and helped Ji Chaoyun put on his shoes and socks. “No matter. A victory deserves celebrating. We’ll make up for the rewards from the first two matches.”
He stood up, only to see Ji Chaoyun still sitting on the bluestone and staring at him without blinking.
Their gazes met. In a flash of understanding, Feng Qi immediately realized what he wanted.
He turned around and crouched in front of Ji Chaoyun. “Come up. I’ll carry you back.”
The forest in the afternoon was damp and warm. Feng Qi walked slowly, and for a time, the only sound was the rustling of fallen leaves beneath his feet.
Lying on Feng Qi’s back, Ji Chaoyun abruptly asked, “Am I heavy?”
“Mm, quite heavy.” Feng Qi turned his head to look at him. “Have you put on weight lately?”
“!” Ji Chaoyun started. “R-Really?”
Feng Qi said solemnly, “Haven’t you noticed it yourself?”
While speaking, he deliberately gave Ji Chaoyun’s waist a light pat.
Ji Chaoyun had previously been far too thin. After a month apart, some flesh had actually appeared on his face and waist, and his complexion had improved considerably as well.
In truth, the change was not particularly obvious. Feng Qi simply knew him far too well, and after not seeing him for so long, he noticed the difference at a glance.
Ji Chaoyun knew perfectly well just how much he had been eating lately. Hearing Feng Qi say this, he immediately treated it like the arrival of a formidable enemy and nearly jumped straight off Feng Qi’s back.
Feng Qi hurriedly secured him. “Stop moving around. Be careful not to fall. ...What’s wrong now?”
“I’m not going.” Ji Chaoyun sank into profound self-disgust and said listlessly, “I’m not eating anymore.”
Feng Qi could not hold it in and burst out laughing.
“I was teasing you. You’re not fat.” Laughing, Feng Qi lightly pinched Ji Chaoyun’s cheek. “I wish you’d put on more flesh. The way you looked before made it seem as though I mistreated you.”
“...” Ji Chaoyun still could not cheer up. He muttered, “Then I’ll eat less.”
“Mm.”
“After we finish eating, we’ll walk back. No flying.”
“All right. Whatever you say.”
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
Baby: I’m an egg! I’m not fat!! You two dumb dads!!!
————
Today is yet another day when the baby still has no proper identity, qaq.
I know everyone is eager to meet the baby. I’m anxious too, but there are still some things I need to write in between, and I haven’t been in very good form lately, so I’ve been writing especially slowly. So... I can only ask everyone to be a little more patient _(:з」∠)_
Probably about two more chapters. I won’t drag it out until the Heavenly Ranking Tournament is over.
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