Extra · When Jun Yan Meets Feng Qi (4)
Jun Yan seemed to have fallen into an abyss. His body drifted uncontrollably through boundless darkness until, all at once, a faint light appeared ahead.
He felt a light breeze carry his body forward, setting him down in a completely unfamiliar place.
It was a lake he had never seen before.
Night lay heavy around him. Jun Yan stood inside a pavilion by the lake and looked toward the distant shallows. Two bodies were intertwined there, their forms indistinct, while broken voices drifted toward him.
“I’ve already sent everyone away. No one will come here tonight. Why are you still so nervous?”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You don’t like it?”
“...Say something. Do you like it or not? Do you?”
Jun Yan’s ears abruptly turned red.
They were actually... actually doing that sort of thing?!
What kind of place was this?
“Gentler... be gentler.” Desire tangled through the hoarse voice, along with the hint of a sob. Jun Yan instantly froze where he stood.
That was his voice!
The clouds covering the night sky happened to part at that moment. Moonlight broke through, illuminating the two figures in the shallows.
The man above had his head lowered, making his features difficult to discern. The one beneath him had silver hair scattered completely loose, his neck arched backward in a vulnerable curve. A tear hung at the corner of his eye, neither falling nor remaining still, while a flush of passion spread across his features.
He opened his hazy eyes and met Jun Yan’s gaze directly.
The scene abruptly changed.
When Jun Yan came back to himself, he had returned to the top floor of Cloud-Ascending Tower.
He stood behind the divider in the outer room and looked past it. The gauze curtains around the bed had been lowered, and indistinct lamplight cast the silhouettes of those upon the bed.
Jun Yan seemed pinned in place by some unseen force. A hand reached out from behind the gauze curtains, only to be immediately covered by another.
Their fingers intertwined. As though noticing someone watching, the man above lifted one corner of the gauze curtain and turned toward him with a smile.
That face belonged to Feng Qi.
...
Jun Yan’s eyes flew open, only for the person sitting beside him to give him another fright.
“Ah!” Jun Yan instinctively shrank backward. “What are you doing?!”
Dawn had not fully broken. Half of Feng Qi’s face remained hidden in the dim light, leaving only the smooth, handsome outline of his profile visible. “Waking you up. What else would I be doing?”
Jun Yan clutched the blanket over himself without speaking.
He had yet to recover from that strange dream. Seeing Feng Qi now gave him an exceedingly peculiar feeling.
Feng Qi naturally noticed something was wrong with him.
He bent down curiously and reached toward Jun Yan’s face. “You look awful. Did you have a nightmare?”
“No!” Jun Yan turned his head away.
Feng Qi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Catching Jun Yan off guard, he swiftly pinched his cheek.
Before Jun Yan could lose his temper, Feng Qi stood and quickly said, “All right, hurry and get up. Don’t blame me if you’re late for morning lessons.”
After saying that, he tilted his head and smiled at Jun Yan before turning and heading downstairs.
Jun Yan stared in the direction Feng Qi had gone. Only then did his pounding heartbeat gradually settle.
The intimate, enchanting scenes from his dream continued to linger in his mind. Jun Yan had never had such a vivid dream before, so vivid that he almost felt as though those things had truly happened.
Why would he dream of something like that?
He had spent all these years cultivating in Lingyuan Sea. Although he could hardly claim to have always been “pure of heart and free of desire,” he had never thought about such things, much less dreamed of them.
More importantly, why did it have to be that phoenix?
The realization that Feng Qi had appeared in his erotic dream made Jun Yan shudder violently. He did not dare think any further and turned over to sit up.
...Then his entire body went rigid.
An unfamiliar dampness made itself known. Realizing what it was, Jun Yan’s face instantly burned.
In a fluster, he cast a spell to clean up the mess beneath him, then fled Cloud-Ascending Tower without looking back.
Inside Cloud-Ascending Tower, Feng Qi stood beside the window and watched Jun Yan hurry away. He laughed. “Why is he running off in such a panic? Anyone who didn’t know better might think I’d done something to him...”
☁
From that day onward, Jun Yan refused to stay with Feng Qi again. Every night, he slept alone in the warm chamber inside the Scripture Pavilion.
Not only that, Jun Yan used reviewing his lessons as an excuse to remain there until late every night before returning to Cloud-Ascending Tower. Feng Qi kept an extremely regular schedule, sleeping early and rising late. In this way, Jun Yan happened to avoid the hours when Feng Qi was awake.
More than half of their seven-day wager had already passed, yet the number of times the two had seen each other could be counted on one hand.
It was not that Jun Yan deliberately intended to break their agreement. He simply... truly had no idea how he was supposed to face that man.
Ever since that strange dream, he had been having the same sort of dream every night. The scenes were different each time, but the other person was always the same.
What in the world was going on?
Jun Yan patted his burning cheek and walked into the classroom.
The morning bell had already sounded, yet the usually quiet classroom was filled with noise. Jun Yan raised his head and met a pair of smiling eyes.
Feng Qi was leaning against his desk, smiling at him with unmistakable satisfaction.
Since entering the academy, the number of days Feng Qi had actually attended lessons could be counted on one hand. Everyone was both surprised and curious, crowding around him so tightly that not even water could pass through.
Jun Yan froze where he stood.
“Jun Yan, why aren’t you going in?” Immortal Tianji’s voice sounded behind him. Only then did Jun Yan come back to himself. He quickly said, “My apologies,” lowered his head, and walked toward his desk.
Everyone returned to their seats one after another. Feng Qi alone remained where he was.
Immortal Tianji was likewise startled when he saw Feng Qi, but he was an experienced instructor after all. He nodded toward Feng Qi and said evenly, “Since you’ve come, find somewhere to sit.”
There were always disciples absent from the Heaven-Rank Daoist Scripture lessons, so the classroom did not contain many spare desks and chairs. Unfortunately, there were no empty seats today.
Feng Qi acknowledged him, then openly sat down beside Jun Yan.
Jun Yan: “...”
He glanced at Feng Qi. The latter’s eyes were brimming with amusement, and he even gave Jun Yan a mischievous wink.
Jun Yan’s expression immediately became indescribable.
He shifted his seat to the side, then shifted a little farther, leaving most of the desk to Feng Qi.
Immortal Tianji began the lesson. Jun Yan sat perfectly upright, staring straight at the immortal instructor before him. Every so often he lowered his head to take notes, refusing to look at the person beside him.
The peace did not last long before Feng Qi lightly poked him. “Hey, Jun Yan.”
Jun Yan quietly shifted farther away and ignored him.
“Jun Yan. Jun Yan.” Feng Qi persistently leaned closer. Jun Yan could even feel the heat of the other man’s body pressing near him. “...Little dragon?”
Jun Yan’s brush jerked, drawing a winding line across the paper.
In his dreams, this man called him that too.
His tone in the dreams was entirely different from now. Those repeated, hoarse calls carried lingering desire and affection, so gentle that they made one want to sink into them and never emerge.
Jun Yan’s ears burned. He turned around fiercely. “What is it?”
Feng Qi stared at him for a moment before laughing. “I was only asking you to share half the book with me. Why are you so angry?”
“...” Jun Yan did not answer. Silently, he pushed the book toward Feng Qi.
Feng Qi propped his chin on one hand and stared at Jun Yan’s crimson earlobe, his fingers itching slightly.
Using the excuse of looking at the book, he leaned closer and murmured beside Jun Yan’s ear, “Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?”
Jun Yan’s entire body jolted. He instinctively tried to retreat, only for Feng Qi to catch his wrist.
“Don’t move around. The Immortal Senior will notice.” Feng Qi regarded him leisurely, his tone unhurried. “For three days straight, you haven’t returned to Cloud-Ascending Tower until after the Zi hour. What have you been doing?”
Jun Yan said, “I... the examination is coming. I’ve been reviewing my lessons.”
“Reviewing your lessons?” Feng Qi casually picked up one of the books on the desk and glanced at the detailed annotations Jun Yan had written across its pages. “You’ve been able to recite these Daoist scriptures for the examination backward and forward for ages. You need this long to review them? Who are you trying to fool?”
“...” Jun Yan pulled his hand free. “It’s none of your concern!”
The warmth of Jun Yan’s wrist still lingered against Feng Qi’s fingertips. Looking at his profile, Feng Qi asked quietly, “Why are you so hot? Are you ill?”
He reached toward Jun Yan’s forehead as he spoke, but the latter dodged him.
The heat in Jun Yan’s face felt hot enough to cook him alive. He gritted his teeth. “I’m not. Pay attention to the lesson.”
Feng Qi frowned but said nothing more.
For the remainder of the morning lesson, Feng Qi stopped causing trouble and sat obediently beside Jun Yan without another word. When the dismissal bell rang, Jun Yan rubbed his aching brow. As he rose, his legs suddenly gave way without warning.
Feng Qi hurriedly caught him.
“What exactly is wrong with you? Should I take you to Alchemy Hall?” Feng Qi asked.
Feng Qi’s scent surrounded him without restraint, and Jun Yan suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
Perhaps it was because he had not been sleeping well these past few days. He had been weary and listless for several days in a row, and today he had felt dizzy and weak ever since waking that morning.
Feng Qi was still saying something beside his ear, but Jun Yan could barely hear him anymore.
If this man had not been disturbing his dreams every night... he would never have ended up like this. The mere sight of Feng Qi made irritation flare within him. Just as Feng Qi reached out to test the temperature of his forehead, Jun Yan acted without thinking and bit him.
“Hiss, you...” Feng Qi sucked in a sharp breath and was about to scold him when the person in his arms went limp and collapsed against his chest.
The disciples who were just about to leave the classroom: “...?”
Feng Qi: “...”
When Jun Yan woke again, he had already returned to Cloud-Ascending Tower.
The bed beneath him was exceptionally soft. Jun Yan stared at the gauze canopy overhead for a long while before finally recognizing where he was.
Someone lifted one corner of the curtain beside him. Feng Qi smiled at him. “Awake?”
The scene looked remarkably similar to the one from his dream. Jun Yan sat up awkwardly, nearly biting his tongue as he spoke. “A-Awake... You brought me here?”
Feng Qi folded his arms over his chest. “If I hadn’t brought you back, who else could enter this place?”
“I... How could I...”
How could he have fainted in the classroom?
Jun Yan rarely fell ill, much less suddenly lost consciousness. Besides, he had merely gone several nights without sleeping properly. How could that possibly...
As his mind gradually cleared, the strange sensation within his body became increasingly obvious. Jun Yan froze. His ears slowly reddened.
Could it be that he was...
“Don’t be embarrassed. All immortal beasts go through this. I understand.” Feng Qi leaned against the bedside, the teasing smile in his eyes nearly impossible to conceal. “Still, I imagine the Crown Prince of the Dragon Clan wouldn’t want the entire academy knowing about this, so I took it upon myself to bring Your Highness back first.”
With that, there was finally an explanation for the bouts of heat in his body, the weakness and exhaustion that had plagued him for days, and those erotic dreams that lasted through the night.
Jun Yan could hardly bear to face anyone. He said weakly, “Th... thank you.”
Feng Qi lowered his head slightly and leaned close. “You’ve been like this for several days already. Didn’t anyone teach you to circulate your spiritual power beforehand to suppress it? You noticed something was wrong with your body yet ignored it, wasting your energy for nothing. No wonder you fainted.”
As he spoke, his voice sounded right beside Jun Yan’s ear. Jun Yan could even feel Feng Qi’s breath brushing across it.
It was like a wildfire sweeping across open plains, spreading from the base of his ear until it burned through every limb and bone.
Feng Qi seemed to notice his embarrassment. The amusement in his eyes deepened as he leaned forward.
Jun Yan edged backward little by little until his back struck the headboard. Unable to endure any more, he snapped, “Feng Qi!”
“I’m here.” Feng Qi stared at him and asked quietly, “Jun Yan, do you remember what you said while you were unconscious?”
Jun Yan suddenly had a terrible feeling. “What did I say?”
“You called my name.” Feng Qi lowered his voice until it was quiet and soft. “You were unconscious for three shichen, and you kept calling my name. You said you felt awful and asked me to help you.”
Jun Yan’s breathing quickened.
Feng Qi gazed at him and said quietly, “...I nearly took advantage of you while you were vulnerable.”
The sun was sinking toward the horizon. No lamps had been lit inside the room, and the light gradually dimmed, yet the gazes locked between them seemed especially scorching. Something that neither could put into words seemed to quietly break through the soil beneath the intimate atmosphere.
Jun Yan abruptly shoved Feng Qi away. “Stop joking!”
He did not dare look at the man before him at all. Flustered, he said, “I really must thank you this time. I’ll make up for it with a proper gift in a few days. I... I’ll leave first.”
Jun Yan finished speaking and tried to climb out of bed, but the moment his foot touched the floor, his leg gave way.
Feng Qi had expected it and caught him steadily.
“You want to walk outside looking like this and let everyone know what’s wrong with you?” Feng Qi said. “Don’t worry. I’ve already asked for leave on your behalf, and I’ve taken care of things with that little study companion of yours as well. Stay here and recuperate for the next few days. You can go out once you’ve recovered.”
“Why are you looking at me? I’ll return to the disciples’ peaks for the next few days. I won’t come here and disturb you.”
Feng Qi lightly pinched the edge of Jun Yan’s earlobe with his fingertips and smiled. “Where else in this world would you find such an upright gentleman as me? You really ought to thank me properly.”
Jun Yan understood the implication behind his words, and the restless heat inside him returned in full force.
Feng Qi watched his face and silently sighed. Troubled, he said, “If you don’t want me taking advantage of you, then rein in your scent...”
Jun Yan turned his head away, his eyes slightly red. “I... I don’t know how...”
“There’s really nothing I can do with you.” Feng Qi straightened. “I’m leaving. I won’t come back and disturb you these next few days. Send me a message if anything happens.”
After saying that, he turned and walked toward the door.
Jun Yan suddenly called after him. “Feng Qi.”
Feng Qi stopped.
“Do you...” Jun Yan seemed extremely hesitant. He struggled before asking, “Do you not like... not like...”
Feng Qi gave a quiet laugh.
He did not turn around. When he spoke again, his voice was slightly hoarse. “If I truly didn’t like it, would you have driven me to the point of practically fleeing in defeat?”
Jun Yan stared blankly.
The intimate, sweet scent in the air grew increasingly intense. Feng Qi stood where he was for a long moment, then abruptly strode back to the bed and seized Jun Yan’s wrist.
Jun Yan shuddered violently. His breathing nearly stopped.
The corners of Feng Qi’s eyes were faintly red. He looked at Jun Yan and finally pressed an exceedingly restrained kiss against his temple.
The touch was warm and unfamiliar. Jun Yan stared at him. “You...”
“My thank-you gift,” Feng Qi said hoarsely. “I won’t take advantage of you now. Once you’ve recovered, I’ll come collect what you owe me.”
Feng Qi then turned and quickly left Cloud-Ascending Tower.
☁
Several days later, at the Sword Practice Grounds.
Jun Yan practiced the sword techniques he had newly learned twice, then swept his gaze across the grounds, somewhat distracted.
After being brought back to Cloud-Ascending Tower that day, he had regulated his own breathing and spiritual power until his heat cycle passed. Feng Qi had also kept his promise and had not returned to the tower.
Yet several days had already passed since Jun Yan’s heat cycle ended, and Feng Qi still had not appeared.
That man had always been impossible to track down. He never attended lessons, and outsiders could not enter the disciples’ peaks. Even if Jun Yan wanted to find him, he had no idea where to look.
They had already gone many days without seeing each other.
Jun Yan unconsciously touched his temple. That fleeting kiss still felt as though it had happened only moments ago, as though he could still sense Feng Qi’s lingering presence there.
What was this supposed to mean?
That bastard was doing this on purpose, wasn’t he?
Jun Yan was inexplicably growing irritated when a voice sounded behind him. “Little dragon, want to spar?”
He turned around. Feng Qi tilted his head and smiled at him.
Jun Yan did not answer. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Jun Yan gave a cold snort. “So you finally decided to show yourself?”
“Naturally.” A longsword materialized in Feng Qi’s hand. “I still have a thank-you gift to collect from you, don’t I?”
Jun Yan finally smiled. He flourished the longsword in his hand and pointed its edge toward Feng Qi. “Then we’ll see whether you have the ability to take it.”
Everyone in the academy knew that Jun Yan and Feng Qi had previously been punished for fighting in private. However, that match had taken place outside the academy, and no one dared ask them about the result, so no one knew who had won.
The academy disciples had even opened a betting pool over which of the two possessed the higher cultivation.
Now that the two were about to compete again, everyone put down their weapons and spontaneously formed a circle around them on the grass.
The two young men stood at the center of the field with swords in hand. A transparent barrier slowly spread around them, forming a dome of light that shut out every sound from the outside.
Feng Qi glanced at the disciples beyond the barrier and smiled. “Want to make another wager?”
Jun Yan narrowed his eyes. “What are you plotting this time?”
Feng Qi spoke unhurriedly. “If you lose, let me kiss you once.”
Jun Yan asked, “What if I win?”
“Then you kiss me once?”
“Get lost.”
“So, are you agreeing or not? If you won’t agree, I’m not fighting.”
“...”
“Are you agreeing or not?”
“...Fine, then fight! I’m not afraid of you!”
Within the barrier of light, two figures crossed swords and became entangled in combat. Brilliant sword-light filled the young man’s eyes, while a faint curve rose at the corner of his lips.
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
A family member was hospitalized, so I’ve been too busy this week and ended up skipping the update. Sorry.
This story is now completely finished. Thank you for staying with me until the end! If you’ve purchased the entire novel, I hope you cuties can leave a rating. Thank you!
Please give my author page a follow too. My next novel will be After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Marked by the Tyrant, which will begin next week.
It’s the new novel I’m planning to write, so if you’re interested, little angels, please click in and add it to your favorites~
---
IsitRo: WE’RE DONEEEEEEE!!! 🎉😭 After 123 chapters, extras, children, alternate timelines, and me questioning Ji Chaoyun’s survival instincts approximately 800 times, After Cultivating with the Enemy is officially finished!
I have.......... thoughts! Many thoughts. Some loving. Some annoyed. Some involving me grabbing Ji Chaoyun by the shoulders and asking him WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THAT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!
So rather than holding everyone hostage down here, I made a separate spoiler-filled ish review for anyone who wants to hear me yap about the entire novel.
→ Final Review: After Cultivating with the Enemy
Since we’ve officially reached the end of ACWTE, I prepared one last little game for everyone who survived all 123 chapters with me!
Want to test how much you actually remember? The next post is the ACWTE Final Reader Challenge!
If you don’t care about my spoiler-filled rambling in the next post and only wanted to click for the game, honestly I respect that too. 😂 Just head straight to the next post~
See you there cattos! 🐾 P.S. One more fortune draw, but this time you can draw as many times as you want! 100 possible fortunes.
Jade-Slip Fortune Draw
The story may be over, but apparently the Heavenly Dao still has opinions. Unroll a jade slip and see what ACWTE nonsense fate has prepared for you. ♡
Draw as many times as you want, catto. The Heavenly Dao has given up trying to stop you.
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