Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Leaving the brightly lit room, Xiao Yao felt slightly more at ease, and the heat in his ears subsided a little.
After walking a certain distance, the light dimmed, and Xiao Yao finally slowed his pace, touching his earlobe and letting out a sigh of relief.
Bai Ju now understood; his little boyfriend was embarrassed by being stared at in front of everyone. Taking advantage of the situation, Bai Ju leaned slightly and gently pecked the tip of Xiao Yao’s ear, his voice tinged with laughter: “Yao Yao, are you shy?”
Xiao Yao tilted his head, his ear tickling slightly, and muttered, “Don’t stare at me for so long next time.”
Bai Ju’s lips curved into a smile, and he readily apologized: “Sorry, I’ll be more careful next time… I was secretly watching you.”
Xiao Yao: “…”
Xiao Yao glared at him, annoyed. Wasn’t secretly glancing still looking? Gazes, especially when focused on you, were easily detected by sorcerers.
Bai Ju ruffled Xiao Yao’s hair, stopping his teasing and explaining seriously, “I didn’t mean to stare at you for so long, I just thought of something.”
Bai Ju was a very considerate dog; he only did affectionate things when they were alone and wouldn’t deliberately stare at Xiao Yao in front of others. Xiao Yao knew this, and upon hearing this, he calmed his racing emotions, squeezed Bai Ju’s hand, and asked, “Did you find any clues?”
Bai Ju nodded: “Yes, I found some, but they’re fragmented, and there are some things I’m not sure about.”
Xiao Yao frowned: “Does it concern me? Is it aimed at me?”
Bai Ju waved his hand, leading Xiao Yao on a leisurely stroll towards the small horse farm. He then lowered his eyes and said gently, “They’re most likely after me. Next, they might target my parents’ graves… But it probably has something to do with you too. Your situation is too special; they might have something they want.”
Bai Ju knew what he possessed meant to those with ulterior motives. If they were after both his power and Xiao Yao’s destiny, it wouldn’t be hard to explain why all their actions seemed to kill two birds with one stone, vaguely targeting both of them.
Xiao Yao didn’t quite understand.
It wasn’t hard to judge that they had ulterior motives towards both him and Bai Ju, but what was so special about him that Bai Ju had been observing him for so long?
Thinking this, Xiao Yao asked.
Bai Ju pondered for a moment and simply said, “There are too many talented people around you. I think it’s necessary to personally contact other teams in the Special Operations Bureau, the Sorcerer’s Association… and other people related to you. The closer the relationship, the more you need to contact them.”
Xiao Yao’s heart raced slightly. He swallowed hard. “…With people close to me?” He couldn’t recall his past experiences clearly, but Xiao Yao knew one thing for sure: he was cursed with harm to his closest relatives— this wasn’t hard to know; he was a sorcerer himself, how could he not know the power of his “name”?
Naming was an art, but most ordinary people wouldn’t be greatly affected even if they had an unsuitable name. But for sorcerers like them, naming had to be especially careful, because the stronger the sorcerer, the stronger the effect reflected in their name.
If it weren’t necessary… his master wouldn’t have given him such a fierce name.
In Xiao Yao’s subconscious, in the place he was desperately trying to avoid, all… The word “closeness,” especially “closeness” involving blood ties, was highlighted in bold red: “Danger.”
Bai Ju’s sudden mention of this sent a jolt of nightmares through Xiao Yao; his heart pounded uncontrollably, his throat went dry, and his breathing became shallow and rapid.
Fortunately, he remained lucid, and Bai Ju’s abrupt mention only triggered a conditioned physiological response; his mind wasn’t significantly disturbed. After a brief pause, he regained his composure: “What do the states and traits of those around me reveal about me?”
Bai Ju had been closely observing Xiao Yao’s condition and naturally hadn’t missed his series of physical reactions.
His slender fingertips gently touched Xiao Yao’s wrist, feeling the pulse stabilizing. Bai Ju secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn’t help feeling both proud and heartbroken for his boyfriend.
Proud of Xiao Yao’s strength, composure, and decisiveness; heartbroken for the process by which Xiao Yao had achieved his skills.
Blinking to conceal the emotions in his eyes, Bai Ju raised his hand and touched Xiao Yao’s hair, his fingers massaging his scalp, conveying a reassuring strength and warmth: “…Yes, the state of those around you reflects your destiny.”
Avoiding revealing the Emperor’s decree, Bai Ju lowered his eyes and earnestly explained to Xiao Yao, “I roughly know what is coveted about me, and you… also possess an extremely rare treasure.”
“A treasure that greedy and wicked people will covet and will stop at nothing to seize and possess.” Bai Ju said, brushing Xiao Yao’s hair back with his fingers, and leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Yao Yao, only by understanding you enough can I know how to protect you.”
“I’m still out of touch with the modern world. Even if I have a job and the ability, I can’t be a help to you financially or in any other way, because you’re already excellent enough to support our little family on your own. But everything else, everything related to heaven and earth, to fate, to the future… leave it to me.”
“Don’t be afraid, there’s nothing in this world you need to be afraid of.” Bai Ju’s voice was deep and reassuring, a comforting power seeping into Xiao Yao’s scalp and forehead like a warm cup of tea on a winter’s day, seeping into his very bones.
Xiao Yao involuntarily closed his eyes, his fingers twitching slightly before slipping from Bai Ju’s grasp and clutching his shirt.
Tilting his head back slightly, Xiao Yao’s eyes swirled with complex emotions, yet only one thought occupied his mind— he wanted a kiss.
A kiss of love, of protection, of dependence, and of being moved.
He wanted Bai Ju’s kiss.
Bai Ju’s eyes flickered slightly, and his hand released Xiao Yao’s. He stroked Xiao Yao’s hair, gently touching the back of his head, then wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
The dark, glossy bangs were tousled; some fell obediently to Xiao Yao’s forehead as Bai Ju released his grip, while others stubbornly stuck up, lightly brushing against Bai Ju’s forehead.
They embraced and kissed amidst the swaying light of the roses.
The kiss wasn’t long, nor was it particularly intense, but it seemed to be the most profound since they had confessed their feelings for each other.
Kneading the back of Xiao Yao’s neck, Bai Ju slowly released him, his voice slightly hoarse: “Yao Yao.”
“You have to tell me everything.” His dark eyes reflected the distant lights. “History and the future, pain and joy, tell me everything.”
His slender fingers gently caressed Xiao Yao’s lips, and Bai Ju leaned in to press them together: “…Tell me everything, instead of making me listen.”
“I will give you enough time and space. You can choose to delay, and delay even further, until the end of your life, until reincarnation… As long as there’s something you haven’t told me, remember, I’m waiting for you to say it.” Bai Ju’s words were somewhat domineering, somewhat unreasonable, but upon closer listening, they also sounded like a disguised attempt to keep him.
Xiao Yao knew that Bai Ju had seen through his fear.
When Bai Ju mentioned his destiny, Xiao Yao understood what Bai Ju meant.
Destiny was a very mysterious thing; as long as he was alive, all the things related to his destiny that he experienced in the past could potentially repeat themselves.
Bai Ju was worried that he would close himself off because of fear, and he was also worried that he would get stuck in a dead end because of his destiny, which was believed to bring misfortune to his loved ones, and thus take his own life.
Some hurdles were not something that could be overcome the first time, and you didn’t necessarily have the courage to overcome them again. People always got tired. If the same difficulties were overcome again and again, perhaps one day, a tired person would give up on the long future and close their eyes to lie down in the abyss.
So Bai Ju was promising the future, even using the “future” to “kidnap” Xiao Yao.
How could Xiao Yao not appreciate it?
This old dog’s thoughts were easy to understand; his sincerity was undeniable, incredibly comforting, and undeniably reliable.
“Don’t worry,” Xiao Yao hugged Bai Ju and whispered, “I’m not that foolish… to give up a future with limitless possibilities.”
“I wouldn’t have before, and now that I have you, I’m even less likely to,”
Bai Ju said, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, seemingly trying to laugh, but his expression remained somewhat reserved.
After calming down a bit, Xiao Yao regained his composure and began to piece together the information he had gleaned from Bai Ju.
They were both being watched. The old dog knew what was being coveted about him, so he probably had his own plans. This aspect could be put on hold for now; Xiao Yao didn’t need to waste too much effort.
As for what was being coveted about Xiao Yao, Bai Ju already had a theory, mostly related to his destiny, but further confirmation was needed.
As for the problems facing the two now, one was to perfect the layout of Haiyin Castle, which could be completed tonight; the other was to confirm Bai Ju’s conjecture— whether the other party’s next target was the burial place of Bai Ju’s parents, the Heavenly Punishment Tomb.
Xiao Yao’s gaze turned slightly cold.
If that was really the case… then even if he had to call upon all the help from the Sorcerer’s Association, he would still stuff that malicious person into the Asura Hell to become food for evil spirits.
The author has something to say:
Old Dog Bai: There’s nothing in this world you need to be afraid of.
Yao Yao: No, Little Dog Bai’s size is quite frightening.
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