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Chapter 50: Together...?

Hair black as clouds, a few strands of dark hair brushing down against his shoulder, gathered up by slender fingers. The body-cleansing spell flashed with a faint glow, and his whole body was clean once more before he changed into new clothes.

Chen Moqing raised his hand and picked up the outer robe that had fallen to the ground.

Catching the familiar scent, the small fluffy ball inside the robe began to stir gently. Soon, a furry little head poked out from within again.

The round, fluffy little ball nestled in Chen Moqing's arms, looking left and right, expression composed, a pair of round beast eyes blinking.

As if nothing had just happened.

Chen Moqing tapped a fingertip on that little head, smoothing over the somewhat ruffled fur: "Let's go."

【Okay】

The Demon Emperor's voice was low, sounding very calm too, as if he weren't the one who had just been hiding and refusing to come out.

After a moment, Cang Shun lowered his head slightly.

The young cultivator wore a robe of blue-white, cinched at the waist with wide sleeves, black hair falling to his waist, setting off his slender, straight figure.

Cang Shun's gaze steadied briefly, glanced over, then glanced again.

Chen Moqing let Cang Shun look all he wanted—after all, this Demon Emperor only dared to look at his clothes with his eyes.

They dropped straight down from the cave, landing at the oasis, stepping onto the yellow sand of the desert—for some reason, after walking the whole way, Cang Shun still hadn't transformed into human form, remaining in his true form.

Curled into a furry little ball, stuck to his human's chest.

After a while, stuck to Chen Moqing's shoulder.

After another while, stuck to his back.

After yet another while, stuck to his waist.

No telling how he kept sticking, but he stuck everywhere regardless.

Once melted, little white sugar cakes were sticky to the touch too.

Chen Moqing smiled and poked at the fur with his finger, the confusion in his heart still not dispelled.

After walking on for a stretch, his footsteps paused slightly, and the snow-white little beast also raised its head from between his arms.

Outside the oasis, a group of young juniors from the Chu family stood frozen in the wind, having eaten who-knew-how-much sand by now.

"Is that them?"

"Looks like it!"

"Good heavens, we've run into the real thing!"

This group of Chu family juniors had come to the clan's sacred courting spot... to cultivate near the Spirit Eye, and before they'd even gotten close, they saw a beam of sword light splitting heaven and earth apart, stunning them on the spot. After standing dazed for a long while, they saw a young cultivator walking toward them carrying a ball of snow-white fluff, and swarmed over in a rush.

"Senior, you've left seclusion? Congratulations, congratulations!"

"What a match, truly a match!"

"Long and lasting, a hundred years of harmony!"

"......"

Chen Moqing's brow lifted slightly, and he glanced at the Demon Emperor beside him.

What are they saying.

Cang Shun returned an innocent gaze, indicating he had no idea either.

The group of Chu family juniors surrounded them with great curiosity, packed three layers deep on every side, unable to leave anytime soon. All that could be heard was their chattering—at first it was just ordinary congratulations, but gradually some strange words started popping up.

"One human, one demon, one male and another male, simply a match made in heaven!"

"What a match, truly a match!"

"May you have children soon, and grow old together!"

The snow-white little beast understood, and immediately perked up its little head, puffing out its chest very proudly, eyes shining bright.

Chen Moqing: "......"

He gently reached out, two slender fingers pressing against the Demon Emperor's noble head, pressing him down along with his fur, then said to the crowd around them: "Everyone has misunderstood."

The Chu family juniors looked at him, then looked at the snow-white demon beast nestled obediently in his arms, gently rubbing its head against him, and one after another went "mm-hm," "oh-ho," "we understand."

It looked like not a single one of them believed him.

Chen Moqing was at a loss for words, and was about to explain again when his finger was gently tugged. He looked down, meeting a pair of focused, quiet eyes.

Cang Shun stared at him unblinkingly—the Demon Emperor's eyes had always been beautiful, like flawless rubies.

Their gazes met for a moment, and for some reason, what Chen Moqing had originally meant to say suddenly changed course: "We'd like to look around nearby, any recommendations?"

"There's plenty! Besides our own Chu Family City, there's also Huangye City to the east—you have to go to Boss Huang's restaurant, the dishes are unmatched!"

The young juniors chattered on and on, and Chen Moqing agreed with a smile, rubbed the Demon Emperor's head, and carried him off.

Cang Shun's mouth curved up slightly, gently taking hold of that slender hand and tucking it beneath his fur.

The Chu family juniors stayed behind, watching the human and demon pair grow distant, when one of them suddenly had a flash of insight and struck a fist into his palm: "I get it, they must be in that kind of relationship! Just hasn't been formally announced to heaven and earth yet, haven't held the union ceremony!"

"Oh—! So that's the kind of relationship it is!"

"Won't be long now, won't be long now!"

The group of young juniors burst into excited chatter once more.

Yellow sand stretched to the horizon, the blue sky endless above, sunlight gilding the vast desert, boundless and magnificent.

A figure in blue-white robes skimmed across the rolling dunes, Chen Moqing lightly scratching the snow-white little beast's chin: "Let's go look around Huangye City first, and make up for your birthday celebration."

The words had barely left his mouth when the snow-white little beast on his arm flicked its tail rapidly, the slender tail coiling around his wrist again and again, the fluffy tip burrowing into his palm and rubbing against it nonstop.

【You still haven't told me your birthday】

Chen Moqing smiled faintly: "This year's has already passed."

Cang Shun gripped his hand tight, gently swaying it back and forth, eyes bright as stars.

【You promised you'd tell me!】

Back then, his human had told him he'd have to wait until next year to be told—and in the blink of an eye, they'd already spent many years together.

The snow-white little beast began scrambling all over the young human, tugging at his sleeve, rubbing against his hair, crying out "meow meow" loudly, pestering him for an answer.

Chen Moqing pressed down on this restless little fluffball, and unhurriedly stated a date.

Cang Shun's gaze went still.

It turned out to be just the day before his own birthday.

So they'd been that close all along.

His ruby-like eyes brimmed with a smile, and Cang Shun gently buried his forehead into Chen Moqing's palm: 【Then, we can celebrate our birthdays together】

【Is that okay? Is that okay?】

The low, pleasant male voice echoed brightly, like a little bouncing piece of candy.

The fur in his palm was soft and fluffy, carrying a warm heat, and Chen Moqing let out a slow "mm" sound.

On his shoulder, the snow-white little beast suddenly leapt up, and began gently nudging his face again.

He'd agreed.

From now on, he'll be with me every year.

His heart suddenly ached sharply again, but the Demon Emperor's expression showed no change at all, expertly flopping back down to become a quiet little fluffball once more.

Chen Moqing looked at the little fluffball stuck to the crook of his shoulder, his brow furrowing faintly, almost imperceptibly.

As if there was something being hidden from him, that he refused to tell him.

He lowered his eyes and, expression unchanged, continued flying onward with Cang Shun. Just as they were about to fly out of the desert, sand waves suddenly surged up, yellow sand swirling across the sky.

Amid the howling dust storm, a young man in green robes stumbled out, his left arm bleeding nonstop. A hundred feet behind him, several cultivators pursued relentlessly.

The young man in green gritted his teeth, struggling on, and caught sight of Chen Moqing not far off out of the corner of his eye. He froze for a moment, then immediately changed direction, flying toward him.

Chen Moqing stood still, his blue robes fluttering in the wind, letting the green-robed young man fly to a stop behind him.

The pursuing cultivators halted before him, their gazes hostile: "Fellow Daoist, this matter has nothing to do with you. Step aside, quickly."

The snow-white little beast leapt into Chen Moqing's arms, rolling over lazily out of boredom. Chen Moqing's palm stroked the soft fur, and he said calmly: "This is Chu family territory, are you all still intent on making a move here?"

"Chu family?" The leading Deity Transformation cultivator sneered with contempt. "No one would know, no ghost would sense it. If you don't say anything, fellow Daoist, who's to know?"

He stared at that mere Nascent Soul cultivator in blue robes, his eyes full of threat.

"Then that's a problem," Chen Moqing said, "because you can't afford the hush money."

The Deity Transformation cultivator looked as though he'd heard the world's greatest joke, letting out a cold laugh on the spot: "Do you know who we are?"

Chen Moqing's expression didn't change: "Do you know who I am?"

His tone was so utterly matter-of-fact that the Deity Transformation cultivator hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the man opposite him truly seemed confident and unhurried, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, his voice carrying a hint of caution: "May I ask fellow Daoist's name?"

Chen Moqing raised a slender finger, tapping it lightly against his knuckle, and said with a smile: "Just a nobody."

A talisman rune was drawn in a single stroke, thunder descended from the heavens, illuminating the vast desert!

The Deity Transformation cultivator across from him: "?!"

A fifth-grade Thunder Tribulation Talisman drawn in an instant?! A nobody?!!

Their curses were drowned out in the thunder-light, gone in an instant.

As the thunder-waterfall dispersed, all that remained where the cultivators had been standing were several shredded talisman fragments.

——A thousand-mile teleportation talisman cost hundreds of thousands of spirit stones each; even if those men hadn't died, it was still a massive loss.

The green-robed young man behind Chen Moqing stood dumbstruck, stumbling unevenly to his side, his expression toward him rather complicated.

"Never expected it'd be you who saved me, and never expected you'd turn out to be this strong..."

The young man cupped his fists firmly and lowered his head: "What I said to you before wasn't what I truly meant, I was just in a bad mood that day and misspoke... I'm truly sorry!"

Chen Moqing stroked the snow-white little beast, calmly accepting the few snow-white tufts of fur that shook loose, then turned to the young man: "What did you say?"

The green-robed young man's eyes widened slightly: "...You really don't remember? We've met before! On your first day arriving at the Chu family, I introduced myself as Chu Qingya!"

Chen Moqing did remember now—they'd crossed paths briefly when he'd first joined the Chu family, and Chu Qingya's attitude at the time hadn't been particularly good.

He gave a slight nod.

Chu Qingya: "...So you really hadn't remembered..."

His expression turned serious: "Regardless, you saved my life, that makes you my, Chu Qingya's, benefactor, and I will repay this debt!"

Cang Shun narrowed his eyes, leaping from Chen Moqing's arms up onto his shoulder, staring darkly at the man across from them.

"No need," Chen Moqing said, casually flicking aside the long tail hanging down beside his face, "the Chu family lent me their spirit ground, helping you was nothing more than a small effort."

"Debts are debts, I still know how to settle accounts properly." Chu Qingya smiled, his gaze toward Chen Moqing full of gratitude and warmth.

Then he noticed the snow-white little beast on his savior's shoulder had started glaring at him.

"...?"

Chu Qingya, at a loss, instinctively took half a step back, saying: "The urgent matter now is to hurry back to the Chu family. Those men attacking me for no reason just now, every strike aimed to kill. I'm worried the forces behind them might move against the Chu family again... just like more than twenty years ago."

As he said this, he instinctively clenched his fist tight, and the movement pulled at his shoulder wound, making him hiss in pain.

Chen Moqing exchanged a glance with Cang Shun, who swished his tail indifferently.

【Toss him back first】

"Let's go."

Back at the Chu family, the family head was still in seclusion. Chen Moqing brought Cang Shun to pay respects to the family head's wife, and learned that over these past years, Chu Budu still hadn't returned—seemingly held up by something—though he sent letters every so often to report his whereabouts.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he and Cang Shun left the family head's estate, leaving Chu Qingya behind to continue reporting the situation to the family head's wife.

Under the sunlight, the snow-white little beast, its fur faintly gleaming, crouched on the young human's shoulder, its fluffy tail occasionally brushing against the back of his neck, sometimes trying to sneak into his collar before darting back out again.

Chen Moqing had noticed that ever since his seclusion had ended, this Demon Emperor always stayed stuck to him in his true form, never once transforming even in front of others.

Just what was being hidden from him.

He looked at Cang Shun, and Cang Shun met his gaze too, blinking once.

Why's he looking at me.

Lower my head, let this person pet me.

A palm carrying a faint fragrance settled atop his head, the pads of the fingers pressing with gentle strength, and the Demon Emperor narrowed his eyes contentedly.

Then he heard his human say, unhurried: "Madam Chu just mentioned that the Chu family has a hot spring, best for nourishing spiritual power. I was thinking of soaking in it, would His Majesty the Demon Emperor like to join me?"

Cang Shun: "......"

In Cang Shun's slightly widened eyes, his human leaned in close, breath light: "Together?"

"............"

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