Luo Xiao saw that Ling Mo was close to him. Ling Mo had been slowly inching closer and closer to him without anyone noticing and when Jiang Yao turned around, he took his chance to launch a sneak attack.
Luo Xiao’s eyes widened, and he felt frightened. He knew that he couldn’t avoid Ling Mo, no matter what he tried to do and that he would most likely die in the next second.
Despite being about to die, he felt incredibly tranquil. Although he felt remorseful and sad that he couldn’t spend more time with Jiang Yao, he still felt happy for the time they had traveled together and that he had managed to get to know the handsome older man.
He closed his eyes and waited for the attack to land. For it to rip him to shreds and end his life.
Then... nothing happened. A long moment went by but the claw-like hand didn’t arrive and he felt no pain.
Luo Xiao timidly cracked one eye open and saw that the hand was right in front of his face. But it wasn’t moving.
Ling Mo’s face was twisted in agony and anger. Malice surged in his eyes, but he couldn’t move no matter how much he tried. His body was completely frozen like an icicle.
When Luo Xiao looked around he saw Jiang Yao stand behind him with an outstretched hand and a furious expression on his face.
“Are you hurt?” he asked with a low, dangerous voice. A threatening aura radiated outwards from Jiang Yao’s body, causing both Luo Xiao and Ling Mo to shiver uncontrollably.
Luo Xiao had never seen Jiang Yao this furious before, nor had he seen him release such an ominous aura. He was not even this furious when the poison incident had happened.
The reason that he was many times more furious now than he was before was because Luo Xiao had accepted his emotions. Luo Xiao was now the most precious person to Jiang Yao.
Luo Xiao couldn’t answer Jiang Yao. He was still shocked about the sudden attempt on his life and the killing aura that was spreading out from Jiang Yao.
The grass and herbs in a hundred meters radius started to freeze over. Frost laid itself on everything and cold air blanketed their surroundings.
“Xiaoxiao, I asked you a question,” Jiang Yao repeated with his low, dangerous voice. His cold eyes landed on the younger male and noticed that he was petrified while looking at Ling Mo. After seeing this his heart softened, but he was still furious.
“I’m sorry,” Luo Xiao quickly stuttered as he retreated from Ling Mo’s clutches.
He then hurried to Jiang Yao’s side and hid behind him. “I’m not hurt,” he said as he clutched Jiang Yao’s robe in his hands as if it were giving him strength.
He stared fixated at Ling Mo, while his body was hidden behind Jiang Yao, and his head peeked out from behind him.
Although Jiang Yao was furious, he almost broke out in laughter from seeing him act so cute.
“I know you wanted to be the one to kill Ling Mo,” Jiang Yao said with his cold voice devoid of emotions, “but I cannot let him go. To attack what belongs to me, so brazenly, I will cut him into thousands of pieces.”
Jiang Yao voice was ice-cold. His eyes displayed a complete lack of emotion as if he were very familiar with killing and torture.
Thinking this, Luo Xiao shivered. He was still traumatized from seeing his entire village slaughtered, but he knew that in this world strength was what mattered.
If he couldn’t handle it, then he would end up as one of the victims.
He looked at Jiang Yao with a hint of dread in his eyes. He knew what would come next, and although he steeled himself, he was dry in the mouth and fearful for what he might see next.
He hid his head in Jiang Yao’s clothes hoping that he didn’t have to see the gory scene, but before he could react, he felt a cool hand appear and grab his wrist. He was then dragged in front of the older male.
“This man has caused you so much pain and suffering. Although you are not going to end him, you should at least witness his ending,” Jiang Yao said with his emotionless voice.
Luo Xiao’s body shivered uncontrollably. But he had been given a task from Jiang Yao to watch Ling Mo’s final moments, so he kept his eyes open and looked at Ling Mo.
Jiang Yao reached out his hand and the temperature dropped even further. Ling Mo was incapable of moving and suddenly, he felt like his body was turning into an ice statue.
As he turned into ice, he felt how some of his body parts started breaking off in chunks.
Jiang Yao had said he would cut him with thousands of cuts and he meant it. He was using the cold weather to freeze him and then cut chunks of flesh and blood from his body.
Luo Xiao felt uncomfortable. He watched as chunks of flesh fell down. All his blood was frozen, so no pool of blood gathered beneath him but what seemed like red snowflakes fell as more and more was being shaved off.
Luo Xiao felt sick to his stomach but he understood that Jiang Yao wanted him to see this, so he would not turn his face away. However, his beautiful face was as pale as a wax figurine.
Jiang Yao looked at Luo Xiao. His anger had not subsided, he felt furious and only by killing Ling Mo would he feel a bit better.
Ten minutes passed and it felt like an eternity to both Ling Mo and Luo Xiao.
The pain Ling Mo experienced was so excruciating that he wished to cry out but he couldn’t even open his mouth.
He didn’t regret his attempt at killing Luo Xiao, only that he hadn’t succeeded before he was caught. Now he suffered for nothing.
Luo Xiao finally couldn’t hold on anymore and vomited as he saw Ling Mo was now nothing more than a skeleton with hateful eyes and a few bits and pieces of blood and flesh.
Ling Mo was a soul cultivator so even when his body had died, he could still live, but his soul could not leave his body currently as he had been captured by Jiang Yao.
Seeing that Luo Xiao couldn’t handle it anymore, Jiang Yao opened his hand and clenched a fist. Suddenly, the skeleton shattered and his soul tried to escape but was caught by Jiang Yao’s barrier. Soon after it started to dissipate.
A soul that was not inside a body would dissipate. The stronger the soul though the longer it would take to dissipate.
Ling Mo’s soul was strong but it was incapable of escaping Jiang Yao’s barrier without its body, so it could only wait and feel how it’s strength drained away as it slowly dissipated completely.
Luo Xiao had finished vomiting and he walked towards a stream of water nearby where he could rinse his mouth.
He did not wish to see what was left of Ling Mo anymore.
Jiang Yao looked at Luo Xiao with a complicated expression on his face. He wanted to pamper and protect him, but he knew that he had to toughen up if he wished to survive.
Luo Xiao understood this thought but he still felt uncomfortable. However, after rinsing his mouth, he felt better.
He was washing his face when he suddenly felt someone come close to him. Without even looking up he knew it was Jiang Yao, but right now he was busy so he didn’t look at the older male.
Jiang Yao waited behind Luo Xiao. He looked at the younger man as he finished washing his face.
“Feeling better?” Jiang Yao’s voice was gentle again, and Luo Xiao felt much better the moment he heard the gentleness and caring in his voice.
But then it hit him, Ling Mo was dead there was no longer a need for them to pretend to be lovers. Suddenly, he felt incredibly lost and depressed.
He rose to his feet, looked at Jiang Yao, and smiled while nodding his head, “I’m fine now, thank you so much,” he said gently.
Jiang Yao could feel a sudden distance in Luo Xiao’s demeanor and he frowned. He felt uncomfortable. He didn’t like this at all. For this reason, he reached out his arm, grabbed Luo Xiao by the wrist and pulled him into his embrace, hugging him tightly.
“Wha… what are you doing?!” Luo Xiao exclaimed shocked.
“You are my lover. What is wrong with hugging my loved one when he feels unhappy?”
Hearing, Jiang Yao call him his loved one, Luo Xiao’s face turned very red, and he slowly whispered, “but it’s your fault I feel bad…”
Jiang Yao was ecstatic. Luo Xiao had not complained about being lovers.
“Look at me,” he ordered Luo Xiao. Luo Xiao lifted his head and those clear and bright eyes looked straight into Jiang Yao’s dark eyes with curiosity and confusion.
“You will stay as my lover,” Jiang Yao decided. “I will not accept a no. You are mine from now on, do you understand?”
Luo Xiao once more misunderstood. He thought that Jiang Yao wanted someone to be his pretend lover so that he wasn’t troubled by others, but he felt relieved and happy and unknowingly a smile spread on his lips.
Seeing the sweet smile on Luo Xiao’s face, Jiang Yao was relieved.
It was at this moment that the pungent smell of blood reached Luo Xiao’s nostrils.
The ice that had was there had melted when Jiang Yao smiled at Luo Xiao, and all the frozen flesh and blood turned into a puddle of blood and flesh with a few bone fragments visible in the mix.
Jiang Yao ignored it completely but Luo Xiao was uncomfortable. “Can we leave here?” he asked gently, and Jiang Yao grabbed him and swept him off his feet. He placed a soft kiss on Luo Xiao’s forehead and chuckled when he saw him completely red in the face.
“Why did you kiss me suddenly? This is not the first time either!” Luo Xiao said indignantly but instead of any answer Jiang Yao just smiled at him. It was too early to admit his feelings to this young boy. Instead of making him feel good, it would likely scare him into wanting to run away.
Jiang Yao would never let Luo Xiao run away from him. As he had said earlier, he considered Luo Xiao his.
“Won’t you get in trouble now that Ling Mo is dead?” Luo Xiao asked as they flew away.
“Who can say he is dead?” Jiang Yao asked with a snicker, “as long as you and I keep quiet then no one will be the wiser. Ling Mo is a Marquis of my kingdom but he does like to travel.
“As long as I say that he ran away because he couldn’t handle our intimate gestures, no one would have any doubts.”
Luo Xiao looked at Jiang Yao with big eyes and suddenly a smile spread on his lips. “As long as you’ll be fine,” he said with a sigh.
Hearing that Luo Xiao was worried about him, Jiang Yao felt much better. He laughed out loud and increased their speed as they shot forward.
“Where are we going?” Luo Xiao could not help but ask. Jiang Yao just looked at him and smiled.
“We’re going home,” he said. “Your new home,” he added after a bit of time.
“Are we in a hurry?” Luo Xiao asked curiously as they moved forward at the speed that Jiang Yao decided.
“Not really,” Jiang Yao answered curiously, unsure of what Luo Xiao wanted, but he quickly decided to hear the younger man out.
“Then can I walk?” Luo Xiao asked with big eyes, “I’ve never been able to walk much before. Back in Jinwei Village, I was confined to my bed and then after meeting you, I was confined to your embrace.”
“You want to walk?” Jiang Yao said. He was amused when he heard what he said, but he didn’t decline. Although he was sad that he wouldn’t be able to hug Luo Xiao tightly, he could understand the younger man’s urge to move of his own volition.
“Sure, why not,” Jiang Yao said before Luo Xiao could even answer, but he didn’t set him down.
“I’ll put you down when we’re further away,” he said with a smile as he tightly embraced the young man, “we don't want anyone to place us in the vicinity of the dead Marquis.”
“Okay,” Luo Xiao smiled gently at Jiang Yao as he felt secure in the older man’s arms.
Although he felt secure and comfortable, he wanted to rely on his own strength. He wanted to become stronger and reliable. He wanted to be someone that could assist Jiang Yao, not just a person who always needed his help.
Since Luo Xiao accepted his emotions, he was much calmer now, but he was still incredibly embarrassed.
Jiang Yao had helped him in every way possible and on top of everything he had done, he also helped him fix his weak body. To do so, he had even given away a precious herb that Jiang Yao, himself, could have used. Everything Jiang Yao had done since they had met was for the sake of helping him. Jiang Yao had protected him and even given him the status as his lover. All this was simply too much. Now all he had wanted to do was pay Jiang Yao back by using the rest of his life to help the handsome immortal man, but instead, he had fallen in love with him because of his gentleness.
He feared that Jiang Yao would hate him, should he know his real emotions. He feared that he would become disgusted because Luo Xiao was not a woman.
Because of this, he swore to keep these emotions to himself. He would rather die than tell Jiang Yao how he honestly felt, he would never sacrifice what they had right now.
Despite this, he knew that right now he was just like a new toy, something interesting because he was new and different from the people that usually surrounded Jiang Yao. He dared not think he held a special place in Jiang Yao’s heart.
As they got far away from the ravine, Jiang Yao slowed down and landed on the ground. He then gently placed Luo Xiao on the road.
“Let’s get going,” he said with a smile, and Luo Xiao flashed an excited smile in return, “But, promise me that if you are too exhausted or if your feet start to hurt that you will tell me.”
Luo Xiao nodded and readily agreed. He was sure that he could walk for a long time, especially now that he had a stronger body.
They started walking down the road side by side. The atmosphere was slightly awkward as Luo Xiao occasionally glanced at Jiang Yao, unaware of the fact that Jiang Yao saw his every single action.
Jiang Yao felt better and better whenever he saw the glances that were sent his way. He started to realize that perhaps his place in Luo Xiao’s heart was not light.
“What’s your home like?” Luo Xiao asked curiously, but Jiang Yao just smiled. “It’s not my home; it will be our home in the future.” he corrected.
“But is it really okay for me to suddenly live there?” he asked again. Jiang Yao chuckled. “If I say so, who can decline?” he said.
His arrogant attitude made Luo Xiao shake his head, but he truly felt warm at heart.
“I’m not going to let you go. I want you to see the world as I see it and feel what I feel,” Jiang Yao said, letting out his inner thoughts.
“What does your world have?” Luo Xiao asked curiously as he cocked his head.
“Everything,” Jiang Yao said as he lifted his hand and ruffled Luo Xiao’s hair.
Luo Xiao’s heart beat rapidly, and his face flushed red as he looked down. His appearance was incredibly adorable.
Jiang Yao wanted Luo Xiao to understand his feelings, so he was rather blunt with his words, but he saw that Luo Xiao didn’t get his hint. Fortunately, he wasn’t in a hurry.
In fact, it would benefit Jiang Yao if it took them a long time to reach the Tiansong Empire. If possible, he wanted to make their emotions mutual before they arrived at his home.
As they walked on the road, they casually talked. Jiang Yao asked questions about Luo Xiao’s past and his future dreams. He asked what he liked to do and what his hobbies were.
He got to know Luo Xiao much better than before and realized that he spent all his money on books so he could learn more about the world. He found out that he came from a poor family where they only just had enough money to put food on the table and so he could only buy books a few times a year.
He learned that Luo Xiao grew up without knowing his mother and that his father had taken care of him the whole time.
When Luo Xiao spoke about his village and his father, his eyes shone with unshed tears. He could still vividly remember gazing upon the corpses of his friends and everyone he knew, how they had been brutally killed and eaten.
Seeing him in such a state, Jiang Yao reminded him of all the positive things he had experienced and all the happy memories he still had.
Although Jiang Yao was ruthless, he didn’t have the heart to see the man he liked shed tears. Especially not because of something he had asked.
“Tell me about Tiansong Empire,” Luo Xiao requested, and Jiang Yao pondered for a moment. “The Tiansong Empire is at the very center of our continent. It’s the place with the most concentrated energy on the continent, and as a result, it is also the place where the most geniuses are born.”
“It’s the base of the entire continent and it’s the home of the demons, but one can still see humans, beasts, spirits, and demons there alike.”
“I live in the capital, Cloudsoar City, where I have my own palace. There, geniuses are as common as stars in the night sky, so making a name for one’s self in Tiansong Empire is difficult.”
“Ling Mo was rather renowned. He became a Marquis five hundred years ago. He was known as one of the top experts of his time and many had high hopes for his future - especially because he was a soul cultivator. You have to realize that soul cultivators of high rank are quite rare.”
“In Cloudsoar City there are many schools for geniuses, but everyone tries their best to enter the Royal Academy which is controlled by the royal family.”
“The Royal Academy is the cradle of all our geniuses. They gather there where the most suited tutors are located. Even sects and ancient families cannot outdo our Royal Academy.”
“And I will make you join the Royal Academy when we return,” Jiang Yao said with great satisfaction. “
“Me?” Luo Xiao was shocked, “Am I able to join if it is that difficult to enter?”
“You have an astral soul and my backing,” Jiang Yao said casually, “No one would dare say no to you joining the academy.”
By now Luo Xiao had long since guessed that Jiang Yao was a part of the royal family, but as for his position, he had no idea.
“If you want me to join the academy then I will,” Luo Xiao said, but he felt slightly lost. Was Jiang Yao trying to store him somewhere, so that he wasn’t in the way?
“The academy is located in the imperial palace so you will still be staying with me,” Jiang Yao spoke as if he had read Luo Xiao’s thoughts, “You don’t have to stay with the others in the dormitory.” Luo Xiao blushed when he heard the words. He felt like Jiang Yao could sense his thoughts and felt acutely self-aware. Currently, he wanted to think of anything other than his feelings for Jiang Yao. If his real feelings were ever exposed, then he would die from embarrassment.
Just as Jiang Yao was about to speak, he saw Luo Xiao grimace slightly. It was clear that his feet were hurting him but he said nothing about it and just kept walking forward.
As for whether it was because it hadn’t crossed his mind before now, or if he had held back, Jiang Yao didn’t know, but he was suddenly worried for Luo Xiao.
“Are you okay, Xiaoxiao?” he asked gently. Hearing this, Luo Xiao straightened his back and nodded his head, “it’s nothing,” he mumbled and began walking again.
Jiang Yao wanted to say something. He had already seen Luo Xiao’s stubbornness and unwillingness to give up.
But seeing that he was having so much fun walking on his own two feet and the sparkles in the eyes of Luo Xiao when he noticed something new he had not seen before, he decided to let him keep walking while watching him closely.
“What’s that?” Luo Xiao asked with big eyes as he looked at trees that were growing in neatly planted lines.
“This is the Chengzi Empire and Chengzi means orange.
“This empire is known for its spiritual fruits and plants. Especially their spiritual oranges which they plant in large quantities all over the empire, like here.”
“I’ll buy you a few when we get to a city that sells them,” Jiang Yao said with a smile as he gently rubbed Luo Xiao’s head.
“You don’t have to go out of your way and spend money on me,” Luo Xiao said a little embarrassed. He had no money and all his clothes and items were gifts from Jiang Yao.
If he needed something, Jiang Yao had to buy it for him, but he felt very self-conscious about it. He felt like he was being raised like a little pet or a mistress and he didn’t like it.
Still, he knew that Jiang Yao was doing it for him and this thought made him feel slightly better.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jiang Yao said gently, “You should get a taste of a spiritual orange when you have the chance. You can always pay me back with a kiss.”
Hearing his idea, Luo Xiao’s face turned completely red, and his eyes opened wide in shock.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Yao grinned. Then he shook his head before he began walking again.
“Let’s continue walking,” he said, but he walked slowly so that Luo Xiao did not strain himself.
After walking for a few more hours, they were suddenly overtaken by a merchant caravan.
“Oh, young ones, do you want a lift? We’re heading towards Heavenward city at the border of the Chengzi Empire. It will only cost two gold bars a person, food and drinks will, of course, be included!”
Jiang Yao knew that he could travel this distance incredibly fast on his own, but he saw Luo Xiao’s curious glance and changed his mind.
It was clear that Luo Xiao was exhausted to the point where he couldn’t walk much longer. Jiang Yao had wanted to carry him, but he did not oppose sharing a carriage with him either.
He believed that they would be able to see a lot of new things if they traveled with these merchants, so he fished out ten gold bars from his embroidered bag.
“We’ll rent a carriage for ourselves. I am sure these ten bars can cover the cost,” Jiang Yao said casually causing the merchant leader’s eyes to glisten with excitement.
“We will clear a carriage for you!” he said hurriedly, and suddenly, the entire caravan came to life as they relocated everyone so that a carriage could be freed up.
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