Chapter 20 My Character is Like Me

The agreed hour passed leisurely while they strolled through the streets.

Yu Xiao enjoyed the feeling of walking under the shade of trees with Chu Xuyun, and most importantly, being together with him made everything enjoyable.

Standing in front of the thatched cottage, they pushed open the door. Chu’s father was still sitting in his rocking chair, enjoying the cool breeze.

“Back already, come inside and speak,” Chu’s father said calmly, without looking at them, then turned and walked into the house.

Yu Xiao furrowed his brows slightly, sensing something amiss with Chu’s father. He glanced back at Chu Xuyun, who seemed oblivious and followed Chu’s father into the house.

The tea on the table had already gone cold. Chu’s father sat by the table, poured out the tea, and replaced it with a pot of aged liquor.

“Uncle Chu,” Yu Xiao didn’t like the taste of alcohol, but he took the liquor Chu’s father handed him with determination, intending to get straight to the point of their visit. “The reason for this visit is…”

Chu’s father glanced up at him and whispered, “I already know.”

Yu Xiao paused momentarily, before he could figure out where he had slipped up, Chu’s father continued in a calm voice, “I’ve known for a long time.”

Yu Xiao: …?

What did “a long time” mean?

“Ah Xu, he might not look like it on the surface, but he’s actually quite stubborn,” Chu’s father emptied the cup of liquor in a single gulp and sighed. “Ah Xu is my third child. My children have always been different from others since childhood. Since you practiced spells at the Taiqing Sect, you should know Ah Xu’s second brother, Chu Yao, who is now the head of the Taiqing Sect.”

Yu Xiao looked at Chu’s father in astonishment. He had never heard that Chu Xuyun’s brother was the head of the Taiqing Sect.

“Before Ah Yao, I had another child, named Chu Zheng.” There was a trace of hidden pain in Chu’s father’s eyes. He raised his hand and refilled the glass in front of him. “Many years ago, Ah Zheng was the first child of our Chu family to leave Penglai Island. He was exceptionally talented, just like Ah Yao and Ah Xu, showing extraordinary spiritual energy since childhood. He told me he wanted to become the strongest person in the world, to slay demons and protect the weak.”

Just like Chu Xuyun.

The character of the Chu family was consistent.

“But shortly after leaving Penglai Island, Ah Zheng died.” Chu’s father suppressed the tremor in his voice and said softly, “He was attacked by a group of demonic cultivators on his way to eradicate demons and uphold justice, and he died a terrible death.”

Yu Xiao fell silent. His mother had also been killed by demonic cultivators during the chaotic times in the demonic realm, and too many people had died in the world.

“After Ah Zheng’s death, Ah Yao also left Penglai Island without telling us. We searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. We even thought he might have died until Ah Xu was born.”

Chu Xuyun was similar in appearance and talent to his brothers, perhaps even stronger.

Chu’s father and mother both felt that perhaps Ah Zheng had entrusted all his best qualities to this younger brother, but they didn’t want Chu Xuyun to follow Ah Zheng’s path.

Cultivation was not smooth sailing, and a slight mistake could lead to death in a foreign land.

So Chu’s father and mother wanted Chu Xuyun to study hard. Even if he couldn’t become the savior of the world, as parents, they just wanted him to live his life peacefully and safely.

Fate was unpredictable, and Chu Xuyun’s interest in cultivation surpassed everything else.

Chu’s father knew that one day he would not be able to stop him.

Sure enough, after Chu Xuyun failed the imperial examination, he also left Penglai Island.

“Scolding him is useless, he won’t listen to anything, even if he really hears it, he will do what he wants to do,” Chu’s father sighed deeply, “He’s just like me.”

Yu Xiao didn’t know how to comfort him. His lips moved, but in the end, he swallowed his words back.

Chu’s father whispered, “The last time I stopped him, he was gone for more than ten years. This time, I dare not stop him.”

He looked up at Yu Xiao and said, “Just now when you went out, I thought a lot. Ah Xu can’t hide things from me. I probably know why you’ve come to talk to me.”

Yu Xiao’s heart suddenly tightened. Trying to appear calm, he said, “Since Uncle has already guessed, then I can only confess honestly. I do sincerely love Immortal Lord, and Immortal Lord treats me the same. Please, Uncle, approve of us.”

As he finished speaking, Chu’s father nodded silently, feeling a bit emotional. “I naturally know that Ah Xu also likes you. Ah Xu hides a portrait in his room that he doesn’t show to anyone. Is it of you?”

Yu Xiao: ??

“What?” Yu Xiao almost thought he had misheard.

Chu’s father chuckled lightly. “Alright, stop pretending. I saw his beloved’s portrait four years ago. Even though he didn’t want to show it to me, just a glance was enough to tell it depicted a man.”

That was why Chu’s father later made a special trip to Taiqing Sect, urging Chu Xuyun to marry a woman sooner.

But unexpectedly, despite countless obstacles, Chu Xuyun brought the person home directly.

Seeing Yu Xiao’s pale face, Chu’s father became uncertain. After a moment of thought, he gently sighed and said, “What, it’s not you?”

Yu Xiao felt the voice in his ears suddenly become faint, his mind a blur.

Four years ago, Chu Xuyun had no relationship with him at all, merely nodding to each other as they passed by daily.

So on the portrait… who was it?

*

Under the gentle sunlight, Chu Xuyun lay on his father’s rocking chair, absentmindedly sprinkling millet from a bag on the ground. Chicks crowded around his feet, everything was extremely comfortable.

In the past, he had always wanted to escape from here, to go where he was needed.

But today, he suddenly realized that he was needed here too.

The birds in the sky needed him, the chicks on the ground needed him, and his father needed him too.

After being the Taiqing Immortal for many years, with the demon realm gradually settling in Yu Xiao’s hands, Chu Xuyun found himself with little to do other than teach disciples. Taiqing Sect had become another place that trapped him.

Now there was something else he wanted to do more than anything—be with Yu Xiao.

Chu Xuyun wasn’t worried about Yu Xiao at all; he knew his father would definitely like him because Yu Xiao was a good boy with a cold face and warm heart.

Whether a demon cultivator or a scholar, the actions they took weren’t wrong; that didn’t make them bad people.

But… why hadn’t they come out after chatting for so long?

He was almost falling asleep under the sun.

“Xu, ” Chu’s father’s voice came from behind him. Chu Xuyun immediately stood up, turned around, and saw his father stroking his beard, his eyes flickering. He cleared his throat and said softly, “Will you and Yu Xiao stay home tonight?”

Chu Xuyun shook his head in confusion. They didn’t have much time; they were going to get married soon and needed to hurry back to prepare.

Didn’t Yu Xiao tell his father?

He glanced at Yu Xiao, who looked very pale. In the clear sunlight, his face seemed almost translucent.

“Not staying home…” A trace of disappointment flashed in Chu’s father’s eyes, quickly hidden. He turned his face away and murmured, “Then take Yu Xiao to the ancestral hall for a walk before leaving.”

Ancestral hall?

Chu Xuyun’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Without hesitation, he nodded.

Father agreed, Father really agreed!

Taking Yu Xiao to the ancestral hall meant seeing Mother. After seeing Mother, both he and Yu Xiao would agree to be together.

What exactly did Yu Xiao say that made Father so satisfied so quickly?

But since everything was going smoothly, why didn’t Yu Xiao look very happy?

Chu Xuyun couldn’t figure it out and could only wait for Yu Xiao to speak for himself.

They bid farewell to Chu’s father and walked side by side on the path through the fields. Chu Xuyun cautiously turned his head to look at Yu Xiao, wanting to know what Chu’s father had talked about with him.

Sensing Chu Xuyun’s gaze, Yu Xiao suddenly reached out and tightly held his hand.

He had figured it out. Regardless of whether the person in the portrait was Chu Xuyun’s beloved, he must marry Chu Xuyun.

Even if Chu Xuyun had someone else in his heart, Yu Xiao recognized that everything he had obtained was not rightfully his. Since everything was stolen and snatched, why should he demand Chu Xuyun’s heart must belong to him?

He was about to become Chu Xuyun’s husband, so why worry about a torn painting from years ago? Maybe Chu Xuyun had already thrown that painting somewhere unknown.

He wanted to be magnanimous.

However, even with magnanimity, Yu Xiao really wanted to know one thing—who was the person in the painting, surnamed Ji, surnamed Li, or surnamed Yin?

Of course, he just wanted to clarify, not to harm anyone.