“I’m leaving . ”

“Oh…”

Beside the spring, sprays of water shot up from the five mouths of the spring . Droplets of water were falling like rain . A huge whirlpool formed in the centre of the spring . This was the barrier gate that led to the next palace .

Qian Lü held the Yue Xuan zither tightly as the sounds of water thundered . He gazed at Gu Ting Yu, who was just a few steps away from him, and restrained his impulsion of wanting to move closer towards the other .

“You should leave quickly now,” he said .

“…” Splashes of water splattering into the air rained from above on the two of them . Gu Ting Yu suddenly felt as though these drops of water were permeating into his skin and blood vessels, and flowing all the way to his heart .

Otherwise, why would his heart be filled with tears right now…?

Seeing that Gu Ting Yu remained silent, Qian Lü sighed, “I won’t die . The higher the rank of the sacred beast, the more capable we are of resisting the power of the barrier gates . You can rest easy and leave . ”

“Then… I’m leaving now . ”

“…” Qian Lü lowered his head, “You’ve repeated those words no less than ten times already . ”

Gu Ting Yu awkwardly gazed down at the floor . It seemed as though his feet had rooted in the ground .

“Aren’t you a man? Why are you dawdling for so long?” Qian Lü forced himself to turn away . Ice cold droplets of water were constantly dripping down the side of his handsome face . “There’s a time limit to the barrier gates…”

With his back turned towards Gu Ting Yu, Qian Lü heard a soft sigh echo behind him .

Qian Lü listened to the other person’s footsteps as they turned around and left… the splashing sounds of the other falling into the clear spring quickly followed… . After a long while, the five mouths of the spring quietened down, and the world returned to silence .

Qian Lü suddenly couldn’t support his own weight and he collapsed back onto the floor . He tightly held the Yue Xuan zither close to his aching chest . The zither strings slightly glistened like crystals from being wet with water drops .

“… I really want to play for you . ”

_______________________________________

A number of water snakes with gorgeous patterned scales emerged from the depths of the lake . They twisted and turned their bodies as they slithered onto the sh.o.r.e .

The huge whirlpool that suddenly appeared on the surface of the river had just subsided . An unmoving human lay on the sh.o.r.e . The force of the whirlpool from before had washed the figure onto the river bank, but his body from the waist downwards was still submerged in the water .

More and more water snakes made their way up onto the river bank and surrounded the person . The longest snake with a black underside and green scales slithered up to the person’s neck . When it detected the warm breaths of air that were being exhaled out, hints of excitement instantly sparked in its eyes . It bit down onto the person’s throat, and sunk its venomous fangs into his skin .

These water snakes were commonly known as the Silver Jade Vermin . Their venom had a powerful paralysing and aphrodisiac effect .

“Ugh… . ” The piercing pain at his throat caused Gu Ting Yu to knit his brows .

The remaining dozen-odd water snakes all rushed forward . Some slithered in through Gu Ting Yu’s sleeves, whilst others entered from beneath his collar . Thin, long flowing lines could be faintly seen to be writhing beneath his soaked clothing . The warmth of Gu Ting Yu’s skin seemed to be much suited to the water snakes’ appet.i.te . They intertwined with each other, and injected a large amount of venom into his body .

The sharp fangs of the snakes pierced Gu Ting Yu’s chest . Venom and strings of blood exuded from the red and inflamed bite marks .

His breathing became more rapid… Gu Ting Yu, who wasn’t conscious, felt as though he was being harshly constricted by ropes that were studded with nails .

The water snakes were soft and slippery . However, their supple bodies contained powerful strength .

Gu Ting Yu’s body was covered with water snakes . Suddenly, the crowd of snakes became restless as if they had sensed something .

They retreated from Gu Ting Yu’s body and hurried back into the lake as quickly as they could .

The person who had arrived was a tall man with black hair and phoenix eyes[1] . Hints of an intrigued smile swirled in his bright yellow pupils .

This person was the sacred beast that ruled the sixth palace — the snake king, Zhuo Yin .

Zhuo Yin made his way here by following an unfamiliar scent, and saw a slightly convulsing figure upon arriving at the lake .

After being bit by the Silver Jade Vermin, no obvious wounds would be left behind on the body . However, the remaining venom inside the body wouldn’t dissipate . As it acc.u.mulated, it would slowly corrode away the person’s soul .

Zhuo Yin gazed at the unconscious Gu Ting Yu . He leaned in close to Gu Ting Yu’s ear and whispered, “Wake up . ” His voice carried a bewitching charm . He bit on Gu Ting Yu’s earlobe and exhaled damp hot breaths .

“…” Even though his entire body felt weak, Gu Ting Yu still tried to push the man away . He subconsciously knew that something bad was about to happen .

“Ha… how long can you keep that up… hmm?” Zhuo Yin ended with a slightly raised pitch as his ice cold lips slightly parted . An unbelievably long forked, red tongue slid inside Gu Ting Yu’s ear and carefully explored the region following the ear ca.n.a.l .

“Ah…” His head felt numb . Gu Ting Yu felt a wet and soft coldness slowly eat away at his muddled mind through his ear ca.n.a.l .

A pair of bright yellow eyes stared directly into his own . Everything around him started to blur as the breathtaking gaze became the only thing left in his world .

“Look at me…” the man said .

Rays of light gradually shot into Gu Ting Yu’s eyes like two sharp swords!

Amidst the chaos, a cracking sound resounded in the depths of his mind —— *Crack* It was synonymous to that of an egg hatching, with the sh.e.l.l fracturing into small shattered pieces .

The ray of yellow light shone through Gu Ting Yu’s strong defence, as if it shot straight through his soul .

Gu Ting Yu became highly alert . An extremely oppressive pain penetrated the depths of his mind . Unable to tolerate such agonising torment any longer, a shrill cry escaped his mouth .

The man restrained his struggling, and licked away the slightly salty beads of sweat on Gu Ting Yu’s body in a comforting manner, “Relax . It’s okay… relax…”

Entering Gu Ting Yu’s mind, the man saw visions of chaotic and disorderly scenes —— a wall of strange red incantations, an emaciated insane lady, a dirty narrow street, gloomy sky, as well as desolation and fear which could not be told of…

Entering Gu Ting Yu’s mind, the man saw visions of chaotic and disorderly scenes —— a wall of strange red incantations, an emaciated insane lady, a dirty narrow street, gloomy sky, as well as desolation and fear which could not be told of…

The scene suddenly began to tremble . A richly saturated colour that had not been seen before appeared; white flower petals carried by a gentle wind blew across and parted the gloom which had been deeply buried in the heart for a long time . The youth smiled in a clean, warm manner… After that, he collided with the lonely soul who lay within the depths of an old castle, causing both of them to cry out . The two men gently spun along with the lithe and graceful melody…

Gu Ting Yu subconsciously knit his brows tightly together . An extremely anxious feeling grew inside his heart… . Someone… was currently watching him…

The scenes in his head rapidly elapsed like that of a film . A beautiful boy who had been stabbed with a sharp sword was gradually turning into ashes . Gu Ting Yu’s desire to rescue him was now stronger than ever… From then on, he started to try and enter this strange world, taking on the responsibility of saving the other person .

The scene then changed into a desolate, black backdrop . The man who had a pair of black wings was brutal and strange . The hint of warmth that seemed to disappear as soon as it appeared made it hard for Gu Ting Yu to read the other person through their eyes .

The world finally returned to a temporary calm state . Ever since he’d entered this strange world, this was a rare period of time where Gu Ting Yu put his vigilance to rest .

Although he seemed cold, the white-clothed man’s immaturity and secretive nature felt rather moving in Gu Ting Yu’s eyes . Gu Ting Yu even… wanted to stay by his side forever…

“Why do you feel remorseful…?” An enchanting, bewitching voice resounded . Zhuo Yin loomed over Gu Ting Yu’s body, “You won’t accept the fact that you’ve fallen in love with more than one person? You can’t give them your complete love, is that why your heart cannot be rid of remorse…? You have to know that there is no turning back… just how a piece of white paper is forever stained after getting splattered with ink . ”

Gu Ting Yu gasped for air like a beached fish with his eyes cast downwards . Zhuo Yin lifted a finger and gently skimmed across Gu Ting Yu’s chest . Everywhere his finger slid past, he would trigger a series of ripples across the calm lake .

T/N

[1] 凤眼 This literally translates to Phoenix eyes, and refers to a particular eye shape that is characterised by the corner of the eye slightly lifting upwards . Typically the eye is long and slender, resembling the eye shape of a Phoenix .

 .

“I’m leaving . ”.

 .

“Oh…”.

 .

Beside the spring, sprays of water shot up from the five mouths of the spring . Droplets of water were falling like rain . A huge whirlpool formed in the centre of the spring . This was the barrier gate that led to the next palace

 .

Qian Lü held the Yue Xuan zither tightly as the sounds of water thundered . He gazed at Gu Ting Yu, who was just a few steps away from him, and restrained his impulsion of wanting to move closer towards the other

 .

“You should leave quickly now,” he said

 .

“…” Splashes of water splattering into the air rained from above on the two of them . Gu Ting Yu suddenly felt as though these drops of water were permeating into his skin and blood vessels, and flowing all the way to his heart

 .

Otherwise, why would his heart be filled with tears right now…?.

 .

Seeing that Gu Ting Yu remained silent, Qian Lü sighed, “I won’t die . The higher the rank of the sacred beast, the more capable we are of resisting the power of the barrier gates . You can rest easy and leave . ”.

 .

“Then… I’m leaving now . ”.

 .

“…” Qian Lü lowered his head, “You’ve repeated those words no less than ten times already . ”.

 .

Gu Ting Yu awkwardly gazed down at the floor . It seemed as though his feet had rooted in the ground

 .

“Aren’t you a man? Why are you dawdling for so long?” Qian Lü forced himself to turn away . Ice cold droplets of water were constantly dripping down the side of his handsome face . “There’s a time limit to the barrier gates…”.

 .

With his back turned towards Gu Ting Yu, Qian Lü heard a soft sigh echo behind him

 .

Qian Lü listened to the other person’s footsteps as they turned around and left… the splashing sounds of the other falling into the clear spring quickly followed… . After a long while, the five mouths of the spring quietened down, and the world returned to silence

 .

Qian Lü suddenly couldn’t support his own weight and he collapsed back onto the floor . He tightly held the Yue Xuan zither close to his aching chest . The zither strings slightly glistened like crystals from being wet with water drops

 .

“… I really want to play for you . ”.

 .

_______________________________________.

 .

A number of water snakes with gorgeous patterned scales emerged from the depths of the lake . They twisted and turned their bodies as they slithered onto the sh.o.r.e

 .

The huge whirlpool that suddenly appeared on the surface of the river had just subsided . An unmoving human lay on the sh.o.r.e . The force of the whirlpool from before had washed the figure onto the river bank, but his body from the waist downwards was still submerged in the water

 .

More and more water snakes made their way up onto the river bank and surrounded the person . The longest snake with a black underside and green scales slithered up to the person’s neck . When it detected the warm breaths of air that were being exhaled out, hints of excitement instantly sparked in its eyes . It bit down onto the person’s throat, and sunk its venomous fangs into his skin

 .

These water snakes were commonly known as the Silver Jade Vermin . Their venom had a powerful paralysing and aphrodisiac effect

 .

“Ugh… . ” The piercing pain at his throat caused Gu Ting Yu to knit his brows

 .

The remaining dozen-odd water snakes all rushed forward . Some slithered in through Gu Ting Yu’s sleeves, whilst others entered from beneath his collar . Thin, long flowing lines could be faintly seen to be writhing beneath his soaked clothing . The warmth of Gu Ting Yu’s skin seemed to be much suited to the water snakes’ appet.i.te . They intertwined with each other, and injected a large amount of venom into his body

 .

The sharp fangs of the snakes pierced Gu Ting Yu’s chest . Venom and strings of blood exuded from the red and inflamed bite marks

 .

His breathing became more rapid… Gu Ting Yu, who wasn’t conscious, felt as though he was being harshly constricted by ropes that were studded with nails

 .

The water snakes were soft and slippery . However, their supple bodies contained powerful strength

 .

Gu Ting Yu’s body was covered with water snakes . Suddenly, the crowd of snakes became restless as if they had sensed something

 .

They retreated from Gu Ting Yu’s body and hurried back into the lake as quickly as they could

 .

The person who had arrived was a tall man with black hair and phoenix eyes[1] . Hints of an intrigued smile swirled in his bright yellow pupils

 .

This person was the sacred beast that ruled the sixth palace — the snake king, Zhuo Yin

 .

Zhuo Yin made his way here by following an unfamiliar scent, and saw a slightly convulsing figure upon arriving at the lake

 .

After being bit by the Silver Jade Vermin, no obvious wounds would be left behind on the body . However, the remaining venom inside the body wouldn’t dissipate . As it acc.u.mulated, it would slowly corrode away the person’s soul

 .

Zhuo Yin gazed at the unconscious Gu Ting Yu . He leaned in close to Gu Ting Yu’s ear and whispered, “Wake up . ” His voice carried a bewitching charm . He bit on Gu Ting Yu’s earlobe and exhaled damp hot breaths

 .

“…” Even though his entire body felt weak, Gu Ting Yu still tried to push the man away . He subconsciously knew that something bad was about to happen

 .

“Ha… how long can you keep that up… hmm?” Zhuo Yin ended with a slightly raised pitch as his ice cold lips slightly parted . An unbelievably long forked, red tongue slid inside Gu Ting Yu’s ear and carefully explored the region following the ear ca.n.a.l

 .

“Ah…” His head felt numb . Gu Ting Yu felt a wet and soft coldness slowly eat away at his muddled mind through his ear ca.n.a.l

 .

A pair of bright yellow eyes stared directly into his own . Everything around him started to blur as the breathtaking gaze became the only thing left in his world

 .

“Look at me…” the man said

 .

Rays of light gradually shot into Gu Ting Yu’s eyes like two sharp swords!.

 .

Amidst the chaos, a cracking sound resounded in the depths of his mind —— *Crack* It was synonymous to that of an egg hatching, with the sh.e.l.l fracturing into small shattered pieces

 .

The ray of yellow light shone through Gu Ting Yu’s strong defence, as if it shot straight through his soul

 .

Gu Ting Yu became highly alert . An extremely oppressive pain penetrated the depths of his mind . Unable to tolerate such agonising torment any longer, a shrill cry escaped his mouth

 .

The man restrained his struggling, and licked away the slightly salty beads of sweat on Gu Ting Yu’s body in a comforting manner, “Relax . It’s okay… relax…”.

 .

Entering Gu Ting Yu’s mind, the man saw visions of chaotic and disorderly scenes —— a wall of strange red incantations, an emaciated insane lady, a dirty narrow street, gloomy sky, as well as desolation and fear which could not be told of….

 .

The scene suddenly began to tremble . A richly saturated colour that had not been seen before appeared; white flower petals carried by a gentle wind blew across and parted the gloom which had been deeply buried in the heart for a long time . The youth smiled in a clean, warm manner… After that, he collided with the lonely soul who lay within the depths of an old castle, causing both of them to cry out . The two men gently spun along with the lithe and graceful melody….

 .

Gu Ting Yu subconsciously knit his brows tightly together . An extremely anxious feeling grew inside his heart… . Someone… was currently watching him….

 .

The scenes in his head rapidly elapsed like that of a film . A beautiful boy who had been stabbed with a sharp sword was gradually turning into ashes . Gu Ting Yu’s desire to rescue him was now stronger than ever… From then on, he started to try and enter this strange world, taking on the responsibility of saving the other person

 .

The scene then changed into a desolate, black backdrop . The man who had a pair of black wings was brutal and strange . The hint of warmth that seemed to disappear as soon as it appeared made it hard for Gu Ting Yu to read the other person through their eyes

 .

The world finally returned to a temporary calm state . Ever since he’d entered this strange world, this was a rare period of time where Gu Ting Yu put his vigilance to rest

 .

Although he seemed cold, the white-clothed man’s immaturity and secretive nature felt rather moving in Gu Ting Yu’s eyes . Gu Ting Yu even… wanted to stay by his side forever….

 .

“Why do you feel remorseful…?” An enchanting, bewitching voice resounded . Zhuo Yin loomed over Gu Ting Yu’s body, “You won’t accept the fact that you’ve fallen in love with more than one person? You can’t give them your complete love, is that why your heart cannot be rid of remorse…? You have to know that there is no turning back… just how a piece of white paper is forever stained after getting splattered with ink . ”.

 .

Gu Ting Yu gasped for air like a beached fish with his eyes cast downwards . Zhuo Yin lifted a finger and gently skimmed across Gu Ting Yu’s chest . Everywhere his finger slid past, he would trigger a series of ripples across the calm lake

 .

T/N.

 .

[1] 凤眼 This literally translates to Phoenix eyes, and refers to a particular eye shape that is characterised by the corner of the eye slightly lifting upwards . Typically the eye is long and slender, resembling the eye shape of a Phoenix