Chapter 9: "Teach me"
A moment later.
The two of them stood at a street corner.
Meng Zhifan: "No."
"You have no right to refuse this Venerable One's request." Rong Zhao looked him up and down, then said firmly, "I can carry you."
"That's still a no."
"Why?"
After his failed attempt at the "little bird clinging to someone" maneuver, Rong Zhao saw a father and daughter pass by. The little girl was incredibly cute, sitting on her father's shoulders with a candied hawthorn stick in her hand—a truly heartwarming sight.
So he also thought of—
lifting his own mortal onto his shoulders.
But he flatly refused.
"They're a father and daughter."
"There are also women who sit on men's shoulders and are being carried around."
"..." Meng Zhifan fell silent.
Seeing his insistence, Rong Zhao finally gave up on the idea, feeling slightly regretful: "So you don't like it?"
"I don't like it." Meng Zhifan replied decisively, changing the subject of this strange topic, "It's getting dark, if we don't go to the lake soon, we might miss the boat ride."
"It's not dark at night. During the Lotus-Picking Festival, floating lanterns are lit on the lake."
Meng Zhifan glanced at him, slightly surprised.
"What are you looking at?"
"You don't like going down the mountain, and you don't celebrate ordinary festivals. How do you know about the custom of lighting floating lanterns during the Lotus-Picking Festival?"
"The boatman just told me." Rong Zhao said honestly, "He said his boat can stay overnight on the lake, and that many men and women enjoy spending the night out on the lake during the Lotus-Picking Festival."
Meng Zhifan had a bad feeling: "So how long did you rent it?"
"Four hours."
"..."
-
Shan Yin followed at a distance, watching helplessly as the two boarded a small boat, with a few strokes of the oar, they disappeared into the dense layers of lotus leaves.
He suddenly realized something was terribly wrong and quickly took out his wild goose jade pendant.
"Fang Jiuhe, Fang Jiuhe!"
"I'm not deaf."
"Something terrible has happened!"
Fang Jiuhe: "?"
Fang Jiuhe sat up straight, but thinking of Shan Yin's loud and boisterous nature, he quickly slumped back down and lazily said, "Tell me the details."
"I saw Ming Chen..."
Shan Yin first emphasized how brutal, vicious and notorious Rong Zhao was, noting that he held a prominent spot on the Immortal Alliance's list of wanted villains.
He then recounted that after Ming Chen's avatar was ambushed, he became a flesh-bodied spirit mushroom in the mortal realm that everyone wanted to take a bite off.
Finally, he mentioned that Ming Chen was forced to become Rong Zhao's Dao Companion, and that he was being imprisoned and starved, living a very bad life, and asked if they should try to find a way to rescue him, and so on.
"You said… a Dao Companion?" Fang Jiuhe looked up, confirming. "That fellow surnamed Rong kidnapped Ming Chen to be his Dao Companion?"
"Absolutely true, I heard it with my own ears."
"Oh." Fang Jiuhe picked up his teacup and took a sip, speaking slowly, "Now that you've found Ming Chen's avatar and nothing has gone terribly wrong, when do you plan to return?"
Shan Yin was stunned: "What? I can't go back, I have to go save Ming Chen."
"Not coming back?" Fang Jiuhe slammed down his teacup, poking the jade pendant with exasperation, as if poking Shan Yin's head. "Ming Chen is undergoing a love tribulation in the mortal realm, what are you meddling in for?"
"Love...tribulation?" It took Shan Yin a while to understand. "You mean this is Ming Chen's love tribulation??"
"They're Dao Companions now, if it isn't a love tribulation, is it supposed to be fire tribulation?"
"But that Rong Zhao is really—"
“This is his tribulation; you mustn’t interfere.” Fang Jiuhe leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the painted beams above, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. His voice lowered slightly. “Otherwise, you’ll harm yourself and others, and…”
He paused.
Shan Yin pressed, “And what?”
A tangle of complex emotions flashed across Fang Jiuhe’s eyes, then vanished in an instant, almost as if it were an illusion.
“He’ll be devoured by the Heavenly Dao,” he said irritably. “Don’t meddle. Come back when you have time. Bye.”
Shan Yin: “…”
-
The small boat rocked gently.
The two drifted aimlessly on the lotus lake until the floating lanterns lit up, twinkling like fireflies, a truly beautiful sight.
Rong Zhao cast a glance at them, showing little interest.
"Isn't it pretty?"
"Nothing special." Rong Zhao replied indifferently, casually plucking a lotus pod and idly picking out the lotus seeds one by one, tossing them onto the deck. "I've lived a long time, and I've seen a lot."
Meng Zhifan gathered up the discarded lotus seeds, peeled them and removed the bitter core, then held them out to him: "Want to try some?"
"No... Mmph."
Meng Zhifan stuffed a lotus seed into his mouth.
He had figured Rong Zhao out. He always said "no" first, but once he actually tried it, he wouldn't be too disappointed.
"Is it good?"
The lotus seeds were crisp and sweet.
Rong Zhao chewed, swallowed, and ate another one.
Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a fine thread flew back and forth, catching two lotus pods.
The lotus pods landed gently on the boat deck with a "plop."
He glanced at Meng Zhifan, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Meng Zhifan couldn't help but chuckle, peeling the lotus seed as he watched Rong Zhao crunch away, finding it quite amusing.
Rong Zhao finished the last lotus seed, in a good mood.
Meng Zhifan leaned over the side of the boat, splashing water from the lake to wash his hands.
Rong Zhao suddenly remembered something, so he flicked his fingers, using Rao Zhi Rou technique to a strand of energy around the mortal's waist and pulled him closer.
"It is time to fulfill the promise you made to me earlier today."
Meng Zhifan paused slightly, then looked around, asked hesitantly, "Here? Shouldn't we wait until we get back?"
Rong Zhao thought he was making excuses and immediately became displeased: "Right here."
Meng Zhifan had no objection to this.
"Alright then."
A floating lantern drifted slowly along the water, casting a hazy glow over one side of the small boat.
The two of them remained shrouded in the darkness of the other side.
Rong Zhao was pressed against the boat's awning.
The moment that soft, moist warm ventured in and brushed the tip of his tongue, he went completely blank.
Meng Zhifan's kiss... was different from the ones before.
It was like the light brush of a feather, a touch as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water as he licked the roof of his mouth before circling back to the tip of his tongue, hooking and sucking. The lingering fragrance of lotus seeds was crushed, stirred, and gradually enveloped by another scent.
Rong Zhao's pupils contracted slightly, instinctively, he raised his hand and grasped the mortal's fragile neck.
His Adam's apple shifted beneath his palm, like some soft, helpless creature; a life that could be extinguished with a slight twist—
Yet the kiss only went further, hooking the tip of his tongue and grinding it heavily in his mouth, the hand cupping the back of his head tightening its grip.
Rong Zhao was caught off guard and let out a soft moan, his fingertips leaving a scratch mark on the side of his neck
The floating lantern drifted to the other side of the small boat, and the darkness that had enveloped the two of them receded along with it.
The heavy pressure on his lips disappeared.
Meng Zhifan lowered his gaze to look at him.
Rong Zhao's eyes were dark and cold, but now they resembled a pool of dissolving ink, misty and shimmering with moisture, appearing even more mesmerizing and hazy in the light of the floating lantern.
The two were very close, their breaths brushing against each other’s cheeks like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.
"Venerable One," he gently squeezed the wrist that was gripping him, seemingly unconcerned about being threatened, affectionately stroking it, his voice low and gentle, "Loosen your grip. Otherwise, how can I continue teaching?"
Rong Zhao's eyes were red at the corners, and his lips were tinged with a crimson hue. His expression was slightly dazed for a moment, but quickly regained his cold composure.
He released his grip, glancing at the scratch marks on the mortal's neck, and subtly averted his gaze. His voice was as cool as ever, like holding a piece of ice, quite refreshing to hear on the slightly warm summer night.
"Let's continue,"
Meng Zhifan couldn't help but let out a low, stifled chuckle.
"Excuse me." The mortal's "excuse me" was utterly insincere; he even rubbed the cultivator's chin with his fingertips, speaking gently yet impolitely, "Open your mouth."
Rong Zhao raised an eyebrow.
Since when did a mortal have the right to command him? He opened his mouth, ready to reprimand him.
"You... Mmph..."
The rest of his words were cut off.
At first, it was merely a tentative taste.
However, Venerable Rong learned quickly, and soon began to take the initiative.
The floating lanterns receded into the distance, and the small boat disappeared into the darkness, swaying occasionally.
If Meng Zhifan's kiss was a surging undercurrent, gently enticing one to be swept away into eternal damnation, then Rong Zhao's was a greedy desire that would not rest until blood was drawn.
The smell of blood masked the lingering fragrance of lotus seeds.
Rong Zhao straddled the mortal, his eyes pitch black, gripping Meng Zhifan's arm tightly, his ten fingers digging deep, plundering with focused ruthlessness.
Meng Zhifan leaned against the boat's railing, one hand rested gently on Rong Zhao's shoulder, while the other lightly kneaded the back of his neck, as if to soothe him.
It looked more like Rong Zhao was the one being held in an embrace.
"...Gently," Meng Zhifan whispered softly between their lips, "Rong Zhao, gently."
Rong Zhao shifted slightly, loosening his grip a little.
But only slightly.
He was lost in the moment, unsure whether he enjoyed the novelty of kissing or simply the act of kissing this mortal.
Rong Zhao thought haphazardly. Perhaps he could try other mortals.
However, the idea was merely a fleeting thought, it vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Finding a mortal better than Meng Zhifan was simply too difficult.
____
The small boat drifted along, finally bumping into something and shuddering slightly.
Almost simultaneously, they snapped back to reality, blinked, and their clear eyes reflected the other's face so close to theirs.
Lips were swollen and moist, with a slight cut.
Rong Zhao climbed out of his arms, looking as composed as if he had been merely taking a nap.
But the watery red corners of his eyes, the disheveled hair contrasting with his cold expression, and the swollen, chapped lips… Meng Zhifan felt his heart pounding too wildly, so he looked away.
Rong Zhao seemed unsatisfied: “That’s it?”
Before he could finish speaking, he froze.
His voice… was incredibly hoarse.
“There’s more.” Meng Zhifan didn’t look at him, but instead gazed at the dark silhouettes of lotus leaves outside the boat’s railing, “Want to learn something else?”
“Teach me.” Rong Zhao thought for a moment, then generously said, “I’ll grant you one more request.”
“Then come here.”
Rong Zhao obediently leaned over, and Meng Zhifan wrapped an arm around his waist, pulled him into his embrace, then gently turned him and pressed him against the ship’s railing.
He frowned, protesting, “I don’t like this position…”
His words were cut short.
Meng Zhifan pressed his thumb against Ring Zhao’s chin, and tilted it upward, forcing the man in his arms to expose his fair neck. Then he leaned down and bit his Adam's apple.
He licked it, then gently ground it with his teeth.
...
... ...
A loud crash came from the depths of Lotus Lake.
The small boat shattered into pieces.
It sank.
...
A moment later, on a lakeshore far from the bustling night market, two wet figures climbed ashore.
To be precise, it was one person carrying the other.
Rong Zhao's face was grim.
After all, it was he himself who had accidentally blown up the small boat due to a loss of mental power—a dignified Venerable who was only one step away from attaining immortality. It was a loss of face to say it out loud.
Meng Zhifan was carried to the shore, choked on a mouthful of water, coughed twice, and all his distracting thoughts and restless desires were washed away by the lake water.
After a while, he leaned against a tree and chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing... cough cough, nothing."
Both of them looked disheveled.
Especially Rong Zhao, who let his hair down.
His long, raven-black hair was dripping wet and matted with duckweed and algae, reaching all the way down to his ankles; even drying it with spiritual power was useless.
"Splash—"
Meng Zhifan wrung out the Hem of his clothes, shook his hands dry, and looked up, saying, "Let's go back to Cuiyu Mountain."
"..." Rong Zhao was currently torn between the thought ‘I just got bitten but don't remember what it felt like, it was probably nothing special’ and the other, ‘But the ship exploded, what if it felt good? Maybe we should go back and try again.’
He didn't have time to pay attention to Meng Zifan for the time being.
"I'll wash your hair for you."
Rong Zhao looked up at him, "You'll wash it for me?"
"Yes, I won't pull or hurt you."
Rong Zhao's hair was so long that he would inevitably pull it whenever he washed it himself.
So, Venerable Rong happily picked up his mortal and quickly left Yunshui Town.
