Chapter 229: Back To That Key Moment ⑥

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Chapter 229: Back To That Key Moment ⑥

When Shang Ke woke the next morning, he found his flowerpot cradled in Yan Lu’s arms. This was far from the first time. Whenever Shang Ke turned back into a mushroom, Yan Lu refused to leave his side for even a moment, as though afraid he might disappear again. His sense of security was practically nonexistent.

The flowerpot had originally sat on the windowsill, but Yan Lu later carried it onto the bed. Only after several rounds of negotiation did Shang Ke barely persuade him to leave it on the bedside table. Even then, Yan Lu remained uneasy and often secretly pulled the pot into his arms while Shang Ke cultivated. Unfortunately, flowerpots were awkwardly shaped, uncomfortable to hug, and terrible for sleeping posture.

Shang Ke took the problem seriously. He spent several days finding a length of thousand-year ironwood and carved it into a mushroom half as tall as a person. This ironwood contained spiritual qi and would not decay for ten thousand years. It nourished both body and mind, calmed the spirit, and was perfectly suited to helping Yan Lu recover from the damage to his spirit. More importantly, mushrooms could be planted on it!

Still, whenever Shang Ke saw Yan Lu hugging the enormous mushroom, the picture was so beautiful that he almost could not bear to look directly at it.

“Uh, Yan Lu, I’ve been thinking. Maybe I should carve the mushroom into a club instead.” Shang Ke tried to negotiate.

Yan Lu immediately hugged the giant mushroom tighter and stared at him in silent protest. A club? Even the name sounded unpleasant. How could a club possibly be better than his mushroom?

“…Fine. If you don’t agree, forget it.” Shang Ke rubbed his nose. Seeing how unwilling Yan Lu was to let go of the thing, he could not resist teasing, “Now that you have this big mushroom, you’re not going to stop caring about me, your little mushroom, are you?”

Yan Lu looked at the ironwood mushroom, then at Shang Ke. After a moment, he shoved the ironwood mushroom into Shang Ke’s arms, wrapped both arms around the person and the mushroom together, squeezed his own head between them, and looked unbearably happy.

Shang Ke: “…”

He had known perfectly well that Yan Lu was obsessed with mushrooms. Why had he gone out of his way to make the condition worse…?

That night, under Yan Lu’s eager gaze, Shang Ke planted himself on the ironwood mushroom. Yan Lu then happily hugged the whole thing to his chest, climbed beneath the covers, and occasionally rolled around with it.

Was he really that happy? Feeling Yan Lu’s delight, Shang Ke could not help smiling too.

After indulging him for a while, Shang Ke began his routine cultivation, nourished by the spiritual qi within the ironwood.

Yan Lu wrapped his long arms and legs around the mushroom-shaped body pillow and stared fixedly at Little Mushroom only inches away. His dark eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness.

As spiritual qi circulated through Shang Ke, a faint mist began rising from Little Mushroom’s body. It carried a clean, natural fragrance that lingered around Yan Lu’s nose before slowly blending with his breathing.

Not long afterward, a dazed expression appeared on Yan Lu’s face. His originally clear eyes gradually darkened into an unreadable haze before suddenly becoming lucid once more. Reflected within that lucidity was a small white mushroom.

Yan Lu stared at “him” without moving, almost convinced he was dreaming. More than a hundred years ago, Little Mushroom had disappeared before his eyes, and Yan Lu had used the violent resentment born from that loss to force his way through his tribulation and become a Divine Lord. But what use was divinity? As long as the desire to kill remained in the heart, even the righteous path could descend into the demonic.

Little Mushroom had been the one benevolent thought left in him. Once he lost him, there was nothing beneath heaven or earth worth cherishing—only endless slaughter. The divine realm of his cultivation and the demonic nature of his heart were fundamentally incompatible. Their conflict eventually caused his power to backlash and plunged his mind into chaos.

He had believed that would be his final ending. Yet Heaven had shown him mercy. His Little Mushroom had actually returned to him!

Yan Lu could not possibly be mistaken. The little mushroom growing from the ironwood before him was the same Little Mushroom he had once lost. Judging from his current cultivation, he had only barely reached the level required for transformation and must have reincarnated not long ago. Yan Lu had spent all this time believing Little Mushroom’s soul had been completely scattered, drowning alone in hatred and grief and wasting who knew how many years.

“Little Mushroom…” Yan Lu’s low voice echoed softly through the room, carrying boundless affection and joy before fading into the hazy night.

Yan Lu simply sat there and watched Little Mushroom in silence until dawn.

Shang Ke slowly emerged from meditation. White light flashed, and the figure of a young man landed lightly beside the bed. He casually slipped on a long robe, turned to open the window, drew in a deep breath of fresh air, then smiled at Yan Lu. “Good morning, Yan Lu.”

That familiar smile, familiar face, and familiar scent struck Yan Lu like sunlight, illuminating his heart in an instant.

He had wandered half-mad for decades, enduring every shade of human warmth and cruelty, misery and helplessness, and the memories remained painfully vivid. It was his Little Mushroom who had found him and pulled him back from that wretched state. Little Mushroom had not cared that he was destitute or confused. He had washed away the dirt covering him and built a peaceful home around him.

Shang Ke’s cultivation had not yet reached the level required for a stable, complete transformation. If not for Yan Lu, why else would he choose to maintain human form for only a few short hours every night?

Yan Lu walked up behind Shang Ke and pulled him tightly into his arms.

He had failed to find Little Mushroom. In the end, Little Mushroom had been the one to find him.

Shang Ke found himself wrapped in a full embrace. He was just about to tease Yan Lu when several scorching drops landed against his collarbone.

“Yan Lu?” Shang Ke asked hesitantly. “What’s wrong?”

“Little Mushroom… I’m Yan Lu. I’m Yan Lu…” Yan Lu whispered beside his ear.

Shang Ke went still. Then he abruptly turned around, cupped Yan Lu’s face in both hands, and asked uncertainly, “Yan Lu, have you regained your senses?”

Yan Lu hooked an arm around his waist and kissed him deeply. That kind of practiced kissing skill definitely did not belong to someone with the intelligence of a five-year-old. There was no question about it—he really had regained his senses.

Shang Ke wrapped his arms around Yan Lu’s neck and returned the kiss with unconcealed joy.

More than a century of separation and more than a century of longing erupted without restraint. Yan Lu pressed Shang Ke against the wall, lifted one of his legs, and fitted their bodies tightly together. Their tongues tangled, their limbs intertwined, and they demanded more from one another as though they wanted to devour each other whole.

“Mm.” Shang Ke gave a muffled groan as his body was forced to stretch around Yan Lu. Yan Lu’s movements were somewhat rough, but Shang Ke did not tell him to stop. Instead, he tried his best to relax and match Yan Lu’s rhythm. With repeated friction, the pain gradually gave way to wave after wave of pleasure.

After the first round, Yan Lu carried Shang Ke to the bed and soothed him tenderly before drawing him into another long stretch of intimacy. After an unknown amount of time, Shang Ke suddenly felt himself lifted into a seated position. Yan Lu sank deeper inside him, and a powerful current of pure yang qi followed.

Shang Ke looked at Yan Lu through a haze of pleasure, confusion showing in his eyes.

“The gap between our cultivation levels is too large right now, so we can’t truly dual cultivate yet, but we can still balance one another.” Yan Lu spoke softly. “The energy inside me is chaotic. I possess divine power, but I can’t use it recklessly or I’ll trigger another backlash. Your foundation, on the other hand, is unstable and urgently needs spiritual power. I’ll transfer my strength to you little by little and use it to support your cultivation.”

Shang Ke thought for a moment, then frowned. “Wouldn’t that affect your cultivation?”

“It doesn’t matter. This will help reduce the difference between our strengths.” Yan Lu replied calmly. “Besides, the lower my cultivation becomes, the easier it will be to deal with my inner demon.”

Only then did Shang Ke remember the threat Yan Lu’s inner demon still posed. Deliberately lowering his cultivation might indeed be a way to resolve it.

“Don’t think about it anymore. Leave everything to me.” Yan Lu affectionately bit his ear while moving his hips in a slow, steady rhythm. With every movement, another current of divine power flowed into Shang Ke’s body.

Shang Ke closed his eyes and concentrated on merging with that divine power.

Yan Lu continued transferring his strength while quietly gazing at him, as though he could never look at Shang Ke enough…

After an unknown amount of time, Shang Ke sensed that one more full circulation cycle would complete today’s cultivation. Yet just as he prepared to finish, the final current of divine power never arrived.

Unable to resist, Shang Ke opened his eyes. Yan Lu was staring at him blankly. The sharp lucidity in his gaze had vanished, replaced by the simple, foolish innocence Shang Ke knew all too well.

So… had he lost his senses again?

“Little Mushroom?” Yan Lu lowered his head and looked at where their bodies were still intimately joined, his eyes filled with pure curiosity.

“…I accidentally sat on you. Sorry.” Shang Ke did his best to explain as though nothing unusual had happened.

Yan Lu considered the sensation for a moment, then said, “It’s okay. Little Mushroom feels very comfortable.”

Shang Ke was absolutely certain Yan Lu had not intended that as a double entendre.

“Now that you’ve had enough comfort, let’s get up.” Shang Ke started to rise, only for Yan Lu to grab him and pull him heavily back down.

“Little Mushroom.” Yan Lu’s voice had become slightly hoarse.

“What?” Please, for the love of everything, stay stupid and innocent!

“It really does feel good…” Yan Lu rubbed upward against him clingily.

Shang Ke struggled desperately for self-control. “…Stop fooling around.” Let go of your Little Mushroom and we can still be good pot-buddies.

“Oh.” Yan Lu withdrew in disappointment, then knelt in front of Shang Ke with his erection still standing. His eyes were damp and soft, making him look like an obedient wolfhound.

When had this guy become so obedient? Those glittering eyes were downright unbearable!

Shang Ke wrestled with himself for a long time before finally abandoning principle and pouncing on him.

“Lie flat!” Shang Ke ordered.

Yan Lu obediently lay flat on his back.

Shang Ke straddled him and declared fiercely, “You’re not allowed to move. I’ll do it myself.”

Yan Lu nodded.

Shang Ke slowly took him inside himself, then began moving his hips, carefully grinding against him.

Yan Lu’s entire body went taut. His gaze burned, as though he were desperately suppressing something.

Shang Ke bent down and gently brushed his lips against Yan Lu’s…

A while later, Shang Ke collapsed on top of him, barely able to breathe. “I can’t do this anymore. You handle the rest.”

For an entire hour, a certain someone had shown absolutely no sign of finishing!

Shang Ke’s waist and back ached, both legs were numb, and he never wanted to be on top again!

A quiet laugh suddenly sounded above him.

Shang Ke looked up. Yan Lu’s eyes were perfectly lucid and the corner of his mouth was curved upward. Apparently, he had regained his senses.

“When did you come back to yourself?”

“Mm. Not long after you climbed on top of me.”

Shang Ke’s eyes widened. Then he gritted his teeth. Impressive restraint you have there, Divine Lord.

Yan Lu kissed his cheek soothingly. “You worked hard, my Little Mushroom.”

Not hard at all. Not. One. Bit!

Yan Lu was about to pull him close for a little more affection when Shang Ke suddenly grabbed the ironwood mushroom from the corner of the bed and shoved it into his arms.

“Go play with your mushroom.” Shang Ke flipped neatly off the bed.

Once a certain Yan regained his intelligence, he completely lost that adorably foolish air that made Shang Ke want to indulge him.

“Little Mushroom…”

“What?” Shang Ke glared at him fiercely.

Yan Lu hugged his giant mushroom and looked at Shang Ke pitifully. “Are you angry?”

He had turned stupid again? Could he at least give some warning before switching next time?

“…No. I’m not angry.” One look from those pitiful eyes, and Shang Ke once again compromised without principle.

“That’s good.” Yan Lu rested his head against the giant mushroom and smiled happily.

Shang Ke finally realized a serious problem—Yan Lu’s switching personalities.

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