Chapter 107: Swordsman Online 3 BL (I)

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Chapter 107: Swordsman Online 3 BL (I)

“Chenchen… Chenchen…”

Miao Lichen opened his eyes. A face that was both familiar and unfamiliar hovered close to his own, so close that the slightest movement would bring their faces together. It was familiar because traces of the man’s memory still remained in his mind. Yet after living for so long that even he could no longer calculate his own age, someone who occupied only a tiny corner of his memories could hardly be called familiar. If he remembered correctly, this person’s name was—Yang Qifeng?

“What is it?” The dormant memories quickly became clear again. Miao Lichen unceremoniously reached out and pushed the head leaning toward him away. A warm smile naturally appeared on his lips, giving him the appearance of someone from the healing type, though there was always a faint sense of distance about him.

“You suddenly zoned out, Chenchen. Of course I’d be worried.” Yang Qifeng ran his tongue over his lips. Against his pale complexion, their color looked even more vividly red.

“What could happen to me? I’m a doctor, after all.” Miao Lichen looked at the female Qixiu character still dancing across the screen with her swords. Her pink robes scattered flower petals with every movement. The goddess-like face he had personally created wore a gentle smile that suited the fluttering pink robes perfectly. Yet after spending who knew how many lifetimes as a male Qixiu, the beautiful girl who looked so pleasing to the eye still seemed to be missing something. His finger moved to the upper-right corner and clicked the X. The game screen quickly disappeared.

“That’s true. A psychologist is still a doctor.” Yang Qifeng nodded seriously, though it was obvious his thoughts were elsewhere. His invasive gaze openly roamed over Miao Lichen’s body. Yet beneath that madness remained a trace of reason, like a thin strand of silk. Though delicate, it was enough to restrain the beast lurking deep within his heart. Even so, that restraint could never last forever.

“Mhm. I’m heading back now. Take good care of yourself.” Miao Lichen paid no attention to his gaze and walked out of the room with steady footsteps. The moment he stepped outside, the noisy sounds poured into his ears. This was a psychiatric hospital, one he had founded with his own hands.

Yang Qifeng rose and stood by the window, watching his figure gradually disappear into the distance. Sitting back down, he pulled the laptop beside him into his lap, gently brushing his fingers over the mouse and keyboard as though they still retained the warmth of the person who had just used them. He suddenly closed his eyes, only opening them again after a long while. He truly wanted to pull that man into his arms, but now was not yet the right time.

Returning to his office, Miao Lichen took out the already thick Beauty Album. His finger tapped lightly on the cover, and the pages began turning on their own. Vague images of men could be seen within, some domineering and resolute, others refined and elegant. They were the only things left behind from all those years of conquering his targets. Of course, those blurry figures could only be discerned by someone with eyesight as extraordinary as Miao Lichen’s.

The Beauty Album stopped on a blank page, where line after line of text rapidly appeared. As Miao Lichen read through them, they streamed past like garbled data on a computer screen. Casually closing the book, he reflected that this was the world where his earliest memories had begun. His personality, his flesh and blood, his soul—all had originated here. Even so, his tranquil heart remained utterly undisturbed.

Perhaps he should live out Miao Lichen’s life from beginning to end, bringing one lingering attachment to a close. Once this brief century had passed, he would no longer have the slightest connection to this world. The corners of Miao Lichen’s lips curved upward, and even his eyes carried a trace of amusement. Sensing his mood, the Samsara Disk within his mind emitted circles of soft pink light…

In the story, he had been the first love of the male protagonist Rong Hansheng. More accurately, his Qixiu character, [FirstRayofDawn], had been Rong Hansheng’s first love. A gentle Qixiu with exceptional skills truly was the goddess in the hearts of many men. Rather than saying Rong Hansheng had fallen in love with him, it would be more accurate to say he had fallen for an illusion. The other male protagonist was connected to Yang Qifeng, who was currently staying in his home—Yang Qijing, the only family member Yang Qifeng truly cared about.

However, the novel never revealed whether the two ultimately ended up together. Yang Qifeng loved him, yet opposed Yang Qijing’s relationship with Rong Hansheng. That did not seem like Yang Qifeng’s personality, but when business interests entered the picture, it became easy to understand. Although the Rong Corporation was not as powerful as the Yang family, it was still among the country’s top enterprises. If Yang Qijing relied on the Rong family, he could still interfere with the company Yang Qifeng had only recently seized from his elder brother.

When forced to choose between profit and family, Yang Qifeng would undoubtedly choose profit without hesitation. Just as his own elder brother had nearly driven him to his death in order to obtain the Rong family’s support. The same blood flowed through their veins, and with it, the same ruthless nature. With Yang Qifeng around, if those two wanted to be together, the Rong Corporation would have to be offered to him as a dowry.

Putting away the Beauty Album, Miao Lichen looked at what had once been the Qixiu Sect’s system space, now expanded into a boundless storage area where items of every kind were neatly categorized—a testament to the countless experiences he had accumulated. If he wished, changing the world would be effortless. He could transform an online game into full-dive virtual reality, evolve the world into an apocalypse, or even extend humanity’s lifespan, introducing ancient martial arts and cultivation. But Miao Lichen had no desire to do any of those things. Instead, he intended to play this game as an ordinary “human.”

He sat down at his computer, turned it on, and casually browsed the Swordsman Online III website. At this point in time, Yang Qifeng had yet to reclaim control of the Yang family, while Rong Hansheng was still abroad living the life of a model student, having never touched Swordsman Online III. The webpage happened to display the Cangjian Sect. Miao Lichen paused. Their golden attire radiated luxury from every detail. They would also be the characters he would soon be paying attention to.

Rong Hansheng and Yang Qijing—one played a Cangjian character, the other a Tiance character. He scrolled through page after page, studying each sect’s skills and mechanics. He was a professional Qixiu player, but unlike the game, his own skills had no cooldowns. As long as he possessed sufficient energy, he could use his abilities endlessly.

The days passed in an unchanging routine. As both the hospital’s director and one of its doctors, the day-to-day care of the patients could be left to the other physicians. His only daily responsibility was delivering the unlabeled bottle of vitamin C tablets to Yang Qifeng. The rest of his time belonged entirely to him. Yet rather than immersing himself in games, he found himself becoming far more interested in the books of this world.

Once again, Miao Lichen pushed open the door to Yang Qifeng’s room. Although the man always agreed readily, he had never once actually opened his curtains himself. Heavy black curtains blocked out the sunlight, leaving the room gloomy except for the glow of the computer monitor and the deathly pale face before it. “Even if you’re not a plant, you should still photosynthesize once in a while…”

“But I have you.” Yang Qifeng’s lips curved into a faint smile as he looked at Miao Lichen with softened eyes. Naturally, he would never tell him that the real reason he refused to open the curtains himself was because he enjoyed watching Miao Lichen do it for him. Sharing the same room like this almost felt as though they were family.

The thought of those people who had once called themselves his “family” darkened his eyes. Only Miao Lichen was qualified to become his family. He would never allow the other man to abandon him, no matter the reason. Even if he had to tie him down, he would keep him by his side.

“You should leave now. The Yang Family needs you to take charge. Or are you planning to hand everything you worked so hard to obtain over to that collateral branch brother of yours?” Miao Lichen casually drew back the curtains. The room, once filled with nothing but black, finally gained a little brightness, though it still retained a strangely eerie atmosphere. Aside from the black furnishings and the white doctor’s uniform Miao Lichen wore, there wasn’t another color to be found.

“Of course not. Without the Yang Family, many things would become troublesome.” Most importantly, without the Yang Family, he would have no way of obtaining Miao Lichen. Though Miao Lichen was the illegitimate son of the Miao Family, even the current family head treated him with the utmost respect because of his exceptional talent. His influence within high society could only be described as unfathomable.

“Then hurry up and leave.”

Yang Qifeng rested an arm across Miao Lichen’s shoulders and leaned forward slightly. As he studied Miao Lichen’s features, he couldn’t tell if it was merely his imagination, but over the past month, Miao Lichen seemed to have become even more exquisite, even more captivating. “Chenchen, you’re really heartless. I’m about to leave, yet you’re still acting so cold and indifferent. It really breaks my heart.”

Perhaps this was simply what people meant by “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Without realizing it, his feelings had continued fermenting and expanding. He had never imagined he would fall in love with a man, much less one who had never given him the slightest response. But once Yang Qifeng had fallen in love, how could he possibly allow the other man to remain untouched? The persistence of a lone wolf toward its mate was no less intense than its desire for prey.

“You’re only leaving temporarily. Or are you saying you’ll never set foot in this hospital again? If that’s the case, I’ll be even happier.” Miao Lichen raised an eyebrow. Although there was a smile on his lips, his words were utterly merciless.

That bluntness filled Yang Qifeng’s heart with warmth. Miao Lichen treated strangers with the refined courtesy of a gentleman, making it easy for anyone to like him. Only those close to him received such unreserved honesty. “If Chenchen isn’t here anymore, then I won’t set foot in this hospital again.”

As long as he was here, this place was the territory Yang Qifeng cherished. It was people who gave a place its spirit. Without him, this hospital would be no different from any other building.

“Then there’s nothing more to say. Hurry and have someone pack your things.” Miao Lichen lifted Yang Qifeng’s hand from his shoulder and turned to leave.

“Not staying to play a while today?” Yang Qifeng glanced at the Beggars’ Sect character idling on Miao Lichen’s computer. White hair and white robes gave him the appearance of a handsome immortal. Such proper attire looked somewhat strange on the unruly Beggars’ Sect, yet standing beside the Qixiu character [FirstRayofDawn], it looked perfectly harmonious. Every cosmetic item he owned had been chosen to match Miao Lichen’s.

From the very beginning, the game Yang Qifeng had been playing was never Swordsman Online III, but rather the in-game title “Soulmate.” Although they were only considered partners in everyone else’s eyes, and neither of them had ever acknowledged it, that alone was enough to temporarily soothe the desire burning within him.

Once he had completely stabilized the Yang Family, he would finally be able to confess his feelings openly to Miao Lichen. Even knowing the other man was far from weak, he could not selfishly place the one he loved in danger. That was simply the instinct of a true man.

“Not today. I have an important patient scheduled and need to prepare.” Miao Lichen paused at the doorway. “Take care of yourself. Once you’re no longer in this hospital, I won’t be saving you again.”

“I’ll come back to you safe and sound. Don’t worry.” A smile appeared in Yang Qifeng’s eyes. Though Miao Lichen still had no idea what Yang Qifeng felt for him, Yang Qifeng knew he was not entirely without a place in his heart. At the very least, he had already become a friend. And once friendship advanced one more step, it could only become either a confidant… or a romance partner.

As always, he stood and watched Miao Lichen’s figure in his spotless white doctor’s coat disappear into the distance. The smile on his lips gradually faded as the other man left, replaced by a chilling aura that seemed capable of freezing anyone who approached. His gentleness had always belonged to one person alone.

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