Chapter 265: Xiao Tian, life goes round
The sky gradually darkened, and lights began to illuminate Yishui Peak. Inside the room filled with mist, several spiritual stone lanterns provided light, casting the silhouette of a young man bathing on the screen at the door.
Ye Anping held the Scroll of Heavenly Dao in his left hand as he soaked in the bathtub, looking relaxed with his right hand resting on his right knee.
Xiao Tian leaned against his chest, his cheeks flushed, and his big eyes open, occasionally glancing up at Ye Anping’s chin. Due to the availability of elixirs like the Beauty Pill, which were relatively affordable, there was a saying among cultivators, “Appearance is the least important information about a cultivator. If a cultivator isn’t beautiful, it’s just because he doesn’t want to.”
Despite this saying, a pleasing appearance was still admired, especially by someone as naturally attractive as Ye Anping, who had won Xiao Tian’s affection. His wet black hair naturally hung down, his focused gaze while reading, and the adorable face underwater…
Xiao Tian couldn’t help but bury his head underwater, only to find Ye Anping was wearing shorts while bathing. This discovery left Xiao Tian momentarily stunned. After some inner struggle, he also pulled down the straps of his clothes of unknown material and whispered, “Anping, if you want to see it, just say it~ There’s no need to be so tactful~~”
Ye Anping was surprised by Xiao Tian’s action but was curious about its appearance without the clothes. He pretended not to be interested and shifted his gaze back to the Scroll of Heavenly Dao, sneakily peeking from the corner of his eye.
However, Xiao Tian only moved his clothes slightly before quickly pulling them back up, saying with a smile, “I won’t show you~ You don’t even give me a place to live, huh!”
Ye Anping was disappointed and replied flatly, “I’m not interested in what’s underneath your clothes.”
“But you were still peeking with your peripheral vision,” Xiao Tian said, closing one eye. “When you used to pretend not to see me, you would always peek at me like that. I saw through it a long time ago. You were definitely looking just now, you little tsundere!”
“…”
Ye Anping had no response and simply remained silent, continuing to read.
Xiao Tian stifled a laugh and then leaned back, rubbing his chest with his hair, and asked, “Anping, why did you pretend not to see me before?”
“Because it was annoying.”
Xiao Tian furrowed his brow, looking up at him, and said, “I’m asking this very seriously, but you’re just trying to brush me off~ What’s wrong with me?”
“Talkative,” Ye Anping replied.
“I talk a lot because, except for Yudie, there’s hardly anyone else to chat with me,” Xiao Tian poked his finger and said pitifully. “Yudie and I were born together. It can almost be said that I’ve been by her side since birth, but she couldn’t see me until she manifested her spiritual roots and bloodline at two and a half years old. During those two and a half years, no matter how loudly I called out, no one paid attention to me, as if I were non-existent. I don’t want to experience that again.”
“…” Ye Anping was silent for a moment, then softly said, “Anping, you are the second person I can talk to in this life. Just talk to me more. I also want to know more about you. After all, you are mine now…”
Xiao Tian seemed embarrassed, hesitated momentarily, then whispered a title, “Master…”
Upon hearing this, Ye Anping put down the Scroll of Heavenly Dao in his hand, returned it to Xiao Tian, and said, “I ignored you before because I didn’t want to get involved with you.”
“Why?” Xiao Tian inquired.
“I am a cultivator with two spiritual roots and no talent in cultivation. Although I am not very bad, I am still a mediocre person who stands in the crowd, and no one can find me. I am a little cannon fodder. And you are Heavenly Dao, Feng Yudie, like Yun Kunwu, is still a talented person with jealousy, and I don’t want to be involved in their affairs by geniuses like them.”
Xiao Tian listened and responded, “Anping, you are amazing! You are obviously undervaluing yourself!! If you can see me, it means that God is also taking care of you.”
“I don’t believe in God. I only believe in myself,” Ye Anping stated firmly.
Ye Anping attempted to tap Xiao Tian’s head with his finger but accidentally went too far, poking into Xiao Tian’s head. He quickly withdrew his hand, feeling a bit curious, and sighed, “Originally, I thought about slowly cultivating with my junior sister and then going to the Hantian Kingdom to marry a daughter-in-law and live out my old age. Unfortunately, now, I can no longer escape.”
“Hantian Kingdom!” Xiao Tian questioned.
“I heard the scenery there is nice and suitable for a small life,” Ye Anping replied casually.
“But according to the scroll, the monsters there are very ferocious. There are beast disasters every year. It seems that the monsters planted something there back then, which made the monsters there much more violent than the monsters in other places,” Xiao Tian explained.
“Really! This is the first time I’ve heard of it,” Ye Anping responded.
Ye Anping then relaxed, closed his eyes, and sank his face into the water. He had just flipped through the Heavenly Dao Scroll, which was like an encyclopedia, recording the events in Zhouxing Territory over the years and the lives of some influential individuals. Moreover, there were many revisions in these records, just like the Tianji Castle map from the Seven Killing Sect, indicating that Xiao Tian helped update the content and added the map he originally drew. As a weapon spirit, Xiao Tian was both the owner and compiler of the Heavenly Dao Scroll. For thousands of years, weapon spirits had followed the life experiences of each Feng Yudie, recording everything they saw and heard in this seemingly ordinary book. This was less about the way of heaven and more similar to a historical record.
History books were compiled for future generations, and likewise, this tome of celestial principles was also compiled for the future Feng Yudie.
After the first Feng Yudie passed away, her wisdom would be passed on to the second Feng Yudie to prevent her from repeating the same mistakes.
And so it went, cycling through life and death, transforming into this entity.
This was what Feng Yudie bore, with millennia of changes in landscapes and celestial cycles in this small scroll of heavenly wisdom.
And now, this weighty burden had fallen upon his shoulders.
“Sigh—”
Ye Anping sighed, then rose from the bathtub.
“Anping, aren’t you finished washing?”
“Yeah.”
Bang bang—
Suddenly, two knocks on the door, followed by Huang Quan’s voice,
“Sir, are you done washing?”
“Just finished.” Ye Anping replied, “What’s up?”
“Just now, the young miss returned and asked me to convey that she would like to invite you for a cup of tea and a chat.”
“…”
Ye Anping paused momentarily, feeling it was time to be straightforward. Feeling some inexplicable pressure, he raised his hand, patted his face, and said,
“Got it, I’ll come over after changing.”
Observing his actions, Xiao Tian was momentarily puzzled, then floated over and lay on his head, asking,
“Anping, what’s wrong? You seem so resigned.”
“Just settling a debt.”
Ye Anping shrugged, took out a set of clothes from his bag, and without bothering to remove his damp pants, he put them on, leaving Xiao Tian momentarily flummoxed.
“Anping, your pants are wet! Isn’t that uncomfortable?”
“It’s better than being called a thug by you.”
…