OL CH41 [Arc3]

Chapter 41: The Scholar’s Violent Beauty (1)

Upon departing the previous world, Chen Tian naturally seized the opportunity to strip away another portion of the residual filth clinging to Bai Su’s soul before heading into the system space.

Though anxious to resolve his partner’s condition, certain matters demanded his utmost attention.

Analyzing the state of Bai Su’s divine soul right before leaving the mortal plane, along with the faint spiritual tremors when the taint was cleansed, several deductions formed in Chen Tian’s mind.

However, these conjectures still required further evidence before they could be fully substantiated.

Once he sorted through his thoughts, Chen Tian summoned the little chubby bird, who had just wrapped up a stolen moment communicating with its partner, and together they departed for the next world.

Waking inside the new realm, Chen Tian opened his eyes. Before he could even register his new surroundings, a mouthful of freezing river water surged straight down his throat.

His bones ached as if crushed beneath a millstone. He flailed instinctively, desperate to grab hold of something, but the water around him offered nothing to anchor to.

The roaring current made it nearly impossible to keep his balance. Gasping for air, he swallowed yet another heavy mouthful of river water the instant his mouth parted.

Swept along by the rapids, his battered frame slammed helplessly against a submerged boulder, the searing agony twisting his face in torment.

Noting down a strike against 009 in his mental ledger, the man forced himself to regain his composure swiftly.

He could feel his physical vessel was in dreadful shape. Because system-generated bodies replicated the original host’s condition to the letter, he was currently covered in grievous wounds. Soaked in the biting river water, the lacerations burned with excruciating pain.

Yet the dire situation left him no room to dwell on the agony, if this continued, sheer exhaustion would drown him.

Given the fierce rapids and his shattered condition, swimming ashore on pure grit was an impossibility. Chen Tian concentrated his focus, scanning his surroundings for any viable opportunity.

Finally, spotting a snapped tree trunk jutting halfway across the river ahead, Chen Tian swam toward it with every ounce of strength he had left. The moment he drew near, his hand shot out, clamping around a sturdy branch. Expending his very last shred of energy, he hauled himself up onto the riverbank.

Once ashore, entirely drained of strength, his vision plunged into darkness and he passed out cold.

South of Dongye, not far from the borders of Chiyue, lay a small mountain village known as Li Family Village.

Nestled against verdant mountains and clear waters, Li Family Village enjoyed picturesque, spring-like scenery throughout the year.

It was currently early summer. The hills were blanketed in lush greenery, offering wild delicacies and mountain fruits in every season.

Though the villagers were by no means wealthy, relying on these natural blessings allowed them to live far more comfortably than those in neighboring settlements.

The riverbank where Chen Tian had crawled ashore happened to sit at the end of a long, secluded forest trail.

As the sun began to set, a tall, slender figure approached from the distance.

Carrying a woven basket on his back, the young man strolled unhurriedly down the middle of the path.

A light smile hovered on his lips, every gesture effortless and composed. His gentle, fair face was illuminated by a pair of exceptionally bright, luminous eyes, lending him an aura of quiet brilliance.

Even clad in coarse hemp garments, nothing could conceal the jade-like elegance radiating from him.

He walked with such ease that one might think he carried not a load of firewood on his back, but leisurely books and trinkets meant to be enjoyed whenever he finished his stroll.

The current here was dangerously swift, so children never ventured near to play, and being somewhat distant from the village, few locals passed by. Its quiet seclusion made it the young man’s preferred daily route for walking and gathering dry timber.

From afar, Bai Su noticed what appeared to be a body lying by the water’s edge.

Guessing someone had met with misfortune, his pace didn’t hasten in the slightest. What he despised most in this world was unnecessary trouble.

As he drew closer and saw the person drenched in blood, staining the surrounding reeds a deep crimson, he immediately categorized this stranger as immense trouble.

To have lived in seclusion with his widowed mother in this mountain village for nearly a decade following that monumental calamity, and to have thrived relatively well, Bai Su had relied entirely on his art of steering clear of disaster.

Yet today, for reasons unknown, the youth who never meddled in extraneous affairs found himself inexplicably taking a few steps closer to the fallen man.

Reaching his side, Bai Su frowned slightly at the sight of the disheveled, soaking-wet hair masking the stranger’s face.

Picking up a fallen twig, Bai Su gently parted the damp strands from the man’s brow, only to be met with a countenance resembling an immortal descend from the heavens.

Though never one to care for beauty, the youth had to admit this face, possessing a transcendent allure that surpassed gender, caused his breath to hitch.

Gazing down at the man’s battered state, an unexpected pang of heartache blossomed in Bai Su’s chest. Yet the moment the feeling surfaced, he dismissed it as mere pity for a fallen beauty.

Reaching out two fingers to check the breath beneath the nose, he found faint signs of life.

Bai Su clicked his tongue, unable to resist trailing his fingers across that flawlessly sculpted cheek. It truly was beyond reproach. A voice deep within his soul seemed to urge him, whispering that he must take this person home.

Though he disliked trouble, he had always possessed a streak of reckless defiance in his bones.

Glancing at the bloodstains soaking into the muddy shore, Bai Su furrowed his brows, deciding he would return to sweep away the tracks after securing the man.

Unfastening his outer robe to bundle the wounded man, he scooped him up in a bridal carry. Deliberately taking an overgrown, concealed deer path, he made his way back toward his cottage.

When Chen Tian opened his eyes again, two full days had passed.

Feeling the coarse, stiff pallet beneath him, his mind settled slightly, knowing he had been saved.

Yet he had no inkling of where he currently was.

Just as he was about to open his eyes to survey the room, footsteps approaching nearby forced him to stay still, continuing his guise of unconsciousness.

The door creaked open.

Chen Tian heard someone step inside, set an object onto the table, and then walk over to the bedside.

A pair of cool, slender fingers brushed against his cheek, moving slowly from his forehead to the bridge of his nose, and down along his jawline, caressing his skin with the tender intimacy of a lover.

Suppressing the instinct to lash out and shove the stranger away, Chen Tian forced himself to remain motionless.

Not knowing whether this person was friend or foe, nor who they were, his best course was to bide his time and see what they intended.

Moments later, a clear, melodious voice sounded, whispering in soft admiration: “Truly stunning!”

Then, the presence leaned down.

Sensing the breath drawing closer, Chen Tian’s instincts flared. His eyes snapped open, his hand clamping with iron force around the wrist resting against his cheek.

Yet in the very next instant, his gaze locked with a pair of crystal-clear eyes, accompanied by an intimately familiar soul resonance.

Instantly, Chen Tian recognized that the young man before him was none other than his beloved!

The sharp, lethal edge in his eyes dissolved in a heartbeat. Waking to see his lover right before him was an immense relief, but with the current circumstances still unknown, he knew keeping silent was best.

Bai Su was momentarily startled by the sudden awakening, but recovered swiftly, his face slipping back into his habitual, gentle smile.

Having not missed the chilling, murderous intent that flashed through the man’s eyes upon waking, Bai Su’s gaze flickered. An aura like that was not something an ordinary person could possess.

He recalled bringing the man home, stripping his garments to clean and dress the wounds, his body had been covered in a dense network of scars, many clearly years old, born of sabers and swords.

Though the outer robe was ordinary cloth, the inner undergarments were woven from fine silk beyond the reach of commoners.

Furthermore, the placement of the calluses on his palms belonged not to a farmer, but to a seasoned warrior hardened by long years of wielding heavy weaponry.

Bai Su deduced that this man’s background was anything but simple.

Perhaps he was an elite disciple of some great martial sect. Jianghu grudges were notoriously tangled; who knew what kind of bitter feud had left him so grievously maimed?

Yet whatever the reason, since he had already saved him, Bai Su wasn’t one to harbor pointless qualms.

Especially since this man suited his aesthetic tastes so thoroughly, sparking within him, for the first time in his life, a sudden yearning to taste romantic indulgence.

His eyes drifted reflexively toward the thin lips rendered pale from blood loss, and a twinge of regret brushed Bai Su’s heart.

While the man regaining consciousness was a matter worth celebrating, stealing another kiss from those soft, delicious lips, which he had sampled countless times over the past two days, would hardly be as easy from now on.

Recalling that exquisite taste, the youth’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his eyes darkening, though his face remained a mask of placid innocence.

Feeling not a shred of guilt for having nearly stolen another kiss, Bai Su glanced down at his wrist still clasped in Chen Tian’s grip and chuckled softly: “Could this gentleman let go? Clinging to me like this makes it rather difficult to change your bandages.”

Bai Su gave the medicinal jar in his other hand a gentle shake, radiating pure, harmless benevolence.

“My apologies!”

Hearing this, Chen Tian hurriedly released his hold. Seeing the red marks his fingers had left on the fair wrist, a wave of self-reproach washed over him.

Why hadn’t he looked closely before acting? He had used considerable strength—he must have hurt Xiao Bai!

Surprised that the man on the bed released him so readily, looking almost flustered, Bai Su found him all the more intriguing. Yet just as he pulled back the edge of the quilt to dress the wounds, a knock echoed from the courtyard gate.

Bai Su let out a soft “Tsk,” picked up the bowl of herbal brew from the table, and instructed Chen Tian to drink it quickly, promising to return shortly to change his dressings before stepping out the door.

Once Bai Su left, Chen Tian finally had a moment to examine the room.

It was tidy, yet exceedingly Spartan. Judging by his lover’s coarse garments and the humble furnishings, Chen Tian was certain he was in an ancient historical plane, and that his lover’s household appeared quite impoverished.

He wondered how much silver his lover had spent to nurse him through this ordeal.

Chen Tian rarely concerned himself with worldly riches, but resolving that he must give Xiao Bai a life of comfort and prosperity from now on, he picked up the bowl…

…of medicine and drained it in a single gulp.

As the bitter herbal brew slid down his throat, the taste was anything but pleasant.

Only when his eyes fell upon a piece of pine nut candy resting on the table did a warm sparkle of amusement soften Chen Tian’s gaze.

Picking up the sweet and popping it into his mouth, the burst of sugary flavor chased away the lingering bitterness, making Chen Tian narrow his eyes in blissful contentment.

Even having arrived in an entirely new world, and even with his beloved retaining no memory of him, Xiao Bai was still as thoughtful and considerate as ever.

Though he didn’t yet know by what twist of fate Xiao Bai had happened to save his life, the age-old adage that a life-saving grace ought to be repaid with one’s hand in marriage lifted his spirits into absolute euphoria.

Still, he needed to make sense of his current situation as quickly as possible.

With that in mind, Chen Tian began assimilating the original host’s memories and had 009 transmit the complete plotline of this mini-world directly into his consciousness.

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Author’s Note:

Chen Tian: Xiao Bai is taking such good care of me, it must be because he loves me! >v<