To Raise A Soul

Once Qiu Feiqian left, Yu Zhen immediately moved out of Yin Yan"s embrace and put some distance between them.

Yin Yan compliantly withdrew his hands. He shifted back a little and leaned against the back of the sofa. 

"I"m going to take a shower." Having spit out some random excuse, Yu Zhen simply dashed away.

After his secret observation, Yin Le finally showed himself. He sidled up next to Yin Yan and waggled his eyebrows at him as he teased, "Ge, look at yourself. You were smelling Yu Ge"s hair just now. Hehehe, you"re like a pervert."  

Calmly looking back at him, Yin Yan asked, "Have you finished your vacation homework?"

"I have no homework." Yin Le"s tone became craftier as he spoke.

"Really?" Yin Yan looked away. He arranged the cuff of his sleeve and continued, "I b.u.mped into Bu Chen and his sister today. Bu Lian"s cat has just pa.s.sed and she was very sad about it."

The mischievous expression on Yin Le"s face disappeared. He reached out and held onto Yin Yan"s arm. With a serious expression, he said, "Ge, you"re my dearest brother. Please show me the way."

All youths are romantics filled with peotic feelings. For Yin Le, who was in the springtime of his youth, the Bu family"s Bu Lian was the sonnet in his heart!

This was Yin Le"s life-long secret and only the original Yin Yan knew about it.

"I"m not your brother," Yin Yan said as he brushed his hand away. Standing up, he indifferently replied, "I"m just a pervert."

"…" You can really hold a grudge! That"s so petty!

As Yu Zhen was in the shower, a bout of exhaustion suddenly overcame him and he almost fell asleep while standing. Fortunately, Xu Wu meowed outside the bathroom door and broke him out of his stupor, which narrowly saved him from falling into the bathtub. He hurriedly dried himself off, put on his pajamas, and plopped himself on the bed. 

A thick lotus fragrance filled the room. 

When Yin Yan entered, his gaze fell on Xu Wu who stood in front of the bed, guarding it. "When did this start?"

Xu Wu meowed and swished his tail.

With a wave of a hand, Yin Yan sent Xu Wu back into his sea of consciousness. He walked over to the bedside and dried Yu Zhen"s hair. Then, he gently turned Yu Zhen onto his back and stayed by his side.

The bodhi lotus seed which had absorbed merits had a strong medicinal effect. Although he"d eaten the lotus seed under Yin Yan"s guidance, as Yu Zhen was a mortal with incomplete souls, he had to endure a little suffering to fully absorb it. 

About an hour later, Yu Zhen, who had been slumbering soundly, suddenly struggled in his sleep. His white skin abruptly turned red and he began sweating profusely, causing first his hair, then his pajamas and finally, his bed sheets to become damp.

Yin Yan produced a pill and fed it to Yu Zhen. He drew some water from the bathroom and used it to wipe away Yu Zhen"s sweat from head to toe. He didn"t change the bed sheets as Yu Zhen would soon sweat through them again. As Yu Zhen was in a vague state of consciousness, he wouldn"t care about the damp sheets. He would only feel hot. 

The lotus fragrance grew stronger and stronger as a slight, golden glow covered Yu Zhen"s entire body. Yin Yan brought out a magical Taoist item, then created a boundary and locked away Yu Zhen"s visions. After some hesitation, Yin Yan removed Yu Zhen"s clothes.

In the early hours of the next morning, Yu Zhen"s body exuded a thin strand of black qi and the lotus fragrance weakened.

Yin Yan took out a brocade drawstring pouch and retrieved the hair from within it. When the black qi was absorbed into the hair, he quickly placed a seal on it. He stored the hair, which emitted something not quite like qi, back into the pouch. Finally, he shut the pouch in the deepest part of his sea of consciousness. 

When the first rays of morning sunlight filtered through a gap in the curtains, Yu Zhen finally settled down and stopped sweating. 

Yin Yan drew another bucket of water and wiped him down once more. Then, he wrapped him up in a blanket and placed him on the couch. Once the bed sheets and covers were changed, he carried Yu Zhen back into the bed and covered him with a quilt.

Qiu Feiqian was in a good mood at breakfast because Yu Zhen wasn"t at the dining table that morning. She also knew that, before breakfast, Yin Yan had brought some dirty bed sheets and pajamas to the laundry room.

These were clear signs. The thing she"d hoped for had happened. 

"Later, tell the cooks to warm up some easily digestible foods. Once Xiao Zhen wakes up, bring the food to him. You"d better not go anywhere today. Stay at home with Xiao Zhen."

With dark circles under his eyes, it looked like Yin Yan did not sleep at all. Delighted, Qiu Feiqian couldn"t resist adding, "Even newlyweds shouldn"t cause so much trouble. You need to do things in moderation. You… nevermind. As long as you understand."

Yin Yan calmly nodded and obediently listened to Qiu Feiqian"s instructions. It seemed like a quiet confirmation of what she had imagined.

Everyone was happy to have Qiu Feiqian leave for work in a good mood. Before leaving, she stopped her husband from starting an unnecessary speech. Yin Le also left the house so he wouldn"t be a third wheel.

After the family left, Yin Yan went back upstairs to check on Yu Zhen. Seeing the man continue to sleep, he went downstairs to the kitchen. He s.n.a.t.c.hed the job from Hu Ma and washed a clay pot to make congee. 

"Eldest Young Master really knows how to look after others." Hu Ma teased him with a face full of smiles.

Yin Yan hummed in reply and continued stirring the special pearl rice which was used for congees. Not looking away from the pot even once, he gave off a focused appearance.

Seeing that, the smile on Hu Ma"s face deepened. She quietly left the kitchen and no longer disturbed Yin Yan.

The fragrant smell of porridge began to spread into the air. Yin Yan checked the door and then produced a jade bottle out of thin air. Opening the bottle, he poured a little of the pale, golden liquid into the pot. Immediately, a sweet fragrance spread throughout the air.

When Yu Zhen opened his eyes, he remained unmoving on the bed with a blank mind for a few moments. Then, abruptly, he sat up and lifted the blankets.

The bed sheets were silky smooth and very warm. The direct contact between his skin and the blankets gave him a cozy feeling.

He moved his bare legs and looked at his "little brother" who had graciously risen up to say "good morning". Thinking deeply, he tried to recall what he"d done before going to bed, but the last thing he remembered was hearing Xu Wu"s call. After that, there was nothing.

What happened? Did I really fall asleep in the bathroom? And Yin Yan moved me to the bed? And he didn"t dress me?

Click.

The door handle turned, and the door was pushed open. A sweet scent wafted in as Yin Yan entered with a tray.

They stared at each other for a moment. Then Yu Zhen looked down at his bare body and hurriedly pulled the blankets up to cover himself. He shrunk into the blankets and, with a red face, exclaimed, "You didn"t see anything!"

Yin Yan released the breath he was holding. Then he fished out a pill to reduce the internal heat within his body and quickly swallowed it. He walked towards the bed and placed the tray on a bedside table. "You"ve just absorbed power from the bodhi lotus seed and your condition isn"t stable yet. Get up. Have this bowl of congee." 

Bodhi lotus seed?

He recalled that Yin Yan had made soup the previous day and that he"d added the lotus seed for flavor. Next, he noticed his body had become much more relaxed and there was a sense of endless strength coursing throughout his body. He"d had calluses on his palms from growing flowers, but as he loosely clenched his fist, he felt they had disappeared.

He lifted the quilt and stuck his head out. "What effects does that seed have?"

Yin Yan looked at his rosy cheeks and messy hair. Then, he turned around and walked towards their wardrobe. He picked out a set of pajamas and threw them onto Yu Zhen"s head before replying, "The effects of a bodhi lotus seed varies from person to person. It will fill in the parts that you lack the most." 

Parts that I lack the most?

What I lack the most is my soul, so, the lotus seed mended my soul?

Yu Zhen was very happy.

"Excluding the soul. The lotus seed has improved your body. It improved the part which was badly damaged by the absence of a part of your immortal soul," Yin Yan explained. Once he finished his explanation, he left the room, imparting on Yu Zhen the image of a back which, as the days continued on, looked more and more like it held an "immortal"s aura".

Yu Zhen pulled the pajamas off his face. After staring at the door for a few seconds, he burrowed into the quilt again.

Eating the lotus seed affected him for three days. In those three days, he began to feel sleepy very early. Once he fell asleep, he wouldn"t wake up until midday. 

Qiu Feiqian was both happy and anxious. She was happy that the pair of husbands had a good relationship, but she was worried that if they continued down this path, they would develop kidney deficiencies.*

Yu Zhen was easily embarra.s.sed so she didn"t try to persuade him. Instead, she spoke to Yin Yan in a roundabout manner, urging him to practice restraint. Although he said "okay" in reply, Yu Zhen still woke up late the next day.

She had no other choice but to ask the kitchen staff to make nourishing soups every day and urge Yu Zhen to drink them.

At first, Yu Zhen didn"t realize what was being implied so he a.s.sumed Qiu Feiqian thought he was unwell. He hurriedly tried to explain that he"d just slept in a little longer in the morning. He wasn"t ill. However, on the fourth morning, once he had recovered, he got out of bed early and overheard Qiu Feiqian"s imploring words to Yin Yan. At that moment, he finally understood what her words "for improving the back" had alluded to.

After more than twenty years of living purely, Yu Zhen was suddenly mistaken for a l.u.s.tful youth with a kidney deficiency. Yu Zhen was so embarra.s.sed, he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it. He hurriedly dragged Yin Yan off to the apartment to get away from the nourishing soup.

"How could you let Mom misunderstand this?!"

After arriving at the apartment, he could no longer hold back this question.

Yin Yan remained calm as he confidently and righteously replied, "It"s the most rational cover-up excuse."

Yu Zhen choked and looked at his expressionless face. He felt such a twisted urge to tear that calm look into shreds that he scared himself. Placing a hand over his chest, he felt compelled to ask, "Yin Yan, did I owe you in my last life[1]?"

The atmosphere suddenly sank.

Yin Yan looked at him. There was finally an expression on his face as he seriously replied, "No, it"s me who owes you."

Translator(s): Epsea
Editor(s): Miiya
Proofer(s): Avalie

Saying that somebody owed another person in another life is a common-ish thing to say. It conveys the idea that you feel you"ve been wronged for no apparent reason. So, you might say that you had owed that person in another life, so they"re paying you back for it in the current time.

So, Yu Zhen might not be literally talking about his past life. He might be using a figure of speech.