Chapter 84 – Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me

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Extra: ‘Sword’ Training

This chapter is by Lianyin of BC Novels.

It had not been long since summer fell upon them, and already, it was sweltering on the mountain. Venturing outdoors was like having a basin of scalding water poured upon them. Even Chu Yu was drowsy, let alone the training disciples. However, to maintain the image of the original host, Chu Yu had to continue to be diligent in his cultivation, sword training, and guiding his shidis.

Sleeping at night had become a big problem.

Chu Yu had always been afraid of the heat. But Xie Xi loved to hug and cling on to him. On several occasions, Chu Yu had wanted to be OOC and kick him away. But then, the child would call him “shixiong” in a sweet voice, blink his clear eyes, and say, “It’s very reassuring to hug shixiong like this.”

Whenever Chu Yu’s eyes met those bright eyes, his heart would soften. With a complicated expression, he thought: the bodies of cultivators with water-based spiritual energy were typically cooler in such summer nights; did this child’s peace of mind come from treating him as a huggable air conditioner?

As he looked at Xie Xi nestling comfortably in his arms, Chu Yu sighed.

Don’t kick him away… it’s so hot.

Kick him away… this is the protagonist; Chu Yu was a little afraid.

Furthermore, the child looked reluctant to part from him and his eyes would fill with tears whenever he was given the cold shoulder. He looked so aggrieved that Chu Yu wanted to poke out his own eyes before shaking Xie Xi’s shoulders harshly.

…… Protagonist, you can’t do this. You are clearly a formidable, imposing, and murderous sword immortal!

After several rounds of struggles, Chu Yu still did not have the courage and heart to kick Xie Xi away. With nowhere to vent his anger, he set his eyes on those bunch of cannon fodder shidis.

Hoho, shidis, you are all very adorable.

The sun was so scorching at noon their heads were about to burst open like popcorn. Chu Yu wanted to torment everyone. So he picked up everyone, including Xie Xi, early in the morning and announced that there would be sword training at noon at the back cliff from now onwards. 

Third Shidi howled. “Eldest shixiong, you mustn’t! We are almost dying from this weather. If we still have to train with our swords, our souls will scatter…”

Chu Yu was expressionless. “A cultivator must have an unwavering heart. Rain or shine, he must grind his teeth and push on. You guys are only at the Qi Cultivating Stage. If you beat a retreat just by training under the burning sun, then what’s going to happen on the long road ahead to immortality? If you really can’t hold on, then pack your stuff and get off the mountain. How could our Yuan Chen Peak disciples not even take this little hardship?”

Uh-huh, although the words were long and were all complete bullshit, he should not have been OOC…

Third Shidi was rendered speechless for a moment before he continued to wail, “Eldest shixiong, even if you don’t care about us, think about Second Shixiong. He’s so delicate, how could he survive this ordeal…”

Chu Yu was mulling over how to extract Xie Xi out of this cannon fodder team without attracting too much attention. So when he heard third shidi’s remark, his eyes shone. He said calmly, “What you’ve said makes sense.”

The eyes of all the disciples shone too.

Chu Yu said callously. “Then Second Shidi is exempted from training.”

The eyes of all the disciples darkened.

Third Shidi did not die in peace.

Chu Yu was overjoyed at not having to offend the protagonist when Xie Xi stood out. Chu Yu had been here for a year, and this child no longer had to suffer abuse. He was much taller now, with red lips and white teeth and exquisite features. He looked delicate and so childlike it was adorable.

His voice was low. “Eldest Shixiong, shidi wishes to train with the sword.”

Chu Yu said: “… Don’t be silly.”

Xie Xi said solemnly “As shixiong said, if I can’t even take this kind of suffering, then there’s nothing left to say about the long road ahead to immortality.”

For the first time, Chu Yu understood what it meant to shoot himself in the foot. After being stumped by his own words, he said helplessly, “Then… do as you wish.”

When he returned to the room, Chu Yu thought about it carefully and realized that he did not stand to lose. He was actually a little resentful these days for not being able to kick away Xie Xi and have a good sleep. Now that Xie Xi had stood out himself, he could use the chance to vent this anger. Even when the protagonist grew up in the future, he could not blame him for it.

The system could not help but speak up in an ascending tone, although it was hard to tell if it was a compliment or a sneer. “Host, you are so awesome~”

Chu Yu pretended not to hear. He was in a good mood. When he walked into the courtyard, he thought of another matter and felt depressed. He glanced at Xie Xi, who was smiling with a lowered head and following beside him.

Their relationship was actually pretty good, but now that Xie Xi had grown up a little, he was no longer as clingy as before.　

Besides… When he realized a few days ago what a “catamite” – that he had wanted to be for Chu Yu – was, he had squatted quietly in the corner and emo for a few days. After returning to normal, he no longer threw himself into Chu Yu’s embrace and acted like a pampered child as he had done so before.

It was only when he craved the coolness while sleeping at night that he could not help but burrow into Chu Yu’s embrace.

Chu Yu could not help worrying. The child has grown up, and except for treating Chu Yu as an air conditioner at night, he has hardly talked to Chu Yu in the daytime these days, all because of the sensitive word “catamite”…

This thigh was not easy to hug; being a follower was tough…

After careful consideration, Chu Yu stuck to his decision to vent his anger first.

---

The little cannon fodders’ grievances were deep. But Shizun was not here, so they had to listen to Eldest Shixiong. At noon, each of them reluctantly took their swords and trudged to the back cliff.

Chu Yu was in a good mood. He took a look at all the cannon fodders and the protagonist and demonstrated the sword technique to practice today. The sword techniques taught by Lu Qingan were naturally all concise and swift; they were the kind that would be deadly in just a blow. It differed completely from the Chu clan’s graceful and lingering sword technique.

For the sake of teasing this bunch of brats, Chu Yu deliberately merged the two kinds of swordplay. The combined effect of the Chus’ elegance and Lu Qingan’s precision was pretty good. A three-hour training session was thus dragged to four hours.

After the demonstration, Chu Yu sat in the shadow under the tree and drank the iced sour plum juice that Chu Sheng had brought when he passed by Tian Yuan Sect earlier that noon. Tapping his fan on his palm, he looked leisurely at a group of youths wheezing and panting as they trained with their swords.

The weather was too hot, and it did not take long for everyone to be drenched in sweat. Unable to bear the heat, a few disciples took a careful look at Chu Yu, then lay down to play dead. Chu Yu could see it all clearly. He gave a cold laugh in his heart and beckoned Third Shidi over. “Third Shidi, carry them over to the boulder to bask in the sun.”

A cultivator couldn’t suffer heatstroke like commoners. These brats were simply too lazy to train in this weather.

Having been exposed to the scorching sun, the boulder was scalding hot. The few salty cannon fodders were only just placed on it when they jumped off and continued to train with their swords with sullen faces.

With his evil plot realized, Chu Yu looked around in a good mood until his gaze stopped on Xie Xi. On seeing that he was training diligently, Chu Yu could not help but sing his praise in his heart. Resting his chin in his hand, he watched Xie Xi with a smile.

As if sensing Chu Yu’s unrelenting gaze on him, Xie Xi’s hands shook. Sweat covered the sides of his clean, fair face. A layer of red like the sunset glow crept up his face as his hands and feet lost their rhythm.

That gaze was still glued on him. It was as if Chu Yu was interested in watching him train.

Xie Xi could almost hear his wildly pounding heart. He completely forgot how to wield his sword. Countless thoughts flashed across his mind in a blink of an eye.

Was Eldest Shixiong staring at him? Had he always been staring at him?
　　
Was it because he was training well or was he doing too badly?

…… For some reason, ever since he understood the meaning of a catamite, he would feel a little ambiguous whenever he looked at Chu Yu now. Initially, he had found nothing wrong with clinging onto Chu Yu or with hugging and touching him. But now, he felt as if he had… defiled him.

But even if he refrained from getting close in the daytime, he could still not hold himself back at night.

They were sleeping on the same bed, within reach of each other. Chu Yu’s handsome face, light puffs of breath, and the faint fragrance on his body… all of it made him want to get close to Chu Yu. He wanted to hug hold of him; he was afraid that Chu Yu would disappear when he woke up…

If this goes on, he would be detested by Chu Yu sooner or later…

Xie Xi’s mind was wandering as he pondered sorrowfully over how to avoid being hated and rejected by Chu Yu when he suddenly heard a clear, tinkling voice:

“Xie Xi.”
　　
Xie Xi immediately returned to his senses and looked back to see Chu Yu standing behind him. The latter was frowning as he looked at him. “What’s the matter? What are you thinking? It was fine at first, but it was all a mess at the end. Wielding your sword carelessly like this could hurt someone.”

Naturally, Xie Xi did not dare to say that he was thinking about him. He pouted out of habit and put on an aggrieved and pitiful expression. “… Shidi is stupid and slow and did not manage to learn the sword technique Eldest Shixiong taught earlier.”

Tsk.
　　
The protagonist can’t even master basic swordsmanship?

That won’t do!
　　
Chu Yu thought, if the protagonist could not even follow the established path of a sword immortal, then what future prospect would this novel still have?

It was really tough to raise a classic stallion protagonist…
　　
Chu Yu felt a little bitter. Without giving it too much thought, he stepped forward and hugged Xie Xi from behind. Although the young man had grown taller, he was still much shorter than Chu Yu. Chu Yu could easily take him into his arms.

This was July, and the weather was hot. Those who were still in the Qi Cultivating and Qi Refining Stage were still unable to defend themselves against the heat and cold. And since there were no female disciples on Yuan Chen Peak, all of them were wearing flimsy clothes. Xie Xi had broken out in a sweat after training for a while, and his thin clothes clung to his body. He was caught off guard by Chu Yu’s hug. He could almost feel the delicate and smooth skin of the person behind him as his back stuck closely to Chu Yu’s body.

Xie Xi felt light-headed. He could hardly breathe when a warm hand grabbed hold on his right hand.

Xie Xi’s mind went blank again and he stared blankly at the slender, fair hand on his own hand. He felt Chu Yu’s index finger inadvertently brushing across the back of his hand, and numbness spread from the heart to his entire body, making him unsteady on his feet.

Chu Yu did not notice that Xie Xi had malfunctioned. He looked left and right and saw that the other disciples’ swordplay was getting more and more chaotic than it had been at the start. He could not help but shake his head and say in a light tone. “I’m leading Second Shidi in his training now. Stop what you are doing and watch carefully.”

As if they had received amnesty, everyone simultaneously cast Xie Xi a grateful and sympathetic look. Especially a dizzy Third shidi, who threw away his sword in excitement and dashed to the shade where Chu Yu had been sitting under earlier. With shiny eyes, he stared at the embracing Chu Yu and Xie Xi and revealed a wise and understanding smile.

Xie Xi’s mouth twitched. He did not know what was the matter with him. He was giddy, his mind was blank, and his breathing was labored. He said in a small voice. “Eldest Shixiong… I… Something seems to be wrong with me…”

“Hmm?” On hearing that, Chu Yu immediately grasped Xie Xi’s hand and sent in a wisp of spiritual energy to check his body.

Sweating profusely, Xie Xi suppressed the weird impulse in his heart. Chu Yu holding his wrist was nothing out of the special, yet he felt a lingering sense of ambiguity. He flexed his fingers subconsciously and lowered his eyelids, unwilling to let those spectators watching the show notice his sorry state.

After a round of examination, Chu Yu found nothing wrong with him and withdrew his hand. He rapped Xie Xi on the head and scolded him. “Of all things, you had to learn to be lazy like them.”

He said it with his head lowered, so those puffs of warm air he exhaled tickled Xie Xi’s ear. Xie Xi went weak in the knees and nearly fell to his knees. He bit his lip and said in a teary voice, “Shixiong… there’s really something wrong with me…”

Chu Yu was expressionless. “Cut the crap. Raise your hand.”
　　
Xie Xi raised his trembling hand.

Chu Yu rebuked him. “Why are you so soft? Use more force.”

Xie Xi almost cried.

　　
It was inevitable to have physical contact when training with the sword. What’s more when Chu Yu was hugging Xie Xi from behind to guide him. Chu Yu was thick-skinned enough not to care. He was focused on guiding Xie Xi and wanted to lead Xie Xi back onto the right track of a sword immortal. He did not realize the stiff and strange expression on the youth’s face from start to end.

After practicing a set of sword techniques, Xie Xi was drenched in sweat, and his hands and feet were trembling. His face was flushed like the sunset glow and his breathing was short. It was as if he had been persecuted.

Chu Yu was puzzled and a little nervous at the same time.

As the saying goes, a strict teacher produces outstanding students. He had only declined to let Xie Xi’s slack. Was Xie Xi angry with him?

Chu Yu felt complicated, while Xie Xi felt intrigued. Both of them exchanged glances for a while. Chu Yu was still inexplicably guilty as he looked into those clear, black eyes and averted his gaze. He gave a dry cough. “You guys continue training.”

With ghastly faces, all the little cannon fodders took their swords to continue training under the hot sun, all the while huffing, sweating profusely and wailing incessantly.

Chu Yu squatted at a side and silently took a sip of his iced sour plum juice as he looked at Xie Xi again. The latter was training in silence, and he was not as disorganized as before. Chu Yu was relieved; It was just a misunderstanding that could be explained. Everything was fine as long as the protagonist trained hard and made progress every day…

At the end of the day, the group of disciples all looked as if they had nothing to live for. They weakly cupped their hands at Chu Yu before going down the mountain, supporting each other as if they were empty inside.

When they were all gone, poor Xie Xi was the only one left behind. Chu Yu coughed dryly and moved over to him to pull the child under the tree. Pulling out a towel, he wiped the sweat off Xie Xi’s face.

Xie Xi lowered his eyes and pursed his lips. He looked as if he was furious and did not want to talk.

Chu Yu’s heart pounded and almost went cold. He wiped away a non-existent sweat and chose his words carefully, “Shidi…”

Xie Xi was afraid to look at Chu Yu precisely because of his gentle and considerate actions, which had stirred up a scorching desire in his heart. When he heard his voice, he hurriedly looked up. “Shixiong?”

Chu Yu was scared speechless by the child’s blazing eyes …

What’s with this child? He looked like he wanted to devour someone… He had not gone too far, had he? Didn’t he say Eldest Shixiong was the best and he liked Eldest Shixiong the most?! So how could he simply just fall out with him now?!

Chu Yu froze, not daring to speak. Xie Xi was on tenterhooks and did not dare to speak either. Both of them looked at each other in silence for a moment until Xie Xi broke the deadlock by opening his mouth. “… Shixiong.”

Chu Yu hurriedly responded.

Xie Xi asked, “Tomorrow… are we still training with our swords?”

…… He couldn’t rescind his order, could he? No matter what, he should carry out the policy he had just implemented today for at least a few days before canceling it. Otherwise, how could he live up to his reputation as the eldest shixiong?!

Chu Yu braced himself and nodded his head.

Xie Xi stared at Chu Yu in silence for a while.

The feeling of Chu Yu hugging him to train was not all that bad. In fact, he even… took pleasure in it.

Xie Xi smiled. “Alright, that’s great.”

…… So, protagonist, are you exactly happy or not?

In great trepidation, Chu Yu opened his mouth, but in the end, he did not dare to ask. As this child grew up day by day, his easily predictable mind had become harder to figure out. What would happen to Chu Yu in the future if he inadvertently offended him, causing him to bear a grudge…

They walked slowly down the mountain, each with his own thoughts. Chu Yu was worried sick when he heard Xie Xi say. “Shixiong, the sword technique today… shidi is slow and is still unable to understand it thoroughly.”

Chu Yu replied smoothly, “Shidi is doing pretty well.”

Xie Xi persisted and said, “There is still much shidi doesn’t understand. If I make mistakes again tomorrow during sword training, please continue to give me your guidance.”

Chu Yu was cool with it. “Naturally.”

It wasn’t possible for a protagonist to take so long to master a swordplay technique.

And then, Xie Xi mercilessly overturned this theory the second day.
　　
Chu Yu did not know what happened, but in the latter half of training, Xie Xi’s arms and legs no longer seemed to be his own. His strokes were so chaotic it was hard to look at.

Chu Yu could not bear to watch and went up to guide Xie Xi in his training like he had done so the day before.

This went on for several days. When the other shidis -weary of training under the hot sun- discovered that Xie Xi’s mistakes in his training were such a boon to them, they all rushed up to him while Chu Yu was away to implore him to make more mistakes every day.

Chu Yu, who was passing by right then, was expressionless. “…”
　　
Chu Yu found it necessary to have a talk with Xie Xi.

As they rested that night, Chu Yu habitually stroked Xie Xi, who was nestled in his arms with a look of enjoyment and said with a stern expression. “Shidi.”

Xie Xi, “Hmm?”

With some difficulty, Chu Yu asked, “You… Do you lack love that much?”

Xie Xi, “…”
　　
Chu Yu got the message from the struggle that had subtly flashed past Xie Xi’s face in that instant. His face turned grave. “Shidi, although shixiong understands your desire to get along with the other shidis, you still shouldn’t make mistakes on purpose to help them. We are sword cultivators. Sword techniques are a must for us. By doing this, you will only harm them and yourself.”

Xie Xi was struck dumb. “Shixiong, I…”

Chu Yu pinched his face. “Alright, are you still angry with me?”

“Shidi isn’t angry…”
　　
Chu Yu continued to pinch him. “Really? Then give me a smile?”

Xie Xi looked at him in silence for a moment, then showed him a smile. His eyes were brimming with a tenderness that was as warm as the spring breeze. “Shixiong, if I… if I stick to you all the time, will you disdain me?”

He couldn’t ask for more!

Chu Yu was delighted and nodded his head repeatedly.

…… Could it be that Xie Xi had been distancing himself these days all because he was afraid Chu Yu would detest him?

This child truly makes his heart ache…
　　
Many years later, Chu Yu no longer thought this way.

Thinking back on the sword training he had organized on a whim back in those days, Chu Yu looked up at Xie Xi with misty eyes. Xie Xie was smiling on top of him as he peeled off his clothes. Chu Yu considered for a moment. “Shidi, do you still remember the sword training at the back cliff that year during the sweltering summer?”

Xie Xi remembered everything that had to do with Chu Yu. He gave a pause when he heard this. Then, as if remembering something, his face lit up in a smile. He gave a heavy thrust as he entered Chu Yu, panting lightly as he kissed Chu Yu. He asked with a smile. “Hmm? Of course, I remember… shixiong, is shidi still soft this time?”

Chu Yu’s soul nearly left his body at that thrust. He sucked in a breath and looked at Xie Xi blankly.

What Xie Xi could not stand the most was those pure, blank gaze of Chu Yu when they were doing it. He fiercely pinned him down and kissed and bit him for a moment, then asked in a hoarse voice. “Shixiong, has shidi used enough force? Hmm? Or do you still want me to use more force?”

With that, he thrust into him again.
　　
Feeling giddy from those thrusts, Chu Yu vaguely recalled those “soft; use more force” words he had said that time. Not knowing whether he should laugh or cry, he could only bite his lips as moans that sounded like broken sobs escaped his lips.

…… As expected, this child still bore him grudges. How very unadorable.

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Reika’s Notes:

• Well, this is it. My house is already under community quarantine because of a nearby Coronavirus case and today I just came down with shortness of breath, chest tightness, sneezing, headache, stuffy nose, and general malaise. No fever. No coughing.
• Hopefully, it’s just the common cold or allergies acting up. As far as I know, I’ve had no direct contact with anyone who has the Coronavirus.
• This is a horrible time to be sick when everyone is paranoid about the pandemic!
• Back to BC Novels… This chapter is by Lianyin of BC Novels.
• Thank you very much to everyone who donated! You can still donate to the BC Novels Ko-Fi if you have some extra money and want to help me out.
• Please leave a comment if you spot an error and I’ll fix it. Thanks for reading this story.

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