TYMRHBDES Chapter 182

When Pei Yu finally rose from him again, Jiang Luoluo was so exhausted he couldn’t even lift a finger.

His body was covered in a dense pattern of crimson love bites, spreading all the way from his snow-white neck.

Pei Yu carried him to wash up, and Jiang Luoluo just let him.

He was like a broken rag doll, placed in the water-filled bathtub and manipulated by another.

Pei Yu was using his amnesia as an excuse to constantly do excessive things to him.

Especially things they had never tried before.

Whenever Jiang Luoluo refused, Pei Yu would knit his handsome brows, looking genuinely confused.

“How can that be?”

“You used to love this the most.”

Jiang Luoluo was speechless.

When he mustered the courage to stammer out an explanation—that he might be about to remember—

Pei Yu would stroke his face, his gaze deepening with an intense, unreadable quality.

“It’s good that you’re remembering.”

“Hubby still has a lot of questions waiting for our baby to answer.”

Jiang Luoluo’s heart sank. He began to stutter, trying to deny it.

“My head hurts so much…”

“I… I might not be able to remember again…”

Then Pei Yu would give him a very gentle smile, the stud in his ear cartilage glinting in the light. A meaningful expression settled on his handsome face.

“Still can’t remember…”

“What a shame…”

He raised his hand, his fingers brushing against Jiang Luoluo’s cheek, his gaze filled with ambiguity.

“Take your time, baby. No rush.”

“Come on, let’s keep going.”

Jiang Luoluo lay on Pei Yu’s shoulder, wanting to cry but unable to shed a single tear.

‘I’m screwed. I’m totally screwed.’

‘I’ve dug myself into a hole I can’t get out of.’

***

Shortly after, Pei Yu took him to the hospital.

As various advanced machines were used to examine him, Jiang Luoluo felt a growing sense of panic.

When the cold needle pierced his skin, he buried his head in Pei Yu’s chest, enduring a full syringe of blood being drawn.

Pei Yu covered his eyes, his brow furrowed imperceptibly.

He kissed Jiang Luoluo’s forehead again. “It’s okay, baby. Don’t be scared.”

A few days after the checkup, Jiang Luoluo had already put the whole ordeal behind him.

Only Pei Yu, sitting in the hospital director’s office, stared at the report with a deep frown.

“President Pei, all your husband’s data is normal. There’s no trace of any foreign biological invasion in his brain.”

The director paused, his words trailing off. “President Pei, to be honest, with our current level of technology, some things simply cannot be detected by instruments.”

Pei Yu lifted his eyelids slightly, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

August was scorching.

Pei Yu set aside his work and took Jiang Luoluo to the most famous Taoist temple in the country, located on Mount Jing.

The temple was hidden at the very peak of Mount Jing, known to few.

There were no plank paths or cable cars here, only stone steps laid centuries ago, now stained green with moss. They stretched endlessly, leading deep into the heart of Mount Jing.

A black Cullinan sat parked at the foot of the mountain. Pei Yu, carrying a black bag, held Jiang Luoluo’s hand as they began their ascent.

Taoists revere the number nine.

From the Nine-Character Mantra to the Nine Netherworlds and Nine Underworlds, the number nine always takes precedence. And the steps winding from the mountain’s base to the Taoist Temple totaled exactly 6,999.

Even for a professional mountaineer, the climb would take at least three hours.

Jiang Luoluo had no idea why Pei Yu had brought him here. Dressed in a clean white T-shirt and a matching jacket, he clutched a bottle of juice, treating the trip as a casual getaway.

The towering, cloud-piercing ancient trees rustled in the wind, their fresh morning forest scent washing over Jiang Luoluo’s face. He happily squeezed Pei Yu’s hand, ready to step onto the first stair.

But a gentle tug on his palm made him pause in confusion.

Pei Yu stepped in front of him, crouched slightly, and patted his own back.

“Get on.”

Jiang Luoluo was bewildered. “I can climb it myself.”

Pei Yu insisted, “I’ll carry you.”

Jiang Luoluo hopped onto Pei Yu’s back. Pei Yu hooked his arms under Jiang Luoluo’s knees, securing him firmly as they began the ascent.

At first, Jiang Luoluo still had the mood to admire the scenery on both sides. The mountain peak was steep, with birds flying and cicadas chirping.

But as the journey grew longer, Pei Yu’s back became soaked with sweat, and large beads of perspiration formed on his forehead and the back of his neck.

Jiang Luoluo, his heart aching for him, wiped the sweat away and fanned him with his small hand, repeating over and over, “Put me down, Pei Yu…”

“You’ve been carrying me long enough…”

“I’m not tired at all, Pei Yu…”

“I can walk on my own…”

But no matter what he said, Pei Yu’s palms remained locked tightly under his knees, and he firmly refused.

“I’m not tired either.”

“We’re almost there.”

Mount Jing had 6,999 steps.

Pei Yu carried him up every single one.

The palms hooked under his knees were scorching and strong, never loosening for a single second.

As they stepped onto the final stair, the young boy resting in the shade at the Taoist Temple’s entrance exclaimed in surprise, “You’re back again!”

‘Again?’

Jiang Luoluo looked up at Pei Yu.

His elegant, noble face remained perfectly composed as he gave the young acolyte a slight nod.

“I’ll have to trouble you to announce our arrival again.”

The acolyte fanned himself with a large palm-leaf fan, his gaze fixed on Jiang Luoluo. “Is this the lady you mentioned?” he asked with childlike innocence. “Why is she a man?”

Jiang Luoluo stared back, completely bewildered, his hand still clasped in Pei Yu’s as he locked eyes with the young Taoist.

The acolyte’s innocent expression shifted to delight as he continued to study Jiang Luoluo. “You’re so beautiful!” he exclaimed. “And your tail is white!”

Jiang Luoluo instinctively glanced behind him, but found nothing there.

“Mind your manners.”

A faint, ethereal voice drifted from the distance. Jiang Luoluo followed the sound to see a white-haired old Taoist priest. A simple wooden twig, seemingly snapped from a tree, was tucked into his hair, giving him an air of profound detachment from the mortal world.

“Master!” the acolyte chirped happily, vigorously fanning the old priest.

The old Taoist glanced at the two of them, then turned and walked inside, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Come in.”

The Taoist temple seemed to have stood for centuries. Though its carved beams and painted eaves remained intact, they bore the unmistakable patina of time.

Jiang Luoluo walked beside Pei Yu, gazing at the pillars inside the temple. “Pei Yu, have you been here before?”

“Mhm,” Pei Yu replied softly. “I have.”

“What did you come to pray for?”

Pei Yu kept walking, but turned his handsome face to glance at him, his gaze deep and tender. “To pray for the love of my life.”

Jiang Luoluo’s eyes curved into crescents, their watery depths shimmering. “So you were praying for me!”

He beamed, his voice laced with a smug, blissful pride. “But I’m already by your side, Pei Yu~”

Pei Yu squeezed his hand gently. “I want more than just that.”

Inside the main hall, the old Taoist priest sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his eyes fixed on Jiang Luoluo.

His weathered voice echoed through the hall, carrying a faint, imperceptible sigh. “Is your mind truly made up?”

Pei Yu tightened his grip on Jiang Luoluo’s hand. “My mind is made up.”

The two of them were speaking in riddles, neither one explaining a thing.

Jiang Luoluo looked at the Old Taoist priest, then at Pei Yu, his bright eyes filled with questions.

“And what about you?” the Old Taoist priest asked, his gaze fixed on Jiang Luoluo. “Are you willing as well?”

Suddenly, every gaze in the hall fell upon Jiang Luoluo. It was an indescribable pressure, laced with the tension of the unknown.

Jiang Luoluo clung to Pei Yu’s sleeve, like a small animal completely dependent on its owner. He looked at the Old Taoist priest, his voice soft and gentle.

“I am willing.”

A low chuckle sounded in his ear as a hand draped over his shoulder. Pei Yu smiled faintly. “I haven’t even told you what it is yet.”

“Aren’t you afraid your husband will sell you out?”

Jiang Luoluo lifted his fair, delicate face to look at him, his beautiful eyes filled with earnestness. “You would never harm me.”

The Old Taoist priest said nothing more and sent the young attendant to take Jiang Luoluo outside to play.

Under a thousand-year-old tree in the Taoist Temple, Jiang Luoluo crouched beside the young attendant, watching ants with him while trying to gather information.

“Don’t you know?” the young attendant asked, looking up. “He asked my master to help him, so that you two can be together for all eternity, life after life.”

“Once the ritual is complete, even if you reincarnate ten million times, he will always find you.”

“He will haunt you forever. You’ll never be able to escape.”

“It’s terrifying.”

The boy held the peanut brittle in his hand, watching Jiang Luoluo with curiosity. “Aren’t you scared?”

“If you are, just tell my master you’re unwilling. He won’t help the man then.”

“But you have to hurry. The ritual is almost complete.”

Jiang Luoluo froze.

The boy added, “You’re strange too. You’re not scared at all.”

“The man who came with you is strange as well. He has to shed a lot of blood.”

“Right here—”

He pointed to his own heart, then took a bite of the peanut brittle, his words muffled. “It hurts so much!”

“Actually, a drop of blood from a fingertip would have sufficed. But my master calculated that your fate is noble yet prone to betrayal and hardship.”

“That man said he would protect you with his heart’s blood.”

The world around her seemed to fade away, leaving her utterly alone.

Jiang Luoluo’s eyes reddened. He turned and ran back frantically, leaving everything behind.

‘Life after life.’

‘Heart’s blood.’

‘Pei Yu.’

The three thoughts raced through his mind, threatening to tear it apart.

Tears filled his eyes, blurring his vision as he stumbled back. Just as he reached the entrance to the main hall, he saw Pei Yu kneeling on a prayer mat.

The man’s broad shoulders and straight back were turned to him.

On the table before him sat a single blue-and-white porcelain bowl, still containing fresh, wet blood.

Hearing the sound, Pei Yu immediately pulled his open shirt closed and turned to face him, smiling as if nothing had happened.

“What’s wrong, baby? Get bored all by yourself?”

The man’s elegant features were blurred through the tears overflowing from Jiang Luoluo’s eyes, which fell in a steady stream from his eyelashes.

Through his tear-blurred vision, he saw Pei Yu rise from the prayer mat and walk toward him.

The familiar embrace, scented with a cool fragrance, wrapped tightly around him. Pei Yu stroked the back of his neck and lowered his head to kiss his forehead.

“Don’t cry, baby.”

He cupped Jiang Luoluo’s face in his hands, gently wiping away the tear tracks with his fingertips.

Pei Yu sighed, pulling the other man into his arms with a mix of heartache and helplessness. His deep voice was exceptionally gentle.

“You look so pitiful.”

“Anyone who doesn’t know better would think I’ve bullied you.”

Pei Yu climbed 6,999 steps carrying his Baby, all to make sure they could find each other in every lifetime. Meanwhile, I’m struggling to climb out of my empty Ko-fi account. 😭 Readers, a little support would keep this devoted translator going! ☕