ARLQLCC chapter 67

The braised duck meal received praise from all the palace attendants. Aside from the remaining braising liquid, not even a single egg was left in the large iron barrels.

This braising liquid could still be reused several more times. Each time, they only needed to add some more seasoning and a new spice packet.

Su Ji wrote down the recipe for the spice packet and braising liquid on paper and gave it to the demon chefs as a gift.

This time he only made braised duck parts, but pork, chicken, vegetables, and many other foods could also be braised with this liquid.

The palace attendants loved this dish. Knowing Su Ji had left behind the recipe, they happily jumped around and pestered the chefs to make another braised meal tomorrow.

After Su Ji and the others finished dinner, they left the kitchen under the palace attendants’ watchful gazes.

After fooling around with Chu Zhaoye in the bedchamber these past few days, although he used a daily dust-repelling spell, the kitchen had been filled with heavy oil smoke earlier, and Su Ji still wanted to take a bath.

Besides bathing, there was also something else he wanted to do.

On the way back, Chu Zhaoye still held onto his hand and refused to let go. Since Su Ji had something to ask him, he tugged lightly at their clasped hands.

Chu Zhaoye turned back to look at him, and Su Ji asked, “Where do you usually bathe?”

…

Behind the halls of the Demon King’s Palace stood a great mountain encircling the area. Besides the demon clans who had yet to take human form living there, one part of the mountain also contained a naturally formed hot spring, which the palace attendants used as a bathing pool.

And the hot spring pool Chu Zhaoye frequented was where Hu Sansan had once witnessed his true form.

That lake was the largest bath pool in the entire mountain. Aside from Chu Zhaoye, almost nobody else came there.

Back then, Hu Sansan had just joined the Demon King Palace as Chu Zhaoye’s subordinate. He unknowingly stepped in, then crawled out in terror, frightened out of his wits. Since then, nobody dared to go there anymore.

In human form, the Demon King was still rather approachable, but once transformed into his original form, he carried bloodline suppression toward ordinary demons. Just one glance would make them tremble uncontrollably.

This was the first time someone besides Chu Zhaoye had stepped foot at this lake.

The lake was located at the center of the back mountain, surrounded by trees. Green grass covered the ground before the lake, and with a glance, one could spot many rare spiritual herbs.

It was already late. Moonlight poured down like flowing silk, silver light scattering across the sparkling lake surface. Accompanied by the sound of water flowing down the waterfall behind the cliff, the scenery here was truly breathtaking.

Su Ji followed the teleportation array here, and upon seeing such beauty, couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

Chu Zhaoye followed behind him carrying their spare clothes. Watching the moonlight illuminate the person before him into a cold pale white, his heart softened.

When Su Ji proposed bathing earlier, this bath pool in the demon race was the first thing he thought of.

He guessed Su Ji wanted to bathe because the kitchen smoke today was too heavy and the smell of braised food had clung to him.

Chu Zhaoye had also stayed in the kitchen all day, so bathing together was perfectly reasonable.

When returning to the bedchamber to fetch clothes, Chu Zhaoye had secretly also taken his own clothes. Although bathing in the bath pool within his own territory was perfectly normal, for some reason he still felt guilty.

So when taking the clothes, he even placed his own beneath Su Ji’s, though he himself didn’t know what he was trying to hide.

Su Ji was still admiring the scenery ahead and didn’t know whether he had noticed his little movements earlier.

“Ma Tuan.”

Su Ji was calling him. Chu Zhaoye stepped forward and stood beside the young man.

Su Ji pointed toward the rushing waterfall and asked curiously, “The waterfall water is cold, but once it enters the bath pool it becomes hot. Why is that?”

Following the direction he pointed, one could see faint white mist rising from the bath pool, yet the waterfall itself was completely ordinary mountain spring water.

The place where the waterfall connected with the lake had less mist, but the continuously flowing spring water did not lower the temperature of the bath pool. Instead, it itself became assimilated.

After hearing his question, Chu Zhaoye raised his hand and released a strand of demon energy. The moment the energy touched the water surface, it fused directly into the water.

As the demon energy entered, the lake surface, originally hidden in the night, gradually became transparent. Deep beneath the lake bed, a giant crystal radiating faint red light was revealed before Su Ji’s eyes.

His eyes widened involuntarily. “This is… Flame Crystal?”

Chu Zhaoye nodded.

According to legend, during ancient times, the demon race’s largest volcano erupted once. Volcanic ash blotted out the sky and nearly covered half the continent, killing many commoners and cultivators. The cultivation world tried every possible method but could not block the volcano.

Until one day, the volcano mysteriously extinguished itself.

And the Flame Crystal was a type of crystal brought out by the volcanic eruption.

This crystal could aid cultivation, and its heat never extinguished. If infused with spiritual energy and placed in water or used for meditation, its effects would be greatly amplified. A single crystal could even heal hidden injuries and neutralize deadly poisons.

But the Flame Crystals left in the world back then were never large enough for someone to sit on. Almost all were only palm-sized. Su Ji had not expected that such an ordinary-looking mountain would contain such a huge Flame Crystal.

Seeing Su Ji’s shocked expression, Chu Zhaoye said proudly, “Actually, I was the one who extinguished that volcano. I brought this Flame Crystal out from inside the volcano back then.”

Su Ji became even more shocked.

He never expected that simply coming to bathe would let him learn an unsolved mystery of the cultivation world.

Chu Zhaoye said that when the volcano erupted, he was sleeping nearby. Later, the endless volcanic ash became too irritating, so he cast a spell to extinguish the volcano and discovered this enormous crystal inside it.

After testing the crystal’s uses, he casually brought it out and kept it within this lake ever since.

The mountain range forming natural hot springs was also because of this Flame Crystal.

Back when his inner demon was hardest to suppress, Chu Zhaoye would sink to the lake bottom and cultivate while sitting atop the Flame Crystal.

After hearing Chu Zhaoye’s explanation, Su Ji fell silent for a moment. Just as Chu Zhaoye thought he was about to be praised, Su Ji suddenly said, “So you’re actually this much older than me.”

Chu Zhaoye had already existed since ancient times. It was probably far more than just several thousand years ago.

Hearing this, Chu Zhaoye felt like an arrow had pierced his knee, his lips trembling as he said, “You…you think I’m too old?”

Su Ji tactfully replied, “Not really. I just didn’t expect someone your age would still pretend to be pitiful to me. I’m only a little over two hundred years old.”

Compared to Chu Zhaoye’s age, he probably could only count as a baby.

Chu Zhaoye: “……”

Chu Zhaoye hurriedly tried explaining, “Although I existed back then, I spent several thousand years sleeping. According to demon race age calculations, the time spent sleeping in original form absorbing spiritual energy before transforming doesn’t count.”

Su Ji: “So?”

Chu Zhaoye: “So actually, I’m still considered young.”

“Alright.” Su Ji reluctantly accepted this explanation. “If you say so, then so be it.”

Although he accepted it verbally, Chu Zhaoye still felt he didn’t truly think so inside. But Su Ji had already turned and walked toward the bath pool, removing his outer robe and preparing to bathe.

Leaving Chu Zhaoye standing there alone, trapped in the distress of “Ah Ji thinks I’m old.”

Before he could think it through, the sound of water splashing came from not far away.

Chu Zhaoye subconsciously looked up.

Within the bath pool, the young man removed the ribbon tying his hair, black silky hair extending all the way into the water.

His upper garment had already been removed and neatly folded on the rocks by the lake. Beneath the silver-white moonlight was skin so pale it almost glowed. He stood sideways, shoulders rounded, back lines beautiful, slender waist hidden behind strands of hair, faintly visible through the mist.

Chu Zhaoye opened his mouth. A wave of heat rampaged wildly within him, clamoring endlessly as it rushed straight toward his lower abdomen.

For one brief moment, he almost thought his heat cycle had returned again.

Everyone knew that bathing required removing all clothing.

Earlier, he had only thought about being able to bathe together with Su Ji and completely forgot this fact.

Now, merely seeing a back view already felt like fire burning through him. If they both removed everything and entered the water, wouldn’t that mean he and Ah Ji would meet completely naked?

Just thinking about it made Chu Zhaoye’s heartbeat accelerate. If he entered the pool later and couldn’t control himself and “drew his sword,” Su Ji would probably be furious.

Before even winning him over, all his favorability toward him would probably drop to zero.

For a moment, Chu Zhaoye froze on the shore, staring blankly at Su Ji’s profile.

As though noticing his gaze, Su Ji turned his head. His body was already wet, water droplets rolling down with his movements.

Wet hair clung to his face, skin white as snow, hair black as ebony. Amid the mist, he looked like a water demon that stole souls.

Chu Zhaoye’s eyes practically stuck to him, his mind filled entirely with the man’s pale skin.

The water demon looked up at him from below and said half teasingly, half seductively, “Aren’t you coming down?”

Chu Zhaoye blankly replied, “What?”

“You hid your clothes beneath mine. Didn’t you also want to bathe?”

Hearing this, Chu Zhaoye’s mind buzzed.

He originally thought Su Ji hadn’t noticed while he was taking clothes. Who knew the other had seen all his little movements clearly.

Looking at Su Ji’s porcelain-white face, Chu Zhaoye swallowed and said hoarsely, “…Yes. I wanted to bathe too.”

He placed the clean clothes on the rocks and reached for his outer robe.

During this whole process, Su Ji kept watching his movements. Just removing his clothes caused Chu Zhaoye to break out in hot sweat.

Only when his hand reached his inner trousers did Su Ji step back and turn around.

One could vaguely see the flush at the tips of his ears.

Chu Zhaoye froze.

Soon after, the sound of water breaking rang out.

A scorching chest pressed against Su Ji’s back. He trembled slightly and slowly turned around in the water.

The man stood against the light, making his expression unclear. Chu Zhaoye wanted to ask something but didn’t know where to begin.

Why invite him to bathe together at this moment? Clearly, he had already decided not to enter the water. Su Ji understood his emotions perfectly; there was no way he couldn’t see his concerns.

Su Ji could have refused completely, but he didn’t. Instead, he exposed his thoughts directly.

Two men bathing together was originally a normal thing, but Su Ji knew his feelings. Facing each other naked in such an intimate situation was no longer appropriate.

Even if it was just bathing.

Chu Zhaoye himself didn’t know why he was thinking so much. Maybe Su Ji merely saw that he had already brought his clothes and simply didn’t want him to make the trip for nothing.

But he still felt something was off, especially that direct gaze just now and the sudden blush after turning away.

Chu Zhaoye wanted to ask, yet feared it was merely wishful thinking and that he would only make a fool of himself.

As if seeing through his hesitation, Su Ji took a deep breath, the redness at his ears becoming even more obvious.

It was as though he suddenly figured something out. Though his face was red, his gaze became much firmer.

Chu Zhaoye couldn’t understand the change in his expression, but it felt like he sensed something. His heartbeat became faster and faster.

One beat, two beats.

Like thunder, the pounding heartbeat occupied all of Chu Zhaoye’s hearing without reason. The cries of birds and the sound of the wind could no longer be heard.

Until Su Ji’s lotus-root-like arms lifted and wrapped around his neck.

The young man’s voice carried lingering tenderness dampened by the mist as he whispered beside his ear, “I want to confirm something.”

The pounding heartbeat faded, and the world became clear.

A pair of soft lips pressed against his.

Their tongues touched, and Chu Zhaoye’s eyes widened.

You can read the full completed story here with instant full access. ✨