Bonus 4 Part 1

Sheng Lingyuan asked this question just to bring up old memories.

He didn't really expect to hear a serious answer - after all, it had been so many years ago that even he himself didn't remember it well, let alone Xuan Ji, who had spent a full three thousand years in the mortal world.

Back then, Xuan Ji was just a half-grown child in the Heavenly Demon Sword.

The things that terrified him as a teenager were now just a laughing matter when he looked back on them years later.

Besides, as a sword spirit, Xuan Ji was spoiled by him when he was young. Except for the backlash from the Chiyuan's resentment, he had never suffered any grievances.

Sheng Lingyuan couldn't think of anything that Xuan Ji would be seriously "afraid" of, except for some minor quirks like being afraid of ghosts and the dark. He turned around with great interest to look at the white mist outside, thinking that ghost stories from that era were not as "amusing" as those of modern times.

However, Xuan Ji hesitated for a rare moment when asked, and then casually said, "What? I don't remember."

The pause was subtle, but Sheng Lingyuan, with his sharp ears, immediately caught on to a different meaning.

At the same time, Xuan Ji couldn't help but glance at him...giving him a cold look.

But as he folded his wings, the surroundings became dark, and he thought that Sheng Lingyuan was too focused on teasing him to notice, so he quickly covered it up and said, "I can see the pit they dug..."

Sheng Lingyuan's heart skipped a beat and he grabbed Xuan Ji's wrist, "Wait a minute."

He suddenly remembered that Xuan Ji seemed to be the one who had been repeatedly shutting down his own thoughts.

At first, Xuan Ji learned to actively cut off the connection between their minds as a retaliation for Sheng Lingyuan's unilateral "withdrawal". Later on, whether it was due to habit or other reasons, they stopped communicating with each other telepathically - after all, they were both grown up now, and it was difficult to be as open and honest as they were when they were children.

Sheng Lingyuan had some unspoken thoughts in his heart, and intentionally avoided him. So they both hid from each other, and in the following years, they only shared a small part of their senses.

Unless they encountered special situations or events, they basically no longer shared their consciousness.

At that time, Sheng Lingyuan didn't dare to hope that the Sword Spirit had any feelings for him beyond brotherhood.

Three thousand years had passed, and yet they met again in a flurry of arguments while trying cleaning up the mess. Life and death had separated them, and many things had become insignificant details - for example, Little Ji's feelings towards him...when did they start?

Sheng Lingyuan's eyes glowed in the darkness, and he smirked, "Does it have something to do with me?"

No wonder he pretended to have amnesia after waking up.

Thinking back, the Demon Sword Spirit was born from blood and fire, and although his personality was a bit rowdy and childish due to his clan's defect, his spirit was not so fragile.

Sheng Lingyuan was young and careless at the time, and he was fooled by him, afraid to stimulate him and protecting him from Dan Li's inquiries.

Xuan Ji said, "I already told you I forgot."

Sheng Lingyuan replied, "I don't believe you."

Xuan Ji turned around and tried to run away, "Don't be silly, I need to go fill up that pit. Old Wang and the others have been trapped there overnight."

Sheng Lingyuan didn't let go, "What's the rush? This empty shell illusion doesn't harm anyone, it's a good opportunity for them to practice their courage."

Xuan Ji said, "Isn't mental harm still harm? Your Majesty, please be a decent person!"

After speaking, he broke free from Sheng Lingyuan's grasp and took a few steps forward, but didn't hear any footsteps behind him.

Xuan Ji couldn't help but turn his head and saw Sheng Lingyuan standing still with one hand in his pocket, while the other hand that had just grabbed him was hanging in front of his nose, as if sniffing something.

The feathers on his hair naturally emitted a glow in the area with a strong demonic aura, spreading from behind him, and the silhouette of his backlit figure was adorned with a hazy golden border around his features. The expression on his face was unclear, but Xuan Ji could sense a smile in his eyes that was gentler than the passing of time.

"Chief," the emperor said, "I have always been a rule-abiding person in my youth, and I have never said anything out of line to you. What made you misunderstand my intentions toward you?"

Suddenly, Xuan Ji couldn't help but think of the first time he saw Sheng Lingyuan draw his Heavenly Demon sword.

Back then, there were no clear mirrors like there are now, and Sheng Lingyuan wasn't the type to play with mirrors. He could only catch a glimpse of himself in a copper mirror by the water's edge, just to get a rough idea of his appearance.

Xuan Ji thought he knew this person inside out, but little did he know that with just one glance, he had fallen into the eyes of the young emperor and become a water ghost that could never turn over.

His first reaction was to tightly hold onto his thoughts, leaving his mind completely blank.

"Love at first sight," Xuan Ji spoke without opening his mouth, the words rolling off his tongue like a painful groan.

Who knew if Sheng Lingyuan didn't hear clearly or if he was just pretending, "What?"

"I said I... cough," Xuan Ji cleared his throat and turned towards the pit, "I just... got attracted by your appearance."

Although it wasn't a good choice of words, Sheng Lingyuan instantly understood his hidden meaning.

He was stunned for a moment before laughing and scolding him good-naturedly, "You're audacious."

"At that time, things were not good in the world. People couldn't even eat enough and were generally underdeveloped, with a sickly appearance. I hadn't seen much of the world myself, just a bunch of oddballs every day. So when I suddenly saw someone with well-defined features, it was like a breath of fresh air."

And besides, given their close relationship since childhood, it was already unnatural for Sheng Lingyuan to not cross the line.

Once, when Sheng Lingyuan was taking a bath, Xuan Ji rushed in to hurry him up.

In fact, they had shared their sea of consciousness since childhood, so what haven't they seen on each other's bodies?

There was really nothing to be shy about, and Sheng Lingyuan initially tried to suppress any unnatural reactions.

After being nagged at by Xuan Ji several times, he had no choice but to climb out of the water and turn his back when putting on his clothes - after all, the young emperor who had not yet been crowned still cared about his dignity.

Xuan Ji had originally been eager to urge him to take him out to play, not paying much attention to anything else. But when he carried him on his back, his eyes were suddenly fixed on his back, which was quickly covered by his clothes.

In his panic, Sheng Lingyuan didn't have time to wipe it off carefully. Layer by layer, his clothes were added on, and the water stains on his back were like flowers on a wall that couldn't be contained, spreading out layer by layer.

When it reached the outside, it merged with his damp, long hair, revealing something different in a vague and indistinct way.

So, Xuan Ji couldn't remember why he had asked Sheng Lingyuan to go out that day or where they had gone after they left.

All he could think of was his back.

Sheng Lingyuan asked, "What else do you want to say?"

"...Besides, I wasn't the only one being reckless at the time," Xuan Ji snapped back, feeling bitter. "I saw all those clans of humans and and humanoids who surrendered later, they were all eyeing you hungrily, as if they wanted to snatch you away and make you their son-in-law."

The retired emperor, who was accused of "unifying the human race with his face," didn't seem to mind at all.

In fact, his smile deepened a little. "I was wondering why you kept bothering me back then."

They were ambushed on their way back from the Northern Plains because the various human clans were gathering and things were reaching a boiling point.

At that time, the position of the new empress was vacant, and not only young men in their prime, but even one-armed and one-legged beggars were eager to form political alliances with him.

Every time a clan was brought under their control and a blood oath was taken, there would inevitably be a "matchmaking" process, which involved all sorts of bizarre and unimaginable methods depending on the local customs and traditions.

Sheng Lingyuan, who was not yet twenty years old, would not have been of legal marriage age in modern times.

At that time, he had not yet cultivated the unbreakable skin of a diamond, and was often left in a sorry state. It was bad enough to be embarrassed outside, but every time he encountered such a situation, when he returned home, his sword spirit would act like a rebellious teenager, being sarcastic and unreasonable with him.

"I really don't know if you're pretending to be clueless or if you really are, only you would know," muttered Xuan Ji.

The coin he had flipped came to a stop at the edge of the pit that had been dug for construction, and with a clatter, it fell in.

The sound interrupted his sour words.

The faint aura of a Nightmare beast was activated by the recent disturbances in the Chiyuan, but it was quickly suppressed by the aura of the Vermilion Bird's.

Xuan Ji paused for a moment, then lightly stomped his foot and commanded, "Appear."

Sheng Lingyuan strolled over and took a peek, but didn't offer any help.

He casually remarked, "I didn't think much of it. I just assumed you were used to relying on me and didn't like strangers."

Xuan Ji didn't argue, which was not surprising.

Despite his current outgoing and friendly demeanor, he used to be quite wary of strangers when he was younger. And since no one else could see him, whenever there were outsiders around, Sheng Lingyuan couldn't fully devote his attention to Xuan Ji.

They would argue and bicker about it, and eight out of ten times it was because Sheng Lingyuan wasn't giving him the attention he deserved.

By the time Xuan Ji reached adolescence, Sheng Lingyuan had already gotten used to it.