A Wisteria Sea of Secrets

He Suosi, despite his usual disinterest in flora, was utterly mesmerized. The scene before him was so resplendent, so dazzling, that his eyes were instantly filled with varying shades of purple. It was like a burning violet flame, assaulting his senses and blurring the line between dream and reality.

Wang Zhongge exclaimed in delighted surprise, “I never knew there was such a vast expanse of wisteria flowers here! Look!”

Wang Zhongge reached out to grasp He Suosi’s hand, but Yuan Zhigong had already pulled him aside. Her attempt met with empty air. However, she was clearly captivated by the breathtaking scenery, forgetting everything else as she gazed dreamily at He Suosi. “You’re even wearing a wisteria hairpin today,” she mused. “Could this be fate?”

He Suosi glanced at Yuan Zhigong, who stared at the sea of flowers with an impassive face. His gaze was cold and detached, possessing a chilling ruthlessness that betrayed no discernible thoughts. Yet, He Suosi couldn’t help but wonder. Was this flower sea the reason Yuan Zhigong had asked him to come out in the first place? Had Yuan Zhigong himself put the wisteria hairpin in his hair because he knew of this rare, otherworldly landscape?

But for some reason, he still felt that the other party intended him harm.

He Suosi felt a flicker of inexplicable guilt. He turned his gaze to Wang Zhongge, who had already eagerly darted into the flower sea, skipping and waving at him. She then plucked a few fresh blossoms and tucked them into her hair.

Lan Jun immediately rushed after her. “Don’t pick the flowers! How can you pick flowers?” She seemed deeply displeased with Wang Zhongge, pursuing her relentlessly even when she couldn’t catch up.

Only He Suosi and Yuan Zhigong remained in their spot. He Suosi instinctively reached up to touch the hairpin in his hair. “Actually, I don’t like flowers,” he confessed.

“My apologies,” Yuan Zhigong murmured.

‘How can you apologize for my personal preference?’ He Suosi frowned. For some unknown reason, a sudden irritation welled up within him. He wasn’t sure if it was because he sensed Yuan Zhigong’s genuine feelings for him, or if it was the other’s overly humble attitude.

“You called me out here just to see this?” He Suosi asked.

“This cluster of wisteria is about to become a demon. Experiencing the Dao of heaven and earth would be beneficial for you,” Yuan Zhigong replied.

He Suosi focused his senses and indeed detected a faint demonic aura, a sign that the flowers were on the verge of transformation.

“This is truly rare. Within the Guangyu Immortal Sect, with the heavenly secrets obscured, they are still managing to become demons.”

“This is the second one in three thousand years,” Yuan Zhigong stated.

He Suosi paused. “The first?” he asked involuntarily.

“The first was an azure heart orchid by the Heavenly Lake. Someone underwent a lightning tribulation there, and the orchid, sensing the heavens, transformed the very next day. Afterward, she followed that person and became a maidservant.”

He Suosi’s gaze drifted to Lan Jun. Lan Jun was still chasing Wang Zhongge, telling her not to pick flowers. Wang Zhongge, giggling playfully, refused to listen. Instead, she scooped up fallen petals from the ground and scattered them over Lan Jun. Lan Jun pursed her lips, her expression not one of jest, but of serious animosity, as if facing an enemy.

“Is it Lan Jun?”

Yuan Zhigong nodded. “It is Lan Jun.”

He Suosi clutched his sleeve. He suddenly wanted to ask, ‘Since you know everything, why don’t you just say it?’ But he ultimately remained silent, knowing that speaking first would not benefit him. After all, it was nothing more than a fit of pique.

He exhaled softly, a faint smile gracing his lips. “I didn’t expect Lan Jun to suppress her demonic aura so well.”

Yuan Zhigong’s gaze settled on He Suosi’s face. “Because her later cultivation method wasn’t that of a demonic cultivator.”

He Suosi felt an inexplicable discomfort. Not knowing the source of this feeling, he simply quickened his pace and walked into the flower thicket.

Wang Zhongge laughed and ran towards him, tumbling into his arms with a handful of wisteria flowers. In that instant, purple petals erupted around him like fireworks, accompanied by the fragrant scent of her hair. Since they both currently occupied female bodies, He Suosi was caught off guard by the impact. As he caught Wang Zhongge, he too fell to the ground. Petals scattered lavishly in the air, obscuring everything around them.

He Suosi braced himself for the impact, but to his surprise, he felt no pain. He merely found himself sinking into a thick layer of petals. The petals, as if imbued with a soul, even passed between him and Wang Zhongge, separating them.

He Suosi froze, immediately realizing something. He looked back and indeed saw Yuan Zhigong forming a hand seal.

As He Suosi watched, Yuan Zhigong placed his hand behind his back, and the wisteria petals dispersed, leaving He Suosi lying on the ground. Wang Zhongge was not far from him, yet had no petals on her body. She rubbed her backside, staring blankly at He Suosi, then at Yuan Zhigong.

He Suosi started to stand, intending to help her up, but then heard Yuan Zhigong say, “Lan Jun, quickly help Wang Jiaren up.”

As he spoke, he had already walked over and stood between them, blocking He Suosi. He frowned at the ground, as if contemplating something.

He Suosi did not insist, merely thinking to himself, ‘This is not going well.’

Wang Zhongge, unaware of the situation, frowned, showing her displeasure. But recalling that the Immortal Monarch now favored Pei Nishang, a triumphant thought crossed her mind, and her frown relaxed. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the lake. “Sister Pei…”

No sooner had the words left her lips than He Suosi, still processing, noticed an almost imperceptible shift in Yuan Zhigong’s expression. The Monarch even subtly recoiled half a step. Only after a moment did he recover and shift that half-step back.

He Suosi rarely saw such a clear reaction from Yuan Zhigong, and this reaction seemed to indicate a touch of panic.

With this thought, his interest was piqued. His gaze swept across Yuan Zhigong’s face as he asked, “Then, Immortal Monarch, will you join us for a boat ride?”

Yuan Zhigong looked at him with a deep gaze. After a long moment, just as He Suosi expected a refusal, he slowly nodded.

A ridiculous thought sparked in He Suosi’s mind. It was so absurd that he felt it couldn’t possibly be true, yet it flashed through him instantly—

‘Yuan Zhigong… he wouldn’t be afraid of water, would he?’

Wang Zhongge glared as He Suosi and Yuan Zhigong took another boat together. She thought it was normal for an Immortal Monarch and his favored concubine to be together. She simply decided that her plan was flawed and she shouldn’t have come out with him. Without much thought, she was reluctantly pulled onto a separate boat by Lan Jun.

As the small boat drifted to the center of the lake, Yuan Zhigong stood tall and elegant at the bow, his jade-like figure facing the gentle breeze. His tall, graceful body was wrapped in a brocade robe with wide sleeves that billowed in the wind. He stood motionless, his gaze calmly fixed on the lake surface, appearing utterly free and ethereal. Yet, no matter how He Suosi looked at him, he found the other man remarkably stiff.

He stepped forward to engage him in conversation.

“Immortal Monarch, the scenery is quite lovely.”

“Mm.”

“Immortal Monarch, you shouldn’t use spiritual energy to row the boat. That takes all the fun out of it.”

“Mm.”

“Immortal Monarch, are you—afraid of water?”

“Mm… Mm?”

He Suosi watched Yuan Zhigong with amusement, seeing a faint pink blush creep onto the other’s earlobes. Yuan Zhigong pursed his lips, saying nothing.

“Haha? You’re really afraid of water? Then if a cultivator were to attack you with a water spell, wouldn’t you be defeated instantly?”

Perhaps sensing that He Suosi had already discovered his secret, Yuan Zhigong no longer pretended. He withdrew his gaze from the lake and fixed it on his feet, then turned to look at He Suosi. “That kind of water is fine.”

He Suosi was puzzled. “What kind? So, you’re afraid of the lake?” He gave a mischievous grin. “What if I pushed you? You wouldn’t fight back with all your might, would you?” As he spoke, he moved closer, placing a hand on Yuan Zhigong’s shoulder, feigning a push.

Yuan Zhigong neither dodged nor spoke. Instead, he gripped He Suosi’s hand with his own. He Suosi quickly twisted his wrist and pulled his hand free. Only after pulling his hand away did he realize, to his surprise, that Yuan Zhigong’s palm was covered in cold sweat. Clearly, his current demeanor was nothing but a bluff.

The thought of stopping the boat by the shore crossed He Suosi’s mind, but it was immediately suppressed deep within. A mischievous streak took over.

He poked Yuan Zhigong’s back with his finger. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll do it? I’m going to push hard, you know.”

Yuan Zhigong lowered his eyes and spoke softly, “You wouldn’t.” His voice, a deep, mellow tone like fine wine, was barely a whisper.

He Suosi was taken aback. For some reason, he felt a renewed sense of irritation. Feeling inexplicably annoyed, he simply sat down and began to paddle the water with an oar. The lake water was clear, as green as jade. As He Suosi rowed, if he approached the boat carrying Wang Zhongge and Lan Jun, he would lean over to speak with Wang Zhongge.

At these times, Yuan Zhigong would interject. If his words failed, he would directly use spiritual energy to propel their boat, separating the two vessels. He Suosi found this rather amusing and tried it again and again.

Finally, as the sky turned crimson, the four of them tied up their boats and stepped ashore.

Returning at sunset, Yuan Zhigong did not accompany He Suosi back to his courtyard. He Suosi returned to his room with Lan Jun, where he had some tea and changed his clothes.

As Lan Jun handed him a hot, wrung-out towel, He Suosi finally couldn’t hold back. “You are a demon.”

Lan Jun’s eyes widened in alarm.

He Suosi chuckled. “What’s so startling about that? Whether demon or human, do we cultivators still harbor prejudice? But why have you never mentioned it?”

Lan Jun lowered her gaze, her expression slightly shadowed. “Because… because…”

She ‘because-d’ for a long time, unable to articulate her thoughts. This time, He Suosi didn’t give up, watching her quietly until tears welled up in her eyes.

He Suosi sighed. “Did you know my true identity from the very beginning?”

Lan Jun bowed her head. “The Mistress spoke to me, and then I knew.”

He Suosi’s gaze was puzzled. “You know me.”

Lan Jun bit her lip. “The Master doesn’t remember me.”

Lan Jun looked at him timidly. “…Young Master.”

He Suosi pondered for a moment, then finally asked, “Did I know Guangyu Immortal Monarch before?”

He had a faint inkling about this question. If Yuan Zhigong had already guessed his true identity, his attitude was far too ambiguous. Coupled with the incidents he had accidentally sensed, claiming Yuan Zhigong had no interest in him was pure self-deception.

Furthermore, the implications in Lan Jun’s words suggested that he had probably lived in the Guangyu Immortal Sect for quite some time.

Lan Jun lowered her head, twisting the hem of her skirt. “I cannot say.”

He Suosi looked up at her.

“I cannot say,” she repeated, her gaze resolute, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

He Suosi sighed. “I understand.”

He sensed Lan Jun’s certainty but was unsure if the person she was thinking of was truly him.