Phoenix Top and Dragon Bottom Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Finding Solace in the Woods

However…

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They maintained this stance, motionless, while their eyes met, expressing mutual admiration and astonishment.

In this contest, he couldn’t defeat him, and he couldn’t defeat him either.

Despite their rematch after Long Qinghan’s rebirth, the outcome remained the same—they were still evenly matched.

The red and blue sword blades, reflecting the rays of the setting sun, dazzled the eyes of everyone in this dimly lit tavern. Two extraordinary men stood before the entrance of this Guo Ting Inn, smiling at each other. Their gazes met as if they had traversed countless mountains and rivers, enduring the trials and tribulations of the world to reach this moment.

They were enemies, yet also kindred spirits.

With a soft sound, both of them simultaneously withdrew their swords and, in perfect harmony, returned them to their sheaths.

As the silver gleam of the blades vanished beneath the scabbards, a mysterious light flickered in their eyes. With a swift movement, they exchanged several moves in the air, their feet leaping toward the wine barrels. Simultaneously, they scooped up the barrels, lifted the lids, and raised their heads to drink.

The fiery liquor trickled down their throats, seeping into their skin through their collars. The coolness of the wine calmed their restless hearts. In that instant, a sense of uninhibited exhilaration surged from within, as if a long-suppressed joy had burst forth from their veins.

When the wine was consumed, they both flipped the barrels with a graceful hand gesture, indicating that they were empty. Then, with a carefree swing of their hands, they shattered the barrels, the sound reverberating through the air. They raised their feet and charged toward the door.

“To the left!”

“To the left!”

In unison, they spun around and dashed toward the left side of the doorway.

A few light taps of their toes propelled their figures to the front. The fierce wind brushed against their cheeks, bringing a refreshing sensation. Side by side, they ran without either falling behind, a peculiar emotion welling up in their chests.

Long Qinghan glanced slightly at Feng Xuan Yang. He was as handsome and charismatic as he remembered, and that mischievous smile of his still burned like an eternal flame. After more than twenty years, they finally returned to this moment, back to the place where they first met, free to indulge in laughter.

Long Qinghan suddenly burst into laughter. He was usually calm and composed, but at this moment, he laughed without any reservations, simply because he was happy!

Feng Xuan Yang joined in, tilting his head back and laughing heartily. Their joyful laughter filled the quiet path, adding a hint of liveliness to the serene trail.

Even in a contest of light footwork, they remained evenly matched.

They didn’t know how long or how far they had been running. As the sun began to set in the west, they instinctively turned their heads and exchanged a knowing glance, gradually coming to a stop.

They looked around and couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.

Unbeknownst to them, they had unknowingly run hundreds of miles from that small path to a desolate forest.

The sky was now dim, with only faint hues of twilight spreading across the land.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to spend the night here,” Feng Xuan Yang said, using his sword to push aside the grass beside him and sighing.

“It’s getting late, and if we go back now, we might miss our subordinates. Well, let’s make do and spend the night here until they find us.” After finding a safe clearing, Long Qinghan took out a unique bamboo whistle from his waist and blew a few notes into the sky.

Feng Xuan Yang also took out his special fireworks and set them off into the sky.

Long Qinghan glanced at the somewhat melancholic sky and bent down to pick up some dry branches to start a fire. But to his surprise, a pair of well-defined hands were quicker than him, picking up the branches.

“Hmm?” Long Qinghan raised his calm gaze and asked, “What’s the meaning of this, Feng Xuan Yang? Are you competing with me even in making a fire?”

“Heh,” Feng Xuan Yang flashed a big smile and said, “leave these trivial tasks to me. How could the esteemed young master Long bother himself with such things?”

Long Qinghan felt a little dissatisfied, furrowing his brows slightly. He said, “What do you mean, Feng Xuan Yang?”

“Hahaha!” Feng Xuan Yang suddenly burst into laughter, shaking his head. “Oh, dear Long Young Master, you really can’t take a joke. Well then, I’ll leave it to you. I’ll go hunt for some game.”

He paused, looked around, and murmured, “I wonder what kind of wild game we can find in a place like this.”

Long Qinghan calmly lowered his gaze, bent down to pick up the dry branches, and paid no attention to Feng Xuan Yang.

Feng Xuan Yang didn’t leave immediately but instead watched Long Qinghan’s busy figure absentmindedly. After a while, he snapped out of it when Long Qinghan interrupted him, saying, “Feng Brother, why are you still watching?”

“It’s nothing.” Feng Xuan Yang smirked mischievously and leaned closer to whisper in Long Qinghan’s ear, “Young Master Long, you have a nice figure.”

Before he could finish the word “nice,” he quickly ran away, leaving a frustrated Long Qinghan behind. Infuriated, Long Qinghan angrily threw the dry branches, but the speed of the branches couldn’t match Feng Xuan Yang’s agility.

Long Qinghan looked at the retreating figure, and his lips suddenly curled into a smile. He was used to being calm and aloof, and it had been a long time since he had laughed like this. But now he found himself acting childishly, arguing with Feng Xuan Yang. It seemed that only in Feng Xuan Yang’s presence would he reveal his true nature hidden beneath the icy facade.

Shaking his head, Long Qinghan stopped dwelling on it and crouched down, piling up the dry branches. He reached into his pocket, intending to take out the flint to start a fire, but—

Feng Xuan Yang had wandered around and found that there wasn’t much game in the area, likely because it was frequently traveled. He managed to catch a few small sparrows, reluctantly.

Carrying the sparrows, Feng Xuan Yang returned to the campsite. However, upon seeing the scene before him, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Long Qinghan was sitting by the pile of branches, frowning with a troubled look on his face, vigorously rubbing two stones together. However, only sporadic sparks flickered. He had already placed dozens of stones of various sizes at his feet. Seeing that the stones in his hands had been rubbed for a long time without producing any sparks, he became frustrated and threw them aside.

“Ouch!” A familiar voice rang out, instantly startling Long Qinghan, who hadn’t even realized the other person’s arrival. But when he looked up and saw the familiar face, he let go of his guard. Besides him, who else had such skill that he couldn’t detect?

Long Qinghan asked in confusion, “What happened?”

Feng Xuan Yang sneered, pointing at his own foot with his finger. “Your stone hit me.”

Long Qinghan was taken aback, and a faint blush appeared on his face. He turned his head slightly, hesitated for a long time, and forced out an apology: “I’m sorry.” He was usually proud and rarely apologized, but it was because it was Feng Xuan Yang that he could bring himself to apologize.

Feng Xuan Yang gazed at Long Qinghan with a somewhat profound look in his eyes. He chuckled and said, “I never expected Young Master Long to apologize to someone.”

Long Qinghan felt even more annoyed by his words, but he didn’t argue further. He continued to pick up the two stones and focused on striking them together to create sparks.

Feng Xuan Yang walked over, sat down next to Long Qinghan, and tossed the sparrows aside. He took out two small flints from his pocket and effortlessly lit a fire. Then, he waved his flint teasingly in front of Long Qinghan, saying, “You can’t create fire with ordinary stones. In my opinion…” He leaned closer to Long Qinghan and whispered, “Young Master Long, perhaps you left everything with your attendants.”

“I forgot to bring them,” Long Qinghan replied in a calm tone, but the blush on his face betrayed his embarrassment.

Feng Xuan Yang didn’t tease him any further, and he took the sparrows to prepare them. Long Qinghan reached out to take one of the sparrows, but Feng Xuan Yang stopped him, saying, “I can handle it myself. Young Master Long, just wait and taste my cooking.”

Without suspecting anything, Long Qinghan picked up a small twig and absentmindedly played with the fire. The flickering flames illuminated his porcelain-like face, giving it a unique radiance. His eyes were calm, without any ripples, with only a cluster of flames dancing in the depths, swaying with the wind.

Feng Xuan Yang glanced at him briefly and became somewhat infatuated. He remained in a daze for a while before continuing with his task.

The two of them didn’t speak to each other until Feng Xuan Yang finished roasting the sparrows and handed one to Long Qinghan. They exchanged a single sentence.

“Here.”

Feng Xuan Yang passed the sparrow to Long Qinghan, who took it with a faint “Thank you.”

After that, silence fell between them again.

It was the first time they had been in such close proximity since their rebirth, and Long Qinghan didn’t know what to say to Feng Xuan Yang. Having lived two lives, memories from the past flashed before his eyes like flowing water. He suddenly missed the moments he had spent with Feng Xuan Yang in the past. But now they had been reborn, and the past was nothing more than a fleeting memory. Starting anew, he felt somewhat at a loss.

Back then, they had never confessed their feelings to each other, which had made their relationship akin to that of enemies. But now, knowing Feng Xuan Yang’s feelings, he felt awkward and didn’t know how to handle it.

Although he deliberately approached Feng Xuan Yang to express his feelings first, he couldn’t bring himself to confess until Feng Xuan Yang showed some affection for him.

Lost in his thoughts, Long Qinghan noticed that Feng Xuan Yang was unusually quiet and didn’t ask about the reason for their proximity today.

The two of them simply ate their food in silence, surrounded by a tranquil yet eerie atmosphere.

It continued until

After finishing the last bite of meat, a coldness flashed in Long Qinghan’s eyes, and with an icy tone, he said, “Feng Brother, do you know who you killed today?”

“Oh?” Feng Xuan Yang’s eyes also flickered with an uncertain light. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “I don’t know. I hope Young Master Long will enlighten me.”

“‘The Sky-Shattering Ax.'” Long Qinghan folded his hands on his lap, looking desolate, but Feng Xuan Yang could see a sharpness in his eyes.

“Oh?” Feng Xuan Yang glanced at the nearby bushes out of the corner of his eye, raised an eyebrow, and sneered, “Who is that person? I’ve never heard of them.”

“Have you ever heard of the Five Venomous Sect?” Long Qinghan asked.

“The Five Venomous Sect?” Feng Xuan Yang suddenly burst into laughter and sneered disdainfully, “Those five dwarves who are old enough to be in coffins but still pretend to be children?”

As soon as these words were spoken, rustling sounds came from the bushes, but they quickly returned to tranquility, as if the wind had passed by.

Long Qinghan glanced briefly at the source of the sound and continued, “The Five Venomous Sects are from the ‘Gu Mound’ in the Miao region. It is said that they are skilled in using poison and curses. Their disciples are all experts in poisoning. I don’t know if Brother Feng noticed, but the ax wielded by Shi Jing may have had an ordinary appearance, but it was coated with poison. Even the table where the ax was placed has turned completely black.”

Long Qinghan paused for a moment and continued, “The other two individuals who fled in fear of Brother Feng are named ‘Jade Blood Snake’ Zhuge Feng and ‘Iron Eagle Claw’ Xue Li. Before your arrival, Zhuge Feng killed someone. Although I didn’t examine the victim closely, I know that a thin needle was embedded in their throat. It is said that Zhuge Feng’s needles are crafted using the venom of ninety-nine different poisonous snakes, capable of sealing the throat when they draw blood. You killed Shi Jing just now, but I wonder if it was fortunate or unfortunate.”

“Oh, what do you mean?” Feng Xuan Yang asked.

“It is said that the Five Venomous Sect have peculiar personalities and are fond of their disciples. If they were to find out about this, Brother Feng…” Long Qinghan paused, seeing Feng Xuan Yang’s disdainful gaze, and continued, “I’m just wondering why the disciples of the Five Venomous Sect would appear here. Logically speaking, they shouldn’t have been invited to Miss’s wedding.” With that, Long Qinghan looked at Feng Xuan Yang meaningfully, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

Feng Xuan Yang seemed to understand what Long Qinghan was thinking, and his lips curled, saying, “I heard there will be an interesting event at Miss’s wedding.”

Author’s note: QAQ, the chapter got cut; it’s so heart-wrenching. I only wrote a few chapters, and they got deleted. Did I mess up while writing?

If you like this story, please bookmark it to comfort me. Otherwise, I might cry.

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