Supposedly, their plan should be perfect.
Yuan Ji was to add a small amount of Yin energy to YueChen's body as the time passed. By the time they arrived to the place, the group wouldn't notice YueChen's existence anymore. By the time the group were going to scout the surrounding of the resting point, the ghost child would sneak out to scout the place by himself. Checking the terrain, the current of the water, and other situation. If everything went well, they would find a good timing to dive in to pull out Zhen Ding Lang Jian. Once the sword was back to its rightful owner's hands, it went without saying that the power and perhaps pieces of other memories would surely be on their hands.
About how to hide the sword, they had been hoping that somehow the sword could shape shift. If not, then they'd just stuff it in a guitar bag.
YueChen had prayed to deities and gods alike in the temple a day before his trip. If anything went down hill from there, hopefully there'd be a deity willing to lend a hand. At the same time, YueChen gave his name to the Heaven Scribes that way. Since all prayers and worships were recorded into all deities whose names were mentioned in said prayers' books.
After his heart calmed down a bit, YueChen rushed back home and started to pack whatever that was necessary in this trip.
His phone also buzzed numerous times, occasionally important things, other than those were just rubbish talk from his annoying classmates.
[At school, 15.30] How long? Four days and four nights.
Since this was only an agreement of just one class, they had to pay slightly higher prices. The other classes had other destination, and YiLan's class is going to hill. There's no way they had the chance to encounter each other, and surely no way for YueChen to took a glance at his crush, HuaLi.
"You could just date her, I'm supporting you." Yuan Ji piped in.
"No way. I'm not dating anyone." Other than Yuan Ji, he thought.
"Or perhaps that Chai CaLin."
CaLin was a girl in his class, whose face and YueChen's looked alike. Their art teacher declared one day in the first grade that they resembled each other. But YueChen being the obedient, smart, and kind top student of his class of course contradicted CaLin's tendency to be the tomboyish, lazy, troublemaker of his class.
It was easy if only the teacher shipped them together, it made YueChen broke a sweat seeing his class also agreed, it nearly made YueChen vomited blood when Yuan Ji nodded in the background, whispering the stupid idea over and over again.
"If you try to matchmake both of us together, I'm going to snap everything on my sight."
People might be asking why YueChen didn't want to be a thing with that girl. The reason was simple. CaLin cussed, cursed, used him. She was plain rude and bossy, often commanding YueChen to do her homeworks and copying his exam answers shamelessly. She sometimes told him to go make some friends, but that was an occurrence happened once in a blue moon.
If it wasn't for his good reputation to preserve, hell might as well break free and slaughter here and there. Thank god whenever the ghost's blood started to boil, Yuan Ji would balance his anger with Yin energy.
Back to the present, YueChen's class had obviously rented a bus. For tours. Who knew how many they robbed from the bank last night? Certainly only the money collected wasn't enough for renting one bus like that with inn and food added to the list.
"I think they robbed a bank...."
"Might as well be." Grinned Yuan Ji. "Remember not to interact much with them."
That was easy. All YueChen need to do was to pick the backest seat, preferably the window seat. Since the class plus the three teachers chaperoned them were an odd number, it meant there'd be an empty seat.
The thirty seven people went on the trip. From the total number, thirty six were loud, chattered to each other among themselves. One stayed quiet at the back seat of the bus, trying to suppress his existence.
As the other laughed and teased each other, YueChen rested his cheek on his left hand. His gaze was fixed on the sceneries outside the window, which ran and passed and changed under his gaze. The sceneries changed from buildings to road to greeneries, and then turned into a long sight of trees.
In that calmness, YueChen opened his mouth and quietly muttered, "You didn't tell me what you are going to do after this."
Yuan Ji got what he meant. Since after this, Yuan Ji would most likely ascend back in short time. That also meant that they had to part ways, for they don't belong in the other realm.
The boy he watched growing up, the pitiful child who only wanted support and attention had grown into Yang YueChen whose face always smiled brightly. Whose heart remained same as always, selfless and kind. Their relationship had also turned into something more intimate than before.
Yuan Ji was unsure whether their relationship was based of love or lust, but he was sure that it was suffocating, perhaps the reason was because it was slightly intoxicating or because they aren't part of each other's worlds. The deity didn't wish for their relationship to end, he didn't wish to ascend, which was on the contrary of his thoughts four years ago.
"Perhaps," he drawled, "I'll visit you every now and then, no... every single time I had. After all, I don't think I can stand living without seeing you."
YueChen whose attention still fixed at the window didn't reply, but his lips were tugged into a small smile.
As their bus are getting closer to the final destination, YueChen had prepared himself for the worst thing that might just happened. He even considered burning a good amount of incenses once his feet touched the wet ground. Which wasn't possible, since YueChen didn't bring any items for worshipping and praying.
The group placed all their belongings to the main hall, before sorting them after scouting and walking around the inn, YueChen only brought a bottle of water hung around his waist and a handkerchief. At this moment, YueChen's Yin energy was enough to go unnoticed by anyone. When the group edged closer to the greeneries coating the hill that surrounded the lake, Yuan Ji took over his body and slowed down his steps. In less than a minute, YueChen would be far enough to sneak away.
The ghost stood there for a short moment, face a little complicated, then turning away to the opposite direction.
No one noticed the lonely figure left. They had never noticed him, intentional or not. To the boy, he was used to this sort of treatment, leaving them won't be a burden. He willingly chose a path that will lead him to his demise himself.
After few turns in the path, YueChen who originally knew the right way started to doubt himself.
"What?" Yuan Ji asked, realizing that the boy slowed his step before tilting his head slightly.
"I think... I think we're lost."
As they went deeper into the woods, YueChen couldn't recognize his surrounding anymore. If he was really lost, the plan might get ruined. Thus, he proceeded to walk further again, hoping that he could somehow find himself the right path.
After a few steps, the place seemed more unfamiliar to him, so the youth gave up trying to find the right way. In his head, the water deity complained again.
"How come we are lost?! I thought you could do this alone!"
YueChen lifted his hands in a gesture to stop something. "Don't use your power, I know that you can easily lead us back to the water, but just don't."
"Why?" Yuan Ji asked curiously. Usually the kid would beg for him to fix his problems, big or small they'd go into the deity's hands to handle them.
"A date. Just two of us. I don't mind being lost." The statement made Yuan Ji wanted to manifest himself in front of his lover and stared him to the point the teen would feel uncomfortable.
You're thinking about a date in the woods, when you're lost and sun are about to set? Fine, taste your own words!
Yuan Ji snapped his fingers and caused a light rain showering them from above. YueChen, on the other hand, saw that his deity was annoyed, unhurriedly searching for a shelter.
They found one not too far away, an abandoned temple. The temple was still in a rather good condition, only covered with a thick layer of dust and spiderwebs. The god statues were broken and scattered around the altar. Seeing the pitiful temple, YueChen opened all the cupboard and closed it again after he didn't find what he needed. He went on searching for a broom and cloth for cleaning the mess.
Yuan Ji watched confusedly, staring at the boy working around the temple wordlessly, sneezing every once in a while.
"Your name literally was your weakness, why are you taking so much pain to clean this place anyway? You aren't even going to stop sneezing..."
Because of his allergy to dust and his inability to play music contradicted the meaning of his name, Yuan Ji took the name as his weakness.
His sneezes only stopped after he was done cleaning up the temple. He thought for a moment and asked, "Can banished deities receive offerings and prayers?"
From the question itself Yuan Ji knew what YueChen are going to do. He replied, "No need for the inconveniences, you can just say it to me personally."
"No, I want to pray." YueChen insisted as he took three incenses from the altar. "Can it or not?"
The deity sighed and nodded.
YueChen lighted the incenses and knelt before the altar. He moved his lips wordlessly, eyes closed.
Few seconds later, Yuan Ji received the prayer.
[Dong Shi Shui Shen,
Please accept my humble prayer.
For I have something to tell, from long ago I didn't dare.
Now that I have gathered enough courage to speak what I wanted to say, I wished that His Holiness are willing to listen.
I pledge to you my life and my soul,
To serve you as the god you are.
I pledge to you the best of me,
Which was incomparable and insignificant to your greatness.
I pledge to you that my heart and mind will belong to you only, and I seek freedom in you.
I pledge to you my whole being, my whole life to care for you and give you what you wanted.
In this life, in this realm, we both have the chance to meet. In next life, I wished for another chance. I ask nothing from you but to stay with me in our encounters to pain and joy. To pass the trials waiting ahead for both of us, and to support each other in the moment of need.
For we are two souls in a body, and a soul in two bodies. Belonging to each other, nothing could separate us, even death will leave us untouched.
All I desire is to have you. To guide me when I was lost in the darkness with your light. Just as I lighted your days.
Should we be together from now on, unparted by anything. This vow of mine, shall it be the reason I live for.
This is my vow to you. Asking your hand in this matter of marriage.]
After uttering the prayer, YueChen placed the incenses into the incense burner, then kowtowing once before the altar. The rain outside still poured lightly, the drops hitting the temple roof as if playing a melody.
Yuan Ji was frozen stiff on his place. It was rather unexpected that Yang YueChen asked his hand, asked him to marry him. The situation was a little awkward, no one wanted to break the silence, only drops of water chattered outside.
Three years ago, YueChen asked him to be his lover, Yuan Ji agreed. It was mostly to gain the boy's trust so he'd be willing to do anything for Yuan Ji. The sole purpose he accepted being YueChen's lover and willingly being dragged into a mess of red strings of fate was to find a way to quickly ascend back to heaven. Then the boy treated him highly, obeyed his words, while cared for him with a great attention that the boy himself rarely got. He started to fall for him, regardless of the age difference. It may sounds weird, as a fourteen years old dated a sixteen hundred years old. But Yuan Ji's appearance was always that of a sixteen years old's.
He couldn't refuse the boy. And he couldn't accept it too. Each way will break both hearts in their own ways. YueChen's eyes were hopefully, yet at the same time he was fearful and began to regret what he did just now. Yuan Ji couldn't even say a word, his mouth was open, but no words could be spoken.
Finally, Yuan Ji had decided.
If words aren't useful in this moment, then they could only depend on acts.
For a short moment, Yuan Ji regained a great amount of power and manifested himself. The deity hugged the boy closely and said with a hoarse voice:
"I accept it."
The rain hadn't come into a stop yet, but now the once empty temple, abandoned since long ago, was filled with a gentle, affectionate laughter spilling from both lips.
/He was a fool for believing that he could accept the proposal without bringing pain to both sides./