BW Extra 18.2

Chu Jun × Ning Buwei (1.2)

=====

He did hate Chu Jun, but this didn’t prevent him from also liking this person very much.

The young man’s admiration for the strong and the genius’s arrogance toward the strong finally reached a difficult consensus. Ning Buwei became increasingly skilled at climbing through windows.

“Head Teacher Chu, I don’t know how to draw this talisman.” Ning Buwei said righteously. “Please teach me.”

Chu Jun seemed about to go out, but was forcibly detained by him.

Halfway through drawing the talisman, Ning Buwei fell asleep.

In his daze, it seemed someone picked him up. The familiar bitter fragrance made him relax, and he struggled to open his eyes, catching a glimpse of a small section of fair, beautiful chin below the mask.

“Chu Jun…” He grabbed Chu Jun’s front robes, domineeringly reached out to embrace his waist, and said in a low voice, “I’m dead tired.”

“If you’re tired, then sleep.” Chu Jun’s voice didn’t sound so unpleasant anymore.

Ning Buwei hugged him even tighter. The other person seemed to freeze in place, but he was so tired his brain was like mush. He didn’t pay much attention, only wanting to hold onto this hypnotic medicine. “Don’t leave… stay with me while I sleep.”

Whether Chu Jun said “nonsense” or “alright,” he didn’t hear clearly. In any case, when he woke up midway, he was lying on the bed with Chu Jun meditating beside him.

He breathed a sigh of relief and instinctively grabbed Chu Jun’s hand that was resting on his knee, very impolitely pulling it into his embrace before tilting his head and falling asleep again.

He slept especially well when staying beside Chu Jun.

So he unilaterally declared a truce, deciding to temporarily shake hands and make peace with his hypnotic herbal medicine, letting bygones be bygones.

At first, he only went to find Chu Jun during the ten-day rest periods, but later the temptation of peaceful sleep was really too great. After going every other day, he began sneaking into Chu Jun’s room.

Chu Jun was lying on the bed fully clothed, either meditating or regulating his breathing, and surprisingly didn’t notice him entering.

Ning Buwei leaned against the couch and yawned, dozed for a while, then wandered over to the bedside. He gestured at the space inside the bed, felt it could fit him, so he stretched lazily, kicked off his boots, and climbed onto the bed.

Irresistible, comfortable drowsiness struck him. Ning Buwei sighed contentedly and closed his eyes.

Sleeping halfway through, he sprawled all over Chu Jun like an octopus, his head also drooping into the other’s neck hollow, completely making himself at home.

A wave of icy killing intent struck. Ning Buwei’s eyes snapped open to meet that ugly mask. The aloof Head Teacher Chu was probably startled.

Ning Buwei was dead tired. Still hugging his neck without letting go, completely unconcerned about that sharp killing aura, he said weakly, “Sorry… I’m really too tired…”

He had rashly broken into someone else’s house and hugged them while sleeping—very impolite and inappropriate. But he was sleeping so happily, soaking in rich drowsiness, his voice softened. “Chu Jun, let me sleep a little while.”

He should get angry, or simply throw him out, and punish him to copy books in the Self-Reflection Pavilion… Ning Buwei thought intermittently, smelling the omnipresent bitter fragrance, feeling sad, reluctant, and inexplicably wronged. He didn’t even know what he was muttering. “I won’t cause you trouble anymore… don’t drive me away…”

He vaguely remembered that Chu Jun seemed to sigh and didn’t move.

Or perhaps he reached out and held him in his arms.

But either way, it was silent indulgence and permission.

People can’t be spoiled—and someone like Ning Buwei who liked to push his luck even less so.

He came to find Chu Jun more and more frequently and was especially active in Chu Jun’s classes.

On a whim, he intercepted Chu Jun early on the path to class and stuffed him a box of freshly baked small pastries.

Head Teacher Chu wouldn’t accept them.

“Eat them quickly, or they won’t be fragrant when they get cold.” Ning Buwei opened the box and held it to his mouth, saying fiercely, “Hurry up! The class bell will ring soon and I still have to attend class!”

Head Teacher Chu reluctantly opened his mouth and perfunctorily ate one piece.

Ning Buwei was satisfied and stuffed the remaining pastries into his hands before sauntering away.

When Chu Jun arrived, he looked at the pastry crumbs on Head Teacher Chu’s front robes, propped his head up and smiled meaningfully, staying in a good mood for the entire day.

Wen Zaiye and Cui Ci found it baffling.

“Chengfeng, have you been possessed?” Cui Ci pretended to touch his forehead. “Why do you keep grinning foolishly at Chu Jun’s ugly mask?”

“Tch, that mask is so antique and elegant.” Ning Buwei impatiently batted away his hand.

Wen Zaiye waved his fan and drawled. “Ning Chengfeng, oh Ning Chengfeng, you’ve been staying out all night recently. Where exactly have you been roaming? Are you not considering us brothers anymore? What are you secretly up to?”

“I’m cultivating in seclusion by myself.” Ning Buwei snatched his fan and knocked Cui Ci on the head with it. “I’m secretly working hard. I’ll astonish everyone at the year-end exams.”

Cui Ci huffily tried to grab his fan back. Wen Zaiye pressed against Cui Ci’s forehead. “Though I don’t want to discourage you, you’re first place every year in the exams. It’s hard to astonish anyone anymore.”

Cui Ci sprawled on Ning Chengfeng’s back and teased, “Ha, maybe he went to some grove to hold hands with a junior sister. If he gets last place in the exam, that would also be astonishing.”

“Go away!” Ning Buwei laughed and wrestled with them, thinking it wasn’t any delicate little junior sister—it was Head Teacher Chu, whom his classmates feared most.

Obviously, he and Chu Jun weren’t bound by deep brotherhood, but they also weren’t male and female cultivators engaged in romance. In the end, it could only be attributed to teacher-student affection and friendship despite the age gap.

In any case, he now found Chu Jun pleasing to the eye no matter how he looked at him.

In sword-riding class, Chu Jun was instructing other disciples in sword-riding, but it never came to his turn. Ning Buwei was displeased and deliberately controlled his sword to fly around the field randomly. Sure enough, before long, Chu Jun caught his arm and stopped him in mid-air.

“Go back to class.” Chu Jun warned him.

“I don’t know how!” Little Master Ning, who had just been flying his sword rapidly, said righteously, “You only teach others and won’t teach me. I can’t control the force properly and can only fly around randomly.”

Chu Jun looked at him with some exasperation. “Stop fooling around.”

Ning Buwei snorted coldly, broke free from him and was about to fly away, but was grabbed again.

Chu Jun patiently asked, “What don’t you understand?”

Ning Buwei curved his lips. “I don’t understand any of it.”

“Ning Chengfeng.” Chu Jun’s voice deepened slightly.

Being called by his full name always made Ning Buwei feel guilty. Knowing he was truly somewhat angry, he obediently said, “Channeling qi into the sword, spinning three times… how do you turn?”

Chu Jun gripped his wrist and stood behind him, guiding him hand-over-hand through the demonstration once. “Did you learn it?”

Ning Buwei lazily leaned against him and snorted lightly. “So-so, I suppose.”

Chu Jun set him down and went to teach other disciples.

However, obviously the others didn’t have Ning Buwei’s boldness and didn’t dare have Head Teacher Chu personally guide them. At most, they let Chu Jun grip their wrists to regulate their qi flow.

But this still greatly displeased Little Master Ning.

One dumber than the next—did they need to get so close!

Where were their eyes looking!

Idiots! Almost cut Chu Jun’s hair!

That night, when all was quiet and still, he casually pulled out a book from his storage ring, skillfully snuck into the head teacher’s courtyard, knocked on the window, and jumped in without waiting for a response from inside.

Chu Jun was reading by candlelight. Hearing him enter, he didn’t even lift his head.

“Head Teacher Chu.” Ning Buwei smiled and sat on the couch, leaning over the desk to stare at that ugly mask, pushing the book in his hand toward him. “I don’t understand a formation. Please help me look at it.”

Chu Jun put down the book he was reading and flipped through the book handed to him. “Which formation?”

“The thirteenth one.” Ning Buwei made it up entirely.

Chu Jun then turned to the thirteenth formation and carefully explained it to him once.

Ning Buwei, who had long mastered it for centuries, pretended to nod understandingly while staring absently at those hands in the candlelight. “Oh, so that’s how it is.”

“What were you doing during sword-riding class today?” Chu Jun put the book down and suddenly asked him.

“I wasn’t doing anything.” Ning Buwei righteously crossed his arms and said discontentedly, “You kept teaching that Xie family boy. He had already learned it but was deliberately trying to get close to you, and you couldn’t even tell.”

“Xie Zhi just has slower comprehension, not as good intuition as you…” Chu Jun explained unhurriedly.

Ning Buwei only heard the four words “you have good intuition.” He thought, he’s praising me. He’s praising me in a roundabout way.

Little Master Ning, coaxed into a delighted mood, nodded repeatedly.

“Good, then recite the entire Nine Revolutions Formula. I’ll check in three days.” Chu Jun said.

Ning Buwei froze.

What Nine Revolutions Formula? What three days?

But someone who cared too much about face really didn’t have the nerve to ask a second time.

“Chu Jun, I’m sleepy.” He closed the book, pulled out a pillow from his storage ring and tossed it on the bed, kicked off his boots and climbed onto the bed. He even patted the empty space next to him quite naturally. “You come sleep too.”

“…………” Chu Jun looked down, picked up his book. “You sleep first.”

Ning Buwei’s eyebrows moved slightly. He wasn’t actually very sleepy, so he easily jumped onto the couch and stood behind him, poking his head out to look at the book in his hands. “What book is so interesting? Let me see.”

Chu Jun didn’t turn around as he pushed his head away. “You can’t understand it yet.”

Ning Buwei grabbed his hand and asked, “You don’t have classes tomorrow. What are you planning to do?”

“Cultivate.” Chu Jun let him hold his hand.

Ning Buwei was obviously not very satisfied with this answer. “We have free reading in the library tomorrow afternoon. Head Teacher Qi asked for leave. You should go supervise.”

“Hm?” Chu Jun was puzzled.

“I happen to need to memorize that….what Nine Revolutions Formula.” Ning Buwei’s brain worked rapidly. “You teach me.”

Chu Jun pondered for a moment. Ning Buwei didn’t wait for him to speak and slapped with his fist. “Good, then it’s settled.”

Chu Jun pushed him away, indicating he should go sleep.

“I’m not sleepy yet.” Ning Buwei said with interest, “Chu Jun, there’s no one else here. Take off your mask and let me see.”

“No.” Chu Jun ruthlessly refused him.

“Why?” Ning Buwei asked suspiciously, “Are you really hideously ugly beyond endurance?”

“Mm.” Chu Jun nodded.

“It doesn’t matter, I won’t mind.” Ning Buwei made a move to grab his mask.

Chu Jun was probably annoyed by him. He gripped his shoulder with one hand and easily pressed him onto the couch, leaning down slightly to stare at him with unclear intent. The hideous, terrifying mask flickered between light and shadow in the dancing candlelight, making Ning Buwei’s heart skip a beat.

“You’re not afraid?” Chu Jun’s voice carried a sharp killing intent. “I——”

Snap.

Ning Buwei quickly pulled off that mask. A blurry face flashed by, then the candle went out and a warm palm covered his eyes.

Chu Jun’s voice, tinged with anger, sounded in his ear. “Ning—Cheng—Feng.”

Ning Buwei sighed regretfully and obediently admitted his fault. “Sorry, I was wrong. I’ll never dare again.”

Then he very skillfully hugged the other’s waist, leaned against the couch and yawned. “The candle’s already out. It would be too troublesome to light it again. Might as well sleep.”

He quite naturally embraced the other person, restlessly shifting around to find a comfortable position, let his head drop and fell asleep.

Completely ignoring the other’s incredulous and helpless reaction.

He liked staying with Chu Jun and actually didn’t much care what kind of face was behind that mask.

He had lived for sixteen years, and when he woke from nightmares at night, this was the first time someone held him and stroked his head, letting his constantly vigilant and guarded heart completely relax.

At that time, he really wasn’t clear about what kind of feelings he held toward Chu Jun. In the heart of someone wholeheartedly practicing the Path of Ruthlessness, options like “falling in love” or “becoming dao companions” simply didn’t exist.

But undeniably, he liked Chu Jun.

After all, there was no second person in the world worth Little Master Ning condescending to, thick-skinned enough to climb through windows carrying a pillow.