To Raise a Soul 50.1

Yu Zhen spent over 40 minutes in the bathroom, cleaning himself thoroughly from head to toe until his skin turned red. Then he quickly dried himself off and, from his pagoda tower, took out the brocade purse that Yin Yan had given him in the morning. 

It was thanks to this item that he became hot-headed and rushed out to kiss somebody as soon as he’d heard Xing Xiaoxiao’s words. 

The brocade purse was only as big as his palm. It had a white base and was embroidered with golden threads. 

He held his breath, opened up the purse, and took out the item within it. 

It was a cultivator’s shirt. Like the brocade purse, it also had a white base and golden embroidery. However, it was made in the style of a modern shirt. The collar was embroidered with faint clouds. It stood vertically, giving it an informal look. ^[1] Under the light, the embroidery was gorgeous but still subtle and unobtrusive.

The fabric felt like silk and was very slippery, but the material looked ordinary, making it low-profile.

The shirt’s buttons were very unique. They were made of flat, oval-shaped pieces of pearl with a glossy finish. Yu Zhen carefully unbuttoned the shirt and noticed small golden brushstrokes which created an array pattern on the reverse side of the buttons.

Yu Zhen’s emotions surged again. He carefully turned the shirt inside-out and, as expected, it was the eight trigrams pattern that he had seen earlier that morning. The word “Zhen” was embroidered at a corner.  

It’s my name. And Yin Yan personally embroidered it. I would never mistake his writing style.

He couldn’t help but bury his face into the fabric and rub against the spot where his name was embroidered. His heart was filled to the brim with happiness, and he wanted to shout out his joy, but he worried that if he got too excited he would jinx himself and cause his happiness to disappear.  

The shirt was made to be worn as the layer next to the skin. It was made with protection in mind and had the word “Zhen” on it, making it one of a kind.

He daydreamed about what Yin Yan might have looked like as he earnestly refined the shirt, and what he might have felt as he embroidered the word “Zhen”. An urge to rush over to Yin Yan welled up in him. He wanted to kiss him, hug him, and say “I like you. It’s ok if you don’t like me. I will always like you.”

However, he took a deep breath and supressed his feelings. He rubbed his face and then looked into the mirror. With trembling hands, he put the shirt on.

The shirt fit very well. Upon wearing it, a cool and refreshing spiritual energy immediately appeared. It swirled around him and then flew onto the shirt’s pocket, becoming a barely noticeable, golden seed design.

Surprised, Yu Zhen checked the previously blank pocket. He touched the seed design and could no longer control the excitement which stirred within him. He leaned against the bathroom door and knocked his head against it twice. 

There was a little surprise like this. How could Yin Yan… How could he be so good to me!

“What’s the matter?” Yin Yan’s voice rang from the other side of the door. “Have you finished washing? Come out for dinner.”

Yu Zhen looked up and took two steps away from the bathroom door. After a moment of silence, he looked at the perfectly fitted shirt he wore and then shouted, “Stay outside! Don’t move! I’ll be right out!”

Yin Yan had no intention of leaving in the first place. He simply knocked on the door lightly in response. 

Yu Zhen didn’t want to make him wait long, so he moved quickly. 

The downstairs bathroom was rarely used, so he didn’t have spare underwear there. He simply didn’t wear one and took out a pair of pajama bottoms from his pagoda tower. He arranged his shirt, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Then he opened the bathroom door.

The light from the bathroom and the adjoining room overlapped. At the same time, water vapor and the fragrance of Yu Zhen’s shower gel wafted from the bathroom, mixing with the fragrance of food from the dining area.  

Yu Zhen stepped out of the room, tugging at his sleeves. His eyes darted left to right. He looked everywhere but at Yin Yan. “D-does it look good? The shirt fits very well. I really like it, thank you.”

In truth, the combination of the shirt with pajama pants and slippers was nothing special, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Adding in Yu Zhen’s damp hair, and the contrast of his flushed skin against the white shirt… Ignoring Yu Zhen’s lower body, he had a pure and holy atmosphere about him. He was criminally captivating.

However, he was unaware of that fact and just kept his blushing face turned away. It gave him a shy appearance and stirred up feelings in Yin Yan’s heart.

Yin Yan reached out a hand to touch him. 

Yu Zhen’s heart leaped, but he didn’t hide. Instead, he took a step closer.  

Long and slender fingers gently touched the seed pattern on the shirt pocket. As if shocked by an electric current, those fingers quickly retracted.

“Looks good.” Using some restraint, he withdrew his hand. His voice was mostly calm, but it was tinged with tension. “You look very good. The natural silk and south sea pearl really suit you.” 

Natural silk and south sea pearl? 

Yu Zhen finally looked up, and he grasped Yin Yan’s hand. 

Internally, Yu Zhen hyped himself up. To win the heart of a beauty, you must take the initiative. You must be active.

Yin Yan immediately returned the hold, and without the slightest bit of hesitation, he stuck a pill in Yu Zhen’s mouth and also ate one himself. 

“…”

Bah! Take what initiative?!

Face expressionless, Yu Zhen released his hold on Yin Yan.

“The shirt is part of a set, but I haven’t refined the trousers yet. I’ll give that to you in a few days.” Yin Yan took hold of his hand again and led him to the dining area. With his back to Yu Zhen, he added, “If you like it, I’ll refine a few more sets for you.” 

Yu Zhen felt a conflicting desire to bite Yin Yan and to do everything that Yin Yan wanted. He replied, “Why make a few more sets? Do these shirts get dirty?”

“No, cultivator shirts will not be affected by the dirt of the mortal world.” Yin Yan led Yu Zhen to the dining table and sat him down. Picking up a bowl, he scooped some rice for Yu Zhen and added, “But in this secular world, we can’t stand out too much with our clothing, food, or housing.”

Yu Zhen frowned and looked at his shirt. He was fond of it and felt some sadness. 

The heavenly natural silk and south sea pearl sound expensive. It’s a waste to use precious materials to make unnecessary sets of clothes for daily wear.

On top of that, Yin Yan is probably using materials collected in his past. There’s probably no way to restock the materials. What if it’s all used up for me? What will Yin Yan do then?

Yu Zhen promptly refused him. “No need. One set of cultivation clothes should be enough. The world is very safe now and the clothes will only be worn when dealing with ghost cultivators and evil cultivators. I can wear normal clothes most of the time.”

Yin Yan looked at him and put the bowl of rice in front of Yu Zhen. Unexpectedly, he touched Yu Zhen’s head and gave him the look of an adult doting on a child.

Surprised, Yu Zhen looked up.

“There are south sea clams and nests of silkworms in my mustard space. These are materials used for refining basic equipment. They aren’t precious. In the future, when you’ve become stronger, I’ll make better ones for you. Right now, your body can only bear cultivation clothes with this level of spiritual energy.”

As he spoke, Yin Yan brought out a jade pot and pushed it towards Yu Zhen. “South sea pearls have a calming effect on spiritual energy. It’s good for practicing your crafting skills. Take this.”

Without needing a second glance, Yu Zhen knew that it was a dimensional tool. The space in the pot would definitely be larger than its apparent size. 

Finally realizing what kind of a rich guy he was dealing with, Yu Zhen kept his lips shut. He leaned over and opened the lid of the jade pot. Peering inside, he was met with the sight of countless lustrous pearls. Quickly, he dropped the lid back on the pot and wordlessly looked at Yin Yan.

“Let’s eat.”

Yin Yan helped Yu Zhen store the jade pot into the pagoda tower, then pushed the hare dish in front of Yu Zhen.

Yu Zhen eyed the still-steaming plate, which was releasing a strong and fragrant scent into the room. Then he glanced at the almost-cold fish dish in front of Yin Yan. Pursing his lips, Yu Zhen picked up two hare legs and placed them in Yin Yan’s bowl. Then he picked up his own food bowl and began shoveling rice into his mouth. 

Yin Yan stared at him. “You…”

“You shouldn’t talk when sleeping or eating! So don’t talk! I’m really hungry, focus on eating!”

Yu Zhen mumbled without raising his head. His cheeks were bulging and he had the sudden urge to feed himself some pills. 

It’s meant to be cubed rabbit, but every time he makes it, the rabbit legs are still whole and he leaves them for me… How can you be so good to me? You- why are you so nice?

But I have nothing to give, so how can I repay you?

After Yin Yan looked at the rabbit legs in his bowl, his gaze softened. He gave Yu Zhen’s head another touch and dried his damp hair. 

That night, Yu Zhen went to Yin Yan’s room, but he didn’t do anything. He laid down on his side of the bed, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

Yin Yan stood by the bed for a while, watching him. After eating a pill, he turned off the light and climbed under the blankets.

In the middle of the night, Yu Zhen secretly opened his eyes and saw Yin Yan’s back facing him. He waited quietly for a while. Then, after confirming that Yin Yan was asleep, he carefully shuffled over and brought an arm over Yin Yan’s waist, hugging him. Finally, he buried his face into Yin Yan’s back and…

The hugged person didn’t move and his body was relaxed. 

“It’s not twelve o’clock yet… Happy birthday.”

The room was quiet and Yin Yan’s breathing didn’t change at all. 

Yu Zhen chuckled and rubbed against Yin Yan’s back affectionately. “Next year, I’ll remember to start preparing something for you earlier.” At the very least, I have to order a cake or make one myself.

The room quietened again and the darkness of the night created a gentle atmosphere.

After a long time, Yu Zhen spoke again, but with a trace of shyness and happiness.

“I like you.”

“I will try my best with cultivating.”

“I hope that after your soul is completely mended, and we don’t need to be scared of heavenly law, I can hear your name.”

Your real name.

Yu Zhen fell asleep, his heart filled with joy.

Yin Yan’s back remained turned as if he had fallen asleep.

As the moon dipped and the sun rose, Yu Zhen rolled over in his sleep.

Yin Yan turned over. His eyes were clear and bright without any sign of sleepiness.

 In the hazy light of the morning, he watched Yu Zhen’s happy face. He reached out an arm and pulled Yu Zhen into his embrace. Closing his eyes, he placed a kiss on Yu Zhen’s forehead and whispered, “Alright.”

I just hope that on the day that my soul has been fully mended, you will still want to be at my side.