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Yang Chongyin was at peace.
He gradually buried the grudges that continued to scream in his mind. He also told Bai Lianhua not to act too chummy with him on the surface so that he didn’t end up punished with a dumb look on his face again… Bai Lianhua was seriously straightforward and unthinking, so Yang Chongyin was worried he would suffer time and time again.
Perhaps Bai Lianhua would still smile on and tell him he doesn’t mind, but he does mind… Every pain suffered by Bai Lianhua was ten times its painfulness on himself.
Yang Chongyin started to learn to care for someone else, to place him in the most valued position in his heart.
Other than that, he started to look more and more like a State Oracle successor that fitted his benefacting sect’s expectations.
Perhaps they thought that he finally came to terms with his fate, but Yang Chongyin knew himself that it wasn’t.
Perhaps nobody would know how much dark, repressed feelings have been piled up in him; perhaps nobody will ever know what terrifying things he had schemed——He really did genuinely think that since everyone wanted him to be this State Oracle thing to dedicate his entire life for it… Then if he really did fail to escape this fate and become this so-called State Oracle, he would do the opposite.
——It should give a result these people would be much overjoyed to hear, mayhap?
Though he knows that he mustn’t do that now… Because of Bai Lianhua.
Unlike him, Bai Lianhua, who’s naturally kind, unquestionably hopes for peace upon the realm.
He had once laughed and said, he hoped the people continued to found peace, and how great it was that the golden age continued.
Just looking at his eyes was enough for someone to be unable to help themselves getting influenced, thinking that the world really should, as he wished, forever continue on vivid and lively.
Yang Chongyin didn’t want a day to come when Bai Lianhua would hate him.
The world might be unfair to him, but it has given him Bai Lianhua as compensation, then that was enough.
——He would just do a good job as this State Oracle, that’s all.
Yet… Even this hope of his was shattered.
The disciples of the sect all had to experience the mortal world at a certain age… Only Yang Chongyin who had a special role to play didn’t have to do that.
However, Bai Lianhua, who was supposed to be experiencing the world, never came back.
Yang Chongyin, who officially succeeded the post of the State Oracle, never did get a word of congratulations from Bai Lianhua.
The master and elder also appeared quite concerned, but oddly, they weren’t willing to search for him, which was quite odd…
And Bai Lianhua’s disappearance also had the members of the sect worried and talking about him. Everyone liked him, and so everyone was worried.
Gradually, rumours also spread that Bai Lianhua was exiled and made to never come back in secret because his relationship with Yang Chongyin had become too much.
“To be honest, even if they didn’t exactly interact with one another ever again afterwards… I still kind of felt that Bai shidi and Yang shixiong held goodwill towards each other.”
“Yeah, I know, right? Every time Bai shidi saw Yang shixiong he would always have a smile on… Even we felt that, so I think it’s unbelievable the master and others knew nothing about it.”
“Sigh. I’ve long told Bai shidi not to be with Yang shixiong anymore, why wouldn’t he listen? He’s been punished for this already… When he came back from his solitary confinement, it was heartbreaking for everyone to see his unenergetic appearance, wasn’t it?”
“That Yang shixiong mustn’t be emotionally swayed is something the master had personally said; anyone who so much as made him smile would be in for a bad time… Why did it have to be Bai shidi that… sigh. Who knows what kind of brainwashing Yang shixiong did to him.”
As Yang Chongyin was different from them, nobody would talk about these with him. Still, Yang Chongyin caught wind of these eventually.
He was still too inexperienced to divine anything about Bai Lianhua, so he took a gamble. He took out mementos that had accidentally contacted Bai Lianhua’s blood, and paid the price with his own longevity to divine Bai Lianhua’s whereabouts.
——In fact, it’s after that forced divination that left him with the ability to divine Bai Lianhua’s presence once every ten days later.
Yet, the results then were something he didn’t want to believe… The results showed that Bai Lianhua no longer existed within the world.
Only death seemed to be the only plausible explanation for this.
But, it couldn’t be. Bai Lianhua had an exceptional fortune that even had the Heavens mystify and conceal it. How could he just die so easily?
Yang Chongyin never accepted this result. Over time, he didn’t even know if his stubbornness was merely a lie to himself anymore.
Now, though, his prayers seem to have finally been answered.
Yang Chongyin whose emotions have been successfully mentally stirred, suddenly feel an intense wave of pain gouging at his chest, and he accepts this backlash with an unchanged expression. His gaze is still focused on the results of the divination.
What good news.
…
Today, Bai Lianhua who’s manning his little stallfront in boredom catches wind of a fresh new big rumour circulating about the populace. Apparently the State Oracle has divined that the Heavens have blessed artefacts greatly beneficial for the dynasty. He will therefore tour the surroundings of the capital looking for the artefact.
And, incidentally, apparently they’re headed in this direction.
Bai Lianhua “???”
In a crowd thus cheering in joy, only Bai Lianhua appears completely astounded.
What the heck? He’s not made enough money to look for the antagonist, and he’s already ready to take the initiative to visit?
Is this his luck? Why does he feel so unreal?
Or perhaps…
The system also gets what unspoken thought Bai Lianhua just had, “or, Yang Chongyin is aware that host you’re back… Don’t forget the job of this world’s antagonist. He’s the professional here.”
Bai Lianhua’s head hurts.
Really, him looking for the antagonist after returning is completely different in feeling to the antagonist looking for him of his own volition, more specifically, the latter feels like getting caught in guilt.
He can’t help but murmur quietly, I know the antagonist can divine, but it’s not a passive skill. Yang Chongyin managed to divine this without doing anything… Or, at a time like this, would he suddenly get the urge to divine something related to me?”
Now that he’s familiarised himself with the state of the world, he’s certain it’s almost 8 years since he’d left.
“It must be because the antagonist could never forget about you. Not just 8 years, perhaps he’d still be holding steadfast and divining you in 18 years… Look, his wish came true, and now host you really are back.”
Bai Lianhua “…”
Fine. No matter whether Yang Chongyin really did learn about his return or not, if he really is coming, then he should stay and wait.
Sigh, God knows how this world’s antagonist managed to break down.
…
The State Oracle who is practically a shut-in making a visit is no mere thing.
The imperial court did a lot of preparations but then were asked by Yang Chongyin that everything should be simplified, and he had to hurry.
Even this simplified procession is still quite grand coming forth.
The entire population of the hamlet has gone to see the liveliness. They try to guess how the State Oracle who’s rumoured to rival immortals in disposition would look through the elegant and striking horse-drawn carriage.
Bai Lianhua, who’s manning his stall in a secluded corner, ended up as part of the spectating onlookers for once with a complicated feeling.
The system jokingly asks, “host, how does it feel to miss the antagonist by a hair’s breadth?”
Bai Lianhua seems resigned, “… weird, like the antagonist and I are starring in some kind of third-rate TV drama.”
“Though the antagonist will stay in the vicinity for a long time, they said? Then I’ll have enough time to think about how to approach him.”
Though, perhaps it was just his hallucination, but the moment he finished talking nonsense with the system, when the procession passed nearby, it felt as if someone was looking at him or not through the curtains of the carriage when it was lifted by the wind.
——Though someone that could sit in the carriage, must have meant Yang Chongyin himself.
So Bai Lianhua starts feeling nervous again… And he quickly realises that it was no mere delusion of his.
In the afternoon, as he felt too nervous to continue doing business, he wanted to pack up early at 4, 5 in the afternoon and go home. While daydreaming a bit he can see a figure both foreign and familiar approaching, appearing before him, stopped just next to his shabby little stall.
——It is precisely the Yang Chongyin who is supposed to have settled down and ordered his men to look for the artefact thing.
8 years having passed, the antagonist who was already cold in appearance has become even more detached-from-the-world looking.
Bai Lianhua’s instinctive reaction is not to greet him, but look around, afraid Yang Chongyin’s appearance would cause chaos.
It’s not him, but like, with how enthusiastic everyone was in the morning, like avid fans, now that the man himself is here, it better not cause any trampling and such.
Then Bai Lianhua realises that besides him, nobody actually knew how Yang Chongyin appeared here. At best they might feel that this person has quite the heavenly appearance and extraordinary aura about him, that makes their eyes glued to him for longer than usual.
——Uh, according to his personal experience these days, the residents of the hamlet are pretty earnest folks. He didn’t see any dandy country squire walking about. Even if Yang Chongyin is a bit striking to the eye, there probably wouldn’t be any of that wild plot of some gangly fellas kidnapping him appearing or something.
The system can’t help but diss, “what a keen eye you have, host, do you think the antagonist would actually allow himself to be flirted with by undesirables?”
“Emm… Wouldn’t you worry about yourself first? I feel like host you often forget about your own identity..”
White lotuses are the characters most often bullied, you know… shamed and welling up, holding in their anger and voice, showing an angry expression but staying mute or something, ah, the images are growing more vivid by the second!
Bai Lianhua “…”
He decisively and one-sidedly blocks the damned system. Then he smiles at Yang Chongyin with an awkward expression on his face.
TL’s notes: What good days those were when you could set up a stall and the police wouldn’t come knocking for a license no matter what. I mean, if the stall is selling valuables then yeah, but a flippin’ lemonade stall run by kids? Seriously?
Oriental Rabbit 
OMG!!!he caught u
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