Chapter 25

When the wind stirred the clouds and blocked the pouring moonlight, the whole world darkened in an instant. Shi Changyuan bent down and planted a tentative kiss as light as a dragonfly touching water.

The kiss ended at the first touch. Just as Shi Changyuan was about to continue, Lin Ling suddenly retreated, smacked his lips, and looked thoroughly satisfied.

Shi Changyuan: ...

Shi Changyuan was so angry that he laughed.

Some Mushrooms, in the end, only knew how to talk big.

Mushroom had gotten the kiss he wanted today and was immensely satisfied. He grabbed Shi Changyuan's hand. "Come on, come on, let's go back to sleep. You still have morning court tomorrow."

Shi Changyuan was so angry he nearly ground his back teeth to dust, but he could only let Lin Ling lead him back to his bedchamber.

Lin Ling lay back in his original spot and patted the empty space beside him, signaling for Shi Changyuan to come sleep quickly.

Shi Changyuan believed him. But not long after he lay down, the Little Mushroom beside him started acting up again.

"Why aren't you holding me?" Lin Ling blinked at Shi Changyuan, accusing him with a hint of grievance. "You used to hold me so tightly."

Shi Changyuan froze for a moment, then reached out and pulled Lin Ling into his arms. "I thought you didn't like it this way."

After all, before this, it had all been his one-sided wish. He had been afraid the other would suddenly leave. In those circumstances, even if Lin Ling wanted to struggle, he could not break free; even if he wanted to run, he could not get away.

"I do." Lin Ling rubbed against Shi Changyuan's neck. "It's very warm."

Lin Ling's hair was very soft, and it tickled Shi Changyuan's neck.

...And stirred up a little heat as well.

But Mushroom did not understand. He had barely behaved himself for half a moment before raising his head again and muttering, "No, that's not right. I remember there seemed to be another step before sleeping."

Lin Ling thought hard, even trying to get Shi Changyuan to think with him. "Do you know what else we should be doing now?"

Shi Changyuan: ...Fuck.

Shi Changyuan felt that this day had been especially full of ups and downs.

He yanked over the quilt and wrapped Lin Ling up entirely, covering everything but his head and rolling him into a bundle.

"Sleep!"

Shi Changyuan's tone was rather fierce.

Lin Ling tried to resist, but Shi Changyuan's mushroom-wrapping skills were simply too superb. Lin Ling could only protest verbally.

"That's clearly not how it goes in the storybooks! I did my research!"

Mushroom was utterly justified in being illiterate.

"Oh! I remember now. It was something like dry firewood and blazing flames... mmph!!"

Before he could finish, Lin Ling's mouth was completely sealed.

Shi Changyuan bit down on Lin Ling's lips, sweeping them with his tongue before gently worrying at them between his teeth, leaving Lin Ling unable to say another word.

"Lin Ling." Shi Changyuan called him by his full name, his voice hoarse and his tone dangerous.

"If you keep talking, something's going to happen."

Chapter 25

Lin Ling no longer dared to act up and obediently went to sleep. But he was simply too excited and thrilled. Once asleep, he ran into his dreams and announced it to all the spirits under heaven.

He dreamed that he brought Shi Changyuan back to the deep mountains and ancient forests. Amid the envy of countless spirits, he introduced him to every demon, showing off as he said, "This is my husband. Isn't he handsome?"

"Hmph, hmph, hmph. You can't be jealous of this."

"In my first year after taking human form, I found a partner. I've beaten eighty percent of all little demons, big demons, and old demons in the world!"

Perhaps joy turned to sorrow, or perhaps it was something else. Lin Ling was happily decorating his cave dwelling with Shi Changyuan when Shi Changyuan suddenly took his hand and said he had something to confess.

Shi Changyuan said that, as the Son of Heaven in the human world, he symbolically represented the True Dragon. So if Little Mushroom had children in the future, they might be a combination of mushrooms and dragon eggs, called mushroom eggs.

Lin Ling was utterly dumbfounded and hurriedly retorted, "But I can't give birth."

But Shi Changyuan seemed unable to hear him.

Before Lin Ling could recover from the strange concept of mushroom eggs, he dreamed of an old Daoist shouting, "Humans and demons walk different paths!" before running over to meddle in their affairs.

Lin Ling refused to accept it and fought three hundred rounds with that rotten Daoist. The Daoist was beaten flat by the valiant Mushroom, yet he still shouted, "You're a poisonous mushroom! If he bites you, he'll be poisoned! Once he's poisoned, you won't have a husband anymore!"

Mushroom's eyes widened in terror. It seemed Shi Changyuan really had bitten him before they went to sleep last night—

Lin Ling jolted awake. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw broad daylight outside, while Shi Changyuan was still lying beside him. He had not gone to court and showed no reaction at all, frightening Lin Ling into bursting into loud tears.

Shi Changyuan was startled awake as well. The palace attendants keeping watch outside thought something had happened and rushed in, only to be waved away by Shi Changyuan.

He pulled Lin Ling into his arms and patiently soothed him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm a poisonous mushroom." Lin Ling's eyes drooped unhappily. "You bit me yesterday. Will you be poisoned?"

"I won't." Shi Changyuan asked, "Who told you I would be poisoned?"

Lin Ling hesitated before recounting his dream to Shi Changyuan. At the end, Lin Ling thought for a moment and emphasized very seriously, "I really can't give birth to little mushrooms."

After hearing it all, Shi Changyuan fell silent for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "I'm going to burn all your storybooks."

Those things truly had led Mushroom astray!

Humans read storybooks merely for entertainment, but spirits who were not especially clever, like Mushroom, would take them as truth and treat those fabricated plots as the Human Survival Guide.

For once, Lin Ling did not protest.

"Are you really not poisoned?" As Lin Ling questioned Shi Changyuan, he tried to reach over and personally inspect Shi Changyuan's body.