Chapter 18: Do You Like Me?

Back in the bedchamber, Can He finally dared to pull out the scorching-hot book hidden in his sleeve.

Maybe it was the nonsense Xie Suoyan had spouted, but for some reason, he suddenly felt… he absolutely couldn’t let Qi Jiangyuan see him reading this.

Little Radish perked up his ears, listening for any sounds outside, then stole a glance out the window.

It was still early—Qi Jiangyuan usually returned later than this.

He shuffled slowly to the edge of the bed, sat down with his back to the door, took a deep breath, and cautiously opened the book titled The Harmony of Heaven and Earth: A Spring Canopy of Passion.

The pages were yellowed, filled with both text and illustrations.

Right on the first page were two entangled human figures. But the artwork was truly atrocious—crude lines, stiff poses, blurry faces, even a little grotesque.

Can He’s ears burned after just one glance. He quickly looked away, too flustered to examine how those limbs were tangled together.

He steadied himself and forced his attention to the dense lines of small text beside the image.

The very first sentence made his brows furrow deeply.

“Sweet dew upon the crown, purple aura encircling the body¹.”

Sweet dew?

Can He blinked in confusion.

Did it mean morning dew? Wouldn’t Sweet Spring work just as well? Why did it have to be “upon the crown”? Was it supposed to be poured over the head like watering a plant?

What kind of cultivation method was this?

Little Radish pictured the scene and found it strangely unsettling.

He forced himself to read on.

“Build to the limit, then release—spring thunder crashes.”

This line puzzled Can He even more. What did “build to the limit” mean? And what did thunder have to do with any of this?

Did dual cultivation require stormy weather?

His brows knit tighter and tighter. His pale fingertips unconsciously picked at the edge of the page, completely absorbed in his confusion, never noticing the silent, ghost-like presence that had appeared behind him.

Until his eyes landed on the next line—

“Probe and retreat, swift and slow.”

Can He’s mind buzzed. The previously obscure phrases suddenly cracked open, and a vague understanding slammed into his consciousness.

His fingers trembled. The page rustled softly.

“What are you reading?”

A calm voice dropped from above, startlingly close.

Can He jolted violently, slamming the book shut with a loud snap and shoving it blindly under the pillow without even looking!

Only after all that did he slowly turn his head and tilt his face upward.

Qi Jiangyuan was standing behind him, no one knew when he’d arrived. He leaned forward slightly, the hem of his dark robe nearly brushing Can He’s ankles.

That handsome face was expressionless, but his fathomless eyes stared down at Can He, taking in every ounce of his earlier panic.

“I… I wasn’t reading anything,” Can He blurted out, avoiding Qi Jiangyuan’s gaze. His fingers clutched the brocade cushion beneath him. “I was just… sunbathing.”

Qi Jiangyuan chuckled. “Sunbathing?”

The windows were tightly shut. The room was dim. Where exactly was the sun?

Can He’s face turned red at a visible speed. He bit his lower lip in frustration, wishing he could swallow that stupid excuse back down.

“Yeah, sunbathing,” he mumbled, forcing himself to keep going. “I just got back from sunbathing. Can’t stay out too long, or I’ll turn green.”

Radishes really did that—too much sun and the part above ground would turn green, while the part buried in soil stayed white.

Qi Jiangyuan pictured a round, half-green, half-white radish version of Can He and let out a sudden laugh.

He spoke slowly, still watching Can He intently. “As I recall, ordinary ginseng doesn’t like direct sunlight.”

Seeing that Qi Jiangyuan didn’t seem interested in pursuing the matter of the book, Can He relaxed a little and tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Well, I’m not ordinary ginseng! I know what you’re thinking—you’re about to say ginseng doesn’t like the sun, but radishes do, right?”

Qi Jiangyuan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Can He had wondered about that before too. But if he wasn’t ginseng, why did all the other ginseng spirits in the Longevity Ruins accept him and play with him?

He sighed. “Can’t help it. I’m used to it now. Ginseng and radishes have always been lumped together.”

Things like “October radish is like baby ginseng²” and “radish in winter beats ginseng”—he’d heard them so often his ears were going numb.

Right now, the most urgent thing was figuring out how to get Qi Jiangyuan to leave, so he could quietly and discreetly get rid of that damned book.

“Do you want to be a radish?”

Qi Jiangyuan suddenly asked, his voice calm.

“To me, there’s no real difference between a radish and a ginseng.” Can He spoke with an unconscious touch of pride. “It’s just that we demons hate it when others get our origins wrong.”

“Besides, I’m now a ginseng who can take down ten Shi Shouzhuos at once! Whether it’s ginseng or radish, from now on they’ll be the ones begging me, watching my mood before they speak!”

Qi Jiangyuan gave a slight nod. The words weren’t wrong.

Can He paused, then added, “But I’d still rather be a ginseng.”

Among demons, names followed an ancient tradition—ginsengs bore the surname Can, fish often took Yu, and radishes were surnamed Luo³.

Luo He? No way!

Qi Jiangyuan said, “Call yourself whatever you like. What others think can never define who you are.”

Can He thought that sounded a little strange, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted a corner of the book poking out from under the pillow—it hadn’t been tucked in properly!

The radish panicked. He quickly tugged at his wide sleeve, trying to cover it.

“By the way, why are you back so early?” Can He asked, his tone a bit rushed. “Didn’t feel like looking around more? It’s only been a short while, I’m afraid your fake illness hasn’t had enough time to be convincing!”

“It’s convincing enough,” Qi Jiangyuan replied curtly, unmoving, still shrouding him with his presence. “The sun’s about to set. I had to return early so you could continue treating me.”

If he hadn’t come back early, he might’ve missed this little creature hiding on the bed, clutching a book and frowning in deep concentration.

From behind, if you knew it was a radish, fine. If you didn’t, you’d think it was a mushroom.

With that, Qi Jiangyuan sat down beside him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The bed dipped slightly, bringing with it a chill unique to him.

Can He’s hackles rose instantly!

He tried to block the pillow completely with his back, flailing for an excuse. “Did you finish all your official duties today? I think Xie Suoyan had something urgent to discuss with you—I saw him pacing outside just now…”

A while ago, when Can He was nervous or trying to please, he’d still respectfully say “you” in the formal sense. But after spending more time together, he’d grown increasingly casual.

Qi Jiangyuan turned his head to look at him, his gaze deep. “How coincidental. I ran into Xie Suoyan on my way back.”

“He dropped all sorts of hints, urging me to return to the palace early.” He leaned in slightly, closing the distance, his voice lowering. “So, what exactly are you hiding from me?”

Can He’s heart skipped a beat: !!!

That damn Xie Suoyan!

Could he be any more obvious about tattling?

“No! Absolutely not!” Can He denied it flatly, shaking his head like a rattle drum. “I didn’t hide anything! Really!”

The more he insisted, the guiltier he sounded.

Qi Jiangyuan let out a low chuckle. In the next instant, his arm suddenly reached past Can He’s side, aiming straight for under the pillow—

“No peeking!”

Can He panicked and lunged to stop him without thinking, practically throwing himself into Qi Jiangyuan’s arms, reaching out to snatch the book.

But how could he be faster than Qi Jiangyuan?

With a simple twist of the wrist, Qi Jiangyuan easily dodged his grab. His other arm swept around, catching the lunging Can He and locking him firmly in his embrace.

The book was already in Qi Jiangyuan’s other hand.

“‘Spring Shadows in the Brocade Canopy of Harmonious Yin and Yang’?” Qi Jiangyuan slowly read the title on the cover.

Can He was held tightly, unable to struggle free. He rushed to explain, “I didn’t mean anything by it! I just happened to find that kind of book in the Library Pavilion last time, and today I got curious again, went back to see if there were any leftovers, and I actually found one. I’m helping your Ghost Realm clean up improper influences!”

Qi Jiangyuan let him ramble on in a flustered mess, his face expressionless, simply watching him quietly.

Only when Can He ran out of breath did he finally speak, unhurriedly, “Have you read this book?”

Can He stalled, opened his mouth, then admitted honestly, “…I have.”

“Did you understand it?” Qi Jiangyuan asked again.

“I understood the pictures.” Can He mumbled, “Some of the words were kind of hard…”

Qi Jiangyuan’s lips curved slightly. “Didn’t understand? Then how about I teach you?”

That couldn’t possibly be a proper kind of teaching!

Can He immediately shook his head. “No need, I don’t want to learn this.”

But the next moment, his wrist was seized in a grip like iron pincers. With a yank, the world spun, and Can He’s back slammed into a firm, icy chest.

“Let go!” Can He struggled, his pale arms pushing helplessly against the dark sleeves.

Qi Jiangyuan’s arms didn’t budge. Instead, they tightened. His chin rested lightly on the soft crown of Can He’s head. “Don’t move.”

Can He struggled harder, and in the scuffle, his loose robe slipped off one shoulder, revealing a startlingly pale collarbone.

Qi Jiangyuan’s gaze landed on that exposed patch of skin and lingered in silence.

Little Radish, who could usually smash magical artifacts with ease, suddenly found himself completely powerless.

“Who wants to learn this…” Can He turned his head away, refusing to look at the open book in front of him like a sulking child.

Qi Jiangyuan didn’t reply. With his free hand, he turned a page, his long, cool fingertips tapping lightly on a line of text.

“Here,” he said, his lips brushing against the curve of Can He’s ear. “Sweet dew descends from the crown, purple Qi coils around the body.”

Can He flinched from the ticklish sensation, the tips of his ears flushing pink. “I don’t understand. Don’t want to hear it.”

He said it on purpose, but his voice had softened.

Qi Jiangyuan acted as if he hadn’t heard and continued, “It means using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as a medium to perform the method of full-body integration. Only then can one accumulate and break through.”

His hand slid down Can He’s arm, gently wrapping around his fingertips, guiding him to touch the inked lines. “As for what exactly this ‘sweet dew’ refers to…”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

The paper beneath their fingers suddenly felt scalding hot.

Can He tried to pull his hand away, but it was firmly held in place.

Qi Jiangyuan’s explanation slipped into his ears, each word laced with an inexplicable undertone. “…Once the sweet dew overflows and reaches its peak, that is the moment spring thunder crashes.”

Can He’s breath caught.

He really couldn’t take this anymore!

“Y-You… stop talking!”

Qi Jiangyuan lowered his gaze and tightened his arms, pulling him deeper into his embrace, showing no intention of stopping. “Next comes testing shallow and deep, fast and slow. One must adjust based on time, place, and person—considering depth and pace.”

“Do you understand?”

Can He didn’t want to understand at all.

Right now, he just wanted to bury himself in the ground.

Qi Jiangyuan stared at him for a long moment, his gaze tracing the flush on his lips. At last, he slowly closed the book and set it aside.

Can He’s taut nerves finally relaxed.

He’d made it through.

But then Qi Jiangyuan fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking:

“Do you like me?”

Can He: ?!!!!!!

He opened his mouth, but no coherent words came out. “I… I…”

His mind went completely blank. All the chaotic thoughts from earlier were blown away by that blunt question.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest, the thudding echoing in his ears.

But Qi Jiangyuan didn’t wait for an answer. He sighed softly to himself. “What am I going to do…”

His arms were still wrapped around Can He, not loosening in the slightest.

“I like you.”

That sentence hit harder than anything he’d said before, leaving Can He dizzy, unable to think.

Before he could recover from the overwhelming rush, Qi Jiangyuan’s voice came again:

“Will you Dual Cultivate with me?”

Not “try it,” not “would you mind”—but a direct, “Will you?”

Can He was completely stunned.

While his mind was still spinning, Qi Jiangyuan’s gaze shifted slightly upward, brushing past the dark crown of his head.

Nestled in Can He’s soft black hair, a pale pinkish-purple flower bud had shyly emerged, trembling faintly and releasing a delicate fragrance.

Qi Jiangyuan gazed at the fragile bloom in silence, a glint of possessive delight flickering in his eyes.

Then he suddenly lowered his head and gently took Can He’s already flushed earlobe into his mouth.

With the tip of his teeth, he gave it a light, deliberate graze.

Author’s Note:

Little Radish is based on the “Chunbulao⁴” radish from the Sichuan-Chongqing region—truly round and chubby! The descriptions in the story are completely accurate, no artistic embellishment!!!

Also, ahhhhh this is NOT a selfcest story, and Radish is NOT a part of Ghost Bro’s body. Anyway, the two of them were already vaguely in love thirty thousand years ago [sunglasses emoji]

Translator’s Notes