Artifact Chapter 48: Heartbeat

Chapter 48: Heartbeat

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

“Shixiong, what’s wrong with you?” The disciples standing beside Lu Ming couldn’t help but ask as they saw Lu Ming’s expression lost and his face as pale as paper.

Lu Ming shook his head, but his gaze never left the young man in the small mirror, feeling regretful in his heart. He shouldn’t have impulsively left Jing Mo alone in the Secret Realm. If Jing Mo got injured because of it, or worse, Lu Ming dared not think further. He lifted his foot and headed towards the entrance of the Secret Realm.

Lu Ming had just reached the entrance of the Secret Realm when he was immediately stopped by someone. Looking up, it was his own master, Yun Luan.

Yun Luan glanced at Lu Ming and said lightly, “Where are you going?”

Lu Ming’s expression was firm as he replied, “I’m going in to find him.”

Yun Luan’s voice sank, “Once you leave the Secret Realm, you cannot enter again. Otherwise, your qualification for the competition will be revoked. This is the rule, no one can break it.”

Lu Ming sneered, “That’s not a reason to stop me from going in.”

Yun Luan sighed and continued, “Worrying leads to chaos. Qingci, you must remember, with a chaotic mind, nothing can be accomplished, and you may even entangle yourself. Jing Mo is powerful. Trust him once.”

Lu Ming took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a long time, he opened them again, his gaze as deep as the bottom of the sea. He said, “Unlike you, I can’t endure the pain of loss for the sake of rules. Even if there’s only a one in ten thousand chance of losing Jing Mo, I don’t want to take the risk and let him face danger alone. Even if he’s extremely capable, I will stand by his side.”

With that said, before Yun Luan could respond, Lu Ming quickly mobilized his spiritual energy and flew into the Secret Realm. Yun Luan watched the gradually disappearing figure with a trace of pain in his eyes, memories flooding back like a tide. If time could go back, would he make a different choice?

“Ming Duo,” Yun Luan murmured softly, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes.

Lu Ming flew quickly, following the aura indicated by the magic artifacts. Jing Mo shouldn’t be far from the entrance. Sure enough, ten minutes later, Lu Ming arrived at the place where Jing Mo confronted the giant beast.

The tall beast was already lying on the ground, and Jing Mo stood not far from it, his body tense, his eyes as black as ever but devoid of light, as if he was deeply trapped. His body was covered in blood, staining his light blue robe, and it was unclear whether it was his own or from the dead giant beast.

Lu Ming’s heart tightened suddenly, and he dared not approach any closer from afar, his heart cold. After a long time, he clenched his fists and shouted, “Jing Mo!”

Jing Mo was originally trapped in the illusion released by the giant beast, wandering in the mist unable to find a way out. He wandered in the illusion, seeing Lu Ming’s figure gradually disappearing into the mist. He chased after him for a long time but couldn’t even grab a piece of his clothing, feeling colder and more painful in his heart.

At this moment, he seemed to hear a voice calling his name. Called by the most familiar voice in his memory, Jing Mo’s gradually scattered consciousness became clear again, the light in his eyes reigniting, eagerly looking for the person in front of him, but extinguishing again the next moment he saw Lu Ming.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you ignore me?” His cold voice seemed devoid of any warmth.

Lu Ming lowered his eyelids, feeling a pang in his heart. He answered softly, “I-I’m just here to take you back. If you don’t want to see me, I’ll leave first.”

At last, Lu Ming’s tone became more urgent, and he began to panic for some reason, afraid that Jing Mo would say something like telling him to get lost in the next moment, even more afraid of the disdain in his eyes. Without thinking, he turned his head and hastily mobilized his spiritual energy to fly away, as if there were raging beasts behind him, eager to escape.

At that moment, Lu Ming suddenly felt a surge of vigorous spiritual energy attacking his back. He was startled, about to raise his hand to resist, but was suddenly hugged tightly around the waist by a pair of strong arms. With a strong pull, he was swiftly pulled down from the air and fell to the ground, then rolled towards the nearby woods.

Lu Ming exclaimed in shock, trying to push Jing Mo away as he raised his hands. A hint of anger flashed in his eyes, but in the next moment, his angry words were swallowed by the hot and domineering lips.

Jing Mo pressed Lu Ming under him, passionately kissing him, the heavy taste of blood almost making Lu Ming dizzy. His tongue was sucked numb by the other party, his lips and teeth licked over and over again, forced to entangle with the other’s movements. Whenever the scorching palm touched a part of his body, Lu Ming could feel intense heat, as well as the faint anxiety and unease emanating from the other party.

Lu Ming was thrown into chaos by this despair-filled kiss, his mind a mess, trembling all over. The other seemed to be pouring all his emotions into this kiss, leaving him with no strength to push away the flagrant violation. The demon poison in his body gradually awakened as a result, making him unusually sensitive. Before he could resist much, he was engulfed in an irresistible tide of desire.

Gasping heavily, Lu Ming’s hands were placed on Jing Mo’s chest, trying to push him away, but at the moment, it seemed like he was welcoming him. He spoke intermittently, “Y-you, let me go.”

Jing Mo sneered coldly, his hand forcefully kneading his buttocks, his eyes filled with anger and dissatisfaction. He said coldly, “Brother doesn’t like it when I treat you like this, right? You have such a lascivious body.”

Lu Ming’s mind was shaken by Jing Mo’s words, as if a bucket of cold water was poured from head to toe, instantly extinguishing the aroused desire. He closed his eyes, biting his lip hard until the taste of blood filled his mouth. He forcibly suppressed the pain in his heart, his expression becoming unusually stern, his eyes slightly narrowed as he faintly smiled and said, “Are you asking to be killed by my sword?”

Jing Mo immediately regretted his angry words as he saw Lu Ming’s dangerous expression, his expression quickly changing. Tears filled his eyes, and he quickly bent down, sticking out his tongue to gently lick Lu Ming’s bitten lip. He said softly and apologetically, “I thought Brother didn’t want me, leaving me alone in the Secret Realm, I felt extremely sad, so I spoke without thinking for a moment.”

Lu Ming, full of anger with nowhere to vent, could only slap him hard on the head, angrily saying, “Get off me quickly, don’t you know someone is watching?”

Jing Mo’s lips curled up, seemingly proud, as he said, “Brother, don’t worry, I’ve already used the magic artifacts to block the small mirror just now.”

Lu Ming took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Where did this illusion of having an affair come from? Since entering the Secret Realm, everything seemed to be developing in a strange direction. Why did he and Jing Mo turn into this strange relationship pattern in just a few days? Could it be because of the demon poison?

He felt like he might need a psychologist now.

Jing Mo pulled Lu Ming up from the ground, dusting off the dirt on him, then said, “Brother, let’s go out.”

Lu Ming nodded, and the two walked towards the entrance. With Jing Mo accompanying him, Lu Ming didn’t need to take out the paper crane to lead the way. Indeed, Jing Mo was more reliable. He could cook delicious meals, take care of his daily life, and handle things in an orderly manner without any worries. If one day he left Jing Mo, his life would be in chaos.

Thinking of this, Lu Ming couldn’t help but shiver, shaking his head desperately, forcing himself not to think wildly. However, his thoughts kept drifting, and eventually his gaze couldn’t help but fall on the person beside him.

Jing Mo was very handsome. When he didn’t speak, he seemed like an iceberg, but every time Lu Ming saw him, it was like suddenly breaking through the ice, and he became warm as the sun. He always accompanied him unconditionally, always obediently following his orders, never causing him any trouble.

During the ten years of separation, he often fantasized about what Jing Mo would look like when he grew up, handsome and outstanding. Sure enough, when they met again, Jing Mo had grown into a capable young man. He felt a little gratified, but also a little sad. During the crucial years of Jing Mo’s growth, he didn’t have the chance to accompany him and watch him grow up.

Jing Mo also felt the gaze beside him, turned his head with a faint smile, and asked, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Lu Ming withdrew his melancholic gaze, his expression returning to normal as usual, and replied, “Nothing.”

Jing Mo clearly saw something different in Lu Ming’s eyes and frowned, “Even if it’s me, Brother doesn’t want to say more?”

Lu Ming glanced at the dejected Jing Mo and couldn’t bear to see him unhappy, so he explained, “It’s just a pity that I couldn’t accompany you during those ten years of separation.”

Jing Mo heard these words and suddenly felt a movement in his heart, his mind full of scenes of how to hug Brother and kiss him. But in order to prevent Brother from avoiding him from now on, Jing Mo barely suppressed his urge and put on a sorrowful expression, saying sadly, “Yes, Brother couldn’t be by my side at that time, there are many things I still don’t understand until now. When we go back, Brother must teach me.”

Lu Ming asked curiously, “What do you want me to teach you?”

Jing Mo smiled slightly, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and then said, “Brother will know soon enough.”

 

 

 

 

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