Dog Leash - Alright, Now Everyone's a Dog. Part 2

He buried his head deeper into the quilt, feeling his ears itch. The area from his ears to his neck grew warm. "It didn't take that long... My handiwork is a bit clumsy, don't mind it."

Another brief silence.

"Thank you, I like it very much."

Yin Yan's voice returned to its usual calmness. Then, a warmth came from his head as a hand rested on it and gently ruffled his hair.

"Go to sleep. Good night."

Click.

The light went out. The mattress shifted; the person beside him must have lain down.

Yu Zhen's tense body slowly relaxed. He wanted to turn his head to see Yin Yan's expression, but he didn't dare, and it was too dark to see anything anyway. His heart felt restless, unable to calm down for some reason.

Was that it? He suddenly felt a little down.

He had even embroidered a character on the sachet. It was a bit ugly, but he had embroidered it with his own hands.

Could it be that the light was too dim and Yin Yan didn't see it?

As he was lost in these random thoughts, his body gradually relaxed, and his eyes slowly closed.

After Yu Zhen fell asleep, Yin Yan opened his eyes. He took out the sachet from under his pillow and squeezed it, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly. He reached out, pulled the person with his back to him into his arms, propped himself up slightly, bent his head, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"My wicked disciple."

Even in the Cultivation World, where rules were not as strict, things like sachets were only exchanged between lovers to express their feelings.

The next day, they woke up with their limbs entangled. Yin Yan still looked calm, but for some reason, Yu Zhen felt that he was very happy, extremely happy.

Because of the sachet?

He guessed narcissistically. His eyes swept over Yin Yan but didn't find the sachet anywhere, and he felt a little disappointed and down again.

As expected, something like a sachet wasn't really suitable to be worn out.

"What are you spacing out for?" Yin Yan turned back from the wardrobe, holding two scarves. He handed one to him and said, "It's windy today and a bit cold. Remember to wear your scarf when we go out."

Yu Zhen snapped out of it. He looked at the two scarves of the same style but different colors in his hand and didn't think anything was amiss. He nodded obediently and reached out to take the scarf.

The Yin Family tradition was that on the first day of the Lunar New Year, they had to visit their ancestors' graves to pay respects. After that, they were not allowed to eat meat for the rest of the day, only vegetarian food. It was a little different from other families' traditions.

The family left early, with Yin Hexiang driving and Chou Feiqian in the passenger seat. After the car turned out of the villa, she turned to talk to Yu Zhen in the back seat.

"Today we're not just paying respects to our own ancestors, but also to Grandpa Yin's comrades-in-arms. We have to go to two different cemeteries, and also make a trip to the Martyrs' Cemetery. Xiao Zhen, I noticed you didn't eat much for breakfast. If you get hungry later, just say so. I had Housekeeper Hu prepare some snacks, they're in the trunk. You can have some if you get hungry."

Yu Zhen nodded to show he understood, his curiosity about Yin Yan's long-deceased grandfather growing.

The Yin Family had few descendants to begin with, and when it came to Yin Yan's grandfather's generation, it coincided with the war, which led to Grandpa Yin getting married very late. Yin Hexiang was his son born in his old age, and by the time Yin Hexiang grew up, Grandpa Yin was already very old.

Later, the old man held on until Yin Yan was born, gave him his name, and then passed away contentedly.

"Dad was a bit superstitious. When Xiao Yan was born, he heard some Daoist Priest's fortune-telling somewhere and insisted that Xiao Yan's five elements lacked fire, so he had to have a name with the character for fire in it, otherwise he wouldn't grow up safely."

Recalling the past, Chou Feiqian couldn't help but sigh. "If Dad were still here, he would definitely like you very much."

"Well, he'll get to see him today, won't he?" Yin Hexiang said, his expression and tone rarely relaxed and gentle. He even reached out to pat Chou Feiqian's leg comfortingly.

Chou Feiqian came back to her senses, smiled, and turned back around. "You're right, he'll get to see him today."

They soon arrived at the cemetery. Yin Hexiang and Chou Feiqian bought flowers at the entrance but no incense or paper money. They entered with just the flowers.

"Grandpa Yin Yan said burning paper pollutes the environment and told us not to burn those things. He said flowers are beautiful, so just bringing some flowers is enough," Chou Feiqian explained as she walked a step behind Yu Zhen.

Yu Zhen nodded, thinking that Grandpa Yin must have been an interesting old man, just like his own grandfather.

Grandpa Yin's grave was a joint tomb where he was buried with Grandma Yin. Surrounding it were the graves of other Yin ancestors, all gathered together, which gave it a sense of reunion.

Since there was no need to burn paper money, the process of sweeping the graves became much simpler. They offered the flowers, wiped the tombstones, spoke to the tombstones for a while, and bowed to each one. And that was it.

When paying their respects, both Yu Zhen and Yin Yan were very solemn. They weren't truly members of the Yin Family, and they had received the family's kindness, so it was only right to properly thank the Yin ancestors.

Because they had many places to go, they didn't linger. After paying their respects, they left immediately and drove towards the next cemetery.

By the time they finished paying respects to all the comrades, it was already afternoon. The family had no time for a proper meal, only making do with the snacks they had prepared and some simple food bought from a roadside stall.

The Martyrs' Cemetery was their last stop. Many people had come to sweep graves on the first day of the new year. They were all families of the martyrs, of all ages. There were also many white-haired elderly people who came to pay respects to their comrades.

Yu Zhen was moved by the sight, a heavy feeling in his heart.

Everyone was a bit silent when they left the Martyrs' Cemetery. Yu Zhen was slightly distracted and almost bumped into an old man. Yin Yan quickly pulled him away, nodded apologetically to the old man, and then took his hand, leading him forward.

Yu Zhen came to his senses, wondering why he had suddenly spaced out. Feeling chagrined, he quickly turned his head and nodded apologetically to the old man he had almost bumped into. After that, he didn't dare to get distracted again and followed closely behind Yin Yan.

"Grandpa, why did you deliberately bump into that young man just now? We're from the Taoist School. If we do bad things like running scams, the Founding Ancestor will send thunder to strike you in your dreams at night."

A handsome young man supported the old man, deliberately wrinkling his face as he grumbled.

"Is that how you see your grandpa? Be careful, or I'll kick you out on New Year's Day!" The white-haired old man turned to glare at him, then looked again at Yu Zhen and Yin Yan, who were walking away together. He squinted and pondered for a moment before saying, "But I really did want to run that 'scam'. I don't know what that kid did, but the Golden Light of Merit on his body is so thick he looks like a golden doll. But I feel something is a bit strange..."

"Golden Light of Merit?" The young man's eyes lit up instantly. He craned his neck to look at Yu Zhen, his eyes widening. "Where? Where's the golden light? Why can't I see anything?"

The old man pulled him back in annoyance. "What can you possibly see with those eyes of yours! You're clearly about the same age, look at his situation, and then look at yours. Alright, stop looking, you won't get any of it on you just by looking!"

As he said this, he couldn't help but look over again. His gaze swept past Yu Zhen and moved to Yin Yan beside him.

It wasn't just the golden doll. The aura of this young man was also a bit strange. He clearly looked like an ordinary person, yet the feeling he gave off was like the statue of the Founding Ancestor in the temple—shrouded in clouds and mist.

After a busy day, everyone rested well back home. Then Chou Feiqian started preparing gifts for her family visit the next day, while Yu Zhen pulled Yin Yan to a corner and asked, "You said before that there was something off about the old man I almost bumped into today. What was it? Did he have Baleful Qi on him?"

Yin Yan shook his head. "No, that old man is like your grandfather, also of the Taoist School, and possesses Merit."

"He's a Daoist Priest?" Yu Zhen was surprised.

"Not an official Daoist Priest, but he could barely be considered a Cultivator. You don't need to worry too much about them, they can't harm you," Yin Yan reassured him. A Red String suddenly appeared out of thin air in his hand, and he smoothly wrapped it around Yu Zhen's wrist.

"What's this?" Yu Zhen asked, puzzled.

Yin Yan replied with a calm face, "A Dog Leash."

"???"

Yu Zhen fell silent, staring straight at him in silent condemnation.

"This is a tracking Magical Artifact. The person who refined it named it Dog Leash," Yin Yan explained. He took out another Red String, wrapped it around his own wrist, and showed it to him.

Alright, now everyone's a dog.

Yu Zhen averted his gaze, staring at the Red String on his wrist. He convinced himself to accept the name and asked, "Who refined this Magical Artifact? Why give it such a name? Could it be you..."

"No," Yin Yan answered. He suddenly raised his hand and tapped his forehead, poking it gently. "It was refined by... my disciple. He said he liked this name very much."

Yu Zhen froze, a sour feeling suddenly rising in his heart. "Disciple? You have another disciple?"

Yin Yan didn't answer. He withdrew his hand, patted his head lightly, and turned to walk away.

Yu Zhen frowned as he watched him leave. He glanced at the Red String on his wrist, forcefully pulled his sleeve down to cover it, and said with a hint of pique, "What kind of lousy disciple gives this sort of thing to their master? Implying their master is a dog. How unfilial!"