I Only Choked on Noodles, Why Am I Here?! [BL]-Chapter 37 – Lin Xin Not Lan Xin

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Lin Xin gazed into the night sky, the moon shining brightly above yet offering only a faint light. After a long moment, he finally spoke, his low voice calm but heavy with certainty.

"I clearly died. I’m sure of it. Yet somehow, by an unfathomable miracle, my soul entered this body."

He paused, his gaze lingering on the distant moon, as though searching the stars for answers long lost. A soft breath escaped him before he spoke again.

"I couldn’t remember anything. There was nothing left no memories, no sense of who I once was. It felt as though my former life had been completely severed."

The moonlight shimmered in his eyes. Only then did Lin Xin turn his gaze back to the cat, his expression calm yet sincere.

"It was only after I saw you" he said quietly, "that everything began to feel real again."

"Zhi Zun."

Zhi Zun looked at him, it’s gaze lingering as he fell into deep thought. For a moment, he remained silent, as though weighing his words carefully, before finally asking in a low, steady voice. "Do you still remember the techniques of the Upper Realm?"

His eyes narrowed slightly as he continued, "And do you still intend to return to the immortal sect?"

A faint pause followed, his expression growing more serious. "I have heard that the Grandmaster’s condition has worsened. He is unwell, and in his weakness, that snake has begun to stir chaos. It is making its move, Lan Xin."

Zhi Zun’s gaze sharpened, carrying a hint of warning. "If you return now, the situation will not be peaceful."

After a brief hesitation, he asked one final question, his tone quieter but no less probing.

"And what of that mere mortal you took as your wife have you already decided what to do about him? And if you do not wish to return, then so be it."

Lin Xin coughed lightly before speaking, as if steadying himself. "Zhi Zun" he said calmly, "just call me Lin Xin. I don’t use that name anymore."

For a brief moment, silence hung between them.

The cat let out a sneer, its earlier composure cracking as its familiar arrogance resurfaced. It lifted its chin slightly, golden eyes narrowing with sharp scrutiny.

"Hmph. Yet there is still a Xin" it said coolly. "Tell me what difference is there between Lin Xin and Lan Xin? Is it merely the change of a single sound?"

As it spoke, it fixed him with an unblinking stare, its expression practically screaming do not think you can deceive this ancestor so easily.

Its tail flicked once, slow and deliberate, as if waiting for an answer it might already know.

Lin Xin fell silent, his lips pressed together as if weighing his words. After a brief pause, he finally spoke again, voice lower than before, as though revealing something he had no intention of hiding yet still felt embarrassed to say aloud.

"Zhi Zun" he said quietly, "Han Yan is not my wife."

He hesitated for a heartbeat, then added, "He is actually my husband."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Xin turned his head away, his ears faintly red, clearly avoiding the cat’s gaze.

The reaction was immediate.

The cat stared at him, utterly dumbfounded, its arrogant expression freezing as though struck by lightning. For several breaths, it said nothing at all, golden eyes wide and unblinking.

"...Your husband?" it repeated slowly, as if testing each word for meaning.

Zhi Zun felt his composure shatter he could almost hear it.

"Not your wife but your husband?" the cat exclaimed, disbelief dripping from its voice. It circled Lin Xin once, tail bristling, eyes scanning him from head to toe as though reassessing everything it thought it knew. "That mere mortal? You chose him?"

It let out a sharp scoff, clearly unconvinced. "Impossible. Absolutely impossible. This ancestor refuses to believe you would allow yourself to be led astray like this."

The cat stopped in front of him, glaring. "Explain yourself."

The cat stared at him with an unblinking gaze, clearly waiting for an explanation. When no words came at once, Lin Xin released a soft sigh, his shoulders easing slightly. After a brief silence, he finally spoke, his voice calm as he began to narrate his past.

"Well, Zhi Zun" he said slowly, "I came from a poor household in the Lower Realm. It was just my old mother and me. My father never wanted anything to do with us he abandoned us long ago, as if we never existed."

He paused for a moment, letting the memories settle in his mind. "Life was simple, and everything we had was hard-earned. Even in such poverty, my mother did everything she could to keep me safe and cared for."

His gaze lowered, memories surfacing one after another. "My mother’s health was never good. She was often ill, yet she never complained. All she ever wished for was to see me get married to someone decent, someone who could live a peaceful life with me."

"That was how I married Han Yan."

Lin Xin paused briefly before continuing. "My mother gave everything she had to satisfy Madam Zhang’s unending greed every last coin, every possession of value. Even then, she smiled and said it was fine. She told me she believed Han Yan was a good person... that he could protect me."

A faint smile appeared on Lin Xin’s lips, gentle and nostalgic.

"Han Yan was always quiet. He didn’t speak much, didn’t argue, and even when he tried to protect me, it was never anything grand. Still, back then, I could endure it. I managed. I didn’t or couldn’t complain too much."

A faint smile tugged at his lips, and his eyes brightened. "But everything changed after Han Yan’s accident."

He lifted his head once more, his eyes bright and clear. "It was then that I truly understood how good he had always been to me and just how much he cared, in his own quiet way."

Lin Xin’s tone softened, and his smile brightened, sincere and warm. "Now, we live in our own home, far away from the Han household. It’s quiet and peaceful."

"That" he said gently "is enough for me."

"As for the upper realm... I will need some time to think about it, Zhi Zun. There is much to consider, and I cannot rush such a decision lightly."

"Very well. Whatever choice you make, I will stand behind you without hesitation. After all, you saved my life this debt of gratitude is something I will never forget. I am already indebted to you, Lan Xin..." He paused briefly, then corrected himself with a faint chuckle. "Lin Xin."

He smiled faintly, eyes glinting with curiosity before asking "And how about you, Zhi Zun? How did you even manage to escape from the Upper Realm?"

Before Lin Xin could even finish forming his question, the soft creak of footsteps at the door interrupted him. Han Yan had just woken from his sleep. His hair was slightly tousled, and his robes were hastily thrown on over his body, evidence of the rush to leave his room.

His eyes were still heavy with sleep, lazy and half-lidded, yet when they fell on Lin Xin, a faint brightness returned to them, carrying a quiet, effortless charm that made him unexpectedly captivating even in his disheveled state. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Xin’er what are you doing here so late?"

His voice was calm, but the slight rasp of sleep hinted at just how abruptly he had risen from bed.

He stretched one shoulder lazily as he stepped further in, the movement smooth and natural betraying the quiet strength beneath his relaxed posture.

He glanced down at Lin Xin, who was sitting stiffly on the wooden floor, looking as though he had been caught red-handed.

The younger boy’s wide eyes and flushed cheeks reminded him of a startled rabbit, frozen in the moment of its mischief.

Han Yan’s lips quirked into the faintest smile, the kind that barely hinted at amusement, though his gaze softened as he took in Lin Xin’s sheepish expression.

Han Yan didn’t say anything at first. He just stared at Lin Xin, his half-lidded eyes taking in the smaller boy with a quiet curiosity. A faint frown tugged at his lips, as if he were deciding whether to scold or laugh, before his gaze shifted toward the source of the commotion.

The cat lounged in the bamboo basket, its golden eyes sharp and glinting. With a flick of its tail, Zhi Zun pretended not to like Lin Xin at all. In its mind, it spoke clearly to Han Yan.

"Come now, drive this annoying mere mortal away! He dares disturb the sleep of this great ancestor. Do something, or I shall be forced to act!"

Lin Xin quickly mirrored the cat’s careful performance, lowering his voice to a whisper sounding very wronged.

"Yan’ge... I just wanted to play with it" he said moving his hand deliberately toward the cat’s bald head. Every motion was perfectly timed with the cat’s staged reaction. As his fingers brushed the soft spot, the cat hissed sharply and swiped the air, feigning outrage with flawless precision.

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