Summer dawned early, with a cool breeze gently lifting the curtains into the room.
Bai Yu rose from the soft bed, dressed in a white tank top and shorts. The door creaked open slightly, and Xiao An, with vacant eyes and a neutral expression, peeked her head in and whispered softly, “Xiao Bai, it’s time for breakfast.”
“Uh, Xiao An, can you stop calling me Xiao Bai? That was the name of my hamster I had before,” Bai Yu said with a wry smile as he approached the door and ruffled Xiao An’s head.
Xiao An, the “Sailor Moon” who had followed Yi Yan before, had been revealed by Yi Yan as a puppet he’d created. Despite knowing this, Bai Yu couldn’t help but treat Xiao An as if she were a real person rather than a robot.
Xiao An quickly nodded in response to Bai Yu’s request. “Alright, Da Bai, it’s time for breakfast,” she said, then let go of the door handle and ran off to the dining room.
Bai Yu sighed and skillfully opened the door, walking to the table where Yi Yan, dressed neatly, smiled and gestured, flicking Xiao An’s forehead as she circled around him.
He placed a cup of hot milk in front of Bai Yu.
“Drink up. You might not have much of an appetite in the morning. I bought some congee and pickles downstairs. Feel free to help yourself from the shop fridge when you get hungry.”
“Mm.”
Bai Yu nodded and lowered his head to eat the congee, sneakily glancing at Yi Yan, who was eating quietly with a spoon.
It had been three days since their last conversation. Bai Yu had been staying at Yi Yan’s place for three days, and Yi Yan continued to take care of him just as before.
They were getting along so well that it almost felt like they were family, too well acquainted.
It wasn’t bad; it was just…
He felt Yi Yan treated him like a child, just like Xiao An. Bai Yu silently ate his congee, feeling something wasn’t quite right. Is this how love works?
Are you fooling me because I’m new to dating?
Sigh…
“Bai Yu,” Yi Yan suddenly called him.
Bai Yu, lost in his thoughts, looked up in confusion.
Yi Yan chuckled at Bai Yu’s dumbfounded expression, shaking his head. “In a couple of days, I’ll be heading to Qishan. There’s an extremely powerful creature there, a Drought Demon.”
“A Drought Demon!?” Bai Yu was nearly startled enough to drop his bowl at this bombshell. “Drought Demons are just legends, aren’t they?! How could one appear in the real world?”
Though there were zombies and some undead here, as well as some intentionally created walking corpses, a Drought Demon? Come on!
What harsh conditions, what perfect timing and circumstances, what sacrifices of countless lives and deep-seated grievances… If a Drought Demon truly existed, how did all of these conditions come about?!
Bai Yu muttered to himself, “War…”
“Yes, indeed, it’s war,” Yi Yan said, his expression turning appreciative.
He clasped his hands on the table, his usual smile vanishing, replaced by an unfamiliar coldness and grimness on his face that unsettled Bai Yu. “Since I discovered him, I’ve considered him the greatest obstacle under the rules. Whether it takes ten years or twenty, I won’t give up until he’s gotten rid of.”
Bai Yu: “…”
Yi Yan continued, “Can’t you understand?” He shook his head with a smile. “It’s alright if you can’t understand. After all, that’s my long-standing wish.”
“Twenty years ago, that Drought Demon already existed, but… heh heh. Let’s not talk about that for now. Honestly, the two beings you used to live with are even rarer than a Drought Demon. A Drought Demon is actually slightly inferior to them in comparison.”
“……”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Bai Yu recalled Wang Xiaomie, who cooked so much every day like a college roommate, and Wen Fengjin, who was somewhat aloof and distant but never showed any signs of ferocity.
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“Not only that, according to my investigation, there seems to be some kind of relationship between them.” Yi Yan smirked, his lips curling. “Didn’t they ever tell you?”
Seeing the confusion on Bai Yu’s face, he chuckled.
“Hehe, it seems they don’t trust you after all~”
The words were spoken in a light-hearted tone, yet carried a subtle hint of sarcasm.
Bai Yu’s fingers twitched slightly on the table. “It’s not like that. They’ve been very kind to me!”
“Hehe… monsters like that wouldn’t be so friendly to ordinary people unless they had some ulterior motive, or they simply find amusement in it.”
Bai Yu furrowed his brows, “But…”
“No need to say more,” Yi Yan interrupted him, releasing his clasped hands and resting his head on one hand, exerting invisible pressure on Bai Yu.
“I have another piece of bad news for you, Bai Yu. Teacher Bai Cheng’s last known location is there. A few days ago, I received replies from other craftsmen I hired…”
“To be honest, I didn’t want to tell you, Bai Yu.”
“Teacher Bai Cheng might have… died at the hands of that Drought Demon.”
“……”
The honest and youthful face, now covered in cold sweat and fear, showed deep sorrow as tears fell down his cheeks.
Xiao An sat on the chair, staring at them in incomprehension.
The air slowly thickened with an awkward tension as Yi Yan, with a stern face, watched him in silence for a while.
The young man on the other side cried harder and harder.
Yi Yan suddenly sighed, the icy demeanor and pressure shattering and dissipating.
Reaching across the table, Yi Yan gently stroked Bai Yu’s cheek.
His slightly darker-than-normal skin was healthy and full of youthful elasticity. His fair palm glided over Bai Yu’s face, wiping away the damp tears, leaving no trace of moisture on his fingertips.
“Forget it…” He didn’t know whom he was speaking to as he let out a weak sigh. “Forget it…”
Standing up, he moved beside Bai Yu and comforted the silently weeping young man, pressing him against his chest. A faint smile appeared on his face again, tinged with a hint of indescribable frustration.
“My grandfather… really won’t come back?” Bai Yu clung to his clothes, choking back sobs.
Yi Yan closed his eyes.
“Yes, he won’t come back. He can’t come back.”
“Waah…”
“Don’t dwell on it. Those matters are for me to handle, and only me.” Yi Yan whispered, “I was foolish to say these things to you. Just live the life you enjoy… My only…”
“Your only what?” Bai Yu lifted his head from Yi Yan’s embrace, unable to hear clearly.
Yi Yan shook his head, embracing him once more.
“It’s nothing.”
… … …
In the depths of the tomb, Wang Xiaomie took a cloth and crouched by the river built underground, while Wen Fengjin stood behind him.
In the river, the blood-red giant lizard and several other large monsters roared noisily, gnashing their teeth and clawing at each other, causing the underground river to overflow with water, constantly splashing against the stone slabs.
Although they looked fierce, they were actually like lion cubs playing under the protection of a pride, just playing around.
Mu Shi, the soft and jelly-like creature, was thrown into the air by someone and flew towards the shore. Water droplets splashed in the air, and Wen Fengjin, with an expressionless face, raised his arm and caught it effortlessly.
‘Boing~’ The jelly-like creature bounced a few times against his pointed fingers due to inertia, then was thrown down. Wang Xiaomie, who was crouching, didn’t even look back. He reached out his hand, grabbed the soft creature, and wiped it with a cloth.
“Jiji~”
Mu Shi made strange laughing sounds and rolled on Wang Xiaomie’s knee like a spoiled baby.
In the next moment, another small monster flew out of the water. Wen Fengjin caught it with a cold and disdainful expression, then shook off the water and glanced down at Wang Xiaomie, who was squatting on the ground.
Wang. Mama. Xiaomie twitched his mouth and put Mu Shi down on the ground. He took the cloth and proceeded to wipe the new small monster. Mu Shi scampered back to the river with a “jijiji,” diving in again.
With water splashing all over his face, Wang Xiaomie: “…”
Unfilial son!
“Hehe…”
Amused by his reaction, Wen Fengjin chuckled, but the next moment, his face was covered by a wet cloth, making a loud “smack” sound that sounded painful!
Wen Fengjin: “…”
Putting the small creature down on the ground, Wang Xiaomie sighed as he saw it join the playfulness again. He stood up, feeling the bitter herbal scent coming from behind him. Wang Xiaomie closed his eyes and leaned against it.
Firm and broad, oh yeah, top marks for these pecs.
“What’s wrong with you lately? Why do you look so awful?”
Wang Xiaomie could feel the man behind him sniffing his hair with his nose, probably with a pleased expression, considering the soft sensation of lips touching his head repeatedly.
Mischievous ‘kids,’ a headache-inducing partner, friends he could talk to.
All of this was what Wang Xiaomie, who had experienced two lifetimes, had been constantly pursuing. Since the day An Xie and Wen Fengjin mentioned something about Yi Yan to him, Wang Xiaomie had been thinking.
Are humans inherently greedy creatures?
When they get what they like, they feel joy, and to maintain that joy, they hold onto what they like tightly. And to hold onto it tightly, they constantly seize and fight for it, not caring about hurting others in the process.
Just as Yi Yan was to the ‘others,’ Wen Fengjin was to him, and he was to — the happiness right in front of him.
With the appearance of a gentleman, as noble as jade, wearing a crimson robe with black hair cascading down, Wang Xiaomie was extremely handsome. Wen Fengjin was fascinated and immersed in this sight. So, when that face, which always appeared spirited and gentle in his memories, revealed a darker side, it was equally heart-pounding.
“I’ve had a bad feeling all along.”
“This is the first time in all these years that I’ve had such a strong premonition of imminent death.”
Wen Fengjin paused his kissing motion, then smirked, his elongated pupils containing the same smile. “Are you worried about me, Shixiong? I’m very happy.”
Wang Xiaomie shook his head, casting a sidelong glance at him.
“Fengjin.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you going to die?”
“…”
Wang Xiaomie half-closed his eyes, lowering his head. His fingers caught Wen Fengjin’s silver hair hanging down from his shoulder, and he twirled it around his slender finger a few times.
“I’ve been thinking these past few days. If you knew Yi Yan’s true identity, knew he had planned this beforehand, and knew An Xie… did you and An Xie make some kind of agreement that you didn’t tell me about?”
“Hehehe…” Wen Fengjin chuckled softly, bending down to bite Wang Xiaomie’s ear. “Your sharpness today is scaring me, Shixiong.”
“Stop fooling around!”
Wang Xiaomie sighed, his expression darkening. He turned around and grabbed Wen Fengjin’s long hair, looking into the man’s surprised and widened eyes, and said each word distinctly:
“No matter how weak or ordinary a person is, when their bottom line is crossed, they become ruthless and unyielding!”
“I’m the same way, do you understand?!”
“Fengjin, kill Yi Yan.”
“…” Wen Fengjin’s elongated pupils contracted.
Wang Xiaomie’s face bore an indifference even he hadn’t realized, as he continued, “If he really wants us dead, then we have no choice but to kill him.”
He had everything in the underground palace, he had a ‘family,’ and he didn’t want to die.
He also wanted to adhere to the principle of not initiating conflicts, but if the other party had long planned to take away his happiness, then he could only ask them to go die!
As the cold and ruthless words left his mouth, Wen Fengjin’s elongated pupils seemed to ignite flames, reflecting the figure that seemed to draw a sword from its sheath, revealing a glint of steel—
The end of gentleness could be so cruelly beautiful—
Wen Fengjin gasped for breath, his hand trembling, and the next moment, he fiercely pulled Wang Xiaomie into his chest!
“Oof!” Wang Xiaomie winced from the tight grip, scowling as he pushed him away. “Hey! What are you doing!”
“Let me hold you for a while—Shixiong—Mian Deng shixiong—”
He was too excited and overwhelmed. The gentle mask couldn’t conceal his crazed and manic gaze, nor the constant tugging at his lips. He could only tightly hold Wang Xiaomie’s head against his shoulder.
Tainted…
He sniffed the fragrance on the black hair.
He’s finally tainted…
He had dyed his shixiong into his own appearance!
Sigh….