“It’s not a ploy to make you pity me. I just feel so happy.” Zhuxi lowered his eyes and looked at Lanxing. “Master…”
Lanxing lay on his back, his long black hair spread out like silk. It was damp with sweat, and the fragrance of pear blossoms drifted from him.
He was truly a feast for the eyes.
A dark glint flashed through Zhuxi’s eyes, but his tone and expression remained as reverent as someone worshipping a god.
“I can’t believe I’ve really married Master. It feels just like a dream.”
“Huai Xi said I was committing a grave offense, that I was shamelessly harboring feelings for my own master. He said that if Master ever found out, you would surely abandon me. So I hid my feelings away, never daring to let you know.”
“I originally thought that as long as I could stay by Master’s side every day, that would be enough. But when Master left me behind, I was in so much pain. When Master was reborn, I was overjoyed, but I was also constantly uneasy. Fear tormented me every moment. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to activate the Annihilation Formation before Master recognized me.”
“I thought I’d never have the chance to stand beside Master in this lifetime.” Zhuxi’s eyes were bloodshot, and his voice choked with emotion. “But I never imagined that one day Master and I would love each other. I… I just can’t believe it.”
Zhuxi lowered his head and kissed the corners of Xi Yu’s lips and his face, like a puppy seeking affection.
“I’m just too insecure. I wanted so badly to use this way of making sure Master was really by my side. If Master doesn’t want this, then I…”
“Stop talking.” Lanxing trembled as he closed his eyes, almost as though surrendering to fate, and finally loosened his grip. “You… go ahead.”
Damn it all! What kind of fate had he been dealt?!
He knew perfectly well that Zhuxi had ulterior motives. The boy kept talking about how wronged and heartbroken he was, yet his hand, slick with ointment, hadn’t moved even once.
But there was nothing he could do. He was completely helpless.
The slightest hint of sadness from Zhuxi was enough to leave him utterly powerless.
He couldn’t bring himself to be hard-hearted. So even knowing these were all Zhuxi’s tactics, he still wanted to indulge him.
Zhuxi bit his lip and moved Lanxing’s arm away from his eyes.
Lanxing was a little annoyed. “What do you want?!”
Zhuxi’s lips drooped as he spoke softly. “I want to look at Master.”
He had already gotten everything he wanted, yet he still wore that utterly aggrieved expression.
Lanxing stared at him expressionlessly, each word seeming to be squeezed out through clenched teeth.
“Don’t push your luck.”
Perhaps because their wedding night was turning out so differently from what he had imagined, Xi Yu was flushed from head to toe with embarrassment. He had always been strong and fearless, but at that moment, Zhuxi could sense a faint trace of unease in Lanxing’s eyes.
Ever since Zhuxi had entered Lanxing Hall, Master had always been dignified and composed, steady and self-possessed. Those eyes, like precious colored glass, had never once revealed even the slightest hint of uncertainty.
But now, he was uneasy.
Zhuxi bent down and gently kissed the area beside his ear.
“Don’t be afraid, Master.”
Lanxing replied, “I’m not afraid!”
“Mhm, mhm, I know.” Zhuxi’s voice was tender as he coaxed him. “I love you, Master. I love you so much.”
Lanxing paused. His tone softened.
“I know.”
There were many things in this world filled with uncertainty, but one thing was certain.
Zhuxi loved him.
“Master, I love you.” Zhuxi repeated the words, kissing the corner of Lanxing’s lips as he spoke.
Lanxing’s eyelashes trembled.
“I know.”
Zhuxi: …
All his movements stopped. He pressed his lips together and looked at Xi Yu before saying again, “Master, I. Love. You!”
Lanxing frowned. “I know. I kn—”
Lanxing’s words suddenly caught in his throat. Looking at Zhuxi’s dissatisfied expression, he hesitated.
“I… I love you too?”
Only then was Zhuxi finally satisfied. He captured Xi Yu’s lips in a kiss.
“Master—your disciple will make sure you’re satisfied on this wedding night.”
……
There was no distinction between day and night inside Lanxing Hall. The candlelight flickered, and one red candle after another burned down.
No one knew how much time had passed. After a hoarse, broken curse that was barely recognizable as speech, a slender, jade-white hand reached out from beneath the bed curtains and dangled limply.
But soon, another large hand appeared, clasped that hand, and slowly dragged its owner back beneath the curtains.
Through the layered red gauze, only the vague silhouettes of two intertwined figures could be seen.
Outside Lanxing Hall, a red pear blossom bloomed on a branch. A small purple snake coiled around the flower, its scarlet tongue flickering inside the blossom’s heart.
A drop of nectar gathered in the center of the red pear blossom. Perhaps it was too heavy, for the flower trembled beneath its weight. The honey-like liquid slid off the petals and fell to the ground. Yet the little purple snake only tightened its coils around the blossom, as though trying to squeeze out even more nectar.
……
When Xi Yu opened his eyes, he felt as though every bone and meridian in his body had been broken apart and put back together again.
He stared blankly at the ceiling.
Oh. It was a crystal chandelier.
The curtains were parted slightly, allowing sunlight to slip through the gap. Even without going outside, he could tell it was a beautiful day.
The bed beside him was already empty.
Xi Yu lay there for a while before finally moving. He hissed in pain, held his lower back, and limped out of bed. With a blank expression, he washed up, then stared resentfully at the red, blue, and purple marks scattered across his body in the mirror.
The moment Lu Zhixing pushed open the door, he saw Xi Yu wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. His waist was slender. His face was splashed with water, the strands of hair over his forehead were damp, and his eyes were a little swollen. Marks of varying shades covered his body, even reaching his ankles.
He looked as though he had suffered some utterly inhumane abuse.
Lu Zhixing looked Xi Yu up and down, and his gaze gradually darkened.
After drying his face with a towel, Xi Yu suddenly flung the half-damp towel at Lu Zhixing. Then he walked out slowly without even sparing him a glance.
His soul hadn’t even finished healing, but his memories had already returned in full.
Lu Zhixing squeezed the towel in his hand and held it beneath his nose to smell it.
It smelled wonderful.
*
Xi Yu rummaged through the wardrobe for quite a while before finally finding a turtleneck sweater. With his spiritual power protecting him, he rarely wore particularly thick clothes. Most of the time, he preferred lightweight shirts, perhaps adding a coat in winter.
The only turtleneck he managed to dig out was bright red.
Xi Yu hesitated for three seconds between letting someone see the marks on his body and wearing something so conspicuously red. In the end, he pulled the red sweater over his head with a face full of despair.
By the time Lu Zhixing followed him over, Xi Yu had just finished changing.
Lu Zhixing paused when he saw him, then praised, “Master, you look good in red.”
Xi Yu had fair skin. The loose red sweater covered part of his chin, making his eyes look even brighter, dark and lustrous beneath thick, crow-black lashes.
Lu Zhixing thought he looked delicate and charming.
But he didn’t dare say that aloud, because he’d already made Xi Yu furious.
Lu Zhixing also thought he’d gone too far the night before. But he genuinely hadn’t been able to control himself.
When Master had scolded him through tear-filled eyes and slapped him, he’d felt both overwhelmed with pleasure and excited.
Master simply didn’t understand how to punish him. All he ever did was reward him!
“Master.” Lu Zhixing followed closely behind Xi Yu. “I’ve already packed everything. When are we leaving?”
Xi Yu stopped walking. “Leaving for where?”
Lu Zhixing was momentarily at a loss for words. “Didn’t we agree to go on our honeymoon today?”
“When did I agree to that?” Xi Yu glanced sideways at him, a faint, mocking smile on his face. “Wasn’t it someone else who agreed?”
Xi Yu placed particular emphasis on the words someone else, his tone already sounding almost gritted through clenched teeth.
Lu Zhixing smiled guiltily. “Who else could there be? It’s all me, isn’t it—”
Xi Yu gave a cold laugh. “Then what were you doing last night? Putting on a performance for me?”
The honeymoon trip had been arranged long ago. It had even been Lu Zhixing’s suggestion, and the plane tickets had already been purchased. They were supposed to leave today.
Xi Yu hadn’t particularly wanted to travel somewhere full of people with pale skin and blue eyes, but Lu Zhixing had been determined to go. Since it was only about half a month, Xi Yu had eventually agreed to indulge him.
Or rather, Xi Yu hadn’t expressed much of an opinion about the wedding at all. The little details—the flowers, the styles of their clothes, the color of the invitations, even the dishes on the menu—had all been personally arranged by Lu Zhixing.
Oh, except for the wedding rings. When they had discussed the rings, Lu Zhixing had said they weren’t necessary because he already had the black jade ring on his hand.
Even the amnesiac Lu Zhixing had recognized that the ring he always wore was special, so he hadn’t insisted on having a wedding ring.
Xi Yu had sighed more than once over how considerate Lu Zhixing was. He had never imagined that this very thoughtfulness would be used against him the previous night, leaving him utterly defeated.
The amnesiac Lu Zhixing had been jealous of himself. The Zhuxi who had regained his memories was no less jealous.
‘Master, do you like today’s wedding outfit? Do you prefer the one you wore during the day, or the one your disciple just took off?’
‘Master, the snowman you made was so beautiful. You never made one like that for your disciple before.’
‘If I hadn’t regained my memories, would someone else have been the one enjoying such happiness with Master today?’
‘Master speaks so harshly to your disciple, yet you indulge someone else in every possible way. Your disciple is truly heartbroken.’
‘Master, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you dissatisfied with your disciple?’
Wicked!
Absolutely wicked!
Just thinking about what Lu Zhixing had said the previous night made Xi Yu’s face burn with embarrassment. Yet at the time, his consciousness had been muddled. He had genuinely believed Lu Zhixing was upset, and even when he could barely lift his hands, he had still been trying to comfort him.
‘I like the one you chose, because you’re the one I like best.’
‘There is no snow in the Nine Heavens. If you want it, I’ll make it snow for you. Whatever you want, I’ll do it for you.’
……
And so on. There had been countless such replies.
Later, he had stopped speaking because his brain had practically been worn out.
And he’d been enjoying himself? Exactly what part of it had been enjoyable?!
When Xi Yu eventually stopped talking, whether he cursed, hit, or bit him, he discovered that the brat only became more excited.
Xi Yu had rarely been pushed to such extremes. His disciple was disobedient—clearly, he’d been too lenient with him.
Xi Yu shot Lu Zhixing a haughty, icy glare and prepared to go downstairs. But as soon as he moved, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.
Xi Yu raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Master, I left something behind in the Nine Heavens. I need you to accompany me to retrieve it.”
Xi Yu paused. “What could possibly be so important that it can’t wait until our time in the mortal world is over?”
By over, Xi Yu meant waiting until both their families’ parents had lived out their natural lifespans.