Hearing this, Sang Biao bit down on the ham, then raised one leg and was about to kick Xiaoyu when Xiaohua quickly blocked him.
“You’re doing it again!” Xiaoyu stomped her foot. “When the Holy Son comes back, I’m definitely going to make him spank you!”
With that, Xiaoyu used her free hand to dust the little cat pawprints off Xiaohua’s clothes.
Two tiny pawprints stood out particularly clearly against Xiaohua’s black clothes.
Xiaohua didn’t seem to care much. He took Xiaoyu’s hand and said, “Enough. I’m fine.”
That whistle from Xiaoyu had been quite loud. Luo Cheng’an quietly opened the door, looking somewhat wary and nervous. When he saw Xi Yu, his eyes lit up. He scampered over to him, his gaze following Xi Yu toward Xiaoyu and Xiaohua.
“Hey, you guys are here again.”
Xiaoyu giggled. The silver ornaments around her neck clinked together as she walked, making her look particularly playful.
“My brother and I came to bring you guys some food.”
The sun had already set inside Wutong Stronghold. Hearing this, Luo Cheng’an exclaimed in surprise, “I thought there wouldn’t be anything to eat here. That’s great!”
They had set out in the morning. By the time they passed the Heart-Probing Stone, it was already past noon, and now it was sunset, with the sky glowing like molten gold.
Xi Yu himself wouldn’t get hungry. Perhaps in the past he had still needed to eat a little, but ever since Liuyun returned, he no longer felt hunger and didn’t need to eat anymore. He had completely forgotten that Luo Cheng’an and Lu Zhixing still needed food.
After being tossed around all day like this…
Normal people would be hungry.
“I don’t know what you like, so just make do with this for today,” Xiaoyu asked. “Do you want to eat in the room or go to the main hall?”
Luo Cheng’an took the food boxes from Xiaoyu and Xiaohua. “Let’s eat in my room. I’m too lazy to walk.”
“Okay, then we won’t bother you.” Xiaoyu said this and pulled Xiaohua along to leave.
Xiaohua let Xiaoyu pull him away. He turned his head to look at Xi Yu, blinked, then quickly turned back around. But the confusion in his eyes was even deeper than it had been that morning.
Luo Cheng’an arranged the dishes on the table in the room.
“This is actually pretty elaborate. I was already planning to just eat something casually.”
There was steamed sea bass, steamed pork ribs with rice flour, stir-fried lotus root slices, assorted shrimp, and an aromatic black-boned chicken soup.
It really was quite a feast.
As Luo Cheng’an spoke, he handed Xi Yu a pair of chopsticks and was about to sit down.
Xi Yu glanced at him lazily.
“Go wash your hands.”
“Oh, oh. I’ll go right now.”
“I’ll go too,” Xi Yu said.
There was a small door at the back of the room. When opened, it revealed running water flowing out from a section of bamboo, like a perpetually running faucet.
Xi Yu washed his hands leisurely, occasionally glancing at Luo Cheng’an.
Luo Cheng’an shook the water from his hands and eagerly ran back to the dining table.
Xi Yu followed behind him. Seeing that Luo Cheng’an had already sat down, he cleared his throat and spoke somewhat awkwardly.
“Go call Lu Zhixing.”
Hearing this, Luo Cheng’an slapped his forehead.
“Right, right, Lu-ge too. I’m so hungry I completely forgot about him.”
As he spoke, Luo Cheng’an ran outside.
Xi Yu sat at the table, waiting boredly.
When he heard footsteps, he looked up.
Lu Zhixing followed behind Luo Cheng’an. Water was still dripping from his fingertips, and his face was still somewhat pale, making his lips appear even more vividly red.
Lu Zhixing’s lips were still very red.
Xi Yu had rubbed them red.
At the time, he had been angry, so he hadn’t held back. Now that his anger had faded somewhat, however, a trace of regret had surfaced.
After all, Lu Zhixing was his disciple. Naturally, he felt sorry for him.
Xi Yu had originally wanted to say something to Lu Zhixing to make peace, but from the moment Lu Zhixing entered the room, his gaze never once landed on Xi Yu.
So Xi Yu gave up on the idea.
The meal was extremely quiet. Even Luo Cheng’an barely said anything.
Perhaps he was simply too hungry. He kept eating without stopping, practically devouring the food.
Lu Zhixing stopped after eating a few bites, and Xi Yu didn’t have much appetite either.
“Brothers, eat,” Luo Cheng’an said, pointing at the table full of dishes. “It’s really good. Even better than what Aunt Zhang makes.”
Xi Yu shook his head. Seeing that Lu Zhixing continued to keep his eyes lowered, he found it pointless and stood up.
“I’m full. I’m leaving first.”
Lu Zhixing put down his chopsticks.
“I’m full too.”
The two left the room one after the other.
Luo Cheng’an’s chewing slowed. After a while, he let out a mocking laugh.
Lu Zhixing had actually gotten angry with Xi Yu.
Now that was something he never thought he’d live to see.
Xi Yu walked to his own door. Lu Zhixing followed behind him, still needing to walk a few more steps before reaching his own room.
Xi Yu’s hand paused on the door.
He noticed that Lu Zhixing’s footsteps had not stopped for even a moment.
A faint chill appeared in his eyes. He opened the door, then closed it.
Only after hearing the sound did Lu Zhixing stop walking.
He turned his head toward Xi Yu’s door. His expression was gloomy, as if covered in layer upon layer of ice.
There was another door inside the room. Behind it was a small room, with a screen shielding a hot spring pool.
Xi Yu soaked in the hot spring and felt that this room was actually more comfortable than some high-tech facilities.
The air circulated freely, the scenery was pleasant, and washing up was convenient.
The hot spring was constantly supplied with fresh running water.
Xi Yu rested his head against the edge. His thin blue-green sleeping clothes clung to his body, outlining his supple waist. His exquisite face had been warmed into a faint flush by the hot water.
Only then did he emerge from the hot spring.
His jade-white feet stepped onto the bluestone floor, leaving darkened marks.
As he walked, the moisture on his body evaporated. His damp sleeping clothes had already dried completely and no longer clung to his skin, becoming smooth and soft instead.
Xi Yu sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze faintly fixed on the wall.
Luo Cheng’an and Lu Zhixing’s luggage was both here.
While bathing, he remembered that he had already sent Luo Cheng’an’s luggage over.
As for Lu Zhixing’s…
Xi Yu looked toward the half-closed door.
He wanted Lu Zhixing to come get it himself.
Xi Yu lowered the bed curtains and closed his eyes.
When the moon rose above the treetops and all sounds had fallen silent, the wooden door creaked.
The corners of Xi Yu’s lips curved slightly.
Since Lu Zhixing came, I suppose I’ll comfort him a little.
With that thought, Xi Yu propped himself up on one elbow and lifted the bed curtains.
………………………………..
And then…
He met a pair of furtive eyes.
Sang Biao poked his head through the crack in the door. His amber eyes darted around, and even after being discovered, he showed not the slightest bit of guilt.
He twisted his chubby body and swaggered into the room, then sprang onto the bed and flopped directly into Xi Yu’s arms.
“Human, this Great King has come to protect you.”
“Oh.” Xi Yu expressionlessly lay back down and perfunctorily said, “Then thank you very much.”
Sang Biao curled up in Xi Yu’s arms, purring contentedly as he closed his eyes.
Xi Yu frowned.
“Why do you keep making that noise?”
Sang Biao clung to Xi Yu’s arm. Upon hearing this, he immediately stopped making the sound and said awkwardly, “Human, don’t ask about things you shouldn’t ask about.”
Fine.
Xi Yu closed his eyes.
The temperature inside Wutong Stronghold was neither cold nor hot, sitting at a very comfortable level.
Xi Yu pulled the blanket over himself from the chest down, making sure the Sang Biao curled up in his arms wouldn’t be covered by it.
Sang Biao was a furry little ball, and Xi Yu felt somewhat hot with him there. Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, he simply found something to talk about.
“Great King, has your tail ever been injured?”
Sang Biao rubbed against Xi Yu’s arm and answered unconcernedly, “A hyena bit it off. Hmph, those pieces of trash. More than a dozen hyenas weren’t a match for this Great King. I only lost a section of my tail, while those hyenas were beaten until they were scrambling and rolling away.”
It would never tell this man, whose entire body was filled with spiritual power, that the Holy Son had rescued him from the hyenas.
Its brave and mighty image could not be shaken.
But this feels so good~
This person is really comfortable~
Lying in his arms was warm, and he even got scratched.
Sang Biao couldn’t help purring again.
Xi Yu scratched Sang Biao absentmindedly, figuring out that it kept making that sound because it was comfortable.
Xi Yu didn’t speak again. He waited until Sang Biao fell asleep before the purring finally stopped. He lowered his hand, his eyes never opening.
He didn’t hear any other sounds either.
It was already deep into the night, yet Lu Zhixing still hadn’t come over.
He’s really determined not to come. He doesn’t even want his clothes.
Xi Yu felt somewhat irritated. He simply stopped thinking about him and settled down to sleep.
Half-asleep, he heard footsteps inside the room.
Xi Yu’s eyelashes trembled faintly.
Under the weak light, a pale wrist reached inside the bed curtains.
An increasingly dense spiritual power began to spill across the bed.
Xi Yu suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. He grabbed that slender wrist and pulled hard.
A white figure stumbled into the bed curtains.
Spiritual power and a fragrant scent surged toward him at the same time, and only then did Xi Yu clearly see the person’s face.
He was dressed entirely in white, with long ink-black hair falling down, creating a stark contrast against his pale skin. Yet it did nothing to diminish the delicate beauty of his features.
Even though he was looking somewhat flustered as he faced Xi Yu, he was still beautiful enough to look as though he had stepped straight out of a painting.
Xi Yu blinked and slowly said, “I never would have imagined that the Holy Son has a habit of sneaking into other people’s rooms at night.”
At this hour, carrying spiritual power more concentrated than anyone else’s, Xi Yu couldn’t think of anyone other than the Holy Son who was currently in seclusion.
This Holy Son was the only living person Xi Yu had seen since coming here.
A true human being, with a heartbeat and breathing.
The people he had seen at the stalls today had no breath. They were merely maintaining human forms with a strand of spiritual power.
“Just call me Fu Ye. I’m sorry, I mean no harm.”
Fu Ye pressed his lips together, looking somewhat embarrassed. He pointed at Sang Biao.
“I only came to pick up my cat.”
Sang Biao was sleeping like a pig. Even with such a commotion, all he did was roll over and lie across Xi Yu’s legs, his mouth slightly open and a section of his pink little tongue sticking out.
Xi Yu released his hand.
He had just been about to pat Sang Biao on the butt to wake him up when Fu Ye caught his wrist.
“Don’t wake him. He gets grumpy when he wakes up. If he’s disturbed, he’ll throw a tantrum.”
Xi Yu moved his hand away.
“You came to get him. Won’t you wake him up anyway?”
“Normally, no. I move very quietly, and he sleeps very deeply.”
After saying this, Fu Ye bent down to reach for the Sang Biao lying on Xi Yu’s legs.
His movements really were extremely gentle. Even when he accidentally brushed against Xi Yu’s fingertips, the touch was as light as a feather.