The boy sat up and felt a resistance on the hem of his clothes.

In his sleep, Xie Shuci tightly gripped the hem of his clothes. Perhaps sensing his movement to get up, she thought the boy was about to leave, and she frowned anxiously, clutching the hem of his clothes even tighter.

Xie An lowered his eyes, his empty gaze settling precisely on Xie Shuci's face.

Xie Shuci didn't sleep well; he was in an uncomfortable position and had nightmares.

Because she had cried not long ago, the redness in the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose had not completely faded. A few strands of her slightly damp, dark hair fell across her face, like a stroke of rich ink on a white sheet of paper, making her features stand out even more.

Xie Shuci rested her head in the crook of her arm, and on the skin where her neck connected to her collarbone, there were still red marks left from when she rubbed against Xie An, making her look both fragile and ambiguous.

Xie An's breathing was a little heavy. He wrapped Xie Shuci's hand, which was gripping the hem of his clothes, and gently pried open his warm fingers one by one. His forceful movements were tinged with a barely perceptible care.

Whoever ignites the desire should naturally be held responsible.

In Xie An's past, there was never anything that required patience.

Xie An grasped Xie Shuci's right hand, lifted the quilt, and placed that hand on his own body.

Xie Shuci's empty palm was filled with residual warmth, and he subconsciously tightened his fingers.

Xie An paused, a look on his face that was hard to tell whether it was pleasure or pain.

He reached his hand to Xie Shuci's lips, his gentle breath falling on his fingertips. He lightly brushed Xie Shuci's slightly parted lips with his fingertip, but Xie Shuci did not react.

He suddenly rubbed it hard.

Xie Shuci's breathing became erratic, he wrinkled his nose, and his palm suddenly clenched.

"Smack!"

Xie An's face turned pale, and he slapped Xie Shuci's hand hard.

Xie Shuci shuddered in pain, pouted, and pulled her hand back in a wronged manner.

Xie Shuci was always a deep sleeper and couldn't distinguish between reality and dreams. He probably thought he was still dreaming, and let out a soft sob, but he hadn't woken up yet.

Xie An took a deep breath and pulled up Xie Shuci's withdrawn hand.

His skin was so fair that it was easy to leave a mark if touched. After being slapped so hard, the skin on the back of his hand immediately turned red.

Xie An gently rubbed the marks on the back of his hand with his thumb; the red marks deepened in color under his caresses.

Xie Shuci had really forgotten the pain once the wound healed. He was timid and frightened, afraid of being alone, so when he felt the heat source, he subconsciously wanted to grasp it in his palm.

Xie An let him hold one of his fingers, making no other move, and gradually suppressed the desire in his heart.

—If you're so timid, why do you dare keep me by your side?

Xie Shuci slept very uncomfortably!

When he regained consciousness, he felt pain all over his body. He opened his eyes and stared at the bed curtains for a long time. They seemed different from what he had seen yesterday. They were much farther away, and the mattress beneath him was not soft. He was covered with a corner of a blanket, which had fallen off the bed.

After a few breaths, Xie Shuci came to his senses.

Damn, he slept on the ground all night!

"Hiss." Xie Shuci moved his arm, trying to sit up, but as soon as he moved his neck, it felt like it was about to break.

"Knock knock—"

Suddenly, the sound of fingers tapping on the side of the bed came from above.

Xie Shuci frowned, enduring the soreness all over her body as she sat up. She saw Xie An leaning against the headboard in his undergarments, probably sensing the movement below and trying to elicit a response from Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci also tapped the headboard twice with his hand to let Xie An know that he was right next to him.

Xie An probably didn't get out of bed after waking up, unaware that Xie Shuci had slept on the floor all night. He thought Xie Shuci was standing next to him, so he reached out and tried to grab him in mid-air, but couldn't reach him.

Xie Shuci rolled her eyes and muttered, "I'm on the ground."

Xie An couldn't hear anything and hadn't caught Xie Shuci, so he frowned slightly. He lifted a corner of the quilt, intending to get off the bed. Xie Shuci's eyes widened immediately when he saw this. If he got off, he would have to step on him, so he sprang up with a jolt, grimacing in pain as he grabbed Xie An's hand.

"Damn it, I'll have to get the old doctor to massage me again later. What kind of mess is this?" Xie Shuci complained in a low voice.

"I was asleep last night. When did you go back?" Xie An asked silently, taking Xie Shuci's hand and pulling him to sit on the edge of the bed.

Xie Shuci dusted off his clothes before sitting down.

He patted Xie An on the shoulder, gesturing for him to move over a bit. Xie An moved over a little, and Xie Shuci immediately lay down, sighing as he remarked that it was still most comfortable to sleep in bed.

Xie An thought he hadn't seen what he was saying, so he repeated himself.

Xie Shuci grabbed his hand and pressed it to her lips, saying, "I'll go back once you're asleep."

Xie An smiled and asked, "How did you sleep?"

Xie Shuci said with a forced smile, "I slept very well and was completely unaffected."

Xie An's smile deepened. "That's good."

Xie Shuci didn't lie down for long. He was still thinking about what happened last night. After washing up with Xie An, they went to the lobby of the inn.

They came down from the attic and were surprised to find that there were only a few hotel guests in the lobby, and the main door was not even open.

"Brother Xiaoci, what would you like to eat?" Adong ran over to the two of them from behind the counter.

Xie Shuci led Xie An to a seat and asked curiously, "Why isn't the door open? Where's your father?"

A-Dong sat down next to Xie Shuci and generously stuffed the little windmill in his hand into Xie An's hand. During this time, he came to play with Xie Shuci and felt that Brother Xie An was too pitiful all alone. When he played with Brother Xiaoci, he would give his favorite toys to Brother Xie An.

Xie An was used to it. He took the windmill and used his round, slender index finger to turn it, making him seem less out of place with his surroundings.

Ah Dong rested his chin on his hand, his little brows furrowed in distress, and said, "Just half an hour ago, a brother surnamed Li came by. He said that the monster escaped last night and is still hiding in our town. All the shops should stay closed today, and they need to catch the monster as soon as possible."

"The monster escaped?" Xie Shuci raised his voice. "What is Li Song doing? How come he can't even catch a monster? He's still a young master."

A-Dong glanced at him. "Brother Xiao Ci, aren't you a cultivator too? Why don't you go help catch the monsters?"

Xie Shuci's face froze. He was supposed to catch a monster? Not to mention that he had no cultivation, even if he had a higher cultivation, he would probably be scared to death if he saw a monster, let alone take action.

"Cough..." Xie Shuci coughed dryly, covering his mouth, and said vaguely, "That's just a little demon, it's not my turn to make a move. If I were to make a move," he spread out a clean white palm and gestured in front of A Dong, "without making a single move, that demon would have to kneel down in front of me and beg for mercy.

Xie An was fiddling with the small windmill, looking quite pleased, and he smiled for no apparent reason.

"Wow, really?" A-Dong's eyes lit up instantly, looking at Xie Shuci with adoration.

Xie Shuci felt no guilt whatsoever for deceiving a child. On the contrary, he was quite pleased with the admiring look in his eyes. He imitated the heroes on TV, put one leg on the stool, and took a big gulp of wine. Hiss... So spicy!

Xie Shuci had no idea that there was real wine on the table. His throat was burning, but he didn't show it at all. He wiped his mouth with feigned composure, raised his chin, and said, "Of course it's real. A man never lies to another man."

"Then why were you expelled from the sect?" A-Dong asked, puzzled.

Xie Shuci, without batting an eye, said mysteriously, "Adong, do you know what kind of person qualifies as a great hero?"

A-Dong shook his head in confusion.

Xie Shuci said, "Great heroes are like the wind, coming and going without any attachments. Think about it, a great hero has no fixed abode. Today he goes here to uphold justice, tomorrow he goes there to uphold justice. He goes wherever he is needed. That's what a great hero is! So I did it on purpose."

"Wow!" A-Dong raised his little hand and waved it twice in the air. "I want to be a hero too! A-Dong wants to be a hero too!"

“No way.” Xie Shuci said with a stern face, “Great heroes should be as powerful and brave as me. Adong, you are too weak right now.”

Ah Dong's expression gradually turned dejected, his eyes filled with tears. He sniffed and said, "I know I'm different from Brother Xiao Ci. I can't be a cultivator. But Ah Dong also wants to be a great hero."

"Don't cry, don't cry." Xie Shuci panicked immediately. He wiped A Dong's face, snatched the windmill from Xie An's hand, and stuffed it back into A Dong's arms.

Xie An paused for a moment, "..."

"A real man doesn't cry!" Xie Shuci bent his index finger and tapped the table with his knuckle.

He spoke with righteous indignation, thankfully Ah Dong didn't see him crying like a baby last night.

Ah Dong immediately pouted, holding back his tears.

Xie Shuci finally felt a little guilty and said in a serious tone, "Adong, it's not only cultivators who can be heroes, nor is it only heroes who can uphold justice. Do you only want to be a hero, or do you want to uphold justice?"

A-Dong frowned and thought for a moment, "I want to be a chivalrous hero and uphold justice."

"That means you want to be a chivalrous hero. If you can't become a cultivator, you can help people in need in other ways. You can work hard to earn money, become a doctor, or a teacher. There are many people who are better than chivalrous heroes."

Ah Dong was confused by what he said and habitually agreed with him, thus being fooled.

A short while later, the shopkeeper came over, and Xie Shuci asked about what had happened last night.

The shopkeeper glanced at Xie An beside him. Although he didn't say anything, he seemed to be somewhat wary of Xie An.

Xie Shuci, not understanding why, also glanced at it.

Xie An remained calm. His little windmill had been snatched away, so he toyed with a black ceramic cup. His fingers were long and slender, and the inexpensive ceramic cup, twirling in his hands, suddenly seemed much more valuable, looking beautiful from every angle.

The shopkeeper, unaware of his thoughts, sighed and said, "It's a long story."

"Then make it short."

"Last night, Aunt Zhang's son next door died."

Xie Shuci shrank his neck and subconsciously moved a little closer to Xie An.

Xie An noticed something and gently placed his hand on Xie An's shoulder.

Xie Shuci was both scared and curious, just like when he watched a horror movie. He covered A Dong's ears to stop him from hearing, and then asked the shopkeeper, "How did he die?"

"He was bitten to death by a monster."

At this point, the shopkeeper glanced at Xie An anxiously and added, "I heard that the monster kills someone every other day."

Xie Shuci was puzzled. "If a monster is killing people, why are you always staring at the little blind man?"