Chapter 33 was a trap, but I'm willing to accept it and still looking forward to it.
Xie Xun uttered these three words with a smile in his eyes, then leaned forward a few more inches, his nose almost touching Fu Qinghuai's.
Now, he clearly saw the fleeting surprise in the other person's eyes, and he sneered inwardly.
"Stop pretending, Fu Qinghuai."
Xie Xun raised his hand and, for the first time, took the initiative to pinch Fu Qinghuai's chin. The pressure from his fingertips was neither too light nor too heavy. He chuckled and said, "You've gone through all this trouble just to use the guise of dual cultivation to actually nourish yourself? Saying you're going to change my tendons and marrow, why don't you just say you're lusting after my pure yin energy?"
With these words, the roles of offense and defense were reversed.
The trap he had deliberately set was instantly neutralized, and instead became Xie Xun's one-sided teasing and manipulation of him.
Fu Qinghuai's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and just as he was about to put his arm around the person's waist and say something, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Young friend Xie, what would you like to eat?"
Outside the door, Liu Xiuyuan's strong voice came, "I just asked my apprentice to buy some Cantonese dim sum. If you want anything else, I'll have him buy some more."
Upon hearing the sound, Xie Xun released his hand and moved a little further away.
“Thank you for your trouble,” he replied loudly, his voice gentle and polite. “We are not picky eaters, so you can arrange it as you see fit.”
After the footsteps outside the door faded away, Xie Xun glanced inside the private room. A Suzhou-embroidered screen with flowers and birds separated the inside from the outside, and behind the screen, a carved bed could be vaguely seen. Next to it, there was also a small bathroom.
Looking down at his tattered trousers and sweaty clothes, Xie Xun felt sticky and uncomfortable all over. The smell of blood mixed with medicine was awful.
He wanted to take a shower and change his clothes.
The action-oriented Xie Xun pushed Fu Qinghuai, who was clinging to him, away and got up to walk to the inside, leaving only his back to the other person.
"Searching,"
Fu Qinghuai's voice followed him like a shadow, appearing behind him without him even noticing, and he wrapped his arms around his waist, "Regardless of the purpose of dual cultivation, it is at least of great benefit to you, isn't it?"
"Let go," Xie Xun pressed down on the restless hand on his waist, "I want to take a shower."
"Perfect."
Upon hearing this, Fu Qinghuai pulled the man even tighter into his arms, his nose brushing lightly against the back of his ear, his voice sticky, "I can check for Xunxun to see if there are any other wounds that have gotten dirty."
Xie Xun rolled his eyes inwardly.
Without further ado, he gathered his spiritual power and struck Fu Qinghuai from behind with a powerful elbow strike. The moment Fu Qinghuai felt the pain, he swiftly turned and created distance.
"Don't follow me in. You're a ghost who's lived for a thousand years. You wouldn't stoop to such a despicable act as peeping at someone taking a bath, would you? As for what you called dual cultivation..."
He paused deliberately, and under Fu Qinghuai's intense gaze, a slight smile played on his lips as he casually uttered the second half of his sentence, "We'll talk about it when I get back from the Ghost Market."
After saying that, he didn't linger, took his clothes, went into the bathroom, and closed the door.
Fu Qinghuai stared at the slightly swaying door, his palm unconsciously covering the spot where he had just been elbowed, and suddenly chuckled.
very good.
He was being fished out, and he was willingly led by the nose, even secretly looking forward to it.
"This is getting more and more interesting."
A short while later, Xie Xun came out wearing a clean light gray tracksuit, his hair still damp.
Looking up, he saw Fu Qinghuai leaning against the door waiting for him, his eyes lowered, looking just like a well-behaved dog that had been tamed and was no longer causing trouble.
Xie Xun was satisfied and nodded slightly: "Let's go."
But after only a few minutes of silence, Fu Qinghuai immediately pressed himself against her, his black robe and wide sleeves like vines, tightly binding her.
"Searching is so slow,"
He rested his chin on the top of the man's head, his arms naturally wrapped around his waist, his tone tinged with grievance.
Xie Xun was so annoyed by his persistence that he inexplicably felt that this thousand-year-old evil spirit was probably a dog suffering from separation anxiety, as he had only been separated for less than half an hour and was already rushing over to cuddle with him.
"Alright, let go." He raised his hand and patted the hand on his waist. "I can't breathe."
This attitude represents a qualitative leap compared to before, so much so that even Fu Qinghuai felt it was somewhat unreal.
"don't want."
However, Fu Qinghuai not only tightened his arms, but also buried his slightly cool cheek deeper into his neck, saying, "I want to take a bath with Xunxun in the future, is that okay?"
Xie Xun: "..."
That's giving them way too much credit.
He gathered his strength again, bent his elbow, and thrust it backward, breaking free cleanly amidst Fu Qinghuai's pained groan, before walking outside without looking back.
Don't even think about it.
This statement was concise and to the point, leaving no room for negotiation.
But Fu Qinghuai, who had been beaten again, did not immediately back down as he had expected. He stared at Xie Xun's departing figure, his eyes gleaming with even greater interest.
Does not being able to think about it mean you can just do it directly?
Xie Xun walked quickly and soon arrived at the restaurant next door. Fu Qinghuai stayed by his side the whole time. But when he got to the door, he paused because he sensed the presence of strangers there.
Inside the restaurant, Liu Xiuyuan was chatting and laughing with a young man wearing a light gray hoodie. The young man was about twenty years old, with very short hair, a bright white smile, and an air of righteousness and sunshine.
"Thank you, young friend!"
Seeing Xie Xun enter, Liu Xiuyuan smiled and waved, introducing him: "This is my apprentice, A-Can. This kid has been incredibly impressed with you guys ever since he heard about you!"
Ah-Can immediately stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Xie Xun, "Hello, Brother Xie!"
Xie Xun paused slightly, then nodded very slightly. "Yes, hello."
Ah Can greeted the two with a smile and invited them to sit down. Then, his gaze turned to Fu Qinghuai, who had been clinging to Xie Xun's side. His eyes were full of curiosity, but he showed no fear and asked in a very familiar manner, "What is your name, brother?"
However, Fu Qinghuai didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard at all.
He pulled out a chair and sat down right next to Xie Xun, his aloofness like that of someone atop a snow-capped mountain.
Ah Can, true to his name, showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Seeing that Fu Qinghuai ignored him, he turned to Xie Xun with a beaming smile, his tone full of admiration.
"Brother Xie! Master said that you two displayed amazing abilities in that haunted house last night, you were truly incredible!"
"Master said that you broke through the ghost wall with just one talisman, Brother Xie. That talisman burst into flames in an instant! Was it a calming mantra or a talisman to ward off evil? Is drawing this kind of talisman particularly exhausting?"
"And another thing! When you summoned... uh, this brother, were you scared?"
He glanced at Fu Qinghuai, whose face had already turned cold, and leaned closer mysteriously, "What if he's not an accomplice?"
"By the way, Brother Xie, what is your success rate when drawing talismans? Do you need to bathe and fast?"
"Do you think it's too late for me to start learning to draw talismans at my age? Are ordinary cinnabar and yellow paper really effective?"
Ah-Can truly lives up to his reputation as Liu Xiuyuan's apprentice; the two share the same enthusiasm and natural ease.
His barrage of questions came like a machine gun, giving Xie Xun no chance to answer, his eyes sparkling.
Xie Xun's expression remained unchanged, clearly indicating that he was no stranger to such enthusiastic people.
Jiang Lehui talks less than A-Can, but their personalities are similar.
He waited patiently for Ah-Can to finish asking his questions in one breath before picking up his teacup, taking a sip, and then concisely beginning to answer each of his questions.
"Amulet to ward off evil spirits".
"It is necessary."
"It depends on the situation."
"Sincerity brings results."
Each answer was concise, efficient, and effortless, leaving Ah Can stunned for a moment. After a moment of realization, he exclaimed, "I get it! Brother Xie means that the key to talismans lies not in the form but in the mental technique. He truly is a master!"
Fu Qinghuai, who was sitting to the side, casually took a sip of tea and scoffed at what he heard.
"He means you should ask fewer questions and practice more."
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