Xie Shuci led Xiao Xun and the King away from the town in a grand manner.
As we passed the town entrance, several cultivators dressed in disciple robes stood by, conducting checks.
Three days had passed since that night, and they assumed that Xie Shuci and Xiao Xun had long since made their escape. Although they claimed to be checking passersby, they clearly did not believe that Xie Shuci and Xiao Xun would remain near Jiyue City, and they did not take the matter to heart at all.
As Xie Shuci and Xiao Xun passed by, they not only didn't glance at Xie Shuci and Xiao Xun's faces, but also gently teased the king with their toes. The king, this little sycophant, smiled at everyone he saw and rubbed against their calves with great enthusiasm before reluctantly following Xie Shuci.
Even after walking a distance, Xie Shuci still felt nauseous.
Thinking of the portrait of himself on the wall, he was furious. How could his cheap master have drawn him with such an ugly nose and eyes? It was so ugly that Xie Shuci would have nightmares if he looked at it too much!
But in this way, Xie Shuci wouldn't have to worry about being recognized.
Not to mention that the person in the portrait is completely different from him, just considering that Xie An suddenly shrank, no one could guess their identities. Moreover, he did not let the king appear in Jiyue City, and now he has a dog by his side. He doesn't believe that anyone can recognize them.
However, just in case, Xie Shuci decided to take the business route.
"Why did they arrest you?" Xiao Xun asked.
Xie Shuci thought for a moment and said, "Because I killed someone when I rescued you."
Xiao Xun calmly raised his head. "Nonsense. I clearly heard them say that I killed someone and that you are protecting me."
Xiao Xun was unaware that he was merely Xie An's soul, and Xie Shuci couldn't immediately figure out how to explain it to him.
However, before Xie Shuci could think it through, Xiao Xun spoke up again: "I saw the time on the travel permit. The current time is eight years from now."
Xiao Xun stared intently at him, "You're lying to me."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Xie Shuci took out the customs clearance document with some skepticism. Sure enough, it contained a row of dates. He couldn't help but slap his forehead in annoyance, "Why are you so smart? You're not cute at all."
Xiao Xun glanced at him. "You sealed my memories?"
Xie Shuci glared at him. "If I had the ability to seal your memories, would you have been able to spot my deception? What is your purpose?"
Xie Shuci thought that no matter how mature the person in front of him looked, he was still just a little kid, so he wanted to tease him. He deliberately lowered his voice and said, "I'm going to sell you for a good price!"
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Xun glanced at him casually and said, "Aren't they investigating? If you hand me over to them, they will naturally give you money."
Looking at his serious expression, Xie Shuci knew that her prank had failed. She frowned and asked, "Aren't you scared at all? You woke up and eight years had passed, and you even met a complete stranger."
Xiao Xun gave him a half-smile, half-smile, "What's so scary?"
Xie Shuci nodded listlessly. "Yes, it's not scary. It's others who are afraid of you, not you who are afraid of others."
Xiao Xun lowered his head dismissively, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Actually, Xie An is me?"
Xie Shuci looked at him in surprise, "You remembered?"
Xiao Xun shook his head.
"How did you know?"
Xiao Xun said, "Intuition."
Xie Shuci originally thought that Xiao Xun would make a big scene after finding out about this, but he actually guessed his identity so easily and didn't show any reaction on his face.
Xie Shuci sighed helplessly and said, "I thought I could at least keep it from you for ten or fifteen days."
Xiao Xun looked up at Xie Shuci, and after a moment of silence, just as Xie Shuci was thinking about how to explain what had happened, he suddenly said, "So, the person you like is me."
Xie Shuci: "..."
In front of a nine-year-old brat, Xie Shuci couldn't admit it, nor could he deny it. What was wrong with this child? Shouldn't he be focusing on why he had become like this?
"Yes or no?" Seeing that Xie Shuci hadn't spoken for a while, Xiao Xun pressed for an answer.
He stared intently at Xie Shuci, as if he wouldn't give up until he got the answer he wanted.
Xie Shuci was a little puzzled. Even if Xiao Xun was Xie An, he was only nine years old after all. Xie Shuci couldn't bring himself to say it to him. He turned his face away, bent down and picked up the big king who was walking in front of him, shaking his head. "Not the current you, but the you when you grow up."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xun frowned slightly, his expression seemingly displeased, and said, "So, you only like him and not me?"
Xie Shuci muttered, "That's not what I meant. You're just a little kid. Do you even know what 'like' means? Stop saying 'like' all the time."
Xiao Xun pursed his lips, "Does he like you?"
Xie Shuci nodded. "Mm."
"So, we like each other."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Xie Shuci felt a little awkward. "It's not 'we,' it's me and you when you grow up."
"You don't think I'm him?"
"No...you are him when he was a child."
"So I am him, and we like each other." He emphasized the last part.
Mingming didn't even know who Xie Shuci was, and Xie Shuci didn't understand why he was so fixated on whether he liked him or not.
He discovered that Xie An was much more difficult to deal with as a child than he was as an adult.
Xie Shuci couldn't persuade him otherwise, and said helplessly, "I guess so."
Xiao Xun nodded, satisfied with the answer.
Suddenly, he looked at the king in Xie Shuci's arms.
The king perched on Xie Shuci's shoulder, squinting contentedly, occasionally rubbing its head against Xie Shuci's neck and licking Xie Shuci's chin.
Perhaps sensing Xiao Xun's gaze, the Great King opened its eyes and glanced at him. Meeting his calm gaze, it shrank its head and immediately buried its face in Xie Shuci's chest.
"Aww..."
My little mother's eyes are so scary! Daddy, quickly comfort the baby.
Thinking she had successfully ended the conversation, Xie Shuci thought of Xie An lying alone in the secret room and wondered when she could go and check on him.
But just then, the boy beside him suddenly asked, "Does Xie An allow you to hold other things like this?"
Big. Something else. King: "?"
Do you want to listen to what you're saying?
Xie Shuci was taken aback by his question, somewhat confused. "Huh?"
Xiao Xun patiently repeated, "Does he allow you to hold other things in your arms?"
Big. Other things. Wang: "..."
You heartless little mother! You're making me so angry!
The king leaned on Xie Shuci's shoulder and secretly grinned at Xiao Xun. Coincidentally, Xiao Xun looked over at him. The king immediately turned his head away nonchalantly, and when he found that Xiao Xun was still looking at him, he stuck out his tongue at him in a very flattering manner.
Xiao Xun lowered the corners of his mouth and looked at Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci understood what he meant, but was still very confused and asked in return, "Why doesn't he allow me to hold other things in my arms?"
Big. Other things. Wang: "..."
Okay, I'm glad you like it.
Xiao Xun, with an air of matter-of-fact, said, "Doesn't he like you?"
"...So?" Xie Shuci asked hesitantly.
Xiao Xun glanced at him and said, "He'll be unhappy if you hug someone else."
"???" Xie Shuci looked down at the king in his arms, and the king looked up at him with a pitiful expression.
Father, look at that wretched mother, what kind of talk is that?
Xie Shuci picked up the king, "But the king is a little dog."
"Aww..."
I'm tired of talking, baby is a wolf.
Xiao Xun calmly replied, "Those that are alive are not acceptable."
Xie Shuci was both amused and exasperated. "Xie An wouldn't do that. He's not a child."
Xiao Xun gave him a forced smile, then extended his hand, gesturing for him to hand over the king.
Xie Shuci asked suspiciously, "What are you doing?"
Xiao Xun was much more frank than Xie An. He said, "I don't want you to hold it."
Xie Shuci: "..."
"Pfft—" Xie Shuci chuckled, "How can you be so childish?"
Xiao Xun lifted the king by the back of his neck from his arms and pulled him into his own, saying, "Isn't he childish?"
"Of course he's not naive."
Xiao Xun glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Along the way, Xie Shuci and Xiao Xun chatted casually. Xie An usually didn't like to talk about his own affairs, but Xiao Xun was different. He answered almost every question Xie Shuci asked, and sometimes he would even take the initiative to talk about his childhood.
Before this, Xie Shuci had never been able to completely equate Xie An and Xiao Xun in his heart. After spending a few days with Xiao Xun, Xie Shuci realized that Xie An had never deliberately pretended in front of him. The person Xie Shuci liked was both Xie An and Xiao Xun. It was just that he initially knew them by different names; they were completely the same person.
After traveling for several days, we are finally approaching the next town.
Xie Shuci didn't encounter many people along the way, and his mood gradually relaxed. He treated it as taking Xiao Xun on a sightseeing trip.
At night, Xie Shuci urged the divine ship to set up a barrier around it as a precaution, intending to stay overnight to recuperate and prepare for entering the city early the next morning to avoid any mishaps.
It was early winter, and the temperature was quite low at night. Xie Shuci was worried that Xie An would be too damp in the secret room, so after settling Xiao Xun in, he planned to have the king guard him while he went inside to keep Xie An company.
Just as he finished tucking Xiao Xun in and was about to get up, the latter grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Are you going in to see him?"
Xie Shuci nodded and said, "The weather is getting colder and colder, and I'm worried that he will catch a cold."
Xiao Xun pursed his lips, staring intently at Xie Shuci, without saying a word.
Xie Shuci suddenly remembered that when Xie An was by his side, he needed to sleep with him at night. He was too afraid to sleep alone even though he was all his life, let alone Xiao Xun, who was only nine years old.
Looking into his dark, blurry eyes, Xie Shuci felt a little soft-hearted, but he was really worried about Xie An. He had been with Xiao Xun almost all these past few days and hadn't come to see him much.
Xie Shuci was really worried about Xie An's health, fearing that his wounds hadn't healed before he caught a cold, so he steeled himself and said, "I'll have the King accompany you; I have to go in and check on Xie An."
Xiao Xun stared at him for a moment, his lips tightening even more. He loosened Xie Shuci's clothes, turned his back to Xie Shuci, and remained silent.
Helpless, Xie Shuci suddenly experienced the bittersweet feeling of pain.
On one side is Xie An, who is seriously injured and unconscious; on the other side is Xie An as a child, whom Xie Shuci has never seen before.
These two are clearly the same person, but Xie Shuci felt a little guilty for neglecting either of them.
He thought to himself, even if they are not the same person, he can't stay with one person forever, can he?
So he gave the king a wink, signaling it to look at Xiao Xun, while he went to open the hidden door and entered the secret room.
Only one candle remained lit in the secret room, and the temperature was quite low. Xie Shuci quickly replaced the candles and went behind the screen to check on Xie An's condition.
Xie An remained motionless on the couch, breathing shallowly, but his complexion was much rosier than before.
Xie Shuci examined his wounds. They weren't fully healed, but they weren't deep, and he should be fully recovered in a few days.
Xie Shuci touched his face from behind; his temperature was normal, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Xie Shuci hadn't seen Xie An for several days and missed him, so she simply kicked off her shoes and lay down next to him.
He burrowed under the covers, hugged Xie An's waist, and pressed his cheek against his chest, feeling the warmth of his body and the rise and fall of his chest.
Xie An appeared to be asleep, but he never woke up.
Although Xie Shuci missed him, he also hoped that he would not wake up in this body, because he didn't want Xie An to be in pain anymore.
But why turn into a little kid and not remember him at all?
If Xie An were to become an adult version of "Xie An," Xie Shuci would hope that he would forever remain in the body formed from peach blossoms.
"Little Xie An won't grow up, I don't even dare to hug you."
Xie Shuci muttered in dissatisfaction.
Smelling the familiar scent emanating from Xie An, Xie Shuci closed her eyes contentedly, nestled against his chest, and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
In the silence of the room, Xie An, who should have been fast asleep, slowly opened his eyes.
His long eyelashes, like cicada wings, trembled slightly before he opened them.
Xie Shuci's head rested on his chest, his breathing even and gentle.
Xie An raised his eyes, his unfocused gaze falling on Xie Shuci's face.
He raised his arm and encircled Xie Shuci's waist, his voice hoarse from a long sleep: "You can't hug him."
Even if the body was created with his blood, even if it contained one of his souls and three of his spirits, it still wouldn't work.
In his hazy dream, Xie Shuci felt a pair of warm, large hands roaming freely over his body.
It felt like something was pressing on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. His neck was wet, as if something was licking his skin. Xie Shuci thought it was the king and subconsciously reached out to push him away, stammering, "Your Majesty... stop fooling around."
But his wrist was grabbed by a large hand and pressed down above his head, and then two hot lips blocked Xie Shuci's breath.
Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, then suddenly woke up and stared wide-eyed at the face so close to his.
"Thanks……"
Xie Shuci looked at the familiar face, opened his mouth and uttered a single word, at which point the person forcefully inserted the tip of their tongue.
Xie Shuci initially wanted to talk to him and was worried about his injuries, but Xie An didn't give him the chance at all. In no time, Xie Shuci was rendered speechless and could only pant and respond to his actions.
Having tasted the sweetness of success, Xie An kept Xie Shuci so busy that he had no energy left to think about anything else.
When Xie An skillfully moved to his side, Xie Shuci hugged his neck and whispered, "...Be gentle, I'm warning you."
"Missing me?" Xie An asked in a muffled voice, pressing his ear close to hers.
"...What the hell? I see him every day anyway... Ouch! Damn, be gentle!"
This time, Xie An was a little hasty, but even so, it took him almost half an hour to get off Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci grabbed his clothes with one hand and asked in a deep voice, "Does it not hurt anymore?"
He placed his fingers on Xie An's chest.
Xie An was taken aback for a moment, then frowned deeply. "You know?"
Xie Shuci lifted her aching leg and kicked him, but he grabbed her ankle instead. Xie Shuci said angrily, "Weren't you planning to tell me anyway?"
Xie An pursed his lips but didn't speak.
"You're not as frank as you were when you were a child; you kept everything to yourself and wouldn't tell me anything..."
Before Xie Shuci could finish his accusation, Xie An frowned and bit his cheek, saying, "Who's worse than whom?"
Xie Shuci's eyes widened. "Are you a dog?"
Xie An narrowed his eyes. "What good would it do if I told you? Do you want to break up with me?"
"I……"
Yes, so what if Xie An told him about his demonic possession?
Does he intend to separate from Xie An?
"You can't keep it from me," Xie Shuci muttered.
Xie An looked down at him, but Xie Shuci didn't notice that his eyes were different from usual.
"Xie Shuci..."
Xie An wanted to say something, but as soon as he called out Xie Shuci's name, his body trembled slightly. He clenched his teeth, cursed something under his breath, and fell heavily onto Xie Shuci.
"Xie An?" Xie Shuci caught his body in confusion. Xie An's lips tightened, and he was about to lose consciousness.
"Don't hug him."
Xie An uttered these words with his last breath before losing consciousness.
Xie Shuci was taken aback. "Xie An?"
Has the wound reopened?
Xie Shuci helped him up, enduring the soreness in his lower limbs as he laid him flat on the couch. This time, Xie An was in a hurry, and they didn't even finish taking off their clothes.
Xie Shuci examined his wound and found no signs of it reopening, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, the king in the cabin suddenly called out twice, followed by hurried footsteps approaching the secret chamber.
Xie Shuci's heart skipped a beat. Little Xie An had woken up?
He looked at Xie An, who was unconscious in front of him, and suddenly realized something. Xie An and Xiao Xie An were the same person. Although their souls were separated into two bodies, it was impossible for them to have two consciousnesses.
When Xie An wakes up, little Xie An won't wake up, and when little Xie An wakes up, Xie An won't wake up.
"Oh no!"
Although he hadn't taken off all his clothes, Xie Shuci was still a mess. If Xiao Xie An saw him, he would be setting a bad example for the child!
Xie Shuci hurriedly tidied Xie An's clothes and covered him with a blanket, but the footsteps stopped at the door of the secret room and did not come in.
"Xie Shuci, come out." Xiao Xun stood at the door of the secret room, pushed the door open with one hand, and looked coldly at Xie Shuci's blurry figure on the screen.
Xie Shuci was a little nervous and hurriedly put on her clothes. "Wait, wait a minute." "Come out!" Xiao Xun emphasized.
"I...right away, right away."
Xie Shuci quickly used her spiritual power to clean herself and Xie An, and then added a quilt for Xie An before stepping out from behind the screen, her hair disheveled.
Xie Shuci's lower limbs felt sore and swollen. He walked slowly to the door and chuckled dryly, "Why are you awake?"
Xiao Xun stared at him without saying a word, his gaze falling on the mark left on Xie Shuci's neck, a very subtle feeling welling up inside him.
This is the mark he left on Xie Shuci eight years later.
He grabbed Xie Shuci's hand and pulled him out of the secret room. "He has become me now. You should stay with me."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Don't you think the way you're talking is a little strange?
No, all this changing of your mind is torturing me!
Xie Shuci sighed. "That's impressive. Once the older one is satisfied, he leaves and immediately replaces the younger one."
Xie Shuci followed his lead and sat down on the edge of the bed, saying, "You go to sleep, I'll stay with you."
"Mm." Xiao Xun nodded.
The next morning, Xie Shuci put away the Divine Ship and took Xiao Xun and the King to a nearby town.
This is a border town of a country, inhabited entirely by ordinary people. There are soldiers guarding the city gates, and only those with a travel permit can enter.
To Xie Shuci's surprise, in this place belonging to mortals, there was actually a portrait of Xie Shuci on the city gate.
Xie Shuci remained completely unperturbed. He led Xiao Xun and the King forward with an air of nonchalance, handing over his travel permit to the soldiers for inspection. The soldiers glanced at the document he presented, then returned it to Xie Shuci after a moment, waving to the soldiers behind him to signal them to make way.
When Xie Shuci entered the city gate, he passed by the portrait posted on the gate, his face expressionless and his eyes fixed straight ahead throughout the entire process.
"etc."
Suddenly, a young soldier called out to Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci turned her head, stopped, and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
The young soldier, with his cross-eyed expression, walked up to Xie Shuci, looked at Xie Shuci, and then at the portrait on the door. "What's your name?"
Xie Shuci pursed his lips, his expression serious. He pointed to himself, then to the portrait on the door, and said, "Sir, if you want to say that the person in the portrait is me, I'll jump off the city wall and kill myself right now."
Little soldier: "..."
Xie Shuci added, "You can arrest me, but you can't insult me."
"Xiao Liu!" The official in front walked up to the cross-eyed soldier and slapped him on the head. "Don't cause trouble."
Then he said to Xie Shuci, "Xiao Liu has had poor eyesight since she was little. Her two eyes are turned upside down. That's all, you can go now."
"Thank you, sir."
Xie Shuci didn't take it too seriously. As for the portrait painted by Master Meng, unless you take Xie Shuci's facial features off and put them back on in reverse, you might not be able to find any resemblance.
Upon entering the market, Xie Shuci first took the two of them to get something to eat.
Xiao Xun had never been to such a place before, but unlike the other children, he didn't seem to have any curiosity about his surroundings and kept his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Both Xie Shuci and the King were people who loved to join in the fun. Whenever there were more than five people gathered on the street, Xie Shuci couldn't help but peek inside.
Since this was a place where ordinary people lived, Xie Shuci wasn't too wary. He and the King went wherever there was excitement, one in front and one behind, while Xiao Xun silently followed behind them.
Xie Shuci was used to identifying each other's location by the sound of bells with Xie An, so he didn't pay much attention to Xiao Xun behind him.
Xie Shuci loved snacks, but he would only try a little bit each time, then give it to Xie An after a couple of bites. He bought a serving of stinky tofu, ate only a few pieces, fed a few pieces to the king, and then his attention was drawn to other new things.
Turning around, he found Xiao Xun silently following behind, his eyes fixed on him and the king without looking anywhere else.
He turned and walked over to Xiao Xun, handing him the stinky tofu. "Want some?"
Stinky tofu lives up to its name; it really is stinky.
Smelling the strange odor, Xiao Xun frowned. "No need."
"Don't be fooled by its pungent smell; it tastes incredibly delicious."
Xiao Xun still looked resistant.
Seeing his disgusted little expression, Xie Shuci inexplicably wanted to tease him.
He used a bamboo skewer to stick a piece of stinky tofu into Xiao Xun's mouth and held it to his lips. "Try it first. How will you know if it's good or not if you haven't even tried it?"
Xiao Xun's nostrils twitched. He looked up at Xie Shuci's expectant face, then at the foul-smelling thing being offered to his mouth. He hesitated for a moment, his face full of doubt, but he leaned down slightly, opened his mouth, and bit the foul-smelling thing into his mouth.
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
Xiao Xun chewed slowly for a couple of bites, looked into Xie Shuci's bright eyes, and nodded honestly, "Mmm."
Xie Shuci patted his head happily, "I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Seemingly unaccustomed to Xie Shuci's way of treating a junior, he frowned slightly but said nothing.
The king suddenly appeared out of nowhere, carrying a small windmill in his mouth, and ran towards Xie Shuci and the other person.
The little windmill spun and spun until it reached Xie Shuci.
Xiao Xun stared at the thing in its mouth and asked Xie Shuci, "What is this?"
Xie Shuci was taken aback.
Xie An was placed on a divine altar like a Buddha statue from a young age, and he did not have a normal childhood.
Xie Shuci gestured for him to wait a moment, then squatted down. He ruffled the dog's head, guessing that the little thing had shamelessly tried to please its older siblings to get the windmill. "I'll make a deal with you, I'll borrow the windmill for a while."
The king looked up in confusion, glanced at his little mother who was quietly watching him from behind Xie Shuci, and shook his head decisively, "Aww!"
No! Mommy doesn't like you, and you won't let Mommy play with you!
Xiao Xun wasn't very interested in this thing; he just came up with a way to make Xie Shuci revolve around him and not have her attention drawn to others.
Xiao Xun glanced at it but didn't react.
But then the king thought again, "My little mother has shrunk and doesn't recognize me. How pitiful!"
"Aww..."
It wagged its tail, walked over to its mother, and placed the little windmill from its mouth on her boot.
"Aww..."
You can borrow it to play with, but you have to return it to the baby later.
"Your Majesty is so good!" Xie Shuci smiled and rubbed the king's head. The king immediately rubbed his hand affectionately.
Xie Shuci turned around, picked up the windmill, wiped the king's drool off it, and then placed it in Xiao Xun's hand. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he quietly used his spiritual power to draw a breeze, and the little windmill creaked and spun in Xiao Xun's hand.
Xiao Xun stared at the little trinket in his palm, his dark eyes deep and unfocused, lost in thought.
A woman was walking by with her child when she noticed the child staring intently at the windmill in Xiao Xun's hand. She asked gently, "My sweetie, do you want one? Mommy will go buy it for you."
"No, I'm all grown up now, a real man! Only little kids play with windmills! Mom, how about you ask Dad to carve me a wooden sword?"
"Okay! Mother promises you."
Xiao Xun suddenly stopped and expressionlessly tossed the windmill into Xie Shuci's arms.
Xie Shuci chuckled, "Oh, you're just a kid!"
Xiao Xun pursed her lips and glared at him, "Wooden sword."
Xie Shuci suppressed a laugh, "You want a wooden sword?"
Xiao Xun stared at him without saying a word.
Xie Shuci covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter. "Okay, I'll buy it for you. I'll go buy you a wooden sword right now."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
