Xie Shuci didn't know when she fell asleep.
When he slowly woke up, he felt a warm chest against his back. He turned around groggily and was stunned when he saw Xie An's face so close to his.
Holy crap?
Xie Shuci stopped rubbing his eyes. He remembered that he wasn't in this position before he fell asleep.
After a deep sleep, Xie Shuci's mind was free of all the thoughts, both appropriate and inappropriate. He yawned and stepped back a few inches from Xie An's embrace, propped himself up, and looked out the window at the sky. It was noon.
"Sleep a little longer."
Suddenly, Xie An reached out a hand from the side, pressed down on Xie Shuci's shoulder, and pushed him back down.
Perhaps due to prolonged sleep, Xie An's voice was very hoarse.
Xie Shuci slumped back onto the couch, not in a hurry to get up. He stretched lazily and said, "No, Guiyi and the others will be leaving soon."
Xie An pursed his lips. "Let them go."
"We're all friends, I have to see them off."
"No."
"?"
In short, Xie Shuci didn't get up in the end, and lingered in the room with Xie An for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
In the lobby, Chu Wenfeng, carrying his luggage, looked at the composed Chu Guiyi across from him.
"Senior Brother, it's past noon," Chu Wenfeng muttered.
Chu Guiyi gently stroked the hair on the king's back, and asked without looking up, "Is Shuci awake?"
"No, or should I go and wake him up?"
"No need."
Chu Guiyi said it wasn't necessary, but showed no intention of leaving.
The king lay on the table, squinting his eyes in enjoyment, occasionally letting out a soft moan as Chu Guiyi stroked him.
After sitting quietly for about half an incense stick's time, Xie Shuci finally left the room with Xie An.
Upon arriving in the lobby and seeing that the two were still there, Xie Shuci breathed a heavy sigh of relief and said, "You scared me to death! I thought you had already left."
Chu Wenfeng said bluntly, "How can you sleep so much?"
"You're awake," Chu Guiyi said with a gentle smile.
Upon hearing their voices, Xie An's expression turned cold, and he slowed his approach.
"That's because of Senior Brother..." Chu Wenfeng stopped speaking and glared at Xie Shuci as if Xie Shuci had stolen something from him.
Chu Guiyi stood up from the table and said to the two of them, "Now that you're awake, Wen Feng and I will be leaving."
Upon hearing Xie Shuci's voice, the king immediately jumped off the table and rubbed against Xie Shuci's feet.
"I'll escort you to the city gate," Xie Shuci said.
"Okay." Chu Guiyi didn't refuse and nodded in agreement.
"Xie An, are you going? Or would you like to eat something at the inn first?" Xie Shuci asked.
Chu Guiyi smiled and said, "Young Master Xie must be hungry, so there's no need for him to accompany you."
Xie An bent down, picked up the king from the ground, and held him in his arms. "Go."
"Aww!"
He pronounced the word very heavily, almost as if he were gritting his teeth.
"Let's go then."
The four people and one dog slowly approached the city gate.
Since most of the cultivators in the city are in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm, the streets are not as bustling as they used to be during the day.
On the way, Xie Shuci bought some dry food for them to take with them. However, it was fine for cultivators to go without food and water for half a month. Chu Wenfeng thought it was too much of a burden, so Chu Guiyi nodded and agreed.
Xie An remained the same as before; even though he could speak, he didn't like to talk much. He held the king in his arms and stroked its fur casually.
The king was extremely quiet, not daring to move an inch in his arms.
Before long, the four of them arrived at the city gate.
Unlike when they arrived, the disciples guarding the city gate had been replaced by several female disciples from the Hehuan Sect.
"Let's stop here," Chu Guiyi said, turning back to the two of them.
Xie Shuci paused for a moment, then said, "Okay..." "May I speak to you in private?"
"Oh." Xie Shuci nodded, and just as he was about to walk forward, he noticed that Xie An had also joined him. Seeing this, Xie Shuci could only say, "Guiyi, let's talk here. There are no outsiders here."
Chu Guiyi chuckled and nodded, saying, "You're right."
"What I really want to remind you is that you can't believe everything you hear."
Xie Shuci waved his hand and said, "I know, I'm not a child."
Chu Wenfeng teased, "Your mental age isn't as old as mine."
Shut up!
Chu Wenfeng shrugged.
Chu Guiyi didn't say anything more. "In that case, Wen Feng and I will take our leave."
"Be careful on the road, and send me a WeChat message when you get home..."
Xie Shuci fell silent mid-sentence, only to find Chu Wenfeng staring at him as if he were a monkey.
"What are you looking at? Just be careful!" Xie Shuci, with his thick skin, glared back at him with wide eyes.
Chu Guiyi couldn't help but lower her head and bow to Xie Shuci, saying, "Farewell."
He paused for a moment, then repeated, "Farewell."
Xie Shuci mimicked his actions and said with righteous indignation, "A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near!"
Is this the only sentence you know?
"What's wrong? This one sentence perfectly expresses my feelings."
"Okay, okay, you're amazing, you're amazing, alright?"
"Wen Feng, let's go." Chu Guiyi interrupted the two.
"They're gone."
"Awooo!" Gray Gray!
Xie Shuci and his companion stood beneath the city gate, watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance.
Watching their departing figures, Xie Shuci sighed and suddenly called out to Chu Wenfeng, "Chu Wenfeng! The game I mentioned before is called Mahjong. I'll teach you how to play next time we meet!"
Chu Wenfeng paused for a moment, then turned around, waved at Xie Shuci, and gave him the middle finger, "Next time I'll make sure you don't win a single game!"
"You're kidding me!"
"Don't doubt me, after all, I'm smarter than you."
"Senior Brother, look at him! He's talking nonsense again!"
Chu Guiyi turned her head, her eyes smiling, her lips slightly moving.
Xie Shuci paused for a moment after seeing it.
He said, "Xie An cannot be completely trusted."
Upon seeing this, Xie Shuci couldn't help but turn to look at Xie An beside him.
The latter had a calm expression and a somber gaze.
A gentle breeze blows, like a pair of tender hands.
The wind that blows today will not blow again in the future.
When the wind comes again, it will not be the same wind as today.
"Senior Brother, are you...?"
"We've gone quite a distance," Chu Wenfeng asked hesitantly.
Chu Guiyi paused, glanced at him indifferently, and made no comment.
Chu Wenfeng looked at him hesitantly, but didn't dare to ask any further questions.
Chu Guiyi raised her head, looking at the sky where the wind and clouds were rolling, a faint smile appearing on her lips, her voice not very pleasant: "The wind has passed."
A long gust of wind whipped up a cloud of sand and dust, which then surged forward.
After seeing Chu Guiyi and the other person off, Xie Shuci inquired about the route to Tianzhu City and bought a map.
The next morning, upon hearing that Xie Shuci was leaving, the waiter prepared a bundle of food and small fruits for him to eat on his journey.
Ye Changxuan and the others heard from somewhere that they were leaving, but since they couldn't get away themselves, they had a disciple from the Hehuan Sect send them a waist token. As long as Xie Shuci showed the waist token, others would know that he was someone protected by the Hehuan Sect. In addition to Chu Guiyi's waist token, Xie Shuci had another lifeline, so he happily put it into his pocket.
Deng Changqing probably heard about this too, and hurriedly sent someone over to give Xie Shuci another waist token.
So, around 7:30 AM, Xie Shuci led out the crane that had been tied up in the stable for several days and prepared to set off.
The crane had been eating the herbal remedies prepared for it by Manjiangtang for the past few days. When Xie Shuci found it, it was leisurely pawing at the stable. When it saw Xie Shuci coming over, it didn't even glance at him. It was probably too good to leave.
"Let's go, I'll take you to Tianzhu City to see the flowers." Xie Shuci pulled on the reins and received a breath of horse odor from the crane, which almost made him faint.
"Damn it! You want to stink me to death? I'll lock you in the stables again when I get to Tianzhu City!"
Xie Shuci dragged the crane out and brought it to the door, where Xie An and the Great King, who had transformed into the Crimson Snow Wolf, were waiting for him.
"Let's go."
"Um."
Tianzhu City is located at the junction of Bianzhou and Fenzhou, with trade routes leading in all directions, and many cultivators and common people travel along the way.
Xie An rode his little white horse, making no other moves, yet the girls passing by couldn't help but take a second look at him.
Some bold women would even take the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Xie An.
Xie Shuci lay on the king's furry back and muttered, "What's the point of being so good-looking!"
Along the way, some people came to talk to Xie Shuci, but usually, as soon as they saw him riding a tall and mighty red snow wolf, they were too scared to get close.
After traveling for five days, more and more merchants and people from all over came to admire the beauty and the startled feather flower.
They were all riding in exquisite carriages, except for Xie Shuci and another person, one riding a white horse with flowing robes, and the other riding a red snow wolf, lying back on the broad wolf's back reading a book.
"Spirit Gathering Pill..." Xie Shuci leaned against the king's head, looking at the booklet in his hand in the glaring sunlight.
"For cultivators, it can rapidly restore their spiritual power; for ordinary people, it can temporarily replace the Golden Elixir..."
Feeling incredibly bored these past two days, Xie Shuci flipped through the Investiture of the Gods Pill Manual. There were simply too many types of pills recorded in it for him to remember them all at once, so he memorized down the few types he was familiar with.
Unbeknownst to them, the closer they got to Tianzhu City, the more carriages they encountered on the road.
Because Xie An was constantly being approached by strangers, Xie Shuci bought him a straw hat when they passed through a small town. Xie An naturally followed his instructions and wore it the whole way.
Xie Shuci closed the Investiture of the Gods Elixir Manual, squinted at Xie An who was riding a horse and slowly following beside him.
The straw hat didn't detract from the aesthetic at all; on the contrary, it added a touch of mystery to the little blind man's aloof demeanor.
The most outrageous thing is that, originally only women came to chat with him, but now, not only have more women come, but there are also quite a few men among them!
man!
For reasons unknown, Xie Shuci would unconsciously observe Xie An's expression whenever a man approached her, even though she could only catch a glimpse through the veil.
He just wanted to know if Xie An disliked men.
"Oh, young master, are you going to Tianzhu City?"
Just as Xie Shuci was thinking this, he saw a carriage slowly approaching from Xie An's left. As soon as the curtain was lifted, a man dressed in brocade robes and acting nonchalant started a conversation.
This man doesn't look like a good person at all. Xie Shuci sat up from the king's back, and was about to find a reason to refuse him, but suddenly swallowed the words she was about to say.
I didn't see it clearly the first few times, and Xie Shuci still doesn't know what Xie An means to men...
Of course! Of course, Xie Shuci didn't mean anything by it. Whether Xie An liked men or women had nothing to do with him, not even a little bit! He was just purely curious.
That's all!
So Xie Shuci said nothing, pretending to look ahead indifferently, but in reality, his attention was entirely on Xie An and the man who had suddenly appeared.
Xie An gripped the reins, his face beneath his bamboo hat turned slightly toward the man, and calmly replied, "Mm."
Xie An's attitude was neither warm nor cold; he didn't dislike her, but he treated women no differently when they approached him.
The man did not back down because of Xie An's attitude. He held a crystal-clear grape in a slender hand and brought it to Xie An's lips. Xie An lowered his head, took the grape, and mumbled, "My carriage is spacious. Would you like to come up and sit down, young master?"
His older sister even fed him grapes?!
Holy crap!
This guy is exactly the legendary spoiled brat!
He has a beautiful woman in his arms while also flirting with Xie An? This guy has no taste for either men or women!
Little blind man, don't be silly. If you get involved with this kind of person, you'll be taken advantage of sooner or later.
To everyone's surprise, Xie An did not immediately refuse. Instead, he turned to face Xie Shuci, as if asking for Xie Shuci's opinion.
So, does that mean Xie An didn't actually dislike men?
Ah... wait, Xie An is still young! Unlike me, he doesn't live in the internet age; he may not have eaten pork, but he's seen pigs run. He certainly didn't think in any other direction...
No, it isn't?
Xie Xiaoci! What the hell are you thinking about?
What's wrong with you?! Have you lost your mind? What are you thinking?!
Xie Shuci rubbed her face hard and said to the man in the carriage, "Sorry, we just like it this way, it's breathable."
man:"……"
The man glanced at Xie Shuci and said, "Alright."
The man lowered the carriage curtain, and the carriage passed by the two of them and gradually drove away.
After everyone left, Xie Shuci immediately adopted a parental tone and said to Xie An, "Xie An, in the future, if you encounter someone with ill intentions, you must refuse them immediately, understand?"
Xie An asked suspiciously, "Is he up to no good?"
Xie Xiaoci, look at this! The little blind man couldn't even see that the other party had ill intentions, and you're just thinking nonsense here!
It's over, Xie Shuci realized he'd really gone mad...
"Well... anyway, you absolutely can't go with strangers like this. It's best to refuse immediately! Uh, you can refuse tactfully so as not to make them hold a grudge, understand?" Xie Shuci said.
Xie An, hidden behind his veil, seemed to smile silently and said, "Yes, I understand."
An hour later, the two finally arrived at their destination—Tianzhu City.
Because Tianzhu City is located on the border of two states, and is a large, commercially developed town where mortals frequently gather, a nearby country stationed troops there. Learning from the lesson of Chu Yezhao two thousand years ago, almost no cultivators dared to cause trouble here. Therefore, although Tianzhu City was a melting pot of all sorts of people, no major disturbances occurred.
Since the city was mostly populated by ordinary people, Xie Shuci had the king transform back into a puppy and walked among the crowd with Xie An, leading a crane.
"It smells so good!" Xie Shuci exclaimed, rubbing his nose.
The king, perched on the crane's back, nudged the dog's nose, expressing his complete agreement with Xie Shuci's words.
"Aww!"
Wow! There are butterflies and bees!
Xie Shuci stood on tiptoe and saw a flock of pink butterflies flying across the sky, followed by a swarm of buzzing bees that flew over everyone's heads like bodyguards, seemingly unafraid of humans at all.
The others in the city were clearly used to it, but Xie Shuci and the King, like country bumpkins who had just entered the city, pointed at the group of butterflies with shimmering wings and exclaimed, "How beautiful! That one has red wings! They even have a formation!"
"Awooooo!"
How beautiful! I've never seen such beautiful butterflies in my baby's hometown!
"Rabbit! Rabbit! Little rabbit!"
Xie Shuci pointed at the few small voices that were quickly passing by on the side of the road and screamed.
"Awooo?"
Rabbit? Where's the rabbit? Baby wants to see the rabbit!
"Young master, is this your first time visiting Tianzhu City?"
An elderly woman selling rouge and face powder struck up a conversation with the two of them.
Xie Shuci leaned closer to the stall and sniffed it. It smelled wonderful, and most importantly, it was fragrant but not cloying, with a lingering aftertaste.
“Yes,” Xie Shuci replied. “I think I just saw a rabbit. I wasn’t mistaken, was I?”
Perhaps seeing Xie Shuci's adorable appearance, the old woman looked at him with a smile and said, "You're not mistaken. Our Tianzhu City has more than just butterflies, bees, and rabbits. All the stray animals from the surrounding areas love to come to our Tianzhu City. We've always loved flowers, plants, and animals, and we've lived peacefully with them for generations. If you stay a few more days, you'll see even more of the same kinds of animals."
"Really? Will I see many women as warm, generous, and hospitable as you, elder sister?" Xie Shuci was not only pretty, but her words were also incredibly sweet. Although the old lady looked to be over fifty, her mindset was not bound by age. She wore a beautiful, brightly colored dress, had beautiful makeup on, and even had a flower decoration on her forehead.
"Yes, yes, yes..." The old lady nodded subconsciously in agreement, then realized what Xie Shuci was talking about. Her expression was momentarily stunned. She was both happy and a little embarrassed by the praise. "You...you child...how can you have such a sweet tongue? How could I...how could I possibly cheat you...ah, no, how could I possibly sell you anything!"
Xie Shuci: "..."
Hey, did you accidentally blurt out your true feelings?
At this moment, Xie An led the crane to stand behind him.
"Xie Shuci, there are a lot of people here, don't wander around," Xie An reminded him.
It was probably because Xie Shuci's constant rushing forward in Luofang City left him with a psychological trauma.
Xie Shuci waved his hand, "I know, I'm not a child."
"Oh, this young master." The old lady's eyes almost popped out when she saw Xie An. Based on her keen intuition about beauty accumulated over the decades, even if this young master in front of her did not show his face, judging from his temperament and voice alone, he was definitely a peerless beauty, one in a million!
"Young master, what is your name? Where do you live? How old are you? Are you married? Are you skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting? If not, that's alright. Would you like to stay in Tianzhu City? I know another way. Not only will you have room and board provided, but it's also easy and stress-free, and you'll receive a monthly salary of fifty taels. You won't be selling your body, just your art..."
"Stop! Stop! Hold on!"
Xie Shuci found it increasingly mysterious and quickly interrupted the old woman.
"Big sister, are you running a pyramid scheme?" Xie Shuci stepped aside to block Xie An's path.
The king vaguely understood the old woman's meaning: she wanted to sell the dangerous human next to Diedie! What a great opportunity! Diedie, sell him quickly! With money, Diedie can eat meat!
"Awooo! Awooo!"
Sell! Sell!
The king jumped twice on the crane's back, which nearly made the crane so angry that it sneezed and threw him off.
"Oh dear, I don't understand what you're talking about. Do you know Wanhua Tower? The one where the most beautiful woman in the world, Luo Xianyu, works, the most famous brothel in the world. They're recruiting courtesans recently..."
"So you're just a talent scout after all this time? No way, my Xie An is still young, don't try anything funny with him!" Xie Shuci shook his head and refused without even thinking.
Xie An thoroughly enjoyed Xie Shuci's defense of him, and stood behind Xie Shuci without uttering a word.
However, whenever passersby cast curious glances at Xie Shuci, Xie An would step forward to shield Xie Shuci from those probing eyes.
Even after being rejected, the old woman maintained her smiling demeanor and whispered to Xie Shuci, "If you enter the Wanhua Pavilion, you'll have a chance to see Luo Xianyu, the most beautiful woman in the world! You must understand, which outsider in Tianzhu City wouldn't want to see the real most beautiful woman in the world? If you bring him to the Wanhua Pavilion with me, you might just see her right away if you're lucky..."
The most beautiful woman in the world?
Xie Shuci really wanted to meet the so-called most beautiful woman in the world, and he also wanted to take the opportunity to correct his increasingly filthy thoughts.
The old woman was shrewd; seeing Xie Shuci's expression soften, she pressed her advantage, saying, "Besides, even if you go, you might not be selected."
Xie Shuci angrily retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? How could my Xie An possibly fail to be selected?"
"Yes, yes, yes." The old lady hurriedly echoed. Xie Shuci was the easiest to control. Just say what he liked. "Young master is obviously not simple. He will definitely be selected. But it doesn't matter if he is selected. Wanhua Pavilion will not sign any indenture. All the courtesans stay in the pavilion willingly. If young master is not willing, he can leave at any time. No one will stop him."
Hearing the old woman say this, Xie Shuci couldn't help but hesitate.
If Xie An were to try going to Wanhua Tower, they might be able to see the most beautiful woman in the world, and Xie Shuci's delusional mind could return to normal. They could then find an excuse to leave after seeing her, which wouldn't seem like a bad deal.
However, the more seriously Xie Shuci thought about it, the more gloomy Xie An's face became under his bamboo hat.
Xie Shuci thought for a moment, and with the old woman's silver tongue whispering in his ear, he was truly swayed.
He hesitated, then turned around and looked at Xie An, whose expression was obscured by the veil. He tentatively asked, "Xie An, why don't we give it a try?"
Xie An's breath hitched, and he remained silent, his lips pressed tightly together.
Unable to see his expression clearly, Xie Shuci lifted his veil with one hand. Upon seeing this, the old woman immediately leaned closer, wanting to see Xie An's face beneath the veil.
"Smack!"
Xie An ruthlessly slapped away Xie Shuci's misbehaving hand.
He didn't hold back at all in that slap; Xie Shuci's hand was red from the blow.
"Let's go give it a try, and while we're at it, let's see the most beautiful woman in the world. Don't you want to see her?"
After saying this, Xie Shuci immediately realized he had misspoke and was about to explain when Xie An stared at him intently. He was clearly blind, but Xie Shuci couldn't help feeling guilty.
"No...that's not what I meant..."
Without saying a word, Xie An shoved the reins into Xie Shuci's hand and turned to walk into the crowd.
"Awooo!"
Well done, Diedie! Get rid of him! Baby can protect you!
The king stuck out his tongue, a look of schadenfreude on his face.
Xie Shuci was terrified. Seeing him walk silently into the crowd, he was worried that if he got lost, where would he find him?
"Auntie, please hold this for me!"
“Eh…Young Master…”
Xie Shuci didn't care about anything else, he threw the crane to the old woman and strode after her.
"Xie An, I was wrong... I was wrong... I was just saying it casually..."
Xie Shuci rushed after him, taking three steps at a time, and finally managed to grab Xie An's arm.
Xie An seemed furious, and shook off his hand to continue walking forward.
Xie Shuci had no choice but to rush over and hug his arm, refusing to let go no matter what. "Don't be angry, don't be angry, I just wanted to see Luo Xianyu, I didn't mean anything else..."
Xie An, who had already stopped walking, seemed even angrier upon hearing this. He reached out to untie the bell from his waist and return it to Xie Shuci.
Upon seeing this, Xie Shuci felt a sense of helplessness and quickly grabbed his hand. Their tug-of-war had already attracted the attention of many passersby. Xie Shuci pulled Xie An into a small alley, pinned Xie An against the wall, spread his legs to trap Xie An in the middle, and held his hand tightly, as if afraid that he would take off the bell.
Xie An turned his head slightly and said, "Get out of the way."
"No! Can't you let me explain?"
Xie An didn't want to talk to him and raised his hand to push Xie Shuci away.
Xie Shuci couldn't let him push him away now, but Xie An was very strong, so he had no choice but to put half of his body on Xie An in order to control him.
"I just... I was just curious, I just wanted to go and see, I didn't mean anything by it, please don't be angry."
Xie Shuci was unaware of how intimate his and Xie An's current posture was; his mind was only focused on how to appease Xie An.
It's strange, Xie An usually seems to be such a calm and self-controlled person, so why does he become so temperamental when he gets angry?
Although he was being a little temperamental, Xie Shuci didn't find him annoying at all... in fact, she quite liked him...
Xie An was probably quite angry; his chest rose and fell slightly, and his breathing became uneven.
"She's pretty, go see her."
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