Xie Shuci was unaware of how cowardly his act of fleeing was.
Just thinking about how he had unknowingly done such intimate things with the little blind boy, and how he had taken the initiative to invite him, and even called it a surprise, made Xie Shuci's cheeks burn like fire.
He cupped his face in his hands and squatted by the well in the backyard to calm himself down; otherwise, he wouldn't have the face to go back and see the little blind boy!
And that blind man, why didn't he say so sooner? Why didn't he just say so directly!
"Um...sir, what's wrong with you...?"
A passing waiter looked at him hesitantly.
Xie Shuci lowered his head and slowly turned around on the ground. "Reflect on your mistakes. Go and boil some water for me, don't worry about me."
"Oh." The waiter nodded as if he understood, and said, "Then, would you like to go somewhere else? It's difficult for me to fetch water here."
Xie Shuci pouted, glanced back at the well, and suddenly, on a whim, stood up abruptly. He looked at the waiter with a serious expression and said in a solemn tone, "I have done something wrong. To punish myself, I have decided that I will personally prepare my own bath water today."
The waiter looked at him blankly, "This..."
"Go and bring Xie An and the others some food. Don't worry about me, let me calm down."
"Oh... okay." The waiter was bewildered as he was ordered around.
Xie Shuci took a deep breath and began fetching water.
He needed to calm down and think about other things. He had originally planned to go to Guanhualou today, but what a load of rubbish! He would go tomorrow. He should take this opportunity to review the antics he had caused on Bilibili.
Talents...
What are his talents again?
Sing?
He can belt out a few lines, whether they sound good or not, he doesn't know, but he thinks they sound pretty good.
Dance?
When it comes to dancing, Xie Shuci is very confident in herself. She just twists and turns to the music and always looks good no matter how she does it.
But even these two aren't enough.
Drinking? Can you drink? No way. Xie Shuci drank with his classmates after graduating from high school, and after only a couple of sips, he got into a fight on the table.
He gets extremely excited and energetic when he drinks too much.
Thinking about it this way, Xie Shuci's attention was indeed diverted.
After watching the waiter finish boiling water in the kitchen, Xie Shuci followed them back to their room.
Hearing the noise, Xie An, sitting at the table, raised his eyebrows. "Taken that long?"
Xie Shuci said absentmindedly, "I'm supervising them."
Xie An smiled noncommittally and remained silent.
The waiter set up the bathtub, filled it with hot water, and then left the room.
Xie Shuci's wild daydreams had been shattered by his impoverished life, and he needed to think carefully about what talents he actually had that he could be proud of.
"I'll go wash first."
After Xie Shuci walked behind the screen, he draped his change of clothes over it.
He took off his clothes, sat in the bathtub, and leaned over the edge, wondering what he could do.
He was thinking very seriously and didn't notice that the king had crawled in at some point and kept trying to jump into the wooden tub.
"Awooo! Awooo!"
The baby is taking a bath too!
With a "plop," the heavy object rolled into the wooden tub, splashing water all over Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci didn't know what it was. He shuddered and screamed as he climbed out of the bathtub.
Holy crap!
Xie Shuci moved with unbelievable speed. Before his mind could even process what was happening, he was already standing naked outside the bathtub, staring in shock at what had suddenly fallen into it.
Bubbling and gurgling filled the water, as if something was breathing underwater.
Hearing the noise, Xie An stepped behind the screen, frowned, and asked, "What happened?"
As soon as he walked in, he met Xie Shuci's frightened gaze and his completely naked body.
The room was filled with mist, and water droplets slid down his snow-white skin, making the vermilion mole on his waist appear and disappear, like a plum blossom fallen in the snow.
Xie An's eyes darkened, and his Adam's apple bobbed unnaturally.
Xie Shuci was still in shock and didn't immediately realize his situation. When he saw the little blind man, he naturally stepped barefoot on the floor and quickly rushed to his side, hiding behind him and pointing to the bathtub.
"Something fell in there, and it's alive!"
Xie Shuci hid half of his body behind him, pinching a corner of his clothes, his arm pressed against his back, and the water quickly soaked his clothes.
Xie An lowered his eyes and glanced behind him, his voice slightly hoarse: "Don't be afraid."
"Ouch...cough..."
Inside the wooden tub, a creature with wet, matted fur popped its head out. It struggled in the water, finally grabbing the edge of the tub with its paws and pulling itself out of the water.
Xie Shuci recognized it at a glance because of its black and white fur.
"Damn! It's you?" Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief.
"Aww..."
The soaking wet king jumped out of the bathtub, leaving a footprint on the ground with each step, and water gushed down like beads.
"Ouch!" Baby wants a bath too!
Xie Shuci couldn't help but find it amusing to see its eyes covered by fur. Just as he was about to step forward, Xie An turned to the side, completely blocking him from view.
Xie Shuci asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Xie An turned his head to the other side and said succinctly: "Clothes."
"Clothes?" Xie Shuci didn't quite understand what he meant.
I glanced at him; the little blind man's clothes were already soaked through on the back. "Clothes?"
"clothing."
"Clothes..." Xie Shuci spread his hands in confusion, looked down at himself, and when he saw that he was completely naked, he shuddered and instantly came to his senses, "Clothes?!"
He shoved Xie An away abruptly and retreated in terror.
Seeing his strong reaction, Xie An couldn't help but chuckle. He turned around, raised his arm, and pointed his long index finger at his temple, saying, "Why are you so nervous? I can't see it."
Xie Shuci: "..."
That makes a lot of sense.
Xie An lowered his gaze, his expression intrigued. "Could it be that you feel guilty?"
"No, no, no, don't talk nonsense."
Xie Shuci coughed lightly, and although his eyes darted around, he managed to calm himself down.
Yes, that's right. The little blind man is blind, he can't see. Even if I perform something right in front of him, he won't see me. What's there to be nervous about?
"Then why are you hiding?" Xie An asked.
"I...I just didn't realize it!" Xie Anshuci forced a smile and swaggered past Xie An, her ears burning red, but her tone was self-righteous.
Upon closer listening, one can detect a barely perceptible tremor.
Xie Shuci walked to the screen, picked up an undergarment, and prepared to put it on.
At that moment, he heard Xie An behind him say a meaningful "oh," clearly expressing his doubt about his answer.
Xie Shuci clenched his teeth and discreetly put the clothes back in his hand.
Damn! If Xie An puts on his clothes with that attitude, wouldn't that just prove he's guilty?
Xie Shuci was completely unaware that his behavior was somewhat like trying to hide something obvious.
"Oh, everyone here is a man, I just didn't react for a moment. In my hometown, we often strip naked and compare sizes, what do I have to be nervous about?" Xie Shuci forced himself to raise his head and meet Xie An's empty gaze, trying to save face.
Xie An frowned slightly, "Compare sizes?"
Although Xie Shuci had never done such a thing, he had at least seen pigs run, even if he had never eaten pork.
"Yeah, that's perfectly normal among us men."
The blind man, who seemed so upright and honest, had certainly never done such a thing, so after hearing Xie Shuci's explanation, his expression gradually darkened.
Seeing his somber expression, Xie Shuci suddenly felt a sense of victory, and her heart was filled with joy.
Not embarrassed, she teased, "I'm going to work at the Wanhua Brothel tomorrow, and I don't know how to serve people yet. How about I dance for you here? Let you get a feel for it beforehand?"
Xie Shuci's original intention was to tease Xie An and, incidentally, to get rid of him as soon as possible so he could put his clothes back on.
To everyone's surprise, Xie An raised his eyes, a half-smile playing on his lips, and nodded, saying, "Alright."
Xie Shuci: "..."
No...you can't...or at least you shouldn't...
Xie An took two steps back, leaned against the wooden pillar, crossed his arms over his chest, and said leisurely, "Please."
Xie Shuci's face stiffened.
He couldn't hold back any longer, so he gave a dry laugh, tore off the clothes from the screen, and used them to cover himself.
Xie An looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Alright, Xie Xiaoci admits defeat.
"I... I was just joking, don't take it seriously! You must be feeling uncomfortable sitting on the ground all day, right? Um... I'll go ask the waiter to bring up a new bucket of water, just a moment, just a moment..."
Before Xie An could answer, he quickly put on his clothes, and before he could even dry his hair, he rushed out the door under the king's questioning gaze.
"Huh?"
The king glanced at the wide-open door, then at Xie An, who was leaning against a wooden pillar with a calm expression.
What happened after the fall?
Xie An straightened up, and suddenly felt dizzy. He frowned instantly, walked to the table, and took out a healing pill from Xie Shuci's pouch with practiced ease, and swallowed it.
For the next half day, Xie Shuci sat timidly in the lobby. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the blind boy was doing it on purpose. This person looked clean and honest, but who knows what bad thoughts he might have in his heart.
Xie Shuci rested his chin on his hands, watching the dancers' performance on stage, and sighed wistfully.
Xie Xiaoci, oh Xie Xiaoci, beauty can lead people astray.
After Xie Shuci sat for a while, she finally calmed down and returned to her room. Xie An acted as if nothing had happened, casually asking a couple of questions, and that was the end of it.
But Xie Shuci was troubled.
He felt that there was something wrong with himself, but at the same time he felt that Xie An was the problem.
Sure enough, when it comes to relationships, the slightest hint of trouble can spark a lot of speculation.
Alright, let's think about how to support the family first.
So that evening, Xie Shuci insisted on borrowing pen and ink to draft some kind of plan for himself, and even gave up his bed to the king.
The king glanced at the Great Demon King by the bedside, then at the kind and amiable Xie Shuci, and decisively chose to lie down at Xie Shuci's feet and take a comfortable nap.
Before Xie An could say anything, Xie Shuci, worried that he might think she was distancing herself from him, preemptively said, "I need to prepare for tomorrow. You should get some rest."
Xie An didn't say anything, he just lay down and closed his eyes.
Xie Shuci wasn't lying to him. He spent the entire night writing a page of crooked, illegible characters. It was only because Xie An couldn't see it that he certainly noticed; otherwise, he would have discovered that what he wrote on the paper was:
First, you are not allowed to have wild thoughts;
Second, prioritize career development;
Third, seal away one's heart and lock away love;
fourth……
Xie Shuci recited scriptures to himself all night, and the next day he felt refreshed. He folded a piece of paper filled with writing, put it in his pouch, packed his luggage, and took his family to the Guanhua Tower.
I already made arrangements with Xiao Lian yesterday. Xie An will share a room with him, and he will generously sponsor the refining of a Spirit Gathering Pill.
Upon arriving outside the Guanhua Tower, the guests inside and outside looked at the group with curious eyes.
The little lion on the stone pillar by the doorway yawned. When the golden lion saw the king, it roared excitedly, and the king wagged its tail at it.
"Awooo!"
Brother, we meet again.
"Roar!"
Yes, I've missed you so much.
"Brother Xiaoci, you've arrived."
Xiao Xianlan walked out from inside the door.
Xie Shuci looked at her, and she smiled at him.
"Is this a crane?" Xiao Xianlan asked as she walked up to the crane.
"right."
"How impressive!"
"Awooo! Awooo!"
Isn't the baby majestic?
Little Fairy Orchid picked up the Great King from the ground and rubbed its neck, saying, "You look majestic too."
Looking at her, Xie Shuci couldn't help but feel a little sad. Xiao Xianlan must already know about Luo Xianyu's illness. That smile looked somewhat forced.
"Brother Xiaoci, I've had someone take the crane to the stable. Sister Xiaolian has been waiting in her room for quite some time."
Xie Shuci nodded. "Okay."
Upon entering the Guanhua Building, the curious gazes became even bolder.
Yesterday, he rode in the same carriage with Luo Xianyu, and they chatted happily at Jingyu Mountain, which made everyone curious about his identity.
Even though he carried the Hehuan Sect's token, everyone in the cultivation world knew that the Hehuan Sect only accepted female disciples. Since this person wasn't a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, he must have a significant connection with Ye Changxuan of the Hehuan Sect.
"Are these your guests at Guanhualou?"
In a private room, a woman is serving a guest.
Upon hearing this, the woman lowered her eyes and chuckled: "It is said that these two guests are quite important, but Xiao Lian said that one of them is going to work in our building."
"Oh? Which one?"
"It should be the one who is slightly shorter."
The customer looked up and sized her up through the openwork partition. "She looks quite well-behaved. What kind of job does she do?"
"Poor skills."
"I see." The guest sighed regretfully.
The woman smiled and said, "If you like, young master, how about I call over two male prostitutes for you?"
"Is she better looking than him?"
The woman shook her head: "Although I am not as good as him, I guarantee that I will serve you well."
"No need."
Xiao Xianlan arrived at Xiao Lian's door. She knocked twice, and soon the door was opened from the inside.
"You're here."
Xiao Lian listlessly waved her palm-leaf fan, stepped aside, and welcomed the three people and the dog inside.
Xie Shuci asked, "Where do I live? Let Xie An take the King there first."
"Aww!"
The king, nestled in Xiaoxianlan's arms, poked his head out and picked up Xie Shuci's clothes.
What are you doing?
"roar!"
The king rolled over and roared, mimicking Little Gold at the door.
Xie Shuci asked in surprise, "You want to go play with that lion beast?"
"Aww!" The king nodded.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Lian sneered, "You dog are quite clever."
"Don't get into a fight with them," Xie Shuci cautioned.
"Aww!" The baby knows!
"Go."
Little Fairy Orchid put the Great King down, and as soon as he stepped outside, he transformed back into his Crimson Snow Wolf form, leaping down from the attic and causing a commotion in the main hall.
"What...what is this?"
"Wolf, Crimson Snow Wolf."
Xie Shuci's expression changed, and he walked to the fence in a few steps, shouting down, "Your Majesty, behave yourself! You'll have to pay for anything you break!"
"Awooo!" The king roared in response as he ran away.
Got it!
Watching its frolicking back, Xie Shuci felt a pang of regret. "This little thing, it's like it hasn't left the house in centuries, how embarrassing."
Xiao Lian smiled and said, "She does have a lot of intelligence."
Xie Shuci thought to himself, "Of course, after all, it's a little spirit beast."
Back in his room, Xie Shuci looked at Xie An and asked, "Xie An, would you like to go back to your room first?"
Xie An shook his head slightly, "No need, I'll go with you."
The brothel was full of all sorts of people, and Xie Shuci was worried about leaving him alone in the room, so he nodded and asked Xiao Lian, "Is it alright for Xie An to come with me?"
"Of course not." Xiao Lian closed the door.
Only Xie Shuci and the other three remained in the room. They sat down at the table, and Xie Shuci asked, "Where is Sister Xianyu?"
Upon hearing this,
Xiao Xianlan's expression darkened, and Xiao Lian also stopped joking and said seriously, "In the past, she didn't want Xianlan to worry, so she kept holding on. But after the Thousand Flower Dance that day, her condition deteriorated rapidly, and I temporarily used my spiritual power to protect her heart meridian. Now, she can't even stand the wind and is resting in her room."
Xie Shuci couldn't help but sigh and looked at Xiao Xianlan.
Xiao Xianlan's eyes reddened as she said, "I had long suspected that something was wrong with my sister's health, but I never expected it to be this kind of illness."
Xie Shuci wasn't very good at comforting others. Seeing her on the verge of tears, he felt a little sad, but couldn't find the words to comfort her.
"Xianlan!" Xiaolian suddenly called out.
Xiao Xianlan immediately wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, forced a smile, and said to Xie Shuci, "Brother Xiaoci, my sister told me that it was you who gave me the Spirit Gathering Pill, which allowed me to see the Jingyu Flower in full bloom. I didn't have time to thank you yesterday."
Xiao Xianlan stood up and bowed to Xie Shuci, "Thank you, Brother Xiaoci."
"It's nothing, I just casually refined a few." Xie Shuci quickly helped her up.
Seeing that the two were both a little down, Xiao Lian said, "Alright, Xianlan is much stronger than we thought. Young Master Xie, come with us to change your clothes first, and then we'll introduce you to everyone."
"Change my outfit? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Xie Shuci looked at himself in confusion. He was dressed neatly and cleanly. Was there a problem?
Xiao Xianlan laughed and said, "Brother Xiao Ci, this outfit is fine outside, but it won't work inside the building."
Xie Shuci raised an eyebrow, then nodded knowingly after a moment. "Your Tianzhu City is all so flamboyant, and the brothels are all so flamboyant too, so I have to dress flamboyantly as well, right?"
Xiao Xianlan smiled but didn't say anything.
Xiao Lian opened the door, walked to the railing, and leaned against it lazily. While fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, she looked down at the building and said to Xie Shuci, "Come and see for yourself."
"What?" Xie Shuci stepped forward suspiciously, with Xie An following closely behind.
Xie Shuci stood by the railing and looked down. Several groups of guests were sitting in the hall. Some guests were served by women, while others were accompanied by extremely handsome men.
The men were dressed differently from the others. They wore lantern-sleeved gauze robes with necklines that plunged almost to their ribs, revealing a patch of their white chests. Below, they wore thin layers of gauze, tied at the ankles to expose their slender ankles, making them appear somewhat fragile.
"Brother Xiaoci, don't worry, those clothes aren't transparent, and you can't see what's underneath. If you don't like them..."
"Isn't this beautiful!" Xie Shuci looked at the ethereal dress, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
He thought he was going to have to change his clothes. Compared to their outfits, he looked like a country bumpkin, all wrapped up tightly.
"Huh?" Xiao Xianlan was stunned by his reaction. "You...don't you think it's too revealing?"
"What's so special about this? In my hometown, even in the middle of summer, men and women wear short sleeves, and this is where..." Xie Shuci gestured to his arm, "and they're still wearing shorts, and the girls are even wearing super short shorts, which go up to their thighs."
Xie Shuci pouted and said, "Take brothels for example. In my hometown, there's a place similar to a brothel called a bar. The girls who dance and sing there wear clothes that are more revealing than this..."
Xie Shuci compared the position of his ribs.
Xiao Xianlan and Xiao Lian looked surprised. "Really?"
"Really?"
Xiao Xianlan blushed, "You're wearing too little..."
"Quite a few people wear this."
Xie Shuci was smugly introducing the current society to the two of them, completely unaware that Xie An had walked up to them at some point.
He walked up to Xie Shuci, chuckled casually, and said in a nonchalant tone, "So that's why you insisted on going to brothels. You used to be a regular customer."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Why does what the little blind man said sound so strange?
"I haven't been there many times, just to go drinking and singing with friends," Xie Shuci explained subconsciously.
Xie An
He said ambiguously, "You've only been there a few times? Yet you remember exactly what other people are wearing?"
Xie Shuci: "..."
"I dress like this too, everyone dresses like this," Xie Shuci said helplessly.
Xie An gave a half-smile and then said nothing more.
Xie Shuci was truly at a loss with his unpredictable personality; he was so difficult to please! Even more difficult to please than the King!
Xiao Lian smiled and said, "Since you think it looks good, come with me to change your clothes."
"Let's go, let's go."
Xie Shuci pushed Xie An forward to prevent him from saying anything more irrelevant.
Xie An didn't say anything more, straightened his sleeves, and strode forward.
The three of them and Xiao Lian went around to the other side of the Guanhua Tower, where the male prostitutes lived.
Arriving at the door of a house, Xiao Lian pushed it open and entered.
Xie Shuci glanced inside and saw that the room was filled with exquisite and beautiful clothes and accessories, and several fair-skinned men were sitting in front of the mirror dressing up.
Hearing the noise by the door, everyone looked up.
"Sister Xiaolian, what brings you here?"
Before the bronze mirror, a slender man stood up. His face was covered with a thin layer of powder, and his lips were dotted with vermilion. Yet, his smile was very refined and proper.
Xiao Lian pointed at Xie Shuci with her fan and said, "Let me introduce you to a new person, that guest in the attic, and have him serve him."
"Hello." Xie Shuci waved to him.
The man nodded to him, then said in surprise, "Let him serve that difficult guest?"
"Okay." Xiao Lian nodded and pushed Xie Shuci inside. "Help him change his clothes."
Xie Shuci stumbled forward from her push, but didn't take it to heart. He was never shy, so he asked the man, "Can I choose my own clothes? Clean ones."
The man chuckled, "Don't worry, it's clean."
Xie An glanced at Xiao Lian discreetly, then walked behind Xie Shuci and smoothed out the marks Xiao Lian had left on his back.
"And who is this?" The man looked at Xie An, his eyes lighting up immediately.
“He is my younger brother,” Xie Shuci said.
"He is too..."
"No, he isn't!"
Seeing the man's eyes light up as he looked at Xie An, Xie Shuci immediately tensed up. He had just seen it downstairs; most of the male prostitutes here served men, so they must also like men! A man like the blind man, even he, who prided himself on being straight... these men who were gay, seeing him, wouldn't their hearts be pounding like the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?
Xie Shuci immediately shielded Xie An behind her, saying, "He's just very clingy and insisted on coming along."
Xie Shuci emphasized the words "stick to me" as if afraid others wouldn't know how close his relationship with Xie An was.
Upon hearing his words, the man raised his eyebrows in surprise, his gaze sweeping between the two men before turning away from Xie An and saying to Xie Shuci, "Please."
Xie Shuci followed.
Xiao Lian stepped forward, walked to Xie An's side, shook the palm-leaf fan in her hand, and said with a smile that was also a sigh, "The people in this brothel, who have been frequenting places of pleasure all year round, your little schemes... humph." She chuckled.
Whether Xie An heard her or not, he walked straight toward Xie Shuci.
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