Chapter 53 Chapter 53 'Gently' Kiss
Qin Sheng found that Xu Zhaoyi was quite proactive about moving rooms, and urged him to go upstairs right after breakfast.
"Have you really thought it through?" Qin Sheng had to remind him, "My body cannot be exposed to large amounts of spiritual energy. If you sleep in my room, you won't have that much continuous spiritual energy to breathe in and out at night. Your cultivation progress will be much slower."
Xu Zhaoyi's progress in cultivation had obviously stalled again. Leaving the spiritual energy-rich environment that Qin Sheng had specially prepared for him, it would only be more difficult for him to break free from the bottleneck.
"It's not because of a lack of spiritual energy that I'm stuck." Xu Zhaoyi didn't care at all. He shook his head and said, "I've carefully reviewed my progress over the past two days. I guess it's probably because I advanced too quickly, but I learned too much without any depth. That's why I stagnated again two levels away from Foundation Establishment."
What Xu Zhaoyi lacks is explosive power, and Qin Sheng needs to take some responsibility for this, saying that spoiling him is unacceptable.
But the person involved was completely unaware of this, and even wanted to escalate the situation: "Then what should I do? Should I focus on cultivating the Star Fire Technique until it reaches perfection first?"
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered that the reward for the current hug mission was a blazing golden fan, which had similar properties and should be helpful for Xu Zhaoyi in practicing the Starfire Technique.
Then, with a hint of mystery, he said, "I'll give you something in a few days. Maybe it can help you break through to the next level."
"If we break through one more level, we'll get married." Xu Zhaoyi, who was packing clothes in the closet with his back to him, unconsciously curled his lips and jokingly said, "Can the thing you gave me be understood as a proposal gift?"
"To be honest, when we agreed that we would go back and get married once you reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, I didn't expect it to happen so soon." Qin Sheng didn't even set up an antenna and couldn't receive any ambiguous signals.
Instead, he thought of something else, and he had been thinking about this for a long time: "I originally thought that you could accomplish this goal within a year, which was considered fast, so I'm not in that rush."
At that time, he just thought that as long as Xu Zhaoyi reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, it would be fine. After all, the last step was actually the most difficult. As far as he knew, the old man of the Qin family had actually reached the ninth level of Qi Refining when he was less than fifty years old, but until now, he was buried up to his neck in the earth, and decades later, he was still half a step away from building the foundation.
However, his plug-in can ignore this difference. As long as Xu Zhaoyi reaches the ninth level of Qi Refining, he will immediately have the strength to build a foundation.
However, now that we have achieved the goal beyond expectations, it is not impossible to wait a little longer.
"You want to wait until I've established my foundation?" Xu Zhaoyi's smile faded a little, and he said seriously, "Of course, I also hope to maximize my chances of winning before taking action, but I'm afraid establishing my foundation won't be as easy as I've shown in my previous training."
By the time he reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, he could already clearly feel his own shortcomings. His path of cultivation was too moderate and upright. When he realized this, even he found it miraculous - he was not like this at all before he met Qin Sheng.
He originally had no ties except for his friend Jin Nianyue, but because of Qin Sheng's intervention, he once again returned to the state of "having both parents", and could even be barely considered "having a wife and children".
Qin Sheng met his unimaginable resource and emotional needs, but also inadvertently softened his indomitable spirit.
"I have a feeling that if I don't encounter a situation that requires me to give my all to turn the tide, I won't be able to break through the foundation-building stage."
Xu Zhaoyi's considerations were also very realistic: "But in that situation, I would definitely be forced into a corner, with a 50-50 chance of winning or losing or even lower. I wouldn't be afraid of facing that myself, but I would be afraid that I would die before helping you deal with the Qin family, and I would be afraid that I would die before sending my parents back into reincarnation."
What would happen to Qin Sheng if he died? What would happen to his parents?
"I understand." Qin Sheng understood what he meant and said after thinking for a while, "Then let's stick to the original plan. After the Qin family's affairs are over, I have something very important to confess to you. We will not fail."
Xu Zhaoyi paused as he was pulling clothes out of the closet.
"Frank?" The word used has a connotation that can be both positive and negative.
He wasn't so love-sick that he thought Qin Sheng used this word to imply that he planned to confess his feelings to him after everything was over.
What Qin Sheng was talking about should be the secret that he had told him before, but he was not sure whether telling him at this stage would destroy the existing trust between them.
Xu Zhaoyi actually didn't care that much about Qin Sheng not telling him something. If he hadn't accidentally heard Feng Lili know and Qin Sheng asked Feng Lili to be careful not to let the secret slip to him, he wouldn't have even asked that day.
He snorted softly, "I'm really curious about what big thing you've been hiding from me that makes you still think I might turn against you because of this!"
He almost told Qin Sheng directly that the reason his cultivation was stuck was because he was worried about him.
How could someone who obviously has an incredibly high emotional intelligence be so unromantic?
Someone who doesn't understand romance simply attributed the implicit confession of love to the male protagonist's shining sense of responsibility.
Perhaps it was because of the hot spring bathing together, where they stripped half-naked, and the several close hugs that completely invaded each other's safe distance afterwards, that moving in together did not require as much adjustment as they had imagined, as if it was supposed to be this way.
When they were lying in bed that night, Noodles reminded Qin Sheng in his mind that the hug mission had not been completed yet, and the hug he received during the day was given by Xu Zhaoyi, so it didn't count.
[Why didn’t you say it earlier?] Qin Sheng was speechless. Does holding him during the day mean the same thing as holding him while he’s lying in bed?
Noodles said innocently: [How could I know you forgot? I thought you had your own pace!]
Qin Sheng sighed and resigned himself to turning over towards Xu Zhaoyi. When Xu Zhaoyi looked at him, he smiled apologetically at him, then stretched out his arm and put it on Xu Zhaoyi's waist, and pulled him into his arms with force.
Xu Zhaoyi's body didn't resist at all, and he didn't even lean back reflexively. He let him hold him like a human doll.
He just muttered in confusion: "Didn't I hug you today?"
Qin Sheng coughed and said, "That doesn't count."
Xu Zhaoyi: “…”Okay.
He seemed to be lost in thought, and finally fell asleep before the hug even lasted a minute. Qin Sheng didn't want to get rid of him after the mission was completed, so he had to hold him like this all night, thinking that if this state continued until the early morning, tomorrow's mission would be automatically completed.
Of course, there is no such good thing. People will change their sleeping positions and continue sleeping after four hours at most. When they wake up the next day, the two people have separated on their own.
Xu Zhaoyi didn't know what Qin Sheng meant by "this doesn't count". Anyway, in the next two days, their hugs became more frequent, and Xu Zhaoyi was even more proactive than Qin Sheng.
Noodles couldn't help but complain that the two of them looked like a married couple.
Although Qin Sheng felt that something seemed wrong, he couldn't possibly be able to hug Xu Zhaoyi but then be hypocritical and not let Xu Zhaoyi hug him back, right?
No matter what, if you check in for five consecutive days, there are only two days left to complete the task and you can get the Fiery Golden Fan.
On the sixth day, Qin Sheng received a message from Feng Li, the hairdresser, that she had chartered a plane back to China with the people from Nanchuan, plus Raphael and Ligaya.
Qin Sheng sent her the prepared address of the new headquarters and then made an appointment with her for a private meeting.
He had no intention of contacting the people from Nanchuan, so he had to wait until Feng Lili and the others were settled before asking Husheng to bring the three of them to the manor. Originally, he had prepared for Xu Zhaoyi's team and had rearranged the small viewing attic on the other side of the manor, which was just right for the meeting.
After making the arrangements, he took Xu Zhaoyi to the small attic. The view from there did seem to be very good. The fourth-floor terrace offered a panoramic view of the entire manor, but...
"Why do I feel like this place is arranged like an office? When did you build it?" Xu Zhaoyi asked.
Qin Sheng shrugged and said, "We just got engaged not long ago. I took advantage of your retreat to renovate this place."
Xu Zhaoyi's eyes flashed with disbelief: "Did you plan for today's situation back then?"
"Of course not. At that time, I was planning to renovate this place for you to use, but then I thought it wasn't reliable. With so many guards watching around, it would be inconvenient for your friends to come in and out, so I never told you."
Qin Sheng smiled indifferently. He just did something useless on a whim.
Xu Zhaoyi said "oh". If Qin Sheng said yes, then this guy's brain was a bit too scary.
They spent most of the day here. Since Xu Zhaoyi didn't have to practice recently, he had nothing to do. After Qin Sheng finished his regular work, he accompanied him to watch a movie in the conference room converted from the audio-visual room.
This was a terrible movie kindly provided by Noodles, and it almost made both of us fall asleep. I really can't believe AI's aesthetic taste in this area.
Both of them were hypnotized by the magic of the bad movie, but the time for the agreed meeting had almost come, so Xu Zhaoyi could only force himself to cheer up and take Husheng to pick up the person.
When a huge "coffin" emerged from the ground, Feng Lili and Lijiaya, who were waiting at the agreed place, were so scared that their hair stood on end. Only Raphael was slightly calmer.
Xu Zhaoyi poked his head out of the huge box and waved his hand for them all to come in. Husheng was shrunk and put into Xu Zhaoyi's pocket and did not appear.
"Is this a magic weapon for earth escape?" Feng Lili lifted her skirt and struggled to get into the box. She touched the ordinary wooden box and asked curiously.
Raphael followed closely behind. He had already broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining during this period. His eyesight was much better than Feng Lili's. "No, I can tell this is just an ordinary box. Mr. Xu must have recently mastered the Earth Escape Technique. Using this method to lead people is quite a trick!"
"That's right." Xu Zhaoyi did not deny Raphael's words. This was also the guess closest to the truth.
The group reunited in the small attic of the manor, and Ligaya immediately gave them a bag of her beloved new invention - the plus version of Mood Candy.
Lijiaya excitedly recommended it to the market: "I added a few drops of precious spiritual water to it, and it produced a truly miraculous effect. You'll see once you try it!"
Qin Sheng took it politely, not missing Feng Lili's complicated expression and hesitation as he stood beside him.
He immediately understood that Ligaya's so-called magical effect was probably not a refreshing experience.
After a few pleasantries, the conversation returned to the main topic. Qin Sheng took the lead in explaining his own arrangements: "I originally wanted Ah Zhao to use Su Cizhao's name to protect the Southern Chuan sect, which had been reformed under his purge, but the situation changed a few days ago, and this plan needs to be postponed.
Ah Zhao and I will ensure everyone's safety, but I need to keep Miss Feng in a state of being hunted by the Qin family. Wait and see if anyone offers you an olive branch."
He wanted to lure out the person who taught the Xu family how to refine corpse ghosts.
"The people sent by the Qin family won't be too strong, because the Southern Sect's cultivation level is generally low, except for Karuna." Qin Sheng tapped his fingers unconsciously on the table and said slowly, "As long as it's not my old man who takes action personally, Azhao is more than enough to handle it."
The old man would never take action unless the head of the family under him, Qin Kangnian, died first. But his adoptive father was not a stubborn warrior. In the end, he would most likely try to save the Qin family's reputation, find an excuse to let Feng Lili go, and then take him back home and protect him well.
But we can't rely solely on Xu Zhaoyi for protection. With so many people, it will take too long to take care of them all.
"During this period, the purity of the spiritual water I provide will be improved, and the quantity will also increase. For the time being, don't put all your energy back into the business. Just take some orders to maintain operations. Focus on training and improving your strength first."
Speaking of spiritual water, the people on the opposite side are no longer sleepy. After all, no matter how well the pie is drawn, it can't compare to the real spiritual fragrance. Raphael and Ligaya followed over just for this taste.
She immediately said that she would listen to Qin Sheng in everything. Feng Lili had no problem with it. She didn't like practicing, but spiritual energy was not only used for practice. Lijiaya also used it to make candy. She used spiritual energy water to apply facial masks and mixed it with water for bathing. The effect made her unable to stop.
When Qin Sheng was about to say something to summarize, he suddenly felt a heaviness on his shoulder. It was Xu Zhaoyi who had fallen asleep leaning against him.
It was obvious that it was not an accidental behavior. He even adjusted himself to a comfortable posture. Fortunately, today's task had been completed, so Qin Sheng did not wake him up. He raised his hand to circle his shoulders so that he could lean more comfortably.
"That's all for tonight. There's a rest room here. The refrigerator on the first floor is full of spiritual water. You can use it as you please. We'll discuss the details tomorrow."
He called them over first thing tonight just to reassure them. After all, they had been separated for several days and anything could have changed. Raphael and Ligaya had left their hometown to follow him, so he had to be attentive to them.
The uneasiness that Ligaya had felt before coming here was put to rest, but her gossipy heart was burning again.
Qin Sheng could hear her whispering to Feng Lili in what she thought was a covert whisper, "They seem to be closer than when they were in Nanyang. I thought they were used to sleeping separately after that, but now it seems they just hadn't reached that stage back then, and only now..."
“………” Qin Sheng was speechless.
He lowered his head to look at Xu Zhaoyi, who was leaning on his shoulder with his eyes closed. His breathing was steady and unchanged, but his ears had turned red against his will.
So he smiled and whispered, "Actually, her guess was right. We did sleep together after we came back..."
"Hey!" Xu Zhaoyi interrupted hurriedly, opened his eyes and got up from him, giving him a sidelong glance with annoyance.
"It's not about sleeping together at all. It's obviously because of you... After you hug me for the last time tomorrow, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation!"
He said this out of shame and anger, and regretted it as soon as he finished speaking. In fact, it didn't matter that Qin Sheng couldn't give an explanation. He didn't think Qin Sheng had any legitimate reason.
I didn’t expect Qin Sheng really had it.
The next morning, after Qin Sheng got up, he waited at the bathroom door for him to come out after washing up. He couldn't wait to pull him into his arms and hugged him for a long time.
Xu Zhaoyi quietly let him hold him. After Qin Sheng let go, he was afraid that he would be embarrassed, so he turned around and left without chasing him to explain. However, Qin Sheng grabbed him and insisted on settling the score with him.
"Okay, tell me, what's the reason?" He silently lowered his IQ to the lowest level, ready to listen without thinking.
Qin Sheng, however, had a good reason: "Aren't we going back to the Qin family soon? I noticed that you're still as straight as a telephone pole, and you're not even comfortable taking a hot spring bath with me. The Qin family isn't full of idiots like Qin Shi. We'd be exposed if we went back in this state, so I thought of desensitizing you. Do you think you're not opposed to physical contact with the same sex at all now?"
“……?” Xu Zhaoyi widened his eyes.
Doesn't he mind having intimate contact with people of the same sex?
If this homosexual wasn't Qin Sheng, he would have knocked his head off!
Qin Sheng tilted his head and smiled at him: "How is it? Isn't the effect outstanding?"
“………”Pull your head off!
It would be fine if he didn't give a reason, and it would be fine if he stopped showing off, but Xu Zhaoyi was almost mad at him because of his repeated provocations.
He turned his head and chuckled, then grabbed Qin Sheng's collar to shorten the distance between them to almost zero, then raised his chin, closed his eyes and slammed forward.
It was only a moment before they separated, and even the pain of their lips colliding was only felt after they separated.
Qin Sheng subconsciously raised his hand to touch the place where he was hit. He lowered his eyes and saw that there was indeed some blood on his fingertips. He then looked up at Xu Zhaoyi, whose lip was obviously cut. His expression was so complicated that it was difficult to describe.
Xu Zhaoyi took a deep breath and let go of him, looking at him with a half-smile:
"I'm also helping you desensitize yourself, don't you mind?"
“…I don’t mind.”
How could Qin Sheng dare to do that? His mouth was in so much pain.
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