Chapter 63 The Sleeping Curse (27) "Yes, because it made me..."
Chang Mingai had never heard Xie Tan speak loudly.
His voice was very soft, and although he spoke very clearly, there was always a sense of etherealness to it, as if it were detached from the human world.
So his emotions were very calm. He was a man of few words, and although sometimes what he said was hard to understand, if you understood it and thought about it carefully, you would realize that there was nothing to say.
In daily life, he only gives the simplest answers. Occasionally, he might have a bad sense of humor, making a dry joke or showing some casual malice, such as his last answer to Zhu Fengliang.
But she thought it wasn't directed at Zhu Fengliang. Just like his answer itself, he said what he wanted to say... and killed whoever he wanted to kill, without any reason.
His heart was empty; he found speaking a waste of energy; he cared about nothing; he was disgusted with the world and with these people; it was as if he had lived his life merely as an observer.
But she now realizes that's not the case.
Behind his calm eyes and the words he uttered, there was more to it than nothing.
And it may not be ordinary at all; it's just that it's all buried deep within, left for one to savor.
He fenced off the cliff, prohibiting passage. Outsiders could only see the deathly stillness on the cliff, as if there was no wind, which gave them a sense of instinctive dread, but they didn't know how deep it was. Instead, it seemed like a protective barrier.
Now, he led her forward a step, letting her glimpse the abyss.
She dared not say she saw it clearly, but just one glance was enough to startle her.
Although she didn't know how deep it was or what lay at the bottom, she already knew from her escape from the town that even a gust of cold wind from the abyss could ignite a small mountain and unleash a hellish storm.
Xie Tan stood up first, so that Lu Jinzhao wouldn't have to carry him or lift him upstairs. He had recovered a lot and could take care of himself.
Before getting off the bus, he gave Chang Mingai a faint smile, a fleeting one.
He didn't say anything, but it seemed like a soft "shh".
Chang Ming was terrified.
Lu Jinzhao was worried. He looked at Xie Tan with concern for a moment, then after Xie Tan silently turned back, he revealed a smug smile, took his arm and walked away, using his other hand to help Chang Mingai carry things, letting her go inside first.
The villa had many rooms. After two days and three nights of thrilling adventure, they desperately needed a good rest, so they didn't stand on ceremony, chose their own rooms, and went straight to sleep.
Xie Tan entered the room and silently watched Lu Jinzhao follow him in. Chang Mingai went upstairs and slipped away with his luggage.
Lu Jinchao busied himself with tidying up the room and laying out clean sheets and blankets. Xie Tan tried to stop him but to no avail, and couldn't persuade him otherwise. So he boiled water and washed the fruit in the fruit bowl.
Tonight is the lively Water Splashing Festival, and many shops and stalls are staying up all night to make a fortune.
With a wave of her hand, the young lady delivered the freshest delicacies and fruits to the villa, but they couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep after only a bite or two.
After Lu Jinzhao finished his work easily, he turned around and was fed by Xie Tan. He smiled and bit off a grape from a toothpick: "Sweet, delicious."
Seeing his silly grin, Xie Tan's lips also curled up slightly.
It does look quite sweet.
"Aren't you going back to rest?"
Lu Jinzhao's expression fell, his eyes even more watery than washed grapes: "I'm afraid you'll get a fever in the middle of the night, so I'll stay here..."
"Didn't you see it last time? You'll be fine after a good night's sleep." Xie Tan sat on the edge of the bed, too lazy to look at him, and stuffed grapes into his hands. "If you can't sleep, go back and count grapes."
Lu Jinzhao, holding grapes, squatted down in front of Xie Tan, looking a little aggrieved.
He held Xie Tan's hand, which was resting on his knee. The hand flinched slightly but did not pull away. Lu Jinzhao looked at him and said softly, "But you are recovering more slowly than last time."
He had stayed by Xie Tan's side all night last time and remembered the process of his body temperature gradually decreasing.
Although it was hard to detect, with his unmistakable memory, he noticed that the onset and duration of the drug's effects were somewhat slower this time.
Xie Tan remained unfazed: "Don't worry too much... Although it wasn't great last time either, the environment this time is even worse, with both rain and fire. The fact that it came down so quickly is already a testament to the potion's extraordinary performance. I'm not that fragile, nor am I indestructible."
That's obviously just to fool people.
He actually felt the two times were about the same, but he knew Lu Jinzhao was probably right, because compared to when he first used inhibitors... it was indeed much slower.
It's not even the same concentration.
There was no other way; in the world Xie Tan originally lived in, there were very few people who were born with different traits.
Because they secrete pheromones prematurely (albeit in an incomplete state), they are more prone to pheromone out-of-control behavior, have lower immunity, and are more unstable mentally than other normally differentiated individuals during their growth process.
However, with proper guidance and care from hospitals and families, they will gradually stabilize as they age, and may even adapt to pheromones earlier than other normally differentiated individuals.
Because they were "exposed" earlier than others.
The medications they use are milder, primarily designed to alleviate the pain and confusion caused by uncontrolled pheromone secretion, and cannot completely suppress pheromone secretion.
After all, the suppressive drugs on the market are too potent for children and adolescents whose development is not yet complete, and are therefore completely unsuitable.
Moreover, although they are born fully differentiated and have a fixed sex, their pheromones are incomplete and change as they grow up.
By the time when others differentiate normally, which is around middle school age, the pheromones of those who differentiate innately will gradually become fully "attractive" at the physiological and reproductive level.
Otherwise, they would be perfect prey for pedophiles.
Xie Tan was in the same situation, but his case was more unique.
Mild children's medicine couldn't satisfy Xie Tan's needs, and it couldn't block out pheromones.
What prey... he's a monster.
So after he turned seven, he started using various drugs to suppress pheromones.
Over the years, his drug resistance has become very strong. Even with three or four times the dosage, the effect is not as good as when he used half a dose initially.
The last time he went to the hospital before his transmigration, he held the report and was still thinking that if things continued like this, the inhibitors would eventually become ineffective for him.
But he didn't take it seriously at the time, nor did he plan to solve it, because he didn't think he could survive until it failed.
As he had hoped, he died suddenly on his graduation day, which was a solitary event.
But he didn't expect that half of them would die.
Having transmigrated into the world of horror comics, although humans can't smell it and he doesn't need to use suppressants all the time, his monthly heat cycle is still unavoidable.
Furthermore, his emotions, which had long been calm, could become intense again due to the resentment of another person, causing his pheromones to go out of control. Although not as bad as during his heat cycle, it was still troublesome enough.
Thus, the problem of inhibitor failure was once again brought to his attention.
He originally thought he could last another six months to a year, but given the character design he's established and the entanglement with the main storyline of the comic... he feels his inventory is in grave danger.
We need to find a way.
Cat number 7 appeared out of nowhere, playing with the bed sheet in its mouth. When it got tired of playing, it curled up on the soft carpet and stared at the two of them snuggling together, as if it wanted to join in.
Xie Tan glanced at the little leopard and had an idea.
Like his keys and cell phone, the inhibitors were a blank space he brought from another world, belonging entirely to him.
It's also a very important card for him.
Perhaps... we could use Chekhov's spear?
If the inhibitor could be linked to something native to the comic book world, it would not only solve his inhibitor supply problem, but also deeply connect his "illness" with the main storyline.
So there's no rush. Since this could be his most important card, he certainly can't use it too early.
He needs to wait for another important element that matches him.
He kept thinking about things that were getting further and further away, until Lu Jinzhao tilted his head and brought him back to his senses.
Their current posture meant Xie Tan had to look down at him. From this superior's controlling perspective, the man's expressive eyes seemed even more overpowering.
The person who was just moments ago nonchalantly planning his "illness" suddenly found himself speechless again, and even seemed to want to run away.
After all, whether it's the main storyline or a deeper connection with the two major powers, these plans are all for future implementation.
Right now, there is a person who is worried about his "illness" and is waiting for an answer.
Xie Tan's eyes softened involuntarily: "I'm just too tired these past few days."
He had a gut feeling... if this guy got stubborn, he wouldn't be able to fool him.
However, as soon as he softened his stance, Lu Jinzhao's attitude seemed to soften even faster, and he gave up on subtly probing for answers.
Lu Jinzhao lowered his head with a hint of complaint, burying his face in his knees and rubbing against him: "Okay... but I can sleep on the sofa too, I won't make any noise."
Xie Tan's hand, which was being pressed against Lu Jinzhao's face, moved and slid down, grabbing Lu Jinzhao's collar, hooking him up to raise his head, and leaning down slightly.
Lu Jinzhao paused as Xie Tan approached, slowing his breathing. He saw Xie Tan sniff lightly, frown, and gently push him away with the hand that was hooked around his collar, letting him go with a hint of disgust: "It smells awful. Go back and take a shower, then go to sleep."
Once his pheromones stabilized, Xie Tan regained his senses and realized once again that... Lu Jinzhao still smelled entirely of him.
He was actually bluffing a bit to hide his embarrassment and shame as he regained his senses... He dared not recall what he had done when his pheromones were out of control.
Once he regained consciousness, he wanted to break up with Lu Jinzhao immediately... He really, really didn't know how to face him.
But Lu Jinzhao had just saved him, once again.
He couldn't just avoid him like that; this person was worried about him.
From the moment they locked eyes in the fire until this very moment, I'm still worried about him.
Or even earlier.
He couldn't accept Lu Jinzhao's help with a clear conscience, yet he also left Lu Jinzhao alone to suffer the unease he had brought upon him.
This is incorrect.
Moreover, he asked himself honestly, Xie Tan, if you really resisted him, you wouldn't have compromised with him... What you're resisting isn't him at all, but your own cowardice.
So he thought, let's just do it the same way as before, or even better, go along with your partner's selfish desires.
Even if it leaves you feeling lost, even if it fills you with fear, even if...
He knew that Lu Jinzhao was someone whose interests came and went quickly; he was simply curious about everything.
Let it be until this person loses interest in you, at least. Don't... avoid it.
Lu Jinzhao was still bewildered, but when he was shown disdain, he nervously lifted the corner of his clothes and sniffed around.
Then it dawned on him, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up, but he said in a coquettish tone: "Where does it smell bad... I like it."
Xie Tan was taken aback, his expression strange: "You like it?"
Anyone with a normal sense of smell would not say they "like" such a terrifying smell.
Only ghosts and monsters that are inherently terrifying would say they like something as much as breathing in the scent of the tide above the Mother River or smelling the aroma of their hometown food.
When Lu Jinzhao first said he could smell his scent, he didn't say he liked it... Xie Tan thought hesitantly, at most he felt it was special, but he also felt it was just Lu Jinzhao's high moral character and the respect he received.
But Lu Jinzhao smiled and said, “Yes, because that’s how I found you.”
Xie Tan's eyelashes trembled.
He couldn't help but recall that sea of fire, where Lu Jinzhao had searched all the way there, their eyes meeting from afar, and his heart skipped a beat.
At that moment, before all other emotions, in his most primal reaction, he realized…
He also wanted to see him.
Just like right now.
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