Yun Qi’s scent instantly filled his nose, like vines in a tropical rainforest with a faint, earthy metallic note. It provided a refreshing sensation that completely numbed his brain. As if bewitched, he slowly opened his mouth, revealing a sliver of his pink tongue, only to suddenly feel a sharp pain at the back of his head.
He was lifted up by the hair by Yun Qi.
Yun Qi’s voice remained as calm as ever. He gave a faint smile and struck Wen Zui’s backside firmly with his palm.
“Wen Zui, is this how you treat your Master?”
In an instant, the rationality that had just vanished returned to his head. Wen Zui was a complete mess, like a child caught red-handed by a parent doing something wrong.
He instinctively backed away, but his waist brushed against Yun Qi’s hand because of the movement.
Yun Qi pressed his tongue against his cheek and let out a light scoff. He could not control his hand. Ever since they signed the contract, he always felt an urge to be near Wen Zui, yet this person kept constantly seducing him.
The skin was firm and plump, trembling slightly along with its owner. The area turned red from the strike was warmer than the rest, making it even harder to let go.
Bang! The bedroom door suddenly swung open. Wen Zui, along with his pillow, was tossed into the living room by Yun Qi. Then, the door closed coldly and ruthlessly before his eyes.
Damn it! That was his room!
Wen Zui sat on the warm floor, blinking blankly. It was not until his backside felt nearly cooked by the floor’s heat that he realized what had just happened.
He actually wanted to taste Yun Qi? He actually? He had even made himself feel good through the touching.
He is so big. Would my mouth tear?
Wen Zui stood in the bathroom, letting the cold water wash over his burning body, feeling his entire worldview shatter.
Wen Zui, what on earth are you thinking!
This was no longer a simple case of being attracted to a man; he was definitely under a spell! Yun Qi must have done something to him!
Wen Zui punched the wall twice in despair and anger, leaving two ambiguous fist prints on the transparent glass. He bit his lip, looked down, and ultimately could not stop his sinful hand from moving again.
Meanwhile, Yun Qi was having a serious discussion with the CP-Breaking System.
The System opened its non-existent mouth wide and repeated in disbelief, “You are saying the Dragon Awe Tian male lead just tried to suck on you?”
“More or less.” Yun Qi expressed some surprise at the System’s choice of words.
“Then!” The System almost jumped with joy, but it quickly remembered that it must not let Yun Qi know the truth behind this.
“That is terrifying! Has the male lead already become interested in both men and women?” The System shouted with exaggerated alarm on the surface, but inside, it was giggling.
Its painstaking efforts to act as a matchmaker had not been in vain! That so-called sacrificial relationship not only made Yun Qi want to be near Wen Zui but also made it impossible for Wen Zui to build a wall around his heart against Yun Qi.
Furthermore, Yun Qi’s face was simply too authoritative.
Yun Qi arched an eyebrow, and his finger twitched slightly. The next second, the small silver ball on the ceiling was instantly caught between his slender fingers.
“Little P, you did not pull any tricks, did you?”
The silver ball quickly manifested two short fingers to make an oath. “It was not me! If it were me, I would never get promoted!”
Internally, it was weeping, praying frantically to the Main System.
Great God! Everything I am saying is a lie! Please do not take it seriously!
Whether Yun Qi believed it or not, he casually tossed the silver ball aside and pulled up the covers. “I am going to sleep. Go away.”
The room fell into darkness.
Yun Qi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache. Although he was a cheap spouse and he usually enjoyed teasing Wen Zui, he truly had no intention of having an improper relationship with him.
It could only be blamed on the fact that Wen Zui was too entertaining to tease. Everything was Wen Zui’s fault.
On his path to immortality, there was absolutely no room for romance. Such emotions would only slow down his progress. But Yun Qi reached out and touched the empty half of the bed beside him, sighing.
It seemed he had truly formed a habit.
The Next Day
Wen Zui woke up to a violent shaking of the earth.
He jumped up with a start and rushed into his original room. He grabbed Yun Qi, who was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window in a daze, and shouted, “Yun Qi! It is an earthquake! Let us go!”
To his surprise, he could not budge him.
Just as he was about to lose his temper, Yun Qi spoke.
“The spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth has intensified.” He lightly tapped Wen Zui’s forehead, helping him sense the subtle change in spiritual energy.
Forget about spiritual energy! The earthquake drill procedures engraved in Wen Zui’s brain for over twenty years had him in a total lockdown. He shouted anxiously, “Move! The building is going to collapse!”
Yun Qi said nothing but simply brushed Wen Zui’s hand away and floated into the air right before him.
Uh. Wen Zui scratched his ear, finally remembering that they were not ordinary people.
In the original book, the timeline for the revival of spiritual energy was a year later than this, starting only after Wen Zui reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Why did it suddenly move up so much? He was only at the third level of Qi Refinement right now.
Yun Qi was not sure if his presence had caused a butterfly effect, but if everything was accelerating, Wen Zui’s current cultivation level would be dangerous. He was still too weak. Yun Qi could not help but regret giving him too little spiritual energy the first two times.
If the mission target died, he would never be able to return to the cultivation world.
As he pondered, the building stopped shaking. Wen Zui opened his social media and checked nearby posts. Everyone was posting in a panic. One particular message caught Wen Zui’s eye.
[Damn it, I was just passing by Xingyu Orphanage and got hit by a metal letter falling off the sign! What terrible luck! (One selfie attached)]
[Is the poster okay? I have been to that orphanage too. It is so old and broken; I doubt they have money to compensate you.]
[You are right. The walls of the orphanage collapsed. There is only an old lady and a bunch of little kids there. Where would they get money to pay me? Fortunately, I only got a bump on my forehead. Forget it.]
[You look so fierce in the photo, I did not expect you to be so kind!]
[It is fine, it is fine. (Hehe)]
Wen Zui frowned as he read. Just as he was about to call Dean Shen, Liu Ruoling called him.
“Wen Zui! More than half of the orphanage has collapsed! Auntie Zhen is injured! Come quickly!”
The background was filled with the sounds of children crying.
Wen Zui was anxious. He scrambled into his clothes and was about to rush out when his hand was suddenly held.
“I will go with you.” In a single breath, Yun Qi stood neatly before Wen Zui.
“Okay.”
Xingyu Orphanage
This was the place where Wen Zui grew up. It was a small private orphanage with only two staff members: Dean Shen Chuzhen and a teacher named Tao Liangping. The children were all found by the Dean, and the number was usually kept around a dozen. For thirty years, Shen Chuzhen had persisted using her own savings.
At this moment, more than half of the courtyard wall connected to the main gate had collapsed, revealing the yellow soil beneath. The name of the orphanage on the gate had completely fallen off. Looking inside, many of the dormitories and classrooms had also collapsed.
Wen Zui rushed inside, but Yun Qi walked to a corner of the collapsed wall and knelt to pick up a handful of yellow soil.
“System, I remember that in the original book, no unknown spiritual objects appeared at the orphanage, right?”
“Lord Host, that is correct. Have you discovered something new?”
Yun Qi frowned and carefully smelled the soil in his hand again. “There might be something good hidden here.”
After saying that, he clapped his hands clean and followed the scent to find Wen Zui.
Upon entering, he saw Liu Ruoling using bandages to dress the forehead of a silver-haired woman in her seventies, while Wen Zui was helping hand over supplies.
Seeing him arrive, Wen Zui waved at Yun Qi and looked at the Dean and Liu Ruoling. “Auntie Zhen, Ruoling, this is my cousin, Lan Yun Qi.”
Yun Qi walked over obediently and greeted them with a smile, his eyes curving like crescents. He immediately made a good impression.
“This is the long-lost cousin you mentioned?” Liu Ruoling was slightly surprised. She had grown up with Wen Zui and thought she was somewhat immune to good looks, but she could not help but be stunned for a second when she saw Yun Qi.
“Good boy. I heard from Little Zui that you were kidnapped by human traffickers when you were young? You brothers have truly had a hard life.” Shen Chuzhen took both their hands and held them together. “In the future, you two must support each other, do you understand?”
Wen Zui wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded hurriedly. He could not help but complain, “Auntie Zhen! Stop talking. Your forehead is so badly injured, yet you are still acting tough!”
“It is nothing, I just got hit by a light bulb.” Shen Chuzhen waved her hand with a smile. She looked energetic, but her lips were white and purple.
As if to distract Wen Zui, Shen Chuzhen pointed at the photos on the wall. “Xiao Qi, do you want to see what Little Zui looked like when he was a child?”
“Auntie Zhen! You are being disrespectful!” Wen Zui gritted his teeth in embarrassment and quickly stood in front of the spot Shen Chuzhen was pointing to, trying to hide it.
“Hahaha!” Shen Chuzhen and Liu Ruoling could not help but laugh, making Wen Zui even angrier and causing his face to turn red.
Yun Qi was not particularly interested at first, but seeing Wen Zui’s agitated state, his mischievous nature surfaced. He walked up to Wen Zui and affectionately pinched his nose. “What is the matter, Little Zui? Are you shy? Do you not want to show your brother?”
Wen Zui’s face grew redder from the teasing, but he remained stubborn, blocking the photo wall and refusing to let Yun Qi near.
Seeing this, Yun Qi simply reached out with his long arms and, right in front of the two women, picked Wen Zui up and moved him aside before returning to inspect the photos.
Unable to find it at eye level, Yun Qi knelt down. His white stand-collar sweater opened slightly, faintly revealing the purple and blue hickey that Wen Zui had bitten into him the night before.
This scene happened to be caught by Liu Ruoling. Her pupils contracted instantly as a wave of shock surged in her heart.
Could it be that the person A Zui said was keeping him is Lan Yun Qi? Was the cousin story just a lie to deceive Auntie Zhen?
Recalling their intimate behavior and Wen Zui’s slightly stiff walking posture, Liu Ruoling’s hand shook uncontrollably, accidentally touching the wound on Shen Chuzhen’s forehead.
Just how intense was it last night? Fake cousins? They really know how to play!
“Hiss.” Shen Chuzhen gasped in pain, bringing Liu Ruoling back from her thoughts.
System: “Congratulations, Host, for completing the task! Wen Zui and Liu Ruoling have been successfully separated. Reward: 10,000 points. The mall permissions are now open for you. You can exchange points for prizes at any time!”
Yun Qi’s hand on the photograph paused. He frowned in confusion, having no idea what had happened.
“System, what is going on? I did not even complete the task when I spread rumors that Wen Zui was being kept by someone.”
The silver ball rolled to Yun Qi’s feet and transformed into a transparent mirror, reflecting the purple-blue mark on Yun Qi’s collarbone.
“So it was because of this.”
Yun Qi arched an eyebrow, thinking to himself that Wen Zui’s bad behavior last night had unintentionally yielded results. Perhaps he could pursue this direction in the future with the other four wives.
Shaking his head helplessly, Yun Qi looked down to continue searching for Wen Zui’s photo. Soon, he could not help but burst into laughter.
“Wen Zui, why did you look like a girl when you were little?”
The Wen Zui in the photo appeared to be six or seven years old, wearing a pink knee-length dress and a blonde curly wig that was popular back then. His sharp features had not yet developed, and his face, with its slight baby fat and large eyes, looked as delicate and cute as a doll.
Wen Zui rushed over in an enraged embarrassment. He covered Yun Qi’s mouth with his hand and secretly gave his waist a hard pinch.
“What nonsense are you saying!”
Shen Chuzhen watched the brothers bickering and laughed until the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened. Feeling comforted, she patted Liu Ruoling’s hand. “Ruoling, Little Zui finally has family. Auntie Zhen is most worried about you now. You have been kind since you were a child; I am truly afraid you will suffer a great loss in the future.”
Liu Ruoling was stunned, and a sincere smile appeared on her beautiful face. She shook her head slightly. “Auntie Zhen, do not worry about me. I am doing very well.”
Shen Chuzhen wanted to say more, but just then, a commotion of footsteps came from outside. A group of burly men kicked open the door and walked in.
Wen Zui immediately stood in front of everyone, glaring at the uninvited guests. There were about twenty of them, led by a man in a black suit and sunglasses who looked refined. He wore a smile and ignored the aggressive Wen Zui, walking directly to Shen Chuzhen.
“Dean Shen, I have been here so many times, and you never agreed to sell the orphanage to me. This time, Xingyu has suffered such great damage; you must let me help you out.”
His words implied that Shen Chuzhen could not afford to repair the walls on her own.
Shen Chuzhen wanted to refuse again, but the thought of the hungry children made it impossible for her to stand firm. It was true that her savings could not fix the collapsed buildings. Should she let the children live in a place full of mud?
Feeling a pang of sadness, Shen Chuzhen made up her mind and slowly nodded.
“Dean Shen, Dean Shen, you have finally relented!”
Seeing that the deal was almost done, the man in sunglasses laughed uncontrollably. He whispered a few words to Shen Chuzhen, but the next second, his smile vanished.
“What did you say?”
Shen Chuzhen stared directly at the man, her gaze sharp enough to pierce through his thick sunglasses into his insincere heart.
“Get out! Take your filthy money and get out of my orphanage right now!”
“Hey! You old woman! I think you are tired of living!” A man who looked like a skinny monkey rushed forward from behind the leader and pushed Shen Chuzhen off her chair onto the floor.
“Ah!” A sharp pain instantly flared in her cheek. Wen Zui kicked the skinny monkey in the face, sending him flying against the main door with a loud thud.
The monkey spat out a mouthful of blood and three teeth. Wen Zui still felt unsatisfied and was about to kick him a few more times when the group of men surrounded him densely.
He scoffed and took a fighting stance, confronting them calmly.
“A Zui, Dean Shen is fine. You must watch out for that man whose eyes look pale; he has a cultivation level of level five Qi Refinement.”
Yun Qi’s voice sounded at the right time. Wen Zui took a deep breath and immediately locked his eyes on the person Yun Qi mentioned. The man’s gaze was unfocused, and his eyes appeared to be covered by a yellow-green film, looking like rotten mashed potatoes. It was extremely unsettling.
“Why is he like that?” Wen Zui asked Yun Qi in his mind while blocking the charging enemies.
“This is punishment from the Heavens. He has used magic on mortals more than once.”