His fingers brushed across the swollen, slightly parted lips, murmuring strange words.
Between the warmth of the quilt and a brain still clouded from sleep, Yu Jiu felt muddled. Was Gu Xun questioning him?
The magician’s tone was different from any of the other men he had encountered.
Lu Shiyue’s attitude was etched clearly on his face, while Ning Jue was always gentle, deliberately lowering his voice when speaking to him.
Since entering this instance, Gu Xun had maintained an air of careless frivolity, looking at everyone with an intrigued smile. He remained aloof, detached from the other players, and quite mysterious.
But now, as the magician leaned over him, his every movement and expression carried a sense of oppression that made Yu Jiu want to break free.
Even through a glove, Gu Xun could clearly perceive the sensation of his fingertips. Yu Jiu’s lips were soft, and the cupid’s bow, rubbed raw by his fingers, looked even more vividly red.
It was already somewhat swollen.
The chin he was forced to lift was pointed, and his cheeks were flushed with a faint red. He seemed overheated; tiny beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and loose strands of hair clung to his brow.
Those green eyes were still beautiful. Gu Xun squinted. The first time they met, he had noticed those verdant eyes; they were like fine jade, containing a pool of shimmering green.
He was timid, too, always cowering and relying on different men. He couldn’t speak, either, a fragile little mute who could be snuffed out with the slightest bit of pressure.
Just like now, with his mouth sucked red and swollen by the monster that kidnapped him, the little mute couldn’t even let out a plea for mercy, forced to endure the kisses that rained down upon him with only soft, whimpering sounds.
If Gu Xun hadn’t used his tracking item and arrived a step later, he didn’t know what state the monster, which was much larger and stronger than he was, would have left Yu Jiu in.
By the time he found him again, it wouldn’t just be his mouth that was swollen; the monster might have even left him carrying its eggs.
Gu Xun had indeed entered this instance to enjoy the show, but his main objective had been to cross paths with that formidable new star player and have a fight with Ning Jue.
But now, this pitiful appearance, with those red lips, made him inexplicably annoyed.
He had long since seen through the true intentions of the irritable Sharp Knife vice-captain. Lu Shiyue was willing to waste an S-rank binding item, and his surface-level impatience was just a facade.
Gu Xun considered himself more clear-headed than anyone. Ning Jue had only been gone for a few days, yet Lu Shiyue had already fallen like a trapped beast, circling around Yu Jiu.
The malice in his heart continued to rise. He couldn’t wait to let Ning Jue know everything that had happened; he wanted to see how Ning Jue would react.
Gu Xun’s movements subconsciously grew heavier. Yu Jiu felt the pain and reached out to push away the hands clamping him.
His soft black hair brushed against the back of Gu Xun’s hand.
Before Yu Jiu could exert any real force, Gu Xun suddenly released him.
A mark had been pinched into his chin, a vivid red imprint on his fair skin, looking utterly decadent.
The warning item let out a sharp alarm. Yu Jiu faintly heard the sound of a door opening.
The monster had returned.
It seemed to smell a strange scent lingering around its mate, and the monster grew extremely anxious.
It hated anyone approaching its mate.
Truly like a lingering ghost. Gu Xun had pierced the monster’s shoulder blade with his cane, but it hadn’t affected the creature’s mobility.
Yu Jiu was scooped up from the quilt. The outside air was a bit cold, so he instinctively leaned into Gu Xun’s embrace.
A soft, fluffy mass leaned against him unexpectedly, carrying a honey-like fragrance.
Was he scared?
Afraid of being snatched away by the monster and bullied further…
Yu Jiu hadn’t expected Gu Xun to suddenly pick him up. He could walk perfectly fine on his own.
Heavy footsteps came from the shadows. Yu Jiu looked up and saw the monster’s towering silhouette in the darkness, its thick dragon tail motionless behind it.
It seemed furious. It had gone out on a hunt, only to find its home burgled upon its return.
Its fragrant, soft, and beautiful mate was now being held in the arms of an outsider, covered from head to toe in the scent of a stranger.
“Hold on tight.”
Gu Xun’s voice came from above. The moment the monster attacked, Yu Jiu saw the magician ignite a playing card.
Flames erupted, and the familiar scent of gunpowder and ash from the magician wrapped around Yu Jiu.
The sound of rushing wind filled his ears, accompanied by the monster’s angry roar, stinging his eardrums.
Yu Jiu closed his eyes, his fair fingertips clutching tightly onto the lapels of Gu Xun’s shirt. His knuckles curled and turned pale pink. His fuzzy head rested against a firm chest, and his dark hair covered most of his face, though one could still catch glimpses of his long, thick lashes trembling like a butterfly’s wings.
The wind died down.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the familiar Exhibition Hall 6.
With dim lighting and a wide, cold room, Gu Xun had used a teleportation item to send them both back to Hall 6 to complete the sub-quest.
“Has Xiao Jiu not stayed in my arms long enough?”
The familiar teasing voice came from above. Yu Jiu belatedly realized he was still lying in Gu Xun’s arms.
As if burned, Yu Jiu pushed against Gu Xun’s chest, sliding down from the man’s embrace like a startled animal.
The embrace had been broad, thick, and warm, so comfortable that he had almost forgotten the situation.
Gu Xun’s arms were suddenly empty. The light, soft skin that had just been in the crook of his arm vanished, leaving behind only a lingering faint fragrance.
He raised his hand and seemingly unintentionally picked up his cane to hide the hollowness in his palm.
“091, I think Gu Xun is a good person.”
Yu Jiu shared excitedly with the system. Gu Xun had saved him.
Most importantly, he hadn’t said anything malicious or strange to him.
091 couldn’t quite figure out Gu Xun’s intentions yet. In the original plot, the magician was also depicted as mysterious, bizarre, neither strictly good nor evil, and both friend and foe to the protagonist.
The host was pure of heart; some bad guys could trick his baby away with just a few sweet words.
Before the mission started, it had thought the protagonist was a cold-blooded killer who cared only for his career, but he had turned into a total love-brain.
Heaven knows what kind of bad intentions some superficially decent perverts might have.
The check-in task for Exhibition Hall 6 was very simple; the difficulty was supposed to lie in the sudden attack by the hall’s monster.
Yu Jiu noticed that Gu Xun completed the check-in task at the same time he did.
He had been taken away for so long; had Gu Xun been looking for him the entire time?
“He really is such a good person.”
With the mission completed, players gathered at the museum hall.
The players were wounded to varying degrees; some were covered in blood, leaning weakly against the hall pillars and gasping for breath.
No other player was like Yu Jiu, who, after experiencing a life-or-death sub-quest instance, still looked well-cared for.
Apart from his slightly red and swollen mouth, even his spirit seemed much improved.
Yu Jiu looked around the circle. Ling Xiye was not among the NPCs standing in the hall. When he left Exhibition Hall 6, the entrance had been empty, and Ling Xiye, who had led them in, was nowhere to be seen.
Among the players returning to the hall, the arrogant red hair was also missing.
Lu Shiyue had not yet emerged from the exhibition hall.
While he was deep in thought, he saw someone emerge from the pitch-black corridor.
Red hair, it was striking even in the darkness.
Lu Shiyue was injured. A hideous wound ran across his arm, and his clothes were splattered with blood. The flames representing his abilities circled around him.
His eyes were fierce, filled with an unextinguished, sharp fighting spirit. He seemed not to have fully emerged from the battle, breathing heavily, the veins on his forearm bulging, his chest heaving.
Lu Shiyue hadn’t expected to trigger a sub-quest that exceeded the difficulty of the instance. Monsters of all sizes poured in endlessly, wave after wave, as if determined to wear him down until he died.
He had intended to use brute force to clear the path, resolve the mission quickly, and get out to find Yu Jiu as soon as possible, while also settling the score with the magician.
He couldn’t fathom the magician’s intentions; there was a chance he might hurt Yu Jiu. The little mute had no defense mechanism and wouldn’t even know if he were being tricked by a villain.
The more anxious he became, the more rampant the monsters grew. After putting in great effort to complete the mission, Lu Shiyue rushed to the gathering point in the hall immediately.
He saw Yu Jiu at a glance. The little mute’s skin was blindingly fair, and his green eyes were bright, much better than when he had left.
There were no signs of injury, and he looked well-cared for.
The magician, meanwhile, was sitting pretty, intimately draping his arm around Yu Jiu, his palm rubbing against the boy with malicious intent.
Lu Shiyue clenched his fists and strode toward Yu Jiu.
Yu Jiu watched Lu Shiyue walk toward him aggressively; the combative look in his eyes made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
He sidestepped and leaned behind Gu Xun.
He always looks so fierce.
The evasive posture further stimulated Lu Shiyue’s nerves. His palms almost bled from his clenching.
Why was he hiding from him? He was worried sick, afraid the little mute would get hurt, afraid he would be bullied by others.
Seeing Yu Jiu relying on Gu Xun and looking at him with hesitation, an inexplicable anger rose within him, but there was nowhere to vent the fury.
He was just someone who couldn’t even be called a teammate; there was no reason and no standing to interrogate Yu Jiu.
The words almost slipped out uncontrollably, but Lu Shiyue forcibly held them back.
He had actually been worried that Yu Jiu would be angry and sad and ignore him again.
“Why is Team Leader Lu so heavily injured?”
The magician feigned surprise and asked with fake concern.
Yu Jiu looked up and leaned in closer. Lu Shiyue’s wound was ghastly, still oozing blood that dripped down and stained his clothes.
“Heh.”
With Yu Jiu watching, Lu Shiyue couldn’t lash out, his ability attacks would end up affecting Yu Jiu.
“I’ve heard the magician’s name for a long time, but I didn’t expect your methods to be as petty as your name suggests.”
Gu Xun’s smile almost couldn’t be held up.
Yu Jiu watched the two as they engaged in a tit-for-tat confrontation, completely unaware that he was the center of this storm.
His eyes were soft and docile, curiously watching the two who seemed ready to fight at any second.
Why did Lu Shiyue have bad blood with Gu Xun? It wasn’t mentioned in the original plot.
[Players have finished gathering.]
The game prompt sounded.
[Congratulations on completing the Dragon Breath Town Museum sub-quest.]
[Sub-quest progress 2/3]
After the game prompt ended, Yu Jiu looked toward where the NPCs were standing.
Ling Xiye had returned at some point. At the junction of light and shadow, his face looked exceptionally pale.
He still wore that cold expression, though the pale, bloodless lips now made him look a bit more human.
Yu Jiu met Ling Xiye’s gaze. The young man’s pupils were very deep, his eyes carrying an unfathomable expression, unlike the waveless calm from before.
As their gazes met, Yu Jiu felt as if he were being targeted by something, firmly locked in place, with his every move under control.
Perhaps because Ling Xiye’s gaze was so aggressive, Yu Jiu looked down and saw a soaked, black-red stain on Ling Xiye’s neat cuffs.
It looked like blood.
Before Yu Jiu could think it over, the silver necklace hanging around his neck flashed a few times.
It was a video call from Ning Jue.