Yu Jiu held a slip of paper with words written on it.
“Thank you.”
His fingers were long and slender, as tender as newly sprouted bamboo shoots.
Lu Shiyue was slightly stunned, his eyes widening marginally as his silver earring reflected a faint glimmer of light.
“It’s nothing.”
He seemed flustered for only a split second before quickly regaining his usual expression, tossing out a remark with feigned indifference.
“Just don’t add any more trouble later on.”
Leaving those cold words behind, he turned around and strode away rapidly. His hurried movements betrayed his restless state of mind as he practically fled forward.
His falling red hair perfectly concealed his flushed ears.
“091, does he really dislike me so much? He is walking so fast, like he is trying to escape.”
Yu Jiu found it impossible to ignore Lu Shiyue’s strange behavior. Was he truly that annoying?
“Baby, he is just acting up; do not worry about him,” 091 replied, pretending not to see Lu Shiyue’s heart rate threatening to burst through his chest. Heh, my host just said thank you and he is already panicking. He is acting like a young lad who has never been in love.
The sun sank low, the horizon glowing with a dusky yellow light. Time was running out; they had to finish their stamp-collection task before sunset.
With his foot injury not yet healed, Yu Jiu followed slowly behind Lu Shiyue.
He could tell that Lu Shiyue was waiting for him. The red-haired man slowed his pace, maintaining a distance of exactly one step. With a slight turn, Yu Jiu could have bumped right into him.
The surroundings grew increasingly desolate, and the mountain path became narrow and rugged. The trees grew so densely that they blocked the view, and several times, Yu Jiu was nearly scratched by protruding branches.
He did not know where Lu Shiyue was taking him, but it was clearly not the path the other players had taken.
Still, he followed the man’s footsteps closely. Surely Lu Shiyue did not hate him enough to drag him into the wilderness and abandon him.
He surely would not.
Suddenly, Lu Shiyue stopped. Because he was tall with broad shoulders, he halted so abruptly that Yu Jiu could not stop in time, bumping solidly into his back.
The man’s back was hard and unyielding. Unprepared, Yu Jiu collided firmly with him, leaving an immediate mark on his fair forehead.
He let out a muffled groan and raised a hand to rub his forehead. The touch only made the red mark more prominent, blooming like a flower right between his brows.
Lu Shiyue stared at Yu Jiu’s forehead without blinking.
Small, weak, and seemingly not very bright, he always wore a dazed expression as if he did not know what he was thinking.
He could not speak, only humming like a kitten.
To save time, Lu Shiyue had chosen a secluded shortcut. The road was difficult to traverse, but Yu Jiu had not caused any trouble as he had before.
“You walk in front.”
He shifted slightly to the side, yielding half the path.
Yu Jiu peeked out. With Lu Shiyue’s broad back no longer blocking his view, he finally saw the cave that had appeared before them.
The cave entrance was narrow and low, pitch-black and bottomless, like the maw of a beast waiting to swallow anyone who entered. The cold air wafting from the depths carried a damp, moist scent that made Yu Jiu shrivel back.
“This is the shortcut Lu Shiyue found.” 091’s voice sounded. It knew that a sharp-tongued, stubborn man like Lu Shiyue would never explain things properly. “It is fine, baby. Do not worry, just walk. If you lead, he can protect you from behind.”
High-level players usually carried danger-warning items. Lu Shiyue had clearly scanned the area and knew the path ahead was temporarily safe.
He chose to walk behind to guard against dangers from the rear.
Yu Jiu did not understand Lu Shiyue’s complex train of thought. Encouraged by 091, he walked to the cave entrance.
The cave was low, likely requiring them to crawl. Yu Jiu, being petite, slipped inside with ease.
The interior of the cave was incredibly damp. His palms touched the cold, wet stone walls.
His first impression was the intense cold. A chill attacked him from all directions, seeping into every pore. The icy, humid vapor within the cave soaked his clothes, making them cling stickily to his skin.
Yu Jiu fumbled his way forward. He felt Lu Shiyue crawl in behind him. The narrow entrance became even more cramped, and Lu Shiyue’s oppressive presence felt like a mountain looming over him.
He could even feel Lu Shiyue’s breathing; the heavy, labored breath of an adult male brushed against his ear.
A tiny, ticklish sensation arose, and Yu Jiu reflexively dodged away.
His small body was almost entirely shrouded under the man. Lu Shiyue could see the soft ends of Yu Jiu’s hair, damp and sticking to his cheeks. His emerald eyes, brimming with confusion, darted around, cautiously surveying his surroundings.
His snow-white skin was blinding in the darkness, and he was still squirming restlessly.
Lu Shiyue felt a sudden thirst. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his voice tight when he finally spoke.
“Do not move around. Just move forward.”
Snapped at for no reason, Yu Jiu felt a flicker of his own temper. He ignored the person behind him and began to crawl forward on his knees.
He was wearing shorts, leaving his knees exposed. The friction caused a sharp pain, and without needing to look, he knew they must be red and raw.
Water continuously dripped inside the cave, a rhythmic, splashing sound that grew louder the deeper they went.
They stayed a certain distance apart, and Yu Jiu could hear the sounds Lu Shiyue made.
The dripping water disrupted his hearing, and the burning pain in his knees and palms, mixed with the ice-cold water smearing against his skin, blurred his senses.
“091, I feel something is wrong.”
Something was breeding in the shadows, slimy, cold, and wet things began to entangle his lower legs, feeling like the scales of some kind of fish.
Before he could mount a defense, a tentacle with a teasing, suggestive touch climbed up from his ankle. It slid stickily around Yu Jiu’s calf, pinning him in place so he could not move another step.
His fear eclipsed all other reactions. The unknown creature in the shadows was caressing him in a flirtatious, ambiguous manner. The tentacle brushed past his calf, heading toward his exposed thigh.
Yu Jiu huddled in a corner, his breathing rapid, trying his best to suppress his gasps, not wanting to alert the tentacle on his leg.
He was faint of heart and dared not think about what exactly was lingering on his legs.
The cave was pitch black; he could not see what was wrapped around him at all.
“091, there is something on me.”
Yu Jiu’s voice trembled as he called out to 091 for help. He was terrified to the point of tears. Anyone would be frightened by an indescribable creature stroking them blindly. Tears welled in his green eyes, brimming as he stared at his own legs.
091 did not answer him.
The tentacle seemed excited by being watched. Yu Jiu was thin, but he had softness in all the right places. The tentacle circled his soft thigh, leaving an indentation on his plump skin.
The scales of the cold-blooded creature grazed his skin, and he felt as if a moving block of ice was pressed against him.
The tentacle moved upward, the cold dampness even reaching his stomach.
The sound of Lu Shiyue’s clothes rustling echoed. The tentacle paused, then lingered, rubbing against Yu Jiu’s calf before receding.
Yu Jiu had never longed for Lu Shiyue’s presence as much as he did then. The inertia left behind by the disappearing tentacle caused him to tip backward.
He reflexively closed his eyes, imagining himself hitting his head, but the scene did not happen. It seemed he had fallen onto someone’s hands.
Completely and utterly, he was sitting on Lu Shiyue’s hands.
Soft as a cloud.
Lu Shiyue’s knuckles protruded beneath Yu Jiu, their postures uncomfortably close.
Their breaths mingled. Yu Jiu struggled to crawl away, but his legs were jelly-like, causing his body to lean backward and fall firmly into place once more.
He was hopelessly soft, leaning against Lu Shiyue like a boneless creature.
Lu Shiyue had long since seen Yu Jiu stop ahead of him.
The little mute was trembling in the corner, eyes filled with tears as if he had been bullied. His blindingly white body was visibly shivering in the darkness.
He looked at his legs in helpless terror, unable to speak, presenting a fragile expression that seemed to beg to be bullied.
When Yu Jiu sat squarely on his hands, the impossibly soft texture pressed against his palms, sending tremors through his limbs. He stood frozen.
He had forgotten to pull his hand back.
That bundle of softness, accompanied by a strange, indescribable fragrance, returned to his arms.
Yu Jiu’s raven-black hair brushed against his jaw, tickling him.
Lu Shiyue lowered his head, catching a glimpse of the soft flesh on the person’s cheeks and the snow-white thighs exposed to his view.
The thighs were perfectly plump, slick with the moisture left by the monster, glistening on the pearly-white skin.
There were indentations left on his thighs by the unknown creature, circling round and round like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow. The contrast between red and white was strikingly eye-catching.
With the red marks hidden beneath his clothing, it was easy to imagine what his skin looked like underneath.
He might even have been grazed everywhere.
He looked just as he did when someone had bullied him, wearing that same aggrieved and pitiful expression.
The sudden rigidity of the person behind him alerted Yu Jiu. With a flushed face, he stood up and scrambled forward on all fours.
Yu Jiu slowed his pace, trying not to get too far from Lu Shiyue, fearing the monster might return.
He hesitated whether to warn Lu Shiyue about the monster in the shadows, but the red-haired man behind him remained silent, unusually quiet.
Lu Shiyue had used an item to scan the area earlier. Even when Yu Jiu had shown signs of abnormality, the item had not given a warning.
The probability of the item failing was extremely low. The only conclusion was that the monster in the shadows was powerful enough to evade the item’s detection.
He did not rule out that possibility, but since the monster made no further moves, all he could do was heighten his vigilance to prevent another ambush.
There was a sound of wind blowing ahead, carrying the scent of fresh air. The cave ceiling gradually grew higher, and the tunnel expanded from narrow to spacious.
Eventually, Yu Jiu was able to stand up and walk.
Reaching the end of the cave, the view suddenly opened up. Before them lay a fairly spacious, enclosed stone chamber.
In the center of the chamber stood a circular stone pedestal, and a gap had been chiseled into the ceiling, allowing light from the outside world to spill onto it.
Based on Yu Jiu’s experience in previous dungeons, they had likely arrived at some hidden plot trigger point.
Just as he was about to step forward, a large, calloused hand grabbed him from behind, pulling him back with force.
Like a cat being lifted by the scruff of its neck, Yu Jiu was effortlessly hoisted by Lu Shiyue, and the two swapped positions.
“Tsk.”
It was the same impatient tone. With more light around, Yu Jiu could finally see the red-haired man’s expression.
His sharp, firm brows were furrowed, the veins on his arm were bulging, and his handsome face was full of displeasure.
“Stupid to death.”