A small stone landed lightly on the window frame, making a faint clicking sound. Xian Yuzhu poked his head out from a corner of the wall, watching with wide eyes as Huo Yan pushed open the door and entered the room. He was so excited he nearly jumped up, but he forced himself to stay still to avoid alerting them. With a flick of spiritual energy, he silently sent the Shadow-Recording Stone into a crevice by the window, carefully adjusting it to ensure it would capture everything.
The house was quiet, and no conversation could be heard. Xian Yuzhu grew impatient and involuntarily stepped forward until he reached the window. After a few breaths, a heavy thud echoed from inside, the sound of a large weight crashing onto the floor. Xian Yuzhu’s eyes lit up. Could it be that Xie Shurong had succeeded? Were the two of them already lost in each other, just like the scenes described in storybooks? He could not see inside and dared not act rashly, so he paced anxiously in circles.
In truth, Yuzhu did not really understand what it meant to be lost in each other. He only knew that the illustrations in the books showed two people rolling around together; he was not sure if they were fighting or doing something else. Regardless, as long as they rolled around enough times, everything would turn out fine.
Knock, knock.
The sound of something tapping nearby reached his ears. Xian Yuzhu assumed it was Xie Shurong signaling his success and instinctively turned around.
“Ah!”
The sight made him gasp in terror. The smile on his face froze, and his strength failed him as he collapsed onto the ground. There stood Huo Yan, his expression as cold and deathly as ever, looking down at his pathetic state from the window.
“Are you enjoying the show?”
Huo Yan was casually twirling the Shadow-Recording Stone that Xian Yuzhu had hidden. The dusty stone spun between the man’s well-defined fingertips before instantly crumbling into fine powder.
“You,” Xian Yuzhu opened his mouth, his scalp tingling under Huo Yan’s dark, brooding gaze. He instinctively tried to run, but after scrambling up and taking only a few steps, he tripped and fell again. A surge of spiritual energy, like a rope, tightly bound his ankles. Huo Yan used some unknown technique to appear behind him almost instantly. He looked down, watching the person sprawled on the ground. Captured.
The red fox fur wrapped around Xian Yuzhu had fallen away, revealing a pure, moon-white dress underneath. His slender waist trembled. His jet-black hair, as thick as seaweed, had become even messier from the fall, and the pearls dangling from the flower pin at his temple swayed slightly.
“Yuzhu, this is the third time. You still never learn your lesson.”
The thought flashed through Xian Yuzhu’s mind: Xie Shurong had failed. A wave of panic at being caught red-handed washed over his beautiful face, followed immediately by his usual, blustering threats.
“Huo Yan!” Xian Yuzhu was both startled and terrified. He struggled to run but was powerless. He gritted his teeth and hissed, “Let me go! What does this have to do with me? Go settle the score with Xie Shurong!”
Huo Yan did not argue with him. Without a word, he simply dragged the person off the floor. Xian Yuzhu’s perspective suddenly shot upward. He let out a startled cry; Huo Yan’s firm, powerful arm was cinched so tightly around him he felt a bit nauseated. He tried to resist, but his wrists were squeezed until he lost all strength. His mind was filled with nothing but fury.
That useless fool Xie Shurong! He could not even seduce someone properly and ended up getting Yuzhu caught! How annoying! If Xian Yuzhu had been willing to observe closely, he might have noticed that Huo Yan was not in his normal state. His complexion was worse than usual, and his breathing was not quite steady. Unfortunately, Huo Yan was an expert at suppression and disguise, and Xian Yuzhu was not bright enough to notice, choosing instead to flounder in the man’s arms. Even after being tossed into the room, he failed to notice anything amiss, simply exhausting himself until he was panting for breath.
Inside the room, Xie Shurong lay on the floor with his eyes tightly shut, looking neither alive nor dead. Xian Yuzhu was startled, forgetting his own pain from the fall as he hurried over to check Xie Shurong’s breathing.
“He is not dead.”
Yuzhu let out a massive sigh of relief. He looked down on the lowly, weak, and love-struck Xie Shurong, but he did not want the mortal to actually die. Huo Yan stood in place, his dark gaze fixed on Xian Yuzhu’s figure as the boy bent over. Behind them, the door shut automatically.
“Achoo!”
A cloyingly sweet fragrance hung in the air. Realizing it was the Ylang-Ylang incense he had given Xie Shurong, Xian Yuzhu’s face turned pale. Xie Shurong had taken the antidote beforehand, but he had not! Xian Yuzhu panicked and scrambled back a few steps, his body trembling as he clamped his hands over his nose and mouth. Sadly, it was too late. He had taken a deep breath when he first approached, and the stirrings of desire within him were now unstoppable.
Xian Yuzhu shrank back, his breath quickly becoming hot and his body losing all strength. He was the perfect example of lifting a stone only to drop it on one’s own foot. Huo Yan, however, seemed nearly immune to the scent; aside from his breathing becoming a bit heavier, there was no change.
“Do you know your mistake?”
Huo Yan’s cold voice rang out from above. Xian Yuzhu sluggishly lifted his head. He saw the black hem of a robe, and looking further up, he met the man’s indifferent, pitch-black eyes. The floor was so cold. He reached out his hands, his beautiful eyes turning watery as he lost the last of his reason.
“Hold me.”
For someone who was normally a fool, he only became stupider in this state. Huo Yan curled his lip and ignored the plea. Instead, he knelt down and pinched Xian Yuzhu’s pointed chin to examine him. The skin felt smooth and delicate like tofu; he had no idea where the boy found the energy to target him every single day. He applied a bit of pressure out of a sense of dark amusement, and the snow-white skin beneath his thumb quickly turned red.
“Ah.”
Xian Yuzhu’s mind, soaked in the Ylang-Ylang scent, was a muddled mess. He had no idea what he was doing. He whimpered from the pinch, shrinking back aggrievedly while slapping at the back of Huo Yan’s hand.
“It hurts! It hurts! Go away!”
Huo Yan’s mood improved considerably. He brushed a hand against Xian Yuzhu’s smooth, delicate cheek and sneered, “So stupid.”
However, he did not expect Xian Yuzhu to take offense. The little person who had been hiding and shrinking away suddenly grew furious, lunging at Huo Yan.
“You are the stupid one!”
Yuzhu cried out in rage, reaching out to pull Huo Yan’s hair. “Huo Yan, you bastard! Die, die, die!”
The Young Sect Master of the Yuxian Sect hated nothing more than people calling him unintelligent or failing to worship him. In Yuzhu’s mind, he was clearly so smart and so charming! Huo Yan had managed to offend both of these sensitivities perfectly. It was no wonder that even in his incoherent state, Xian Yuzhu was so displeased.
Huo Yan’s face darkened at the insults. He grabbed the back of Xian Yuzhu’s neck and forcibly peeled him off, offering no comfort regardless of how much the boy cried or made a scene. Now that the prey was in hand, was there any need for the extra bait to stay alive? Huo Yan lowered his gaze, his chilling eyes falling on the half-dead Xie Shurong. This person was strange and could not be allowed to remain.
Just as the all-consuming darkness was about to touch Xie Shurong’s body, a blue barrier suddenly flashed, repelling the attack! Huo Yan shifted slightly, dodging the lethal blow that had been reflected back at him. At the same time, a strange, mechanical voice echoed in Huo Yan’s ear.
“Detected that Host Xie Rong’s vital signs are critical. Self-preservation mode activated.”