Zishu Bai untied his pack, took out the dry rations he had brought, and handed them to Jiang Xing, who was devouring the food wolfishly.
With a high, delicate bridge of his nose, eyelashes like raven feathers, and thin, pale lips, his demeanor carried a touch of gloom—a very unique appearance.
The way he ate looked like an aristocratic cat forced into stray life, accepting kindness without a shred of politeness while remaining on high alert. Zishu Bai watched in a daze as Jiang Xing polished off three days’ worth of his rations to the last crumb.
“Water.”
Zishu Bai froze for a second, instinctively pulling out his canteen to hand it to Jiang Xing, saying warmly, “Eat slowly, there’s plenty more.” He hadn’t expected someone so slender to be able to eat this much; he couldn’t help but glance suspiciously at Jiang Xing’s lower abdomen, wondering how it all fit in there.
Without giving him a second glance, Jiang Xing grabbed the canteen and took a heavy gulp. When his nerves had been taut with panic, he hadn’t noticed the hunger. Now that his mind had relaxed, he belatedly realized his stomach was practically stuck to his spine.
“Jiang Xing, why are you here too?” Yan Zhun walked over holding two flatbreads, asking in surprise, “Weren’t you going to find other people to team up with?”
Of course, that had indeed been his plan during his previous lives before dying. But things were different now; all the other background cannon fodder would only get in the way.
Jiang Xing narrowed his eyes and said in a cool voice, “I thought about it and felt that staying with you two means we actually know each other’s backgrounds.”
Zishu Bai’s eyes widened slightly as he whispered, “You’re Jiang Xing?”
“Yes,” Jiang Xing replied without any attempt to hide it. “If you want to ask how I know you, I heard from others that you’re a good person.”
A good person.
Zishu Bai blinked, lowering his voice: “I hardly deserve such praise.”
This idiot actually thinks I’m complimenting him.
To Jiang Xing, calling someone a “good person” was no different from calling them a pushover, easily manipulated, easily fooled, and available to be bossed around at will.
He preferred it if others evaluated him like this: Jiang Xing is utterly vile down to his core; whatever you do, don’t cross him, or you’ll end up dead without a grave.
Now that’s a real compliment.
Yan Zhun, however, was delighted and enthusiastically handed over a flatbread. “That’s great! We just happen to be missing one person.”
Jiang Xing was already stuffed and didn’t take the flatbread, merely stating coldly, “It’s almost noon, and the Sky Insects will be here soon. What are your plans?”
How does he know when the Sky Insects are coming? Yan Zhun stood dazed for a moment before stuffing the flatbread into his own mouth.
Zishu Bai mused for a moment and said, “We plan to go destroy the Sky Insects’ nest.”
When did we plan that? Did anyone ask for my opinion? Yan Zhun looked at Zishu Bai in utter disbelief.
“The nest?” Jiang Xing froze for a split second. He hadn’t thought of this possibility at all. Such a massive swarm of Sky Insects couldn’t have appeared overnight; they must be hatching continuously. In that case, a nest definitely existed. “Do you know where the nest is located?”
Zishu Bai casually pointed in a direction and whispered with a hint of confusion, “The demonic energy is strongest over there. Did neither of you sense it? As long as we eliminate the nest, everything will come to an end.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xing secretly gnashed his teeth.
No wonder this segment of the plot was glossed over in the original novel! So eliminating demons was such a simple matter for Zishu Bai? Right, they were all blind, with low cultivation and poor talent, struggling with all their might and even dying nine times—how could they compare to his grand self, who could tell with a single glance where the demonic energy was thickest?
The protagonist halo was truly disgusting!
“So that’s how it is. Then let’s head straight for the nest.” Jiang Xing’s tone abruptly turned cold, and he turned to leave.
Zishu Bai noticed that he seemed somewhat displeased, yet didn’t know which word he had said wrong to offend him. He could only purse his lips and follow his steps in silence.
Carrying the pack on his shoulders, Yan Zhun looked left and right, saw that everything was already planned out, and simply shut his mouth to follow quietly behind them.
“Did you notice that he’s angry?” Zishu Bai asked in a low whisper.
Glancing at Jiang Xing, Yan Zhun whispered back, “You’re misunderstanding. He has a great temper; his bad mood must be because of heatstroke. When he fainted yesterday, I was the one who carried him on my back all the way to Shazhen.”
Zishu Bai was struck by sudden realization, looking toward Jiang Xing with a touch of shame. No wonder Jiang Xing kept casting him those cold, annoyed, stay-away looks—it turned out he was sick! He had thought he was hated.
Having experienced nine reincarnations, Jiang Xing effortlessly led them to avoid the routes where the Sky Insects usually roamed. As for going further ahead, he didn’t know the way either, because he had only ever made it this far before.
Along the way, those two idiots were chatting with great zest, as if they were elementary schoolers out on a picnic, completely lacking any sense of tension.
Heh, that’s how people who have never died act.
Listening to their laughter and chatter made Jiang Xing feel even more irritated in his heart. The more comfortable they were, the more ridiculous his past nine deaths—where he hadn’t even been left with an intact corpse—seemed.
“I also heard that the senior martial sisters in the sect are exceptionally gentle and beautiful. I wonder if I’ll be lucky enough in this life to become Dao companions with a like-minded senior sister…” Yan Zhun was the most talkative, his mouth refusing to stop for even a moment. “By the way, have you seen the recently released Erotic Art of the Eight Immortals? Every man has seen it; do you dare claim you haven’t?”
Erotic Art of the Eight Immortals…
The tips of Zishu Bai’s ears turned bright red in an instant, and he said with a trace of bashfulness, “I… I truly haven’t seen it.”
Seeing his expression, Yan Zhun teased, “Come on, stop putting on an act! We’re all human; who doesn’t have desires? If you really haven’t seen it, I’ll gift you my copy another day.”
“I…” Zishu Bai stammered and shifted his gaze away, murmuring softly, “I have never thought about such things. I only want to cultivate properly, eliminate demons, and uphold the righteous way.”
Walking at the very front, Jiang Xing sucked in a deep breath, unable to endure it any longer. He turned back to look at them, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Are you finished talking?”
Both of them looked at him at the same time, frightened by his gaze, and obediently shut their mouths.
Yan Zhun didn’t mind it much and quickly picked up his flatbread to eat again. Zishu Bai’s gaze, however, quietly settled on Jiang Xing. Jiang Xing’s tightly knit brows were cold and aloof, and his somewhat slender arms had faint veins showing through—he was very attractive. Even in such a scorching desert, he seemed cool and delicate.
He had lied.
Anyone without desires was not human; he had desires too. It was just that as a gentleman, he had to suppress his desires. Certain matters had to be buried deep in his heart, never to be displayed before others for his entire life—for instance, the fact that he was attracted to men.
Zishu Bai’s family had raised him strictly. Yet, the stricter they were, the more he wanted to do what his parents forbade. Thus, when he was young, he often secretly read rebellious books. Among those books, what interested him most were scrolls like the Erotic Art of the Eight Immortals—not pictures of men and women, but of men and men.
Recalling the past made Zishu Bai feel terribly ashamed, yet his eyes uncontrollably drifted back to Jiang Xing.
Originally, he had always kept himself well under control. But today, he happened to meet Jiang Xing.
Jiang Xing was very good-looking; Zishu Bai had felt so from the very first glance. He clearly looked proud and indifferent, yet he had grabbed his hand with a face covered in teardrops to beg for his help.
That was truly… a deeply impactful sight that kept flashing in his mind repeatedly. Jiang Xing was even better-looking than the people on those art scrolls, making him unable to stop his mind from wandering.
Stop thinking about it. We just met—how can I indulge in such wild fantasies about another person?
Zishu Bai, you truly deserve to die! If you profane the innocent Jiang Xing like this again, go cut your own throat in apology!
He forced himself to pull his gaze away, the shame and self-disgust in his heart nearly overwhelming him entirely.
Pull yourself together, Zishu Bai. You are a gentleman; how can you be brought down by evil thoughts?
“Are we getting close?”
An indifferent voice sounded unexpectedly. Zishu Bai’s whole body trembled, and he looked at the other party in a panic.
Jiang Xing frowned as he stared at him, repeating with forced patience, “I asked if we’re getting close. Is the route correct?”
Zishu Bai raised his eyes to look ahead, his expression changing drastically: “We… we’re going the wrong way.”
In an instant, Jiang Xing’s expression became exceedingly ugly. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward, grabbed Zishu Bai’s face tightly, and questioned him word by word: “Then why didn’t you say so earlier?!”
Did he know how hot the weather was? Did he know how exhausting it was to walk? Did he know that Jiang Xing was constantly living in fear that the Sky Insects would appear at any moment?
His touch really is cold.
Strange… could his body temperature normally be like this? Is it cold elsewhere too?
No… it seems like I’m just too hot.
Zishu Bai bit his lower lip, chastising his own filthy thoughts for a moment before saying softly, “I’m sorry, I got distracted.”
Jiang Xing was truly about to be driven mad by him, cursing this idiot Zishu Bai ten thousand times in his heart. Yet what came out of his mouth in the end was: “Forget it. Hurry up and walk—you lead the way this time.”
What was the point of cursing him? This idiot’s mind was definitely preoccupied with the safety of other disciples, or worrying about whether he could protect them properly.
Zishu Bai responded softly in agreement and walked ahead with his head lowered to lead the way.
Glancing at him from the corner of his eye, Jiang Xing noticed that the tips of Zishu Bai’s ears were burning red, as if scorched by fire.
Serves you right. Hope you choke on the heat.
If Zishu Bai hadn’t acted like an idiot, they might have already eradicated the Sky Insects and returned to the sect to enjoy the Mountain Opening Banquet by now. That was a banquet prepared for all newly admitted disciples, described in the original book as luxurious to the extreme, like a celestial feast in a heavenly palace. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
The group backtracked. Whether it was because the protagonist halo was too powerful, they didn’t encounter a single Sky Insect the entire time.
Jiang Xing felt increasingly unbalanced, a surge of rage trapped in his chest with nowhere to vent.
“It’s too hot,” Yan Zhun had lost the energy he had when they started, drooping like a wilted eggplant as he said weakly, “Why is the sun so fierce? How much longer do we have to walk?”
Zishu Bai looked at the distant sand dunes and said softly, “There’s still a distance to go. Do you need me to conjure some ice?”
He possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root and could use spells that any spiritual root excelled at; thus, he had practiced ice-attribute spells as well.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”
Jiang Xing and Yan Zhun shouted in unison.
With a hint of self-blame, Zishu Bai said softly, “It was my lack of consideration. I thought you weren’t hot.”
Bro, this is a literal desert.
Jiang Xing felt like he was an exploding chili right now; a single word from Zishu Bai could set him off.
Who wouldn’t want to strangle him after hearing that?
Yan Zhun was similarly speechless: “Our cultivation is low and we’re about to faint from the heat. How can we compare to your constitution?”
Seeing their annoyed expressions, Zishu Bai hurriedly used his spiritual energy to create several blocks of ice and handed them over. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”
Ice created with spiritual energy wouldn’t melt easily, remaining unaffected by the weather even in the desert.
Jiang Xing took the ice block, pulled open his lapel without hesitation, and tossed the ice inside. The ice block indeed dispersed some of the heat, calming the restlessness in his chest.
He didn’t feel there was anything inappropriate about his actions at all. Stuck in a massive desert with these two idiots, he was on the verge of dying from the heat—who cared about propriety?
Zishu Bai looked at his half-open robe in astonishment. After a long moment, he blurted out, “You can’t do that, you’ll get frostbite.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xing gave him an annoyed look, unbuttoned his lapel again, pulled the ice block out, and casually stuffed it into his mouth, saying indistinctly, “Alright, cut the nonsense and hurry up and lead the way.”
At his words, Zishu Bai opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but ultimately kept his lips pressed tight. However, as his gaze swept across Jiang Xing’s face, his body froze slightly.
His lips are chilled so red, shimmering with a thin layer of moisture… so beautiful.
Seeming to find it too cold, Jiang Xing suddenly spat the ice out again. The tip of his soft, bright red tongue peeked out just a tiny bit before being swiftly retracted, as if deliberately hiding away.
With a roar ringing in his head, Zishu Bai stared blankly at Jiang Xing until the other party looked toward him in confusion.
Jiang Xing asked, bewildered, “What’s wrong again?”
Taking a subtle, nearly imperceptible breath, Zishu Bai shifted his gaze away, calm yet trembling.
“Nothing.”