No, he cannot hurt Xiao Zhou. Even if he desired the other to willingly remain by his side, he could not go that far.
Han Yujiu took a deep breath, burying these extremely dark and gloomy thoughts deep within his heart.
A smile forced its way onto the corners of his lips as he rolled over, casting a shadow that enveloped Yun Qingzhou, and asked:
“Then what was Xiao Zhou thinking about just now?”
The slightly long strands of hair falling down cast shadows across Han Yujiu’s face, preventing Yun Qingzhou from seeing his current expression. This involuntarily caused many images to flash through his mind.
That same face whose expression could not be seen, sticky sweat dripping downward, a smooth and delicate chest, and that overbearing and unreasonable arbitrariness from the hot spring to this bed, all the way along.
Yun Qingzhou felt that he could no longer keep reminiscing. He recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra silently in his heart. This Buddhist cultivator’s body had broken its precepts, and according to his persona, he would likely have to make a trip back to his sect.
It is just how was he supposed to avoid the person right in front of him?
Warm contact met his lips, and Yun Qingzhou snapped back to reality. He forcefully pushed against Han Yujiu’s body, but the other did not budge an inch.
A moment later, Han Yujiu finally lifted his eyelids and said:
“Is this the only way to get you to keep your attention on me?”
Yun Qingzhou’s lips were red, swollen, and glistening with moisture. Instead of answering, he turned his head slightly to avoid the other’s intensely burning gaze.
In Han Yujiu’s eyes, a layer of frost and snow seemed to be furrowed between the young man’s brows, and those emotionless eyes, devoid of sorrow or joy, bred a profound sense of helplessness within his heart.
He sighed softly, suppressed the manic agitation and anxiety in his chest, slowly buried his head near Yun Qingzhou’s neck, and mumbled:
“Xiao Zhou, you will not leave me again, right?”
“Without you, I really would go crazy.”
Watching the male protagonist act like this, Yun Qingzhou could not help but roll his eyes.
‘Big brother, what other choice are you leaving me with?’
‘While completing my mission, I also have to adhere to my persona. There is no way I can just run off with you right now, is there?’
‘Even though yours truly does not want to!’
‘As a straight man who sacrificed so much for this, why on earth did I foolishly choose to pursue the male protagonist instead of the heroine in the first place?’
[Zhou, these are not things we can decide.]
Watching Yun Qingzhou grow angrier and more aggrieved the more he thought about it, the system frantically shook the little spiritual avatar of Yun Qingzhou inside his mind as a reminder.
With his head feeling dizzy and spinning from the system’s vigorous shaking, an impatient “Fine” slipped out of Yun Qingzhou’s mouth toward the male protagonist.
Hearing the young man’s response, Han Yujiu widened his eyes in an instant. He abruptly raised his head, his pupils sparkling as if finely crushed starlight had been kneaded into them.
Han Yujiu: “Did you just agree?”
Hearing this, Yun Qingzhou was stunned: “What?”
Han Yujiu took hold of Yun Qingzhou’s hand, grasping it very tightly, as if somewhat excited and nervous:
“You are Xiao Zhou. I called you Xiao Zhou, and you answered.”
A trace of panic flashed across the Buddhist cultivator’s eyes. He flung away Han Yujiu’s hand and said in a cold voice:
“This humble monk does not understand what the lay practitioner is talking about.”
This awkwardness that Yun Qingzhou deliberately let slip was naturally well-noticed by Han Yujiu. He remained frozen in place for a moment, not stopping the Buddhist cultivator as he moved away.
Is it true? Xiao Zhou seemed to waver just now.
Is he finally going to return to my side?
However, before Han Yujiu even had time to speak and inquire further, he saw the young man attempt to get out of bed, only for his knees to go weak as he looked ready to tumble straight to the floor.
With quick reflexes, Han Yujiu stood up, stretched out one arm to wrap around the young man’s waist while supporting the backs of his knees with his other hand, swept him up horizontally into a bridal carry, and then gently placed him back onto the bed.
Seeing the faint blush across Yun Qingzhou’s fair skin, Han Yujiu’s mood improved considerably, and he lost the urge to forcefully extract an answer and comfort from the youth.
He reached out a finger wanting to stroke the young man’s cheek, only to be dodged by the other.
A flash of fleeting dejection crossed Han Yujiu’s eyes, and his voice remained gentle: “I will step away for a moment. Do not run around.”
He had indeed been a bit too excessive last night, so he wanted to leave the Buddhist cultivator some time to calm down, never imagining that it would play right into Yun Qingzhou’s hands.
‘Hurry, hurry! Go already, just in time for me to make my escape.’
No matter how good his acting skills were, Yun Qingzhou had no idea that the urgency in his eyes was still quite obvious. He stared blankly at Han Yujiu without blinking for a single second.
Does he really want to stay away from me that badly?
Seeing the young man look at him like this, Han Yujiu’s heart flooded with a sour, aching pain, and he quickly fled from the room.
As Han Yujiu’s figure vanished from his sight, Yun Qingzhou felt an instant wave of joy:
‘System, hurry and give me some magical artifact so I can get out of here.’
‘A persona like a Buddhist cultivator’s is bound to be deeply tied to his sect and status. We have to make this trip, lest we get erased by the Heavenly Dao rules.’
[Alright, Host, hold on a second.]
An old yellow talisman materialized in his hand. Yun Qingzhou sat up, peered closely at the clear black characters reading “Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman” written upon it, and nodded in satisfaction.
In the blink of an eye, the young man’s figure vanished completely from within the grand hall.
A thousand miles away, amidst a landscape of drifting smoke, vibrant clouds, red blossoms, and lush green willows, stood a gate built from vermilion sandalwood.
The Buddhist cultivator placed his palm against the wooden gate, and a transparent vortex sucked him right through.
Opening his eyes once more, he found himself amidst rolling, towering, and majestic mountains, where dazzling streams of flowing light converged upon a palace at the summit.
“Xuanzhen, come here.”
A hoarse, honest voice from beyond the heavens echoed in his ears. Yun Qingzhou felt a slight tremor in his heart and followed the sound right outside the palace.
Looking from outside the gate, the center of the palace held a lotus-shaped stone pedestal, upon which sat an aged monk.
With a compassionate expression and half-closed eyes, he wore a heavy white kasaya that trailed all the way onto the ground, and a string of intricately patterned Buddhist prayer beads hung around his neck.
Seeing this, Yun Qingzhou brought his palms together, lowered his knees, and knelt at the entrance of the main hall.
Old Monk: “Why do you not come inside?”
The Buddhist cultivator’s eyes held repentance as he answered truthfully: “This disciple has broken the precepts and is no longer worthy to enter.”
A smile touched the old monk’s lips as he shook his head slightly: “Then what does Xuanzhen plan to do?”
The Buddhist cultivator lifted his gaze, puzzlement filling his eyes and hesitation coloring his features.
Seeing this, the old monk sighed: “If you wish to return to secular life, you must understand the suffering it entails.”
Before the Buddhist cultivator could reply, the voice of someone grinding their teeth in fury rang out right behind him.
“Xiao Zhou, you really have quite some nerve.”
Yun Qingzhou trembled, stiffly turning his head around, only to see Han Yujiu standing not far behind him, bearing a frigid expression and pitch-black eyes.