“Hurry up.”
The toxicity was violent and fierce, and within mere seconds, Gu Shi’s vision blurred with overlapping shadows. He reached out toward Feng Yingbai. “Save, save me.”
Feng Yingbai looked down at him, a trace of confusion rising between his brows, but he still reached out and grasped Gu Shi’s wrist. Almost instantly, an overbearing and scorching spiritual Qi surged through Gu Shi’s entire body along his arm, and the suffocating pain abruptly dissipated.
Having snatched back his life once more, Gu Shi was filled with a sense of surviving a catastrophe. He sat up and, very naturally, wrapped his arms around Feng Yingbai’s lower leg. “Senior’s immense kindness is something this junior will never forget. For the rest of my life, I will surely act as an ox and a horse to repay Senior.”
Feng Yingbai looked down at him. “Is your mouth uncomfortable too?”
Gu Shi hurriedly nodded. “Yes, it tastes terrible. In the future, I will never randomly pick unfamiliar fruit again.” Only after saying this did he realize his posture was far too presumptuous. He hurriedly released his grip, pushed himself up from the ground, and stood up. His stomach was growing increasingly hungry. After thinking it over, Gu Shi decided to discuss with Feng Yingbai having his father send some food over.
“Senior.” The moment he spoke, Feng Yingbai spoke at the exact same time: “Why are you not acting like before?”
Gu Shi was somewhat bewildered. Like before? “Like what?”
Feng Yingbai did not speak, simply reaching out to pull him into an embrace. Gu Shi’s nose was instantly enveloped in a clean, refreshing fragrance, his entire body firmly wrapped in warmth. Although they had already done the most intimate thing, they had never shared such a pure embrace. In a split second, his heart pounded like a beating drum, ringing so loudly in his ears that they buzzed.
“Senior.”
Feng Yingbai let go of him. “Just like that.”
Gu Shi was stunned for a moment. Senior wanted him to embrace him?
Feng Yingbai urged, “Hurry up.”
Though perplexed, Gu Shi still reached out and embraced him. Surrounded by warmth and fragrance, Gu Shi’s earlobes burned red. Feng Yingbai leaned against his chest. “I saw in my memories that some people do this, but most do not.”
“Perhaps some are still quite young and do not have someone they adore.” Gu Shi spouted nonsense off the top of his head, then asked, “Has Senior never seen other people?”
Feng Yingbai replied, “Mn. When I opened the great gates, it was because I hoped someone could come, but I never waited for anyone.”
Gu Shi recalled that heavenly chasm above the tunnel; anyone with even a shred of cultivation would not fall down it, let alone the fact that ever since the Western Continent Secret Realm first opened and so many people died, everyone had tacitly given up the idea of exploring. It would be a miracle if anyone ever showed up.
Standing and talking felt a bit dry, so Gu Shi boldly scooped Feng Yingbai up horizontally in his arms and walked toward the bed. “Senior, I want to send a message to my father and have him send some food over. Is that alright?”
Feng Yingbai consented. “Mn.”
Gu Shi asked again, “Does Senior need anything else? I will have him bring it all together.”
Feng Yingbai replied, “I do not know.”
By the time they reached the bedside, Gu Shi gently placed Feng Yingbai onto the bed and withdrew his hand to take out the communication stone to send a message to Gu Yan. Just as he pulled out the communication stone and before he could speak, he heard Feng Yingbai say, “Continue.”
Gu Shi did not understand. “Continue what?”
Feng Yingbai said, “Walk around just like before.”
Without a second thought, Gu Shi picked Feng Yingbai up again. With the communication stone suspended in front of him, he walked and talked at the same time: “Dad, prepare more food, meals, pastries, various snacks, make everything that can be made, and send them to the Western Continent Secret Realm.”
Soon, Gu Yan’s voice came through from the other side: “Alright, I will prepare it immediately. Son, how are you doing over there?”
Gu Shi lowered his gaze to look at Feng Yingbai, who was playing with his hair in his arms, his heart swelling. “I am doing great. Oh right, Dad, also prepare some accessories, the more extravagant, the better. For the headwear, get those with rich, branch-like designs, preferably dripping with gems and pearls. And also prepare some books, enlightenment-level ones, simple, interesting, and fun.”
Gu Yan’s voice on the other side was clearly filled with confusion: “Accessories? Is the senior in the secret realm a woman?”
Before Gu Shi could explain, Feng Yingbai spoke up: “I am a man.”
Gu Yan hurriedly apologized: “Please forgive me, Senior; this junior spoke out of turn. I will go prepare these right now and send them over to you immediately.”
After hanging up the communication stone, Feng Yingbai asked with curiosity, “Why did he say I am a woman?”
Gu Shi hurriedly smoothed things over: “My dad just guessed blindly. Please do not take it to heart, Senior.”
Having not eaten all day, having been poisoned twice, and walking back and forth while holding Feng Yingbai, Gu Shi felt so ravenous that it felt like a hundred claws were scratching at his heart. With his chest stuck to his back, his stomach began to rumble loudly once more.
Feng Yingbai asked him, “Are you hungry again?”
Gu Shi swallowed his saliva from hunger. “If I go outside, I will find those poisonous fruits again.”
Feng Yingbai said, “Eat them then. I will help you; you will not die.”
Feng Yingbai said it so casually, but with lingering fears, Gu Shi shook his head repeatedly. “Better not. Being hungry for a bit does not matter.”
Hearing him say this, Feng Yingbai did not press further. He rested his head against Gu Shi’s wrist, the long tassel pendants hanging down naturally, swaying and tapping with the movement of his body in a rhythmic, solitary chime. Listening to the sound, Feng Yingbai slowly closed his eyes.
Gu Shi carried him in circles around the cave dwelling. Exhausted and famished, his arms felt so sore they were about to fall off, but since he had just claimed moments ago that he would act as an ox and a horse for the other, he could naturally not slack off now. He could only grit his teeth and keep walking.
After walking for who knows how long, Gu Shi’s back was soaked in sweat, and his entire body looked as though he had just been fished out of the water. His vision blurred, and a drop of sweat slipped from his chin, landing precisely on the back of Feng Yingbai’s hand.
Only then did Feng Yingbai open his eyes. Seeing that Gu Shi’s face and neck were flushed red and covered in sweat, he immediately reached out and pressed his fingertips between Gu Shi’s brows. A surge of scorching spiritual energy instantly flowed through his limbs and bones, so hot that even Gu Shi’s bones felt like they were steaming. This force became the final straw that broke the camel’s back: Gu Shi’s vision went black, his eyes rolled back, and he fell backward.
Feng Yingbai fell backward along with him, instinctively reaching out to grab Gu Shi’s collar. Unable to catch it, he instead wrapped an arm around Gu Shi’s back and flew with him onto the bed.
“What is wrong with you?”
Gu Shi opened his eyes in a daze, meeting Feng Yingbai’s curious gaze. It took him a long while to recover before saying, “Nothing. Just resting for a moment will make it better.”
Feng Yingbai looked somewhat reluctant. “Then hurry up. I still want to play.”
Feeling his scalp tighten, Gu Shi hurriedly replied, “Alright.” And then he completely passed out.
Feng Yingbai sat and watched him for a good while. Seeing that he showed no signs of getting up, he reached out and poked him. “Gu Shi.” “Gu Shi, get up.” Still no movement. Tilting his head, Feng Yingbai watched him for a while longer, before finally lying down across Gu Shi’s chest, drawing circles on his chest with his finger. After playing for a bit, he picked up a strand of hair to tickle Gu Shi’s nose. Once he grew tired of playing, he blew breaths into Gu Shi’s ear.
After an unknown length of time, Gu Shi opened his eyes in a daze, feeling his chest heavy and somewhat suffocated. Looking down, he saw a head of white hair covered in sparkling hair ornaments. He let out a heavy breath, not daring to move a muscle for fear of waking the other person up. Raising his gaze, he saw the flowing starry sky. Usually he wouldn’t mind, but for someone trying to sleep, it was far too bright. Still, Gu Shi did not dare to move, closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep.
“Gu Shi.”
After sleeping for who knows how long, Gu Shi was woken up. His head was still dizzy, and having gone without food for so long, his entire body lacked strength. He opened his eyes, looked weakly at Feng Yingbai, and immediately sat up, calling out, “Senior.”
Feng Yingbai smiled. “Let us continue playing.”
Gu Shi looked at him without speaking. Feng Yingbai tilted his head to look at him, his expression turning somewhat displeased. “You do not want to play?”
A chill ran through Gu Shi’s heart. Feng Yingbai had been amiable for so long that he had forgotten the other was a bigshot capable of erasing heavenly lightning with his bare hands. Out of fear, his energy returned instantly. “No, no, we will play. Playing right now.”
Only then was Feng Yingbai pleased. “Come on then.”
Gu Shi picked him up and started walking in circles around the cave dwelling once more. After walking for two hours, Gu Shi felt he had completely burned out; dizzy and lightheaded, he was about to pass out again. Just as he wanted to open his mouth and ask to rest for a moment, Feng Yingbai spoke up ahead of him: “Someone is coming.”
Gu Shi’s crumbling mental state stabilized once more. “Are they here to deliver things?”
Feng Yingbai slightly narrowed his brows. “He keeps talking, but I cannot understand a single word.”
Gu Shi grew somewhat anxious. “What is he saying?”
Feng Yingbai replied, “Not a single word makes sense.”
Gu Shi fell silent. The next instant, five storage bags materialized out of thin air in front of them. Gu Shi recognized at a glance that these belonged to the Yuandao Sect, and hurriedly said, “It is sent by my dad.”
Feng Yingbai said, “It is not your dad.”
At this moment, Gu Shi had eyes only for the five storage bags floating in midair, paying no heed to Feng Yingbai’s words. “Senior, let us see what is inside.”
Feng Yingbai opened the storage bags. The first one was filled to the brim with prepared food. Catching the aroma of the meal, Gu Shi felt tears almost welling up in his eyes. “Senior, may I eat first?”
Feng Yingbai did not answer him, simply stepping down from his body. Starved out of his mind, Gu Shi abandoned all regard for his image, casually picking up a bowl of rice and shoveling it into his mouth. Only after devouring a full bowl of plain white rice did that heart-gnawing, bone-burning hunger subside slightly, allowing him to slow down his pace.
Regaining some strength, Gu Shi finally had the mental bandwidth to look at the remaining items. Feng Yingbai had already taken everything out of the storage bags: all sorts of pastries and snacks, fruits, spirit stones, extravagant and exaggerated accessories, and several large cabinets of books.
Feng Yingbai’s attention was completely captivated, not sparing Gu Shi even half a glance. Gu Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief; with these things, Feng Yingbai would not want to play with him for the time being.
Seeing that Feng Yingbai was curious about everything, Gu Shi took out the communication stone once more to contact Gu Yan. “Dad, send some small goldfish over too.”
Just like last time, Gu Yan replied quickly: “About how many do you need?”
Gu Shi looked toward the lotus pond at the cave entrance and made a rough estimate. “Five or six hundred.”
Gu Yan asked again, “Do you need anything else?”
Unsure whether Feng Yingbai would like it, after all, there were living creatures inside the Western Continent Secret Realm, Gu Shi could only test the waters first. “Just send these for now.”
Gu Yan acknowledged, “Mn, alright. I will have your Junior Uncle make a trip to the Luoqing Sect right away.”
Hanging up the communication stone, Gu Shi was just about to go cultivate when Feng Yingbai called out to him: “Gu Shi, how do you play with this?”
Gu Shi raised his gaze and saw him holding an extremely exaggerated crown-like ornament, shaped with interlaced coral-like branches, with gem-encrusted long hair tassels hanging from each branch, dazzling and eye-catching.
Gu Shi walked over to explain. “Senior, this is worn on the head.”
Feng Yingbai said, “Put it on for me.”
“Alright.”
Gu Shi took apart all the hair ornaments currently in Feng Yingbai’s hair and put on the crown for him. This crown was heavy and large; Gu Shi had no doubt that if an ordinary person wore it for a day, they would develop cervical spondylosis. Yet Feng Yingbai felt it was still not enough, so Gu Shi added a few more pieces until his head practically became a display rack, and only then was Feng Yingbai satisfied.
Taking advantage of the time Feng Yingbai spent admiring himself in the mirror, Gu Shi seized the opportunity to cultivate. Because Gu Yan had sent so many things this time, Feng Yingbai’s attention was completely captured and he no longer wanted to play with Gu Shi, which lifted a huge burden off Gu Shi’s shoulders and allowed him to focus wholeheartedly on his cultivation.