A Touch Of Irony

Eventually, the two set off towards the Yun Sect in a comfortable silence. However, Fang Lei is still completely confused as to why Wen Po is still following him after his cold rejection from last night.

Was Wen Po suddenly possessed by a spirit?

...No, if that were the case, he would've been able to tell. He doesn't sense any spiritual power coming from Wen Po, so there was definitely no spirit possessing him.

So, he decides to ask, breaking the silence: "Hey, old man. Why did you decide to follow me?"

Wen Po stops in his tracks. "You're cute, and fun to bother. Traveling alone is also no fun. Is there a reason not to?"

Fang Lei is somewhat annoyed by the fact that the merchant takes pride in teasing him, but he lets it slide on account that he's not sure whether it's a compliment or an insult.

"By the way, you haven't told me your name yet." Wen Po frowns slightly, sighing.

Fang Lei pauses as well, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Oh, right. He really did never tell this guy his name. After the dinner ended, he never got the chance to keep his end of the deal. Well… although he doesn't particularly like humans, Fang Lei isn't one to lie. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

So after a moment's pause, the young man mumbles albeit grumpily, "...Fang Lei."

"What was that? Wang Fei?" Wen Po asks, a smirk upon his face. His violet eyes flicker with amus.e.m.e.nt as he waits for the youth's answer.

Fang Lei's face immediately fills with black lines. It's obvious that he heard it, ah!! Why does this dumb old man like making things difficult for him?!

Seeing as the young cultivator doesn't answer, Wen Po continues in a teasing tone, "I'm going to take your silence as a 'yes'. Hello, Wang Fe—"

"It's Fang Lei!" He quickly interjects, pouting as if he were a petulant child. Although he meant for it to be a sneer, with his face, it only achieved the opposite effect.

The older man laughs heartily, reaching out to ruffle Fang Lei's hair. "Ah, I see. So you're Fang Lei. My bad, my bad."

The more Wen Po says, the more Fang Lei's pout deepens. With his reddened, puffed-out cheeks, Wen Po has to resist the urge to poke and prod at Fang Lei's face. Really adorable ah, very meng!

Though Fang Lei's thoughts have been momentarily side-tracked, he still remembers what he truly wants to ask.

There's no reason for someone to get so angry over a brand on their skin, right? It's very unreasonable, unless it represents something that Wen Po doesn't like remembering.

For a second, Fang Lei wonders what Wen Po's past was like, but then he quickly slaps himself when he realizes what he's thinking.

Smack!

...Fang Lei's cheek was now red for an entirely different reason. Wen Po stares at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow.

"...Uh, do you hate me touching you that much?" The merchant asks, retrieving his hand to his side.

Fang Lei looks away, clearly embarrassed. He holds the cheek he had slapped himself with, with one hand. "Shut up, old man. What I do is none of your business."

Wen Po replies without batting an eye, "I'm fairly sure slapping yourself isn't normal. Are you okay, Fang Lei? Do you need help? I have many acquaintances, and some of them are doctors that help the mentally ill—"

"I'm fine, alright! Just… I was thinking of something stupid." Fang Lei doesn't let the merchant finish his sentence, and he turns away to hide his expression. Instead of continuing the conversation, he begins to walk again, and a slightly concerned Wen Po follows after him as per usual.

To think that he actually wants to know more about that stupid old man…

...He kind of wants to puke, seriously. He doesn't like humans, so why is it when it comes to this dumb, persistent old man, his thoughts end up on a completely different path? Like, for example… Wen Po's face, Wen Po's abs, Wen Po's—

Fang Lei immediately slaps himself on the other cheek.

Smack!

Wen Po: "....."

Fang Lei: "....."

A sudden gale of wind blows.

Neither of them comment on the action, much to Fang Lei's relief, and they only continue to travel towards their destination.

However, Fang Lei feels a burning gaze on him the entire journey.

...No doubt, it's Wen Po's.

He chooses to ignore it, but it proves difficult when the man in question doesn't bother making his staring any less obvious.

After a short while, a vein pops up on Fang Lei's head and he turns to face Wen Po: "Hey, could you stop staring at me? And… why are you still following me? I already told you my name."

Not that he actually wanted Wen Po to leave. After all, he still has to use him to get Xu Jiyu back! But even just knowing the reason would be nice.

"Bold of you to assume I was staring at you," Wen Po chuckles, his earnest violet gaze meeting with Fang Lei's vivid emerald hues. "You're the first person to have kept my interest for so long, I can't help but follow you to see what you do next. Your personality may be a bit cold, but I like that about you, too. In fact, I find it that much more endearing."

Fang Lei's footsteps begin to slow until he comes to a complete stop. He feels his face redden until it could be compared to a bright, red tomato.

"Y-You…." Fang Lei stutters, unable to say anything more. He's been rendered speechless. Why is his heart beating so fast, ah?! Why are there weird, tingling sensations in his stomach?

Wen Po silently watches his reaction with an amused smile on his face. Without saying anything else, he pats Fang Lei's head, gently ruffling his hair. But something about his touch feels… different, to Fang Lei at least. He isn't repulsed, even though the atmosphere is much more intimate than he's ever experienced with a human.

For once, the shorter male doesn't put up any form of resistance, and is frozen solid as the affectionate hand remains atop the crown of his head. Wen Po grins, taking this as a form of acceptance.

"...." Fang Lei's brain has short-circuited and has shut down. He has absolutely no idea how to respond to this type of situation, especially not with these strange sensations happening inside his body, they're interfering with his thought process!

A look inside Fang Lei's mind: '....Somebody help me, ahhhh!!'

---

Meanwhile….

Xu Jiyu sighs, sinking himself deeper into the bath. It feels so nice to properly bathe, and in a luxury such as hot water!

Hot water is something that is rare to come across unless you're high in rank, or rich. Neither of which describes Xu Jiyu. After all, not everyone has servants to boil water and prepare a relaxing bath for them.

So since it's come to this, of course Xu Jiyu will enjoy it while it lasts!

As he closes his eyes, he can't help but think of the King of Spirits. Although he does dislike spirits for killing his parents and many other humans, the King was proof that not all spirits were evil. If the King was evil, he would've murdered Xu Jiyu anytime he wanted while they were together.

But instead of killing him, the King protected him. Time and time again, the King would effortlessly save him, listen to his selfish requests, and even go along with his occasional whims. After all of the time they've spent together, he couldn't bear to believe that the King was only pretending to enjoy it.

...No, the King wasn't pretending. The time they'd spent together was genuine! That's what Xu Jiyu firmly believes. Perhaps he's stupid for believing in a spirit, the King of Spirits, no less. But… if that was true, then so be it. He'll be stupidly in love with the King of Spirits, and no one could stop him!

With a new resolve in his mind, Xu Jiyu slowly stands up, exposing his beautifully pale, slender body.

This time, he'll be the one to protect the King!