Chapter 47#
Take Down That Gentleman (10)#
Yu Ci was startled by Shen Jue’s actions, but he quickly gave a contemptuous smirk.
This little shorty thought this could seduce him? How utterly delusional.
Shen Jue propped himself up slightly, sitting atop Yu Ci. He glanced at the small knife embedded in the pillow. With his current martial arts skills, killing Yu Ci with that knife was still far too difficult.
But even if he could kill Yu Ci now, he probably wouldn’t be able to leave Ten Absolute Island alive.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, yet his expression remained unchanged. He even found the leisure to reach out a hand and toy with Yu Ci’s collar.
He wanted Sang Xinghe to fall in love with him. It seemed he’d have to leave Ten Absolute Island first—otherwise, Yu Ci would definitely force Sang Xinghe to kill him first. In previous lifetimes, Sang Xinghe only grew disheartened after being tortured by martial arts sect members demanding the whereabouts of the Dark Yin Art, and then fell for Yu Ci, who saved him. Shen Jue thought he could exploit that.
Maybe he could take Sang Xinghe away from Ten Absolute Island early—preferably before his master died.
Shen Jue was deep in thought when Yu Ci grew impatient. He frowned and looked down at the hand that had been fiddling with his collar for a while, his expression odd.
Was this how this little shorty seduced people?
Not touching any sensitive spots was one thing, but messing with his collar—what was that about?
The patterns on his clothes were about to be rubbed bald!
Yu Ci couldn’t help but click his tongue. He lifted his eyelids and shot Shen Jue a sidelong glance. “Where exactly are you touching?”
Shen Jue was jolted out of his thoughts by Yu Ci’s words. He looked down and realized his hand had been lingering on the other’s collar.
Hmm…
Had he been touching this spot too long? But he really didn’t want to touch Yu Ci’s skin.
Thinking for a moment, Shen Jue moved his hand to Yu Ci’s head and began giving him a scalp massage.
Yu Ci: “…”
Was this damn shorty sick or something?
Who needed his massage?
He didn’t need a head massage at all!
Well… it did feel pretty nice.
Comfortable…
Yu Ci had always suffered from insomnia since childhood. His left guardian, He Queying, who had been with him since he was young, knew all about this problem. During Yu Ci’s worst bouts of sleeplessness, he’d stay awake night after night. Back then, he’d go out and kill people, returning covered in blood.
That was also when he earned his reputation as a great demon.
Yu Ci used to be annoyed by it, but in time, he got used to it. He hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in a long time.
He never expected to feel drowsy from a simple massage. He wanted to scold the other, but the sensation of sleepiness was too wonderful, and he couldn’t help sinking into it.
After a while, Yu Ci’s breathing grew long and steady.
Shen Jue was a little surprised as he watched him, then slowly released his hand. Just as he reached for the small knife by the pillow, Yu Ci suddenly opened his eyes. He firmly grabbed Shen Jue’s wrist, his voice low and slightly hoarse. “Keep going.”
…
Yu Ci slept a long, deep sleep in Shen Jue’s bed. It was so wonderful that he was reluctant to wake up, but he had no choice—there was too much noise beside him, a constant rustling sound. Annoyed, he opened his eyes and glared at the person nearby.
The other person shrank back under the covers under his glare. Having slept well, Yu Ci couldn’t be bothered to argue with this shorty.
He turned over and sat up, smoothing the wrinkles in his clothes. Before he had bedded down last night, he had removed his jade crown so Shen Jue could massage him better. But Yu Ci was utterly helpless when it came to tying his own hair—usually, maids did it. Now that he was in Shen Jue’s room, the one to serve him naturally became Shen Jue.
Yu Ci sat before the bronze mirror, wincing as his scalp was yanked. He couldn’t help slamming his palm on the dressing table. “Do you even know how to tie hair?”
Shen Jue casually dropped the long strand of hair he had pulled out onto the floor and shook his head.
Of course, he knew how to tie hair. When he was still a little eunuch, he had tied Murong Xiu’s hair. But why should he bother doing it for Yu Ci?
Yu Ci rubbed the sore spot on his scalp in irritation. “Forget it, stop.” He turned, snatched the comb from Shen Jue’s hand, and began clumsily combing his own hair. Yu Ci’s hair was long and thick, and after a night’s sleep, some parts were tangled. Unable to smooth them out, he simply forced the comb through the knots, which naturally resulted in a clump of hair falling out.
By the time Yu Ci finally managed to get his hair somewhat smooth, the sun was high in the sky.
He tossed the comb aside, glanced at the jade crown on the table, and decisively gave up on it. Then he fixed his gaze on Shen Jue in the mirror. “You have a hair tie, don’t you?”
Shen Jue looked at him and shook his head again.
Yu Ci squinted, his effeminate face showing displeasure. “You definitely have one. Give it to me.”
With reluctance, Shen Jue pulled open the small drawer under the dressing table. Inside lay a single blue hair tie.
Yu Ci glanced at Shen Jue, who also had his hair loose, and quickly snatched the hair tie.
Seeing this, Shen Jue raised his hand slightly, as if to grab it back.
His eyes were fixed intently on the hair tie in Yu Ci’s hand.
When Shen Jue had first moved in, the drawer had been full of hair ties. But gradually, they had dwindled—he could never find the one he’d taken off the day before. Now, only one remained. If he gave this one to Yu Ci, he’d have none left.
Yu Ci, a martial artist, was highly sensitive to gazes. Noticing Shen Jue’s stare fixed on the hair tie, he gripped it even tighter. “This one’s mine. Later, I’ll… have someone send you new ones. A hundred—will that be enough?”
It was just a hair tie. Was he really being so petty?
Yu Ci snorted and began tying his hair. It took some effort, but he managed to bundle it up with the hair tie, though it was still a bit messy. At least it was presentable.
He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed Shen Jue’s gaze still lingering on the hair tie on his head.
Yu Ci’s brows furrowed slightly. He felt Shen Jue was being unreasonable—he had already promised to return a hundred hair ties, so why was he still fixated on this one? After a moment’s thought, he pulled the jade pendant from his waist.
He placed both the pendant and the jade crown on the dressing table. “I’ll trade you these for it. Later, I’ll have someone send you hair ties. Okay? Stop staring.”
Having said that impatiently, Yu Ci stood up. Without waiting to see Shen Jue’s reaction, he headed for the door. The moment he opened it, he came face to face with He Queying, who was just entering the courtyard.
He Queying, seeing Yu Ci still in yesterday’s clothes with his hair clearly disheveled, his expression shifted slightly. Then, when he caught sight of Shen Jue—with loose hair, wearing only an inner robe—rushing over to shove the jade pendant and crown back at Yu Ci, and Yu Ci refusing to take them, he was stunned.
He Queying: “…”
Why did this scene seem familiar?
He had once passed by a brothel in the early morning, and when a patron left, the girls would chase after him.
He Queying’s gaze drifted to the jade pendant and crown in Shen Jue’s hands. The crown was one thing, but the pendant was something Yu Ci never parted with.
Could it be the legendary payment for services rendered?
Yu Ci didn’t notice He Queying’s strange expression. He just thought Shen Jue was being utterly ungrateful. “I told you to keep it. Don’t give it back. If you don’t want it, just throw it away.”
Shen Jue’s hand, holding the pendant and crown, trembled slightly. Then, he actually threw them to the ground.
Yu Ci: “…”
He Queying: “…”
Did they not reach an agreement? Was the girl throwing the patron’s payment?
But this was no time for wild speculation—it was time to intervene.
He Queying quickly stepped forward, shielding Shen Jue. “Island Master, please calm down. Shen Jue is young and doesn’t know better. Besides…” He glanced at the shattered jade pendant and crown on the floor and coughed. “Besides, didn’t you tell him to throw them?”
Yu Ci, seeing his broken jade pendant, trembled slightly under his sleeve.
That was a blood jade he had nurtured for years! This damn shorty!
Never mind. He had already given it away. No anger! No anger! He, Yu Ci, was a magnanimous man. He couldn’t let He Queying see him make a fool of himself.
Yu Ci forced out a twisted smile. “It’s fine. Broken is broken.” He looked at He Queying protectively standing in front of Shen Jue, and his eyes suddenly turned dark. “What brings you here so early?”
He Queying hesitated. “Uh…” He was a bit embarrassed, as he had come to deliver Shen Jue’s new mask. He just hadn’t expected the timing to be so unfortunate.
He definitely couldn’t let Yu Ci know about the broken mask from before.
So, He Queying decided to lie.
“I… came to invite Shen Jue to have breakfast with me. Jiangnan-style snacks. He’s from Jiangnan, so he should like them.”
Shen Jue’s former sect was located in Jiangnan. He Queying had remembered that detail when he reviewed Shen Jue’s file—he had an eidetic memory.
But the words fell on Yu Ci’s ears with a different meaning.
Was He Queying so invested in this damn shorty? He even remembered where he was from? And he came all the way here to invite him to breakfast?
Could He Queying have taken a liking to this shorty?
Regardless, the shorty was Sang Xinghe’s Celestial Net Body. Wasn’t He Queying’s behavior basically cuckolding Sang Xinghe?
And since Sang Xinghe was his man, cuckolding Sang Xinghe meant cuckolding him!
That wouldn’t do!
He, the illustrious Island Master of Ten Absolute Island, a great demon feared by the martial world—how could he be cuckolded?!
Yu Ci tilted his head, wiped the smile from his face, and said slowly, “I like Jiangnan snacks too. Let’s go together.”