Chapter 59#

Chapter Fifty-Nine#

Night fell, and the pleasure boats on the river were lined up, reflecting brilliant lights and illuminating the water’s surface.

A cold wind blew, and the post-rain chill began to set in.

Xue Jingci looked down at his hand, which was being held tightly. The small river lantern swayed gently. With occasional glances from passersby, he suddenly felt his face grow hot and whispered, “Let go first.”

Pei Huang, however, was stubbornly persistent.

“No!”

His voice wasn’t quiet, and Xue Jingci immediately felt more eyes turning toward them. He looked up at Pei Huang and let out a troubled sigh.

“If we don’t go in now, we won’t get a turn to eat.”

As soon as Xue Jingci finished speaking, his stomach let out a timely rumble. Only then did Pei Huang come to his senses. He released his grip and turned toward the restaurant’s entrance.

However, after taking two steps, he felt something was amiss and turned back to take Xue Jingci’s hand again, only then feeling at ease.

Xue Jingci found it amusing and let him have his way, asking, “Are you afraid I’ll disappear again?”

Pei Huang didn’t look at him as he handed their numbered tag to the waiter, muttering, “No.”

The waiter was observant. Seeing that one of them had brows as sharp as swords and an intimidating aura of aggression, while the other was as clear and elegant as an immortal, he knew they were no ordinary diners.

Thus, bypassing the noisy main hall, he skillfully led the two into a quiet private room, finally shielding them from the eyes of others.

Before long, a waiter arrived with freshly steamed crabs, placed them on the table, and introduced them with a smile: “These are our most famous drunken crabs. The yellow wine used for marinating them is winter-brewed…”

Xue Jingci’s nose twitched, and he indeed caught a whiff of sweet, mellow wine. He immediately reached out to grab a crab.

Pei Huang stopped him: “I’ll shell it for you.”

Xue Jingci shook his head: “Xie Zheng once taught me how to shell crabs.”

Pei Huang hadn’t expected Xue Jingci to suddenly mention that man out of the blue. He pursed his lips in silence and silently picked up the crab in front of Xue Jingci to begin shelling it.

His movements were practiced. He first lifted the crab shell, scooped out the roe inside, and then tapped out the crab meat bit by bit, even extracting the meat from the legs completely.

After removing all the meat, Pei Huang picked and chose from the sauce dishes before him, finally mixing a dressing. He combined the crab meat and roe, mixed them well, and pushed the dish in front of Xue Jingci.

Xue Jingci took a bite, and his eyes instantly lit up.

The crab meat was delicious and sweet, but the most special part was the sauce, which had a faint sweetness of honey.

Seeing Xue Jingci eating happily, the tight corners of Pei Huang’s mouth also turned up, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of competition in his heart.

Xue Jingci only said that Xie Zheng had taught him how to shell crabs, not that he had shelled them for him.

Likely, such delicate work was something only he had done for Xue Jingci.

Xue Jingci was unaware of the complicated thoughts in Pei Huang’s mind. He was always very focused on what he was doing, and eating was no exception.

After finishing the crab meat Pei Huang had peeled, he looked up and asked, “This sauce tastes very special. How was it made?”

Pei Huang intentionally played it mysterious: “Exclusive secret recipe, I won’t tell you.”

“If you want to eat it in the future, I’ll make it for you again.”

Xue Jingci wanted to ask further, but the waiter brought another plate of fried sugar cakes and reminded them to eat while they were hot.

He momentarily forgot about the sauce, his attention turning to the sugar cakes.

Pei Huang gazed fixedly at Xue Jingci.

The sudden mention of Xie Zheng’s name just now had caused an uncontrollable restlessness in his heart. He wanted Xue Jingci to treat him as someone more special, different from everyone else.

At the thought that Xie Zheng had also once chatted and eaten with Xue Jingci like this, an impulse rose in him to want Xue Jingci to be even closer to him.

Pei Huang withdrew his gaze, his fingers gripping the teacup in front of him. He downed the hot tea in one gulp, finally managing to extinguish the raging fire in his heart.

He looked into Xue Jingci’s dark, clear eyes, knowing that while this person seemed powerful, he was like a blank sheet of paper when it came to emotions.

Pei Huang knew that to occupy a unique position in Xue Jingci’s heart, he had to take things slowly.

He set down the teacup and brought up the matter of taking him as a disciple again.

“Earlier you said you wanted to take me as a disciple. Fine, but I have one condition.”

Xue Jingci immediately put down the sugar cake and asked urgently, “What condition?”

Pei Huang said, “To be my master, you have to be good to me.”

Seeing that Pei Huang had finally relented, Xue Jingci felt a surge of joy. But he soon became troubled and asked, “What counts as being good to you?”

Pei Huang reached out and wiped the powdered sugar from Xue Jingci’s lip.

His gaze was calm, but a hint of darkness flickered deep within. After a long moment, he said, “Look at me; don’t look at anyone else anymore.”

A few hints of bewilderment appeared in Xue Jingci’s eyes, and he didn’t even notice when Pei Huang withdrew his hand.

Unable to figure it out, Xue Jingci asked directly, “Just this counts as being good to you?”

Judging by his tone, he had agreed to his words. Pei Huang cleared his throat and said, “Of course not just this, but I haven’t thought of the rest yet.”

He intentionally put on an air, tilting his head toward the waiter passing by hurriedly outside the room.

“Look at how this shop hires workers—they all have to go through a trial period first. If you want to be my master, you have to have a trial period too.”

This was the first time Xue Jingci had heard that a master also needed a trial period.

But on second thought, the two disciples he had taken before had both ended on bad terms. It might be better to have a trial period first to see if they were truly suitable to be master and disciple.

He blinked and agreed to Pei Huang’s proposal, thinking in his heart about what else he should do to be good to Pei Huang.

As he thought, Xue Jingci suddenly felt a bit drowsy.

He had consumed a lot of energy when repairing the boundary wall between the two worlds. Anyone else would likely have fallen into a long sleep. But Xue Jingci was powerful, and his first reaction after the repair was to continue the task of taking a disciple without rest.

Seeing that he was tired, Pei Huang called the waiter to settle the bill and asked about the nearest inn. Then, he took Xue Jingci’s hand and led him outside.

This time, Xue Jingci didn’t try to pull his hand away. He was overwhelmed by sleepiness and fatigue, his steps becoming heavy, and he subconsciously leaned closer to Pei Huang.

It was as if as long as he sensed this person’s presence, he didn’t need to force himself to hold on and could completely relax.

Holding Xue Jingci’s icy fingertips, Pei Huang’s heart felt a heavy weight.

Hearing Xu Wang speak of Xue Jingci’s death today, he knew the person was still safely by his side, so he felt no sorrow.

Only now did he realize that although Xue Jingci was still alive, his physical condition had become very poor, and it was unclear how long it would take for him to fully recover.

A cultivator of Xue Jingci’s level should be unaffected by heat or cold, yet even the breath he exhaled now was cold.

Fortunately, the inn was very close to the restaurant. After Pei Huang settled their accommodations and watched him fall asleep, he set up several defensive arrays and then climbed out the window.

The first thing he did upon returning to this world was send a message to the River Demon.

Using a lost bee to notify the other party, he arranged a meeting nearby. When he arrived, he saw two figures from afar.

The River Demon looked the same as before, and beside him was a very tall young man leaning bonelessly on his shoulder, his face obscured by a black bamboo hat with a veil.

As Pei Huang walked over, the young man suddenly raised his head, casting a sinister gaze through the veil.

It wasn’t until he clearly saw Pei Huang’s face that the young man lifted the veil, lazily opened his eyes, and stood up straight.

Pei Huang stared at the deep scar on the young man’s neck that reached the bone, confirming that the youth before him was A-Su.

In ten years, he had grown so much.

“Wu Huai, A-Su.”

Pei Huang called their names and spoke about how time flowed differently between the two worlds after he entered the other realm.

Wu Huai had traveled far and wide for many years and had seen many strange things, but he hadn’t expected such an encounter to happen to Pei Huang. He couldn’t help but pester him about the customs of that other world.

Pei Su wasn’t interested in those things; he just circled Pei Huang, gesturing: Brother, the power in you is very strong.

Hearing the word “power,” Wu Huai’s expression instantly became serious. He stared at Pei Huang and said, “You were gone for ten years. The demonic cultivators haven’t discovered your return yet. But they have always coveted the bloodline power within you and will not give up. With that thing there, they might even sense your existence. You must hide carefully.”

Pei Huang said, “I will be careful.”

Having learned about the movements of the demonic cultivators he cared about most, Pei Huang asked Wu Huai and Pei Su about their experiences over the years. Knowing they were well, he felt relieved and turned to leave.

Wu Huai had a premonition but still asked jokingly, “In such a hurry to leave? Haven’t seen each other in ten years, why not come have a drink with us?”

Pei Huang glanced at him: “Xue Jingci is still sleeping at the inn.”

Wu Huai was certain now and laughed: “He’s actually alive and with you. I thought he was dead before and didn’t know how to explain it to you…”

A ripple of water flashed, and the River Demon’s form instantly appeared before his eyes, staring closely at Pei Huang.

“But didn’t you say before that you wanted to cut off all contact with him?”

Pei Huang feigned amnesia: “I never said that.”

He dodged Wu Huai’s gaze and made a silencing gesture: “Keep his matters secret.”

Wu Huai nodded, stepped aside, and gave him a few lost bees before they parted.

After Pei Huang left, Wu Huai turned around triumphantly and smilingly reached out his hand to Pei Su.

“A bet’s a bet. I told you Xue Jingci would be fine.”

Before Pei Huang went to the other world, he had left things similar to life tablets for him and A-Su. Although he had been gone for ten years, they at least knew Pei Huang was alive.

But Xue Jingci was different.

It was said that the soul lamp he left at Lingxu Sect had gone out in front of everyone back then, yet he could still return from the dead.

Pei Su’s expression changed slightly. He stared at him for a while, then placed his hand in his palm, clearly intending to go back on his word.

Wu Huai was fuming. He smacked the hand away, turned, jumped into the water, and quickly vanished.

Leaving Pei Su, who was mute, unable to even call out, he could only follow the current to chase after him.

Pei Huang rushed all the way back, deciding in his heart that when they set out tomorrow, he must disguise their appearances and act under other identities.

He held a small selfish desire, not wanting others to disrupt the rare peace between him and Xue Jingci.

But thinking of Wu Huai’s mention that the demonic cultivators hadn’t given up looking for him, he couldn’t help but feel some inner conflict.

Today he had taken the initiative to mention the apprenticeship, but at the last moment, he proposed a trial period first. In truth, he was worried that one day his identity as a demonic cultivator would be exposed.

How would Xue Jingci look at him then?

Pei Huang suppressed his complicated thoughts and climbed back into the room through the window. Seeing Xue Jingci still sleeping soundly, he couldn’t help but walk over as if possessed.

When Xue Jingci slept, he subconsciously curled toward the inner side, as if intentionally leaving a space for him.

Pei Huang got onto the bed and couldn’t help but gently reach out to embrace Xue Jingci’s thin frame.

He called it an embrace, but he only loosely circled Xue Jingci’s body with his arms, touching him cautiously, then quickly moving away the next second.

After repeating this a few times, even Pei Huang found it funny.

He had been bold since childhood, but only when facing Xue Jingci did he feel timid.

Pei Huang withdrew his hand, tucked the blanket around Xue Jingci, and then held him tightly through the blanket, closing his eyes to sleep.

Xue Jingci slept very deeply this time, feeling a warmth surrounding him that dispelled the cold that had seeped into his bones.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Pei Huang sitting by the window brewing medicine, with a bag of warm sugar cakes beside his hand.

Xue Jingci drank the medicine and ate a sugar cake, only then remembering the matter of being good to Pei Huang.

But clearly, it was Pei Huang who made the request, yet this person had been taking care of him all along.

Xue Jingci broke a sugar cake in half and held it to Pei Huang’s mouth: “Try it, it’s very fragrant.”

As he spoke, he suddenly leaned in, almost only inches away from Pei Huang, their breaths instantly intertwining.

Pei Huang’s eyelashes fluttered. He momentarily forgot to take the sugar cake until someone knocked on the door, then he opened his mouth and bit into it as if waking from a dream.

Xue Jingci didn’t let go either, just waiting for Pei Huang to finish eating the sugar cake.

Pei Huang took a breath. Even though the sugar cake had been sitting for a while, he felt it was incredibly hot.

The person outside was still knocking. Pei Huang quickly regained his composure, disguised both Xue Jingci and himself, and then got up to open the door.

Standing outside were several government soldiers searching for traces of notorious bandits.

Xue Jingci thought this had nothing to do with them, but as his gaze shifted, he suddenly saw a familiar face.

The leader of these soldiers was actually Lin Su.

Pei Huang’s expression changed slightly. He silently grasped Xue Jingci’s hand and hid him behind his back.