Chapter 34: A Midnight Encounter

In the dead of night, silence and darkness reigned.

Only the faint crackling of the fire broke the stillness, flickering shadows dancing on the stone walls. Two elongated figures sat far too close.

Su Zhuozhi looked at Xie Jue, noticing he remained silent with an odd expression, and felt a flicker of doubt.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Before he could finish, a powerful force pulled him over. Caught off guard, he tumbled into a firm embrace.

Dazed, Su Zhuozhi only realized what was happening when he found himself sitting on Xie Jue’s lap, both wrists restrained by one of Xie Jue’s hands, his waist locked by a warm arm. He was completely trapped in Xie Jue’s arms.

Not only that, but Xie Jue lowered his head, burying his face in the crook of Su Zhuozhi’s neck, inhaling his scent deeply, as if he were an irresistible, tantalizing delicacy. He seemed torn between devouring Su Zhuozhi in one gulp and savoring him bit by bit, holding him in his mouth until he melted.

The hot breath on his neck made Su Zhuozhi itchy, numbing half his body. He couldn’t help but feel flustered and helpless, with a hint of inexplicable fear.

What was happening?

Xie Jue was definitely not himself.

Had he been poisoned and lost his mind?

Su Zhuozhi struggled, trying to push away and escape from Xie Jue’s embrace, but he was held firmly. The more he moved, the heavier Xie Jue’s breathing became, like a beast’s ominous signal before a fierce attack.

Anxiety swelled in Su Zhuozhi’s heart. He turned his head, wanting to call Chu Ge and the others for help, but this seemed to provoke Xie Jue.

A muffled grunt.

Su Zhuozhi was bitten. Pain shot through his neck, forcing him to tilt his head back, his swan-like neck arching in a graceful curve.

The pain brought tears to his eyes, making them glisten with moisture, looking pitiful.

Though he guessed Xie Jue wasn’t in his right mind, Su Zhuozhi couldn’t help but feel angry. How dare he act so insolently? And he bit him! Usually, Xie Jue was so obedient!

Su Zhuozhi trembled slightly, beginning to resent Xie Jue.

How could he do this!

His face flushed with anger. He opened his mouth to call out for Chu Ge and Nie Kai, not caring how scandalous the scene might appear to others. He just wanted to end this uncomfortable situation.

But as soon as he let out a faint sound, he immediately bit his lip. Because Xie Jue began to gently lick the bite mark, as if to soothe him. The pain turned into a numbing sensation that was even harder to bear.

Su Zhuozhi was both furious and embarrassed, but under these uncontrollable circumstances, his words came out broken and soft, losing all authority. “You… are you a dog?!”

Su Zhuozhi’s neck was extremely sensitive. When Xie Jue had massaged his shoulders before, even a slight brush of fingertips made him react like a cat with its tail stepped on, his ears turning red. Now, it was even worse. His whole body tensed, limbs weak, and he involuntarily curled up like a cooked shrimp.

His waist-length black hair swung in the air, curving like a crescent moon. A few strands fell on Xie Jue’s shoulder, intertwining with his dark hair, indistinguishable.

A crystal tear rolled down Su Zhuozhi’s eye.

A sob escaped his throat.

He felt utterly wronged.

Xie Jue paused.

It felt too real.

The warm, delicate skin, the soft, hoarse voice, the tone of scolding—none of it was as hazy and illusory as a dream.

Xie Jue slowly raised his head. The young master’s flushed face came into view, stunningly beautiful—something that mere imagination could never achieve.

So… it was real?

The moment he realized his feelings, he could no longer suppress his recklessness.

Sensing Xie Jue’s grip loosening, Su Zhuozhi seized the opportunity to break free. Staggering to his feet, he stepped on Xie Jue’s legs twice to steady himself, unaware of the darkening gaze in Xie Jue’s eyes.

His eyes blazing with anger, Su Zhuozhi glared at Xie Jue, pointing his spiritual sword at his nose. “Xie Jue! Look clearly. Do you recognize who I am?”

Xie Jue looked up at him from below, his eyes slowly focusing. In them, he saw only Su Zhuozhi’s reflection: his robe slightly open, collarbone exposed, a red mark on his neck.

He moved his lips and said hoarsely, “…Young Master.”

Hearing his relatively calm voice, Su Zhuozhi’s tense heart relaxed a bit, but he remained vigilant. “Do you know who you are? Are you rational? Is your mind still clear?”

Xie Jue roughly guessed what Su Zhuozhi was thinking. He thought that his behavior was not intentional, but influenced by something.

But in reality, that wasn’t the case at all.

He had accidentally revealed a little, and it had already scared the young master into trembling.

Xie Jue decided to go along with Su Zhuozhi’s assumption. He nodded, admitting it, and lowered his eyes. “My apologies, Young Master. Just now, I don’t know what came over me. My mind went blank, my limbs wouldn’t obey. I only regained my senses now.”

Su Zhuozhi studied him for a while and only relaxed when he seemed back to normal. Exhausted, he sat down on the ground, saying with lingering fear, “What poison did you take? You didn’t seem human anymore, like a dog, licking me constantly. It was terrifying.”

Xie Jue looked up at the panting youth and asked instead of answering, “Does Young Master dislike it very much?”

Su Zhuozhi was taken aback. He should be more concerned about whether there was any residual poison in Xie Jue’s body.

He frowned and stared intently at Xie Jue.

Su Zhuozhi frowned. The pain was definitely unpleasant, but it was hard to describe.

“Never mind that. First, figure out what happened. You don’t want to turn into a dog that likes to lick people again, do you?”

Xie Jue, however, didn’t seem to care. Instead, he curled his lips into a faint smile. “I’ve always been Young Master’s dog, haven’t I?”

Su Zhuozhi jerked his head up to look at him in disbelief. “What did you say?”

Xie Jue: “Just a joke.”

Su Zhuozhi pressed his lips together tightly, his cheeks still flushed with anger. “That’s not funny at all. I was scared to death.”

“My fault.” Xie Jue apologized sincerely again.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, Su Zhuozhi didn’t want to say anything more. He just wanted to crawl back into his bedding and sleep. The private conversation they had planned to have was also canceled. Considering Xie Jue’s state, he must have been poisoned.

He walked back to the bedding and cast a cleansing spell on himself.

Earlier, he had been suddenly pulled out of bed by Xie Jue, so he was still in his loose sleepwear, barefoot. Walking directly on the uneven cave floor, rough with gravel, had left his tender soles red and scraped.

After sitting down, he saw the blood-tinged skin and felt even more displeased.

Xie Jue came over and offered to help, “Let me apply medicine for Young Master.”

Su Zhuozhi took the medicinal ointment himself and said grumpily, “I’ll do it myself. I don’t want you.”

Even though Xie Jue had been unconscious at the time, Su Zhuozhi couldn’t help but take it out on him. He didn’t want to talk to him for now.

Xie Jue sat nearby, watching quietly, without a word.

Since the wounds were very small, they healed almost immediately after applying the medicine. Su Zhuozhi curled up in the bedding and found it a bit strange. Couldn’t Chu Ge and the others hear such a commotion? How deeply were they sleeping?

To be safe, Su Zhuozhi called out to them.

Chu Ge and Nie Kai responded with half-closed eyes, mumbling replies. They were conscious.

Only then did Su Zhuozhi feel relieved and told them to go back to sleep.

Meanwhile, he said to Xie Jue, “If you feel unwell, be sure to wake me up.”

“Alright.”

Xie Jue nodded obediently, looking perfectly compliant.

Soon, Su Zhuozhi’s breathing became long and steady, and he fell asleep.

But even in his dreams, he felt a prying gaze constantly watching him, making him uneasy.

The next day.

Su Zhuozhi woke up and opened his eyes to meet Xie Jue’s gaze. Xie Jue was sitting by the bedding, staring at him unblinkingly. Who knows how long he had been watching.

“What… time is it?”

Su Zhuozhi rubbed his eyes and asked drowsily.

“Chen hour.”

He yawned lazily, turned to look around, and saw that the others were already up. He slowly crawled out of bed. Since it was inconvenient to wash up inside the secret realm, he used a cleansing spell. Xie Jue skillfully folded his bedding and tidied up.

After fully waking up, Su Zhuozhi couldn’t help but recall last night’s events. The memory was vivid and lingering, making him unconsciously rub the spot where Xie Jue had bitten him several times. He also avoided talking to Xie Jue.

Chu Ge, observant as always, noticed the faint red mark under Su Zhuozhi’s collar. Shocked, he thought about the unusual relationship between Su Zhuozhi and Xie Jue, but chose to pretend he hadn’t seen it and acted as if nothing was wrong.

Regarding the puppet child, after discussing it, they all agreed it was a clue. There might be cultivation manuals, techniques, or treasures left by a senior in that courtyard.

They started looking through the books and found quite a lot.

When Su Zhuozhi pulled out a book, he accidentally brought out a stone, which fell to the ground with a thud.

“A recording stone?” Nie Kai blurted out upon seeing it.

A recording stone, as the name suggests, can record events that happen within a certain period. By channeling spiritual power into the stone, the scenes can be replayed.

Curious about what was recorded inside, Su Zhuozhi picked up the stone and infused it with a strand of spiritual power. Instantly, an image appeared in midair.

In the courtyard, a young man and woman were chasing and playing, deeply in love.

From childhood sweethearts to youthful infatuation, they confessed their feelings, their eyes full of happiness.

Of course, there were also arguments and conflicts.

Someone tricked the woman, saying the man had fallen in love with another woman and was already discussing marriage. The woman saw the man carrying a big goose into someone else’s house, believed it, and cried sorrowfully. She angrily said they should part ways and never see each other again. The man chased after her, but she wouldn’t listen. Frustrated, the man raised a hand towards the woman…

Su Zhuozhi had read similar stories in books. Usually, the male lead, in a moment of urgency, would slap the female lead to make her snap out of it. The female lead would be shocked and hurt, saying, “You hit me!” Then various misunderstandings and entanglements would follow, with “I don’t love you” and “I love you,” and they would only end up together at the very end.

He thought the man in the recording stone would do the same and found it boring.

But the next moment, he saw something else entirely—

The man grabbed the woman’s hand and slapped himself hard across the face. Then he asked seriously, “Will you let me explain now?” The woman was stunned and didn’t stop him. She listened quietly to all his explanations. It turned out the big goose wasn’t his; he was helping his cousin propose marriage. The misunderstanding cleared up, and they reconciled as before.

Su Zhuozhi’s mouth slightly opened in surprise. “That’s pretty good.”

He instinctively turned to look at Xie Jue, momentarily forgetting his discomfort, and suggested enthusiastically, “If I ever get emotional and you need to persuade me, you can do that too. It’s definitely useful.”

Xie Jue hadn’t expected that after half a day, the young master would finally speak to him, and with such a suggestion. “I persuade you, then take your hand and slap myself?”

Xie Jue: “And if I’m not calm?”

Su Zhuozhi replied without hesitation, “I slap you to calm you down.”

Xie Jue was silent for a moment, then a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“…Alright.”

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