Chapter 69: New Year’s Eve

After Tan Xueci slapped it, he grabbed and squeezed it. No wonder He Xunye liked to squeeze his so much; the texture was actually this good.

He Xunye had never been treated like this before. They stood beneath the dark shadows of the trees, but by the light of the moon, one could still see the tips of the youth’s ears flushing red.

His face filled with resentment, He Xunye stared deeply at Tan Xueci with his dark eyes, seemingly unable to understand how there could be someone so shameless in this world. He turned his head, intending to flick his sleeves and leave.

“Wait.” Tan Xueci hurriedly pulled him back.

Weighing the difference in size between himself and He Xunye, he realized that trying to force him down was a hopeless endeavor. He definitely couldn’t win a fight. Tan Xueci smacked his lips in regret—fine, if he couldn’t top him, so be it.

Tan Xueci stood on his tiptoes and reached out to hook his arms around He Xunye’s neck. Someone was releasing river lanterns in the nearby river channel, their light reflecting in Tan Xueci’s beautiful eyes, making them look bright and sparkling. He pouted at He Xunye and mumbled softly, “Hubby, kiss me.”

Every time He Xunye kissed him, he would kiss him until his entire body went weak and he couldn’t catch his breath. He felt that his disheveled, tearful appearance—covered in sweat and saliva—must look incredibly ugly.

Yet He Xunye never allowed him to hide his face. He would stare at him with a deeply infatuated, lingering gaze, licking the saliva from his lips.

If he could also kiss He Xunye until he was out of breath and made him go weak in his arms while calling him hubby, that would count as revenge, right?

Tan Xueci snickered covertly to himself as he tilted his head up and pressed his lips against He Xunye’s. He sucked gently on the youth’s lips before sticking his tongue out to nudge past his firmly closed teeth.

He Xunye’s entire body went rigid for a split second. He braced his hands against Tan Xueci’s waist, intending to say something, but Tan Xueci took the opportunity to slip past his teeth, their tongues colliding unexpectedly.

Tan Xueci’s eyelashes trembled, and his pale cheeks began to flush crimson. Still, he refused to back down. His head felt hot enough to emit smoke; kissing someone like this made him feel like a total pervert.

Damn it, how did He Xunye usually do this so effortlessly? What a shameless, flirtatious ghost.

Tan Xueci slid his tongue out to lick and exchange deep kisses with He Xunye, their wet, soft tongues rubbing against each other. The temperature inside He Xunye’s mouth was incredibly high, causing Tan Xueci to shudder from the heat.

At first, He Xunye hadn’t realized what Tan Xueci was doing. But after being licked and sucked like a little puppy for a while, he gradually understood a great deal. The youth’s cold, deep features dissolved into the thick night as he lowered his head, pushing his burning lips and tongue deeper into Tan Xueci’s mouth.

The tip of his tongue was slightly rough, scraping heavily against the roof of Tan Xueci’s mouth. Tan Xueci pressed his hands against He Xunye’s shoulders, letting out a soft, trembling whimper from the back of his throat.

He Xunye opened his eyes, the darkness within them swirling and deepening. Far from letting Tan Xueci go, he suddenly cupped the back of Tan Xueci’s head, pulling him entirely into his embrace. Their wet tongues tangled so deeply it felt as though they were practically reaching the backs of each other’s throats.

Only then did Tan Xueci realize something was wrong. This wasn’t what he had planned at all!

He hurriedly pushed against He Xunye, wanting to say he didn’t want to kiss anymore, but his lips were completely sealed by He Xunye. With his nose partially blocked, he could barely breathe, let alone make a sound, leaving him to do nothing but whimper and struggle.

His arms hung limply around He Xunye’s neck, and his toes were nearly lifting off the ground, yet he still couldn’t break free. The youth’s pale, powerful hand suddenly pressed firmly against his lower back. Tan Xueci’s waist instantly went soft under the touch. His beautiful, dark, sheep-like eyes flew wide open, looking wet, misty, dazed, and bewildered.

The youth before him wore a snow-white Buddhist robe. Those phoenix eyes were dark and cold, making him look like a monk detached from the mortal world, utterly indifferent to love and passion. Yet the hands gripping his waist were completely contradictory—the joints were large, the palms burning hot, overflowing with a dark, dominant desire for absolute control.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, exuding an air of suppressed desire. Sweat slid down his sharp collarbones, disappearing into the collar of his monk robes, making anyone who looked at him flush with embarrassment.

“So, this is how one is supposed to kiss?” He Xunye caressed Tan Xueci’s back as he finally released him. The youth’s voice had also grown husky. He seemed to let out a low chuckle, saying, “I’ve learned. Thank you, Brother.”

Tan Xueci’s eyes were wet and misty. He was so thoroughly kissed that he could barely stand straight, yet fury welled up inside him, making him desperately want to punch He Xunye.

He hadn’t taken any advantage of him at all!

Tan Xueci’s pale little face fell, looking highly displeased. His eyes rimmed with red, and the corners of his mouth turned downward.

Seeing his face full of stifled frustration, looking aggrieved to the absolute extreme, He Xunye actually took the initiative this time. He extended his hand toward him and said, “Come, let’s head back.”

The path outside was too dark, and it was easy to trip.

Tan Xueci ignored him, crossing his hands behind his back. He Xunye stepped closer, shifting his Buddhist beads to his other hand before reaching behind Tan Xueci to catch one of his hands, wrapping it securely within his palm.

After being led forward for a few steps, Tan Xueci stopped being so stubborn. Feeling slightly happier, he asked He Xunye, “Why are we going back now? Is everything fine at the temple?”

“Mm,” He Xunye murmured in response.

With the end of the year approaching, the streets were hung with red lanterns. However, due to the disturbances caused by ghosts and spirits, there wasn’t a single soul outside at night. Tan Xueci and He Xunye walked forward hand in hand.

As long as He Xunye was holding his hand, he wasn’t afraid. He didn’t even pay attention to where he was walking, looking at the surroundings one moment, and their shadows the next.

The red lanterns looked like long, cascading red carpets.

“Why did you stay?” Tan Xueci hesitated for a moment before pressing He Xunye further.

He felt that if He Xunye wanted to leave on his own, the people at Qilian Temple definitely wouldn’t be able to keep him. So…

To save others, he sacrificed himself, enduring the torment of ghosts night after night. It wasn’t just harassment either; they wanted He Xunye’s life, wishing to drink his blood and swallow him alive.

It sounded so compassionate.

Was it like what He Zhui had said? That He Xunye had harmed many people, believed himself to be guilty, and was therefore actively seeking atonement?

Tan Xueci kept feeling that wasn’t the case. He Xunye ought to be a grand villain just like him.

If those people had been good to He Xunye, it would be one thing for He Xunye to save them. But it was clear that no one treated He Xunye well at all.

If it were him, he would be too consumed by hatred to sleep. Facing those monks at Qilian Temple, there would be no way he could remain as calm as He Xunye.

He truly hoped He Xunye was a bad guy, someone who would curse others behind their backs just like him, and that staying here was merely to find an opportunity for revenge. If He Xunye really were a good person, that would be far too tragic.

He Xunye didn’t answer him. They had already arrived before the mountain gate of Qilian Temple. The youth stopped his footsteps and turned to look at him, those dark, beautiful phoenix eyes curving slightly as if he were smiling at him. The smile vanished in a flash, like an illusion.

What was he doing?

Tan Xueci bit his lip, the tips of his ears instantly turning red. Smiling so beautifully—that flirtatious ghost was seducing him again.

They entered the mountain gate one after the other. Seeing puddle after puddle of blood scattered across the temple grounds, Tan Xueci couldn’t help but quicken his steps, wrapping his arms tightly around He Xunye’s arm.

He didn’t know how many monks had died.

Tan Xueci lowered his eyelashes, his lips turning somewhat pale. He didn’t know if he had done the wrong thing.

He hadn’t wanted He Xunye to die, so he had taken him away. But what if even more people died because of that?

Even if he knew this would be the outcome, he would still choose to save He Xunye. When He Xunye died in his past life, he was only in his twenties, just a little ghost who was afraid of the dark. Who could bear to leave a ghost to be scared all alone? It was just that seeing the blood of others prevented his heart from settling completely.

Sensing the hands wrapped around his arm tightening, He Xunye lowered his eyes to meet Tan Xueci’s pale little face and said, “It is fine. Only a few people were injured.”

“Really?” Tan Xueci looked up with wide, expectant eyes. He grabbed He Xunye’s hand, his heart instantly feeling much lighter.

The two of them walked back huddled close together, looking exactly like a young married couple returning from a late-night date.

It was already very late. He Xunye didn’t read his scriptures any further; he shed his Buddhist robe and got onto the platform bed. After returning, his attitude became much colder again, as if the person who had just shared a deep, wet kiss with Tan Xueci wasn’t him at all.

It wasn’t until the middle of the night that He Xunye opened his eyes. Turning his head, he discovered that Tan Xueci hadn’t slept yet either. His eyelashes were curled haphazardly, and his fingers were twirling a lock of He Xunye’s hair as he stared at him.

It was unclear who slipped into whose blanket first, but they began to caress and kiss. Tan Xueci reached out to touch He Xunye’s hair; it felt cool and smooth, like satin. No wonder when that ghost had forced him to grow long hair before, He Xunye had loved to stroke it—it really did feel wonderful to touch.

He Xunye lowered his head, his jet-black long hair falling along both sides of his cheeks, creating a deeply private, enclosed space. Only fragments of dappled moonlight filtered through He Xunye’s dark hair, falling onto Tan Xueci’s face.

He leaned over Tan Xueci, their tongues intertwining deeply, creating wet, soft sounds in the quiet night of the temple.

Tan Xueci’s blush spread from the tips of his ears down to his neck. The ends of He Xunye’s hair swayed as his palm pressed against his chest, flattening against the tip of his soft chest. He had never known that a person’s hair could feel so intensely erotic.

Tan Xueci had no idea how long they kissed. In the end, he dizzily curled into He Xunye’s embrace and drifted off to sleep.

Usually, He Xunye would wake up around four or five in the morning to chant scriptures, but perhaps due to the exhaustion accumulated over the past days, he rarely slept in a little longer. By the time he woke up, Tan Xueci was already gone.

He sat up, touching his slightly swollen lips, lost in thought before getting up to take a shower.

The modern temple was equipped with showers. Feeling a bit distracted, he pushed the door open. A curtain of steam rose before his eyes, and through the haze, he could faintly see a pair of snow-white, pert curves.

Tan Xueci felt absolutely no shame regarding this level of bodily exposure. After all, he and He Xunye had already seen everything there was to see of each other, and more than once. In this regard, there were no secrets between them.

Hearing the door open, he blinked and invited He Xunye, “Hubby, do you want to take a shower with me?”

“…” The youth seemed utterly incredulous. Ripples surfaced within his deep, dark phoenix eyes, and the tips of his ears flushed a deep red. He gripped the Buddhist beads in his hand tightly, asking, “What did you say?”

Just how many people had he kissed to be this practiced and casual?

Tan Xueci didn’t think he had said anything out of the ordinary, yet He Xunye had such a massive reaction, turning around to flick his sleeves and leave with a icy face, looking entirely like someone who had never seen the world.

Whatever.

The little sheep claimed sole possession of the meditation room.

After Tan Xueci finished his shower and walked outside, he saw He Xunye sitting on a stone stool in front of the meditation room, playing a game of Go with Master Xuan Shen.

Tan Xueci currently held no goodwill toward the monks of Qilian Temple. He stood guard right beside He Xunye, glaring intently at Master Xuan Shen. Master Xuan Shen, however, merely let out a soft laugh, completely unbothered.

When He Xunye stood up to retrieve something from the meditation room, Tan Xueci bit his lower lip and asked Master Xuan Shen, “Why do you all treat him like this? What happened here? Why are there so many ghosts?”

Master Xuan Shen’s figure was thin but not hunched. He raised a hand in a Buddhist salute, offering no direct answer to his questions. Instead, he uttered a cryptic phrase: “They eat my flesh, they drink my blood; with my own body, I stabilize the eight directions.”

Tan Xueci: “…”

Tan Xueci really wanted to pluck out all of his beard hairs.

“Little benefactor,” Master Xuan Shen looked at him with a smile, “you are not a person of this world, correct? Do not be anxious. Someone is looking for you.”

Tan Xueci’s heart jolted. He wanted to ask how he could leave, but Master Xuan Shen began feigning ignorance again, refusing to answer any further. He even stood up and walked away, actively avoiding him.

When He Xunye returned, his opponent was gone, leaving behind only a remnant game. He didn’t say anything about it.

Today, there were many people coming and going in the temple. That annoying monk would frequently bring people over to see He Xunye, all of whom seemed to have encountered ghosts and were seeking his help.

One man’s wife had fainted after encountering a ghost, while another person’s back was suppurating with pus after a supernatural encounter. Everyone arrived with faces full of panic and anxiety, looking at He Xunye with great trepidation, fearing he might refuse to help.

Yet when they left, they kept a wide distance from He Xunye, uttering a few hasty words of thanks before immediately scurrying away.

A woman holding a child said her child had been running a fever for several days after an encounter with a ghost. He Xunye lowered his long eyelashes and raised his hand, intending to feel the child’s forehead. Seeing him reach out, the woman subconsciously held her child tighter and shrank back, her expression deeply guarded.

Only after flinching did she realize her rudeness. Looking ashamed and unable to lift her head, she hurriedly pushed the child toward him again.

He Xunye appeared entirely unbothered by it, but Tan Xueci was utterly displeased, glaring with wide eyes at every single one of them.

The Daoist temple was located very close to Qilian Temple, so Yu He would often run over to look for He Xunye when he had nothing to do. Seeing Tan Xueci’s deflated little face, he poked Tan Xueci’s shoulder and gestured for him to step aside.

“Actually, you can’t blame them,” Yu He told him. “He Xunye possesses a fate that brings harm and calamity to those around him. The yin and yang energy within his body are both incredibly fierce, which ordinary people cannot endure. It really is better for them to stay far away from him.”

Tan Xueci didn’t quite believe it. He Xunye’s yang energy was certainly heavy—at night when he shared a blanket with He Xunye, he would nearly bake to death, and He Xunye’s touch always left him covered in sweat.

Moreover, their courtyard was significantly warmer than other places. It was already winter and snowing outside, yet they wouldn’t feel cold even if they wore nothing but a thin monk robe.

If his yang energy was already overflowing to this extent, where exactly was the yin energy?

Seeing that he remained unconvinced, Yu He took a deep breath, gathered his courage, walked over, and patted He Xunye on the shoulder.

He Xunye knit his brows and cast a cold glance at him. Yu He completely ignored the frosty expression, turning around to tell Tan Xueci, “Look.”

As he spoke, he began walking forward quite normally. He was a Daoist priest who possessed excellent martial arts skills and was far more agile than the average person. Yet for some unknown reason, he suddenly tripped over a tiny pebble, stumbled onto a patch of nearby moss, and with a swift slip of his foot, plunged right into the adjacent well with a loud splash.

Tan Xueci: “…”

Tan Xueci was startled. Just as he was about to go over and check, he saw Yu He already hauling himself up, hanging onto the edge of the well as he said, “Your hubby’s fate really is incredibly harsh. I’m not lying to you.”

With this kind of destiny, he himself wouldn’t die and might even live a long life, but the people around him would suffer one by one. For the individual, longevity itself became a curse. However, He Xunye was very rare; he simultaneously possessed a pure Bazi of absolute Yang, which could actually neutralize the curse and prevent it from harming those close to him.

It was still an exceptionally rare, auspicious destiny.

Unfortunately, his yang energy was waning day by day while his yin energy grew heavier, making it increasingly difficult to suppress this harsh fate.

Tan Xueci bit his lip. No wonder He Xunye had no family and no friends, living all by himself in this temple with minimal human interaction. If it weren’t for the fact that Tan Xueci clung to him tightly—having nowhere else to go and refusing to leave—He Xunye probably wouldn’t have paid him any mind in the beginning.

He hugged He Xunye’s arm, sticking to his body without moving like a piece of melting glutinous rice cake.

More people arrived from outside. This time, it unexpectedly turned out to be Zhang Chengfa and his father. Behind them followed a young man in his twenties with heavy dark circles and a thoroughly exhausted, miserable expression.

Zhang Chengfa was still quite young at this time, boasting a full head of hair. Following reluctantly behind his father, he kept trying to dissuade him, saying, “These fortune-telling monks and Daoists are all charlatans. What are we doing here?”

He had been staying out of town and had only returned to the capital a few days ago, so he hadn’t yet witnessed the ghosts ravaging the city.

Holding his walking stick, Old Master Zhang turned around and delivered a vicious whack to his son’s head, snapping fiercely, “Shut up!”

Attacking his own son with the force of thunder.

Zhang Chengfa clutched his head in agony, not daring to utter another word.

The young man following behind them looked on the verge of fainting. Upon seeing He Xunye, he began to sob softly.

His name was Yue Tongzhou, a lawyer. He had encountered a ghost some time ago, and because he was university classmates with Zhang Chengfa, he had gone through various channels to beg Zhang Chengfa’s father to bring him to He Xunye.

“A few nights ago, I worked overtime until past one in the morning before heading home,” Yue Tongzhou said, his gaze blank and hollow. “I boarded a night bus. There weren’t many people on it, so I didn’t think much of it since it was already so late.”

But terrifyingly, he drifted off to sleep for a moment on the bus. When he opened his eyes again, the interior of the carriage was bathed in an eerie green light, and it was packed with passengers. There was even one sitting right in the seat next to him.

It was a child.

Yue Tongzhou was instantly startled awake. Fortunately, he was sitting on the aisle side, and the bus happened to arrive at a stop.

He scrambled off the bus and sprinted frantically toward his home. Initially, he thought he had shaken it off, so he couldn’t help but steal a glance backward. There was nothing behind him, but he still felt an inexplicable sense of dread.

A chill rose in his heart. Lowering his head, he discovered that in the snow, a much smaller footprint was stamped perfectly over the heel of every single one of his own tracks, looking exactly like a child’s footprint.

Yue Tongzhou’s back went completely rigid. No wonder he hadn’t seen anything when he turned around—the thing had been riding on his back the entire time.

Terrified and at a total loss, he was relieved when that icy sensation soon vanished, allowing him to rush home and hide in his bedroom.

However, absolute despair followed. Every single night since then, he could hear a child crying inside his bedroom.

“I really couldn’t take it anymore,” Yue Tongzhou said, his eyes bloodshot as he clawed at his hair. “I tried staying at hotels or sleeping at friends’ houses, but it was useless. At night, I would still hear that child crying.”

He Xunye lifted his eyelids and asked him, “Have you taken on any cases involving children recently?”

“Yes,” Yue Tongzhou said hurriedly. “Last month I took a case where a third-grade elementary school boy jumped from a building. His parents are suing the school, and they came to see me.”

He Xunye said nothing more. He picked up a piece of yellow talisman paper used for drawing charms, wrote a few lines on it, and handed it to Yue Tongzhou, saying, “Take this back and have your parents recite it three times.”

Yue Tongzhou accepted it respectfully. Lowering his head to look, he saw it read: Heaven is vast, Earth is vast, my home has a night-crying babe. Let passing travelers read this thrice, and sleep soundly until broad daylight.

“This…” Yue Tongzhou hesitated. “Will this really work?”

He Xunye offered no response.

Old Master Zhang quickly signaled to Yue Tongzhou not to ask further questions. Only then did Yue Tongzhou close his mouth and stand up. Old Master Zhang then stepped closer to He Xunye and said, “Nephew, I also have a matter. My father has fallen ill…”

To his surprise, He Xunye looked up, glanced at him, and directly interrupted, “Go back.”

Old Master Zhang choked, unsure of what He Xunye meant. However, He Xunye had already stood up, and Tan Xueci, still clinging to his hand, walked back to the meditation room with him.

Tan Xueci didn’t understand what was going on either, until one morning when he was eating breakfast. He had slurped down a bowl of century egg porridge and wanted to eat another basket of steamed buns, but He Xunye stopped him.

“Don’t eat any more,” He Xunye said. “Save room for lunch.”

Tan Xueci was entirely bewildered. It wasn’t until noon that they suddenly received an invitation from the Zhang family, stating that a funeral was being held at their home and inviting them to attend the banquet.

Tan Xueci: “…”

So that’s what he meant.

Old Master Zhang was a clever man as well. He Xunye had known his father was about to pass away with just a single glance, so he hadn’t disturbed them prematurely. He Xunye likely even knew the exact date of death and the funeral.

Thus, he simply waited until the day of the funeral to send a car to pick them up while delivering the invitation. Whether He Xunye chose to go or not was up to him; going would give him face, and even if he didn’t, the etiquette was perfectly carried out without offending He Xunye.

Tan Xueci kept his stomach empty and went to enjoy the funeral feast with He Xunye. Afterward, instead of returning to the temple, He Xunye went to a school.

Tan Xueci blinked in daze. “What are you going to school for?”

“I am a student,” He Xunye said, raising his eyes and speaking slowly. “My final exams are tomorrow. Is that strange?”

Only then did Tan Xueci realize that He Xunye was actually still in his third year of high school.

He had somehow ended up dating a high school boy.

He Xunye was incredibly busy and rarely attended school, spending half the semester outside the campus. He would only stay in the dormitories for a consecutive period when exams approached.

Since He Xunye was staying in the school dorms, Tan Xueci couldn’t follow him, so he could only return to Qilian Temple on his own, looking thoroughly pitiful.

He Xunye had missed two of the exams, but due to his unique circumstances, the school permitted him to take make-up exams directly.

In the evening, after everyone else had already left, He Xunye remained in the classroom. Around eight o’clock, he stood up, handed in his paper, and walked out.

Tan Xueci had never experienced the feeling of picking someone up from school before. Furthermore, the sky was already completely dark by the time He Xunye finished his exams. He decided to go out and meet his ghost. The mountain roads were difficult to traverse, so he carried a small lantern and took a vehicle. Just as he approached the school gates, He Xunye happened to step out.

Since it was the final day of exams, a few of He Xunye’s classmates hadn’t gone home straight away, opting to grab some malatang together. Having just finished eating and stepping out of the shop, they bumped into He Xunye. All of them instantly shrank backward, bypassing He Xunye to leave.

He Xunye didn’t care in the slightest, walking forward with his backpack over his shoulder.

After eight o’clock at night, the number of wandering ghosts and spirits outside multiplied. With a casual sweep of his gaze, Tan Xueci spotted several minor ghosts mingled among the crowd.

As He Xunye walked forward alone, his silhouette appeared singular and solitary. Tan Xueci recalled how He Xunye had once jokingly told him that he was very afraid of the dark, asking what he would do without his little lamb.

On such a lonely night, the only things that would approach him were wandering souls and wild ghosts. Anyone would feel afraid under such circumstances.

He Xunye hadn’t walked very far from the school gates when he suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind with frantic, breathless shouting.

His footsteps paused slightly. Turning his head, he saw Tan Xueci holding a small lantern beneath the night curtain, cutting right through a cluster of ghosts to run quickly up to him.

Tan Xueci lifted the lantern, illuminating both of their faces. His eyes were bright and sparkling as he said, “Hubby, let’s go home!”

A trace of daze flickered through He Xunye’s eyes. Tan Xueci had already attached himself to his side, sticking close as he led him toward the direction of Qilian Temple, asking him along the way what he had learned at school and what kind of exams he had taken.

He couldn’t understand a single thing He Xunye explained. He knit his brows and bit his finger, listening intently with an air of great effort.

He Xunye took hold of his finger to stop him from biting it, while Tan Xueci kept calling him hubby over and over again.

Tan Xueci took immense pleasure in calling him hubby. Even if he was a ghost hubby, he still loved the title. However, He Xunye was already overly intense; he feared that if he kept chanting it, He Xunye would end up ravishing him to death.

In truth, his favorite part of calling him hubby was seeing He Xunye turn around to find him, or pulling him into his arms for a kiss while asking what was wrong with his little lamb and if he missed his husband, making him feel exactly like a pampered wife.

The kind of blessed, pampered wife whose husband truly loved him and would even wash his underwear for him.

His ultimate dream was to become an actor, an incredibly famous one at that, and then also become a pampered wife.

To return to Qilian Temple, they had to walk a stretch of mountain road after getting off the vehicle. Usually, it felt like an incredibly long distance, but tonight it seemed to arrive in the blink of an eye. Toward the end, Tan Xueci grew too tired to walk any further and insisted that He Xunye carry him on his back.

He Xunye thought he must have truly gone mad, but he actually hoisted Tan Xueci onto his back, completely like an obedient dog or a tireless, dutiful husband.

The New Year arrived very early this year, falling just a few days after the conclusion of final exams. On New Year’s Eve, Qilian Temple was adorned with fresh Spring Festival couplets. For dinner, they prepared vegetarian dumplings, and a monk specially delivered the New Year’s Eve feast to Tan Xueci and He Xunye so the little couple could dine in private.

When night arrived, He Xunye didn’t watch the New Year’s Gala, choosing instead to read his scriptures by the light of a candle just as he always did.

Engaged in such bitter cultivation, he didn’t resemble a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth at all.

Tan Xueci lay beside him to keep him company, occasionally messing with He Xunye’s hair. He had thought He Pinglan and the others would come to see He Xunye tonight, but no one showed up.

It was as if the entire He family had completely forgotten about He Xunye’s existence, and even the monks of Qilian Temple didn’t dare to spend the New Year with him.

How lonely his ghost was.

He rested his soft little chin right on the back of He Xunye’s hand. When He Xunye pushed him away, he simply leaned right back over. As they were playfully shoving each other, that single monk arrived once more. Bowing to He Xunye, he said, “Junior Brother, the Abbot requests your assistance to drive away the Nian beast.”

Tan Xueci’s face instantly darkened. Was there no end to this? They came to his hubby for absolutely everything, and did a creature like the Nian beast even actually exist?

And He Xunye was just as bad, never refusing a single thing.

That monk was practically terrified of Tan Xueci, deathly afraid that Tan Xueci would snap back with ‘your husband is the one who’s dead’. After delivering the message, he scrambled away in a hurry.

It was already past eleven o’clock at night, and the sound of fireworks outside was growing increasingly resonant. He Xunye took Tan Xueci’s hand and walked out. A few boxes of fireworks and a string of firecrackers had also been set up outside the temple gates.

In truth, a Buddhist temple required tranquility, so they typically wouldn’t set off fireworks in previous years. However, this year’s circumstances were unique.

A tiny wisp of flame ignited within He Xunye’s hand, lighting the fuses of the fireworks and firecrackers. A firework shot straight up from the darkness, followed by cluster after cluster, explosion after explosion. The horizon erupted into a cascade of multicolored pyrotechnics, resembling a river of stars pouring down from the heavens.

Many residents of the capital had come to Qilian Temple tonight, gathering to watch the fireworks display in the night sky, praying for peace in the New Year and protection against all evils.

“Junior Brother possesses immense yang energy,” the monk said, offering a rare smile to Tan Xueci. “Having him light them serves to dispel evil spirits and bring good fortune, that’s all. No one is actually making him fight a monster.”

So that’s how it was.

Feeling a bit foolish, Tan Xueci’s face turned slightly red. He wrapped his arms around He Xunye’s arm and shrank closer to his side. When he lifted his head to look at He Xunye, he found that the youth’s deep, dark phoenix eyes were curved—he was actually smiling.

It wasn’t an illusion; he was genuinely smiling at him, though it was likely a smile teasing his earlier misunderstanding.

Tan Xueci let out a soft huff and nudged He Xunye firmly with his elbow before saying to him, “Hubby, Happy New Year.”

He Xunye’s lips parted slightly, looking as though he wasn’t accustomed to uttering such words, and in the end, he didn’t manage to say it out loud.

Tan Xueci didn’t mind. His face was flushed pink as he tilted his head back to gaze at the fireworks. In all his years growing up, this was his very first time standing outside at night to watch fireworks with someone else.

Midway through the fireworks display, the crowd began to swell continuously, so he and He Xunye returned to the meditation room first.

He Xunye lay upon the platform bed while Tan Xueci leaned down, pinning him down to kiss him. His fingers brushed against the youth’s Adam’s apple and his dark hair as he suddenly said, “Why don’t you be my wife instead? I’ll treat you really well.”

He Xunye: “…”

He Xunye’s lips had been kissed to a bright red. He simply stared at him without a word.

“What’s with that look?” Tan Xueci was highly dissatisfied. Straddling He Xunye’s lap, he mumbled, “In reality, you were originally my wife anyway. You even gave birth to a child for me.”

He Xunye merely took it as his usual nonsensical ramblings. He had intended to tell him to get down and stop causing a scene, but by some bizarre whim, he asked instead, “And how exactly does one act as a wife?”

Tan Xueci lowered his gaze, staring at He Xunye’s flushed, thin lips and his prominent nose bridge. He shifted his position slightly higher, his eyelashes fluttering as he said in a husky voice, “Grind against me, using your face.”

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