Xu Xingzhi’s whole body burned up until he shivered like water weeds swaying in a boiling swamp, and the alkaline soil beneath him was soaked until it radiated heat. A ferocious flame also flared in his chest, practically burning him into ashes.
The fire burned more and more urgently, Xu Xingzhi’s qi and blood swelled, making him so dizzy that he almost vomited.
At this time, only one name remained in Xu Xingzhi’s burnt-out mind as it struggled to defy death in the midst of the inferno, putting up a desperate fight.
He was his only protector in this savage wasteland and was also the one who promised to never harm him.
“Meng Chongguang!” Xu Xingzhi called out as he trembled, “. . . Meng Chongguang!!”
The monster, who had its fill of the water between his legs, was weaving around, continuously intertwining itself, preparing to dive right in when it abruptly screeched to a halt.
Soon after, the sturdy monster curled the leaves along its vine unwillingly and surprisingly retreated. Xu Xingzhi’s two arms that were hung high above were also released.
He collapsed to one side weakly, yet before he fell onto the ground, he was caught in a warm embrace.
Similar to a drowning person being hauled out of the water with a huala, a roar echoed in Xu Xingzhi’s ears for a long time before he could finally hear clearly: “Shixiong? Shixiong, wake up!”
Xu Xingzhi couldn’t muster up any strength at all and could only lean softly against his shoulder, asking in a hoarse voice: “. . . How did you find this place?”
“Let’s not talk about that now.” Meng Chongguang pulled off Xu Xingzhi’s soaked clothes in a few rapid movements, then untied his own clothes and draped them over Xu Xingzhi’s shoulders, “I’ll bring Shixiong out to get detoxified.”
The last nerve in Xu Xingzhi’s mind that was still relatively intact suddenly snapped after hearing this sentence and his body and crotch pressed softly against Meng Chongguang’s body. A strangely cool feeling instantly manifested, causing him to enthusiastically coil onto Meng Chongguang, slowly rubbing and climbing this old tree.
Meng Chongguang swallowed audibly, his lips pursed into a pale line: “Shixiong!”
Xu Xingzhi declared stubbornly: “Hot.”
Meng Chongguang endured until his face turned green: “Shixiong, be good, don’t move around randomly. . .” He pulled over Xu Xingzhi’s arms and slung them around his neck, “Hang onto me. Put your hands here. . .”
Losing the arms that supported his balance, Xu Xingzhi fell backwards uncontrollably. Meng Chongguang hurried to protect the back of his head, but was brought to the ground by the momentum.
Two pairs of lips collided violently.
Meng Chongguang sat back up, only to see that Xu Xingzhi’s lips were cut in one place with beads of blood oozing out. The beads of blood were big and round, hanging on the corner of his lips that were dyed red and drunken with desire, threatening to drip down.
Meng Chongguang couldn’t bear it any longer. He pinched Xu Xingzhi’s chin hard, forcing the unconscious man to tilt his head up slightly and then kissed him boldly.
As Meng Chongguang’s emotions surged, countless vines broke through the soil and shot up savagely with a huala huala, weaving into an unruly cage around the two of them.
The beast in the cage savored the prey he captured, their lips shallowly rubbed against each other as their tongues intertwined, enjoying the blatant and intimate bodily contact.
But the beast still refused to take this opportunity to bring any harm to its prey in the slightest.
He liked his prey that was conscious and clear-minded, yet Xu Xingzhi was in a coma right now and couldn’t cry nor shout.
He liked clean prey, yet Xu Xingzhi’s body was full of the perfumey smell of an unknown woman, there may even be fingerprints from when she touched his body. It really was too filthy.
Although that really wasn’t what was the most important.
What he really liked was the adorable Shixiong who used to embrace him and say “Meng Chongguang, if you have the ability, then f*ck me until I cry ya, pei”. He liked that the most.
. . . But Shixiong still hasn’t forgiven him yet.
He had to wait until Shixiong forgave him and then he could enjoy the most wonderful pleasure in the world with his Shixiong.
. . . However, if Shixiong made a mistake, such as wanting to kill him, or if he brought up that d*mn Jiu Zhideng, then if he punished Shixiong a little in the dreams, it would still be acceptable.
It’s just that Xu Xingzhi clearly remembered that before he passed out, he was bound and ensnared by several soft and durable monsters. The monster had even used his body as a canvas to smear and stain it thirstily, its movements were very shameless.
At the time, he was so dizzy from the fever that he had no idea what it was, but now that he was ruminating over it, it seemed quite similar to the vines that appeared thrice in his nighttime spring dreams.
. . . And then, what happened?
When Xu Xingzhi stood up and was about to wipe the water off, a big feline suddenly popped up from behind and hugged Xu Xingzhi’s neck, completely disregarding the water dripping down his body: “Shixiong!”
If it weren’t for Xu Xingzhi’s stable center of gravity and Meng Chongguang not being too heavy, the two of them would’ve inevitably fell into the water together and turned into drenched chickens.
Even so, Xu Xingzhi still nearly vomited a mouthful of blood from his chokehold: “Wet, I’m soaked.”
Meng Chongguang squeezed him and refused to let go, acting like a spoiled child even more ardently: “I’m not afraid.”
He pressed the side of his face onto Xu Xingzhi’s shoulder: “Shixiong looks really good when his body is drenched.”
After he announced as such, he took advantage of Xu Xingzhi’s inattentiveness and very carefully stuck his tongue out and like a rat stealing oil, he stole a small sip of water from the dip in Xu Xingzhi’s collarbone that was deep enough to place several copper coins within.
Xu Xingzhi was helpless: “Can you let Shixiong put some pants on first?”
As soon as he mentioned the pants, Meng Chongguang didn’t react much to it, but Xu Xingzhi, himself, blushed first.
Meng Chongguang hopped off of Xu Xingzhi and waded obediently to the shore. He retrieved his outer robe and tossed it over to Xu Xingzhi then sat down on the embankment, fixing his gaze on Xu Xingzhi earnestly.
Xu Xingzhi was stared at until his hair stood up all over his body. He tugged the clothing over and wiped a few times before realizing what it was: “Where’s the towel?”
Meng Chongguang answered crisply with his arms crossed: “That woman’s things aren’t clean, Shixiong should just use mine.”
After examining it left and right, he found that it wasn’t Meng Chongguang’s inner robe, but rather his outer one. Xu Xingzhi wasn’t a picky or particular person so it didn’t matter much if he just temporarily put up with it.
As he wiped, he asked: “Is this her bath?”
“It isn’t ah.” Meng Chongguang pointed to another bubbling spring a few steps away, “I dug this new place out and guided the steaming mountain spring water to fill it up. I also plucked these petals. I was just thinking that when Shixiong wakes up and sees these, he must find it pleasing to the eye. . . . Does Shixiong like it?”
Xu Xingzhi: “. . . So troublesome, why didn’t you just use her bath directly?”
Meng Chongguang smiled like a blooming flower: “It’s dirty, it doesn’t matter even if we don’t use it.”
Xu Xingzhi dried off and tossed the robe back to him: “What should I wear?”
Meng Chongguang was wearing a spiritual storage ring on his hand. Hearing this, he lifted the Dushan Jade inlaid on the ring and a silver light suddenly spread out. Meng Chongguang removed articles of clothing from within its radiance one by one and arranged them by the shore of the hot spring.
It was actually a complete set of Fengling Mountain disciple clothes, dry and soft. They looked brand new.
Xu Xingzhi originally thought they belonged to Meng Chongguang, but after he put it on, he felt that except for the slightly looser-fitting undergarments, the other garments fit quite well.
Meng Chongguang’s eyes were bright: “Shixiong still looks the best in this outfit.”
Xu Xingzhi tugged on the lapels and turned around to look at where the hem hung to in the back as he made a few quick calculations in his heart: “It’s pretty good. . . . By the way, these are my clothes ba?”
Xu Xingzhi pointed out sharply, “Only the underclothes are yours ba.”
Meng Chongguang didn’t expect Xu Xingzhi to see through it at a glance, causing his handsome face to flush red. He lowered his head and started to pick at his nails, keeping silent.
Xu Xingzhi, who guessed correctly, wasn’t very happy, especially due to the emptiness at the crotch, which, to a man, was straightforward mockery.
. . . But forget it. As long as it’s clean, it didn’t matter whose undergarments he wore.
Xu Xingzhi put on the underclothes, then borrowed the bronze mirror that Huang Shanyue used to apply her makeup to arrange his hair. Meng Chongguang obediently lent a hand from behind him.
Since before, Meng Chongguang had been acting so docile that there was nothing to criticize, but that didn’t mean that Xu Xingzhi wouldn’t question him in turn.
Xu Xingzhi asked: “. . . How did you find this place?”
The fingers that Meng Chongguang used to comb Xu Xingzhi’s hair paused. Just when Xu Xingzhi thought he was going to lie again, he spread Xu Xingzhi’s hair apart and tapped lightly on his exposed neck: “I buried a bit of spiritual power in this part of Shixiong. Wherever Shixiong goes, there will be a line connecting to Chongguang.”
Xu Xingzhi twisted back, lifted his long hair, and as expected, he spotted a small vermilion spot on the back of his neck reflected in the bronze mirror that was faintly shimmering.
. . . However, the shape of that spot was a bit strange. No matter how Xu Xingzhi appraised it, he still felt that it resembled the mark left by someone’s lips after repeated sucking motions.
He shook his head.
After being teased by that woman, his head was now full of those shameful and private things.
Xu Xingzhi continued: “Then later on how did. . .”
“I helped Shixiong relieve it.” Meng Chongguang’s voice was soft with a touch of ignorance and shyness, “It’ll be really bad for Shixiong’s body to suppress it. Chongguang has offended Shixiong and deserves death, but. . . Shixiong looked like he was very comfortable, so I. . .”
Xu Xingzhi’s normally thick-skinned face couldn’t help but turn red. He interrupted him with a cough: “Okay, don’t say anymore. . . . Where’s Huang Shanyue?”
“Huang Shanyue?” Meng Chongguang was stunned this time, and when he spoke again, his tone wasn’t quite right, “. . . Shixiong is certainly popular with women. In such a short time, you already know her name. What else does Shixiong know about her? Just spill it all at once ba?”
Xu Xingzhi: “. . . She’s from Fengling Mountain. You didn’t recognize her just now?”
Meng Chongguang really didn’t realize: “I only know of Shixiong at Fengling Mountain, I don’t know anyone else. Besides, she was the one who hurt Shixiong first. No matter who she is, even if she was the leader of Fengling Mountain, I would still take her life.”
Reading between the lines, Huang Shanyue was already dead.
Although this woman kidnapped him with nefarious schemes in mind, hearing the news of her death didn’t bring joy to Xu Xingzhi’s heart.
He lowered his head and twisted the corners of his clothes, mulling over the troubles of his heart.
Ever since he entered the savage wasteland, he had been having strange dreams. At first, he thought it was because he was overthinking and had been overwhelmed, causing him to have back-to-back spring dreams and his body to feel unwell. However, when he was drugged by the aphrodisiac, the vines that suddenly appeared, binding his hands and feet felt almost the same as the vines in his dreams.
Every time he dreamed, Meng Chongguang was always sleeping soundly by the narrow bed and this time, the vines also appeared with Meng Chongguang as if it were following in his footsteps.
These incidents were so coincidental that Xu Xingzhi began to wonder whether these bothersome dreams were related to Meng Chongguang.
Xu Xingzhi was in a daze when he felt a pair of arms circle him from behind, wrapping him tightly within an embrace.
Meng Chongguang’s voice was very soft at this time, carrying a gentle plea: “. . . Shixiong, let’s stop arguing in the future. If we didn’t quarrel, then I would’ve never let you fetch water, causing you to get kidnaped. This time was all Chongguang’s fault. . .”
The body that was attached to his back trembled slightly, and even his tone shook: “. . . If you die, I really would go insane, Shixiong. . .”
Xu Xingzhi’s heart instantly softened until it was about to melt. He patted the hands that were intertwined across his chest: “Okay, it’s fine. Don’t be sad. . . . Also, I didn’t know that my spiritual power had recovered somewhat. It was probably because of that spiritual stone meteor shower ba, I can’t be sure. However, I didn’t lie to you about this matter, believe me.”
Meng Chongguang was astonished for a moment, then his tone was uplifted as he became excited beyond words: “Shixiong, you’re willing to explain so much to me? You’re actually willing. . .”
He loosened his arms, his voice and body relaxing slightly.
Ultimately, he knelt behind Xu Xingzhi with his head pressed against Xu Xingzhi’s back as one hand fisted his clothes tightly while the other was wrapped around Xu Xingzhi’s waist.
Xu Xingzhi was surprised: “. . . Meng Chongguang?”
Meng Chongguang was like a child as he whispered in an aggrieved tone: “I wasn’t angry because Shixiong lied to me.”
“I just. . . I just thought that Shixiong had been stripped of his spiritual roots and felt pained for Shixiong, painful to death. . . Later when I discovered that there was still spiritual energy flowing in Shixiong’s body, I just felt that I had been too stupid. . .”
Meng Chongguang murmured: “It’s Chongguang who’s temper is too poor. I’m sorry, Shixiong.”
If it weren’t for the fact that the residual effects from the drug in his body made him still feel slightly weak, Xu Xingzhi would probably have not been able to resist the impulse to turn around, take Meng Chongguang into his arms, and ruffle his hair.
This kid really made one want to spoil him.
The little doubt remaining in Xu Xingzhi’s heart was also swept away by this remark.
. . . Why should he doubt Meng Chongguang’s sincerity towards the original owner? How could a child like this do something so disrespectful to the original owner’s body?
Now that the two have resolved their misunderstandings, they were ready to head back onto the road to rejoin the main force.
Meng Chongguang led Xu Xingzhi and walked through the convoluted, winding stone road, finally bringing him out from the depths of a thousand-year-old dead tree.
Xu Xingzhi looked back at the old and dead banyan tree, and was astounded by it for a while before he realized that sandy soil spiraled into the air and the howling winds roared here. Compared with the landscape of mountains and water from before Xu Xingzhi was taken, it was practically a completely different world.
Xu Xingzhi turned back in astonishment: “Where is this?”
Meng Chongguang answered: “The foothills on the western side of Feng Mountain.”
Xu Xingzhi: “. . . How far is it from where we were?”
Meng Chongguang contemplated it for a while: “It’s three to four kilometers away ba?”
Xu Xingzhi: “. . . Then how did you get here?”
He remembered that it only took the time of one stick of incense from when he woke up to when the drug started to take effect. Even if Meng Chongguang could confirm his location by the mark on the back of his neck, how could he have arrived so quickly?”
Meng Chongguang smiled and didn’t answer. He stretched out his hand to support the back of Xu Xingzhi’s neck and then covered Xu Xingzhi’s eyes with his sleeve.
Xu Xingzhi: “What are you. . .”
Before the word “doing” was completely verbalized, Xu Xingzhi felt a gust of wind whistle past his ears and after that, the surrounding scene was crazily distorted before returning back to normal.
As soon as Meng Chongguang put his sleeves down, Xu Xingzhi heard Zhou Wang’s joyful voice: “Uncle, don’t worry! Quick, look! Xu-shixiong and Meng-dage are back!”
Xu Xingzhi was taken aback and turned to glance at Meng Chongguang, only to see him spread his hands out with a smile in his eyes: “Shixiong, as I’ve mentioned before, I run very fast.”
The author has something to say: The car keys have been yanked out, may all the passengers please alight in an orderly manner memeda~
Author’s Chapter Summary:
Restrain, gather, run very fast.
The translator has something to say: oh, Xu Xingzhi, my sweet summer child. So gullible. You won’t even know how you got eaten by this wolf in sheepskin. . .
The editor has something to say: Xu Xingzhi would not be a good detective…