Chapter 224

Chapter 224

Half an hour isn't particularly long, yet it isn't exactly short either.

Xin Tianhao felt that waiting aimlessly outside would be tedious, so he suggested, "I might as well return to my room and rest for a bit. I'll come back when it's mealtime."

"Ah, there's no need for you to go back," Tan Fanyi immediately tried to persuade him. "The three of us can take a look around the inn to see if there are any other clues."

By "the three of us," Tan Fanyi referred to himself, Wu Yu, and Xin Tianhao. The implicit motive behind the invitation was to band together. Group action inside the Eternal Life Lock would surely be more beneficial than going solo. Of the thirteen participants, the squad of Gan Hongchang, Xuan Ting, Qing Ping, and Chu Yiyang was rather exclusive. The four ladies would likely stick together, leaving only a few individuals—Xin Tianhao, Xie Yinxue, and Liu Buhua—available for alliance.

Among the three, Xin Tianhao had the highest "cultivation". Having him in the group would be an obvious advantage.

As for Liu Buhua and Xie Yinxue, Tan Fanyi wasn't considering teaming up with them for now. Not only did they possess the lowest cultivation among the participants, but Liu Buhua's face being identical to Qin He's also made Tan Fanyi wary. He decided to observe a bit longer before making any decisions.

Although Xin Tianhao initially wanted to team up with Xie Yinxue and Liu Buhua, he couldn't fit into the "Forget Love" family and thus, accompanied Tan Fanyi to the inn's back garden.

Thus, of the large group that had come, only Xie Yinxue, Liu Buhua, and Bu Jiuzhao headed back to their rooms holding their room tokens.

Yet, among the trio, only Bu Jiuzhao truly went back to his room.

Liu Buhua was stopped midway by Qin He, the innkeeper who suddenly appeared. He claimed Liu Buhua as his lost younger brother and decided to upgrade him to the more prestigious Tian character room.

Xie Yinxue inquired if Liu Buhua would be safe with Qin He. After being assured by Bu Jiuzhao that Qin He cherished his newfound brother, he reluctantly let Liu Buhua go.

However, when only the two of them were left, Bu Jiuzhao maintained a cold and distant demeanor, preserving a strict half-arm distance from Xie Yinxue, never once crossing the boundary.

Xie Yinxue hadn't felt such distance in a long time.

The last time he remembered feeling this way was during a game scenario in Fengnian Village. They nearly quarreled over not wanting to share a bed and naively split a bed in half, thinking it would maintain their integrity. Now, they didn't even need a bed to passionately "engage" with each other.

Truthfully, Xie Yinxue missed the days from that game scenario when they had camped outside.

Since childhood, he had always been frail. Due to his fate, he lived an austere and reserved life. But the pleasure of intimacy, once genuinely experienced, can be intoxicating. And he had no intentions of abstaining.

As the man opened the door to his room, Xie Yin Xue promptly followed him inside.

Based on the dungeon settings, Bu Jiuzhao's cultivation level was the highest. He could effortlessly prevent Xie Yin Xue, the one with the weakest skills, from entering his room. Yet, when the young man nestled into his embrace, wrapping arms around his waist, Bu Jiuzhao made no resistance, allowing Xie Yin Xue to act recklessly and audaciously.

The youth addressed him: "Bu Jiuzhao."

"Junior Brother, you should call me 'Senior Brother Bu'."

The man's expression remained unfazed, only the sudden huskiness in his voice revealing the tumultuous emotions churning within him.

He cast his eyes downward, observing the young man leaning against his shoulder. Despite the younger seemingly being the more rebellious of the two, the serenity on his delicate face suggested otherwise. It was as though Bu Jiuzhao was the only one entranced and lost. Thus, he hoarsely asked, "Junior Brother, what are you doing?"

"Tilt your head down," the youth responded with a mischievous grin, sounding more like a demon cultivator than a sword master. "Then I'll tell you."

Bu Jiuzhao leaned in, drawing so close their breaths mingled, stopping just shy of a kiss. It appeared he truly sought an answer rather than romance.

Xie Yin Xue didn't kiss him either, merely tilting his face to nuzzle against Bu Jiuzhao's nose. Only when the man tensed did he chuckle and teasingly call out, "Bu Jiuzhao, I've caught your 'little secret'. What are you still pretending for?"

In the past, whenever Xie Yin Xue used the word "little" in this context, Bu Jiuzhao would ensure he "set the record straight". But today was peculiar, as Bu Jiuzhao retorted more stubbornly than ever, "Junior Brother, what do you mean? I don't understand."

Xie Yin Xue seemed a bit puzzled: Was Bu Jiuzhao playing a game, or truly unable to speak?

He glanced around the room, his eyes settling on the large mahogany bed. "There's a bed here. Shall we continue our conversation on it?"

The man agreed, "Very well."

Without hesitation, he walked to the bed and took a seat on the right side, leaving space on the left for Xie Yin Xue.

Xie Yin Xue approached but remained standing, looking down at him, "Do you understand now?"

Gazing up, the man replied with a hint of a rasp in his voice, "Some of what Junior Brother says is unclear to me, but some I do understand."

Listening to his response, the young man's eyes sparkled with amusement. He gently pressed his fingertip against the man's throat, teasing, "Senior Brother, unbutton your clothes. Let me see if you're... pale. Do you understand this?"

“……”

Bu Jiuzhao did understand. He recalled how he once teased Xie Yin Xue at the Eternal Abyss Academy, making risqué remarks about the youth's skin. Now, the tables had turned, and he was at the receiving end.

However, he couldn't resist or comply. Even as passion boiled within him, his voice barely holding steady, he could only utter, "Junior Brother, I don't understand that either."

At this point, Xie Yin Xue finally understood: Bu Jiuzhao hadn't lost his memory. He was restrained by some unknown factor, unable to act against his role as the "chief disciple of Wan Jian Palace". As for passive actions... there was much Bu Jiuzhao could do.

As Xie Yinxue reminisced about the moment in the last dungeon where he was overwhelmed by a man at night, leaving him speechless, he couldn't help but laugh. He gently tapped Bu Jiuzhao's face and said with a smirk, "So, even you have moments like this, Elder Brother Bu."

As he spoke, he took a half step back, attempting to pull away the belt adorned with faint auspicious cloud patterns.

Seeing this, Bu Jiuzhao acted quickly, holding Xie Yinxue's hand, "Younger Brother, it's less than half an hour until lunchtime."

Oh, Xie Yinxue understood: Bu Jiuzhao's obstruction was merely because of the time constraint. It had nothing to do with whether such acts could be done. It seemed as long as there's enough time, anything's possible.

"And what of it?" He shrugged off the man's grasp, "I'm in frail health and need to take medicinal meals regularly. The physician also said I should cultivate my health daily. So, half an hour should be barely sufficient."

Was half an hour enough for Bu Jiuzhao? What did it matter to him? After all, the man wouldn't take the initiative. Once he felt satisfied, he'd leave. Would Bu Jiuzhao drag him back?

Bu Jiuzhao prided himself on his self-control. He had endured the young man's antics just moments ago, but now, Xie Yinxue's words almost made him break into laughter. Was this how one cultivates one's health?

He helped the young man re-fasten his belt and, without allowing any objections, led him out of the room. "Cultivating your health is not as good as practicing swordplay. Come on, I'll accompany you in reviewing your sword techniques."

Xie Yinxue struggled a bit but realized he couldn't escape Bu Jiuzhao's grip and found himself being led outside the room.

Yet, once outside, Bu Jiuzhao didn't hurry off as he had indicated. Instead, he stood there, regaining his composure, waiting until Xie Yinxue had no more grip on his "weakness" before heading to the main hall of the Fairy Inn – Moonlit Hall.

There was precisely a quarter of an hour left before lunch.

Guests who were missing in the morning at the Fairy Inn began to emerge from their rooms, filling all three levels of the Moonlit Hall and shattering the morning tranquility.

For the convenience of identifying any hidden beasts among the guests, Qin He arranged for all participants to dine at the topmost level of the Moonlit Hall. This allowed them a bird's-eye view of every guest below.

Yu Jiayi, hearing the bustling noise around, rubbed her temples and said to Baihezi, "Thank goodness you managed to gather information from Man and Xiaoman and those two little foxes. Otherwise, with so many guests, when would we finish checking?"

"Piece of cake," Baihezi, who was sipping his drink with the air of a playboy, replied nonchalantly, "If it means we pass the test, what's a little sacrifice of my dignity?"

Yu Jiayi: "..."

You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?

Baihezi smirked and, raising his glass, pointed to a glamorous lady dressed in a bright red gown on the second floor, "The woman from room number ten... ah no, the guest. I've had my eyes on her since she stepped out. Did anyone else notice?"

Chu Yiyang said, "I've been watching the guest from room eleven. He's also on the second floor."

The guest from room eleven was a portly man with a grotesquely round belly, as if he'd swallowed a stone. His face was riddled with unsightly pimples. Baihezi didn't even want to spare him a second glance and chose to observe the beautiful woman from room ten instead.

"I'm keeping tabs on the guest from room fourteen," Qing Ping added, "He's on the first floor."

The man labeled as number fourteen bore the likeness of a swordsman. Dressed in a black martial outfit, he cradled a sword and sat by a first-floor window, his gaze unwaveringly fixed towards the direction of Long Snow Isle.

"We have our eyes on guest number twenty-two... or rather, she's been watching us," Xin Tianhao raised his hand, his expression a mix of emotions. "Even when we were in the back garden, she was observing us."

A note from the author:

A fake "fight": splitting a bed in two.

A real "fight": 1V1 wild duel, are you in?