Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Shuo Zong asked, "What's bothering you?"

Wei Xi didn't know how to explain it and could only lazily stretch his body, burying his head in the pillow and letting out a low moan.

Seeing that he was indeed in great discomfort, Shuo Zong grew worried and even put aside his anger to approach him.

In the next second, Wei Xi, seemingly unable to endure it anymore, threw off the covers, revealing his slender, fair legs.

Shuo Zong: ".................."

Hugging the blanket, Wei Xi rubbed against it, shivering with each movement, still unable to find relief. "Uncomfortable..."

Annoyed, Shuo Zong pulled the blanket back over him. "Bear with it!"

His disciple's mood seemed to be off, but Wei Xi hadn't expected any help anyway. Hearing this, he could only endure it, letting out small, pained grunts.

His voice fluctuated, quite different from his usual tone, like a sticky, sweet caramel wrapper, mixed with a moist nasal quality that was so alluring it seemed to drip sensuality.

The temperature in the room had escalated to a scorching degree, with every molecule of air in the darkness pulsating restlessly.

Shuo Zong cast him a glance before turning away, yet he couldn't detach his ears. Lying on the inner side of the bed, he gazed expressionlessly at the transparent bathroom partition in front of him, his lips still moist from Wei Xi's touch.

They retained the lingering taste of Wei Xi's suction.

He recalled the sight that met his eyes before he turned away: Wei Xi's flushed cheeks, his dewy eyes brimming with moisture.

Wei Xi tossed and turned, growing increasingly uncomfortable. He sensed an unprecedented crisis in his life; his body seemed to be on the verge of collapsing from the discomfort.

Just as he felt he was about to explode, the disciple lying silently on the inner side of the bed finally turned to face him, his face taut as he locked eyes with Wei Xi.

"Come here."

The disciple's voice was unexpectedly deep, as if it had been roughened by sandpaper.

Trusting his disciple, Wei Xi instinctively drew closer.

The disciple then lifted his arm, grabbed the quilt that Wei Xi clutched, and shook it to envelop Wei Xi's body snugly.

********************Deng Deng***********************

Wei Xi lay in bed with a blank mind, too exhausted to open his eyes. Seeing his disciple get up and leave, he could barely gather the strength to speak, feeling as if he had been melted by heat.

"Lu Que," he panted, propped up on his elbows in the covers, his eyes reddened. He whispered to his disciple, "Was Master just poisoned? Or was I ambushed?"

"..." Shuo Zong grabbed a tissue, wiped his hands, then crumpled it and tossed it into the trash can. He really wanted to swear, but seeing the lingering mist in those eyes and recalling the other's earlier struggle to stifle his sounds, he could only manage to answer calmly, "Neither. It's just a normal physical response. You're overthinking."

Upon learning that he wasn't poisoned, Wei Xi's guardedness subsided, allowing him to reflect on the experience shamelessly. "It was quite pleasant."

Shuo Zong: "..."

Wei Xi praised his disciple again without reservation. "You did quite well."

Clenching his teeth, Shuo Zong climbed into bed. "...Be quiet, don't say another word."

Watching his disciple swiftly burrow under the covers, Wei Xi felt sluggish yet not particularly sleepy. Recalling what his second disciple had said earlier, he asked, "Normal response, Que'er, did you have one too?"

His disciple ignored him, falling silent after lying down. All Wei Xi could hear was his slightly labored breathing, which made him somewhat worried. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he reached into the other's covers to check on him.

This was not an ordinary reaction to endure.

Just as he reached under the covers, his hand was seized, and his disciple's palm felt scorching hot as if it were on fire. The fingers clutched his wrist tightly. "What are you up to now?"

Wei Xi propped himself up and leaned closer to study his expression, seeing a tense face. Meeting those intense eyes, he brushed the other's hair affectionately. "Your leg is still injured. If something's bothering you, let Master help."

The tension in his disciple's body, like a taut bowstring, dissipated abruptly after Wei Xi spoke.

Shuo Zong gazed at Wei Xi's concerned expression with mixed feelings. After a long while, he couldn't muster any anger, only sighing helplessly. He probably sighed more times in this period than he had in his entire life up until now.

Pulling out the hand he'd caught under the covers, he lifted the blanket to cover Wei Xi, who had approached. Then, he stroked the other's curly hair and pressed the inquisitive head back onto the pillow. "Stay still, go to sleep."

Drawn into the warmth of the covers, Wei Xi was enveloped by his disciple's comforting yang energy. He couldn't help but sigh contentedly, and sleepiness quickly overwhelmed him.

Despite being a teacher, his worries never lessened. Even in his exhaustion, he didn't forget to ask, "Are you really alright? Does your leg still hurt...?"

With his chin resting on the fluffy hair, Shuo Zong's gaze was distant, lost in thought. The past and present, people and timelines intertwined intricately in his mind, ultimately focusing on this Wei Xi who cared about his "injuries." After a long moment, he replied softly, "I'm fine."

Bathed in the comforting yang energy, Wei Xi murmured an acknowledgment and promptly fell into a deep slumber.

He had a dream.

The dream was a jumbled mess, as if his fragmented memories had been intertwined, forming an incomprehensible narrative without a beginning or end.

In the dream, he seemed to be grappling with someone, his mind agitated, his vision tinged with blood, urging him to devour the other person in one bite.

That wouldn't do; Wei Dedao would surely cause trouble if he found out.

As Wei Xi entertained this thought, he lazily drew closer to the warm presence in his slumber. At that moment, the disciple nestled in his arms abruptly opened his eyes with a sense of alertness.

His cheek felt as if it had been seared by fire.

He instinctively turned his head and found that Wei Xi had placed that white jade pendant beside the pillow. The pendant was emitting an intense heat, akin to a gas stove in full flame.

"What strange object is this?" Shuo Zong casually brushed it aside with his hand. Perhaps startled by his movement, the head nestled in his arms mumbled a few words in its sleep.

Shuo Zong glanced down, then touched it twice before closing his eyes again.

Little did he expect that after only a short doze, a thunderous voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "SEPARATE!!!”

The voice was aged and brimming with anger. Shuo Zong immediately opened his eyes, but the room was dimly lit, and aside from Wei Xi's breathing, there was no other sound.

After pondering for a while, he thought he must have had some strange dream. With hesitation, he closed his eyes again.

Not long after—

"GET UP!!!"

"LET GO!!!"

"What the hell did you do!!!"

Shuo Zong repeatedly fell asleep only to be relentlessly awakened by the hysterical shouting. Even a deity would be angered by such disturbance. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't locate the source of the voice. Scanning the room, he found no trace of any eerie presence, let alone any malevolent spirits.

His brows knitted together. This hotel in the mountains indeed had something odd about it, disrupting people's rest.

At this thought, he glanced down at Wei Xi, who was sleeping deeply. His hair was tousled and sticking up, his breath even, and his features relaxed—there was no sign of disturbance.

Shuo Zong froze for a moment, reaching out to smooth the hair above Wei Xi's forehead. He wondered, if they were in the same room, how could that voice not disturb him?

Could it be an illusion?

With this thought, he leaned back against his pillow and slowly closed his eyes.

Moments later—

"SEPARATE!!!"

A thunderous roar echoed inside his mind once more.

Shuo Zong opened his bloodshot eyes, staring at the dark and quiet room.

Could things ever return to normal?

**

The next day, Wei Xi woke up to find his disciple already awake, gazing at him with a serious expression.

He yawned. "You're up so early?"

The disciple's gaze dropped, his expression complicated as he hesitated before asking, "Did you... have any dreams last night?"

"I did," Wei Xi leaned in to inhale the yang energy from the other's chest. Recalling it, he couldn't quite remember the details. The images were fragmented, alternating between scenes of fighting and him sneaking into the fighter's home to steal food. When he was caught, the other person surprisingly didn't force him to leave, allowing him to eat until he was full, just like how he had absorbed enough of his disciple's yang energy yesterday, leaving him feeling incredibly comfortable. Overall, it was "a good dream."

Shuo Zong: "..."

Seeing his expression, Wei Xi was taken aback. "Disciple, did you have a dream too? Didn't you sleep well?"

Shuo Zong: "..."

It wasn't just about not sleeping well.

He had been disturbed the entire night and hadn't actually fallen asleep.