Chapter 175: Are You Afraid of Me?

Chapter 175: Are You Afraid of Me?

It was evident that the Red Moon had a profound impact; even a good-for-nothing like Xiao Zhao had become quite a handful after advancing. Lu Yan evaded his opponent's attack with a swift dodge, engaging in a fierce struggle within the vast living room. He couldn't afford to use lethal force or unleash his abilities and risk damaging the house—it was the most exhausting fight he'd ever been in.

"Xiao Zhao! If you keep acting crazy, I swear I'll slap you to death!"

Upon hearing Lu Yan's icy warning, Xiao Zhao's previously muddled eyes flashed with a momentary daze. His ferocious assault visibly paused for an instant, giving Lu Yan the opportunity to release an electric net that instantly enveloped him, tightening with a sizzling sound.

"Plop!"

Caught off guard, Xiao Zhao writhed in anger, his legs still blackened into a tail, as continuous growls escaped his throat.

Lu Yan knew that Xing Yuan would be returning home from work soon. The thought of him discovering this mess was unbearable. He hastily grabbed a towel and stuffed it into Xiao Zhao's mouth, dragging him to the guest room nearby. Wrapping him up in blankets, the growling finally subsided.

Lu Yan patted Xiao Zhao's face, thinking how this troublemaker only caused him problems. Lowering his voice, he warned sternly, "Don't make a sound later, don't scream. If you're discovered as a Wanderer, I won't be able to protect you. Did you hear me?!"

Xiao Zhao responded fiercely, "Aaah aaah aaah!"

Lu Yan: "…"

Fine, I'll take that as a yes.

Lu Yan made sure Xiao Zhao was well-covered with the blankets, leaving a small gap for him to breathe. He then locked the door from the inside and hurriedly tidied up the chaotic living room.

As fate would have it, Xing Yuan returned home at that precise moment. Upon entering, he keenly detected the scent of a stranger in the air, causing his brows to furrow instinctively. He called out tentatively into the air, "Lu Yan?!"

Damn! How could he be back so soon?!

Startled by Xing Yuan's voice, Lu Yan felt a sudden panic, akin to being caught cheating on a lover at home. Swiftly, he wrapped the broken vase shards in newspaper and tossed them into the trash can. Then, he briskly walked to the entranceway, forcing a smile and asking casually, "You're back?"

Xing Yuan stared at him without speaking, slowly changing his shoes before asking, "There's a stranger in the house."

It was a statement, not a question.

Lu Yan nodded. "Didn't you ask me to let my brother move in? I've prepared the guest room for him. He's exhausted from traveling and is sleeping inside."

Recalling that he did indeed say something along those lines, Xing Yuan's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. "As long as he moves in, you two should stay indoors for the next few days. Stay put and don't go out."

Lu Yan's mind was preoccupied with the guest room, fearing that Xiao Zhao might cause a commotion and reveal their secret. He gave a perfunctory nod, watching as Xing Yuan proceeded to the bathroom as usual to wash up. Feeling uneasy, he was about to check on the guest room one more time when Xing Yuan suddenly called out, "Lu Yan!"

Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat as he turned around reflexively. "What is it?"

Xing Yuan remained silent but beckoned him closer with a finger. Pulling Lu Yan by the collar, he dragged him into the bathroom, closing the glass door behind them, completely isolating the scene inside.

Xing Yuan had been particularly enthusiastic lately, perhaps due to the influence of the Red Moon. When Lu Yan was pulled into the bathroom, he was drenched by the shower spray, yet it couldn't compare to the intensity of Xing Yuan's passionate kiss. Xing Yuan resembled a wet puppy, nipping and licking him incessantly. His usually sharp eyes were now bright and slightly intoxicated, the rims reddened by the steam. Suddenly, Lu Yan lost all his irritation.

Exerting some effort, Lu Yan managed to break free from Xing Yuan's embrace, his voice hoarse. "Take a proper bath, don't fool around."

Xing Yuan lazily draped himself over Lu Yan's shoulder. "I don't want to move. Wash me."

Xing Yuan wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't want to move. Recently, he found himself easily fatigued, lacking energy for anything, as if preparing to hibernate like an animal.

Lu Yan had no choice but to hold Xing Yuan's waist and meticulously bathe him. By the time they emerged from the rising mist of the bathroom, Xing Yuan was nearly asleep, his eyes half-closed, his fair skin flushed from the hot water.

Lu Yan fetched a towel to dry Xing Yuan's hair before carrying him into the bedroom, where the soft bed provided the perfect haven. The surrounding darkness offered an indescribable sense of security.

Assuming Xing Yuan was asleep, Lu Yan was about to leave when unexpectedly, the other man wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling them close together.

Xing Yuan's eyes closed, his voice heavy with sleep. "Lu Yan…"

Lu Yan: "Hmm?"

Xing Yuan: "I watched the TV series you mentioned."

The abrupt change in topic left Lu Yan momentarily confused. "What TV series?"

Xing Yuan frowned and clicked his tongue. "The one about humans and snakes."

Lu Yan responded with an "oh."

Xing Yuan muttered, "That scholar was truly useless. He died from a single scare and tricked her into drinking realgar wine…"

Lu Yan didn't know how to respond, as he somewhat understood Xu Xian's feelings. Of course, he wouldn't deceive Xing Yuan into drinking realgar wine: "It's all fake, just a story someone made up."

Rarely did Xing Yuan's dog-like mouth utter a pearl of wisdom. He countered, "Stories come from life, haven't you heard?"

Lu Yan chuckled. "What kind of life? I've never seen a snake spirit in my life."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he mentally slapped himself. Why did he have to bring up such an awkward topic?!

Xing Yuan's gaze flickered, and he indeed pressed forward. Pinning Lu Yan beneath him, he lay on his chest, his ear pressed against his heart, as if trying to discern whether he was lying. His voice was low, laced with a chilling amusement. "Lu Yan, what if I were that snake?"

Lu Yan cursed his own loose tongue, realizing he had dug himself into a hole. He struggled to maintain a steady breath, feigning ignorance. "A snake? How could you be that snake?"

Xing Yuan, unsatisfied with the answer, frowned slightly. "Didn't I say 'what if'? It means 'suppose' or 'just in case.'"

Lu Yan remained silent, thinking that Xing Yuan was a Wanderer—a far more terrifying prospect than a mere snake: "If you were that snake, Xu Xian would probably have been killed by you."

Xing Yuan scoffed. "If I were that snake, I wouldn't have looked twice at a wimp. Eventually, I'd have eaten…"

He suddenly realized that Lu Yan had steered the conversation off track, cutting himself off. In the darkness, he refocused his gaze on Lu Yan. "Stop pretending to be clueless. What would you do if I were that snake?"

Lu Yan didn't know the answer himself, but he certainly couldn't admit to being afraid at this moment. Rolling over, he pinned Xing Yuan beneath him, pondering seriously for a moment. "If you were a snake, I'd hide you away, preventing others from finding you."

This response brought a slight sense of pleasure to Xing Yuan, his lips curving upward. "Wouldn't you be scared?"

Lu Yan thought to himself that fear was natural, but Xing Yuan had never harmed him. He couldn't turn his back on him: "I might be scared, but I'd get used to it."

The joy emanating from Xing Yuan became more pronounced. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging wildly. "Really?"

Lu Yan spoke sincerely, "Really."

Xing Yuan rolled with him into the sheets, his scorching breath sprinkling over Lu Yan's neck as they melded together in an indistinguishable embrace, warm and entwined. In a daze, Lu Yan heard Xing Yuan laugh; in the darkness, the other tightly coiled around his waist, just like that night, circle after circle, his voice low and dangerous:

"If you dare to deceive me..."

"I'll grind you to pieces and swallow you whole, ensuring we can never be apart for eternity, do you understand..."

Wanderers don't love, but once they do, it becomes suffocating and terrifying.

Lu Yan should have known the answer long ago. After all, these creatures subsist on flesh and blood. If affection could replace the nourishment of flesh, it was possible, but it couldn't stop, or else it would demand repayment in hundreds of times more pain.

In the darkness, their breaths were low and ragged, ebbing and flowing.

Xing Yuan grumbled unwillingly, "Are you a dog?"

Damn, he had made himself ache all over.

Lu Yan kissed away the misty tears at the corner of his eyes, swallowing the fragmented sobs between their lips, his voice muffled, carrying a peculiar tenderness in the darkness: "I like you, that's why..."

Perhaps Lu Yan was also a little afraid. He feared that if Xing Yuan's identity was exposed, he would be hunted by humans. Throughout history, there were countless tales of gods and monsters, and examples were not few, especially for a wanderer with a sea of blood-deep grudges.

With emotions overflowing without an outlet, they sought solace in pain.

In the late hours of the night, after they had cleaned up, they finally fell into a deep sleep. Xing Yuan struggled to control his instinct for blood, but dared not go too far. Instead, he buried his head in Lu Yan's shoulder, breaking the skin with kisses and drawing out a hint of its metallic sweetness.

Half-asleep, Lu Yan pressed his head firmly into his chest. "Sleep well, stop fooling around."

Xing Yuan lifted his gaze to stare at Lu Yan. His deep voice resonated in the air, strangely tinged with resentment. "Lu Yan, why are you human?"

Exhausted, Lu Yan covered his head with the blanket. "I'm not human, I'm an animal. Please, just go to sleep."

Xing Yuan: "..."

Angry, Xing Yuan lay back down and kicked Lu Yan under the covers. He had been grinding his teeth in hatred, but when he turned to see the other sleeping soundly, his anger dissipated. He leaned over to nip at Lu Yan's prominent nose tip, whispering:

"I will protect you."

He didn't know if the rest of humanity could survive, but this human must not die.

Lu Yan didn't hear clearly what Xing Yuan said. He only knew that the other had kicked him, and a kick meant anger. Even half-asleep, he habitually pulled the other into his arms, kissing his cheek. "Be good, don't be angry, let's sleep."

Xing Yuan pursed his lips, reluctantly burrowing into his embrace.

Perhaps because Xing Yuan always mentioned snakes, Lu Yan had a dream that night. In the dream, he was entangled by a creature entirely black, resembling both a dragon and a snake. The creature kept kissing him, doing many intimate things.

Lu Yan was terrified but couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried. Finally, with a jolt, he woke up, his chest heaving as if he had just been pulled from water. All he felt was relief.

Lu Yan blinked his hazy eyes forcefully, preparing to get up and pour a glass of water in the living room. However, when he reached out to touch the space beside him, the bed was empty. Looking up, he saw that an enormous dark red mass had somehow appeared above the ceiling, coiling slowly like a snake. Its blood-red eyes shone astonishingly bright, the pupils forming a black vertical line, akin to the cold and cruel beasts of the jungle.

A wanderer that had just ascended to the sixth rank on the night of the red moon.

"..."

Holy shit!!

Terrified, Lu Yan's pupils constricted, and he tumbled off the bed with a thud, bolting for the door. But just as he reached the living room, the guest room door suddenly crashed to the ground. Another mass of black mist squeezed out, revealing Lu Xiaozhao who had just escaped the electric fence.

Lu Yan: "Holy shit!!!!!!"