The room was steeped in silence, the tranquil surroundings and Xie An’s body warmth enveloping Xie Shuci in a blanket of comfort.

There was even a moment where Xie Shuci, indulging in a rare leisurely thought, considered that if one day he truly changed preference and truly fell for Little Blind, it wouldn’t be without reason.

After all, who could resist a man of ravishing beauty who could also provide a sense of security?

But why is he even thinking such crap? Little Blind was still young.

It wasn’t long before the hall’s waiter knocked on the door, setting up the bath and filling it with hot water.

Xie Shuci asked for another tub of hot water because both he and Xie An needed to bathe.

Once they were alone, Xie Shuci removed his bloodstained clothes, and just as he was about to continue undressing, he noticed Xie An standing still beside the screen, not having left.

Xie Shuci paused mid-motion. “Xie An?”

Xie An looked up, a puzzled expression on his face.

“I’m going to bathe now,” Xie Shuci reminded him.

Xie An seemed not to grasp his meaning, his confusion deepening, lips parting slightly, “So?”

Xie Shuci, “…”

Right!

Xie Shuci slapped his forehead. Little Blind can’t see, so what was he being coy about? Even if Little blind boy could see, what was the harm in two grown men seeing each other? Modern bathhouses have groups bathing together.

Perhaps it was the comfort of Xie An’s embrace that eased Xie Shuci’s spirits. His mood was now better than before as he joked, “How about it, shall we bathe together? Maybe scrub each other’s backs?”

Xie An returned a look that was both amused and not.

Xie Shuci chuckled awkwardly. He was just joking. Now, the thought of standing naked before Little Blind made him feel inexplicably self-conscious.

Regardless, Xie An couldn’t see, so Xie Shuci stripped off his inner clothes without much fuss.

Xie Shuci had come from a well-to-do family, with parents working abroad and a nanny to care for him, making him a classic case of ‘hands that didn’t do any labor’. His skin was soft and pale, resembling that of an eggshell. 

The fresh blood that accidentally splattered on him stood out like red plums against snow, making his vulnerable and pure body all the more tempting for someone to leave their mark.

Xie An leaned against the screen, with Xie Shuci’s bare back in his sight. A slight itch spread over the tips of his teeth; he gritted them and bowed his head slightly, his expression obscured.

Unaware of Xie An’s thoughts, Xie Shuci stepped boldly into the bath. The hot water made him pause for a moment, droplets splashing onto his body, wetting the small cinnabar mole at his waist.

Fortunately, Xie Shuci quickly adjusted, settling fully into the tub.

The perfect temperature of the water eased the fatigue from Xie Shuci’s body and soul. He couldn’t help but sigh in relief, resting his head against the edge of the tub, arms draped over the sides, slowly closing his eyes.

Who exactly was this Bixie?

Why exactly did that, Bixie made a deal with that Stupid dog and the others?

What were the terms? Their lives?

Why did the stupid dog say that Bixie could help him?

Xie Shuci frowned involuntarily, but suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching.

He opened his eyes in a daze to see Xie An walking up behind him, seemingly trying to ascertain Xie Shuci’s exact position, and so reaching out his hand to search.

Xie An’s fingertips gently brushed Xie Shuci’s left shoulder. Xie Shuci looked up at him, not speaking up to stop him or to remind him of anything.

“Xie Shuci?”

Xie Shuci watched as Xie An’s lips parted, calling his name. For some reason, he simply stared blankly at him, still not opening his mouth to respond.

With his long lashes lowered, Xie An heard no reply, so he tensed his lips and pressed his palm against the skin of Xie Shuci’s left arm, slowly moving upward.

During the movement, his fingers paused over a scar on Xie Shuci’s arm. Perhaps noticing the difference in texture, he furrowed his brow as if confirming something, and touched it a while longer.

A tingling sensation radiated from the scar, causing Xie Shuci’s arm to jerk uncontrollably. Xie An pressed his lips together, covering Xie Shuci’s face with his hand, his fingers tracing a circle near his eyes. The faint smell of blood mixed with a hazy sleeve fragrance suddenly filled his nostrils without warning.

“What are you doing?” Xie Shuci’s voice lacked its usual energy, sounding languid and tinged with undeniable fatigue.

Through the gaps between the little blind’s fingers, Xie Shuci saw him mouth, “What caused the injury on your arm?”

Once he confirmed that Xie Shuci’s eyes were open, Xie An went to withdraw his hand, but Xie Shuci bit down on one of his fingers unexpectedly.

Not too hard, like a puppy teething, which made Xie An pause in his action.

After a gentle bite, Xie Shuci released his teeth, looking at Xie An twice, who said nothing, but just calmly pulled his hand back.

Xie Shuci silently chuckled, glanced at the scar on his left arm, and replied, “If I tell you, you’re dead if you dare to laugh at me!”

Xie An looked down with a smile and shook his head.

Xie Shuci gazed into the distance, reminiscing, “It was when I was around seven or eight, I think. I always imagined myself as a great hero destined to save the countless people waiting for me, so I bought a very heavy knife to practice with…”

As he spoke, Xie Shuci couldn’t help but laugh first.

“I didn’t expect it to be so heavy; I couldn’t hold it steady, and the knife dropped, slicing right into my arm…”

Xie Shuci squinted his eyes to see Little Blind’s mouth twitching with suppressed laughter, so he splashed a handful of bathwater on him, “I said no laughing at me!”

Xie An quickly composed himself, shaking his head to show he wasn’t laughing anymore.

Only then did Xie Shuci hum in satisfaction, flexing the almost non-existent muscles on his arm, boasting, “Did you know? The scars on a man’s body are his medals. Look, how manly it looks!”

Xie An nodded in agreement.

Seeing how compliant he was, Xie Shuci couldn’t help but feel quite pleased with himself.

Turning his head to look at him, Xie Shuci cheekily said, “Little blind, my shoulders are sore. Give them a massage, will you?”

Xie An raised an eyebrow.

Xie Shuci pointedly tapped his water-dripping fingers on the bell hanging at Xie An’s waist, as if to remind him, I’ve given you a little bell, what’s a shoulder massager in return?

“Come on, massage them for me, or I won’t be able to sleep tonight,” Xie Shuci blurted out without hesitation.

Xie An seemed a bit helpless but pressed Xie Shuci’s restless hand back into the water. Then he pulled over a stool and sat down behind him.

Xie An’s hands were rough from years of sword use, and they felt oddly itchy against Xie Shuci’s smooth neck.

The strength in his palms was just right, not too light or too heavy, and he was much more skilled than the first time.

Xie Shuci leaned back comfortably, closed his eyes, and chuckled, “You’re truly my brother, such a good boy.”

At that moment, Xie An’s fingers lost control of force, and Xie Shuci yelped in pain.

“Ow! I just complimented you; can’t you stay cool for a few more seconds?”

Xie An kept his lips tightly sealed, not saying a word.

Xie Shuci’s mood had improved significantly since his return, and since Xie An wasn’t much for conversation, he mused aloud, “Hey, little blind, isn’t it strange? I used to be so scared of dead bodies, but today, seeing Helian Jue and the others didn’t scare me at all. Is it because I’ve seen so much now that I’m used to it?”

The play of light and shadow on Xie An’s face made it hard to discern his emotions.

“It’s just so odd to me. The ways of heaven and earth are strange, and so are people—selfish and selfless at the same time.”

He must have thought of something else, for he tilted his head back, opened his eyes to look at Xie An, and after a while, he asked, “Little blind, do you remember what I look like?”

Xie An paused but didn’t reply.

Xie Shuci went on talking to himself, “What if one day you’re not blind anymore, and you can’t even recognize me? And then someone pretends to be me, and when I come to you to tell you that it’s actually been me by your side these days, you don’t believe me. You even join the imposter in bullying me.”

Xie An couldn’t help but let out a laugh, “Am I that stupid?”

Xie Shuci found his own words a bit ridiculous and shook his head with a shrug.

Coming back to his senses, he felt like he was being unusually sentimental today. He patted Xie An’s hand, “No need to massage anymore, I’m starving. Ask the waiter to bring some food up, will you?”

Xie An didn’t say anything, just nodded, and walked out from behind the screen.

He stopped in front of the door. 

Lifting his right hand, the place where Xie Shuci had bitten him showed no mark, but he seemed to still feel the peculiar itch.

With eyes downcast, his gaze was somber and subdued. 

After a moment’s pause, he opened the door and stepped out.

By the time he returned, Xie Shuci had already bundled himself in clothes and was fast asleep on the bed, utterly unconscious.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion that made his sleep so deep and long; he didn’t wake up until past noon the next day, waking with a dizzy head.

“Xie An?” Xie Shuci called out with a hoarse voice, sitting up to find the room empty but for himself.

He had slept too long, his head was heavy and foggy. When he got up, he almost tumbled out of bed.

“Where is he?” Xie Shuci murmured in confusion, slipping on his shoes and sitting down at the table to pour himself a cup of water.

The water in the pot is still warm; Xie An must have just left a while ago.

After drinking a few cups, his stomach gurgled twice, clearly hungry. He quickly got ready to go look for Xie An and to find something to eat downstairs.

The Manjiang Hall was much quieter than usual. Stepping out to the main hall and glancing outside, there were only a few pedestrians on the road. Compared to the previous bustle, there was now a touch of desolation in the air.

“Shuci, you’re awake?”

Chu Guiyi was leisurely sitting in the hall. Seeing Xie Shuci, he smiled at him.

Yawning, Xie Shuci walked over, “Have you seen Xie An? He’s disappeared.”

Chu Guiyi informed him, “Young Master Xie was taken away by disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect.”

“What?!” Xie Shuci immediately perked up, standing alert.

Chu Guiyi couldn’t help but chuckle, “Relax, nowadays you’re a famed alchemist. Young Master Xie is known as your friend. The XiaoyaoSect wouldn’t dare to offend you, so they won’t make things difficult for him.”

Chu Wenfeng interjected with a hint of annoyance, “You’re just a blind cat that ran into a dead rat, lucky, that’s all.”

Chu Guiyi said helplessly, “Shuci, Don’t listen to his nonsense. The news about you taming the Subduing Dragon artifact with the bronze pill cauldron has spread throughout the city. I’m afraid many will seek to win you over. You and Young Master Xie must be careful to avoid being used by others.”

After yesterday’s events, Xie Shuci was no longer an unknown alchemist but a disciple of a powerful Alchemy sector residing within the Floating Tower realm.

Not in the mood to feel smug, Xie Shuci asked, “Where are they taking Xie An?”

Chu Guiyi gestured for him to not worry and then sent Chu Wenfeng to fetch some food for Xie Shuci.

Chu Wenfeng left the hall reluctantly and in a gloomy mood.