For a moment, Lin Shijin was completely at a loss. He had not even had time to react when a burning warmth brushed against his cheek, and a flush spread rapidly across his face.
“Sheng Rufei…”
He felt a flicker of anger and glared at the culprit, only to find that its owner had already fainted and knew nothing of it.
Getting angry was pointless. At first he had been annoyed that Sheng Rufei was acting shamelessly, but then it occurred to him that Sheng Rufei was unconscious and unaware.
If it were someone else… would it be the same?
Sheng Rufei, unable to open his eyes yet still conscious, remained silent.
The more Lin Shijin thought about it, the more likely it seemed. His irritation deepened. He reached out and touched it with his fingertip, watching, wide-eyed, as it grew more pronounced.
He had never noticed it before. He touched it again, then withdrew his hand, waiting for it to settle on its own.
He watched for quite some time. Whether it was his gaze or not, not only did it fail to subside, it seemed instead to…
Lin Shijin hesitated. He reached out and touched it again. It had indeed changed once more. He was momentarily stunned.
After a long while, it still showed no sign of easing. He could hardly leave Sheng Rufei like this indefinitely, and so he wavered. “Sheng Rufei, are you pretending to be asleep?”
He poked Sheng Rufei’s face. That face remained cold and indifferent, its profile quiet and aloof. There was no response at all.
He could not simply leave matters as they were. Lin Shijin took out the small map again, glancing at it, then stealing another look, and another. There was still no sign of it calming down.
Holding the map between his fingers, he felt a little put out, chiefly because he had nowhere to vent his irritation. After a while, he set the map aside.
A moment later.
At Sheng Rufei’s ear came the youth’s low muttering, at times complaining about how difficult it was, at times grumbling that his hand ached, then asking why it would not simply diminish a little.
He tried to open his eyes, but could not. The veins at his temples tightened. The stimulation was almost unbearable.
“You really are something, Sheng Rufei.” Lin Shijin noticed that even his ear had turned red, which only made him more indignant. He glared at him for a long moment, then pinched his ear in annoyance.
It even had the nerve to turn red.
Utterly shameless.
By the time Lin Shijin withdrew his hand, more than half an hour had passed, and his fingers ached faintly.
He had never been so tired. Taking advantage of Sheng Rufei’s ignorance, he wiped his hands on the corner of Sheng Rufei’s robe before letting him go.
After checking his wounds and confirming that no black blood had reappeared, he wrapped Sheng Rufei up tightly in his clothes. For safety’s sake, he sat a little further away, no longer quite so close.
Yet from a distance, the silver-haired youth in the corner remained faintly furrowed at the brow. Lin Shijin went back again. It was as though Sheng Rufei could sense him; the moment he drew near, the frown eased.
So Lin Shijin stayed beside him without moving about again. He reached out and touched Sheng Rufei’s ear, muttering softly, “So troublesome.”
Insisting he stay by his side, even in sleep so clingy.
Lin Shijin kept watch over Sheng Rufei through the entire night without closing his eyes. Normally he would fall asleep the moment he lay down, but now there were only the two of them. If he slept, someone could approach without him even noticing.
He kept vigil until dawn. Only when Fuheng said he would keep watch did he doze for half an hour.
In the morning, Lin Shijin checked Sheng Rufei’s wounds again. The blood had returned to a normal red, and he finally relaxed a little, though a faint shadow lay beneath his eyes.
“Fuheng, have most people reached Wuxiang Mountain by now?”
“Not yet. Many are still trapped within the maze formations.”
Lin Shijin gave a soft “oh”, somewhat reassured. He remained by Sheng Rufei’s side for another day. By the following afternoon, Sheng Rufei woke.
Lin Shijin had scarcely left his side. By the time Sheng Rufei awoke, he himself was so drowsy he could barely keep his eyes open, leaning against Sheng Rufei’s shoulder.
“Shixiong, I’m tired. Let me sleep for a while. We’ll set off once I wake.”
Having said that, he fell asleep at once. Nestled in Sheng Rufei’s arms, his forehead brushed against something, two faintly cool touches.
His lashes trembled slightly. He rubbed his cheek against it, murmuring a soft, indistinct “bastard”, before falling quiet.
Sheng Rufei could easily guess the reason for the youth’s displeasure. Supporting him with one hand, his complexion somewhat improved, his gaze resting distantly in the void, faintly distracted.
*
In the shadowed forest before the Blood Tower, two disciples sized up the pair before them.
Both wore disciple robes of indeterminate origin. The style seemed vaguely familiar, yet neither could place it, likely from some minor sect. One was male, the other female. The man’s features were ordinary, his bearing cool and distant. The woman wore a veiled hat, tall in stature, her figure slender with a narrow waist.
“You wish to enter the Blood Tower with us?”
The unremarkable-looking youth gave a soft assent and handed over his token directly. “We are willing to follow Young Master Mo, so long as he ensures our safety.”
Such voluntary submission rarely ended well. Most who entered became little more than expendable pawns. Yet there were always those who came forward of their own accord, thinking they might earn favour.
Offering their tokens so readily was at least sensible. The two disciples examined them briefly, one of them letting his gaze fall upon the woman’s veil.
“Why conceal your face? What is there to hide?”
“My wife’s appearance is unsightly. It is not fit to be seen.”
The more it was concealed, the more curiosity it aroused. The disciple reached out and lifted the veil.
The next instant, he recoiled, his expression shifting.
Lin Shijin stood where he was, lips pressed together. This disguise had been Sheng Rufei’s idea. They had originally intended to blend in with any sect, but after waiting so long, the only group they encountered was Mo Yan’s. So they came over.
His face had been altered by Sheng Rufei into something decidedly unattractive. An arm circled his waist. Through the veil, Sheng Rufei’s fingertips brushed lightly against his face, a subtle gesture of reassurance. Lin Shijin said nothing.
Though slow to notice, he now had some awareness that Sheng Rufei’s possessiveness had grown stronger. Before, it had been subtle. Now, it was far more apparent.
He did not know what had triggered it. Still somewhat dazed, he asked, “Fuheng, have you noticed that shixiong seems different?”
Lin Fuheng tugged at his ear, his tone cool and sharp. “He dares make you dress as a woman and turns you into this, he ought to be dealt with.”
Lin Shijin winced and avoided his hand. “Do you know what kind of nightmare Shixiong had?”
“What nightmare could it be? He merely saw the future,” Lin Fuheng said with a faint sneer. “A future where he cannot protect you, where you fall into another’s hands, perhaps even willingly. Of course he would be angered.”
“That is the disadvantage of being born late. Had he been born a few hundred years earlier, he might have changed things.”
Lin Fuheng found himself somewhat curious. Having observed Sheng Rufei thus far, his ability and temperament were indeed impressive, yet whether he would last to the end remained uncertain.
“What future?” Lin Shijin said, unconvinced. “The future is something that has yet to happen.”
He understood now. Sheng Rufei had been provoked again. Having suffered losses before, he had become more prone to unease.
No wonder he had reacted so strongly to those words.
Held fast by Sheng Rufei, Lin Shijin went along obediently. One of the disciples cast him an odd look, but the faint chill emanating from Sheng Rufei made him withdraw his gaze at once.
“I will report to the young sect leader. Wait here.”
Before long, the disciple returned and took their tokens. It seemed Mo Yan had agreed. The two of them joined the group at the rear.
They drew some attention, though not much. Most disciples merely glanced at them, gauged their cultivation, and looked away.
Sheng Rufei’s cultivation had been disguised as unremarkable. Lin Shijin’s required no disguise. To the others, they were simply two who had come to attach themselves to Mo Yan.
“I heard the Blood Tower opened two days ago. If we enter now, might someone be lying in wait?”
“Unlikely. Everyone is after Qiushui. The young sect leader has no particular enemies. Even if there are, it matters little. His strength rivals that of Sheng Liuguang of Fuguang…”
“Speaking of Sheng Liuguang, I saw him in the forest a few days ago. He was targeted the moment he entered. Several groups set traps, dozens joining forces, yet he still escaped.”
“Those pursuing him were no weaklings. They laid down a net of formations, yet he broke through with ease.”
“Fuguang’s prodigy… the disciple of Immortal Lord Changming?”
“Indeed. Our young sect leader stands on equal footing with him.”
Hearing this, Lin Shijin’s lips tightened in displeasure. He glanced at Sheng Rufei beside him, only to find no reaction at all.
Their fingers intertwined, he lightly scratched Sheng Rufei’s palm.
The blockhead ignored him, holding him firmly, releasing a chill whenever anyone glanced their way, as though determined to make their closeness obvious.
Lin Shijin felt faintly speechless. With his current appearance, distorted as it was, anyone who saw him would likely be frightened, not interested.
He squeezed Sheng Rufei’s fingers lightly. At the back of the group, no one paid them much attention, so his small movements went unnoticed.
Before long, he heard the disciples who had taken their tokens whispering again.
“A married pair? They look young. That woman kept her face hidden, but I glimpsed it, a birthmark, quite frightening, like a corpse.”
“I saw marks on her neck and ears, as though something had been at her. I do not know how he could bring himself to it.”
Lin Shijin was once again labelled unsightly. Feeling somewhat aggrieved, he murmured, “Shixiong, can I not at least have a normal face?”
“Not for now,” Sheng Rufei replied seriously. He looked at him for a long moment, his fingertips idly brushing the side of Lin Shijin’s fingers.
“If others look at you, I will not be able to stop myself from hiding you.”
Lin Shijin fell silent. The retort on his lips faded when he met Sheng Rufei’s gaze. In the end, he only said, “Do not let it happen again.”
“Next time, you dress as a woman. You can be the unsightly one.”
Sheng Rufei had no objections and gave a quiet assent.
They moved through the forest, stopping some distance from the Blood Tower to rest. Within a cave, each group kept their distance, separated by spells.
Lin Shijin and Sheng Rufei found a place of their own. Removing the veil, Lin Shijin glanced at his reflection. It was indeed rather unfortunate.
“Shixiong,” he said, drawing closer.
Sheng Rufei did not move, only looking down at him. Lin Shijin stopped near him.
“Look at the face you’ve made. Can you even bring yourself to kiss it?”
The face was plain, yet the eyes remained gentle, the underlying bone structure impossible to conceal entirely.
Lin Shijin was about to continue when he felt a touch at the corner of his lips. Sheng Rufei leaned in, brushing lightly against him, his voice low. “I can. I like it.”
It was his. Even if he became unsightly, he would still like him.
Lin Shijin fell silent.
Shixiong, your tastes are rather questionable.
