One Room?

"Wake up."

Yao Yuxuan's brows furrowed. He felt sturdy hands gripping his shoulders in an attempt to rouse him. The gesture was surprisingly gentle.

"Yao Yuxuan, wake up!"

"I'm awake…" he muttered, tiredly blinking open his eyes.

Liu Haoyu's face appeared in front of him, his expression complex. "Are you alright?"

"I think I will die if the wind blows in the wrong direction," Yao Yuxuan replied, gripping the bridge of his nose to fend off the headache that had settled in the front of his skull. "I'm not in an urgent state right now, though. Why?"

"The spirits and I have been trying to wake you up for almost an hour!" Liu Haoyu lamented, lips pursing into a thin line.

"Oh." Yao Yuxuan removed his hand and looked at him apologetically. "If I'm being honest, I'll probably be difficult to wake up for a while. I haven't been able to sleep since I started maintaining the barrier ten years ago. I could only allow myself light meditation."

Liu Haoyu frowned for a moment before shaking it off. He waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. If you oversleep in the future, I'll just carry you where we need to go by force instead."

"I… guess that works? Careful, people might get the wrong side-"

"Shut up."

Yao Yuxuan swallowed the laughter that was about to erupt from within his chest and shook his head. "Anyway, were you waking me since we reached Zhonglao Center?"

"En. It's nightfall. I'm arranging for us to rest at an inn," Liu Haoyu replied. "You can sleep more before we leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Really?" Yao Yuxuan's eyes lit up. He would be able to sleep on a bed?! And maybe he'd even get the chance to escape-

The man nodded affirmatively, his two-toned hair dancing lightly. "Yeah, but I'm only getting one room. You seem like a runner."

"Oh. Okay."

Yao Yuxuan cursed internally. He exhaled deeply and gave the other man a dejected look. He had seen entirely through him! Wouldn't this mean he likely wouldn't even get to sleep on the bed, either?

"Don't look at me like that," Liu Haoyu said. "Maybe if you behave, I'll let you have your own room in the future."

"…fine."

Yao Yuxuan rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes and leaned against the wooden door. He looked out the window with passing interest. It only took a few seconds for him to know exactly where they were. He had grown up in Zhonglao Center, so it all looked familiar, even in the dark lamplight. Various shops and entertainment venues were still open, and the chatter of the townspeople buzzed pleasantly in his ears.

He had missed the bustle of the city. After spending thousands of nights in silence and solitude, experiencing such busyness was like giving water to a man lost in the desert. "It's so pleasant."

"What is?" Liu Haoyu asked. It was a genuine question, and for the first time since they had been around each other, his deep voice had no trace of animosity.

"The city," Yao Yuxuan explained quietly. "I grew up here. The sounds of carts and people working is lovely compared to the silence I've gotten used to on the cliff."

Liu Haoyu nodded firmly in agreement. "I like it, too."

"That's unexpected of you. Who knew the infamous Snowfall Assassin would like the sounds of the city," Yao Yuxuan teased lightly.

"I'm not killing people every second of the day. I do normal people things when I'm not working."

Yao Yuxuan's lip twitched mischievously. "Like enjoying the city and having sex with lots of 'women'?"

"Yeah, exactly-" the man started, then realized his insinuation. His eyes burned murderously. "Do you want to die?"

Yao Yuxuan waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, aren't you from the demonic realm? Have you ever been to the demon capital of Liqin?"

Liu Haoyu's face was dark and unamused. He didn't speak.

"I've heard that it's massive, and the food is incredible," Yao Yuxuan continued without waiting for a response, looking at him with a softened expression. "They have famous spicy noodles there, right? Have you ever had them?"

"I have, many times. They're so delicious. I'm old acquaintances with the demon who developed the recipe," Liu Haoyu said reluctantly. "You like spicy food? Most cultivators I've heard of usually hate spice."

Yao Yuxuan laughed. "I'm not exactly a good cultivator. I was only in the Huichuan Sect for four years."

"Is that really all?" Liu Haoyu seemed surprised. "Your power is even more impressive in that case. I wonder…"

"Why my core's status is abysmal?" Yao Yuxuan finished for him. "I have no idea either."

As soon as they were finally getting into a more relaxed conversational rhythm, one of the servant ghosts knocked on the door of the palanquin. "We've arrived, Your Majesty."

Liu Haoyu made a noise of approval, signaling the ghosts to place the litter on the ground. The door opened a few seconds later. The man stepped out, his white-to-black faded ponytail swaying softly behind him. Once out, he looked expectantly at Yao Yuxuan, who was still seated.

Yao Yuxuan scooted toward the door and stood up for the first time in over a day. He took a step out of the carriage and nearly vomited. As soon as he moved, his vision started fading to white. Pain permeated from deep within his chest all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes. His other foot didn't even get the chance to move before he fell forward.

To his surprise, he never hit the ground. His face met gently with a broad chest, and a pair of steady hands grasped his arms to steady him. Liu Haoyu looked down at him with a puzzled expression. "You can't walk?"

"I…" Yao Yuxuan didn't have time to worry about their proximity. His thoughts and vision swam uncontrollably. "I can't…"

Liu Haoyu's face contorted a few times. He looked from the weak, trembling man in his arms to the inn they stood in front of. His eyes went between the two several times before he released a defeated sigh. Liu Haoyu dipped down and hooked one of his arms under Yao Yuxuan's knees. He brought him up to his chest and carried him toward the door.

The little servant ghosts were mortified by the situation, unsure of what exactly they were watching. After a few seconds, they became too embarrassed and decided to mind their own business and take the two-person palanquin away.

Yao Yuxuan's exhausted body returned to a more stable state after being scooped up. Evidently, using too much strength would just render him unconscious even still. His vision refocused, and he glanced up at the man carrying him. Liu Haoyu's expression was unreadable, and his brows were furrowed.

The pair entered the luxurious inn. A man carrying someone else in his arms created quite the spectacle, so the eyes of everyone seated in the lobby were on them from the second they entered the building.

Liu Haoyu strode to the desk confidently, acting as if nothing were out of the ordinary. 

The middle-aged woman at the desk seemed a little intimidated. She bowed deeply and gave a timid smile in greeting. "Good evening; how can I help this honorable cultivator and his… companion?"

"One room. The nicest you have." He was about to reach into his pocket when he realized he had no free hands. Liu Haoyu looked down at Yao Yuxuan and said quietly, "Can you reach into my robe and grab an ingot? Any kind is fine. I have plenty of money."

Yao Yuxuan looked at him with wide eyes but did as he was told, reaching into the man's soft white robes and grabbing an ingot from the inner pocket. He pulled it out and carefully dropped the golden boat onto the wooden desk when he was suddenly struck with an idea. His soft lips curled into a mischievous smile.

As soon as the woman placed the key to their room into one of the attendants' hands, they began leading the way to their quarters. Liu Haoyu followed quietly as they started up the staircase.

This was when Yao Yuxuan spoke, his voice loud enough for most of the other patrons in the lobby to still hear. "Will that gold really be enough, my love? What if I'm too noisy and disrupt the other guests…"

Liu Haoyu's face was drained of color, and he looked down at the man in his arms as though he'd grown another head. He whispered threateningly, "Do you want me to drop you down the stairs? I won't heal you this time, you disgusting bastard."

His grip on him loosened enough to startle Yao Yuxuan into instinctively grabbing at his robes before he steadied his arms again. He started to walk quicker, but not before hearing several people from the lobby gasp and whisper incessantly.

'T-that was another man?!'

'Cut-sleeves?! I've never seen any before, let alone ones that are both so handsome!!'

'Do you think they're dual cultivators..?'

As soon as the attendant opened the door, the smell of incense overwhelmed both of their noses. The room was incredibly nice. There was a large bed with a well-made quilt, a table, and other convenient amenities. Liu Haoyu roughly placed Yao Yuxuan onto one of the seats and moved as quickly as possible to open the window, taking deep, labored breaths of the night air.

"Little Miss, before you go, please bring up a tub of warm water?" Yao Yuxuan asked softly, his voice tired from speaking more than usual.

The young attendant glanced from Yao Yuxuan to Liu Haoyu, who was still staring out the window, and her face turned a brilliant shade of vermillion. She nodded vigorously before storming out of the room, leaving the pair alone.

"I can't fucking stand you!" Liu Haoyu growled, still not turning around to look at him.