Chapter 20

Song Qing Shi felt slightly uneasy.

He felt as if he had forgotten something important.

An Long had been arranged to stay in the Quiet Heart Courtyard, attended by reliable elders selected by Yue Wu Huan. Knowing An Long's penchant for alcohol—he had once stolen some precious medicinal liquor from his storage—this time, he had sent a batch of fine wines to the courtyard.

Alarm talismans and mechanisms had been set up on the doors, windows, and roof of his sleeping quarters to prevent An Long from causing drunken mischief, such as climbing trees to catch cicadas in the middle of the night, or rummaging through the bushes for crickets.

Everything seemed well-arranged. So what exactly had he forgotten?

Late into the night, Song Qing Shi loosened his hair bun, changed into his sleeping clothes, and tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Finally, a realization struck him, illuminating what he had forgotten...

Song Qing Shi leapt out of bed in utter panic, hurriedly put on his shoes, draped on his robe, and ran towards An Long's courtyard without a second thought.

He had forgotten that Xiao Bai loved to eat rats!

　...

The night was deep, and the scent of alcohol was so strong it wafted out from An Long's room into the open air. The light had been extinguished; it seemed its occupant had already fallen asleep.

Song Qing Shi stood at the doorway, pulling his robe tighter around him. He hesitated for a long moment before lifting his hand to knock softly.

After a moment, the main door slowly swung open.

A strong wave of alcohol hit him as a pair of sturdy arms enveloped his waist in the darkness.

"Darling, I've been waiting for you."

Song Qing Shi's head was spinning; before he could comprehend what was happening, he found himself carried onto the bed.

His partially worn outer robe splayed open, his hands pinned down. Warm, heavy breaths spread along his neck, and a raspy voice tinged with desire whispered, "Stay with me tonight."

Song Qing Shi tried to struggle but found he couldn't move at all.

Physical cultivators were beasts of pure brawn; their strength was tremendous. There was no way to fight back directly.

A protective fire pill blazed to life within him, raising his body temperature to searing levels.

Burned by the heat, An Long let out a series of painful howls, releasing his grip and tumbling off the bed in disarray.

Using the fire pill's light, Song Qing Shi lit the bedside candle and looked coldly at the figure on the floor. "Sober now?"

An Long looked startled. "Why is it you?"

Song Qing Shi extinguished the flame and re-tied his robe, his face stern. "Who did you think it was?"

"I thought…" An Long's expression was awkward in the extreme. Holding his burned hand, he explained, "I thought it was that girl named Huang Ling who came to offer herself to share my bed."

Huang Ling? Song Qing Shi recalled that she was a relatively new servant in Yao Wang Valley, responsible for sweeping and maintaining the nearby gardens. Since most of the servants were male, and the females were mostly middle-aged, Huang Ling was fairly popular due to her youth, good looks, and outgoing personality. Song Qing Shi used to run into her in the courtyard and had even clarified some doubts for her. However, he had not seen her since Yue Wu Huan took over internal affairs.

"You always criticize me for causing trouble when I drink. What are you doing here, not drunk but causing trouble?" An Long took advantage of Song Qing Shi's hesitation to preemptively cast blame. "You have loose hair and are dressed like that. Can you blame me for the misunderstanding? You should be thankful I didn't turn on the light; otherwise, I'd have died of fright."

Song Qing Shi couldn't help but glance at the mirror: long hair and a white robe…

Alright, he did look somewhat like a female ghost.

Although it was somewhat uncomfortable, they were both men and it was an accidental mistake. He was no striking beauty like Yue Wu Huan with a lot to offer, so it wasn't worth making a fuss about.

"Never mind," Song Qing Shi graciously moved on to another topic. "Since when did you get involved with one of my medicinal servants?"

"Don't jump to conclusions," An Long climbed back onto the edge of the bed, raising his hand as if to swear. "She came onto me first. You can ask her if you don't believe me."

He wore his shirt haphazardly, his trousers loosely tied. He sat back in a relaxed posture, carelessly revealing his perfectly chiseled V-shaped torso and eight-pack abs, exuding the charm of a bad boy that was highly appealing to young women.

Considering An Long's notorious history with women, Song Qing Shi found himself believing him once more...

With a sly grin, An Long asked, "What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

"I'm not here for you," Song Qing Shi, remembering the most crucial matter, immediately stood up and looked around. "Where's Xiao Bai?"

A white dragon snaked down from a beam, raising its head affectionately.

Grasping the creature, Song Qing Shi seriously warned it, forbidding it from eating any rats within Yao Wang Valley.

The creature was incredibly sentient, nodding and swaying its head to show understanding. Relieved that it wouldn't act recklessly like An Long, Song Qing Shi promised it plenty of treats and playtime.

Amidst their exchange, An Long looked toward the doorway with a cryptic smile. He had noticed that Yue Wu Huan was standing far away in the courtyard, taking in everything that was happening inside the house. Yet, Yue Wu Huan appeared completely unfazed, displaying no vulnerabilities; his expressions and actions seemed carefree, paying no mind to the comedic turn of events.

How interesting...

Yue Wu Huan noticed An Long's scrutiny and quickly bowed, lowering his gaze in feigned innocence, pretending as if he hadn't seen anything.

Every reaction was impeccably natural.

He appeared like a servant fully aware of his station, obedient and well-mannered, never crossing the line.

Unfortunately, An Long didn't buy it.

In the Western Forest, everyone knows that the more vibrant the color, the more venomous the substance.

　...

Having educated his white dragon, Song Qing Shi prepared to leave.

An Long pointed to the doorway with a smile, "Your prized disciple is watching this farce."

"That's all your fault." Song Qing Shi blushed momentarily, feeling as if his mature and composed image had been utterly ruined by this scoundrel, An Long. He hastily left, quickening his pace as he took Yue Wu Huan away from the Tranquil Courtyard.

Seeing them walk away, An Long stood up and uncorked another jar of wine, gulping it down with gusto.

The more he drank, the clearer his mind became.

He touched his burned hand, mocking himself, "Hah, thought something good was going to happen…"

　...

As they walked, Song Qing Shi explained to Yue Wu Huan, "That guy is nothing but an Alaskan Malamute. Don't take it to heart. I'm usually not like this."

Yue Wu Huan, puzzled, asked, "What's an Alaskan Malamute?"

Still irked, Song Qing Shi spat out, "A dog!"

His sister once owned an Alaskan Malamute, a professional home-wrecker and incorrigible troublemaker. He once had to walk it and ended up being dragged into a river due to his poor mobility. Fortunately, the water was shallow, or he would have drowned. Even after all that, he still had to placate the dog with treats.

Although Yue Wu Huan didn't fully understand, he didn't want to probe further. Changing the subject, he said, "One of the servants reported catching Huang Ling outside the Tranquil Courtyard. She appears to have been trying to seduce the Grandmaster of Wan Gu Sect. Master, what should we do? Should we send her away to the estate?"

After pondering for a moment, Song Qing Shi said, "Fine, send her."

Even though it might be a youthful infatuation, Yao Wang Valley contained numerous valuable resources, making it risky to keep anyone with ulterior motives around. An Long was a notorious womanizer who had dumped countless women. Some of them even came looking for him under the guise that he was hiding in Yao Wang Valley, causing all sorts of disturbances. All in all, this philandering man was not suitable for innocent young girls to engage with; it's best to keep them at a distance.

Yue Wu Huan agreed, then subtly touched his nose.

Song Qing Shi noticed the small gesture and asked, "What's the matter?"

Hesitant for a moment, Yue Wu Huan finally said, "The smell of alcohol on you… it's quite strong."

Sniffing his sleeve, Song Qing Shi indeed detected a faint aroma of alcohol. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, he hastily headed toward the bathhouse in his sleeping quarters. "Wu Huan, fetch me a fresh set of nightclothes; I need to take a bath."

"Alright," Yue Wu Huan agreed with a smile, adding, "Make sure to wash up well."

Casting a few cleansing spells on himself first, Song Qing Shi eagerly plunged into the spacious hot spring bath and swam a few laps. Then, lounging at the edge, he surreptitiously poked at the slight definition emerging on his soft, white belly. Thinking of An Long's chiseled abs and Yue Wu Huan's well-defined torso, he suddenly felt somewhat discontented.

Now that he finally had a healthy body, should he take out some time for physical training to add more masculinity to his demeanor?

Song Qing Shi pondered this for quite a while.

　...

Yue Wu Huan sat outside on the steps, calmly playing with a scalpel while reading a book.

His eyes were dark pools in the lamplight, unfathomable like a bottomless abyss.

How could he not be angry over something like this?

The stench from that insect-fondling wretch nearly made him retch…

Countless painful experiences taught him that the angrier or more disgusted he felt, the calmer and more natural he should appear. He became adept at turning cries into laughter, agony into delight, and wails into sounds of encouragement. All to please the disgusting beings who sought to harm him.

And then, he would lie in wait, deep in the shadows…

Patiently biding his time.

Until the perfect moment to strike with venomous fangs.