Chapter 129: Sleepless
Without the screen, the “scenery” in the bathtub was completely exposed.
Shen Songhe knelt at Feng Shiâs side, his gaze uncontrollably drifting over. He had a prominent tear mole at the corner of his eye; as long as the surrounding skin turned red, it seemed to shine with brilliance.
Steam swirled, spiritual energy overflowed, and some spiritual flowers and herbs floated on the waterâs surface, obscuring the half-hidden… below.
Shen Songhe suddenly lowered his head, withdrawing his gaze. His slender hands were tightly clenched, and clear, pale blue veins bulged on his fair skin.
Feng Shiâs lips moved, a smile on his face. “We are both men. What is Xiao He afraid of?”
As he spoke, he flicked a spray of water, watching him with interest. “Before you were ten, did you not always soak in the cold pond with Shixiong?”
The skin around Shen Songheâs eyes was flushed red, which only made his dark eyes look startlingly bright as they darted left and right.
The more Feng Shi spoke this way, the more flustered the boy became. His teeth gnawed at his lower lip until the skin was so thin it looked ready to bleed, and heat steamed off his body.
Seeing this reaction, Feng Shi was satisfied. He thought to himself that he only needed to wait for this “little block of wood” to realize things for himself.
Seeing that the boy might actually cry from anxiety if he teased him any further, Feng Shi brought a fist to his lips and gave a light cough, pulling back his mischief. “Forget it. Youâve grown up; this is only right.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and the inner robe folded on the screen flew into his hand.
Feng Shi stood up without any hesitation.
At his side, Shen Songhe, who had his head lowered, instinctively looked up when he heard the sound of water.
The enchanting scenery flashed before his eyes before being covered by the snow-white robes.
Shen Songhe stared blankly for a moment before coming to his senses. He slumped to the floor, the flush on his face creeping into his collar and spreading even further.
By the time Feng Shi finished tying his belt and turned to head ashore, Shen Songhe had already fled in a panic, leaving only a hurried back.
As he left, he didn’t forget to close the door obediently and layer a restriction over it once more.
Feng Shi: “…”
Why run so fast? Iâm not going to eat you.
Giving his head a shake and a chuckle, Feng Shi walked back to the bed.
Late at night.
Feng Shi sat on the bed as usual, meditating and cultivating. It was quiet all around; only the faint chirping of insects and an occasional dog bark from the city could be heard.
At some unknown hour, a few dull thumping sounds suddenly came from behind the wall to the right of his bed.
The rhythmic tapping sounded like some kind of secret code.
Feng Shi opened his eyes in the darkness; they were clear and sharp.
The candle in the room had already burned out.
The tapping at his ear didn’t stop. One after another, the sounds were exceptionally prominent in the silent night.
Shen Songheâs room was right next to Feng Shiâs. It went without saying who was making this commotion.
Feng Shi got out of bed.
Moonlight spilled in through the window, the cool white light resting on his soft features.
This wall wasn’t as thin as the ones in the courtyard back at the Chongshan Sect; the sounds coming through were exceptionally quiet. They were light and shallow, and through this rhythmic tapping, one could almost feel the faint sorrow of the person on the other side.
And on the other side of the wall…
Shen Songhe sat on the floor, leaning his back against the wall. His gaze rested on the full moon outside the window.
A hand with distinct knuckles was lightly tapping behind his ear.
He couldn’t sleep.
And it was even harder to enter a meditative state.
Whenever he closed his eyes, the images from the evening would flood into his mind. It was as if he were possessed; he couldn’t suppress them, and he couldn’t drive them away.
Only in this dull thumping sound did he slowly find peace.
But a moment later, he suddenly snapped out of it and hurriedly stopped his movements.
Shixiong has extraordinary senses; he might have been disturbed after I tapped for so long.
Thinking of Feng Shi, a hint of heat seemed to rise on Shen Songheâs cool cheeks. He stood up, intending to walk toward the bed.
But as he moved, he realized that at some point, a slight force had caught his waist.
Shen Songhe looked down.
A streak of snow-white spiritual energy had actually extended from a tiny crack in the wall and coiled around his waist.
Itâs Shixiong!
Shen Songheâs heart skipped a beat. He held his breath and tremblingly tapped the raised end of that spiritual energy, moving with a caution he didn’t even realize he had.
Ever since he had been found by his Shixiong after falling off the cliff at age eight, there seemed to be an invisible connection between the two of them.
Shen Songhe didn’t know why, and he couldn’t clearly describe it.
He only knew that no matter where his Shixiong was, he could clearly sense him. Sometimes he could even detect emotions that were not shown outwardly; it was truly mysterious.
Just as at this moment, as long as he focused, he could sense that Feng Shiâs mood seemed quite pleasant.
Shixiong… is he no longer angry with me…?
Shen Songheâs eyelashes fluttered. He couldn’t help but let out a tiny, shallow smile.
After being poked once, that spiritual energy automatically coiled around his fingertip. Like a little snake, it affectionately rubbed against the pad of his finger.
Shen Songhe knew that Feng Shi was doing this to cheer him up, just like when they were children.
However, tapping on the wall was something he hadn’t done for a long time since he was eight.
Therefore, the moods of both people were a bit delicate right now, engaging in a silent exchange with a tacit understanding.
Feng Shi controlled the spiritual energy, constantly changing its shape in front of Shen Songhe. They were all cute little animals: a kitten, a puppy.
Finally, he even molded a “chibi” version of Shen Songhe.
Soft, white, and chubbyâit looked incredibly adorable.
Shen Songhe couldn’t help but reach out to cradle the tiny spiritual doll in his palm.
As he did so, the spiritual energy extending from the crack in the wall gradually dissipated, leaving only this cluster in his hand, still fluffy and full.
Shen Songhe was a bit reluctant. His gaze lingered on the wall as he pinched “his own” cheek.
After a moment of silence, he whispered, “Goodnight, Shixiong.”
Feng Shi on the other side let out a light chuckle. The hand he had held against the wall slowly pulled back.
Because he was the Master of the Moon’s Waning, his perception of Shen Songheâs emotions was even stronger. He naturally sensed that small bit of disappointment and heard that sentence, so he replied, “Goodnight.”
Hearing Feng Shiâs voice, Shen Songhe was clearly a bit overwhelmed by the attention, and his ears turned slightly hot.
Only after a long while did Feng Shi hear his barely audible “Mm.”
Early the next morning, just as the sun appeared on the horizon, Feng Shi led the group from the Chongshan Sect toward the mountain range near the city.
Along the way, they encountered several rogue cultivators in a group. It was only a chance encounter, but the other party followed behind them without a word.
Feng Shi knew in his heart that for these people, whether they entered the secret realm didn’t matter. They were after treasure anyway; robbing sect disciples like them was all the same.
Clearly, their groupâwhich lacked an Elder to lead itâhad become a target.
The “class monitor” Feng Shi had chosen was named Ruan Ping. He was a bit of a bookworm and not very old, perhaps seventeen or eighteen, and quite thin and weak.
Looking into the eyes of that group, he couldn’t help but feel a bit fearful. He followed closely behind Feng Shi and lowered his voice. “LyuâShixiong Liu, I feel… they don’t seem like good people…”
“They were never good people to begin with,” Feng Shi said coldly.
He turned to look back, and coincidentally, the leader of that group was also looking at him.
This man had the sickly appearance of a “consumptive ghost.” His body was swirled with thick green energyâwho knew what kind of deviant path he was following. His gaze was very explicit, faintly revealing greed.
Feng Shi gave a tsk of annoyance. Just being looked at made him feel dirty. He couldn’t bear it and immediately stopped in his tracks.
The disciples walking at his side also stopped, looking at him in confusion.
“What is it, Shixiong?”
Feng Shi didn’t respond to them. He simply swept his gaze over the rogue cultivators trailing behind them and smiled. The long sword hanging at his waist unsheathed; in the blink of an eye, it was hovering right before the manâs eyes.
Before anyone could react, they heard Feng Shiâs cold warning.
“Take one more step, and not a single one of you shall live.”
The sharp sword tip was only a hairâs breadth away from plunging into the manâs eye socket, shocking him into a cold sweat. His face couldn’t stop twitching.
He was horrified. He hadn’t even seen the other partyâs movement to strike.
He hadn’t expected this young Golden Core cultivatorâs strength to be even more formidable than his own!
With this speed alone, if they truly fought, he wouldn’t gain the slightest advantage!
“Fellow Daoist, please calm your anger! We are leaving! We are leaving now!” The manâs legs were shaking. Realizing he might not be a match, a fawning, fake smile immediately appeared on his face as he took two steps back.
Feng Shiâs sword advanced a few more inches before finally stopping.
Sweat from the manâs forehead rolled into his clouded eyes. Seeing that Feng Shi made no further move, he hurriedly turned around and fled with his followers.
Feng Shi coldly withdrew his sword, and it snapped back into its scabbard.
He could have directly killed these scoundrels, but the disciples with him were still young; killing indiscriminately wasn’t quite appropriate.
“Shixiong Liu is so impressive! I could tell they had bad intentions! Driving them away like that really feels great!”
Ruan Ping clasped his hands together, looking at Feng Shi with worshipful eyes; he was clearly a “fanboy.”
Feng Shi only gave him a smile and didn’t say much, turning to continue walking.
As for Ruan Ping, as soon as Feng Shi smiled at him, he felt a chilling gaze glued to his back, like a sharp sword pressed against his heart.
The sensation was so real, as if it were going to poke a hole in him, that he whipped his head around, thinking the group theyâd driven away had returned.
But they hadn’t.
Behind him was only the most pure, noble, lovely, and charming Xiao Shidi of the sectâShen Songhe.
At this moment, the boyâs expression was as cold as ever. He walked past him without a sideways glance.
Ruan Pingâs skin felt a bit tight. He looked left and right suspiciously but ultimately found nothing.
And when he turned back, he realized that the position beside Feng Shi that had originally been his was already occupied by the “well-behaved” Shidi Shen.
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