Chapter 119. Mo Xiao’s Little Trick
“Is it really too sweet? I’ll bring you a different flavor next time.”
“Alright. Those dried fruits from last time were actually quite good.”
“I knew you’d like them. The supply station hasn’t had anything new lately, though. I’ll go check this afternoon; if they have them, I’ll bring some back for you.”
“There’s no need. There’s enough in my room as it is. Buying more would be a waste.”
“Doesn’t An Se like eating them? Let him deal with a portion of it.”
An Se: “…”
Was he sick? Why would he, a Sentinel, eat Guide-specific snacks?
Mo Xiao watched the harmonious atmosphere between the three of them, and a wave of irritability began to surge. He didn’t want to see Su Tang getting along so well with those two, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft groan.
The sound pulled Su Tang’s attention back. Looking at Mo Xiao sitting in the chair looking so battered, Su Tang couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“Alright, alright. Let’s deal with Mo Xiao’s wounds first.”
Su Tang hurriedly pushed An Se toward the treatment chair. “His injuries look quite serious. An Se, give him a check-up immediately.”
An Se set aside his joking manner and used scissors to cut away the upper half of the man’s clothing. As the scissors sliced through the fabric of the combat uniform, the tattered remains were pulled away, leaving Mo Xiao’s upper body entirely exposed to the air.
Dense red welts covered his entire upper torso; there was hardly a patch of intact skin to be found. In the more severe areas, the flesh had been torn open, glistening with a bloody, raw mess.
An Se gave it a cursory glance and waved a hand at Su Tang.
“They’re all superficial. It looks frightening, but it didn’t hit anything internal, and the wounds aren’t deep. A few days of ointment and he’ll be basicallly healed.”
Su Tang’s racing heart finally settled, but as her gaze brushed against the man’s skin, her thoughts began to stray uncontrollably.
The lines of his shoulders were smooth and sturdy, his bronzed skin looking even more defined against the backdrop of the wounds. The lines of his abdominal muscles were clear and enticing. Even though the man was currently a mess of injuries, Su Tang felt he exuded an aura of wild tension.
Her gaze wandered uncontrollably over his chest. When her eyes landed on a particularly vibrant spot, she couldn’t help but start making comparisons. Why did she feel the right one looked a bit larger and more rounded than the left?
An unbidden memory of their previous interactions flashed through her mind. To help herself recover, she had deepened the marks on Mo Xiao more than once, absorbing his mental power. That warm sensation, his suppressed groans…
Su Tang couldn’t help but wonder if it was because she always favored the right side that it looked so much more prominent.
An Se placed the scissors back into the tray. The crisp clang of metal on metal pulled Su Tang back from her straying thoughts.
Her gaze shifted downward to the red marks on the man’s chest, and she inwardly cursed herself. She realized her standards were sinking lower and lower if she could fantasize about such things in this situation.
An Se picked up a cotton swab and dipped it in ointment. Just as he was about to touch Mo Xiao’s wound, the man turned his head away to avoid him.
“I can do it myself.”
Mo Xiao’s voice was slightly hoarse. An Se simply handed the swab over. In his view, these injuries were less severe than the ones Mo Xiao had sustained during his fight with Zhan Ye. Dealing with them himself wouldn’t be a problem.
Mo Xiao took the swab. His entire focus had been on Su Tang. Because of that, he hadn’t missed the way her gaze had lingered on his chest when An Se stripped him, nor the faint blush that had colored her cheeks when she hurriedly looked away.
A hint of a cunning smile flickered in his eyes. He gripped the cotton swab; he already had a plan in mind.
Yasuo and An Se had clearly gotten along very well with Su Tang lately. On top of that, Zhan Ye was still hovering nearby. Because of the last mission, Zhan Ye now had the favor of being her savior. If he didn’t do something now, he was afraid he wouldn’t even have a place left in Su Tang’s heart.
Mo Xiao held the swab and first applied it lightly to his neck. The cool ointment against the broken skin brought a stinging pain. It wasn’t unbearable, but Mo Xiao still let out a few soft whimpers.
Sure enough, at the sound of his voice, Su Tang leaned closer. Her voice was filled with a hint of tension as she asked.
“Does it hurt that much? How about I do it for you?”
“No, I can manage.”
Mo Xiao shook his head, his gaze flickering almost imperceptibly toward her flushed cheeks. The cotton swab in his hand moved slowly downward, grazing the red welts on his collarbone at a pace several times slower than usual.
The tip of the swab, laden with the cool ointment, brushed against his burning skin, sending a series of fine tremors through him. He followed the sensation with a low groan, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
Su Tang’s gaze followed the cotton swab involuntarily. She watched as it slid from his neck to his chest, passing over the crisscrossing red marks before finally coming to a stop right on the right spot she had just been secretly comparing. Su Tang subconsciously straightened her posture.
Right next to it was a red welt, the colors complementing each other with a certain aesthetic beauty.
Thinking of her earlier fantasies, Su Tang subconsciously held her breath. Then, she saw the man’s hand pause.
The hand holding the swab trembled, and as if by accident, the white swab—laden with the transparent, gel-like ointment—pressed down gently on that very spot.
Su Tang’s pupils dilated. The transparent ointment was smeared over the protrusion. As if the swab wasn’t satisfied, it began to slowly trace a circle.
“Ngh…”
She heard him let out a suppressed groan, the end of it carrying an undetectable hint of hoarseness. It made Su Tang’s heart leap, and the ambiguous memories of their past immediately exploded in her mind.
“You… be more gentle.”
Su Tang’s voice was trembling as she hurriedly looked away.
This guy was doing it on purpose!
There clearly wasn’t even a wound there. Why did he have to smear ointment right on that red spot, making it look all glistening and translucent like a ripe plum?
It was purely intended to provoke those thoughts in her mind again.
Watching Su Tang’s reaction, the smile in Mo Xiao’s eyes deepened.
He continued to apply the ointment, deliberately letting the swab slide slowly across his chest and abdomen. Every now and then, he would let the tip of the swab graze a sensitive red mark, each touch accompanied by a perfectly timed low moan. It sounded like he was suppressing pain, yet also like he was releasing some kind of pent-up emotion.
Yasuo, standing nearby, was utterly confused. He didn’t think the injuries looked that bad. They had certainly sustained worse before, and Mo Xiao had never made such a fuss while applying medicine.
“It’s just some ointment. Is it really that difficult? Do you want me to help you?”
“No.”
Mo Xiao refused immediately. The swab in his hand just happened to graze the muscles of his waist, causing his body to tremble slightly.
“It’s easier if I do it myself.”
An Se, who was cleaning up nearby, saw everything and couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Just what was Mo Xiao trying to pull in broad daylight? Did he think he and Yasuo were invisible?
Still, it was quite amusing. Even Mo Xiao had learned to use such little tricks to curry favor with a Guide. Fine then, he might as well give him a hand.
“At the rate you’re going, it’ll take forever. Since you won’t let either of us help… Su Tang, why don’t you help him out?”
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