Chapter 40
Haowei glanced at Lanlan and the physician, not catching their conversation. He only vaguely heard words like “young master” and “soul,” but didn’t think much of it.
That night, just as he was falling asleep, a heavy rain suddenly poured down outside, with raindrops hitting the roof and ground like stones, making it hard for anyone to sleep.
Haowei sat up in bed and closed the window tightly. Somehow, he thought of the spirit on the mountainside.
In such heavy rain, would the spirit get soaked?
But what did that have to do with him?
He lay back down and closed his eyes, but couldn’t stop thinking about that thin, green figure. In the desolate thorns, the green figure was sometimes clear and bright, and sometimes faint, almost nonexistent…
Haowei knew he shouldn’t be thinking about the spirit, but the more he tried not to, the more he did.
That seemingly silly spirit, would he even know to avoid the rain? Even if he got soaked, it shouldn’t be a big deal…
Forget it, he might as well go take a look.
At least the spirit hadn’t done anything harmful yet.
The heavy rain continued as Haowei donned a straw hat and raincoat, carefully shielding the lantern’s flame as he walked into the deep mountains. The mountains were often shrouded in thick fog and inhabited by wild beasts and ghosts, so villagers rarely ventured there.
Haowei usually only dared to go during the day, and this was his first time climbing the mountain at night.
When he found the spirit, he saw that the green figure was indeed still there, unmoving.
The rain fell continuously, drenching him. His hair stuck to his face in strands, making him look even more pale and helpless under the moonlight.
Haowei’s heart suddenly ached, thinking he should have come earlier, before the rain started.
He stepped forward and reached out to the spirit. In the darkness, the spirit’s face wasn’t clear, but seemed attracted by his gesture. Then, like a curious child, the spirit slowly extended his hand and grasped Haowei’s.
Earlier, Haowei thought the spirit wouldn’t have a physical form, but to his surprise, the spirit did, though his body temperature was unusually low, his fingers wet and chilling.
Haowei tightened his grip and led him down the mountain.
Cold rain pelted their faces, and the night wind roared in their ears. The lantern had long been extinguished by the wind and rain, but fortunately, the moonlight was bright enough to illuminate their path.
Back home, the spirit sat dazedly on a small stool, his green robe clinging to his body, revealing his slender frame. Water dripped continuously from the hem of his clothes.
Haowei brought hot water and placed it in front of the spirit.
“Wash up first. Leave the village tomorrow morning.”
Such a foolish spirit wouldn’t be able to deceive the villagers, so he should leave early.
That’s what Haowei thought.
Si Lan, the spirit, looked up at him upon hearing this. His eyes were wet, with a hint of redness, as if he had cried.
Haowei met his gaze, his heart softening and feeling a bit of pity.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind—maybe he should share some of his own spirit energy with him, just as an act of kindness.
But he quickly dismissed this absurd idea, thinking he must be crazy, being swayed by this spirit.
“Aren’t you going to wash?” Haowei’s face turned stern as he spoke harshly.
Si Lan moved his feet, looking at Haowei with confusion, as if he didn’t understand.
Haowei suspected this was a newly born spirit, possibly not understanding human language at all, feeling a bit helpless, realizing he had brought back trouble.
Why had he felt soft-hearted earlier?
He approached the spirit, mimicking the action of taking off clothes. “Understand?”
Si Lan didn’t speak, tilting his head slightly, his eyes dull. Then, he slowly and tentatively placed his hands on his clothes.
Haowei nodded, showing approval.
Seeing this, Si Lan immediately untied his robe, letting the green outer garment fall to the ground.
The white inner clothes clung to Si Lan’s body, who continued to undress, revealing his fair and clean body. Haowei couldn’t avert his eyes in time, and saw him completely undressed, making Haowei’s ears turn red. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Si Lan pick up the wooden basin and pour the entire basin of water over himself.
“…” Haowei.
Because of the rain, the room was already damp, and now with Si Lan’s action, the floor became a wet mess.
Outside, the rain continued, with the night wind bringing large raindrops through the door and window cracks.
Haowei felt a chill in his heart at that moment.
And the culprit, after making a mess, looked at Haowei with an innocent and confused expression. Probably feeling a bit cold, Si Lan shivered, his brows slightly furrowed.
Haowei took a deep breath to calm down.
No need to wait for tomorrow, as soon as the rain stopped, he would throw this spirit out.
However, he still couldn’t bear to see the spirit naked and shivering, so he found a rough cloth outfit for him to change into.
But Si Lan didn’t know how to dress, wrapping the clothes around his waist, only covering the front, leaving the back exposed.
Two white, tender cheeks, firm and round, swayed slightly with Si Lan’s movements, inexplicably making Haowei feel parched.
Haowei’s face turned red, gritting his teeth, and snatched the clothes, averting his gaze, stiffly wrapping them around Si Lan.
He was a head taller than Si Lan, so the clothes were loose, making Si Lan look like a child wearing an adult’s clothes.
After dressing, Haowei noticed Si Lan extending his hand, gazing at him, and touching Haowei’s chin with his fingers. Haowei instinctively grabbed his hand to stop him, realizing something when he met Si Lan’s “innocent” eyes.
If there were fools in the human world, there must be fools among the spirits too.
Si Lan might not be a newly born spirit, but a fool.
Because no matter how ignorant someone was, they wouldn’t be this foolish.
Understanding this, Haowei felt helpless, never expecting to bring back a fool.
Fine, just consider it an act of kindness.
His sleeping arrangement was simple, a bed made of stacked wood covered with a grass mat. Fortunately, it was large enough for two.
He was quite tired, so after tucking the little fool into the bed, he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day, he found Si Lan curled up in his arms, sleeping lightly.
Si Lan was sleeping soundly, his eyebrows relaxed, breathing steady. His legs were bent, knees pressed tightly against Haowei’s abdomen.
“……”
Haowei’s face changed slightly as he pulled away from Si Lan. The sound woke Si Lan, who opened his eyes halfway, looking drowsy and a bit innocent.
“Awake? Do you know how to get back?” Haowei asked.
Si Lan blinked and quietly looked at Haowei.
Haowei felt a pause in his heart and frowned, “Don’t tell me you don’t know where you came from?”
Si Lan tilted his head and moved closer to Haowei, resting his head on Haowei’s chest.
He had no memory at all.
He was just a soul manifested from the three souls and seven spirits, lacking the emotions and rationality of a normal person.
Haowei hadn’t expected that his moment of kindness would lead to this situation. This spirit had no idea where he came from and couldn’t return.
If he threw him back into the deep mountains, it seemed a bit unethical. Haowei looked down at the spirit sleeping soundly in his arms and sighed helplessly.
In the morning, Haowei cooked some porridge and placed it in front of Si Lan, curious if he would eat it.
Si Lan looked at the porridge, picked up the bowl, and just as he was about to pour it over his head, Haowei quickly snatched it away.
“What are you doing?”
Si Lan looked at Haowei in confusion, thinking that the “porridge” was also meant for washing.
Haowei was a bit exasperated, suspecting that this spirit was so foolish that he had been driven out of his tribe and ended up in the human world.
Haowei picked up the porridge, scooped a spoonful, and demonstrated to Si Lan how to eat.
Although Si Lan was slow, he quickly learned by watching Haowei. He imitated Haowei, scooping porridge into his mouth, but he wasn’t used to the taste and his brow furrowed, showing a pitiful expression.
Seeing this, Haowei murmured, “So you need to absorb human essence?”
He had only read about spirits in ancient books and knew little about how they absorbed human energy. Moreover, the spirits in the books were all female, preying on passing men.
Did this male spirit also prey on men?
Haowei’s face turned slightly red.
Si Lan didn’t understand what Haowei was saying and just looked at him blankly, his gaze falling on Haowei’s red lips.
Curious, he tiptoed closer to Haowei.
Haowei held his breath, staring at him intently.
Was he going to absorb his yang energy?
This spirit didn’t even bother to disguise his intentions?
Shouldn’t he wait until he was asleep to absorb it?
Si Lan gently touched Haowei’s lips. Haowei’s lips were well-shaped, full, and the color of wilted roses. Si Lan was curious about how sound came from those lips.
He tried to pry Haowei’s lips apart, but Haowei grabbed his hand.
Haowei’s eyes flickered slightly, “What are you doing?”
The other person still looked curious, not speaking, just staring at him with dark eyes.
Haowei let go of his hand, wanting to say something, but in the end, he only said, “I’ll go hunting on the mountain. You stay here and wait for me.”
After a pause, Haowei added, “If you remember the way back, just go back. Don’t stay among humans; no fool here will let you absorb their energy!”
However, Haowei hadn’t been gone long before he started worrying about Si Lan and his hut.
Would Si Lan wreck his two small huts?
He lost the mood for hunting and quickly returned with just a wild chicken and rabbit. Because it had rained all night, the mountain path was slippery. On the way down, he slipped, scraping a large piece of skin off his elbow.
Wincing in pain, he glanced at his arm and continued rushing back, only to find Si Lan gone when he returned.
There was no trace of Si Lan left in the room, as if he had never existed, making Haowei feel like it was all just his imagination.
Haowei felt a sudden pang of melancholy but forced a smile, “I hope that foolish spirit finds his way back soon.”
He bled the rabbit, skinned it, cleaned it, and set up a small fire to roast it.
While roasting the rabbit, he chopped wood nearby.
The crackling sound made him oblivious to the movements behind him. When he finally sensed something was off and turned around, he saw that the spirit who had left was back, and he was gnawing on his rabbit contentedly.
“……” Haowei.
Haowei was both astonished and inexplicably pleased, though he didn’t realize it himself.
He walked up to Si Lan, who seemed to realize that stealing someone else’s rabbit was not right, so he meekly returned it.
Seeing the rabbit that Si Lan had chewed up, Haowei couldn’t help but laugh, “Aren’t you a spirit? Why are you eating wild rabbit?”
Si Lan didn’t say anything. Seeing Haowei wouldn’t take the rabbit back, he withdrew his hand, looking pale and pitiful.
Haowei sighed, “I still have a wild chicken, so you can have the rabbit.”
Si Lan’s usually wooden face showed a bit of expression, his eyes like a fawn’s, shimmering.
Haowei avoided his gaze and resumed cooking. He plucked the chicken, cleaned it, and set it on the small fire to roast.
Si Lan seemed curious about the chicken, frowning and watching it intently as it roasted.
Haowei thought Si Lan was still hungry, so when the chicken was done, he tore off a drumstick for Si Lan, “Want more?”
Si Lan stumbled backward, looking scared, eyes wide.
Haowei raised an eyebrow, thinking he was disdainful of the chicken, and said, “Roast chicken is just as tasty as rabbit. Won’t you try some?”
Si Lan suddenly stood up, still wearing Haowei’s loose black robe that dr4p3d generously around him. His eyes revealed a chilly refusal as he turned and stormed back into the room, seemingly throwing a tantrum.
Haowei clicked his tongue. Why did this little mischief suddenly get angry?
Could it be because he was mad that I only gave him one chicken leg?
After filling his stomach, Haowei entered the room and saw Si Lan still sulking. His eyes, like two dark gr4p3s, held resentment as they stared straight at him.
Haowei suddenly felt like he had committed some grave mistake. Hesitatingly, he said, “Next time… shall I give you the whole roasted chicken?”
At these words, Si Lan’s eyes filled with even more resentment.
Haowei couldn’t resist and changed the subject, “Where did you go earlier?”
This little mischief had an exceptionally handsome face but wasn’t very bright. If he wandered around the village, he might attract the attention of ill-intentioned people. Moreover, with the ongoing conflicts, if he were kidnapped by bandit leaders, Haowei wouldn’t be able to rescue him.
After asking, Haowei remembered that this little mischief couldn’t speak, so he cautioned again, “Don’t wander outside. It’s dangerous out there.”
Just last night, Haowei thought the danger was the mischief that sucked away people’s vitality.
Now, in the blink of an eye, it seemed the villagers were the dangerous ones.
There was a slight movement in Si Lan’s furrowed brows, a response to Haowei’s words.
Haowei hadn’t expected much of a reaction from him.
Last night, the wind had lifted a part of the roof, so Haowei had woven thatch and stacked it on the ground. Si Lan saw this and tried to help, but only made things messier.
He didn’t know how to tie thatch properly, and it ended up everywhere. Haowei shook his head helplessly and told him to sit aside.
However, in no time, he seemed to find something amusing. He grabbed a handful of thatch and presented it to Haowei as if offering a treasure.
Haowei focused and noticed a small green snake in Si Lan’s hands.
“…”
The little green snake seemed frozen with fear, trembling in his hand and forgetting to escape.
Haowei’s expression froze slightly. He was somewhat afraid of such slender creatures and quickly knocked the small snake out of Si Lan’s hand.
As the small green snake fell to the ground, it dashed away, hitting the leg of the table and knocking over Haowei’s only piece of guest furniture.
The wooden table made a cracking sound as one leg broke off.
Haowei’s gaze darkened instantly. Moreover, the little green snake continued to flee, not going out the door but along the wall, through the paper-covered window, leaping into the back mountain and disappearing.
“…”
Haowei rubbed his forehead. Last night, the strong wind had already broken several places in the paper-covered window. Now, with the small green snake’s disturbance, he would probably need to reapply the paper.
Truly, when it rains, it pours.
The roof, the window, and now the table—all had issues.
He looked at the precarious thatched house and couldn’t help but sigh.
Si Lan probably felt he had caused trouble and stood awkwardly in place, glancing gently at Haowei.
Meeting his uneasy gaze, Haowei couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “You didn’t get bitten by the snake, did you?”
That small green snake was venomous.
Si Lan blinked, unable to understand Haowei’s words. Haowei walked over and took the initiative to check Si Lan’s body. When he lifted the oversized robe, he discovered that Si Lan had developed some red bumps, more like an allergic reaction than poisoning.
“You went to the edge earlier, didn’t you?”
Strange woods and wild creatures were everywhere in the village, even more so in the mountains. It was easy for ordinary people to have allergic reactions if they weren’t careful.
Si Lan gestured, and Haowei roughly understood. Shortly after Haowei left, Si Lan went out to look for him. However, he probably didn’t find him and returned.
This little mischief wasn’t bad with directions.
Haowei instructed Si Lan, “Wait for me at home. I’ll go buy some ointment for you.”
Si Lan blinked again, a response to Haowei.
The sky darkened further, layers of dark clouds gathering. The mountain wind rustled through the leaves, with raindrops starting to fall. Haowei quickened his pace, encountering two people head-on. Upon closer inspection, one was Lan Lan, the girl who had stolen his wild chicken last time. The other was a stranger dressed as a sorcerer, holding two bronze bells in his hands.
Their conversation floated faintly in the windy air.
“Since he was discovered nearby, his lingering spirit might also be nearby. After the rain stops, I’ll perform a soul summoning spell to see if I can guide his soul back.”
“Thank you, Master.”
…
Haowei reached the village entrance and went to the house of the old physician, where he got a bottle of ointment for treating allergies on credit. Just as he finished purchasing the medicine, heavy rain suddenly poured down outside, forming a misty curtain that obscured the surroundings.
“Chongying, you should wait until it clears up.” The old physician advised.
Thinking of the person’s discomfort, Haowei didn’t delay, thanked the old physician, and rushed into the pouring rain.
The ground, now wet from the rain, was unusually slippery. The rain pattered down, creating puddles of varying sizes. Haowei had to tread carefully, enduring gusts of wind that shook his clothes and distorted his features.
As a tall man, he nearly got blown over by the wind.
He couldn’t help worrying about Si Lan at home. He wondered if the mischief would be frightened by such strong winds.
His house was at the village’s end, a thatched cottage nestled at the foot of the mountain, the terrain sloping downward and ruggedly muddy. Therefore, apart from him, no one else lived here in the village.
The reason he lived here was that he had picked up this abandoned house and temporarily settled down.
As he descended a steep slope, he saw Si Lan standing in the pouring rain. Both of his small houses had their roofs blown off, and one side of a wall had collapsed. The remaining three walls looked precarious in the heavy rain.
“…” Haowei.
Seeing him, Si Lan seemed uneasy, gesturing with his hands as if trying to indicate that he hadn’t pushed the house over.
He didn’t have time to think about anything else; Haowei pulled Si Lan out of the house. If the remaining three walls collapsed, they might have been hit.
Luckily, Haowei paid attention to the situation on the mountain every time he went hunting, knowing that there was a cave where he could temporarily shelter from the rain.
He grabbed Si Lan’s hand, and the two stumbled into the deep mountains.
The branches were rustling loudly in the strong wind, like the tentacles of wild beasts waving ahead. Si Lan felt a little scared when he saw them and stayed close to Haowei.
Haowei noticed his fear. Initially holding his hand, he now wrapped his arm around Si Lan’s waist, and Si Lan snuggled into Haowei’s embrace.
Halfway up the mountain, Haowei pulled aside some wild grass, revealing a cave entrance about a person’s height.
Dim light filtered in, and inside the cave, there were small animals also seeking shelter from the rain—wild chickens, hedgehogs, sparrows, and the like.
The animals were taken by surprise at the sudden appearance of two people and issued warnings, but given the vast difference in size, they reluctantly made way.
Haowei squeezed Si Lan’s hand and cautioned, “Be careful; the cave floor is a bit uneven.”
Si Lan moved his fingers slightly, a response to Haowei’s words.
The end of the cave widened a bit, with a huge rock inside that Haowei had smoothed out and covered with thatch. On days when Haowei got tired from hunting in the mountains, he would rest here.
Haowei picked up a flint and struck it, soon sparking a fire torch. He took off his clothes, wearing only a small garment on his lower body, and placed his wet clothes near the fire torch to dry.
Si Lan followed Haowei’s lead, taking off all his clothes as well. Unlike the day before, perhaps after a day of learning about human affairs, he seemed less naive. He awkwardly shifted his legs, trying to cover up.
Haowei coughed lightly and handed the bundled thatch to Si Lan. “Use this to cover up first; your clothes will dry soon.”
Si Lan seemed to understand vaguely, clutching the thatch and curling up. His exposed back and neck formed smooth lines, and his fair skin had patches of allergic reactions.
Haowei’s face tensed as he took out the ointment and walked behind Si Lan, applying it to the allergic spots on his back. When he touched Si Lan’s skin, Haowei’s fingertips paused; the other’s skin was as smooth as jade, delicate and soft.
Haowei even wondered if a little more pressure might break the other’s skin. However, when he slowed down, he could clearly feel every inch of the other’s skin texture.
It seemed this mischief had never suffered. His exceptionally fair skin aside, it was also exceptionally soft, softer than freshly steamed tofu.
After a while, Haowei sensed a faint fragrance spreading throughout the cave. He suspected he had smelled it wrong and sniffed again, confirming the presence of a scent in the air.
And this fragrance…
It seemed to come from Si Lan.
Unable to resist, Haowei lowered his head, approaching Si Lan’s back where the ointment had just been applied. His skin was white with a touch of red, and the tiny pores seemed to emit a fragrance.
He leaned in closer, wanting to investigate further, but at that moment, Si Lan turned around suddenly.
Caught off guard, Haowei’s face collided with Si Lan’s, their noses lightly touching. In an instant, the fragrance became stronger, so intense that it made his heart race.
And the breath that Si Lan exhaled seemed even sweeter…
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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