Chapter 81: Don't take an aphrodisiac

There's a right way to handle Han Yu's sudden prostration, and a wrong way, and Xi Zirui has never been so tempted in his life.

It takes all he has to lower himself to the floor and pull Han Yu up by the elbow.

"Han Yu did nothing wrong," he says, looking into Han Yu's confused, worried eyes and pulling the ends of his robe closer around his neck. "This master knows Han Yu was just trying to preserve his identity in front of Blood Crane sect members, and doesn't begrudge him taking the initiative."

"Shizun...," his voice wavers. "This disciple doesn't understand."

It takes a considerable amount of energy for Xi Zirui not to sigh loudly. "There is nothing to understand, this master doesn't wish to punish his disciple for trying evade detection."

Han Yu lowers his eyes and sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, the kind of unconscious unaffected gesture that spells devastation for Xi Zirui's thin grasp on self-control.

"But...this disciple touched Shizun inappropriately." 

It should be impossible for a person to be this repressed, Xi Zirui wants to scream. 

He cups Han Yu's jaw and looks up into his humid eyes, willing him to believe his words. "There is nothing to punish. Han Yu did nothing wrong."

"Congratulations Host! Han Yu's admiration up by +2 points. Now at 30 of a possible 100 points."

It's a good thing admiration has been increasing steadily, but Xi Zirui still doesn't know what he's supposed to do to increase Han Yu's cultivation level.

To say nothing of Li Siqi's, whom is severely lagging behind.

After a long, tense pause, Han Yu finally nods and Xi Zirui lets his hand drop with a sigh of relief.

"They suspect who we are," Han Yu says, his beautiful lashes shuttered over his dark eyes. "What is Shizun going to do?"

Xi Zirui sits down on the bed and crosses his legs, humming to himself. "Do you think your shijie would let herself get caught?"

"Shijie is very cautious," Han Yu says, his eyes flicker upwards towards Xi Zirui for a moment, in careful consideration. "After Shizun told her she would never have a spiritual weapon shortly before going into seclusion, she decided to give up weapon's training and focus solely on martial arts and stealth training."

Ah, right. The original's A+ teaching strikes again.

"She has become a master of disguise, and this disciple believes shijie would be able to escape if discovered."

Xi Zirui can't help finding the way he defends Li Siqi extremely charming. It reminds him of their sibling relationship in the previous world.

Sometimes he feels as if all these words are trying to show him a broader picture that keeps eluding him. As if they're all part of an impressionist painting but Xi Zirui is standing too close to the painting and can only make out chaotic brushstrokes instead of a clear image.

"It's a testament to her skills that she managed to follow them this far," Xi Zirui says, pacing the cramped bedroom. 

He's going to make a gamble, and he can't afford to be wrong. "I think your shijie let herself be caught on purpose." 

"Why would she do that?" Han Yu asks.

"That's what we're going to find out, tonight."

---

Bai Mi suspects them, and it's only logical she'd make her move at night, when she expects them to be more vulnerable.

That's exactly when they'll try to sneak into hers, and her disciple's rooms, and hopefully find Li Siqi.

Until then, however, they'll have to make it seem as if they're really turning in for the night.

Xi Zirui has Han Yu go downstairs to call for food the be brought up, a simple selection of rice, braised pork, and steamed vegetables.

"Did you see anything downstairs?" Xi Zirui asks, picking at the food in his bowl listlessly. Han Yu has checked the food for poisons and any consciousness altering agents and found nothing, Xi Zirui almost wishes he had so he would have a good enough excuse to find something less bland to eat.

"No, Shizun, everything was quiet," Han Yu says, digging into his food with much greater appetite than Xi Zirui. 

Xi Zirui continues to pick at his food, and eventually Han Yu takes notice.

"If the meal isn't to Shizun's liking I can order something else," he says. "Or, I can go downstairs and ask to use the kitchens and make something for Shizun."

Why is Han Yu like this? So eager to please, so desperate for approval, it's doing things to Xi Zirui - none of them good.

"There's no need," he says, shoving a large mouthful of rice into his mouth to prove his point. "The food is just bland, I would prefer a little more spice."

Han Yu gives Xi Zirui a curious look and smiles around his chopsticks. "This disciple will remember that, for future meals."

---

Things only become worse for Xi Zirui's frail mental state once they get into bed together.

The thin barrier of both their under robes isn't doing much when they have to navigate the narrow bed, and Han Yu's stupidly long legs.

One of those legs is currently shoved up between Xi Zirui's thighs and dangerously close to some very sensitive areas.

Their breath mixes visibly in the cold room, and Han Yu's arms come around Xi  Zirui's shoulders rubbing up and down to generate friction.

"Is Shizun cold?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No, I'm fine," Xi Zirui says. His self-control is already hanging by a thread, he doesn't know what he'll do if Han Yu gets even closer.

Unfortunately for him this prolonged torture will have to last until Bai Mi makes her move, and hopefully trips their paralyzing talismans.

Until then he has to grit his teeth and handle Han Yu's unbearable closeness without revealing the effects it has on him.

Bai Mi is more patient than he gave her credit for, because more than an hour has gone by, with no sign of her.

The threat of actually falling asleep becomes a real danger, and Xi Zirui has to fight the drowsiness weighting down his eyelids.

"Shizun, I think there was something...," Han Yu says, fighting the same battle Xi Zirui is currently losing. "Some-something..."

Xi Zirui doesn't find out the end of that train of thought because Han Yu falls asleep with one last fluttering exhale, his head knocking against Xi Zirui's shoulder in a boneless stupor.

Fuck, the tea!

They checked the food but not the tea kettle already in the room. 

How easy would it have been for someone to slip inside while they were in the hot springs and slip something in it?

"Ni Ni, wake the fuck up!" he hisses into the silent room, Han Yu's sleeping form weighting down on him. "Show me the system shop, now."

To her credit, Ni Ni complies without fuss, but Xi Zirui only sees useless item after useless item, none of them likely to help him stave off the effects of the sleeping draught.

"Host, Ni Ni has an idea, but isn't sure if Host will like it," she doesn't wait to hear his answer before showing him an a delicate silk pillbox.

Under the image, the description reads: "Fervent Lover: Go on as many rounds as you want without tiring. Never disappoint your partner with your lackluster stamina ever again! Side effects include: increased libido, a fetching flush, abnormal lubrication, and insomnia."

That sounds like such a bad time, holy shit.

"Do you have literally anything else?" Xi Zirui asks with a panicked hiss.

Does he even want to know what 'abnormal lubrication' means?

"I'm sorry Host, that's the only item in the system shop that Host has enough credits to buy and that can preventing him from succumbing to sleep."

By making him succumb to lust instead?! Xi Zirui really hates his life sometimes.

"Fine, buy it," he say through gritted teeth, making a valiant effort to stay alert despite the sweet pull of oblivion closing in on him.

Ni Ni expends his experience points and the pillbox appears in Xi Zirui's hand. 

Incredibly drowsy he manages to swallow down one of them.

And then waits for the terrible time he's about to have.

---

He doesn't have to wait long. Just as the creeping shroud of sleep is lifting from his eyes, being replaced with a simmering heat burning below his navel, the sound of footsteps outside their door alerts him.

Xi Zirui goes still under Han Yu's body, faking sleep.

Bai Mi is the first inside the room, threading carefully over the wooden boards.

Her long hair is pulled into a high tail on top of her head, swaying behind her back with every step. Her red and black robes fall into decadent layers of silver to the floor, their hems kissing her slippered feet like a whisper.

She smirks as soon as she sees both Han Yu and Xi Zirui entangled in the bed.

"Well, well, if it isn't Grandmaster Xi in the arms of his disciple," she crosses her arms in front of her chest. "And his brat had the nerve to admonish me."

Liao Min slips into the room after her and closes the door behind her. "Be careful, Shizun, who knows what tricks they might have been up to."

Bai Mi scoffs. "They're out like logs. Really, a master and his two disciples...to say nothing of their sect leader," she shakes her head with a derisive laugh," this really is a great haul for our Blood Crane sect. Help me move them."

She moves to the feet of the bed, and Liao Min to the head, ready to drag both Xi Zirui and Han Yu out of the room. As soon as they entered the room, a paralyzing agent has been seeping into the air, activated by the talismans they tripped.

Xi Zirui and Han Yu took an antidote before activating the trap - not that it makes much difference in Han Yu's case, unfortunately.

It only takes a few seconds before both Bai Mi and Liao Min drop to the floor like stones, their bodies curled in unnatural positions and their eyes moving wildly around their orbits.

Xi Zirui gets up from the bed with much effort. His skin feels like it's burning up and there's an unpleasant wetness sliding down his legs that he absolutely does not want to think about.

He needs to find Li Siqi, quickly.

Putting on his outer robes haphazardly, he make his way out of the room and into the hallway, steadying himself against the walls.

He opens five empty rooms before finally getting lucky.

A room with a single lit candle, where Ji Limei is sleeping on the bed, and Li Siqi is sitting on a low cot with her back against the wall's wooden panel.

Her eyes widen in shock as soon as she sees him. "Shizun? But- Shizun was in seclusion..."

He haves away her questions with a groan. "We don't have time for that. You need to help me wake up Han Yu so that we can handle Blood Crane and find the sect leader," he says, speaking quietly not to rouse Ji Limei.

Li Siqi shows him her bound wrists, and he rushes to her side, wavering with each step.

She gives him an odd look but doesn't say anything about his flushed appearance. Trying to untie her binds with his fingers doesn't do anything. 

He struggles with his waist sash and gets out Untold Sorrow. After a brief moment of uncertainty he uses the paper edge of the fan to slash through the rope around Li Siqi's wrists and release her.

"Is Shizun feeling alright?" she asks, looking worriedly at Xi Zirui's sweaty skin. "Did something happen?"

"Let's go, we don't have much time," Xi Zirui says, trying not to glare at her.

He's not about to admit that he's about to keel over from an extreme case of horny. Or excesses yang energy, like Physician Tang would have said.

Li Siqi stops him with a hand across his arm. "Shizun, this disciple has another idea."