CH 21

Chapter 21: Rain Mist and Warm Spring

The rain mist enveloped the surroundings, and under the wash of rainwater, the moss between the rocks shimmered with a faint emerald glow.

Droplets adorned the colorful mountain flowers, hanging from the branches. The wind carried the scattered petals, and a delicate fragrance filled the air.

Walking beneath the flower vines, the white bamboo umbrella collected fallen petals. The hand holding the umbrella was slender and fair, with faint veins visible beneath the skin. With a slight tilt, ink-like eyebrows and eyes appeared below the edge of the umbrella.

In an instant, Yun Zhao's mind exploded.

He stood dumbfounded in place, his pounding heart suddenly frozen. The clamor brought by the rain mist gradually faded away, leaving only the figure of the approaching person in his eyes.

"Are you dazed from being soaked?"

The white bamboo umbrella shielded the pouring rain until Ao Yu reached his side, and only then did Yun Zhao recover his senses.

He turned his face slightly, coughed lightly to conceal his momentary distraction, and then smiled, "Why are you here?"

Ao Yu looked at him, lowered the umbrella towards the young man, and said, "Who told you not to bring an umbrella."

"Hehe..." Yun Zhao wiped the rainwater off his face and smiled apologetically, "It's my fault. I troubled the young master to come personally."

"I'm just worried you'll get sick and have no one to cook for you," Ao Yu said indifferently, glancing over the top of Yun Zhao's head, and then added in a soft voice, "Let's go."

Wu Mu was used to being wild, so it transformed into a small child and pulled the cart, walking ahead on its own.

Luo Xue initially wanted to follow along but disliked getting wet by the rain, so it continued to nestle in Yun Zhao's arms.

The white kitten rested its head in the nape of Yun Zhao's neck, greedily rubbing against it, sniffing the lingering scent of bread and milk. It purred contentedly.

The soft fur of the cat tickled Yun Zhao's ear, making him unable to suppress a soft chuckle.

The pleasant laughter caught Ao Yu's attention.

The youth still wore the same simple moon-white robe. A faint smile adorned his lips as he spoke quietly to the white kitten. With a slight bow of his head, one could catch a whiff of his clean scent.

Ao Yu lowered his gaze. Despite the umbrella not being particularly large, it brought the two of them walking side by side, their shoulders occasionally brushing against each other, allowing the warmth of their bodies to transmit through the fabric of their clothes.

"Yun Zhao, come quickly!" In his absentmindedness, Wu Mu's voice came from up ahead.

"I'm coming!"

Yun Zhao shielded his head with his hand and ran toward the black-clad child, holding Luo Xue.

The dark ends of their hair clung together in strands, and the wet, sticky mud splattered on their clothes.

Ao Yu held up the umbrella, silently observing, while an inexplicable ache surged in his heart.

He extended his hand, feeling the icy rainwater in his palm. The familiar sensation made him look up and gaze intently at the fallen petals washed away by the rain.

A faint sense of sorrow and reluctance, like vines in the darkness, grew and spread within him. His light golden pupils gently closed, and an almost imperceptible sigh was swallowed by the rain mist.

As a dragon capable of controlling winds and rains, he now couldn't even stop a rain shower for him.

"Ao Yu, Ao Yu!"

The youth's call brought Ao Yu back to reality. Yun Zhao's entire body was soaked by the rain, but he was excitedly hopping around in the distance.

Like a little rabbit.

"Ao Yu, come over here! There are so many small puddles here, it's so much fun!"

Yun Zhao placed Luo Xue on a rock and splashed into a puddle, the sound of his clothes swishing.

The splashing water hit Wu Mu's face, leaving him stunned for a moment, but then he quickly recovered and revealed a mischievous expression.

"Hmph, how dare you splash water on me? Watch how I'll get back at you! Take this!"

He jumped straight into the puddle, waving his hands in a playful manner, but unintentionally almost splashed Luo Xue who was watching from the sidelines.

Wu Mu covered his face and said, "Oh no!"

Luo Xue angrily joined the fray, and together with Yun Zhao, the two of them ganged up on Wu Mu, splashing him until he looked like he crawled out of a mud pit. The scene descended into chaos.

The carefree laughter drew Ao Yu closer. Inadvertently, their eyes met amidst the laughter and playfulness.

With just one glance, the melancholy in his heart was smoothed away.

Ao Yu composed himself, casting a disdainful look and muttered, "Only pigs like playing in the mud," before walking past them without a second glance, continuing on his way.

Yun Zhao and the two kitten cubs were left dumbfounded in their original spots.

Ao Yu brushed aside the glossy branches and heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind.

Yun Zhao held one of the dirty kittens in his hand and shouted, "Ao Yu, wait for me! Why are you walking so fast? Wait up!"

Ao Yu's long eyelashes trembled slightly, concealing the smile at the corner of his mouth, and he replied coldly, "Hurry up, filthy ghost."

"Hey, I'm not that dirty... Slow down! Hey, Wu Mu, stop moving around, I can't hold onto you anymore!"

Listening to the youth's flustered voice, Ao Yu slowed down his pace until they were walking side by side again.

...

Back at Yuming Mountain, the rain still hadn't stopped.

Yun Zhao looked at the sky puzzledly and muttered, "It's not even the rainy season, but the recent rainy days are too frequent."

Ao Yu glanced at the heavy clouds for a moment, then withdrew his gaze. He handed the wet clothes he was holding to Yun Zhao and urged him, "Don't fidget around, go soak in the hot spring."

Feeling the noticeably smooth and soft undergarment, Yun Zhao asked, "Is this from the batch made by Fairy Xiaguang? That was fast!"

"She sent some simpler ones first," Ao Yu explained absentmindedly while tidying up the delivered boxes. Then he frowned and looked at Yun Zhao. "You talk too much, go wash up quickly!"

"Alright, alright!" Yun Zhao happily took the clothes and headed towards the hot spring. He even brought the two mischievous kittens, and Sun Yang, who were trying to sneak away.

The hot spring was filled with warm steam, and Yun Zhao immersed himself in the comforting warmth of the water, letting out a contented sigh.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed that apart from Sun yang obediently lying in his own little pool, both Luo Xue and Wu Mu remained motionless, squatting at the edge of the pool.

Yun Zhao splashed water on both of them, saying, "You were so excited just now, why are you suddenly afraid of water?"

Wu Mu grumbled and mumbled but refused to come down. He even started moving his little bottom backward.

Yun Zhao swiftly caught both of them, skillfully brought over a small wooden basin, and put the two kitten cubs inside.

Then, employing a familiar trick, he took out a few small rubber ducks and placed a couple of them on the water surface while the remaining two were put on top of the kittens' heads.

"Don't you like duckies anymore?" Yun Zhao pinched one of the rubber ducks and made it quack twice.

Luo Xue reluctantly sat down and allowed Yun Zhao to wash him.

Wu Mu, who was seeing these ducks for the first time, touched them with his paws and discovered that they could make sounds. His playful nature awakened, and he grabbed one duck with his front paws and pressed on it frantically.

Yun Zhao sympathized with the poor rubber duck for a second, then seized the opportunity to give Wu Mu a bath.

Once the two dirty little kittens regained their beauty, Yun Zhao finally relaxed and enjoyed his own soak.

As he closed his eyes and indulged in the moment, Wu Mu licked his paws and gently patted Yun Zhao's cheek.

"Hey, what's up?" Yun Zhao opened his eyes.

Wu Mu tilted his head and asked, "How are you planning to organize the Wolf Clan's banquet?"

Yun Zhao pondered for a moment and asked Wu Mu, "What were the previous banquets like?"

Wu Mu thought for a while, looking somewhat disdainful. "They were just ordinary banquets, various celestial fruits and spirit wines, along with some miscellaneous pastries. Not much meat, just for the sake of presentation."

As if recalling something, Wu Mu added, "Oh, by the way, there was one banquet hosted by your Mountain Spirit Clan that was quite good. They made soft cakes using herbs from your clan's land, and the old folks like Kongming ate a lot!"

"I see..."

Yun Zhao smiled with satisfaction. Although he had run out of herbs in his hands, the ones in the spirit field should have grown well. He could go take a look tomorrow.

With newfound confidence, Yun Zhao enjoyed the pleasant sensation brought by the hot spring and stood up, taking a silk cloth to wipe himself dry.

Inside the room, a faint cold fragrance wafted from the incense burner, dispersing the earthy smell left by the rain.

The delivery from Xiaguang arrived quickly. She sent over two large and one small box.

Ao Yu had nothing to do, so besides one box for himself, the other large box was all for Yun Zhao's undergarments.

He waved his hand, causing the clothes to float into the wardrobe to hang. His peripheral vision caught sight of another inconspicuous small box, and he hesitated, halting his actions.

Were they custom-made accessories and waist ornaments?

Ao Yu furrowed his brows, picked up the small box hesitantly, and felt that it was too light.

"Click."

He removed the jade lock from the box and opened it directly. Once he saw the contents inside, he closed the box again with a "snap."

The sound of the lock closing echoed crisply in the quiet room.

Ao Yu's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and uncertainly, he opened the box once more.

Inside lay a garment, and his fingers, with distinct knuckles, lightly traced along the edges. It felt smooth as it slid from his fingertips, leaving only a cold sensation.

He noticed that there was also a note in the box. Ao Yu opened it and read the message written by Xiaguang.

Xiaguang: A wedding gift, I hope the Divine Lord likes it~

"Tsk." Ao Yu irritably crumbled the note into powder. He was about to close the box when, as if compelled by some unknown force, he picked it up again.

The garment was thin and partially transparent, emitting a faint blush under the candlelight. If worn by that person, it would barely cover the chest, and the dangling pearl strands would gently chime with every movement.

As a long sigh resounded in the room, Ao Yu rubbed his forehead, feeling an unusual headache from the delicate garment in the box.

Just as he was contemplating, Yun Zhao pushed open the door.

"These two little kittens, Wu Mu and Luo Xue, are really difficult to bathe. We can't let them be so unruly next time."

Fresh out of the hot spring, Yun Zhao was still draped in a light green silk cloth, smiling foolishly as he entered.

Ao Yu inexplicably felt that the young man looked like a freshly cooked zongzi—meaty and fragrant.

The black hair of the "zongzi" hung over his chest, emitting a lingering steam from the bath in the warm room.

Water droplets remained in his damp hair, sliding down his neck and seeping into the garment.

Ao Yu averted his gaze, curling his fingers into his sleeves, resisting the impulse to peel the zongzi open.

"Have they gone to sleep?" Ao Yu casually found a topic, trying to distract himself from the strange thoughts in his mind.

"They have, they have. They played so wildly today and I gave them a good bath. They were too tired to lift their heads before even leaving the hot spring."

Yun Zhao glanced around for a moment, noticing the wide-open wardrobe and the two large boxes at Ao Yu's feet. "Are you organizing the clothes?"

He placed the silk cloth on the bird and flower jade screen and smiled, saying, "Which ones are mine? I'll take care of them myself."

Ao Yu lightly coughed, shaking his head in response. "No need, I've already sorted them."

"Is that so?"

Yun Zhao stretched lazily, and his peripheral vision caught sight of a small box on the table beside Ao Yu.

He approached curiously and asked, "Isn't there another one? What's inside?"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab it.