CH 6

November 13th, 2022

In the original book, this segment of the script was a massive banquet with flesh served for every meal. Basically starting from when Xie Huai entered, Yan Sui never did another proper day’s work. Other than indescribable things it was just more indescribable things, in a hundred different varieties and incomparably colorful…… with an emphasis on describing how Xie Huai was unyielding, and how Yan Sui’s ferocious urge for conquest was instead subdued.

As an abusive, forceful, dog-blood novel where bodies were moved before hearts and the noble and pure protagonist shou was gradually loved because of how he refused to be conquered, it really wasn’t a very unique plot.

But in many cases, things that were cliché had their reasons for existing.

For example, in any kind of showdown where both parties have piled up their chips, the loser always has to pay out a little something.

It was just a pity that no matter how perfect and stunning Xie Huai was, Fang Li wouldn’t force himself to go sleep with a man. Luckily, he also didn’t need to be with Xie Huai every single moment.

This segment of the script spanned roughly over a month. The book seemed like it described that for a very long time, but taking everything into account, only a couple nights were described in detail, so it wouldn’t actually take too much time. This was the difference between reality and a book—romance could never be the whole of life.

The only thing that needed attention was this sentence written in the book: The demon lord stayed in Yuyi-jun’s room night after night, lingering until he forgot about returning.

Night after night.

It looked like he would have to live with Xie Huai for this period of time. But that wasn’t a huge problem; he could just treat it as having a roommate. Xie Huai didn’t seem like the type to talk much, and as long as he didn’t bother Xie Huai, Xie Huai definitely wouldn’t bother him.

A quiet, peaceful roommate who didn’t cause trouble and was even easy on the eyes. Fang Li thought that was one hundred percent hard to come by.

Fang Li had people clear out the side hall for Xie Huai, and considering that he himself would have to live there for this period of time, all of the furnishings in the side hall were as comfortable as could be. After all, Fang Li didn’t intend on making himself suffer.

When everything was prepared, and seeing that the sky was getting dark, Fang Li went out.

The System was so moved that a river of tears flowed down its face. It had almost thought the host wasn’t planning to go; to think that the host actually still remembered to follow the plot!

【 Fang Li laughed: You thought I wasn’t going to go. 】

【The System laughed drily: I didn’t. 】Isn’t it all because you kept not sticking to the script all those times?! And each time you were full of excuses, I’m traumatized now, okay?

But who would care about a System’s trauma?

Fang Li laughed and shook his head.

He didn’t intend to get too intimate with Xie Huai, but just living together wasn’t a big deal. Plus, he still needed to act it out for other people to see. This part of the script couldn’t be cut.

If he just brought Xie Huai over here and left him alone, how would he broadcast his “favoritism”?

After all, not too long from now, he had to deeply “fall for” Xie Huai and lose his wits for him. If it was too abrupt, it wouldn’t be very believable.

On most days, the demon lord’s palace was extremely empty. Other than himself, there were only the demonic servants waiting on him. Because the side hall had been empty, after clearing it out today and replenishing it with furniture and goods, there was actually a bit more of a presence of life.

As soon as he walked into the courtyard, he noticed an object being thrown outside. It just happened to land by his feet with a loud crash, shattering to pieces.

He lowered his eyes to look. The shattered jade fragments had a flawless, smooth luster. At a glance, it was obviously high-quality jade, but it was a pity that the original shape was impossible to discern now. Although, scattered nearby, there were also whips, ropes, bells, chains……

Cough.

Fang Li thought he might have guessed what that jade object had been. He covered his mouth with his fist in a twinge of discomfort and slightly adjusted his expression before walking inside, looking indifferent.

Two demonic servants dressed all in black immediately knelt to the ground, trembling with fear as they said, “Your, Your Excellency, Yuyi-jun refuses to let us approach.”

Xie Huai sat upright on the edge of the bed, his slender stature tall and upright, his posture unhurried. Sitting there calm and composed, it seemed like he was the master, and Fang Li was an unwelcome guest.

Xie Huai lifted his eyes minutely. The dark eyes that looked at Fang Li were distant and profound without a trace of warmth.

The demonic servants crouched on the ground, shaking with terror, not daring to raise their heads. According to reason, His Excellency’s pet lovers had to be properly trained a bit and prepared before giving to His Excellency to enjoy, but Xie Huai was really a tough bone to pick. Even without his cultivation, he didn’t fear them the least and didn’t even consider them worth his notice. They also didn’t dare use force in fear of harming His Excellency’s person, so they’d been locked in this stalemate.

Letting His Excellency see this spectacle was a show of incompetence……

Recalling His Excellency’s past methods, the two demonic servants trembled like leaves.

Fang Li lifted the corner of his mouth by a hair, the curve of his mouth cold and cruel. His dark, ruthless gaze swept casually over them, and he said blandly, “Useless garbage, you can’t even do this much. Get out.”

The two demonic servants suddenly let out a relieved sigh. To think that they’d escaped with their lives—they frantically retreated, half-crawling away! As for Xie Huai, now that he’d angered His Excellency, when His Excellency dealt his hand, he’d naturally suffer a fate worse than death!

After the two servants left, Fang Li waved his hand, and the large doors closed shut. Only he and Xie Huai were left.

He advanced a step and looked at Xie Huai.

Xie Huai’s eyes were also raised to look at him, devoid of anger or fear, only sitting there serenely, as if he’d already been waiting for a long time.

But Fang Li didn’t continue to step forward.

Since he’d changed the plot and hadn’t completely crippled Xie Huai, it was hard to guarantee that there wouldn’t be ripple effects. In the original work, Xie Huai had managed to re-cultivate even under those circumstances, so it was clear he had his hidden trump cards and unique abilities. Main characters were naturally different from other people, and Xie Huai had always been someone to plan first and act later, his stratagems profound…… Fang Li definitely wouldn’t underestimate Xie Huai and think that some trifling Soul-Sealing Pins could thoroughly ensure his safety.

The Soul-Sealing Pins were only a stopgap measure, and Xie Huai still had to be guarded against. Fang Li didn’t want to see a situation where he and Xie Huai engaged in a course of mutual destruction.

Actually, his original intention not to get too intimate with Xie Huai did indeed fulfill the requirements for them to interact peacefully for the time being……

After all, rather than risking his life and putting himself in danger to assassinate Fang Li, the chances of success were much higher if he waited until he could break through the seal before coming to kill him. The difference between the two was only a matter of time…… as long as he didn’t pressure Xie Huai too much, Xie Huai was a smart person, so he would naturally recognize which path was more favorable.

As for himself, he only needed to give Xie Huai one impression: Xie Huai could take his time killing him, there was no need to rush.

Since there was a method with no downsides, what need was there to engage in the path of mutual destruction?

Fang Li’s disdainful gaze swept past the floor full of “toys” and he carelessly curved his lips into a smile. In a ridiculing voice, he said slowly, “The whole world says Yuyi-jun is a prodigy rarely seen in a thousand years, and given time, is sure to become a Unified Dao true immortal…… Not only Cloudbank Keep, but all of the righteous sects view you as the pride of your young generation. If they knew that you’ve become this lord’s plaything, those fellows’ faces would definitely be interesting to see.”

Xie Huai’s expression didn’t change. This was probably the reason Fang Li had kept him by his side. He’d already guessed as much earlier, so hearing it from his own mouth right now wasn’t actually much of a surprise.

“Right now, you’ve fallen into this lord’s hands. The days ahead are long, and this lord has plenty of ways to make you comply……” Fang Li looked askance at Xie Huai, his tone meaningful. “You’d best think carefully. Don’t refuse a toast now only to be forced to drink a forfeit later.”

That should count as a threat, probably……

Xie Huai looked at the face of the man before him. Although his mouth was full of those kinds of words, his expression was calm and amiable without the least bit of cruelty or murderous intent. Rather than calling it a threat…… it would be more accurate to say that he was reassuring him that “the days ahead were long”—that was giving him time to consider, then.

At this thought, Xie Huai felt incredibly absurd…… It couldn’t be that he was going to wait until he was willing and eager? He wouldn’t see that day in this lifetime.

Perhaps those weren’t his true intentions, but at least one point was certain. He didn’t have any intentions at all towards himself, so he naturally wouldn’t really do anything to him……

After finishing his speech, Fang Li stopped paying attention to what Xie Huai was thinking, and he didn’t need an answer from Xie Huai, either……Anyways, no matter how much he said, Xue Huai wouldn’t believe it and would only think that he had some kind of secret plot. But as long as he didn’t make a move, Xie Huai wouldn’t struggle with him to the grave right now.

Fang Li sat upright before the table, opened the incense burner, and started to light the incense.

It was already the second time. Xie Huai definitely knew that this was sedative incense, but Fang Li just calmly lit the incense right in front of him without the slightest intention of concealing it.

Xie Huai lowered his gaze and hid the derisive expression on his face, slowly closing his eyes.

After a moment, Fang Li turned around, and seeing that the other man was already asleep, he slowly stood up and walked over, then reached out to give Xie Huai’s wrist a tug—pulling him towards the inside of the bed.

The bed was soft and spacious, and sleeping four wouldn’t be a problem. Fang Li couldn’t go as far as to put two beds in his pet lover’s room, but he still had to sleep somewhere during this month’s time, right? So he could only squeeze in with Xie Huai.

Right now, the benefits of a large bed became apparent.

Fang Li patted the mattress, wrapped his robes around him and lay down, then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

System: …… The host sure can sleep. His state of mind is pretty good.

Xie Huai lay quietly to one side, maintaining the posture that Fang Li had pulled him into, unmoving. Just then, in the split second that Fang Li had touched him, he had already been prepared to make a move, with this close of a distance……

But the other’s slightly cool fingertips had only touched him for a moment before moving away, so quickly it felt like an illusion, leaving only an almost imperceptible feeling of contact…… Cold as ice, not like a living person.

Immediately after, Fang Li laid down beside him and stopped moving.

If not for the faint breathing that was still there, Xie Huai would almost have thought that what was beside him was a corpse.

Wherever this person went, what he brought was death and terror, to the point that no one noticed his sickly, pale as ash face, his thin, ice-cold frame…… As if the one about to step through death’s door, was him.

…………………………

Originally, Fang Li had only slept lightly. After all, with that kind of person beside him, he couldn’t be too relaxed or careless, but maybe it was because the bed was too soft or because the incense aroma was too cozy, even though he’d already taken a poison neutralizing pill earlier, he’d slept as deeply as if he’d been affected by the sedative incense.

After waking and turning his head, he saw that Xie Huai was sleeping even more deeply than himself, clearly still under the effects of the incense. Only then did Fang Li relax.

He got up and ordered the servants outside to bring food.

When the room was full of luxurious dishes, Fang Li started eating by himself without waiting for Xie Huai to join him, then left before Xie Huai woke up.

Since he’d decided to harmoniously get along with his roommate, maintaining an appropriate sense of distance was an important point in not making his straight roommate uncomfortable.

Fang Li began a lifestyle of leaving early and returning late.

After having breakfast, he’d go take care of his affairs, pass some time, and occasionally listen to Wu Yimei’s reports about his work, and then he’d return to Xie Huai’s after having dinner.

Because of Fang Li’s order, everyone knew that His Excellency’s possessiveness was extremely strong, and he didn’t like it when others touched Xie Huai, so no one else dared to go bother Xie Huai, to the point that they didn’t even dare to approach the side hall.

During this period, the two of them got along just as Fang Li had imagined: peacefully without trouble, and with the mutual respect of guests.

Lighting incense, sleeping, getting up, leaving, returning, lighting incense, sleeping…… there was almost no interaction between them, to avoid too much awkwardness.

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed.

That night, Fang Li arrived at Xie Huai’s room again. He’d gradually found the manner that made himself most comfortable. With practiced motions, he’d make Xie Huai pass out, then fish out something like a story book or biography and leisurely start reading. When he started to get drowsy, he’d get in bed and sleep. Other than the lack of a phone or computer, his lifestyle was about the same as before he’d transmigrated, regular like clockwork.

Gradually, Fang Li even started to admire himself a little. He’d never thought a day would come where he’d become an expert at using sedative incense. Reaching the level he was at, being able to recklessly light the incense, could also be considered pretty unparalleled, right?

After all, traditionally, this sort of thing relied on catching the other party unawares. Who would do it right to the victim’s face?

Even he himself thought it was a little overly insane.

After Fang “Reckless” Li finished lighting the incense, he lay down leisurely and contentedly next to Xie Huai. He’d already passed this many peaceful nights, and he had the deepest faith in the efficacy of the incense. At first he’d slept fairly lightly, but later, he could fall asleep very quickly. The person beside him had a cold fragrance that seeped into you, like the air on a snowy mountain—although freezing, it gave you an indescribable feeling of peace.

Fang Li quickly fell asleep.

All alone, he trudged through the wind and snow, an expanse of blinding white all around, deserted without a trace of human presence. Towering skyscrapers were hidden amongst the white fog, occasionally revealing a sinister gray corner. He couldn’t see the road beneath his feet, and he couldn’t recognize the way home. He didn’t know why he was here, and he didn’t know why he hadn’t gone home. After pondering for a very long time, he finally remembered. There was no one waiting for him at home anymore.

So, there wasn’t much difference whether he went back or not.

Inside the fog, the howling and wailing of the wind permeated one’s consciousness. He was dressed very lightly, and he could feel the temperature getting lower and lower. At first, it felt very cold, but gradually, even the feeling of cold was gone.

He thought, forget it, this was fine.

No matter which direction he went in, there wasn’t any difference, anyway. Then what was the point of wasting his energy?

But he somehow still felt a little reluctant to just give up like this……

Fang Li stood where he was, mulling it over for a second. He decided to take one step, just one more step.

If he still couldn’t find his way out, he might as well just lie down.

Fang Li carelessly took a step forward. But who could’ve known that his foot stepped onto nothing, and he suddenly started to plummet. With a crash, he fell into pool of spring water. The spring water was boiling hot, and all around were snowy white mountains. It didn’t have the least bit of the atmosphere of the modern age, like it was a whole different world.

Vast and tranquil, like a heavenly paradise.

Even though this world was also cold, in the middle of all this snow and ice, there just happened to be a warm spring.

The warmth spread through his body bit by bit, gradually reviving his paralyzed nerves, and his rigid fingers slowly recovered their feeling. He decided he might as well adjust his posture, only leaving his head above the surface of the water, contentedly soaking in the warm spring amidst the snowy, glacial landscape.

He didn’t know what kind of place this was, but he wanted to linger, a little reluctant to leave.

Fang Li slept groggily, and in the middle of being half asleep and half awake, he started to feel like the spring was starting to get too hot, as if it was about to boil over……

He hazily opened his eyes, then immediately snapped awake.

“……”

【 Fang Li: Why didn’t you remind me that my sleeping posture was bad? 】

【 System: You didn’t ask me to. 】 Actually, it hadn’t noticed either. The System wasn’t standing at attention 24/7 either, okay……

With a wooden face, Fang Li retrieved the hand that had been placed on Xie Huai’s waist, then gently removed his leg from on top of Xie Huai’s leg. Then he breathed in deeply, staring at the other party’s perfect, flawless profile, propped himself up with one arm, and increased the distance between them at the speed of light.

After completing all of this, Fang Li finally exhaled. Luckily, Xie Huai had been knocked out.

Maybe it was because this period of time had been too peaceful, and Xie Huai had appeared far too nonthreatening, making him relax his vigilance and do something like this. Normally, he was incredibly proper when he slept.

Fang Li felt a rare moment of apology and a bit ill at ease. Clearly the person beside him was still asleep, but the space still felt cramped enough to make him uneasy, as if a pair of eyes was staring at him…… He decided to leave quietly, except that when he suddenly turned his head to look, he found that after a few days had passed, the marks on Xie Huai’s neck had disappeared. He sunk into thought for a bit.

As everyone knew, he and Xie Huai had “passionate showdowns night after night.” If there wasn’t a single trace, it would definitely arouse others’ suspicion.

It looked like it’d need a little fixing up.

Fang Li reached out to pull down Xie Huai’s collar, revealing his pale, slender neck. He composed himself before leaning closer and extending his hand to pinch Xie Huai’s neck…… but just at that moment, the eyelashes of the man who’d been deeply asleep stirred minutely, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Fang Li fell into the other’s deep, frigid eyes, and his expression shifted a fraction. His hand, which had been just a breadth away from the other’s neck, abruptly froze.

…………………………

The Author Has Something to Say:

Fang Li: “Oh, hi.”