Chapter 284: He Should Be Here
"There are only two paths you can take once you enter the Spiritual Lake."
"And why, pray tell, would I enter the Spiritual Lake in the first place? The air outside is perfectly pleasant and safer. Why would I willingly risk my life and comfort for a bath?"
"You are taking this far too lightly, Hen’er."
"And he is taking it far too seriously."
"I don’t want to play anymore if neither of you intends to treat the game with proper respect."
Hearing the familiar voices of Lan Meishan, Rong Yue, and Yan Wuhen bickering nearby, Ningyan’s first hazy thought was that he must have died and entered some afterlife.
His consciousness returned slowly, drifting back like a leaf caught on a gentle current. He felt weightless as nine enormous, impossibly soft, plush tails surrounded him, swaying lazily around his form and occasionally brushing against his cheeks.
Ningyan’s lashes trembled.
When his violet eyes finally opened, the high, carved ceiling of the chamber came into view, bathed in the soft glow of lanterns. His fingers curled against the sheets.
Rong Yue’s golden tiger ears twitched.
"The little bird is awake," he announced, relief in his deep voice.
Ningyan pushed himself upright, blinking sluggishly against the light as he rubbed his left eye with the back of his hand. "Wa—"
Before he could finish the syllable, the nine soft tails wrapped around him were suddenly engulfed in a shimmering red-gold light.
Yan Wuhen launched himself onto the bed.
Before Ningyan could even react, the nine-tailed fox had already pressed both palms against the sides of his head, leaning his body in so close that his long legs effectively caged him in place.
Those red-gold fox eyes sparkled with intoxicating radiance. "My Yan’er is awake!"
The delight in his voice was addictive.
Ningyan’s brows slowly furrowed. "You knocked me unconscious."
Wuhen’s shameless smile didn’t diminish in the slightest. "I did it because I love you from the deepest depths of my heart," he declared, leaning closer. "If it pleases my Yan’er, I can carve my own heart out right now and present it to you."
Ningyan’s expression twisted. "No."
"Or," Wuhen mused thoughtfully, his sharp eyes dancing with mischief, "I could go find someone else’s heart and give that to you instead."
"Yan Wuhen."
"Yes, Yan’er?"
"Get off me."
"Never," Wuhen purred, the word dripping playfully.
Without giving him a moment to brace himself, the fox leaned down and pressed a quick, lingering kiss straight to Ningyan’s lips.
Ningyan froze, his mind short-circuiting.
A burning red rushed up his neck, flooding his cheeks until even the tips of his ears were on fire.
"I’ve missed you, Yan’er," Wuhen slid lower, burying his face snugly against the crook of Ningyan’s neck with a deep, contented sigh. His nine massive tails flared out, curling around them both in a warm, cocooning embrace.
Ningyan’s fingers twitched against the bedsheets. The hot, intimate breath against his sensitive skin sent an involuntary shiver straight down his spine, catching the air in his throat.
Despite his outward exasperation, instead of shoving the shameless fox away, his slender fingers instinctively reached up and caught a tight grip of Wuhen’s sleeve.
Feeling exposed, Ningyan’s violet eyes flicked toward Rong Yue.
The Tiger beast was leaning casually against the bedpost, watching the spectacle unfold with an expression of amusement.
Ningyan’s flustered gaze darted away quickly.
Lan Meishan, meanwhile, acted as though Wuhen’s antics were nothing more than background noise he had long since grown immune to.
Sitting gracefully on the edge of the bed, the serpent beast reached out with ease and gently caressed the side of Ningyan’s heated face.
That familiar touch made Ningyan’s racing heart settle by the smallest degree.
"How do you feel, A-Yan?" Meishan asked softly.
"Disoriented," Ningyan swallowed hard, realizing his throat felt painfully dry, as though he had swallowed desert sand. "Thirsty.... And hungry."
"You will have everything you want."
Meishan whispered. Then his gaze moved toward Wuhen, who was still entirely occupied with Ningyan, kissing and nibbling at his sensitive neck with shameless determination.
"Yan Wuhen."
Meishan’s voice remained smooth and gentle. The threat beneath it, however, was impossible to miss.
Wuhen did not stop. Instead, he brushed the tip of his nose against the warm skin of Ningyan’s neck, deliberately tickling him.
A soft, breathless laugh escaped Ningyan before he could suppress it. Flushing, he brought his hands up and firmly pushed the nine-tailed fox back.
"Enough."
Wuhen allowed himself to be pushed away, though the smug satisfied curve of his lips made it blatantly obvious that he considered himself victorious.
Ningyan sat upright, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath.
Meishan handed him a jar of water. Ningyan accepted it without hesitation, tipping his head back and drinking until the parched ache in his throat finally eased.
It was only after setting the jar down that he felt the lingering heat on his skin and realized the state of his neck. Wuhen had succeeded in leaving several faint, rosy marks against his pale skin.
Ningyan touched one of the spots with his fingertips and frowned. His neck felt intensely sensitive after all that kissing and nibbling. And the fact that all of them were gathered together like this, surrounding him in his bedchamber with such casual intimacy... it gave him far too many thoughts.
Jun Haoxuan....
A tightness settled in Ningyan’s chest. Part of him was relieved that he didn’t have to face the Dragon beast king yet.
Another part of him didn’t understand why that relief felt so... heavy.
Meishan noticed the shift in his expression first. "What is wrong?"
Ningyan shook his head quickly, pulling his robes up higher. "Nothing. I’m fine."
Rong Yue gave him a knowing look from beside the bedpost. That blue gaze was far too perceptive.
Ningyan looked away, hating how transparent he felt. He was starving.
^°^
After bathing, Ningyan changed into loose, flowing white robes. His body still felt light but a dull ache lingered stubbornly behind his eyes.
While he ate, Meishan sat beside him, quietly explaining everything that had transpired over the past few days.
During those endless days, Jun Haoxuan had repeatedly attempted to reach the demon crystal within his body to stabilize it only for the corruption to react violently every single time.
"I don’t want anyone knocking me unconscious again," Ningyan frowned. "If you want to help me, then help me while I’m awake."
"Eat," Wuhen interrupted smoothly, placing another tender portion of meat directly into his bowl.
Ningyan glared at him. "I can feed myself."
"I know." Wuhen smiled brightly, his red-gold eyes sparkling with affection. "But I enjoy feeding you."
Ningyan huffed softly, but didn’t refuse the food.
Across the table, Wuhen and Rong Yue casually shared a long pipe between course servings.
The rhythm between them was so natural that Ningyan found himself staring.
"Well..." Wuhen took a long, lingering drag before letting the scented smoke drift lazily from his lips. The faint red-gold glow of his eyes through the white mist made the simple gesture look so attractive.
"We are going to stay here until you get your memories back," Wuhen said smoothly, passing the pipe toward Rong Yue.
Meishan answered before Ningyan could open his mouth. "I already told him."
Rong Yue accepted the pipe, taking a slow, relaxed drag as he leaned back.
Ningyan lowered his eyes toward his bowl, his chopsticks picking at the grains of rice. A heavy silence settled over the table for a long moment before he finally spoke, "If we’re going to do that..."
His fingers tightened around his chopsticks. "...then he should be here."
All three beasts stared at him with three distinctly different expressions of surprise.
Until Rong Yue’s lips slowly curled into a purring, mischievous arc. "Who should be here?"
A burning heat rushed up Ningyan’s neck. He slowly straightened his back, lifted his chin, and met their gazes head-on.
"Jun Haoxuan." The name came out clearly, spoken with his full chest. "He should be here."
Rong Yue’s smile widened into a full smirk. Wuhen’s ears shot straight upright in shock. Meishan’s emerald eyes widened behind his spectacles, his hand pausing mid-air.
Ningyan’s face grew hotter and hotter beneath their combined, unblinking attention. Unable to take the heavy silence a second longer, he slammed his chopsticks down against the tabletop.
"There. I said it!" He glared fiercely at all three of them, his cheeks ablaze. "Stop looking at me like that!"