The evil Demon King dragged the Holy Son into the sea of desire; just the thought of it was exhilarating.
After finishing his bath, Ah Xi found he had no clean clothes to change into. His fair face was tinted rosy from the steam, and his light green eyes shimmered like a spring lake, rippling with emotion. His golden hair, wet from the water, fell over his slender shoulders, with the ends submerged.
“Austin,” he called softly.
Shuai Chang was in another room when he heard Ah Xi’s weak voice, akin to that of a cat. It was unclear enough to make him doubt if it was merely his imagination.
After waiting a moment without any response from Austin, Ah Xi had to suppress his shyness and raise his voice, “Austin.”
With a bang, the wooden door swung open. “Ah Xi, what is it?”
However, in the next moment, Shuai Chang was left speechless.
The pure and beautiful figure sat in the bathtub, revealing only his slender, pristine neck. The delicate Adam’s apple atop it moved nervously upon seeing him. Ah Xi blinked, the edges of his eyes tinted with a hint of red, adding a flush of color to his otherwise noble and untouchable beauty.
He seemed like an angel that had fallen to earth, captivating the desires of demons.
“Austin, I don’t have any clothes to change into,” Ah Xi said. As Shuai Chang’s fiery gaze lingered on him, he felt himself about to melt. His ears turned red as he averted his eyes. “Do you have anything in your Douqi space?”
Knights who have reached the intermediate ranks and above have the ability to open a Douqi space, where time stands still. The larger the space, the more robust their internal Douqi. Ah Xi had packed items he might need for his journey with the eight shield knights, but seven of them had perished, resulting in the disappearance of everything within their Douqi spaces.
Shuai Chang nodded, “Your things are all here with me.”
A flash of white light illuminated his hand, and a robe appeared, identical in fabric to the one Ah Xi had just removed, except it was embroidered with golden patterns on the sleeves. One could imagine how noble and charming Ah Xi would look wearing it.
Shuai Chang placed the robe on the nearby wooden rack and turned back to glance at Ah Xi. “Do you… want me to help you dry off?”
Ah Xi hurriedly shook his head. “No, no need. Please, just go outside.”
To dry off would mean stepping out of the tub naked. Why had Austin become so awkward and fluster-inducing ever since he became his guardian knight? Every action made one feel shy.
Shuai Chang’s spiritual aura burned with excitement as he reluctantly left the room.
If he waited any longer, Ah Xi would become like an antelope in the jaws of a tiger, unable to escape.
Shuai Chang’s gaze darkened.
Ah Xi rubbed his body dry with a white cloth and slipped into the robe Shuai Chang had prepared. He awkwardly realized he had no undergarments; he was essentially wearing the robe over his bare body. While it wouldn’t leave him exposed, moving felt strangely disconcerting.
As the robe swayed, a cool breeze slipped in through the gaps…
With a tinge of pink in his eyes, Ah Xi pushed open the wooden door.
Shuai Chang stood up from the stone bench, exclaiming, “I knew Ah Xi would look great in that robe!”
Ah Xi wanted to ask if it was intentional, but found he couldn’t voice the question any longer.
Austin must have been oblivious; he had simply wanted to see how he looked wearing the robe, forgetting that undergarments were necessary.
“Austin, do you have my undergarments? Can you please get a set for me?” Ah Xi asked, sitting modestly on the edge of the bed.
Shuai Chang paused, his breath hitching, “Alright…”
He genuinely hadn’t considered the undergarments. Shuai Chang couldn’t help but imagine Ah Xi in a state of undress, exposed and disheveled.
Ah Xi’s skin was fair, and the intricate, golden-embroidered patterns on the collar accentuated his translucent skin. The two points of red peonies blossomed gently in the breeze, enticing one to pick and taste them. And there was his slender waist and elegantly long, white legs… Shuai Chang was lost in his beautiful fantasy.
Yet after agreeing, Shuai Chang remained rooted in place, his expression darkening with an impending sense of turmoil.
Ah Xi waved his hand in front of Shuai Chang. “Austin?”
Shuai Chang snapped back to reality. “I just remembered something. I’ll get your undergarments right now.”
He laid down the undergarments and turned to open the door. “You change; I’ll go take a shower.”
He closed the door, let out a deep breath, and vacated Austin’s spiritual essence. A tall man with black hair and eyes appeared out of thin air.
The man had a robust build and sun-kissed skin, unlike other wizards who were typically frail and pale.
He took off his black robe and immersed himself in the warm water that Ah Xi had just used.
Amidst the hazy steam, it seemed a trace of Ah Xi’s fragrance lingered, causing Shuai Chang to breathe heavily, the tension palpable.
The person of his some imagination was only a wall away. Shuai Chang spent a full hour in the shower.
Emerging from the tub with a glow of delight on his face, Shuai Chang returned to Austin’s spiritual essence and guided the body to open the door.
Ah Xi lay quietly on the bed in his undergarments, an expression of peace and serenity on his face. His golden eyelashes cast charming shadows on his porcelain-like skin, while the damp hair rested beside him, leaving a dark streak on the sheets.
Shuai Chang approached slowly, his fingers weaving through Ah Xi’s golden hair, using his Douqi to dry the water from the strands.
The dried golden hair shimmered like satin, lying against Ah Xi’s fair skin.
With a serious expression, Shuai Chang lay beside Ah Xi, forcing himself to sleep before he once again could not help but emerge from Austin’s essence.
With his lover beside him, Shuai Chang slept deeply. When he awoke in the morning, only he remained on the bed. Sitting up, he rubbed his furrowed brow, neatly folding the two blankets before getting up to look for Ah Xi.
He pushed open the door and turned a corner, only to bump into Ah Xi.
Seeing Shuai Chang’s complexion even paler than yesterday, Ah Xi expressed concern, “I saw you were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t wake you. If you’re feeling unwell, you must tell me.”
Shuai Chang silently lowered his head, knowing only one reason why Ah Xi would feel unwell.