What the hell are you getting shy for?

As he racked his brains, desperately trying to figure out how to earn points, Ouyang Susu suddenly appeared.

Seeing the Peach Blossom Pastry left untouched, she pouted. "So even Master Yu Qing gets angry with Senior Brother Xiao?"

Bai Yuqing's special treatment of Xiao Qinghe had made her jealous more than once. For a while, she had even suspected Bai Yuqing harbored some other kind of feelings for him.

Now that she saw Xiao Qinghe getting the cold shoulder, she privately concluded she had been overthinking things. Relieved, she also felt a little more sympathy for someone who shared her plight.

"What exactly happened at the Heroes' Conference? Why is Master Yu Qing so angry? Refusing to see you is one thing, but even Senior Brother Xie isn't allowed back to the Sect. Master said he had to gain experience outside and couldn't return until he had enough."

That happened too?

No wonder Xie Jun had yet to show up.

She had been badly wounded that day, and Master had even stabbed her. He wondered how her injuries were now. If Master hadn't confined him to the grounds, he would have gone down the mountain to check on her.

At that thought, his heart clenched.

Xiao Qinghe unconsciously clutched his chest. There was that feeling again.

Ever since the Heroes' Conference, he had felt it from time to time-a wrenching ache in his chest, as though he were vaguely worried about something. But whenever he tried to pin it down, he could never work out why.

"I heard Senior Brother Xie was badly injured. No one even knows whether he's alive." Ouyang Susu propped her chin in her hand, looking forlorn. "I'm so worried about Senior Brother Xie. I miss him so much."

Ouyang Susu missed Xie Jun. Had she fallen for her?

All his desperate matchmaking efforts hadn't been wasted. At last, they were beginning to pay off.

Xiao Qinghe should have felt pleased, but strangely, he couldn't bring himself to be happy.

Especially when he heard Ouyang Susu say she missed Xie Jun, his heart clenched again.

There was that feeling again.

It seemed to come whenever he thought of Xie Jun, almost as though he had been poisoned.

Right!

Poisoned!

It had to be the Ghost King Spirit Pill inside him reacting to Xie Jun's presence as his Ghost Slave, causing this stimulation.

That damned "Soul-Tying Thread" setup!

It was supposed to heat things up between Xie Jun and Ouyang Susu. Now it was working on him and Xie Jun instead. Two grown men-what the hell was this?

Naturally, Ouyang Susu couldn't hear Xiao Qinghe's frantic internal rant. She clenched her delicate fists and said earnestly, "Why was Senior Brother Xie injured so badly? Was it the Demon Clan? The Demon Clan is treacherous, cunning, and brutal by nature. Heaven and earth cannot tolerate them! One day, the Demon-Slaying Sect will carry out heaven's justice and slaughter every last one of them!"

Now half a demon himself, Xiao Qinghe inwardly wiped away his sweat. "Junior Sister, not everyone in the Demon Clan is irredeemably evil. You can't condemn them all."

Besides, your future husband is the Lord of the Demon Realm. If you make such absolute statements now, it'll be awfully embarrassing when you have to eat your words!

Ouyang Susu remained adamant. "The Demon Clan is an inherently vile race, irreconcilably opposed to the Human Clan. There's no need to sympathize with them, Senior Brother. They deserve to die."

Girl, what happened to your sweet, innocent airhead persona?

Going on and on about how demons deserve to die is seriously ruining your characterization!

Xiao Qinghe desperately wanted to grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her. Suddenly, his heart fluttered, and the icy sensation that accompanied a flare-up of the Human-Faced Ghost poison surged through him again.

"Senior Brother Xiao, what's wrong? You look awful." Startled, Ouyang Susu leaned closer and asked with concern.

The girl's sweet scent washed over him, mingled with the fragrance of human blood.

Xiao Qinghe's pupils abruptly contracted. He stared fixedly at her slender, fair neck, a bloodthirsty glint flashing through his eyes.

That familiar thirst for blood came surging back.

He wanted to drink blood.

Impossible!

He had only drunk Master's blood a few days ago, and today wasn't the fifteenth. Why was the Ghost King Spirit Pill acting up again?

"Senior Brother, what's wrong with you?" Ouyang Susu reached toward him.

Xiao Qinghe recoiled like a frightened bird, retreating several steps. "I'm just feeling a little unwell. It's nothing!"

He all but fled.

Back in his little courtyard, he quickly locked the door behind him before finally letting out a relieved breath. Leaning against the door, utterly drained, he slid down toward the floor.

A strong arm reached out and scooped him up.

Why was someone in his room?

Xiao Qinghe's expression changed. "Who's there?"

The intruder chuckled, lifted him into an embrace from behind, and carried him toward the bed. Still wrapped together, they tumbled onto it.

Xiao Qinghe immediately drove an elbow backward.

"Ugh..." The intruder grunted. "We haven't seen each other in days, and this is how you welcome me, Senior Brother?"

The familiar voice carried a trace of grievance.

Xiao Qinghe whipped his head around, his eyes widening. "Junior Brother? Why are you back?"

No wonder the Ghost King Spirit Pill had suddenly acted up. Xie Jun, his Ghost Slave, had come close.

This connection was way too strong!

Remembering how Xie Jun had been covered in injuries, Xiao Qinghe turned the tables, pinned her down, and began tugging off her clothes. "How are your injuries? Let me see."

[Ding!]

The familiar donation notification suddenly rang out.

Xiao Qinghe: "..."

What kind of taste did these readers have? Did they want to watch two men fool around?

Thinking of the nearly ten thousand points he owed, Xiao Qinghe gritted his teeth and tentatively pulled open Xie Jun's outer robe.

[Ding! Ding! Ding!]

Sure enough, the readers got excited.

The donation chimes rang out in a rapid, cheerful stream.

They really wanted to watch two men fool around?

This discovery left Xiao Qinghe deeply conflicted.

As a die-hard straight man, how could he possibly fool around with Xie Jun? Yet as a penniless wretch ten thousand points in debt, he couldn't earn points without fooling around-and without points to repay his debt, he would be punished.

He was trapped, damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

As a result, he never even noticed that he was straddling Xie Jun's waist and had pulled open her outer robe.

The sight drove the readers wild.

Xie Jun went rigid, not daring to move.

Her devastatingly handsome face flushed crimson.

Xiao Qinghe's face reddened a little too, and he felt an inexplicable wave of shyness.

No!

This didn't seem to be his emotion!

He looked down in disbelief at the crimson-faced youth, and his mind broke.

The shyness came from Xie Jun. The bond between the Ghost King Spirit Pill and its Ghost Slave allowed him to sense her emotions.

That damned "Soul-Tying Thread" setup!

More importantly, kid, what the hell are you getting shy for?

They were two grown men, and this wasn't even their first time lying in the same bed!

Yet that shyness, mixed with uncertainty, longing, and delight, was so fucking unbearable that Xiao Qinghe couldn't take it. He hurriedly moved away from her and quickly pulled her clothes closed. "You look pretty lively to me. You must be fine now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Qinghe sensed a faint wave of disappointment.

What the hell are you disappointed for?

This scene, this whole progression-something was seriously wrong!

The die-hard straight Xiao Qinghe's scalp prickled. He was not okay.

He really wasn't okay. With the Ghost King Spirit Pill acting up, his whole body was ice-cold. He was freezing his ass off.

Xie Jun paused, then suddenly opened her outer robe and began removing Xiao Qinghe's. Next, she wrapped him tightly in her arms and asked softly, "Senior Brother, are you warmer now?"

[Ding! Ding! Ding!]

The readers went wild again.

Xiao Qinghe was about to lose his mind too. He could clearly sense Xie Jun's furtive delight beneath her cautious manner. Mortified, he didn't know what to do with his hands or feet. "Junior Brother, you don't have to do this."

"Do you remember when we first met, Senior Brother? Someone had ambushed me and poisoned me. My body was freezing then too, and I couldn't move." A trace of nostalgia crept into Xie Jun's voice. "You held me just like this and used your own body heat to drive out the cold and warm me. Now that your poison has flared up, it's only right that I keep you warm."

Her reasoning was sound. He couldn't argue with it.