Chapter 64

[Translator]: Adrastus Translations [Editor]: xue er

Xie Heng swore to the heavens that when he picked up the bowl of soup and walked over, he had never thought that things would unfold in such a way.

He stared blankly as he squatted on the ground, watching the young man beside him lift up the stone bowl and drink the warm soup in small mouthfuls. His peach blossom eyes narrowed in satisfaction, his cheeks flushed red.

The water stains touched his thin lips and dyed them with an even more beautiful color.

Mist rose from the surface of the soup and the side of Xie Ziyou’s face was shrouded in a pale white mist. The moisture stained the black hair in front of his forehead. From Xie Heng’s angle, he could see two dense and slender black eyelashes, fluttering like a brush, like a delicate butterfly flapping its wings.

The fresh fragrance of the soup floated with the wind.

It was clearly from the same pot, but the soup in front of him was a hundred times more delicious than the one he had drunk before. The fragrance was as mellow as fine wine.

The side of the young man’s face was even more alluring, the mist lingering around his white and tender skin. His long hair was tucked behind his ears, revealing his delicate red earlobes. One couldn’t help but want … …

Xie Heng subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His Adam’s apple rolled a few times, his throat dry.

No, stop it!

It was too evil! It was just a bowl of soup, how could he have such a low level association!

But there was another voice in Xie Heng’s heart, urging him: Anyway, he also likes you, doesn’t he?

Could it be that if anyone gave him a bowl of soup, he would reject it?

No, definitely not. Xie Ziyou would say that just because the person who gave him the soup was you.

This wasn’t just going down the stairs, this was simply a show of love!

The two thoughts surged back and forth in his heart. Gradually, the east wind overwhelmed the west wind. Xie Heng stared unblinkingly at Xie Ziyou’s jade-like side profile, dizzily thinking, maybe I can … …

The young man hesitantly raised his hand and slowly reached forward, probing towards Xie Ziyou’s forehead.

Xie Ziyou didn’t know about Xie Heng’s thoughts. He gulped down the soup, only having one thought in his mind: Damn it, it’s delicious.

The Hermit Devil Crab lived at the bottom of the ling lake all year round, feeding on the ling fishes and ling plants in the water. Every day, it would be washed by the water of the secret realm that was filled with xuan energy. Not only did it develop a hard shell, the tender flesh inside was also very elastic. The white flesh was like jade, the crab’s yolk was like gold. A mouthful was filled with fragrance, and there was even profound energy that melted into it. After entering the stomach, it turned into a surging flow of heat that revolved around the body.

A bowl of soup was ten taels of silver, it really was sold very cheaply. If this kind of ling item that was extremely beneficial to cultivators was placed outside, even if it was sold for one piece of jingshi per bowl, there might be people who would be willing to buy it.

After the hot soup entered his stomach, Xie Ziyou felt refreshed. His four limbs were filled with strength, and his cultivation had improved slightly.

After several months, he once again tasted his lover’s unique and skillful cooking. That feeling of familiarity that he had thought he had parted forever was even more intoxicating than the delicious soup.

After drinking the hot soup, his entire body felt warm. He saw the youth reach out his hand, his slender and well-defined hand seemed to pass through time and space. The background was a deep blue sky, the sun was like fire, and the trees were green. In a trance, they had returned to the days when they were free and easy in Luo Ridge.

Xie Ziyou casually shoved the empty bowl of soup into Xie Heng’s hand. He licked his lips and unconsciously said, “Guan Heng, another bowl.”

Just as the words left his mouth, Xie Ziyou suddenly felt something strange.

What did he just say? Guan Heng?

… … Damn!

Whatever he was familiar with, whatever he was immersed in, were thrown to the back of Xie Ziyou’s mind in an instant. His heart rate shot up to 180.

Xie Ziyou hurriedly raised his head. In front of him, the youth’s hand that was holding the stone bowl suddenly froze — —

The smile on Xie Heng’s face faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The corner of Xie Heng’s mouth tightened, and his eyes revealed a hint of sharpness. His eyes were filled with disbelief. His five fingers tightly gripped the edge of the stone bowl, and he asked in surprise, “Guan Heng … … who is he?”

… …

Xu Wan ‘er was not as agile as Xie Heng and could move through the forest silently. Fortunately, Zhao Ruhao was not a sensitive person. The youth frowned and squatted on the ground, fiddling with a few dirty fish in the ashes. Only when he heard the clear sound of footsteps behind him did he turn his head.

“Where did you run off to?” He asked in distress, “Come and take a look, this fish is not familiar … … Eh, why is it you?”

Zhao Ruhao stared blankly at the young girl’s face and then lowered his head. He saw that his fingertips were covered in dust, his palm was holding a dried branch, and his head was burnt to a charred color. There were faint sparks that had yet to be extinguished in the wind, and in an instant, they were all extinguished.

The hem of his clothes were torn, his silver silk sleeves were covered in burnt ashes, his leather boots were torn open, and his round toes were poking out from the cracks. The space between his fingers was filled with mud.

A half-burnt, half-alive fish was lying beside him, staring with its eyes wide open, as if it was mocking his stupidity and ignorance.

Zhao Ruhao was stunned for a few seconds, while Xu Wan ‘er’s face was slightly red. She raised the stone bowl in her hand and whispered, “Hey, there’s a bowl of soup that I can’t drink anymore. Do you want to eat it?”

The young girl’s voice was clear and melodious. When it fell into Zhao Ruhao’s ears, it was like a thunderclap.

Zhao Ruhao felt as if he had been burned by the flames. He threw away the dried branch in his hand and jumped up from the ground in a panic.

He anxiously patted the dust all over his body, trying to hide the holes on his body and the toes that were poking out from under his boots. At the same time, he raised his head fiercely and growled, “Who needs your charity?”

Xu Wan ‘er: “???”

The young girl’s eyes widened in shock. How could this be charity?

The soup made from such a rare spiritual item tasted extremely delicious. However, because she was worried about Cheng Chengbai, she drank it without any taste. In order to escape from Cheng Chengbai, she had no choice but to use the ‘Urine Escape Technique’. Under the curious gazes of the young men, she covered her face and ran away.

She had really thrown away all her female modesty.

Zhao Ruhao’s evasive attitude was chilling. Xu Wan ‘er’s face darkened and she shoved the bowl into Zhao Ruhao’s hands. “Just take it. Why are you spouting so much nonsense?”

Zhao Ruhao thought to himself, I won’t.

An inexplicable anger stirred in the young man’s chest, provoking him to push the bowl back in disdain. He yelled, “You’re giving the leftover soup from the bottom of the pot to someone else? Xu Wan ‘er, you’re right. Who are you trying to fool?”

“Who says it’s leftover soup from the bottom of the pot?”

“You’re the one who said it yourself! Didn’t you say that you’re only giving it to me when you can’t drink it anymore? ”

“… That’s just an excuse!”

Xu Wan ‘er was furious. Her willowy eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and the tip of her delicate nose was dyed red. She lowered her eyelids and said unwillingly, “Do I have to kowtow to you before you’re willing to drink it?”

“… Then I won’t drink it either. I won’t drink it anyway.”

Zhao Ruhao’s gaze flickered. He turned around and crouched down beside the ashes again.

The young man picked up a dried branch from the ground and stabbed it at the spirit fish that was lying on the ground.

He gritted his teeth and used the small wooden stick as a sword. He stabbed and stabbed again and again, leaving several bloody holes in the soft fish’s body.

The fish’s skin was already burnt, but its internal organs were not cooked yet. Fresh blood slowly flowed out of the holes and seeped into the brown soil. A thick, muddy smell wafted through the air and pierced their noses like needles.

Xu Wan ‘er stood rooted to the spot for a long time. Her pretty eyes widened, and she wanted to smash the bowl of soup onto the young man’s head several times, but she held herself back.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving up and down violently. She squeezed out a sentence and strained her remaining patience and gentleness to the string.

“If you don’t eat this, what are you going to eat?” The young girl tried her best to maintain her gentle tone and said calmly, “Don’t be angry. Let’s trade, okay? I’ll give you the soup and I’ll give you the fish. ”

These words provoked Zhao Ruhao even more — he was the one who caught the spiritual fish with his own hands, picked up the firewood with his own hands, and buried it in the ashes with his own hands. He had been filled with anticipation, wanting to roast a delicious fish for his sweetheart, but the result was far from what he had imagined.

This kind of trash could not be given away!

Seeing Xu Wan ‘er bend over to pick up the fish, Zhao Ruhao’s pupils constricted. Subconsciously, he pounced forward, knocking the young girl aside and grabbing the fish in his hand first.

A sticky and slippery feeling came from his palm, as if he was holding onto a handful of mud.

“Bang!”

At the same time, the clear sound of a stone bowl shattering resounded in the young man’s ears. A thick fragrance permeated the air, and the soup splashed everywhere.

The water droplet landed on Zhao Ruhao’s lips, and he subconsciously licked it. It was salty.

It was indeed delicious.

In the next second, fear surged forth like a tidal wave, toppling mountains and overturning seas. Only then did the young man realize that he had accidentally knocked over Xu Wan ‘er … as well as the stone bowl in her hand, in order to snatch the fish.

Zhao Ruhao raised his head nervously.

— His eyes met a pair of bright red eyes.

The ends of his eyes were red, and steam was visible to the naked eye. His long eyelashes trembled violently, and steam was hanging from them.

“Zhao, Ru, Hao.”

Xu Wan ‘er bit down on her lower lip, and her eyes were watery. She spoke word by word, and every word was forced out from between her teeth.

“If I continue to care about your life or death, I’ll be a pig!”

…

The first time the two sides had come into close contact, it had ended in failure due to a small mistake.

Xie Ziyou’s peach blossom eyes drooped, and as he was returning to the lakeside, he happened to see Zhao Ruhao holding a dried branch, looking up in a daze. The young lady beside him stomped her foot angrily, turned around, and ran away at top speed. The moment she turned to the side, tears began to fall.

The young man sat there in a daze, his expression gloomy. He reached out his hand to tug at Xu Wan ‘er’s fluttering sleeve.

But his slender hand hesitated in midair for a moment, and in the end, he couldn’t pull it back. It was only after the young lady’s figure had disappeared behind the old tree that he slowly lowered his head in disappointment.

It didn’t seem like things were going well for them.

Xie Ziyou pulled himself together, walked forward, and patted Zhao Ruhao’s shoulder. “You’re having a bad start? It’s fine, keep up the good work. Actually, I … ”

He wanted to comfort the young man, but he didn’t expect Zhao Ruhao’s shoulder to tremble. He quickly brushed Xie Ziyou’s hand away and turned around in displeasure. “Who said I had a bad start?” he mumbled.

Xie Ziyou: “…”

Hey, the young lady was already crying like that. How could this person be so shameless as to spout nonsense?

Seeing the doubt in Xie Ziyou’s eyes, Zhao Ruhao raised his chin and snorted.

“You’re ignorant, are you?” The young man said proudly. “I can’t be moved by my poverty, and I can’t be subdued by my might. I’m determined not to eat from handouts, and she’s moved to tears.”

Xie Ziyou: “…”

He secretly rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, ‘Why would I believe you?’

“What were you trying to say just now?” Zhao Ruhao asked again. “Actually, what’s wrong with you?”

Actually, it was Zhao Ruhao’s dejected expression that made Xie Ziyou’s heart ache. Xie Ziyou had a rare urge to comfort him, and he had wanted to say that his plan wasn’t ideal either, to make Zhao Ruhao feel better.

However, the facts proved that this person’s ability to withstand pressure far exceeded Xie Ziyou’s expectations. His skin was as thick as a certain Pipi Shrimp. Not only did he not need to be comforted, but he even attracted the ire of others the moment he opened his mouth.

Xie Ziyou immediately changed his mind.

He turned his face away, raised his eyebrows, and used the same arrogant tone as he casually said, “Ah, it’s fine.”

“It means that we’ve come to an agreement. He admitted that he liked me for a hundred years, and he will continue to like me in the future … until the end of time.”