Gu Baiqing felt he had more emotions stirred by little Xuanli than by the grown Mo Xuanli. Maybe it was because little Xuanli often showed the expressions of a six-year-old child, which made him think of the world he came from—the orphanage he visited every month, and those children who called him “brother.”
They too often looked at him with those same eyes: full of worship, dependence, unreserved affection.
If he failed to grant them some small wish, they would gaze at him with pitiful, puppy-like eyes. And that was always what he couldn’t bear the most.
So, when they were about to leave the alley and little Xuanli instinctively tried to hold his hand, he instinctively refused. At once, little Xuanli looked at him with the eyes of an abandoned puppy.
And Gu Baiqing shamefully yielded. Thus, on the street appeared the strange sight of two grown men walking hand-in-hand.
He tried to console himself. Xie Qingrong had said everything would be forgotten afterward. So what if they held hands—he wouldn’t have to worry about losing face, since there’d be no record.
And it wasn’t really another grown man who might bend him, but just a six-year-old child. So he needn’t guard himself.
But soon the sharp, prying stares from all around became too much for Gu Baiqing to endure.
He could only coax gently: “Xuanli, with so many people watching us on the street, how about we don’t hold hands, alright?”
The moment he said it, little Xuanli’s eyes showed hurt. Still, he obediently let go, as if afraid of upsetting Gu Baiqing.
Gu Baiqing couldn’t stand that expression. In the end, he had no choice but to let little Xuanli clutch at his sleeve instead.
Instantly, little Xuanli’s eyes lit up. Though red and swollen from crying, they now brimmed with joy, like the warmth of spring in full bloom.
Suddenly, his stomach let out a loud growl, and the boy flushed scarlet.
It wasn’t true hunger—only that the aroma drifting from a nearby shop had triggered a reflex.
Gu Baiqing had intended to take him straight back to the Wen household. Given the present circumstances, moving about outside was troublesome. But seeing him like this, his heart softened; he couldn’t bear to make him endure it. So he brought him directly into a noodle shop.
Little Xuanli stopped in his tracks.
But Gu Baiqing said, “Come on, aren’t you hungry? I’ll treat you to noodles.”
Xuanli’s eyes flickered. He secretly pulled out a bun he’d been hiding and tossed it to a big yellow dog nearby.
“Brother… I don’t eat much. I’ll be quick, I won’t waste your time.” The boy seemed unused to it, calling Gu Baiqing “brother” in a timid voice.
Gu Baiqing ordered noodles according to Mo Xuanli’s taste, and even ordered meat for the eager Three Bean. Then he said, “It’s fine, take your time. When you’re done, we’ll head back.” Anyway, Jingzhan most likely hadn’t gone out, and there were people watching over the Wen family, so there was no rush.
When the noodles were served, little Xuanli swallowed hard but still waited for Gu Baiqing to say, “Eat,” before he picked up his chopsticks.
The moment he took a bite, he froze in surprise, then looked up at Gu Baiqing, who was also eating noodles across from him. Warmth spread through his chest.
Brother definitely hadn’t lied to him. He even knew what he liked to eat. Life after meeting brother must have been very happy—it was a pity he couldn’t remember it.
His heart was filled with both sweetness and regret. He quickly finished one bowl, only for Gu Baiqing to order him another.
In truth, Mo Xuanli’s body didn’t actually feel hunger. It was memory playing tricks on him, making little Xuanli feel as if he could never be full.
By the time they finished and stepped back outside, night had fallen—but the streets were bustling with festivity.
Gu Baiqing suddenly remembered—the festival.
“Is it the Spring-Welcoming Day already?” Little Xuanli asked, his eyes bright with anticipation.
Just as Three Bean had said, Xuanli’s hometown also celebrated this festival. He had always looked forward to it, but had never experienced it, since he’d lived there less than a year.
Gu Baiqing’s heart softened toward little Xuanli at a speed that defied all reason.
“Tomorrow is the day. I’ll take you out then,” Gu Baiqing said without thinking.
Little Xuanli’s eyes widened with delight. “Really? But… brother, didn’t you say you had things to do?”
“I’ll have Three Bean keep watch.”
Perched on Mo Xuanli’s shoulder, Three Bean immediately turned his head, displeasure written all over his face. He knew the meat hadn’t been for free. But thinking of little Xuanli’s past, he gave in silently.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you spiritual energy,” Gu Baiqing said, stroking Three Bean’s head. The Wen estate should be safe as long as the plot didn’t veer off course. And besides, though Hua En had only hurt his hand earlier, the attached lightning element should torment him for quite a while.
Seeing little Xuanli’s eyes shining at him, Gu Baiqing couldn’t help but reach out to ruffle his hair, answering him with a bright, gentle smile.
On his exceptionally handsome face, that smile was practically a crime. For a moment, Gu Baiqing himself was dazed.
“Then tonight I’ll go to bed early,” little Xuanli said, unable to hide his excitement.
That look made Gu Baiqing suddenly feel that no matter how important tomorrow’s tasks might be, nothing mattered more than fulfilling his disciple’s wish.
So when they returned to the Wen household, Gu Baiqing forced himself to go explain the situation to Jingzhan. Hearing him, Jingzhan broke into muffled laughter.
“Brother Mo, you really do dote on Xuanli! You’re actually coaxing him like a child? He won’t remember anything once he wakes. Is it really necessary?”
Gu Baiqing had originally felt somewhat embarrassed, but at this moment he inexplicably grew resolute and said: “It’s very necessary.”
Jingzhan was stunned for a beat. Sitting on his shoulder, Xie Qingrong then spoke up: “No problem. Older Brother Mo, you all go have fun. Leave the Immortal Temple to us. As for the Wen estate—since so many rules have already been broken there, we’ll just set up the formation directly. With Elder Luofeng’s spirit beast helping, there definitely won’t be an issue.”
Jingzhan immediately nodded. “Mm, you go then. It’s a rare chance—after all, it’s little Xuanli at six years old! If I weren’t tied up, I’d want to take him to play too.”
Gu Baiqing expressed his gratitude with a bow. Jingzhan accepted it casually, but Xie Qingrong didn’t dare to accept such courtesy.
Once they had left, Jingzhan suddenly said with a mysterious air: “I think I’ve guessed what their relationship is.”
“You’ve guessed?” Xie Qingrong thought Jingzhan had finally figured it out and was just about to speak when he heard Jingzhan declare: “They’re dao-companions!”
Xie Qingrong was so shocked he nearly fell off Jingzhan’s shoulders. Panicking, he said: “What? What nonsense are you spouting?!”
“Ah, you just don’t understand. Think about Hua En—even between men it’s possible. I’ve always thought something was off between those two. Xuanli’s attention seems fixed on Older Brother Mo all the time, like… like someone utterly lovesick. And although Older Brother Mo doesn’t act clingy, whenever Xuanli’s in trouble, he reacts the fastest. When we first met them, they were even staying in the same room. Later, when I showed up, Older Brother Mo awkwardly tried to push Xuanli to stay with me instead. If they were really just brothers, what’s there to be awkward about? I think they must be dao-companions, but since they’re both men, they’re afraid of gossip, so they keep it hidden in front of us. But look—once Xuanli was in danger, Older Brother Mo stopped hiding it. Not only do they sleep together, he spoils him in all sorts of ways. That’s absolutely not normal brotherly affection, okay?”
“You’ve been influenced by the whole Hua En thing—you’re misunderstanding.” Xie Qingrong listened with black lines covering his forehead.
“I can’t be bothered to explain. Someone like me, an old hand at affairs of the heart, can see at a glance what kind of feelings are between people,” Jingzhan said with confidence.
But no matter how hard Jingzhan pounded his chest now, Xie Qingrong wasn’t going to believe him—because those two were clearly master and disciple!
Gu Baiqing, of course, had no idea that Jingzhan had completely misunderstood. He just didn’t want to torment himself inside, so he was taking the chance to treat little Xuanli a bit better.
Fortunately, later Mo Xuanli wouldn’t remember this stretch of time—otherwise Gu Baiqing wouldn’t have dared act this way.
When he returned to the room, he saw little Xuanli obediently sitting by the bedside, arms wrapped around his knees, staring blankly at the doorway. So the moment Gu Baiqing stepped inside, their gazes met.
In that instant, it was as if a skyful of stars burst into sparkling brilliance—his brows, his eyes, his very lips curved with a smile.
Was this… was he watching and waiting all this time for him to come back?
“Weren’t you supposed to sleep earlier?” Gu Baiqing asked with a smile.
Little Xuanli quickly put down Three Bean and said: “I was waiting to sleep together with older brother.”
Seeing the way little Xuanli’s eyes flickered evasively, Gu Baiqing instantly understood—he must be afraid of being left behind, so he wouldn’t dare sleep until Gu Baiqing returned.
In such an atmosphere, Gu Baiqing could only wash up quickly and get into bed.
But as soon as he lay down, little Xuanli asked: “Brother, are you cold? Shall I warm you up?”
Before Gu Baiqing could react, little Xuanli had already turned sideways and wrapped his arms around him, clinging like an octopus.
The closeness between them seemed to leap forward in an instant. Little Xuanli had already learned how to act spoiled with him.
Just as he was smiling at this, Gu Baiqing suddenly felt something pressing against his leg. The text described Mo Xuanli’s certain part as a tormenting weapon—even a body of an Immortal Lord could hardly withstand it.
So even in its normal state, its presence was impossible to ignore.
The sensation against his leg startled Gu Baiqing awake at once—after all, the person clinging to him wasn’t actually a six-year-old child, but a true-grown man.
The awkwardness left him uneasy. He turned his head to say something—only to see little Xuanli already closing his eyes, a smile still curving his lips, ready to fall asleep.
That smile seemed impossible to wipe away.
Gu Baiqing’s thoughts struggled fiercely for a while, but in the end he gave in. If he made little Xuanli sleep off to the side now, he’d probably be subjected to that pitiful puppy-eye attack again. Forget it, forget it—just treat him as a six-year-old child, don’t overthink it. He even reached out to pull the blanket snugly over him.
This six-year-old little Xuanli kept trampling over his bottom line, yet Gu Baiqing seemed afraid his bottom line might trip little Xuanli, so he kept shifting it back on his own.
Once the lamp was blown out, Gu Baiqing thought for a while about the future. Just as he was drifting off, little Xuanli’s body suddenly twitched.
Gu Baiqing turned his head at once. By the faint moonlight, he saw little Xuanli lying there with his head tilted back, eyes wide open.
“What’s wrong?”
Little Xuanli stared blankly, then muttered: “The candle…”
Gu Baiqing suddenly understood—the child’s body was taut with fear. He was afraid of the dark?
Gu Baiqing was about to get up to light the candle, when he was suddenly grabbed from behind in a fierce embrace. “Don’t go… Brother, don’t go… I’m not dreaming, I’m not dreaming. It’s real, it’s real.”
The murmurs tumbled out like self-hypnosis, fragile words that sounded ready to shatter, pressing heavy on Gu Baiqing’s heart.
“Three Bean, light the candle.”
Three Bean was kicked awake, grumpily went to light the candle.
When the flame flared to life, Gu Baiqing finally saw what little Xuanli looked like at that moment.
He was crying again.
Staring blankly at him, letting the tears flow unchecked—soaking down to his neck. His body rigid, even cold to the touch. As if waking from a nightmare, cold sweat was pouring out in fear.
Gu Baiqing didn’t know if in that brief stretch he’d been dreaming or not. He only knew that little Xuanli was terrified.
Finally unable to hold back, Gu Baiqing reached out to wipe away his tears, then took the initiative to pull little Xuanli into his arms, lying back down together under the blanket. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll hold you the whole time. Sleep peacefully. If you have a nightmare, just wake up—once you open your eyes, you’ll see me, and know it was all false.”
Only then did little Xuanli seem to come back to himself.
Once again it was that warm embrace, with the scent of cold plum lingering. Little Xuanli’s lips trembled, unable to stop themselves—he wanted to cry, but forced it back, lowering his head to rub against Gu Baiqing’s neck like a puppy seeking affection.
“Brother, you’re so good… you’re so good.”
Gu Baiqing didn’t really like hearing this kind of praise, because he knew he had not treated Mo Xuanli well.
“Brother, I’ll sleep now, you should sleep too. I won’t wake you.”
Gu Baiqing looked at Mo Xuanli and saw that his expression had steadied. He thought what he meant was that he was finally at ease, that he would sleep soundly.
After the turmoil of the past two days, Gu Baiqing himself was truly exhausted, and he gradually slipped into sleep. Even so, his arm still held Mo Xuanli close.
Yet when Gu Baiqing’s hand slackened in sleep, Mo Xuanli slowly opened his eyes, tightening his own arms—he too was holding his brother.
He wouldn’t wake brother, because he wouldn’t sleep. He couldn’t bear to. In his heart, a trace of uncertainty remained—afraid it might all be false.
Though he was usually so guarded, in a single day he had already accepted brother’s existence. His fondness came involuntarily, inexplicably, as if… it was already habit.
He was still young, and didn’t know how to describe it. He only felt he could never look enough, never smell enough, never hold enough of this brother.
So he leaned toward believing it was real. Only if it were real could it explain why he could so quickly like someone he had just met, like falling into a river with a splash—that person filled his mind like water, flowing into every corner of his body.
When brother wasn’t there, he missed him.
When brother looked at him, he was happy.
When he closed his eyes and couldn’t see brother, panic and fear seized him.
That kind of liking seemed ready to overflow—he really, truly liked brother.
Brother must like him too. Obviously, though he was someone the world rejected, brother still treated him so well—it had to be because he liked him.
He mustn’t forget that. So now, he had to look at brother carefully, maybe that way he could recover faster.
The more he looked, the more dazed he became.
Brother was so good-looking—how could anyone look like this, like an immortal? The more he looked, the more he liked him.
Just as he was thinking this, Gu Baiqing turned his head slightly, directly facing little Xuanli.
Little Xuanli could see him even more clearly.
So much liking. Truly, so much liking.
Suddenly, he remembered—back when the villagers at home still treated him kindly, the children would play with him. They once told him: if you really like someone, you should give them a kiss.
Kissing different places showed different degrees of liking.
Little Xuanli’s eyes brightened faintly.
He leaned closer, stretched his neck, and first kissed the nearest spot—the nose.
A kiss—cool, yet somehow sweet.
The surprising discovery delighted him.
Then he kissed the tender, fair cheek.
But that wasn’t enough for the depth of liking.
He kissed the smooth, full forehead. Still not enough.
At last… when his gaze landed on the red lips, little Xuanli froze. A strange shyness welled up—but it felt as though only kissing here could truly express how much he liked brother.
Holding his breath nervously, he leaned in.
The instant of contact—it was as if his heartbeat vanished, because his chest was crammed full with happiness, too heavy to beat.
Soft and warm, unlike the coolness of other places, kissing here was more comfortable. Little Xuanli pulled away for a moment, but it wasn’t enough. Bewildered, he kissed again, again and again—like playing a face-touching game.
At the foot of the bed, Three Bean was more sensitive, and thought something was happening. He lifted his head to glance.
With a single look he bristled in shock—yet then, as if thinking of something, quietly settled back down and closed his eyes to sleep.
As for Gu Baiqing, he only felt his face constantly tickled, especially his lips.
