Chapter 26
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He said, “You smell so good,” but Pei Yunshu couldn’t smell any fragrance on himself.
Zhuyou squinted his eyes, seemingly immersed in something. He lifted Pei Yunshu’s sleeve and began sniffing along his arm.
The faint scent permeated deeply into his senses, and Pei Yunshu watched in astonishment as the flood dragon horns and runes on Zhuyou’s face reappeared.
Zhuyou had mentioned that these things appeared when he was emotionally stirred.
Pei Yunshu pulled his hand out of Zhuyou’s grasp and rushed toward the window, only managing to open it a crack before Zhuyou hugged him from behind.
Zhuyou held him tightly, burying his head in the nape of Pei Yunshu’s neck. “Smell so good.”
“It doesn’t smell,” Pei Yunshu grabbed the window frame, trying to push it open. “Zhuyou, I don’t smell at all. You must be mistaken.”
Zhuyou didn’t speak but tightened his arms. “You smell good.”
Finally, the window was opened, and a gentle breeze blew in. Pei Yunshu let out a sigh of relief and tried to pry Zhuyou’s hands off him. “Now, there’s no scent, right?”
Pei Yunshu really couldn’t smell anything. Even when the ‘Emotion Bound Gu’ had been activated by Zhuyou being stirred up last time, he had only caught a faint, clean scent. Now, it was different, and he couldn’t understand why.
Zhuyou refused to let go, and when Pei Yunshu managed to loosen his grip, he held him even tighter, burying his face in his neck and leaving the flood dragon horns to gently graze Pei Yunshu’s skin.
The flood dragon horns were sharp, and even a slight movement could potentially puncture his neck. Pei Yunshu didn’t dare to struggle anymore. He ignored Zhuyou and looked out the window.
Their room faced a street, and people of all kinds were coming and going. In the distance, there was a three-story inn that stood out prominently, the best inn in this area. It was where the Flower Brocade Sect’s cultivators were staying.
Pei Yunshu shifted his gaze away from the tall building and saw people selling pills down below. He had an idea and quietly retrieved a Clear Heart Pill from his storage pouch. “Zhuyou?”
Zhuyou raised his head from Pei Yunshu’s neck. In the next moment, the pill was pushed into his mouth.
The pill dissolved instantly, but Zhuyou’s face didn’t lose the traces of the runes. Instead, they seemed to deepen gradually, and his eyes grew darker.
With a sudden burst of energy, the window was closed shut, and all the doors and windows were locked. Zhuyou hugged Pei Yunshu and, despite his struggles, forcefully pushed him onto the bed.
Pei Yunshu was livid, eyes turning red. “Zhuyou! Let go of me!”
He pounded Zhuyou’s back and kicked his legs. Each blow was full of strength, but Zhuyou seemed unaffected. He held Pei Yunshu firmly on the bed.
Zhuyou was blocking the bed, and Pei Yunshu had nowhere to escape. He was truly infuriated and cast spells one after another at Zhuyou, who endured them, looking down at him on the bed.
In the midst of their struggle, his clothes became loose, and his eyes were filled with anger.
Zhuyou’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
The intricately carved wooden bed was just big enough for two people. Pei Yunshu seemed to think that Zhuyou had unleashed something he shouldn’t have. He held Qingyue Sword in front of him, radiating anger as he stared at Zhuyou. If Zhuyou dared to act recklessly, he wouldn’t hold back.
There were two layers of bed curtains in the inn’s bedroom, one thin and one thick.
Zhuyou untied the thin bed curtains, and after unfastening the cords, the pure white double-layered gauzy bed curtains separated, creating a barrier between Pei Yunshu and Zhuyou.
Pei Yunshu on the bed was taken aback.
Zhuyou, standing outside the bed curtains, said, “Put on the ointment for me to see.”
Pei Yunshu felt like he had misheard. He looked at Zhuyou, who was standing beside the bed, through the gauzy bed curtains, unable to believe it. “What did you say?”
“Face me,” Zhuyou repeated, “Put on the ointment for me to see.”
***
Pei Yunshu swung his sword, cutting the thin curtain in half.
Qingyue Sword was brimming with anger as it moved towards Zhuyou, but before it could get close, a surge of water enveloped it, rendering it immobile.
Zhuyou frowned at the curtain that had been sliced in half. He reached out, tore down the remaining portion, and let the thicker curtain fall.
The thin curtain had barely provided any separation, but the thick one was different. It could block most of the sight, only revealing vague shadows. Their figures were obscured, making it hard to discern any details.
Zhuyou remained stubborn. “I want to see.”
Pei Yunshu couldn’t fight him, and if Zhuyou truly wanted to do something, Pei Yunshu wouldn’t be able to stop him. He gritted his teeth, staring at the thick curtain before him, feeling torn.
After a moment, he spoke. “You just need to stay there. Don’t come any closer.”
Zhuyou responded with a low hum.
From behind the thick curtain, Pei Yunshu turned his face away, his shame overwhelming. He took out some ointment, trembling as he unfastened his belt and began undressing.
Afraid to look at the person by the bed, he focused on applying the ointment but avoided the wounded area. He prayed fervently in his heart and hoped that the curtain would grow thicker.
***
Zhuyou left Pei Yunshu’s room, his body still burning with heat. He found the nearest icy pond and entered it.
The frigid water surrounded him, and whenever he got too close, steam would rise from his body due to the temperature difference.
He wore an expression that resembled someone intoxicated, his entire demeanor reflecting the aftermath of consuming alcohol. Wherever he looked, he could only see that scene from before.
A pure white snowy landscape, the fragrance of plum blossoms.
The runes on his face grew even redder, and the blood-like color in his eyes surged like waves.
***
Before the start of the Demon Ghost Market, Huayue had managed to procure a ghost-faced mask for Pei Yunshu. It was black with white lines, depicting an indistinct figure that didn’t look terrifying but incredibly ugly.
“Beauty,” Huayue said excitedly, handing it to Pei Yunshu. “Tonight, when the Demon Ghost Market opens, put on this mask. I had to turn an entire shop upside down to find one this ugly. When you wear this, even if that big demonic cultivator has a dozen pairs of eyes, he won’t recognize you!”
He grew more enthusiastic as he spoke. “After we have fun at the Demon Ghost Market tonight, we’ll go find them and settle the score. Let Lord Zhuyou show them firsthand what it means when the tables turn.”
Pei Yunshu put on the mask, and Huayue took out a bronze mirror for him to see. When Pei Yunshu saw himself in the mirror, he finally understood why Huayue had said that wearing only one mask would make it impossible for Zouyu to recognize him.
It was because he now looked completely different. Reflected in the bronze mirror was a grotesque figure, covered entirely in black and white, resembling a hideous ghost.
Pei Yunshu was amazed. He removed the mask again and looked in the mirror. The reflection now showed his usual appearance.
Huayue had a proud smile, and even his tail was raised in satisfaction. “Beauty, what do you think?”
He then put on the red fox mask he had in his hand. With just a blink, the enchanting fox beauty turned into a sinister old fox.
Pei Yunshu blinked his eyes and approached to touch the red fur ears on the fox’s head, finding them incredibly soft, just like the real thing.
“It’s truly amazing,” he exclaimed.
Huayue looked at himself in the mirror, quite pleased. “This appearance seems quite valiant.”
He continued, carefully looking around, and covered his mouth as he whispered, “Beauty, with my current appearance, do I resemble Lord Flood Dragon to some extent?”
Pei Yunshu snorted coldly. “You are far superior to him in your current appearance.”
Upon hearing this, Huayue let out a soft sigh, removed the mask, and pretended to wipe away tears with a handkerchief. “Lord Zhuyou is unparalleled in both looks and talent, while Huayue is like a grain of rice in comparison, unable to compete with Lord Zhuyou.”
Pei Yunshu couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.
Seeing him smile, Huayue blushed and couldn’t help leaning closer to Pei Yunshu. He closed his eyes and lightly sniffed. “Beauty, you smell so good.”
Pei Yunshu sensed that something was amiss with Huayue’s behavior. He took out a Clear Heart Pill and placed it in Huayue’s mouth. After a moment, Huayue blinked his eyes, looking confused as he gazed at Pei Yunshu. “Beauty, what did you just give me?”
Pei Yunshu distanced himself slightly, asking cautiously, “Did you smell anything fragrant just now?”
Huayue sniffed his nose and replied strangely, “It seemed like I did a moment ago, but now it’s gone.”
Pei Yunshu frowned.
This time, he hadn’t smelled anything fragrant, yet Huayue had briefly detected it. However, the Clear Heart Pill had no effect on Zhuyou but seemed to work on Huayue.
Fortunately, he had enough Clear Heart Pills in his storage bag. Pei Yunshu looked at the ghost-faced mask on the table, and with a furrowed brow, he knew that time was of the essence. He needed to find the ghost doctor in the Demon Ghost Market as soon as possible.
***
That night, as the Demon Ghost Market was about to open, the streets were crowded with people and creatures eagerly waiting.
For the past couple of days, Pei Yunshu had been avoiding Zhuyou, but now, finally, Zhuyou had spotted him. The moment Pei Yunshu appeared, Zhuyou fixed his gaze on him. His black eyes remained unmoving, and his facial runes slowly lit up with splendid colors.
Pei Yunshu, upon seeing him like this, immediately averted his eyes.
He wanted to act as if nothing had happened, but he couldn’t pull it off.
Zhuyou, oblivious to everything, approached him and reached out to poke Pei Yunshu’s cheek with his fingertip. Pei Yunshu dodged the touch, and a thought crossed his mind. He quickly put on the ghost mask that he held in his hand.
Seeing the sudden change in the person in front of him, Zhuyou furrowed his brow and stopped his actions, gazing at him with a deep, unreadable look in his dark eyes.
Pei Yunshu felt a sense of satisfaction, as if he had successfully taken revenge. He moved away from Zhuyou and started to walk downstairs. However, Zhuyou followed closely behind, reaching out to grasp his wrist and then holding his hand as they descended the stairs.
Feeling a sense of triumph, Pei Yunshu turned and walked away from Zhuyou, pretending that nothing had happened. However, he hadn’t reached the lower floor yet when Zhuyou followed him, grabbing his wrist, sliding his fingers downward, and holding Pei Yunshu’s hand.
Pei Yunshu struggled twice but couldn’t break free. He refused to give up and kept trying to pull away from Zhuyou’s grip. Even when they were surrounded by a crowd of creatures, he continued to struggle, and his hand was probably turning red by now.
Zhuyou glanced at him, then secured Pei Yunshu’s hand within his own. His brows furrowed slightly as he said, “Don’t make a scene.”
Pei Yunshu: “….”
What is he talking about?
Surrounded by various creatures and with only a small number of cultivators mixed among them, Pei Yunshu pursed his lips, unwilling to confront him here.
Just as they had settled down, they heard someone from behind say, “Who dares to block the path of the Flower Brocade Sect’s sect leader?”
Pei Yunshu looked back and saw a group of demonic cultivators from the Flower Brocade Sect approaching from behind, with their sect leader, Zouyu and others at the center.
Pei Yunshu’s gaze locked onto Zouyu.
Beneath the disguise of an ugly ghost, the Qingyue Sword hanging from Pei Yunshu’s waist emitted a low, menacing hum.
Zouyu stood with his hands behind his back. Although he was behind the sect leader, he didn’t bow or appear subservient. His deep eyes glanced around casually, as if sensing something, and then he suddenly looked in Pei Yunshu’s direction.
However, there was only a group of unassuming demons there, nothing out of the ordinary.
Zouyu raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze away.
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