Chapter 4: I'm Feeling a Bit Dizzy
The next day, just as dawn was breaking.
A cleaning disciple entered the East Courtyard with a broom in hand. Halfway through a stretch, his sleepy eyes suddenly widened, and his pupils shrank to a point.
Everywhere he looked, there were withered flowers and fallen leaves. The entire courtyard's plants were dead, with signs of being scorched.
The once lush spring willows had turned completely black, and even the ground, where the roots twisted, had cracked into a web-like pattern.
"Is it a demon invasion?" The cleaning disciple instinctively thought of this, but then immediately dismissed it as impossible.
Currently, it's the time of the Immortal-Demon Conference. Although the relationship between immortals and demons has been superficially harmonious yet secretly strained over the years, it remains stable. The demons wouldn't invade at this time. Moreover, if they were to invade, they would first target Wang Yue Pass, the source of Cloud City's spiritual energy, not the East Courtyard's bedroom.
"This is definitely not ordinary. I should report to the sect leader first." The cleaning disciple made up his mind and left with the broom, not forgetting to set up a barrier to protect the scene before leaving.
As soon as he left, inside the bedroom, Xie Zhiqin turned slightly, placing the back of his hand on his still-dizzy forehead. His beautiful eyelids fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes.
The faint morning light filtered through the window, illuminating the room.
Xie Zhiqin instinctively reached for his mask but touched... something strange instead.
Confused, Xie Zhiqin turned his head and saw Zhong Weiling, whose neck was covered in red marks. He instantly sobered up and nearly fainted.
The events of last night surged back like a tide, including some extremely vivid details.
Xie Zhiqin swallowed, beads of sweat forming on his nose, which was as smooth as jade.
What had he done?!!!
It was over, completely over. The Demon Lord was supposed to be engaged to his little junior nephew. Although he hadn't taught Sui Ming, Sui Ming always respectfully called him "Little Uncle" whenever they met. But now, he had taken the purity of Sui Ming's future husband. This was simply against the heavens and defied all morals.
Moreover, the Demon Lord probably wanted to kill him with a single slash right now.
It was all his fault. If he hadn't fallen into the Demon Lord's bath, he wouldn't have spilled hallucinogenic powder into the bathwater, and none of this would have happened.
Even though it wasn't his intention, and even though the Demon Lord had kissed him first last night, ultimately, it was his lack of self-control. He should take responsibility and apologize.
But what if the Demon Lord took his anger out on Cloud City? What should he do then?
Xie Zhiqin glanced at Zhong Weiling, torn with guilt.
He didn't care if he died, but if he implicated others in Cloud City, he would become the sinner of the entire Immortal Sect.
Before Xie Zhiqin could come to a conclusion, Zhong Weiling murmured in his sleep, then turned over and naturally wrapped his arm around Xie Zhiqin's waist.
Xie Zhiqin froze, his mind involuntarily flashing back to fragmented scenes from last night...
Zhong Weiling snuggled up from his chest, his nose brushing against Xie Zhiqin's Adam's apple, sliding across his jaw. His hazy eyes showed a hint of dissatisfaction: "What an ugly mask."
The ghost mask, which had long been loosened, was roughly removed by Zhong Weiling and tossed aside.
Beneath the mask was a face exuding an ethereal aura, as gentle as jade, as cold as ice, untouched by the mundane world.
His eyes were slightly red at the corners, with a hint of possessiveness beneath the gentleness.
"Little brother, you're really good-looking." Zhong Weiling kissed the tip of Xie Zhiqin's nose, and this kiss completely stirred Xie Zhiqin's already uncontrollable consciousness to the extreme.
Xie Zhiqin reached out, pulled off his hair tie, bound Zhong Weiling's wrists, and flipped him onto the bed...
Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it.
Xie Zhiqin kept chanting, but he couldn't stop the chaotic memories from flooding his mind, his face turning as red as a ripe fruit.
He recited the Calm Heart Spell several times before he finally calmed down.
He tucked the blanket around Zhong Weiling's back, carefully pried Zhong Weiling's hand off him, and then with a flick of his finger, the ugly mask on the floor was lifted by a stream of spiritual power and returned to Xie Zhiqin's hand.
Xie Zhiqin looked up at the completely blackened flowers in the pots inside the room, his eyes darkening as he put the mask back on.
Then, with a gesture, all the completely withered flowers and plants disappeared.
At that moment, Zhong Weiling turned over again, accidentally touching a sensitive spot, waking up in pain.
"My butt." Zhong Weiling gasped, opened his eyes, and was shocked to see Xie Zhiqin, who had just put on his mask. He was about to scold him, asking why he was in his room, when he suddenly felt something was off.
Last night, after the banquet, he planned to wander around. Suddenly, a rash appeared on his arm, and then he started feeling hot all over. He hurried back to his room, and then, it seemed he entered a room, and then...
Zhong Weiling stiffly lowered his head, looking at the red marks on his body, and touched the spot on his lip where the skin was broken. It felt like a dry thunderbolt struck his brain.
"I—you—" Zhong Weiling quickly wrapped himself in the blanket, on the verge of going crazy, "What did you do to me?"
Xie Zhiqin hung his head, in a posture of admitting his mistake. After briefly explaining the hallucinogenic powder incident, Zhong Weiling was about to lose his temper when Xie Zhiqin continued to honestly recount, "I sent disciples to find you, but they didn't return for a long time. Fearing something happened to you, I decided to look for you myself. But as soon as I opened the door, you fell into my arms."
Zhong Weiling suppressed his anger: "And then you just did that to me?"
He promised, if Xie Zhiqin dared to say yes, he would make sure his death was very unpleasant.
If it weren't for him suddenly falling, he wouldn't have been drugged, and he wouldn't have fallen into his arms, and there would have been no need to do that to him, right?
Although he was ninety-nine percent sure he was straight, he couldn't be forced to be that one percent, could he?
Xie Zhiqin quickly shook his head: "No, I knew you were drugged, so I intended to help suppress the effects, but you drank a lot of wine last night."
Zhong Weiling was confused: "What does that have to do with me drinking a lot of wine?"
Are you trying to say that I drank too much and then forcibly pinned you down, which led to this outcome?
Xie Zhiqin honestly replied: "Because I can't hold my liquor at all, half a cup and I'm out. But at that time, you suddenly hugged me."
Zhong Weiling was dumbfounded: "I hugged you? Voluntarily?"
He was just joking earlier, but could it really be as he thought?
Xie Zhiqin nodded: "After you pulled me onto you, you started kissing me."
Zhong Weiling's eyes almost popped out: "I was the one who, who kissed you first?"
Xie Zhiqin nodded, a bit embarrassed: "Actually, if you hadn't used your tongue, I would have just smelled the alcohol and wouldn't have gotten dizzy, but you..."
Before Xie Zhiqin could finish, Zhong Weiling felt like his whole body was covered in thorns: "I, I even used my tongue?"
"Yes." Xie Zhiqin: "Your alcohol breath passed into my mouth, and then I lost control too."
At this point, Xie Zhiqin put on his inner clothes, took his sword, and handed it to the stunned Zhong Weiling: "This is my fault, and I won't shirk responsibility. If the Demon Lord can't get over this, you can take action. I have no complaints, just hope that after my death, the Demon Lord won't hold Cloud City accountable. Also, you..." Xie Zhiqin bit his lower lip, hesitated for a moment, but still said, "After I'm gone, I hope you won't dwell on this. It was just an accident, and it's all my fault. You don't need to feel burdened or depressed. Just tell others that I was drunk and acted inappropriately, and in your anger, you accidentally killed me. That way, your reputation remains intact, and you and Junior Nephew Sui Ming can still be together."
Zhong Weiling looked at the sword in front of him. Honestly, he really wanted to stab Xie Zhiqin to death.
Zhong Weiling gritted his teeth, drew the sword with a reverse grip.
Xie Zhiqin clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and waited for Zhong Weiling to kill him.
However, with a flick of Zhong Weiling's wrist, the sharp blade only grazed past Xie Zhiqin's head.
Xie Zhiqin opened his eyes in a daze, looking at the strand of hair falling to the ground: "Did I go too far last night, and your hand slipped? It's okay, I'll stand a bit closer."
Zhong Weiling gave him an annoyed look: "Yes, my hand slipped. So what? Not only did my hand slip, but looking at you makes my eyes hurt. Stay away from me."
As Xie Zhiqin obediently stepped back, Zhong Weiling raised his eyes, coldly staring at him: "Were you serious about what you said earlier? If I really killed you and put all the blame on you, saying you acted inappropriately towards me, letting everyone curse you and turn you into a despised pervert, would you really be willing?"
Xie Zhiqin didn't hesitate, earnestly replied: "It was my fault to begin with, so of course, I'm willing."
Zhong Weiling took a deep breath, the anger in his heart forcibly dissipated by Xie Zhiqin's earnest and silly demeanor.
After a moment of silence, Zhong Weiling said irritably: "Didn't you say someone tampered with your array, causing you to fall in front of me?"
Xie Zhiqin nodded.
"I'll believe you for now, but you have ten days to find that person for me. I want to kill him myself and tear him to pieces." Zhong Weiling gritted his teeth.
Xie Zhiqin's pupils dilated, stunned: "You're not going to kill me?"
"Every debt has its debtor. Although I really dislike you right now and don't want to see you for even a moment, if what you said is true, that someone tampered with your array, leading to all this, and I killed you, it would be like announcing to the world that I'm deliberately opposing Cloud City without knowing the facts. I don't want that kind of reputation." Zhong Weiling said irritably.
Xie Zhiqin's eyes lit up, looking at Zhong Weiling with a different kind of gaze: "Thank you," Xie Zhiqin smiled slightly, "You're really nice."
"You think just because you compliment me, I won't dislike you anymore? Let me tell you, what happened last night never happened. If I find out you told anyone, I won't hold back." Zhong Weiling threatened fiercely.
Xie Zhiqin sincerely agreed.
"Then why are you still staring at me? Didn't you see enough last night or touch enough? Turn around! I need to get dressed!" Zhong Weiling glared at Xie Zhiqin.
Xie Zhiqin quickly turned around, not forgetting to apologize for his rudeness.
Looking at Xie Zhiqin's back, Zhong Weiling felt like he had the worst luck.
Damn, just a month after transmigrating, without completing the newbie tasks, he got screwed by a deaf and ugly man. It's like bad luck opened the door to more bad luck, reaching a whole new level.
Luckily, men can't get pregnant. Otherwise, if it turned out like those one-night stand novels, with a baby on the way before the relationship was clear, it would be awkward.
But... his butt really hurt. Who knew how hard this guy went after drinking, he felt like he was falling apart.
However... Zhong Weiling, halfway through dressing, suspiciously looked at Xie Zhiqin. Although he couldn't clearly remember Xie Zhiqin's face, he vaguely felt it wasn't as ugly as rumored. And wasn't this guy supposed to be half-deaf? During their conversation, he didn't speak loudly, yet Xie Zhiqin heard him.
Could it be an act?
"Xie Zhiqin, you." Zhong Weiling was about to ask when suddenly, the voice of Feng Ji, the old man, sounded outside.
"Zhiqin, what's going on in your courtyard? Are you hurt?" Feng Ji's voice grew closer, and judging by the urgency, he might just kick the door open.
Zhong Weiling didn't have time to think, hastily grabbed his clothes, and was about to jump out the window.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to quietly warn Xie Zhiqin again: "Don't tell anyone about last night, or I really will kill you."
Then, he climbed out the back window.
The movement was too big, pulling on the wound at the back, and Zhong Weiling gasped in pain again.
But before he could steady himself, the cleaning disciple who came with Feng Ji heard the noise and looked over: "What was that?"
Seeing the disciple approaching, Zhong Weiling wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to go. In the end, he had no choice but to jump into another room a few feet away.
As soon as he landed, a young voice sounded behind him: "Who dares to trespass?"
Zhong Weiling condensed a dagger with spiritual power, ready to threaten the person to keep quiet. But as he turned, he saw a young man in black with bright eyes and a gentle demeanor.
The young man had a tear mole at the corner of his eye, and in the blink of an eye, there was a unique gentleness.
"Wei Yuning?" Zhong Weiling was dumbfounded, thinking he had run into some disciple, but it turned out to be the original protagonist's love interest, the original's rival.
Before Wei Yuning could react, the door was pushed open.
"Yuning, I just secretly asked Second Uncle, guess who I'm fighting against today from the demon clan?" An energetic young man in white excitedly entered, stopping in his tracks when he saw the disheveled Zhong Weiling.
"Sui Ming?" Zhong Weiling was dumbfounded again. What was going on? Was today some kind of protagonist gathering day? How did both of them end up here?
While Zhong Weiling was still puzzled, Sui Ming's sword clattered to the ground.
"You, you guys—" Sui Ming looked at Zhong Weiling's slightly swollen lips, then at the small red mark on Wei Yuning's neck, unable to bear the shock, he turned and ran out.
Zhong Weiling was bewildered: "???"