Chapter 139: Lock You Up

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Lock You Up

As Sui Sui was thrown to the side, he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the impact, but before he could hit the ground, a pair of warm arms suddenly wrapped around his waist and caught him. Even so, the force of the collision made him wince as it jostled the wound on his back, sending a fresh wave of pain through his body.

He barely had time to catch his breath before the smell of blood hit him.

It was thick and overwhelming, mingling with the acrid stench of the burning bodies nearby. Sui Sui’s stomach immediately lurched, and a wave of nausea rose into his throat. He hurriedly pressed a hand over his mouth, trying to suppress the urge to vomit, but the more he tried to hold it back, the more violently his stomach churned. His face paled, and he swallowed hard, struggling to keep himself from throwing up right there.

Sui Sui had known that Yizhou was ruthless, especially toward those who went out of their way to provoke him. In the original novel, Yizhou was the kind of person who repaid every grievance in blood. But reading about his ruthlessness in a novel and witnessing it firsthand were two entirely different things. He wanted to stay calm, especially with Yizhou standing right beside him, but his body reacted before he could stop it, his stomach churning as the urge to vomit crept up his throat.

Just as Sui Sui was struggling to suppress his nausea, he suddenly felt something touch his lips. He paused and looked up, only to find Yizhou staring directly at him. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Sui Sui was caught off guard by the intensity of that gaze. There was a faint smile on Yizhou’s lips, but his dark eyes seemed to hold something more, something Sui Sui couldn’t quite make sense of.

Before he could figure it out, Yizhou’s cold fingers gently pried his lips apart and slipped a round pill into his mouth. Sui Sui instinctively swallowed, and although the pill tasted slightly bitter, the pain in his back began to ease almost immediately.

"Junior Brother, why does it seem like you keep attracting so much unwanted attention?" Yizhou asked with a lazy smile. "Should I just lock you up at this point?"

His tone was so casual that it almost sounded like an ordinary joke. Sui Sui even felt a little wronged by the remark. How was this his fault? He was the one who got attacked ah!

But when he looked into Yizhou’s eyes again, his silent protest suddenly caught in his throat.

That smile was still there, However Sui Sui could see that beneath the amusement in his eyes lay a faint, unmistakable chill, as though the suggestion of locking him up wasn’t entirely a joke.

Sui Sui’s heart gave an inexplicable jolt. He quickly looked away, suddenly unsure whether he should laugh along or take those words seriously. For some reason, he had the uncomfortable feeling that if he really asked Yizhou whether he meant it, he might not get the answer he wanted.

It couldn’t really be true right?

In truth, Sui Sui’s instincts hadn’t been wrong. Yizhou really had considered locking him up. If he weren’t worried about frightening the little fool too much, he might have already acted on the thought.

After all, every time he left Sui Sui alone, someone seemed to develop an interest in his person. First, it had been the He Huan Sect, and now, even a group of bandits had dared to lay their hands on him. Yizhou’s gaze darkened slightly at the thought.

It seemed that if he wanted to keep this little fool by his side, he would have to keep a much closer watch on him.

Sui Sui hurriedly tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, hoping to escape the awkward atmosphere before Yizhou could tease him any further. "So... Senior Brother, what are you doing here?"

Yizhou raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk appearing on his face. "What? Are you unhappy to see me?"

"No, no! That’s not what I meant!" Sui Sui immediately shook his head, hastily trying to explain himself. "I just didn’t know you were coming back today!"

"Well, now you know." Yizhou chuckled at his flustered reaction. His smile lingered as he reached out and caught Sui Sui’s chin between his fingers, tilting his face up until their eyes met. "Now, tell me. How did you manage to get yourself into this kind of trouble this time?"

Sui Sui didn’t remember every detail of what had happened, but he still managed to recount the incident to Yizhou, explaining how he had gone to Linfeng City to sell his pills and how the bandits had probably targeted him after seeing him earn so many Spirit Coins.

After listening to the entire story, Yizhou couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed that although this little junior brother of his was no longer a fool, he was still foolish in certain ways. How else could he explain Sui Sui going out alone to sell valuable goods without making any proper preparations? Did he really think a simple disguise would be enough to keep him safe?

Yizhou leaned closer to Sui Sui’s ear, his voice dropping into a low, teasing murmur. "Do you know, Junior Brother, that in this world, morality is a luxury? When you go out, you must remember that, aside from yourself, no one can be trusted blindly."

As he spoke, he reached out and hooked a finger beneath Sui Sui’s chin, tilting his face up until their eyes met. A faint smirk played on his lips as he studied the younger man’s expression, clearly enjoying how obediently he had gone quiet.

"Strength doesn’t increase simply because you want it to, and not everyone has the same circumstances. Those with poor aptitude and no other means of survival may have little choice but to resort to looting." He paused, his thumb brushing lightly along Sui Sui’s chin before he continued, "That’s why you must always prepare for the worst."

Yizhou’s gaze drifted downward, settling on Sui Sui’s slender arms. He caught one by the wrist and stretched it out, examining the thin limb with an exaggeratedly critical look.

"Look at these skinny arms and legs. You don’t even know martial arts, yet you dared to go out alone and sell valuable pills without taking any precautions." He gave Sui Sui’s wrist a light tug, then let it go with a click of his tongue. "Did you really think a disguise would be enough to protect you?"

His tone was more teasing than stern, but the warning beneath it was unmistakable. Before Sui Sui could come up with a reply, Yizhou slipped an arm around his waist and drew him closer, lowering his face until their eyes were only inches apart.

"If I hadn’t been there," he murmured, the smirk returning to his lips, "who knows what might have happened to you?"

Yizhou had never been fond of lecturing people. He would much rather settle things with his strength than waste his breath explaining himself. Still, if a few words could make this little fool more careful in the future, he supposed it was worth the effort.

Sui Sui didn’t dare talk back. After all, he really had been careless this time. Although he was still a little unconvinced, he couldn’t deny that Yizhou had a point. Perhaps this was simply the difference between someone who had grown up in a society governed by laws and someone who had survived in a world where the strong preyed on the weak. He also knew that if he really wanted to live safely in this world, he would eventually have to learn to be more cautious.

However...

"Senior Brother Yizhou, I understand what you’re saying, but is it really necessary to hold my face so close?"

By now, Yizhou had one arm wrapped around Sui Sui’s waist while his other hand held his cheek, gently pinching it until his lips were pushed into a small pout. Their faces were only inches apart, close enough for Sui Sui to feel Yizhou’s warm breath brushing against his cheek. Anyone who happened to see them in this position would undoubtedly mistake them for an intimate couple.

Yizhou raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Oh? Now you want to be cautious?"

"Can you please just let me go?" Sui Sui muttered, glaring at him without much force.

"Hmm. I don’t want to." Yizhou’s smile widened, making it clear that he was enjoying Sui Sui’s predicament far too much.

Sui Sui was just about to retort when a familiar voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Sui Sui, we’re close to where you are. Just wait for MuMu, okay?"

It was MuMu speaking through their temporary contract.

Sui Sui immediately perked up. His little beast had finally arrived! But his excitement quickly gave way to concern as he remembered the state of the surroundings. He turned toward Yizhou and hurriedly said, "Not good, Senior Brother! We need to leave quickly. My master is coming, and he might see this and suspect you!"

He was worried that the others would discover traces of Yizhou’s demonic energy if they saw the gruesome scene around them. However, when he glanced around again, he froze.

The blood-soaked ground, the scattered corpses, and even the lingering stench of blood had all disappeared. The surroundings had been restored to their original state, as though the brutal scene from earlier had never existed.

"Huh?"

Sui Sui stared at the empty surroundings in confusion, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Oh? Are you worried about this Senior Brother?" Yizhou teased, clearly pleased by Sui Sui’s reaction. "I’m flattered, but don’t worry. Since I dared to do it, naturally, I have a way to deal with the aftermath."

He knew that this little fool was not accustomed to such a sight. Earlier, he had deliberately made Sui Sui look only at him while he used his flames to clean up the area. His Nether Azure Flame was certainly useful when it came to destroying evidence. It could obliterate almost anything, even the blood left behind, leaving little to no trace of what had happened.

Before Sui Sui could respond, a familiar, excited voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Sui Sui! MuMu is here!"

Sui Sui turned toward the voice and saw several familiar figures approaching. MuMu was flying ahead of the others, his little body bouncing excitedly through the air as he rushed toward Sui Sui.

However, just before he could reach him, MuMu suddenly noticed the person standing beside Sui Sui.

More importantly, that person had one arm wrapped around Sui Sui’s waist while holding his face with the other hand, keeping their faces far closer than ordinary conversation required.

MuMu abruptly stopped in midair.

His golden eyes widened as he stared at the two of them, seemingly unsure whether he should approach.

"Ah? Xiao-Sui, Junior Brother Yizhou, what are you two doing?"

Another familiar voice came from behind MuMu.

Sui Sui turned his head and saw Bai Suichen approaching. It seemed that, besides his master, whom he had asked MuMu to bring along, his older brother Bai Suichen, Senior Brother Ji Ling, and even Elder Jingyan had come as well.

The moment Sui Sui realized how the situation must look to them, his eyes widened. A rush of heat shot straight to his face, and his ears immediately turned red. He hurriedly wriggled out of Yizhou’s embrace and stumbled back a step, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to put some distance between them.

"I-it’s not what you think!"

He waved his hands frantically, he couldn’t even figure out where to begin. How was he supposed to explain why Yizhou had been holding him so intimately just moments before?

Sui Sui wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the ground and hide inside it.

Unfortunately, everyone only had one thought in their mind right now

"Oh?"