Chapter 90: Operation: Plan To Level Up

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Operation: Plan To Level Up

The two of them didn’t dwell much on the topic. Well, one forgot to reply, and the other didn’t bother speaking.

So that was that and neither of them brought it up again.

Their journey continued like this through the night. They followed the road for some time before eventually stumbling upon a small village not too far away. Fortunately, there happened to be a small inn there that still had enough space for the two of them, so they decided to stay the night.

It was nothing particularly special. They simply rested for the night and continued on their way the next morning.

When Sui Sui finally saw Yizhou again the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that the black markings covering Yizhou’s body had already begun to fade. The dark patterns were slowly receding, gradually returning his body to its normal appearance.

Seeing this, Sui Sui couldn’t help but feel a little relieved.

"Senior Brother, are we going to return to the sect soon?" Sui Sui asked, naturally beaming as he moved a little closer to Yizhou. Without even thinking about it, he reached out and lightly tugging at Yizhou’s sleeve.

Yizhou almost narrowed his eyes at the familiar action, but stopped himself.

This was how he and Sui Sui had interacted inside the illusion, with Sui Sui naturally staying close to him and acting without much sense of distance. Seeing the real Sui Sui behave the same way now made Yizhou feel strangely unaccustomed to it.

In the end, Yizhou could only respond with a quiet hum.

After that, the two of them left the small village and continued traveling back toward the Wenjian Sect. It took them a full week of traveling before they finally returned. It was still around noon when they arrived, and as soon as they reached the sect, Yizhou simply left Sui Sui at the probationary disciples’ courtyard before turning around and leaving without another word.

Sui Sui stood there for a moment, watching him leave.

Seeing all of this unfold, he couldn’t help but get the feeling that something was off.

Was it just him, or did it seem like the protagonist was avoiding him?

Or was he simply overthinking it?

Sui Sui thought about it for a moment, but ultimately decided not to dwell on it. Since Yizhou hadn’t said anything, there was no point in guessing what was going on in his head.

He simply returned to his room to rest.

Meanwhile, Sui Sui was completely unaware that Yizhou wasn’t actually avoiding him.

The reason Yizhou had left so quickly was much simpler.

He had been summoned by his master, along with the other junior brothers and sisters under the same master.

By the time Yizhou arrived, the others were already waiting. Once everyone had gathered, the meeting began, and the matter they discussed was not particularly surprising to Yizhou.

It seemed that the incident in Xuánshuāng City had already spread, reaching the ears of the major sects. A demon had remained hidden in the city for so many years, even establishing its own stronghold without anyone noticing. Naturally, this was not something the cultivation world could afford to ignore.

As a result, the major sects were already sending their disciples to Xuánshuāng City to assist with the investigation and help deal with the demon.

The Vermillion Moon Palace was taking the lead in the investigation because of its significant contribution to uncovering the initial case. The Wenjian Sect would also send its own disciples, and Yizhou was among those chosen to participate alongside several of his senior brothers and sisters.

They would be leaving tomorrow.

Apparently, there was no time to waste.

—

Sui Sui stayed in his room for the entire day, spending most of his time resting and meditating. He had thought he wouldn’t be seeing Yizhou again so soon, so he was naturally a little surprised when Yizhou actually showed up at his door that night.

"Senior Brother, what are you doing here? Do you need something?" Sui Sui asked curiously.

"What? Surprised?" Yizhou replied with that familiar, annoying smile. "Did you forget our deal, my dear Junior Brother?"

"What? No, I didn’t." Sui Sui answered a little too quickly. Actually, he had really forgotten about it this time.

After spending so much time inside the illusion, his sense of time had become completely distorted. It felt as though he had lived through an entire lifetime in there, so the events from before had become somewhat blurry in his mind.

Besides, after everything that had happened, Sui Sui had somehow assumed that Yizhou’s offer to let him go and remove the Heart Gu meant that he had also decided to forget about their little blood-sucking arrangement.

Apparently, he had thought too much.

It seemed that Yizhou’s sudden kindness had really been nothing more than a brief moment of compassion. Now that they were back in reality, the familiar mean version of Yizhou had returned.

Sui Sui silently lamented his own stupidity. He should have taken advantage of that rare moment of kindness while it lasted.

Anyway, there was nothing he could do about it now. A deal was a deal, and it wasn’t as though it was particularly difficult. He only had to lose a little blood, and he could replenish it through cultivation anyway.

So, the two of them quickly settled into their usual position. Yizhou sat on the bed while Sui Sui sat on his lap and began removing the outer layer of his robes.

As he did so, Sui Sui noticed that Yizhou was watching his every movement very carefully.

It was almost as though he were staring at something particularly delicious.

Sui Sui immediately felt a little embarrassed. The warmth spreading across his skin only made his already flushed face feel even hotter.

On the other hand, Yizhou’s thoughts were completely different.

After the little test he had conducted earlier, Yizhou mind had already reached his conclusion. Since Sui Sui had not rejected him in the first place, there was no reason for him to overthink the matter or deliberately keep his distance. If Sui Sui was willing to stay by his side, then naturally, Yizhou would graciously accept it.

The things Sui Sui had been wondering about earlier—whether Yizhou was becoming awkward around him or trying to avoid him—were simply not true.

As far as Yizhou was concerned, this person already belonged to him, so there was no reason for him to act awkwardly around him in the first place.

"S-Senior Brother, can you not look at me with those eyes?" Sui Sui said, lowering his head in embarrassment.

Yizhou chuckled, clearly amused. He leaned closer and whispered, "What look?"

His warm breath brushed against the side of Sui Sui’s face, making him even more flustered. Someone this beautiful was naturally difficult for Yizhou to look away from, and he had no intention of trying.

After they finished, Yizhou informed Sui Sui that he would be leaving for several months and explained the situation with the sect sending disciples to Xuánshuāng City.

"You’re leaving again so soon? Will you even be alright?" Sui Sui asked. Yizhou had only just recovered, and he had barely returned from a long journey. Wouldn’t leaving again so soon be troublesome?

"Why?" Yizhou asked teasingly. "Are you worried about me?"

Of course, Yizhou didn’t particularly want to leave either. He had only just made up his mind to stay by Sui Sui’s side and slowly claim him as his own. That was his current goal, but now he would have to put it on hold for the time being.

It would have been better if Sui Sui could raise his cultivation a little sooner. Then, perhaps, Yizhou would have a legitimate reason to bring him along. "Don’t worry about me for now. What you should be worrying about is yourself. In a few months, the sect’s annual disciple competition will begin, and all disciples are required to participate."

Yizhou paused, a teasing smile appearing in his eyes. "In the last competition, weren’t you kicked out in the first round? You didn’t even last ten seconds on stage, hmm?"

Hearing this, Sui Sui finally remembered. Oh right. He had almost forgotten about the competition.

And hearing Yizhou casually remind him that Bai Sui Sui had been eliminated almost immediately made Sui Sui’s face gradually turn red with embarrassment before his expression became indignant.

"Hey! You can’t really blame me for that. I wasn’t in the right state of mind back then, and I couldn’t even cultivate. Isn’t that outcome completely normal?"

"Oh?" Yizhou raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

"You don’t believe me?" Sui Sui puffed out his cheeks. "Then just wait for the next competition. I’ll definitely let you see my full strength!"

Oh, he would definitely let him see.

"Alright, alright. I believe you." Yizhou smiled. "Use these few months to practice on your own. The competition has different categories anyway, so choose whichever one you’re good at. When I come back, don’t disappoint me, okay?"

That smile made Sui Sui’s heart flutter a little.

Just a little.

The protagonist really was handsome, especially when he smiled.

But more importantly, Yizhou’s words had filled Sui Sui with determination.

Fine!

Starting tomorrow, he would begin his operation to level up!