Chapter 252. The morning after

Jin slowly opened his eyes.

For a few moments, he remained still, his consciousness gradually returning from the depths of sleep. The warmth surrounding him was comfortable, and the familiar scent beside him made him feel strangely at ease. However, the moment his mind became fully alert and he realized his current situation, his eyes widened.

He froze.

He was completely naked.

Jin stared at the unfamiliar arrangement of the bedsheets covering his lower body, then slowly raised his head. The next instant, his gaze landed on the person sleeping peacefully in front of him.

Aion.

This silver snake in his human form, his long silver hair spread loosely across the pillow. His handsome face appeared unusually relaxed, and the faint rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still enjoying his sleep. Like Jin, he wasn’t wearing a single piece of clothing.

Jin’s face immediately turned pink.

Then, as the memories of the previous night began returning to him, that faint blush rapidly deepened.

No. No, no, no!

He wanted to close his eyes and pretend that he had never awakened.

Unfortunately, closing his eyes wouldn’t make those memories disappear.

He remembered everything.

More importantly, he remembered precisely who had been the most proactive person among the three of them.

It was him.

Jin’s face grew redder by the second. He could still recall how he had behaved the previous night, and the realization was so embarrassing that he seriously considered hiding inside the Pagoda of Hope for the next hundred years.

What was I thinking?

He had always considered himself a reasonably composed person. Even when facing powerful enemies, dangerous situations, or matters that could determine the future of the Pagoda of Hope, he had been able to maintain his composure.

Yet, after what had happened last night, he wasn’t sure he could even look Aion and Nox in the eyes.

And the worst part was that Nox had joined them, too.

Jin pressed his lips together tightly.

He had absolutely no intention of discussing what had happened. In fact, if he could somehow erase the memories of the previous night from everyone’s minds, he would gladly consider it.

Unfortunately, he possessed no such convenient ability.

Just as Jin was desperately trying to gather his thoughts, a sweet voice entered his ears.

"Honey, you’re awake?"

Jin’s entire body stiffened.

He slowly turned his head toward Aion, who had opened his eyes and was looking at him with a relaxed smile. There was not the slightest trace of embarrassment on the silver-haired man’s face. Instead, he appeared perfectly content, as though waking up beside Jin in such circumstances was the most natural thing in the world.

That carefree expression only made Jin feel more humiliated.

He wanted to dig a hole, bury himself inside it, and never emerge again.

But since that wasn’t an option, he could only raise his head slightly and glare at Aion.

His resentful expression might have frightened an ordinary person. Unfortunately, Aion was anything but ordinary.

The silver snake merely smiled at him.

Jin’s resentment deepened.

How can he be so shameless?

Before Jin could say anything, another voice came from behind him.

"Good morning."

Unlike Aion’s sweet, teasing voice, this one carried a gentle warmth. It was calm and pleasant, without the slightest hint of mockery.

Jin’s body stiffened for the second time.

Slowly, almost fearfully, he turned his head.

Nox was lying behind him.

The realization struck Jin with far greater force than he had expected. He had somehow ended up sleeping right between Aion and Nox, with one on either side of him. Both men were looking at him, and neither seemed particularly troubled by their current circumstances.

Nox’s expression was noticeably gentler than Aion’s. There was a faint smile on his face, and although a trace of amusement lingered in his eyes, he didn’t seem interested in teasing Jin as mercilessly as Aion undoubtedly would.

That should have been reassuring.

It wasn’t.

Jin’s thoughts descended into chaos.

He was the one who had taken the initiative. He was the one who had been unusually proactive. And yet, here he was, lying between the two people who had indulged him, feeling as though he were the victim of some terrible conspiracy.

His pride couldn’t accept this situation.

His embarrassment couldn’t tolerate it.

And his rationality, which had always served him so well, had apparently decided to abandon him at the worst possible moment.

A sudden fluctuation of spiritual energy swept through the room.

Before either Aion or Nox could say anything, an invisible force struck them both.

"Whoa!"

Aion’s relaxed expression finally changed as he was thrown out of the bed. Nox, who had been preparing to greet Jin properly, suffered the same fate and landed beside him.

The room fell silent.

Jin sat upright on the bed, his face red enough to rival a ripe tomato. He refused to look directly at either of them. With a wave of his hand, he cleansed his body and summoned his clothes, quickly dressing himself as though doing so could somehow restore the dignity he had lost.

Once he was properly dressed, he finally turned toward the two men.

Aion was already sitting up, his silver hair falling over his shoulders. Nox had also recovered, and both of them were staring at Jin with expressions of complete bewilderment.

Jin looked at Aion.

Then he looked at Nox.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Unfortunately, the silence was beginning to work against him. Aion’s bewilderment was gradually turning into amusement, while Nox seemed to have finally understood what Jin was attempting to do.

Jin immediately decided that the best defense was a good offense.

He straightened his back, forced his expression into a cold, dignified mask, and spoke in a voice that brooked no argument.

"Don’t you dare come close to me next time."

Aion blinked.

Nox blinked as well.

For several seconds, neither of them said anything.

Then Aion slowly raised an eyebrow.

"...Honey?"

Jin looked away.

Nox pressed his lips together, evidently trying to suppress a smile. He was far more considerate than Aion, but even his restraint couldn’t completely hide the amusement in his eyes.

Aion, however, had no intention of letting Jin escape so easily.

"Honey, I have a question."

"What?" Jin replied coldly.

"You were the one who was active last night. How have we somehow become the ones being blamed?"

Jin’s expression froze.

He had known this was coming.

He had simply hoped that Aion might possess enough shame to refrain from mentioning it.

Apparently, he had placed far too much faith in his lover.

Jin turned toward him, resentment practically radiating from his eyes.

"Who told you to be so big?"

The instant those words left his mouth, the atmosphere changed.

Aion stared at Jin for a moment.

Then a slow, unmistakably proud smile spread across his face.

Instead of being embarrassed, he looked as though Jin had just offered him the greatest compliment imaginable.

"Honey," he said, placing a hand against his chest, "you haven’t even seen the complete portion."

Jin’s face turned crimson.

Aion continued, entirely unbothered by the murderous glare directed at him.

"And don’t you think you should be proud that your hubby has such a long size?"

"YOU—!"

Jin’s voice caught in his throat.

He stared at Aion, unable to believe the shamelessness of the man before him. Aion’s expression had become even more pleased with himself, and judging by the way he carried himself, he seemed genuinely convinced that he had every reason to be proud.

Beside him, Nox finally let out a quiet laugh.

It wasn’t loud or mocking. If anything, it was a warm, helpless sound, as though watching Jin lose an argument with Aion had become an unexpectedly delightful part of his morning.

That only made Jin feel worse.

He turned toward Nox, hoping to find at least a little sympathy.

Instead, he found Nox looking back at him with a gentle smile.

Jin immediately regretted seeking his support.

He had faced countless difficult situations in his life. He had fought opponents stronger than himself, endured dangerous trials, and shouldered the responsibilities of the Pagoda of Hope. Yet somehow, none of those experiences had prepared him for the combined threat posed by Aion’s shamelessness and Nox’s quiet amusement.

He couldn’t win.

Not this time.

And he certainly wasn’t going to continue arguing when every additional word seemed destined to make his embarrassment worse.

Jin took a deep breath, turned away from the two men, and decided to retreat before his dignity suffered any further damage.

Without saying another word, he opened the scroll and entered it.

He had cultivation to focus on.

A great deal of cultivation.

In fact, if anyone asked, he intended to spend every remaining moment of the day cultivating.

Behind him, Aion watched his retreating figure with a satisfied smile, while Nox shook his head gently, the warmth in his expression refusing to fade.

Jin, meanwhile, had already made up his mind.

He would focus every ounce of his energy on cultivation.

And he would absolutely not think about what had happened last night.