Bai Fanlu's hot face was pressed against the youth's chest. The other party's heartbeat raced through the thin clothing, gradually magnified infinitely in his ears.

The five fingers of the hand holding his shoulder trembled lightly but also seemed to grip with more force. It was this subtle change that woke Bai Fanlu. He propped himself up by wrapping his arms tighter around the youth's neck.

It looked as if he was throwing himself into the youth's embrace. This made Xiao Liu stiffen up at once.

Bai Fanlu channelled his spiritual powers through his fingertips. In the next moment, the youth slowly shut his eyes and fainted silently before him.

Even when he fell, Xiao Liu continued to cling onto Bai Fanlu's clothes.

Bai Fanlu shook his head helplessly and gently released the youth's grip. Having adjusted his breath, he said softly, "Come out."  

At this, a man in a fitted black robe stepped out from behind a tree and knelt before Bai Fan Lu. He greeted, "This subordinate is late to Young Master's rescue and awaits your punishment.">

Why do these demons enjoy appearing from the dark one after another? Are demons so offensive that we cannot be seen in the light?

Bai Fanlu looked at the man's attire. He had a ringed sabre hung on his waist, and from what he just said, it was easy to guess his identity. In the novel, Bai Fanlu had a personal bodyguard, Ting Nu. This was the only person other than the Great Elder of the Demon Clan who knew who Bai Fanlu really was.

"Do away with the formalities. It's more important to remove the spell on me."  

 "Yes."  

Ting Nu stepped forward and examined Bai Fanlu at close range. He bowed his head quickly for fear of disrespect and paced towards the Flower Thief to search his body.

"Young Master, this person does not come from the Demon Capital. This curse is extremely vile, and unlike anything this subordinate has seen before, I'm afraid..."

"Understood, you may leave." Bai Fanlu drew a breath, "I feel better now and can manage on my own."  

"Should I summon the Elder?  

"Not necessary."  

This ordeal had left Bai Fanlu exhausted both physically and mentally. He was absolutely not in a state to deal with a final BOSS level character.

"Take care of that guy for me." Bai Fanlu asked, looking disturbed at the scene.

Ting Nu understood and used a technique to ‘clean up’ the body of the Flower Thief on the ground. He then returned to Bai Fanlu's side and glanced at the unconscious Xiao Liu. The youth's right hand was still placed on the hilt of his knife.

Bai Fanlu noticed Ting Nu's gaze and assured, "He's fine."  

"Yes." Ting Nu clasped his fist in salute and vanished from sight.

The novel mentioned that Ting Nu was subservient to Bai Fanlu and was exceedingly loyal and devoted to him. This was true. When Bai Fanlu thought of how this faithful bodyguard eventually sacrificed his life for his master, he secretly felt regretful.

 If he could change the plot lines and prevent himself from being villainised, could Ting Nu also have a good ending?

Bai Fanlu was distracted for a moment, forgetting that now was not an appropriate time to worry about others. He still had a big problem to solve.

The wave of heat in his lower abdomen began to mount within him again. Bai Fanlu refused to give in and straightened up. He forcibly released the acupuncture points which he had sealed earlier, reversing his course of action.

 If he had sensed correctly, there was still cold energy hidden within his body which could counter the demonic flame, and Bai Fanlu intended to use it.

He quelled the initial heatwave with pure willpower, then like opening a floodgate, allowed an icy tide to gush throughout his limbs and bones. The energy burst out in an instant, but did not swallow up his consciousness.

Within moments, his various meridian points felt the effects of the dispelling technique. Although the cold energy within his body was gentle like a stream, it was also extremely domineering.

The demonic flame was gradually tamed and forced out. Bai Fanlu, who was sweating profusely, now really felt much better.

He finally depleted his energy and slumped weakly against the tree trunk behind him after circulating the energy for a few rounds within his meridian veins.

His clothes were completely drenched in sweat and he gasped for breath like a fish caught and thrown out of the water. Bai Fanlu couldn't be bothered to dry himself. His only desire right now was to sleep. However, it seemed that the Heavens were deliberately out to get him and more embarrassing moments soon ensued. 

 Bai Fanlu waited for a long time before reluctantly looking down at a strange twitching around his lower abdomen, between his thighs, and his pale cheeks blushed at once.

 ...The demonic aura in other bodily areas can be forced out by spiritual energy. But this area...there is only one way.

Bai Fanlu glanced at the young man who was soundly asleep next to him and then at another tree not far away.

His legs were incredibly sore and weak by now. If he were to move them forcibly, they would not even be able to carry him halfway towards the tree. If he didn't move, then did he have to endure this unnatural state of arousal until tomorrow morning?

Cussing in his heart, Bai Fanlu grabbed the trunk behind him and barely inched half a circle around it. Now, he was directly opposite, with his back facing the young man. Then, he silently closed his eyes.

Like covering one's ears when stealing a bell, he thought he would just pretend that he was all alone. Bai Fanlu suppressed his shame, opened his clothes, gripped himself and slowly began to move his fingers.

* * *

When Bai Fanlu woke up, it was already the following morning. He couldn't recall how he fell asleep, just that it was an unusually restful night.

The sunlight streamed softly from the gaps between the leaves. It was bright and warm. Bai Fanlu blinked to adapt to the brightness and attempted to prop up his body, which still felt weak.

As he sat up, a piece of grey cloth slid down from his shoulders onto his knees. There was a lingering remnant of warmth on it.

Bai Fanlu was stunned. He looked up and saw the back of a figure sitting still on a rock by the river nearby.

Next to him, the little white monkey Zhizhi, who was ignored, picked up a pebble and tossed it into the river. It then picked up another one, and threw it again... The rigid and repetitive movement made it seem like there was a character hanging above his furry little head that said ‘Bored’.

Bai Fanlu shook his head and grinned. He straightened his robes, picked up his outer coat, got up and walked towards the riverbank.

Xiao Liu didn't see anyone coming at first, and stared blankly at the river. The gleaming water surface was reflected in his clear eyes. Those eyes did not show the same vigour from before and appeared rather lonely.

With the sound of water rustling, Bai Fanlu approached, only to see a knife and a sheath immersed in the water before Xiao Liu. Under the current, the blade gave off a cold light and looked as good as new.

However, no matter how much the river cleaned it, it could never thoroughly wash away the taint on the blade from the bloodshed.

Bai Fanlu couldn't help but recall the horror in the youth's eyes last night.

In fact, even he was afraid. Although it was not the first time he saw a person collapsed in a pool of blood, he would never be accustomed to such a scene.

What's more, this was a sixteen-year-old boy. Although he was the one who declared eagerly that he would catch the villain, it was a different experience altogether in reality. The fear which came with stabbing a human was undeniable. 

"Xiao Liu, I'm sorry to have scared you last night." Bai Fanlu sighed softly.

Xiao Liu jolted, spun his head around when he heard, and almost fell into the water. Bai Fanlu hurriedly tugged at him. Xiao Liu leaned back and promptly grabbed Bai Fanlu's arm as he steadied himself.

Once he found his balance, Xiao Liu let go of his hand immediately. His eyes flickered shyly, and his ears turned red. 

"Im-Immortal Gege, you are up!"  

"Yes. Are you alright..."

Bai Fanlu felt an itch in his throat. He covered his mouth and coughed gently.

Then, without another word, a hand reached out and touched his forehead. Bai Fanlu instinctively wanted to dodge, but that hand was faster.

As their skin touched, Bai Fanlu felt warmth radiating out of the youth's broad palms and the sensation of his rough skin. For reasons unknown, Bai Fanlu frowned and looked back at Xiao Liu.

"What's wrong?"  

Xiao Liu's wrist was very close to his eyes, and this made Bai Fanlu blink reflexively.

His lashes repeatedly brushed on the youth's wrist, causing the young man’s pulse to race erratically and gradually become chaotic.

Xiao Liu didn't dare to look straight at Bai Fanlu. He redirected his gaze and circled their surroundings twice before he pretended to look at the gurgling water in the river nearby.

However, his hand persistently remained as it was.

"Xiao Liu?" After patiently waiting for a moment, Bai Fanlu realised that the young man in front of him was in a daze, despite still holding onto his forehead.

"What? Oh..." Xiao Liu awkwardly replied twice and was stunned for a while. Then, he noticed something was off at once, and he abruptly removed his hand as if he had been scalded. Lowering his head, he added, "This...fortunately, your fever has subsided."  

Could it be that this kid actually thought he was doing what he did last night because of his fever?

Bai Fanlu had an urge to laugh when he vaguely recalled Xiao Liu mentioning the word ‘fever’ when he was in a daze last night. However, he was moved by the youth's care and concern.

"Thank you for last night. How is your hand?” 

"My hand?"  

Xiao Liu seemed to have just realised this and raised his right hand to take a look. It seemed fine. Raising his left hand this time, he saw a hideous gash running across the entire palm and extending to his forearm. It was a gruesome wound with blood, pus and a scab clinging onto his clothes.

Bai Fanlu only remembered that the youth sustained an injury to his left arm, but he didn't expect it to be this severe.

"Sit down. Let me treat you."  

"No-no need."  

Bai Fanlu sat Xiao Liu on the ground and lifted his left hand. Xiao Liu hissed with pain, making Bai Fanlu move even more gently as he carefully examined the wound.

With his hand held by him, Xiao Liu sat and blushed as he took a peek at Bai Fanlu from time to time.

They were very close now, and Bai Fanlu was concentrating on healing his injuries. Each time he lowered his gaze, his fan-like eyelashes curled and hid half of his pupils. The shape of his lips was also mesmerising and appeared to be glistening with moisture...

And at some point last night, these same lips appeared even redder, and he could see the man's white teeth and soft tongue within. The tongue gently squirmed as he moaned as if enduring something. This made anyone...
Xiao Liu quivered all over at this thought. Bai Fanlu noticed at once and blew tenderly onto the wound, frowning as he asked, "Does it hurt?  

"It-it doesn't hurt anymore."  

Xiao Liu's face reddened even more. Fortunately, Bai Fanlu was so focused and did not look up at him.

 After that, he could only obediently keep still and silently watch as Bai Fanlu went about the process.

Bai Fanlu could sense Xiao Liu peeking at himself, but he wasn't aware of these secret thoughts. The appalling wound on his hand made it hard for him to care for anything else.

The book's Bai Fanlu had average healing skills, but it was adequate to treat a regular person's superficial wound. However, given that this hand had such a high degree of injury, he had to bandage it even after treating the ripped skin to prevent secondary tears.

Bai Fanlu couldn't find any bandages. So, he took out the treasure sack from his bundle and realised that there was only a bottle of Golden Medicine and some silver pieces. So he casually tore off a clean strip from his robe, sprinkled some medicinal powder on Xiao Liu's arm and carefully wrapped it up.

Hearing Xiao Liu's occasional hisses, Bai Fanlu felt uncomfortable and asked him as he was done with the dressing, "Do you remember how you got hurt?"  

 "How I got hurt..." Xiao Liu pondered for a while, "I seemed to have dreamt after falling asleep. I dreamt of you..."

 Then, his words abruptly stopped here.

Bai Fanlu raised his eyes to look at Xiao Liu and questioned suspiciously, "Dreamt of me?"  

"Well," Xiao Liu whispered, "I dreamed that you were in danger, so I wanted to save you, but I couldn't get up, no matter how hard I struggled, as if something was pinning me down."  

 It must be the illusionary technique of the Flower Thief, Bai Fanlu thought.

Xiao Liu frowned as if trying hard to recall the details of his dream, but he also seemed very reluctant to think of it.

He only remembered that Bai Fanlu had encountered a perilous situation. He desperately tried to reach out and rescue him, but he couldn't move no matter what. In a hurry, he—

 Observing Xiao Liu's expression, Bai Fanlu suddenly realised something, "You stabbed yourself to wake up?"  

Xiao Liu stared at the strip of white cloth wrapped around his palm, silently lowered his gaze, and gave a soft "en".

 "...How silly."