Chi Muyao slept heavily.

Xi Huai, however, remained awake. In this silent and desolate environment, even Chi Muyao’s even breathing was extremely loud. He could also still feel his lapels being grasped with quite a bit of force.

But Xi Huai remained silent. He didn’t disturb Chi Muyao and waited for him to wake up.

He was the most patient he had even been in this cave.

For as long as he could remember, Xi Huai hadn't actually slept properly even once.

Almost everyone in the cultivation world used meditation and energy circulation to replace sleep. They dedicated every second of their day to cultivating, even replacing baths with cleansing techniques. Cultivators that still slept like Chi Muyao were a rare sight.

Xi Huai used to think that all these trivial matters were a waste of time, but he had a sudden change of heart now. He unexpectedly envied Chi Muyao for sleeping so soundly.

With the Hui Dragon Flames constantly tormenting him, it was unlikely he would ever sleep soundly in this lifetime.

Since he was awake, he immediately noticed when Chi Muyao’s breathing became muddled. Then the other person very slowly and carefully moved his feet away and let go of Xi Huai’s lapels.

The corners of Xi Huai’s mouth quirked up. He soundlessly pretended not to notice.

It was quite a while before Chi Muyao shifted under the covers as if he had just woken up.

He took the initiative to greet Chi Muyao, "Is your injury better now?"

Chi Muyao coughed lightly to ease his embarrassment, "Yes. It's a lot better than before, but it’s not completely healed.”

After all, the medicinal powder he applied was very basic. Instant healing was beyond its capabilities.

Chi Muyao shifted so that he was lying chest down on the stone bed with his arms folded under his chin. He looked up, but all he could see was darkness.

Xi Huai was restricted, so he could only lie on his back.

Chi Muyao's back was injured, so he could only lie on his chest.

As the two of them, with mismatched positions, huddled together under the covers to stave off the cold, Chi Muyao whispered, “Can I touch the wound on your arm from before?”

“En." Xi Huai didn’t refuse.

Chi Muyao reached out and touched where the spirit beast had torn at Xi Huai’s flesh. His fingertip gently brushed the skin there, which was unmarred by scars, as if it had never been injured.

He took back his hand after confirming this, muttering, “Good. There’s no build up.”

Xi Huai was puzzled. "What do you mean by build up?"

"Like...not leaving a scar. This means my back won’t scar either, right?”

"Even if your medicine powder is of the lowest quality, it still contains traces of spiritual energy and has a restorative effect. You won’t scar.”

Chi Muyao was relieved to hear that.

Xi Huai suddenly laughed and asked, "Do all the disciples of your He Huan Sect care so much about maintaining your skin and beauty?”

"Well I don’t think scars look good."

"But no one will get to see them…” Xi Huai suddenly paused here. After a moment of thought, his tone cooled. “Are you going to dual cultivate with others once you leave this cave? With other men?”

Chi Muyao quickly shook his head and denied it. "I won’t."

"But you're a He Huan Sect disciple."

"I’ve been one for eighty years, ah. That doesn’t mean I have to dual cultivate with anyone.”

"But you did it with me to survive."

"En. But that’s because I can save you as well, right?”

"Then if you run into a similar situation in the future, would you dual cultivate with someone else?"

Chi Muyao gave it some serious thought. "I don't know.”

Xi Huai was suddenly angry. He repeated back with emphasis, "You don't know?"

Feeling like this situation was very absurd, Chi Muyao replied, "I can’t possibly be that unlucky, right? How could I possibly be caught and sealed in a cave where the only way out is through dual cultivation a second time? It can’t happen again, so there’s no point in thinking about it.”

But Xi Huai had always been stubborn. He persisted. "But what if it does?"

"If it does happen, then maybe...I would."

Xi Huai felt blood furiously rushing to his heavenly spiritual root, but he didn’t understand why.

After stewing in his mysterious anger for a moment, he suddenly said, "When you approach the end of your lifespan at the Foundation Building stage, you can go to the Qing Ze Sect to find me."

"Huh?" Chi Muyao was completely caught off guard. He didn't even know what to say for a moment.

"I have all the treasures and pills in the land in my collection, so I can raise you to the Golden Core stage. Then you’ll have another five hundred years worth of lifespan."

Chi Muyao chuckled at that. He didn’t seem to take it seriously. He rested his head against his arm and replied with a  smile, “Actually, living for two hundred more years is more than enough for me. I’m satisfied already.”

"If you don't want to dual cultivate with others, there's no need to force yourself..." Just come find me.

Chi Muyao, however, took his words at face value. After all, Xi Huai never finished his sentence. “But I really don’t plan on dual cultivating with anyone else, ah.”

Xi Huai heard Chi Muyao's laughter and suddenly had a pang of inexplicable curiosity.

He wanted to see what Chi Muyao looked like when he laughed.

Or rather, he was curious about what Chi Muyao really looked like.

But instead of saying it outright, he asked, "Do you have any illuminating artefacts or treasures in your storage space?"

Chi Muyao did have one, but he didn’t want to take it out. After all, how was he supposed to make a run for it after getting out of the cave, if Xi Huai knew what he looked like?

So he shook his head. "No."

"Then I'll teach you a technique to light a fire in the cave. It’s depressing to see nothing but darkness all the time.”

"The cave isn’t that big. What if the fire burns up all the oxygen and causes this place to become hypoxic?”

"..." Is this guy speaking human? Why can’t I understand what he just said?

A moment later, Xi Huai asked again, undeterred, "Then just light it for a moment so I can help you take a look at your wound."

"No need. I’m fine." Chi Muyao softly refused again.

Chi Muyao wasn’t willing to let him look, but that just made Xi Huai inclined to imagine what he might look like in his head.

A seventeen or eighteen year old youth with clean, scholarly features and a slight build. His skin’s probably very fair since he doesn’t leave his Sect a lot...

Such a slender and fair back was at the moment marked by a scar.

What did he look like when he was treating his injuries in the dark?

Xi Huai’s curiosity was piqued once again. He concentrated on thinking up ways to see what Chi Muyao looked like.

Unfortunately, before he could think of anything, Chi Muyao got up and meditated with just his legs covered to accelerate his healing.

Even Xi Huai wouldn’t disturb him in moments like this. He remained very quiet, for Chi Muyao’s weak foundation meant that the slightest moment of distraction could send him into a qi deviation.

Xi Huai finally got his chance to talk to Chi Muyao after he finished cultivating a few hours later.

Unfortunately, Chi Muyao quickly dove under the covers and curled up shivering afterwards. “I don’t want to leave the covers for a second on cold days like this.”

Xi Huai stubbornly coaxed, "You can make a fire to keep warm."

"The fire will burn off all the oxygen, oh, I mean the air. Then we'll be even more uncomfortable."

Xi Huai still refused to give up. "But..."

"Alright, alright. I'm going to bed."

"Sleeping again?"

"En. I like to sleep more when I'm not feeling well."

Xi Huai once again fell silent.

Forget it. He’s injured right now. Might as well let him rest up.

Xi Huai was no fool. After being rejected a couple of times, he determined that Chi Muyao didn’t want to let him see what he looked like.

He just didn't understand why...

Chi Muyao refused to explain no matter how he asked, so Xi Huai could only sulk on his own.

Hmph!

You don’t know what’s good for you!

It’s not like I wanted to look anyway!

***

Perhaps because he wanted to vent his frustrations, a few days later Xi Huai brought up something he had been meaning to say. “Can you stop being so noisy when you’re dual cultivating? It’s annoying to hear.”

Chi Muyao was already ready and draped warmly in a blanket. His face went red after hearing that. He nodded emphatically in the darkness.

After realising that Xi Huai couldn't see him, he hurriedly said, "Um, okay. I understand."

This was their first time dual cultivating after Chi Muyao recovered from his injuries.

He already had experience, so Chi Muyao knew how to do it. But his cultivation progress slowed because he was trying to be quiet.

Xi Huai was assisting him in dual cultivation when he suddenly smelled blood.

At first, he suspected that the wound on Chi Muyao's back had opened, but then he recalled Chi Muyao marvelling over how the injury really didn’t scar a few days ago. If there wasn’t even a scar, how could it split open?

This wasn’t their first time anymore. There shouldn’t be any blood.

He furrowed his brows. After ascertaining where the smell of blood was coming from, he suddenly understood. "Hey, you’re not biting your lip so hard it split, right?”

Chi Muyao didn't say anything, but his movements paused slightly.

That only made Xi Huai more certain he was right. He hurriedly said, "You don't have to hold back so much. It’s okay to just keep it down a bit…”

But Chi Muyao still didn't make a sound.

The smell of blood continued to drift into his nose. Xi Huai wasn’t sure how hard this little fool was biting down. 

His back just recovered, and now he has a new one on his lip…

He was the reason Chi Muyao was hurt both times.

He didn’t expect this to happen...

"A-Jiu! A-Jiu, I said you don't have to hold back anymore. It’s not that I find it annoying, I just..."

It was just that...hearing Chi Muyao’s vocalisation made him feel an unquenchable thirst. His heart would start beating wildly and he wouldn't be able to think straight.

Maybe he would be better off if Chi Muyao stopped making noises? Would that make him stop hating being restrained so much?

If you asked him what sound could always throw his mind into disarray, the answer would definitely be the noises Chi Muyao made when dual cultivating.

But he couldn't just say that. The words got caught in his throat and made him feel especially uncomfortable.

Only at that point did Chi Muyao speak up, his voice barely above a whisper, “I didn’t mean to make those noises… Is it okay if I make changes one step at a time?”

This question caused Xi Huai's heart to tremble.

Surprisingly, it made him feel even worse than when Chi Muyao refused to let him look at his face.

"There’s no need to change." Xi Huai clenched his fist, really fed up with both Chi Muyao's stupidity and, to a lesser degree, his own messed up feelings. “Do whatever you want. I was just teasing you before. Sorry.”

"Really?"

"En. I’ve always been bad natured. Don’t mind me.” He could only explain it like this.

After this, Chi Muyao didn’t bite his lip anymore, but he was still much more quiet than before.

He hadn't noticed before Xi Huai mentioned it, but he was being quite rude before.

However, the price of holding back was him sobbing through the entire session again.

After finishing up, Chi Muyao used the Simple Washing Technique to clean them both. After draping himself in a blanket, he announced, “I’m going to meditate and absorb the spiritual energy now."

"Come over here." Xi Huai suddenly said.

"What's wrong?"

"Let me touch your lips. Are they hurt badly?"

"I’m fine. There’s no need."

"Then come over here anyway. I want to touch you. Anywhere is fine. Come to where my hand is."

Xi Huai had a sudden desire to touch Chi Muyao. Any part of him. 

A-Jiu's fingertips were cool, so what about the rest of his body?

A-Jiu's wrists must be very slender, right?

And what about his lips? Were they thin or thick? Were they still bleeding?

But Chi Muyao refused. "No."

"Why not?"

"I just don’t want to. I'm going to cultivate now." Chi Muyao ignored him again and began to meditate.