The room seemed to have nothing more to be concerned about. Duan Zhen, not particularly interested in alcohol, wandered around the bed a couple of times, not finding anything unusual either above or below it, which eased his mind somewhat.
Li Xi thought that given Duan Zhen’s personality, he would only take a quick look around the bedroom and leave. He didn’t expect him to linger, so Li Xi quickly became alert and moved to the cabinet where he had just placed the books, using his body to block it.
He thought he was being discreet, but Duan Zhen noticed everything.
In his mind, Duan Zhen comforted himself, thinking that it was normal for a kid to read some risqué books, and it was normal to be afraid of being caught by one’s lover. While trying to brainwash himself, Duan Zhen subconsciously ignored the fact that Li Xi was over two hundred years old.
“This is just the sleeping area, there’s nothing interesting here,” Li Xi urged him to leave.
Duan Zhen murmured an acknowledgment. As he passed by Li Xi, he grabbed his hand and advised him with a serious tone, “Although it’s normal for guys to read those kinds of books, it’s not good for your health to read them every day.”
Li Xi was taken aback and bumped into the door frame.
“Does it hurt?” Duan Zhen was startled and quickly went to check his forehead.
Though mages were delicate, Li Xi had magical protection, so a bump like that wasn’t a big deal. He swatted away Duan Zhen’s hand indignantly. “What book? I haven’t read those kinds of books!”
Duan Zhen, feeling a bit happy from the swat, asked, “Then what are you hiding?”
Li Xi stammered, unable to explain, “Just… just some books on interpersonal relationships.”
He thought his reason was good and immediately put on a melancholic look. “You know, our world has many differences. When I wanted to pursue you, I bought many books to study how people in your world communicate.”
He ran through the contents of the guidebook in his mind and leaned softly against Duan Zhen’s shoulder. “It’s not that it’s inappropriate reading material, I just feel a bit embarrassed.”
Remembering the stack of books, Duan Zhen couldn’t believe that Li Xi had done so much research before they met. His throat seemed to be blocked, and he reached out to embrace Li Xi’s shoulder. Compared to him, Li Xi’s body was slender, and with a gentle pull, he pulled him into his arms.
Duan Zhen, not one to be articulate, didn’t know what to say, so he just held him tightly.
The young man in his arms was like a beloved cat, burying his head in Duan Zhen’s neck and rubbing against it. The soft and delicate strands of hair brushed against Duan Zhen’s cheek, eliciting a soft itch.
The two of them embraced quietly for a while before Li Xi lifted his head, smiling and holding Duan Zhen’s hand. “Let’s go, I’ll show you around outside.”
Duan Zhen nodded.
Li Xi led him outside, secretly relieved, knowing that he had managed to get through this situation.
Later, he would put those books into his space. He would never display them openly again; it was too stimulating. But Duan Zhen actually thought he read those kinds of books and even said it was normal for guys… He had never read them!
Feeling resentful about his strict upbringing and the troubles that arose just as he was starting to relax, Li Xi decided to focus on studying more cooling spells instead.
Although he was thinking about all sorts of messy things, Li Xi didn’t show it. His residence wasn’t particularly large, appearing to be a normal small villa with a garden about half the size of a plaza outside.
As they stepped outside, the roses were in full bloom.
“I didn’t really take care of the garden,” Li Xi tried to cover up, “I just casually scattered some rose seeds back then, never expected them to grow so many. I guess there are about nine hundred and ninety-nine of them.”
Even though Duan Zhen didn’t quite understand the significance of nine hundred and ninety-nine, he couldn’t help but smile and ruffle Li Xi’s hair.
—That wasn’t a number you could casually come up with.
“We’re in the outskirts here. Let me take you into the city,” Li Xi’s face seemed to be tinted red by the bright red roses. He held Duan Zhen’s hand and used teleportation magic to whisk them away.
This was their second teleportation, and Duan Zhen was already completely accustomed to it. He landed steadily on the ground, with enough energy to survey the surroundings.
It seemed to be an alley, deserted and very quiet.
“Being able to use teleportation magic is considered high-level for mages on the continent. If we suddenly appear on the street, it will attract attention,” Li Xi explained. “Oh, by the way, we should change our clothes.”
He blinked and snapped his fingers, and the style of their clothes changed.
Duan Zhen reached out to touch and raised his eyebrows slightly.
“I just applied a spell on the clothes that creates illusions,” Li Xi chuckled. “Only someone stronger than me can tell something’s off.”
It sounded very convenient, and Duan Zhen’s curiosity about magic increased by a notch, but before he could delve deeper, Li Xi grabbed his arm. “Forget about that, let’s go. I’ll show you around.”
They walked out of the alley together, facing medieval-style buildings. There were almost no people on the road, with the occasional horse-drawn carriage passing by. Looking into the distance, they could see the pointed spire of a white church.
“That’s a branch of the Temple of Light,” Li Xi combined the terms from the books they had read, “It’s like a franchise, with the headquarters in the capital.”
“Does this world really have the God of Light?” Duan Zhen asked.
“Yes,” Li Xi nodded, “You’ve seen the God of the Sea in the mini-world before, the God of Light is similar, but usually doesn’t come around unless necessary.”
He paused for a moment, adding, “It’s been hundreds of years since we last saw a divine presence, they’re probably in slumber.”
“Are you on opposing sides?” Duan Zhen frowned.
“His opposing side is the followers of the Dark Church, we belong to the third party,” Li Xi shrugged, “I don’t worship darkness nor do I advocate for light.”
“Forget about that,” Li Xi shook his head, then smiled lightly, “Let me take you to see the fountain. I watched them build it.”
The fountain was in the center of the square, and more people gradually gathered, but no one spoke, just quietly admiring or bowing their heads in prayer.
Duan Zhen initially thought the fountain Li Xi mentioned was similar to modern fountains, but when he saw it for himself, he was surprised. The water flowing from the fountain formed into a huge transparent whale in mid-air. The whale swam vividly before suddenly dispersing into colorful butterflies.
In the few minutes they watched, the water transformed into several different creatures, some of which Duan Zhen recognized, but others were clearly unique to this world.
“This kind of fountain is controlled by magic. Powerful mages can control the water flow to take any shape,” Li Xi explained, then pointed his finger forward, causing the water to form into a gigantic rose.
The rose lasted for a few seconds before suddenly transforming into an ocean of roses. The roses almost filled the entire sky, but each one was delicate and lifelike.
The roses started in a bud-like state, then after a few seconds, they all turned to face them and slowly opened their petals.
The sight of nearly a thousand roses blooming together was so spectacular that no one in the square looked away until the roses disappeared.
“These seeds weren’t casually scattered,” Li Xi whispered in Duan Zhen’s ear, “I counted them, exactly nine hundred and ninety-nine roses.”
It’s not just random number~
Thank you for reading
