ATAVID CH93

Jiang Qunyu felt Wei Xun was asking completely redundant questions.

As for why he felt so guilty—could Wei Xun seriously not know?

If he had the nerve, he should stop speaking to him in that exact tone!

Deliberately pretending not to catch his underlying meaning, Jiang Qunyu’s gaze darted around. “No, I didn’t. When did I ever look guilty?”

A low, inscrutable chuckle escaped Wei Xun’s throat.

Jiang Qunyu had grown somewhat accustomed to Wei Xun’s frequent bouts of irrational jealousy. He extended his hand and asked casually, “Want to hold hands?”

Likely constrained by being out in public and unable to fully vent, Wei Xun remained silent for a moment. Ultimately, he suppressed his unprovoked loathing for Wen Xingyao, reached out to clasp Jiang Qunyu’s hand, and didn’t miss the chance to brainwash him right next to his ear. “That idiot clearly isn’t up to any good. We might as well throw him out right now.”

Xie Chuan, who was following closely behind the two, was itching to slip away and play again. He was just fretting over not finding a suitable excuse to get his master to dismiss him. To be fair, he figured his master had probably forgotten he was even there, and likely wouldn’t care whether he spoke up or not.

However, to prevent his master from getting upset later and taking it out on him for no reason, he decided to establish a little presence and volunteered enthusiastically, “Master, let me go throw him out!”

Without a shred of hesitation, Wei Xun slightly lifted his cold, elegant eyelashes and calmly spat out a single word: “Go.”

“…” Jiang Qunyu was instantly choked up. Seeing Xie Chuan’s eager, praise-seeking excitement as he turned to stride toward Wen Xingyao, Jiang Qunyu immediately gritted his teeth and barked, “Go play by yourself!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the surrounding temperature dropped noticeably.

Xie Chuan glanced at Wei Xun and saw that his master was indeed displeased again.

But Jiang Qunyu’s words seemed to carry more weight than his master’s. Xie Chuan offered a cheerful “Oh,” and happily slipped away with his sword slung across his back.

Jiang Qunyu couldn’t be bothered to deal with Wei Xun.

Wei Xun said, “Jiang Qunyu, I am unhappy.”

Jiang Qunyu didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Oh.”

Wei Xun: “I am jealous.”

Jiang Qunyu: “I get it.”

Wei Xun fell silent. Anyone with eyes could tell he was throwing a tantrum. The heavy aura radiating from him along the way was so terrifying that a few passing ghost cultivators fainted dead away on the spot.

_

It wasn’t until they returned to the sleeping quarters that Jiang Qunyu finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a soft, low chuckle.

He reached out, grabbed Wei Xun’s collar, and applied a bit of force to pull the tall man down into a bend. Tilting his head up, he lightly brushed his lips against Wei Xun’s cool mouth, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

“Alright, stop being angry.” Jiang Qunyu looked up at him, his peach-blossom eyes rippling with a faint smile, his tone softening a fraction. “He and I are just ordinary friends. He doesn’t compare to the two of us.”

The phrase the two of us immensely pleased Wei Xun. The tight line of his lips curved slightly, and the chill in his eyes vanished completely. He caught Jiang Qunyu by the wrist and led him toward the inner chamber.

He then took a square cloth, soaked it in warm water, wrung it dry, and began to wipe Jiang Qunyu’s face, asking in a thoroughly improved mood, “Indeed, he doesn’t compare to the two of us. Jiang Qunyu, what exactly is our relationship?”

The damp cloth was being rubbed over his face with enough vigor to make Jiang Qunyu want to strangle him. He knew this matter wouldn’t blow over so easily with Wei Xun.

Did this guy have eyes in the back of his head? Jiang Qunyu had explicitly checked at the time—Wei Xun hadn’t even been looking at him, right?

As if sensing Jiang Qunyu’s bewilderment, a flash of smugness flitted through Wei Xun’s eyes, and his tone picked up a lighthearted lilt. “I even know what you two talked about.”

Jiang Qunyu kept his face blank. “What is there to be proud of?”

Having finally wiped Jiang Qunyu’s face clean, Wei Xun leaned down, drawing closer until his nose lightly brushed against the side of the other’s cheek, carefully inhaling his unique scent.

Only after confirming there wasn’t a trace of Wen Xingyao’s scent on him did he open his mouth. His canine teeth nipped into Jiang Qunyu’s soft cheek—not too hard, just enough to leave a faint tooth mark—before he straightened back up, his eyes overflowing with delight.

Jiang Qunyu was completely dumbfounded. He didn’t react for half a second, having been bitten out of nowhere for absolutely no reason. His eyes snapped wide, filled with utter disbelief, his tone shifting to furious and exasperated as his fur practically stood on end: “You are seriously sick, aren’t you?!”

Yet Wei Xun still felt it wasn’t enough. He found himself uncharacteristically missing the days when Jiang Qunyu was just a ball of black mist.

Back then, the mist constantly needed to drink his blood; from head to toe, inside and out, he had been steeped in Wei Xun’s aura, belonging entirely to him.

As the thoughts churned in his mind, he ultimately couldn’t hold back. Looking down at Jiang Qunyu, he asked in all seriousness, “Do you want to drink my blood?”

The question made the veins on Jiang Qunyu’s temples throb violently. Finding the man before him completely unreasonable, he snapped, “Why on earth would I drink your blood?”

“So your body can be steeped in my scent,” Wei Xun said, leaning down once more, intending to take another bite to leave his mark on the skin.

Having learned his lesson, Jiang Qunyu tilted his head to dodge. He was absolutely not going to let his face end up like his waist, lower abdomen, and thighs—densely covered in the hickeys and marks this man left behind. Annoyed, he kicked Wei Xun’s shin. “No biting!”

Hearing this, Wei Xun paused. A flash of unmistakable disappointment colored his elegant features, and his dark lashes drooped lazily. “Weren’t you very angry this morning? Are you still angry now? I can let you bite me back.”

“Heh, I don’t share your twisted hobbies,” Jiang Qunyu sneered, instinctively stepping back, determined to keep his distance before this man could turn clingy and press close again.

_

Wei Xun didn’t let him escape. He wrapped an arm around Jiang Qunyu’s waist, leaned over, and scooped him up in a princess carry, walking toward the daybed in the outer room.

The sudden weightlessness startled Jiang Qunyu, and he instinctively gripped Wei Xun’s collar. At the same time, a strange sensation crept into his heart.

Wei Xun held him far too naturally, didn’t he?

Before he could figure out what felt off, he heard Wei Xun say, “But I want my scent to be all over your body.”

Jiang Qunyu was so shocked by these blunt words—which easily lent themselves to dirty thoughts—that a crimson flush instantly rushed up his ears, staining the very tips. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Can you be a bit more civilized?!”

Wei Xun looked puzzled. “But that is genuinely what I am thinking. I just want you to bite me a few times. Where exactly did your mind wander?”

As he was lowered onto the daybed, Jiang Qunyu could no longer tolerate it. Attempting his old trick, he tried to plant a kick directly onto Wei Xun’s shoulder. “You miserable man, you miserable dog! Turning the tables on me again! It better just be a bite! If you’re so tough, don’t you dare kiss me!”

This time, however, his strike didn’t land. Fast as lightning, Wei Xun reached out and caught him firmly by the ankle.

A sudden wave of panic hit Jiang Qunyu. Struggling to pull his leg back, he raised his voice, “Take your paws off me!”

Wei Xun remained completely indifferent. Lowering his thick lashes, he applied a fraction of pressure with his fingers, lightly dragging the man toward him.

Before Jiang Qunyu could react, Wei Xun easily scooped him up once more, guiding Jiang Qunyu’s legs to instinctively wrap around his waist. He then sat down on the edge of the daybed with the man in his arms, burying his face listlessly into Jiang Qunyu’s shoulder. His voice sounded deep and muffled: “If you won’t bite, then forget it. I just feel a bit insecure, that’s all.”

“…” Jiang Qunyu went entirely rigid. He suspected the man was playing the pity card, but he admittedly had a soft spot for it. In the end, his heart relented. With an expressionless face, he asked, “Where do I bite?”

Buried in the crook of Jiang Qunyu’s neck, Wei Xun let out a low chuckle. His cool breath fanned across Jiang Qunyu’s skin, causing him to shiver as though tiny insects were crawling over him, leaving him feeling both itchy and numb.

“The side of the neck first, alright?” he asked.

Jiang Qunyu couldn’t bring himself to be as reckless and spontaneous as Wei Xun. He hesitated for a moment before finally edging closer, pressing his lips against the cool skin of Wei Xun’s neck.

Wei Xun seemed to lift his head, leaning right against his ear to murmur seductively, “Bite me.”

As if possessed, Jiang Qunyu’s mind went blank, and he actually opened his mouth, sinking his teeth into the cool side of Wei Xun’s neck.

The breathing in his ear grew heavy and ragged in an instant. With lowered eyes, Wei Xun’s gaze darkened to an ink-like obsidian. His hand remained firmly locked around Jiang Qunyu’s waist, guiding him further. “Bite deeper.”

Jiang Qunyu was still a bit conflicted.

If the two of them were having a physical fight, he might have used some real force. Even though he always claimed he wanted to bite Wei Xun to death, when it came down to actually doing it, he couldn’t bring himself to be cruel. Thus, he intended to give up.

Wei Xun’s voice drifted eerily into his ears: “Jiang Qunyu, you are so delicate.”

Jiang Qunyu: “?”

He bit down hard on Wei Xun.

The arm around his waist tightened abruptly with a force that felt as though it wanted to grind him into Wei Xun’s very bones. Pressed tightly against one another, their breaths tangled together completely.

By the time Jiang Qunyu belatedly realized what was happening, he discovered he had left several shallow tooth marks scattered across Wei Xun’s neck. A few spots had been bitten a bit too hard, oozing tiny beads of crimson blood that made his head spin just looking at them.

Meanwhile, Wei Xun was showering the side of his neck with dense, meticulous kisses, his cool lips skimming across sensitive skin, sending tremors through Jiang Qunyu’s entire body.

Jiang Qunyu’s scalp tingled. They were too close, making certain reactions impossible to ignore. An ambiguous, heavy atmosphere instantly flooded the entire sleeping quarters, nearly swallowing them whole.

“Stop kissing!” Jiang Qunyu hurriedly tried to stop him.

Any further and things were going to spiral completely out of hand.

_

Unfortunately, his intervention came a step too late.

Wei Xun’s well-defined hand had already undone the sash at his waist, causing the fabric to slip loose and expose the smooth skin of his shoulders.

Despite the thick, sensual atmosphere and their incredibly intimate posture, Wei Xun’s voice remained as cool and detached as usual, devoid of any discernible tremor.

If Jiang Qunyu hadn’t been able to clearly feel a certain presence, he would have almost believed Wei Xun was entirely unmoved.

“Jiang Qunyu,” Wei Xun’s thin lips curled as he blew a soft breath against the back of his ear. “Your mind was clearly in the gutter. I am merely kissing you, so how did you… end up like this?”

Jiang Qunyu was trembling all over. Truthfully, he didn’t have much experience; even back in the modern world, he had only ever dealt with things cursorily on rare occasions.

Most of the time, he couldn’t be bothered, knowing it would pass naturally once the morning phase was over. Let alone right now—with the person he liked right beside him, he found himself struggling to catch his breath.

On one hand, an irrepressible pleasure surged through him; on the other, he bitterly regretted not biting Wei Xun to death earlier, preferably right on his carotid artery. To claim his mind was in the gutter—wasn’t what Wei Xun was doing right now the exact definition of dirty? If he hadn’t been kissing him, would he have reacted this way?

A surge of irritation hit him, and he randomly recalled an incident from a long time ago when he had recklessly swallowed a bunch of spiritual pills. Back then, Wei Xun had emerged from the inner chamber after barely fifteen minutes. Driven by a sudden, bizarre competitive urge to redeem his pride, Jiang Qunyu thought to himself that Wei Xun was probably all talk. In a real contest, the man might not even last as long as he could.

With that strange streak of stubbornness flaring up, he cast all caution to the wind, reached out to tear open Wei Xun’s robes, and mirrored his movements.

Wei Xun’s actions paused for a split second, and his already deep breathing grew considerably heavier as an stifled groan escaped his throat.

The chamber fell into a tense silence, broken only by the sound of their chaotic breathing and their rapidly accelerating heartbeats, thumping so hard it made their eardrums ache.

But it was glaringly obvious that Jiang Qunyu was out of his depth. Compared to Wei Xun, his movements were clumsy and rigid. Jiang Qunyu was already reaching his limit, yet Wei Xun still maintained an unhurried pace.

Having already suffered a blow to his pride that morning, Jiang Qunyu refused to admit defeat now. Gritting his teeth, he nuzzled haphazardly against Wei Xun’s neck like a frantic puppy, desperately trying to locate a weak spot.

Wei Xun looked down. Their clothes had long been discarded haphazardly across the floor. At this moment, Jiang Qunyu’s bare skin was flushed a pale, delicate pink, his eyes were misty with unshed tears, and a few stray strands of hair were plastered to his forehead and cheeks with a thin sheen of sweat—he looked breathtakingly beautiful.

Seeing through Jiang Qunyu’s intentions, Wei Xun found it incredibly amusing, thinking to himself how adorable the man was. Still, he couldn’t let him suffer, so he exerted a bit more control. His free hand clamped onto the back of Jiang Qunyu’s neck, lifting the completely disorganized man slightly out of his collarbone area.

Jiang Qunyu stared up at him blankly, his gaze entirely dazed.

Wei Xun leaned down, took his throat apple into his mouth, and gave it a soft flick of his tongue.

Jiang Qunyu’s fingers curled violently as he lost every ounce of his strength. His mind went entirely blank, and physiological tears rolled down uncontrollably.

Wei Xun let out a soft sigh, leaning in close to lick away the tears one by one. “Don’t cry.”

Refusing to back down, Jiang Qunyu forced out a shaky, stubborn retort: “I’m not crying!”

Wei Xun let out a low, rumbling laugh.

Provoked to embarrassment by the laugh, Jiang Qunyu deliberately doubled down on his efforts out of spite. Yet by the end of it, he lay slumped against Wei Xun’s chest, his arms so sore he could barely lift them, his heart swirling with a mix of grievance and irritation.

They were both men, so why on earth was this guy so much better at this? What happened to the rumored fifteen minutes?

Miserable Wei Xun, miserable Wei Xun, miserable Wei Xun!

He bit down hard on Wei Xun’s shoulder, completely giving up on moving.

Wei Xun finally released his grip, pulling him a bit closer into his embrace.

_

An unknown amount of time passed before Jiang Qunyu vaguely noticed that the sky outside the window had turned completely dark. He remained collapsed on the bed, entirely drained of energy.

Wei Xun, on the other hand, looked perfectly refreshed, his features relaxed. He asked, fully aware of the answer, “Do your legs hurt?”

At this point, Jiang Qunyu felt a wave of self-consciousness. He blocked his eyes with his forearm, his ears turning a shade of red so deep it looked ready to bleed, refusing to answer the question. Instead, he resorted to self-deprecating curses to mask his dishevelment: “Shameless! Absolutely shameless! Indulging in debauchery during broad daylight! No restraint whatsoever!”

“You only talk a good game, but you were clearly the one who started it! You shameless creature!”

Wei Xun accepted the scolding without a word of protest, reaching out to scoop the man up to carry him to the hot springs in the inner chamber for a bath.

However, Jiang Qunyu was highly unwilling. He struggled to sit up, his gaze inadvertently landing on Wei Xun.

The man possessed a tall stature, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Stripped of his outer robes, his lean, fluid muscles were on full display—the contours sharp and handsome, without a single ounce of excess fat. Jiang Qunyu felt another wave of sour jealousy.

Gritting his teeth, he stubbornly swung his legs over and leaped off the bed. Yet his thighs had long turned to jelly; his feet gave out beneath him, and he stumbled, nearly crashing directly onto the floor. “Don’t you dare follow me!” he snapped irritably.

Wei Xun lifted his eyes. His ink-black hair cascaded over his shoulders like a waterfall, accentuating his pale skin. His lips were slightly chafed and bleeding from Jiang Qunyu’s clumsy kisses. A cold smirk played on his lips. “Is my husband planning to burn the bridge after crossing it?”

Jiang Qunyu: “???”

He was practically driven to laughter by Wei Xun’s sheer audacity. The residual ache in his thighs and the lingering heat inside him surged up simultaneously. Recalling how this man had pressed against his ear just earlier, calling him husband over and over in a soft, coaxing tone until his mind spun, only to show absolutely no mercy in his actions, the fire in his chest burned even hotter.

“Husband my ass!” Jiang Qunyu gritted his teeth, itching to lunge forward and have a proper brawl with him. But lacking any physical strength and with his legs feeling completely hollow, he could only temporarily suppress his rage, glaring daggers at Wei Xun.

“Oh,” Wei Xun got out of bed unhurriedly, stepping forward with an easy, measured grace. Completely ignoring the other’s fury, he intimately pressed close, his voice deep and affectionate as he changed his tune: “My wife.”

Frustrated, Jiang Qunyu ruffled his hair into a mess, bent down haphazardly to scoop up an outer robe from the floor to wrap around himself, and tottered unsteadily toward the inner hot springs. He let out a cold, mocking sneer: “Wife my ass.”

Sooner or later, he was going to make Wei Xun pay this back tenfold.

At the end of the day, it was simply because he wasn’t fully accustomed to this body yet, which was why he kept ending up at a disadvantage. Perhaps he would fare better in a few days.

Nursing his silent grievance, he hadn’t even taken two steps before Wei Xun caught up. Disregarding Jiang Qunyu’s resistance, the man leaned down, swept him up securely in a princess carry, and turned to step into the steam-filled inner hot springs.

Jiang Qunyu: “…”

A wise demon doesn’t pick fights with dogs.

Right now, he was so sore he couldn’t even lift a hand. He simply resolved to let things slide, looping his arms around Wei Xun’s neck and letting the man tend to him in the water.

He thought to himself venomously that this was entirely Wei Xun’s fault anyway. If the man hadn’t pushed his limits and lacked all restraint, he wouldn’t be in such a pathetic state. Serving him now was nothing less than what Wei Xun deserved.

With that thought, Jiang Qunyu felt entirely justified. He lolled lazily in Wei Xun’s arms, occasionally barking orders for the man to massage his sore wrists.

As the washing continued, drowsiness washed over him once more.

Jiang Qunyu felt his eyelids growing incredibly heavy. Fearing he might slip beneath the water, Wei Xun held him securely against his chest, and Jiang Qunyu simply allowed it.

However, Wei Xun seemed to finally remember the topic he had abandoned earlier. He kept murmuring in Jiang Qunyu’s ear, asking persistently, “Jiang Qunyu, what is our relationship now?”

Jiang Qunyu wanted nothing more than to roll his eyes at him.

Pushing away Wei Xun’s face, which was buried in his neck, he scoffed internally, thinking the man was genuinely unhinged.

They had practically gone all the way just now; what was there left to ask?

Still harboring lingering annoyance and finding Wei Xun an absolute eyesore at the moment, he refused to give him what he wanted. He deliberately snapped in a harsh tone, “Friends.”

Wei Xun: “?”

“Jiang Qunyu,” he nipped Jiang Qunyu’s cheek, his tone instantly dropping into an icy, menacing threat. “Do you want to take a look at the tooth marks and scratches you just left all over my body?”

Jiang Qunyu curled his lips, finding the man entirely melodramatic. Using the very words Wei Xun had used that morning to throw back in his face, he argued righteously, “It was just a few bites. Is there any need to be so petty about it?”

Wei Xun’s displeasure deepened. He leaned in, biting the back of his neck to leave a shallow mark, asking relentlessly, “Say it one more time. What is our relationship?”

Jiang Qunyu ducked away, refusing to let him draw any closer for another kiss. He even managed to plant a kick against him underwater, struggling to climb out of his embrace as he spat out two even more infuriating words: “Arch-enemies.”

This time, Wei Xun didn’t say a word.

Jiang Qunyu had made it halfway out when he sensed something amiss. Turning back to look, Wei Xun was nowhere to be seen. The misty surface of the water was perfectly still and devoid of ripples.

He froze for a few seconds. Did this lunatic actually get so angry that he fainted underwater?

Even though he had intended to annoy Wei Xun, he couldn’t actually let him drown in the spring.

That was his giant chunk of a wife, after all!

“Wei Xun?” He frowned, preparing to plunge back into the water.

Suddenly, with a loud splash, a pale, slender hand cut through the misty surface, clamping firmly around his ankle.

Jiang Qunyu: “…Fuck!”

Before he could make a move, Wei Xun dragged him straight back into the water.

Caught completely off guard, Jiang Qunyu splashed right back into the spring.

Wei Xun rose slowly from the water, his damp, ink-black hair plastered against the side of his neck, accentuating his exceptionally handsome features.

His lips bore a faint crimson hue, and crystal droplets cascaded down his sharp jawline, dripping into the warm spring water. The muscles on his arms and chest were perfectly defined—lean, taut, and striking.

He stepped forward, pinning Jiang Qunyu against the edge of the hot spring pool. Reaching out from behind, he locked the man securely within his embrace, resting his chin against the crown of Jiang Qunyu’s head. His voice was dropping to a low chill: “Friends, Jiang Qunyu?”

Jiang Qunyu’s scalp went numb, a sudden sense of dread filling his chest. He hurriedly changed his tune to appease him: “Cultivation partners! Cultivation partners! Didn’t we already bow to heaven and earth and get married long ago?!”

“Heh,” Wei Xun clearly wasn’t buying it. His fingers slipped ambiguously beneath the water. He half-lowered his eyes, watching as the expression on Jiang Qunyu’s face began to fracture and daze all over again, before letting out a soft chuckle. “Do you do this with your friends too?”

Jiang Qunyu: “…”

He listened as the man beside his ear called him wife one moment, husband the next, and then shifted to calling him older brother.

Ultimately, he couldn’t hold it back and broke down in tears.

He decided that Wei Xun was, without a doubt, the most exasperating person in the entire world.