“…Normally, Old Wu takes care of me…” Chaosheng said halfway, then turned back as if by telepathy. “Ah, Old Wu’s here!”
Hulü Guang quickly patted the long bench. “Old Wu! Hello!”
Wu Yingzong had no choice but to approach and sit on one side. He silently combed Chaosheng’s half-wet long hair without a word.
Xiang Xian then entered the bathhouse and breathed a sigh of relief.
With Wu Yingzong’s arrival, no one spoke. The atmosphere grew awkward.
Xiang Xian didn’t quite understand mortal emotions and affections—what it felt like for Wu Yingzong, whether love had developed between him and Chaosheng, and why Hulü Guang, who had suddenly appeared, seemed smitten with Chaosheng at first sight… Was it love at first sight? Xiang Xian was puzzled. Because Chaosheng had saved him, and the first person he saw upon reviving from near-death was Chaosheng, so he fell for him?
Reflecting on himself, Xiang Xian suddenly realized that every time the Wisdom Sword was unsheathed and he collapsed from exhaustion only to wake, he saw Xiao Kun’s anxious face. His image had unknowingly imprinted in his mind.
“Emotions of the moment, sky of the moment,” Xiang Xian sang with a smile, breaking the silence. His voice carried from the bathhouse. “No worries, little immortal—” (TL: Line from a poem by Zhou Bangyan, adapted casually.)
Chaosheng: “??”
Xiao Kun had finished his work and entered the bathhouse, loosening his clothes. “Whose ci is that?”
“You haven’t heard it?” Xiang Xian asked.
“No.” Xiao Kun guessed, “Ouyang Xiu?”
“Nice. Your Song People‘s songs are great,” Hulü Guang praised.
“Great Song Music Bureau Director, Zhou Bangyan,” Xiang Xian said. “He passed away a few years ago.”
“Bai Ju Er—” the innkeeper called from outside again. “Someone’s here for you!”
“Your name sounds really nice,” Chaosheng said, smiling as he looked at Hulü Guang.
Hulü Guang smiled too. “They all say I’m fair-skinned. Do you think I’m fair?” He openly let Chaosheng look at his body and even took his hand, guiding it to touch.
Wu Yingzong said nothing, grabbed Chaosheng’s hand, and calmly stated, “Time to change clothes. Let’s go.”
Chaosheng gave a half-smile, glanced at Wu Yingzong, and awkwardly slipped away from Hulü Guang, nestling into Wu Yingzong’s arms. Wu Yingzong immediately wrapped an arm around him, like a fierce beast declaring his territory to others.
In an instant, a Uyghur woman rushed right up to the bathhouse entrance looking for him. Xiang Xian and Xiao Kun shouted simultaneously.
“We’re bathing!” Xiang Xian said immediately.
Xiao Kun flailed in panic, grabbing bath towels to cover himself. Hulü Guang jumped in fright and yelled, “Get out! Innkeeper! What kind of door-watching is this!”
The visitor laughed and left without a hint of shame. Hulü Guang hurriedly apologized to them, wrapping a black cloth around his waist like a long skirt and going out barefoot to stop his admirers from barging in.
His muscles were well-proportioned, his figure tall and slender, features deep-set, skin white as milk. Framed by the black cloth skirt, he looked like a jade tree in the wind.
Xiang Xian rubbed his forehead. Xiao Kun said helplessly, “Forget it. Let’s go eat.”
When the group returned to the inn’s hall, Hulü Guang was still bare-chested, explaining to the guests. Finally overwhelmed, he simply shut the inn door, blocking the admirers outside.
“How many girls have you angered?” Xiao Kun said. “I see even men are coming.”
“No! Really none!” Hulü Guang insisted. “I just helped them out a few times, and bit by bit, it became… Sigh, you’ll understand eventually!”
The inn finally quieted down for a moment.
That night, Xiang Xian finally returned to a long-missed routine. Back when he traveled the mortal world with his master, the old and young would stay at inns. Shen Kuo, being older, went to bed early. Xiang Xian would then drink alone for an hour or so. Now, he had Xiao Kun. For the first meal, Wu Yingzong had the inn serve clay pot stewed meat—with radish, raisins, and goji berries stewed with lamb, sweet and palatable. There were also platters of various grilled meats and fish, with wide noodles as the staple.
Wu Yingzong fetched five jin of Western Regions wine, which was slightly more tart than Central Plains brews. Hulü Guang drank it like water.
“Chaosheng, I want to ask you something,” Hulü Guang said cautiously. “Can you heal others?”
Xiang Xian had temporarily accepted Hulü Guang as a friend but still harbored some wariness. Seeing him coax Chaosheng along the way made him extra cautious.
Chaosheng happily replied, “I can cure many illnesses.”
Hulü Guang: “My master is sick—very seriously. Can you take a look?”
Chaosheng: “Of course!”
Xiang Xian was momentarily puzzled, now guessing that Hulü Guang’s attentiveness was to get treatment for someone. But who was this “master”? An employer?
“Then it’s settled!” Hulü Guang said. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to heal him, okay?”
Xiang Xian glanced at Wu Yingzong, who didn’t respond. Xiang Xian said nothing, as they always respected Chaosheng’s decisions and never tried to dissuade him.
By nearly three in the morning watch, Chaosheng couldn’t hold out and needed sleep. Hulü Guang said, “Big Brother will take you to bed. Come on.” He moved to pick up Chaosheng, but Wu Yingzong blocked him.
“Old Wu, take Chaosheng back to the room to rest. No need to serve anymore,” Xiang Xian said.
Wu Yingzong carried Chaosheng away.
Xiang Xian smiled at Hulü Guang. “Chaosheng is usually cared for by Wu Yingzong. The two are inseparable.” He hinted for Hulü Guang not to interfere.
Hulü Guang: “Oh? Is he Chaosheng’s slave?”
Xiang Xian: “No slave talk. He’s our group’s housekeeper.”
