Chapter 26: He Grabbed My Tail

“Urgh…” Wenren Sheng frowned and tugged at his soaked lower hem. “This feels so uncomfortable.”

He debated whether to take off the drenched clothes, but just as he grabbed the edge, the garments on his body vanished into thin air.

“………………”

Wenren Sheng immediately felt like he’d run into a ghost.

He hurriedly braced himself against the pool wall, trying to climb out of the strange pool water.

But at that moment, the pool water seemed to gain a sucking force, gripping him tightly and refusing to let him surface no matter how he struggled.

Wenren Sheng tried for a good while but eventually exhausted himself and collapsed against the edge of the pool.

What the hell? Had he really run into a ghost?

Though his clothes were gone, Wenren Sheng inexplicably felt hotter and hotter. The misty water clung stickily to his skin, and even submerged in the spring, he felt a viscous discomfort all over his body.

He scooped up some pool water and muttered in complaint, “This is unbearable… What’s wrong with this water?”

If this kept up, he was going to pass out and drown.

To die in a hot spring that only came up to his waist—as the future number one sword cultivator in the world, he absolutely could not accept such a death.

As he fretted, a familiar aura suddenly drifted over from behind him.

Then, Wenren Sheng felt someone brush the back of their hand against his ear.

He shivered and turned his head to look behind him. Once he saw who it was, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Mountain God,” Wenren Sheng dropped all his defenses and turned back to drape himself over the pool edge, whining, “Quick, save me! This water is trying to eat people.”

The one who had arrived was He Mu.

But today, he hadn’t tied up his hair. Two strands of white hair draped over half his face, making him look quite different from his usual appearance.

Why was the Mountain God here too?

At this hour, out for a soak? No… what time was it anyway…

Before Wenren Sheng could finish thinking, he abruptly felt He Mu’s hand trace up the line of his spine and grip his side waist directly.

Wenren Sheng jolted at the warmth of his palm and immediately stiffened his back, his mind going blank.

?!

Huh?

Th-this… this isn’t right!

But He Mu didn’t seem to think anything was wrong. He pressed his fingertip into the hollow of Wenren Sheng’s waist, lingering on a certain acupoint, and gave it a not-too-light, not-too-heavy press.

Wenren Sheng instantly felt his waist go limp and weak, his whole body feverish, unable to muster any strength.

He hurriedly gripped the pool wall to steady himself and protested, “Wait… Didn’t I already clear my meridians?!”

But the Mountain God in his dream seemed different. He ignored Wenren Sheng’s protest and pressed closer, wrapping his arms even tighter around him.

“Shengsheng?” He Mu’s lips pressed against Wenren Sheng’s ear, his voice low. “Are you still not awake?”

Not awake?

But he’d been awake the whole time! And why was he hugging him so close, even kissing his ear…

Though He Mu had often kissed him like this when he was little, this was the first time since he’d grown up. It made Wenren Sheng feel especially awkward.

He struggled a little.

Was it because they hadn’t seen each other for several hours, and he missed him that much?

If it was just a couple of kisses, he’d definitely be willing to let the Mountain God kiss him. They were each other’s most important family, after all.

With that thought, Wenren Sheng gave up resisting, and all the tension drained from his body.

He turned his head to nuzzle against He Mu and said softly, “You can only kiss a little longer. I feel so uncomfortable. I need to get out quick.”

Though his body felt feverish, at least the one holding him was He Mu, so Wenren Sheng didn’t resist.

But after closing his eyes and nuzzling for just a moment, Wenren Sheng noticed something odd happening to his body.

He vaguely sensed the spiritual flow inside him growing weaker and weaker, just like back when half his spirit root had been cut away—almost to the point where he couldn’t feel it anymore.

Wenren Sheng’s pupils contracted.

Bad news—if his spiritual power kept draining, his transformation technique would unravel!

The moment the thought crossed his mind, the wolf ears and tail he’d been hiding suddenly popped out without warning.

!!

Wenren Sheng’s heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly tried to dive underwater, but the damn spring water that had clung to him so tightly before now vanished completely, like fleeing soldiers!

“What the hell?!”

Wenren Sheng couldn’t help cursing.

Was he done for? If the Mountain God saw his tail and ears, his identity as a wolf demon would be exposed!

To make matters worse, his head felt muddled and foggy, and he couldn’t even come up with a single excuse.

Wenren Sheng felt like the sky had fallen. He froze stiff, not daring to look at He Mu’s expression behind him.

“It’s over, it’s over, it’s over…” he murmured with his eyes closed. “Everything’s been discovered…”

The Mountain God wouldn’t just abandon him now, would he?

He’d really cry then!

But the next second, he felt He Mu’s hand slide toward his lower back and touch the base of his tail directly.

Wenren Sheng’s eyes flew open. A jolt like electricity shot through him, and his tail shot straight up.

His tail had been touched!

Before he could recover from the shock, He Mu wrapped around his front waist from behind. His other hand stroked from the base of the tail all the way to the tip, even rubbing the tip with his fingertip.

“Mmph…!”

Wenren Sheng’s wolf ears flattened back. He hurriedly clamped his hand over his mouth to keep the sound from escaping.

Seeing Wenren Sheng’s reaction, He Mu didn’t stop. Instead, he pinched the tip of the tail even harder, making him cry out involuntarily.

As a wolf demon, Wenren Sheng had reached the age to experience his heat period last spring, but seclusion had delayed it by over a year, so it still hadn’t come.

With He Mu messing with his tail like this, his whole body soon felt feverish, his skin hot and flushed. The long-overdue heat period arrived right on cue.

He whimpered and tried to wriggle free from He Mu’s embrace, but the man held him tight, his arms wrapping even closer, leaving him no escape.

It was over—if he didn’t get away now…!

Wenren Sheng struggled a couple more times, but it was futile. He Mu held him in his arms and stroked his wolf tail over and over.

By the end, he had no strength left to resist. He went limp in He Mu’s arms like a steamed bun.

…

The thick mist at the mountain spring grew even denser. Wenren Sheng’s vision blurred white, everything fading from view.

In his daze, he felt He Mu draw closer from behind, his breath hot and near, as if he meant to bite his wolf ear.

Was this… normal?

Wenren Sheng squinted, his gaze unfocused ahead.

“…………”

No…

The thought struggled through his mind.

No biting.

No, no… No no no!!

“No! You can’t bite!”

He suddenly shouted and jolted awake, sitting bolt upright in bed.

As soon as he sat up, he collided headfirst with someone.

“Ow.”

He Mu winced and rubbed his forehead. He’d been solidly headbutted by the abruptly rising Wenren Sheng.

Wenren Sheng had banged himself pretty hard too. He clutched his forehead and yelped, “It hurts, it hurts!”

His hair was a messy tangle, with several tufts sticking up from the top. His cheeks were abnormally flushed, and he looked utterly wrecked.

“Did you have a nightmare?” He Mu frowned and pressed his brow. “I heard you calling my name the whole time.”

Not “Mountain God”—he’d called “He Mu.”

The kid had never used his real name before, so He Mu was quite curious. He’d been staring at the sleeping Wenren Sheng just moments ago.

Then, after a few moans, Wenren Sheng had suddenly sat up and smashed right into him.

He hadn’t reacted in time and took the hit squarely.

Wenren Sheng panted for a few breaths before his pupils slowly focused.

He clutched his bedding and looked around in confusion.

No spring water, no tail, clothes still on properly.

But he’d broken out in a full sweat, his clothes clinging damply to his body.

Looking up at He Mu, he stood there leisurely, the picture of a proper gentleman.

“I didn’t sleep with you last night, so you got scared?” He Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his fingertip. “You’re covered in cold sweat. Go take a bath and then eat something.”

A bath…

Hearing that word made the scenes from his dream flash back through Wenren Sheng’s mind.

“No way!” he blurted. “Don’t do that to me anymore. I-I’m really not used to it!”

He Mu hesitated. “What did I do to you?”

“…”

With He Mu’s question, Wenren Sheng snapped back to reality.

Everything from before had just been his imagination in the dream—it was all fake. Only the He Mu in front of him was real.

But those intimate touches lingered like damp stains on his skin. He couldn’t forget them, and just thinking about it gave him goosebumps all over.

He Mu caught the strange mood on him. He sat by Wenren Sheng’s window and leaned in to touch foreheads.

No fever, just slightly elevated temperature—probably from emotional agitation. That dream must have been pretty intense.

What kind of dream could turn him into like this?

He Mu pondered but couldn’t guess.

He gave Wenren Sheng a once-over and finally said, “Alright then. Take off your clothes first. I’ll wash them for you.”

With that, he reached to lift Wenren Sheng’s bedding.

“…Wait!”

Wenren Sheng hurriedly pressed down his bedding, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

“No, don’t touch me!”

He Mu’s hand froze midair, his expression full of confusion.

He vaguely sensed something off about Wenren Sheng’s state—like he’d been through some shock, turning the formerly clingy little pup against him overnight.

But He Mu soon recalled hearing that adolescents often went through such phases.

They’d suddenly stop talking to family, get annoyed at adult lectures, prefer brooding alone with their endless little secrets.

Wenren Sheng had grown up, so it seemed about time for that.

Still, being distanced by Wenren Sheng overnight left He Mu a bit unwilling.

After a moment’s hesitation, he carefully asked, “Shengsheng, are you mad at me?”

Hearing He Mu call him “Shengsheng” made Wenren Sheng shiver all over. If he’d been in his true form right then, his fur would have puffed up completely.

He kept his head down and stammered, “I-I just woke up and need a moment to adjust. Mountain God, you go out first. I’ll be fine right away!”

So, he did have some secret he didn’t want to share.

He Mu wanted to console himself that growing kids were just sensitive like that—if he upset him carelessly, the kid might not talk to him anymore.

He sighed and stood back up. “Alright, Shengsheng. Rest well on your own. I’ll go feed the rabbits over at Wenren Jing’s for you. Call me if you need anything.”

With that, he lingered on Wenren Sheng with his gaze a few more moments before pushing the door open and leaving the room.

Once his footsteps faded, Wenren Sheng’s wits slowly returned.

He sat dazed on the bed for a long while.

His thinking felt broken by that sudden dream—everything came slow and foggy.

He desperately wanted to convince himself that dreams were unreliable, just random nonsense with no value, not worth caring about.

But why did he feel so guilty?

Why couldn’t he tell He Mu what he’d dreamed?

Wenren Sheng’s heart raced, his face burned, his whole body melting like a scorched cotton candy into a gooey mess.

His fingers curled, clutching the bedding tight as if hesitating.

A moment later, he finally mustered the courage to carefully lift the bedding and peek between his legs.

Seeing it, he shamefully covered back up.

…So embarrassing.

Wenren Sheng pouted aggrievedly, hugged his knees, and burned red from his ears.