Chapter 63: Little Treasure~

Bouncing along, he got used to it.

He had come this far—what else could he do?

By the time Huo Jing finally took mercy and decided to put him down, one corner of the blanket slipped, revealing the young master’s sleeping face nestled in his arms.

Hadn’t he just woken up? Falling asleep again?

Huo Jing freed one hand and gently scratched at Xie Jianxun’s chin, only to have it irritably swatted away. The young master buried his face back into his chest.

The star pirates watched as their boss suddenly froze in place, turning into a motionless statue.

“Bo—”

The voice was immediately silenced with a wave. The pirate shut his mouth awkwardly and watched as Huo Jing slowly turned around, sparks practically bursting from his eyes. He strode past them with purpose.

“Call me for dinner.”

With those words, everyone saw his back disappear into the Captain’s Quarters.

Once they were sure Huo Jing couldn’t hear them, the star pirates started gossiping. “Who was that?”

“It’s the first time the boss has ever snatched someone up like this. A rare sight.” Someone clicked their tongue.

They hadn’t gotten far into the conversation when a young man in a gray-gloved hand and a suit-like jacket approached from nearby.

He didn’t say a word upon seeing them—just tugged at his glove.

As if receiving a signal, no one continued discussing the boss and his new “little treasure.”

The star pirates scattered with laughs, clearing out the corridor in front of the Captain’s Quarters.

Those who lingered teased, “First Mate, what if the boss has lost his mind?”

The young man replied stiffly, “Even if he’s lost his mind, he’s still your boss. Want to stick around for some mandatory labor?”

The rest scattered like birds and beasts.

Inside the Captain’s Quarters, Huo Jing placed the bundled blanket in the center of the large bed, his movements gentle enough to rival handling fragile porcelain, as if afraid of waking the person inside.

The bundle loosened, revealing the young man’s curled-up form.

Huo Jing tugged the blanket up to cover his stomach.

He found standing too tall to see clearly, so he knelt down and leaned over the edge of the bed for a close-up view of the young master’s thick, curled lashes.

After watching for a bit, he reached out to fiddle with them.

He stopped after two pokes, checked that the other hadn’t woken, and let out a breath of relief.

Having gotten exactly what he wanted, all that was left was to build a glass greenhouse and keep his little treasure inside. But his little treasure loved adventure—he couldn’t do that.

Wherever he wanted to go, he’d accompany him.

He was a notorious Great Star Pirate, after all. Was there anywhere he didn’t dare go?

He’d even visited plenty of those peril-filled planets.

Besides, compared to some penniless mechanical antique, his assets were substantial—more than enough to pamper a young master from the Capital Star.

As Huo Jing thought this, his hands itched. Mischievously, he scratched the other’s nose.

He touched his ear.

Pressed down on those soft lower lips.

Still no movement from the sleeping figure.

Huo Jing stood up with regret. “Alright, young master. Get some good rest. Eat well and sleep well if you want to grow taller.”

With the hiss of the pressure door opening and closing, Xie Jianxun opened his eyes. Where was there any trace of sleepiness?

He rolled out of the blanket and sat up, looking around and realizing this was the Captain’s Quarters.

It was probably Huo Jing’s private cabin, accessible only to him and a select few.

Compared to the previous cabins he’d been in, it lived up to its name—extraordinarily spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall offering a panoramic view of the cosmos.

Embedded in the wall straight ahead were several screens displaying real-time data from the Main Ship’s systems.

Before leaving, the man had even left a small lamp on by the bed.

Xie Jianxun waited a moment, hearing no footsteps returning. He switched off the lamp, then swung his feet to the floor. It felt cold.

He looked down—bare floor, nothing there.

Xie Jianxun froze, searching around desperately just in case.

Sure enough, not only were his shoes gone, there wasn’t even a pair of slippers!

His shoes were probably still on the transport ship. He couldn’t seriously expect him to run around barefoot!

The pressure door hissed open behind him. Xie Jianxun sneered, about to turn and say something snide, when he realized it was a stranger.

A formally dressed young man with gray gloves, carrying a brand-new pair of slippers.

Seeing him awake, the man showed no surprise and neatly placed the slippers by Xie Jianxun’s feet.

The young master hopped back onto the bed like a startled rabbit, pretending he hadn’t just been padding around barefoot.

“. . . These are for me?”

The young man glanced wordlessly at the bed where feet had trod. “Yes. The boss has never hosted guests before—he probably didn’t think about what one might need. This is my comm code. Call me anytime if you need anything.”

Xie Jianxun relaxed and slipped his feet into the slippers.

Unexpectedly soft, and perfectly sized.

He looked up at the young man, noting his calm gray eyes with a faint glint passing through them.

Feeling awkward, he greeted, “I’m Xie Jianxun. And you are?”

The young man replied formally, “I’m the First Mate here.”

The First Mate checked his watch, then looked up. “The boss specifically said you can explore the room freely, including the study, bathroom, and dressing room. Also, please do us the honor of attending the evening buffet banquet.”

Xie Jianxun replied listlessly, “He dragged me up here by force . . . Fine. Thank him for me.”

Hiss—

The pressure door slid open, and the First Mate stepped out of the Captain’s Quarters.

Before he could say anything, a pirate sidled up nearby, grinning. “Hey.”

The First Mate replied casually, “Ke Xi, finished with your tasks?”

The pirate called Ke Xi protested loudly, “What tasks? There’s no mission right now—First Mate, have mercy, let us get a peek at the boss’s, uh, new guest?”

He craned wildly to see behind the First Mate, but the door slowly sealed shut, blocking the view. He sighed dramatically. “Aw, man!”

“Assuming you weren’t planning anything,” the First Mate halted.

The pirate waved frantically. “No, no! Just curious.”

It looked like a group effort.

Countless heads poked out from behind him, eyes gleaming, but the First Mate stood firm, blocking every gaze.

The young man tugged his glove and said flatly, “Disturb the boss’s guest, and watch your life expectancy.”

Xie Jianxun had zero desire to leave the Captain’s Quarters.

Especially knowing everyone outside had seen Huo Jing carry him in—even if it was just a bundle of blanket.

But with someone else suddenly in the room, how could he not know where this was?

Might as well hole up like a turtle.

Huo Jing’s cabin had an entire wall of bookshelves—perfect for him to browse and pull a few down.

While fiddling with his Light Brain earlier, he’d noticed no signal. Odd—didn’t spaceships have Star Net access?

How did people here surf the net daily? All holing up like turtles?

Xie Jianxun mused that this ship must be called the Turtle. Fitting, since he’d been dragged onto it.

The pressure door opened, and Huo Jing strolled in.

The tall, long-legged Great Star Pirate entered his domain, raking a hand through his hair, intending a relaxing shower.

His steps veered as he heard rustling from behind the bookshelf.

The air carried a new, pleasant scent mingling with the cabin’s usual atmosphere.

His snatched young master was up, exploring his territory out of curiosity.

Huo Jing’s lips curved. He deliberately took the long way, sneaking up from behind.

Sure enough, there was the young master struggling on a chair to reach a thick tome near the ceiling.

“Can you reach it? One more try—tippy-toes?”

Huo Jing suddenly chimed in encouragingly. “I don’t mind if you pull out a couple books to add some height.”

Xie Jianxun nearly tumbled from the surprise, swaying before a hand steadied his waist.

Heart still racing, he clutched his chest and looked down at the Great Star Pirate’s handsome, chiseled face. For the first time, he itched to punch it.

Taking a deep breath, Xie Jianxun said speechlessly, “At least make some noise when you walk. Silent ones are ghosts.”

Huo Jing replied in a mock-scolding, affectionate tone, “I thought the door was loud enough.”

Xie Jianxun glared like he’d seen a ghost. “Mr. Huo, what’s with that tone?”

Huo Jing immediately straightened up, all business. “I figured you’d eat this up—that bionic scrap wasn’t exactly subtle.”

He sneered. “How come he’s not glued to your side? Finally scrapped?”

Xie Jianxun said nothing, turning back to reach for the book.

Unable to grab it, he gave up.

He hopped down, cleared his throat. “Good thing you’re back. I have a ton of questions.”

Huo Jing headed toward the bathroom, peeling off his tight tank top to reveal his toned, muscular torso.

“Later. Shower first,” he said offhandedly.

As he went, he unclasped the neck buckle and set the Copper Pendant Necklace on the table.

Xie Jianxun trailed him—he’d bottled up so many questions. “You brought me onto your ship—what about the captain? I mean, the transport ship crew?”

Huo Jing shrugged carelessly. “Someone will drop them on the nearest planet.”

Xie Jianxun: “Where are we headed now?”

Huo Jing: “Returning home to my city-state. We’ll stop along the way.”

Xie Jianxun pressed on: “Why no Star Net on your ship? Am I locked out of comms, or no base station . . . ?”

He cut off abruptly, nearly colliding into Huo Jing.

The star pirate leader’s heart itched from the young master’s barrage of soft, pleasant questions. If not for worrying about scaring him, he’d have said this wasn’t some upstanding city-state vessel ages ago.

Which city-state could afford a Main Ship of this scale?

He turned, catching Xie Jianxun, and raised a brow. “So many questions—why not join me inside?”

Xie Jianxun blinked in confusion. “Inside where?”

Huo Jing: “The shower.”

Xie Jianxun: “. . . No, thanks. After you.” Showering together—what kind of play was that?

Huo Jing sounded genuinely regretful. “I’ve got the ship’s best water supply. My fingerprint gets you twenty full minutes of hot water.”

Xie Jianxun: “No need! Thanks!”

He hurriedly shoved Huo Jing toward the bathroom, fearing more wild ideas.

Buffet banquet time arrived, and it seemed every star pirate on the Main Ship turned out.

Huo Jing hadn’t lied—the Siphon Whale offered a free buffet every Wednesday night for the entire crew, and the quality was top-notch.

The banquet featured rare delicacies unavailable otherwise.

You could drink too—gulping it down without worrying about the usual alcohol ban—but only after dancing. An unspoken rule.

Of course, core personnel were strictly forbidden from touching booze until safely back in the city-state.

“But at your age, you can’t drink anyway. Just so you know.”

The First Mate led the way, opening the restaurant doors for Xie Jianxun.

The din of voices burst out as the doors parted wider, flooding into Xie Jianxun’s ears.

Peering inside, he saw the place packed—with people and food alike.

Everyone was too busy stuffing their faces to notice him.

He exhaled in relief. “Thanks, sir. I’ll head in.”

The First Mate seemed to smile faintly and nodded. “Have a pleasant evening.”

Unexpectedly, the moment Xie Jianxun stepped inside, every eye in the room locked onto him.

“Hey there, little treasure!”

A pirate slung an arm over his shoulder from behind, voice dripping with innuendo. “Dance with me?”

Xie Jianxun replied politely, “Thanks, no need. I don’t drink . . . Wait, little what?!”

The star pirates erupted in laughter. Whistles pierced the air as someone dragged him toward the tables. Xie Jianxun stumbled along, swept up in the crowd.

“The boss’s little treasure! Hahaha!”

“You’re so cute—dump the boss, come with me?”

“When you were sleeping, the boss was over the moon, showing your photo to the whole ship. Little treasure, you’re famous now—everyone knows you!”

Xie Jianxun’s vision went black.

He silently thought that if he had followed Huo Jing into the bathroom earlier, he might have been able to grab the showerhead and strangle him to death.

……Dog of a man! None of them were any good!