Chapter 49
The offending finger was marked with a faint white indentation. Audrow simply raised an eyebrow, and as he withdrew his finger, a silver strand of saliva connected it to Ning Zhixia’s glistening lips.
The cool sensation lingered on Ning Zhixia’s tongue, the tingling like a jolt of electricity, a stark reminder of what he had just done under Audrow’s intense gaze.
Ning Zhixia grabbed a few tissues and threw them at him, not daring to meet his eyes, and burrowed under the covers like a ball.
A moment later, the door opened and closed, the graceful footsteps fading away in the corridor.
He wasn’t even human, could his actions be categorized within the human definition of “sexuality”?
The blushing young man slowly exhaled, as if trying to find a reasonable excuse for his embarrassing behavior.
Repeatedly telling himself that it was just a straightforward “tit-for-tat” apology, he thrashed around in bed like a rabbit trying to escape a hawk, forcing himself to sleep…
“Yo, you’re up early today!” Qu Banqing was about to call him for breakfast when the bedroom door opened, and Ning Zhixia emerged, his hair a mess.
“Yeah, what’s for breakfast?”
“Yu-Xiang shredded pork noodles.”
“Wow!”
Ning Zhixia’s sleepiness instantly vanished, and he grinned, pulling Qu Banqing downstairs for breakfast.
A lingering scent drifted past, and Qu Banqing sniffed the air, his expression turning strange.
Before Ning Zhixia even reached the stairs, the back of his collar was grabbed, and he was dragged back to the bathroom, his face being vigorously wiped with a towel.
Ten minutes later—
“Ouch, ouch, you’re rubbing too hard…”
Ning Zhixia felt like a layer of his skin had been removed. He paused his slurping and rubbed his face.
Qu Banqing was annoyed. He glanced at the sofa and muttered, “Why can’t some creatures break their habit of marking their territory, so rude.”
“What? Stray dogs?”
Ning Zhixia looked up from his bowl, chewing his noodles, and said indistinctly, “It’s an instinctive reaction, they use pheromones to mark their territory, for example—”
“Eat your noodles!” Qu Banqing knocked on his head, surprised that he hadn’t heard any water sounds from the storage room, and left with a snort.
Ning Zhixia stared blankly, then looked at the kittens on the windowsill: “Did one of you provoke him?”
Fatty Orange yawned lazily and changed its sleeping position. The calico cat, however, was more thoughtful, jumping onto Ning Zhixia’s shoulder and rubbing its head against his affectionately.
Although summer was over, an Indian summer still lingered in Yucheng.
Audrow seemed to truly dislike the dry weather, and except for occasionally coming out to watch SpongeBob, he mostly stayed in the storage room.
In the evening, he suddenly opened the door and said to the young man sorting press-on nails, “I’m going out for a while, I’ll be back later.”
“Hmm? To the Bureau or to buy cake?” Ning Zhixia looked up, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.
“Neither.”
Audrow seemed calm, no different from usual, a faint, translucent silver glow shimmering behind his ears, hidden by his long hair, but a strange outline bulged from his shirt near his elbow.
Like he was simply informing his charge before the plane passage opened, he didn’t say where he was going, casually created a doorway, and stepped through, looking tired.
“So, Audrow isn’t home tonight?” When the minute hand reached the familiar mark, Qu Banqing asked softly.
Ning Zhixia nodded: “Yes.”
Qu Banqing understood: “Oh, that’s—”
“Wonderful!”
The mountain-like centaurs and the fox cubs nestled on their bellies cheered.
Seemingly having sensed the weakening of the cold aura in the house, tonight’s guests were all present, enough for a small party.
“It’s a pity, Pipi wanted to show that gentleman the new magic he learned.” Maureen took off her cloak, placed it over her little wolf familiar’s head, and smiled as he strutted over to the fox cubs, showing off his oversized garment.
“Sister, I want one too!” The fox cubs, unable to resist the temptation, clamored.
Su Qiushui covered her ears with her tail, ignoring them, and continued browsing the new designs with Yin Fuliu.
“Want what? Hurry up and help with the packaging.” Qu Banqing came out of the kitchen with a fruit platter and tossed a ribbon ball that the kittens had been playing with.
A pink tentacle instantly snatched it, pulling out the long, gold-edged green ribbon and tying a delicate bow around the package.
“Wow, Popo is so amazing!”
The others applauded, and Yin Fuliu also looked up, nudged a fox cub, and gave it a look.
The pothos by the window swayed its most flower-laden vines, extending them towards Ning Zhixia, who was munching on fruit, and he absently patted the pretty white petals.
“Dear Great Magician, what are you thinking about?”
Maureen, receiving the cue, waved her wand and created a small firework display in front of him, saying gently, “If you have any questions, we’re happy to answer them.”
“Hmm…”
As the sparkling lights faded, Ning Zhixia popped a piece of fruit into his mouth, chewed, and asked, his voice puzzled but also certain, “Audrow… he’s a merman, isn’t he?”
Everyone froze and looked at him in surprise.
Maureen gasped, Mili lifted a hoof as if to stand, and the little wolf, almost perched on his back, lost his footing and tumbled into the pile of fox cubs… Yin Fuliu was the calmest, simply raising an eyebrow and pushing away the wagging fox tail on her lap.
“Why are you asking about him?” Qu Banqing asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Ning Zhixia, like a rebellious teenager testing boundaries, muttered, “What, can’t I ask?”
Maureen and Yin Fuliu leaned against each other, giggling: “No, we’re just surprised that you only just realized his identity.”
“Oh, it’s not that…”
Ning Zhixia scratched his face, avoiding their gazes, and said vaguely, “I just confirmed some of my suspicions…”
Yin Fuliu stared at him, then chuckled softly, saying meaningfully, “It seems there’s still much for you to discover.”
The ladies burst into laughter, and Qu Banqing, realizing he had accidentally fed them information, angrily took away their fruit platter.
What did they mean?
Ning Zhixia, his chin resting on his hand, asked sullenly, “I’m curious, what’s his rank, why are you all so afraid of him?”
Although he had a bit of a temper, it was fine for pretty people to be a little moody, at least he was pleasant to be around, in Ning Zhixia’s opinion.
“Afraid? He’s just a cunning, cold-blooded creature…”
Harpas’ burning mane blazed even brighter, and he stomped his hooves, yelling, “Hmph, I’m not afraid of him!”
“Me neither.” Mili, for once, agreed with his rival.
Yin Fuliu and Su Qiushui rolled their eyes and went back to looking at the designs.
“Even without the power bestowed by the Lord God, our instincts tell us that he possesses unmatched power, avoiding danger is an instinct for all races…”
Maureen stroked Pipi’s head, shrugged, and added, “Except for some brainless foals, of course.”
The centaurs glared at her, crumpled some paper balls, and were about to throw them at her when, noticing the young man’s disapproving gaze, they turned their heads and tossed them at Harpas’ mane instead, pretending it was just playful banter between brothers.
Ning Zhixia nodded with satisfaction, then, thinking about Maureen’s words, he recalled the song the sirens had sung.
Maureen observed his expression and chuckled softly. She took out her crystal ball, the swirling magic power like mist, a look of surprise on her face.
As their lively tea party drew to a close, everyone stood up to leave.
Maureen was the last to go. She seemed hesitant, and after a long pause, she asked Ning Zhixia, “If one day, you find out that we’re not as harmless as we appear, will you be disappointed?”
Ning Zhixia asked, “Including Audrow?”
The wide hood covered most of the witch’s face, her lips curving into a smile: “Of course.”
“Hmm…”
He seemed to have pondered this question last night. Ning Zhixia leaned against the wall, recalling his interactions with his non-human friends, blinking in confusion, then quickly answered, “I don’t know.”
Maureen stopped and stared at him intently.
“I know I’m human and you’re not, so I can’t judge you by human standards of good and evil, and I don’t need to be afraid.”
Ning Zhixia’s expression relaxed, and he smiled, “At least for now, we’re friends.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.”
Maureen seemed relieved, hugged him, then picked up the sleepy little wolf and left.
Only the hum of the vacuum cleaner remained in the quiet room. As the clock ticked, Ning Zhixia looked up and out the window.
The moonlight was beautiful tonight, casting a soft, clear glow on the water’s surface, and a long fishtail suddenly emerged from the waves, scattering the shimmering light.
Wet hair draped over his shoulders like a translucent veil. Audrow, his back slightly arched, water droplets rolling down his smooth, firm muscles, dripping onto the dark reef.
He chose a relatively flat rock, lay down lazily like a child, and closed his eyes, basking in the moonlight.
His shimmering silver tail dipped into the waves, idly stirring the white foam. An unsuspecting fish swam past, and with a flick of his tail, it leaped into the air and landed on the rock, flapping its tail frantically.
Sharp claws gently stroked the struggling fish, then swiftly pierced its belly, and with a gentle tug, scales scattered like silver shards.
He slowly extracted the tender flesh and placed it in his mouth, the sweet, metallic taste filling his mouth, his silver ear fins fluttering pleasantly.
Only the sound of the waves echoed around him. A dark shadow loomed in the distance, perhaps a ruined castle, perhaps a deserted island, bathed in the moonlight along with the lone figure on the reef…
The kittens, running around in the middle of the night, were startled by the sudden appearance of a light screen. Seeing the familiar figure emerge, they rubbed against him affectionately.
The lingering scent in the air was too complex. Audrow avoided them, his eyes downcast, and went upstairs.
Thunder rumbled in the heavy clouds. As he entered Ning Zhixia’s bedroom, the familiar coolness of the air conditioner was gone. The young man, sleeping lightly in the heat caused by the power outage, was jolted awake by a clap of thunder.
“Do you have to make a grand entrance with background music?”
In the faint light, Ning Zhixia blearily made out the figure and muttered, “You’re back so late… are you feeling better?”
“Yes.”
Audrow replied casually, sat down beside the bed, and suddenly asked softly, “Are you afraid?”
Ning Zhixia yawned: “Of what? The thunder?”
Audrow chuckled, amused, staring at the sleepy young man for a while, then caressed his face.
The cool touch of his palm made Ning Zhixia close his eyes and hum contentedly, sinking back into the covers and, reluctant to let go of his mobile air conditioner, even lifted the blanket and patted the bed.
Audrow changed into his pajamas and obediently lay down beside the warm young man, quickly enveloped in a koala-like hug.
As the warmth seeped through the thin fabric, a desire different from appetite mingled with his instincts, sending shivers through his body.
Audrow lowered his eyes, nuzzled the young man’s hair contentedly, and whispered, “Ning Zhixia, come to my room tomorrow.”
“Hmm… okay…”
Sensing the big mermaid’s unusual mood, Ning Zhixia murmured sleepily, “I’ll go find Xiao Ao tomorrow…”
Audrow gave a satisfied “hmm” and, for the first time, imitating a human, closed his eyes and slept.
