Chapter 122

He raised a finger and pointed toward the screen behind the bed. “There is a bath back there with hot water. Some medicinal herbs have been mixed into it. It was originally prepared for you, but I didn’t expect you to be completely unscathed.”

Lian Li felt a twinge of guilt at those words. The only reason he hadn’t been injured was that Yun Huizhou had shielded him. Otherwise, the palm strike from the Great Elder of the Spirit Cult—which had left Yun Huizhou severely wounded—would have killed him instantly had it landed on him instead.

Seeing that Lian Li remained silent and only picked up Yun Huizhou to head toward the back, the West Island Lord added, “However, even if you aren’t injured, it would be good for you to take a soak. Your constitution was never strong to begin with, and after all the traveling and exhaustion lately, you need to look after yourself.”

“Alright, I understand,” Lian Li replied softly, carrying Yun Huizhou into the bathhouse.

He placed Yun Huizhou on a soft couch nearby. When he reached out to grasp the waistband of Yun Huizhou’s trousers, he suddenly withdrew his hand, a look of hesitation flashing across his face.

He hadn’t thought much of it before, but looking back now, it seemed strange no matter how he looked at it. No wonder Junior Uncle had such a strong reaction when he opened his eyes and saw that scene. Fortunately, Lian Li only wavered for a moment before making a decision.

He didn’t remove Yun Huizhou’s last pair of trousers; instead, he first settled him into the bath to sit, then stripped off his own clothes nearby and stepped into the water. As soon as he entered, he was enveloped by the warm water. He felt so comfortable he nearly cried out, feeling the exhaustion in his body rapidly receding, while simultaneously sensing a faint, underlying sting.

He knew the medicinal decoction Junior Uncle had added to the water was taking effect. After lingering in place for a moment, he slowly edged toward Yun Huizhou. The bath was quite large, and the surface of the warm water was shrouded in steam, making everything appear hazy.

Because of the medicine added to the water, it was not clear but a faint milky white, making it impossible to see the bottom. He moved to Yun Huizhou’s side and had to reach down, groping blindly until he caught hold of Yun Huizhou’s last pair of undergarments. Just as he was struggling to adjust their positions to pull the pants off, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

The grip was so tight that he felt his wrist would snap if any more force were applied.

He looked up to see that Yun Huizhou had already opened his eyes. His gaze was unfocused as he stared at him through the misty steam.

Lian Li wasn’t sure if he was truly conscious or if he had recognized him, but judging by the strength of Yun Huizhou’s grip, he was likely still on high alert.

So, he spoke up, “Senior Uncle has already brought us to Junior Uncle’s place. Junior Uncle prepared a medicinal bath and told me to give you a wash, and he also wanted me to soak in here for a bit.”

Yun Huizhou tilted his head slightly, seemingly trying to process Lian Li’s words.

After a long moment, he finally gave a slow nod and shifted slightly, allowing Lian Li to pull off his pants smoothly.

Seeing him like this, Lian Li understood that while the man’s reactions were a bit slow, he was likely still conscious and recognized him. He turned his head, about to say a few words to Yun Huizhou, only to see Yun Huizhou’s eyes close once more as he slowly leaned over, resting his head against Lian Li’s shoulder. Instantly, Lian Li didn’t dare to move.

He didn’t know why he suddenly didn’t dare to move, but he felt an inexplicable sense of guilt. The sensation of naked skin in the water was somewhat slick, completely different from how it felt when they usually touched. Lian Li’s limbs suddenly went a bit numb.

After realizing how strangely he was acting, he suddenly looked up and slapped his cheeks twice, telling himself not to overthink it.

“Yun Huizhou?” he called out softly.

He saw Yun Huizhou frown slightly, but he did not open his eyes.

He wasn’t quite sure if the man had fallen asleep or fainted again.

So, he cautiously poked Yun Huizhou’s cheek. Seeing no reaction, he grew a bit bolder.

Extending two fingers, he moved them to Yun Huizhou’s face and gave it a hard pinch, turning the skin red.

After he finished pinching, he began to feel guilty again. Yun Huizhou had just been injured to save him, yet he actually had the audacity to secretly pinch the man’s face… After pulling his hand back, he lowered his head and stared at his fingers for a moment. Then, after washing his face vigorously, he reached out to grab the scrub cloth hanging to the side.

While hypnotizing himself into believing he was merely washing radishes, cabbages, or a big fat pig, he took the scrub cloth and began to rub down Yun Huizhou.

Perhaps he was too focused on the self-hypnosis, because his hands were a bit heavy. Before long, the hollow of Yun Huizhou’s neck and his chest had been scrubbed red, and Yun Huizhou let out a couple of uncomfortable groans.

Lian Li: …

What the hell are you groaning for!

You didn’t make a sound when you were getting stabbed, but now you start whining after just a few wipes?

Lian Li grumbled awkwardly, yet he still gave Yun Huizhou a thorough wipe-down and untied his hair to give it a simple wash. After getting Yun Huizhou clean, Lian Li scrambled a short distance away and began to scrub himself. He crouched in the water; it was a faint milky white, making even reflections impossible to see clearly—and fortunately so.

After giving his hair a quick wash and a simple wipe-down, he turned back to Yun Huizhou. The man remained unconscious. Lian Li took a large bath towel and dipped it into the water to wrap Yun Huizhou’s private parts before lifting him out of the pool.

He then took another dry towel and draped it over him, but in his haste, he accidentally covered the man’s face as well. Seeing the white towel shrouding him completely, Lian Li felt a momentary surge of awkwardness. He stepped closer and carefully pulled the towel down, revealing Yun Huizhou’s face.

To his surprise, the moment he pulled back the bath towel, he locked eyes with Yun Huizhou.

“You’re awake!” Lian Li exclaimed, crouching down beside him.

As he looked into Yun Huizhou’s eyes, he realized that his gaze seemed much more lucid this time than it had been previously.

“The moment I opened my eyes, I saw a white cloth being pulled over me. I thought you were all getting ready for my funeral,” Yun Huizhou said.

Hearing this, Lian Li raised his hand, intending to give him a smack. What was he saying? Who would curse themselves like that?

But even with his hand raised, he couldn’t bring himself to follow through. After all, the man was currently an injured patient, not his usual thick-skinned, resilient self.

Withdrawing his hand, Lian Li kept his head lowered in silence. He grabbed another towel to dry himself, then picked up the white robe the West Island Lord had set aside earlier and put it on.

Yun Huizhou was at least covered by the two towels Lian Li had given him, but Lian Li himself had been completely naked just moments ago. Being looked at from below by Yun Huizhou, who was lying flat on his back, made him feel incredibly self-conscious.

He knew he shouldn’t feel this way—they were both men, after all—even if he had spent the entirety of the past year dressed in women’s clothing in front of Yun Huizhou.

But what Yun Huizhou had, he (Lian Li) also had, a fact they were both well aware of. Now, however, he couldn’t help but feel awkward, to the point where he didn’t even want to meet Yun Huizhou’s gaze, let alone look him in the eye. Keeping his back to Yun Huizhou, he pulled his long hair out from inside his robes.