Chapter 86

The next morning, everyone gathered downstairs at the hotel.

Zhu Chu was furious the whole night. Even though he fell asleep as soon as he touched the bed, he didn’t rest well in his dream. He spent the entire night blaming his junior disciple, questioning him on why he had taken their master away.

Perhaps it was because his junior disciple, who only reached his waist in the dream, was too honest and upright. When he woke up in the morning and saw his junior disciple and master walking leisurely towards him, he immediately became furious and loudly questioned, "Junior disciple! Where did you take master? You didn’t return the whole night!"

Everyone’s gaze turned toward them.

It was already late at night when they arrived at the hotel the previous day. Even though Nie Chen was considerate of Ke Xingzhou’s first trip and didn’t let him do anything, Ke Xingzhou still hadn’t rested well. He hadn’t gotten enough sleep, and now his steps were unsteady. He was squinting his eyes, almost entirely relying on Nie Chen to guide him.

Nie Chen kept his gaze on Ke Xingzhou, reminding him gently even when going down a small step, and extending his hand protectively, always on the lookout to prevent Ke Xingzhou from falling.

He took care of him with more care than most would.

The Taoist priests were a bit sleepy and thought to themselves, "This disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect really knows how to serve his master, almost like a lover."

However, what Ke Xingzhou, the eldest disciple, had said was so easily misunderstood. If it weren’t for the fact that the three of them were master and disciples, people might have thought that the two disciples were fighting over their master.

Haha… The Taoist priests chuckled to themselves, thinking what absurd conclusions they had come to.

Zhu Qian’s eyes, however, instantly lit up with excitement as she scanned the faces of the three from the Xiaoyao Sect. "Wow."

Zhu Chu: "?"

Wow what wow? He was being serious, okay!

However, his junior disciple didn’t pay attention to him. Only after they had sent Ke Xingzhou to the car waiting to take them to the airport did he glance at Zhu Chu and coldly say, "You want to sleep with master?"

That glance was ice-cold. Zhu Chu met his gaze and, for a moment, almost thought he had been frozen into an icebox. He couldn’t help but get goosebumps.

He rubbed his arms, finally realizing that this was no longer a dream, and his junior disciple was no longer the soft target in his dreams!

But what was his junior disciple saying? What did he mean by "wanting to sleep with master"? Everyone was looking at him strangely.

He was just defending his dignity as the eldest disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect, okay?

In front of so many people, Zhu Chu didn’t want to be seen as an incompetent eldest disciple, so he mustered his courage and responded, "What? Did I say something wrong? Master’s suitcase is still with me. How will he wash up like this?"

Nie Chen looked at him coldly for a moment and replied calmly, "I’ve already made preparations. No need for you to worry. Is there anything else?"

Zhu Chu: "…"

Now that he mentioned it, he had no reason to keep pushing. After all, when the Special Event Handling Bureau gave them the room key, they said master and disciple should stay in the same room, but they never specified they had to stay together.Zhu Chu was saddened for a while because his master chose his junior disciple, and after a moment, he realized, "Wait, there’s only one room key left in my hand. Where did you two stay last night?"

Nie Chen glanced at him but didn’t say anything.

Assistant Liu was pushing two suitcases, one large and one small, and when he passed by Zhu Chu, he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to arrange a room for Nie Chen’s senior brother yesterday.

He cleared his throat and looked at Zhu Chu with some guilt. "This hotel is personally owned by Mr. Nie. The presidential suite is always reserved."

Even though it was said to be fully booked, there were still a few business suites left empty for emergencies. The only problem was that these rooms couldn’t be booked through external channels.

Zhu Chu: "..........."

Damn capitalist!!

Ke Xingzhou was extremely tired and completely unaware of the undercurrents between the two disciples. As soon as he boarded the plane, he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he sensed someone near him.

His subconscious mind knew where he was, and he immediately opened his eyes.

In the dim light, Nie Chen turned his head to look at him. "Awake?"

The lights in the cabin were off, and the announcement was asking passengers to pull down the sunshades.

Nie Chen reached out to pull the sunshades down, and the last bit of light disappeared, leaving only the dim small light above them.

Ke Xingzhou noticed the presence in front of him getting closer, and felt warm, soft lips press against his forehead. Nie Chen’s voice came low and gentle: "We’re about to land. Do you want to sleep a bit more?"

Ke Xingzhou blinked and lazily replied with a murmur.

In reality, he was no longer able to sleep well. He suffered from motion sickness and felt uncomfortable on the plane, but since Nie Chen said they were landing soon, he decided to bear with it.

He squinted his eyes, leaning against the back of his seat, appearing as though he was really asleep.

Suddenly, he heard rustling sounds next to him. Nie Chen reached into his pocket, pulled something out, unwrapped it, and then held out a piece of tangy-sweet candy to his lips.

Ke Xingzhou paused for a moment and opened his mouth to take the dried tangerine peel candy.

The candy rolled around in his mouth, tapping lightly against his teeth. Ke Xingzhou’s tense muscles quickly relaxed.

In his vision, the bright golden light of merit suddenly shifted. A large hand reached over and gently stroked his cheek, with the thumb resting momentarily at the corner of his mouth. "Do you feel better?"

Ke Xingzhou gently nodded.

His chin was then gently pinched, and Ke Xingzhou, feeling a bit lazy, turned his head with the force and quickly felt warm breath on his lips.

Nie Chen lingered on his lips for a while, licking the closed seam of his lips with his tongue, slowly prying open his mouth, and spreading the sour-sweet taste of the tangerine peel candy throughout his mouth.

Ke Xingzhou felt a bit short of breath and couldn’t help but let out a displeased low hum. He lifted his hand and placed it on Nie Chen’s arm, pushing him away.

Nie Chen appropriately loosened his grip, still close to his lips. "Master, what’s wrong?"

The title seemed to trigger a sensitive nerve, and Zhu Chu’s eager voice came from the front seat, "Master? You’re awake! How do you feel? Is there anything I can do for you, your disciple?"He’s definitely doing better than his junior! Hmph, this scheming guy even chose a seat next to the master, leaving me to sit in the front seat, and the master wouldn’t even know when he wakes up.

He struggled to sit up, trying to make sure the master could see his proactive side through the gap in the seat, so the junior wouldn’t deceive him.

But when he looked through the gap, he saw the master and the junior’s heads close together, like they were whispering something.

He froze for a moment.

He had always thought he was the master's precious, but Zhu Chu suddenly realized that the master hadn’t asked to see him alone for quite a while.

Every time the master looked for him, he was either with the junior or someone else.

Sigh... he covered his mouth. Did he lose favor before he even realized it?

Ke Xingzhou: "...."

Ke Xingzhou's face burned with embarrassment, feeling as though he was being exposed in front of everyone.

But he also knew very well that in such a dim environment, Zhu Chu could only see vague outlines and perhaps the aura surrounding Nie Chen and some kind of fate or connection between them.

Even so, he couldn’t help but want to shrink back.

However, Nie Chen quickly caught up, biting his lower lip in displeasure before moving to nibble on his earlobe.

He calmly responded, "Master is fine with me here. Don’t you think so, Master?"

Ke Xingzhou didn’t have time to answer, because just as he was about to speak, Nie Chen mischievously brushed his neck. Several sensitive spots were under his control, and Ke Xingzhou could only tightly bite his lip, letting out a soft "mm" from his nose.

Nie Chen chuckled lightly, his breath fanning over his ear, licking his earlobe gently, almost like a reward or a way of coaxing him.

"...."

Zhu Chu felt as if his heart were breaking.

The master admitted it!

Even the master admitted that the junior was more important than him. Zhu Chu felt terrible, sinking back into his seat in sorrow.

But why did he feel like the master's voice just now sounded a bit different? It was sticky and had a bitter-sweet flavor that faintly drifted through the gap in the seat.

In his mind, he couldn’t help but recall the image of the master outside the hotel this morning, all groggy, supported by the junior to make it to the car. His face was flushed, his lips were moist, and the color was much redder than before.

And that sleepy look...

It almost seemed like he had been thoroughly messed with.

Zhu Chu’s face flushed, and he quickly stopped the strange train of thought. The heat on his face almost felt like it was going to burn him.

How could he think like that about his master! It’s too much!

He hurriedly covered his face with his palm, trying to cool his burning face, not daring to peer back through the gap in the seat, afraid that the master would see his filthy thoughts.

Little did he know, the master’s current situation was even more dangerous than he imagined.Nie Chen cupped his face, gently kissing him for a while, then moved his lips and teeth to his neck, lightly biting the carotid artery.

Ke Xingzhou gasped, hearing Nie Chen's hoarse voice beside his ear: "Master, hang in there. We'll be off the plane soon."

Rough fingertips brushed heavily across his skin, causing a shiver.

--

When they got off the plane, Ke Xingzhou wrapped himself up tightly, even wearing a hat, with only his reddened eyes visible under the mask.

The Taoist priests were stunned when they saw him, thinking that young people are really delicate. After all, it’s just two or three hours on the plane, plus a few hours last night, and he still hasn’t had enough sleep?

The blonde-haired priest, feeling a bit sympathetic, said, "You get motion sickness too, huh? Me too. Let me tell you a remedy—eat something sour and sweet, it’ll help a little. Like dried tangerine peel candy, cheap and effective!"

Ke Xingzhou: "...."

The blonde-haired priest looked at Ke Xingzhou, who suddenly quickened his pace, and Ke Xingzhou's second disciple coldly glanced at him, as if warning him to mind his own business.

...What’s going on?!

He kindly shared his experience for not getting motion sick, and now everyone acts like he’s trying to harm them?

And Ke Xingzhou’s second disciple, who usually acts like he cares about his master, suddenly doesn’t believe in the method. Does he even want his master to get better?

Zhu Chu, beside him, felt his frustration, also glancing at the retreating figures of the master and junior.

The master used to wait for him to walk together...

Damn the junior! He never should have asked the master to take him in—he’s so ungrateful!

The two of them gritted their teeth behind Ke Xingzhou and Nie Chen, but Nie Chen quickly took two steps and grabbed Ke Xingzhou’s hand, then pinched his burning cheek. "What are you shy about? They can't tell."

Just as he finished speaking, Zhu Qian, who was passing by, lowered her voice to excitedly share with someone on the phone, "I really got the scoop! After they got off the plane, they held hands, ahhhh!"

Ke Xingzhou: "...."

Nie Chen: "...."

Just as he was about to say something to soothe the angry master, Xiang Ting, who had been missing for a night, appeared ahead.

Xiang Ting’s gaze swept over their clasped hands, his expression a bit hard to read.

When Nie Chen saw him, his face tightened, and he squeezed Ke Xingzhou’s hand, pulling him toward himself. The look in his eyes toward Xiang Ting carried some hostility.

Xiang Ting furrowed his brow and glanced at Nie Chen, not quite understanding why he was suddenly so hostile.

It seemed like everything was fine before he left yesterday.

He shifted his gaze away, then spoke to Ke Xingzhou and the Taoists who had caught up from behind: "Something’s not right. We can’t get in touch with any of the local Taoist temples, and the messages we sent to the Taoist Association have all gone unanswered. Perhaps... anyway, prepare yourselves mentally."