Chapter 87

Zhu Chu, dragging his suitcase, hurriedly caught up. When he saw Xiang Ting, he was stunned for a moment and then turned back to look at the Taoists still waiting for their luggage. "Wait, bro. You flew here? Didn’t you say you couldn’t catch this flight because of something? How did you get here before us?"

Xiang Ting fell silent for a moment and directly skipped the topic.

"I had someone book the hotel for me in advance, but given the current situation, it’s probably unsafe over there now. Do any of you know a safer place to stay around here in the southwest?"

According to the original plan, after arriving in the southwest, local Taoist Association members were supposed to meet them. After determining the location of the邪道 (evil cult)'s hideout, they would plan their next steps and contact the local police to take action against the邪道.

But upon reaching the southwest, they lost contact with the person in charge of the local Taoist Association.

He had rushed over early to check the situation, but not only could he not contact the local Taoist temples, his whereabouts were exposed, and he had spent an entire night fighting before finally appearing here.

If the group looked closely, they would notice that while he had changed clothes, there were still faint bloodstains around the collar.

However, the Taoists were more concerned about whether their magical tools had been damaged, and no one noticed him. The only one who sensed something was wrong was Nie Chen, but he quickly turned his gaze away.

The Taoists were all from Jiangcheng and had no local connections. The Taoist priests they had known during their travels could no longer be reached.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Nie Chen glanced at Assistant Liu.

Assistant Liu immediately understood and stepped forward to signal to the group. "If you don’t mind, you can stay at one of our Wanli Group hotels. You can rest assured about the security. I’ll notify them to increase the precautions so no unwanted visitors disturb your rest."

The group: "...."

It was only then that they realized just what kind of wealthy person Ke Xingzhou's second disciple was—the Wanli Group! The top conglomerate in the country, with connections to nearly every product and service in daily life.

They had heard that the heir to Wanli Group had recently officially taken over as chairman, and they didn’t expect him to be a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect?

In an instant, the Taoists’ gazes toward Ke Xingzhou changed, especially the old Taoist with a goatee.

The scene of Nie Chen attentively serving Ke Xingzhou was still fresh in their minds, and they had even commented on how diligent a disciple could be in serving their master. They even told their own disciples to learn from him.

Who would have thought that he was the one in charge of the Wanli Group!

No wonder he hadn’t given them his ID earlier, and why he could casually change to the presidential suite.

No matter how profound their Taoist skills were, the Taoists couldn’t remain calm now. Their eyes reflected disbelief as they looked at Ke Xingzhou.

Ke Xingzhou: "...."

At least the accommodation issue was resolved, and they were here to handle serious matters, so they didn’t dwell too much on Nie Chen’s identity. Assistant Liu arranged for the hotel’s shuttle to pick them up. After a long journey, they arrived at the hotel and went to their rooms to rest.

Assistant Liu personally gave out the assignments, and the hotel provided business rooms for everyone. Not only did each person have their own room, but there were also complimentary room service and buffet meal vouchers.When everyone received their room keys, they couldn’t help but glance at the two members of the Special Incident Handling Bureau.

Xiang Ting: "……"

Zhu Qian silently moved a bit further away from him and handed the room key back to the front desk. "Can you upgrade my room? I can’t stay in a business standard room, I’d like a suite."

She was about to swipe her card to pay, but the front desk smiled and handed back the upgraded room key, kindly saying, "All expenses will be covered by the hotel. We wish you a pleasant stay."

Zhu Qian took the room key, her expression slightly dazed.

She walked up to Xiang Ting, shaking her head heavily at him. "Tsk!"

Look at the boss's awareness, and then look at you!

Xiang Ting: "…………"

Everyone, being very tactful, averted their gaze, confirmed their room numbers with the Taoists they knew, and then each went to their respective rooms to rest.

Zhu Chu also came over to ask Ke Xingzhou, "Master, which room are you staying in? I heard the buffet here is really good, and they even have limited snow crab legs! Should we go try it together?"

Snow crab legs?

Ke Xingzhou had never tried them before, and hearing this made him a little tempted. Just as he was about to nod, his second disciple beside him interrupted, "No need. The room service for the presidential suite includes all meals, and it can be delivered to the room."

Ke Xingzhou, who was about to nod, immediately stopped.

He was indeed tired today. Even though he had slept throughout the flight, he still felt like he hadn’t fully woken up. Moreover, he had gotten used to staying at home, so having room service brought to him naturally suited him more than going downstairs to eat.

Nie Chen glanced at Zhu Chu indifferently, "You go eat by yourself."

Zhu Chu: "?"

"Wait, hold on." Zhu Chu sensed something was off. "You two are staying in the presidential suite again? What about me?"

Nie Chen calmly looked at him. "Isn't your room key in your hand?"

"But why can you and Master stay in the presidential suite, and I can’t? Presidential suites usually have three bedrooms. I can stay in the servant’s room, right?"

Everyone is from the Xiaoyao Sect, so why this distinction?

Nie Chen gave a light "Heh."

Zhu Chu: "……"

For some reason, even though his junior’s expression was calm, Zhu Chu felt a storm brewing. It was as if the moment he voiced what he was thinking, Assistant Liu would immediately have him packed and kicked out of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Zhu Chu shrank his neck and immediately backed down. "N-No, I’m not sure… Haha, I was just kidding. I’ve never stayed in a presidential suite! I’d probably have nightmares in such a big room, haha… So, Master, Junior, see you tomorrow?"

He awkwardly turned around, his expression immediately turning disgruntled.

Hmph, his junior always uses money to suppress others. He, a true socialist youth, wouldn’t stoop to the level of the evil capitalist system!

Soon, only Xiang Ting, Zhu Qian, and the yellow-haired witness, who had been brought over as a witness, remained in the lobby.

The yellow-haired man looked left and right, but the staff were all busy working, not paying attention to him. No one handed him a room key, so after thinking for a moment, he squeezed between Ke Xingzhou and Nie Chen, raising his hand to ask, "What about me? Where am I staying?"Nie Chen: "..."

Ke Xingzhou: "..."

Nie Chen's eyes darkened. Just as he was about to speak, Huang Mao's neck was suddenly grabbed by a hand from behind.

Zhu Qian, though she looked slender and delicate, was actually quite strong. The muscles on her forearm tensed as she dragged Huang Mao away in one swift motion. "Fine if you don’t have a brain, but are you blind too? Come on, you're staying with me."

Huang Mao was still angry at the first half of her sentence, but the second half completely stunned him.

“W-W-What!” He nearly bit his tongue and immediately covered his eyes. “How can you do this! I defected, not became a prostitute! I-I-I'm still a virgin! I'd rather die than give in!”

The words "I'm a virgin" echoed powerfully through the grand and empty lobby.

“...” Zhu Qian couldn’t take it anymore and kicked him. “In your dreams! The business suite has two bedrooms—you’re in the guest room!”

Huang Mao: "…………Oh."

--

When Ke Xingzhou turned back to find Xiang Ting, the guy had once again disappeared somewhere.

He frowned and asked his second disciple beside him, “Did you see when he left?”

“No.” Nie Chen pressed the elevator button for the top floor. “You want to find him?”

Ke Xingzhou nodded, then shook his head after a moment.

He did want to ask Xiang Ting about his past life, but not knowing didn’t really affect anything. It’s just that Xiang Ting putting so much effort into avoiding him made things feel a little... strange.

Another thing that nagged at him was that besides Xiang Ting, he also couldn’t fully read Zhu Qian’s fate.

The people from the Special Incident Bureau were all quite mysterious...

The presidential suite took up the entire top floor of the hotel. The elevator opened directly to the foyer, making the space feel more like a luxury private residence than a hotel room. Ke Xingzhou figured out the direction, walked into one of the two master bedrooms, and got ready to wash up and sleep.

He had just taken off his coat when footsteps sounded behind him. Nie Chen’s presence drew close, pressing against his back. “Sleepy?”

A wave of goosebumps instantly spread over the back of Ke Xingzhou’s neck.

He made a soft noise, covering his neck, ears suddenly red, and gave a small cough. “A bit.”

“So... not that sleepy?” Nie Chen helped him take off his down coat, reached around to hug him, and rested his chin in the crook of Ke Xingzhou’s neck. “Master, I’m scared.”

Like a koala, he stuck close behind Ke Xingzhou, following him step by step, watching as he hung up the coat.

Nie Chen had actually sent Assistant Liu to buy that coat. It used to fit perfectly, but now it was a bit short on Ke Xingzhou, though it hung looser overall.

Ke Xingzhou, his cheeks burning, pushed him away. “Let go. I need to wash up and sleep.”

Nie Chen’s eyes dimmed slightly. Relying on the fact that Ke Xingzhou wouldn’t push him too hard, he refused to move.

He tilted his head and pressed his lips to the side of Ke Xingzhou’s neck. “Master, help me take off my coat too.”"No." Ke Xingzhou refused to take the bait. "Go back to your own room."

Nie Chen ignored his request and lightly bit him. "Master, are you hungry?"

"...!" Ke Xingzhou gasped sharply, then paused before replying, "No! And also, stop calling me Master all the time. It’s too weird..."

"Then what should I call you?" Nie Chen genuinely seemed confused. "Master? Grandmaster Ke? Zhouzhou? Or... gege*?"

(*Note: "gege" means "older brother" in Chinese, often used flirtatiously here.)

Ke Xingzhou's scalp tingled, his whole body feeling like it was on fire. "You still remember that!"

Back when they first met, Nie Chen was so pretty it was hard to tell his gender. He crouched in a corner, looking bullied and pitiful. Ke Xingzhou thought he was more capable and the backbone of his family, so he insisted that this boy—three years older than him—call him “gege.”

But when Nie Chen stood up, the not-yet-developed Ke Xingzhou was instantly overshadowed.

Once he was old enough to understand, Ke Xingzhou always saw that memory as a shameful mistake of his youth. Nie Chen had never brought it up, so he assumed it was forgotten.

But now that it was mentioned again, all he felt was intense embarrassment.

Nie Chen, however, seemed to find amusement in it. With a scarred fingertip, he traced the side of Ke Xingzhou’s waist and lowered his voice to call out, "Gege. I didn’t sleep well last night because of you. Will you make it up to me?"

Ke Xingzhou trembled, grabbing his hand. "What does that have to do with me? You were the one who couldn’t stay still..."

"My beloved was right beside me—I couldn’t control myself." Nie Chen’s tone was sincere as he buried his face in Ke Xingzhou’s neck, inhaling deeply, then pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, gently nibbling. "Gege, don’t you miss me?"

Ke Xingzhou: "..."

His mouth felt dry, his tongue heavy. He couldn’t seem to find a way to argue back, even forgot to correct the way he was being addressed.

Nie Chen seemed to smile, his breath brushing hot against Ke Xingzhou’s skin. "Since gege doesn’t want to sleep, I’ll help you burn off some energy—guarantee you’ll sleep like a baby."

"..."

Ke Xingzhou was being overwhelmed by the heat coming from Nie Chen’s body, his mind growing fuzzy, even his breathing becoming difficult. He opened his mouth, intending to stop things—but instinctively let out a soft gasp instead, and without thinking, hooked a finger into Nie Chen’s belt.

Nie Chen froze, his breathing instantly becoming ragged.

"So eager?"

Ke Xingzhou: "..."

Just as he was about to say “It’s not like that,” the TV in the room suddenly made a static crackling sound and turned on by itself.

The next second, a cold wind swept through the room from who knows where. On the TV screen, a bloodied ghostly figure appeared, long hair hanging down as it clawed at the screen’s frame, trying to crawl out.

"Give me back my life... give me back my life..."

Ke Xingzhou: "..."

Nie Chen: "..."