Zhao Chen'an stared at Qin Beixuan in utter shock, unable to say a word for a long while.
Qin Beixuan retrieved his jade pendant from Zhu Heyu's hand and fastened it back to his waist. He warned Zhu Heyu, "Junior brother, how did I teach you before? Don't take other people's things casually, especially something really important. Have you digested all the etiquettes into your stomach?"
Zhu Heyu's face turned deathly pale. He never expected Qin Beixuan to scold him just for a jade pendant and lecture him about such bullshit etiquettes.
They flew on their swords to the Wilderness. Their journey was much slower than expected. They barely arrived until it was nearly evening. Zhao Chen'an had originally planned to arrive in the afternoon and then go to Dafeng to check things out. Now it seemed that he could only go there the next day.
Qin Beixuan found an inn nearby. He intended to rest for a night and also take the opportunity to inquire if there had been any strange occurrences lately.
"Shopkeeper, three deluxe rooms," Qin Beixuan said as he took out some silver and handed it to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper gave an awkward smile, took out two keys, scratched his head, and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, sir. We only have two rooms left."
What should they do then?
"It's okay," Qin Beixuan said as he took the two keys, handing one to Zhu Heyu and the other to Zhao Chen'an.
Zhao Chen'an took the key absent - mindedly and asked, "What about you?"
Zhu Heyu looked at Qin Beixuan expectantly and said, "Senior brother is going to share a room with..."
Qin Beixuan interrupted Zhu Heyu. He stepped closer to Zhao Chen'an, his eyes menacing, and said in a low voice, "I'll sleep with An'er. An'er won't mind, right?"
"………"
On the surface, he was asking if Zhao Chen'an minded, but with that look on his face, Zhao Chen'an was afraid that if he dared to say no, Qin Beixuan might just kill him.
Because if Zhao Chen'an refused, Qin Beixuan would have to sleep with Zhu Heyu.
Frightened by Qin Beixuan, Zhao Chen'an quickly surrendered and said, "I don't mind. Of course, I'm more than willing."
Only then did Qin Beixuan nod in satisfaction.
Zhu Heyu snorted and went upstairs directly. Looking at Zhu Heyu's back, Zhao Chen'an said to Qin Beixuan, "He's your precious junior brother. Aren't you going to comfort him? He's angry."
Qin Beixuan laughed and retorted, "Who said he's my precious junior brother? I'll surely beat that person with my sword."
Zhao Chen'an very sensibly covered his mouth.
Looking at Zhao Chen'an like this, Qin Beixuan found him rather cute. He was so easy to scare. What if he wanted to do it again next time?
Qin Beixuan ruffled Zhao Chen'an's hair, then turned to the shopkeeper and casually asked, "Shopkeeper, has there been any strange thing happening lately?"
The shopkeeper asked, "Strange thing? What kind of strange thing does the sir refer to?"
Qin Beixuan replied, "The Wilderness."
The shopkeeper was startled and quickly said, "Now that the sir mentions it, there really is. Lately, the Wilderness has been anything but peaceful."
"How so?" Qin Beixuan asked.
The shopkeeper lowered his voice and whispered, "It's said that anyone who goes to the Wilderness never comes back."
"!!!"
Could this be true!
The shopkeeper sized up their outfits curiously and asked, "The sirs clearly look like cultivators. May I ask what you're going to do in the Wilderness?"
Qin Beixuan gave the shopkeeper a cold look and said in a deep voice, "It's better for you not to pry."
The shopkeeper quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes. I've been too talkative."
Qin Beixuan nodded and put a few more taels of silver on the shopkeeper's counter. He asked, "Do you have any wine? Bring two small bottles of your best wine."
"I'll go get it right away," the shopkeeper said.
Qin Beixuan took the two bottles of wine, waved them in front of Zhao Chen'an, and said with a smile, "Wanna go for a drink?"
Zhao Chen'an hooked his lips and smiled. "Where?"
"Follow me," Qin Beixuan said as he took this opportunity to grab Zhao Chen'an's hand and led him to the roof of the inn.
The two sat side by side on the roof tiles. One looked into the distance while the other looked at the stars in the sky.
Qin Beixuan handed a bottle of wine to Zhao Chen'an. He opened another bottle, took a sip, and slowly exhaled. He said to Zhao Chen'an, "Actually, we've sat on the roof drinking like this casually many times before."
"???" Zhao Chen'an was completely confused by Qin Beixuan's words. "This is our first time drinking together, isn't it..."
Qin Beixuan let out a soft laugh and adjusted his words. "Well, it should be in our past lives."
Hearing this, Zhao Chen'an was overjoyed. He quickly asked, "Senior brother, have you regained your past - life memories??"
"Yeah," Qin Beixuan nodded as if in acquiescence.
"That's great. Tell me, what were we like in our past lives?" Zhao Chen'an said excitedly.
Qin Beixuan thought for a while and slowly said, "You were my adoptive father. You raised me and taught me everything."
Zhao Chen'an listened with great interest. "What about you? What happened to you in the end?"
"Me?" Qin Beixuan suddenly leaned close to Zhao Chen'an's ear. "I overstepped my bounds."
"How did you overstep your bounds..." Zhao Chen'an was slightly stunned. Before he could figure out what Qin Beixuan meant, he was already pushed down by Qin Beixuan.
Qin Beixuan pinned Zhao Chen'an down. The scent of wine wafted from his breath and hit Zhao Chen'an's cheek. Zhao Chen'an looked at him in a flurry.
He finally understood what Qin Beixuan meant by "overstepping his bounds"!!!
Zhao Chen'an reached out to push Qin Beixuan away, but he found he couldn't move this guy at all.
Qin Beixuan looked down at the wine stain on Zhao Chen'an's lips. It glistened, making his thin lips look extremely charming.
Qin Beixuan couldn't resist such a temptation. Since he had already pushed Zhao Chen'an down, it would be a pity not to do something.
"Senior brother, you... umm."
Just as Zhao Chen'an was about to speak, Qin Beixuan suddenly kissed his lips. The other's lips were cool, with a hint of the sweetness of the wine, which was captivating.
He clumsily responded to the kiss, allowing the other to gradually take away his breath. It wasn't until his head was dizzy from the kiss that Qin Beixuan finally let him go.
Zhao Chen'an gasped heavily, taking in big gulps of fresh air.
Qin Beixuan wiped the remaining saliva from Zhao Chen'an's lips with his thumb. Looking at Zhao Chen'an like this, he just couldn't help but want to tease him.
Qin Beixuan reached out and cupped Zhao Chen'an's face. His fingers gently touched Zhao Chen'an's long eyelashes. He sighed in his heart, "My An'er is so beautiful."
Zhao Chen'an looked into Qin Beixuan's tender eyes that seemed to be dripping with affection. He was almost lost in them. He deliberately turned his head away, not looking at Qin Beixuan.
Qin Beixuan let out a soft laugh, wrapped his arms around Zhao Chen'an, buried his head in Zhao Chen'an's neck, and rubbed it gently twice.
"An'er, I'm in love with you. It's not a passing fancy, nor is it because of the memories of our past lives. It's the result of careful consideration. I want to give you, and us, a home. Okay?"
Faced with Qin Beixuan's sudden confession, Zhao Chen'an was completely stunned. Two seconds later, his tears started to flow uncontrollably.
He had waited for Qin Beixuan so many times, and finally, he had waited for this moment.
He wrapped his arms around Qin Beixuan's neck, buried his face beside the other's ear, and nodded heavily.
"Okay."