While the others were still asleep, Shu Yao woke up.
He was "woken up" by a strange, honest - looking man.
He had been lying in the bathtub for a while. Seeing that he didn't come out, Aunt Li didn't feel it was appropriate to call him. So she asked her son, who had just finished his work, to go in and check.
"Mom, who are you asking me to call? Is there someone else in there?" Xu Yi asked, completely confused.
Aunt Li sighed and said, "He's probably a poor kid. So young and yet he's ended up here. Maybe this is just fate."
After hearing this, Xu Yi was even more puzzled. Although he seemed simple - minded on the surface, he was actually quite devious. He claimed to be working outside, but in fact, he was involved in all sorts of shady business every day. Most of the ill - gotten gains went into his own pocket, and Aunt Li got very little.
She had no idea that her son was such a scoundrel, who was involved in all kinds of evils like swindling, defrauding women, and human trafficking. Just today, he had drugged a woman and sold her to a brothel. He had planned to use today's earnings to have some fun in the Chunxiang Courtyard. But the top - ranking courtesan there was a tough one. She looked down on the little money he had. Angry, he stepped forward and wanted to slap her.
But the courtesan's face was her livelihood, so how could she let him act recklessly? There were many bodyguards in the brothel who followed her orders. If it were a rich man, they might be more cautious, but for someone as low - class as Xu Yi, it was easy to deal with him.
So before Xu Yi could get close, he was blocked by several strong men. Their fists landed on him without warning. Xu Yi lay on the ground, covering his head and scurrying away, constantly wailing things like "Spare me! Spare me!" and "I'll never dare again." Seeing this, the guests around him all showed looks of disdain and ridicule.
How dare a penniless man act like a rich gentleman? This guy really had some nerve. He didn't even look at where he was. Even though it was a brothel, it wasn't a place for a poor wretch like him to set foot in.
All the people present were well - known figures in the town. They had done countless dirty deeds behind the scenes. Killing a scoundrel like Xu Yi was nothing to them.
Moreover, this top - ranking courtesan was the sweetheart of most of the guests present. Just because Xu Yi had the audacity to try to embarrass her in public, they had even more reason to kill him.
Xu Yi had already noticed that the looks of the guests around him were strange. His intuition told him that if he stayed here any longer, he would really lose his life.
Weighing the pros and cons between momentary pleasure and saving his life, it was obvious that the latter was the better choice. After thinking this through, he didn't dare to stay any longer. After wailing a few times for mercy, he scurried out like a rat under a strong man's crotch.
Now he didn't care about being embarrassed. It was better to crawl under the crotch than to lose his life. But he would never forget what had happened today. He would make all those who had insulted him pay back tenfold once he became successful!
The guests and prostitutes in the brothel laughed out loud without any restraint when they saw his sorry state. Their harsh laughter, combined with their increasingly distorted expressions, created a scene of debauchery and chaos. The atmosphere was so thick and the sound so loud that it was enough to make one dizzy.
Only the hundred - year - old tree still stood quietly in the middle of the Chunxiang Courtyard. It was like a reserved and aloof woman, or a silent and unworldly man.
It was in the licentious atmosphere but independent of the mundane world. It was tall and straight, reaching towards the sky. The people in the brothel worshiped it every day, so it grew stronger and stronger, as if it wanted to break through the nine heavens.
But who could understand the real desolation in the heart of this tree? The offerings from mortals full of desires made its immortal heart grow colder day by day. Its branches also carried many desires that did not belong to it and were expanding day by day.
This was not the kind of offering and worship it wanted. The endless demands of mortals made it exhausted, but its body, on the contrary, had broken through the limits of growth.
It didn't know whether this was fortunate or unfortunate...
"Who on earth is this person..." Xu Yi murmured, stroking his chin. So absorbed in his thoughts, he accidentally touched the red mark on his chin and let out a yelp of pain.
Aunt Li saw the mark on his chin and immediately stepped forward to take a look. But as soon as she raised her hand, Xu Yi interrupted her.
"It's okay. I just slipped on the road." Xu Yi was evasive and looked absent - minded. He refused to let Aunt Li look at his chin no matter what.
Seeing that he didn't want to talk more, Aunt Li didn't ask anymore. She quietly backed out and turned to prepare the meal.
Xu Yi was already in a bad mood after today's setback. He pushed the door open more forcefully and shouted discontentedly, "Hey, you! Are you drowning in the water or what? Get out of there right now!"
Shu Yao was sleeping so soundly that he didn't hear a word. Only his dark head was visible outside the bathtub, making it hard to see his face clearly.
Xu Yi thought that Shu Yao was ignoring him on purpose. His temper flared up. He kicked the door open and reached out directly, trying to pull Shu Yao out of the bathtub.
"You, get out for me..." But the moment he saw Shu Yao's face, he froze. He just couldn't say the word "out".
Was this a man? How could he be more beautiful than the courtesan in the Chunxiang Courtyard? Could this guy be a god from the sky?
Xu Yi was so infatuated with Shu Yao that he looked like he had lost his soul. He looked like a fool, but he didn't even notice it himself.
It wasn't until his saliva dripped into the bathtub that he realized how out of control he was.
But he didn't regret it. To see such a god - like beauty was worth dying for.
His mother must be blind. She had picked up such a beauty but didn't treat him well. She let the beauty stay alone in this shabby room and fall asleep. It was really against the rules of hospitality.
Xu Yi wiped his saliva, rolled up his sleeves, and lecherously reached his hand into the bathtub.
After seeing such a beautiful face, of course he wanted to get closer. Even though it was a man, such beauty was only seen in the sky, rarely on earth. The opportunity was right in front of him. If he didn't take it, it would be a great waste.
Shu Yao felt a tickling sensation on his chest. He frowned, and in less than a moment, he woke up from his sleep.
Shu Yao yawned, rubbed his eyes, and then looked dazedly at the lecherous man in front of him.
Xu Yi didn't expect Shu Yao to wake up so soon. He awkwardly withdrew his hand from Shu Yao's chest, twitched the corner of his mouth, and forced a smile. "Ahahaha... Young master, you're awake. Just now, I called you but you didn't wake up. And I accidentally dropped something into the bathtub, so I..."
Shu Yao had just woken up from his dream and didn't know what he was talking about. He even forgot the tickling sensation on his chest.
All he could think about now were the figures of that couple.
So, is dying in each other's arms really growing old together...