After The Aloof Long Aotian Became Jealous Of Me - Chapter 9

Bai Yi never imagined that there would come a day when Long Aotian actually cared about one of his underlings.

After all, in the original novel, Rong Zhenlü had paid no attention whatsoever to whether it was day or night. He had simply entered the cave immediately.

The two of them set out together to find a flat area suitable for resting.

Along the way, Bai Yi maintained the proper distance of an underling, always walking exactly one step behind Long Aotian.

What frustrated him was that Rong Zhenlü was not moving quickly at all. He would even stop occasionally and look back at Bai Yi, appearing as though he wanted to say something.

Several times, Bai Yi nearly ended up walking beside him.

The moment he noticed, however, he immediately slowed down again and lowered his head, carefully maintaining the proper distance befitting an underling.

He absolutely could not cause Long Aotian any more trouble today.

After encountering Bai Wuhen that afternoon, Long Aotian was probably already dissatisfied with him. Rong Zhenlü was merely being unusually magnanimous by not showing it.

Bai Yi needed to keep a low profile.

Thus, the two of them continued stopping and starting until they reached a clean area.

The sight was truly astonishing.

The environment within the Immortal-Prohibited Land was usually exceptionally dangerous. Even places that appeared to be forests were actually filled with ancient, charred deadwood left behind from the battlefield, while the mist in the air was composed almost entirely of dust.

Yet here, there was actually a small pool of water.

The dense haze dispersed above the pool, revealing a bright crescent moon.

The clear water shimmered beneath the moonlight, and beside it stood a smooth, clean stone platform perfectly suited for sleeping.

Bai Yi was delighted.

It was rare to find a place without dust where they could sleep.

The exhaustion accumulated throughout the day immediately surged through him, and he wished he could throw himself onto the stone and fall asleep at once.

Unfortunately, with the physical condition of someone only at the third level of Qi Refining, there was no possibility that he could cross the pool.

He did not know how to swim either.

He could only turn toward Rong Zhenlü for help.

The moment he looked over, he saw Rong Zhenlü bending down and scooping up some pool water.

After examining it briefly, he nodded.

“We can bathe here.”

Realization dawned upon Bai Yi.

He had wondered why Long Aotian would be so kind as to bring him somewhere to sleep.

It turned out Rong Zhenlü had found the stone they sat on during their afternoon meal dirty. Combined with the haze covering everything around them, he probably felt unbearably uncomfortable without bathing.

Good grief.

They had come all the way into this dangerous wilderness, yet he still demanded so much.

Had he bathed here in the original novel?

Bai Yi could not remember anything like that.

Then again, the original story had not described every detail. It might simply have skipped over it.

Bai Yi nodded.

A bath would certainly feel good.

Naturally, Long Aotian should bathe first.

Bai Yi stepped backward and was about to move far away when he suddenly looked down at the bracelet connecting them.

“Immortal Lord, can this be temporarily removed?”

Bai Yi tried to take it off but discovered that it would not budge.

Rong Zhenlü, who had his back to him, fell silent.

The young Immortal Lord pressed one hand against his forehead.

Bright moonlight draped over him like gauze, while the water reflected his handsome face, which had turned completely red.

“Sorry. That may not be possible.”

Bai Yi nodded.

He did not particularly care whether the bracelet could be removed.

After all, he was not the one who would feel awkward.

They were both men.

Had Long Aotian not been so excessively particular about cleanliness and propriety, they could have stood beside the pool and washed themselves together without any problem.

However, when Bai Yi saw how uncomfortable Rong Zhenlü appeared, he became afraid the man might redirect his embarrassment toward him.

He hurriedly reassured him.

“Immortal Lord, please bathe without worry. I definitely won’t look.”

After speaking, Bai Yi turned around and crouched down, presenting the image of someone absolutely determined not to look.

At the same time, he sighed inwardly.

Long Aotian should bathe first.

The pool water did not flow, and the pool itself was fairly small.

Bai Yi would not have minded bathing in the water after Rong Zhenlü finished.

After all, Rong Zhenlü possessed an innately pure body. Furthermore, with his obsession with cleanliness, he had not allowed even a speck of dust to touch him since entering this place.

However, Bai Yi feared that Long Aotian would be disgusted if he used the same bathwater afterward.

To avoid offending him unnecessarily, Bai Yi planned to endure it and skip bathing tonight.

Soon, however, a clear voice sounded behind him.

“Yiyi, you should bathe first.”

Bai Yi rubbed his ears and turned around.

In the darkness, his pale skin and red lips stood out beautifully, while the violet-and-gold ribbons in his hair fell smoothly around him.

His entire appearance was both precious and exquisite.

He met Rong Zhenlü’s gaze directly.

Following the man’s line of sight, Bai Yi wiped a hand across his face.

Only then did he discover that a streak of dust had somehow gotten onto his cheek.

Someone as obsessively clean as Rong Zhenlü had probably been unable to tolerate looking at it.

He would rather forgo bathing himself than continue seeing Bai Yi like this.

Fine, fine.

That worked too.

Bai Yi answered cheerfully.

After watching Rong Zhenlü turn his back, he clumsily removed the Immortal Thread Robe and entered the cool pool completely naked.

The air here was extremely dry, and the lingering scent of scorched haze was deeply uncomfortable.

The moment Bai Yi entered the water, his entire body finally relaxed, and he could not resist narrowing his eyes in pleasure.

His snow-white body formed a striking contrast against the surrounding black ashes.

The young man’s features were dazzlingly beautiful as he stretched himself freely within the water.

The scene was breathtaking.

Rong Zhenlü stood with his back to the pool, rigidly observing proper etiquette.

From beginning to end, he did not look even once, standing like a cold and imposing statue.

Yet the continuous sound of splashing water behind him made his throat dry.

The person he loved was bathing directly behind him.

No matter how disciplined someone might be, they could not truly remain unaffected.

Rong Zhenlü frowned and temporarily sealed his hearing.

While in the water, Bai Yi felt the bracelet again.

At last, he understood why its patterns seemed familiar.

They resembled the markings on Long Aotian’s jade pendant.

The bracelet itself must have originated from the Immortal-Prohibited Land, which was why it could manipulate the dark energy here and transform it into a tether.

Unless they left the Immortal-Prohibited Land, the thread could not be removed.

Did that mean Long Aotian had personally forged this bracelet?

How strange.

Such a useful item had never appeared in the original novel.

Bai Yi shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

The water was so comfortable that he almost did not want to leave.

He would work hard beside Long Aotian for a while now, but in the future, he absolutely had to lie around and enjoy himself.

Even so, he did not dare make Rong Zhenlü wait too long.

He quickly stood.

“Immortal Lord, I’m finished.”

After bathing, Bai Yi appeared fresh and luminous.

The lingering moisture around him made even the surrounding air seem cleaner.

He walked the few steps toward Rong Zhenlü, carrying a damp fragrance with him as he passed close by.

There was no wind that night, so the faint moisture continued lingering around Rong Zhenlü’s nose.

He nodded and turned away.

He did not want to think about anything and planned only to bathe as quickly as possible.

Yet Bai Yi’s fragrance now filled the air.

Damp, clinging, and unbearably intimate, it wrapped itself around Rong Zhenlü’s body.

His cold, pale skin gradually grew hot.

His hands stopped just as he was about to remove his clothing.

Rong Zhenlü closed his eyes.

The most youthful and primitive desires of his body mixed with the restraint and self-control engraved into his bones, refusing to disappear no matter how hard he tried to suppress them.

He stood stiffly beside the pool, his reflection resembling a solitary crane upon the water.

The night was windless.

The water still rippled from the departure of the previous body.

The glistening currents had washed across every inch of the beautiful young man’s flesh, absorbing his intoxicating fragrance before disturbing the man’s cold reflection into a blur.

The young Immortal Lord lowered his eyes toward the water.

A single strand of Bai Yi’s black hair still floated within it.

His face turned red.

In the end, he was simply too embarrassed to bathe in that water.

He hurriedly led Bai Yi toward the stone platform.

Bai Yi had known Rong Zhenlü would refuse to bathe.

By now, he was already unbearably sleepy and could barely keep his eyes open.

As expected, even sleeping late could not completely make up for staying awake the previous night.

He needed a proper rest.

After finally sitting on the stone platform and preparing to sleep, Bai Yi rubbed his eyes.

“Mm… Immortal Lord, I’m going to sleep first.”

“Mm.”

After receiving permission, Bai Yi immediately lay down along the edge of the platform.

Even though he was exhausted, he did not dare allow so much as the corner of his clothing to touch Long Aotian.

He had originally believed the stone platform was large enough for two people to sleep comfortably.

Only after lying down did he realize that the Immortal Thread Robe naturally spread around him.

No matter how much he shifted, it occupied a considerable amount of space, instantly making the platform feel cramped.

The Immortal Lord sat beside him.

A cold, sharp fragrance repeatedly entered Bai Yi’s nose.

He found that it smelled rather pleasant.

Bai Yi pressed his arms and legs together as he lay in the corner, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

He normally slept fairly peacefully, but he could not guarantee that he would remain still throughout the entire night.

Especially since the stone platform was uncomfortable. He would probably turn over in his sleep.

Just as Bai Yi considered sleeping on his side to conserve space, the person beside him stood and surrendered most of the platform.

Rong Zhenlü sat cross-legged with his back toward Bai Yi and began meditating.

Beneath the moonlight, the Immortal Lord’s elegant back appeared almost too ethereal to belong to the mortal world.

“Sleep.”

Bai Yi turned his head toward him.

Long Aotian was probably unaccustomed to sleeping so close to another person, so he had simply decided not to sleep at all.

Well…

This made it look as though Bai Yi, the underling, was sleeping comfortably while Long Aotian guarded him from the side.

Bai Yi felt slightly guilty.

Had he possessed better awareness of his position, he should have remained awake and meditated through the night as well.

Unfortunately, he was far too tired.

He could only thank Rong Zhenlü apologetically before spreading out his limbs and falling asleep.

This was much more comfortable.

As Bai Yi gradually relaxed, he thought that nothing could possibly be safer than having Long Aotian personally guard him.

Because they were connected by the thread, he did not even need to worry about Rong Zhenlü abandoning him.

After all, the Immortal-Prohibited Land generally contained two kinds of danger.

The first came from body cultivators and physically powerful people who, after losing access to spiritual energy, murdered others and stole their treasures.

The second came from spatial rifts that constantly changed shape and swallowed people without warning.

Bai Yi did not need to worry about either.

No one could rob Long Aotian.

Furthermore, Rong Zhenlü had once lived here for more than half a year and understood the spatial rifts extremely well.

Bai Yi slept soundly.

At the other end of the thread, Rong Zhenlü kept his eyes closed.

Cold moonlight passed through the bare branches overhead, casting overlapping shadows across his face.

He appeared profoundly solitary.

Yet directly behind him was another person’s body heat—close enough that it could not be ignored.

No matter how calm and composed Rong Zhenlü might be, he was ultimately only nineteen years old.

The person he loved was sleeping beside him.

His thoughts remained restless, preventing him from entering meditation for a long time.

After an unknown period, Rong Zhenlü finally moved.

His black hair poured down beneath the moonlight as he could not resist turning around once to look at the sleeping young man behind him.

Just one glance.

He would only check whether Bai Yi was sleeping comfortably, then turn back.

Behind him, Bai Yi slept like a little fox.

Half of his soft face rested against the stone platform. The tip of his nose tilted upward, as did the corners of his eyes.

His features were undeniably vivid and seductive, yet his entire temperament remained innocent and naive.

He had no understanding of vigilance and no idea that the person beside him harbored entirely different feelings.

For the first time in his proud life, Rong Zhenlü felt somewhat unworthy.

He could not move his gaze away.

After watching for an unknown length of time, Bai Yi turned over in his sleep.

His hair became slightly disordered.

As he lay on his side, one strand fell along his cheek and slipped down into his collar, making him faintly furrow his brows.

The Immortal Lord beside him softened for a moment.

Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his heart, he raised his hand and gently brushed the strand away.

His movements were extremely light, like a tender breeze.

Half-conscious in his sleep, Bai Yi felt comfortable and instinctively rubbed closer.

His snow-white cheek slid across Rong Zhenlü’s knuckles, soft as a handful of clouds.

Rong Zhenlü immediately pulled back as though burned.

His face flushed as he began coughing violently, his entire body overheating.

He tightly closed his cold eyes and abruptly stood, sealing all five of his senses.

Yet the dazzlingly pale image in his mind refused to disappear.