EHRPS CH178

Tu Tianba finished gnawing on his twenty-first bun and felt a bit restless—it was rare for him to go out, and nobody even recognized him. If he didn’t go out for a stroll now, when would he?

He had three whole days of free time, after all.

Thus, Tu Tianba ignored the various magical artifacts in his sleeve-dimension and excitedly said to the man across the table:

“Didn’t you say you wanted a communication artifact? How about this, I’ll take you out to buy one right now. Don’t go saying I don’t treat you well.”

A-Hui’s face still retained some lingering warmth.

In just this short amount of time, he had kept his eyes lowered, drinking several cups of tea.

Hearing this, he subconsciously looked up at the youth, only to see a face full of playful eagerness, while his mouth kept reminding him to remember his kindness. A-Hui looked at him as if looking at a mischievous, frolicking child. He often felt the urge to laugh or shake his head in helplessness.

But the youth was not an innocent and naive child. Not only did he constantly bring up dual cultivation and even more explicit words, but he also showed absolutely no respect in his attitude towards him…

While talking, he would raise a hand to touch him here, then touch him there, completely lacking any sense of restraint.

Rather than touching, it felt more like pinching.

A-Hui felt uncomfortable but was unable to resist. He couldn’t even muster the energy to be angry.

Moreover, whenever he tried to touch him back, the youth would jump up like a leopard cat with its fur standing on end, baring his fangs and glaring with those round eyes, making A-Hui inexplicably feel as if he had committed some grave, unforgivable mistake.

There was truly nowhere to reason with him.

However, A-Hui indeed kept the youth’s good treatment in mind. He pondered for a moment and, not wanting to be trapped in this guest room either, figured it would be better to go out and understand the situation in the city. So, he nodded and agreed.

The next instant, A-Hui added rapidly, “Dao Companions must respect each other. You are not allowed to tease me like before, and don’t pretend you can’t hear me speaking…”

Tu Tianba didn’t make a sound, his eyes glancing to the side.

A-Hui had somewhat figured out the youth’s temperament. He responded to softness, not force. He seemed to have a bit of a soft spot for gentle words.

He remained silent for a moment, then awkwardly reached out to touch the youth’s slender wrist, rubbing his thumb against the side of it a few times. His tone was even softer than before,

“…Did you hear me?”

A wave of numbness crawled up his arm from his wrist, spreading to the side of his neck. Half of Tu Tianba’s body went weak again. He couldn’t help but let out an “Ouch,” collapsing limply onto the table.

It was so numbing he couldn’t exert any strength.

The most frustrating part was that he clearly didn’t want to be touched by this person, yet he couldn’t help but secretly savor the feeling of being touched. It was as if ants were crawling all over his heart, itching terribly.

That was exactly why he didn’t want to let this person touch him!

Resting his head on his upper arm, Tu Tianba raised his head slightly and glared at the man, almost rolling his eyes, for a long while. Then he buried his face in the crook of his arm and replied with a muffled voice,

“Hmph, I’m not deaf.”

A-Hui stayed silent for a moment, then cautiously made a request, “…Could you look at me and say it one more time?”

As soon as he spoke, a loud bang was heard.

The youth straightened up with a face full of displeasure. Angrily slamming his other hand onto the table, he raised his voice and warned, “Don’t think that just because I like you a little bit, you can order me around and tell me what to do!”

A-Hui remained silent, his thumb rubbing lightly and quickly a few times.

Following that, the youth let out a series of “Ouch, ouch” sounds and immediately collapsed back onto the table. A-Hui’s own face was flushed with a thin layer of red.

They clearly only had such a tiny patch of skin touching.

Soon, A-Hui awkwardly withdrew his hand. He tried to hold it in, but couldn’t, and softly advised, “Y-You… don’t make that kind of sound…”

Tu Tianba: “?”

A-Hui lowered his eyes, subconsciously rubbing his fingers together. The pads of his fingers still held the residual temperature of the youth’s skin. It was a bit cool.

Meeting the youth’s gaze, he took a deep, secret breath and said gently, “It is unseemly.”

Tu Tianba was baffled.

He pondered for quite a while before finally understanding what the man meant. He let out an enlightened “Oh,” and asked in return,

“Are you complaining that I’m embarrassing you?”

He had been looked down upon before. He had been clamped under rugged arms, while a large, wind-whipping palm swung in full circles onto his backside, making a series of loud smack smack smack sounds.

“You’re seven years old, how can you still run around the village with your bare bottom?! You’re really embarrassing your old man; to think you even studied books for a few days!!”

However, that was a very long time ago.

Tu Tianba was almost unable to remember it clearly. Recalling this scene in a daze, he forgot to be angry. His dissatisfaction with the man’s words and actions almost entirely vanished. Instead, he said good-naturedly, “I understand. I won’t do it again.”

Alright, actually, he didn’t really understand.

Maybe it was like the other party’s bottom. Not fit for the light of day, and he absolutely refused to let him take even a single glance at it.

Although the demonic cultivators he had encountered—especially those skilled at absorbing people’s vital essence—often wore skimpy clothes and would gather to dual cultivate and copulate regardless of the occasion, smilingly claiming it was the most joyous thing in the world.

“If I could experience one session of joy with Your Eminence, this subordinate would be willing even to die.”

It was just that Tu Tianba was solely focused on curing his illness and simply rejected them.

However, that demonic cultivator insisted on pestering him and even stealthily slipped little bugs onto his body. Tu Tianba had no choice but to eradicate both the person and the bugs cleanly.

He really didn’t understand where the fun in dual cultivation lay. Catching accidental glimpses of it, he didn’t feel those scenes could make anyone feel joyous. He always felt it wasn’t much different from the wild dogs mating back in his village.

Until he saw that book.

Tu Tianba was absolutely astounded. The pure, unadulterated desire he originally had for the man’s physical body seemed to mix with a trace of something strange, birthing another, very raw sort of craving.

The two types of desire intertwined. Tu Tianba didn’t hate it.

He hated the bullshit Immortal Lord Nie Wuhui.

But he didn’t hate A-Hui, who looked beautiful and spoke pleasantly. This minor expression of distaste even made him feel a sense of intimacy, and a rare sense of peace welled up spontaneously.

Tu Tianba casually grabbed the man’s teacup and glug glug drank the remaining half cup of water. He let out a long sigh of relief, then couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, “I truly am an understanding and good Dao Companion.”

Without playing favorites, he shoved the cup back into the man’s hand and flashed him a rarely bright smile. “I think I like you even more now.”

“…”

Even though A-Hui was perceptive, he couldn’t keep up with the youth’s thoughts and words. Upon hearing this “like,” he froze, speechless for a long time.

In a daze, a thought flashed through A-Hui’s mind.

Just now, the youth’s expression had inexplicably revealed a bit of complex sorrow, yet he himself seemed completely unaware of it…

A-Hui couldn’t help but wonder: by saying that, did he hurt the youth’s feelings?

Although the sound the other party made was too… well, it was ultimately just the two of them in this room. Furthermore, he was the one who initiated the touch. The youth was simply too young and ignorant, not understanding these things…

A-Hui fell into a tangle of emotions, and his internal guilt deepened by a few degrees.

“…”

A moment later.

Tu Tianba walked out of the inn with brisk steps. Every step was completely silent, like a black leopard cat walking on its tiptoes, his ponytail swishing behind him.

The brocade pouch on his chest swayed along.

Inside the system space.

The white orb extended its nubs, stroking its chin.

“Whoa, the protagonist has already forgotten about asking the host to look at him and make a promise…”

“Wasn’t he completely fooled over just now?”

“The protagonist looks like the type who would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and curse, ‘I really deserve to die’.“

It stared at the youth happily strolling down the street on the light screen for quite a while, unable to resist speculating, “Was it on purpose, or by accident?”

Honestly, is this guy a scheming mastermind, or genuinely crazy and foolish?

There was this feeling that he was very easy to deceive, yet simultaneously very hard to trick.

·

In the afternoon, the sunlight was still clear and bright.

Yongge City was indeed much more prosperous than it was three hundred years ago.

Tu Tianba’s gaze quickly swept past the medical clinics along the street. He leisurely strolled through two streets and finally saw a lavish magical artifact shop named ‘Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’.

Entering the pavilion, Tu Tianba found that the shop was set up with multiple arrays. The space inside was massive. The types of magical artifacts alone were divided into several areas, boasting a vast variety.

Communication artifacts were the easiest artifacts to refine, bar none. As long as one was a successfully initiated artifact refiner, they could craft this type of entry-level device. Therefore, the price of communication artifacts had always been the cheapest.

Ordinary cultivators wouldn’t buy them. Even the poorest small sects didn’t lack this kind of resource. Only ordinary wandering cultivators had a need for them.

Tu Tianba gently squeezed the brocade pouch hanging on his chest and slowly walked toward the area selling communication artifacts.

Perhaps due to the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, Yongge City had many visitors, and the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was bustling with people, a continuous stream of low conversations filling the air.

Communication artifacts were cheap, and the requirements to activate them were quite lenient. Thus, standing next to Tu Tianba were several city residents who hadn’t yet entered the Dao or had just broken through to Qi Refining, also chattering,

“…A very generous young master has arrived in our Yongge City, have you heard?”

“Of course I’ve heard. Buying everything along the street, scattering spirit stones as if he were just giving them away. Just which aristocratic family’s young scion is masquerading as a wandering cultivator to experience the world in Yongge City?”

“Yeah, how could an ordinary wandering cultivator be so carefree.”

At this time, someone sneered,

“Isn’t that just a rich sucker? When something only requires a few hundred low-grade spirit stones, he casually tosses out two or three times that amount. I don’t know if he is ignorant or just arrogant…”

“Hmph, a young master like this will probably get scammed out of everything in the blink of an eye.”

The person continued, “By the way, I saw him from afar this morning. This guy doesn’t have a single bit of gentlemanly bearing. He’s way too eccentric, not only talking to himself but also holding a whole armful of…”

Before finishing his sentence, the man suddenly caught sight of a black-clad youth beside him. The youth was crunching on a candy bean while staring at him with round, bright apricot eyes, his face full of curiosity.

Locking eyes, the youth even asked, “And then?”

The gossip recalled what he had just said. His heart jumped, and his pupils practically caused an earthquake: “…”

Tu Tianba crunched on his candy beans, crack crack, not understanding why this burly man beside him had stopped talking. So, out of curiosity, he pressed further,

“Who’s that idiot?”

Little did he know how much panic and terror this sentence brought to the man’s ears. The man’s face flushed completely red, and he hurriedly turned tail and scurried away in disgrace.

Tu Tianba: “?”

Tu Tianba thought for a moment, then immediately questioned his inner demon, “Did the disguise you put on me develop a problem? Why did this person turn around and leave the moment he saw me, looking completely panicked?”

The white orb: “…”

What does that have to do with me! Don’t just dump the blame on the system at the drop of a hat! What problem could there be? It’s been this same data modification technique for so many years. Reflect on yourself for once…

“Ahem.”

Hearing this light cough carrying a hint of amusement, Tu Tianba casually turned his head.

He saw a middle-aged man standing behind him, covering his mouth. The grey Dharma robe on his body was covered in patches. Looking very lazy, he gave him a greeting,

“Little medical cultivator, we meet again.”

Tu Tianba tilted his head, his apricot eyes curving slightly.

“—What a coincidence?”