Chapter 787: The Obedient Disciple Comes into the Embrace 21

Fei Mian timely took out his short dagger, "Hurry up and get lost."

Immortal Master: "……"

His vision went dark, he almost cursed out loud.

"Since… since that's the case, let's change inns."

"Besides being the Sect Leader's son and a member of the imperial family, you are also a disciple of an immortal venerable—did your Xuanzong Sect come down the mountain this time for a divine artifact?"

The Azure Cloud Sect party left dejectedly, and Fei Mian also made them pay the innkeeper for the tables and chairs.

"Thank you, Immortal Elder! Thank you!"

The innkeeper tearfully expressed gratitude to Fei Mian.

"Senior Brother, I can't eat dinner anymore, accompany me for another stroll."

After finally descending the mountain, Xie Xi was overly energetic, putting all his belongings in the inn and trying to drag Luo Yi Ping out to play.

As they left, he still gave Fei Mian a white-eye glance.

Fei Mian couldn't be bothered with him, ate a bowl of noodles, and went back to sleep.

After Jin Chen returned, the sky had already grown dark.

After buying a string of candied haws from the stall beside the inn, he went upstairs and indeed found the boy already asleep.

After telling the attendant to bring more food in half an hour, Jin Chen closed the door and, walking toward the bed, saw the boy seemingly hearing the sound, blinking his eyes open in a daze.

"Master……"

"I'm here."

Sitting at the head of the bed, he gently stroked the boy's soft, sleeping cheek with his palm, his voice affectionate and low.

"I bought you candied haws; get up and eat."

Although it's unknown whether prolonged sleep affects Fei Mian's body, Jin Chen has consciously controlled his sleep duration over the past few years.

Fei Mian himself also noticed that if he slept too long, his mind would become foggy, and he couldn't even remember his cultivation techniques.

Propping himself up to sit, he leaned into Jin Chen's embrace, cheek resting against his neck, gently rubbing, and only after a while did he recover.

"What candied haws? Master, didn't you go meet an old friend?"

"Could it be that old friend is actually a candied haws seller?"

The dazed Fei Mian's thoughts were all over the place.

Finally, he let out a few soft hums, clinging to Master's neck and acting coquettish.

"Master has been gone for a long time."

Actually, it's only about two hours.

But these past few years on Dusk Cloud Peak, whenever Jin Chen went anywhere he'd bring him along; compared to that, two hours really does count as quite a while.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -5, total 50!】

"It's just that we talked for a while," Jin Chen replied, lowering his eyes and asking gently, "Did anything happen just now?"

How did the blackening value even drop?

"Um… the Azure Cloud Sect's disciples wanted to seize the room; I confronted them, and later those two annoying fellows came back to help."

Fei Mian didn't want to bring up others right now, gave a vague explanation, and even his words didn't quite connect.

But Jin Chen also understood a bit of it.

He handed over the candied haws, watching the boy in his arms take small bites, and a hint of warmth appeared in his eyes.

"Master, will you still go see that old friend tomorrow?"

After eating two, Fei Mian suddenly lifted his head to ask him, the corner of his lips still stained with syrup, glistening and moist, tempting to pluck.

"Go, I'll take you with me."

Brushing away the syrup at the corner of his mouth with his fingertip, Jin Chen's gaze darkened a bit, though the boy didn't notice; instead, Fei Mian felt a little itch and pressed his tongue tip against it.

Tongue tip and fingertip just touched, Jin Chen's motion stalled, his breath suddenly grew heavy.

Fei Mian also felt a bit strange, withdrew his tongue tip, blinked, and looked up again.

"Master……"

His voice was very soft, like a hum.

At this moment the boy's eyes showed reliance, his softest appearance; his inner robe's collar slightly opened from just waking up, everywhere the gaze fell was tempting Jin Chen.

Fei Mian, however, was completely unaware.

The candied haws also lost their flavor; Fei Mian only wanted to figure out what caused that fleeting flutter in his heart just now.

Turning in Jin Chen's embrace, he spread his legs and sat on his lap, arms wrapped around his neck; even in this pose he still had to look up at Master.

"Master…… I feel a bit uncomfortable here."

He placed a hand on his heart, brows slightly furrowed.

After so many years together, Fei Mian had grown accustomed to telling Master everything—even the faint stirrings of spring in his heart.

"It's a swelling feeling, like my heart gave a twitch."

A strange description.

Jin Chen chuckled lightly, always looking at the boy with indulgent, deep, and affectionate eyes.

The room's candlelight was dim, its flicker making the boy look even more like an orchid and jade tree, as if veiled in a hazy warm glow.

"Mianbao himself thinks it's because of what moved him."

"I don't know, but…" it's definitely related to Master.

Only a few times have these unique feelings occurred, and they're all because of Master.

The boy is pure and innocent; he doesn't yet know that this feeling is called a heartflutter, nor that this stirring of the heart will become an unforgettable longing forever.

Fei Mian, however, didn't say those words out loud, merely snuggling into Master's embrace and murmuring softly.

Master, please coax me a little; just coaxing will do.

It was the same last time.

Maybe it's because I can't bear to be separated from Master; even half a double-hour is unacceptable.

He was still young, so Jin Chen didn't rush to expose it; he embraced the spoiled boy in his arms, gently stroking his back with his palm and softly coaxing him in a warm voice.

There's no rush; even waiting a bit longer is no problem.

It's all his in the end.

A warm sandalwood scent wafted past Fei Mian's nose; each breath was Master's aura, which Fei Mian loved, as if it brought boundless security.

While being coaxed and held, he drifted off to sleep again.

The candied hawthorn he was holding slipped from his grasp as he fell asleep; Jin Chen caught it deftly, wrapped it, and casually set it on the table.

Yet the hand gripping Master's sleeve never released.

Jin Chen stood up while holding him and blew out the candle.

——

The next day.

Fei Mian, Junior Uncle! Come sit here!

Fei Mian, having slept his fill, went downstairs to eat breakfast, and saw Qiu Shi waving at him; the hall was full of senior brothers, making Fei Mian inexplicably feel as if he'd returned to the disciples' cafeteria.

At Qiu Shi's table there were only three people, and a bowl of plain noodles was set on the empty seat.

Fei Mian's appetite stirred, and he hurried over to sit and eat the noodles.

Fei Mian, Junior Uncle.

The two fellow disciples at the table bowed, about to rise, but Fei Mian pressed them down; with noodles still in their mouths, their words were muffled.

No need to bow; just eat.

They were all sixteen or seventeen-year-old boys, so they could easily chat.

Besides Qiu Shi from the Martial Cultivation Institute, there was also Xu Lan, a female disciple from the Alchemy Cultivation Institute, and Su Qi from the Spell Cultivation Institute.

Coincidentally, all three were at the eighth layer of Qi Refining, making their strength roughly equal.

Qiu Shi had been smiling since he saw Fei Mian; seeing him eat contentedly, he brought up a topic.

Today we'll be splitting into teams for action; Junior Uncle, please join our team.

Fei Mian shook his head. 'I'll be traveling with Master.'

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly brightened; he lifted his gaze and called, 'Master!'

Then, in unison, they rose, letting Jin Chen sit down.

He then, amidst the astonished gazes of the fellow disciples, sat on Jin Chen's lap.

Xu Lan and Su Qi exchanged a glance.

Do you usually act this intimate with your master? Xu Lan asked with her eyes.

Thinking of his own master's unkempt, bearded appearance, Su Qi's mouth twitched and he shook his head.

Good, I wouldn't either.

Xu Lan was shocked.