After Being Adopted by the Obsessive Male Lead - Chapter 7

Inside the small cabin, three bowls of Plum Cold Round soup sat on the square table. Taro balls, plums, and green rice rounds were submerged in the clear, chilled liquid, looking moist and bright. The light fragrance alone was enough to refresh the soul.

Three people sat around the table, each occupying one side.

Jun Wang unhurriedly ladled the clear green soup. His porcelain spoon clinked against the bowl with a crisp ring. His gaze wandered casually, landing every now and then on the young master sitting opposite him.

Qiu He stuffed a large mouthful of the plum rounds into her mouth and looked at Chang Le with concern. Chang Le had seemed quite interested in the treat earlier, saying he wanted to eat it, but ever since Jun Wang rescued him, he had just sat in his wheelchair without saying a word. His face was flushed crimson, and he hadn’t taken a single bite. “Chang Le, you were probably frightened. Eat something to calm your nerves.”

Chang Le lowered his head to look at the plum soup, then tilted his head toward Qiu He, ensuring his gaze never landed on the Great Demon across from him. He shook his head resolutely. “From this day forward, I am absolutely not eating anything ever again.”

“Why?” Qiu He was confused. Seeing Chang Le’s hesitant and awkward expression, she suddenly had a realization and laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, just eat. I’ll make you a few Food-Dissolving Pills later. I guarantee you won’t even feel the need to use the restroom.”

There’s actually a pill for that?

Chang Le felt as if he had come back to life. “Is there really something so miraculous?”

“Truly. Go on and eat.”

The world of cultivation truly created miracles, even exempting people from basic physiological problems. Chang Le’s heart finally settled. He ladled a plum into his mouth. The ice-cold liquid slid down his throat and through his lungs, soaking into his body and slowly smoothing over the knot of awkwardness in his chest. Only then did he feel a wave of lingering fear, feeling incredibly lucky that he was currently dealing with the amnesiac version of the Great Demon who still retained some humanity.

After finishing her soup, Qiu He added, “However, you must bathe an hour after taking the Food-Dissolving Pill. You’ll need Jun Wang to help you with your bath.”

Chang Le was busy drinking the refreshing soup, and at those words, he forgot to even chew the green round in his mouth.

Qiu He chuckled, seeing Chang Le look up like a startled, innocent deer. “I happen to be preparing a medicinal bath for you. It will help your leg bones recover much faster. Anyway, you’re both men, there’s no need to worry about modesty between genders.”

The sweet green rounds suddenly lost their flavor. Chang Le set his bowl down, looking as wilted as a frost-bitten eggplant.

Having Jun Wang help him relieve himself was embarrassing enough, but now he had to help him bathe too? What if Jun Wang got annoyed by the trouble and quietly hacked him to death?

Chang Le couldn’t help but peek at Jun Wang.

Coincidentally, the other man was looking right back at him.

“A nuisance,” Jun Wang remarked, though he didn’t refuse.

At night, a single candle flickered in the room, which was filled with swirling steam. Two figures were projected onto the wall. One figure was leaning back, revealing broad shoulders and a waist that, while not too thin, was narrowed just right, held tight by two sashes. This figure suddenly moved closer to the other one sitting in the wheelchair.

Chang Le clutched his white shirt, which was already damp from the steam.

Ah, this is too awkward. Can’t I just wash with my clothes on!

Jun Wang’s gaze fell on the boy’s clothes. He had never seen garments of such a design. Though strange, they suited him well. For instance, that white top looked a bit large but was very thin. Now that it was damp, it became translucent, making one wonder how well-proportioned the body beneath was, or how narrow his waist truly was.

These clothes are impractical, Jun Wang thought.

“Do you need me to help you undress?”

And then change into different clothes.

Chang Le was flustered. “No need.”

Steelining his heart, he unbuttoned his shirt and, enduring the pain, shed his lower garments as well. After undressing, he bit his lip, his expression looking quite grim.

Jun Wang lifted him from the chair. The waist in his hands was slender but not bony, and it felt soft. After placing him into the bath barrel, Jun Wang left the room and stood outside to wait.

Cool night breezes blew in gusts, causing the hem of Jun Wang’s robes to flutter slightly. He stood before the door, waiting for Chang Le to finish. Looking at the pitch-black night, he sensed something was off.

Why do I feel like a servant attending to someone?

He felt annoyed.

Fifteen minutes later, the person inside called his name. Jun Wang quickly went in to lift him out of the lukewarm water.

“Your clothes can’t be worn anymore. You’ll have to wear mine for now.”

“Mhm.” Chang Le dried himself off very sloppily, his mind focused entirely on ending this agonizing moment as quickly as possible. Consequently, some droplets of water still remained on his hands. He reached out to take the clothes, his fingers brushing against Jun Wang’s fingertips.

The fingers were very wet and soft.

The person was, too.

There were two sets of clothes: one set of inner robes and a set of straight-hemmed outer robes. They were auspicious white with cloud patterns, but they were a bit too loose. The skin that couldn’t be hidden looked like glimpses of white jade.

Jun Wang suddenly pulled a sash from his own waist.

Chang Le was startled by the movement, thinking for a second that this man was going to bathe in his leftover bathwater. But then Jun Wang leaned halfway down, pulling Chang Le’s robes together and wrapping the sash around his waist. Only then did Chang Le realize what was happening.

The man was dressing him.

Chang Le lowered his eyes and could see the high bridge of Jun Wang’s nose, which had a nearly invisible red birthmark on it. Above that was his full forehead and his black hair secured in a crown.

Sigh, such a fine-looking person, only to turn into a mad dog later on.

Qiu He had actually believed Jun Wang’s nonsense today, thinking the thug who kidnapped him had just targeted the wrong person. That lie was full of holes, yet she didn’t doubt him for a second.

How deep is her trust?

Chang Le didn’t understand.

But after the thug’s visit, he now technically knew that Jun Wang was Asura. Jun Wang would surely be on his guard, so he probably wouldn’t go to the Martial Hall for a while. That path was blocked again.

It seemed only one method remained.

He had to arrange for Qiu He and her “White Moonlight” from the Tianxuan Sect to meet as soon as possible. He remembered Lin Man saying the man was named Chu Heng, quite famous in the Tianxuan Sect with a high cultivation level. He could surely protect Qiu He. It would be best to take her away while Jun Wang still hadn’t recovered his memory and wasn’t yet so bloodthirsty and crazed.

Then, he could finally be free to find a way back home.

Jun Wang knew nothing of Chang Le’s thoughts. Looking at the person wrapped in his own robes, the strange feeling in his heart intensified. He suddenly had a thought: this young master was so weak that in this world, he probably wouldn’t survive without his care. He had to stay by his side.

Wait, no.

Although he had amnesia, he still looked like a young man himself. Why was he so eager to act like the boy’s father?

This medicinal bath happened twice a day, every single day. One evening, Jun Wang waited for forty-five minutes without hearing the boy call for him. He opened the door on his own. The steam in the room rushed out eagerly. Through the thinning mist, he saw the boy’s pale, smooth back. Because of the medicinal bath, his black hair had grown rapidly and now reached past the middle of his back, hanging down damp and heavy with moisture. Thus, that patch of white was half-submerged in the water and half-hidden by the black hair. Droplets of water slid down his smooth shoulder blades, but the person didn’t move.

He had fallen asleep leaning against the edge of the tub.

Jun Wang poked the boy’s cheek, which was steamed to a peachy pink. Chang Le’s red lips were slightly parted, revealing a glimpse of white teeth, but he didn’t wake up. Jun Wang lifted him from the water and wrapped him in clothes.

Suddenly held tight, Chang Le’s raven-feather eyelashes flew open.

One second, Chang Le was immersed in the joy of holding an art exhibition in his dream, the next second he opened his eyes to see the white robes on Jun Wang’s chest were soaked through, revealing the firm muscles beneath the fabric.

Why didn’t this Great Demon wake me up? “Ugh, Brother Jun? Did I fall asleep?”

These past few days, Jun Wang had been following Qiu He’s instructions. Perhaps wanting to gain her favor, his care for Chang Le had been meticulous. Since the Great Demon was taking such good care of him, Chang Le felt he couldn’t let Qiu He think he was ungrateful, so he called him “Brother Jun” every day.

However, the Great Demon really hadn’t gone to the Martial Hall at night anymore. Sleeping in the same room as him every night, Chang Le didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, fearing he might talk in his sleep and reveal he had transmigrated. Consequently, he hadn’t slept well, and dark circles were starting to appear under his eyes.

He questioned Jun Wang with his eyes, asking why he hadn’t put him down yet.

“Since you’re sleepy, I’ll just take you straight back to the room to save the trouble.”

Jun Wang stepped over the threshold, and the sudden open air felt a bit chilly. Chang Le instinctively shrunk inward.

“Qiu He, come quick, Qiu—ah!” Madame Zhang, who had come charging in, suddenly stopped. She let out a scream as if she had seen a ghost. “You two…”

Heaven knew how shocked Madame Zhang was. Just a few days ago, she had warned Master Jun to be wary of this young master, so why had that “wariness” turned into hugging and carrying!

Both of them were half-soaked, looking exactly as if they had just stepped out of a bath together.

Being caught by an outsider and immediately misunderstood, Chang Le’s dormant sense of shame rushed back. His face grew hotter and hotter until he felt like he was about to be cooked through. He instinctively wanted to explain, but then he recognized Madame Zhang’s face.

She was the woman who had said she wanted to matchmake Qiu He and the Great Demon.

Chang Le opened his mouth, but ultimately closed it. If the townspeople misunderstood the Great Demon’s sexual orientation, they probably wouldn’t try to matchmake him with Qiu He anymore.

Chang Le snuggled deeper into the Great Demon’s arms.

Feeling the rising temperature and the increased contact from the person in his arms, Jun Wang’s arms tightened, pulling him closer as he strode back into the room.

The moment they entered, Chang Le couldn’t wait to escape from his embrace.

The Great Demon stood tall, his gaze falling on the pile of blankets. Suddenly, his brow furrowed deeply. Chang Le thought he was angry about his behavior just now and was about to explain when his arm was suddenly grabbed and pulled. His body lurched toward the Great Demon, and Chang Le had to grab the man’s arm for support. “What are you doing?”

Jun Wang reached out to touch the soaking wet hair. “Your hair is this wet, how are you going to sleep?”

Chang Le was stunned.

“Your hair will soak the bed. Am I supposed to sleep in that?”

His tone was a bit cold.

Suddenly, the top of his head felt warm, as if it were enclosed in a cozy hothouse. His heavy hair began to feel light. Only when every strand was dry did the warmth disappear.

Then, Chang Le watched as Jun Wang stepped out of the door.

Wasn’t he going to sleep?

Another day, amidst the rising steam, Chang Le gripped the handles and tried to stand up. His legs shook slightly, but they supported his entire weight.

Chang Le was almost ecstatic. He avoided Jun Wang’s reaching hand. “I can do it myself. Brother Jun, you should go out.”

Jun Wang’s hand met empty air. Looking at the hand Chang Le had dodged, his gaze turned dark and unreadable.

A strange feeling.

Jun Wang couldn’t find the source of this sensation, but it only grew stronger in the following days. Even though the young master no longer needed his help, he would still unintentionally keep an eye on the room where the boy bathed. He always felt the person might slip inside, and he had to see him come out safely to be at ease.

In truth, the young master never slipped once. As the days passed, his legs recovered almost completely, and he could run around happily.

Through these repeated, involuntary observations, Jun Wang finally realized that his protective instinct toward this young master was far too strong. But the boy clearly had nothing to do with him.

Was it because he had been innocently dragged into danger and kidnapped because of him? Or was it the influence of the “Inner Barrier”?

Even though he had amnesia, he knew there was an Inner Barrier in his heart. The barrier would tempt him to amplify all negative emotions, and his killing intent was magnified a hundredfold under its influence. His protective instinct was likely also being affected.

And the source might have been the pity that sprouted amidst those helpless cries in that abandoned shack.

Jun Wang loathed every emotion spawned by the Inner Barrier.

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