She steps closer to Qing Heng. “If you want the invitations, you’ll follow my wishes. Master Wu, I’ve changed my mind.”

“I’m no longer interested in you selling yourself.” Though she speaks to Wu Ye, her gaze lingers on Qing Heng, and she points a delicate finger at him with a smile.

“Now, I want him to stay the night.”

“Don’t touch him.” Before her finger reaches Qing Heng, Wu Ye slaps her hand away, his face darkening.

He’s never cared much about being teased or insulted, he’s heard it all before. But such talk directed at Qing Heng instantly makes him angry.

He’s not one to act kindly, and if he were alone, he wouldn’t hesitate to take the invitation in “another” way. But Shisan Madame, stirred by defiance, tries to touch Qing Heng’s face.

“You’re asking for it!” Wu Ye loses his patience, raising his hand to strike Shisan Madame.

Outside, Qi Jie Er and Ming Qiao watch in shock. Ming Qiao, having peeked for a while, was waiting quietly, not wanting to interrupt his parents.

But now that a fight has started, he can’t hold back any longer. He breaks free from Qi Jie Er’s arms, running to the room on his little legs.

“Stop fighting!”

“Daddy, don’t fight!”

Before Ming Qiao speaks up, Qing Heng has already voiced his disapproval. With both an adult and a child blocking him, Wu Ye finally stops.

He looks at the child who ran in and asks the same question as before: “Why are you here too?”

“How did both of them know I was here?”

“Daddy, don’t fight.” Ming Qiao clings to his father’s leg, looks up, and advises.

“You should talk things over calmly!” After persuading his father, he turns to look at aunt Shisan, who was fighting with his dad.

“Auntie, don’t be angry either.” He takes out a piece of fairy grass, a pretty bead, and a small pouch from his storage ring.

“Daddy broke the table, so here’s some compensation for you, auntie.”

Aunt Shisan: “……” 

She isn’t interested in the pouch, but she is curious about the fairy grass. This fairy grass has beauty-enhancing effects. She bends down and takes the items without hesitation. 

“For such a little one, you sure handle things better than your parents.”

“Auntie, dad and mom want an invitation letter. It’s for medicine for Qiao Qiao. Qiao Qiao has been poisoned.”

Ming Qiao explains the reason his parents came for the invitation, then confidently taps his little chest and starts promoting himself.

“Don’t make my parents sell themselves, let Qiao Qiao do it instead! Qiao Qiao can work!”

Madam Shisan laughs and squats down to face the little boy, asking: “Little one, do you know what ‘selling yourself’ means?”

Ming Qiao nods: “Yes, my brother said it means working for someone.”

“In this place, ‘selling yourself’ isn’t that simple.”

She pinches his soft cheeks. She hasn’t been able to get a hold of his parents, but she can at least get her hands on the cub they raised. After a few pinches, she feels satisfied, her bad mood somewhat lifted. 

“You said you were poisoned—what happened?” Even as she asks, she’s already feeling his pulse.

What she finds makes her doubt herself. “This pulse… so many illnesses?”

“Auntie, Qiao Qiao got sick and needs medicine. A bad kid poisoned Qiao Qiao’s medicine, so dad and mom brought me here to buy an antidote.”

Ming Qiao explains his situation in just a few words, his little face showing not a trace of fear. It’s as if this badly poisoned body isn’t his own.

“You… you’re something else…”

Madam Shi frowns, looking at the child before her. Suddenly, she understands why his parents insist on the invitation letter. It turns out, this invitation letter is his lifeline.

“I don’t do charity, but I also don’t like being a villain.”

“If your child needs my invitation, I’ll give it to you. But if a high-tier magical beast appears at the auction, no matter the cost, I want you to buy it and give it to me.”

“Deal.” Wu Ye and Qing Heng agree without hesitation. They exchange glances, both relieved.

Invitation letter in hand, Ming Qiao is about to be taken away in his parents’ arms, but before they leave, Madam Shi calls them back. “Just one thing I’m curious about.”

“What is it?” Wu Ye asks, turning back.

Madam Shi examines Qing Heng holding the boy and Wu Ye beside him, her gaze filled with confusion. “Neither of you has ever been with anyone, so how did you have a child?”

Wu Ye: “……”

Qing Heng: “……”

This blunt question leaves both adults speechless. Before they can even respond, the curious little one chimes in. “Auntie, what does ‘being with someone’ mean?”

“Madam Shisan, we still have things to do, so we’ll be off! I promise to fulfill our agreement after the auction!” Wu Ye quickly cuts off his son’s question, pulling Qing Heng along and hurrying out as if he is on fire.

Too terrifying. Taking a child to this place is unimaginable!

As they leave, Wu Ye and Qing Heng both look slightly green.

Madam Shi huffs, unhappy they left so quickly. “I wasn’t finished!”

She hadn’t even reminded Wu Ye that her room was filled with a rare, mood-enhancing incense. It’s colorless, no smell, and undetectable, yet extremely valuable.

Had she known a family man would come today, she wouldn’t have wasted such fine incense. “Lucky you.”

The incense burns fast, and only Wu Ye caught a whiff. Qing Heng and Ming Qiao didn’t notice it.

After a moment of regret for her incense, Madam Shisan turns away to find a new, handsome guest.

Outside. Ming Qiao tries to speak, but his parents cut him off. After several interruptions, he pouts and falls silent.

Wu Ye pokes his chubby cheek and tickles his tummy, distracting him. Kids get distracted quickly, after a few moments, Ming Qiao forgets what he was going to say and opens his mouth to playfully nibble on Wu Ye’s hand.

The father and son play like this as they pass the auction house and notice a sign with updated times. The new time is tomorrow at midnight. Seeing this, Wu Ye brightens up.

He says to Qing Heng, “I’ll handle the antidote tomorrow. The magical beast too, leave it to me.”

“You and Qiao Qiao can bid on anything that catches your eye, no need to worry about the spirit stones.”

Qing Heng raises an eyebrow at Wu Ye’s confident tone. “You have that much money?”

Wu Ye gives a faint smile, pretending to be humble. “Just a little family fortune.”

Seeing this, Qing Heng doesn’t burst his bubble.

“Alright, let’s see how generous you’ll be tomorrow night.”

The three chat as they walk and soon return to their room. Although it’s bright outside, after a few days here, they know the daytime is for resting. Nighttime is when things come alive.

Since Ming Qiao isn’t yet training, he gets sleepy and needs his naps. After all the excitement, he now rubs his eyes and wraps his arms around his mother’s neck. “Mommy, sleepy.”

“Alright, let’s sleep.”

With the curtains drawn, the room darkens. Ming Qiao quickly falls asleep, spreading out on the bed, soon snoring softly. Lying beside him, Qing Heng soon feels drowsy too.

Wu Ye lies on the outer edge, listening to the soft breathing of his sleeping family, but he can’t fall asleep. He feels warm. Almost feverish.

The heat seems to rise from within him, and he tries to suppress it, but that only intensifies the feeling. Heat spreads through his body.

Wu Ye’s eyes snap open, his handsome face beaded with sweat, his breaths rough as if he’s drowning. As the heat overtakes him, Qing Heng’s face fills his mind.

Although Qing Heng lies beside him, Wu Ye’s mind is filled with his image. The Qing Heng in his mind looks at him silently, doing nothing—yet driving him to madness.

He reaches out uncontrollably but catches himself in an instant. “No, I can’t.”

“I can’t touch Qing Heng. Qing Heng would feel uncomfortable.” Wu Ye holds back, sitting up in bed. He can’t even bring himself to look at Qing Heng, only focusing on getting out of the room.

The door opens and closes. Behind him, already woken by the noise, Qing Heng frowns and follows. “Wu Ye, what’s wrong?”

Just as Wu Ye is about to close the door, Qing Heng reaches out to stop it. Wu Ye pauses but can’t stop himself from pulling Qing Heng into his arms the next second. 

“Why did you follow?” Wu Ye’s reason has already unraveled. Even his eyes are red. His embrace burns. 

Qing Heng is startled by the hug. Disgust, rejection, nausea—none of these reactions appear. Perhaps his body hasn’t caught up yet. Or maybe, because the embrace trembles slightly, he doesn’t feel offended.

He’s only worried, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Qiao Qiao’s medicine hasn’t been secured yet, and now the grownup seems sick too?!”

With both the little one and the adult having issues, Qing Heng feels a chill. “That’s it. Is it too late to switch to Medicine Cultivators?!” To Qing Heng, Wu Ye is having a medical issue. 

Wu Ye breathes heavily, his eyes bloodshot. He says nothing, only holding Qing Heng tightly. His nose is filled with Qing Heng’s clean, cold scent. His hand rests on Qing Heng’s waist. He closes his eyes, feeling like he’s found his remedy at this moment.

“Don’t move, let me hold you a while, just a little while.” Wu Ye’s voice is hoarse, making no further move.

Not far away, back in the room, the little one stirs, habitually reaching out for his parents. His small body moves to the left, toward the wall, but doesn’t find his mother. He frowns, eyes closed, kicking his little feet.

Then he moves to the right, bit by bit, until he reaches the edge of the bed, unaware that the floor is just below. The next second—Thump!

The little one, now awake, rubs his head, his eyes welling up.

“Daddy?”

“Mommy?”

Sitting on the floor, he pouts and glances around the empty room, unsure if he’s awake or dreaming. It hurts a little, so he should be awake. 

But the room is empty, so maybe he’s still dreaming. After all, his parents were here when he fell asleep.

Sitting on the floor, he ponders for a while. Finally, he looks at the bedpost, then bumps his head against it. 

“Ow.” That hurt even more. He’s definitely awake! Wearing only a little shirt, the child climbs off the floor, wipes his tears, and sets off to find his parents.

——————————————————

Author’s Note:

Baby: The little flashlight is here!