After Si Nan and Si Xuanyang brought back two barrels of corpse oil, Si Nan couldn’t help but retch intermittently, his face turning pale and green, walking as if on cotton.

Si Xuanyang’s complexion was slightly better but still far from good. They were people of the modern era, and although they had adapted relatively well after experiencing two or three such bizarre worlds, it was still impossible to become completely accustomed to them.

Especially since the setting of this world made the corpse pit here much more disgusting than the one in the previous ancient city. The bodies were like deflated balloons, human skin floating on top, wrinkled and white, with the flesh softened and half-submerged in the rotten corpse oil, emitting a foul stench, with maggots rampant. Anyone unprepared encountering this scene might vomit up their overnight meal.

From afar, Yu Sen saw Si Xuanyang’s pale face and approached with concern: “Are you okay?”

Si Xuanyang didn’t slow his pace, walking directly towards him with determination, not saying a word, and suddenly hugged him, taking a deep breath in his neck.

Yu Sen felt itchy from the sniffing, giggled a few times, glanced at Si Nan’s miserable face, and patted Si Xuanyang’s back, trying to calm him: “What are you sniffing for? Are you a dog or something?”

Si Xuanyang hugged him tightly, burying his head in the sweet scent of Yu Sen’s neck, unwilling to move, and said gruffly, “I’m purifying my respiratory system.”

On one side was his younger brother whom he had watched grow up, and on the other was his best friend of many years. At this moment, standing beside them felt like being an outsider watching their intimate moment. Si Nan didn’t know who to be jealous of, feeling heartache, and ignoring Luo Yu still being nearby, he rushed over, “I want to purify too! Let me sniff too, Yu Ge!”

“Get away!” Si Xuanyang, like a territorial dinosaur suddenly provoked, pushed him two meters away with a firm elbow.

“…You’re too much, Si Xuanyang!” Si Nan stumbled, stabilizing himself, and began to shout loudly, “You’ve been looking down on me recently, don’t think I don’t know! Why are you treating me like this! What did I do? Why, why!?”

The instigator Yu Sen, feeling guilty, touched his nose. He knew the reason—if it weren’t for his earlier impersonation of the in-law, which left a deep shadow on Si Xuanyang, Si Xuanyang wouldn’t have reacted so reflexively.

But Si Nan was completely in the dark, only knowing that Si Xuanyang’s attitude toward him had worsened. He grit his teeth and threatened, “You wait! When we get back, I’ll tell Mom about you being gay! Let her deal with you! Don’t think you can get away with it! You must go through the three punishments I experienced!”

“…”

Whether out of guilt or embarrassment, Yu Sen’s face turned a rare shade of crimson.

---

In the afternoon, the butler came with a message that Yu Sen’s dinner location was arranged separately and not with the others.

Yu Sen was momentarily stunned and suddenly recalled what Lance had whispered in his ear last night—Let’s save it for tomorrow when we enter the coffin together and sleep.” It seemed Lance considered him as the final meal, dragging him into the coffin as a pre-sleep amusement.

Si Xuanyang’s face changed instantly: “Can I go with him?”

The butler sneered coldly, “Only he can enter. Your scents are not good enough. You must stay in the hall.”

Si Xuanyang clenched his fists: “What if I insist on going with him?”

The butler grinned, revealing her crimson gums: “Then you must die now!”

Seeing the chilling atmosphere, Yu Sen suddenly stepped in front of him, smiling at the butler: “It’s just a kid asking a question, no need to be so serious. I understand, I’ll go with you later.”

“Go now.” The butler stood firm at the door, with a commanding tone.

Yu Sen pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, stared expressionlessly for a moment, then suddenly relaxed with a smile: “Then let me take a shower first. I just came back from outside, and my hands are still dirty. If I offend Lance later, he probably won’t be pleased, and neither will you.”

The butler’s expression twisted into a snarl for a moment, glaring at him venomously: “I’ll wait here for you.”

“Please.”

Yu Sen smiled as he closed the door. Once it was closed, his expression fell: “Damn, am I the chosen one of the vampires? Why is this so haunting?”

Si Xuanyang gripped his wrist tightly, his voice urgent: “You can’t go!”

“Can’t not go, baby!” Yu Sen sighed, “Who knows where the coffin will disappear to after his slumber this time? If we miss this opportunity, we might end up spending the rest of our lives in this old castle. I don’t want to eat bloody beef every day.”

“But your current physical condition is no match for him!” Si Xuanyang slammed his fist on the table in frustration. “You can barely catch your breath after a couple of steps. If we encounter danger and can’t get to you in time, then…”

He couldn’t even bear to think of the consequences.

Yu Sen remained calm despite Si Xuanyang’s growing agitation. With a smile, he reached out and playfully pinched Si Xuanyang’s face, as if kneading dough. “Don’t be afraid. You know, someone as heartless as me would definitely ensure my own safety first and then look for a chance to deal with him. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll just spend my life stuck in this hellhole with you.”

Si Xuanyang was still unsatisfied. He pushed Yu Sen’s hand away and checked his body temperature, kneading and pinching his muscles, even spinning him around like a top. After thoroughly inspecting him, he gave Yu Sen a gentle push. When Yu Sen, defenseless and limp, fell onto the bed, Si Xuanyang’s brows furrowed deeply.

“Look at you, just a little push and you fall. You don’t have any strength at all.”

Isn’t that obvious? You spun me around until I was dizzy! Yu Sen widened his eyes and blurted out, “That’s because I get weak-kneed in front of you. Don’t you know that?”

“…Don’t tease me at times like this.”

Yu Sen smiled awkwardly. “It’s instinctive.”

…

After much hesitation, Yu Sen decided to put on the light pink gauzy hooded cloak he had received earlier over his coat.

Although he didn’t know its exact purpose, it was better than not wearing anything.

However, the cloak looked like women’s clothing and felt strange to wear.

Especially after seeing Si Xuanyang’s averted gaze, Yu Sen’s frustration reached its peak. “Is it really that odd? You won’t even look at me.”

Si Xuanyang cleared his throat. “…It’s not odd. It looks… pretty good.”

Especially after the coat was put on, most of the gauze was covered, making it look less feminine. The pink gauze visible at the collar gently draped over his neck, highlighting his snow-like skin. His features were like a meticulously drawn painting, starkly contrasting black and white, clean and pure, exuding a crisp and subtle fragrance.

Even without a vampire’s instincts, Si Xuanyang knew how exquisite a bite would taste.

He sighed bitterly. “What should I do? I seem to be even more reluctant to let you go now.”

Yu Sen tilted his head, imitating the devilish smile of a domineering CEO from a TV drama. With a spirited expression, he pressed a firm kiss on Si Xuanyang’s lips. “What are you afraid of? When we get back, I’ll directly propose to your parents, without even needing that idiot Si Nan to snitch!”

Si Xuanyang chuckled helplessly. “When we get back, you’d better fix that head of yours first!”

…

When he opened the door, the eerie butler was still standing there. Seeing him come out, the butler stepped aside. “Follow me.”

Yu Sen squeezed Si Xuanyang’s hand, took a deep breath, released his hand, and followed the butler. The pointed end of the silver cross in his coat pocket was painfully sharp.

The butler led him to the fourth floor of the castle, which was the only room they had not yet entered.

As the butler slowly lit the candles on the candleholder, the full view of the room gradually became clear.

The most striking feature was the enormous size of the room, occupying nearly half of the fourth floor. There were many windows, but all were covered by heavy curtains, blocking out the light. The room was very spacious, with the only notable piece of furniture being a large round bed in the center, big enough to comfortably sleep ten people. The deep red bed curtains cascaded from the ceiling, and the mattress was so soft it seemed like it could engulf someone.

He didn’t see a coffin, which made Yu Sen’s heart sink.

The butler lit all the candles and said, “You wait here.” Then she left without looking back.

Yu Sen hesitated, walked to the door, and tried the handle.

It wasn’t locked?

He opened the door, and his face went pale.

— The stairs from the third to the fourth floor had vanished. Now, besides this room, there were only three oppressive gray walls left in the space.

He was trapped, isolated.

He slowly retreated into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, which seemed to sink under his weight. A colorful oil painting depicting two intertwined white bodies hung on the wall facing him.

Yu Sen’s eyes were deep and contemplative. He bit his lower lip slightly harder, making a small crack in his lip bleed. The crimson blood on his pale face, illuminated by the dim candlelight, created a hauntingly beautiful image.

A faint sweet fragrance spread through the empty room.

Outside, the sky darkened, and a full moon with a faint red glow slowly climbed above the treetops.

The sound of soft footsteps drew nearer. The door creaked open, and a cold aura instantly enveloped Yu Sen.