Candles were lit on the deck, illuminating the surroundings.

As soon as Yu Sen poked his head out from under the soft ladder, Si Nan noticed that his face looked much worse than usual, deathly pale with no trace of blood, and his eyes were half-closed.

He thought this was a bad sign and quickly grabbed Yu Sen under the arms, pulling him onto the deck.

The short distance Yu Sen had climbed had taken about ten minutes, and his body had been chilled by the sea breeze into a block of ice, shaking uncontrollably.

His teeth chattered, and his hands hung weakly at his sides. In a faint voice, he said, “The rope around my waist… untie it for me…”

Si Nan was still in shock, but Luo Yu quickly reacted and swiftly untied the hemp rope around Yu Sen’s waist.

At this point, Si Xuanyang had also climbed onto the deck in a few quick steps. Pushing his wet hair back, he anxiously rushed over and held Yu Sen in his arms.

The cold person suddenly shivered, his lifeless eyes widening abruptly, “It hurts…”

The muscles in Yu Sen’s waist and abdomen had definitely been strained by the rope. Si Xuanyang’s face darkened, his arms gently holding him without daring to exert any pressure, allowing Yu Sen to lean on his shoulder, waiting for the wave of weakness to pass.

Some of the people who boarded later noticed the unusual scene and cast curious glances in their direction, seemingly thinking that Yu Sen had been injured on the wooden boat earlier. They hesitated, wanting to come over and inquire about the situation, but Si Xuanyang’s fierce glare made them wisely choose to back off for now.

After handing Yu Sen over to Si Xuanyang, Si Nan ran inside the cabin. After a short while, he came back with a pleased expression, “Carry Yu Ge inside. There’s a room, and there might be hot water for him to soak in.”

Si Xuanyang looked down, afraid of pulling on Yu Sen’s injuries. He didn’t dare to move a muscle, and in a low voice, he asked, “Can I carry you inside? Or would you rather walk by yourself?”

Now that they were on board, the tension Yu Sen had been holding in his heart was released. His head was spinning nonstop, and his body was in unbearable pain, like being cut by a thousand knives. He didn’t want to move a single finger.

Since it all hurt anyway, it wasn’t like avoiding touch would make it hurt less, so he might as well choose the quicker option.

He forced himself to respond, “Carry me.”

His voice was so soft and weak that it could easily be lost in the endless cold sea wind, sounding fragile and pitiful.

Si Xuanyang tightly pressed his lips together, feeling a sharp pang of sadness in his heart. He nodded, signaling Si Nan to lead the way. Then, as gently and carefully as possible, he lifted Yu Sen into his arms.

Even though he was mentally prepared, the unavoidable touch still hurt his waist and abdominal injuries. Yu Sen buried his face against Si Xuanyang’s neck, letting out a muffled groan and coughing weakly, barely able to lift his hand to hold onto Si Xuanyang’s neck, letting it hang limply.

Si Xuanyang carefully held him, feeling as though the person’s weight had significantly lightened, as if life was being gradually drained away.

This sudden thought made his heart tighten sharply, and his hands involuntarily tightened their grip, causing Yu Sen’s abdominal muscles to stretch painfully, making him see darkness and emit soft whimpers from his throat.

Si Xuanyang snapped out of it, guilt washing over him like icy water, making every cell in his body scream in pain.

Heartache.

He softly comforted him, “It’s my fault; I hurt you…”

Walking beside them, Luo Yu glanced at him with a complex expression. When he first got to know Si Xuanyang, he thought he was a very aloof person. Even though Yu Sen seemed special to him, he never expected to see him like this.

— This extreme fear and panic….

He sighed without changing his expression, feeling a bit melancholic.

---

Si Nan led them to the room they had found earlier. It was a damp corridor with gray-black walls covered in dark green moss. The candle flames flickered erratically with the air currents they stirred, casting moving shadows on the walls that occasionally twisted or expanded, evoking some unpleasant scenarios.

When they arrived, someone they had seen on the deck was just drying their hair and entering one of the rooms.

The door could be locked from the inside, so Si Nan opened an unlocked wooden door, peered inside, and asked, “There are four beds in a row; can we stay in this room?”

Such places probably couldn’t offer them as good accommodations as a vampire’s castle. Si Xuanyang nodded slightly, “Let’s take this one.”

To his surprise, although it was a room for four, it wasn’t too small inside, but it was a bit damp and had an unpleasant smell.

The shared washroom was at the end of the corridor, with simple conditions and lukewarm water.

He let Si Nan and Luo Yu wash first, then found a wooden tub barely big enough for one person, filled it with water, and brought it back to the room for Yu Sen to soak in.

The water was not very hot. He dared not delay, quickly and carefully undressing Yu Sen. The sight of the bruises spreading from his waist and abdomen to his chest, some even blackened, was distressing.

It was easy to imagine how painful it must have been.

Si Xuanyang’s heart tightened, pain flickering in his eyes as he gently placed Yu Sen into the water.

Despite the water not being very warm, Yu Sen’s body was colder, his hands and feet icy. Upon touching the water, his body reacted with a sudden spasm, splashing water and making muffled sounds against the tub’s edge before sinking weakly into the water.

“Uh—!”

As the warm water gradually covered his chest, Yu Sen tilted his head back like someone on the brink of death, his white neck stretching and exposing itself. After a few spasms, he finally went limp, collapsing against Si Xuanyang’s elbow.

Si Xuanyang supported him closely, placing gentle kisses on his face, soothing him patiently and tenderly.

Yu Sen, with his heart racing, slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was blurry, and he breathed with a weak and rapid rhythm.

After a moment of silence, as his body gradually warmed up, the intense pain in his waist started to flood back like embers.

Regaining some energy, he slightly tilted his head, his black hair damp and sticking to his forehead and neck, casting a shadow on his pale skin.

He affectionately nuzzled against Si Xuanyang, lightly kissing his lips, clearly sensing his restless anxiety hidden beneath his calm demeanor. He murmured softly, “It’s a pity the tub is too small, or we’d have a romantic bath together.”

^[1]Author’s Note:

Yu Sen: “I want kisses and hugs. Even if I die under a peony flower, I’ll be flirtatious. Even if I’m on the brink of death,  I must tease him a little before I die.”