Massageeee

"Hmm…" Xian Wu stared at him oddly, then lit a lantern.

This wasn't like Lai Yiteng, apologizing or putting himself down. The younger looked apathetic and dull, those black strands of hair messily lying over his face. How come he was so exhausted even though he'd been sleeping for so long? Huh, well, Xian Wu couldn't tease him over causing trouble if the younger was making such a face.

"It's not too much trouble for me, Yi'er. I even found out something interesting by visiting Deathly Howling Mountain, alright? So don't bother thinking about it anymore."

Lai Yiteng lifted his head slightly but was still rather quiet. He took his bowl of stew, eating only a small portion of it. Nausea still drifted through is stomach from the nightmare.

He just wanted to change the subject. "But why is there only one large bed here?"

Xian Wu gave a lopsided smile, the yellow glow from the lantern shining off his pupils. He ladled Lai Yiteng a bowl of stew. In it were ginseng and medicinal herbs, but also chicken meat and other flavors to off-set the bitterness.

"The bed...is a long story. By the way, your belongings are on the table over there," he added. "Except that weird stone you showed me."

"What?" Lai Yiteng snapped. "Did you pawn it off?!"

Xian Wu was surprised at his change in tone then laughed. "Huh? No. That crow that kept following us around ate it."

"Ate..."

"Yup, ate it. Don't ask why, I have no idea."

Well, there was nothing to be done about that. Lai Yiteng forgot about it and once again let his eyes examine the space.

"This is a decent house," then he narrowed his eyes dubiously, "but still, why does it only have one bed? Wouldn't most families just roll out a few straw mats to sleep on? It's strange that the people who used to live here invested in this kind of bed. Are you sure this place is unoccupied? If anyone comes and asks for rent, I can't pay it."

And so Lai Yiteng's paranoia was back in full-force. Xian Wu let out a sigh, at least it meant that his health must be a bit better than before. Unfortunately, it also meant he couldn't avoid the topic.

"Well…of course there's a bed. Whichever married couple lived here before probably found it more comfortable compared to sleeping on the floor. I've also asked around at a local village, and this place is unoccupied, I can assure you. We can stay here for quite some time."

'Married couple'? Lai Yiteng furrowed his brow venomously.

Was Xian Wu trying to suggest something?

But if they could stay here for free, that was all that mattered. It would save him a lot of money!

Lai Yiteng sat up out of bed, his silky hair spilling all over the place, then moved to stand, but his muscles felt stiff and were aching in complaint.

When his face tensed Xian Wu immediately took notice. "Wait just a moment," he said. "Since it's been a while since you last got out of bed, you have to stretch your muscles first."

"I…" Lai Yiteng chewed his lip as Xian Wu brought his hand towards his leg. What was Xian Wu trying to do? Wasn't sharing a bed with him enough already?! A moment later he backed away on the bed until his back hit the wall. "What are you planning! Stay back."

"Why do you look so nervous?" Xian Wu asked, playing dumb.

He certainly knew that Lai Yiteng baulked at and despised human contact more than a normal person. However, could he really just let him keep being that way forever? It seemed unhealthy to have such fears. He was not going to press the issue but try to ease into it.

Moreover, he was not that sleazy! He really doesn't have bad intentions!

And so Xian Wu continued, "I'm just going to help massage the muscles around your leg. I suppose you could do it yourself, but I have a better understanding of these matters…"

"I will do it myself," Lai Yiteng interrupted sharply.

When Xian Wu reached for his ankle, the only patch of bare skin visible at the end of his trousers, he kicked his leg at him on reflex, and Xian Wu only barely managed to avoid a rib crushing hit to his chest.

A flash of regret went over Lai Yiteng's face, then he tucked his legs into his body, trying to hide like how pangolins curl up.

"Heh…" Xian Wu's eyes could not help but light up slightly at witnessing it. Cute. In fact, he didn't notice it before, but if one were able to keep their patience, bearing with Lai Yiteng's sharp attitude, this angsty teenager would actually be quite endearing afterwards. "Don't be so aggressive, I already took care of you while you were unconscious."

Lai Yiteng made a face of strong reluctance, his beautiful features taking a tone of anger.

"Fuck off…" he began to say, then stopped himself.

What Xian Wu was saying was right…how many times did Xian Wu have to prove himself to be harmless before Lai Yiteng would give an ounce of trust? Even Lai Yiteng knew he was being ridiculous at times. It all came naturally, to reject others and bristle at anyone who tried to get close. He knew it, and yet…

He needed to pull himself together.

Lai Yiteng took a quick breath, mustering his will to keep calm, then inched back towards the edge of the bed, setting his legs down.

The corner of Xian Wu's mouth twitched. Oh? It seemed that Yi'er was going to behave this time. H-he wasn't going to randomly attack him, right? This wasn't a false act?

Xian Wu slowly brought his hand over and wrapped it over Lai Yiteng's ankle to test the waters.

Lai Yiteng flinched slightly, his foot trembled once, but he didn't try to shred to Xian Wu to pieces.

What a success!

It was as though Xian Wu had been allowed to pet a tiger. Letting out a breath of relief, he could earnestly focus on redirecting some of Lai Yiteng's acupoints. His fingers began to press into muscles around his ankle, then gradually moved up to around his knee.

Lai Yiteng's skin was pale, but not extremely smooth as there were a few scars scattered various places, including ones around his ankles.

Probably caused by shackles.

Although he was tense at first, Lai Yiteng felt himself softening under the pressure of the massage. It felt better than he expected….relaxing. The spots that were rubbed felt warm, the muscles that were wound tight loosening. As it went on longer, the more Lai Yiteng grew to like this feeling, his eyelashes dropping in contentment.

Xian Wu did not dare say anything and ruin the delicate peace that had been established. He felt cold sweat forming on his neck as he felt Lai Yiteng's gaze on him. Alas, it was only wariness after being struck by Lai Yiteng more than once!

Fortunately, it only took a few minutes for him to finish.

"All right," Xian Wu finally said, standing up. "Try standing. How is it?"

Lai Yiteng snapped himself more awake. He'd half nodded off. Now when he got up he felt much less weak on his feet than he did before.

"The circulation is improved," he agreed, then hurried to fix up his clothes and hair in an obsessive manner. "You…" he frowned. "Thanks."

Xian Wu gave a flimsy smile. "Sure. It's good that you're better. I always think that it would suck if after all this work I've put in, you just up and died."

Lai Yiteng scoffed, he was glad that awkward moment was over. But the weird thing was that the places on his legs that Xian Wu touched still felt soft and relaxed, as though his fingers lingered. Lai Yiteng didn't know human contact could feel this way and wasn't sure if he should hate it or if it would become addicting.

To distract himself from these unsavory thoughts he went over to check his belongings on the table. His hat was tied to his satchel, his erhu wrapped in cotton as usual, and his other meager items intact. But, now that Xian Wu mentioned it…Lai Yiteng couldn't help but think about his poor health as of late.

It was too unnatural.