Chapter 225 The Twenty-Seventh Day of Entering a Rebirth Novel

Chapter 225: The Twenty-Seventh Day of Transmigrating into a Rebirth Novel

In his peripheral vision, Huo Huai caught a glimpse of his father, Huo Hong, whose face had already turned as dark as a storm cloud, etched with panic and anger at his son's lack of restraint.

Huo Huai immediately averted his gaze, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

Huo Hong: “...”

Huo Nineteen! You brat! Know your place!

He screamed in his head, yet dared not step forward to intervene, forced to watch helplessly as his no-good son led the State Preceptor away into the night, his vision going black and a bleak future ahead.

The night wind carried the lingering chill of early spring, brushing against their faces, slightly dispelling the stuffiness and the lingering scent of alcohol from the banquet.

The large red lanterns hung under the eaves had not yet been taken down, casting warm, hazy halos in the deep night, mirroring the sparse, twinkling stars in the sky, outlining the contours of pavilions and terraces.

Huo Huai supported An Yi, slowly walking along the deserted, winding corridors.

The Taoist apprentice and Huo Huai’s personal attendants were tactful enough to follow at a distance, not daring to approach and disturb them.

Neither spoke.

The corridor was empty, only the sound of their footsteps of varying weight softly echoing, mingling with the cool night breeze.

An Yi seemed to enjoy this tranquility, his eyes slightly closed, letting Huo Huai guide the way.

They arrived at a viewing platform extending over the water with a wide vista. The clamor of the distant wedding feast was faintly audible, yet this place was very quiet, only the night wind making the bronze bells hanging under the eaves tinkle softly, producing a crisp, ethereal tinkling sound.

An Yi stopped, gently freeing himself from Huo Huai’s support.

He walked to the railing with slightly unsteady steps, stood with his hands behind his back. His robe flapped noisily in the night wind, and his jet-black hair danced in the breeze.

He looked up at the distant, scattered lights and the brilliant Milky Way in the night sky. His silhouette, outlined by the warm glow of the lanterns and the starlight, seemed like he might turn into a wisp of smoke at any moment, carried by the wind back to the unreachable heavens above.

Huo Huai stood a few steps behind him, thinking: a celestial being had descended to the mortal world.

An Yi stood there quietly, gazing at the stars for a while.

He turned around, his features indistinct in the interplay of light and shadow, except the crimson at the corner of his eye remained striking.

“Return to the State Preceptor’s residence,” he said, his voice regained some clarity but still carried a trace of post-drinking languor.

Huo Huai immediately responded, “Yes.”

He stepped forward again to offer support, but An Yi waved his hand, indicating it was unnecessary, and walked ahead on his own. Huo Huai silently followed.

Outside the gate, the State Preceptor’s unassuming camphorwood carriage was already waiting.

An Yi stepped onto the footstool, about to board, when he saw Huo Huai following, as if intending to get on with him.

An Yi stopped, turned his head to look at him. Due to the alcohol, his eyes held a hint of drowsiness. He smiled, and in the night and the influence of the drink, the smile seemed soft. “I’m going back. You should go back too.”

But Huo Huai shook his head firmly. “Let me, your student, see you home and make sure you're settled.”

An Yi looked at him, his dazed eyes seeming to discern the persistence in Huo Huai’s gaze. In the end, perhaps the alcohol made him unwilling to argue. He gave a soft hum, didn't object further, turned, and got into the carriage.

Huo Huai's heart eased. He immediately followed, also boarding the carriage.

Inside the carriage, the two sat facing each other.

An Yi seemed truly tired, or perhaps the alcohol was surging again. He leaned back against the soft brocade cushions, closed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting faint shadows under his eyes, and his breathing gradually became steady and prolonged.

Huo Huai sat stiffly opposite, holding his breath, barely daring to make a sound, afraid of disturbing the other’s rest.

He draped his cloak over An Yi's sleeping form.

The carriage moved very smoothly, only the rumble of wheels on the road.

Huo Huai and the Taoist apprentice carefully helped An Yi down from the carriage.

He rubbed his temples. It seemed that after being in the night wind, the alcohol had not dissipated; instead, his head felt even dizzier and heavier, his mind clouded with a fog.

He dismissed the Taoist apprentice who wanted to attend to him, simply ordered hot water, and went to the washroom by himself to freshen up.

Huo Huai waited anxiously in the outer room.

When An Yi came out after washing up, dressed in comfortable sleepwear, his steps were noticeably more unsteady, his eyes glazed over. The blush on his fair cheeks had not faded; instead, it appeared even more vivid from the steam.

He almost stumbled to the bed, then carelessly threw himself down on his back, letting out a satisfied sigh before closing his eyes, as if he would sink into sleep immediately.

Huo Huai followed him in and, seeing this, gestured for the Taoist apprentice to leave as well, then gently closed the door.

Now, only the two of them remained in the room.

The candlelight flickered, casting their shadows on the wall, making them stretch and shrink.

Huo Huai walked to the bedside, gazing at An Yi’s sleeping face.

Without his usual cold aloofness, his brows now carried a trace of fatigue. His lips were especially red from the alcohol, slightly parted, exhaling warm, wine-scented breath.

The collar of his sleepwear, loosened from his lying posture, was slightly open, revealing a glimpse of his jade-like collarbone.

Huo Huai’s heart pounded wildly, nearly bursting through his chest.

He knelt by the bed, and called out cautiously in a breathy voice barely audible to himself, “Teacher?”

An Yi did not respond, his breathing steady and long, as if he were fast asleep.

An indescribable impulse, mixed with long-suppressed affection, the excitement from tonight’s close contact, and the courage bestowed by this quiet night, drove Huo Huai to do something he himself would never have imagined.

He leaned in closer, close enough to count An Yi’s long, curled eyelashes, close enough to feel the slight tickle of An Yi’s breath brushing his cheek.

He held his breath and murmured softly, almost to himself, “Teacher... this student... admires you.”

Then, he felt a slightly cool hand, carrying the moist scent of a bath, gently touch his ice-cold cheek, tense from extreme nervousness.

Huo Huai’s eyes flew wide open, his pupils suddenly constricted, staring in disbelief at the face so close—the face of An Yi, whose eyes were now open, having awakened at some point!

An Yi’s eyes were still heavily clouded with alcohol, watery and hazy, concealing emotion, but they were undeniably open!

His hand still rested on Huo Huai’s cheek, and his fingertips, with a lazy air, lightly caressed Huo Huai’s taut skin. The touch was cool and soft, igniting a fire in Huo Huai’s heart.

“I know,” An Yi said softly, his voice slurred from drink, carrying a casual, indifferent tone.

He propped himself up, half-s