Chapter 285 The Thirtieth Day of Entering a Xuanhuan Novel

Chapter 285: The Thirtieth Day in a Fantasy Novel

Late at night, moonlight flowed like water, spilling dappled light across the floor through the carved window lattice of the inn room.

An Yi was not asleep.

He slept very lightly now—or rather, now that he'd stepped into a higher level of cultivation, he no longer needed the kind of deep sleep he once did.

More often than not, he simply closed his eyes and rested his mind, sinking into a strange state between cultivation and rest—enough to recover his energy while staying hyper-aware of his surroundings.

So the moment the door was pushed open without a sound, he noticed.

A thief?

The thought crossed his mind, then he dismissed it.

It was Xie Xuandu.

An Yi didn't move. He didn't even alter his breathing pattern, staying in the same position, lying on his side, eyes closed, as if truly asleep.

He wanted to see what Xie Xuandu was up to, sneaking in this late.

Xie Xuandu's movements were extremely light, his footsteps silent.

He shut the door behind him painfully slowly, without making a single sound.

His night robe seemed to give off a faint glow in the dim light, making his handsome face look even more striking.

He walked toward the bed, light on his feet, his gaze locked firmly on An Yi.

He reached the bed and stopped, staring down at An Yi.

Moonlight outlined An Yi's perfect profile. His long, thick lashes cast a small, peaceful shadow beneath his closed eyes.

His pale lips, in the dim light, had a soft, tempting sheen—like morning dew waiting to be plucked.

Xie Xuandu watched quietly for a moment. Then he did something extremely bold and audacious.

He leaned down, bracing his arms on the bedding on either side of An Yi, forming a tight, oppressive cage around him—without actually putting his weight on him.

He lowered his head, leaning close to An Yi's neck, his nose nearly brushing against that pale, vulnerable patch of skin.

He took a deep, almost greedy breath, as if trying to inhale and devour the cool, clean scent that clung to An Yi—to absorb it into his very bones and soul.

Then, he extended his tongue.

A wet, warm sensation, incredibly gentle, licked across the skin on the side of An Yi's neck—where his pulse beat, warm and sensitive.

The feeling—moist, warm, with a faint, subtle tingle—came through clearly.

An Yi finally opened his eyes.

Xie Xuandu looked at An Yi, whose eyes were now open just inches away, his face twisted with barely contained excitement: "An Yi... I knew you were awake."

"Xie Xuandu." An Yi said. "What are you doing?"

Xie Xuandu paused, looked up, and his smile only deepened. His voice was low, with a hint of hoarseness he couldn't quite hide, and he answered without a beat: "I'm getting close to An Yi."

Lately, he just couldn't hold back anymore.

Xie Xuandu said to himself, his gaze burning as it locked onto An Yi. Besides, recently An Yi had been pushing his own boundaries back further and further—from keeping his distance at first, to allowing closeness, even silently tolerating some of his little presumptions... He should... be able to push a little further, right?

That thought fully ignited the desire he'd been suppressing for so long.

So tonight, he came.

He didn't hesitate anymore, didn't hold back the craving that threatened to burn him to cinders.

He lowered his head and kissed the skin he'd been craving—the spot his tongue had just wet.

He grazed that delicate skin with his teeth, softly, like a beast marking its territory with its own brand, leaving a clear, suggestive mark with a faint sting.

An Yi frowned slightly. The faint sting at his neck, along with the even clearer feeling of wetness, stirred a hint of helplessness in him.

Seriously... is this guy a dog or what?

He raised a hand and gave Xie Xuandu's cheek a light but solid slap. "Are you a dog?"

An Yi's tone was a bit disdainful: "You really like biting people that much?"

Xie Xuandu took the slap without getting mad at all—instead, he laughed. He looked up, absently licking the corner of his mouth where An Yi's fingers had grazed, his smile so bright it was almost eerie. He answered with total confidence, even a weird hint of pride:

"I'm your puppy."

Before the words even died out, he lowered his head again and, right beside the red mark on An Yi's neck, quickly and firmly planted two more "mwah" "mwah" kisses, leaving two even more visible wet marks.

An Yi: "..."

This guy was hopeless.

"Enough." An Yi spoke again as Xie Xuandu, seemingly hooked on the taste, tried to keep exploring down the open collar of his night robe.

Xie Xuandu paused and looked up.

He stopped obediently, pressing his forehead gently against An Yi's. Their breaths instantly mingled, impossible to tell apart.

He kept calling An Yi's name in a low voice, over and over: "An Yi... An Yi..."

As if that name were the only spell that could calm the restless fire inside him.

But he only seemed to burn even hotter.

An Yi looked at him—this state of overwhelming emotion, teetering between desire and restraint—and suddenly, he smiled.

The smile was faint, gone in an instant, yet it dazzled Xie Xuandu's eyes and made his heart skip a beat.

"If we're together..." An Yi suddenly spoke. "We'll be together for a very, very long time."

He thought—this time was different from before. He had traveled through multiple worlds, but this time, with his ability breakthrough and the deepening of his cultivation in this world, his lifespan had already changed. He would possess an extremely long life.

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, then continued calmly: "I'll keep cultivating, growing stronger. For now, I want to look around—this world... is very interesting."

His gaze seemed to pass through Xie Xuandu, looking toward a more distant unknown: "When the day comes that I no longer wish to wander, perhaps I'll find a place I like and settle down, find things I want to do, learn things that interest me—whether to engage with the world or retreat from it, who knows."

Xie Xuandu stared intently into his eyes, listening to his words about the future, and almost eagerly, urgently said: "An Yi, take me with you."

He pressed his forehead against An Yi's, his gaze burning as if trying to brand his very soul into it: "I want... to be with An Yi forever."

An Yi fell silent.

He relished being loved this deeply, even obsessively.

Over the long years, he had never grown used to solitude, clearly aware that deep down, he wanted someone beside him.

Walking alone, after all, was far too lonely.

He looked at Xie Xuandu, and after a moment, raised his hand to gently cup his face.

His fingertips were slightly cool, touching Xie Xuandu's burning skin.

Then, in a deeply intimate move—he tilted his head up slightly, and with the tip of his nose, gently brushed it against Xie Xuandu's.