In the morning, Shen Cheng went into his study and Lu Shenxing leaned back against the wall as the door god, his heels rubbing against the ground as he thought about nothing.
He did that to him, yet Shen Cheng could still endure it. It was completely unexpected, he should have done a little more.
A cold voice came from inside the study, "Come in."
Lu Shenxing raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.
He adjusted his expression, the corners of his mouth turned up, showing the right level of meekness and honesty, before he stepped in.
The study was neat and tidy, filled with a faint fragrance of a fine perfume, which melted into Lu Shenxing's breath, along with the smell of Shen Cheng's clothes.
On the left and right there were many shelves, storing rows of books, there was a table in the middle, and nothing else.
Lu Shenxing stopped, "Baozhu."
Turning a page of the book in his hand, Shen Cheng nodded and said nothing.
Since the morning, Lu Shenxing hadn't eaten anything and as time went by, his originally cautious gaze was gradually attracted by the snack on the table.
It was his favorite sweet-scented osmanthus sugar cake again, it was too tempting.
At this time, Shen Cheng got up, as if he were looking for some book.
Lu Shenxing quickly popped a piece into his mouth, swallowed it in two bites and licked his lips clean casually.
After finding a book, Shen Cheng sat back in his chair, as if he couldn't see the crumbs at the corner of Lu Shenxing's mouth. After a while, he put the book back in its place, paused there, and then sorted out the whole row of books from left to right.
Lu Shenxing ate piece after piece, and when the sweetness on his tongue finally became too much, the plate was empty.
It was too obvious not to miss.
Lu Shenxing twisted his eyebrows and was thinking about how to deal with it, when he heard Shen Cheng's voice, "Go out."
Relieved, he turned and left.
After the door closed, there was a faint sigh in the study.
After lunch, Shen Cheng called Lu Shenxing into the study again, where he continued to read his book alone, as silent as he was in the morning.
Lu Shenxing touched his lip. Shen Cheng's behavior puzzled him, telling him to come in then saying nothing, not even a sigh.
The hot sunlight peeked in from the window, swallowing every corner of the study, and sweeping away every last bit of shade, the air suddenly became humid.
Lu Shenxing's eyelids strained upwards, trying to drive away the sleepiness.
Finally the child lowered his head, with his back facing the fine sunlight, a soft glow lined his face, tender and clear.
This was what Shen Cheng saw.
There was a sudden sharp clink in his ear and Lu Shenxing immediately raised his head and saw that Shen Cheng's teacup was empty. He took the teapot and said, "Baozhu, I'm going to make tea."
The thin figure disappeared into the shadows. Shen Cheng looked at the sweet-scented osmanthus cakes on the plate that had been refilled, picked up a piece, paused then put it in his mouth.
His eyebrows furrowed, so sweet.
The voice of Liu Huo came from outside the door, "Baozhu, this subordinates found something strange about what happened last night."
Shen Cheng's pupils contracted, "Just let this matter go."
The murderous aura that burst out with that sentence made Liu Huo take a step back, his internal organs were hit, and he swallowed back the blood in his mouth.
Just as he'd suspected, Baozhu was protecting someone.
Who might it be?
As the sun set, Lu Shenxing walked absent-mindedly behind Shen Cheng, the warm red afterglow left long shadows before them.
"Baozhu, look at the flowers." Lu Shenxing had nothing to say, he was resisting the urge to shoot himself to death. He squeezed out an innocent smile, "Everything is in bloom."
Shen Cheng lightly passed by him and rolled up his purple sleeves.
Lu Shenxing witnessed a visual feast, as flowers were torn and pulled up with force, and gathered one after another by Shen Cheng.
After a while, Shen Cheng handed over the flowers in his hands.
"..." Lu Shenxing's lips twitched. He stretched out his hand, "Does Baozhu want to raise these flowers?"
The corner of Shen Cheng's eyes dropped, his fingers moved lightly, and when he saw the scattered petals fall from the child's head, he turned his heel and left.
Lu Shenxing, with his face covered in black lines and holding a large bouquet, returned to Cuizhu Garden under the shocked gaze of the others, and found a large vase to put it in.
"Baozhu, are you bathing?" Lu Shenxing asked, craning his neck, "Do you need me to wipe your back?"
The hand grasping the edge of the wooden barrel suddenly tightened, Shen Cheng flicked his hand subconsciously, and the drops of water he brought up by his movement splashed across the floor. He suddenly thought of something and tried to forcibly draw back the force that had just been released.
Lu Shenxing only saw the vague outline of his back before he was blown away by a deadly fan of force. It seemed that he had touched by a light and slippery hand just before his consciousness disappeared.
Lu Shenxing woke up on a bed, Hua Bo was there holding a tattered book of gods and mumbling to himself.
Hearing a movement, Hua Bo shifted his gaze from the book to Lu Shenxing's face, "Shiyi, you're awake."
Lu Shenxing propped himself up, "Hua Bo, didn't I die?"
"You didn't die." Huber stroked his gray beard, "There are a few bruises on your back, they'll dissappear in a few days, did you have a fight with someone?"
"I was fanned by Baozhu." Lu Shenxing drew back the corners of his lips, "I saw him bathing."
"And Baozhu didn't pursue it?" Huber looked incredulous, and his eyes glazed a little as he searched his memory. "I remember a few years ago, there was a child about your age, and he broke into the room when Baozhu was bathing, can you guess how he died?"
Lu Shenxing spoke casually, "Fed to the wolves in the mountains?"
"No, he bled to death." Hua Bo said with a sense of lingering fear, "His blood, it just sprayed out, it couldn't be blocked, his body completely dried up."
Lu Shenxing swallowed his saliva, was "Po Feng Jue" so scary?
He couldn't understand why Shen Cheng reacted so dramatically. They were both men and they all had the same parts. What did he need to hide?
"The thing Baozhu loathes the most is to be disturbed while he is bathing. Everyone in Youlong Castle knows this." Hua Bo's cloudy eyes flashed with brilliance, he didn't see anything special about the child, what would make Baozhu make an exception.
Lu Shenxing felt that he was lucky this time.
"Tsk, now I am afraid that I can only find Suiwu Grass in the Santou Mountains." Hua Bo's thin fingers pointed to the book, "It's so useful, but except for Baozhu, whoever touches it will pass out and once it's taken out those so-called righteous Wulin would go to war over it."
Lu Shenxing turned his head instantly and sternly roared, "Didn't you say that no one has ever resisted Suiwu Grass?"
Hua Bo turned his thoughts for a while, then he curled his lips aggrieved, "Shiyi, Hua Bo is an old man, he has a bad memory."
Lu Shenxing's temples throbbed, he could neither laugh nor cry, "Hua Bo, you've ruined me."