kp’s voice carried a seductive power, and after Yan Xiu listened, his heart skipped a beat. An indescribable feeling surged within him, as if what was said was perfectly reasonable. He deeply loved Olok; every move, every smile of the golden-haired youth haunted his thoughts.
However, his consciousness seemed to split into two halves. One half irreversibly fell in love with the character Olok in the game, while the other half soberly reminded him that this was just a game, and all the infatuation and love displayed were due to the game’s setting.
Or perhaps it was a kind of punishment.
In the darkness, Yan Xiu opened his eyes. The room’s curtains were drawn, and the light of the red moon seeped through the cracks.
They slept in the cramped living room, with Bai’er’s snoring in their ears.
Shen Ling slept not far away, in a neat and proper posture, wrapped in a blanket. His messy golden hair stuck out, and he breathed peacefully, his fair skin clean and pale.
Yan Xiu’s eyes flickered. He silently stood up and walked to Shen Ling, sitting down beside him. His gaze greedily swept over Shen Ling’s features inch by inch. He slightly lowered his head, planting a gentle kiss at the corner of Shen Ling’s lips, like a pilgrimage. The cold and stern expression softened.
As he raised his eyes, he met the shocked expression of Freud.
Yan Xiu frowned, his expression cold, staring at the now-sitting-up Freud.
Freud awkwardly pulled the corners of his mouth, yawned, and lay back down.
Nothing happened, nothing happened… he was dreaming, and the dream hadn’t ended.
Yan Xiu lowered his head again, looking at Shen Ling. Satisfied, he lay down next to Shen Ling, carefully embracing him.
The half of his consciousness that remained clear observed everything without expression. He felt disdain and shame for this stolen behavior – in the consciousness temporarily gone mad, he and this young man were lovers in the passionate stage, and their intimacy was only natural. Yet, he knew this was a fabricated illusion, a mist under the dawn. Nevertheless, at the moment he embraced him, his clear consciousness felt an indescribable satisfaction.
As if, in the countless nights of sunrise and sunset, they had also shared such intimacy. It was as if time had either rewound or progressed to a point he yearned for.
The next morning, Shen Ling woke up groggily, kicking off the blanket irritably. He thought to himself that Mrs. Funnell’s blanket was pure gold, a bit too warm, making it hard for him to breathe.
As he kicked something, Shen Ling paused and opened his eyes. He saw Yan Xiu tightly hugging him. The man had just woken up, his eyes cold and clear as if he hadn’t slept all night, a faint mist covering the light color of his irises. Suddenly, he flashed Shen Ling a low smile, leaning over to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead.
“Morning,” Yan Xiu’s voice was husky.
Shen Ling: “???” Shen Ling: “!!!”
He pushed Yan Xiu away, his forehead still burning. “What’s wrong with you?”
Yan Xiu furrowed his brow.
Shen Ling looked around in confusion; several people were still not fully awake. Bai’er was sprawled out with limbs splayed, and Freud, hearing the sound, had woken up. He grabbed the glasses beside him, put them on, looked at them, and then took the glasses off expressionlessly.
Shen Ling: “…”
Shen Ling found it strange and asked Yan Xiu, “What happened last night?”
“Had a dream,” Yan Xiu whispered, “I dreamed about my childhood.”
Shen Ling quickly caught on, “A sanity-check?”
Yan Xiu nodded.
Shen Ling’s mouth twitched, “Didn’t pass?”
“Failed. Lost 6 sanity points.”
Shen Ling: “…”
He carefully observed Yan Xiu. There was nothing particularly unusual about him. The only strange thing was the overly passionate gaze when looking at him. Recalling the several temporary madness symptoms mentioned by kp, his body stiffened, and he tentatively asked Yan Xiu, “What’s our relationship?”
Yan Xiu opened his mouth, “Lovers.”
Shen Ling: “…”
Shen Ling straightforwardly gave up reasoning with someone temporarily insane, “What did you dream about?”
“I dreamed about Princess Louise. Ten years ago, she was brought to Moonset Town by her fiancé. She said she saw the gods here. At that time, Dorena accompanied her.”
If it were just that, it wouldn’t have caused a sanity loss.
Shen Ling asked again, “Did you recall some crazy scenes or events?”
“Afterward, her fiancé died. She told me she wanted a child with him. So, she held a pilgrimage ceremony, praying to the gods, hoping to be blessed with the child of Verlyn Haino. Shortly after, she died in the iris flowers. I watched her jump from the bell tower. After her death, I climbed that tall tower and saw a hexagram painted on the ground of the bell tower. Each point of the hexagram had a woman’s breast placed—these were the sacrifices she prepared for the gods. The ritual was learned from Verlyn.”
Yan Xiu’s voice was flat and stern as he spoke of these past events. He rarely spoke so much, and his tone was devoid of fluctuations, making it sound somewhat dull. However, the mysterious implications made Shen Ling unconsciously hold his breath, and he tentatively asked, “What happened next?”
“Besides these sacrifices, there were some miscellaneous items, among which a conspicuous red crystal was placed right in the center of the altar, and as I gazed at it, I saw some bizarre and fantastical scenes.”
Don’t ask, the answer is sanity loss.
“Remember when we coerced Cain into revealing the details of the sacrificial ceremony? He mentioned that one item was still missing, and it had to wait for the night of the Red Moon. Given that it is currently the night of the Red Moon, that red crystal should be the crucial item.” Shen Ling said, “Do you know its origin?”
Yan Xiu shook his head.
“The red crystal?” Freud interrupted their conversation, “Is it related to the clue provided by kp last night? After I had a Listen check, I heard some conversations from the adults in my childhood. They mentioned that this red crystal was a betrothal gift Verlyn gave to Princess Louise. Then, I had another insight. Oh, I get it.”
Having said that, he also understood why Yan Xiu’s possessiveness had become so evident. He looked at Yan Xiu sympathetically and said, “Your normal checks may not pass, but you’re unbeatable when it comes to sanity checks, quite unreasonable.”
Shen Ling looked at Yan Xiu and chuckled. But the next moment, Yan Xiu leaned in, catching Shen Ling off guard. He pushed Yan Xiu’s face away, but Yan Xiu unexpectedly kissed the palm of his hand.
Shen Ling: “…………”
The character created by kp for Yan Xiu, named Felton, was tall and handsome, with silver-gray eyes that were usually cold and indifferent. At this moment, they gradually darkened.
Freud wanted to laugh but dared not. He cleared his throat and said, “This red crystal should be a product of Moonset Town. Back then, when Verlyn proposed to Princess Louise, he recited a wandering poem—’When the emerald-colored bay is filled with the brilliance of the Red Moon, the tears of the gods saving the world will slowly rise from the lake.’ Is this ’emerald-colored bay’ referring to the Moonset Bay behind the cathedral?”
“Are you all awake?” Nana came out of the kitchen. She lightly kicked Bai’er a few times and said, “Get up, only you haven’t gotten up yet. Come and have breakfast.”
At the dining table, they shared the discoveries from last night. Yan Xiu sat next to Shen Ling, the two very close. Shen Ling’s expression seemed somewhat unnatural, but Yan Xiu was utterly at ease, as if their intimacy was entirely natural.
In Yan Xiu’s inner world, the cold gaze, clear as ice, stared at everything in front of him. When his body involuntarily picked up a piece of potato pancake and put it in Shen Ling’s bowl, he resisted but to no avail.
After enjoying Nana’s carefully prepared breakfast, they split up to gather information on the streets.
Following beside him, the man whose hand he held was dry and warm. Shen Ling walked indifferently on the bustling street, no matter where he went, the man closely followed.
“Mike!” A familiar voice suddenly came from behind.
Shen Ling turned around, unsurprisingly seeing a familiar face.
“Mike! It’s really you!” Luther rushed over excitedly, holding freshly bought bread and some vegetables such as potatoes and peas. “Meeting you again is just fantastic!”
Shen Ling took off the hat covering his golden hair and greeted with a tipping gesture, “Nice to see you again, Luther.”
“I forgot to ask for your address last time. It’s really regrettable. Thinking that I might never see you again, I regretted it so much. Luckily, with the blessings of the gods, I encountered you again!” Luther exclaimed excitedly.
Yan Xiu frowned.
Shen Ling: “……”
Luther’s eyes sparkled, “Where are you going now?”
“Just wandering around,” Shen Ling said.
“Is this direction… towards Wells Street? I happen to be going in the same direction, and I live there. I can show you around! Oh, and if you’re willing, you can come to my house. I’ll make delicious potato-baked lamb for you! It’s my specialty!” Luther said.
Yan Xiu’s pale gray eyes slowly sank.
Luther now noticed Yan Xiu for the first time, because of the unfriendly gaze from him. It carried a strong and cold sharpness that was impossible to ignore.
—Why was this person looking at him like that?
In doubt, Luther realized that the two were holding hands. His pupils widened instantly, as if the world was collapsing, revealing an obvious look of disappointment. If he had discovered that he had a partner a bit earlier, he wouldn’t have rashly invited him to come back.
His mind was in chaos, stumbling, he said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you, you, you guys… I’m, if it’s inconvenient, I’m really sorry.”
Shen Ling had something to ask Luther, so he tried to free himself from Yan Xiu’s hand. However, he couldn’t, and he gave Yan Xiu a sidelong glance. Facing Luther, he said, “Let me introduce you. This is my friend… Felton. Thank you for your generous invitation.”
At this moment, he clearly felt Yan Xiu squeezing his hand tighter.
Friend?
The gaze that looked over was filled with exploration and dissatisfaction.
Shen Ling remained expressionless, lowered his voice, and reminded him, “The clue is important.”
Yan Xiu was still unsatisfied but endured it.
Luther looked at Yan Xiu and then at Shen Ling. He lowered his head in contemplation, and after a moment, he seemed to figure something out. When he looked at Yan Xiu again, his eyes contained a bit of challenge. He extended his hand to Yan Xiu, “Hello, Felton, I’m Luther. Nice to meet you.”
“Felton.” Yan Xiu responded indifferently. His light-colored pupils flashed with a cold, golden luster, as if it were a silent declaration of war, making Luther shudder involuntarily.
However, Luther tried his best to maintain a smile on his face, defiantly meeting Yan Xiu’s gaze, “Nice to meet you, Mike’s… friend.”
