Chapter 217
Tang Yu’an quickly withdrew his hand, sensing Zhou Qi’s body tensing up. At the same time, he heard Zhou Qi’s suddenly rapid breathing—
As if a string had been stretched tighter and tighter until it finally snapped under extreme tension.
That was exactly Zhou Qi’s state at this moment.
Tang Yu’an vaguely sensed something and was about to sit up to check, but before he could, a pair of strong hands gripped his shoulders. In a dizzying moment, with a soft thud, he was pinned down onto the bedding.
The once simple cabin had undergone repairs, now featuring a pitched roof and glass windows.
This morning’s light wasn’t as bright as usual, casting a dim, hazy glow through the skylight, spilling into the room behind Zhou Qi.
With the light at his back, a halo outlined his figure, while his face remained shrouded in shadow, giving him an intense, almost breath-stealing presence.
Tang Yu’an lay on the soft bedding, his body held down firmly by Zhou Qi’s powerful grip. He stared blankly at Zhou Qi, once again seeing that familiar expression of strained restraint and gritted determination on his face.
He couldn’t help but swallow. Just as he was about to apologize, Zhou Qi suddenly leaned in.
They were incredibly close—so close that their noses nearly touched.
Tang Yu’an suddenly didn’t dare to speak. He stared at Zhou Qi in confusion, watching as his gaze subtly shifted downward.
He saw Zhou Qi raise a hand.
Zhou Qi’s thumb pressed against the small dip beneath his lower lip, then slowly traced along his lip line, gliding toward the corner of his mouth.
Tang Yu’an felt as though Zhou Qi’s gaze carried some kind of magic. Just the mere brush of his eyes across his skin sent a tingling, numbing sensation through him.
Their breaths intertwined, neither of them speaking.
But their breathing grew heavier.
And the rhythmic pounding of their hearts became more pronounced in the silence.
“Drip—Drip—”
Until the sound of raindrops hitting the rooftop shattered the silent, ambiguous tension, breaking their prolonged stare.
The dazed look in Zhou Qi’s eyes faded. He snapped back to reality.
In an instant, he jerked his hand away from Tang Yu’an’s mouth, scrambled off the bed, and, despite his still-unstable legs, stumbled hurriedly out of the room.
Tang Yu’an lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. But in his mind, all he could think about was Zhou Qi’s intense, almost predatory gaze—
And…
He placed a hand over his chest, feeling the wild thumping of his heart, faster than it had ever beat before.
“Whoosh—Whoosh—”
The rain outside grew heavier, tapping against the windows and leaving chaotic streaks behind.
Inside and out, both of their hearts were in turmoil.
It was a long while before Tang Yu’an slowly sat up. Moving cautiously, he tiptoed to the door and peeked outside.
Zhou Qi sat under the eaves, staring absentmindedly at the dense curtain of rain.
Tang Yu’an gazed at him, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes. His gaze wandered for a moment before he finally decided to grab a stool and sit down beside Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi’s body stiffened slightly. A raindrop clung to the tip of his hair, then slid down.
Along with the rain cascading from the eaves, it splashed into the puddles at their feet, sending ripples outward—one after another.
Neither of them spoke, simply watching the rain in silence.
At last, Zhou Qi collected his thoughts, turned his head, and looked at Tang Yu’an.
Tang Yu’an happened to look at him at the same time. Seeing that Zhou Qi was finally acknowledging him again, he quickly put his hands together in a pleading gesture.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have poked you there just now!”
Zhou Qi: “…”
He turned his head away, but a suspicious blush crept up his ears once again. His barely-calmed heart was thrown into chaos all over again.
Tang Yu’an scooted closer.
Seeing that Zhou Qi didn’t move away, he grabbed his arm and pleaded, “Brother Qi, I won’t do it again! Please forgive me…”
After Zhou Qi ran out, Tang Yu’an had slowly processed what had happened. His biology knowledge finally kicked in, and he understood why Zhou Qi’s body had reacted that way.
Thinking back, his action earlier really was a bit much… Not very respectful to Brother Qi…
“I didn’t do it on purpose! I was just curious, I swear! I didn’t mean anything else!”
Zhou Qi nearly choked.
He hadn’t expected Tang Yu’an to come all the way out here just to say that. He had almost…
Should he admire how clueless Tang Yu’an was? Or be frustrated at how slow he was to catch on?
Zhou Qi pressed his lips together, still shaken by how close he had come to losing control.
He was only three years older than Tang Yu’an. His understanding of love came entirely from movies and books—where romance was always subtle, restrained, and usually between a man and a woman.
He liked Tang Yu’an, but…
Zhou Qi had never imagined he would feel such a strong desire to kiss him.
It wasn’t like that time during the emergency, when their lips had merely brushed out of necessity. This time, it was a craving—to taste, to explore.
That realization terrified him. And what troubled him even more was how sensitive his body had become around Tang Yu’an.
Fear and relief mixed in his heart.
Thankfully, clueless little An An hadn’t noticed anything unusual. Zhou Qi didn’t want him to hate him.
Being kissed by another guy… Most people would probably find that disgusting, right?
Zhou Qi lowered his gaze, masking the disappointment in his eyes. He forced down the surge of emotions before finally looking at Tang Yu’an again.
“I’m not mad,” he said, feigning calm.
“Really?” Tang Yu’an was clearly skeptical.
He still remembered the fierce, oppressive look in Zhou Qi’s eyes when he pinned him down—it had felt like he was about to be devoured.
He had never seen Brother Qi so angry before!
“But your face was all red just now…” Tang Yu’an muttered.
“……”
Zhou Qi looked at Tang Yu’an helplessly before finally reaching out to ruffle his hair. In a low voice, he said, “You’ll understand when you grow up.”
“But when will I grow up?”
Tang Yu’an propped his chin on his hands, his chubby cheeks squished as he gazed at the rainy scene outside and mumbled, “I want to try and see what it feels like too.”
“Try… try what?”
“That thing you felt this morning, what does it feel like?” The boy leaned in again, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Zhou Qi: “….”
He stretched out a finger, pressing it against the boy’s forehead to push him away.
“I’m making breakfast,” he said as he got up and walked off.
Tang Yu’an pouted in dissatisfaction, watching Zhou Qi’s steady steps as he left. He couldn’t help but get up and chase after him. “Is your body really okay now? Do you want me to check for you?”
“No need!”
Zhou Qi almost shouted, his voice betraying his uncontrollable embarrassment.
“Fine, fine, no need… Why are you so worked up?”
“I’m sorry.”
Their voices gradually faded into the sound of the pouring rain.
For the Great Wood Forest, this was just a light drizzle, but for the two boys from another dimension, it felt like a storm.
Fortunately, just as the rain threatened to damage the house, the protective barrier activated, blocking out all the water.
The world outside was reduced to a white blur of falling rain.
It was impossible to go out exploring in this weather, so after breakfast, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi took the teleportation array back to their home dimension.
Though they had spent over two months in the alternate world, only three days had passed here.
At this moment, it was nighttime.
“It feels like it’s been forever since we came back!” Tang Yu’an remarked.
Zhou Qi nodded but remained silent, his brows slightly furrowed.
“Brother Qi?”
“Nothing… Maybe because the energy levels here are lower, I feel like my petrification is worsening again.”
“Then let’s go back!” Tang Yu’an said anxiously.
“No need, I can still control it for now.”
Seeing that Zhou Qi wasn’t forcing himself, Tang Yu’an finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Still, we shouldn’t stay too long. Let’s head back soon.”
“Alright.”
Most of the livestock had been relocated to the Desolate City Haven for breeding, but the swimming center here hadn’t been abandoned.
Among the animals that had wandered inside earlier, a few mutated chickens had been kept. The mutated hens still laid eggs at a rate of one per day.
However, since these eggs weren’t fertilized, they wouldn’t hatch into chicks.
Besides the mutated chickens, there were also birds that had nested on the vines—over the past two months, more and more birds had flown into the swimming center.
Now, the entire first floor was filled with nests, home to a variety of bird species.
Though the birds of Desolate City were known for their fierce fighting abilities, the protective barrier ensured that any fighting birds would be kicked out. Because of this, the remaining birds coexisted peacefully.
Cleaning up bird droppings was a hassle, but fortunately, the golden robot here diligently kept the place spotless, never complaining.
Aside from maintenance, Old Li also brought surplus potatoes and sweet potatoes here for the golden robot to process into starch and flour.
So, in addition to being a breeding site, the place also functioned as a small processing plant.
Tang Yu’an hovered in midair, collecting an egg from each nest. After gathering more than twenty, he and Zhou Qi left.
They returned to their mobile home.
The vehicle was still parked at the center of Desolate City. Over the past few days, the floodwaters had receded to about one or two meters deep.
Compared to before, the map now displayed significantly more red dots—indicating dangerous creatures.
The sounds of wild animals echoed from all directions, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.
After patrolling outside and picking up a few energy crystals, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi got back into the vehicle, preparing to drive away.
“Are your legs okay?” Tang Yu’an glanced at Zhou Qi.
“Yeah, no problem,” Zhou Qi nodded.
Then he started the vehicle, but instead of heading straight back, he followed the path marked on the map, leading them back to the whirlpool where they had fallen in.
They stopped about a few dozen meters away from it.
Even from this distance, they could still feel its immense pull.
Tang Yu’an marked the surrounding area as a danger zone on the map, then stayed to observe for a while.
They could see schools of fish rushing toward the vortex, helpless against its force. If they didn’t leave before the flood fully receded, they would perish here.
“It seems Desolate City’s floodwater really does come from the alternate dimension,” Zhou Qi commented. “The only question is whether this passage will close once the water completely drains away.”
“We’ll find out when the time comes,” Tang Yu’an said.
He pulled out two construction robots. “Might as well set up a branch here and build a teleportation point.”
The setup only cost 25,000 points—nothing significant compared to his remaining balance of over 700,000 points.
Being rich felt great!
Zhou Qi also thought it was a good idea. Since they still needed to drive the mobile home elsewhere, coming back without a teleportation point would be troublesome.
So, they unloaded bricks, cement, and sand, letting the robots construct a small building.
Thanks to the protective barrier, the structure didn’t need to be too large—they could always expand it later if needed.
While the robots worked, they video-called Gu Ganli.
The young man who appeared on the screen looked drowsy, his hair slightly messy—clearly woken up from sleep.
“Teacher Gu, did we disturb you?” Tang Yu’an asked apologetically.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Gu Qianli shook his head. Seeing that Zhou Qi had returned to normal, a look of joy appeared on his face, and he smiled. “Looks like you’ve made it through the crisis.”
“That’s all thanks to your guidance, Teacher!” Tang Yu’an said.
“I didn’t really do anything,” Gu Qianli shook his head.
“Teacher, throw a message bottle into the Dream Sea! We want to send you a gift!” Tang Yu’an said excitedly.
“No need for a gift…”
“It’s just some food, nothing valuable.”
Although Gu Qianli had already undergone fasting cultivation, seeing the two boys’ sincerity, he eventually nodded. “Alright then.”
“Great!”
Gu Qianli smiled slightly. “Do you have any other questions today?”
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment, then asked, “Teacher, the opening of a spirit storage bag is so small. How do you store large items in it?”
“There’s a technique for that, of course.”
Gu Qianli then taught them the method for using spatial magic tools like the spirit storage bag. “It should work for most standard magic tools, but I’m not sure about higher-grade ones…”
“No worries, this is already very helpful!”
By the time the lesson ended, their conversation time was almost up. Just as Tang Yu’an was about to say something, he saw a small black snake slowly slither onto Gu Qianli’s shoulder.
His eyes widened. “Teacher, watch out!”
Gu Qianli glanced to the side and quickly reassured him, “No need to worry, this is Hei Lin.”
The pure black snake had an ink-like sheen, without a single speck of another color. It flicked its red tongue and glanced in the direction of Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi.
“Is it your pet?” Tang Yu’an asked.
Gu Qianli shook his head.
“Then maybe it can’t see us.” Only authorized beings could perceive the system’s temporary communication interface, so this should be the same.
“Yes, that seems to be the case,” Gu Qianli nodded.
At that moment, the black snake changed its focus, slowly coiling around Gu Qianli’s neck. Eventually, it settled there, resting its head lightly against his cheek before flicking its tongue toward Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi.
Even though the snake wasn’t supposed to see them, Tang Yu’an had the distinct feeling that its gaze carried a hint of provocation, almost as if it were declaring ownership.
Before he could say anything, their conversation time ended.
…Maybe he was just imagining things?
Tang Yu’an scratched his head, then checked the progress of the construction robots before heading back with Zhou Qi to the attic of the Peace Grocery Store.
The upgrade of the Crimson Tranquil Sleep Pillow was still ongoing, and the furniture sprite, Fufu, was resting on it.
This time, not only had the pillow been upgraded with a blanket, eye mask, and ear covers, but a delicate sheer canopy had also been added. Lying under the misty veil, she looked even more like an elegant little princess.
Tang Yu’an adjusted his light-brain’s music to a more soothing sleep melody, then walked over to the Dream Message Bottle window and activated the accelerator.
Soon, twinkling lights lit up across the Dream Sea.
This time, three message bottles had returned—one from Gu Qianli, one from Morsang of the Beastman Tribe, and one from Cosona from the Water-Scarce Dimension.
They tested bringing the bottles to the small house in the alternate world and found that it had no impact.
Zhou Qi picked up Gu Qianli’s message bottle and practiced the technique they had just learned. Gu Qianli had mentioned that the spell could also be applied to these bottles.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu’an opened Cosona’s bottle to continue delivering the remaining water.
Now, the number of space capsules had increased to eight, indicating that Cosona’s production capacity was improving.
What surprised Tang Yu’an was—
“Honored Mysterious Merchant, I recall that you previously expressed interest in trading for more space capsules. Unfortunately, due to limited production capacity, we are unable to provide the full-sized version.”
“However, we have attempted to create a mini version of the space capsule. Please see if it meets your needs…”
Tang Yu’an had indeed mentioned this to Cosona before, but he hadn’t expected her to respond this time—and even offer a mini version of the space capsule.
He poured the capsules out of the bottle and quickly found the new version.
This mini space capsule was about half the size of the original. After testing, he found that it could expand space by 0.01 cubic meters—about 10 liters.
Compared to the original 10 cubic meters, this was truly a “super mini” version!
Still, even a little extra storage was useful. And if it weren’t for the smaller size, Cosona and her people probably wouldn’t have been willing to part with it.
Tang Yu’an immediately thanked Cosona and promised that the water delivery would serve as payment for the capsules.
He then put the space capsules back into the bottle, refilled it with 70 cubic meters of water, sealed it, and opened Morsang’s bottle.
“Dear Tang Yu’an, your medicine has helped our tribe survive this crisis. My family has also recovered. We are truly grateful to you!”
Hearing Morsang’s words, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but smile.
Being able to help others and save lives—it was truly a fulfilling feeling.
“I’m not sure if the illness will return, so I’ve placed some feathers in the bottle, hoping to trade for more medicine.”
Tang Yu’an looked inside and saw several brightly colored feathers. He had previously sent all such materials to Turs.
These feathers seemed to be of higher quality than the previous ones. Hopefully, Turs could craft them into suitable inscription equipment.
However, he noticed something else in the bottle.
“Besides the feathers, I also included a bird egg,” Morsang’s voice continued. “I found it in the forest and don’t know what kind of bird it is. It was the only one small enough to fit in the bottle.”
“You can hatch it or eat it. This is my gift to you—I hope you like it!”
This was actually an egg sent through the Dream Message Bottle!
Even Zhou Qi’s attention was drawn to it.
They took out the feathers first and then carefully poured out the egg. Its shell was a striking, translucent orange-red, almost like a gemstone rather than an egg.
“Is it still viable?” Zhou Qi asked.
While a fertilized egg wasn’t exactly a living being, if it was still active, it would at least prove that the Dream Message Bottle didn’t harm lifeforms at this stage.
Tang Yu’an used an identification skill on the egg.
“It is! It can still hatch!” he exclaimed in surprise. “But the system doesn’t recognize what kind of egg it is—only that it has a fire attribute.”
Zhou Qi pulled out an identification guidebook and checked. He nodded. “It requires a much higher temperature to hatch compared to regular birds.”
“No problem, we have Flame Stones.”
No matter how high the required temperature, they could adjust it accordingly!
“This egg is so tiny, so the bird that hatches from it will probably be small too. Hopefully, we can raise it properly.” Tang Yu’an happily accepted the gift and started writing a reply to Morsang.
After sealing the bottle, he tossed it back into the Dream Sea.
Then, he returned to the alternate dimension and practiced the spell that Gu Qianli had taught them with Zhou Qi. It took them seven to eight hours before they finally mastered it.
They then placed a mini space capsule into the message bottle. Originally, the bottle only had a capacity of 600ml, but with the capsule, it expanded to 10 liters—allowing them to store much more.
Zhou Qi personally made some pastries, wrapped them in a clean low-temperature cloth, and used the spell to transfer the entire package into the message bottle.
From the outside, it looked as if the package had shrunk in size.
Tang Yu’an also tried transferring two Star-chain Fruits into the bottle. Since Teacher Gu needed spiritual plants for trade, and the Star-chain Fruit Vine could enrich the soil with nutrients, he might find them useful.
With everything ready, they returned to the Peace Grocery Store and sent the message bottle into the Dream Sea.
Thanks to the Thread of Fate in Dreams achievement title, the bottle disappeared in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, when they stepped out of the RV, they saw that the small branch shop in the center of the Desolate city had been fully constructed with the cooperation of two construction robots.
Zhou Qi used his abilities to drain the moisture, speeding up the cement’s curing process, and in no time, the project was completed.
Tang Yu’an opened the system interface.
[You are establishing a branch store…]
[…]
[Points deducted successfully. Please name this branch store.]
And so, Peace Grocery Store No. 7 was officially established!
While activating the protective barrier, Tang Yu’an noticed something interesting—the barriers between different stores didn’t conflict with each other.
Since the shop was in the center of the Desolate city, it was constantly within the protection of the RV’s barrier. However, this didn’t interfere with the activation of Store No. 7’s own barrier.
The only issue was that, until he granted access, Zhou Qi wouldn’t be able to enter.
Tang Yu’an set Store No. 7 to “Closed,” activated the teleportation array, and linked it with both Peace Grocery Store and Store No. 1’s teleportation arrays.
After finishing these arrangements, they drove the RV away once again.
The journey to the center of the Desolate City had taken over a month, but the return trip took less than an hour. Of course, once they reached their previous starting point, the road became difficult again.
Feeling exhausted, they decided to stop the RV and return to the alternate dimension cottage.
As Zhou Qi took off his shoes, Tang Yu’an finally noticed that his toes were still petrified and hadn’t returned to normal.
“You’re being way too reckless! What if you accidentally hit them and break them off?” Tang Yu’an huffed angrily. “Until you’ve fully recovered, we’re not going anywhere!”
Knowing he was at fault, Zhou Qi didn’t argue.
That night, as they prepared to sleep, Zhou Qi set up bedding on the floor.
Tang Yu’an, sitting on the bed, glared at him. “Why are you sleeping on the floor? Haven’t we always slept together?”
Zhou Qi’s hands paused. He pursed his lips slightly, then looked up at Tang Yu’an seriously and said, “I just don’t want what happened this morning to happen again.”
Tang Yu’an immediately deflated like a popped balloon.
Zhou Qi hesitated for a moment, then heard the boy mutter in an aggrieved tone, “I already said I won’t poke you there again! Why don’t you believe me?”
Zhou Qi: “…”
That wasn’t what he was talking about at all!!!
