Chapter 32 – Host, You’re Having Your Heat Cycle
The next morning, the door that had been shut all night finally opened, and a refreshed Guo Wenzhu walked out. He was clearly in a great mood, radiant as he hummed an off-key tune while heading to make breakfast.
On the bed, a teary-eyed Xia Yi curled up under the blanket, pitifully complaining to 179.
“Seriously, he’s not human. Look at me, I’m a wreck. There’s not a spot on me that isn’t sore, even my feet have bite marks.”
“I told you not to mess around. What’s wrong with staying pure? Look at how comfortable I am, but you wouldn’t listen. No sympathy for you.” The lemon system 179 gloated.
179, can’t you tell I’m bragging?
Hehe.
Hearing footsteps outside, Xia Yi quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Guo Wenzhu entered, carrying a bowl of congee and a plate of buns. Seeing Xia Yi still “asleep,” he placed the food on the bedside table.
Leaning over, he noticed Xia Yi’s fluttering eyelashes and the movement beneath his eyelids—he was clearly awake but pretending.
Guo Wenzhu let out a soft chuckle, sat down beside the bed, and scooped Xia Yi, blankets and all, into his arms. He kissed the top of Xia Yi’s fluffy hair affectionately and said, “Little piggy, time to get up and eat breakfast.”
Xia Yi kept his eyes closed, staying silent, but soon the aroma of meat porridge wafted into his nose.
Peeking through a slit in his eyes, he saw a spoonful of congee hovering near his mouth.
The rich scent of the porridge hit him, and his stomach let out a loud growl.
Unable to keep up the act, Xia Yi opened his mouth and gulped down the porridge.
Warm and hearty, the porridge slid down his throat, filling him with comfort.
Guo Wenzhu alternated between feeding him spoonfuls of porridge and bites of buns, and in no time, all the food was gone.
Xia Yi ate happily, not noticing the way Guo Wenzhu was staring at his pink tongue, the fire in his eyes starting to ignite again.
When the meal was finished, Guo Wenzhu took the empty dishes outside. Xia Yi contentedly lay back down, ready to catch up on the sleep he missed last night.
But soon, he heard the door being pushed open again. Too lazy to open his eyes, he let out a lazy hum from his nose.
The blanket was lifted, and a warm, muscular chest pressed against him as Guo Wenzhu pulled Xia Yi into his embrace once more.
Suddenly, Xia Yi sensed something was wrong. His whole body tensed, alarm bells going off in his head as his drowsiness vanished.
“No, no, go away, go away…”
“Help…”
—
By noon, Qi Zhou stood tall and elegant in the courtyard, his hair neatly combed. Standing in front of him was Meng Wanzi, his hands clasped behind his back.
Looking around, they saw the house was eerily quiet with the door tightly shut, as if no one was there. The qilin lazily raised its head, glanced at them, and went back to sleep in its nest.
Since no one in the house was awake, the dog decided to keep sleeping too.
“Is anyone there? Is it time to eat?” After a while, Qi Zhou’s voice sounded, tinged with frustration.
He had no choice. Both he and his master were hungry.
The door creaked open, and Gu Wenzhu stepped out, his face filled with joy, making Qi Zhou feel as if he was looking at a groom, only missing a large red flower on his chest.
“Wait a moment, I’ll go cook now,” Gu Wenzhu, rare in his good mood, flashed a smile at the two Daoist disciples and headed towards the kitchen.
Meng Wanzi glanced behind Gu Wenzhu, not seeing Xia Yi, and couldn’t help but ask, “Where is Xia Xiaoyou? Why haven’t we seen him?”
Gu Wenzhu paused slightly, a hint of awkwardness crossing his face. “He’s sick.”
“Sick? Is it serious? I’ll go take a look,” Meng Wanzi offered, stepping towards the house. “I know a bit about medicine; I can prescribe something for him.”
“It’s nothing, just a little cold. He’ll be fine after a day’s rest,” Gu Wenzhu quickly stopped him.
“A cold still needs to be looked at. He’s a mortal, not like us cultivators. Sickness can’t be taken lightly.” As Meng Wanzi spoke, he continued moving towards the house.
Suddenly, his vision darkened as a figure swiftly blocked his path.
Meng Wanzi halted in surprise.
“I said he’ll be fine with rest. He can’t be exposed to wind right now, he’s sweating it out.” Gu Wenzhu’s voice was cold as he stood in front of Meng Wanzi, his gaze sharp and his expression unreadable.
For a moment, a strange feeling crept over Meng Wanzi. This ordinary farmer in front of him was somehow exerting invisible pressure.
“Alright, alright, I won’t go look,” Meng Wanzi felt a chill in his heart, quickly backing down.
Qi Zhou huffed silently to himself, thinking how ungrateful mortals could be.
Gu Wenzhu worked quickly, preparing lunch and a large spread of dishes in no time. He took an empty plate, served a portion of each dish, and left the rest on the table. Giving Meng Wanzi a glance, he said, “Please, enjoy.”
“Thank you, no need to worry about us,” Meng Wanzi replied quickly, watching as Gu Wenzhu picked up the plate and headed back inside.
Why does this farmer seem so intimidating? His look just now gave me an odd sense of familiarity.
Though Gu Wenzhu’s appearance reminded him of Cang Yi, his expression just now made Meng Wanzi think of someone else entirely.
Once Gu Wenzhu closed the door behind him, Qi Zhou pulled out a handkerchief, wiped down a chair, and started eating, small bites at a time.
Inside the room, Xia Yi sat up in bed, hair a mess, glaring fiercely. “I won’t eat! I said no, and I mean it! Take it away!”
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, Xia Yi. It’s all my fault; I lost control.” Gu Wenzhu apologized earnestly, his eyes filling with guilt as he noticed the bruises on Xia Yi’s exposed skin as the blanket slipped down.
“Just eat a few bites, okay? Just a few bites.” Gu Wenzhu coaxed softly, holding a spoonful of food up to Xia Yi’s lips.
“Do you realize what you did wrong? Have you reflected on it?” Xia Yi shifted his sore body, his expression accusatory.
“I was wrong, truly wrong. I shouldn’t have—” Gu Wenzhu started, but his words were cut off when Xia Yi slapped a hand over his mouth, urgently whispering, “They’re still outside, keep your voice down!”
Gu Wenzhu nodded innocently, looking at him with wide eyes.
Xia Yi released his hand and gave Gu Wenzhu a sidelong glance. “Feed me.”
After finishing all the food, and once Meng Wanzi and his apprentice had left the courtyard, Gu Wenzhu began clearing the dishes.
Xia Yi, sore all over, wanted nothing more than to lie back down. Every movement made him wince, slow and awkward, as if he were recovering from broken bones.
Finally lying down, he stared at the ceiling, feeling defeated. “179, seriously, he’s not human.”
This time, 179 didn’t want to respond and felt like spitting at him twice.
Just as Xia Yi was about to drift off, a strange heat surged in his abdomen. Before he could figure out what was happening, the heat spread through his body, making his blood boil and his heart race, yet his limbs grew weak and heavy.
What’s going on? Am I about to ascend? Doesn’t feel like it. He looked around. The air wasn’t shifting, and the furniture wasn’t warping. Am I sick? Heatstroke? The flu? Or maybe some sudden illness?
“179, 179, come out quickly! Something’s wrong, I’m not kidding. I feel really off,” Xia Yi called out to the system in a panic. “Am I having a medical emergency?”
“Calm down, host. I’ll run a scan.” 179’s voice was calm and professional, like an experienced system. Xia Yi took a deep breath, trying to suppress the strange heat and waited for the system’s diagnosis.
“179, if it’s something terminal, don’t tell me. At least let me happily marry Wenzhu first.”
“No, wait, better tell me. I won’t marry him, I don’t want to drag him into a second marriage.”
After a long pause, 179 finally responded, “Host, after a thorough examination, I can confirm that you’re not sick. You’re entering your heat cycle. It might have been triggered by your hormonal fluctuations last night.”
“Heat… heat cycle?” Xia Yi looked thunderstruck.
“Yes, hehe,” 179 couldn’t hide the schadenfreude in its voice.
But I’m not even single anymore, so why are you so happy?
Xia Yi, after thinking it through, calmed down and gave a cold laugh toward 179.
At that moment, Gu Wenzhu entered the room, holding a bowl and softly calling, “Xia Yi, come drink some chicken soup, and then you can rest.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Wenzhu froze, staring ahead in shock.
Xia Yi had already sat up, hugging the blanket and looking at him. His cheeks were flushed, and his almond-shaped eyes were misty, as if they had grown little hooks…
“Brother Zhu, come here quickly.” Xia Yi’s voice was soft and sweet, like it had grown little hooks too.
