Chapter 156
Under the butler’s insistence, Jian Yunlan was forced to visit the garage and greet the cars the butler affectionately called “Little Lan,” “Little Mei,” and “Little Mai.”
After so many days apart, the villa staff were overjoyed to see Jian Yunlan again. They buzzed with excitement, whispering among themselves:
“We can mooch off his cooking again!”
“Wah, we missed so many of the young master’s food tastings—it’s been torture!”
“With the young master gone, we’ve just been lazing around the mansion, sunbathing, collecting tens of thousands in monthly salaries for doing nothing… so unbearable.”
Jian Yunlan: “??? Unbearable???”
If his past-life, overworked self heard this, he’d probably cough up blood.
That said, the staff hadn’t been completely idle.
Many of them were highly skilled. Someone—no one knew who—had proposed building an outdoor hot spring for the villa.
“Young master, we’ve prepared a feast and the hot spring for you,” the butler said, still eyeing Jian Yunlan with heartbreaking sympathy as he nudged him toward the changing room. “You’ve worked so hard across these dimensions—go relax in the springs!”
“Hot spring?” Jian Yunlan’s eyes widened. “Wait, we actually have one now?!”
The butler’s eyes instantly welled up with moved tears. “Young master, you…”
Even Jian Yunlan paused.
‘Home.’
At first, the Jian Family Villa had just been a mission location in a quick-transmigration world.
But somewhere along the way, he’d started calling it ‘home’ without thinking.
And now, returning after two dimensions, it felt like coming home.
…As if this was how life should be—busy selling snacks outside, then returning to the villa to chat with the butler and the others, bickering with Taotie, watching Hu Danggui run wild indoors, exchanging greetings with the ever-smiling Ox-Head, and gathering around a hot pot feast at night.
After drifting through two lifetimes as an orphan, Jian Yunlan had never really understood the concept of ‘home.’
But the Jian Family Villa was the place he most wanted to return to after his long journeys.
“Young master—wahhh—young master—” The butler dabbed at his tears with a handkerchief, visibly moved, as if about to say something deeply sentimental. “This butler’s life is now wo—”
“…Stop.” Jian Yunlan rubbed his nose, suddenly embarrassed. “Where’s the hot spring? I’ll go soak.”
Truthfully, after two days in the apocalyptic wasteland, he was exhausted.
Especially since living conditions there were harsh—most people considered bathing once a week a luxury. As a fugitive, Jian Yunlan hadn’t showered at all.
Though he didn’t smell, he felt grimy. And with the cold weather, a hot spring sounded perfect.
The moment Jian Yunlan voiced his request, the butler snapped into professional mode: “Young master, the springs are this way. Please shower first.”
“Oh, and Lord Taotie… already…” The butler mumbled something else, too quiet for Jian Yunlan to catch.
Probably nothing important.
*
The shower room was built beside the hot spring—a fully equipped wooden cabin.
As he showered, the faint sulfur scent of the springs drifted in, heightening Jian Yunlan’s anticipation.
After a quick rinse, he dried off with a clean towel.
Then he paused.
Should he wear swim trunks?
In his past life, all his hot spring experiences had been at budget public facilities where swimwear was mandatory.
He instinctively rummaged through the clothes rack but found no trunks. Only then did it hit him:
“At a private home hot spring… you don’t wear clothes, right?”
Old habits die hard. He almost laughed at himself.
For a private soak, just wrap a robe for warmth and shed it at the springs.
Amid the steam, Jian Yunlan caught his reflection in the full-length mirror opposite—
The young man in the glass gazed back with calm detachment.
His face—when not smiling—had often been called unapproachable. That’s why he always wore a grin while selling snacks, afraid of scaring customers off.
…He rarely looked at himself like this. The person in the mirror, despite twenty-plus years of familiarity, suddenly seemed strange.
Jian Yunlan stood over 180 cm tall—nowhere near Taotie or Niu Tou’s inhuman heights, but still broad-shouldered and long-limbed. His muscles were lean but sharply defined.
As he looked, for some reason, Jian Yunlan suddenly thought of Taotie.
After living together for so long, even if unintentionally, Jian Yunlan had seen Taotie’s physique many times. Taotie’s skin was a deeper tone, his muscle lines strikingly powerful—what the internet might call a “male bodhisattva” figure brimming with sexual magnetism?
After sharing a bed with Taotie last night, the atmosphere between them had inexplicably grown a little strange.
As for Taotie’s abs—how they felt to the touch—Stop, stop, STOP!
“What’s the point of thinking about this now?!” Jian Yunlan shook off the chaotic thoughts in his head. “We’re not even the same species, and the age gap is enormous. There’s no possibility.”
“Besides, I’m at the age where I should be hustling. I’ve got at least two or three hundred more years of grinding before I consider anything beyond my stall.”
After this self-pep talk, he finally steadied his mind, exhaled deeply, and stepped out of the shower.
Beyond the smooth pebble path lay the outdoor hot spring.
The pool was much larger than Jian Yunlan had imagined.
—It was already late at night. The clouds had parted, revealing a crescent moon hanging high in the sky, casting its glow over the snow-laden ground and pine branches. Amidst the wintry scene, the spring was flanked by clusters of potted plants and dotted with warm orange lanterns.
Their light filtered through the mist, spilling over Jian Yunlan’s skin.
The spring radiated warmth, its steam curling with the faint scent of sulfur. The sound of bubbling water filled his ears.
At the sight, Jian Yunlan couldn’t hold back any longer. He tossed aside his robe and stepped into the pool.
The moment his feet touched the scalding water, he couldn’t help but sigh:
“…Heaven.”
The butler—who’d overseen this expansion—understood luxury.
The contrast between the frigid outdoor snowscape and the searing spring was exhilarating. The chill on his exposed skin only heightened the bliss of the water’s embrace.
Step by step, he submerged himself, the heat spreading, tenderly enveloping him from head to toe.
Jian Yunlan dunked his head under, surrendering completely to the warmth.
As the water closed over his ears, a random thought struck him:
Where was Taotie, anyway?
—Earlier, after returning to the villa, Jian Yunlan had been dragged by the butler on a grand tour to greet everyone (especially the cars in the garage).
At the time, Taotie had seemed preoccupied, grabbing a towel and hurrying off.
A towel? Wait—a towel?! What was he doing with it?!
Jian Yunlan wished he could freeze time to dissect this oddly unsettling detail, but it was too late.
Because the answer soon surfaced.
The roar of water filled his ears.
A stream of bubbles surged upward as Jian Yunlan opened his eyes underwater—and was met with eight abs.
Oh, it’s just—wait, EIGHT ABS??!
Jian Yunlan held his breath.
His gaze traveled upward from the sculpted, dark-toned abs to the defined pectorals—full and beautifully shaped under the hazy spring water and lantern light. Silvery hair floated like mist, and beyond that—
Taotie’s lazy golden eyes locked onto Jian Yunlan’s widened ones.
Taotie: “…”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
Jian Yunlan’s eyes darted uncontrollably between the abs and Taotie’s face.
Gotta admit, Taotie’s physique is insane.
At first, Taotie’s gaze was pure arrogance, radiating a “Well, human? Impressed?” vibe, oozing smugness.
Five seconds later, Taotie’s face flushed slightly. His eyes flickered over Jian Yunlan’s body, suddenly shy, as if torn between staring and looking away.
Ten seconds in, his expression shifted to something accusatory and furious.
By the… who-knows-how-many-th second, Taotie’s face had turned crimson. Worried, Jian Yunlan leaned closer to check on him.
The amber lantern light seeped through the water, casting a dim glow. The only sound was the swirl of liquid in his ears.
At this proximity, Jian Yunlan could see—count—the droplets clinging to Taotie’s silver-white lashes, the dark hues swirling in his molten-gold irises, the inscrutable emotions within.
Underwater, Taotie went still.
His eyelids lowered, watching Jian Yunlan intently before suddenly gripping his waist.
The distance between them vanished.
Now, their tangled hair mingled in the steam.
Now…
Taotie’s lips parted slightly, as if to speak.
His nose was sharp and proud, the bridge higher than most—giving him an aloof air that was, for some reason, inexplicably cute.
Jian Yunlan suddenly felt an itch in his heart and couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Taotie’s nose—then—
“Cough—! Cough cough cough!!”
Taotie jolted violently, coughing so hard his face turned red. Bubbles burst from his mouth and nose as he flailed wildly in the water.
The 30,000-year-old ancient beast was drowning.
Jian Yunlan: “…”
Holy shit holy shit holy shit what do I do now—
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?!
So Taotie going be dumbfounded that he actually was drowning in a artificial hot spring and Jian Yunlan’s mouth to mouth resuscitation was the first kiss that he did is embarrassed?