Chapter 72: Illya
Chu Feng called out to Illya, “That’s enough dishes. Stop cooking and come eat with us.”
Illya glanced at him and replied, “I’ll just finish this last stir-fry. Almost done.”
Watching Illya busy in the kitchen, Chu Feng suddenly felt a sense of domestic familiarity—like an old married couple.
Gray bit his chopsticks and grinned. “Big bro’s been obsessed with cooking lately. Lucky us.”
As Illya had taken up cooking, he often shared the excess dishes with the village children. Food was always scarce in the village, and free meals were highly welcomed.
“Good thing his skills have improved. If his cooking was still as bad as before, even if he gave it away, nobody would eat it.”
Chu Feng shot Gray a glare. “What nonsense. Is that how you talk about your brother?”
Gray: “…”
He was telling the truth—though Chu Feng hadn’t been around to taste Illya’s early, questionable cooking.
Gray then looked to Chu Feng. “Boss, did you bring wine? Let’s open a bottle.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Why not.”
When Chu Feng took out a bottle of Mou Tai, Gray blinked. “Isn’t that Mou Tai? I thought the dwarves took all of it?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “I hid two bottles before they found them.”
Gray chuckled. “Those dwarves are so greedy—always hogging the good stuff. Is it really that tasty? Let me try.”
Chu Feng poured him a glass. Gray took a sip and winced. “So spicy!”
Chu Feng laughed. Whether a wine is good is one thing—whether people like it is another.
Illya sat down after finishing the final dish. He poured himself a glass and commented, “Not bad.”
Chu Feng smiled. “Still, the shaman’s Hundred Fruit Brew tastes better.”
Even the best Mou Tai was just a worldly liquor. The Hundred Fruit Brew could actually enhance one’s abilities—but sadly, it was too scarce.
Maybe I can transplant some fruit trees here, Chu Feng thought. The brew was made from a variety of fruits. More trees meant more ingredients.
But transplanting fruit trees was tricky—saplings took time to grow, and mature trees took up too much space.
After two cups, Illya’s cheeks were flushed.
Chu Feng looked at him, heart pounding.
Gray turned to Chu Feng. “Boss Feng, your face is really red!”
Chu Feng rubbed his face. “Must be the alcohol kicking in.”
Gray nodded and poured himself another drink. Chu Feng frowned. “You’re still a kid. Don’t drink so much.”
Gray waved it off. “No worries. My constitution might be stronger than yours. You should go easy on the tiger meat—it’s super nourishing. Duoduo loves it, but even he knows not to eat too much.”
Chu Feng’s face darkened. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
This kid had the nerve to compare him to a rabbit?
Sure, Chu Feng’s body had been weak, but after all this time, his constitution had improved significantly. Gray just didn’t know how to look at things from a long-term perspective.
—
That night, Chu Feng lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
In a bout of stubborn pride during the day, he’d eaten too much tiger meat. Now he was feeling hot and restless.
Beside him lay a beautiful person, yet he could do nothing. It was maddening.
Chu Feng closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. Eventually, he drifted off.
Half-asleep, Illya felt something heavy press down on him. He opened his eyes and saw Chu Feng.
Chu Feng was snuggling into him, even nibbling at his neck.
Illya looked at him, suspecting he might not have eaten enough at dinner. Sharing a bed naturally meant physical contact. At first, Illya would wake up easily, but over time he got used to it.
Now, looking at the man wrapped around him like an octopus, Illya sighed helplessly and pushed him away.
Chu Feng grumbled in his sleep, annoyed at being pushed.
Soon enough, he rolled back over and scooped Illya into his arms again. He began rubbing against Illya like a cat.
Illya felt a slow-burning heat rise inside and shoved him away once more.
But Chu Feng was persistent and kept returning.
Illya noticed Chu Feng’s strength had grown. It was getting harder to push him off. After a few tries, and with the alcohol fogging his head, Illya gave up and let it be.
Soon, he drifted off to sleep too.
Chu Feng, with a faint smile, fell into a steamy dream—one where he embraced a beautiful woman, touching her without restraint.
Half-asleep, Illya felt the weight on top of him increase.
He had drunk quite a bit of both the Hundred Fruit Brew and Mou Tai and was feeling groggy.
Chu Feng, though dazed, was vaguely aware of what he was doing—but he didn’t think too deeply about it, or perhaps didn’t want to.
Both of them, lost in a haze, didn’t notice that the lightning-shaped mark on Chu Feng’s arm had begun to glow faintly. At the same time, a similar mark appeared on Illya’s arm.
Maybe the dream felt too good, because Chu Feng didn’t want to wake up.
When he finally did wake, he was lying on the floor of his house, still holding someone in his arms.
He noticed his clothes were gone, and Illya was lying naked in his embrace, lips glistening, with kiss marks along his neck.
Chu Feng’s nose itched.
It dawned on him, belatedly, that the spring dream from the night before… might not have been just a dream.
When Chu Feng looked around the room, he was instantly stunned—this was clearly his villa!
Illya opened his eyes, glanced around, and the fog in his gaze quickly cleared. “This is… the other side of the sea?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yes.”
He glanced down at the lightning-shaped mark on his arm. It had changed somehow—slightly different from before.
Illya murmured as he looked around, “So this is what the other side of the sea looks like.”
Then, confused, he asked, “How did I get here?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “I don’t know.”
By all logic, he hadn’t even spent a full day over there yet—it was far too soon for him to be back. Could it be… because of last night in bed?
He quickly added, “Let’s get up first.”
Chu Feng blinked. Both of them were stark naked, in broad daylight. It was awkward, to say the least.
Illya nodded. Chu Feng’s eyes swept over his arm—and saw a lightning-shaped mark there, too.
“Your arm?”
Illya looked at the mark and said, “I have one too… Does that mean I can travel between worlds now?”
Chu Feng: “…”
Probably not… After all, he had only gotten the ability after being struck by lightning!
Illya looked around. “So this is what homes on the other side look like?”
Chu Feng nodded. After a pause, he asked, “Do you want to take a bath?”
Illya glanced at him. “How do you bathe here? I remember you saying something about ‘showers’?”
Back in Crescent Village, people bathed in rivers. Chu Feng had usually just rinsed off quickly with a cloth.
As Illya looked at him with those bright eyes, Chu Feng’s heart started pounding. The way Illya innocently asked about bathing was dangerously suggestive.
“I’ll show you to the bathroom.”
“Okay,” Illya agreed.
Chu Feng demonstrated how to use everything. When he turned on the showerhead, water streamed out. Illya leaned forward, trying to take a sip. Chu Feng quickly pulled him back. “That’s not drinking water—it’s for washing.”
Illya nodded. “It’s very clear, though.”
Chu Feng frowned. “Still, don’t drink it.”
He handed over the body wash and shampoo. “This is like your village’s soapnut, and this is for washing your hair.”
Illya nodded again. “Got it.”
Chu Feng also pointed out the bathtub. “If you want a soak, you can use this.”
“Okay.”
After explaining everything, Chu Feng said, “I’ll leave now. Call me if you need anything.”
“Sure,” Illya replied.
Chu Feng, feeling a bit sticky himself, went to the adjacent bathroom to shower. When he came out, Illya was still inside, so he peeked through the door.
Illya was soaking in the tub, surrounded by a sea of pink bubbles, splashing around like a child.
Chu Feng rubbed his temples. He’d bought that body wash by mistake—it was a trendy pink “bubble bath” designed for girls, selling for 588 yuan a bottle. He’d meant to bring it to the village but forgot. Illya must’ve found it.
Illya turned, saw him, and playfully blew a handful of pink bubbles in his direction. “This smells so good!”
Chu Feng forced a smile. “Glad you like it.”
He really is just a kid at heart, Chu Feng thought. So easily amused by bubbly bath soap.
“Don’t soak too long. I left a towel outside. When you’re done, I’ll take you out for food.”
Illya gave a little hum of acknowledgment.
Chu Feng waited outside for a while. Eventually, Illya came out wrapped in a towel. His smooth skin and well-toned figure radiated a quiet sensuality—made worse by the fact that he seemed totally unaware of it.
“Bathing here is so convenient! You can stand or lie down—it’s all possible.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Once the castle’s built, I’ll consider adding a water tower. Maybe we can make baths like this possible over there too.”
Illya looked skeptical. “You serious?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Worth a try.”
Illya smiled. “If that works, that’d be amazing.”
Wait?! Don’t gloss it over! Did they do it?!!!