บท 27: Merchant Caravan
Jiang Yao dragged the exhausted Luo Xiao toward the carriage that had been allocated for them.
As they went inside, Luo Xiao saw that it wasn’t the most luxurious nor the most shabby carriage.
It had a single bed with blankets and furs covering it as well as furs on the floor too.
Jiang Yao’s eyes lit up in approval, and he dragged Luo Xiao inside. “Don’t disturb us unless it’s absolutely necessary!” Jiang Yao said before he slammed the door in the faces of the curious onlookers.
As soon as the door was closed, Jiang Yao hoisted Luo Xiao up and tossed him on the bed with a loud crash. Those outside were startled and started eavesdropping on the conversation within the carriage, but were quickly disappointed.
After the loud crash, and a strange yelp, no other sounds escaped from the carriage.
“He must have put up a barrier,” someone whispered as they all stood outside the carriage curious about what was going on inside.
“What could they be doing that needs a barrier?” asked another, and suddenly, strange expressions appeared on many of their faces.
“Back to work!” The merchant caravan leader yelled, calling everyone back to their tasks. Soon after, the carriages started moving again. The driver of the carriage that Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao were in had his ears piqued so that he could hear what was going on within. But, to his dismay, it was completely quiet as if there were no people inside at all.
While everyone outside was curious about the relationship between the two handsome strangers, Jiang Yao had tossed Luo Xiao on the bed.
A yelp escaped his lips, and he looked confused at Jiang Yao who leaned down and took his boots off.
“Your feet are very sore aren’t they?”Jiang Yao asked gently, and although Luo Xiao was stubborn, he finally admitted it. He bit his lip slightly and nodded his head.
“Silly boy,” Jiang Yao said as he shook his head. He then took off his own shoes and laid down on the bed, dragging Luo Xiao close to him.
“We’ll rest in the carriage for a few hours,” Jiang Yao said. He grinned as he started tracing Luo Xiao’s waist with his hand.
“You should use this time to relax and regain your energy. Then we can explore the town when we get there.”
“You know what town it is?” Luo Xiao asked confused, and Jiang Yao grinned at him. “I looked at the map earlier so I know where the towns and cities are. I can deduce their path this way,” he said with a smile.
“Mhm,” Luo Xiao said as he nodded. He leaned his head on Jiang Yao’s chest. He still wasn’t used to traveling by foot, and it felt good to relax after moving as much as he had.
“So are you interested in the spiritual oranges?” Jiang Yao suddenly asked and Luo Xiao pondered for some time.
He was interested but he didn’t want to use Jiang Yao’s money so he struggled internally. In the end, he decided to say the truth to the older man.
“Silly boy,” Jiang Yao said with a laugh as he hugged him closer to himself. “I already told you that you can pay me back with a kiss,” he said jokingly, not daring to believe that Luo Xiao would actually initiate a kiss with him.
“Why would you want a kiss from me?” Luo Xiao asked in a low voice, trying to calm himself. He wouldn’t allow himself to feel or believe that he was special, but the fact that he wanted a kiss made him happy.
“When I kissed you before I realized that I was getting energy from you as if I were eating a spiritual fruit. It was very sweet, delicious, and it nourished me. Of course, I want more of that,” Jiang Yao said. He didn’t lie. He had indeed felt filled with energy when he kissed Luo Xiao before, and he did find it sweet and delicious.
“Is it because I have an astral soul?” Luo Xiao asked, bewildered. He couldn’t find a reason for why he was special.
“I don’t think it’s because of your soul,” Jiang Yao said, “I’m not consuming your soul, I’m just kissing you.”
Luo Xiao felt confused, but he was also happy that his kiss caused him to get energy. That was why he had kissed him multiple times.
If a kiss gave him energy, wasn’t it the right thing to do to kiss him? Luo Xiao was unsure.
He felt that the more he was with Jiang Yao, the more he fell down the rabbit hole unable to climb up again and even less capable of ever managing without the older male.
Jiang Yao saw that Luo Xiao was seriously considering what he had said, his mood perked. Could it be that Luo Xiao wanted him to feel better? He really hoped so.
Luo Xiao hesitated. He placed his arms on the sturdy chest beneath him and propped himself up so that he could look at Jiang Yao’s face.
“Will you get me a spiritual orange for a kiss?” he asked timidly, not daring to admit that he was using the spiritual fruit as an excuse.
“I’ll get you as many as you want,” Jiang Yao said with a smile fluttering on his lips.
Luo Xiao nodded his head and leaned forward. He would never truly admit that he wanted to kiss him, convincing himself that it was merely a transaction.
If he admitted this, Jiang Yao would ask him why he cared about him and the result would be disastrous, so he decided to request a spiritual fruit.
Luo Xiao was extremely pure and innocent. He’d never had much interaction with other people, let alone experienced love before he met Jiang Yao, so he actually didn’t know how to kiss someone.
He lightly pressed his lips against Jiang Yao’s and when he was about to withdraw, he suddenly felt the arms around his waist tighten and hold him in place.
The kiss deepened and soon he felt a tongue lick his lips trying to pry them open.
Luo Xiao panicked. He had no idea what was expected of him, and he had never experienced something like this before.
Electricity shot through his body where he was connected with Jiang Yao, and he felt how his lips turned tingly where Jiang Yao’s tongue had licked them.
Feeling this, he turned to stone with his eyes wide, he didn’t know what to do or how to react.
Jiang Yao laughed when he saw his expression and shook his head. Perhaps he had been too impatient, but the kiss had left him wanting more.
“Open your mouth,” Jiang Yao said gently, and Luo Xiao, whose brain had turned to mush, did as he was told.
Their kiss deepened and the two tongues intertwined. Luo Xiao felt his entire body grow weak again, but this time it was a much more pleasant feeling than ever before.
A whimper escaped his lips and Jiang Yao deepened the kiss until he felt that Luo Xiao could no longer handle it.
When their lips parted, Luo Xiao was gasping for air. His cheeks were so red that it looked as if blood would drip from them and there were tears in the corner of his eyes.
Jiang Yao quickly kissed away the tears and looked gently at the young man in his arms whose soul seemed to have left him.
He lay still, his head resting on Jiang Yao’s chest and his eyes half-closed as he gasped for air.
Jiang Yao felt amazing. This was the best he had ever felt, and he gently rubbed Luo Xiao’s back to help him calm down again.
After a bit of time, Luo Xiao seemed to regain his soul. He looked at Jiang Yao with big eyes, and felt so secure but also embarrassed so he lowered his head and pretended to fall asleep.
Seeing his behavior, a chuckle rumbled in Jiang Yao’s chest. Luo Xiao felt it against his cheek causing him to flush an even deeper shade of red, but he said nothing and shortly after, fell asleep.
Luo Xiao woke up to someone gently caressing his hair and he noticed that the carriage they were in had come to a standstill. Sensing this, he jumped up from the embrace.
“Are we in a town?” he asked curiously, and Jiang Yao smiled as he nodded his head.
“Let’s see if they sell spiritual oranges here,” Jiang Yao said with a wide smile on his face. The mere mention of spiritual oranges made Luo Xiao beyond embarrassed, but he quickly forgot about it as they straightened their clothes and put on their shoes.
After getting ready, the two men exited the carriage and found that they were in the center of some small town.
The town was bigger than Jinwei Village but smaller than the cities they had previously been in.
Looking around, he saw that there was a bookstore and various restaurants. “Why don’t we go have a look?” Jiang Yao asked when he saw Luo Xiao glance at the shops.
He reached out his hand and grasped Luo Xiao’s in his. The many experts from the caravan were bored so their eyes had been glued to Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao.
These two people were newcomers in their caravan and many were curious about them. Seeing them hold hands caused many to look surprised and slightly disturbed, but no one dared say anything.
The Qi cultivators were incapable of sensing Jiang Yao’s cultivation base so they knew he was far above them and enraging such an expert was just digging one's own grave.
Luo Xiao was the eager one this time. He didn’t notice the many glances that were sent their way, instead, he was eager to hurry and check out the bookstore. For this reason, he didn’t even find it strange that they were holding hands.
In the bookstore, Luo Xiao looked at the many books with large eyes filled with wonder.
He had never before seen a bookstore. Seeing so many books in one place was enough to bring a smile to his face. Seeing Luo Xiao’s happy expression, Jiang Yao also turned very happy.
“See any books you like?” Jiang Yao asked gently and Luo Xiao realized that he had just been staring for quite a while.
“If you want a book the price is the same as the spiritual oranges,” Jiang Yao said with a smirk on his face, “you can just pay me back later.”
Luo Xiao blushed furiously. But after looking at the books with great interest, he hesitatingly nodded his head. There was one book he really wanted.
When Luo Xiao picked the book Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow in surprise.
The book was called ‘Demons: an introduction to the noble race’, and Jiang Yao didn’t even have to guess why he was interested in this book.
His heart turned soft and he smiled, but he still wanted his reward.
After being in the bookstore the two headed towards a pharmacy that sold spiritual fruits and magical herbs. He hadn’t forgotten that he had promised to buy him spiritual oranges.
Luo Xiao was filled with wonder as he saw them. These oranges were smaller than normal oranges but they had a sweet scent, and he was very tempted to try and eat them right away.
Jiang Yao bought ten of them, an extravagant amount, but he saw how Luo Xiao seemed to like them and when he thought of his payment, he decided to spoil the younger man.
After getting the fruit, Luo Xiao rushed back to the carriage where he looked at Jiang Yao with big eyes. He wanted to taste the fruits as soon as possible.
Chuckling, Jiang Yao handed them over and a sweet smile appeared on Luo Xiao’s face.
ของขวัญ
-- ได้รับของขวัญแล้ว สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง