Yusu is worried that if Luyan continues to rub, her hair will be pulled out, so she quickly untwists her head.
"What are you thinking? If you rub again, I'll be bald."
"Does it hurt?"
The soft strands of hair separate from Luyan's fingertips. After hearing Yusu's complaint, Luyan regains his senses and reluctantly rubs his fingertips.
"Not painful, but it's fragile and prone to balding," Yusu cherishes.
Luyan smiles. In fact, Yusu's hair is not fragile at all, just like Yusu, soft yet resilient, pleasant to touch.
And very soft-hearted. A little pampering can make Yusu happy, and he will let down his guard again, just like now, as if opening his soft belly for a white fox to touch, beautiful and obedient, without any aggressiveness, making people want to put it in their mouth.
"Why are you laughing?" Yusu sees him laughing, thinking he's laughing at her hair. "Were you intentionally pulling my hair just now?"
Luyan naturally denies it, and Yusu thinks he shouldn't be that childish, so she doesn't pursue it.
Late at night, Luyan leaves Yusu's room and goes back to his own room to sleep.
Watching him leave, Yusu asks the all-encompassing elf thoughtfully, "Xiao Quanzi, have you noticed that Luyan seems different lately?"
The all-encompassing elf, preoccupied with scanning for gossip, replies indifferently: [Really? Hasn't he always been the same?]
Yusu frowns slightly, wondering if he's mistaken. Since the last awkward incident with Luyan, he feels Luyan is not as clingy. When they're together, there are no more excuses to touch him, and Luyan willingly leaves at night without being prompted.
[This proves he's grown up, not as clingy. Isn't that good?] The all-encompassing elf reasons, but Yusu still feels something is off.
On the other hand, after returning to his room, Luyan doesn't light the lamp. With his foundational cultivation, he can see clearly at night. He sits on the edge of the bed, lifting his hand, recalling the sensation of his hand through Yusu's soft hair. A restlessness stirs within him as he realizes the changes in his body.
Feeling the changes, Luyan's breathing subtly shifts. Quietly, he leaves the room and disappears into the night.
...
Though it's late, most lights in the village are extinguished. However, the forest behind Yucun is not quiet; it's restless. Faint breaths and even louder passionate voices can be heard.
Luyan, discovering changes in his body, decides to find a quiet place to address his needs. Unexpectedly, entering the forest, he hears various sounds. The villagers, busy all day, seem to have abundant energy for nighttime rendezvous in the forest.
He realizes his body reacts strongly to these sounds, and his thoughts involuntarily turn to Yusu. As his imagination becomes more vivid, he suddenly understands something.
The impulses he felt over the years now make sense. His eyes glow ominously in the dark forest.
After a while, he doesn't venture deeper into the forest. Instead, he turns and heads in a quieter direction, disappearing from sight.
...
Next, Yucun continues its busy harvest season. Luyan works hard from dawn till dusk, returning only after dark. By then, Yusu has finished washing up and is cooling off inside.
Yusu has set up cooling arrays in all four rooms of the house. Entering, one feels waves of coolness—a welcome relief in the hot weather.
Jian Yunchuan and Yuzhou enjoy it immensely. As soon as it gets dark, they retreat to their rooms to cool off, especially Jian Yunchuan. After a busy day, he eats dinner, takes a shower, and goes to bed. It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep soundly.
With limited entertainment at night, those not wandering in the forest go to bed early.
Luyan glances at Yusu's door, then takes a shower before returning, holding a small clay jar.
"Let me massage your wrist."
"No need, my hand isn't really sore."
Seeing the jar in Luyan's hand—containing a blood-activating and stasis-removing medicine Yusu prepared—he wonders if he's been too neglectful of his hand.
Maintaining a reciprocal mindset, Yusu offers, "You've been busy all day; want me to massage you?"
Luyan pauses, a glint passing through his lowered eyes. He replies, "No need."
Surprised by this unusual response from Luyan, Yusu immediately expresses his concerns to the all-encompassing elf. "Xiao Quanzi, something's really wrong with Luyan."
The all-encompassing elf says nonchalantly, "Nothing's wrong. It's normal for him to not need muscle relaxation. Maybe he genuinely doesn't need it."
"His reaction was different before," Yusu insists.
The all-encompassing elf concludes, "He's matured and become more stable. Isn't that to your liking?"
He thought, perhaps he was just not accustomed to the changes in Luyan for a moment, always feeling that something was off about Luyan.
All-encompassing Elf: [This is the mindset of a parent. When the child doesn't want to grow up, you worry. When the child grows up and becomes distant from parents, you still worry.]
Yusu: "..."
Is Luyan even older than him?
All-encompassing Elf: [This mindset has nothing to do with age. In the last days, there are many fans who are much younger than the stars they admire, some even in their teens. Those fans still consider themselves as the star's parent fans.]
Yusu is left speechless by the example given by the all-encompassing Elf.
Indeed, he might really have a bit of a parental mindset towards Luyan.
Luyan is unaware that he has unconsciously become Yusu's "baby." He holds Yusu's wrist, skillfully massaging it. At first, he can concentrate and not think about anything else, but as he continues, his thoughts change. Uncontrollably, he recalls the scenes he thought about every night in the forest recently.
The palm of his hand becomes warm, as if he's holding a treasure that makes his entire body boil.
Sensing Luyan's unusually warm palm, Yusu couldn't help but look over.
"What's wrong? Why is your palm suddenly so hot?"
Yusu's first thought was that Luyan was circulating spiritual energy to clear his meridians for him. However, upon checking, he didn't feel Luyan's spiritual energy, leaving him puzzled.
At that moment, Luyan released Yusu's hand, stood up, and said, "Alright, I'll put the medicine jar back in the alchemy room. Get some rest."
After saying this, he left, leaving his back to Yusu.
Yusu opened his mouth and said to the all-encompassing Elf, "Xiao Quanzi, my big 'son' not only has grown up but also seems a bit rebellious. He didn't answer my questions and just left."