Park Su didn't understand why Xu Nuo suddenly hugged him. Initially, he felt a bit stifled, then his face turned red. He gently pushed Xu Nuo's shoulder and asked, "Xu Nuo, are you okay? Did you get hurt at the resort? Are you feeling unwell?"
Xu Nuo, inhaling the faint scent of soap from Park Su, sighed and said, "We've been together the whole time. Did you see me get hurt? I just felt like hugging you. I..."
I think I might like you, in a romantic way. Xu Nuo couldn't bring himself to say the last part.
He thought Park Su followed him partly because of his strength and partly because he had no ulterior motives. After all, no man likes being coveted by another man.
Xu Nuo was unsure if his feelings were genuine affection or just desire. This was the first time he felt so strongly about someone, and it was new to him.
One thing was clear: he didn't want Park Su to leave. The fear of losing him made Xu Nuo more cautious in his actions. If he lost Park Su due to his own carelessness, he would regret it forever.
Park Su, waiting for Xu Nuo to continue, asked, "You what?"
Xu Nuo sighed, releasing Park Su from his embrace. "Nothing. Get some rest. And about my experience in the illusion, I advise you not to ask the hallucinogenic dandelion."
Feeling awkward that Xu Nuo had noticed his intentions, Park Su smiled and tried to cover it up, "I wasn't planning to ask about your illusion. I just wanted to understand its abilities."
Xu Nuo didn't comment on his excuse, instead taking Park Su's hand and placing the non-attribute energy stone in his palm. "Keep this for now. Tonight, come to my room, and we'll start using it for cultivation."
Park Su felt a bit embarrassed by the invitation but steadied himself and asked, "If we're going to cultivate in your room, wouldn't it be more convenient to keep it with you? Why give it to me?"
Xu Nuo, smiling, replied, "Because it's safer with you. You're the caretaker now. It's like a husband earning things and entrusting them to his wife for safekeeping."
Park Su felt a mix of embarrassment and a small, sweet joy at being compared to a couple. He pocketed the stone, blushing, and said, "Alright, I'll come by tonight. But did you come just to see the energy stone, or is there something else?"
Xu Nuo, with a teasing smile, said, "What else? Did you think I came just to see you?"
Feeling the conversation taking a strange turn, Park Su awkwardly smiled and said, "I understand," before closing the door.
Xu Nuo, standing outside the closed door, said nothing more and turned to leave.
Inside, Park Su sat beside the hallucinogenic dandelion, pondering. Since returning from the resort, Xu Nuo had been acting a bit strange.
Unable to hold back, Park Su asked, "What kind of illusion did you create for Xu Nuo that made him change so much towards me?"
The hallucinogenic dandelion looked puzzled. "The content of the illusion is based on your own experiences and hidden desires or fears. I can only guide it; I can't know the exact details.
But I do know that you were likely in the illusion. However, the dandelion seeds I sent to create the illusion all died, so I didn't receive any specific information. Asking me is pointless."
Park Su, skeptical, asked, "If you didn't receive any information, how do you know I was in his illusion?"
The dandelion explained, "When you two entered my territory, I sensed a greater threat from Xu Nuo, so I sent three times as many dandelion seeds to him as to you.
Initially, the illusions had little effect on him, and he easily overcame each one. By the fourth illusion, a seed found your image in his memory and transformed into you to seduce him.
Surprisingly, it worked well, and he got slightly injured. The seed managed to send me this information before it died. Since it hurt Xu Nuo, I thought you might be his weakness, so I used your image in subsequent illusions.
However, the later illusions were less effective, possibly because he realized the illusionary you was fake. As a result, the seeds couldn't send me any more information. I don't know what happened, but his progress slowed significantly. You saw the outcome."
Park Su couldn't focus on anything else after hearing that the illusion had used his image to seduce Xu Nuo. Even though he knew it wasn't really him, the thought of someone using his likeness for such a purpose made him blush.
What surprised him more was that Xu Nuo struggled with the illusions, likely because he had never seen such a shameless version of Park Su. No wonder Xu Nuo's behavior had been strange lately.
Park Su felt embarrassed, realizing Xu Nuo might be testing if he had feelings for him. He sighed deeply, feeling like his crush was ending before it even began. The thought of going to Xu Nuo's room for cultivation tonight made him even more anxious.
Curiosity really did kill the cat.
Park Su was rolling around in his room, wrestling with his thoughts for about two hours, until he finally received the promised call asking why he hadn't come over yet.
He had to comfort himself, pretending not to know, calming his nerves, and adjusting his clothes.
Then, carrying the non-attribute energy stone, he went to Xu Nuo's room. To his surprise, the door was not locked but ajar.
Out of courtesy, Park Su asked, "Is it convenient for me to come in now?"
Xu Nuo's calm and casual voice came from inside, "The door isn't closed, just come in."
Park Su took a deep breath and pushed the door open, but the scene inside made all his preparations evaporate instantly. Xu Nuo had evidently just finished a shower; his medium-length short hair was plastered to his forehead, droplets of water running down his temples and jaw, then down his neck, onto his bare chest. The scene was incredibly s*xy.
Yes, Xu Nuo was shirtless, his bronze skin accentuating the muscular contours of his male charm.
Just looking at him made Park Su's mouth water. As they say, beauty is a distraction, and that was spot on. All the words Park Su wanted to say to Xu Nuo were forgotten in an instant, his eyes fixed only on Xu Nuo's stunning face and perfect physique.
This was truly the epitome of looking lean in clothes but muscular out of them! Just looking was enough to get someone excited!
Faced with such a sight, which was particularly enticing for Park Su, who was gay and had developed a bit of a crush on Xu Nuo, he couldn't help but stare.
Xu Nuo observed Park Su's dazed look without pointing it out. After about ten seconds, he lowered his voice and asked, "Seen enough? If so, come over here."
Snapped back to reality by Xu Nuo's words, Park Su's face, already flushed, turned even redder. He awkwardly smiled and walked over, "Well, seeing you like this, I'm not used to it."
It was too domestic, too s*xy. He had just decided to end his secret admiration, but now he felt he was falling deeper into it. What should he do?
Xu Nuo didn't make things difficult for him and simply said, "We're both men, I've got what you've got, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Come sit, let's cultivate together."
He patted the spot beside him on the bed where he was sitting, making it look like an invitation to sleep together, which made Park Su's heart beat faster. He quickly reminded himself that there was no other meaning behind it and not to overthink.
However, his feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move. Seeing Park Su standing there, Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn't think my bed is dirty, would you? I didn't know you had such cleanliness issues."
Faced with Xu Nuo's playful accusation, Park Su had no choice but to walk over and sit where Xu Nuo indicated, though he didn't dare glance towards Xu Nuo's lap, "No, no, I was just worried it might be inconvenient for you."
There was clearly a stool right there, so why did they have to sit on the bed? It felt really strange. Are you really not trying to seduce me, Xu Nuo?
Unfortunately, these thoughts were only something Park Su dared to think in his heart; he didn't have the courage to say them out loud. His demeanor, akin to that of a bashful bride, actually amused Xu Nuo.
However, Xu Nuo intentionally didn't expose him. He admitted that his actions did indeed carry a hint of seduction. Once he started on this path, he wouldn't stop so easily.
Although he wasn't sure if Park Su was gay or if he could accept being with a man, he was certain of one thing: if there had to be someone by Park Su's side, he hoped it would be himself.