After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

The two walked along the long street for about half an hour, asking at no fewer than seven or eight inns, but all of them were fully booked.

Lin Zhixu sensed something was wrong. It wasn't a holiday or festival, and even if Nanling City was prosperous, every inn wouldn't be fully booked.

He carefully observed the pedestrians on the street and found that many of them were walking in a hurry, with swords at their waists and wearing Taoist robes and monastic garments of various styles, clearly indicating that they were independent cultivators from all over the country.

With so many people suddenly flooding into Nanling, something big must be about to happen.

The two finally found an inn with vacancies, but they were too late and were told that there was only one room left.

Li Erniu turned to look at Lin Zhixu, a troubled expression on his face. "What are we going to do? There's only one room left. Looks like we'll just have to make do with squeezing in tonight."

Lin Zhixu looked at his face, which was grinning so wide that his mouth almost reached his ears, and laughed in anger.

That damn man, he's clearly overjoyed inside, but he's acting all innocent while actually getting the better deal.

However, Lin Zhixu was indeed curious about what had happened in Nanling that had attracted so many people; they couldn't just stay any longer.

I had no choice but to pay the money and get the token, and then the waiter led me up to the attic.

Pushing open the door, the room wasn't large, but it was clean.

The window facing the street was half open, and you could see pedestrians coming and going on the long street below.

There was a four-poster bed against the wall on the inside, with the bedding neatly folded.

Li Erniu stood in front of the bed, suddenly adopting a hesitant expression. He glanced at Lin Zhixu with a shifty look and said in a slightly affected shy tone, "Should you wash first or should I? I tend to toss and turn in my sleep, so I can sleep on the inside and avoid pushing you off in the middle of the night."

Lin Zhixu's lips twitched: "Dream on, you can sleep on the floor."

The embarrassment on Li Erniu's face instantly vanished. "I'm just a weakling..."

Lin Zhixu raised his fist and looked at him threateningly.

Li Erniu immediately shut up obediently.

Having failed to gain any advantage, Li Erniu dawdled as he went to take a bath.

Lin Zhixu sat by the window, watching the bustling street outside, his mind wandering.

He felt a sense of familiarity with the name Nanling, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

However, there must be a reason why so many rogue cultivators suddenly flooded in.

I'll go find out tomorrow. If it's not too dangerous, I might as well go and join the fun.

His trip down the mountain was for training and to broaden his horizons, which was a good thing.

Just then, Li Erniu came out after taking a bath, bringing with him a wave of warm steam.

His undergarment was loosely draped over his shoulders, the collar wide open, and water droplets slid down his collarbone, disappearing deep into the fabric.

Her long, half-wet hair draped over her shoulders, with a few stray strands clinging to her face, making her already deep-set eyes appear even more languid and alluring.

Although his appearance has changed, he was cunning before he transformed, deliberately creating a very handsome face. Although not as good-looking as the original, it is still attractive enough.

Lin Zhixu looked up, his gaze lingered on him for a moment, and then he subtly looked away.

It has to be said, this guy may be flashy, but he's got real good looks. This sudden move was quite impactful.

Li Erniu proudly puffed out his strong chest, stretching his already precarious undergarment even further, his tone brimming with undisguised smugness: "I'm done washing, do you want to go wash?"

Lin Zhixu picked up the cold tea on the table and took a sip: "No need, I'll just use a magic spell."

Li Erniu looked utterly disappointed.

It seems we won't be able to see any pictures of beauties emerging from the bath.

Li Erniu's eyes darted around, and while Lin Zhixu turned to put away the teacups, he quietly moved half a step towards the bedside.

Just as he was about to lift his leg to climb up, he was grabbed precisely by the back of his collar.

Lin Zhixu grabbed his neck with one hand and pulled him off the edge of the bed.

"There's a mattress in the closet, go and sleep on the floor."

Li Erniu slumped his shoulders in dejection.

He thought that after his earlier banter, Lin Zhixu would have forgotten about it.

Reluctantly, he took out a mattress and a thin quilt from the cupboard and spread them on the floor, glancing at Lin Zhixu out of the corner of his eye as he did so.

Lin Zhixu ignored him. Seeing that it was getting late, he reached out and untied the belt of his coat, preparing to go to bed.

As he took off his clothes, a jade pendant slipped out from under his outer garment and fell to the ground with a soft sound.

Li Erniu's gaze was immediately drawn to the jade pendant.

The dark jade surface was engraved with intricate runes; it was the very one he had given to Lin Zhixu for self-defense.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

On the surface, she seemed to dislike him, but secretly she wore the things he gave her close to her body.

He was just saying one thing and meaning another.

He picked up the jade pendant, stroked its surface a couple of times, and felt incredibly happy.

However, it's not his style to not act a little cheeky.

He held the jade pendant in his palm and presented it to Lin Zhixu, feigning surprise, "Master Lin, this jade pendant of yours is quite beautiful. But why is it black jade? It's pitch black, not like your style. Who gave it to you?"

Lin Zhixu reached out to take it, but he deliberately pulled back half an inch, his smile widening as he asked in a teasing tone, "It wasn't sent by your sweetheart, was it?"

"Oh no, we're sharing a room tonight. What if your sweetheart finds out? Won't she be angry?"

Lin Zhixu's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

He looked at Li Erniu's face, which was beaming with joy, and fell into deep thought.

After a moment of silence, he looked at Li Erniu with pity, as if he were looking at a lunatic, then snatched the jade pendant back and stuffed it under his pillow.

"Listen to me, it's getting late, go to sleep, we have things to do tomorrow."

Li Erniu: "..."

Did he think he was an idiot just now with that look in his eyes?

Lin Zhixu had just closed his eyes when the system's voice rang in his mind: [Host, does that Li Erniu have feelings for you?]

Lin Zhixu: [...]

The system, already in a panic, exclaimed: "Don't let his good looks fool you! That face of his is obviously deceiving!"

Lin Zhixu: [You're overthinking it.]

System: [I wasn't overthinking it! The way he looked at you wasn't innocent at all! He just wanted to...]

Fearing it might utter something inappropriate, Lin Zhixu interrupted it: "Good boy, your little brain can't understand human matters yet. Go to sleep."

The system was about to repeat itself when Lin Zhixu unilaterally severed the mental connection. His mind returned to silence.

Lin Zhixu didn't want to sleep, but drowsiness came faster than expected.

Perhaps he was truly exhausted from days of traveling, perhaps the faint, cool fragrance emanating from the person beside him made him feel safe, or perhaps he simply didn't want to think anymore.

In short, his consciousness quickly faded, and his breathing gradually became long and steady.

In the darkness, the person lying on the floor slowly opened their eyes.

Li Erniu glanced at the quiet profile on the four-poster bed, waited a few moments, and only after confirming that Lin Zhixu was indeed fast asleep did he silently turn over and sit up.

Then the system saw a familiar yet unsettling behavior.

Li Erniu effortlessly lifted the covers, got into bed, and pulled Lin Zhixu, blanket and all, into his arms. He rested his chin on the top of Lin Zhixu's head and sighed contentedly.

system:【!!!】

Why do men always want to climb into their host's bed?