Inside the dim tent, Yaxiu slowly sat up in bed. Even though no one could see him, he still buried his face in his hands, utterly embarrassed and dying of mortification, wishing he could travel back one minute in time to give his shameful self a thorough beating.
What was I doing?! How could I dare do that?! Has my brain really been turned to mush by white liquid?
Although Yaxiu knew he was already so promiscuous that he was like a lover who had crawled out of a trash can, he still held onto a tiny moral baseline he took pride in: all of his intimate actions were built upon mutual affection, and he had never once committed an inappropriate advance.
Yet what had he just done? Thinking Dead Frenzy was lonely, he had kissed her cheek out of gratitude? It was downright awkward and hooliganish—so humiliating! Dead Frenzy was surely sneering at him right now for making a fool of himself, thinking he was the absolute worst Yaxiu ever!
Though part of it was that the atmosphere had built up to that point, Yaxiu was certain he had never been the kind of person to flirt proactively before. The realization gave him a sudden jolt. Without him noticing, his behavioral habits seemed to have undergone an imperceptible shift. What on earth was influencing his personality—
"Mmh..." Beside him, the Witch let out a soft, sweet whimper through her nose, naturally swinging a leg over to drape across Yaxiu. Yaxiu glanced at the four operators sharing the bed and felt he had probably found the culprit.
Naturally, he wasn't as outrageous as Dead Frenzy made him out to be. Most of the time, he still slept alone. Sharing a bed like this was a very rare occasion—usually occurring when Sword Princess monopolized first place in daily progress for days on end, refusing to share even a shred of benefits with the Witch and the others. To slightly ease the growing tension between the "rich and poor" on the team, Yaxiu would suggest playing games together at night and going straight to sleep once everyone was tired. Lately, however, the nights everyone wanted to play games were becoming more and more frequent, and sharing a bed felt like it was on the verge of evolving from once a week to three times a week.
Since everyone was still asleep, Yaxiu intended to get some sleep to restore his spirits. But as he glanced at Sonia sleeping on her side beside him, his attention was immediately drawn away.
Yaxiu slowly lay back down, propping up his chin to gaze at Sword Princess's sleeping face. Looking at her eyebrows, her lips, her nose, he felt he didn't even need sleep; merely gazing quietly at her was enough to soothe his soul.
As if sensing his gaze, Sonia slowly opened her eyes, her ruby eyes fluttering as they met her lover's gaze.
Yaxiu blinked, asking with his eyes whether he had woken her. Sonia shook her head and spread her arms slightly, making a gesture asking for a hug.
To avoid waking the others, Yaxiu very slowly reached beneath the covers and wrapped an arm around Sonia's waist. Wearing only a gauzy nightgown, her supple, pillowy fullness pressed against Yaxiu's chest, her breathtaking curves clinging tightly to his contours. Although Yaxiu inevitably stirred with desire, he felt, more than anything, a heartfelt sense of peace.
The two embraced quietly for a while before Sonia whispered in a faint, hushed voice, "Welcome back."
Yaxiu startled slightly. "You knew?"
"You suddenly suggested playing games tonight and spent the whole evening absentminded. On top of that, your curse healed yesterday. Everyone knew you were heading into Hell," Sonia smiled. "We just didn't say it out loud."
"I just didn't want you all worrying out here while I was taking risks in Hell," Yaxiu explained. "It was better to come back safely and bring you good news directly."
"So how was tonight's harvest?"
"Not bad."
"Any danger?"
"None."
Sonia didn't press further, because Yaxiu was already kissing her. Lips clashed softly back and forth, tongues entwining in intimate warmth. Just as the heat beneath the covers began to rise, Yaxiu suddenly remembered something and asked softly, "While I was in Hell, did you call out to me?"
"Huh?" Sonia looked completely bewildered. "No, I've been sleeping the whole time. Why?"
"Nothing."
Yaxiu felt somewhat puzzled. He had assumed that when he was sinking into the divine realm, Sonia had coordinated spiritually with him from the outside, calling his name in the nick of time and allowing him to break free of the divine realm's pull. But now Sonia said she hadn't. Who on earth had called him awake, then?
Could his immense will to live have conjured an auditory hallucination of Sonia?
While Yaxiu was pondering, Sonia pinched his cheek—her usual habit whenever she was displeased with him. "You definitely ran into deadly danger in Hell."
"How did you know?"
"Because only after a close brush with death do your eyes look at me like I'm your whole world, shining with light as though it was my blessing that kept you alive."
"Don't my eyes shine when I look at you normally?"
"They do, but only a quarter as much—not a single speck more." Sonia made no attempt to hide her jealousy. "Without going through life-and-death trials, you never even know who you like best. Once things settle down, you revert right back to form and refuse to give up any of us. In my opinion, a little loudmouth like you just has too much free time on his hands; you should have your life hanging by a thread every single day so you wouldn't have the energy to love anyone else."
Sonia grunted like a little piglet in Yaxiu's arms. Yaxiu stroked her hair, kissing her forehead, the corners of her eyes, and her cheeks, his fingers caressing softness and stirring up passions, steadily raising Sword Princess's body temperature.
The red-haired girl gently bit her lower lip. "All you know how to do is butter me up..."
"Of course I have to butter you up. Your Sword Body Cage wonder played a huge part, after all," Yaxiu chuckled softly. "And I'm still counting on your help going forward—like making sure you appear before me the very second I return from Hell each time. Only when I see you can I be certain I've truly left Hell."
Sonia looked at him, pouting slightly. The captivating mix of charm and affectionate resentment in her brow was breathtaking, her tender gaze tugging at Yaxiu's heart even more powerfully than the divine realm ever could.
"Good." She wrapped her arms around Yaxiu's neck. "I can't go down into Hell with you, so you have to take good care of yourself."
Yaxiu felt his heart melting like ice cream. He hugged Sword Princess tightly, as if wishing he could meld the girl into his very body, and whispered in her ear, "Something unexpected really did happen in Hell this time; I nearly didn't make it back. After narrowly escaping death, do you know what was going through my mind?"
"Thinking of me?" Sonia blinked.
"Even more specific than that," Yaxiu said. "I wanted to book a hotel room, hang a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, and stay inside with you for a month without taking a single step outside."
"Shameless."
Yaxiu nodded in heartfelt agreement. "I think so too. The thought just popped into my head out of nowhere. It must be the brush with death affecting my brain; I'm usually not that kind of person."
"Excuses." Sonia hummed with a soft scoff, a tender peach-pink blush spreading across her cheeks. Bravely meeting Yaxiu's gaze, she gently bit her lower lip and murmured, "Still, since you like the idea... we can make that a tentative part of our honeymoon."
With those words from Sonia, Yaxiu felt that even if he faced the divine realm again, he would never be dragged in.
"Oh? Did I hear a scandalous couple having a secret rendezvous behind our backs?"
The Witch's voice piped up quietly from behind Yaxiu. She sat up in bed, looking at the two embracing each other with a beaming smile.
"Is the rule we managed to uphold for two whole months finally going to be broken again? Sword Princess, are you picking a fight again?" Weise turned on the light, looking at Yaxiu and Sonia expressionlessly. Her imposing, righteous demeanor made the shameless pair flush with guilt.
"At least pick a different place, or hold it in until tomorrow morning! Did you really have to push your luck right under everyone's noses?" Vichy threw her hands up, sighing incessantly. "This is why I say you love-struck fools are really something else..."
"According to the rules, violators face severe punishment." Diya pulled threads taut between her hands, the corners of her mouth curving slightly into an eager smile. "Yaxiu, step outside. It's time for our girls' internal discipline session next; it's not really appropriate for you to watch."
Yaxiu knew that expression on the Witch all too well; she smiled like that every time she tormented an enemy.
Sword Princess seemed to recall the punishment they had established. Her face alternated between flushed red and pale white, and she instinctively shrank back into Yaxiu's embrace.
"Wait!" Yaxiu hurriedly shielded Sonia. "This time is different! I just got back from Hell and couldn't resist celebrating with Sword Princess! Sword Princess is innocent—if you want to come at someone, come at me!"
The three women exchanged glances. Silver Lantern slowly spoke up, "We don't have to punish Sword Princess, but..."
"But what?" Yaxiu had a bad feeling. Holding Sword Princess, he tried to shrink into the corner, but his back bumped against a soft soul body. Turning his head, he found the maid blocking him from behind.
Weise pinned Sonia down, Vichy slid her arms under Yaxiu's armpits to lock his arms, and Diya rested a hand on his thigh, leaning over him with a mischievous grin. "Since you called it a celebration, let's all celebrate together. No taking it back, okay?"
"Up next... it's celebration time!"
Chapter 1153