After Transmigrating Into the Book, I Picked up the Protagonist-Shou

The young boy sat up, feeling a resistance tugging at the corner of his clothes.

In his sleep, Xie Shuci tightly grasped onto his clothes, sensing the boy’s movement as if he was about to leave. Anxious, he furrowed his brow and tightened his grip on the fabric.

Xie An lowered his gaze, his empty eyes fixated on Xie Shuci’s face.

Xie Shuci didn’t sleep soundly; his posture was uncomfortable, and he even had a nightmare.

The redness from his recent crying hadn’t completely faded from the corners of his eyes and nose. His slightly damp ink-black hair fell loosely on his face, like bold strokes of dark ink on white paper, accentuating his features.

Xie Shuci tilted his head in the crook of his arm, and on the skin connecting his neck and collarbone, there were still faint red marks left by rubbing against Xie An’s body. It appeared both fragile and ambiguous.

Xie An’s breathing grew heavy. He enveloped Xie Shuci’s hand, clinging to the corner of his clothes. He delicately untangled his warm fingers, each one carefully and forcibly separated, with a touch that concealed a barely noticeable caution.

Whoever stirs desire naturally bears responsibility.

In Xie An’s past, there had never been a need for restraint.

Xie An held Xie Shuci’s right hand, lifted the blanket, and placed that hand on himself.

Xie Shuci’s empty palm was filled with a warm object,[1] causing him to instinctively clench his fingers.

Xie An’s body tensed, his face showing an expression that was difficult to determine whether it was pleasure or pain.

He brought his hand to Xie Shuci’s lips, and the gentle breath from his nose wafted onto his fingertips. He lightly brushed Xie Shuci’s slightly parted lips with his fingertip, but there was no reaction from Xie Shuci.

Suddenly, he rubbed Xie Shuci’s lips vigorously.

Xie Shuci’s breathing became erratic; he wrinkled his nose and tightly clenched his palm which held a certain warm object.

“Smack!”

Xie An’s face turned pale, and he slapped Xie Shuci’s hand back heavily.

Xie Shuci flinched in pain, pursed his lips, and pulled his hand back in grievance.

Xie Shuci always slept deeply and couldn’t distinguish between reality and dreams. He probably thought he was still dreaming, as he let out a sob, but he didn’t wake up.

Xie An let out a sigh of relief and grabbed Xie Shuci’s retreated hand.

His skin was exceptionally fair, easily leaving marks upon touch. After enduring a hard slap, his hand immediately turned red.

Xie An gently rubbed the mark on the back of his hand with his thumb, causing the redness to deepen under his ravages.

Xie Shuci had a tendency to forget the pain once the scars had healed. Being easily frightened and afraid of being alone, Xie Shuci felt the warmth and instinctively wanted to hold onto the source of that warmth in his palm.

Xie An allowed him to grasp one of his fingers, without making any other movements, gradually suppressing the desires that welled up within him.

—With such timidity, why would you dare to keep me by your side?

This particular sleep was incredibly uncomfortable for Xie Shuci!

When he regained consciousness, he felt pain all over his body. He opened his eyes and stared at the canopy above the bed for a long time, feeling that it looked different from yesterday, much farther away. It wasn’t a soft mattress beneath him, but a corner of a blanket that had fallen from the bed.

After a few breaths, Xie Shuci realized.

Damn it, he had slept on the floor all night!

“Hiss.” Xie Shuci moved his arm and attempted to sit up, but as soon as he moved his neck, it felt like it was about to break.

“Tap, Tap—”

Suddenly, a sound of fingers tapping against the bed railing came from above.

Xie Shuci frowned, enduring the soreness throughout his body as he sat up. He saw Xie An leaning against the head of the bed in his inner garment, likely sensing the movement below and trying to elicit a response from Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci also tapped his hand on the headboard twice, indicating to Xie An that he was right there.

Xie An, perhaps not having gotten out of bed after waking up, unaware that Xie Shuci had slept on the floor all night, thought he was standing beside him. He reached out his hand, attempting to support him in the air, but failed to catch anyone.

Xie Shuci rolled his eyes and grumbled, “I’m on the floor.”

Xie An couldn’t hear the sound and hadn’t caught hold of Xie Shuci, so his brow lightly furrowed. He lifted a corner of the blanket, intending to get off the bed, and as soon as Xie Shuci saw this, he widened his eyes. If Xie An got off the bed, he would step on him, so Xie Shuci scrambled to his feet, grimacing in pain while grabbing onto Xie An’s hand.

“Damn it, I’ll have to ask the doctor to massage it later. What a mess.” Xie Shuci complained in a low voice.

“I fell asleep last night. When did you go back?” Xie An murmured silently, gripping Xie Shuci’s hand and pulling him to sit on the edge of the bed.

Xie Shuci brushed off the dust on his clothes before finally sitting down.

He patted Xie An’s shoulder, gesturing for him to move further inside. Xie An shifted a little, and Xie Shuci immediately lay down, letting out a sigh of relief. Sleeping on the bed was still more comfortable.

Thinking that Xie Shuci hadn’t seen what he was saying, Xie An repeated his question.

Xie Shuci placed Xie An’s hand against his lips and opened his mouth, “I went back once you fell asleep.”

Xie An smiled and said, “How did you sleep?”

Xie Shuci smirked, his face strained, “I slept exceptionally well, completely unaffected.”

A deeper smile formed on Xie An’s lips, “That’s good.”

Xie Shuci didn’t lie down for too long. Still thinking about what happened last night, he and Xie An freshened up before heading to the inn’s lobby.

As they descended from the loft, they curiously found only a few guests in the lobby, and even the main entrance was closed.

“Brother Xiaoci, what would you like to eat?” Ah Dong rushed over to them from behind the counter.

Xie Shuci guided Xie An to sit in their usual spot and asked curiously, “Why isn’t the door open? Where’s your father?”

Ah Dong sat down next to Xie Shuci and generously handed a little windmill to Xie An. During this period, whenever he came to play with Xie Shuci, he felt sorry for Xie An being all alone. So, when he played with Xie Shuci, he would always give his favorite toys to Xie An.

Xie An took the windmill, and his rounded and slender index finger twirled it, making him blend in better with his surroundings.

Ah Dong propped his cheek on his hand, furrowing his small brows in distress as he said, “Just half an hour ago, a brother surnamed Li came. He said the demon from last night escaped and is hiding in our town. Today, all the shops are closed so they can quickly capture the demon.”

“The demon escaped?” Xie Shuci raised his voice, “What is Li Song doing? How can he not catch a single demon? Isn’t he a cultivator?”

Ah Dong glanced at him, “Brother Xiaoci, aren’t you also a cultivator? Why don’t you help catch the demon?”

Xie Shuci’s expression froze. Let him catch the demon? Leaving aside his lack of cultivation, even if he had a higher level of cultivation, he would probably be frightened out of his wits at the sight of a demon.

“Cough…” Xie Shuci covered his mouth and dryly coughed, vaguely saying, “That’s just a minor demon. It’s not my turn to take action. If I were to make a move…” He spread out his pristine palm and gestured in front of Ah Dong, “In less than a move, that demon would be begging for mercy in front of me.”

Xie An played with the windmill, looking in a good mood, and inexplicably smiled.

“Wow, really?” Ah Dong instantly had starry eyes, looking at Xie Shuci with admiration.

Xie Shuci did not feel guilty about deceiving a child and, instead, enjoyed the adoring gaze. Imitating the demeanor of those heroes on TV, he placed one leg on a stool, proudly pretended to take a sip of wine, and went, “Ahh… it’s spicy!”

Little did Xie Shuci know that there was actual wine on the table. His throat felt like it was being burned, but he didn’t show any signs of discomfort. He calmly wiped his mouth and raised his chin, saying, “Of course, it’s true. A true man never lies to another true man.”

“But why were you expelled from the sect?” Ah Dong asked, puzzled.

Xie Shuci, who boasted without hesitation, mysteriously said, “Ah Dong, do you know what it takes to be a great hero?”

Ah Dong shook his head in confusion.

Xie Shuci continued, “Great heroes are free and unfettered, coming and going like the wind. Just imagine, a great hero has no fixed abode. Today, they perform chivalrous acts here, and tomorrow, they perform chivalrous acts there. Wherever they are needed, they go. That’s a great hero! So, it was deliberate on my part.”

“Wow!” Ah Dong raised his small hand and waved it in the air twice. “I want to be a great hero too! Ah Dong wants to be a great hero too!”

“No, you can’t,” Xie Shuci put on a stern face. “Great heroes have to be as formidable and brave as I am. Ah Dong, you’re still too weak.”

Ah Dong’s expression gradually turned desolate, tears welling up in his eyes. He sniffled and said, “I know, I can’t become a cultivator like Brother Xiaoci. But Ah Dong also wants to be a great hero.”

“Don’t cry, don’t cry.” Xie Shuci immediately panicked. He wiped Ah Dong’s little face and snatched the windmill back from Xie An’s hand, placing it back in Ah Dong’s embrace.

Xie An, “…”

“A true man doesn’t cry!” Xie Shuci sternly raised his index finger and tapped the table with his knuckle.

He spoke resolutely, fortunate that Ah Dong didn’t see him crying like a tearful person last night.

Ah Dong pouted his lips and held back his tears.

Xie Shuci finally felt a twinge of guilt and said earnestly, “Ah Dong, being a great hero doesn’t require being a cultivator, nor is it limited to being a traditional hero. Do you want to be like a great hero or do you want to perform heroic deeds?.”

Ah Dong furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. “I want to perform heroic deeds like a great hero.”

“Then it means you want to perform heroic deeds. Even if you can’t become a cultivator, there are other ways you can help people in need. You can work hard to earn money, become a doctor, or become a teacher. There are plenty of ways to be a better person than just being a great hero.”

A Dong was a bit confused by his words but instinctively went along with them, allowing himself to be fooled.

After a while, the innkeeper approached, and Xie Shuci inquired about what happened last night.

The innkeeper glanced at Xie An by his side. Though he didn’t say anything, it was clear that he had some apprehension toward Xie An.

Xie Shuci couldn’t understand and also took a glance.

Xie An remained calm, playing with a black ceramic cup since his windmill had been taken. His fingers were distinct, and the inexpensive ceramic cup looked much more valuable in his hands. It seemed pleasing no matter how one looked at it.

The innkeeper sighed and said, “It’s a long story.”

“Then make it short.”

“Last night, Old Lady Zhang’s son next door died.”

Xie Shuci shrank his neck and instinctively moved a little closer to Xie An.

Xie An sensed something and gently placed his hand on Xie Shuci’s shoulder.

Feeling both scared and curious, Xie Shuci felt the same way as when watching a horror movie. He covered Ah Dong’s ears with his hands to prevent him from hearing, and then asked the innkeeper, “How did he die?”

“He was bitten to death by a demon,” the innkeeper replied.

At this point, the innkeeper glanced anxiously at Xie An and added, “I heard that the demon kills one person every other day.”

Xie Shuci was puzzled. A demon is killing people? But why do you keep glancing at, Little Blind?

[1] Ahem, I think everyone knows, what that “warm object” was.