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

The joints of the blind boy’s hand were distinct, just as beautiful as he was. 

However, his fingers were cold, lightly resting on Xie Shuci’s skin like an icy object, lacking the vitality of a living person.

Xie Shuci, feeling helpless, shook the hand held by the blind boy and leaned down. He used his lips to press against the back of the blind boy’s hand and asked, “What are you doing?”

After taking a sip of tea, water stains from the corner of Xie Shuci’s mouth accidentally touched the blind boy’s skin. The corner of the blind boy’s lips curved slightly, and his lips moved softly, saying, “Holding onto you makes me feel at ease.”

Xie Shuci, “…”

Xie Shuci was a little uncomfortable. The blind boy could only confirm that Xie Shuci was still by his side by touching him, and Xie Shuci couldn’t bear to pull his hand back. However, people who recognized Xie Shuci would always look at them with curious and disdainful eyes, as if he were a human trafficker. It made Xie Shuci extremely frustrated.

The idiotic original owner of this body didn’t know how many troubles he had caused here. Even the innkeeper’s youngest son recognized Xie Shuci. Whenever he saw Xie Shuci, he would hide far away.

After a while, the food was served, and Xie Shuci picked some food for the blind boy’s bowl before eating himself.

He ate quickly and accidentally dropped a piece of braised pork. With the principle of never wasting food, he picked up the meat that had fallen on the table. Subconsciously, he intended to put it into his own mouth, but halfway through, he suddenly changed course and handed it to the blind boy’s lips. “Ah—”

The blind boy, “…”

Whether it was an illusion or not, Xie Shuci felt that the blind boy’s expression turned colder.

That night, the two of them stayed in the inn. In order to take care of the blind boy, he only rented one room. The room was divided into two spaces with a folding screen, and there were two wooden beds.

The next day, Xie Shuci took the blind boy to the medical clinic for acupuncture and inquired about the whereabouts of Young Master Li.

It was said that Young Master Li had not left the town yet and seemed to be investigating something. Xie Shuci was worried about running into Young Master Li again, so for several days, he almost never left the inn except to take the blind boy for acupuncture.

When they returned from the medical clinic that day, Xie Shuci brought the blind boy to the tea lounge in the inn.

The innkeeper’s youngest son, named Ah Dong, was often called over by Xie Shuci when he was bored, and the two of them became familiar with each other. When Ah Dong saw Xie Shuci bringing the blind boy back, he sat down beside them with a small windmill in his hand.

“Big Brother Xiaoci, look at me!” Ah Dong put the windmill on the table, grabbed a peanut from the plate, and tossed it in the air, opening his mouth to catch it. However, he missed and the peanut bounced on his teeth before flying far away.

Sitting on a chair with the blind boy, Xie Shuci burst into laughter, leaning against the blind boy’s shoulder. Although the blind boy didn’t know what had happened, he could sense that Xie Shuci was laughing as his chest moved up and down. He bent his lips and followed suit, using his hand to support Xie Shuci, in case he fell.

“You can’t do it! Watch me!” 

Xie Shuci twisted a peanut, threw it high in the air, and caught it skillfully. Then, he leisurely narrowed his eyes and looked at Ah Dong, who was still indignant.

“I can do it too!”

Ah Dong, unwilling to show weakness, grabbed another handful and threw them into his mouth. However, he failed to catch three or four peanuts in a row. If it were another adult, they might have comforted the child, but Xie Shuci was different. Seeing that Ah Dong hadn’t caught a single one, he not only mocked him loudly but also provocatively threw a few peanuts into his own mouth.

Ah Dong’s eyes turned red with anger. Finally, he managed to throw one that was easy to catch, eagerly waiting for it to fall into his mouth. But in mid-air, a sinful hand reached out and caught the peanut that was about to enter his mouth, then turned and threw it into his own mouth.

Xie Shuci chewed noisily and raised an eyebrow at Ah Dong. “How about it? Are you convinced or not?”

Ah Dong puffed his cheeks and glared at Xie Shuci. He jumped off the stool, walked to the blind boy’s side, and grabbed his hand hanging by his side. His chubby little fingers wrote in the palm of the blind boy’s hand, “Brother Xie An, he bullied me.”

Although Xie Shuci was used to calling him Little Blind, in front of outsiders he called him Xie An.

Xie An smiled, lowered his gaze, and dipped his fingertip in water to write on the table, “How did he bully you?”

Feeling supported by someone, Ah Dong looked proud as he glanced at Xie Shuci. He simply grabbed Xie An’s hand and covered it with his own mouth, mimicking what he had seen Xie Shuci do before.

“He took my peanuts and bullied me because he’s bigger than me! Don’t be friends with him! I heard that Brother Xiaoci used to be really bad. He liked to bully pretty little girls and insisted on bringing them home. And it’s not just one little girl…”

“Pfft—” Xie Shuci spurted out a mouthful of tea, almost choking himself. He quickly pulled Ah Dong closer. “Who told you that? Don’t spread rumors.”

While saying that, he glanced discreetly at Xie An.

Xie An lowered his gaze, lightly rubbing his palm, not knowing if he had heard or not.

Ah Dong confidently said, “That’s what people in town say.”

“Enough! You’re not allowed to listen to gossip anymore, or else I won’t play with you in the future,” Xie Shuci threatened.

Ah Dong immediately covered his ears and shook his head. “I won’t listen anymore, I promise. Brother Xiaoci, please don’t stop playing with me.”

Seeing this, Xie Shuci patted his little head satisfactorily. “Open your mouth.”

Ah Dong obediently opened his mouth, and Xie Shuci flicked a peanut into it accurately. The little guy burst into laughter immediately.

After a while, the innkeeper’s son was called away by a waiter. Xie Shuci still had peanuts in his hand, enjoying the game. He was a playful person, and these past two days had been suffocating. The blind boy couldn’t speak, and apart from Ah Dong, he didn’t have anyone to talk to.

As he threw peanuts in the air, a robust hand reached out, caught them steadily, and threw them back into the plate.

Xie Shuci looked at Xie An with surprise and asked in the palm of his hand, “Can you see?”

Xie An shook his head. “I sense it.”

“Sensing it? And you can still play like this?” Xie Shuci murmured.

Although he didn’t hear his murmuring, Xie An still explained, “I was originally a cultivator. My senses are more acute than ordinary people. I can sense things through the wind.”

“That’s amazing. Is this easy to learn?” Xie Shuci wrote in his palm.

Xie An responded silently, “It can only be understood but not taught.”

“Oh…”

Xie Shuci lost interest once he realized that it had to be understood on his own.

He drank a few sips of tea in frustration. He couldn’t help but think about when Young Master Li would leave. If he had to hold it in for a few more days, he felt like he would go crazy. These past few days, he had hardly gone anywhere except the inn and the medical clinic.

At that moment, Xie An tapped his wrist twice with two fingers. Xie Shuci looked at him in confusion, and Xie An’s lips lightly parted. “How many people have you brought home.”

Xie Shuci, “…”

He had almost forgotten about that.

He felt a little uneasy, not wanting to let the blind boy know about the misdeeds of his original body. He grabbed Xie An’s hand and placed it to his lips, muttering, “Those were things from a long time ago.”

Xie An faced him, his expression devoid of emotion, and his eyes still lifeless. “Am I one of them?”

Xie Shuci replied, “But you’re not a little girl. Why would I bring you home?”

Xie An pursed his lips, his face turning cold. “Then why did you save me?”

Although there was no sound, Xie Shuci could feel his displeasure.

Xie Shuci helplessly said, “I told you, I am naturally generous, and besides, it was because of me that you became like this.”

Xie An’s expression didn’t improve upon hearing this. He wanted to pull his hand back directly, but Xie Shuci held onto it tightly. Just as Xie Shuci was about to explain further, he felt a sword energy slashing toward him.

Being half a cultivator, Xie Shuci reacted quickly and pulled Xie An back from the edge of the table. The wooden table was split into two right in front of them, with wood chips scattered all over the floor.

The commotion also affected the others in the hall, and the inn suddenly erupted in chaos.

“Xie… Shu… Ci!”

A resentful voice could be heard from the entrance.

Xie Shuci looked towards the door in a frightened state. Once he saw who it was, he immediately wore a bitter expression.

Standing at the door was a young man in green clothing, his face filled with anger. Who else could it be but Young Master Li?

“Let him go!” Young Master Li’s eyes sparkled with anger as he glared at Xie Shuci, who was holding onto Xie An’s hand.

Xie Shuci instinctively let go of his hand, but Xie An, unaware of what was happening, unexpectedly held onto Xie Shuci’s hand tightly.

Young Master Li became furious. “You despicable person! I told you to let him go!”

Seeing this situation, Xie Shuci knew that Young Master Li had misunderstood. He quickly said, “Young Master Li, you’ve misunderstood. It’s not what you think between me and him…”

Due to the incident with the aphrodisiac drug, Young Master Li had a very negative impression of Xie Shuci. Seeing the young boy being led by Xie Shuci, looking like a beautiful jade but with lifeless eyes, he was convinced that Xie Shuci had used some means to keep him by his side. It was truly despicable.

“Fear not, young master! I will save you!”

Young Master Li didn’t listen to Xie Shuci’s explanation. He lifted his sword and swung it towards Xie Shuci. In a state of panic, Xie Shuci grabbed Xie An’s hand and frantically tried to escape through the inn, causing chaos in the hall.

“You despicable and shameless person! Let him go!” Young Master Li shouted.

“You’ve misunderstood! He is…” Xie Shuci tried to explain.

“Shut up! Let him go!” Young Master Li interrupted.

Tables, chairs, and stools were overturned in the hall, and the innkeeper was wailing on the side. Xie Shuci holding onto deadweight [Xie An] was running for his life. After a while, Young Master Li cornered him against the wall.

What the hell is going on?!

“Xie Shuci, let him go!” Young Master Li intended to swing his sword at him, but Xie Shuci, the scoundrel, hid behind the young boy. “You despicable and shameless person!”

Xie Shuci knew that Young Master Li wouldn’t harm Xie An, so he huddled behind him while enduring his verbal abuse. Xie Shuci couldn’t help but mock, “Have you lost your mind from cultivating? Those are the only insults you know? Can’t you come up with something new?”

“You… seeking death!” Young Master Li was furious and wanted to attack, but he was afraid of harming the innocent. He yelled, “Get out!”

“I won’t!” Xie Shuci pulled Xie An back two steps and huddled in the corner, secretly writing a few words on Xie An’s waist: Don’t move, trouble ahead.

His fingers slid quickly on Xie An’s waist. In the tense atmosphere, Xie Shuci didn’t notice the momentary stiffness in Xie An’s body.

Young Master Li’s face turned red with anger, and he shouted, “You, as a cultivator, are hiding behind a blind boy. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Seeing that Young Master Li temporarily couldn’t do anything to him, Xie Shuci grew bolder and retorted, “You, the noble young master of a cultivation sect, repeatedly harass me, a man. What’s the matter with you? Could it be you really have some kind of interest in me? Let me tell you, you’re not my type. I prefer women from good families…”

Young Master Li’s face turned green with anger. He angrily yelled, “You’re talking nonsense!”

Xie Shuci sneered, “If you still feel unsatisfied with me being expelled from the sect, I can let you drug me again. I won’t resist. You can do whatever you want to me. If I, Xie Shuci, say the word ‘no,’ then I’m not a man!”

Young Master Li never expected him to be so shameless, speaking such words in public. His beautiful face alternated between pale and red. “Xie… Shu… Ci! I’m going to kill you!”

Taking advantage of having Xie An as a shield, Xie Shuci made a face at Young Master Li. “If you have the guts, come at me.”

“Young master, please step aside. I will avenge you!” Young Master Li said.

“But he won’t listen to you…” 

Xie Shuci’s words had barely fallen when Xie An slipped in front of him, revealing Xie Shuci hiding behind him.

Young Master Li and Xie Shuci locked eyes. Young Master Li raised his sword and revealed a sinister smile.

Xie Shuci, “…”

“No… Help me!!”