Xuan Yang followed Shen Yan while grumbling under his breath, only to look up and find himself back at the familiar inn.
The innkeeper looked up and saw it was Xuan Yang again, though this time he was accompanied by another man. A look of realization dawned on the man’s face. He assumed the youth had been hesitant earlier because the elder of his household hadn't been present to make the decision.
"Would you like a standard room or a premium suite, sir?"
"A standard room will suffice," Shen Yan replied.
"Very well. This way, please."
Xuan Yang was utterly bewildered. Why hadn't the innkeeper even asked him? He just took it for granted that they would be squeezed into one room. He was about to complain, but then it occurred to him that this way, he wouldn't have to pay. After a moment of internal conflict, he swallowed his protest.
Shen Yan glanced at him, slightly surprised that he hadn't started a scene. However, this arrangement made it easier for him to keep an eye on the boy, so the two of them headed upstairs one after the other.
"About the room fee..." Shen Yan mentioned after they entered the room.
Xuan Yang’s heart tightened. *Is this guy really that stingy? Is he going to make me pay half even after all this?*
"It wasn't much, so I’ve covered it for you. Speaking of which, why are you out here all by yourself?"
Hearing Shen Yan’s next words, Xuan Yang breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why *can't* I be here by myself?"
Shen Yan sighed. Senior Nie and the others had truly given him a difficult task. No matter what he asked, the boy felt the need to be contrary. Was this what Senior Nie called... "puberty"? He had never heard the term before. Senior Nie often said incomprehensible things in private; Shen Yan wasn't particularly interested and never bothered to ask for clarification.
"It’s just a bit novel, as I’ve never seen you leave Senior Nie’s side to travel alone."
Xuan Yang cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem, that’s just because you don't know. It happens occasionally."
Shen Yan, who had just exchanged messages with Nie Shiyun and the others, nodded nonchalantly and offered a simple, "I see." He proceeded to ask what the purpose of this trip was. Xuan Yang stammered, unable to give a straight answer, rambling incoherently for a while. His explanation could be summarized in a single sentence: "To prove to Nie Shiyun and the others that I can live perfectly well on my own."
"And then you went and lost this the moment you stepped out the door?" Shen Yan pointed a cold finger at Xuan Yang’s hand, specifically at the empty storage ring he was wearing.
"Ugh, that was an accident!" Xuan Yang, poked in his sore spot, lunged at him excitedly. "That reminds me, give me back the stuff inside!"
He only reached Shen Yan’s chest. No matter how fiercely he tugged and pulled, Shen Yan easily held him back by pressing a single hand against his forehead. Xuan Yang couldn't bring himself to actually attack as if Shen Yan were a real enemy, so he could only flail his arms and shout curses ineffectually.
Shen Yan hadn't yet carefully inspected the "stolen goods." He sat down to examine them, letting Xuan Yang chirp and clamor beside him. Inside Xuan Yang’s ring, just as he had said, were several thousand spirit stones and some inexpensive spirit foods. Additionally, there were ten bottles of supplementary pills. The pills inside were all of the highest grade, though they were smaller than standard size and emitted a light, sweet fragrance.
"What are you doing? Those are my snacks, don't touch them!"
"Snacks?" Shen Yan asked, puzzled.
Xuan Yang explained with a look that said *'How can you not know this?'* that these were "sugar pills" Zhai Bairong had refined for him since he was little. They were specially made small so that he could swallow them in one gulp even when he transformed back into his original form.
"Do you like sweet things too?" Xuan Yang watched nervously from the side, afraid Shen Yan might suddenly decide to eat all his "jellybeans."
Shen Yan: "...I do not."
*How extravagant,* Shen Yan thought. Xuan Yang only seemed to understand the value of spirit stones; he likely had no idea that if these "snacks," produced by the hand of a great senior like Zhai Bairong, were sold, they would fetch a massive sum of wealth.
Unlike Nie Shiyun, who would still take on work for pay even after becoming a Nascent Soul senior, Zhai Bairong rarely refined pills for others. Everyone heard that his alchemy skills were reaching perfection, yet even with a mountain of gold, it was hard to commission him. Aside from Nie Shiyun himself, Xuan Yang was probably the only one who ate Zhai Bairong’s pills like candy, likely assuming this was the norm.
For the first time in a long while, Shen Yan recalled his parents, whose faces had grown blurry in his memory. Back then, their life as rogue cultivators had been very poor, but whenever they had something good, they would always give it to him first.
Xuan Yang noticed Shen Yan had gone quiet, but his eyes were fixed intently on the pill bottles. He grew suspicious. *Does he really not like sweets? Then why is he staring so hard!*
"Hey, did you hear me?"
"Oh, yes. What?" Shen Yan snapped back to reality.
"I said, you aren't allowed to tell Nie Shiyun and the others about today," Xuan Yang warned with zero intimidation, his tone dripping with guilt. Losing his things on the very first day was far too embarrassing.
"Fine," Shen Yan agreed readily. He had already told them everything anyway. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here babysitting.
Because he agreed so easily, Xuan Yang, who had been feeling apprehensive, relaxed quite a bit. He muttered softly, "Hmph, I guess you have a few other redeeming qualities after all."
Shen Yan blinked. "Other redeeming qualities... Did you think I had any qualities to begin with?"
"That, uh," Xuan Yang looked up and saw Shen Yan’s face as he asked the question seriously. His gaze slid from Shen Yan’s features down to the strands of hair falling over his shoulders and chest. He stammered incoherently, "I... I think you... uh, what? Did I say that? Don't overthink it, okay!"
Shen Yan wasn't particularly interested to begin with. He gave a brief acknowledgment and stopped asking, returning his attention to the loot. The two female cultivators from Acacia Valley he had killed today didn't have many spirit stones in their storage bracelets. Upon closer inspection, however, there were many spiritual artifacts and jewelry pieces inlaid with gorgeous gems, as well as many sets of dharma robes. It was a dazzling array. Shen Yan simply categorized the items by grade, deciding to sell them off slowly later. He wanted to avoid attracting the attention of Acacia Valley or the women's lovers by offloading everything at once.
"Are these things worth much?" Xuan Yang asked, his eyes widening at the sight.
"Most are flashy but impractical. Still, they are treasure-grade artifacts and look decent. Selling them all will still bring in a fair amount of money," Shen Yan explained.
Xuan Yang curiously picked up a few dharma robes to examine. They were indeed just for show. He had, after all, seen true celestial garments from the Upper Realm.
Mixed in with the dharma robes were a few sets of the women's everyday clothes, including undergarments. Given the preferences of those from Acacia Valley, one could imagine the style. Being at a sensitive age, Xuan Yang unfolded a bundle of fabric only to find it was a very erotic dudou. He dropped it instantly as if it had burned his hand.
"The ones that aren't dharma robes are useless, but we can't just leave them at the inn. I'll burn them later." Shen Yan’s expression remained unchanged as he tucked the items away, teaching Xuan Yang not to leave traces when handling stolen goods.
Seeing him wave those clothes around with such a composed face, Xuan Yang couldn't help but ask awkwardly, "Don't you have any... thoughts about these?"
Shen Yan let out a questioning "Hmm?" He looked at the items in his hand and replied honestly, "I don't really have any thoughts regarding women."
Before his great vengeance was settled, the concept of pleasure didn't exist in Shen Yan’s life. He was constantly on guard against everyone around him; even the desires of the flesh had become a dangerous liability. He was unwilling to take the risk.
And after that, this mindset and habit, forged over a decade, had become second nature. Shen Yan felt there was nothing wrong with it, so he simply continued that way.
Xuan Yang was shocked. "What, are you a cut-sleeve too?!"
"Hmm? It’s not so much that I don't have thoughts about women, but rather that I don't have much interest in people in general," Shen Yan explained briefly. He wasn't sure if discussing such things with a "child" was appropriate, so he kept the topic vague.
Xuan Yang was even more stunned after hearing this.
*C-Could it be... this guy doesn't like his own kind, but only likes spirit beasts?*
Seeing that Xuan Yang had gone quiet, Shen Yan felt relieved. He didn't like talking about these matters himself; if Xuan Yang had pressed further, the situation would have become incredibly awkward. He would leave that kind of education to Senior Nie and the others.
Shen Yan went into the inner room on his own. He didn't sleep much, preferring to meditate and cultivate on the bed.
"You don't mind if I use this bed, do you?" Shen Yan asked as a courtesy.
"I don't! I'll just stay in the outer room! Since you paid for the room anyway!" Xuan Yang scrambled to the outer area in a panic.
Shen Yan had expected Xuan Yang to stubbornly argue with him for a while. In truth, he didn't mind using the small cot in the outer room; he had just wanted to test Xuan Yang’s temperament. He hadn't expected the boy to be so agreeable this time.
Fleeing to the outer room, Xuan Yang climbed onto the small bed with his heart racing like a turbulent sea.
*Shen Yan actually told me, a spirit beast, that he doesn't like humans! Is he hinting at something? No way!*
Xuan Yang nervously pricked up his ears to listen to the inner room. However, Shen Yan had indeed begun his cultivation, and the room was deathly silent. For some reason, Xuan Yang became restless. After a long while, he quietly shifted back into his beast form and went to the bronze mirror to carefully inspect his feathers and posture—as expected, he was as perfect as ever!
He had been warned many times by Nie Shiyun: "If an outsider discovers your true form, you might be caught, plucked, bled, and turned into soup." Xuan Yang had taken this to heart long ago. It was a struggle for him to constantly suppress his urge to show off his plumage; he was practically bursting with frustration.
*But Shen Yan already knows my true form, so... since he’s interested, it wouldn't hurt to let him see this side of me more often,* Xuan Yang thought to himself.
"No wonder he helped me get my ring back but intentionally took the stuff inside, and then even paid for my lodging... Could it be that he’s trying to get my attention?"
Xuan Yang whispered to himself. Otherwise, with Shen Yan’s personality, he would have surely just taken the contents of the ring and left!
The more he thought about it, the more Xuan Yang convinced himself of his theory. He nodded every now and then, galloping further and further down the grand road of misunderstanding.
***
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 135 | A Grand Misunderstanding | Novela.app | Novela.app
