Chapter 400 – Big Brother’s Thoughts

Gu Qi was watching from a distance, but he clearly heard Gu Zuo’s words.

He suddenly choked.

Ah, this son of his directly offered himself up onto the bed of that adoptive brother. By taking the initiative like this, Gu Qi didn’t know whether to applaud him for proactively wooing this gallant man, or scold this dopey fool for being so… However, Gu Qi didn’t say anything either. Instead, he secretly observed.

For the time being, regardless of whether his son was brave or foolish, he ought to determine if that adoptive brother had any of those types of thoughts about his son.

Gongyi Tianheng lowered his eyes.

At this moment, he clearly saw the emotion in Gu Zuo’s eyes. It was distinct and not hidden in the least.

After that, the corner of his mouth pulled into a grin with vague implications: “Okay.” His voice was slow as he spoke, “I missed Ah Zuo, too.”

Gu Qi: “…”

All right. Nothing needed to be said.

All the same, if his son and that adoptive brother didn’t have those intentions, he would’ve suspected whether they had some kind of misunderstanding about the companionships between men in their world.

Following this, Gu Qi watched as his son revealed a great, big smile. His son was practically as excited as a hopping sparrow.

Returning to the matter at hand, Gu Zuo didn’t squeeze into the kitchen to prepare their meals. Rather, his thoughts moved, and released large batches of things in the lounge.

There was an enormous medicinal cauldron and several sets of tools used for cooking medicinal cuisine. There were also large piles of meat essence that were still kept fresh. The majority of the meat essence came from wild beasts, and carried faint tendrils of bloody qi. Arranged on a separate tray was only about five kilograms of meat essence from the origin-level flood dragon. It glinted with a lustrous-white gloss like precious jade.

Gu Qi moved closer. He wasn’t familiar with these things at all, but he was able to recognize the medicinal cauldron and pieces of meat — Were these things used for cooking? To be honest, ever since his son returned, although lots of matters in the other world were talked about, there were too many that evoked his son’s broken-hearted memories. As a result, he didn’t ask about the details. Let alone asking his son to display any abilities. But now that his son and that adoptive brother got back together, was Gu Zuo finally ready to cook a meal for his old man? No, no. This old man was still just an afterthought…

Gu Zuo smiled at Tianheng. Soon after, his fingertip flicked out. A wisp of orange fire rushed out, fell underneath that medicinal cauldron, and ignited into raging flames.

Immediately after this, his movements were like floating clouds and flowing water. It was an extremely smooth, unhindered, and unconstrained style. The flames rose and fell, soared and plunged. Numerous medicinal herbs and chunks of meat essence were thrown into the cauldron. Not long after, it emitted a rich and heavy fragrance.

Gu Qi sniffed.

This fragrance had a meaty aroma, but it also smelled like herbal medicine. Afterwards, everything blended together, and formed a multi-layered and complex scent profile. Although nothing had entered his mouth, the fragrance stimulated his tastebuds in an instant. He couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. He felt dry and hot all over.

— Wait a minute.

Why was he feeling dry and hot?

At this moment, Tianheng faintly flashed over, and appeared next to Gu Qi. He waved a sleeve, and laid out a streak of qi energy in front of the man. In a warm voice, he said: “Uncle Gu, what Ah Zuo is cooking right now is the meat essence of an origin beast. The qi emissions being released are brimming with power. If you breathe in a few more mouthfuls, I’m afraid that you won’t be able to withstand it.”

Gu Qi startled.

At this time, he wasn’t able to smell any fragrances. Consequently, he seemed to think of something, and asked: “Tianheng, what did you do?”

Tianheng said: “I isolated the qi emissions.”

Gu Qi was pleased by the young man’s considerations, and nodded his head: “Thank you.”

Tianheng smiled: “Uncle Gu is Ah Zuo’s father. It’s only natural that I should treat you with respect.”

Gu Qi chuckled, but didn’t answer.

In actuality, he didn’t know how he was supposed to respond. This guy might soon become his son-in-law, but the other party seemed rather high-class, and his own level of strength was completely inferior. It was basically impossible to treat that guy as a young punk who kidnapped his son and discipline the fellow… As a pitiful, old father, his heart was a little stifled.

What’s more, his son couldn’t wait to send himself over, and this guy’s intentions weren’t too overt. This was simply making things difficult for his emotional intelligence!

Tianheng didn’t insist on Gu Qi’s answer, but he did notice Gu Qi’s reaction. The edge of Tianheng’s smiling expression deepened.

On the other side, Gu Zuo was already swiftly refining a portion of medicinal cuisine. He rapidly ladled it out with a flourish, used his psychic power to launch the bowl, and sent it right in front of Tianheng.

Gu Qi: And what about this old father’s share?

Gu Zuo promptly started refining the next medicinal cuisine. For this round, what he used was the meat essence of the gentlest and lowest-grade wild beast, and combined it with some mild-natured medicinal herbs with neutralizing powers. With his strength, he quickly refined it within a minute. A bowl was similarly launched out.

However, this time, it was Tianheng who reached out to catch it and personally hand it over to him.

Gu Qi: “…”

He didn’t know how to describe his mood.

Should he scold his son for ignoring his father, or should he praise his future son-in-law for taking care of things?

With this kind of conflicted state of mind, Gu Qi used a spoon to scoop up the completely boiled medicinal cuisine, which looked like a bowl of minced meat, and placed it in his mouth.

In the blink of an eye, an indescribably wonderful taste quickly swept over him. Moreover, he didn’t need to chew at all. Just as he slightly pursed his lips, the cuisine promptly slid down his throat, and easily entered his stomach. At this moment, his entire body warmed up as if he was being immersed in the most comfortable of hot springs.

Gu Qi never expected that, after his family’s son departed for a few years, from simply helping to chop and wash vegetables, his culinary skills would become so brilliant! In addition, every one of those movements during the cooking process seemed to carry a peculiar rhythm that warmed the heart and delighted the eyes!

All of a sudden, Gu Qi couldn’t help continuously slurping down several mouthfuls of that bowl of medicinal cuisine. Truly, he felt incomparably free from worry.

Once having such a taste, Gu Qi felt like he didn’t have quite enough. He faced Gu Zuo, and said: “Son, bring your old man another bowl!”

Gu Zuo silently shook his head.

Gu Qi: “Why not?”

Gu Zuo: “Dad, think about it. Are you still hungry?”

Sure enough, Gu Qi sensed his own body.

After that, he fell silent.

Indeed, it seemed that&#k2026;he really wasn’t hungry.

Moreover, he felt a little bloated.

If he really ate another bowl, his belly would probably burst!

But, he clearly only ate a small bowl! It was a small bowl the size of his fist! In any case, he was a fully grown man. His appetite definitely shouldn’t be this small, right?

With a puzzled heart, Gu Qi lifted his head. He was about to continue talking with his son. However, right at this time, he was left dumbstruck. Unexpectedly, he even forgot what he was going to say.

It was because, just as Gu Qi finished consuming his bowl, Gu Zuo had already swiftly refined several large pots of medicinal cuisine, and placed them on the table. Each pot was piping hot and letting off strong fragrances. Inside, there were large chunks of meat essence piled up. Streamers of white steam intermingled with the red meat and green herbs. It was incredibly beautiful and extremely delicious.

As for that Gongyi Tianheng, who exuded a natural deportment like that of a noble young master, at this very moment, he was sitting in front of the table, and his chopsticks were flying across the dishes. His actions were extremely graceful and quick as he swiftly stuffed these chunks of meat essence into his mouth and ate them.

In a short minute, two large pots were emptied.

After that was the third pot, fourth pot, fifth…

Gu Qi couldn’t comprehend this speed of eating at all. He definitely wasn’t blinking, but he only saw those chopsticks turning into streaks of shadow. Amid these hurriedly changing shadows, one pot after another was emptied. As for Gu Zuo on the side, he was constantly refining and delivering even more pots over.

This was a terrifying amount of food to eat…

Finally, when Gu Zuo was holding his own small pot and had started eating, Tianheng also only had one final pot that hadn’t been finished yet.

Gu Qi roughly counted the large pots piled up on the side — Granted that those pots were as sparkling, translucent, and crystal-clear as precious jade, there was a little more than twenty of them.

In other words, in one meal, he worked through twenty-one pots of meat…

Gu Qi’s mind crumbled a little bit.

Could it be that the other world’s martial artists all ate this much food? That couldn’t be right! His son had clearly only eaten one pot! Although the meat in this serving wasn’t too meager either, the disparity between one and twenty-one pots was very big!

The speed that Gu Zuo ate his food was also rather fast. After he finished off his meal, he lifted his head, and met his dad’s pair of astonished eyes.

His gaze followed the direction of his dad’s eyes, and swept over those large pots… He gave a couple of dry chuckles.

Gu Zuo: “Dad, let me tell you a thing or two.”

Gu Qi: “Son, I’m listening.”

Gu Zuo organized his words: “In fact, what pharmacists cultivate is the path of spirituality. The requirements regarding internal qi and the physical body aren’t as rigorous as that of martial artists. As a result, for these types of medicinal cuisines that contain powerful energies, eating a single pot is relatively normal. As for big brother, he… Because his constitution is special, his requirements for medicinal cuisines are very high. Although the energy contained within the meat essence of these wild beasts can satisfy many Immortal Realm martial artists, it won’t meet big brother’s needs. Eating twenty-one pots was just to satisfy his tastebuds. What truly allowed big brother to feel full, was actually that bowl of meat essence from the origin-level flood dragon at the very beginning.”

Gu Qi pondered: “So, if he was only eating the origin-level flood dragon’s meat essence, two bowls would’ve sufficed?”

Gu Zuo nodded his head.

Gu Qi: “…Then, why did you cook so much?”

Was this a deliberate attempt at scaring this old man with his adoptive brother’s portion sizes?

Gu Zuo was a bit embarrassed: “I was almost separated from big brother, so getting back together made me very happy. As a result, I couldn’t help but want to show off my skills…”

Gu Qi was speechless.

His impression of Tianheng automatically improved.

Tianheng clearly had the demeanor of an elegant young master, but his family’s son indulged Tianheng to the point of turning him into a rice bucket… This kind of doting showed just how highly Tianheng was placed in his son’s heart.

At this time, Gu Zuo’s face reddened.

The reason why he often used such a large amount of wild beast meat essence and a small amount of origin beast meat essence to cook medicinal cuisines for his big brother was just to conserve resources. After all, the energy levels of an origin beast’s meat essence were higher, but the quantities were never enough. In the future, when his big brother’s rank was even higher, perhaps he would need to completely switch over to cooking with origin beast meat essence. As a result, he had to save up. Taking advantage of the fact that he could still substitute with wild beast meat essence, he would use it first.

In the end, he forgot how frightening such portion sizes were in the modern world. Because he was too happy, he did something foolish.

Fortunately, the one who saw was only his dad.

Off to the side, Tianheng leisurely put down his chopsticks. He finished eating the last pot of meat essence.

Gu Zuo scampered over, and spoke several sentences to him in a soft voice.

Tianheng’s eyebrow faintly rose: “No problem. In the house, Ah Zuo can just abide by what he thinks is right. Outside, this elder brother shall do as the locals do. If there are any deficiencies, I’ll take a few medicinal pills to supplement myself.”

Gu Zuo heard this, and couldn’t help revealing a smiling expression.

Gu Qi: “…”

He figured out why this silly son had fallen so deeply.

After the meal, Gu Qi didn’t mind how Tianheng and Gu Zuo were getting in touch with their feelings for each other on the sofa. He hurriedly went to the bathroom to take a bath. He thought that since both sides were interested, this old father wouldn’t disturb them, and would instead allow them to foster those feelings.

As for the matter of his silly son “sharing a bed” with someone, what was out of sight would be out of mind.

In any case, it wasn’t up to the father when the son had grown up.

With such thoughts, Gu Qi reminisced about his other half who hadn’t returned in a long time, and climbed into bed.

Lots of things had happened recently, but it had also bolstered his faith… Right now, what he wanted to do was to think about the handsome face that was nearly forgotten. He considered what he could do in any future plans…

Back to Gu Zuo.

With their meals finished and his dear dad taking a bath, he discussed the ways of life in modern society with his family’s big brother. There was a tinge of faint excitement within the mood.

Afterwards, Gu Zuo went to take a bath, too. When he was done, he changed into a set of night clothes, and walked into his big brother’s bedroom. His heart was a little nervous.

Gongyi Tianheng also came into the room.

Gu Zuo stared distractedly: “Big brother isn’t going to take a bath?”

Tianheng paused, and ruffled Gu Zuo’s hair: “My room has an adjoining bathroom.”

Gu Zuo’s face flushed red.

He made a fool of himself again… Although he had done so many times in front of big brother, he always hoped that his image in Tianheng’s eyes would improve somewhat!

But…

Gu Zuo’s reddened face burrowed under the quilt.

If big brother went to bathe, he would be washing himself next door.

Actually, they had soaked and bathed together in the past, but at that time, he didn’t dare to lift his head — Unlike then, he was now determined… En, he heard the sound of splashing water. Big brother was in the middle of washing… He couldn’t be thinking about such indecent thoughts! He had to quickly forget these things!

While huddled in bed, Gu Zuo let his imagination run wild.

All of a sudden, there was a sound like the clap of thunder that rumbled in his ears.

— This naturally wasn’t a real thunderclap. Rather, it was the bathroom door being opened again.

Subsequently, a tall figure walked through the doorway. Wrapped around his waist was a bath towel, leaving his upper body bare. Several drops of water that hadn’t been completely wiped away rolled down his bright and clean chest. Those well-proportioned and shapely muscles, the smooth and unblemished skin, and the long, jet-black hair that loosely scattered down his back like a dark waterfall revealed a type of alluring and captivating presence.

Gu Zuo secretly thought: This is probably called sex appeal, right? En, beneath big brother’s bath towel, is he wearing anything…

He immediately obtained an answer to this question.

The qi energy on Tianheng’s body moved. That curtain of long hair, which had just been washed, was already completely dry, and hung down smooth and untangled. He removed the bath towel. What covered and wrapped over his lower body was a pair of triangular, white-cotton briefs. Because it was stretched tightly over him, it highlighted his excellent figure.

Gu Zuo held his breath. After that, since he had been holding his breath for too long, he choked and started coughing.

Tianheng restrained a smile, and walked over. With one hand, he pulled Gu Zuo into a partial embrace, and with the other hand, he lightly patted Gu Zuo’s back: “Ah Zuo is already an Immortal Realm. Unexpectedly, you can still choke. This really shouldn’t happen.”

Gu Zuo deeply felt like he was being wrongfully accused. However, it wasn’t any good for him to tell his dear big brother that he was too excited from almost seeing the other party’s naked body, and was stimulated into this state for a moment. Otherwise, what kind of gaze would big brother use to look at him?!

He could only remain silent about this, and said: “…I know, big brother. In the future, I’ll pay more attention.”

Tianheng slightly nodded his head. Seeing that Gu Zuo was stuffed under the quilt, he pulled open a corner of the bedding. As he maneuvered inside, his upper back leaned against the headboard.

Originally, Gu Zuo was huddled under the quilt. But now, after a bit of hesitation, he “unobtrusively” scooted closer and closer to Tianheng.

Tianheng suddenly opened his mouth: “Ah Zuo?”

Gu Zuo was startled, and hastily stopped. He pretended that he hadn’t been moving closer!

However, Tianheng seemed to sigh in regret: “Although the things in this world are somewhat crude and rustic, and the bedding isn’t as exquisite as those in Ten Ultimates Sect, it does have a special feeling of comfort.”

Gu Zuo inwardly wiped away any sweat, and secretly thought: Close call.

Soon after, he followed along: “The stuff here naturally can’t compare to those things that have been imbued with ambient qi. However, the Zhang Family is very rich, and the provided sheets and bedding are all luxury goods. So, it’s not bad to use.”

Tianheng had a smile on his face, and nodded: “What Ah Zuo says is right. The people here aren’t skilled in martial arts, but there are many more conveniences in daily life.”

This time around, Gu Zuo gave his approval: “This world emphasizes science. Unfortunately, I’m not too good in this aspect.”

The pair conversed like this for a while. Gu Zuo continued to talk with Tianheng about the general knowledge related to the modern era. Time flew by like a flowing river.

During this period, because Tianheng’s bearing was natural from beginning to end, although Gu Zuo’s budding and intrusive thoughts were always there, those feelings of tension gradually diminished. His way of speaking became free and unfettered.

Though, at this moment, it was already well past midnight. Gu Zuo gave the clock a sweeping glance, and his face warmed up again.

Upon seeing this, Tianheng laughed and said: “It’s already so late. Ah Zuo should get some rest. Tomorrow, the Zhang Family will probably want to come over rather early. Now that we’re living under someone else’s roof, we should be a little more prudent.”

Gu Zuo swiftly nodded: “Okay.” After that, he felt that he had responded too curtly, and added on, “That’s right. We still have many uses for the Zhang Family.”

Tianheng smiled, and softly said: “Then, let’s go to sleep.”

At this time, the two didn’t mention the fact that they had already reached the Immortal Realm and didn’t need to sleep every day. On the contrary, they adjusted their bodies, and lied down.

The lights were turned off.

With the two’s eyesight, although the surroundings were a stretch of darkness, it still wasn’t capable of blocking their lines of sight. However, under this kind of quiet and tranquil ambience, it evoked within Gu Zuo a type of…bashful feeling.

Big brother’s scent was very close. It was close enough to make him want to scoot over… But such actions were too obvious. At the very least, before big brother fell asleep, he definitely couldn’t do this.

It seemed that Tianheng could fall asleep with just a thought. While Gu Zuo was still pretending to drift off with a mind filled with messy notions, Tianheng’s breathing had already evened out in long and continuous inhales and exhales.

Gu Zuo’s heart was a little disappointed and a little delighted.

He slowly nudged himself closer to Tianheng’s side. Tianheng didn’t have any reactions. He scooted closer, and there still weren’t any movements. He continued to move closer and closer…until his body was practically touching Tianheng. If he moved just one millimeter more, they would bump into each other. At that time, he reluctantly stopped.

After that, Gu Zuo’s fingers moved.

He was thinking: If I pull big brother’s hand over to me now, can I pretend that it’s the same as before, and it’s all a matter of sleeping posture? Anyways, when I shared a bed with big brother, I was practically being held in big brother’s arms in the morning! But now, he doesn’t really have a problem with his sleeping posture. Rather, it’s a matter of proactively pulling him over. Will big brother wake up when I’m halfway through… It would be so embarrassing to be caught redhanded.

While Gu Zuo was eager to give it a try, he also worried himself over the pros and cons. His frame of mind couldn’t calm down.

In the end, after hesitating for at least half an hour, he silently retracted his hand.

Fine. He still didn’t dare to do it.

He had just gained his big brother’s forgiveness. Even though he wanted to pursue him romantically, it was better to be well-behaved for the time being.

Hence, Gu Zuo’s head slightly tilted towards Tianheng’s side, and his eyes closed shut. Then, he forced himself to fall into a deep slumber.

Perhaps, his self-hypnosis was very effective. And maybe, he was already quite satisfied with the “progress” he made today. As a result, he didn’t toss and turn for a long time, and truly fell asleep.

When Gu Zuo’s breathing became even and drawn-out, the person beside him suddenly opened his eyes.

Based on his appearance, how could anyone believe that he had recently fallen asleep?

Obviously, he was very awake.

Tianheng braced himself up with one arm. His long, black hair fell down, and nearly covered his facial expression.

He quietly watched Gu Zuo’s serene, sleeping face. Tianheng’s gaze was the softest it had ever been, and the color of his eyes was peaceful and deep.

Ever since his heart developed special feelings for Ah Zuo, he always believed that Ah Zuo only depended on him and treated him as closely as that of an elder brother. Thus, he deliberately aroused Ah Zuo’s thoughts, and intended to wait for his mind to change. Only then would he tell Ah Zuo in detail. And now, after several twists and turns, he clarified that Ah Zuo’s feelings were actually the same as his own. He suddenly wished to see…what Ah Zuo wanted to do.

Tianheng softly chuckled, and slowly bent down.

The breaths of both people grew closer and intermingled. He slightly tilted his head, and brushed his lips against Gu Zuo’s. It was but for a fleeting moment before he pulled away.

Gu Zuo remained unaware as he was still sound asleep in his dreams.

Meanwhile, Tianheng stretched out an arm, and drew Gu Zuo into a slight hug by his side.

In an instant, Gu Zuo naturally curled up into the crook of Tianheng’s arm, and snuggled closer until his entire body had completely withdrawn into Tianheng’s embrace. Every part of his body, from head to toe, touched and rubbed against Tianheng. He felt safe and warm.

The glint in Tianheng’s eyes darkened.

As before, he said nothing and did nothing. It was just that his arm slightly exerted a bit more strength, and firmly locked this person against his chest, right over his heart — This was unlike the innocuous half-embrace in the past. Instead, it was a thorough imprisonment.

Gu Zuo’s expression was still peaceful. On the contrary, because this kind of strength had pulled him closer, it made him feel even more comfortable.

At this moment, Tianheng’s expression, which had changed from serene to scary, slowly relaxed.

Immediately thereafter, Tianheng closed his eyes.

This time, he truly indulged in his own sleepiness. While hugging the young man he cherished the most, Tianheng joined him in deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Gu Zuo opened his eyes.

Eh? Eh? This time around, he was still in big brother’s embrace! Sure enough, not being impulsive last night was the correct course of action. He had been pulled over by big brother’s hand. Due to the poor sleeping posture, he was entangled with big brother in a totally natural and flawless way!

Gu Zuo stealthily raised his head, and discovered that his dear big brother’s eyes were still closed. Those long eyebrows were relaxed and smoothed out, and that complexion was gentle and placid. Under the light of dawn, his perfect features appeared even more magnificent.

One could never get enough of this visual treat.

Gu Zuo was currently being held in an embrace, and sensed that his entire body was completely enveloped in his big brother’s scent. His good mood rose to unseen heights.

— Wouldn’t it be okay if he got some more sleep?

T/N: Thanks for the correction, Charysa.

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