In the room of the Young Master of the Sacred Ruins Sect, Bai Xiaofan suspected he might have misheard. He looked at the purple-clad youth before him and couldn't help but ask for confirmation: "You're going to give me the Key of Sealing?"
"Yes." Wénrén Líng's eyelashes fluttered, a gentle smile on his lips.
However, this smile made Bai Xiaofan uneasy.
If he remembered correctly, when he had asked this person for the key before, this person hadn't been willing to give it to him, right? Also, where was that expression of deep hatred he'd always worn towards him?
Why was he smiling so… kindly now?
Something's wrong… this is not right.
"Did you take the wrong medicine today?" Bai Xiaofan blurted out subconsciously.
Wénrén Líng's gaze flickered with a hint of confusion, not understanding why the other party suddenly said such a thing: "Wha… what?"
Bai Xiaofan quickly turned his back to the youth, stuck out his tongue, and thought, good thing I caught myself. I almost broke character.
He adjusted his demeanor, faced the youth again, and initiated his usual trouble-making mode: "Can you stop smiling like that? It's ugly!"
The youth froze at his words, then retracted the smile from his lips and obediently replied: "Yes."
This reaction made Bai Xiaofan feel very uncomfortable.
He hadn't expected Wénrén Líng to respond. If it were in the past, this person would certainly have ignored him, let alone treated him so well.
"Did you find the key?"
"I found it."
Bai Xiaofan ignored the strange feeling rising in his heart, mustered his emotions, and raised his voice to scold: "Good for you, Wénrén Líng! What did you say before… you said you knew nothing about the key, and now you're telling me you've found it?"
"You're quite bold! How dare you lie to me. Do you know the consequences?" As he spoke, his Demon Binding Whip crackled ominously.
Just as he was about to swing the whip at the youth, the youth, for the first time ever, opened his mouth to beg for mercy: "Master… please calm your anger~ Líng'er only recently remembered this matter."
Wénrén Líng's address of "Master" sent a tremor through Bai Xiaofan's heart, and a blush crept up the back of his ears.
This person used to just look like a demon; now he was a complete demon! Calling him Master was one thing, but did he have to call him so seductively? And Líng'er too?
Bai Xiaofan suppressed the pleasurable tingling sensation in his heart, glanced at the youth, and snorted: "Hmph, only just remembered? Do you think This Young Master would believe you."
"Forget it, This Young Master is in a good mood today and won't quibble with you. The key? Give it to me." Bai Xiaofan put away the Demon Binding Whip and held out his palm to the youth.
The youth looked at the suddenly appearing large hand before him, smiled brightly, and very naturally extended his own hand, clasping the other's fingers: "Master, actually Líng'er…"
Before he could finish speaking, he was forcefully shaken off by the other party.
Bai Xiaofan stared at the youth with a horrified gaze, then at his own hand. Instantly, he felt the temperature in his palm rise significantly, and the blush that had faded from the back of his ears crept back up.
Sensing that his reaction had been too strong, Bai Xiaofan, under the youth's astonished gaze, forcibly tried to save face: "Ahem… giving the key is fine, but what kind of behavior is this, touching hands."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Because he realized that the real Zǐ Bái Fán would have been delighted if the other party had actively come closer; he would never have said something so prudish.
As expected, a strange look flashed in Wénrén Líng's eyes.
But this strangeness vanished completely when Bai Xiaofan looked at the youth again, as if he had just imagined it.
Just as he was agonizing over what to say next to salvage the situation, the youth lowered his eyelids and said dejectedly: "Master is right, Líng'er was presumptuous."