Golden Lotus Seed - 'I'm just a pervert.' Part 2

Yin Le, who had actually been observing in secret for a long time, suddenly popped out. He sidled up to Yin Yan, who was still leaning on the sofa, and said with a mischievous, conspiratorial wink, "Bro, I saw you sniffing Brother Yu's hair just now. Hehehe, like a pervert."

Yin Yan turned his head to look at him and asked calmly, "Is your winter vacation homework finished?"

"I don't have any homework." Yin Le's tone became even more roguish, with a hint of cheekiness.

"Is that so." Yin Yan retracted his gaze and adjusted his cuffs. "I ran into the Bu siblings today. Bu Lian's cat died. She's very sad."

The joy on Yin Le's face vanished in an instant. He reached out and pressed Yin Yan's shoulder, his face serious. "Bro, you're my real big brother. Please show me the way."

A young man's heart is always full of poetry. For Yin Le, who was in the prime of his youth, his poetry was the Bu family's Bu Lian!

This was Yin Le's secret, a secret known only to the original owner.

"I am not your real big brother." Yin Yan pushed his hand away, stood up, and said faintly, "I'm just a pervert."

Yin Le: "..." So petty! What a cheapskate!

While showering, Yu Zhen suddenly felt drowsy and nearly fell asleep on his feet. Fortunately, Xu Wu meowed a few times outside the door, bringing him back to his senses and saving him from the danger of falling into the bathtub. He then hastily dried himself, wrapped a bathrobe around him, and threw himself onto the bed.

The lotus fragrance in the room suddenly grew stronger.

Yin Yan pushed the door open and walked in. He looked at Xu Wu, who was squatting guard in front of the bed, and asked, "When did it start?"

Xu Wu meowed once and flicked its tail.

Yin Yan waved his hand, pulling it into his Sea of Consciousness. He walked to the bedside, first drying Yu Zhen's hair, then helping him lie flat on his back, and stood guard beside him.

The medicinal effects of the Bodhi Golden Lotus Seed, ripened by Merit, were potent. Yu Zhen was currently just a mortal with a fragmented soul. Although Yin Yan had intentionally guided him to consume only one seed, he would still suffer a bit while digesting it completely.

About an hour later, Yu Zhen, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly began to struggle. His fair skin rapidly flushed red, and sweat soaked his hair, then his pajamas, and finally, even the bedsheets became drenched.

Yin Yan got up, took out a pill, and fed it to him. He went into the bathroom to get water to wipe his head and body. He didn't change the sheets and quilt because it was useless; they would only be soaked again by Yu Zhen's sweat in a short while. Besides, the currently unconscious Yu Zhen had no sensation of the outside world; he would only feel hot.

The lotus scent grew stronger and stronger, and specks of golden light began to appear around Yu Zhen's body. Yin Yan used a Magical Artifact to create a barrier, locking in all the phenomena. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and stripped off all of Yu Zhen's clothes.

Around dawn, wisps of black gas suddenly emanated from Yu Zhen's body, while the lotus fragrance slowly weakened.

Yin Yan took out the Brocade Pouch, removed the hair inside, and let the hair absorb all the black gas. He then quickly sealed it, placed the hair, now emitting an ominous aura, back into the Brocade Pouch, and locked it away in the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness.

When the first ray of sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains, Yu Zhen finally settled down, no longer sweating or struggling.

Yin Yan fetched fresh water to wipe him down again, then wrapped him in a blanket. He first placed him on the sofa, and only after changing the bedsheets and quilt did he carry him back to the bed and tuck him in.

Chou Feiqian was a little happy because she didn't see Yu Zhen at the breakfast table, and before the meal, Yin Yan had sent a pile of dirty sheets and pajamas to the laundry room.

All signs pointed to the fact that what she had been hoping for had happened.

"Have the kitchen keep something easy to digest warm. When Xiao Zhen wakes up, have it sent up to him. You shouldn't run around today either, stay home and accompany Xiao Zhen."

Chou Feiqian instructed. Seeing the faint dark circles under her eldest son's eyes, indicating a poor night's sleep, her happiness was followed by a wave of nagging. "Even as newlyweds, you can't be so reckless. Everything must be done in moderation. You... forget it, forget it, as long as you understand."

Yin Yan nodded with a placid face, obediently listening to the lecture, as if he had really done what Chou Feiqian had imagined.

And so, everyone was happy. Chou Feiqian left for the company in high spirits, not forgetting to shut her husband's talkative mouth before she left. Yin Le also tactfully went out, not wanting to be a third wheel.

After his family left, Yin Yan first went upstairs to check on Yu Zhen's condition. Seeing that he was still asleep, he went back downstairs, took over Housekeeper Hu's job in the kitchen, personally washed a small casserole pot, and began to cook congee.

"The Young Master really knows how to be considerate," Housekeeper Hu teased, her face full of smiles.

Yin Yan stirred the pearl rice in the pot, which was specially used for making congee. He mumbled a casual reply, his gaze never leaving the congee, looking extremely focused.

Seeing this, the smile on Housekeeper Hu's face deepened. She tiptoed out of the kitchen, no longer disturbing him.

The aroma of the congee slowly spread. Yin Yan turned his head to glance at the kitchen door, and with a slight movement of his fingers, a small jade vial appeared out of thin air. He grasped it, opened the stopper, and poured a little of the pale golden liquid inside. Instantly, a sweet fragrance filled the air.

Yu Zhen opened his eyes and lay there dumbly for a moment. Suddenly, he sat bolt upright and threw off the covers.

The sheets were smooth, the quilt was warm, and his skin was in direct contact with them, giving a feeling of snug comfort.

He moved his bare legs and glanced at his 'frank' little brother greeting him in the morning. He tried hard to recall the events before he fell asleep but could only remember hearing Xu Wu's cry while he was showering. After that, everything was a blank.

'What happened? Did I really fall asleep in the bathroom? Did Yin Yan carry me to bed? And... he didn't put any clothes on me?'

Click.

The doorknob turned, and the door was pushed open. A sweet fragrance wafted in as Yin Yan walked in carrying a tray.

Their eyes met. Yu Zhen looked down at his naked self, then snatched the quilt to cover himself with a whoosh. He lay down, huddled up, and shouted with a red face, "You didn't see anything!"

Yin Yan imperceptibly let out the breath he had been holding. He took out a fire-quenching pill and swallowed it, then stepped forward, placed the tray on the bedside table, and said, "You've just finished absorbing the power of the Bodhi Lotus Seed. Your condition is not yet stable and needs to be consolidated. Get up and eat this bowl of congee."

'Bodhi Lotus Seed?'

Yu Zhen remembered the soup from last night that Yin Yan had flavored with the lotus seed. He belatedly realized that his body felt much lighter, as if filled with inexhaustible energy. He clenched his fists; even the calluses on his palms from planting flowers had disappeared.

He lifted the quilt and peeked his head out. Looking at Yin Yan standing by the bed, he asked, "What effect does that lotus seed have?"

Yin Yan looked at his flushed cheeks and messy hair, then suddenly turned and walked to the wardrobe. He found a set of pajamas inside, threw it onto Yu Zhen's face to cover him, and replied, "The effects of the Bodhi Lotus Seed vary from person to person. It will supplement whichever part you are most lacking in."

'Most lacking?'

What he lacked most should be his soul. So the lotus seed had mended his soul?

Joy bloomed in Yu Zhen's heart.

"But the soul is not included. So the lotus seed only nourished your body, eliminating some of the physical effects caused by your fragmented soul." Yin Yan spoke with another dramatic pause. After finishing, he left the room, leaving Yu Zhen with only the sight of his increasingly 'ethereal' back.

Yu Zhen pulled the pajamas off his face, stared at the door for a few seconds, then turned and stuffed himself back under the covers.

The stabilization of the lotus seed's effects lasted for three days. During these three days, Yu Zhen would start to feel sleepy early every day and would sleep until noon, completely unable to get up.

Chou Feiqian was both happy and worried. She was happy that her eldest son and his husband had a good relationship, but worried that if this continued, would the two children suffer from 'kidney deficiency'?

Yu Zhen was thin-skinned, so she couldn't advise him directly. Instead, she tactfully advised Yin Yan to be moderate. In the end, Yin Yan agreed readily on the surface, but Yu Zhen still couldn't get up the next day.

She had no choice but to arrange for the kitchen to stew nourishing soups every day, repeatedly urging Yu Zhen to eat them.

At first, Yu Zhen didn't understand what was going on. He thought Chou Feiqian had mistaken him for being sick and embarrassedly explained that he was just sleeping in a bit and wasn't ill. It wasn't until the fourth day, when he finally recovered and woke up early, that he overheard Chou Feiqian's words of advice to Yin Yan outside the door and finally understood the meaning behind those nourishing soups.

Having been pure for over twenty years, to suddenly be mistaken for a pleasure-seeking youth who had overexerted himself, Yu Zhen was so embarrassed he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself in it. He quickly dragged Yin Yan straight to the apartment, far away from those soups.

"How could you let Mom misunderstand like that!"

After arriving at the apartment, Yu Zhen finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

Yin Yan's face was still calm, and he was perfectly self-righteous. "It's the most logical excuse for a cover-up."

Yu Zhen was speechless. He looked at the face devoid of joy or sorrow, completely expressionless, and a twisted emotion suddenly welled up in his heart—a desire to shatter all the calm on that face. He was startled by his own thought, raised a hand to clutch his chest, and a sentence slipped out as if by magic: "Yin Yan, did I owe you something in my past life?"

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

Yin Yan looked at him, his face finally showing another expression. He replied seriously, "No, I am the one who owes you."