Chapter 0189: Xie Chengze After Bathing, An Unexpected Birthday Gift
Seeing Xie Jinyu so stubborn, Xie Chengze said nothing more. He stood up, grabbed the cloth hanging on the edge of the tub, wrapped it around his waist, and stepped out of the bath.
As he moved, the un-dried water droplets on his body dripped onto the floor. The young man’s figure was slender and upright. Though he disliked exercise, there was not an ounce of excess fat on his body—every muscle was perfectly defined. His dark hair was casually tied up with a red jade hairpin, and a few stray strands trailed over his fair spine, revealing his pale neck, flushed pink from the bath and glistening damply, strikingly eye-catching.
Once away from the hot water, the cold air inevitably rushed over him. Xie Chengze shivered slightly, picked up another cloth from the screen, and quickly wiped the water droplets from his body. Then he spread his arms and said, “Hurry up, I’m freezing.”
A flicker of delight shone in Xie Jinyu’s eyes as he stepped forward and helped him into the red inner robe. The smooth crimson waistband was tied loosely around the young man’s waist with a simple knot before Xie Jinyu said softly, “Second Brother, it’s done.”
Xie Chengze glanced down to confirm everything was in order, then removed his hairpin and walked toward the bed.
As the jade hairpin was pulled out, his dark hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall, concealing the alluring flesh of his neck but unable to hide the slender, pale legs and delicate ankles beneath the inner robe. Xie Jinyu followed closely behind, his gaze growing increasingly shadowed, until Xie Chengze suddenly turned around. Only then did he hurriedly retract the darkness in his eyes, reverting to his usual gentle, lamb-like demeanor. “Second Brother, what is it?”
Xie Chengze looked at him briefly before lifting his head. “…Stop following me. Go take your bath.”
Xie Jinyu’s face flushed instantly. He let out a soft, almost inaudible “Mm,” then turned and hurried behind the screen.
Xie Chengze shook his head helplessly and turned to Xie Shoujun, who was standing by the wooden table. “Imperial Brother, let’s go first—Ah!”
The accident came without warning. The floor was slick with scattered water droplets, and as Xie Chengze’s slippers stepped onto the damp wooden floor, his feet slipped, sending him stumbling directly into Xie Shoujun’s direction.
“Imperial Brother—aaaaah—catch me!”
When his head collided solidly with the other’s chest, Xie Chengze grunted, clutching his reddened forehead. He looked up incredulously and asked, “This is how you catch someone? Shouldn’t you have gracefully caught me by the waist to steady me?”
Who in their right mind uses their chest to catch someone?!
It hurt so much!
“Hmm… that might strain your waist,” Xie Shoujun said seriously. “But I didn’t expect you to be so frail yet have such a hard head.”
Xie Chengze: …
So what if it’s hard! A man ought to be hard!
“Slipping while walking—it seems you really do lack exercise.” Xie Shoujun gently flicked his reddened forehead, his expression softening gradually. Then, with a firm motion, he lifted the young man effortlessly into his arms and carried him toward the bed. “To keep you from slipping again, I’ll carry you over.”
His body was so light—truly, how did the palace raise people to be this delicate and frail?
And yet, it was this very delicate body that had invented gunpowder…
A faint, amused smile flickered in Xie Shoujun’s eyes as he said calmly, “Starting tomorrow, I will supervise your physical training.”
Xie Chengze let out a resistant groan, “Can we skip the training?”
“Unless you can beat me?” Xie Shoujun set him down by the bedside, bent over to untie the cloth wrapped around his waist. As the cloth was pulled away, the red inner garment was also pushed aside, revealing the young man’s slender, pale legs.
Xie Shoujun pinched the flesh of his thigh, watching the skin instantly redden, and commented, “Soft and flabby, not a trace of muscle. Even the cooks in the military camp are probably tougher than you.”
“Ouch.” Xie Chengze felt both ticklish and sore from the pinch, instinctively retracting his leg and kicking him lightly. “As long as I can run, who needs muscles!”
“I’m just worried you might…” Xie Shoujun started to say something but shook his head instead. He used the cloth to wipe the water droplets from the young man’s legs before gripping his ankles and channeling inner energy into them. “You’ve only been out of the water for a short while, yet your feet are already this cold. It seems you haven’t bothered treating your cold constitution all these years.”
Warmed by the surge of inner energy in his feet, his entire body grew cozy. Xie Chengze wrapped himself in the quilt and chuckled, “You have to admit, martial arts are great. When you’re cold, you can just use inner energy to warm up.”
Seeing him change the subject, Xie Shoujun shook his head helplessly and tucked his feet under the covers. “Are you thirsty? I’ll fetch you some water.”
Xie Chengze nodded, watching as Xie Shoujun went to pour water. He chatted idly, “Brother, speaking of birthday gifts, what did you used to give me in the past?”
Xie Shoujun’s hand paused slightly as he poured water, and he glanced up at him. “You want to know?”
“Of course!” Xie Chengze crossed his legs and swayed comfortably from side to side. “They’re birthday gifts. Not receiving them before must have left some regrets.”
Though, truth be told, curiosity was the bigger driver.
Xie Shoujun set down the water pot and glanced toward the wardrobe. Xie Chengze, sharp-eyed, immediately turned to look. “In the wardrobe?”
Xie Shoujun hesitated for a moment before Xie Chengze, quick as a rabbit, hopped off the bed, slipped on his sandals, and scurried over to the wardrobe. Upon opening the door, he spotted several large wooden boxes.
“These… surely they can’t all be gifts, right?” Xie Chengze guessed. “Some must be your clothes!”
Xie Shoujun cleared his throat lightly. “Spare clothes are in another room.”
So, the boxes in this wardrobe were all the gifts he had prepared for him over the past ten years—not just birthday presents.
Xie Chengze blinked, sensing that the night was about to grow much longer.
Just then, Xie Jinyu emerged from his bath and, noticing the red mark on Xie Chengze’s forehead from the earlier bump, shot a slightly displeased look at Xie Shoujun.
Xie Shoujun shrugged.
Xie Chengze tested the weight of one box and found it unmovable, so he cast a pleading glance toward Xie Shoujun and Xie Jinyu. The two walked over to the wardrobe and took turns carrying the boxes to the bedside.
As Xie Chengze rubbed his hands together, eager to open the boxes, Xie Shoujun wore an uncharacteristically embarrassed expression. “Ahem, well… the gifts might be a bit strange. Prepare yourself.”
Strange?
Xie Chengze tilted his head.
Who describes gifts as “strange”?
Could they be peculiar local trinkets or toys?
Xie Chengze didn’t take it seriously. After all, he was a modern person—his ability to adapt might not be exceptional, but it was certainly far beyond that of ancient people. He refused to believe there was anything…
Xie Chengze lifted the lid of one box, then slammed it shut the next second.
Was his vision playing tricks on him?
Was he seeing things?
“What’s wrong?” Seeing Xie Chengze frozen on the bed, his expression stiff and dazed, Xie Jinyu couldn’t help but frown as he lifted the wooden lid. The next moment, his face stiffened in exactly the same way.
When he regained his composure, he couldn’t help turning to Xie Shoujun, his voice rising several pitches. “Xie Shoujun, have you lost your mind?”
Who in their right mind would give someone a human skull as a birthday gift?