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Ruan Qing rarely heard such crude and blunt words. He froze completely, looking utterly lost and overwhelmed.
The livestream chat was stunned.
[Damn, this bastard’s got a sixth sense. Most guys would be dizzy with lust by now—he actually sees through the act.]
[Is this the wild instinct of a mad dog? I couldn't even tell anything was fake. If not for the occasional off vibes, I’d be scammed out of my pants by our ‘wife’.]
[With a face like that, it's already hard to stay calm—let alone when he acts that well. I’d probably get played and still help him count the money, maybe even worry he’s selling himself too cheap.]
Miao Linyuan had never been a good man. Seeing Ruan Qing stunned, he rudely pried open those beautiful lips with his fingertip and pushed it into his mouth.
It wasn’t until Ruan Qing felt something foreign inside his mouth that he reacted—his eyes went wide, and without thinking, he tried to bite down.
But Miao Linyuan didn’t give him the chance. He gripped Ruan Qing’s jaw with just enough force to keep his mouth open.
Tears welled in Ruan Qing’s eyes from the pain, but he didn’t have the strength to break free from Miao Linyuan’s hold. He could only let the man do as he pleased.
The warm, soft, and moist sensation sent a jolt through Miao Linyuan’s chest—his heart skipped a beat, and the darkness in his gaze deepened.
It felt like touching cotton candy—like dipping into warm water—making his heartbeat race uncontrollably, his blood surge with heat.
It was a thrilling sensation. Addictive.
He wanted… to go further.
Just as Miao Linyuan was about to act on that desire, the sound of footsteps echoed nearby.
The villagers were coming.
A flash of murderous intent passed through Miao Linyuan’s deep-set eyes. But in the end, he only covered Ruan Qing’s mouth and pulled them both into the shadows behind a large tree.
The villagers were conducting a grid-by-grid search, combing the area thoroughly. But the forest was vast, and it was easy to lose one’s sense of direction, making even a thorough search extremely difficult.
Two of the villagers didn’t realize that the person they were looking for was just behind a nearby tree. Their figures grew more distant as they continued walking, eventually disappearing into the woods.
Meanwhile, Ruan Qing was being half-carried, half-led by Miao Linyuan in the opposite direction, gradually increasing the distance between them and the villagers.
In a forest this large, the chances of running into someone again were slim, and voices didn’t carry far. Once they were at a safe distance, Miao Linyuan let go of Ruan Qing.
Just as Ruan Qing opened his mouth to shout for help, Miao Linyuan’s calm voice sounded:
“Go ahead and yell. But your voice will attract the gu worms too. Let’s see which gets here faster—those worms, or the villagers looking for you.”
That cry for “help” got stuck in Ruan Qing’s throat. He couldn’t make a sound. And he didn’t dare try again.
After speaking, Miao Linyuan didn’t spare him another glance and continued deeper into the woods.
Ruan Qing’s face had turned slightly pale. He looked around anxiously, then bit down on his rosy lips and followed Miao Linyuan from a short distance behind—not too close, but not far enough to lose him.
He didn’t know how long they had been walking—long enough that he could barely keep going, long enough that pain shot through his feet, furrowing his brows.
Miao Linyuan noticed. He muttered a low, “So delicate,” then stopped, roughly pulled Ruan Qing down to sit on a nearby rock, and grabbed his foot. Without hesitation, he rested it on his own knee and began taking off Ruan Qing’s shoes.
By the time Ruan Qing realized what was happening, Miao Linyuan was already pulling off his socks. Ruan Qing tried hard to yank his foot back, but it was useless. Miao Linyuan’s strength left him with no room to struggle. All he could do was hurt himself trying.
In the end, he had no choice but to let Miao Linyuan remove the sock.
Ruan Qing’s skin was extremely delicate, and having barely seen sunlight for years, it carried a sickly pallor.
But now, it was tinged with an abnormal redness. Blisters had formed on the soles of his feet—blood-filled and glaringly obvious against his pale, tender skin. It was a disturbing sight.
And they’d only been walking for less than two hours...
Seeing the teary-eyed boy, Miao Linyuan’s irritation seemed to dissipate completely. In a low voice, he said, “Blisters need to be popped. Just bear with it.”
Popping the blisters was painful—far more than the delicate young master could handle. Tears welled in Ruan Qing’s eyes, barely held back, and his slender foot trembled uncontrollably.
It shook so much that Miao Linyuan could barely hold the blade steady. It felt as if he were stabbing the boy, not treating a blister.
By the time he was done, sweat had formed on Miao Linyuan’s brow—as if he had just endured the torment of a second parasitic infestation.
No one would have believed he had merely been popping a blister.
When a blood blister bursts, a small amount of blood seeps out. To humans, the scent is almost undetectable, but to the keen senses of a gu worm, it’s like a torch in the darkness.
The gu worms around them had long been writhing in frenzied excitement, as if they might swarm and devour the two of them at any moment.
Yet, for some reason, the worms hesitated, holding back—as though afraid of something.
Gu worms had their own hierarchy of strength.
And Miao Linyuan and Miao Ciyu were stronger than most of the "villagers" in Miao Village—including the majority of the gu worms.
This time, Miao Linyuan didn’t let Ruan Qing walk on his own. Ignoring his struggles, he scooped him up into his arms and continued deeper into the forest.
The further they went, the thicker the fog grew—yet, strangely, the number of gu worms dwindled.
Ruan Qing knew why. The closer they got to the heart of the forest, the more unbearable it became for the worms.
His own heart began to ache as well. At first, it was just a slight suffocating pressure, but soon, it felt as though his heart were roasting over flames—scorching and throbbing with pain.
That sensation didn’t belong to him. It belonged to the gu insect inside him.
This was the first time Ruan Qing had felt its presence so vividly.
And it wasn’t a good sign. It meant he was beginning to sync with the gu’s senses. Before long, they might fully merge, binding him in a parasitic relationship and turning him into a true member of Miao Village.
Ruan Qing knew his "mother" wouldn’t allow that to happen—but he couldn’t shake his unease.
He was afraid… that she might not be strong enough.
At first, Ruan Qing had assumed Miao Linyuan knew where he was going. But as the pain in his heart fluctuated in intensity, he realized Miao Linyuan was lost.
Maybe he had never known the right direction. His only goal had been to evade the villagers’ search—and the thick mist provided the perfect cover.
Just as Ruan Qing was struggling to endure the discomfort, a familiar voice echoed from behind them.
It was Miao Li.
"Where do you think you’re taking him?"
