Little Pink Starfish

The elevator arrived.

As the four left, the woman turned back and gave Zhang Qiu a bewitching smile.

Zhang Qiu suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. If this had been before, having a mature and seductive beauty flirt with him would have made him ecstatic. But now, he only found her smile unsettling.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Xiapi Huiwang suddenly spoke coldly, “It’s them?”

Li Shu nodded, a glint of coldness in his eyes.

“What kind of riddle are you playing?” Zhang Qiu was confused. “Are those four people suspicious? I already felt weird when that woman smiled at me—turns out there really was something off!”

Hearing Zhang Qiu say this, the coldness around Li Shu eased slightly.

“Ding—” The elevator reached their floor. The three exited and returned to their room. Only then did Li Shu speak. “The ones who will guide us have arrived.”

It took Zhang Qiu a moment to process before he understood. “You mean they know the exact location?”

“Yes.” Li Shu smiled slightly. “We’ve encountered them before.”

Zhang Qiu thought for a moment, then suddenly realized. “Are they the ones who were in that car that dashed into the greenbelt?” Seeing Li Shu nod, he continued, “But weren’t they originally after the pearl? Why are they after the pearl and also going into the tomb?”

“It means these four were sent by Lao Jin’s backer.” Xiapi Huiwang spoke, his eyes filled with murderous intent when he mentioned “the backer.” Coldly, he said, “No matter what scheme is behind this, I will root out the mastermind sooner or later.”

Zhang Qiu felt that ever since they had entered the tomb of the Gumu Kingdom in the Qinling Mountains, he had been dragged into a vast conspiracy. It seemed like they were unknowingly moving according to the backer’s design. This realization unsettled him. The unknown person’s scheme was even more terrifying than the Jiangshi in the tomb.

The next morning, Li Shu went out to buy supplies, leaving Zhang Qiu and Xiapi Huiwang at the hotel. Zhang Qiu knew Li Shu was buying equipment for entering the pit, so he didn’t insist on going along.

He and Xiapi Huiwang went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast and unexpectedly ran into Lu Feng—the man who had bluntly offered to buy the Phoenix Pearl during their first meeting. Lu Feng was sitting in a corner, looking somewhat heavy-hearted after a phone call. He removed his glasses to rub his temples. Sensing their gaze, he looked over sharply. When he saw them, he put his glasses back on and walked over.

“Mr. Liu, I’d like to discuss something with you again.”

Without even looking up, Xiapi Huiwang said, “If it’s about the pearl, there’s nothing to discuss.”

Zhang Qiu noticed that as soon as Xiapi Huiwang mentioned the pearl, the nearby guests all subtly turned their attention to them. Lu Feng nodded slightly, as if contemplating something, then turned and left.

A short while later, the three men and one woman from the elevator also arrived.

“They’re here. Should we leave?” Zhang Qiu whispered to Xiapi Huiwang.

Xiapi Huiwang glanced at them and said calmly, “No need. They won’t approach us.”

Sure enough, the four sat down at a distance, never looking their way, acting like regular tourists. They finished breakfast quickly and left.

Zhang Qiu waited in the hotel for most of the day until afternoon, when Li Shu finally returned, carrying a large black bag. The moment they met, he said, “We’re leaving.”

As soon as they hit the road, a low-key black SUV followed them closely. The driver was the man dressed as a bodyguard. The car maintained a steady distance, trailing them.

“What exactly do they want? If they were after the pearl, why haven’t they made a move? If they’re going into the tomb, why are they keeping such a close watch on us?” Zhang Qiu asked while unpacking the bag Li Shu had bought. Inside were food, water, medicine, ropes, gloves, flashlights, gas masks, and a small Luoyang shovel. Since they had only brought simple backpacks with a change of clothes, he divided the supplies among them, just in case they got separated.

Xiapi Huiwang* watched Zhang Qiu diligently organizing everything and smiled softly. “Xiao Qiu is really a must-have for home and travel.” *[T/N: Wang is the royal title, essentially “Prince”.]

Hearing this, Zhang Qiu looked up and met Xiapi Huiwang’s gaze—gentle as water. It wasn’t the gentle femininity of a woman, but something inexplicably close and reassuring, like a sky full of stars. No wonder Emperor Han Zhang was willing to sacrifice his life to save Xiapi Huiwang.

When this man was gentle, he could truly melt hearts.

“I only learned from experience,” Zhang Qiu said. “Back in the Gumu Kingdom’s main tomb, the moment the coffin was opened, everything was glowing green. I didn’t even see what was inside before someone screamed. Then someone pushed me, and I triggered a trap, falling straight down. That’s when I saw those scarlet eyes and passed out—” He got angry just recalling it. But what happened afterward was too embarrassing to talk about, so he swallowed his words and said, “Ever since then, I swore that if I ever entered another tomb, I’d be prepared.”

Xiapi Huiwang chuckled. “You seem particularly resentful about Gumu Kingdom. Did something else happen?”

Zhang Qiu stiffened. He didn’t want to talk about it, but thinking about it made his blood boil. Furious, he muttered, “If I ever see those scarlet eyes again, I’ll make sure to turn them into a museum exhibit!”

All because of that damn Jiangshi!

“Big rotten Jiangshi!” Zhang Qiu cursed again.

Xiapi Prince Hui laughed even more happily and echoed, “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but judging by your reaction, that Jiangshi must be awful.”

“Sit tight, coward.” Li Shu, who had been silent, suddenly said.

Just as Zhang Qiu was about to protest the nickname, the car suddenly accelerated. He was lifted off his seat before slamming back down heavily. Even Xiapi Prince Hui’s gentle smile faded. Soon, the car entered the forest, making the ride even bumpier. Zhang Qiu felt like he was on a roller coaster, and even Xiapi Prince Hui, who usually maintained his composure, was gripping the handle tightly, his face pale.

Zhang Qiu knew that Xiapi Prince Hui got carsick even worse than him, but he had the pride of an ancient noble and refused to show weakness in front of others. He always forced himself to endure.

With the car bouncing so much, Zhang Qiu couldn’t even form a complete sentence. His butt felt like it was splitting in two. Worse, instead of slowing down, Li Shu kept swerving through the trees. Zhang Qiu clung to the handle and turned to check the back. The black SUV that had been tailing them was gone. He hurriedly said, “Li—Li Shu, slow down, slow down! The car behind us is gone!”

His sentence was broken into pieces from all the jolts.

Li Shu glanced at Xiapi Prince Hui through the rearview mirror and smirked. Seeing the prince’s pale, nauseous face, he didn’t slow down. Instead, he sped up. Zhang Qiu held on for dear life as the car shot toward a dense patch of tall grass and crashed through it before coming to an abrupt stop.

Xiapi Prince Hui couldn’t hold back any longer. Before the car had even fully stopped, he grabbed the door handle, stumbled out, and rushed to a tree to vomit.

Li Shu barely spared him a glance and handed a bottle of water to Zhang Qiu. “Drink some.”

Zhang Qiu took the bottle and ran over to Xiapi Prince Hui, offering it to him. After rinsing his mouth, the prince still looked disheveled—but even in this state, he remained stunningly beautiful.

“Come here, coward.”

Zhang Qiu frowned in protest. “Who’s a coward?! Stop calling me that.” Then, thinking for a moment, he added, “If you must call me that, at least do it in private. Otherwise, you’ll embarrass me in front of others.”

“Xiapi Prince Hui is not an outsider,” Li Shu said absentmindedly.

“Come here, coward.”

Zhang Qiu frowned in protest. “Who’s a coward?! You’re not allowed to call me that anymore.” He took the water Li Shu handed him and took a sip to steady himself. Feeling much better, he noticed Li Shu frowning and thought for a moment before saying, “If you really want to call me that, at least keep it between us. Otherwise, you’ll ruin my reputation in front of others.”

“Xiapi Prince Huai doesn’t count as an outsider.” Li Shu himself was surprised by how naturally he said this.

Zhang Qiu thought about it, then nodded. “That’s true.”

Li Shu’s expression immediately darkened, but Zhang Qiu didn’t notice. He muttered to himself, “Xiapi Prince Huai is basically my Second Brother’s wife. We’re all family, so we should take good care of him.”

“…If not for your Second Brother…” Li Shu’s voice trailed off.

Zhang Qiu didn’t catch it. “Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Li Shu glanced toward Xiapi Prince Huai, knowing that with his keen hearing, he must have heard that remark. If not for Zhang Qiu, he wouldn’t have let him off so easily—just a minor warning for now.

The sky had already darkened. In the back of the car, there was camping gear—tents and lights. Zhang Qiu wanted to set up camp and cook a meal, but Li Shu stopped him.

“No need. They’re coming.”

Zhang Qiu’s heart tightened. He knew that the three men and one woman had caught up. He looked at Li Shu in silent question.

Then, without warning, Li Shu grabbed him and, with a light step against the tree, leaped up like a martial arts master. With surprising ease, he carried Zhang Qiu into the treetops without being hindered by his weight.

“That was so cool!” Zhang Qiu gasped before quickly lowering his voice, leaning close to Li Shu’s ear. “How did you do that? You’re like a real martial arts expert!”

Li Shu turned his head. Their faces were so close that their breaths mingled. Zhang Qiu instinctively leaned back, but a strong hand cradled his head, gently pulling him closer.

Li Shu’s lips brushed against his lightly—just a brief touch. Zhang Qiu’s face started turning red. Thankfully, Xiapi Prince Huai was still nearby, and Li Shu knew when to stop—

Before he could finish that thought, Li Shu’s lips pressed against his again. This time, the kiss was deep and urgent, like a storm threatening to consume him. Zhang Qiu’s breath hitched. His legs went weak, and he almost fell from the tree, but Li Shu held him tightly, his gaze intense like a starving wolf.

Dizzy from lack of oxygen, Zhang Qiu clung to Li Shu’s clothes as they finally parted.

“Strange… your eyes…”

Li Shu pressed a kiss to his eyelid, suppressing the stirring in his heart. “What about them?”

Zhang Qiu shook his head. “Nothing… I must have been seeing things.”

Just a moment ago, he could have sworn Li Shu’s eyes had turned red. Maybe he really was imagining it.

---

Pinky says: ~Haaaang up the chick habit, Hang it up, daddy, Or you’ll never get another fix. WAHWAHWAH. I’m telling you it’s not a trick, Pay attention, don’t be thick, Or you’re liable to get licked. WAHWAHWAH. You’re gonna see the reason why, When they’re spittin’ in your eye, They’ll be spittin’ in your eye. WAHWAHWAH.