Little Pink Starfish

Clearly they already had a child, but this kiss made Zhang Qiu as nervous as his first time. His heart pounded thump thump thump.

Li Shu’s perfect face slowly zoomed in. Zhang Qiu instinctively closed his eyes, something soft and slightly cool touched his lips. He stretched out the tip of his tongue and licked, thinking this didn’t fit his pure persona, and tried to pull back—only to be swallowed by Li Shu’s heat.

What was supposed to be a pure and non-pretentious kiss ended up really wet.

Zhang Qiu’s face was flushed with shyness. He licked the corner of his lips, his eyes watery—it was because he’d been holding his breath and was out of air.

So good!

It felt like a little brush tickling his heart. Zhang Qiu looked at Li Shu with puppy eyes, “Let’s go back to the room.”

“Okay.” Li Shu’s eyes were full of undisguised desire.

They paid the bill and rushed toward the hotel room, their whole bodies radiating we’re about to do it energy—but just as they got to the door, oh wow, everyone was already there. Little Lingdang was dressed in British style today, looking like a little gentleman, and asked curiously, “Adult, why is your mouth so red? Did you eat something too spicy?”

Zhang Qiu had no energy to explain. Seeing this setup, he knew his fiery passion tonight was doomed.

Sigh, why is it so hard to get some action?!

Li Shu didn’t look very happy either. Zhang Yushui was holding Xiao Jiang, smiling, “No choice. Gao Zhihao urgently notified us to leave immediately.”

Zhang Qiu thought Second Brother’s smile was way too schadenfreude, definitely payback for sticking Xiao Jiang with Second Sister-in-law earlier.

Cars were already waiting outside, just for Zhang Qiu and Li Shu. Zhang Qiu suppressed the itch in his heart and resignedly packed a bag of clothes—all Xiao Jiang’s stuff, plus underwear for him and Li Shu.

Three black off-road vehicles were parked outside. Gao Zhihao sat in the front, face looking sour. When he saw them, he gave a fake smile, “Finally ready to go?”

“Sorry for the wait, Boss Gao, please forgive us.” Zhang Yushui smiled. The one who pays is the master.

Gao Zhihao had had a string of bad luck the past two days. The jiangtou (black magic) shaman he hired had inexplicably lost his powers, the house was full of little ghosts messing around, and two business partners had gone to his rival Lin family. He was fuming inside, and these people he’d spent so much money on had kept him waiting over half an hour.

With all this, Gao Zhihao really couldn’t keep up the fake smile. Especially when he saw Zhang Qiu holding a child—veins popped on his forehead. What do these people think they’re doing?! This isn’t an expedition—it’s a freaking vacation on my dime!

“Why is the kid coming too?” Gao Zhihao whispered, displeased but cautious of Li Shu.

Zhang Yushui smiled as he explained, “Children have pure eyes. He’ll be useful.”

Gao Zhihao gave a skeptical glance at the little chubby one in Zhang Qiu’s arms. So the rumors that Li Shu is powerful because of this kid being used as bait—could be true?

That explanation would do. At least if something happened to the kid, it wasn’t his responsibility. But then Gao Zhihao saw the dolled-up, flashy Qi Xi, and really couldn’t take it anymore. He pointed, “This freaky-looking guy—are you here for a picnic?!”

Flamboyant Qi Xi: ……

Zhang Qiu held back a laugh. Qi Xi really was flashy—dressed in all name brands like he was walking a red carpet. Among the group, he was the most eye-catching. If it weren’t late and the streets weren’t empty, they’d be surrounded by onlookers.

“You’re just jealous of my beauty. You’ll understand why I dressed like this once we’re down there.” Qi Xi pouted.

Zhang Qiu thought, What? So zombies will bite you less because you’re pretty? What nonsense.

Gao Zhihao was so mad his head hurt, but he’d already paid. He didn’t care if they lived or died now. “Get in. Let’s go.”

The first two cars were Gao Zhihao’s, carrying luggage. The third was theirs. Pei Qing drove. The car was packed full, barely enough room to sit. The trunk held their bags. Under the cover of night, they hit the highway and left the city.

Zhang Qiu lulled Xiao Jiang to sleep. Li Shu took over holding him to let Zhang Qiu rest his arms. Zhang Qiu leaned back in the seat, feeling a little carsick. His face was pale and his stomach felt heavy.

“Uncomfortable?”

“A little stuffy.” Zhang Qiu’s head was spinning, his eyes heavy. A warm hand wiped his sweat—it was Li Shu. The window opened, letting in cold wind that cleared his head a bit. He opened his eyes and saw a warm cup of water at his lips.

Li Shu held the cup and fed him some water. “Sleep a while.” He borrowed a blanket from Qi Xi to cover Zhang Qiu, then adjusted the window.

Zhang Qiu didn’t know how long he slept. His body was stiff. When he opened his eyes, the car had stopped, and no one was inside.

Outside the window, the camp was lit up. Gao Zhihao’s men were setting up tents. Zhang Qiu saw Li Shu crouching, doing something. He wrapped himself in the blanket and got out. A gust of wind made him shiver. Before he got close, Li Shu looked up and asked, “Just in time for some porridge.”

Zhang Qiu saw that Li Shu had cooked a pot of white porridge on a simple stove—it was bubbling and smelled nice. Xiao Jiang was obediently sitting nearby, chewing on a cow horn toy, and happily called, “Daddy!”

“Where are we?”

“Leshan.” Li Shu scooped a bowl and handed it to him. “Careful, it’s hot.”

Zhang Qiu drank a bit, then smacked his lips—it was bland, no taste. Li Shu noticed and added a packet of pickles. Zhang Qiu happily continued eating. “Did you eat?”

“Yeah.” Li Shu pulled Zhang Qiu to sit beside him.

Zhang Qiu looked around. “Where’s Second Brother and the rest?”

The camp was deep in some unknown forested mountain. They’d cleared the area to set up tents. Gao Zhihao’s tent was in the middle, his men were eating. Their tents were on the outer circle. Pei Qing, Qi Xi, and the others weren’t around.

Just as he asked, they heard Qi Xi’s giggling. Zhang Qiu looked up and saw flashy Qi Xi coming out of the darkness with Pei Qing and Lingdang. Qi Xi held two fat, gray rabbits. Pei Qing had three fish.

“Yo, Xiao Qiuqiu, awake? Just in time for a snack.” Qi Xi sassily tossed the rabbits down. The bunnies trembled but didn’t dare run—awaiting their fate.

Xiao Jiang’s eyes lit up and he poked the rabbit ears. “Daddy, it’s so cute.”

Zhang Qiu thought his son was feeling sympathy—then Xiao Jiang bared his tiger teeth and said, “Looks delicious.”

How could he ever misunderstand this little glutton?!

With Qi Xi around, things were always lively. They cleaned the fish and rabbits, made a fire, and Qi Xi took out a bunch of spices from his LV bag, making Zhang Qiu’s eyelid twitch. Qi Xi did everything himself, and soon the aroma of roasting meat filled the air. Xiao Jiang watched with shining eyes, worshipfully clinging to Qi Xi like a little tail.

“Pretty brother, this rabbit is super tasty!”

From uncle to brother—a single rabbit leg did the trick. Zhang Qiu seriously worried for his son’s future.

Li Shu watched father and son with oily mouths and sighed. Seems like I’d better learn to cook too.

After the meal, Zhang Qiu no longer had a headache or stomach discomfort. He energetically helped move sleeping bags, washed up roughly, and crawled into one. Soon Li Shu slipped in too. Zhang Qiu shifted Xiao Jiang to the side, and the two lay close, breathing in sync.

Outside, the torches crackled. Zhang Yushui had set a formation—anything evil approaching would trigger it. Gao Zhihao’s men and Pei Qing took the first watch, Li Shu the second.

Zhang Qiu knew the boundaries. They shared a kiss.

“Sleep.” Li Shu kissed his forehead.

Zhang Qiu quickly fell asleep. In the dream, a thick crimson mist wrapped around something. Soft cries of “Daddy” echoed. As the mist peeled away, a tiny, delicate child appeared—even smaller than Xiao Jiang was at birth. Zhang Qiu’s heart leapt. It’s the second one. This is the second one.

Bang!

Just as he reached to hold it, everything turned black. The crimson mist turned pitch-black. The child’s soft “Daddy” faded…

“Second one!”

Zhang Qiu jolted awake, sitting up. It took him a few seconds to realize it was a dream. He touched his stomach—calm and unchanged, same as before.

Light seeped into the tent. Zhang Qiu looked around. Xiao Jiang was fast asleep. Li Shu must have gone on night watch.

It was too quiet—he felt uneasy. Lifting the flap, he saw no one outside. His heart tightened. Where did Li Shu go?

He grabbed a coat and a knife for self-defense. Behind him, footsteps—he turned and saw Qi Xi.

“Oh, it’s you!” Zhang Qiu sighed in relief. “Don’t you think something’s wrong? Li Shu is missing. It’s too quiet here.”

“Seems a little off.” Qi Xi pointed into the woods. “There’s someone there. Let’s check.”

Zhang Qiu followed his finger—saw nothing—but Qi Xi had already walked over. Zhang Qiu followed, but after a few steps, Qi Xi suddenly ran like mad. Zhang Qiu shouted, “Qi Xi! Qi Xi!” and chased him—but in a blink, he was gone.

Zhang Qiu gritted his teeth and turned back, planning to wake everyone.

But the camp stayed visible—he just couldn’t reach it, no matter how far he walked. Confused, Zhang Qiu saw the tents lit as before. Li Shu was by the fire, with two of Gao Zhihao’s men.

“Li Shu!” Zhang Qiu yelled—but Li Shu didn’t react.

Zhang Qiu was sweating anxiously. What the hell is going on?!

Then he heard a noise and followed it. In the darkness, a figure jumped out, pressing a cold knife to his throat. Zhang Qiu froze.

The knife pulled away—it was Li Shu. But remembering the other Li Shu at the fire, Zhang Qiu stepped back, wary. “Who are you?!”

“Coward, it’s me.”

Li Shu casually wiped blood from his face, sheathed his knife, and strapped it to his waist. “It’s really me. Come on, let’s get back.”

Still wary, Zhang Qiu stepped back, knife ready. “Tell me your bank card balance!”

He’d whispered it in Li Shu’s ear after their date.

Li Shu recited the correct string of numbers.

“I also know what color boxers you wore today.” Li Shu touched Zhang Qiu’s cheek and smiled.

Yeah, well, I know what you wore too—wait, this isn’t the time!

Zhang Qiu asked, “You’re hurt? What happened? Qi Xi disappeared.”

“Not my blood. Let’s go back first. I don’t know if Second Brother and the others were affected.” Li Shu held his hand. They moved quickly through the woods. Zhang Qiu noticed they returned by a completely different route. In just a few hundred meters, they were back at camp.

The fire was dying. The guards were gone.

Zhang Qiu checked the tent—Xiao Jiang was still sleeping soundly. Li Shu woke the others. Pei Qing, Lingdang, and Qi Xi were missing. Zhang Yushui and the King of Xiapi emerged, surprised at Li Shu’s state.

“Something happened?” Zhang Yushui frowned. They’d slept too deeply—it was strange.

“Boss, we lost two men.” Gao Zhihao, just awakened, was irritated. “Probably went to pee! Search before panicking.”

“Don’t wander.” Li Shu said coldly.

Gao Zhihao was annoyed but, seeing blood on Li Shu, grew nervous. “What happened?”

Zhang Qiu didn’t know either. He explained what he’d seen after waking.

Zhang Yushui checked the formation—still intact. No evil energy.

“It was hallucinations.” Li Shu looked around, extinguished the fire, and pointed at the rabbit skins. “Probably caused by the food—fish and rabbit from last night. Burning the skins leaves a residue that induces hallucinations.”

So they all wandered off by themselves.

“But why weren’t Second Brother and Xiao Jiang affected?”

“We didn’t eat the fish.” the King of Xiapi said.

Zhang Qiu recalled—Second Sister-in-law felt sick at the smell and went upwind with Second Brother. Xiao Jiang disliked bones and didn’t touch the fish. The rest had eaten it.

“The blood on me was from wild monkeys. These monkeys are unusually strong.” Li Shu looked at Zhang Yushui. “You stay here and watch them. I’m going to find the others.”

Zhang Qiu worried but knew he’d only be a burden. Especially after that dream—he feared something happening to the second child.

“Be careful.” he said. Zhang Yushui asked the King of Xiapi to go help too.

No one dared sleep now. They turned off the fire, used flashlights, and watched the forest warily.

As dawn broke, Li Shu, Zhang Yushui, Pei Qing, Qi Xi, and Lingdang returned. Qi Xi looked a mess, face scratched, clothes torn—courtesy of wild monkeys.

Pei Qing and Lingdang were just rumpled. But Zhang Qiu saw Second Brother grinning, Lingdang’s face red—and something seemed off.

“I was half asleep. Big brother said he’d show me something cool. Then… then…” Lingdang turned redder and stopped talking.

Pei Qing looked equally embarrassed. He’d been hallucinating, took Lingdang outside to fool around, and got caught by a group of monkeys. If Li Shu and Zhang Yushui hadn’t come, he’d still be butt-naked fighting monkeys.

“Qi Xi, what did you see last night? I called you and you didn’t respond—like you went crazy.” Zhang Qiu, seeing Pei Qing’s look, quickly changed the topic.

Qi Xi’s eyes dodged. His face darkened. “Didn’t see anything.”

Only a few things could rattle Qi Xi. Zhang Qiu tactfully didn’t press further.

A bit later, the two missing guards returned—pantsless and scratched all over. Wild monkey victims too.

Everyone was back. They packed up. Gao Zhihao had spent the morning alone flashlight-in-hand studying the map like a dragon guarding treasure.

Li Shu asked for directions. Gao Zhihao looked around at the mountains, unsure.

“Give it here.” Li Shu said coldly.

Though unwilling, Gao Zhihao met Li Shu’s cold eyes and handed over the map—immediately regretting it. Luckily it was a copy.

Li Shu glanced at the map and terrain, then handed it back. “No use.”

“How can it be useless? The map clearly points to Leshan—look, look!” Gao Zhihao insisted.

Zhang Yushui glanced. “Boss Gao, just look yourself. The mountain layout doesn’t match.”

“Impossible. That old man Yue Donghui treasured this—it can’t be fake.” Gao Zhihao muttered, sweating. “This leads to Silk Clustered Road, it definitely does!”

Silk Clustered Road—again.

“Don’t be so obsessed, Boss Gao. Silk Clustered was a legendary king of ancient Shu—just a legend. Even if you find it, it’s been centuries. Nothing would remain.” Zhang Qiu tried to persuade.

Unexpectedly, Gao Zhihao looked up. “What do you know? It’s not just a road—it’s the path to immortality!”

“Immortality?!”

Gao Zhihao shut his mouth, refusing to speak further.

“Land changes over millennia—earthquakes, landslides. Maybe your map’s real, but now you know yourself—it’s useless.” Zhang Yushui looked around. “Pack up. Let’s go home.”

Gao Zhihao panicked. He’d paid so much—was this really just a camping trip?

“Li Shu’s fame is all fake, huh? I paid so much and you’re playing me?!” he snapped.

Li Shu’s cold gaze swept over. Gao Zhihao flinched but tried to stare back.

“No map, how do we find anything?” Zhang Yushui laughed. “If it were a tomb, I could do feng shui readings. But this is mythical. You can’t even explain what it is—I can’t locate what I don’t understand.”

Gao Zhihao dug out a leather notebook and flipped to a marked page. “A river. It’s a river!”

The handwriting was elegant—not his.

Zhang Qiu read it carefully. It told the myth of Bie Ling, a god whose corpse floated up a river for three days to Chengdu. He was fished out by Emperor Du Yu, revived, and became Shu’s prime minister—and later, king.

The notes made deductions based on the jade bi map. Near their current mountain, sun and moon shifts, river divisions—the nearest match was a river.

At the bottom, in red ink—“Guard.”

Guard what? Who wrote this?

Zhang Qiu thought of Yue Qincang. Earlier Gao Zhihao had slipped and said “Yue Donghui”—likely Yue Qincang’s father. Combined with the missing jade bi, it seemed Gao Zhihao had stolen not just the artifact—but their research.

“Remember the fish from last night?” Li Shu said.

Right—the fish!

Everyone looked at Pei Qing and Qi Xi.

Pei Qing laughed awkwardly. “We weren’t far.”

Qi Xi, shameless as always, had dragged Pei Qing and Lingdang out flying, saw a river, caught fish and rabbits…

Now they realized—they’d need to scale mountain after mountain again.

Qi Xi whistled innocently. Pei Qing cursed him internally. *Next time I follow Qi Xi again

, I’m not surnamed Pei!*

“Haha not important. I’ll drive us there.” Pei Qing laughed.

Gao Zhihao let out a huge sigh of relief. He quickly packed the notebook. “Then let’s go, no delays!” looking eager to get on the road.

Zhang Qiu, knowing the truth, just felt a headache. Who knows if we’ll even make it today.