Chapter 35 - A little wicked

Chapter 35: Chapter 35 - A little wicked

"This... this..."

The butler looked from the spotless floor to Ying Di, then back at the room again as though he couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing. His eyes widened when he noticed the faint bloodstains still clinging to Ying Di’s clothes.

"Master, this... weren’t you hurt? You... you were bleeding. There was blood everywhere..."

Ying Di lowered his head and stared blankly at the red stains on his shirt.

He seemed to consider the butler’s question for a moment.

Then Jua Gu’s voice sounded in his mind.

Tell him it’s red paint and leave.

Ying Di immediately raised his head.

"It’s red paint."

He even patted the front of his shirt as though reassuring himself of his own explanation before casually walking toward the door.

The butler stared after him.

"Red paint?"

He hurried after Ying Di, still looking completely bewildered.

"Still, you must get yourself checked by the doctor, Master! Elder Master!"

Several maids and servants quickly followed behind him, along with the doctor who had just arrived. None of them seemed willing to take any chances after seeing the amount of blood that had been in the room.

Once they were gone, Ying Mao tightened his grip on Jua Gu’s hands.

"Jua-ge..."

He looked toward the doorway nervously.

"Will he tell them?"

"There is no need to worry."

Jua Gu looked down at the boy and calmly shook his head.

"He is completely under my control."

He lifted his hand and spread his fingertips slightly.

A few thin red strands immediately appeared from the tips of his fingers. They were so fine that they almost looked like strands of silk, stretching from his nails toward the doorway where Ying Di had disappeared.

Ying Mao’s fear was quickly replaced by curiosity.

He reached out and poked one of the strands.

His finger passed straight through it.

"What are those?"

"Puppet strings."

Jua Gu lowered his hand slightly, watching the delicate red threads tremble with his movement.

"Corpse puppets can move on their own once they’re properly controlled, but I don’t have enough demonic energy right now to continuously supply him. These strings can transmit my commands to him instead. They’ll do for the time being."

He casually adjusted the cuffs of his nightclothes, then glanced down at himself.

His expression immediately soured.

The blood from earlier had soaked his clothes from the collar all the way down, leaving them stained and sticky.

And now I have to take another bath.

"Tsk."

Jua Gu sighed.

He reached over and patted Ying Mao’s head.

"Go to sleep. I’ll take a bath."

Ying Mao immediately shook his head.

"Can I sleep here?"

He looked up at Jua Gu with pleading eyes and quietly tugged at his sleeve.

"Please..."

The boy nudged his face against Jua Gu’s hand.

"I’m still scared."

Jua Gu stared at him for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"Okay, okay. You win."

He pinched Ying Mao’s soft cheeks before finally turning toward the bathroom.

However, the moment he stepped inside, he froze.

His eyes slowly traveled toward the sink.

There were several blood-soaked rags piled inside it.

Jua Gu’s eyebrow twitched.

That absolute idiot.

Ying Di had cleaned the floors perfectly, wiped the blood from the angel statue, and even erased the demonic formation. Yet somehow, the corpse puppet had managed to leave the bloodiest part of the cleanup sitting right in the bathroom sink.

Jua Gu stared at the mess for several seconds.

"Honestly..."

He rubbed his forehead.

How did I end up with a corpse puppet this stupid?

There was nothing else to do.

He rolled up his sleeves and began washing the rags himself.

Fortunately, the blood was still fresh. It hadn’t dried and set into the fabric, so it came out fairly easily with enough scrubbing. Jua Gu repeatedly rinsed and stomped on the rags beneath the running water until the water finally ran clear.

By the time he finished, his bath had taken considerably longer than he had intended.

Jua Gu eventually stepped out of the bathroom with a towel in his hands, rubbing his wet hair as he walked toward the bed.

Then he stopped.

A small figure was lying beneath the blankets.

Ying Mao was awake.

The little boy lifted his head the moment Jua Gu came out, his eyes immediately brightening when he saw him.

"You’re not asleep yet?"

"No..."

Ying Mao scooted toward the side of the bed, leaving a clear space beside him.

"I was waiting for you, Jua-ge."

He patted the empty spot beside himself.

"Here. I warmed up your spot."

Jua Gu stared at him.

Then a grin slowly spread across his face.

Why is this kid being so cute?

He walked over and climbed into bed beside him.

The moment he settled beneath the blankets, he understood what Ying Mao meant.

The bed was genuinely warm.

Warm and soft and surprisingly cozy.

Jua Gu lay there quietly for a moment, feeling the lingering warmth beneath his body.

No one had ever warmed his bed for him before.

It was such a small thing.

Something so ordinary that most people probably wouldn’t even think twice about it.

Yet to Jua Gu, it felt strangely new.

And, much to his own surprise, very nice.

Before Jua Gu even realized it, the warmth of the bed and the exhaustion weighing down his body finally caught up with him. His breathing gradually evened out, and within minutes, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Beside him, however, the small figure under the blankets slowly opened his eyes.

Ying Mao turned his head and quietly watched the sleeping figure beside him.

For a long time, he simply stared.

All this time, he had thought Jua-ge was too innocent to survive in this world. Jua-ge always looked as though he didn’t understand how cruel people could be, and sometimes he even acted a little helpless. Ying Mao had secretly worried that someone would eventually take advantage of him.

But today had changed that.

He had seen Jua-ge’s other side.

Jua-ge wasn’t as innocent as he pretended to be.

He was a little wicked.

And Ying Mao liked that.

A small smile slowly appeared on his face as he looked at the sleeping man.

It felt strangely good to know that Jua-ge wasn’t completely different from him.

Because now he didn’t have to keep pretending either.

He didn’t have to act like he was always innocent and clueless, or hide every little thought that crossed his mind.

If Jua-ge could be a little wicked...

Then he could be wicked too.

Ying Mao’s smile widened slightly.

I can be just as wicked as Jua-ge.