Bright light suddenly enveloped the white cat.
Strong energy fluctuations erupted from the small body. The tray on the operating table crashed down and various types of hemostatic forceps and scalpels fell to the ground. The sterile cloth was blown away. The doctor took a step back, raised his hand to cover his face, and under his mask, the corners of his lips lifted in a smile.
On the operating table, the man’s mutilated body miraculously re-grew. First the hip bones, then the femurs. Blood vessels, nerves, muscles tissues, and skin appeared layer by layer, as if this was the sixth day when God created man.
The light bulbs on the shadowless lamp shattered one after another, and the lights overhead flickered steadily before finally extinguishing. The small platform on which the white cat was lying on crashed to the ground. The cat’s body rolled weakly twice before being swallowed by an even brighter purple light.
The doctor hurriedly stepped back into the corner. He stared at Victor and then at the man on the operating table who’d regain a complete body. He couldn’t help but said, “It must be really convenient, having the Master of Body treat you.”
The blessing that Miss Deer had imprinted on Victor’s forehead flashed, and the white cat’s body gradually elongated. In the dazzling halo, a figure could be vaguely seen.
The rest of the operating room wasn’t spared from the disaster. Things cracked and fell to the ground; nothing was left in their original place. After three to four minutes, the energy fluctuations gradually weakened at last and subsided as the light faded away.
“Huuu.”
The doctor breathed out a long sigh of relief. He took off his mask and gloves and threw them into the trash can. Then he took off his surgical gown, exposing his neck and hands wrapped in a layer of bandages. He glanced at the tall man lying on the ground at a distance and murmured, “It’s not easy giving gifts these days.”
Long time no see.
The last time this man was here, he’d borrowed his operating room to save two pilgrims.
He smiled down at the Russian man, turned, opened the door of the operating room, and walked out.
“Okay.” The doctor peered down at the dwarf waiting by the door. “Call his friend over to get him. Remember to mention the maintenance cost.”
**************
Dong Zheng looked at the large piece of metal in front of him, lost in thought.
The dwarf raised his head and nearly broke his neck trying to see the top of the piece of metal. She could only pat it and said, “Sir, it’s all yours now.”
Dong Zheng: “…………”
But how would he take it away?
Knowing his troubles, the dwarf said, “Guest, don’t need to worry. We will help bring the goods to you.”
“That’s good. I’ll trouble you then.” Dong Zheng looked around the circus warehouse. There were many precious props here that would result in looting, but they were just randomly stacked in the corners, covered in dust.
He didn’t care much about these. In fact, Dong Zheng was full of Cui Zuojing. At this time, the young man should have already gotten his feelings back.
So…what would his answer be?
He didn’t know when Cui Zuojing would be coming to look for him, so it was better to take the initiative than to wait restlessly.
After thanking the dwarf and leaving the warehouse, Dong Zheng searched for Cui Zuojing’s position.
Soon, he received news from Cui Zuojing through the prisoner contract.
He wanted to see him.
Dong Zheng hurried to find the place where Cui Zuojing was waiting. It was in a very remote part of the circus’ backstage, and along the way, he didn’t see very many people. Once the audience left and the excitement was gone, the surroundings were too quiet, making the ubiquitous red and heavy curtains look a little horrifying.
Dong Zheng stopped and looked around, but he couldn’t find the young man’s trace anywhere. He didn’t use the prisoner link immediately to sense him, and instead he focused on slowly searching for him.
Where could he be?
Suddenly, a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind.
Dong Zheng stopped immediately. The palms of those hands were slightly damp, and their temperatures and sizes were things he was all too familiar with.
He had held those hands countless times, no matter how bloodied, dusty, or muddied, whether trembling slightly due to injury, or warm under the comforter, or clutching the sheets when excited…At this moment, the heart that he’d forced to calm was no longer so calm and was thumping wildly.
He didn’t move, and neither did Cui Zuojing. Cui Zuojing was shorter than Dong Zheng and had to hold his hands up-raised. As time passed, they seemed to be able to hear each other’s quiet breathing.
After a long time, or perhaps not long at all, the young man behind Dong Zheng took a step forward and pressed his chest against his back. Warm breath hit the skin just above his collar and a kiss landed on the side of his neck.
Those lips pressed lightly down, like falling cherry blossoms in Spring, trembling imperceptibly.
This answer was everything.
Dong Zheng turned abruptly. The hands over his eyes dropped, slid onto his shoulders, clutching tightly. Dong Zheng lowered his head and kissed the young man he’d been looking for.
The entanglement between their lips and tongues carried a feeling that he’d never tasted before, fragrant as wine, and Dong Zheng knew that this was the feeling Cui Zuojing had lost and recovered. This was no longer a simple response to satisfy him, but an agreed intimacy just between the two of them.
He wrapped his arms around Cui Zuojing’s back and slid his hands down to hold his waist. This action had nothing to do with lust; he just wanted to hold him tightly in his arms and never let go.
Now, even without the emotional link, Dong Zheng could personally feel Cui Zuojing’s overwhelming love.
So he actually really liked him.
Cui Zuojing closed his eyes, kissing Dong Zheng with unprecedented seriousness. His fingertips brushed against Dong Zheng’s temple, and everything around him faded away, no longer so important. What were the Queen’s schemes, what secrets of the Pure White Realm, what two seals that he didn’t know how to solve, what method to end the blood contract…None of these mattered.
What he wanted now was to find an outlet for the emotions building up in his chest.
All thoughts and confessions melted into this hot and intense kiss that needed no words.
“Cough…cough cough!”
Suddenly, Cui Zuojing turned his head away, coughing.
He’d choked on his saliva.
He raised his hand to cover his mouth. It was also at this time that Dong Zheng finally clearly saw Cui Zuojing’s appearance. His expression abruptly changed, and he grabbed Cui Zuojing’s arm, asking in a loud voice, “What happened to your eye?”
Wrapped tightly around Cui Zuojing’s right eyes was an eyepatch. Dong Zheng suddenly had a bad guess. If he remembered correctly, Cui Zuojing had exchanged his feelings for 500 points. If he took his feelings back, wouldn’t he need to pay a certain amount in compensation?
Before coming to the circus, the team had spent a lot of points to buy props in Heimdall, leaving only the amounts needed to ensure that they wouldn’t be cleared on the Blood Night. There definitely wasn’t an extra 500 points for Cui Zuojing.
What if he exchanged his feelings for something else…
Like an eye?!
Cui Zuojing panted slightly, ignoring Dong Zheng’s question. He stared at the man in front of him, a sweet smile in his left eye, shining like a pool of stars.
He held the back of Dong Zheng’s neck and rose up to kiss him again.
Dong Zheng dodged him. He shook his arm vigorously and asked again, “What’s wrong with your eye?!”
“It’s nothing serious.” Cui Zuojing raised his hand and touched the eyepatch carelessly, not used to seeing Dong Zheng like this. He pressed himself tightly against Dong Zheng, hugging him, and raised his head with a smile. “My feelings are back, aren’t you happy?”
How could Dong Zheng say that he was happy? He forced himself to calm down and brushed his fingers against the gauze, not daring to use force. The gauze left a rough texture on his fingertips, and he could hardly imagine what it was like underneath.
“You exchanged your eye for your feelings, didn’t you?”
Cui Zuojing didn’t speak, but the eye that was watching Dong Zheng dodged his gaze for a moment. Dong Zheng didn’t miss this, and his expression suddenly became severe. His words sounded almost like an order. “Change it back.”
Cui Zuojing wondered, “What? Didn’t you always want my answer?”
“If it must be at the expense of hurting you, then I would rather not.”
They looked at each other in silence, caught in an invisible struggle with neither willing to give in. Cui Zuojing had finally recovered his lost feelings and recognized his inner heart. How could he be willing to return his feelings now?
“I don’t want to.”
Dong Zheng touched the side of his face. “Be obedient. Change back and ask if the clown is willing to exchange it for something else. As long as I can afford it, I’m willing to give anything.”
Cui Zuojing’s voice was very soft. “But if that’s the case, you may have to wait for a long time.”
“I can afford to wait, and I’m willing to wait,” Dong Zheng said firmly. “Listen to me, A’Zuo. Take your eye back.”
Cui Zuojing gazed fixedly at him, expressing an “I won’t” with his eye.
Dong Zheng also refused to give in. They stood in a stalemate, and the originally charming atmosphere gradually filled with the scent of bitterness.
Cui Zuojing stared at Dong Zheng, and he suddenly burst out laughing.
He pulled off the eyepatch, the elastic digging a little painfully into his fingers, but he didn’t care. There was sparkling water in his right eye, and even his black eyelashes were wet.
“I deceived you.” Cui Zuojing’s voice was very soft, wrapped with a slight tremor. The blindfold fell from his fingers to the ground, and he stood on tiptoes and kissed Dong Zheng’s chin.
That was his final test for Dong Zheng.
The person that he liked would surely never let him down.
The cruel sight that he’d imagined didn’t appear, and the eye under the blindfold was as bright as ever.
“You scared me to death.” The heart in his throat finally fell. Dong Zheng let out a breath of relief. He brushed aside the hair over Cui Zuojing’s forehead, dropped a kiss there, and then pressed his lips gently to his right eye.
He tasted slightly salty, but not bitter.
There was moisture in Cui Zuojing’s eyes. He pushed Dong Zheng against the wall, trapping him between the wall and his body and said seriously, “Let’s do it.”
“What?” Dong Zheng was surprised, thinking that he’d heard wrong. “Here?”
“Yes.” Cui Zuojing began to unbutton Dong Zheng’s clothes. His hands were shaking a little and so he wasn’t very successful. After a few failed attempts, he clicked his tongue and grabbed the front of Dong Zheng’s buttoned up shirt, wanting to rip it open.
Dong Zheng held his hands against his chest, not letting him engage in any more outrageous behavior. He whispered softly, “Wait until we get home?”
His tone of voice wasn’t one of blame, or scolding, or an order, but a gentle solicitation of Cui Zuojing’s opinion.
This kind of tenderness was like a precious treasure.
Tears flowed out in an instant, and the expression that Cui Zuojing was struggling to maintain suddenly collapsed. Cui Zuojing lowered his head, resting his forehead on Dong Zheng’s chest. He bit his lower lip hard and said in a choked voice, “I just…couldn’t control myself.”
A whole year’s worth of love suddenly burst out, and what was supposed to be a build-up to a long and wonderful relationship came like a tsunami, so intense that it was difficult for him to resist.
Cui Zuojing couldn’t help thinking, if he hadn’t exchanged his feelings away to the clown in the first place, would he and Dong Zheng have had a wonderful mutual temptation and secret love?
But there was no use in ifs.
“I know.” Dong Zheng rubbed Cui Zuojing’s back soothingly. His eyes grew moist, and he gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Cui Zuojing’s eyes, whispering, “After we get back, we can do whatever you want, okay?”
“You’ve said it.” Cui Zuojing wiped his nose, grabbed Dong Zheng’s hand, and firmly interlocked their fingers.
“Then…let’s go find Uncle and the others.”
—————–
Xixi: Finally, he got his feelings back and Dong Zheng got his answer. And, I never thought I would say this, but I’m glad they didn’t do it right then and there.
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Honestly, I’m also glad. FIRST NIGHTS SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE ROMANTIC, ALONE!!!
Also, I’m really excited about Victor’s form being back! Idk why but I just can’t wait till the team meets him and Linhai’s reaction too.
And thanks miss Xixi for the translations! I had a feeling that the reason for these lots of updates should be because of this >v< I'm so grateful either way cuz this part is so important!!
Haha…a year’s worth of “feelings” make CZJ too enthusiastic. I feel like there are so many major developments here, which CZ getting his emotions back and confirming his relationship with DZ, and Victor getting his body back. Finally, the ship has sailed for good.
Thank you for the chapters~
I can’t express how gratified I am that Cui Zuojing is finally reciprocating Dong Zheng’s love, not just going along~ >u< I’m really glad they chose to wait to do it. It’d be a shame for their first time to be so hasty. Also, Victor finally has a human body! I still feel wary of that freaky doctor though. I hope the magician clears Wang Que’s curse quickly and the team can return home~ I wonder if Fu Zhe has a room big enough for the material Dong Zheng won.
Now we just have to see how Cui Zuojing will show his love. Will he still be the yandere, bashful type or the “get a room” type? Or both. Hehe…can’t wait.
I’m definitely all in for the third option *rubs hands together gleefully* Oh, this is going to be so much fun~
This was so moving T T I’m so glad they both got what they wanted and needed!!! Cui Zuojing is just tiny, I wanted to hug him! >.<
And Victor stoped being a cat, ahhh!!
God I love Victor so much ;o;
I’m glad he has his body back now, tho I gotta say I’ll miss him as a cat lol.
Ahhh Cui Zuojing’s feelings are back!! 🥰
this chapter was so sweet and beautiful, we got uncle’s body back, and we got the confirmation of feelings between our mains
this reader is happy beyond words
。゚(゚´Д`゚)゚。
thank u translator-sama, u r doing God’s work
Comparto la alegría, Xixi, se pude ver a tus hijos algo emocionados.
OMG IMG OH MY GODDDDD RUSHED HERE AS SOOON AS I THOUGHT HE’S GONNA GET HIS BODY BACKKKK OMGGGGG SO EXCITED okay I’ll continue reading now