After Mo Ran tied his ponytail, Chu Wanning went outside to wash the dishes. It was only three bowls, but he didn’t return to the room for a long time.

     Mo Ran sat on the bed, somewhat anxious. From time to time, he would glance out the window, his fingers unconsciously digging into the seams of the bed.

     What do I do? he thought. Where should I sleep tonight?

     This was a seemingly simple question, but it was actually life-threatening.

     Mo Ran wasn’t sure of Chu Wanning’s intentions, and he was even more conflicted in his own mind—at battle with desire and rationality.

     At this time, the curtains were lifted and Chu Wanning returned to the room with the washed bowls in his hands, bringing the chill from outside.

     He glanced at Mo Ran, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. The candlelight flickered, and his gaze seemed to be somewhat subtle, but in the next moment, his eyes fell, and before Mo Ran could see clearly, he had already sat at the table with his back to him.

     “Shizun, you’re still not sleeping?”

     As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt that they were out of place. No matter how he looked at it, he sounded like a man urgently inviting his lover to bed.

     Chu Wanning didn’t look back, and just said lightly, “I still have some things to do, you can sleep first.”

     “I’m not sleepy either, Shizun,” Mo Ran said. “What are you planning to do? I’ll help you.”

     “You won’t be able to help me, I want to make a few more messenger haitangs tonight.” As Chu Wanning spoke, he raised his hand and brought his fingertips together, forming a delicate golden haitang and placing it on the table.

     This kind of haitang flower was formed by Chu Wanning’s spiritual energy, and could be used to store and transmit short messages. This was his special technique, and no one else could imitate it.

     Mo Ran was somewhat puzzled. He came to the table and pulled out a chair to sit down on it backwards, his strong arms resting on the back of the chair and his chin resting on his arms, “Why is Shizun doing this?”

     “I’m selling it.”

     “What?” Mo Ran asked.

     Hearing the slight surprise in Mo Ran’s voice, Chu Wanning looked up and glanced at him, “We don’t have enough money to stay on Feihua Island for seven days. Didn’t that Third Madam Sun want to do business? Then I’ll do it with her. The messenger haitang will never disappear, and its golden light is resplendent. Look at all the gold and silver she likes to wear, I think she just likes shiny things. Once they’re done, I’ll go out tomorrow to see if she wants them.”

     Mo Ran couldn’t help but laugh, “Shizun is… selling flowers?”

     Chu Wanning’s expression changed slightly. He didn’t want to put himself in the same category as those delicate girls selling white orchids on the streets, so he said stiffly, “Flowers made by magic can’t be considered flowers.”

     “Then I’ll go with you to sell them tomorrow,” Mo Ran said.

     Chu Wanning didn’t say anything. He lowered his head and quickly formed four more flowers before saying in a low voice, “Do as you wish, as long as you don’t find it embarrassing.”

     “How would you embarrass me?” Mo Ran picked up one of the flowers and smelled it. The flower was very light and didn’t have any fragrance; the way it flowed with golden light was very graceful and elegant.

     The golden light shone on his handsome face and dark eyelashes. He said with a smile, “I’m afraid Third Madam Sun is going to cry and beg Shizun to sell them to her. How much does Shizun want to sell them for?”

     “Even a hundred of them won’t cost much spiritual energy…” Chu Wanning said. “How about three copper coins for one?”

     “...”

     Chu Wanning looked at him again and frowned slightly. After a moment, he asked hesitantly, “Too much?”

     Mo Ran sighed, and only said, “Shizun, don’t ask for a price tomorrow. I’ll sell them.”

     “Why? I made the flowers, I can set the price myself,” Chu Wanning argued.

     “Three coppers.” Mo Ran held out three fingers and waved them in front of Chu Wanning, “Shizun, you are Beidou Immortal, Yuheng of the Night Sky. This is your messenger haitang, something even cultivators can’t ask for. You’re selling it for three copper coins?”

     “No one asked me for them either,” Chu Wanning said. “They’re not really useful for anything other than decoration and sending messages. I think the price is about right.”

     Mo Ran almost laughed in disbelief, “Then sell them all to me, okay? I’ll give you the money right now.”

     Chu Wanning stopped, and the half-formed haitang flower lost the support of spiritual energy, only one golden petal falling down on the table. He really stretched out his palm and said indifferently, “Deal.”

     “...”

     Mo Ran was speechless for a long time. He felt around for his money pouch and suddenly remembered that both he and Chu Wanning had already given all of their money to that old turtle. He couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed. When he looked up, he saw Chu Wanning looking at him with a smile on his face.

     He felt even more embarrassed, and muttered, “Shizun knew I had no money, but…”

     Chu Wanning found him to be funny, and said, “You boasted that you wanted to buy them from me yourself.”

     “I…” Halfway through his sentence, Mo Ran silently swallowed his words. He suddenly felt that Chu Wanning’s words were a bit ambiguous.

     Chu Wanning should have said “buy my flowers,” but he was too careless to say the exact words. Unexpectedly, this made it sound like Mo Ran wanted to buy the man in front of him for just a few copper coins. Mo Ran’s heart suddenly beat faster. He didn’t look Chu Wanning in the eye, afraid that the other would see his wicked thoughts. However, when he looked down at his outstretched hand, he suddenly realized that Chu Wanning’s fingertips were red from the cold. He had been washing the bowls outside for a long time, and by now the hot water was definitely ice-cold.

     Mo Ran didn’t have time to think too much. Almost out of habit, he took hold of the fingers that were stretched out on the table.

     Chu Wanning was startled, and immediately started pretending to be calm. He had stretched out his hand for the money as a joke, but instead his hand suddenly fell into a pair of warm and broad palms. The temperature was just right, but he felt like he was being burned by a branding iron.

     “What are you doing?!”

     “...”

     Mo Ran originally didn’t have any vulgar thoughts in his mind, he only wanted to warm Chu Wanning's hands and make him feel better. But he never expected such a big reaction from him, and was stunned for a moment. The two of them looked at each other under the dim light of the candle. Suddenly, the candlelight sparked and crackled with a popping sound, breaking the dead silence.

     Chu Wanning knew he was being too sensitive, so he kept quiet. He pursed his lips, feeling a little embarrassed.

     Seeing that Chu Wanning didn’t say anything more, the tender seedling in Mo Ran’s heart grew stronger and stronger. It tried its best to stretch out of its shell, making the itch in his chest burn even more.

     “Shizun…”

     “...”

     “Are you…” He stopped mid-sentence. He didn’t know what was waiting for him ahead, and his rationality finally pulled him back, forcing him to stop speaking.

     However, even though he didn’t finish his question, Chu Wanning still insisted, “No.”

     Mo Ran was taken aback, “What do you mean by no?”

     “No matter what you say, the answer is no.” Chu Wanning frowned and raised his sharp thorns, like a cat baring its teeth in defense of its territory, “Let go of me.”

     Mo Ran removed his hands and placed them back on the chair in a very honest manner.

     Chu Wanning continued to form the haitang flower he had dropped before. He was a little angry, but there was even more helplessness in his rage.

     After a while, Mo Ran said, “Shizun, actually, I just wanted to ask if you were cold. I wanted to… warm your hands.”

     “I’m not cold,” Chu Wanning said.

     Liar, the hand I touched earlier was clearly ice-cold.

     Feeling that it was really awkward for the two of them to be sitting like this, Chu Wanning said, “If there’s nothing else, just go to sleep. I’ll take you to sell the flowers to Third Madam Sun in the market tomorrow.”

     “...”

     In the past, he would normally say something entirely different.

     “I’ll take you to practice.”

     “I’ll take you to meditate.”

     “I’ll take you to read books.”

     He wasn’t used to something like, “I’ll take you to sell flowers.”

     Mo Ran wanted to restrain himself, but didn’t quite manage it. His dark eyes were smiling under the candlelight as he hummed in agreement, but he couldn’t bear to move.

     “Go to sleep.”

     Mo Ran glanced at the bed. He decided that no matter what, he couldn’t sleep before Chu Wanning.

     Since he wasn’t sure whether he should sleep on the bed or on the floor, he wanted to wait and see what Chu Wanning wanted. If he slept on one side, obviously making space for him, then he would sleep on the bed. If he slept in the middle, then… he would take the floor.

     Mo Ran’s face turned red as he thought of something he shouldn’t have, “I won’t sleep for now.”

     “What are you doing sitting there?” Chu Wanning frowned.

     Mo Ran raised his hand and spread his fingers. Using his spiritual power, he formed a fiery-red spirit butterfly in the air.

     Chu Wanning was speechless.

     “Selling it for money.” Mo Ran smiled. With a flick of his finger, the fiery-red butterfly fluttered up and landed on the pile of haitang flowers Chu Wanning had placed on the side, flapping its fluorescent wings against the heart of the flower. “Mine is more expensive. I’m black-hearted, so it’s ten gold each.”

     Chu Wanning watched as that irksome butterfly flew back and forth before landing on the haitang flowers and licking the delicate pink stamens.

     Chu Wanning’s face darkened.

     “Mo Weiyu!”

     “...What’s wrong?”

     He was so angry that he didn’t know what to say or how to say it. In the end, he suppressed his feelings and said hoarsely without embarrassment, “Three copper coins for one, no more.”

     Mo Ran laughed.

     After laughing for a while, he formed another fiery-red butterfly and let it go. The butterfly gently landed on the haitang flower on Chu Wanning’s fingertips.

     Mo Ran said, “I’ll sell it to someone for ten gold. I think this price is appropriate.”

     “Then sell it to me!” Chu Wanning took a deep breath and said fiercely, “I’ll sell it again, it can’t be more expensive than my haitang flowers.”

     After thinking for a moment, he added, “But I don’t have any money on me, so I’ll give it to you when we get back to Sisheng Peak.”

     Mo Ran smiled and formed a third butterfly. He gently blew on it, and it danced around Chu Wanning.

     Mo Ran rested his head on his arm and said gently, “What are you talking about?”

     “...Don’t tell me you still want to say no to credit?” Chu Wanning raised his chin, his eyes wet with anger, but his expression was prideful. He had already made up his mind; if Mo Ran really dared to refuse credit, he would teach this arrogant man a lesson.

     The arrogant man smiled even more brightly. His dimples were deep and his voice was low, “No, I want to say—”

     What do you want to say?

     Chu Wanning was waiting for him, ready for battle.

     “Buy them from me.”

     It was unknown if it was intentional or not, but he also omitted the words “spirit butterfly,” so his words became vague and ambitious. He rested his head on his arm and looked seriously at Chu Wanning. He smiled gently and said, “I’ll sell them to you for free.”

     No matter what, Chu Wanning didn’t expect this kind of response. He was stunned, and his face suddenly flushed red.

     It was already very late at night, so the spirit butterflies and haitang flowers were now piled up in the room, surely enough for them to sell. However, neither of them got up to go to bed first.

     Mo Ran’s thoughts went without saying; his heart was in the right place, and he planned to see how Chu Wanning decided to sleep before acting according to the circumstances.

     Chu Wanning didn’t know about this plan, but he wasn’t stupid. He didn’t know what Mo Ran would do tonight.

     Would he sleep on the floor… or on the bed?

     Although this man seemed to be getting more and more dangerous, if Mo Ran really did go lie on the bed, he wasn’t about to chase him away. He could even sense the hidden hope in his heart, the hope of seeing Mo Ran wake up blearily and say, “I’m sleepy,” then go back to bed.

     Why isn’t he sleeping yet?!

     Chu Wanning and Mo Ran thought anxiously as they formed flowers and butterflies.

     Go to sleep. You lay down on the bed first, then I’ll…

     “Shizun.”

     “Hmm?”

     “Are you tired? It’s so late, why don’t you rest first?”

     “No need, I’m used to it.”

     Another two hours passed.

     “Mo Ran.”

     “Hmm?”

     “Why are you still sitting there?”

     “I’ll make more butterflies. If Shizun is tired, then you can go to sleep first. I’ll wait.”

     Chu Wanning did his best to resist the urge to yawn. Because he couldn’t sleep for two nights in a row, his eyes were a little red. He gritted his teeth and said stubbornly, “I’m not sleepy yet.”

     Mo Ran: “...”

     After an unknown amount of time, the room was almost a sea of butterflies and haitang flowers. The gold and red intertwined, glorious and dazzling. Mo Ran looked up drowsily and was suddenly shocked.

     Chu Wanning really was too tired. He had already fallen asleep on the table.

     There was still half of a hating flower at the tip of his finger, and the petals shook slightly with his breathing.

     Mo Ran walked over and gently picked up the unformed flower. He placed it on the table, then turned around to Chu Wanning and picked him up.