149: 4.14 Poison

4.14 Poison

Unfortunately for Heimo, Lu Yizhou knew. As soon as he came out from the kitchen with a tray, 666's flustered rambling resounded in his mind.  0

[666: Okay, Host. Don't panic and listen to 666, okay? This is an absolute emergency so 666 needs Host to be cool-headed! Alright, Host? Okay, here it is. Once again, please don't panic. Heimo put something into your drink, Host! 666 doesn't have time to properly look at what it is but 666 is certain that it's some kind of white powder! Gasp, Host, he wants to poison you!]

A small cup was put in front of him before Heimo proceeded to pour tea in it. The warm scent of jasmine and some traditional herbal concoctions wafted to Lu Yizhou's nose. He looked at his own reflection on the brownish green surface and found nothing but helplessness. He noticed that Heimo had been acting strangely ever since they were on their way here and it seemed like the man was ready to act now. What could Lu Yizhou do except to go along with his whims?

He held the cup and gingerly brought it to his lips.

From his peripheral vision, Heimo was visibly squirming as he struggled to keep his anticipation at bay. Lu Yizhou almost smiled at that. Did he have no idea how bad of a liar he was? 

"Is there something wrong, Yi-gege?" He gave a sweet, sweet smile that almost bordered to a grin, showing his cute tiger tooth. Lu Yizhou's lashes trembled at the intimate address. He still couldn't get used to the abrupt change of Heimo's demeanor. Sometimes he was shy and awkward, and sometimes he was bold and mischievous. He changed faces according to the circumstances and he deliberately provoked Lu Yizhou with suggestive words. Lu Yizhou loved every side of him.

"No, nothing was wrong." He replied quietly and downed the tea.

[666: Host, are you crazy?! Why did you drink that?! Aaaah, you don't even leave a single drop! Spit it out. Spit it out, Host! What if you die because of this?!]

Lu Yizhou's throat bobbed as he swallowed. He couldn't taste anything other than the usual astringent and underlying sweetness of tea but the hair on the back of his neck abruptly stood on its end, proof that his body was conscious of the foreign substance that had intruded his system.

In front of him, Heimo was still staring at him with that devastating smile of his, yet there was something else in his eyes. Impatience and a tinge of…guilt? Was he feeling bad? Good, he should be. Even though Lu Yizhou was willing to swallow any kind of poison as long as it was from Heimo's hands, he wasn't saint enough not to wish for anything in return. He hoped that this was enough for Heimo to lower the shield around himself and begin to put a drop of trust in Lu Yizhou. 

"Yi-gege, you look exhausted. Are you…okay?" Heimo stood from his seat. Lu Yizhou let his eyelids droop and he swayed in time for Heimo to catch his body. "Oof, you're so heavy!" He huffed with a chuckle. 

Lu Yizhou pressed his weight down on purpose as Heimo half-dragged and half-hauled him inside the bamboo hut and gently lowered him down to the bed, holding the back of his neck before sliding a pillow underneath. The amount of strength he displayed from this act alone was nothing like the delicate appearance he showed to Lu Yizhou. Throughout the series of movements, Lu Yizhou regulated his breathing and slowed his heartbeat. He could feel the strands of Heimo's hair tickling his cheek and neck as well as the faint sweet scent that emanated from his breath. The tip of his fingers twitched. Oh how he wanted to tuck the man's hair behind his ear.

After ensuring that Lu Yizhou's position was comfortable, Heimo didn't move away. Lu Yizhou waited patiently to see what else he was going to do. There was silence for a beat too long before feather-like touch brushed against the curve of his eyebrows, down to the bridge of his nose before it tapped softly there. Heimo let out a giggle, sighing. Now that he didn't need to keep up an act anymore, he let his true feelings loose.  "How can you look so beautiful? It's so unfair…" Lu Yizhou's heart skipped half a beat before he willed it to slow down again. He couldn't afford to get caught. Not now.

Heimo spent the next few minutes just leaving traces of touch all around Lu Yizhou's face. The contour of his forehead, his eyelids, his high cheekbones and finally, his lips. Heimo's thumb pressed down lightly on his bottom lip. Lu Yizhou almost jerked upward, caught the back of Heimo's neck and pinned him down so that he knew how dangerous it was to mess with a man. Yet he merely curled his fists and dug his nails into the flesh of his palm, letting Heimo do whatever he wanted. It was half an eternity and also no time at all when Heimo finally pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Lu Yizhou." This time, his tone was completely solemn and serious, bereft of the fragility and shyness he deliberately enforced. "I have to go out for a bit. Don't worry, I will return before you are awake. Be good and take a good rest, hmm?" He gave Lu Yizhou's cheek one last soft pat before he stood up and walked away.

After the footsteps receded, Lu Yizhou opened his eyes and sat up. 

[666: Host, are you okay?!! What kind of poison did he put in there?!]

His gaze was unreadable. [It's not poison. Just a regular…sleeping aid.] 

Even though sleeping pills were one of the most regular medicines that could be easily bought over-the-counter, this was none other than the cultivation era where people relied mostly on herbs. Heimo's sleeping powder was brilliant. That was, if he used it on any other people besides Lu Yizhou who had developed a strong immunity toward the medicine alike. If the sleeping pills in his era could no longer affect him, then Heimo's concoction was even more unlikely. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for Lu Yizhou, Heimo had been too confident in the effect of his medication that he didn't bother to check Lu Yizhou's meridian. Otherwise, he would have realized that his effort was all for naught. 

But that wasn't the most important thing; Heimo not seizing the opportunity to kill him once and for all was.

He could have easily given Lu Yizhou the most deadly poison and Lu Yizhou would still drink it all yet he didn't. He didn't plan to kill me, Lu Yizhou came to a belated realization. Why? What had changed this time around? It couldn't be just because he was beautiful like Heimo said he was, right…?

Lu Yizhou sighed and decided to throw the matter to the back of his mind. He would slowly ponder on it later. Right now, he had to investigate what Heimo was snooping around for. And if Lu Yizhou's gut feeling was right, then he should be able to learn a thing or two about Heimo's background after this. 

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