Xiao Lou's "younger brother" has reappeared in front of everyone in the form of a card.
Back in Spade 2 " Zombie Town ", Xiao Lou randomly drew the zombie leader " Zombie Leader " who was locked in the hospital. At that time, Xiao Lou knew that the characters who appeared in Secret Room World could also be turned into cards.
But he never expected that the younger brother temporarily assigned to him in the Peach Eight secret chamber would also become a card!
Although the memories of his time with his younger brother were fictional, looking at the familiar face of the young man on the card reminded him of his dependence on, trust in, help for, and protection of his older brother in that world…
The memories of growing up together softened Xiao Lou's heart, and he summoned Xiao Yu from the card.
Everyone was both amused and exasperated by the sight of this arrogant younger brother who bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Lou.
A lifelike replica, silent, simply standing quietly beside Xiao Lou.
Ye Qi, Shao Qingge, and the others looked at the summoning card with great curiosity and quickly gathered around. Yu Hanjiang, recalling the guy's hostility towards him, frowned and asked, "Does he have self-awareness?"
Red Heart A raised the corners of her lips: " Do you think Card is conscious or not?"
Tao Yuanming, Character Card, Li Qingzhao, Historical Figure Summon... these characters are clearly unconscious, never interact with Xiao Lou and the others, and are only used for their skills after being summoned.
But what about Card World characters like Zombie Leader and Xiao Yu? Do they have self-awareness?
Xiao Lou is unsure.
He walked up to Xiao Yu, tentatively patted the other's shoulder gently, and asked softly, "Ah Yu? Can you hear me?"
Xiao Yu turned to look at him and said, "Brother, your clothes are so strange."
Xiao Lou's eyes widened slightly: "You recognize me?"
Xiao Yu looked confused: "You're my brother, so of course I'd recognize you even if you changed your clothes."
Xiao Lou: "..."
Yu Hanjiang walked over and asked, "Do you know me?"
Xiao Yu frowned, her gaze sweeping over Yu Hanjiang indifferently, as if she were looking at a stranger.
Ye Qi asked curiously, "He only knows his older brother."
Don't you recognize anyone else?
Red Heart A nodded and said, "This kind of card is called a Secret Room World [Bond Card]. It has a special relationship with you Challengers and only obeys the commands of a specific person. For example, Xiao Yu only obeys Xiao Lou's commands. If you give this card to someone else, it cannot be activated."
Previously, the cards drawn in the Secret Room could be freely exchanged and used, such as Li Qingzhao and Qin Guan. Xiao Lou would give them to teammates to use when necessary. But this time, Xiao Yu is different. For the first time in Secret Room World, [Bond Cards] appear, which must be used by a specific Challenger — Xiao Yu only recognizes his brother, and only his brother can activate him.
If Qu Wanyue had been the one to draw, she might have drawn Ninth Princess.
These Card World character summon cards are also very functional. Liu Qiao took out his [ Poison Queen ] and compared them carefully, saying, " Xiao Yu's 'One Sword to the Throat' back attack can kill in one hit, which is much faster than my Poison Queen's Poison Apple."
Ye Qi chimed in, "Yes, there's a 10-minute delay after eating the Poison Apple, which can be remedied if the opponent has an antidote. But Xiao Yu can slit your throat with one sword, leaving no chance of recovery; his damage output is indeed strong."
Xiao Lou looked at the tall young man in front of him, smiled, and put him away.
This is just a card, not the real Xiao Yu. The real Xiao Yu became a legendary figure in the world of Red Heart 8, passing away peacefully at the age of 70. The Xiao Yu summoned now, like the Zombie Leader drawn from Zombie Town, is perhaps just a card form.
Seeing Xiao Lou put the card away, Yu Hanjiang whispered, "Is this your personal bodyguard?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Yes, the the card's strength is indeed S-level, but unfortunately, the restrictions are too great; only I can activate it."
Shao Qingge said with a half-smile, "So you've gained a loyal follower who's completely devoted to you."
The thought of seeing his younger brother anytime made Xiao Lou quite happy. Seeing his joy, Yu Hanjiang didn't mind either—having a little brother to protect Xiao Lou would provide an extra layer of protection should Xiao Lou encounter danger.
This gacha pull was very fruitful. Xiao Yu's bodyguard card made Xiao Lou no longer afraid of Spade Secret Room, and the marble card that Lao Mo pulled for home decoration, as well as the perspective converter that was particularly useful for clearing mazes, all lived up to the strength of an S card.
After resting for a while, everyone returned to the villa.
They used to meet at Peach Eight Secret Chamber on Fridays, and now back in Moon City, it's still late at night.
Old Mo turned to look at the clock on the living room wall and said, "12:30 a.m. on Monday... It seems that the time flow in Peach Eight Secret Chamber is very fast. Decades have passed in the plot there, but only a few dozen hours have passed in Moon City?"
Ye Qi said excitedly, "I remember the walkthrough mentioned that in Red Heart 8, the time flow rate is such that one year is equivalent to one hour in the main city."
That's why Yu Hanjiang wanted to ask Xiao Lou if they should stay in the ancient city for a while longer, since even if several years passed there, the main city would only be a few hours away.
Xiao Lou didn't understand Yu Hanjiang's meaning; she just wanted to come back as soon as possible.
Yu Hanjiang didn't directly say, "I want to be your husband for a few more days," and then followed Xiao Lou back.
Since it was already past midnight, it wasn't appropriate for everyone to continue trying to complete the challenges. The different time flow was even more troublesome than jet lag, and the transition between the ancient and modern worlds was something no one could adjust to immediately. So, Lao Mo suggested, "Why don't we all get some sleep and talk about it tomorrow?"
Xiao Lou agreed: "Yes, everyone should get plenty of rest and have a good night's sleep before we talk about it."
Everyone went back to their rooms to wash up and go to sleep.
After Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang finished washing up, they walked together to the bedroom door.
The teammates were all exhausted and fell asleep. The villa was so quiet that they could hear each other's heartbeats and breathing.
Their bedroom doors faced each other. They had slept together every night in the backyard of the prefect of Jiangzhou, and now that they had to sleep separately, they were not used to it and both felt a little melancholy. They stopped at the door at the same time.
Xiao Lou said softly, " Goodnight, Captain Yu. Have a good night's sleep."
I thought Captain Yu would also say goodnight, and we would pretend nothing had happened and go back to our rooms to sleep.
Unexpectedly, Yu Hanjiang suddenly turned around and looked at Xiao Lou, saying, "Why are you calling me Captain Yu again? Don't you always call me Hanjiang in private?"
Xiao Lou's face flushed slightly as he recalled how they addressed each other as "Madam" and "Hanjiang" in that world, and he couldn't control his heartbeat.
Yu Hanjiang took a step forward, looked down at Xiao Lou, and asked seriously, "In this secret room called [ Turmoil of War ], we played husband and wife and slept in the same bed for so long. Did you ever feel any resistance... or disgust?"
The man's eyes were dark and bright, usually sharp and piercing, but now they were incredibly gentle, reflecting Xiao Lou's small image. His voice was also deep, flowing smoothly through the quiet night, exuding a unique sensuality characteristic of a mature man.
Xiao Lou looked up and suddenly met those deep eyes, almost catching her breath.
He clenched his fists nervously, took a deep breath, and whispered, "Why...why would you think that?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "I can sense that you are very stiff every night when you go to sleep. Do you hate men getting close to you? Some people do hate sleeping with the same sex, as if their territory has been invaded."
Xiao Lou quickly explained, "I'm just not used to it. I've slept alone since I was little and have never been so close to anyone."
Yu Hanjiang pondered for a moment: "...Isn't it that you dislike it?"
Xiao Lou blushed and gave a soft "hmm".
What on earth is he asking? How could I dislike him? His stiffness is just from nervousness...
Yu Hanjiang thought about it carefully, and then, very uprightly...
He asked a serious question: "What do you think about men marrying men? The people of Great Qi State are very open-minded; some officials marry male wives, and it seems that His Majesty also has male concubines in his harem."
Xiao Lou: "..."
What do you mean by discussing this so seriously? Just out of curiosity? Or are you exploring philosophical questions about life?
Xiao Lou didn't dare tell Captain Yu that he liked men. He was worried that Yu Hanjiang would find him strange. After a moment of silence, he could only say softly, "When it comes to relationships, as long as it doesn't hurt others, I think that as long as men and women, men and men, or women and women are happy together, there's no need to be prejudiced. I don't discriminate against homosexuals."
Yu Hanjiang nodded thoughtfully: "And what about yourself?"
Xiao Lou asked in confusion: "Me?"
Yu Hanjiang asked seriously, "If someone genuinely likes you and wants to pursue you seriously, would you be willing to accept them if they were a man?"
Xiao Lou's heart skipped a beat.
He didn't know what Yu Hanjiang meant by that, and was simply asking for his opinion out of curiosity, or...
Under the man's gentle gaze, Xiao Lou felt her whole body burning, especially her cheeks, which felt like they were about to boil.
He paused for a moment before forcing a relaxed smile and said, "It depends on who the other person is. If it's someone I dislike, their constant pursuit of me will only be a nuisance. But if it's someone I like... it doesn't matter if it's a man. I can pursue him myself."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "I understand. Good night, go back and get some rest."
Xiao Lou: "???"
What do you understand? How could I not understand?
Xiao Lou, who was almost full, stared blankly as Yu Hanjiang's figure disappeared through the doorway.
Yu Hanjiang turned and went inside, thinking to himself— Professor Xiao doesn't dislike homosexuals, that's great.
Professor Xiao said that it would be annoying if someone he disliked kept pursuing him every day, but if he liked someone, it wouldn't matter if it was a man.
Therefore, I still have a chance. Starting today, I will seriously pursue Professor Xiao and try my best to make him like me.
Having made up his mind, Yu Hanjiang felt refreshed and slept soundly.
Xiao Lou's heart was still pounding as he turned and went inside.
Because he realized that he might have fallen for Captain Yu...
After spending half a month in the ancient world, he actually missed the days when he slept in the same bed with Yu Hanjiang. The bed was filled with Yu Hanjiang's scent. The man's clean and refreshing smell fascinated him, made his heart flutter, and made him want to get closer, but he could only desperately control himself and sleep like a statue every night.
Xiao Lou tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
He was in a daze and didn't fall asleep until three in the morning. In his dream, the wedding night in the Peach Eight Secret Chamber reappeared...
The last time he dreamed of his wedding night in Secret Room World, it was because the Guardian was implanting memories into him.
But what about this time?
There was no Guardian, nor was it in a secret room; it was in his own bedroom in the main city world.
He actually had a dream that made him blush, and even imagined a lot of scenarios.
He dreamt of that night, when Yu Hanjiang called "Madam" in his ear over and over again in a deep, sensual voice.
Xiao Lou, upon waking up in the morning: "........."
He was too ashamed to face the serious and solemn Yu Hanjiang!