Looking at the long list of familiar material names in his hand, Ruan Xing was genuinely surprised.

"Not all of the data inside the Tower can be taken out. Some of it, even if I move it into my own space, disappears the moment I take it out and reappears somewhere inside the Tower again. Of course, it might also appear in a room that we can't open."

This was something the Tower spirit had arranged. Originally, his materials and books didn't have this kind of function. It was the Tower spirit who tampered with part of them.

"They figured it out eventually, but over time, they just stopped caring. As long as I wasn't taking too much, they usually wouldn't question it."

There was another reason too, one Ming Zhi could guess. Because in their eyes, she was nothing but a tool. A tool under total control. Even if she really kept some of the materials, what difference would it make?

"I once had a brief conversation with… Major Fu. Or maybe it was just my own wishful thinking. I kept these things stored away, thinking that one day, when Mist City was cleared again, these items would find their way back to their rightful owner, and I would be free again."

Ming Zhi tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Luckily, the wait was not in vain."

He thought his home had been thoroughly looted, but unexpectedly, there was a twist. Someone stepped forward claiming to be the truck driver during the transport, and they had secretly taken some materials during the transfer.

A blessing in disguise.

Now all they had to do was bring the items back to the Mage Tower. It just so happened that Ruan Xing was heading over to check on Lloyd, so after exchanging new communication signals, Ming Zhi and her family bid him goodbye.

When Ruan Xing got home, the place was pitch dark. Even Fu Gui didn't turn on the lights. Only the melodramatic TV drama playing on the television gave off any noise, though it was barely audible.

Ruan Xing paused. "Fu Gui? Weird. Why would you watch TV without turning on the lights?"

He put the things he bought on the floor, bent down to change his shoes, and casually switched on the light.

Long hair drooped behind his neck, and through the strands, a pair of long legs appeared.

"Fu Zhi, why did you come back so—"

Fu Zhi's figure looked even taller in the dark. Half his face was hidden in the shadows, faint light outlining his sharp features. His icy blue eyes glowed faintly, like a wolf lurking in the dark, waiting to pounce.

At this moment, the wolf had locked eyes with its unsuspecting prey.

Ruan Xing froze for a second. Before he could even finish the word "early," he was pulled into an embrace filled with the scent of tobacco.

The hunting wolf moved. It had finally found its prey and used its claws to pin him down, baring its fangs.

It was a kiss full of tobacco scent. Ruan Xing could barely breathe. The man's scent seeped into his body, like a lit cigarette, igniting the fire in his heart.

He got a little angry and instinctively fought back. He tried to push into the man's mouth like storming a castle, venting his frustration.

He stood on tiptoe, gripped the back of the man's head, and deepened the kiss himself.

The wolf didn't expect the prey to fight back, which both startled and delighted it. He slowly eased his hold and began to gently lick and kiss instead, unwilling to restrain him any longer.

As the attack softened, Ruan Xing took the opportunity to bite him.

The man let out a sharp hiss, pulled back slightly, and parted his lips. The tip of his tongue was red. He couldn't help but laugh. "Why did you bite me?"

Ruan Xing snorted coldly. "Who told you to ambush me?"

Fu Zhi laughed and gently rubbed the corner of Ruan Xing's lips, wiping away a trace of moisture. "My bad. I apologize."

Ruan Xing sat on the sofa before he (FZ) could.

The TV was still playing Fu Gui's favorite melodramatic drama, but the volume was turned down low, and the ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts.

Ruan Xing frowned. "You smoke?"

He had picked up so many bad habits in this life. Sneak attacks, smoking…

Fu Zhi sat down right next to him and played with his fingers. He couldn't help lifting Ruan Xing's hand to kiss it again. "Occasionally. I was in a bad mood today, so I smoked a bit too much."

He kissed along the hand and pressed his lips to the inside of Ruan Xing's wrist.

Ruan Xing tried hard to ignore his increasingly shameless behavior. His forehead twitched. "Bad mood? Who upset you?"

So smoking was a cure for bad moods now?

Fu Zhi paused and spoke softly. "No one upset me. I was just overthinking it."

Ruan Xing looked skeptical. He kicked off his shoes and sat cross-legged on the couch like he was getting ready for a serious talk. "Tell me."

Fu Zhi's eyes dimmed slightly. "I thought you weren't coming back. Just like before."

Ruan Xing narrowed his eyes. "When did I not come back? I never—”

He suddenly stopped.

Wait. He really never abandoned Fu Zhi. He never left and never failed to come back.

But that was only after he became this "Ruan Xing."

From the Tower spirit's perspective, the mage Ruan Xing had indeed left and never returned.

A wild thought struck Ruan Xing like a hammer, making him dizzy.

He jumped up from the sofa. "You remembered everything?"

Fu Zhi looked at him, a soft smile in his icy blue eyes. "Mm. I remembered it all."

Now Ruan Xing couldn't stay calm. He grabbed Fu Zhi's shirt with both hands. "When did you remember? What exactly do you remember? Do you feel uncomfortable?"

Seeing the youth bombard him with questions, Fu Zhi quickly calmed him down.

"Slow down. Let me explain.”

Fu Zhi remembered more than Ruan Xing had imagined. He even remembered his time as the Tower spirit. It came back to him while he was on a mission outside the base. Ruan Xing did the math and found out that it was around the time he was handling Yin Zhu in that cave.

During the fight, that pendant made a "click" sound. The seal on it had accidentally broken, but nothing happened at the time.

Now that Fu Zhi mentioned what he remembered, Ruan Xing also realized that the reason he had failed to break the seal back then was that it would have caused Fu Zhi intense pain.

Thinking about how just a single crack back then had made Fu Zhi break out in cold sweat, Ruan Xing couldn't help but feel bad.

"Did it hurt a lot when the seal broke?" Ruan Xing touched the side of Fu Zhi's head. His hair was stiff and a little prickly.

Fu Zhi rubbed against his hand. "Yes. It felt like a bunch of tiny people were hacking away at my brain with axes, like my soul was being split apart."

"You've probably never felt what it's like to have your soul torn apart, have you?" Ruan Xing said quietly. "I was always taking care of your soul so gently."

Even as he said that, he still couldn't help but gently hug Fu Zhi. “It's okay. It's over now. I sent you a message, but it seems that you didn't receive it."

Fu Zhi actually did not receive it. He had found some items that the Tower had left for him in his bracelet. He had just sent them off to be processed and hadn't had the chance to tell Ruan Xing yet.

The fallout from this event was just beginning and was even more complicated and intense than Ruan Xing had expected. Fu Zhi had a lot to take care of, but he didn't want Ruan Xing to suffer anymore. He wanted him to rest well at home.

When he came home today and saw the dark, empty room, Fu Zhi felt like he was back in the Mage Tower, facing the empty halls. Helpless, trapped, and unable to search. A massive wave of panic crashed into his heart.

What if he were abandoned again?

Was he even allowed to go look for him?

Maybe he just went out grocery shopping?

Fu Zhi tried to calm himself. He told himself that it was just a short trip out. Everything would be fine.

He held himself back from searching, but he couldn't stop himself from using tobacco to numb his sense of time.

Thankfully, his guess was right.

The man looked into Ruan Xing's eyes and asked, "Will you leave again like before?"

Only then did Ruan Xing understand why the house had been dark when he got home and why there were so many cigarette butts in the cup.

He was terrified of being abandoned again.

Ruan Xing thought of many things. The paintings inside the Mage Tower, the endless days and nights of waiting, and the tight yet trembling embrace.

He wanted to comfort him, to say that he would never leave him. Besides, they had found the Mage Tower now, so he wouldn't run around anymore.

But in the end, Ruan Xing didn't say anything. He felt that no words would be enough right now.

He decided to express his answer with practical actions.

Ruan Xing grabbed Fu Zhi's shoulders and then climbed onto his lap. His fingers trembled with nervousness, and the faint scent of his body leaned in.

Fu Zhi's pupils contracted as he felt soft lips press against his.

Then something even softer brushed past their lips, clumsily trying to break through his defenses.

A fire seemed to ignite inside Fu Zhi. Strange. Ruan Xing's body had always been cold, but now, he felt like a furnace, ready to burn everything.

He wrapped Ruan Xing tightly in his arms, sinking into this soothing kiss and warming himself in the rising heat.

Ruan Xing had let his guard down. He didn't expect this kiss to be even more suffocating than the one before. How long had it been? Three minutes? Five? Ten?

Fu Zhi was always calm, restrained, and polite. Even at the moment of death in their past life, he had never shown aggression or strong emotions.

But Ruan Xing knew. This side was also part of him. The true him, hidden beneath the surface.

Ruan Xing didn't dislike seeing his true self emerge. But Fu Zhi seemed to be getting too into it. Left with no choice, Ruan Xing tugged Fu Zhi's hair to pull him back.

He looked into his eyes, slightly breathless, and tentatively asked, "You kissed me so fiercely… do you like me?"

Right after he asked, Ruan Xing could feel his heart racing. It was even faster than during a life-or-death situation.

At the same time, his hands turned cold and slightly sweaty. He seemed to be hoping for an answer, but was also afraid it wouldn't be the one he wanted.

Fu Zhi’s pupils trembled as joy overwhelmed him.

He didn't expect that question, and it made him feel like the world was spinning.

He stared at Ruan Xing and answered seriously, "Yes. I like you.”

A hundred years had passed since their first encounter. Their fates had already become entwined the moment Ruan Xing entered the Temple.

Whether as a knight, Tower spirit, or Fu Zhi, the moment he saw Ruan Xing, he had already fallen.

No matter his identity, he had always belonged to Ruan Xing. From the very beginning, body and soul, all of him had belonged to the young man.

He had always known these feelings, but he had never revealed them. He cherished them, so he held back.

But this time, it was Ruan Xing who asked first.

His heart overflowed with ecstasy. He repeated Ruan Xing's name over and over beside his ear. "Ruan Xing, Ruan Xing, do you like me too?"

Ruan Xing's eyes widened.

He felt the scorching rush of emotion pouring over him, nearly smothering him.

The answer made his heart beat wildly, almost bursting out of his chest. His limbs flushed with heat, even hotter than before.

He hugged Fu Zhi tightly, wrapping his arms possessively around his waist.

“You're mine.”

I spent so much money, so much effort, burned through countless resources just to get you. If I do not like you, who else would I like?

You belong to me. No one can steal you away.

That sentence seemed to ignite Fu Zhi further. Ruan Xing felt heat not only on his lips, but also on his neck, collarbone, and around his ears. It was like little fires had been lit everywhere.

The atmosphere around them was heating up, and Ruan Xing felt his senses blur.

Just then, a loud noise came from the bedroom. At the same time, Fu Zhi's bracelet rang.

Ruan Xing snapped out of his haze, looked down, and lightly pushed Fu Zhi. He coughed lightly, "Behave."

He got off and headed for the bedroom to check what was going on, not noticing the look on the man's face behind him.

As soon as he opened the door, Fu Gui's dramatic wailing came pouring out. “Wuwuwu! Fu Zhi is not human! He's abusing animals! He knocked me out and locked me in the room just to stop me from reporting!"

It looked at Ruan Xing, whose eyes were full of tears, and whose clothes were disheveled. Clearly, he had just been through something.

Fu Gui pounded its chest. “Xing! Good thing I got out in time. Otherwise, that beast Fu Zhi would've killed you for sure!"