CH 27

When the five characters representing the essence of kung fu were spoken, Pei Xia was almost moved to tears by his own wit.

However, Lucifer seemed somewhat skeptical, his gaze toward him filled with doubt, entangling Pei Xia and his own uncertainty.

A sense of panic surged within Pei Xia, and then he made a move that he would deeply regret.

In hindsight, he had no idea how he had a mental lapse. It was as if his nervousness had led him into a peculiar state.

At that moment, Pei Xia swiftly thrust the dagger back into its scabbard, then calmly walked over to Lucifer’s side. With the hilt of his sword, he playfully poked Lucifer’s posterior.

Pei Xia asked with an air of casualness, “Is it hot? Is it hard?”

Saying this, he poked again.

Lucifer stared at him in shock, rendered speechless for a good while.

The silence was his silent reproach.

Slowly, an awkward atmosphere spread. Suddenly, Pei Xia jolted as if waking from a dream. He realized what he had done. His face turned ashen as he retracted the dagger, looked at Lucifer, and almost cried out,

“My lord, do you believe it?”

Lucifer’s expression subtly shifted as he countered, “Do you believe it?”

Pei Xia fell into silence, lowered his head to look at his dagger, and then slowly extended his hand.

Lucifer hurriedly pressed down on his hand, preventing his posterior from enduring further prodding. He managed a strained smile, resembling a frost-kissed young daisy startled by something: “More important matters await.”

With that, he directly skipped over the topic and turned to walk toward the bookshelf in Andren’s room.

Pei Xia followed behind, his legs feeling like jelly, supporting himself against the table. He almost knelt down.

So… so dangerous! I almost got caught by that homophobic straight guy, revealing my true self!

Pei Xia’s heart raced with a wave of fear, a mix of sourness and bitterness. He wasn’t sure if his clever response had completely smoothed things over.

A bit of a mess, Pei Xia thought somewhat despondently. He shouldn’t have poked Lucifer’s… well, you know. Even if he hadn’t realized I’m gay, he might still have felt offended, right?

I need to salvage this, I must!

Pei Xia made up his mind.

He took two deep breaths, steadied himself against the table, and, in harmony with Lucifer, pretended as if nothing had happened just now.

Earlier, when Andren came in to get something, he told them where the secret room was. Not long after, Lucifer opened the secret chamber. After moving aside the door disguised as a bookshelf, Pei Xia was immediately dazzled by the sparkling golden light inside.

So bright! So many gold coins!

The not-so-large secret room had three rows of shelves. One row held various valuable gold, silver, and gemstone jewelry and dishes. The next row housed precious magical materials and scrolls, and the last row…

Pei Xia’s face lit up, and he was about to walk over to inspect when Lucifer grabbed his wrist.

“Be careful.”

“What’s going on?” Pei Xia was startled.

Lucifer glanced at the runes on the secret room wall and said, “There’s a magic array here that detects whether the person entering the secret room is the owner. If an outsider intrudes, the magic array will be triggered.”

“What can we do?” Pei Xia was getting anxious. They were so close to what they were looking for, yet he couldn’t reach out and take it. The frustration was truly maddening.

Lucifer intertwined his fingers in thought, “Let me think.”

Pei Xia joined him in thinking anxiously, but he was recalling the original story. He only remembered that the male lead, Lucifer, had an easy time and overcame setbacks along the way. He completely forgot how Lucifer had found the list of brothel guests.

Pei Xia was so anxious that he wished he could immediately return to the modern world and save a file, then flip through a book to see how the original plot unfolded.

“My lord, how about we just dismantle this secret room?” Pei Xia encouraged.

“If the wall with the magic array is damaged, the magic array won’t work, right?”

Lucifer chuckled lightly, “Don’t worry, I have a solution.”

Saying that, he reached out and touched the edge of the door, causing a faint light to form a line climbing toward the magic array.

Seeing this, Pei Xia couldn’t help but admire, “I never expected that you, my lord, would understand even magic arrays. You’re truly impressive.”

Before he could finish speaking, Lucifer’s expression suddenly turned serious. He said, “Pei Xia, I want to change the function of the magic array, but I need additional materials to assist me.”

“What materials?” Pei Xia asked hastily.

Lucifer lightly furrowed his brow and sighed, “It’s too late to find additional materials now. There’s no choice but to do it this way.”

Then, he lifted his other hand, extending his delicate and fair index finger to Pei Xia’s lips.

He smiled gently and softly, his eyes shimmering with a blend of vulnerability and resilience, radiating trust. Lucifer’s complexion paled slightly due to fear. He said, “My blood, Pei Xia, can you help me make a small cut?”

Pei Xia’s body trembled, and he instinctively raised his hand, gripping Lucifer’s hand.

Lucifer then turned his head slightly away, as if unable to look.

Pei Xia responded, “Rest assured, leave it to me!”

With a faint smile, Lucifer extended his hand, ready to touch Pei Xia’s mouth.

Pei Xia furrowed his brows and disagreed, grabbing his hand and saying, “My lord, my teeth are quite dull, and biting would hurt a lot. How about using a knife?”

Saying this, he used the dagger to make a small cut on Lucifer’s finger, and a bright red droplet of blood immediately emerged.

Lucifer had no response, not understanding why he was still like this when he had explained everything so clearly.

Pei Xia quickly returned Lucifer’s hand to him and urged, “My lord, quickly, while it’s still warm!”

Lucifer, however:

“No, it’s not over yet!” Lucifer gritted his teeth inwardly. Using his blood as a medium, he modified the magic array on the wall. After a moment, he retracted his hand, his face turning pale. His body swayed, and he suddenly fell into Pei Xia’s embrace.

Lucifer trembled slightly as he lifted his injured hand, helplessly letting out a soft groan, “Pei Xia, I feel somewhat weak, and my finger… it hurts.”

Pei Xia anxiously held his hand, noticing the pale hue around the wound and the strands of seeping blood. He was consumed by worry, exclaiming, “My lord, use magic to heal quickly!”

What a waste of magical energy!

Lucifer resolved to make substantial progress with Pei Xia today. He clenched his teeth and disregarded whether he matched his pure image. He lowered his gaze slightly, assuming a shy demeanor, and said directly, “Pei Xia, could you help me with a minor treatment using your saliva?”

Pei Xia was extremely surprised, he looked down at Lucifer, and hesitated, asking, “Are you sure you want to use this kind of folk remedy?”

Lucifer furrowed his brow again and pretended to express his pain with a strained whimper, “It hurts…”

As he felt the delicate trembling of the beautiful and vulnerable High Prince in his arms, Pei Xia’s heart involuntarily trembled as well.

He felt somewhat melancholic. He hadn’t expected that leaders around the world could be such idiots. Even someone like Lucifer, the male lead and High Prince, couldn’t escape the assimilation of subjecting his subordinates to tasks.

Sigh, even a minor cut requires a subordinate’s help. Of course, this was also a good opportunity for Pei Xia to flatter. Even if Lucifer didn’t show any indication, Pei Xia would still do his best.

But there’s a distinct difference between volunteering and being ordered by someone. It brought about two entirely different mindsets.

Pei Xia thought for a moment, grasped Lucifer’s hand, and brought his cold index finger close to his own lips.

In the depths of Lucifer’s lowered eyes, a faint cold smile passed through. ‘Let’s see how you handle this.’

Pei Xia: “Ew.”

Lucifer: “??!”

Pei Xia seriously and solemnly wiped the finger that had been sprayed with his saliva and cautioned, “My lord, while saliva does have a certain effect on minor wounds, its effectiveness is limited and can only be used as a stopgap measure. After your magical energy is restored, you must treat it properly.”

Finishing his instructions, he lowered his head and met Lucifer’s eyes, which were filled with a hint of concealed disdain.

Pei Xia: “W-What’s wrong?”

Trembling, Lucifer withdrew his hand and pushed Pei Xia away, standing up. A small water sphere instantly enveloped his index finger, swirling a few times before vanishing to reveal a flawless fingertip.

Lucifer mustered a strong smile and said, “Don’t worry about me. It was just too painful earlier. Now, my magical energy has recovered.”

Pei Xia: “The speed at which you’re recovering your magical energy is truly unparalleled!”

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucifer was disgusted by his saliva. But it was Lucifer himself who had suggested using saliva for treatment!

Pei Xia felt quite aggrieved.

Lucifer also felt aggrieved and didn’t want to talk to him. He directly skipped the first two rows of valuable shelves and walked to the last row.

Seeing this, Pei Xia lightly tapped his own head, pulling his thoughts away from complaining. He quickly approached Lucifer and began searching together.

This row contained various documents. Perhaps the list they were looking for was here.

Soon, with their joint efforts, they found the list of regular clients of the underground brothel and the list of abducted orc names. Looking at the names of powerful and influential individuals, Pei Xia’s expression turned angry.

But he didn’t say anything, as now wasn’t the time to vent his anger.

“My lord, have you found the sponsorship list for the brothel?” Pei Xia felt like they were missing something.

Lucifer shook his head. He looked around the secret room and suddenly started tapping various spots on the walls.

Pei Xia quickly caught on. There could be hidden compartments within this secret room too. So, he started searching as well. Soon, he noticed a different echo after tapping on a spot near the ground.

The only problem was that this area seemed seamlessly integrated into the wall. Short of using force, they had no idea how to proceed.

Lucifer elegantly bent his knee and half-squatted, pondering for a moment. He said, “This is another type of magic array, non-offensive, meant to open directly.”

Perfect.

Pei Xia wasted no time and used the dagger to create a small opening. Inside, there was an exquisite silver box. Judging by its size and shape, it seemed just right to contain documents.

Pei Xia was thrilled but also worried that there might be a magic array on the box. He handed it to Lucifer and asked, “Could you take a look and see if it can be opened?”

“It can be deciphered.” After saying that, Lucifer was ready to bite his own finger. He no longer relied on Pei Xia.

But before he could proceed, another bloodied finger extended toward him. Pei Xia bared his teeth and said, “My lord, if possible, please use my blood. You’ve already given enough.”

Lucifer blinked slightly, and his gaze toward Pei Xia softened a bit. “Do you really think that way?”

“Of course.” Pei Xia smiled and continued, “We still have a tough battle ahead. I can’t let you keep getting injured.”

Lucifer smiled faintly and didn’t say much. When his magical energy touched Pei Xia, a peculiar sensation arose. Pei Xia distinctly felt his blood flow along the fingertip wound, wrapping around the silver box.

After a moment, the blood connection was severed, the silver box emitted a bright light, and with a soft click, it opened.

Rather than immediately inspecting the contents of the box, Lucifer’s eyes showed obvious concern. He was about to take Pei Xia’s hand to give him a lesson on how to correctly treat wounds when he saw that finger retracts with a swoosh and quickly stuffed into Pei Xia’s own mouth.

Lucifer couldn’t help but be surprised, “You knew how to do it?”

Pei Xia was puzzled, “Know how to do what?”

Lucifer raised his chin slightly and looked at Pei Xia’s mouth, trying to make his questioning tone less obvious, “Why is the way you treat your wounds different from the way you treat mine?”

Ah, so that’s what he’s asking! Pei Xia withdrew the finger moistened with his saliva, casually wiped it on his pants, and chuckled awkwardly, “Well, I didn’t want to offend you.”

What if Lucifer thought he was taking advantage and purified him with a beam of holy light?

Even so, he would still end up being disapproved of by Lucifer.

Difficult, it’s really difficult.

Lucifer twitched at the corner of his eye as he looked at Pei Xia wiping his finger on his pants. He disapprovingly canceled his planned lesson.

He took out the documents from the silver box, glanced at them, and nodded with certainty, “These are the ones.”

Pei Xia took them and looked through them, his face expressing happiness. “Great! I never expected that we would not only find the sponsorship list but also information about the slave trafficking operation. Now, we can follow the trail and capture them all!”

The only regret was that the presence of brothels in this world wasn’t entirely illegal. To bring those responsible to justice, they would have to rely more on various inter-racial friendly and peace agreement laws.

Having obtained what they needed, both of them felt a lot lighter. Lucifer extended his hand to Pei Xia, “Give me the crystal orb.”

“Yes, my lord.” Pei Xia unfastened the gemstone button from his collar. In truth, it was a crystal orb with recording functionality.

After taking it, Lucifer deleted the irrelevant content inside, preserving only the useful parts. This evidence would be presented in court and serve as a conviction against the wrongdoers.

Subsequently, they walked to the window, nodded at each other, and Lucifer cast a bright and radiant holy light into the night sky.

The holy light resembled fireworks, illuminating the sky. This was their signal.

The moment the signal was sent, Buck, Thais, Tom, and others along with Prince Harry, the Orc envoy to the Human Kingdom, the Enforcement Guild of the Human-Orc Alliance, the city’s law enforcement squad, and the main enforcers of the Radiant Church, all of them surrounded the villa.

They rushed in immediately and took control of everyone!

“What are you doing? Don’t you dare offend me! I’m Lord Susan’s nephew!”

“Release me, you bunch of savage butchers!”

People were shouting and protesting, but it eventually settled down.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Pei Xia and Lucifer broke free from the guards’ encirclement and reached the railing on the second floor. The law enforcement personnel were heading in the opposite direction since they were about to apprehend the individuals on the upper floor.

In the main hall, Andren, who had been subdued by members of the Radiant Church’s Enforcement Guild, knelt on the ground and glared angrily at Lucifer, “So, it’s you. You traitor!”

“That’s enough!” Pei Xia stepped forward and spoke coldly, “My lord has never had any intention of consorting with the likes of you. How can you call him a traitor? You don’t understand who the Lord is and you’ve lost all sense of conscience!”

Even before encountering Thais, Lucifer had sent a message back to the headquarters of the Radiant Church and contacted the Orc Kingdom.

Once the main enforcement guild arrived, they remained hidden until tonight when Lucifer was invited to the underground brothel. The silent and lurking holy knights began to take action.

They knew that the officials here were in collusion with the sects. Punishing them couldn’t rely solely on the city’s law enforcement squad. So, they discreetly contacted various forces and followed Lucifer’s carriage all the way to this location.

With the culprits caught red-handed and in front of multiple influential parties, the criminals couldn’t escape the clutches of the law anymore!

Andren’s expression shifted between anger and frustration. Suddenly, he closed his eyes and rapidly chanted a spell, his lips moving swiftly.

Silence, stillness, no response.

A look of confusion crossed his face, and he involuntarily turned his gaze toward the upper floor.

Lucifer smiled and took out the silver box from his embrace, “Were you looking for this?”

Seeing the box, Andren struggled violently and exclaimed angrily, “You despicable lot!”

Pei Xia rolled his eyes at him in silence. Who’s really the despicable one here?

“What a shame.” Lucifer chuckled softly and tossed the empty box in front of him. He taunted, “It was to guard against this very move that Pei Xia and I went to great lengths to stage this performance.”

The magic array on the empty box had two functions: one was teleportation magic, and the other was self-destructive magic, depending on which spell Andren had recited.

Now, the final ace was also drawn, and Andren slumped on the ground in despair.

After that, the entire night was far from peaceful. The abducted Orc girls were rescued one by one. Thais accompanied them, and under the protection of the Orc envoy to the Human Kingdom and the Kingdom’s guards, they returned to their homeland.

The matter had been brought to the attention of the Orc Kingdom. The Orcs were furious and demanded that the Kingdom of Tutt and the Radiant Church punish these wrongdoers severely. Otherwise, they threatened to send a large Orc army to discuss compensation agreements in person.

As for the malevolent priests like Andren, they were interrogated and revealed the identities of the other accomplices who didn’t show up that night. Afterward, they would face dual punishments from the kingdom and the Radiant Church.

The lightest punishment would be the stripping of their clerical status, deprivation of magic, and exile to the Northwestern Wastelands.

As dawn approached, Lucifer stood on the staircase, observing the bustling scene below where justice was being meted out. Suddenly, a faint sense of weariness washed over him for no apparent reason.

How many of those who wielded justice were just doing what was right on the surface, indifferent in their hearts? And how many of them would become tomorrow’s criminals?

Pei Xia stood behind him, watching Lucifer’s indifferent expression with a touch of concern. “My lord, you’ve had a long day. It’s better to go back and rest.”

“No need.” Lucifer chuckled, “Since we’ve started, we should see it through to the end.”

“Well then, I’ll accompany you.” Pei Xia thought for a moment, brought over a chair for him, and then attentively cared for Lucifer by offering tea and water.

Sitting in the comfortable chair, holding the warm cup of red tea, Lucifer tilted his head back to gaze at the young man with black hair who was bustling around him. His eyes, as crystalline and sweet as honey, were filled with concern.

“Pei Xia, do you like…”

Lucifer looked at him, and his heart stirred. He almost blurted out the question in his heart, but luckily he realized that it wasn’t appropriate to ask now. So, he quickly changed his words.

“Do you have a favorite girl?”

Pei Xia exclaimed internally, ‘He suspects me!!!’

Lucifer smiled faintly and explained, “I just find it rather sad how these men hurt women like this. They engage in the most intimate activities while being the farthest from women’s hearts.”

Pei Xia nodded in agreement, “Please don’t feel too sad. Their mistreatment of women isn’t driven by affection for women. Instead, they exploit them to satisfy their desire for control. It has nothing to do with genuine liking. Their hearts are only filled with malice.”

Lucifer looked at Pei Xia with a bit of surprise, “Pei Xia, you’ve said quite a lot.”

Pei Xia scratched his cheek somewhat bashfully.

“So, what kind of person do you like?” Lucifer suddenly asked.

The previously silenced alarm bells rang again! Was honesty important or was his life important? Undoubtedly, Pei Xia chose the latter. He clenched his fists, going against his conscience, and answered with difficulty:

“My lord, Lucifer, I like cute, beautiful, delicate, pure girls who I can protect the most!”

This answer left Lucifer in a subtle mood: “Are you sure?”

Pei Xia firmly stated, “Sure, very sure!!”

“Really?” A timid voice came from behind Pei Xia.

Pei Xia was startled and turned around to see that it was the bunny-eared girl who had been sent to serve Lucifer and had ended up falling asleep in his room.

Since being awakened, they had learned what had transpired.

The bunny-eared girl looked at Pei Xia with reddened eyes, a mixture of gratitude and shyness on her face. She tugged at her clothes and whispered, “Sir Knight, I’m very grateful to you, but I have nothing to offer. If you don’t mind, I’m willing to give myself to you.”

Lucifer slightly narrowed his eyes, observing with the air of a spectator as the somewhat flustered Pei Xia interacted with the bunny-eared girl in front of him.

Just a moment ago, Pei Xia had spoken about his preferences for a partner, and now, there was a girl right in front of him who fit his criteria perfectly.

Lucifer was curious about how Pei Xia would treat her compared to how he treated himself.

As for Pei Xia, he felt a bit embarrassed. What he had said earlier was just nonsense. Even if it were true, he couldn’t just engage in such activities with a girl he had just met.

He quickly waved his hands and said, “No need, really no need. My lord, Lucifer, and I engaging in such matters is only natural.”

The bunny-eared girl seemed confused. She tilted her head, and her long, springy ears twitched. “Are you finding me dirty?”

“No, not at all!”

Pei Xia grabbed her shoulders and earnestly said, “Dirty are those who harm others. You’re only wounded. Once you heal, everything will be fine.”

But the bunny-eared girl appeared uncertain. “But apart from this, I don’t know how to express my gratitude to you. I have nothing.”

Pei Xia smiled and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, three quick pats! The bunny-eared girl couldn’t help but sway.

“Don’t say that. You still have a future. Once you return to your hometown, you can have much more. You can start anew, build your own home. Those who have nothing are the ones who were captured. They will pay for their crimes!”

The bunny-eared girl smiled back at him. “Thank you, Sir Knight. I understand. If you ever come to the Orc Kingdom in the future, you’re welcome to visit my tribe. We’ll prepare special food for you and Lord Lucifer.”

“Tribe of bunny people? I heard male and female bunny people are equally adorable,” Pei Xia replied with lackluster enthusiasm, but he still managed a smile at the bunny-eared girl.

“Rest assured!” he added.

Then, Thais, who had been standing in the shadows, walked over and led the bunny-eared girl away. She gave Pei Xia an encouraging look.

Pei Xia was left bewildered, his head filled with question marks.

As he turned around, he saw Lucifer looking at him thoughtfully.

“What’s wrong, my lord?” Pei Xia inquired, feeling a bit perplexed as he cautiously asked.

Could it be that Lucifer was jealous that even he was approached by a bunny-eared girl, but his own companion, Thais, didn’t show any interest in him?

Ah, what a petty man.

Lucifer gently closed the lid of the exquisite ceramic cup. He noticed that Pei Xia’s attitude towards the bunny-eared girl was indeed different—compassionate yet not offensive. Clearly, Pei Xia could appreciate her beauty, but it didn’t seem to stir romantic feelings within him.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Pei Xia, what do you think of me?”

Pei Xia: The warning bells in his mind were about to explode!!!

At that moment, Pei Xia’s thoughts raced wildly. He immediately connected the dots and concluded that Lucifer was jealous of his close interactions with Thais, thinking that he was being favored by her!

And what was the biggest difference between Lucifer and himself?

Status: He was high; Appearance: He was handsome; Wealth: He was rich; Power: He was the most badass Light Mage ever. If you really had to compare, the only aspect where Lucifer might fall short compared to Pei Xia was probably the manly aura that Pei Xia possessed, which Lucifer had been jealous of in the past.

In that instant, Pei Xia felt like a rush of energy surged through him. He not only realized where he stood at the moment but also saw an opportunity to make up for his inability to speak!

Pei Xia abruptly straightened up, his black short hair bouncing. He looked at Lucifer with the sincerest of gazes and smiled as he said, “To be frank, my Lord, you are the epitome of bravery, strength, and the true spirit of heroism—a real man as per my heart’s image!”

Lucifer stared at him, his expression blank. After a moment of silence, he replied, “I see. It appears that I haven’t been diligent enough.”

Pei Xia: Huh?!

Translator’s Corner:

Heyaaa~ I’m Moonlit and I’ll be translating this novel starting today. Updates will be 1 chapter a day(weekdays only).

2 ko-fi = 1 weekend chapter.