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Dan Xingyu said only that one sentence.

And Qiyu had never been one to read other people’s minds.

But perhaps it was the dimness of the night, or perhaps Dan Xingyu’s eyes were simply too bright.

Qiyu gazed into those beautiful eyes that had taken his breath away the very first time they met. They held so many unspoken emotions.

Qiyu stared blankly for a moment and, surprisingly, managed to understand them.

No wonder Dan Xingyu had said such strange things when he gave him the silver thorn tree sap. He was afraid.

He feared that the elf’s journey ahead was long, and that, as a human, he wouldn’t be able to stay by his side for very long.

“Qiyu?”

Qiyu snapped back to reality, stared at him silently, and sighed, “Dan Xingyu, you’re so silly.”

Still caught up in his excitement, Dan Xingyu went along with it: “Mm-hmm, I’m really silly. But how did you come to that conclusion?”

Qiyu said, “If we didn’t have a blood pact, would you not be my good friend?” 

The little local elf sensed it.

True, I did let my emotions show a little too much just now.

There were some things Dan Xingyu hadn’t wanted to say before—saying them would only have added to the burden.

Now, though, he had no reservations.

“But Qiyu, what I want is more than just a good friend.”

Qiyu didn’t seem particularly surprised; he nodded knowingly: “I know. You’re my very, very best friend.” Dan Xingyu was amused by him again, but this time he didn’t just nod along—instead, he said earnestly, “You should be a little more greedy.” Qiyu stared at him in shock.

For some inexplicable reason, the Earth people’s strange custom of claiming fathers left and right popped into his head.

Could it be that Dan Xingyu wanted to be his father? Or did he want to be his adopted son? Fortunately, he’d only thought it—he hadn’t had time to say it out loud.

Dan Xingyu spoke first: “Qiyu, can I pursue you?”

As he received this confession, the little local elf was gazing at him with those clear, big eyes—adorably and trustingly. Qiyu paused for a moment, then asked softly, “Pursue?”

He didn’t quite get it.

Dan Xingyu took a gentle breath. His expression remained calm, and the dim light of dusk perfectly concealed the crimson flush on his ears.

“Exactly. I like you, Qiyu.”

“I want to have a closer relationship with you—to be by your side for a long time, to hold you…”

After a brief pause, Dan Xingyu shot a quick glance at Qiyu, then steeled himself: “I still want to kiss you!”

Silence fell over the garden.

Dan Xingyu felt as if his heart was about to leap right out of his chest. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them—he’d been far too impulsive.

The little local elf clearly hadn’t caught on yet. He’d been holding back so well up until then, but now that the major issue that had been tormenting him all evening had finally been resolved, his emotions were bound to get the better of him…

What rescued him from his jumbled thoughts was a refreshing scent drifting closer.

Qiyu leaned in curiously, his ears twitching slightly. “Dan Xingyu, your heart is beating so fast.” Regret or not, the words were out, and he couldn’t take them back.

Dan Xingyu admitted quite readily, “Yes, it’s beating because of you.”

Qiyu reached out and pressed his hand against the area over Dan Xingyu’s heart, feeling the powerful throbbing beneath his palm through the fabric and muscle. He asked, “Is it because of me that it’s beating so fast?”

His reaction was completely different from what Dan Xingyu had expected, and he had no idea what the little elf meant by it. Nervously, he nodded: “Yes.”

He felt Qiyu’s gaze wandering over his face and swallowed hard. “What are you looking at, Qiyu?” Qiyu answered honestly, “I’m wondering which spot would be best for a kiss.”

Dan Xingyu:!

He stared back blankly.

Qiyu said, “I think you should give it a try.” 

“Try… what?”

Qiyu:?

He asked anxiously, “Will pursuing me make you lose your mind?”

He’d just thought about what Dan Xingyu had said and realized he could accept it all. Spending long periods together, hugging—he and Dan Xingyu had already done those things.

The only thing they hadn’t tried yet was kissing.

The way Dan Xingyu had said, “I want to kiss you,” so loudly showed just how much he really wanted to. He said generously, “Go ahead and kiss me.”

Dan Xingyu: ! Happiness came so suddenly!

Some people shout so loudly, but when it actually comes time to let him kiss them, they end up getting shy.

Dan Xingyu and Qiyu had been sitting side by side on the grass, with a slight distance between them. Qiyu watched as he inched closer toward him, and soon there was no distance between them—they were snuggled up close together.

The martial artist’s intense body heat seeped through the fabric to the parts of their bodies pressed against each other.

Qiyu hadn’t thought much of it at first, but perhaps it was Dan Xingyu’s heart pounding so hard that it affected him, or maybe the warrior’s body temperature really was quite high for an elf.

The skin on the sides of their legs where they were touching seemed to start getting warm, and even his own heartbeat quickened slightly. The martial artist, who had caused all this, leaned his head a little closer and asked softly, “Do you really want me to kiss you?”

Qiyu blinked rapidly: “Mm-hmm!”

He tilted his head slightly, looking at Dan Xingyu, who was just inches away.

His eyes were filled with his own reflection, and his ears—so red they looked as if they might bleed—could no longer hide their flush.

Had the temperature-regulating magic array in the domain failed? It had made Dan Xingyu’s ears so red—and he seemed to feel a bit warm himself.

Qiyu wasn’t quite used to this sensation and couldn’t help but urge him, “Hurry up—I feel a little short of breath.” 

“My Lord, this is called shyness.”

Unlike the warriors of the Golden Desert, the elf’s skin was the same color as the ice and snow of the Star Forest; on such flawlessly white skin—even the slightest hint of red stood out strikingly and was… exceptionally captivating.

Qiyu’s eyes widened as he watched Dan Xingyu’s face draw closer and closer to his own… A sigh reached his ears: “Close your eyes.”

He obediently closed his eyes.

A soft, scorching kiss gently landed on his eyelid. The next second, he was lifted into his arms.

Dan Xingyu held him close, his arms wrapping firmly around him.

All his restless emotions gradually subsided in this intimate embrace. However, just as he had finally settled down, the person being held wasn’t about to stay still.

Qiyu asked, “Is this the kind of hug you wanted?”

Hugging each other so intimately, their bodies intertwined like this, was indeed different from any embrace they’d shared before. Dan Xingyu asked, “Hmm, do you mind?”

Qiyu shook his head honestly. A martial artist’s embrace was warm and firm—it actually felt quite comfortable to be held like this. He propped himself up and, under Dan Xingyu’s puzzled gaze, leaned closer and closer.

Mimicking what he’d just done, he kissed his right ear.

Then, he watched with satisfaction as the ear—which had finally returned to normal—turned blood-red again at a speed visible to the naked eye. Fun.

Seeing Dan Xingyu staring at him blankly, Qiyu’s playful spirit soared, and he planted another kiss on his left ear.

Afterward, seeing that Dan Xingyu was already lost in a daze, he felt a surge of smug satisfaction and leaned in again, giving his beautiful eyes a quick peck. Suddenly, the grip on his waist tightened.

He was gripped tightly and pressed firmly against the other’s chest.

“I…” He was about to say something.

But that movement seemed to have caused Qiyu’s leg to bump into something. A familiar prompt appeared simultaneously on both of their survival panels: 【Diamond Chest Detected. Open?】

“……”

They’d both almost forgotten that Dan Xingyu had come over tonight specifically to open a treasure chest with him. They’d only opened one diamond chest so far.

For some reason, even though he knew the survival game was just a system, seeing this prompt at a moment like this gave him an inexplicable feeling of being caught by his parents while dating…

That eerie feeling that had lingered for a long time.

Dan Xingyu quickly let go of Qiyu, smoothed out the wrinkles in his mage’s robe, and then straightened his own. He wanted to say something, but the moment he opened his mouth, he couldn’t keep the corners of his lips from curving upward.

He decided not to say anything for the moment, instead fixing Qiyu with an unwavering gaze as he smiled.

“You’re so clingy,” Qiyu said.

But while he grumbled, his body was quite indulgent; he walked over and held out his hand: “Here, hold onto this. Don’t look at me—we’ve got business to do.”

“I think I’ve just succeeded in my pursuit.”

Dan Xingyu was thoroughly satisfied and couldn’t wait: “So can I be upgraded from ‘good friend’ to ‘one-and-only boyfriend’ now?”

“One and only?”

Qiyu silently repeated those words to himself. The phrase he hadn’t understood before suddenly made sense. So this was the kind of affection “God Has No Form” was talking about.

He asked for confirmation: “Am I your one-and-only boyfriend, too?” 

“Of course.”

When talking to a local elf, you have to be direct, honest, and leave no room for misunderstanding:

“My Lord, you’re the first person who’s ever made my heart flutter.”