The deck was now filled with hunters who were thankful to have survived "Yin Xiu's" clutches. Some of them praised Yin Xiu's bravery, while others began to think of ways to fight against "Yin Xiu".
Yin Xiu calmly pressed down the small tentacles throbbing beneath his cloak, nodded to the hunters in response to their enthusiasm, and then hurriedly returned to his room.
Once the door is locked, the sounds outside disappear.
A clump of tentacles fell to the ground from under the cloak with a thud. The small, sticky black liquid wrapped around the clump of tentacles as it wriggled on the ground before getting up again.
"Ahhh! My boyfriend kissed me! My boyfriend! Kissed me!" The little tentacles' file seemed to be stuck in last night, and it started screaming and crawling all over the room. Its dark figure darted here and there, twisting and turning in the shadows on the ground as it crawled at high speed.
"..." Yin Xiu was glad that the soundproofing of the guest room was quite good. He had never heard any sounds coming from the guest room from the outside, otherwise he would not have been able to explain the strange noises coming from his room.
However, he had almost gotten used to the little tentacles' somewhat dim-witted appearance, which showed that the newborn baby had just gained its own brain and could only act with the simplest of thoughts.
Yin Xiu calmly stepped over the dark shadows darting around his feet, walked to the bedside and began to unload his equipment, taking off the mask that had been confining him all night and the cloak that made movement inconvenient.
After he sat down on the edge of the bed, the small tentacles began to crawl up his legs. Several tentacles worked together, twisting and turning with difficulty, as if returning to him.
Yin Xiu simply bent down, picked it up, placed it on his lap, and patted it. "It was quite quiet last night, not bad."
As soon as he reached out, the tentacles immediately wrapped around his fingers and pulled him towards themselves, allowing Yin Xiu to perform some passive caresses.
The sticky, cold touch wasn't pleasant. His hands were almost entirely on writhing, jointless limbs. Yin Xiu remembered that some people really enjoyed petting furry animals, so he figured it would be the same for him.
As a reward for a quiet night, he deserves a pat.
Under Yin Xiu's caresses, the eyes on the tentacles almost narrowed into slits, openly displaying the emotions they felt when they were with Yin Xiu—positive and joyful; just being touched made them happy.
Perhaps monsters are just simple creatures. When Yin Xiu touches it, it's happy; when Yin Xiu kisses it, it screams all night.
This was the first time Yin Xiu had felt the value he had passed on through someone else.
He quietly lowered his eyes, sitting on the edge of the bed, slowly kneading each tentacle with his well-defined fingers. His palms, calloused from years of holding a knife, didn't have a particularly delicate feel, but the little tentacles seemed to like it, wrapping and clinging to his fingers, scratching at his palm, with black liquid flowing on Yin Xiu's hands.
The guest room was quiet, with cool lighting. Yin Xiu sat there playing with the small tentacles, his thoughts wandering.
He didn't know if he had changed a lot. Before, he would just stand there and countless monsters and players would avoid him. But now, as he moved among the players and monsters, as long as he didn't reveal that he was Yin Xiu, people would approach him.
Perhaps it's because his temperament has changed. He used to be sharp and dangerous, making people want to stay away, but now he has gained something and become gentler.
Yin Xiu didn't know how to describe that feeling; it was unfamiliar and sometimes made him feel helpless, but he also felt very warm.
The moment he saw the boy appear, he realized that he might have been like that before, scarred and lonely, but now he had changed a lot.
Thinking about it, he took out the two flowers from his pocket. One was already withered, and the other was still in full bloom. Even though the little red flower had withered, he still couldn't bear to throw it away. Even though he had a new one, he still kept it and carried it with him.
"If this one withers too, will you still give it to me?" He lowered his eyes and looked at the little tendrils rolling on his knee.
The tiny antennae answered in a firm and resounding voice: "Yes!"
A single, simple word, even uttered from a monster's mouth, instantly enveloped Yin Xiu in a wave of warmth, a sense of trust, affirmation, and unconditional love. Even a heart of steel would melt under such intense heat, let alone Yin Xiu, who was never made of steel.
Flowers may wither, but the love hidden within the tiny tendrils will endure forever.
Yin Xiu stroked his tentacles with satisfaction, feeling that he already had enough. He was not greedy; he only wanted to protect everything he had worked so hard for, so he couldn't leave anything behind, including his friend Ye Tianxuan.
Even if he faces an obstacle that resembles his past self, he will not hesitate; he will definitely obtain the item.
The tiny tentacles danced happily in his palm, sensing Yin Xiu's emotions, and they were also very happy.
Yin Xiu played with its tentacles, his fingertips stroking the eyes on them, watching those eyes blink and blink, all staring at him with unwavering gaze.
"I remember… I still owe you a reward," Yin Xiu murmured softly, as if he had mentioned it unintentionally.
The waving little tentacles suddenly froze, their eyes widening as they stared intently at Yin Xiu, anticipating his next words.
"If…" Yin Xiu hesitated, gently stroking its antennae with his fingers, "If you come over now, I can exchange it for you."
"Come here" refers to the humanoid figure far away on the hunting island?
The tiny tentacle's pupils trembled, and after a long, frozen moment, it finally snapped out of its daze and shouted, "I'm coming right now! Don't back out! I'm super fast!"
Its overly aggressive reaction made Yin Xiu narrow his eyes slightly, and he chuckled teasingly, "How are you going to get here? Swim over?"
He really couldn't imagine that Li Mo, that dark, humanoid figure, would leap over the waves just to kiss him.
The smile that appeared in Yin Xiu's eyes softened his coldness, like melting honey sweetening the little tendrils' heart.
The tiny tentacles clenched their tips into fists with great confidence, "I'm coming right away!"
With a shudder, its body quickly softened and melted into a pool flowing onto Yin Xiu's legs. After a moment of stillness, the black liquid suddenly tangled and reformed in the air, gradually taking on a human shape.
As the black liquid receded, Li Mo's silhouette became visible. He was pressed against Yin Xiu's knees, his head close to his chest, each word uttered with tenderness and affection, "Boyfriend, I'm here. Can I kiss you now?"
His breath was pressed against hers; the person before him was like a wild beast poised to pounce, ready to charge at her at the slightest command. Yin Xiu had no room to refuse.
He underestimated the monster's mobility.
But you have to keep your promises.
Yin Xiu stared into the dark eyes before him, as if gazing into an abyss, accepting the abyss, and said calmly, "You can, but you can't bite me, you can't penetrate deep into my mouth, you can't feed me strange things, and you can't..."
Under Li Mo's intensely expectant gaze, he paused, then fell silent.
"Fine, as long as it doesn't exceed three minutes, the rest is up to you."