Nick left before dawn.
He wore a black cloak covering his features, his tone was gentle as he tapped him.
"Wake up "
Taohua slowly opened his eyes, it seemed like the mortal realm doesn't have a lot of cultivation energy, he was expecting to feel better in the morning but His body felt weak and tired even when he does nothing.
Turns out the tribulations will be harder than expected.
"I made some rice, it's in the pot so don't forget to eat okay? The water for the bath is in the pot so it's slowly boiling, be careful when opening it " He brought out a pink dress and placed it beside his pillow " You can put this on after bathing, is there anything you need me to get for you ?"
Taohua shook his head.
"Okay" Nick raised his hand before dropping it , he then took a deep breath before patting Taohua hair.
Taohua blinked at him " What? You want to comb my hair?"
When he was in the God realm, many gods and goddesses liked to comb his hair, sometimes they even got into fist fights to touch it. Seeing that Nick was touching his hair, he thought Nick wanted to comb his hair too.
Seeing Nick eyes grow dark in that familiar way , Bei Shang had the urge to slap his first life self.
Give the Nick an inch ,he would take a mile. How can he be so relaxed around a stranger?!
Sure enough, Nick briefly forgot about his errands and sat down beside him.
"I can comb it?"
"You don't want to?"
"You just close your eyes, I'll help you tidy up your hair"
Taohua shook his head immediately " No I haven't taken a bath yet , I'll wait till you get back from the market"
To outsiders, he sounded spoiled, like he was used to getting what he wants. Even Bei Shang felt a bit uncomfortable but Nick eyes turned soft and his voice became even more gentle.
"Okay"
Taohua hmmed before closing his eyes, just like that Bei Shang could feel himself relaxing. He really didn't have stranger danger in the mortal realm…more like he didn't care about the strangers in the mortal realm.
For the first time, Bei Shang felt grateful that it was Nick that found Taohua. At least, he was reliable and have moral principles, if he had ended up in the wrong hands , Taohua would have been betrayed or worse trafficked.
He felt one more pat on his head before the bed creak and silence returned.
Taohua slept till daylight steeped through the windows. He then sat up and went to the kitchen.
Sure enough, there was food in the pot. From rice to meat side dishes. Taohua nibbled on the food , his thoughts alternating between how to start his tribulations and how to get Hong Jin to stop giving him dresses ,covering the rest of the food and going to take his bath.
He should probably tell Hong Jin about his gender before he really go buy more girl dresses.
He was supposed to go out to investigate the area , but he had no idea when Hong Jin would come home. After all He promised that he would wait for Hong Jin to comb his hair.
He grabbed the comb and went out to the balcony. The air was crisp and cool , he could hear the birds singing with happiness.
Feeling a bit bored , he sat down and rested his head on the house pillar.
"He should hurry up , I don't have time for this"
Even Bei Shang didn't know when he closed his eyes; what he felt was a familiar scent of jasmine before a pat on his head.
Taohua blinked his eyes open and looked at Hong Jin who was sitting beside him staring at him.
"What took you so long? I slept waiting for you"
Nick smiled " I'm sorry"
Taohua yawned and stretched the comb at him , his eyes were still drowsy.
"Hurry up and comb it, It itches"
Like a dog fed a piece of meat; Nick eyes turned red as he covered both the comb and Taohua fingers. His voice was hoarse.
"Do you allow just anyone to come close to you like this?"
Taohua thought for a second before nodding his head.
"Yes "
"Do you know who I am?"
Taohua nod his head again, his expression confused.
"You are Hong Jin…the fisherman who saved my life "
There was a silence before Nick came closer and hugged him. The hug came out of nowhere but it was soft and full of dependence, like a wild animal finally declaring loyalty to a human.
After a while, He took the comb and started to brush Taohua hair , a big smile on his face.
"Hmm"
Bei Shang felt a little awkward in his heart, this black bellied demon didn't change a single bit.
He was still a little creepy, always been physical and probably lying about things, he still clingy, always sticking to someone and making their lives uncomfortable.
But he's still that easy to satisfy demon , a little pat in the head , a little acknowledgment and a smile here and there; and he would do anything for you.
His thoughts went to Nick Storm park in the demon realm.
Right now that he wasn't in the demon realm , how was that bastard doing?
Would he go into a rage and start to threaten himself? Would he provoke a clueless demon and start a fight? Or would Nick sit down beside him and sulk?
'I miss him….'
Bei Shang froze at the thought and shook his head. How would he miss that lying, manipulative, annoying sonovabitch?
"He must have used an enchantment spell on me "
But that feeling kept growing more and more , at one point, his chest felt stuffy and his mind stopped paying attention to what's going on in front of him.
As if demon god could feel the discomfort, she talked to him.
"Taohua…do you want to go home?"
Bei Shang didn't hesitate "Yes , I have a lot of things to do at home, I have to take care of Mitch and visit my friend…"
"It's okay, I understand "
Bei Shang felt his eyes spin and the next thing he was back in the garden staring at the lake.
Demon god was looking at him with a stiff smile , the smile made him felt somewhat ashamed.
"I'm going back because of Mitch I swear"
"I know , I'm not saying anything otherwise right? " They looked at the sky and stood up to leave " Close your eyes, in a few seconds you will be back in the demon realm"
"When do I see you again ? What about Shifu and Xuan hua? When will I see them again too? How…"
"I will come back in a few weeks time "
As soon as they left , Bei Shang closed his eyes and his body felt like it was floating before going down with a harsh thud. He swallowed a big gulp of air before opening his eyes.
On his chest was a familiar weight of Mitch, He looked to the side , Nick was sitting at the side holding his hand, he seemed so deep in his thoughts he didn't realize that Bei Shang was awake.
'He really sat down sulking…'
Bei Shang wanted to talk but his voice was hoarse , he rolled his eyes in frustration and tried twitching his fingers.
Nick immediately looked up , his eyes were red. They both stared at each other for a long time before Nick pulled his hand towards his chest.
"Why did you block the attack? Did I ask for your help? I knew it was coming and I was ready to jump out of the way , do you think you'll escape me if you die? I swear to God, I'll drag you out of the abyss no no I will make sure we die together instead of…"
His words were manipulative as usual, but on a closer look, his eyes though tinted red also had a bit of moisture, his voice also sound aggrieved like a slighted puppy.
Ahhh have Nick always looked like this when he's threatening him ?
"Mom you're awake" Mitch mumbled before climbing higher and planting a kiss on his face "Mom what took you so long to wake up? I was so scared when Dad rushed you into the house"
'Why is everyone acting like it's my fault for getting hit by lightning? '
Bei Shang sighed and closed his eyes; he really doesn't have time for their nagging.
He felt a thud on his chest and some few adjustments here and there; he felt the side of the bed lower in weight before he felt an arm around him.
He opened his eyes slightly.
Sure enough, those clingy demons have proceeded to use him as a body pillow.
'It's so predictable it's …cute.'
Bei Shang close his eyes and let the warmth embrace him.