Chapter 57: Well, We’re Both Men. If You Don’t Mind….

Qi Ci suppressed the stormy waves inside his heart, and as he pretended to not be affected at all, he said: “Well, we’re both men. If you don’t mind–cough….”

Bian Zhonghua opened the door of the room and laughed: “Forget it, look at that bucket, it’s too small for the both of us. Besides, I’m not an ordinary man, I won’t freeze to death no matter how cold the water of the pond is.”

Qi Ci: “But, didn’t that old man just say….”

Bian Zhonghua raised the corners of his mouth and said: “About that feathered man? Even if he doesn’t come to me, I still have to go find him. But, if he does come looking for me, I still have my strength. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in 15 minutes.”

After saying that, Bian Zhonghua jumped back, and his figure immediately melted into the silent and quiet darkness.

Qi Ci sighed helplessly, reached out, and closed the door. After staring at the bucket of hot water for a while, he finally moved to close the window and take off his clothes.

Qi Ci then moved a wooden chair next to the bathtub to put his clothes and the dry towels on. After he was done undressing, he stepped into the bathtub and submerged his entire body into the hot water. The slightly hot water then wrapped every inch of his body, washing away the tiredness of traveling for so many days.

Since he was comfortable, Qi Ci sighed as he leaned his head on the wall of the bathtub. As he lazily and comfortably washed his body, he made some waves on the water, slightly splashing some water out of the bathtub.

It was already late at night, and Qi Ci felt so tired that as he washed himself, he felt a little sleepy. At that moment, his thoughts began to lax as he gradually closed his eyes, until he finally fell asleep.

All of a sudden, a cold breeze blew by, making Qi Ci shiver.

As Qi Ci picked a handful of warm water with both hands, he rubbed his face to force himself to wake up. But as soon as he looked up, he froze.

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Qi Ci was facing the wooden window, which was now wide open. He could see the thin and cool moonlight seeping through the window, and could hear the sound of the wind blowing by. The trees outside looked like shadows who were swaying their fangs and claws. If he looked deeper, Qi Ci could only see a dark, empty space. As if everything was being engulfed into darkness.

Qi Ci suddenly realized that something wasn’t right. ‘I clearly closed the window… Did I remember wrong?’

The guest rooms of the post station were all on the first floor, and because the bathtub was facing the window, if someone were to pass by the window, everything inside the room would be seen at a single glance.

Since Qi Ci was still bathing and was still naked, he naturally didn’t want to be exposed. Although no one should be outside at this hour, the window was still wide open, and it made Qi Ci feel inexplicably flustered. Qi Ci hurriedly wiped himself dry, put on clean clothes, and trotted towards the window to close it.

Because it was late Autumn, the weather was chilly, and Qi Ci mumbled: “Cold, cold, cold,” as he reached out to close the window. When he reached the window, he glanced outside inadvertently. At that moment, because Qi Ci seemed to see something, he stepped back in shock and accidentally kicked over a wooden chair.

After a loud crash echoed in every corner of the room, everything became silent again.

Qi Ci was so frightened that his chest rose and fell rapidly….

Because Qi Ci had seen a man standing under the shadow of a tree not that far away from the window.

The man’s back was bent, and his hands were above his knees. He smiled gloomily, and the corners of his mouth could almost reach the root of his ears.

Qi Ci took two deep breaths, forced himself to calm down, and then looked outside the window carefully again. However, this time, he could only see the shadows of the trees being swayed by the breeze accompanied by the sound of the leaves rubbing against each other.

‘What’s going on? Did I see wrong?’

Qi Ci flinched and rushed to close the window again. As he carefully remembered what he had just seen, he convinced himself that his vision must have been blurry, which made him see wrong. As he calmed himself down, he picked up the wooden chair that had just fallen to the ground, arranged his clothes, and moved the bathtub out of the room.

Finally, Qi Ci walked back into the room and closed the door. However, when he turned around, he saw a man standing quietly in front of him.

Aahhh this chapter is so creepy!! Ngl, that feathered man scares the sht out of me…. (ಥ﹏ಥ)