Card Room

Xiao Lou's 'brother' actually appeared in front of everyone again as a card.

As early as 2 of Spades Zombie Tower, Xiao Lou had drawn the zombie leader Liu Xiaoyuan who had been imprisoned in the hospital. At that time, Xiao Lou knew that characters in the world of secret rooms could also change into cards.

He just hadn't expected the little brother temporarily arranged for him in 8 of Hearts would actually become a card!

Although the memories of this brother were fictitious, he saw the familiar face of the young person on the card and couldn't help thinking of his brother's dependence, trust, help and protection in that world…

The memories of the two of them growing up together meant Xiao Lou couldn't help summoning Xiao Yu from the card.

Everyone looked at this proud younger brother who was similar in appearance to Xiao Lou. A copy of the real person stood quietly beside Xiao Lou, not speaking.

Ye Qi, Shao Qingge and the others looked at this summoning card and found it very novel. They all quickly came over. Yu Hanjiang thought of this person's hostility toward him and frowned. "Does he have any self-awareness?"

A of Hearts smiled. "Is a card conscious, do you think?"

Tao Yuanming, Liu Yong, Li Qingzhao, Su Shi… these characters all obviously didn't have a consciousness. They never communicated with Xiao Lou and only used skills after they were summoned. Then what about characters from the Card World like Liu Xiaoyuan and Xiao Yu? Did they have a consciousness?

Xiao Lou wasn't sure. He walked in front of Xiao Yu and tentatively patted the other person's shoulder, asking softly, "Ah Yu? Can you hear me?"

Xiao Yu turned to look at him. "Brother, your clothes are too strange."

Xiao Lou's eyes were slightly wide. "Do you recognize me?"

Xiao Yu's expression was confused. "You are my brother. I will certainly recognize you, even if you change your clothes."

Xiao Lou, "…"

Yu Hanjiang walked over and asked, "Do you know me?"

Xiao Yu frowned and swept his eyes over Yu Hanjiang like he was seeing a stranger.

Ye Qi asked curiously, "He only knows his brother and no one else?"

A of Hearts nodded. "This type of card is called a 'fetter card' in the secret world. It has a special relationship with a challenger and only listens to the orders of a specific person. For example, Xiao Yu will only listen to Xiao Lou's instructions. If this card is given to someone else, there is no way to activate it."

Previously, cards drawn in the secret room could be used casually. For example, Li Qingzhao and Qin Guan would be handed over to Xiao Lou's teammates when necessary. However, this time Xiao Yu was different. A fetter card must be used by the designated challenger. Xiao Yu only recognized his brother and only his brother could activate him.

If Qu Wanyue went to draw a card just now, perhaps the Ninth Princess would've been drawn.

The functionality of these Card World characters was very strong. Liu Qiao took out her Poison Queen and compared it carefully. “Xiao Yu’s attack to the throat can kill someone in one blow. This is much better than my Poison Queen’s poisonous apple.”

Ye Qi also added, “Yes, there is a 10 minutes delay after the poisonous apple is eaten and the other person can be saved with an antidote. However, a person whose throat is cut by Xiao Yu’s sword can’t be saved. The output is really strong.”

Xiao Lou looked at the tall young man in front of him and put the card away with a smile.

This was just a card and it wasn't really Xiao Yu. The real Xiao Yu became a famous general in 8 of Hearts and died at the age of 70. The Xiao Yu summoned now was just a card form, similar to Liu Xiaoyuan drawn from Zombie Town.

Yu Hanjiang saw Xiao Lou put away his cards and whispered, "This is like your own personal bodyguard?"

Xiao Lou nodded. "Yes, the card strength is indeed worthy of being S-grade. Unfortunately, the restriction is too big and only I can activate it."

Shao Qingge gave a smile that wasn't a smile. "You have acquired a little brother who is determined to follow you."

Xiao Lou was very happy when thinking about this little brother he could see at any time in the future. Yu Hanjiang also didn't mind. There was a little brother to protect Xiao Lou. If Xiao Lou was in danger then there would be one more protection.

The harvest from the draw this time was very rich. Xiao Yu's bodyguard card meant Xiao Lou didn't have as much to fear from the Spades room. Meanwhile, Old Mo drew the marble as well as the Perspective Converter that could be used in a maze. Their strengths were worthy of S-grade cards.

After a rest, the group returned to the villa.

They had opened 8 of Hearts together on Friday and now they returned to the City of the Moon late at night.

Old Mo looked at the clock on the wall. "It is 12:30 on Monday… It seems the time flow rate is very fast. Decades passed in the plot and it has only been dozens of hours in the City of the Moon?"

Ye Qi was excited. "I remember that the instance clearance reminded me that the time flow rate is one year in 8 of Hearts is only one hour in the main city."

It was precisely because of this that Yu Hanjiang wanted to ask Xiao Lou if they should spend more time in the ancient world. It was because even after a few years there, it would only be a few hours in the main city.

Xiao Lou hadn't understood Yu Hanjiang's meaning and wanted to come back as soon as possible.

Yu Hanjiang also didn't say 'I want to be husband and wife with you a few more days' and directly followed Xiao Lou back.

Since it was early in the morning, it wasn't good to continue to break through. The time flow rate was different, making it even more of a headache than the time difference. Everyone couldn't adjust for a while to the conversion from ancient world to modern world. He suggested, "Shall we go to bed first and think about things tomorrow?"

Xiao Lou agreed. "Yes, everyone should restore their energy. Have a good rest and we'll talk again."

The group went back to their rooms to wash up and sleep.

After washing, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang walked together to the door of their bedrooms.

Their teammates were so tired that they fell asleep instantly. The village was so quiet that Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang could hear each other's heartbeats and breaths.

Their bedrooms were just opposite each other. The two people had slept together every night at the prefectural magistrate's house and now they needed to sleep separately. They weren't used to it for a while. Both of them felt sad as they stopped in front of the doors.

Xiao Lou spoke lightly. "Group Leader Yu, good night and have a good sleep."

He thought Group Leader Yu would also say good night, pretending that nothing happened as they each went back to their rooms to sleep.

He hadn't expected Yu Hanjiang to suddenly turn back and look at Xiao Lou. "Why did you start calling me Group Leader Yu again? Didn't you always call me Hanjiang in private?"

Xiao Lou's face became slightly hot. He remembered the world where they called each other 'Madam' and 'Hanjiang' and couldn't control his heartbeat.

Yu Hanjiang stepped forward and looked down at Xiao Lou seriously. "In the secret world Beacon in Troubled Times, we played a couple and slept in the same bed for so long. Did you ever feel conflicted or… disgusted?"

His eyes were black but bright. His usually sharp eyes were extremely gentle and Xiao Lou's image could be seen in them. His voice was also very low, gliding across the eardrums in the quiet night and showing the unique sex appeal of a mature man.

Xiao Lou raised his head to meet the deep gaze, his breathing almost stopped.

He clenched his fists nervously, took a deep breath and whispered. "You… why do you think so?"

Yu Hanjiang said, "I can feel that you are very stiff when you go to bed every night. DO you hate men being close to you? There are some people who really hate sleeping with the same sex, as if their territory has been violated."

Xiao Lou hurriedly explained, "I'm just not used to it. I have been sleeping alone since I was young and I'm not used to being close to people."

Yu Hanjiang thought about it. "…It wasn't annoying?"

Xiao Lou's ears and face were red as he let out a hum of agreement.

Why was Yu Hanjiang asking? How could he hate it? The stiffness was just because of tension…

Yu Hanjiang thought carefully and then asked a very serious question, "What do you think about two men being husband and wife? The customs of Daqi are open. There are officials who have male wives and there seem to be men in the emperor's harem."

Xiao Lou, "…"

What did it mean to discuss this matter seriously? Pure curiosity? Exploring the philosophy of life?

Xiao Lou didn't dare tell Group Leader Yu that he liked men because he was worried that Yu Hanjiang would find him strange. After a moment of silence, he had to whisper, "For emotional matters, as long as they don't hurt others, I think it is good for men and men, women and women or men and women to be happy together. There is no need for prejudice. I don't discriminate against homosexuality."

Yu Hanjiang nodded thoughtfully. "What about yourself?"

Xiao Lou wondered, "Myself?"

Yu Hanjiang wondered seriously, "If someone really likes you and wants to seriously pursue you, are you willing to accept it even if the other person is a man?"

Xiao Lou's heart surged. He didn't know what Yu Hanjiang's sentence meant. Was it pure curiosity or…

Facing the man's gentle eyes, Xiao Lou felt his entire body becoming hot, especially his cheeks which were almost cooked.

He was silent for a moment before smiling easily, "It depends on the other person. If they are a nasty person who chases me all the time, it will only make me troubled. If it is someone I like… it doesn't matter if they are a man I can chase him actively."

Yu Hanjiang nodded. "I understand. Goodnight and go back to rest."

Xiao Lou, "???"

What do you understand? Why don't I understand?"

The soon-to-be-cooked Xiao Lou watched blankly as Yu Hanjiang's back disappeared through the door.

Yu Hanjiang entered his room while thinking, 'Professor Xiao doesn't hate homosexuality. That's great.'

Professor Xiao said it would be very annoying for a hateful person to chase him every day. However, if he liked them then a man was okay. Therefore, he still had a chance. From today on, he would seriously pursue Professor Xiao and strive to make Professor Xiao like him. Yu Hanjiang was refreshed after making up his mind and had a good night's sleep.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lou's heart was still thumping as he entered his room. It was because he found that he seemed to like Group Leader Yu…

After spending half a month in the ancient world, he missed the days when he slept on the same bed as Yu Hanjiang and the quilt was full of Yu Hanjiang's smell. The clear scent of the man made him fascinated and moved him. He could only control himself desperately and slept like a statue every night.

Xiao Lou rolled around on the bed and couldn't sleep at all. He only managed to fall asleep at 3 o'clock in the morning. In his dream, the marriage room of 8 of Hearts reappeared…

Last time he dreamed about the marriage night in 8 of Hearts, it was the keeper who instilled the memory in him. Then this time? There was no keeper and he wasn't in a secret room. He was in his own bedroom in the main city. He actually took the initiative to have this type of dream and even made up a lot of plots.

He dreamed that night about Yu Hanjiang's low, sexy voice whispering 'Madam' over and over again.

Xiao Lou who woke up in the morning, "……"

He really couldn't face the serious Yu Hanjiang!