The Unveiling of Emptiness

Yuan Anqing once had a lively and cheerful disposition. However, that was limited to his early childhood, before he understood the complexities of human nature and social etiquette.

In truth, Yuan Anqing vaguely knew how he had gradually become the person he was today.

When he was too young to understand, Yuan Anqing saw good in everything. He wasn’t entirely clear on the difference between having parents and not having them, as both life experiences couldn’t simultaneously befall him for a direct comparison. Consequently, he believed everything was wonderful: the orphanage director, the nurses, and even the older volunteers—everyone was kind.

Unfortunately, children grow up, and with growth comes understanding. Yuan Anqing felt his mind had developed exceptionally quickly, for he had seen through the complex social relationships within the orphanage long before the other foolishly cheerful children.

The caregivers didn’t love every child equally; perhaps, true equality simply didn’t exist in the world. Children with peculiar personalities or less appealing looks were always more easily overlooked. Adults were much the same; those who were more attractive often received more attention. It wasn’t surprising.

Yet, it was utterly uninteresting. Before he understood, he had only felt that everyone was on the same team, like a family, and they could all be happy together. After seeing through it, however, he discovered the hidden resentments and conflicts of interest. Their orphanage wasn’t large, but wherever there were people, there was friction.

Yuan Anqing didn’t particularly dislike these dynamics; when bored, he would even observe the clandestine conflicts. He simply couldn’t derive any genuine pleasure from human interaction anymore.

Thus, Yuan Anqing’s life slowly began to grow tedious. He proceeded in a methodical manner, following the path everyone deemed ‘correct.’ After all, he neither liked nor disliked it, which, to him, was a ‘just right’ perfect state.

He wondered if this numb personality had any connection to his identity as the Savior. After shedding his emotions in the god-like state, Yuan Anqing had felt an irresistible emptiness emanating from his very soul. Was the Savior truly such a fragile, hollow being? Or was there something else he hadn’t yet unearthed?

Yuan Anqing’s head throbbed, yet he persisted in his contemplation. He felt a significantly large void in his early memories, and if that part could be filled, the pervasive emptiness might finally dissipate. He perceived his “Savior” state as a magnificent skyscraper, but one built without a foundation.

But what was this foundation? Yuan Anqing couldn’t recall ever having amnesia as a child; his life had always felt complete.

A thunderous BOOM jolted Yuan Anqing out of his mental world.

He frowned and blinked, his vision filled with pitch blackness. When he turned his head, two points of crimson light shone directly at him, like the glowing eyes of a beast in the dark.

“…Zhuo?” This monstrous form of Zhuo was truly frightening.

“It’s me.” Zhuo blinked, and the two red lights flickered in sync.

“Why didn’t you turn on the lights?” Yuan Anqing sat up. He had been lying on top of Zhuo’s warm body, so getting up merely meant sitting upright on the monster’s lap.

“I couldn’t move,” Zhuo sounded utterly helpless. He had thought Yuan Anqing would only rest for a short while. Instead, the man had missed both lunch and dinner, sleeping straight through until midnight. As for Zhuo, he found himself physically unable to move his own body. Yuan Anqing hadn’t been sleeping soundly, occasionally frowning in his sleep. Zhuo had dared not move a muscle, not even his tail, simply staring helplessly at the sleeping Savior until now.

Growl…

Yuan Anqing looked down toward Zhuo’s stomach. So, that was the ‘thunder’ he’d heard in his dream. “You’ve been hungry this whole time?”

“I couldn’t move,” Zhuo repeated petulantly.

Yuan Anqing couldn’t see Zhuo’s expression, but he inexplicably imagined a pitiful pout on the monster’s face.

“My apologies.” Yuan Anqing reached up to touch his own hair, but as his hand made contact, he realized something was amiss. It was wet.

Zhuo’s eyesight was far superior to Yuan Anqing’s; the darkness didn’t affect him. “I’m sorry.”

“What’s wrong?” Yuan Anqing was unsure why Zhuo had suddenly apologized.

“Let me help you wash your hair.” Zhuo reached out and stroked Yuan Anqing’s head a couple of times. It wasn’t meant to be comforting; he simply wanted to smooth Yuan Anqing’s disheveled, matted hair. Yuan Anqing couldn’t see it, but his hair was standing on end, completely stiff.

“Why? Did I sweat?” Yuan Anqing didn’t understand. He felt washing his hair wasn’t urgent; eating should come first.

“No, I licked you,” Zhuo replied truthfully.

Yuan Anqing: “…”

Yuan Anqing silently withdrew the hand he’d used to touch his hair, wiping his fingers on Zhuo’s arm.

“My saliva isn’t dirty! I’m not a normal human,” Zhuo said quickly, afraid Yuan Anqing would be disgusted. “Nor do I secrete highly corrosive acid.”

Yuan Anqing trusted Zhuo on that point completely. If Zhuo had secreted corrosive saliva, Yuan Anqing wouldn’t have a head left to wash. “Why did you lick me?”

“I was hungry.”

Yuan Anqing and Zhuo exchanged glances in the dark.

Zhuo, worried Yuan Anqing might misunderstand, repeated, “I was really, really hungry.”

Yuan Anqing didn’t understand. Wasn’t Zhuo’s attempt at reassurance genuinely frightening?

Zhuo certainly didn’t think so. “Besides, I didn’t eat your hair. I just licked it.”

“Did you slurp me like a lollipop?” Yuan Anqing’s thoughts completely shifted away from the metaphysical nature of the Savior. Zhuo always managed to derail his focus with such antics.

“I didn’t slurp. I merely licked gently,” Zhuo emphasized. “Very, very gently.”

Zhuo wasn’t particularly worried, as he had no true intention of eating Yuan Anqing. He wouldn’t harm him; he just wanted to lick him and taste.

Zhuo’s stomach growled again, louder this time.

Yuan Anqing sighed helplessly. “Let’s order takeout. No need to cook tonight.” He still needed to wash the monster saliva out of his hair.

“I’ll help you wash it,” Zhuo said. “You’re not in your usual stable state today.”

“Alright, then.” Yuan Anqing’s body still felt a bit off.

“What you just did was a little scary,” Yuan Anqing reminded Zhuo.

“You won’t be scared by me.” Zhuo’s actions were entirely based on his intuitive understanding of Yuan Anqing’s boundaries. As long as he didn’t cross a certain line, everything he did would be considered acceptable. Yuan Anqing would never be truly afraid of him. If he went too far, Yuan Anqing would just sternly call his name to warn him.

“You can say these things to me, but don’t talk like that to other humans.” It was easy to traumatize people.

Zhuo stood up and turned on the living room lights. “They won’t get the chance to hear me say such things.” Just as among the many people in Zhuo’s internal domain, only Yuan Anqing had emerged safely.

Yuan Anqing felt his vision brighten abruptly, but his eyes were quickly covered by Zhuo’s large hand. Zhuo slowly parted his fingers, allowing Yuan Anqing to gradually adjust to the light.

Yuan Anqing placed his hand on Zhuo’s wrist. “You don’t need to go to such lengths.”

“But a sudden bright light would make you uncomfortable.” Zhuo didn’t think his actions were excessive. Whether Yuan Anqing admitted it or not, his body was indeed very fragile—especially after mental trauma—making him even more susceptible to physical harm.

Only after Yuan Anqing had fully adapted to the light did Zhuo pull him towards the bathroom. Zhuo’s clothes were already torn from his partial transformation earlier. His shirt had been ripped into four large holes. Since he was about to help Yuan Anqing wash his hair, Zhuo simply stripped himself completely bare.

“Lie on my lap, and I’ll wash it for you,” Zhuo said, sitting on the edge of the tub.

Yuan Anqing: “…”

He looked at the completely naked monster, feeling that this method of hair washing was somewhat peculiar.

Zhuo, however, didn’t think so. He fetched a small plastic chair for Yuan Anqing to sit on. He didn’t ask Yuan Anqing to remove his clothes, as he was confident he wouldn’t get a single drop of water on his Savior.

Yuan Anqing sat down and rested his head back onto Zhuo’s thigh. Zhuo’s legs were straight and lean, with beautifully defined muscles, perfectly proportioned for his massive physique. Yet, taken individually, these legs appeared extraordinarily thick—wider than the waists of some petite humans. They were thick and powerful.

Yuan Anqing remembered how these legs felt when Zhuo had wrapped them around him. They were strong, full of latent power, but they never overtly displayed that threatening strength toward Yuan Anqing. Or rather, their owner never overtly displayed his power toward Yuan Anqing.

Zhuo, when facing Yuan Anqing, always habitually revealed his harmless, vulnerable side. Those dangerous weapons—his horns, his claws, his tail—became touchable, beautiful decorations.

“Do you want to hold my tail?” Zhuo noticed Yuan Anqing’s hand unconsciously stroking the tip of his tail, which was resting on the floor.

Yuan Anqing shook his head. “No need.”

Yuan Anqing lay on Zhuo’s lap, looking up. Just then, Zhuo leaned down to adjust the water temperature. From a peculiar, intimate angle he had never seen before, Yuan Anqing had a perfect view of Zhuo’s pectorals.

Yuan Anqing frowned slightly.

Did Zhuo truly not notice anything amiss with this situation?

Zhuo indeed hadn’t noticed; his mind was entirely preoccupied with caring for the vulnerable Yuan Anqing.

The showerhead was turned on. Zhuo cheerfully asked, “Isn’t this temperature great?”

“Mmm.” Yuan Anqing stared at Zhuo’s chest.

“My scalp massage feels comfortable, doesn’t it?” Zhuo asked, lathering shampoo into Yuan Anqing’s hair. “Is it even better than a barbershop?”

Yuan Anqing’s eyes gradually narrowed. “Mmm…”

It was very comfortable. Very gentle. Yuan Anqing felt himself growing sleepy again.

However, just as he was about to drift into slumber, a ‘thunderclap’ once again jolted him awake.

Zhuo’s stomach had started growling again.

Yuan Anqing’s eyes snapped open. Then, he saw Zhuo’s chest drawing closer and closer. Something wet briefly touched his face, then retreated.

Zhuo was licking him.

Zhuo was truly, truly hungry. “You really taste amazing. You must be the most delicious Savior in the world.” It was a very standard, Zhuo-style compliment.

Yuan Anqing reached out with both hands and covered Zhuo’s chest.

“Whoa!” Zhuo’s entire body tensed. “What are you doing?!”

“It feels… a little strange.” Yuan Anqing didn’t think there was anything logically wrong with Zhuo licking him, but he just felt that the monster was very odd in this situation—especially since Zhuo himself seemed to have no reaction to the intimate proximity. This made Yuan Anqing feel even more bizarre.

“What’s strange about it?” Zhuo didn’t understand, but he decided to cooperate with Yuan Anqing. He sprouted an extra pair of arms from his back and used them to cover his own chest. “Does this feel any better to you?”

Yuan Anqing: “…No.”

This posture was so odd; it felt as if Zhuo was playing hard to get, covering himself demurely.

“Why is it like this?” Zhuo couldn’t understand Yuan Anqing’s hang-ups. He then reached out with another hand and covered Yuan Anqing’s eyes. “How about now?”

“Much better.” Now Yuan Anqing couldn’t see anything.

Suddenly, Yuan Anqing felt the solid thigh that had been supporting his head disappear. “Zhuo.”

“What is it?”

Yuan Anqing said, “Your body is indeed very beautiful.”

Even with his vision obscured, Yuan Anqing’s mind was filled with uncontrollable imaginings. He could picture Zhuo’s subtle movements based on the pressure of his hands and the sound of the water, and then visualize the beautiful play of muscles on Zhuo’s body based on those movements.

“Really?!” Zhuo was somewhat surprised, even a little excited. “Then, do you want to touch it?”

“No need.”

“But I need it, though,” Zhuo said, suddenly pleased by the unexpected praise. “Can you help me after I’ve finished washing your hair?”

Directly expressing his physical desires was Zhuo’s style. Perhaps those strange, unsettling moments of shyness he had experienced before were indeed just Yuan Anqing’s overactive imagination.

“Alright,” Yuan Anqing agreed.

“Yay!” Zhuo grew even more excited. “Then, why don’t you put your hands over here now?”

Yuan Anqing: “…”

Zhuo reminded him, “We’re super close right now anyway.” It was fine; even if Yuan Anqing ‘helping him’ made Zhuo lose focus, it didn’t matter. Washing hair was a small, mindless task he could do without full concentration.

“There’s no need to rush,” Yuan Anqing said, his own thoughts completely disrupted by Zhuo’s chaotic logic.