Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Before the first rays of dawn pierced the thick fog, Cheng Yu opened his eyes. The stone bed beside him was cold; Bai Long was nowhere to be seen. A faint smell of blood mixed with the stench of some wild beast wafted from outside the cave. Cheng Yu's heart sank, and a feeling of unease crept over his entire body like vines.

He quickly dressed and rushed out of the cave. The sight before him made him hold his breath. In the distance, on a ravaged clearing, a gigantic, almost deformed demonic wolf was fiercely battling a white dragon. The wolf was entirely black, its muscles bulging, its fangs like sharp daggers, gleaming with a chilling light. It exuded a strong stench of decay, each step leaving deep claw marks on the ground, as if it wanted to tear the earth apart. At the wolf's feet lay a torn-up white-horned bull, its blood staining the surrounding soil, its entrails scattered everywhere.

The white dragon was much smaller than the demonic wolf, but he was in no way inferior. He nimbly dodged the wolf's attacks, his sharp claws leaving bloody gashes on the wolf's body. The demonic wolf let out a deafening roar, attempting to crush the white dragon's body with its immense strength, but the white dragon deftly braced its claws against the wolf's jaws, unleashing a tremendous force that flung the wolf away violently. The demonic wolf crashed heavily to the ground, howling in pain.

The white dragon disdainfully flicked its blood- and saliva-stained claws, its gaze coldly fixed on the demonic wolf on the ground. Cheng Yu noticed that there was no fear or anger in the white dragon's eyes, only an almost indifferent calm. It was as if, in its eyes, this ferocious demonic wolf was nothing more than a troublesome insect.

"You're awake?" A deep voice sounded behind Cheng Yu. He turned around abruptly and saw that Bai Long had appeared beside him at some point. He was covered in blood, but his expression remained as indifferent as ever, as if the thrilling battle just now was nothing more than a trivial matter to him.

"Are you...are you alright?" Cheng Yu's voice trembled slightly as he looked at the shocking wounds on Bai Long's body, a nameless fear and worry welling up in his heart.

"It's nothing, just some minor injuries," Bai Long said calmly, his gaze falling on Cheng Yu's face, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes. "You don't need to worry."

“That demonic wolf…” Cheng Yu’s gaze turned to the demonic wolf that was still struggling in the distance, his heart filled with doubt.

“Just a nuisance beast,” the white dragon said coldly. “I don’t like eating wolf meat, otherwise it would be dead by now.”

A chill ran through Cheng Yu. He knew the white dragon was powerful, but witnessing it subdue such a terrifying magical beast so easily still shocked him. He couldn't help but wonder, what kind of power was this white dragon hiding?

"Let's go back for breakfast," Bai Long said, turning and walking towards the cave. Cheng Yu watched Bai Long's retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, and finally followed.

Back in the cave, Bai Long began to process the white-horned bull. He skillfully skinned, cut, and deboned it, his movements clean and efficient, showing no sign of bloodshed or cruelty. Cheng Yu stood by, watching silently, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He wanted to ask Bai Long many questions—who he was, where he came from, and why he was in this misty place. But he didn't know how to begin; he was afraid of breaking the fragile balance between them.

Bai Long handed the roasted beef to Cheng Yu and said casually, "Eat." Cheng Yu took the beef and ate it silently. The aroma of the beef filled the cave, but Cheng Yu found it tasteless.

If Bai Long knew that Cheng Yu actually found the roasted meat tasteless, Bai Long would definitely be angry. If it weren't for Cheng Yu's feelings, he wouldn't even bother to prepare the white horn beef and would just eat it raw. In his opinion, preparing these kinds of foods is really troublesome.

At this moment, Cheng Yu secretly observed Bai Long and found that he did not seem to be affected by the battle just now, and still maintained that indifferent and calm state.

After finishing breakfast, Bai Long stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and gazed at the world shrouded in mist in the distance. Cheng Yu walked to his side and asked softly, "Where are we going next?"

Bai Long was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Didn't you want to find that 'lost relic'? So let's continue searching for the 'lost relic' now, as it is our only hope of leaving this place."

“‘The Lost Relic’…” Cheng Yu murmured to himself. He knew it was an extremely important clue, but he knew nothing about it.

"Don't worry, I'll find it." Bai Long turned his head, looked into Cheng Yu's eyes, and said, "Trust me."

Looking into Bai Long's resolute eyes, Cheng Yu felt a surge of inexplicable trust. He nodded and said, "I believe you."

The cave fell silent, which made Cheng Yu, who was usually very talkative, feel a little awkward. So he tried to start a conversation.

"Oh right, last night..."

Before Cheng Yu could finish speaking, he was interrupted.

A hint of impatience flashed across Bai Long's face. He clearly hadn't expected Cheng Yu to bring up last night's events at this time. He glared at Cheng Yu and said coldly, "Nothing happened last night. Don't overthink it."

Cheng Yu rolled his eyes, thinking, "You're kidding me!" Those ambiguous marks on his body weren't fake. However, he didn't want to dwell on the matter, since Bai Long's attitude was already quite clear. So he changed the subject, asking another question: "Then what should I call you from now on? I can't keep calling you 'Hey' and 'you,' can I?"

Bai Long seemed stumped by the question. He frowned and thought for a long time before finally shaking his head: "I haven't thought about this question. You think of one yourself."

Cheng Yu's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Really? Then don't blame me for giving you such a... so creative name." He paused deliberately, observing Bai Long's reaction, and found that he wasn't angry, just looking at him with some curiosity. So he continued, "How about we give each other names? I'll call you 'Feng He' and you can call me 'Zao Cheng', what do you say?"

Bai Long frowned even more deeply, and asked in confusion, "Feng He? Zao Cheng? What strange names are these? Do they mean anything?"

Cheng Yu laughed heartily, patted Bai Long on the shoulder, and said, "You don't understand, do you? 'Feng He' (风和) can be broken down into 'Feng' (风) and 'He' (禾), which together mean 'a gentle breeze and a bright, sunny day'; 'Zao Cheng' (澡称) can be broken down into 'Zao' (早) and 'Chen' (晨), which together mean 'morning'. How about that? Isn't it quite poetic?"

Bai Long's face instantly darkened; he finally understood Cheng Yu's twisted sense of humor. He gritted his teeth and said, "You...you actually..." He wanted to curse, but didn't know what to say, finally managing to stammer, "You're really...a repressed pervert!"

Cheng Yu smiled smugly. He knew Bai Long wouldn't really be angry, after all, their relationship was different now. He continued, "Since you don't like 'Feng He,' how about I call you 'Chu He' and me 'Dan Wu'?"

Bai Long's face darkened further; he felt his blood pressure soaring. He took a deep breath, struggling to suppress his anger, and asked, "What does this mean?"

Cheng Yu's smile widened. He leaned close to Bai Long's ear and whispered, "'Chuhe' is the 'chu' in 'chuhe' (hoeing the fields); 'Danwu' is the 'dang' in 'dangwu' (noon). Put them together and it's 'Chuhe Ridangwu' (hoeing the fields at noon). How about that? Doesn't it sound more cultured this time?"

Bai Long's body trembled slightly; he felt he was about to be driven mad by Cheng Yu. He abruptly stood up, grabbed Cheng Yu by the collar, pulled him in front of him, and said fiercely, "What exactly do you want?!"

Cheng Yu was startled by Bai Long's sudden action, but he quickly calmed down. Looking into Bai Long's angry eyes, he suddenly found him quite adorable. He reached out and gently stroked Bai Long's cheek, saying softly, "Don't be angry, I just wanted to make you happy. If you don't like these names, we'll think of something else."

Bai Long's anger gradually dissipated under Cheng Yu's gentle caress. He released his grip and slumped back onto the ground. He sighed and said helplessly, "You really... I can't do anything with you."

Cheng Yu smiled and sat down beside the white dragon. He thought for a moment and said, "How about I call you 'Aolian'? You are a white dragon, noble and powerful, as pure as a white lotus, and as free as the wind."

Bai Long was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Ao Lian... that sounds pretty good." He turned his head and looked at Cheng Yu, a gentle light flashing in his eyes, "Then I'll call you 'Chen Yu' from now on. 'Chen' represents stars, and 'Yu' represents the universe. I hope you can shine like a star and possess a vast universe."

A warm feeling welled up in Cheng Yu's heart. He looked at Bai Long, his eyes filled with gratitude. He knew that Bai Long was expressing his care and expectations for him in his own way. He nodded and said softly, "Okay, from now on I'll be called Chen Yu, and you'll be called Ao Lian. Anyway, Cheng Yu and Chen Yu are the same, so it doesn't matter."