This Villain Ch.197

Chapter 197: Washing Brother

At this time of year, the stream was still quite chilly. Yu Guang often bathed in cold water, so this temperature was no big deal for him.

He stepped into the clear stream, washed his head, face, and hands, and then pulled Yu Yin into the water as well.

“Hey, Youngest, can you bathe yourself?”

Soaking in the water — especially such cold water — Yu Yin showed an unhappy expression and started to step back towards the shore.

But after just one step back, Yu Guang’s heavy hand pressed down on his shoulder, feeling as weighty as a mountain. His other hand grabbed Yu Yin’s waist, dragging him back into the water.

“No running away! We both stink; we need to get cleaned up!”

With a splash, Yu Yin was pushed down into the water.

Seeing his reluctance, Yu Guang didn’t bother asking anymore and started washing him himself.

Yu Yin’s clothes were taken off, and Yu Guang, with a warm, sunlit glow, scrubbed his face and body with a somewhat rough intensity.

Yu Guang grabbed a cloth, holding his arm to scrub it briskly, then looked surprised and said, “Why did it turn red? I didn’t use that much force.”

Yu Yin’s arm felt hot, like it had been rubbed raw, and when the icy water hit it, it stung with a numbing sensation.

A warm hand covered his arm, and Yu Guang’s voice, soft with apology, said, “Sorry, Youngest. I didn’t realize your skin was so delicate; just a light scrub and it got scratched.”

He hesitated, then eased his strength, though his movements stayed quick.

“You’re too skinny, Youngest. You need to eat more, sleep early, wake up early, and exercise more.”

Yu Yin couldn’t resist, and the chill of the stream made his frail body shiver uncontrollably.

Yu Guang spread a slippery liquid on him, working up a bit of lather. He noticed Yu Yin’s trembling, like a fledgling bird facing a cold wind.

Yu Guang moved to the shallow water, settling Yu Yin on his lap with most of his body exposed, and scrubbed him down with both hands.

“Alright, alright, we’re almost done.”

The cold of the stream was replaced by the warmth of his body. Despite being in the same icy water, Yu Guang’s body seemed like an ever-burning fire, radiating warmth. Even Yu Yin felt like he was heating up from the friction of Yu Guang’s vigorous scrubbing.

The bold bath attendant finished scrubbing him down and rinsed him in the water again.

He even washed Yu Yin’s hair, then lifted him up to shake off the foam, wringing out his hair like a cloth. With his rough handling, it was no wonder none of the younger brothers wanted to bathe with him.

“Youngest, your hair is too long, it’s inconvenient. How about I trim it a bit for you?”

Yu Yin, who rarely spoke and was without a tongue, could only make some muffled, meaningless sounds.

He didn’t want to respond to this brash “brother,” just held his own arm, feeling the hot, raw marks on his skin.

Since Yu Yin didn’t say anything, Yu Guang interpreted his silence as agreement.

He dug through the basin he’d brought and found a small knife. With a few quick snips, he cut Yu Yin’s hair to shoulder length.

The wet, black strands fell messily around his shoulders, making the thin boy resemble one of those eerie shrine dolls with dark hair, pale faces, and a strange, ominous aura about them.

—Seeing him like this always made Yu Guang want to drag him out into the sunlight.

“We’ll leave it like this for now,” Yu Guang said with a hint of regret.

If he weren’t worried about accidentally cutting his scalp, he would’ve liked to trim it even shorter.

After being thoroughly cleaned, Yu Yin, now carrying the bitter scent of herbal sap, was set by Yu Guang onto a large, smooth rock.

“Stay here and soak up some sun,” Yu Guang told him.

The rock sat amid rushing stream water, with the constant sound of splashing all around.

Yu Yin hated sunbathing, but on this rock, he had nowhere to hide.

He tried sliding off, and as soon as his foot touched the water, he was grabbed.

Standing by the rock, still bathing, Yu Guang held Yu Yin’s foot. “Where are you going? You should soak up the sun more.”

His freshly wet hand was cool at first, but warmth soon returned, seeping through Yu Yin’s skin.

Yu Yin shook him off, his dark eyes squinting uncomfortably in the bright light, letting out a low, dissatisfied grunt.

His dislike for the sun was obvious, so Yu Guang finally picked up his squirming little brother and placed him in the shade by the shore.

“How about here?” he asked.

Now that the sun wasn’t so intense, Yu Yin released his grip on Yu Guang’s arm and leaned back against a stone on the shore.

Yu Guang scratched at the crescent-shaped nail marks on his arm and returned to the water to finish his bath, submerging his head to scrub his hair with herb-infused liquid.

He had also trimmed his own hair short with the small knife, feeling much lighter.

Washing himself was much faster than cleaning up his delicate little brother, using a similar but much rougher approach.

Lifting his head out of the water, he rubbed the water from his lashes and glanced over at Yu Yin on the shore. Yu Yin had his eyes closed, resting his head against a rock.

Above him, a wild apricot tree had shed petals, scattering soft flowers over him. He looked peaceful and harmless.

It was the season of apricot blossoms, and the mountains were filled with wild apricot trees, their pink and white blooms clustered among the lush green foliage like clouds.

Many apricot petals drifted downstream, carried along by the current.

After finishing his bath, Yu Guang also washed his worn clothes. When he wrung them out, he used a bit too much strength, and the fragile fabric tore with a strained ripping sound.

‘Hmm,’ he thought, ‘it’s time to make some money for new clothes.’

Without any change in expression, he set the torn clothes in a basin, walked over to Yu Yin, and casually brushed the petals off him as if he were dusting dirt away. Then he lifted him onto his back.

“Let’s go home; you can’t sleep here.”

…

Back at their small hut, Yu Yin was once again set outside on a small wooden stool to sit in the sun, while Yu Guang busied himself with thoroughly cleaning the place.

From inside the hut came the sounds of banging and rustling as clouds of dust billowed out through the wide-open door and windows.

Yu Yin stood up, moving slowly away from the hut to the shadowy side where he wouldn’t have to sit in the sun. He tilted his head, a thoughtful expression on his face, fingers brushing over the ends of his freshly cut hair.

Overhead, branches of a nearby tree wove an unseen web.

His unfocused gaze drifted, until he suddenly noticed the sound of unfamiliar voices approaching.

“Isn’t this where he lives? I remember Uncle Yang’s hut is right here.”

“Yes, this is it. I used to come play here sometimes.”

“Ever since that evil spirit incident, no one dares come up the mountain. It’s been so long, and it feels even creepier up here now.”

“With all the people who died up here… some of their souls might still be wandering.”

Two villagers spoke as they approached. The village chief had sent them to invite the “benefactor” to a meal.

According to local custom, when someone provides significant help, it’s customary to host a hearty feast in their honor.

The evil spirit ate several people on this mountain, and even the bravest villagers had avoided the area since then. Now that the spirit was gone, people were still a bit fearful, so the chief had chosen two men with strong courage to deliver the invitation.

The two men, trying to bolster their courage with small talk but clearly masking fear, walked forward. When they reached a spot where the wooden hut was visible and could hear the sounds from that direction, they felt a renewed sense of confidence and picked up their pace.

Rounding a corner, they suddenly spotted a figure sitting by the side of the path.

Seeing his face, both men’s gazes grew blank, irresistibly drawn in with a dazed, captivated expression, drifting over to him in a trance-like state.

In Yu Yin’s dim world, two faint, grayish shadows appeared. He “watched” as the shadows approached, his fingers twitching slightly while threads dangled from above.

Though these two were powerless, ordinary humans, they would do for now. Given his current state, it was inconvenient to operate alone, so possessing two puppets would be useful enough.

The two entranced figures fell to his feet, and Yu Yin, with a slight flick of his hand, let down the threads.

Though he was particular about his puppets and hadn’t controlled such weak beings in a long time, circumstances were different now, so he would have to make do.

Just then, a broom appeared between his hand and the two dazed villagers.

Yu Guang had grasped the men’s hands just as they reached toward Yu Yin, forcing them down to the ground.

With his other hand, he twirled the broom, sweeping up all the floating black threads into a bundled mass.

He even raised the broom to poke at the air, capturing every bit of black thread within sight and clearing it away in one swoop, exactly as he had done earlier in the hut when cleaning ordinary cobwebs from the corners.

Setting aside the simple broom he had quickly put together, Yu Guang stood with his back to Yu Yin, shielding him while pressing on the two men’s philtrums, snapping them awake.

Wincing in pain, the two villagers let out groans of surprise, staring in confusion at Yu Guang.

Why were they lying on the ground? They recalled vaguely seeing someone sitting by the road but remembered nothing after that.

Yu Guang pulled the two men up from the ground. “What’s going on? You needed something from me?”

The villagers scratched their heads, quickly relaying the village chief’s invitation for a meal.

“The chief invites you and your younger brother to join,” one of them added.

At the mention of his brother, the younger villager curiously tried to catch a glimpse of the person hidden behind Yu Guang. All he saw was a bit of fabric, with no clear view.

He recalled seeing this brother nestled in Yu Guang’s arms the day before but hadn’t gotten a clear look at him. It felt like he’d just glimpsed him, but now the memory was hazy and difficult to recall.

With his head and philtrum still throbbing, the young man shivered. Was there something strange here?

“I have too much to do and can’t leave,” Yu Guang declined politely. “Tell the chief he should enjoy the meal himself and not worry about me.” He then sent the two somewhat fearful villagers on their way.

Yu Yin, his hunting interrupted, sat still as he sensed Yu Guang standing before him once more.

He realized that this strange youth, who claimed to be his brother, seemed to know exactly what he had intended and had appeared at just the right moment to stop him.

A person with such a bright presence was certainly a “righteous one” and might unleash a furious reprimand for his actions.

But Yu Yin waited, and no anger or resentment radiated from him; the vibrant golden light flowed as steadily as ever.

Yu Guang’s voice held only mild puzzlement: “Why don’t you ever like being in the sun?”

He picked him up again and placed him in another spot, where the bothersome sunlight spilled over him once more.

As soon as Yu Guang set him down, he took up the broom and resumed cleaning, scaring out a few squeaking mice from the nooks and crannies of the hut.

Yu Yin raised a hand to shield himself from the sun, a peculiar, amused smile tugging at his lips.

So, he wanted to stop him? But… was that really possible?

Not only was he a creature born of despair and pain, but he also possessed an almost supernatural allure. Anyone who saw his face would be captivated by him, especially men—the weaker their willpower, the more likely they were to lose control. When he chose to lure someone, that unsettling attraction became even stronger.

Few could resist him completely, like Yu Guang. Even if Yu Guang could stop him from hunting, could he prevent the endless stream of prey willingly coming to the hunter’s mouth?

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