A Boat Awaiting Its Return from the Yellow Springs

Tong Yuezhou brought Huo Bugui home.

Tong Yuezhou had never wanted anything to do with Huo Bugui. Ever since they were boys, Huo Bugui had behaved like a lawless, wild rake. Tong Yuezhou, who devoted himself to the teachings of the sages, had always been ashamed to associate with someone like him.

But now Huo Bugui had gone mad. He was mentally unwell, addled and foolish, with the mind of a three-year-old and nowhere to go. If Tong Yuezhou left him to fend for himself, he might be found dead on the street tomorrow.

Tong Yuezhou had no choice. "Once you're better, you can leave."

Huo Bugui stared at Tong Yuezhou, looking dazed as he grinned like an idiot.

What Tong Yuezhou didn't know was that whenever he wasn't watching, Huo Bugui was neither mad nor stupid. Whenever he got the chance, he would quietly summon his underlings and make all sorts of plans behind the scenes.

After all, he couldn't let the business he ran between the worlds of yin and yang keep going off the rails. Nor could he spend forever hiding in the home of Tong Yuezhou, a man so upright that ghosts and gods kept their distance, just to evade the ghostly clients who wanted him dead.

What Huo Bugui hadn't expected, though, was that Tong Yuezhou, who had never been kind to him before, would be so patient and indulgent with him now that he was acting like a fool. Tong Yuezhou put up with everything: nonsense, mischief, even Huo Bugui climbing into his bed in the middle of the night and doing this and that, then that and this. He put up with all of it...

Every now and then, Huo Bugui would even find himself a little dazed, thinking that maybe it wasn't so bad if his business stayed in disarray and he stayed crazy like this...

Tong Yuezhou had never imagined he might develop feelings for Huo Bugui after he became an idiot. But after treating him like a three-year-old and spending every day and night together, Huo Bugui's lawless behavior didn't seem so bad anymore. His wildness seemed kind of cute. If he never recovered, then maybe they could just go on living like this. It seemed... pretty nice.

"After the New Year, we'll move somewhere else."

Tong Yuezhou carefully shaved Huo Bugui, his gaze touched with a gentle warmth.

"We'll find a sunny place where you can get plenty of sun. Ideally, it will have a yard where you can grow flowers and plants."

Huo Bugui couldn't answer. He could only force himself to keep smiling foolishly.

He couldn't pretend to be crazy forever.

One day, his business would be back in order, his clients would be taken care of, and everything would return to normal...

But when that day came, what would happen to his sunny home and his garden?

A righteous scholar with a body that wards off evil spirits x an occult expert and underworld boss

Reading Tips:

An occult-themed romance, focused on the relationship with the plot taking a back seat. Lighthearted comedy, no horror, 1v1, happy ending.

The manuscript for "Vicious Devotion" is complete at 100,000 words. Top-tier seducer bottom x inhumanly devoted doglike top. Add it to your collection!

Blurb:

When Ye Lisheng and Mu Qi first met, Ye Lisheng was a young master, and Mu Qi was a beggar.

The young master stepped out of his car and looked down at the beggar in ragged clothes.

"Be my dog, and I'll feed you."

Mu Qi was hungry, so he was willing to be a dog. Young Master Ye took him in, and from then on master and dog were together day and night, never leaving each other's side.

By day, Mu Qi was the young master's driver and bodyguard. Wherever the young master went, he went too. At night, Mu Qi was the young master's plaything. They shared a room and a bed, clinging to each other night after night.

Young Master Ye would dress Mu Qi in expensive suits, tie a fine tie around his neck, and take him along to restaurants, theaters, and high-end parties. The two would go everywhere together, looking like a couple. But whenever someone asked who the tall, handsome young man was, Young Master Ye would tug on Mu Qi's tie and smile contemptuously.

"He's just a dog I keep."

Mu Qi never complained. If his tie got crooked, he simply straightened it again. That was all.

Ye Lisheng was very pleased with Mu Qi. The dog was quiet and loyal, and whether he was serving as a driver and bodyguard or a plaything, he did his work without complaint and with complete dedication.

As for being Young Master Ye's dog, Mu Qi seemed calm and accepting, even glad to do it. Even when his master was moody and unpredictable, sometimes affectionate with him and sometimes hitting and scolding him, Mu Qi never seemed to mind.

Mu Qi thought that this was how you were supposed to be your master's dog.

A loyal dog beneath the covers, a snarling wolfdog in bed, or the master wouldn't like it.

Don't dream of acting like a person in front of your master. He won't allow it. He'll only get angry.

And his master's side had to be kept completely clear.

No second dog, and no other person.

His master would always be his. Forever.

Theme: It's never too late to mend your ways, and doing so is a great virtue.