Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 32
Feng Tianzong mounted first. When he turned back, he saw Huo Fenghua sneezing repeatedly. As Huo Fenghua walked over, the wind pressed his clothes tight to his body, making him look thin and fragile. So when Huo Fenghua reached him, Feng Tianzong pulled him up onto the horse and had him sit in front of him.
With his back against Feng Tianzong’s chest, Huo Fenghua immediately felt much warmer. He didn’t understand why he’d been fine just a moment ago, yet after a few sneezes he suddenly lost all energy, his nose clogging up too.
In a muffled voice he said, “I’ve caught a cold1.”
“What?” Feng Tianzong spoke, and Huo Fenghua felt the slight vibration of his chest.
Huo Fenghua said, “What am I supposed to say, then, that I’ve caught a chill1? How long until we reach a town? I think we’d better find a doctor to prescribe me something.”
1Clarity: The first time he said it, it’s using the modern term, which is why Feng Tianzong didn’t understand, while the second time is more old-fashioned/historical.
With one hand on the reins, Feng Tianzong lifted the other and touched Huo Fenghua’s forehead. It felt slightly warm.
Huo Fenghua turned his head. “Do I have a fever?”
Feng Tianzong didn’t answer. He only said, “Close your eyes and rest for a while.”
Upon hearing this, Huo Fenghua did as told. He leaned back into Feng Tianzong’s arms and drowsily closed his eyes. Before long, he truly fell asleep.
It felt like a heavy sleep. When he woke again, he felt something soft beneath him and warmth all around. He tried to turn over but his whole body ached. At the same time he heard someone say, “He’s awake.”
Feng Tianzong’s voice replied, “It’s fine.”
Huo Fenghua opened his eyes and found himself in a crude, simple room, lying on a bed. A brazier burned beside the bed and the heat wafted towards him, making his forehead break out in a fine sweat.
Feng Tianzong sat on a stool by the brazier. Standing in front of him was someone else, Song Wei, the man who had previously left to track down Gu Guangji.
The two of them must have been talking for a long time. Huo Fenghua’s waking interrupted them briefly, and then Feng Tianzong continued, “Take this letter to Peng Po. Tell him that while I’m away, he needs to watch for Shao Feijie sending people to raid the camp.”
Song Wei lowered his voice. “Shao Feijie knows you’re not in the camp, General. He’ll definitely make a move.”
Feng Tianzong fell silent in thought for a moment. “He won’t be sure whether I’ll return to the camp or not. He’ll try to probe. Keep things ambiguous, with truths and falsehoods mixed together. Don’t let him read the situation clearly. If Peng Po is confident, he can even set an ambush and lure him into attacking the camp. If he’s not confident, it’s better to play it safe.”
“Yes!” Song Wei answered.
Feng Tianzong turned his head toward the bed. Just then, Huo Fenghua rolled over and was looking back at him too.
“And one more thing. Huo Fengnian is very likely already dead,” Feng Tianzong said to Song Wei.
“Dead?” Song Wei was shocked. “How could he be dead? Is the General certain?”
Feng Tianzong suddenly smiled. “I’m certain. Remember this. Huo Fengnian is dead. If Huo Fengnian ever appears in Xichou in the future, then it’s definitely Shao Feijie having Huo Fengnian’s younger twin brother, Huo Fenghua, impersonate him. And Huo Fenghua is already my male concubine.”
Song Wei froze, then answered, “Understood.”
Feng Tianzong waved a hand. “Remember everything I told you. Go back.”
Song Wei dropped to one knee. “Yes, General. This subordinate takes his leave.”
After Song Wei left the room, Huo Fenghua let out a heavy breath and realized even his breathing felt scorching. He said, “You’re disgusting. If the Xichou side really believes Huo Fengnian is dead, the Xichou army’s morale is bound to waver.”
Feng Tianzong didn’t care. “If I were Shao Feijie, I’d find a young child elsewhere in the royal bloodline and prop him up as emperor. Why obsess over you two brothers?”
Huo Fenghua sighed. “That’s loyalty. You wouldn’t understand.”
Feng Tianzong leaned in and touched his forehead, then immediately withdrew his hand. “Your fever’s starting to subside.”
Huo Fenghua lifted the quilt a little and sat up, seeing he was only wearing a thin inner robe. He touched his own forehead too and asked, “Is this an inn?”
Feng Tianzong said, “No. It’s a villager’s house in a mountain village. We’re still some distance from a town. I was worried you wouldn’t hold up, so I found a nearby village and borrowed a room.”
Huo Fenghua asked again, “Did you get a doctor?”
Feng Tianzong lifted a hand to straighten his sleeve, then slowly said, “I did. What, are you that afraid of dying?”
Huo Fenghua nodded. “Terrified. These days, if you get seriously sick even once, you might not recover. Better to be careful.”
Feng Tianzong gave a short, amused snort. “The doctor already took your pulse and wrote a prescription. I asked the homeowner here to decoct it for you. It should be about ready.”
As he finished speaking, someone knocked outside and brought the medicine in.
It was a young girl delivering it. Huo Fenghua suddenly remembered the days he and Su Zeyang had spent recuperating in a mountain village, and he couldn’t help murmuring, “I wonder how Senior Brother is.”
Feng Tianzong took the bowl, shut the door, and lowered his head to stir the black decoction with a spoon. Hearing that, his face chilled. “You miss him that much?”
Huo Fenghua glanced at his expression and hurriedly said, “I’m just worried about him. Aren’t you worried too?”
Feng Tianzong carried the bowl to the bedside and sat down. “We already agreed. Once we find him, you’ll fake your death and leave Yujing.”
Huo Fenghua said, “Yeah. We agreed.”
Feng Tianzong scooped up a spoonful, blew on it lightly, and brought it to Huo Fenghua’s lips. “When the time comes, don’t tell him the truth. Let him think you’re dead too.”
Huo Fenghua stared at the spoon near his mouth, dazed for a moment. Then he shrank back. “Don’t feed me like that. It tastes even more bitter. Give it to me, I’ll down it in one go.”
Feng Tianzong looked at the bowl, tipped the spoonful back in, and handed the whole bowl to Huo Fenghua.
Huo Fenghua took it, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one breath. He handed the bowl back, his whole face scrunching up as he spat out a single word, “Bitter!”
Feng Tianzong took the bowl and watched him for a moment, then carried it out. When he returned he had a small paper packet. He sat by the bed, opened it, and took out a piece of malt sugar.
“Open your mouth,” he said.
Huo Fenghua obediently opened up and let him place it inside.
A sweet, clean taste spread instantly. Chewing the sticky malt sugar, Huo Fenghua said, “So sweet.”
Feng Tianzong said, “Sweet?”
Huo Fenghua smiled at him. “General, want to taste it?” Without waiting for an answer, he looped his arms around Feng Tianzong’s neck and leaned in to press their lips together.
At first Feng Tianzong tasted bitterness, the residue of medicine still on Huo Fenghua’s lips. Then, when he opened his mouth, he tasted the sweetness from inside. The soft, sticky malt sugar tumbled between them, gluing their mouths together. They couldn’t separate for a long time.
When Huo Fenghua finally pulled away, a thin strand of syrup still clung to the corner of his mouth.
Feng Tianzong lifted his hand and wiped it away with his thumb.
Huo Fenghua asked, “When do we leave?”
Feng Tianzong said, “Tomorrow.”
“Why?” Huo Fenghua was puzzled. “Aren’t you in a hurry to find Senior Brother? Why waste a day here?”
Feng Tianzong said, “You’ll drink two more doses. If you pass out again in the middle of the road, it’ll be even more trouble. Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
Huo Fenghua quickly said, “Yeah, I’m afraid.” The truth was, he just missed Su Zeyang a little, missed holding him and breathing in that faint sandalwood scent. He figured he was only feeling so fragile because he was sick.
That night, darkness fell early. After Huo Fenghua finished his medicine, he sat on the bed bored out of his mind. He threw on his clothes, climbed down, and as soon as he cracked the door open, a blast of cold wind shoved him back inside.
He looked at Feng Tianzong, sitting by the brazier in silence, and asked, “Are we still within Zhuyue City’s territory?”
Feng Tianzong glanced at him. “This is Xichou. But the nights are bitterly cold. Stay inside.”
Huo Fenghua walked up to him. “General, you’re sitting here alone without a word. What are you thinking about?”
Feng Tianzong didn’t answer.
Huo Fenghua bent at the waist and leaned in to peer at him. “Thinking about my Senior Brother?”
Feng Tianzong said, “What are you trying to do?”
Huo Fenghua straddled his lap. “General, since we’re idle anyway—”
Feng Tianzong leaned back slightly. “You’re better already?”
Huo Fenghua raised a hand to cup Feng Tianzong’s face. After a deep kiss, he lowered his voice at Feng Tianzong’s ear and asked, “General, have you ever been fucked? Want to try it?”
Kinky Thoughts:
Lol, Huo Fenghua really loves poking the bear.
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