That night, news of Huo Fenghua’s illness spread throughout the General’s Manor. Word spread that Doctor Du had taken Young Master Huo’s pulse and said he’d come down with smallsmallpox.
Right after that, Steward Lu gave orders to seal off the entire side courtyard where Huo Fenghua lived. Other than Qingqing and Doctor Du, no one was allowed to go in. Doctor Du prepared medicinal powder and had it sprinkled throughout the entire residence, and over the next two days, everyone who’d had contact with Huo Fenghua went to Doctor Du to get medicine to drink.
When Su Zeyang heard the news, he immediately went to Huo Fenghua’s side courtyard, only to be stopped at the gate by Feng Tianzong.
“Go back,” Feng Tianzong told him.
Su Zeyang asked, “You won’t let me go in?”
Feng Tianzong looked at him. “Of course I won’t. Back when Doctor Du and I were in the army, we both had contact with soldiers who’d had smallpox, but you’re different. This isn’t something to joke about. Go back.”
Su Zeyang said, “I’ll just take one look at him.”
Feng Tianzong shook his head. “I’ll take good care of him. He’s got decades of inner energy from that old demon Zixi inside him. A bit of smallpox won’t do anything.”
Su Zeyang gazed into the courtyard.
Feng Tianzong clasped his hand. “Don’t worry.”
Huo Fenghua was hiding by the window. Only after he watched Su Zeyang leave did he let out a slow sigh and return to sit on the edge of the bed. His body was feverish, and the itching all over was unbearable. He couldn’t help wanting to scratch.
Qingqing saw at once and hurried over to catch his hand. “Whatever you do, please don’t scratch.”
Doctor Du was outside at the little stove by the window, brewing medicine. Hearing the commotion, he called in too, “Don’t scratch. These red spots won’t leave scars, but if you break the skin, that’s another matter.”
Feng Tianzong happened to come in and said to Qingqing, “If he scratches again, tie his hands with a rope.”
Qingqing answered and withdrew to help Doctor Du with the decoction.
Huo Fenghua pulled his feet up onto the bed. If he couldn’t scratch, he grabbed a small fan and fanned himself hard. The cool breeze over his skin eased the itch a little. When he saw Doctor Du come in, he asked, “Doctor Du, what kind of medicine is this? It’s intense. I’m starting to suspect I’m actually sick.”
Doctor Du walked to the bedside and took his pulse again as he spoke. “It’s a poisonous herb that grows in the southwestern mountains. Locals sometimes eat it by accident. Afterward they develop a fever and these red rashes. It looks frightening, but it’s temporary. There’s an antidote herb that grows locally too. Once you take it to purge the toxin, the rash fades. It doesn’t harm the body.”
Feng Tianzong sat down by the bed, took the fan from Huo Fenghua’s hand, and fanned him.
Huo Fenghua leaned into Feng Tianzong’s arms. “How long do I have to wait before I can leave?”
Feng Tianzong said, “At least three to five more days. Either the illness is severe and hard to recover from, or you recover but your face is covered in pockmarks and you’re so disheartened…”
“Pockmarks are pockmarks,” Huo Fenghua said, finding a comfortable half-lying position. “How great is it just to be alive. Dying over pockmarks on your face isn’t worth it.”
Doctor Du finished taking his pulse and laughed at that. “Young Master Huo is broad-minded.”
Huo Fenghua glanced at Qingqing, who was busy outside, and lowered his voice to Doctor Du. “Doctor Du, do you know of anything you can prolong the duration of… you know?”
Doctor Du didn’t understand. “Prolong what? The rash?”
Huo Fenghua shook his head. “To make a man last longer.”
Only then did Doctor Du understand. He sat up straighter, instinctively looking at Feng Tianzong, and blurted out, “The General wants it?”
“No,” Huo Fenghua said quickly. “I do.”
Doctor Du looked even more puzzled. He didn’t answer, only looked to Feng Tianzong.
Feng Tianzong said coldly, “Nonsense. Doctor Du, you don’t need to mind him.”
Doctor Du nodded with a smile and stood. “Once Young Master Huo drinks the medicine, he can rest. No other issues. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”
Huo Fenghua had no choice but to say, “Thanks for the trouble, Doctor Du.”
After Doctor Du left, Feng Tianzong asked in a low voice, “What do you want that medicine for?”
Huo Fenghua said, “It’s not for you, so it’s none of your business.”
Feng Tianzong lifted his chin with one hand. “None of my business?”
Huo Fenghua frowned and weakly clutched Feng Tianzong’s lapel, murmuring, “General, it itches. It’s miserable.”
Only then did Feng Tianzong let him go. He looked at him coldly for a moment, then told Qingqing to bring in a basin of cold water.
After a while, Qingqing came in with a basin of clean cold water. She wet a cloth and wrung it hard, then went to the bed. “Let me wipe Young Master Huo down.”
Feng Tianzong held out his hand. “No need. I’ll do it. Once the medicine is finished, bring it in. Then you can rest.”
Qingqing stole a glance at Huo Fenghua, obediently handed the cloth to Feng Tianzong, and left the room.
Feng Tianzong undid Huo Fenghua’s clothes and pressed the icy, damp cloth to the rash-covered skin. The coolness immediately chased away the unbearable itch, drawing a long sigh from Huo Fenghua.
“Mmm…” Huo Fenghua half-closed his eyes and let out a soft sound.
Feng Tianzong said, “Behave.”
Huo Fenghua opened his eyes at once. “How am I not behaving?”
The damp cloth quickly warmed against his skin. Feng Tianzong lifted it, dipped it back into the cold water and wrung it out again, then wiped over Huo Fenghua’s red rash bit by bit.
Huo Fenghua simply shed his clothes and lay on his side to let him wipe the rash along his waist. “Yesterday afternoon in the study, why didn’t you tell me to behave then?”
Feng Tianzong didn’t answer.
Huo Fenghua couldn’t stay quiet. “I went to see Pan Yuanjun today.”
Feng Tianzong’s voice turned heavy. “I told you not to see him again.”
Huo Fenghua was pushed to roll over onto his stomach. He felt Feng Tianzong yank his trousers down, exposing his backside to the air and raising goosebumps. He said, “We can’t make it look too deliberate or he’ll get suspicious. I had Wang Chu contact Shao Feijie. Best if we can get a letter to show some ‘sincerity’ in cooperating. Once we have the letter, we’ll go report him to the emperor.”
Feng Tianzong used the wet cloth to gently wipe the rash along his inner thigh. “By then you’ll already be gone. What would he want that letter for?”
Huo Fenghua turned his head, trying to look at him. “But Wang Chu will definitely contact Shao Feijie. Why don’t we make a bet?”
“A bet on what?” Feng Tianzong asked.
Huo Fenghua couldn’t help laughing. “On Senior Brother. If I win, you give Senior Brother to me. If I lose…” He paused, then said, “If I lose, what do you want to do?”
Feng Tianzong laughed too, but he didn’t discuss the stakes. He only said, “Wang Chu will definitely contact Shao Feijie, that’s true. But I’m not sure I can intercept proof of their collusion.”
Huo Fenghua asked, “You’ve had people watching the Wang residence lately. Still haven’t found the one who set up the curse formation?”
Feng Tianzong shook his head. “Wang Anzhi still hasn’t shown his face. I think he’s probably still unconscious. As for whether the one who cast the curse will appear, that’s unknown.”
Huo Fenghua grew a little gloomy. “Have people keep an eye on whether Pan Yuanjun’s been going in and out of the Wang residence lately.”
Feng Tianzong looked at him. “Don’t keep involving yourself in this.”
“Once I’m gone,” Huo Fenghua said, “I won’t even be able to ask.”
“No matter what happens between us and the Wang family,” Feng Tianzong said, brushing his hair aside, “you go live well. Don’t come back.”
Huo Fenghua lowered his gaze. “Okay.”
Just then, Qingqing brought in the medicine. She handed the bowl to Feng Tianzong, then took out a small dish of candied fruit.
Huo Fenghua said to Qingqing, “Thanks for the trouble, Sister Qingqing. Go rest.”
Qingqing nodded, and as she left, she reached back to close the door.
Feng Tianzong held the bowl and touched the surface of the medicine with his lips. “Qingqing waited until it cooled before bringing it.”
Huo Fenghua sat up. “Qingqing’s a good maid.”
Feng Tianzong brought the bowl to his mouth. “Will you drink it yourself, or do you want me to feed you?”
Huo Fenghua took it. “I’ll drink it myself.” He hated bitterness, so he held his breath, tipped his head back, and gulped the whole bowl down without giving himself a chance to hesitate.
When he finished, he set the bowl aside and exhaled lightly. A thin trail of medicine ran from the corner of his lips.
Feng Tianzong lifted a hand and gently wiped it away.
Huo Fenghua frowned. “Bitter.”
Feng Tianzong picked up a piece of candied fruit and fed it into his mouth. Then he took the empty bowl to the table inside the room and said, “Sleep early. I’ll stay here with you tonight.”
Huo Fenghua sat cross-legged on the bed, shoulders slumped. He looked up at Feng Tianzong. “Stay with me for what? Go back and stay with Senior Brother.”
Feng Tianzong returned to sit by the bed. “He’s worried about you too. I’m staying. Sleep. Don’t mind me.”
Huo Fenghua studied him for a long moment, then lay down toward the inner side of the bed. “Then lie down.”
Feng Tianzong did as he said, lay down, and pulled him into his arms. He kissed Huo Fenghua’s forehead and murmured, “Go to sleep.”
When Feng Tianzong entered the courtyard, the first person he saw was a young man in white sitting by the fire. He froze for a moment before realizing it was Huo Fenghua, not Su Zeyang.
He walked over and asked, “Didn’t you say Zeyang called me over to roast fish for him?”
Huo Fenghua lifted his head to look at him. “What, is it not okay to roast it for me?”
Feng Tianzong smiled at that. “It is.”
Huo Fenghua called for the servants to carry a soft couch out from Su Zeyang’s room and place it beside the fire. He had Su Zeyang sit to one side, while he himself lay with his head resting on Su Zeyang’s lap. Feng Tianzong sat on a low stool and put the already-marinated fish over the fire to roast.
Feng Tianzong said, “Just one fish? Why not have Liu Yong catch a few more, send them to the kitchen to be marinated, then bring them over. We can roast them all.”
“No need,” Huo Fenghua said comfortably, sprawled at ease. “I caught this one myself. I’m roasting it for Senior Brother.”
Feng Tianzong glanced at him. “Are you roasting it, or am I?”
“I was going to,” Huo Fenghua said, “but my head feels dizzy now and I can’t be bothered to move. Lucky you.”
Su Zeyang reached out and gently kneaded Huo Fenghua’s forehead. “Dizzy? Who told you to jump into the water to catch fish?”
Feng Tianzong was flipping the fish. He lifted his eyes. “You went into the water?”
Su Zeyang gave a low hum. “I couldn’t stop him.”
Huo Fenghua wrapped his arms around Su Zeyang’s leg and urged Feng Tianzong, “Is it done yet? It smells so good. I want the first bite.”
“Almost,” Feng Tianzong replied.
When the fish was cooked through, Feng Tianzong set it on a plate, pulled out the wooden skewer that had been run through the flesh, and used chopsticks to pry open the most tender meat along the belly. Avoiding the long bones, he picked up a bite and offered it to Huo Fenghua’s lips. “Do you want me to feed you?”
Huo Fenghua opened his mouth and ate it. But when Feng Tianzong picked up a second bite and offered it again, Huo Fenghua refused to open his mouth. “Give it to Senior Brother.”
Feng Tianzong smiled and lifted the chopsticks to Su Zeyang’s lips.
Su Zeyang glanced at him, then opened his mouth and took the fish. His soft tongue tip brushed the chopsticks.
Feng Tianzong used his thumb to wipe away the oil at the corner of Su Zeyang’s mouth.
Huo Fenghua watched them quietly. Then he suddenly sneezed twice. He rolled over and sat up. “It’s cold. I’m going back.”
Feng Tianzong asked, “The fish is done and you’re leaving after just one bite?”
Huo Fenghua stood and tugged his robe hem straight. “I called you here to roast fish for Senior Brother to eat. Those fish in the lake have grown that big and the great General still never has time to roast fish for Senior Brother. Isn’t now a perfect chance?”
Su Zeyang sat and watched him without speaking.
Huo Fenghua hooked a finger under Su Zeyang’s chin. “I’m going back. You two eat slowly. I still have to go out early tomorrow.”
Su Zeyang said, “You got chilled and you’re still going out?”
Huo Fenghua smiled. “A gamble cures all ailments.” He stretched luxuriously and started toward the courtyard gate. After taking two steps, he remembered something and hurried back, trotting into the room to dig through the inner pocket of the clothes he’d taken off. He found the jade pendant Feng Tianzong had given him.
He stroked the pendant with his fingers and carefully tucked it back against his body. Then he pulled open the door and stepped out, seeing Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang sitting together, using the firelight to patiently pick the bones from the fish.
Huo Fenghua raised his hand and waved hard. “I’m going!” With that, he left Su Zeyang’s courtyard with light, cheerful steps.
The next morning, Huo Fenghua left the General’s Manor and headed for the house Pan Yuanjun had given him to settle Linglong.
He’d finally managed to have a home of his own in the capital, and now he was about to leave. The whole way there, Huo Fenghua kept sighing, feeling thoroughly unwilling. He wondered how housing prices in Yujing had been rising these past years. If he could coax Pan Yuanjun into transferring the deed to him, then come back in a few years, could he become rich overnight? He turned it over in his mind, only afraid he didn’t have enough time anymore.
Pan Yuanjun’s house was near the outskirts, in a secluded area. When Huo Fenghua arrived at the gate and carefully confirmed it was the right place, he lifted his hand and knocked.
He knocked for a long while before Linglong opened the door from inside. When she saw him, she froze slightly, then stepped forward and hugged him. “Young Master Huo, Linglong has been waiting for you.”
Huo Fenghua held her and patted her back lightly. “Miss Linglong, wait a little longer. Don’t be anxious.” As he spoke, he lifted a hand to cover his mouth and gave two soft coughs.
At the time, Linglong didn’t think much of it. She took his hand and led him inside.
Huo Fenghua looked around and found that though the house wasn’t large, it was clean and the rooms weren’t shabby. He sat down in the main hall, and Linglong turned to brew tea for him.
When she came back, Huo Fenghua asked, “Are you the only one living here right now?”
Linglong set the teacup on the table. “Commander Pan said the fewer people who know, the better. He had Linglong stay here alone for now. Once Young Master Huo has everything arranged, Linglong will go with Young Master Huo to the General’s Manor.”
Huo Fenghua nodded. He lifted the teacup and pretended to touch it to his lips without drinking, then set it down and said, “You know as well as I do that I’m just a male concubine in the General’s Manor. I don’t have any real say there. Linglong, wait a bit longer. You and I will soon be together day and night.”
Linglong looked at him, then lowered her head with a small smile.
They talked in the main hall for a while until someone knocked at the door. This time it was Pan Yuanjun.
This place was even more hidden than yesterday’s tavern, so Pan Yuanjun spoke with fewer scruples. He asked Huo Fenghua, “Young Master Huo said you can contact the Xichou side. Can you give me a token of proof?”
Huo Fenghua gave a short laugh. “When I entered the General’s Manor, I didn’t bring a single old possession with me. Even my clothes were newly made. I really can’t produce any token.” This part wasn’t a lie. His old residence in Yujing had long since been sealed up.
Pan Yuanjun nodded. “No matter. Then why not write a letter, and we’ll take it to meet Marshal Shao of Xichou?”
Huo Fenghua shook his head. “I won’t write a letter. You can go find Marshal Shao yourselves and bring his token to see me.”
Pan Yuanjun’s expression darkened slightly. “Young Master Huo, are you saying you don’t trust our Prime Minister?”
Huo Fenghua sighed. “Commander Pan, Feng Tianzong destroyed my Xichou and killed my family. Between him and me, we cannot share the same sky. Why guard against me? I won’t write that letter. It’s true I don’t trust you. Commander Pan, if our positions were reversed, would you dare to trust so easily?”
Pan Yuanjun said, “The Prime Minister has shown sincere intent. Young Master Huo can rest assured.”
Huo Fenghua said, “I trust the Prime Minister’s sincerity. The Prime Minister should trust me as well. With a letter from Marshal Shao, I can cooperate with the Prime Minister wholeheartedly against the Feng brothers. Otherwise…” He didn’t finish. He suddenly turned his head and began coughing.
This bout was worse than before. His fair, smooth face flushed red, and even the corners of his eyes reddened slightly.
Pan Yuanjun examined him from head to toe. Remembering Huo Fenghua’s status as Feng Tianzong’s male concubine, he couldn’t help looking toward Huo Fenghua’s waist and hips. In the end, he still sneered inwardly and let out a cold laugh, then sighed. “I understand Young Master Huo’s meaning. I’ll go back and explain everything to the Prime Minister and see what he plans to do.”
Huo Fenghua covered his mouth with the back of his hand. When he lowered it, his lips were a deep red. He nodded. “Commander Pan, please rest assured. With my status, I have no possible way to threaten the Prime Minister, and even less chance of helping the Feng brothers frame him. If I want to return to Xichou and restore my country, I have to rely entirely on the Prime Minister. I’m only asking for peace of mind, so that in the end the Prime Minister doesn’t take hold of some leverage over me and turn his face and deny me.”
Pan Yuanjun answered, “I understand.” He stood, looked at Huo Fenghua for a moment longer, and asked, “Young Master Huo, are you ill?”
Huo Fenghua took the silk handkerchief Linglong offered and wiped his lips. “Maybe I caught a chill. It’s nothing.”
Pan Yuanjun said, “Your constitution is delicate. You should take extra care. When I get back, I’ll have someone send over some nourishing medicines. Have Linglong boil them for you.”
Huo Fenghua stood as well and cupped his hands. “Many thanks, Commander Pan.”
Pan Yuanjun smiled and waved. “Then I’ll go first. I won’t disturb Young Master Huo and Miss Linglong.”
Linglong saw Pan Yuanjun out, then returned and replaced Huo Fenghua’s tea with a hot cup. “Young Master Huo, if you’re feeling unwell, why not lie down in the room for a while?”
Huo Fenghua nodded and went with her into the side room in the inner courtyard.
After they entered, Linglong closed the door. She turned to face him and called shyly, “Young Master Huo…”
Huo Fenghua lifted a hand to touch her cheek and leaned close to whisper in her ear, “Go to the bed and wait for me.”
Blushing, Linglong walked to the bed and sat down.
Huo Fenghua raised his hands and unfastened the knotted buttons at his collar at an unhurried pace. He removed his outer robe first, then pulled open the sash at the side of his inner garment. As the layers loosened and fell open, the first thing revealed was the pale line of his waist.
Linglong had been watching him the whole time. Now she suddenly froze, eyes widening. “Young master!”
Huo Fenghua paused mid-motion as he loosened his trousers. “What is it?”
Linglong looked flustered. “What… what is that on your waist?”
Huo Fenghua startled. He looked down and saw that his side waist really was covered in densely packed red rashes, creating an alarming scene. He touched his own waist, then seemed to remember something. He hitched his trousers up a little and found the same red rash had appeared on his thigh as well.
Linglong cried out and sprang up, instinctively backing away. “What is that?” She didn’t know what kind of rash it was. She only thought he was flirtatious by nature and wondered if he’d picked up some filthy disease outside.
Huo Fenghua hurriedly tied his sash back up and threw his outer robe on again, voice full of alarm. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just an ordinary wind rash. Wait for me to go back and see a doctor. Once it’s better in a couple days, I’ll come see you again.”
With that, he fastened his clothes tight, turned to leave, and as he walked out he began coughing violently again.
After dinner, feeling somewhat restless and uneasy, Huo Fenghua wandered alone through the General’s Manor. He’d kept the jade pendant Feng Tianzong gave him tucked close against his body, pressed to his skin inside his robes, where it quickly absorbed his body heat.
It was nearly dark now. The servants had finished the day’s work and were eating in the back courtyard, so the front courtyard felt unusually empty.
When Huo Fenghua reached the lake in the front courtyard, he saw someone sitting on the winding bridge over the water.
Su Zeyang was perched on the bridge railing with a handful of fish feed, tossing it in to feed the fish. A light breeze drifted over, lifting his long hair and the hem of his robe at the same time. With the lake’s mist rising around him, for a moment it was hard to tell whether this was the human world or some immortal realm.
Feng Tianzong’s return hadn’t been deliberately hidden from the household, but he spent most of his time in the study and rarely walked around the residence. Su Zeyang wasn’t constantly by his side. Even though Lu Xi made the decisions on many matters big and small, there was still no avoiding Su Zeyang having to worry over things.
Huo Fenghua walked over and sat beside him. “Senior Brother, there are still fish in this lake?” He’d never really looked closely. All told, he hadn’t actually spent that much time in the General’s Manor.
Su Zeyang replied, “I raised them the year I first entered the Manor.”
Huo Fenghua lowered his head and saw a whole school of fish rise to the surface, scrambling for the feed Su Zeyang tossed in. He found it odd. “These don’t look like ornamental fish. Why raise them?”
Su Zeyang simply answered, “To eat.”
“To eat?” Huo Fenghua was surprised. “You and the General really do have… refined tastes.”
Su Zeyang said, “When I first met him, I was being hunted by enemies. The two of us ended up stranded on a deserted island. We had nothing to eat so we caught fish from the sea and roasted them.”
Huo Fenghua bent forward, looking boneless, and gave a soft “Mm.” He then added, “Then you should’ve gotten sick of it long ago.”
Su Zeyang said, “It was always Tianzong who roasted the fish and carefully picked out every bone for me. But before we had the chance to eat these, he received an imperial decree and went off to war. He hardly ever came back.”
Huo Fenghua tilted his head to look at his face. “Then do you still want to eat it?”
Su Zeyang looked at him.
Huo Fenghua smiled. “I’ll roast fish for you and pick out all the bones, I swear I won’t leave a single one. After you finish, will you come with me?”
Su Zeyang asked, “Go where?”
Huo Fenghua lifted a finger and pointed into the distance. “To the ends of the earth, living together as a pair.”
Su Zeyang fell silent for a moment. Just before he could answer, Huo Fenghua reached up and covered his mouth. “Don’t say it. Not right now. Let me roast fish for you first, okay?”
This time, he didn’t wait for Su Zeyang’s response. He stood and jumped straight into the water.
For an instant, Su Zeyang looked startled. He rose almost immediately, instinctively reaching out to grab Huo Fenghua, but Huo Fenghua’s robe hem slid right out of his palm.
Huo Fenghua splashed into the lake. The fish scattered at once. One that was slower than the rest got caught in Huo Fenghua’s arms when he reached out. The big fish thrashed in his embrace, flinging water all over his face.
He bobbed in the water, lifting his head and laughing up at Su Zeyang. “Come on. Let’s go roast fish.” With that, he tossed the fish onto the bridge, then grabbed the edge of the wooden bridge and climbed up.
Su Zeyang reached out to pull him. The moment Huo Fenghua was hauled onto the bridge, he lunged right into Su Zeyang’s arms and hugged him tight. His soaked clothes quickly dampened Su Zeyang’s long robe as well.
Su Zeyang lifted a hand and patted his back gently.
Huo Fenghua looked up. “Is anyone around?”
“No one,” Su Zeyang said.
Huo Fenghua nodded. “That’s what I thought too.”
Then he kissed Su Zeyang. He first licked his lips lightly, then parted his teeth, slipping his tongue in to hook and tease Su Zeyang’s. At first Su Zeyang didn’t react, but then he took Huo Fenghua’s lips and tongue into his mouth and sucked, his hand sliding into Huo Fenghua’s wet clothing to pinch at his waist.
Not long ago, Feng Tianzong had made Huo Fenghua climax twice. Now, with Su Zeyang kissing him and kneading him like this, Huo Fenghua’s legs went weak almost at once and he could barely stand. He held Su Zeyang tightly, released his lips, and whispered, “Let’s go to your courtyard and roast fish, okay?”
Su Zeyang put an arm around his waist, bent down to pick up the fish, and said, “Okay.”
Back at the small courtyard where Su Zeyang lived, Su Zeyang had the maid, Zhu’er, take the fish to the kitchen to have it killed, cleaned, and cut open. He then brought Huo Fenghua into the room, found a clean set of clothes, and had him change.
Huo Fenghua stripped off everything, and the marks of lust all over his body were immediately revealed. Some were from last night, some from the afternoon in Feng Tianzong’s study. His nipples, in particular, were swollen and red, clearly just ravaged.
A sudden guilt rose in him. He stole a glance at Su Zeyang, but Su Zeyang didn’t seem to care at all. He simply stepped closer and reached to touch the brand on Huo Fenghua’s lower back.
It had been on him so long that Huo Fenghua himself had nearly forgotten it existed. Feeling irritated, he asked Su Zeyang, “The General told me this brand is a mark left on the wives and concubines of Donglin noble households. Is that true?”
Su Zeyang nodded. “Mm.”
Huo Fenghua asked, “Then why did you brand me? To say I’m your pork, stamp me like a seal?”
“Pork?” Su Zeyang didn’t understand what he meant.
Huo Fenghua hugged his waist and rested his head on Su Zeyang’s shoulder. “I mean, do you think I’m yours?”
Su Zeyang said, “Are you my pork?”
Huo Fenghua sighed helplessly. “Forget the pork thing. Just tell me, am I your person?”
Su Zeyang didn’t answer. He only said, “You really like holding me.”
Huo Fenghua said, “Because I like you.”
Su Zeyang glanced at him. Huo Fenghua suddenly put some force into it and pushed Su Zeyang down onto the bed. He lay on top of him with the clumsy urgency of a child and said, “Senior Brother, I asked you something. Answer me honestly.”
Su Zeyang gave a low “Mm” and pulled the quilt over to cover Huo Fenghua’s bare back.
Very softly by his ear, Huo Fenghua asked, “When I fuck you, does it feel better, or when the General does?”
Su Zeyang’s expression turned strange. He looked at him and said, “Do you even need to ask?”
Huo Fenghua felt like he’d been dealt a crushing blow. He grabbed Su Zeyang’s sleeve. “Not comfortable at all?”
“I didn’t say not comfortable at all,” Su Zeyang said. “You asked compared to Tianzong.”
Unwilling to accept it, Huo Fenghua asked, “What’s the difference?”
Su Zeyang thought for a moment. “You’re a bit too fast.”
Huo Fenghua’s face went red. He buried his face in Su Zeyang’s chest and stopped talking. After a while he lifted his head again and said, “I’ll go find some tonics to take, something like Indian God Lotion* or whatever. Then next time, will you still let me do it?”
*It’s an essential oil that you apply or spray to the cockhead of the penis. Supposedly it causes a burning sensation that reduces the sensitivity of the head, which can delay climax. Though it’s called Indian God Lotion, it’s actually a Chinese product; no such product exists in India.
Su Zeyang nodded. “Sure. What is Indian God Lotion?”
Huo Fenghua didn’t answer. He only hugged him tighter, rubbing his face hard against Su Zeyang’s chest. “What do I do? I like you so much.”
Su Zeyang stroked his head. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Huo Fenghua muttered. After a while, he asked again, “Have you ever slept with a woman?”
“No,” Su Zeyang said.
Huo Fenghua sighed. “Feng Tianzong really got lucky.”
Su Zeyang showed a rare smile. “What nonsense are you saying?”
Huo Fenghua pressed his forehead to Su Zeyang’s jaw. “I hope you’ll be well.”
Su Zeyang held his hand and didn’t speak.
Just then, Zhu’er knocked softly on the door outside. “Young Master Su, the fish is ready, and the fire’s going.”
Su Zeyang lowered his head to ask Huo Fenghua, “Shall we roast fish?”
Huo Fenghua stretched lazily and mumbled, “I don’t feel like roasting. I just want to lie down and not move.” Then he raised his voice toward the door. “Go invite the General over. Tell him Young Master Su wants him to come roast fish.”
Zhu’er acknowledged and trotted off.
Huo Fenghua pushed himself up from Su Zeyang’s embrace, grabbed Su Zeyang’s clothes, and pulled them on. In the end, wrapped in white, he even looked naturally airy and ethereal. He opened the door and walked out.
Feng Tianzong’s thick, burning-hot length filled Huo Fenghua’s empty hollow. Wet, soft flesh wrapped around Feng Tianzong’s cock, clinging tight, resisting when he pushed in, yet unwilling to let go when he drew back out.
Huo Fenghua’s legs lay spread, limp with weakness, lifted by Feng Tianzong and propped up on his shoulders. With the corners of his eyes flushed red, he met Feng Tianzong’s gaze, moaning without pause until Feng Tianzong bent down to kiss him deeply.
Each thrust was harsher than the last. Huo Fenghua’s fingers scrabbled wildly across the slick tabletop. Somehow he grabbed a writing brush and gripped it hard, nails digging into his palm until he nearly drew blood, yet it still couldn’t blunt the overwhelming pleasure surging through him.
His body trembled as he grew hard again. He reached down and had only just wrapped his hand around himself when Feng Tianzong reached over too, their fingers interlacing as they stroked the rigid shaft together.
The pleasure piled so high it became unbearable. Huo Fenghua reflexively tried to retreat, but Feng Tianzong pinched his waist and nailed him in place, wedging himself deep inside. The crown of his cock grinded viciously against the most sensitive spot along Huo Fenghua’s inner chambers. Huo Fenghua threw his head back; his pale skin bloomed with a faint pink flush, his nipples swollen and hard. He came again.
After cumming twice in a row, Huo Fenghua went slack, collapsing on the desk. Feng Tianzong caught him by the ankles and spread his legs until it hurt, still pounding into him with heavy, punishing force. He thrust deeper and harder, ramming into him another twenty or thirty times, until Huo Fenghua’s voice turned hoarse from crying out. Only then did Feng Tianzong spill inside him, and even after he came, he refused to pull out for a long while.
After the peak of pleasure subsided, Feng Tianzong sat back in the chair and held Huo Fenghua in his arms. He didn’t dress him, only wrapped him in an outer robe, keeping Huo Fenghua’s bare body pressed against his own.
Huo Fenghua was exhausted. He rested his head on Feng Tianzong’s shoulder and messed up his hair with his fingers, winding one strand around his finger again and again.
Feng Tianzong’s voice was low; when he spoke, his chest vibrated faintly. “Can you trust the maid in your courtyard?”
Huo Fenghua tried to answer, only to realize his throat was hoarse. He glanced up at him and gave a soft “Mm.”
Feng Tianzong said, “Then there’s no need to hide it from her. We’ll need her help later. Once you leave this room today, you start pretending to be sick.”
“Pretending?” Huo Fenghua asked in a rasp.
Hearing how hoarse he sounded, Feng Tianzong couldn’t help leaning in to kiss his lips again, not letting go until Huo Fenghua was panting. Only then did he release him and murmur, “Mm. For the next two days, you still go out as usual. Just say you’re sensitive to the cold and feel weak, and cough now and then.”
Huo Fenghua frowned as he listened. “What sickness do you want me to fake?”
Feng Tianzong looked at him. “Smallpox.”
Smallpox in this era had a terrifying death rate, and worse, it was highly contagious. If Huo Fenghua truly had smallpox, the entire side courtyard would be sealed off, and no one would dare visit him.
Qingqing could help cover it up, sure. But what about Su Zeyang?
Huo Fenghua asked, “What about Senior Brother?”
“I’ll talk to him,” Feng Tianzong said. “You don’t need to worry.”
Huo Fenghua asked again, “But if I die, there should still be a body.”
Feng Tianzong pinched his chin, lifting his face to study him closely. “Everyone in the capital knows Huo Fenghua is a good-for-nothing, with nothing of value except this pretty face. You contract smallpox, and even if you recover, you’ll be left with ugly scars on your face that never fade. So in a fit of agitation, you set fire to the bed curtains. The blaze spreads through the entire side courtyard. Only Qingqing escapes by luck, while you burn to death inside.”
Huo Fenghua froze slightly.
Feng Tianzong continued, “I’ll find a corpse that just died of smallpox. Once it’s burned, no one can identify it. That very night, I’ll have someone escort you out of the city. After that, you leave on your own and never come back.”
Huo Fenghua said, “If I die, will the Wang family suspect anything?”
Feng Tianzong said, “They might suspect Zeyang or my elder brother found out about your collusion and moved against you. But it doesn’t matter. They won’t find any evidence, and plenty of people can testify that you really did have smallpox.”
Just imagining what a smallpox patient looked like, covered in pustules, made Huo Fenghua shiver. “How do we fake that?”
Feng Tianzong picked up a clean brush from the table and traced slow circles lightly at the crease between Huo Fenghua’s thighs. “Have you heard of disguise techniques? Even a person’s face can be changed. Forging a few pox marks is always possible. And there’s a Doctor Du in the household. He used to be a military physician in my army. When he was young, he traveled all over and saw many strange illnesses.”
Huo Fenghua listened quietly, only feeling unbearably ticklish where the soft bristles swept. Without thinking, he drew his legs together.
Feng Tianzong went on, “I asked him. He said there’s a poisonous herb. If you eat it, the toxin enters the blood and makes your whole body feverish and break out in pox. But it’s easy to purge. As long as you take medicine in time, those toxic pox will disappear within a day or two and leave no trace.”
Huo Fenghua worried, “It won’t scar, will it?”
Feng Tianzong shook his head. “Doctor Du assured me again and again: it won’t leave any marks on your body.”
Huo Fenghua wrapped both arms around the back of his neck. “Have you been planning this for a long time?”
“Yes.” Feng Tianzong saw a strand of hair stuck to Huo Fenghua’s lips and reached out to brush it aside. “From the day you and I agreed on it, I’ve been planning.”
For no reason he could name, Huo Fenghua’s chest started to ache.
Feng Tianzong kept speaking. “Once you’re out of the city, you can go east. That’s the most prosperous part of Donglin. It’s easy to disappear in towns or the countryside. You can also go south or north, to the borders. The situation is stable now, and border trade is frequent. Just don’t go west to Chou. The fighting there won’t end in a year or two.”
Huo Fenghua seemed to sink into thought.
Feng Tianzong watched him for a while, then reached into his robes and took out a jade pendant. When he pressed it into Huo Fenghua’s hand, it still carried the warmth of his body.
Huo Fenghua took it and paused, startled. He lifted it to look. The jade was lustrous and clear, its green translucence like still water seeping through in layers. Even without knowing anything about such things, he could tell it was exceptional.
Feng Tianzong looked at the pendant and said, “I’ve worn it since I was little. After you leave, sell it.”
“Sell it?” Huo Fenghua froze completely. He didn’t understand.
Feng Tianzong’s expression stayed calm. “When you’re alone, carrying gold or silver isn’t convenient. Don’t pawn this at a shop. Find a traveling merchant who knows what it’s worth. It’s worth a thousand taels, though I’m afraid he might not be able to produce that much silver. Either way, don’t let it go for cheap. Seven or eight hundred taels is the minimum.”
Huo Fenghua gripped the jade pendant and asked, “Why?”
Feng Tianzong said, “I originally wanted to give you banknotes, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to resist checking your whereabouts later. If you sell this jade to an out-of-region traveling merchant, then even if I want to investigate in the future, I’ll have no way to start.”
Huo Fenghua suddenly felt like his chest was blocked tight. “Then why use a jade you’ve worn since childhood? Wouldn’t some random gold and silver ornaments do?”
Feng Tianzong covered his hand with his own and forced the pendant firmly into Huo Fenghua’s palm. “Take it.”
After that, Feng Tianzong said nothing more. He only held Huo Fenghua tightly in his arms, until the sky darkened. Only then did he dress him, smooth and tidy his disheveled long hair with his hands, and say, “Remember what I told you.”
“Why?” Huo Fenghua looked at Feng Tianzong, open astonishment in his eyes.
Feng Tianzong met his gaze. “There’s no ‘why.’ Isn’t this what we agreed on from the start?”
Huo Fenghua’s hand unconsciously tightened on Feng Tianzong’s lapel. “But it’s not resolved yet.”
He had told Qingqing before that he still had things to do, that he’d only leave after he finished them. What he meant was the curse at Luofeng Ridge. Su Zeyang had told him it had nothing to do with him and to stop asking, but Huo Fenghua knew perfectly well: among the three birth dates used in the curse formation at Luofeng Ridge, one had to be his. He was the formation’s “core,” the focal point his master had mentioned. So how could it have nothing to do with him?
He stared at Feng Tianzong, trying to read some emotion in his eyes, but Feng Tianzong’s gaze was like a deep pool, quiet and fathomless. Apart from a waterlike gentleness, there was nothing else to be seen. Huo Fenghua said, “If you let me go and this can’t be solved, then—”
Then what? He didn’t finish. If Su Zeyang couldn’t find the one who cast the curse, then the only way to break it would be to kill him. Would Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang kill him? Would he go to his death willingly?
So whether he stayed or left probably really wouldn’t change the situation.
In truth, the moment Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang got together, there was no going back. The curse of cutting off descendants would only hurt Feng Tiansheng. From the perspective of a modern person like Huo Fenghua, no kids just meant no kids. It wasn’t that big of a deal. But what did Feng Tiansheng think? And what was Feng Tianzong, as Feng Tiansheng’s younger brother, planning?
If he didn’t leave and Feng Tiansheng found out, and in order to break the curse decided to kill him with one stroke, would Feng Tianzong step in to stop it?
In such a short time, Huo Fenghua thought through countless questions. He stared into Feng Tianzong’s eyes. His mind sank in, yet his thinking stayed razor clear.
Feng Tianzong said, “Once you sink too deep, it won’t be easy to pull yourself out. Leave while you still can. What happens with the Feng family and the Wang family shouldn’t have anything to do with you. It’s not like I have no way to deal with it. Don’t keep sinking yourself into it.”
It was a mire: you step on me, I step on you. You watch someone die in it, and when you look up, you realize you’ve sunk halfway in yourself and can’t pull free at all.
Huo Fenghua understood what Feng Tianzong meant. His fingers brushed over the dark patterns in Feng Tianzong’s clothing.
Feng Tianzong wrapped one arm around his waist, the other pushing up his pant leg to stroke his calf. His lips pressed to Huo Fenghua’s neck, and he sucked hard. “Go. Haven’t you wanted to go for a long time?”
In this position, Huo Fenghua’s hips were pressed completely against Feng Tianzong’s thighs. He lifted his arms around Feng Tianzong’s neck, and a sudden tenderness surged up. He kissed the top of Feng Tianzong’s head.
Feng Tianzong tugged his clothes open and shifted him, making him straddle him face-to-face with his legs spread, seated on his lap. Feng Tianzong leaned back, bracing against the edge of the desk, then lowered his head and kissed Huo Fenghua’s bare chest.
Huo Fenghua tipped his head back, arms braced behind him on the desk. He felt Feng Tianzong take his nipple into his mouth, sucking and biting; pleasure spread quickly. He bent his legs and planted his feet on the chair, grinding and pressing between his thighs against Feng Tianzong’s crotch. Even through the fabric, he could feel how hard and eager he was there.
Their bodies fit each other too well, so in front of Feng Tianzong, Huo Fenghua was always wanton. He liked Feng Tianzong pinning him down and thrusting into him hard, using that hot, rigid cock to grind mercilessly against him until his whole body trembled and he climaxed.
But today, it seemed like they both had something else on their minds. Huo Fenghua tipped his head back, staring at the beam overhead, and between ragged breaths asked, “Should we tell Senior Brother?”
Feng Tianzong didn’t answer. He only gripped Huo Fenghua by the waist and pushed him forward until his upper body was nearly sprawled on the desk, then lifted a hand to pull down his pants.
His erection twitched in the cool air. Huo Fenghua bit his lower lip and looked at Feng Tianzong. Feng Tianzong held his gaze for a moment, then lowered his head and took him into his mouth.
Huo Fenghua let out a moan. In that instant, every hair on his body seemed to stand up. Compared to the pleasure of being wrapped in a warm, wet mouth, what made him sink even deeper was the satisfaction in his heart. Before this, Feng Tianzong had never used his mouth on him down there.
Any living creature, driven to pass on its bloodline and compete for resources, is mostly drawn to strength by instinct, whether man or woman. A woman hopes to marry the strongest man; a man, if he can’t be the strongest himself, hopes to follow the strongest man.
In Huo Fenghua’s eyes, Feng Tianzong was a man strong enough. He couldn’t help but feel a certain admiration and yearning toward him, though he would never admit it to Feng Tianzong.
His fingers dug into the surface of the desk. His legs were propped on Feng Tianzong’s shoulders, and he couldn’t help clamping them tighter around Feng Tianzong’s head. Like a fish out of water, he panted with his mouth open, chest heaving violently. He even tried to lift his hips, wanting Feng Tianzong to take him deeper.
Feng Tianzong obligingly opened his mouth further, even relaxing his throat, letting Huo Fenghua thrust deeper. At the same time, the hands cupping Huo Fenghua’s buttocks kneaded hard. Feng Tianzong slid a finger into his slick, soft entrance and slowly worked it in, pressing along the inner wall with his fingertip. He knew exactly where to press, where Huo Fenghua liked it most.
With that front-and-back assault, Huo Fenghua’s mind and body hit the peak at the same time. A little viciously, he clamped his thighs around Feng Tianzong’s head and wouldn’t let him pull away. His cock shuddered several times as he spilled everything into Feng Tianzong’s mouth.
When he finished, his waist went weak, and his half-softened length slipped from Feng Tianzong’s lips. He stared blankly at Feng Tianzong, seeing his lips flushed red. The decisive General who killed without hesitation on the battlefield now had his face tainted with vulgar desire, and the dot of milky white at the corner of his mouth only made him look even more wantonly beautiful.
Feng Tianzong held Huo Fenghua’s release in his mouth. Bracing his arms on either side of Huo Fenghua’s head, he bent over him and met his eyes from above.
Huo Fenghua’s heart was hammering. Then he saw Feng Tianzong part his lips slightly, and thick fluid mixed with saliva spilled out, trailing into a long string.
The moment Huo Fenghua realized what Feng Tianzong was doing, his already burning face went even hotter. As if possessed, he opened his mouth and caught the droplet as it fell, staring at the obscene string connecting their lips.
Huo Fenghua swallowed it all, his own release mixed with Feng Tianzong’s saliva. He tilted his head back; his Adam’s apple bobbed once. Then he hugged his legs and drew his knees to his chest, his long-empty hole clenching and fluttering, vivid in color. He said to Feng Tianzong, “General—”
Feng Tianzong’s long fingers stroked his throat and chest. “You want it?”
Huo Fenghua didn’t hide it at all. “I do. You can be rougher. I want it so badly.”
Feng Tianzong lifted his robe hem and undid his trousers, gripping his own hard, heated length in hand. Softly, he said, “Call me by my name.”
Huo Fenghua looked him straight in the eye. “Tianzong.”
The next moment, Feng Tianzong drove into him with savage force.
Back in Yujing, what Huo Fenghua was famous for had never really been his “charm”. It was being a useless fool. Everyone in the capital knew that the Second Prince of Xichou, sent over as a hostage, lived without restraint and didn’t study or learn anything. Aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, he couldn’t do anything.
Aside from having a handsome face, a Huo Fenghua like that was genuinely useless. So even though Pan Yuanjun had invited him here today, he hadn’t actually thought much of him.
When Pan Yuanjun first heard Huo Fenghua say he wanted to become emperor of Xichou, he really did freeze for a moment. Only after a beat did he recover and say softly, “Young Master Huo, why joke with me like this? You know what state Xichou is in right now. How would I have the ability to send you back to be emperor?”
Huo Fenghua leaned toward him. “Do you really know what state Xichou is in, Deputy Commander Pan?”
Pan Yuanjun looked at him, his expression turning serious. “What do you mean, Young Master Huo?”
Huo Fenghua said, “The one who’s occupying all of Xichou right now, whose troops are they, exactly?”
Pan Yuanjun replied, “That would naturally be our great Donglin…” Before he could finish, he abruptly cut himself off, his thick brows furrowing.
Huo Fenghua said quietly, “They’re Feng Tianzong’s troops. There are still remnants of Xichou not yet wiped out. When Xichou is fully destroyed, will the land be incorporated into Donglin, or incorporated into Feng Tianzong’s territory? Commander Pan, do you truly know the answer?” He deliberately dropped the “deputy” and addressed him directly as Commander Pan.
Pan Yuanjun slapped the table and shouted, “How dare Feng Tianzong commit such outrageous treason!”
Huo Fenghua quickly soothed him. “Commander, don’t be hasty. I’m only guessing. Whether Feng Tianzong would dare commit treason like that, nobody knows yet.”
When Pan Yuanjun looked at Huo Fenghua again, his gaze had changed. “Young Master Huo, that’s a bold guess.”
Huo Fenghua gave a light laugh. “Aren’t I speaking frankly with Commander Pan? What I mean is, we can’t allow Feng Tianzong to keep exterminating the Xichou remnants and expanding his power. Rather than hand all of Xichou into his hands, it’d be better for Prime Minister Wang to join forces with me. First, bring down the Feng brothers, then have the Prime Minister’s people take over the Western Expedition Army, sit down, and negotiate peace.”
Pan Yuanjun looked Huo Fenghua up and down. “If I remember correctly, Xichou still has a Crown Prince.”
Huo Fenghua smiled. “Then Commander Pan doesn’t know. My elder brother and I are twins, our hearts linked on one meridian. Some days ago, I had a severe stabbing pain in my chest. My brother is probably already gone.”
Rumors about Huo Fengnian of Xichou had been swirling. Some claimed they’d seen him, others said he hadn’t appeared in a long time. Whether he was alive or dead, there was still no definite news.
Huo Fenghua said, “Even if he is alive, it doesn’t matter. When I return to Xichou, that will be between him and me. No matter what, it won’t ruin the agreement with the Prime Minister.”
Pan Yuanjun asked in a low voice, “What agreement with the Prime Minister?”
Huo Fenghua grinned and picked up a chopstick, drawing it sideways across his throat. “We join forces. Have the Xichou army kill Feng Tianzong first, then send me back to Xichou to ascend the throne. After that, we negotiate peace with Donglin, cede territory, pay reparations, and each side keeps to itself.”
Pan Yuanjun couldn’t help letting out a cold laugh. “What benefit is that to us? Xichou has already been destroyed by Donglin. Don’t forget that, Young Master Huo.”
Huo Fenghua said, “Then guess this. If Feng Tianzong swallows Xichou whole, will he turn around and take one more bite, swallowing your Wang family next? Commander Pan wants benefits, and Feng Tianzong’s head is your greatest benefit. Otherwise, Donglin destroys Xichou, how much of the spoils do you think your Wang family will actually get?”
Pan Yuanjun drew in a deep breath. “But the remaining Xichou forces are like rats on the run, being hunted down by Feng Tianzong. What ability do they have to kill him?”
Huo Fenghua said, “That’s why we need to cooperate. Don’t forget, Feng Tianzong still has a beloved great beauty at home, someone he can’t bear to lose, even if it costs him his life.”
As they talked, Lu Shaocheng sat to the side listening, cold sweat trickling down his back, yet not daring to leave first.
Pan Yuanjun fell into thought.
Huo Fenghua patted his shoulder. “Commander Pan, you don’t have to answer me right away. Think it over slowly and go back and discuss it with the Prime Minister.”
Pan Yuanjun looked at him and said, “Young Master Huo has been in Donglin for so many years, and yet nobody’s ever truly seen through you.”
Huo Fenghua picked up a piece of tofu with his chopsticks and ate it, chewing slowly and swallowing with elegant composure. Then he lifted his teacup, covered his mouth with his sleeve as he took a sip, and finally smiled at Pan Yuanjun. “If people could see through me, Commander Pan, do you think I’d still be alive today?”
Back when Xichou fell, he should’ve been beheaded and put on display.
Pan Yuanjun was silent for a long time before saying, “This requires careful planning over time.”
Huo Fenghua nodded. “When you’ve decided, give me an answer. It’s getting late, I should return to the General’s Manor, so I don’t arouse suspicion.” As he spoke, he stood, and only when he turned and saw Linglong did he seem to remember something. He reached out, took Linglong’s hand, and held it in his palm as he said to Pan Yuanjun, “I don’t dare bring Linglong into the General’s Manor immediately. I’ll go back and test the waters. But I don’t have anywhere else to settle her in the capital. Commander Pan, do you have an extra residence you could lend me to house Linglong for the time being?”
At first, Pan Yuanjun had brought Linglong because he worried Huo Fenghua was useless, and he’d meant to send Linglong into the General’s Manor as an inside agent. But after this detailed talk with Huo Fenghua, Linglong no longer seemed that important. He hesitated slightly, then said, “I have an empty house in the capital. I’ll give it to you, Young Master Huo. In the future, it can also serve as a place for us to meet and communicate.”
Huo Fenghua brightened. “That couldn’t be better. Many thanks, Commander Pan.”
When Huo Fenghua left the restaurant, he was alone again. Linglong would naturally be settled by Pan Yuanjun. He looked up at the sky and saw the weather was still nice, so he stretched comfortably and headed back toward the General’s Manor.
After returning, Huo Fenghua grabbed a maid walking toward him and asked, “Where’s Young Master Su?”
The maid shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Huo Fenghua let her go and went himself to the inner courtyard where Su Zeyang lived. The courtyard was empty, and the door was shut. He pushed it open, poked his head inside, and called, “Senior brother?”
Unfortunately, there was no one inside.
Disappointed, he turned to leave, only for someone to pat his shoulder from behind. Huo Fenghua startled so hard his whole body jerked. He spun around and saw Su Zeyang standing behind him. He lifted a hand to his chest and said, “Senior brother, why are you scaring me in broad daylight?”
Su Zeyang asked oddly, “You’ve got inner energy, yet you didn’t hear me approach?”
Huo Fenghua said, “You don’t make any sound when you walk. How would I hear you?” Then he reached out and hugged Su Zeyang, saying cheerfully, “I met someone today. Guess who.”
Su Zeyang said, “How would I know who?”
Huo Fenghua tightened his arms around him, stepped forward, and pressed him against the wall. His hands weren’t very well behaved as they kneaded Su Zeyang’s back and slim waist. “You won’t even try to guess?”
Su Zeyang actually thought seriously for a moment, then frowned slightly and asked, “Could it be Wang Anzhi?”
Huo Fenghua said, “Not Wang Anzhi. His cousin, the one named Pan Yuanjun.”
“Pan Yuanjun?” Su Zeyang still didn’t seem very familiar with the name.
Huo Fenghua was about to keep talking when he heard hurried footsteps running toward the courtyard. Reluctantly, he released Su Zeyang and turned to see Liu Yong approaching.
Liu Yong could barely manage a pleasant expression toward Huo Fenghua these days. His voice was hard as he said, “Young Master Huo, the General summons you.”
Huo Fenghua didn’t care about his attitude. “Where is the general?”
“In the study,” Liu Yong replied.
Huo Fenghua nodded. “You go on ahead. I’ll go myself.”
Hearing that, Liu Yong bowed to Su Zeyang and withdrew.
Huo Fenghua took Su Zeyang’s hand. “Senior Brother, will you come with me?”
Su Zeyang pulled his hand away. “He’s calling you, not me.”
Huo Fenghua bent at the waist and leaned close, looking up at Su Zeyang’s face from below. “Jealous?”
Su Zeyang didn’t answer. He only looked at him, long lashes trembling lightly. Huo Fenghua’s heart itched at the sight. He leaned in and kissed Su Zeyang. The kiss was wet and sticky, and they only separated once both their breathing were ragged.
Huo Fenghua bit Su Zeyang’s ear and murmured, “I’m going now.” Then he waved and ran out of the courtyard.
He jogged all the way to Feng Tianzong’s study door, lifted his leg, and kicked it open. After stepping inside, he immediately became well behaved, reached back to shut the door, and walked slowly up to the desk. “General, you wanted to see me?”
Feng Tianzong sat behind the desk in a broad wooden chair, arms crossed over his chest. “Where did you go today?”
Huo Fenghua said, “Didn’t you send someone to follow me? Why ask me?” He raised his brows at Feng Tianzong with a grin.
Feng Tianzong’s tone was serious, though his expression was gentle. “What did Pan Yuanjun say to you?”
Today Pan Yuanjun had rented out the entire second floor of the restaurant. Aside from their private room, every other room was empty. The shadow guard Feng Tianzong sent had hidden on the roof, not daring to get too close for fear Pan Yuanjun would notice, so he hadn’t heard their conversation clearly.
Huo Fenghua still smiled. He suddenly took off his shoes, braced his hands on the top of the desk, and climbed onto the redwood table. Sitting cross-legged facing Feng Tianzong, he said, “Pan Yuanjun asked me to bring someone into the General’s Manor, to act as their inside agent.”
Feng Tianzong glanced at his feet. Huo Fenghua didn’t like wearing socks, since the socks of this era felt strange to him. He usually wore boots barefoot. Now that he was sitting cross-legged on the desk, his bare feet were right in front of Feng Tianzong.
Huo Fenghua didn’t care and continued. “So I thought, this is a chance. We can play an undercover game. I agree to be their inside agent, and whatever information you want them to know, I’ll feed them.”
Feng Tianzong nodded. “Not bad. Anything else?”
Huo Fenghua smiled. “Then I thought, since the opportunity’s right in front of us, we can also get the Wang family to do something else on the side.”
Feng Tianzong asked, “What?”
Huo Fenghua whispered, “Rebellion. Don’t they want you dead? I’ll have them contact Shao Feijie and collude with the Xichou remnants. We’ll treat it as the condition for me acting as their inside agent. Once they obtain a secret letter of contact from Shao Feijie, we can submit it to the emperor as evidence of treason!”
Feng Tianzong reached out, took one of his hands, and gently rubbed it in his palm. “The idea’s good, but have you considered that this would drag you into it too, and you wouldn’t be able to get out clean?”
Huo Fenghua had already thought of that. “By then I’ll already be dead. We agreed, I’ll fake my death and escape. When the evidence of the Wang family colluding with Xichou is placed before the emperor, I’ll already be gone, dead as a doornail, body burned to ashes.”
Feng Tianzong seemed to fall into thought. Then he said, “You’re part of my Feng family. Do you think if you die and wash your hands of it, we’ll be able to escape the connection?”
Huo Fenghua hadn’t considered that angle. He focused and thought for a moment, then said, “The emperor issued the decree forcing me to marry in. Everyone in the capital knows you don’t like me. This shouldn’t fall on you.”
Feng Tianzong grabbed his foot and dragged him closer. Huo Fenghua let him, hopping down from the desk into the broad chair and settling into Feng Tianzong’s arms, his feet propped on the edge of the seat.
Feng Tianzong wrapped one arm around him, still toying with his foot with the other hand. “What if the emperor uses this as an excuse to strip me of military power?”
Huo Fenghua said, “If that’s really the case, then with or without this, the emperor can always find a reason.”
Feng Tianzong buried his face against Huo Fenghua’s neck. After a moment he said, “Put everything else aside for now. Let’s move directly to the last step of the plan.”
“What?” Huo Fenghua didn’t understand.
Feng Tianzong’s voice was a little hoarse as he spoke by his ear. “Let you fake your death and send you away.”
After returning to his own courtyard to bathe and change, and finishing breakfast, Huo Fenghua left the General’s Manor alone with the General’s special permission.
It was rare for him to get a chance to wander around Yujing so freely without worrying if someone would come and drag him back. So even though he’d just eaten, when he saw freshly steamed pork buns by the roadside, he still couldn’t resist pulling out a few copper coins and buying two.
There were actually very few gambling houses in Yujing. At first Huo Fenghua didn’t know that, but later he learned that opening a gambling den required special authorization from the authorities. The entire city had only two, one at each end of the pleasure quarter.
Huo Fenghua still went to the same gambling house as last time. The moment he lifted the curtain, a wave of filthy, stale air hit him in the face. He almost backed right out again, suddenly longing to run home and bury his face against Su Zeyang and take a few deep breaths.
Realizing that he hadn’t been in a casino for so long that he’d actually grown unaccustomed to it, Huo Fenghua paused at the entrance and felt a little melancholy.
Just then two gamblers came in. One of them shoved him roughly. “Don’t block the way!”
Huo Fenghua didn’t get angry. He took a deep breath, lifted the curtain again, and slipped inside, blending into the crowd of gaunt, red-eyed gamblers.
They were still using the same set of bone dice as last time. Huo Fenghua stood at the edge of a table, holding his breath and listening to the dice rattling inside the cup. He tossed down a few copper coins at random to place his bets.
After winning three or four rounds, he noticed the two people beside him starting to follow his bets, and he found it funny. This round, after the dealer called for no more bets, a different idea suddenly struck him. He placed a hand on the edge of the table, channeled his inner energy into his palm, and gave a slight push in the direction of the dice cup.
The table itself didn’t move at all, but his ears caught it clearly. The dice inside the cup rolled again.
The dealer lifted the cup. Huo Fenghua had bet wrong. Naturally, the two people who’d followed him also bet wrong.
But standing there, Huo Fenghua suddenly laughed. The two men beside him froze, baffled at how he could lose a single round and immediately go mad.
Huo Fenghua glanced at the table with a hint of regret. The dice weren’t interesting anymore. He turned to watch the next table over playing bone tiles. They were playing a small version of pai gow. After watching for a bit, he didn’t find it all that interesting either, so he left this gambling house and went to the other one on the street corner.
This one was even smaller. The liveliest table inside was playing fantan.
Huo Fenghua found it somewhat entertaining. Copper coins were piled together on the tabletop, and the banker would casually cover them with a bowl. It was hard to tell exactly how many had been covered. Huo Fenghua relied on luck for a few rounds, winning some and losing some, but in the end the stifling, dirty atmosphere became unbearable, and he left again.
Outside, he took a deep breath. The air that rushed into his nose was thick with the powdery, perfumed scent of the pleasure quarter. He thought about the gamblers inside. If they lost, that was one thing, but if they won, any silver they carried would probably end up donated right back to the brothels anyway. He shook his head and sighed, thinking maybe someday he ought to paste a notice at the gambling house door: Small bets are entertainment, big bets are harmful, and reckless gambling leads to ruin. Play a little and stop. Don’t get addicted.
As he was lost in these thoughts, a young man stopped in front of him, smiling. When Huo Fenghua didn’t respond for a long moment, the man finally spoke. “Brother Fenghua, we meet again.”
Huo Fenghua followed the voice and finally noticed who it was. He quickly clasped his hands in greeting. “Brother Lu? Why is it you?”
The young man was named Lu Shaocheng. His father was the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. Huo Fenghua had seen him two days ago at the Right Prime Minister’s Manor. He was also one of the drinking-and-pleasure crowd Huo Fenghua used to run with, the same circle as Wang Anzhi.
Lu Shaocheng had refined, handsome features. He looked Huo Fenghua up and down and said, “Brother Huo going in and out of gambling houses first thing in the morning. Seems life in the General’s Manor is getting more and more carefree for you?”
Huo Fenghua smiled. “With General Feng away, I can at least be carefree for a few days. What about you? Are you just leaving the pleasure quarter, or did you come here at dawn to meet a lover?”
Lu Shaocheng only smiled and didn’t answer.
Huo Fenghua hesitated inwardly, but kept smiling as he said, “While I’m still able to be carefree, why don’t we set a day to meet up with Brother Anzhi and the others?”
“Do you have something to do today, Brother Fenghua?” Lu Shaocheng asked.
“Not really,” Huo Fenghua replied. “What, are you saying we should meet today?”
Lu Shaocheng shook his head. “Not me. Someone asked me to invite you for a talk.”
“Oh?” Huo Fenghua’s heart tightened, but he leaned in with a playful grin. “What is it, some beauty?”
To his surprise, Lu Shaocheng laughed. “It is indeed a beauty. Are you free right now, Brother Fenghua?”
Huo Fenghua lifted his head and glanced at the narrow strip of sky above the alley of pleasure houses. When he lowered his gaze again, he smiled. “Free. How could I not be, when a beauty invites me? Come on, Brother Lu. Lead the way.”
Lu Shaocheng didn’t take him far. They crossed two streets to a restaurant. On the second floor, they entered a private room. The moment the door opened, Huo Fenghua saw a lavish spread of food and wine already set out.
A gorgeous woman sat by the table. Hearing the door, she immediately stood. She looked at Huo Fenghua, and after a moment her eyes reddened at the corners. Softly, she said, “Young Master Huo… Linglong can finally see you again.”
Huo Fenghua froze. The name Linglong sounded extremely familiar.
Linglong stepped closer, her beautiful eyes fixed on him as if tears were about to fall. “You don’t remember me?”
Huo Fenghua suddenly recalled it. Wang Anzhi had mentioned her once, the famous Linglong of Zuixiang Pavilion. He said, “Miss Linglong? Of course I do. Naturally I remember.”
At that, Linglong threw herself into his arms and clung to him tightly.
Huo Fenghua had lived two lifetimes and still had never been this intimately close with a young woman. In that instant, he didn’t feel anything suggestive. He only felt awkward all over. He wanted to push her away, but feared hurting her feelings, so he could only hold his hands stiffly at his sides and ask, “Miss Linglong, why did you ask to meet me here?”
“The one who asked you here isn’t Linglong. It’s someone else,” Lu Shaocheng said at Huo Fenghua’s side.
Huo Fenghua finally seized the chance. He steadied Linglong by the arms and gently eased her back a little, then asked Lu Shaocheng, “Who is it?”
Lu Shaocheng smiled. “Pan Yuanjun, the Right Prime Minister’s nephew. Don’t tell me you don’t remember him either.”
Huo Fenghua said, “I only remember Miss Linglong. I don’t remember anyone else.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than steady footsteps approached from outside. A tall young man reached the doorway, stepping in as he clasped his hands to Huo Fenghua. “Young Master Huo. It’s been a long time.”
Lu Shaocheng hurried to introduce him. “This is Deputy Commander Pan of Yujing’s Imperial Guard.”
Huo Fenghua quickly said, “So it’s Deputy Commander Pan. Long time no see, long time no see.”
Pan Yuanjun burst out laughing. “I just heard you say you don’t remember me.”
Huo Fenghua smiled. “Even if I don’t remember, we’re still friends. If Deputy Commander Pan says it’s been a long time, then it must be a long time.”
Pan Yuanjun patted his shoulder. “Young Master Huo, you’re an interesting one. Come on, why are you still standing? Sit. Let’s eat and talk.”
Lu Shaocheng ushered Huo Fenghua to sit at the round table. Linglong naturally sat close beside him.
Huo Fenghua studied Pan Yuanjun, thinking: he’s Wang Chu’s nephew, he wouldn’t invite me to eat for no reason. Could it be that Wang Anzhi really has fallen unconscious, and the Wang family wants to probe me for information about the General’s Manor? He remembered that night at Wang Chu’s birthday banquet, when Wang Anzhi had personally told him to act as their inside man within the General’s Manor.
Sure enough, Pan Yuanjun opened with, “Young Master Huo, you’ve suffered these days in the General’s Manor.”
Huo Fenghua lowered his gaze, gave a bitter smile, and didn’t respond.
Seeing his expression, Pan Yuanjun continued. “In the past, Young Master Huo’s romantic reputation in Yujing was well known. Even now, Miss Linglong still can’t get you out of her heart, willing to pay any price just to stay by your side. Yet you’ve been forced to wrong yourself, becoming Feng Tianzong’s male concubine.”
Huo Fenghua thought, This is where I should laugh awkwardly. So he looked up at Pan Yuanjun and did, indeed, laugh awkwardly.
Pan Yuanjun went on, “Feng Tianzong has an unusual temperament, preferring taking the back doors of men rather than being with women. Even if his martial skill is unmatched and he dominates the battlefield, when it’s written into the history books he’ll still be nothing but a joke. It’s just a pity, Young Master Huo.”
Huo Fenghua didn’t answer. He only poured Pan Yuanjun a cup of wine and said, “It’s rare to get a chance to come out and drink today. Let’s not talk about that.”
Pan Yuanjun took the cup, smiled, and said, “We still have to talk about it.”
Linglong suddenly threw herself into Huo Fenghua’s arms again, sobbing. “Some days ago, a wealthy household in the capital wanted to buy Linglong out of Zuixiang Pavilion. Linglong would rather die than agree. Later, thank goodness for Deputy Commander Pan. He redeemed me. Only then could Linglong meet Young Master Huo today.”
Pan Yuanjun raised his cup to Huo Fenghua. “The Miss Linglong you used to think about day and night will belong to Young Master Huo from now on.”
Huo Fenghua lifted his own cup and swirled it lightly in his hand. He leaned over and clinked cups with Pan Yuanjun. “What a generous gift. How could Fenghua dare accept it?”
Hearing that, Linglong clutched Huo Fenghua’s arm in panic. “Young Master Huo, you can’t refuse me.”
Pan Yuanjun drained his cup and then said, “Accept it. Not only must you accept, you must also take Linglong back to the General’s Manor. Say she’s a new maid you bought.”
Huo Fenghua gave a bitter smile. “Deputy Commander Pan is joking. The General’s Manor is tightly guarded. How could I have the ability to bring in a maid? Even getting myself out for a single trip isn’t easy.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way, Young Master Huo.” Pan Yuanjun set his cup down, picked up his chopsticks, and placed a piece of chicken into Huo Fenghua’s bowl. “Are you really willing to spend your whole life trapped in the General’s Manor like a bird in a cage? The world outside is vast with beauties everywhere. Why keep wronging yourself? Right now is an opportunity.”
Huo Fenghua pretended not to understand. “What opportunity, exactly?”
Pan Yuanjun leaned close to his ear and said softly, “As our inside man in the General’s Manor… when the day comes, it won’t just be a beauty. Whatever you want, the Right Prime Minister can give you everything.”
Huo Fenghua toyed with his empty cup, then looked up at Pan Yuanjun and asked, “What if I want to be the emperor of Xichou?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Pan Yuanjun went blank.
Moments later, Huo Fenghua climaxed again. He was completely dazed and limp, too tired to even move a finger, and eventually fell asleep on the bed.
He slept all the way into the next morning. When he opened his eyes again, he found his strength had returned. Aside from the sticky discomfort, nothing else felt wrong. It seemed the abundant internal energy inside him had circulated on its own while he slept, and for the first time he felt that having all this power might actually come with benefits.
Only after he turned over did he realize he was on the outer side of the big bed, with Feng Tianzong beside him, one arm wrapped around his waist. Memories of last night flooded back, and even with his thick skin, his face still heated up. He tried to quietly push Feng Tianzong’s arm away and get out of bed.
But he had barely moved when Feng Tianzong woke up. The arm around his waist tightened sharply, and Feng Tianzong pulled him in and rolled over, placing him on the inside.
In an instant, Huo Fenghua ended up between Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang. He hadn’t even caught up to what was happening before his heart started hammering.
All three of them were still naked, their bodies pressed together under the bedding. Su Zeyang buried his face against Huo Fenghua’s shoulder, a palm resting against his chest, and asked with his eyes closed, “Not sleeping anymore?”
Huo Fenghua stared at the heavy canopy above them. “You two sleep. I want to get up.”
Su Zeyang opened his eyes too and sat up. The quilt slid down, exposing a body marked with traces from the night before, his long hair falling along his waist.
From above Huo Fenghua, Feng Tianzong reached out and hooked a strand of Su Zeyang’s hair with his fingers.
Huo Fenghua yawned, then stretched. “Senior Brother…” The word had barely left his mouth when he remembered that the one calling the shots in this household was the General. He corrected himself and turned his head. “General.”
Feng Tianzong propped himself up on one arm and looked down at him. “Say what you want to say.”
Huo Fenghua reached out, fingertips sliding along Feng Tianzong’s arm and up over his shoulder to his chest. “I want to go out.”
Feng Tianzong didn’t answer, only watched him.
When he still didn’t respond, Huo Fenghua gently rubbed Feng Tianzong’s nipple, teasing him as he tried to coax him. “I’m just going to take a look at the gambling houses in the city. Half a day, and I’ll be back. I won’t cause trouble.”
“What are you going to a gambling house for?” Feng Tianzong asked.
Huo Fenghua looked up at him. “To gamble, obviously. What else, eat dinner?”
Su Zeyang interrupted, “That’s improper.”
Huo Fenghua rolled to face him. “Improper? Senior Brother, don’t joke with me.” As if the three of them in one bed counted as “proper.”
Su Zeyang didn’t argue. He just looked at him.
Feng Tianzong suddenly said, “By the rules, I shouldn’t agree. But everything has exceptions. It depends on whether you know how to behave.”
Huo Fenghua sat up, swept his hair behind his ear, then pushed the quilt aside and knelt. He knelt between Feng Tianzong’s legs and grabbed his considerable cock. He looked up at Feng Tianzong, then said, “General, aren’t you afraid of excessive indulgence?” before he opened his mouth and swallowed the entire member.
Su Zeyang sat back against the wooden bed rail, watching them quietly.
While giving Feng Tianzong a blowjob, Huo Fenghua reached out to Su Zeyang, his hand snaking its way between his legs. After getting them both fully hard, he pulled off of Feng Tianzong’s cock and reached out for Su Zeyang, before pressing him back towards Feng Tianzong. Seeing Feng Tianzong embraced Su Zeyang as he landed in his arms, Huo Fenghua quickly flipped over and jumped off the bed.
Feng Tianzong reacted fast and reached out to grab him but Huo Fenghua immediately caught his wrist instead and shouted, “Absorbing Technique!”
Remembering Huo Fenghua’s strange power, Feng Tianzong pulled his hand back at once.
Huo Fenghua snatched up his clothes from the floor and had already retreated to the doorway. “General, if you go back on your word, you’ll regret it! I can go out today, right?”
Feng Tianzong looked at him and couldn’t help but smile faintly. He flicked a hand. “Get lost.”
Huo Fenghua hurriedly pulled his clothes on. When he pushed the door open, he caught on the threshold again and nearly fell, but he still remembered to swing back and shut the door for them.
Feng Tianzong pulled Su Zeyang into his arms, tipped up his chin, and kissed him.
Su Zeyang looped an arm around Feng Tianzong’s neck and sighed. “You’re really going to let him?”
“It’s fine,” Feng Tianzong said, his hand smoothing over him. “I’ll have someone follow him in secret so he won’t get into any trouble.”
“Mm.” Su Zeyang closed his eyes. “Tianzong… don’t hold back.”
Su Zeyang rose from the edge of the bed and slowly unbuttoned his robe.
Huo Fenghua’s breath hitched. He instinctively turned to look at Feng Tianzong and saw that Feng Tianzong clearly had no intention of leaving the room. A rush of nerves hit him. It felt like nothing good was waiting for him after all.
“Forget it,” Huo Fenghua said. “This doesn’t have to happen right away.”
He turned, meaning to head out.
Feng Tianzong stepped into his path. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Huo Fenghua didn’t answer. The next moment, Feng Tianzong swept him up into his arms. Huo Fenghua startled and hooked an arm around his shoulder on reflex.
Carrying him to the bedside, Feng Tianzong took off his boots and climbed onto the bed, still holding Huo Fenghua close. He lowered his head and asked, “You begged me to agree, and I finally did. Why are you trying to run now?”
Huo Fenghua’s breathing quickened. He felt Feng Tianzong’s hand slip beneath his collar, warm and rough against his skin, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed.
“Then what are you still doing here, General?”
Feng Tianzong’s tone stayed even. “My concubine wants to share my wife, but I’m not allowed to stay in the room? What kind of logic is that?”
Huo Fenghua shivered at the touch, eyes tipping upward. “Since when has any of this ever been logical?”
Feng Tianzong looked at him, then let out a chuckle and leaned in to kiss him.
At the bedside, Su Zeyang had already removed his outer robe. Then he stripped away the rest with unhurried calm. He was tall and lean, his skin pale and flawless, and he climbed onto the bed without the slightest attempt to hide himself. Kneeling there, he lifted a hand to loosen the ribbon binding his hair. Black hair spilled down at once, falling over his shoulders like ink, and he flicked the ribbon aside.
Huo Fenghua stared, suddenly realizing for the first time that someone could look both untouched by the world and unbearably seductive at the same time. He took a deep breath, feeling his penis hardening and struggled a little. But Feng Tianzong, who was holding him from behind, didn’t let go. He forced Huo Fenghua to remain sitting on his lap as he reached out and opened Huo Fenghua’s clothes and pulled down his trousers, revealing the fully hardened erection.
Su Zeyang knelt on the bed, crawling closer to Huo Fenghua. He first leaned forward and kissed Feng Tianzong behind Huo Fenghua. Huo Fenghua felt his black hair fall down, covering his eyes, and only heard the wet kissing sounds of the two. He said unhappily, “Let go of me!”
Su Zeyang then lowered his head to look at him, straddled him with his legs, and reached out to caress Huo Fenghua’s face.
Huo Fenghua raised his hand to hold the back of his neck, kissing his chin. The warm, lingering kisses slid down Su Zeyang’s naked chest, and he sucked on one of his nipples, his soft tongue licking it vigorously.
Su Zeyang tilted his head back, his breathing becoming rapid.
At this moment, Feng Tianzong separated Huo Fenghua’s legs and lifted him onto his lap. Huo Fenghua instantly felt Feng Tianzong’s thick, hard, and hot cock pressing against the cleft of his ass through his trousers. The two of them had done this countless times along the way, and their bodies were already intimately familiar with each other. At that moment, Huo Fenghua felt a hollow, itchy sensation inside. The thought made Huo Fenghua’s cheeks flush slightly. He continued to caress and kiss Su Zeyang defiantly, watching Su Zeyang’s body turn a faint pink, and feeling the hard erection between his legs pressing against his lower abs, finally regaining some sense of accomplishment.
While Huo Fenghua was caressing Su Zeyang, Feng Tianzong reached his hand under his clothes, gently stroking his slender waist, his fingers slowly moving across his ribs, pinching his nipples between his middle and index fingers, and then rubbing the tips with his calloused thumb.
A sudden wave of pleasure washed over Huo Fenghua. As he held Su Zeyang’s nipple in his mouth, he couldn’t help but gasp. He had to open his mouth, his eyes moist, looking up at Su Zeyang.
Su Zeyang used one hand to push all the long hair that had fallen on him behind his back. He supported himself on the bed with both hands and leaned his upper body back. His beautiful and alluring body was completely exposed to Huo Fenghua, while their cocks were tightly pressed together, rubbing against each other.
At this moment, Feng Tianzong reached out a hand from behind Huo Fenghua, simultaneously grabbing both their shafts. He began to stroke them all the way to the base, while his thumb gently rubbed the tip.
Huo Fenghua and Su Zeyang groaned almost simultaneously.
Huo Fenghua instinctively wanted to lean back, but he was tightly pressed against Feng Tianzong’s embrace, with nowhere to retreat. He tilted his head back, resting it on Feng Tianzong’s shoulder, looking at Feng Tianzong’s sharply defined jawline, and couldn’t help but lean in and kiss him.
Feng Tianzong turned his head, pecked him lightly on the lips, and asked, “Do you like it?”
Huo Fenghua swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, uttering a “Mm,” followed by a series of moans. He had lived two lives, and even with the combined experiences of both, he couldn’t have imagined three men being so depraved on the same bed.
Thankfully, he wasn’t repulsed; instead, it only heightened his arousal.
With his other hand, Feng Tianzong somehow produced some lube and smeared it onto Huo Fenghua’s chest, making it slick and smooth. Then, he used his lube-covered hand to grasp Huo Fenghua’s penis, slicking it up.
After that, Su Zeyang propped himself up, spread his legs wider, held onto Huo Fenghua’s cock, and slowly sat down.
The warm, soft flesh of his hole tightly enveloped the hard shaft.
With the lube, the penetration was smooth. Su Zeyang placed his hands on Huo Fenghua’s shoulders, completely taking him inside.
Huo Fenghua’s chest heaved violently. He was eager to begin thrusting, but then he felt Feng Tianzong behind him, holding his waist and pulling down his pants.
He felt the heat of something thick and hard pressing against his ass. Feng Tianzong’s finger, still slippery from being coated with lube, traced his hole that was already gaping open due to his legs being spread.
Huo Fenghua realized what Feng Tianzong was about to do, and he couldn’t help but protest. “No…”
“No?” Feng Tianzong asked, inserting the lube into Huo Fenghua’s body, and then smearing it onto his own cock.
Huo Fenghua simply felt it was too depraved; even the thought of it was unbearable.
At this moment, Su Zeyang clenched his hole, slowly raised his hips, then relaxed, and sat down completely.
“Ah—” Huo Fenghua cried out. Su Zeyang called to him. “Fenghua.”
“Senior Brother…” Before Huo Fenghua could finish speaking, Feng Tianzong lifted his hips and thrust himself into him. The thick, hot shaft skillfully and forcefully pressed against his sensitive insides. He widened his eyes and opened his mouth, unable to make a sound for a moment.
Behind him was Feng Tianzong’s thrusting, which made him tremble with every movement, while in front of him was Su Zeyang displaying his fair, alluring body while Huo Fenghua was burrowed into his soft passage.
Huo Fenghua had never experienced anything so stimulating in his two lifetimes. He opened his mouth and gasped for air, as if he would suffocate otherwise. He was also moaning, uncontrollably, the pleasure overflowing to the point of almost pain.
He thought how embarrassing it would be that he might die from sex. He was in a daze, his whole body, except for his still hardened erection, was weak and powerless.
After thrusting for a long time, perhaps finding it difficult to exert force, Feng Tianzong reached out and pushed Huo Fenghua forward to lie prone, while Su Zeyang lay back, spreading his legs to facilitate Huo Fenghua’s thrusts.
Huo Fenghua’s hands couldn’t support his body, and he softly collapsed onto Su Zeyang, his body rubbing against his delicate skin. Feng Tianzong increased the force of his pounding. Now, Huo Fenghua felt he wasn’t the one penetrating Su Zeyang, but rather Feng Tianzong thrusting him into Su Zeyang.
The pleasure was too overwhelming; Huo Fenghua felt like he was about to cum. But he was unwilling. He reached out and touched Su Zeyang and found that he was still hard. He tried relentlessly to make Su Zeyang cum by jacking him off.
However, he couldn’t hold on for long. Huo Fenghua’s body trembled and his muscles tensed. After a brief moment, he spilled his seed inside Su Zeyang. Simultaneously, Feng Tianzong had stopped his pounding, allowing Huo Fenghua’s cock to remain deeply burrow inside Su Zeyang. The tip of his cock pressed hard against Su Zeyang’s passage, creating waves of continuous pleasure. Huo Fenghua felt tears stream down his face as his orgasm continued.
Su Zeyang raised his hand and wiped away his tears. Huo Fenghua felt embarrassed and buried his face in Su Zeyang’s shoulder, softly calling out, “Senior Brother.”
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Feng Tianzong pulled out of Huo Fenghua. Su Zeyang hugged Huo Fenghua, rolled over on the bed, and pinned Huo Fenghua beneath him.
Huo Fenghua was stunned. He weakly watched Su Zeyang turn his head and kiss Feng Tianzong. Then, Feng Tianzong, with perfect coordination, slowly inserted himself into Su Zeyang.
Thinking that his own cum was still inside Su Zeyang, and that Feng Tianzong had just entered that very same hole, Huo Fenghua’s face immediately turned bright red. Following up, Su Zeyang spread Huo Fenghua’s legs and squeezed his own erection into Huo Fenghua’s entrance.
“Nn—” Huo Fenghua was powerless to resist, tilting his head back and moaning again. At the same time, he felt Su Zeyang clasped his hand, and their fingers interlaced, their palms pressed tightly together.
Myss couldn’t even wait to take it back. He opened his mouth to bite—his head just halfway forward when a pair of hands reached from behind and fixed his head in place.
Myss struggled forward with all his strength, his face stretched and distorted. Then, remembering he had hands, he tried to snatch the thing. Kalen stepped back two paces in surprise and held the black lump high.
“Don’t touch this. It’s very dangerous. Let me handle it,” he said with complete sincerity.
Those hands restraining Myss—Salaar’s hands—shifted and pulled Myss back into his arms. The great hero wasn’t in good shape; most of his weight was pressed down on Myss, making him feel as if he was being used as a crutch.
Just as the Demon Lord was about to explode, Salaar asked, “You don’t know what this is, but you know it’s dangerous?”
Kalen nodded solemnly. “Yes. I once saw it flatten an entire village.”
Myss immediately softened his struggling. The thing smelled so delicious it made his head spin, but he didn’t want his mouth blown off.
Seeing that Myss had calmed down, Salaar loosened his arms.
Myss’s clothes had been corroded into shreds, but parts of it were still being held up by his belt, so he wasn’t stark naked. Salaar’s clothes, however, had been reduced to pathetic strips, making him look rather unpresentable.
“It’s not convenient to talk here. Let us return to the church.”
Kalen took off his last remaining shirt and handed it to Salaar to cover himself—after all, there was a clear-headed little girl inside the church.
A few minutes later, inside the church.
“She’s Scintilla.”
Seeing the mutilated unconscious girl, Hailey recognized her at once.
Upon entering the church, Salaar had casually torn a piece of white silk from a statue. With quick hands he had fashioned a simple white robe for himself, making him look less miserable.
He then carried Scintilla onto a bench and skillfully cast healing magic. The pale red threads and memory fragments on her body hadn’t vanished, but her face regained some color and her breathing gradually steadied.
Hailey hesitated, then followed Kalen’s example, taking off her outer cloak to cover Scintilla’s curled-up body.
Myss didn’t care who Scintilla was. His gaze stayed hooked on that mysterious object, like a fishhook luring a fat fish.
Salaar sighed and clung close to Myss, prepared for any eventuality. He looked at the unnatural darkness outside the door and then at Kalen. “Would you mind explaining?”
The pale red threads had all broken and Mina was gone, yet that dreadful darkness still remained.
Even without eyes that could see through magic, Salaar could guess the core of this anomaly was not Scintilla or Mina but that strange lump—
Kalen was holding it carefully with both hands and now set it down gently on a flat ritual stone table.
“This time, thanks to you two, the disaster was lifted. Naturally, I owe you an explanation.”
After making sure the thing was safely placed, Kalen let out a long breath. “You two seem quite interested in the strange illness. In fact, Rosha isn’t the only place with ominous outbreaks.”
“In recent years, several places have experienced similar odd events—someone suddenly mutates, then drags everything nearby into hell. Those who mutate often have this thing on them.”
“At present it seems to be highly concentrated pure magic. The more grotesque the host’s mutation and the greater the number of people affected, the purer the magic power extracted into this thing.”
“It sounds like rose essential oil.” Salaar thought of the Magibases engulfed by the pale red threads. To get one gram of rose essential oil one must distill tens of thousands of roses. Then how much magic must be drained to form this?
No wonder Myss only found normal Magibases faintly fragrant yet couldn’t resist this “extracted essence” at all.
Kalen smiled. “Ah, my brother used a similar comparison. He also gave it a name: ‘Abnormal Fruit’.”
“He taught me the trick to dealing with Abnormal Fruit.”
“Deal with it? How?”
The moment the keyword came up, Myss’s ears perked up.
“There’s only one known solution: consume it using harmless magic until it is gone. Only when the Abnormal Fruit disappears will the anomaly fully dissipate,” Kalen said. “But the Abnormal Fruit is highly unstable. If someone tries to cut it or take it by force, it will explode on the spot.”
Myss’s face went pale, and he let out a sound almost like a sob.
Salaar forced his mouth into a flat line. He still had many questions but talking too much might push the Demon Lord into losing control again.
But one thing was certain, he couldn’t let Myss eat that thing.
If Myss got blown up, he might return to his original form; but if he absorbed all that magic, the balance of strength between them would shatter.
“Myss, don’t risk it this time. Its origin is strange. What if it’s poisonous?” Salaar whispered as he steadied a hand on his shoulder.
“Let us do as Kalen said and use a magic spell to consume it. While it’s being used up, you and I can watch carefully.”
Myss’s heart was shattered—yes, what else could he do but make it disappear from sight?
Calming down and thinking it through, earlier he and Salaar together barely subdued that monster… Even if this thing wasn’t toxic, its power was formidable; his human body might not endure it.
Until they found a safe way to handle it, it wasn’t worth dying for a taste.
… But it smelled so good. Damn it, he was starving.
Myss covered his face with both hands and slowly squatted down, not wanting to say a single word. He tried to hide his nose to block out that deadly scent.
“If you two have no objections, I’ll begin eliminating it,” Kalen said. “Please step back a little.”
Salaar didn’t move. “Must it be consumed by a specific magic? Would other harmless spells work?”
Kalen scratched his head. “As long as it is not destructive magic, theoretically yes… Would you like to try?”
He stopped moving and looked at Salaar inquiringly.
Salaar thought for a moment, broke off a small piece of white stone from the statue, and began drawing a magic circle on the floor.
Seeing Salaar, who usually cast spells barehanded, actually drew a proper magic array, Myss couldn’t help raising his head and secretly peeking through his fingers.
That guy must have borrowed Lord Karns’s knowledge. The circle looked decent and contained many runes Myss had never seen.
“Myss.” Salaar seemed aware he was peeking and spoke without looking up. “Don’t you think there’s a problem between us?”
Myss frowned. “Hmm? Is there a problem between us?”
Then he had better quickly address any gaps.
Salaar glanced at him and whispered, “Fine, let me rephrase. Earlier in the fight you got distracted. Were you doubting me?”
Salaar knew he had made mistakes while in his support, but he hadn’t expected Myss’s reaction to be that big. He thought Myss had long since engraved ‘Salaar is untrustworthy’ into instinct.
This realization left him feeling… complicated.
Myss didn’t reply.
Being distracted during battle was humiliating but having your archenemy guess the reason why was even worse. He decided to play dead on the spot.
“I know what worries you. You fear I’ll discover the truth first and stab you in the back. But if we’re always on guard, we can’t fight at full strength. That’s a serious problem.”
Salaar tapped the ground with the stone. “We don’t need to talk about meaningless ‘trust’. Let us just make a contract—using the Abnormal Fruit as material, the magic effect will be absolutely guaranteed.”
A contract?
Myss finally lifted his head and raised his eyebrows.
“Before uncovering the truth about the body-switch ritual, you and I must share all related information and can’t lie or hide anything.”
“Before uncovering the truth about the ritual, you and I must guarantee each other’s safety and can’t act passively.”
“Before uncovering the truth about the ritual, you and I must stay close and can’t leave without permission.”
Salaar stated each clause emphatically while he fixed his gaze directly at Myss, as if he was trying to catch every smallest reaction.
“…Well? This way there’ll be no ‘I found the truth but kept silent.’ After the truth is known, who lives or dies will depend on skill.”
Myss thought for a while, then stood up. “Fine.”
Good enough. The Abnormal Fruit would stay with him in another form; his pent-up grievance eased considerably. And he truly didn’t want to be constantly suspicious, with his mind always on Salaar. A contract would make things simpler.
“But I’ll cast with you. You’d better not pull any tricks.” Myss pointed at his eyes. “I can see things very clearly right now.”
Salaar smiled back.
“Have you two decided?” Since they had lowered their voices, Kalen had politely kept his distance.
“Done, Father.” Salaar patted the white stone dust off his hands. “Please bring the Abnormal Fruit here and teach us the process.”
It turned out to be much simpler than they expected.
Kalen only asked where the center of the array was, then placed the plump Abnormal Fruit right on top.
“It’s a bit like a lost ancient alchemy. I heard this kind of magic is extremely complicated.” He peered curiously at the array. “Are you an alchemist?”
“No. I’m just a scholar who likes researching history,” Salaar said calmly.
At the edge of the round-table-sized array, Salaar and Myss stood facing each other. Salaar extended one hand and chanted a long incantation that Myss couldn’t understand.
The array lit with a gentle, brilliant gold glow, and the pitch-black Abnormal Fruit gave a slight wriggle.
Wave after wave of magic surged out like a tsunami, blowing both their hair sideways.
Countless gold motes danced above the array, drifting around the two of them and forming a splendid band of light like a Möbius strip.
Soundless information flooded into Myss’s mind. It was the three terms Salaar had just stated.
Salaar hadn’t tampered with it. The information was even more precise and detailed than his spoken wording, watertight in every respect.
If either of them broke the contract, their power would vanish immediately and wouldn’t return until the other party chose to forgive them.
“…Contract confirmed. Offer perfect metal imbued with essence,” Salaar intoned.
What’s that supposed to mean? Myss looked at him, puzzled.
Salaar didn’t bother to explain. He took out the ritual dagger made of pure silver and sliced open his own palm. The silver-white blade, covered in blood, dropped into the gold light of the array.
It didn’t hit the ground but melted into a small silver-white sphere and floated slowly on one side of the array.
Myss suddenly understood. He felt around in his shredded clothes and pulled out the nearly ruined silver dining fork.
The warped fork pricked his arm, then fell with his blood into the array and immediately became a silver sphere of the same size. The two spheres orbited the array, circling closer and closer. The Abnormal Fruit dissolved at high speed, and the two spheres grew ever more dazzling.
At the instant the fruit disappeared, the spheres merged into one and turned into a silver… egg.
Myss: ?
Crack.
The array slowly dimmed. The silver egg split open in front of him and two tiny silver snakes crawled out. They floated in midair and slithered toward Myss and Salaar respectively.
Myss instinctively held out his hand and allowed the snake to coil around his right arm. It had eyes like garnet, its skin shone with a dark silvery gray, and it carried a faint metallic texture.
Just looking at it gave Myss a strange sense of intimacy, as if it was a part of him.
The other snake flew into Salaar’s hand.
With a flash of silver light, that snake turned into a single-serpent staff. Its length matched an ordinary walking stick, its color a subdued silver gray. A slender silver snake coiled at the head of the staff, its eyes like inlaid lapis lazuli.
“The air outside is really fresh.”
The snake, which looked like a mere ornament, actually opened its mouth and spoke.
Myss stared at it in shock, then looked at his own snake. His snake was busy yawning, exposing tiny fangs, with no time to talk.
“This is the embodied symbol of the contract. In a sense, it is one with us,” Salaar said. “I thought the Magibases were an interesting idea, so I tried something similar.”
“You can turn it into a weapon, like this—”
Salaar flicked the serpent staff. The snake instantly formed a hilt-like structure at the head, while the lower half of the staff was wrapped in brilliant gold light and became a slender blade.
A delicate lightsaber appeared before Myss. The power of the Abnormal Fruit had fused into it perfectly. A faint pressure emanated from it, far stronger than that ritual dagger had ever been.
Tap. Tap.
The tip touched the floor twice. The gold faded at once, and the lightsaber returned to a plain serpent staff.
“That tickles,” the snake said again.
…This is amazing!Salaar actually had such a miraculous use for it!
Myss immediately looked at his own snake and began considering what to make it become.
A dagger?
No, not quite right. He mainly used magic to eliminate enemies, so a wound from the slightest stab from a dagger was negligible. The earlier use of a dining fork had only been to provide an anchoring point for his magic.
A bow and arrows?
That would fit his ranger persona, and long-range attacks suited him. But a longbow was bulky, and drawing and shooting was troublesome. Myss felt a headache just thinking about it.
If only he could combine the two.
In a flash, the image of Salaar raising a dagger and firing flames crossed his mind.
The silver snake moved on its own, coiling around Myss’s right wrist. A moment later it fixed its body in place, its head resting on the back of Myss’s right hand.
At first glance it looked like a silver bracelet in the shape of a serpent. Myss, however, caught the idea at once. It was essentially a refined wrist crossbow.
He lifted his hand and moved his will. A jet of pitch-black magic shot from the snake’s mouth like a viper spitting venom.
The shot grazed Salaar’s foot and ate a bottomless little hole into the floorboards.
Myss and the silver snake both cried out “Wow!” at the same time.
This thing was even more handy than he expected, and its attack coverage was quite flexible. In close quarters he could even have the snake bite directly.
“How is it?” Salaar winked at him.
“I’m naming it ‘Fork’.” Myss stroked the silver snake in satisfaction. Its touch was cool and silky, and it gave off a faint pleasant scent.
Fork narrowed its eyes at him and said in a shrill voice, “Your taste in names is awful.”
Myss narrowed his eyes right back. “If you want to live, keep quiet.”
Salaar chuckled and coughed twice, then waved his own serpent staff. “Then I will call this one ‘Knife’. It’s basically a knife transformed.”
Knife: “That’s truly a… unique name, beyond my comprehension.”
Salaar: “Really? Thank you for the compliment.”
Clap, clap, clap.
Kalen applauded from a few steps away, wearing the same astonished look as Myss.
“This is the first time I have seen such wondrous alchemical magic,” the priest exclaimed. “Congratulations on successfully, uh, giving birth to new life…?”
Myss and Salaar both fell silent.
After a few seconds, Salaar gave a dry laugh, thanked him, and used magic to erase the traces of the array on the floor.
“But the anomaly here hasn’t disappeared,” Kalen said, glancing toward the door. “Sir, did you overlook something?”
“No. There’s indeed a tiny remaining portion of the Abnormal Fruit. Only a very, very small bit,” Salaar said, then produced a candy ball as if by sleight of hand.
Myss couldn’t fathom it. This man’s clothes had nearly fallen apart earlier. The ritual dagger was one thing, but this was somehow still around.
He was in no mood for such details now. From that candy he smelled an extremely alluring fragrance.
It was the scent of the Abnormal Fruit. It wasn’t as intense as the fruit itself, but exactly the same in flavor, most likely the residual crumbs of the contract magic.
“Eat it,” Salaar said, tossing it to him. “In such a tiny amount, even if it is poisonous, it won’t matter.”
Myss popped the candy into his mouth without hesitation.
Curiously, his sense of taste didn’t react. The fragrance felt more like a guide, as if his instincts had borrowed human senses on purpose just to secure his attention.
As the fruit’s magic seeped into him, Myss felt vividly and unmistakably alive. It was an incomparable comfort, like a newborn taking a first breath.
In truth, Myss could more or less guess Salaar’s motive.
If he kept brooding over this, it wouldn’t benefit anyone. The great hero was cooling a powder keg. Myss couldn’t resist such bribery though. The contract first and the candy after; Myss’s dissatisfaction vanished to the sweetness.
“I’ve decided not to resent you for now.”
Myss devoted himself to savoring the magic. His whole body tensed, and the corners of his eyes grew faintly moist.
“That’s truly my honor, My~ss~,” Salaar said cheerfully.
……
The candy melted, and the illusion quietly collapsed.
Faint voices drifted from the nearby street. The damp, fishy odor fully dispersed, and the air turned dry and clear.
The church was still the same church, but the sky outside the door had brightened at once. Myss looked up and saw the spire intact, all the damage from the battle gone without a trace.
The hot, rank air, the membranous sheath covering the city, the windows lit from within—all of it had felt so real. Yet the twisted monster nurtured there had never managed to be born.
Only the contract’s silver snake still lay on the back of Myss’s hand. Its cool, slippery touch told him the past events hadn’t been false.
At last, the Abnormal Fruit’s remnants were completely digested by Myss. Mina’s distorted memories faded, leaving only a light impression that could no longer stir any emotion.
In the very end, Myss seemed to hear a soft sigh.
“Who goes there?!” A roar followed at once, making Myss jump.
—People in disheveled clothing had appeared in the church, creating quite a suspicious scene. The night watchman swung his lantern and shouted them out.
Scintilla, whose appearance had grown abnormal, was wrapped in silk and was being floated by Salaar. Huey was still unconscious and was carried on Kalen’s back.
Hailey ran ahead to lead the way. She moved through the night with practiced ease and guided them straight to the Hammer Tavern.
Since the bird-beaked demon had appeared, the tavern had far fewer guests. Even so, at the sight of this particularly strange group, a wave of whispers and exclamations rose. Hammer silenced the curious patrons with a look and pointed upstairs.
“I’ll get you something to eat in a bit. Tell me what herbs you need,” he whispered.
…And just like that, Scintilla and Huey took the beds that should have belonged to Myss and Salaar.
Myss was in a good mood, savoring the candy, so he decided not to pursue the matter for now. He leaned against the corner and watched the busy humans.
Perhaps because he had newly gained the fruit’s power, Salaar generously cast cleansing spells and removed all the grime from everyone.
Earlier, to attend the exorcism and blessing, Salaar had only worn a loose old outfit. Now he pulled out that dark-blue formal suit again and changed quickly in the corridor. Paired with the newly acquired serpent staff, he looked even more like a proper scholar.
“Mr. Huey has nothing serious. His magic fluctuations are a bit weak. Slow recuperation will suffice.”
After carefully checking Huey’s condition, Kalen looked relieved. A few more crows had gathered outside the window, hopping along the sill and gently tapping the glass with their beaks.
Kalen smiled and waved to them, then went to check Scintilla on the other bed. At the sight of the girl’s terrifying alteration, that trace of relief vanished at once.
Half of Scintilla’s body was gone, leaving only pale red threads tangled into a mass. They drooped dryly like plant roots withered by drought.
Myss narrowed his eyes, trying to observe the Magibase inside Scintilla. He found only a broken, indescribable clump of something. It was less like a living thing and more like scraps of meat on a butcher’s board.
Salaar stood beside him and watched in silence as well.
“Miss Scintilla’s situation isn’t optimistic.” Kalen sighed. “Forget recovery. I have never seen someone altered like this return to human form. Mr. Myss being able to separate her human body at all is already an extraordinary feat.”
Salaar looked at him noncommittally. “So?”
“So I’ll look after her until the very last moment,” Kalen said softly. “How about I take her home, and you two look after Mr. Huey and Miss Hailey. If anything else comes up, find me at Scintilla’s house anytime.”
“The Abnormal Fruit is gone, and the strange sickness won’t recur. Your investigation can be wrapped up.”
“Is that so?” Salaar crossed his arms. Knife flicked its tongue.
“I never said our goal was to investigate the ‘Lower City plague’.”
“As it happens, when I last visited Scintilla’s home, something seemed to be missing from her table… Of course I don’t mean the lantern.”
“Father, what’s that letter in your pocket?”
The author has something to say:
The pets are here!
Yes, I declare they have two children, blood-related (…)
Two adorable contract snakes to make up for the fact that neither of them has a Magibase, and they even come as a matching couple—
Kinky Translations 