Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 14

This time, they hurried on for a full day and night, arriving deep among towering, uninhabited mountains. The trails were rugged and narrow, and the horses could no longer climb any higher, so they left the horses at the foot of the mountain with one man to guard them. Under Wen Heyi’s lead, the rest relied on their own legs to scale the heights.

They hadn’t slept all night. After spending most of the night climbing, they reached the summit just as daybreak was beginning to lighten the sky.

Along the way, Huo Fenghua had crawled with both hands and feet. His palms were cut open in several places by brush, and he was miserable. Now he was disheveled and weak, clinging loosely to Wen Heyi as he said, “Martial Uncle, I can’t walk anymore.”

Wen Heyi said, “You’re a dignified imperial prince. What kind of sight is this?”

Huo Fenghua waved a hand. “I’m done being one. I’ll give the position to you, old man, all right?”

Wen Heyi shot him a glance. “Stop fooling around. We’re already at Luofeng Ridge.”

Huo Fenghua lifted his head and looked at the layers of mountains in the distance, green peaks piled upon peaks. A thought suddenly came to him, Luofeng Ridge. Just hearing the name felt ominous for Feng Tianzong. Was the plan really to bring down that surname Feng here?

Wen Heyi kept moving. Huo Fenghua grabbed his arm and had him drag him along for a stretch. Two soldiers in armor and helmets approached from ahead, saluted Wen Heyi, and led them farther in.

After they walked some distance along the ridge, Huo Fenghua saw numerous soldiers lying in ambush in the grass ahead, along with two huge boulders that would’ve taken several people hugging them together to encircle.

A tall man wearing silver dragon armor strode toward them. He looked to be in his thirties, with rugged, imposing features and an impressive bearing. When he saw Huo Fenghua, he drew in a deep breath, dropped to one knee, and said in a deep voice, “Shao Feijie, Grand Marshal of Xichou’s forces, pays respects to His Highness the Eldest Prince!”

Before Huo Fenghua could respond, Shao Feijie had already raised his head and looked at him intensely. It was obvious he and Wen Heyi had already coordinated long ago, planning to disguise this useless Second Prince as Xichou’s Eldest Prince.

Wen Heyi pinched Huo Fenghua’s lower back.

Huo Fenghua let out a soft “ow,” and reluctantly said, “Marshal Shao, please rise.”

Shao Feijie stood, glanced at Wen Heyi, and said, “In urgent times, we act as necessity demands. My troops are currently lying in ambush for Feng Tianzong. We’ll speak of ceremony after we return. Your Highness may observe the battle from the side for now.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “I understand. Marshal Shao, do what you need to do. Don’t worry about me.”

Wen Heyi said, “I’ll protect Your Highness.”

Shao Feijie gave a slight nod and turned back toward the cliffside.

Huo Fenghua also walked to the edge and leaned over to look down. Below was a long, narrow ravine, squeezed between peaks on both sides. The entrance was extremely tight, and deeper inside it ended in a dead end.

The two boulders he’d seen earlier were meant to be pushed down once Feng Tianzong and his men entered the ravine, sealing off their retreat.

At that moment, Huo Fenghua heard faint hoofbeats. His whole body tensed as he strained to look outward. He could feel the soldiers lying in ambush on the ridge tense as well. Everyone entered a state of readiness, and not a single sound was made.

Feng Tianzong led fifty personal guards and ran into a two-sided ambush by Xichou’s forces, who deliberately drove them toward Luofeng Ridge. When they retreated all the way to the ravine entrance, Feng Tianzong took one look at the towering peaks on both sides and knew there was an ambush.

He shouted, “We can’t retreat any farther!” and was the first to wheel his horse and charge back to the front. The long whip in his hand snapped out, coiling around a Xichou soldier and flinging him onto jagged rock. In an instant, blood burst out and the man died with his eyes split wide.

His whip rose again, spattered with enemy blood, sweeping through the soldiers before him. He pointed forward and roared, “Kill them all! No one retreats!”

Huo Fenghua could vaguely make out the two armies below, but he still couldn’t see Feng Tianzong. He couldn’t help moving toward the ravine entrance, drawing close to the boulders and craning his head to figure out which one was Feng Tianzong.

Wen Heyi reached out and grabbed his belt, yanking him back. “Do you want to fall?”

Huo Fenghua gave a dry laugh and pointed to a straight-backed figure below, dressed in purple-gold armor with a dark cloak. “Is that Feng Tianzong?”

Wen Heyi looked at him like he was crazy. “Isn’t he your husband? You’re asking me?”

Huo Fenghua said, “I’m Huo Fengnian. What husband do I have?” Even as he spoke, he kept trying to peer at the man. There was mist in the mountains, and the distance was too great, so he still couldn’t make out Feng Tianzong’s face.

Even though Feng Tianzong had fallen into an ambush, his fifty personal guards were all elite. Under his lead, they counterattacked with all their strength. On top of that, the ravine entrance was long and narrow. Xichou’s two thousand ambushers were gathered outside the mouth of the ravine and couldn’t form a true encirclement. For a time, they actually couldn’t force Feng Tianzong’s group back. The fight stalemated at the ravine mouth. In the chaos of battle, the soldiers lying in wait on the summit didn’t dare shoot arrows either, afraid of hitting their own men.

Tao Yifei stood beside Shao Feijie and asked, “Marshal Shao, what do we do?”

Shao Feijie’s eyes were sharp, locked on the battlefield. “Don’t worry. No matter how fierce Feng Tianzong is, he only has fifty men. We’ll fight a war of attrition. Even if he refuses to back into the ravine, sooner or later he’ll be worn down to the last man.”

But they’d still underestimated just how ferocious Feng Tianzong was. With only a single long whip, he’d already slaughtered countless enemies at the foot of Luofeng Ridge, and he showed no sign of fatigue at all. He also knew that if he fell into a tight encirclement, being attacked from front and back would be even worse. So he held the ravine entrance tightly, neither advancing nor retreating, focused only on killing.

Shao Feijie’s expression grew heavy. Suddenly he called softly, “Heyi?”

Wen Heyi turned his head and said, “Feng Tianzong may have reinforcements.” Otherwise, why would he keep holding out when he knew it was ultimately a dead end?

That was exactly what Shao Feijie feared.

Huo Fenghua had never seen such a bloody scene. He sat down by the cliff, gripping a vine with one hand as he looked down. His feelings were complicated. It was as if he both wanted Feng Tianzong to die here and wanted to see him escape. Yet whether Feng Tianzong lived or died, with Su Zeyang’s temperament, he probably wouldn’t be willing to come back for him. Thinking of that made Huo Fenghua feel even more dejected.

Just as the battle reached a deadlock, a wave of agitated cries rose from outside the ravine. Huo Fenghua immediately leaned out to look. On the battlefield below, a figure in white had appeared.

The man in white held a long sword. Stepping on the heads and shoulders of Xichou soldiers, he drifted in from outside the ravine, charging straight into the very center of the battlefield. With a light leap, he landed before Feng Tianzong’s horse. Sword light flashed, and he killed a Xichou soldier in a single strike.

Huo Fenghua clearly heard Feng Tianzong cry out, “Zeyang!”

Su Zeyang’s white robes fluttered. His sword was so fast it was almost formless. In the blink of an eye, he’d already killed two or three men. Only then did he lift his head to glance at Feng Tianzong and give a slight nod.

Huo Fenghua stood up at once. He’d seen it clearly. Even though Su Zeyang moved quickly, his left leg still couldn’t put in full strength. He definitely wasn’t fully healed. The words “Watch your leg” almost burst out, but he forced himself to swallow them.

Su Zeyang’s sudden appearance caused a slight shift in the battle. Feng Tianzong and his personal guards seemed to regain momentum at once, letting out deep shouts as they vowed to break out of the encirclement.

Shao Feijie’s face grew even grimmer. Suddenly he said, “Drop the rocks!”

Tao Yifei froze. “But that could injure our own soldiers.”

Shao Feijie didn’t speak. He only looked toward Wen Heyi.

Wen Heyi nodded.

Shao Feijie made his decision. He grabbed the command flag from a personal guard at his side and swung it. “Drop the rocks!”

“No!” Huo Fenghua immediately tried to stop them. “You can’t drop the rocks!” What kind of joke was this? It would crush Su Zeyang!

Wen Heyi raised an arm to block him. “It’s none of your business. Just watch.”

As he spoke, Huo Fenghua saw three or four soldiers work together, using wooden poles to pry at the two massive boulders on the summit. The stones soon began to wobble, tilting toward the ravine.

Huo Fenghua lunged to the cliff edge and shouted down, “Su Zeyang, watch out for the rocks!”

Su Zeyang had just killed an enemy commander and landed lightly back on horseback. Hearing the shout, he looked up toward the summit and saw Huo Fenghua standing at the cliff, waving his arms at him.

Seeing that Su Zeyang still didn’t retreat, Huo Fenghua panicked. He rushed over and shoved aside a soldier who was pushing the boulder, trying to stop them. But the boulder was already moving. It swayed at the cliff edge, then began to roll down.

He tried, overestimating himself, to push the boulder back inward. But the rock was far too heavy. Not only did his shove fail to steady it, the huge force knocked him off balance, and he tumbled toward the cliff below.

“Your Highness!” No one had expected him to be so reckless. Wen Heyi immediately shot forward, grabbing a vine hanging from the cliff with one hand, trying to save him.

At the same time, as the boulder rolled down, soldiers on both sides of the fight fell back in alarm.

Only Feng Tianzong suddenly sprang up from his horse. He actually climbed toward the falling boulder. His limbs were powerful and agile. His fingers hooked into cracks in the cliff face, using them to propel himself upward. In an instant he slipped past the rolling rock and reached toward the falling Huo Fenghua.

But Wen Heyi was one step faster. He wrapped an arm around Huo Fenghua’s waist and, gripping the vine tightly, was about to pull him back up when a white figure flashed before him. A silver sword, trailing sword light, slashed toward his arm. Wen Heyi had no choice but to let go, watching as Huo Fenghua fell into Feng Tianzong’s hands.

Wen Heyi hung from the vine at the cliffside, facing Su Zeyang with a cold laugh. “Martial nephew. Long time no see.”

Su Zeyang clung to a jutting rock with one hand. Seeing that Feng Tianzong had already caught Huo Fenghua, he released his grip and dropped back down, calling calmly, “Martial Uncle.”

The distance between them abruptly widened.

Wen Heyi kicked off and sprang back to the summit. The moment he landed, he heard Shao Feijie roar angrily, “Are you out of your mind?”

Wen Heyi turned to look at him.

Shao Feijie’s anger hadn’t faded, but he still forced himself to steady it. “I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about Huo Feng—nian. What exactly is he doing?”

Wen Heyi shook his head. “His heart is no longer with Xichou.”

The falling boulders kicked up a massive cloud of dust. The entire Luofeng Ridge seemed to tremble. Some soldiers who couldn’t get away in time were buried beneath the stones. And Feng Tianzong and his personal guards, now fewer than twenty, were finally trapped inside the ravine, the exit sealed shut.

Now Shao Feijie could order arrows fired and slaughter them all in the deep valley of Luofeng Ridge. But Feng Tianzong held one man in his grasp: Huo Fenghua.

Feng Tianzong carried Huo Fenghua back onto the horse. His long whip coiled around Huo Fenghua’s neck. With a single hard pull, he could take his head clean off. He raised his head and looked up at Shao Feijie. “If you don’t withdraw, I’ll kill Huo Fengnian. We’ll die together.”

Shao Feijie’s eyes went wide. For a long time, he couldn’t say a word.

Pressed close against Feng Tianzong’s chest, Huo Fenghua looked up but still couldn’t see his full face, only the sharp lines of his jaw. Hearing that low, heavy voice, he murmured quietly, “I’m not Huo Fengnian.”

Besides Feng Tianzong, probably only Su Zeyang, standing at the horse’s side, heard that.

Su Zeyang lifted his eyes and looked at Huo Fenghua.

Feng Tianzong’s pupils tightened slightly, but his expression never changed. His whip suddenly cinched tighter. Huo Fenghua’s breathing instantly became difficult. In pain, he raised a hand to claw at the whip around his throat.

Feng Tianzong smiled faintly and asked, “Well?”

Shao Feijie’s face went pale.

Wen Heyi suddenly said softly, “Withdraw.”

Shao Feijie drew a deep breath and said to the guards behind him, “Withdraw.”

The guards raised their command flags and sounded the retreat horn. The Xichou soldiers blocking the ravine began to pull back.

Shao Feijie shouted at Feng Tianzong, “Let him go!”

Feng Tianzong replied loudly, “Once we’re out, we’ll naturally release him. Marshal Shao needn’t worry. Have your ambush withdraw as well.”

Shao Feijie’s voice was icy. “All of you, withdraw.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 13

Huo Fenghua traveled for two days straight and finally reached Licheng, a large frontier city on the edge of Xichou. Licheng had only recently been through the flames of war. Now Donglin troops were stationed inside and getting in and out required strict inspection. The city’s livelihood was bleak and withered. Every household kept its doors shut.

The moment he entered the city, he felt a twinge of regret. But when he glanced back at the soldiers guarding the gate, he didn’t dare leave right away for fear of drawing suspicion. He could only steel himself and keep walking deeper in.

He’d left Yujing in a hurry and hadn’t brought much silver with him. After wandering outside for so long, he had even less left. Before this, he’d been hoping that once he got to Licheng, he could find a gambling den and win some money back. Now, even if Licheng had gambling houses, they probably wouldn’t dare open.

Thinking of that, Huo Fenghua let out a heavy sigh, feeling he really should’ve just gone straight to Donglin, then headed east all the way to the wealthy coastal towns.

It wasn’t too late to regret it. He planned to find somewhere to stay in the city for one night, then leave first thing tomorrow. It was just that seeing soldiers moving around everywhere made him feel uneasy, and he couldn’t help slipping into secluded little alleys.

He had just ducked under an eave when something suddenly struck him on the head. Startled, he looked up and saw a man standing on a second-floor balcony across the street. The man looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wearing a light blue long robe. He was handsome and refined, and he smiled at Huo Fenghua. “Young man, come up and have a cup of wine.”

Huo Fenghua said, puzzled, “Did you throw something at me?”

The man nodded. He pinched a peanut between his fingers and tossed it toward Huo Fenghua again, saying, “I’ve got wine and some snacks. Want to come up and drink a couple cups?”

Huo Fenghua was suspicious. He didn’t know why this man would invite him for no reason. But he didn’t have much money himself, and he was thinking about the road ahead, so he didn’t dare eat or drink too lavishly. Since someone was offering to treat him, he might as well go take a look first.

So he cupped his hands toward the man. “Sure. Many thanks, brother. I’ll come up right now.”

Across the street was a small wine shop, not very big and tucked away in a secluded spot. Huo Fenghua entered the main hall and saw it was chilly and empty, with hardly any guests. Only after he went upstairs to the second floor did he see two or three tables where people ate in silence. The man who’d invited him sat alone on the balcony. In front of him, a table held three or four dishes and a jar of wine.

Huo Fenghua walked over and cupped his hands again. “Brother, you’re so generous. May I ask your honored name?”

The man picked up the wine jar and poured himself a cup. He didn’t answer. Instead he asked, “You’re from Donglin, aren’t you?”

Huo Fenghua hesitated briefly. “Yes.”

The man smiled. “I’m from Donglin too. It’s rare to meet a fellow countryman in a foreign land. Tell me, shouldn’t I treat you to a cup of wine?” As he spoke, he invited Huo Fenghua to sit across from him, and he filled Huo Fenghua’s cup to the brim as well.

Huo Fenghua said, “Yes, yes!” but he didn’t actually want to drink. He only picked up his chopsticks and ate two slices of beef first. When he saw the man didn’t react, he said, “My name is Su Fenghua. How should I address you, brother?”

“You’re Su Fenghua?” The man lifted his eyes to him, smiling faintly. “My name is Wen Heyi. I’m a bit older than you. You can call me Brother Wen.”

Huo Fenghua hadn’t even swallowed the beef and almost choked. He picked up his cup and took a sip of wine, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “You’re Wen Heyi?”

Wen Heyi’s gaze held a trace of doubt. “You know me?”

But Huo Fenghua was thinking, ‘How could it be this coincidental?’ Back then, when Gu Guangji passed the position of sect leader to him, the only thing he’d told him to do was to find the missing martial uncle, Wen Heyi. At the time, Huo Fenghua had thought the world was vast and the sea of people endless. How could he possibly find him? He hadn’t taken it to heart.

And yet now, after circling around and around, in Xichou a stranger invited him for wine, and that stranger turned out to be Wen Heyi.

He lowered his voice and leaned in a little. “Are you Wen Heyi of the Xianyuan Sect? Do you have a Senior Brother named Gu Guangji?”

The confusion in Wen Heyi’s eyes deepened. “You know who I am, and you know my Senior Brother too?”

Huo Fenghua cupped his hands toward him. “This isn’t a convenient place for proper rites. Disciple Su Fenghua pays respects to Martial Uncle Wen.” In truth, he just didn’t want to kneel to Wen Heyi.

Wen Heyi raised his head and narrowed his eyes slightly as he sized Huo Fenghua up. “You’re Gu Guangji’s disciple? Gu Guangji only has one disciple. I remember the name was Su Zeyang.”

Huo Fenghua said, “I’m his final disciple. And after taking me as his disciple, Master also passed the sect leader position to me.” With that, he pulled out the sect leader token Gu Guangji had given him and set it on the table.

Wen Heyi reached out, picked up the token, and examined it carefully. After a moment, he placed it back on the table. “It really is the sect leader token. You’re truly my martial nephew? The sect leader of our sect?”

Huo Fenghua was a little excited now. If he’d found his martial uncle, things would be easier. He could borrow some silver from him. If he got even luckier, and Wen Heyi was willing to follow orders from him as sect leader, that would be even better.

He said, “Of course. Before Master went traveling, his final instruction to me was to find Martial Uncle and bring you back to the sect. I just didn’t expect Martial Uncle to look so young.” He’d always assumed Wen Heyi had to be at least forty or fifty. He hadn’t expected him to still look like a young man.

Wen Heyi nodded. “So that’s how it is. But when did you change your surname to Su?”

“What?” Huo Fenghua was still feeling puzzled when he suddenly heard the sound of several people climbing the stairs. He turned his head and saw the leading man dressed in gray-white coarse cloth, made up like a farmer, but it was unmistakably Tao Yifei, the one who’d brought him all the way to Xichou.

Damn it! Huo Fenghua cursed inwardly. Before he could think, he suddenly dove under the table, hiding by Wen Heyi’s legs.

“What’s wrong?” Wen Heyi lowered his head and asked.

Huo Fenghua tugged Wen Heyi’s robe hem up in front of his face, keeping his voice low. “Martial Uncle, these people want to catch me. Help me. Don’t let them take me away.”

“Why do they want to catch you?” Wen Heyi asked.

Huo Fenghua didn’t dare answer, because Tao Yifei and his group had already reached their table. He could only think bitterly how enemies always met on narrow roads*. He’d run in a huge circle to get here, and yet he still ran into them.

*(冤家路窄) Idiom referring to encountering people you don’t want to meet (like enemies). 

This time, it looked like he couldn’t escape. He could only rely on Wen Heyi. Wen Heyi was Su Zeyang’s martial uncle, after all. Maybe his martial arts were even stronger, and he could get Huo Fenghua out of here safely.

Huo Fenghua pinned all his hopes on Wen Heyi saving him. But Wen Heyi suddenly reached down, grabbed the back of his clothes, and tried to pull him up. Huo Fenghua clung tightly to Wen Heyi’s leg, and Wen Heyi couldn’t yank him out in one go.

Wen Heyi couldn’t help letting out a snort of laughter. “Enough. Cowering like that, what do you look like? You’re at least the dignified Xichou imperial prince.”

“What?” Huo Fenghua stared up at him, stunned.

This time Wen Heyi yanked Huo Fenghua up and tossed him to the men already gathered around the table. Tao Yifei immediately seized his wrist, his voice full of resentful anger. “Your Highness, you made us search so hard.”

Huo Fenghua’s eyes widened as he glared at Wen Heyi. “Martial Uncle?”

Wen Heyi rose from the table, smoothing the wrinkles in his robe with an easy, unhurried air.

Huo Fenghua still couldn’t believe it. “Martial Uncle, aren’t you from Donglin? How did you become Xichou’s lapdog?”

Wen Heyi didn’t get angry. He only said to Tao Yifei, “Commander Tao, have him shut his mouth first. Otherwise I’m afraid we won’t be able to leave Licheng.”

Tao Yifei said, “Yes, Mr. Wen.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone pressed a wet cloth over Huo Fenghua’s mouth and nose. He didn’t know what kind of drug was on it, but in an instant it made him lose consciousness. He went limp and collapsed into Tao Yifei’s arms.

When Huo Fenghua woke again, it was on horseback, jolted awake by the bouncing. When Tao Yifei had brought him from Donglin’s Yujing to Xichou, he’d still shown respect for his status as a prince and treated him with courtesy along the way. But now, under Wen Heyi, there was no mercy at all. They’d tied him crosswise over the horse’s back, belly pressed into the saddle, head and feet hanging down. After a few jolts he felt like death would be kinder, and he yelled, “Let me go! The blood’s rushing to my head, I’m going to die!”

Someone rode alongside him and asked in a low voice, “Second Prince, are you all right?”

Huo Fenghua struggled to lift his head and saw it was Jia Duo. He hurriedly said, “Untie me! I’m going to throw up.”

“Jia Duo!” Wen Heyi suddenly barked. “I’ve said it already. From now on he’s no longer Huo Fenghua, but Huo Fengnian. Did you forget?”

Jia Duo immediately answered, “Yes, Mister Wen. This subordinate was careless.”

Huo Fenghua was still dazed when Wen Heyi slowed his horse and rode up beside him. “If you stop yelling, I’ll let you go.”

Huo Fenghua hurriedly said, “I won’t yell anymore. Let me go first.”

Wen Heyi leaned over, grabbed Huo Fenghua at the small of his back, and with a jolt shattered the ropes binding him. He hauled him up and set him onto the horse properly.

The moment Wen Heyi let go, Huo Fenghua hugged the horse’s neck in panic. “I can’t ride!”

Wen Heyi’s tone stayed calm. “Clamp your legs to the horse’s belly and hold the reins tight. If you fall, that’s your own problem.”

Huo Fenghua had no choice but to grab the reins at once and clamp his legs tightly to the horse. He tugged the reins a little and felt the horse’s speed slow somewhat, and only then did he ease up.

“Eldest Prince,” Wen Heyi called to him from the side.

Huo Fenghua didn’t dare get distracted, but he still asked, bewildered, “What did you call me?”

Wen Heyi said, “I told you. Starting now, you’re no longer Huo Fenghua. You are Xichou’s crown prince, Huo Fengnian.”

Huo Fenghua lifted his head. They were in wild hills and forests. Their group, nearly ten men, rode hard as if they were already far from Licheng. He vaguely understood what Wen Heyi meant, but he didn’t dare be sure. “Why?”

Wen Heyi laughed once. “No reason. What I say goes.”

“Wen Heyi!” Huo Fenghua said furiously. “Have you forgotten I’m the sect leader of the Xianyuan Sect?”

“You aren’t anymore,” Wen Heyi said lazily. He drew the sect leader token from his chest. “This token is mine now. I’m the sect leader. And you are Xichou’s eldest prince, Huo Fengnian. Remember that.”

Huo Fenghua was furious, but he forced himself to calm down. He hadn’t expected Wen Heyi to be even more shameless than he was. For the moment, he couldn’t think of any way to escape their hands.

So he asked evenly, “Why do I have to be Huo Fengnian?”

Wen Heyi glanced at him with disdain. “Because Huo Fenghua is Feng Tianzong’s male concubine. How can a male concubine become a country’s ruler?”

Huo Fenghua said, “Plenty of Xichou people have seen Huo Fengnian. You think I can pretend to be him forever?”

Wen Heyi suddenly reined in his horse and looked at Huo Fenghua with suspicion. “Are you really Huo Fenghua?”

Huo Fenghua quickly said, “I’m not. I told you, my name is Su Fenghua.”

Wen Heyi snorted. “If you were Huo Fenghua, you wouldn’t be ignorant that you and your elder brother Huo Fengnian are twins. From face to build, there isn’t a single place you don’t resemble him.”

Huo Fenghua froze. From the moment he’d come here until now, this was the first time anyone had told him that the two Xichou princes were twins. How would he have known?

While he was still stunned, Wen Heyi suddenly flicked his whip at the horse’s rump under him. The horse immediately broke into a sprint. Huo Fenghua had to grip the reins tightly so he wouldn’t be thrown off.

Wen Heyi said, “Stop wasting time. Marshal Shao is still waiting for us.”

They hurried on for another seven or eight days. Huo Fenghua’s inner thighs were rubbed raw and bleeding, and he was shaken so badly that even in his dreams he was still riding. He deeply regretted abandoning Su Zeyang and running off. Miserably, he wondered if this was his punishment for bullying and betraying Su Zeyang.

And it seemed that to avoid Donglin troops, they took nothing but rugged mountain paths the entire way. Sometimes the weeds on a hillside were so thick they nearly covered the horses’ bellies. It could hardly even be called a road, but they still forced their way through.

That day, when they passed a dilapidated post station, a man in black came out and handed Wen Heyi a sealed letter.

Wen Heyi opened it and swept his eyes over it once, then smiled.

Tao Yifei asked, “Mister Wen, are we heading back to Tiantou Stronghold now?”

Wen Heyi said, “We’re not going back to Tiantou. We’re going straight to Luofeng Ridge. Feng Tianzong has fallen into Marshal Shao’s trap. He’s already headed to Luofeng Ridge with fifty personal guards. We’ll hit him from both sides and make sure he doesn’t leave alive.”

At once the group’s morale surged, and they raised their hands and shouted, “Yes!”

Only Huo Fenghua sat there gaping, silently repeating that familiar name in his mind: Feng Tianzong.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 12

After two more days of recuperation, apart from the injury in his shoulder, Huo Fenghua had basically recovered. Su Zeyang was also fine overall, but a fractured bone still needed rest, so he couldn’t easily get out of bed.

Huo Fenghua grew increasingly restless. Once Su Zeyang recovered, he truly wouldn’t be able to get away. Even with Su Zeyang missing the use of one leg, if Su Zeyang wanted to keep him in place, Huo Fenghua might not have any chance to escape.

That evening, after dinner, Huo Fenghua carried the basket out and saw the host’s daughter in the courtyard, boiling Su Zeyang’s medicinal brew. He walked over and chatted with the girl.

A mountain girl like her had never seen such a handsome young man. After a few sentences, she got shy and fell silent, only fanning the stove with a palm-leaf fan.

Just then, her mother called to her from inside. The girl sat up straight and turned her head to look. Huo Fenghua casually took the fan from her hand and smiled.

“I’ll do it. Go see what your mother needs.”

The girl glanced at him and ran inside.

Huo Fenghua fanned the stove twice, lifted his head and checked that there was no one else in the yard, then poured the packet of powder he’d stolen from the innkeeper at the black shop into the clay pot of medicine.

He took the spoon beside it and stirred the powder in, thinking to himself, ‘Senior Brother, don’t blame me. We’ll part ways here. Once you’re well, you can go back and be a perfect pair with the General, and I’ll find a place to live my own quiet life, marry, have children. We’ll never see each other again.’

When he saw the powder dissolve into the medicine without color or smell, he set the spoon aside, sat down on the low stool, and fanned the fire attentively.

That night, Huo Fenghua watched with his own eyes as Su Zeyang bent forward and drank the entire bowl. Huo Fenghua took the bowl out and set it on the windowsill. Returning, he closed the door, climbed into bed, and lay flat, saying “Let’s sleep.”

Su Zeyang slowly lay down as well.

Huo Fenghua reached out and tucked the blanket over him. “Senior Brother, you’ve been lying down all day. If the weather’s good tomorrow, how about I carry you out to see the scenery?”

Su Zeyang sounded a little tired as he said softly, “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“I saw the moon earlier,” Huo Fenghua said. “It’ll probably be clear tomorrow.”

This time Su Zeyang didn’t answer.

Huo Fenghua lay silently for a while, then rolled over to face Su Zeyang. By the moonlight slipping in through the window, he saw Su Zeyang’s eyes were closed and his breathing was calm, as if he’d fallen asleep.

He called softly, “Senior Brother.”

There was no response.

Afraid Su Zeyang was only ignoring him, Huo Fenghua reached over and took Su Zeyang’s hand.

“Senior Brother, are you asleep? If you’re not asleep, let me kiss you.”

Still no response.

Huo Fenghua thought that knockout powder from that shady inn really worked. Su Zeyang hadn’t been asleep long, yet he was already out cold. Even so, Huo Fenghua didn’t dare be careless. He was afraid Su Zeyang had only just fallen asleep and might wake easily, so he lay there a while longer. When Su Zeyang still didn’t move, Huo Fenghua quietly sat up, planning to get dressed and leave.

Just as Huo Fenghua reached out to pick up the robe draped over the side of the bed, he suddenly heard Su Zeyang let out a soft groan. He was instantly startled and froze, remaining motionless in his sitting position on the bed. After a while, Su Zeyang seemed to stir, letting out a faint groan.

This time, Huo Fenghua felt something was wrong. He turned to look at Su Zeyang and saw that his eyes were tightly closed, but his brows were slightly furrowed, and his breathing was rapid.  He reached out and touched him, finding his palms wet and hot, and his forehead covered in sweat.

“Senior Brother?” Huo Fenghua became a little nervous and leaned closer to him, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Su Zeyang had been fine until that evening, but now he was suddenly acting strangely. Huo Fenghua was anxious and regretful, and he couldn’t leave, only thinking about how he had given Su Zeyang that unknown substance.

Su Zeyang’s lips were slightly parted, and he was breathing heavily. Huo Fenghua felt that his neck was covered in sweat, so he quickly reached out and loosened his inner garment collar, then pulled back the blanket covering him.

Upon doing so, Huo Fenghua was stunned. Su Zeyang’s clothes were thin, and the outline of his white underpants was clearly visible.  Combined with his sweating and heavy breathing, Huo Fenghua immediately understood that the packet of medicine was not just ordinary sleeping powder; it was probably an aphrodisiac.

Su Zeyang was unconscious but not completely knocked out. He seemed to want to move his body, his legs restlessly curling up.

Huo Fenghua was afraid he would injure his broken left leg, so he quickly reached out and held his legs down, saying, “Senior Brother, don’t move.” But after that, he didn’t know what to do. If he left Su Zeyang alone, he didn’t know if the medicine would harm him.

After much internal struggle, Huo Fenghua heard Su Zeyang’s breathing becoming more rapid and distressed. Finally, he sighed, gently pulled down Su Zeyang’s trousers a little, and reached out to grasp his erection. Huo Fenghua had never carefully examined another man’s genitals before, but now, holding Su Zeyang’s, he didn’t feel any revulsion. He only thought that Su Zeyang was handsome, and that his cock wasn’t bad either; it was light in color, straight, and quite large.

He sighed. Since things had gone this far, he simply reached out and unbuttoned Su Zeyang’s shirt, exposing his body completely to his view.

Su Zeyang’s skin was fair and supple, his waist slender, and his abdomen flat. There wasn’t an ounce of excess fat on his entire body; his thin muscles were evenly distributed.  Anyone, male or female, would find this body attractive, and Huo Fenghua was no exception.  Using the moonlight from the window, he stared intently at Su Zeyang, seeing his nipples erect and cherry-red. He couldn’t help but swallow, changing his position to kneel over Su Zeyang, caressing his swollen lower body while simultaneously sucking on one of his nipples.

Su Zeyang let out a low moan. “Mm—” The sound was trembling and full of desire.

This moan made Huo Fenghua slightly shiver as well, feeling his pants suddenly tighten. He, a man, was getting aroused by another man in bed.

When Huo Fenghua released Su Zeyang’s nipple, a silver thread of saliva stretched from his lips. He thought that if anyone was to blame, it was probably this body; perhaps it had always been attracted to men, truly shameless.  

Yet, he raised his left hand to loosen his own clothes. His left shoulder wound hadn’t healed, and his fingers trembled, making it difficult to move. It took him some time to loosen his clothes and pull down his pants. He remained in the same position, legs spread apart, lying on top of Su Zeyang, and lowered his head to kiss his lips.

Tonight was different from that night. Su Zeyang easily opened his mouth, his soft, wet tongue intertwining with his. Two equally fair-skinned bodies were pressed tightly together. Huo Fenghua felt his nipples harden, and the friction against Su Zeyang’s chest made him feel both tingly and itchy, causing him to gasp for breath and his body to tremble slightly. His lower body was also pressed against Su Zeyang’s. 

Unable to use his left hand, he supported himself with his right, mimicking a thrusting motion, rubbing haphazardly against Su Zeyang’s groin.

Both men became increasingly aroused. Huo Fenghua felt an insatiable desire. He looked up at Su Zeyang, whose eyes were flushed, his expression dazed. He leaned close to Su Zeyang’s ear and whispered, “Since you like it, Senior Brother, why don’t we take it a little further?”

After saying this, Huo Fenghua felt somewhat shameless, his cheeks burning intensely, whether from arousal or embarrassment. He helped Su Zeyang lie on his side, spreading his legs and straddling Su Zeyang’s right leg.  He carefully lifted Su Zeyang’s left leg, resting it on his uninjured right shoulder, and reached down to explore between Su Zeyang’s ass.

At this moment, Huo Fenghua noticed a phoenix-shaped brand on Su Zeyang’s left waist while his fingers touched Su Zeyang’s opening. He quickly withdrew his hand, instead of gripping his own erection, and attempted to penetrate Su Zeyang.

He had never done this with a man before and only realized how narrow the opening was when he tried to enter. When he used too much force, Su Zeyang would frown and moan softly, clearly in pain.

Huo Fenghua’s lower body ached with frustration, unwilling to give up. He hugged Su Zeyang again, kissing and caressing him, making him wet and soft all over. Then he spat some saliva to use as lubrication, gritted his teeth, and forced himself inside. Su Zeyang’s body was hot and wet, his cavity tightly gripping Huo Fenghua’s cock. He almost came immediately but quickly stopped to regain his composure before holding Su Zeyang’s legs again and beginning to thrust.

At first, Su Zeyang probably felt uncomfortable. Huo Fenghua waited until the movements became smooth, then changed angles, thrusting until he saw Su Zeyang’s brows relax slightly and his moans become a little more intense. Only then did he speed up and thrust vigorously, shaking the bed until it creaked and groaned.

After countless rounds, Huo Fenghua couldn’t hold back any longer. His whole body tensed, and he came inside Su Zeyang with a shiver. His vision blurred, and he almost collapsed onto Su Zeyang. 

However, at the crucial moment, he still considered Su Zeyang’s leg injury, carefully withdrawing himself and gently lowering Su Zeyang’s legs before rolling over onto his back on the bed, breathing heavily.

After a while, he heard Su Zeyang still moaning. Turning to look, he noticed that Su Zeyang’s cock was still hard and swollen. His face flushed, and he whispered, “This junior brother has been injured repeatedly these past few days, so his stamina is really insufficient.” 

He rolled over, reaching out to caress Su Zeyang’s penis, still feeling dissatisfied, and added, “I haven’t done this in a long time, unlike you and the General who indulge in debauchery every night.”

After saying this, Huo Fenghua felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, and he quickened his movements until Su Zeyang climaxed in his hand. He smeared the viscous fluid onto Su Zeyang’s flat abdomen and said, “If the General ever leaves you, or if you stop loving him, come find me. I—” He stopped halfway, feeling that it wasn’t right. 

He couldn’t just wait forever for the day Su Zeyang would come to him. He could only sigh deeply, embrace Su Zeyang’s face, and kiss him tenderly. When he let go, he saw that Su Zeyang’s expression was calm and his breathing steady, knowing that the effects of the medicine had probably worn off. He then rolled over and got out of bed. When he reached the bedside, Huo Fenghua’s legs went weak and he almost fell, quickly grabbing onto the back of a nearby chair for support. He thought to himself, “Dying for a beauty is a worthy death*,” but unfortunately, he didn’t want to die yet, so he had to run away.

*To die under the peony, (even as a ghost, is still romantic). It’s an expression in the past used to convey dying for love without regret, though recent reference to it is more of a vulgar connotation; aka even if it kills me, it’s worth it (referring to pleasure/sex).

He straightened his inner garments, wrapped himself in his outer robe and put on his cloth boots. He gathered his belongings and tucked them into his chest, gritted his teeth, and without looking back at Su Zeyang, quietly opened the door and slipped out.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 11

Huo Fenghua woke up from the pain in his shoulder.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that dawn was just starting to break. They were on a rocky shore overgrown with weeds. Farther off he could faintly hear the sound of water, maybe from behind the low ridge ahead.

He also realized he was leaning in Su Zeyang’s arms. Part of his clothes had been torn open, exposing the arrow wound in his shoulder.

“You’re awake?” Su Zeyang asked.

Huo Fenghua nodded, braced himself, and sat up facing him.

Su Zeyang was sitting on the ground too, sword in hand. “I’m going to pull the arrow out for you. Bear with it.”

Huo Fenghua went pale. “Pull it out? How am I supposed to bear that?”

Su Zeyang grabbed his sleeve, cut off a strip with his sword, folded it a few times, and motioned to him. “Come here.”

Huo Fenghua understood what he meant. Thinking about the pain of having the arrow yanked out of his body, he couldn’t help trembling. Cold sweat poured down his face. He’d lost a lot of blood too, and he was already weak to the point of collapse. With a pale face he took a few deep breaths. After making up his mind, he copied the position from before, leaning back and half reclining into Su Zeyang’s arms, then said, “Do it.”

Su Zeyang stuffed the cloth into his mouth for him to bite down on, then lifted a hand and gripped the fletched shaft at his shoulder.

Huo Fenghua clenched the cloth between his teeth and shut his eyes tight.

Su Zeyang suddenly exerted force. With one swift motion he yanked the arrow out. Blood surged from the wound at once. Su Zeyang poured on the hemostatic powder he carried and tightly wrapped the wound with strips torn from a clean undershirt.

Huo Fenghua’s face was white as snow, drenched in sweat. It felt like he’d died once already. Slumped in Su Zeyang’s arms, he didn’t move except to gasp for air. Even the cloth in his mouth was taken out by Su Zeyang reaching over to remove it.

Across two lifetimes, he’d never felt pain like that. It hurt so badly he nearly blacked out.

At this moment, Su Zeyang said, “Go.”

Huo Fenghua froze. He didn’t even have the strength to lift his head to look at him. After panting for a long while, he finally asked, “Go where?”

“Anywhere,” Su Zeyang said. “If you don’t want to go back to the capital, find someplace to hide.”

Something felt off. Huo Fenghua struggled upright, forcing himself to endure the stabbing pain in his shoulder. He turned to look at Su Zeyang and saw that Su Zeyang’s face was also an unnatural pale, yet he calmly wiped down his sword with a soft cloth. Huo Fenghua couldn’t help asking, “You’re not coming with me?”

Su Zeyang lifted his eyes to him. “When I fell, my left leg slammed into a piece of broken stone. It’s fractured.”

Huo Fenghua looked down in surprise. Su Zeyang’s left leg was indeed lying limp on the rocky shore. No wonder he’d stayed seated while pulling out the arrow instead of standing.

“What do we do?” Huo Fenghua asked.

Su Zeyang looked up at the cliff they’d fallen from. “The Xichou soldiers will come looking for you. You go first.”

Huo Fenghua said, “And you? If I run, do you think they’ll let you off?”

Su Zeyang’s expression stayed flat. “Life and death are fate.”

“Cut it out. Your General Feng is still waiting for you to get back so you can be together again,” Huo Fenghua said, and even he thought the words sounded sour coming from his mouth.

Su Zeyang didn’t respond. He only lowered his head to look at his sword, as if he truly didn’t care about his own life.

Huo Fenghua sighed. Using his uninjured right hand, he pushed himself up. Darkness swam in front of his eyes. He steadied himself through the dizziness, squatted down in front of Su Zeyang, and said, “Come on, Senior Brother. We’ll go together.”

Su Zeyang stared at his back as if dazed. “If you carry me, we’ll just die together.”

“When we fell from up there, I thought we were going to die together anyway,” Huo Fenghua said.

Su Zeyang didn’t respond.

Huo Fenghua urged him, “Hurry. I’m riding on one burst of momentum right now. If I wait, I won’t even have the strength to stand up.”

Only then did Su Zeyang brace himself with his hands, rise with support from his right leg, and climb onto Huo Fenghua’s back. The instant Su Zeyang’s weight settled, Huo Fenghua’s whole body shook. Su Zeyang almost thought he would collapse, but Huo Fenghua gritted his teeth and forced himself to hold.

Huo Fenghua breathed hard and used his right hand to hook under Su Zeyang’s leg. “Which way?”

Su Zeyang raised a hand and pointed toward the direction of the water. “Find the river and follow it downstream. There should be people living there.”

Huo Fenghua nodded, clenched his teeth, and carried Su Zeyang around the back of the low ridge.

Daylight had fully arrived. The mountain air in the morning was fresh, and the temperature was low.

Huo Fenghua stumbled over the rocks, one foot deep and one foot shallow. His breathing was harsh and heavy, and as he walked he kept talking. “I know you don’t actually want to die with me. There’s only Feng Tianzong in your heart. If I really die, you’ll just toss me farther away. Out of sight, out of mind.”

Su Zeyang said, “Earlier you said you wanted me to bury you.”

Huo Fenghua gasped for breath. He felt the person on his back slide down a bit. He hauled him up with effort, paused to rest in place for a moment, then continued forward. “Your leg’s broken. What burying? Just throw me to the side.”

Su Zeyang didn’t answer.

Huo Fenghua kept going anyway. “Such a pretty pair of legs. Too bad you won’t be able to hook them over Feng Tianzong’s shoulders anymore.”

“That’s enough,” Su Zeyang said coldly. “If you’ve got strength to talk nonsense, save it for walking.”

“I can’t,” Huo Fenghua said. “If I don’t talk, I’ll feel like I can’t hold on. Even nonsense is fine. I’ll just talk. If you don’t like listening, then don’t.”

Hearing that, Su Zeyang reached out and touched Huo Fenghua’s forehead. It was slick with cold sweat. When he pulled his hand back, it was drenched.

Huo Fenghua kept muttering as he walked. After nearly half an hour, they rounded the ridge and saw a small mountain river. The water rushed happily, crashing into the rocks along the bank and splashing up countless white sprays.

Huo Fenghua reached the river, set Su Zeyang down, and they drank some river water. After resting for a while, he hoisted Su Zeyang onto his back again and kept going.

This time they followed the river downstream. Huo Fenghua was still talking, but Su Zeyang could barely make out what he was saying. Later he heard a steady humming and realized Huo Fenghua was humming a tune.

The melody was strange. Su Zeyang couldn’t help asking, “What song is that?”

“‘Love For Sale’,” Huo Fenghua said.

Su Zeyang murmured, “Weird.”

Huo Fenghua’s enunciation cleared a little and he sang one line: “Selling my love, forcing me to leave, when I finally learn the truth, my tears fall…”

Su Zeyang gave a cold snort. The lyrics were too vulgar to be elegant, but tiredness washed over him and he leaned his head onto Huo Fenghua’s shoulder.

Huo Fenghua continued singing for a while, then stopped. He had no strength left. Carrying Su Zeyang, he’d already walked more than twenty li, and still they hadn’t seen any sign of civilization.

He didn’t dare stop. He was afraid that if he stopped, he’d never stand back up.

In the forested mountains there was only his heavy breathing and his unsteady footsteps.

Now and then, Su Zeyang would wipe the sweat from Huo Fenghua’s forehead so it wouldn’t run into his eyes, but he also didn’t dare tell him to stop. A nameless panic kept pressing down on him, terrified that Huo Fenghua would suddenly collapse and never wake again.

But Huo Fenghua made it through. After another li or so, he suddenly saw terraced fields and wooden houses. He tried to speak, only to realize his throat was hoarse and he could barely get a sound out.

Su Zeyang said by his ear, “It’s a small mountain village. I see people. You can stop and rest for a while.”

Huo Fenghua stopped. His chest heaved violently. He first tried to crouch and set Su Zeyang down at the roadside, but his legs couldn’t support him. He dropped to his knees, then pitched forward and lost consciousness.

Su Zeyang immediately slid off his back, gathered Huo Fenghua’s head into his arms, and called, “Huo Fenghua?” As he called, he rubbed at his chest, wiped away the cold sweat from his neck and chest, and listened. Only when he confirmed the heartbeat was steady and the breathing even did he relax slightly. He held Huo Fenghua close, lifted his head, and shouted to someone approaching, “Brother!”

Huo Fenghua and Su Zeyang were brought back by a village household. Su Zeyang gave them a few taels of silver and asked them to fetch a doctor and buy two sets of clean clothes for them to change into.

This place sat on the border between Xichou and Donglin. The villagers were all Xichou people. Because the mountains hemmed them in and the place was remote, the war hadn’t reached them, but outside the village toward the towns, the situation seemed much more severe.

Huo Fenghua had lost blood and overexerted himself until he was drained. He lay in bed for two or three days before he had the strength to get up. Su Zeyang’s spirits were better, but his leg bone was broken. Although the doctor had set it, it was healing slowly so he didn’t dare to move much.

Mountain folks were poor. The family barely managed to clear out a bed for them. For these days, the two of them could only sleep in the same bed.

When Huo Fenghua woke up, he rested his head on Su Zeyang’s shoulder and rubbed against him for a while. “Senior Brother, why did you change into clothes from outside and you still smell good?”

Su Zeyang ignored him, leaning against the bed and staring at his sword as if lost in thought.

Someone knocked at the door. It was the host’s daughter bringing food. Huo Fenghua rolled off the bed. When his feet hit the floor, his legs still felt weak and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

He steadied himself, went to open the door and took the basket, thanked the girl, then shut the door and returned to the bed. He said to Su Zeyang, “Senior Brother, I’ll feed you.”

Su Zeyang straightened. “My hands aren’t broken.”

Huo Fenghua immediately covered his left shoulder with his right hand. “Then you should be feeding me.”

Su Zeyang didn’t bother with him.

After they finished eating, Huo Fenghua took the basket out himself. Outside was a small courtyard. The household had five people: a husband and wife, a son and daughter, and an elderly father.

Huo Fenghua chatted with the old man, who was squatting on the ground smoking a water pipe. He asked where this was, which direction Donglin lay in, and how long it would take to return to Donglin.

The old man rambled on and told him a lot.

When Huo Fenghua returned to the room, Su Zeyang asked, “What, thinking of running?”

Huo Fenghua sat by the bed. “How could I? I’m waiting for your leg to heal so I can take you with me.”

Su Zeyang glanced at him and said nothing.

Huo Fenghua took Su Zeyang’s hand. Seeing that Su Zeyang didn’t struggle, he pressed that hand against his own chest. “I know too. If we go back, you’ll never be close to me again. It’s rare to get the chance to share a bed like this. I’m counting each day I get. How could I bear to leave?”

Su Zeyang’s beautiful eyes blinked lightly. The look he gave Huo Fenghua was no longer his usual cold indifference but rather complicated.

Huo Fenghua held Su Zeyang’s hand tight against his chest, but what he was really thinking was that once Su Zeyang’s leg healed, he truly wouldn’t be able to run anymore. He had to seize the chance while Su Zeyang wasn’t mobile and slip away first.

But where would he slip to? This was the border between Donglin and Xichou. He didn’t plan to become a wild man forever. He had to find a bigger town to live in. Xichou had just gone through war, and its territory had been seized by Donglin. Donglin would definitely send more troops and officials to fully take over. When that happened, every household might have to re-register. For him, that might be a chance to change his identity and stay.

So should he go back to Donglin again?

Both countries had people who wanted to capture him. Which side would be safer, comparatively?

That night, Huo Fenghua lay in bed thinking. In the end he made up his mind. No matter where he went, he had to shake off Su Zeyang first.

After settling on that, he suddenly felt he’d wronged Su Zeyang. Su Zeyang had come all the way out of Yujing to find him. To save him, he’d fallen off a cliff and broken his leg. Yet Huo Fenghua still wanted to sneak away.

Guilt gnawed at him. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He flipped over onto his stomach, propped his head with his right hand, and stared at Su Zeyang in a daze.

Su Zeyang’s brows, eyes, nose, and lips were all beautiful. Heaven knew how the gods had crafted such a beauty. Even just looking at him made a person itch with longing. It was a pity, though, that his heart already belonged to someone else.

Huo Fenghua thought, even if he didn’t care that Su Zeyang was a man, Su Zeyang would never like him. There was only Feng Tianzong in his heart. This time, Su Zeyang had chased after him across great distances. Even if he didn’t say it, Huo Fenghua understood. If his hostage identity, married into the General’s household, got dragged back by Xichou remnants to take the throne and restore the kingdom, the entire General’s residence would be implicated. Su Zeyang chasing him back was, in the end, still for Feng Tianzong.

Thinking that, Huo Fenghua let out a heavy sigh.

In the darkness, Su Zeyang opened his eyes. “Why aren’t you sleeping? What are you staring at me for?”

“You’re handsome,” Huo Fenghua said.

Su Zeyang looked back at him without a sound.

They stared at each other in silence for a long time, and neither seemed uncomfortable. Then Huo Fenghua said, “Senior Brother, we went through life and death together. You jumped off a cliff for me, and I nearly worked myself to death for you. Let me kiss you once as a keepsake, okay?”

Su Zeyang didn’t speak.

Huo Fenghua didn’t wait for an answer. He leaned in and kissed Su Zeyang on the lips.

At first, Huo Fenghua thought he’d be pushed away immediately, but he wasn’t. Su Zeyang didn’t close his eyes and didn’t open his mouth. Huo Fenghua could only press against his soft lips, use his tongue to push between his lips, lightly lick along his teeth, then, after playing enough, take Su Zeyang’s lower lip into his mouth and suck at it. He kept kissing until Su Zeyang’s lips were smeared with his saliva. Only then did Huo Fenghua lift his head, wipe Su Zeyang’s mouth with his hand, and smile. “Let’s sleep.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 10

Huo Fenghua hurriedly pulled his clothes closed, then chased after Su Zeyang toward the exit. The two corpses on the floor lay at awkward angles, and he almost tripped over the innkeeper’s body. A thought struck him. He reached out and pulled the packet of knockout powder from the innkeeper’s belt, stuffed it into the inner pocket of his clothes, and only then said in a rush, “Senior Brother, wait for me,” as he chased him up the stairs.

These were two underground rooms. The passage spiraled upward the whole way. When they climbed out of the hidden tunnel, Huo Fenghua realized he was in a spacious kitchen, probably the inn’s kitchen.

Su Zeyang said, “This is a shady inn.”

Huo Fenghua asked curiously, “How did you find this place?”

Su Zeyang glanced at him. “Didn’t you leave me a sign? I guessed they were probably heading to Xichou. Based on the route your mark indicated, I got here a day earlier than you.”

Huo Fenghua thought it over. “So Jia Duo’s stomachache was because they drugged him?”

Su Zeyang pushed open the kitchen door and headed for the back courtyard. “They drugged the food, but you didn’t touch either of the two things.”

Huo Fenghua followed. The moment he stepped outside, he felt the strong wind and heavy rain lashing at his face. He had to lower his head and raise a hand to shield himself.

Su Zeyang led a horse out from the stable and said to Huo Fenghua, “Get on!”

Huo Fenghua quickly said, “I can’t ride a horse.”

Su Zeyang grabbed his arm with one hand and supported his waist with the other, lifting him onto the saddle. Then he sprang lightly onto the same horse, sitting behind Huo Fenghua. When he took the reins, he also pulled Huo Fenghua into his arms.

“Senior Brother,” Huo Fenghua tried to speak, but the moment he opened his mouth, rainwater poured in. He could only turn his head and bury his face against Su Zeyang’s chest.

Su Zeyang squeezed the horse’s belly with his legs. The horse immediately galloped toward the open gate. Right then, thunder cracked, and the downpour pounded the ground so violently it almost drowned out the sound of hooves. The two of them on one horse slipped out of the inn without a sound.

The rain had soaked his clothes through. His inner and outer robe were plastered to his body. Huo Fenghua could barely open his eyes. When he managed to look ahead, he saw only darkness. Occasionally lightning split the sky, and he couldn’t help trembling. In that brief flash, he saw the outline of a ridge in the distance, like a giant beast crouching in wait.

He wished he could turn around and cling to Su Zeyang instead. All he could do was press his lips close to Su Zeyang’s ear and say, “Senior Brother, it’s so dark. Do you even know the way?”

Su Zeyang didn’t answer.

Huo Fenghua said again, “We’re drenched. If we keep going like this, I’m afraid I’ll get struck by lightning. Why not find somewhere nearby so we can shelter from the rain?”

Su Zeyang finally replied, “We’re going up the mountain.”

They had already ridden far from the town and onto a mountain road. The path was rough to begin with, and in a stormy night like this, the horse slowed more and more, occasionally sinking into mud. Eventually, even when Su Zeyang tapped it with his scabbard, it refused to move.

Huo Fenghua said, “Senior Brother, stop hitting it. That’s cruel.”

Su Zeyang jumped down and said, “Get down. We’ll walk.”

Huo Fenghua froze. When he swung himself off, he nearly fell, but Su Zeyang grabbed his collar and steadied him. Huo Fenghua asked blankly, “What about the horse?”

Su Zeyang had already turned and started walking forward. Huo Fenghua held the reins and called out, “Hey!” Seeing Su Zeyang had no intention of stopping, he could only tell the horse, “Go back the way you came, to that town. Better wait until the rain stops before you move. Find somewhere to shelter first.”

Only then did he hurry after Su Zeyang, stumbling along the muddy road, wiping rain from his face now and then. “How long are we going to walk?”

Su Zeyang didn’t answer, only said, “You’re kind to a horse, at least.”

Huo Fenghua said, “It’s still a life.”

Gamblers were more or less superstitious. He had even followed his dad for a time to eat vegetarian meals and go up the mountain to release turtles. Gambling was basically cheating people, so he felt especially soft toward animals, like he was trying to make up for something. As for what he was making up for, even he couldn’t say clearly.

He followed Su Zeyang along the mountain road for nearly half an hour. Su Zeyang never slowed. Huo Fenghua couldn’t take it anymore. He dropped to the ground and said, “Senior Brother, I really can’t walk anymore. Why don’t you go on without me?”

Su Zeyang stopped and looked back.

Huo Fenghua panted, pressing a hand to his chest. “I’m serious. I can’t.”

Su Zeyang tilted his head and scanned the surroundings. After a moment he said, “Less than ten feet ahead there’s a cave. We’ll take shelter there for now.”

Huo Fenghua propped himself up and tried to look, but ahead was nothing but darkness. He couldn’t see any cave at all, so he said, “Senior Brother, you’re lying to me.”

Su Zeyang said coldly, “Suit yourself,” and turned to walk on.

Huo Fenghua swallowed. The rain in the mountains roared in his ears, and he couldn’t see anything around him. If he left Su Zeyang, he truly might not survive. So he followed again.

This time Su Zeyang hadn’t lied. They went less than ten feet, and there really was a cave above the slope. Su Zeyang sprang up to the entrance and held out a hand.

Huo Fenghua rose onto his toes, took his hand, and was pulled up.

The cave was shallow. After barely a dozen steps, it ended. Still, it didn’t leak, and it was dry inside.

Huo Fenghua pulled out an oilpaper-wrapped bundle from his chest. Inside were the token and manual Gu Guangji had given him, the knockout powder he had just taken off the dead man, and a fire striker.

He blew the striker to life. He had just made out Su Zeyang’s outline when Su Zeyang reached over, snatched the fire striker, and capped it with the bamboo tube. “Put it out.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “Why?”

Su Zeyang said, “This cave is too shallow. If someone comes after us, they’ll spot the firelight easily.”

Huo Fenghua hugged himself. “But I’m freezing. At least let us light a fire to dry our clothes.”

“No,” Su Zeyang said, leaving no room for argument.

“Then if I…” Before he could finish, Huo Fenghua sneezed twice in a row. Only then did he add weakly, “If I freeze to death, I’ll have to trouble you, Senior Brother, to bring my body back. Don’t bury me too far. Bury me in the front courtyard of the General’s Manor. When you pass by now and then, spare me a glance, and I’ll be satisfied.”

“Shut up,” Su Zeyang said. He shifted and sat down beside Huo Fenghua, then pulled him into his arms.

Huo Fenghua leaned against his chest, stunned, and murmured, “Senior Brother.”

Su Zeyang closed his eyes and circulated his internal qi.

Huo Fenghua felt the faint warmth from him. It was still cold, but much better than before. He adjusted his position, pressing his cheek to Su Zeyang’s chest, smelling rainwater on him. “Senior Brother, is your white robe turning gray?”

Su Zeyang didn’t respond at first. After a while he said coldly, “So much nonsense. If you still have energy to talk, should we keep traveling?”

Huo Fenghua immediately shut up. He closed his eyes and rested quietly in Su Zeyang’s arms.

He seemed to have dozed off. He didn’t know how much time had passed when a chaotic rush of hoofbeats startled him awake. He opened his eyes. The cave was still pitch-black, but the rain outside seemed to have stopped. Everything was eerily quiet.

As the hoofbeats neared the cave, they suddenly slowed. He heard someone say, “Commander, we’ve chased this far and still haven’t seen them.”

Another voice sounded very much like Tao Yifei. “Since the horse is on the mountain road ahead, they must have fled this way. Keep chasing.”

In the darkness, Huo Fenghua widened his eyes and didn’t dare move. He barely breathed. He could feel that Su Zeyang above him had also awakened, and the arm around him tightened abruptly.

The cave was too close to the road. The voices outside were perfectly clear. After a few more words, the group didn’t stop. They continued chasing forward.

Huo Fenghua finally let out a breath, but he also felt uneasy. That voice had sounded like Tao Yifei, yet the hoofbeats were far more than three horses. Had Tao Yifei met up with more men and was searching everywhere for him?

Worried, Huo Fenghua braced one hand on the ground and sat up. He turned to Su Zeyang and asked, “Are they gone?”

Before Su Zeyang could answer, an arrow suddenly tore through the air. It came from far away and struck into the earth at the cave entrance, burying itself deep in the mud. The feathers at the tail still trembled.

Su Zeyang gripped his sword and rose in a blur. “No.”

Huo Fenghua hurried to his feet, but Su Zeyang pressed a hand lightly to his chest and said, “Wait here.” Then Huo Fenghua heard Su Zeyang draw his blade and leap out of the cave.

The instant Su Zeyang appeared, Huo Fenghua heard arrows slicing through the air outside. Tao Yifei shouted, “Take him down! It doesn’t matter if he’s dead or alive!” Then came the shrill, grating clash of weapons.

Huo Fenghua held his breath in the cave. Outside, torchlight flared at some point. Screams rang out now and then. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He ran to the entrance, pressed himself to one side of the cave wall, and peeked out.

Five or six torches burned along both sides of the mountain road. Seven or eight men in black were surrounding and attacking Su Zeyang alone. Another three or four were hidden in trees, longbows in hand, loosing cold arrows at Su Zeyang whenever they had a shot.

Su Zeyang’s white robes flared as he moved. His sword flashed like silver. Fighting eight men by himself, he still looked unhurried, batting away incoming arrows with his blade now and then.

The clashes grew fierce and rapid. Su Zeyang’s sword moved faster and faster. With a flash of his sword, he severed one attacker’s arm. The man screamed and staggered back. Tao Yifei, who had been watching from horseback, drew a long saber and leapt down, charging at Su Zeyang with murderous force.

Huo Fenghua watched in terror and couldn’t help leaning his head out a little more.

An archer hidden in a tree noticed and called, “Someone’s there!” He raised his bow and shot an arrow straight toward Huo Fenghua.

Tao Yifei looked up and roared, “Stop! Don’t hurt him!”

But it was too late. The arrow had already left the string, whistling straight for Huo Fenghua’s face.

A white shadow flashed. Su Zeyang sprang back to the cave entrance, chopped the arrow in two, grabbed Huo Fenghua’s hand, and dragged him as they jumped down together.

Huo Fenghua was still sweating cold. Scheming, he said, “Use me as a shield. They won’t dare kill me.”

Su Zeyang held his wrist with one hand and used his sword to drive enemies back with the other. “They can shoot my back.”

Right then, an arrow aimed at Su Zeyang’s back flew in, and he knocked it aside with a slash.

Huo Fenghua said, “Don’t remind them!”

Tao Yifei met Su Zeyang head-on, saber swinging. Sparks burst when saber and sword collided. Tao Yifei said, “Your Highness, come back with us. Don’t forget you’re from Xichou!”

Huo Fenghua blurted nonsense, “I’m not. Marry a chicken, follow the chicken*. I married Feng Tianzong, so I’m a Donglin man now!”

*It’s an idiom referring to a woman will unconditionally follow her husband after marriage. The full idiom is “A woman follows her husband wherever he goes, whether he’s a chicken or a dog.”

Tao Yifei’s blood surged with fury. “You!” His rage intensified, and he poured true qi into his strikes, hacking at Su Zeyang again and again.

Su Zeyang had fled all night with Huo Fenghua, then faced an eight-man siege. No matter how strong he was, his strength was running thin. With his left hand gripping Huo Fenghua’s wrist, he could only fight with his right. Tao Yifei’s fierce yang qi surged into the sword. Su Zeyang couldn’t hold and retreated two steps.

Two archers in the trees had been aiming for a long time. They released their arrows one after the other. The two shafts flew close together, both aimed at Su Zeyang’s back, while Su Zeyang’s one hand barely held off Tao Yifei’s saber.

Huo Fenghua’s heart jolted. He didn’t have time to think. He spun and threw himself behind Su Zeyang. The first arrow struck squarely into his left shoulder. The second arrow followed, about to pierce his right chest, when a sudden force from behind shoved him outward off the mountain road.

One side of the road was a cliff face, the other a drop. It wasn’t a sheer plunge, but it was high.

After he was shoved, a clump of grass snagged his foot. He pitched forward, stepped into empty air, and tumbled down the slope. He couldn’t even focus on the pain in his shoulder. Shocked, he cursed, “Which bastard pushed me?”

Both sides wanted him and didn’t dare kill him. Even in the middle of this fight, he should have been the safest one. Instead, he had taken arrows for someone and then been shoved off a cliff.

He rolled only a short distance before a white figure appeared above. Su Zeyang grabbed his arm and went down with him. They rolled a bit more, then the slope suddenly turned steep, and the ground vanished beneath them as they dropped.

Su Zeyang drove his sword hard into the rock wall, anchoring it between cracks and stabilizing them for a moment.

Huo Fenghua hung there, terrified. He looked up and said, “Senior Brother, someone pushed me.”

Su Zeyang said, “I did.”

If he hadn’t shoved Huo Fenghua away, Huo Fenghua would have two arrows in him by now.

Su Zeyang was gripping Huo Fenghua’s left arm, and the arrow was in Huo Fenghua’s left shoulder. The pull was agony. His face went pale. “Senior Brother, let go. I can’t. My arm’s going to tear off.”

Su Zeyang looked down and saw blood soaking the entire shoulder. His heart lurched. Afraid the arm would be ruined, he drew in a breath and said, “Then I’m letting go.”

Huo Fenghua glanced at the empty void below and thought he was going to die if he fell. Su Zeyang really was going to abandon him. A sudden sadness rose in him. “Senior Brother, in the end I truly loved you. When you come to collect my body someday, find a beautiful place to bury me. Don’t take me back to the General’s Manor. I don’t want to watch you and the General being sweet together.”

Su Zeyang had heard enough. He yanked the sword out of the cliff and let them drop.

Huo Fenghua felt them plunging again and saw Su Zeyang still holding his arm. Stunned, he blurted, “What?” He had no strength left to speak after that. His lips were white, his face drained, helpless as they fell.

Su Zeyang held the sword in one hand and drove true qi into it, letting the tip scrape shallowly along the cliff wall to slow their descent.

At the final, critical instant before they hit the ground, he wrapped an arm around Huo Fenghua and turned, taking the impact himself. Huo Fenghua landed on top of him.

Both of them fell unconscious.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 9

Huo Fenghua was snatched out of the brothel by a man in black. Before he could even react, someone struck him hard on the back of the neck, and he passed out.

He didn’t know how long he’d been unconscious. When he came to again, he only felt that the ground beneath him was cold and hard. Beside him there seemed to be a fire, roasting him until he felt parched with heat. He was about to open his eyes when he suddenly heard someone say, “He’s not awake yet.” So he closed his eyes again and stayed silent, pretending he hadn’t woken up.

The speaker was a young man.

A moment later, another young man said, “Look at how delicate and weak he’s gotten after being kept in Donglin all these years. He probably won’t wake up for a while.”

The first man scolded softly, “Jiang Yuan, don’t talk nonsense.”

The man called Jiang Yuan said, “Am I wrong? Xichou was wiped out by Donglin, and he, the dignified Second Prince, not only didn’t find a way to save the country, he actually debased himself and married our enemy Feng Tianzong as a male concubine.”

At that moment, a third voice spoke up. It was a middle-aged man’s voice, low and steady. “He was sent to Donglin as a hostage at eight years old. Even the maids serving him were Donglin people. What could he possibly have done to save the country?”

Jiang Yuan said, “If I were him, I’d rather kill myself than suffer this kind of humiliation from Donglin!”

Huo Fenghua’s heart pounded. He’d guessed before that as a hostage handed over by Xichou, his status had to be royal somehow. But he hadn’t expected he was Xichou’s Second Prince. After the initial shock, though, he thought that Xichou was gone. A prince of a fallen nation didn’t sound like anything worth celebrating. Even if he returned to Xichou, it would only mean a life on the run.

Then the first young man said, “If the Second Prince truly committed suicide, Xichou’s royal bloodline would be cut off as well.”

Suddenly the middle-aged man spoke again. “Since you’re awake, why aren’t you getting up?”

Huo Fenghua froze. That was directed at him. He put on a just-waking-up act, stretched languidly, propped himself up with one hand, rubbed his eyes with the other, and said, “Where am I?”

When he opened his eyes, he realized he was in a ruined temple. Under him was nothing but dried straw; no wonder it felt so cold. Not far away a fire burned, and three men sat around it.

Seeing him sit up, one of the middle-aged men stood and went over. He dropped to one knee and saluted. “Imperial Guard Commander Tao Yifei pays respects to the Second Prince!”

The other two men, seeing their commander kneel, had no choice but to stand and kneel behind him, saluting Huo Fenghua as well.

The real Huo Fenghua had left Xichou at eight and grown up in Donglin. He definitely wouldn’t recognize these people. That saved Huo Fenghua the trouble of faking amnesia. He just widened his eyes and stared at the three of them, pretending to be frightened. “How did you end up here?”

He saw contempt flash across one young man’s face, though the man still kept his head lowered respectfully.

Tao Yifei looked to be in his thirties or forties, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, the very image of a military officer. Hearing Huo Fenghua’s question, he shook his head with something like helplessness. “Second Prince, do you truly not understand the situation back home?”

If Huo Fenghua said he didn’t know, he’d be overacting. So he said, “I know Xichou has fallen, but I don’t know the current state of things. I’ve been a hostage in Donglin since I was young. There’s never been a single person I could trust at my side.”

The three exchanged looks. Finally Tao Yifei spoke. “When Xichou fell, Feng Tianzong led his troops into Huijing. His Majesty set fire to Yongle Hall and died with the country. The Imperial Guard escorted the Crown Prince out of Huijing and met up with what remained of General Shao’s forces. We planned to gather the remaining strength in the country and rise again to restore the nation. But who would’ve thought… the Crown Prince caught a plague while fleeing. He died despite treatment. Now the entire royal bloodline of Xichou has only one person left: you, Second Prince.”

Huo Fenghua’s emotions surged at the account. For a moment he didn’t know what reaction he was supposed to have.

Tao Yifei, thinking he’d been struck dumb by grief, sighed inwardly and said, “Second Prince, this is still the outskirts of Yujing. We can’t stay long. Please come with us at once.”

As he spoke, the two young men behind him moved to help Huo Fenghua up. Huo Fenghua pretended to be weak, legs powerless, but they didn’t care. They practically hauled him out of the ruined temple.

Huo Fenghua hurriedly asked, “Then where are we going?”

One of them said, “To meet up with General Shao.”

Huo Fenghua asked again, “And after we meet up, then what?”

The man said, “Naturally we’ll gather the remnants of Xichou, kill Feng Tianzong, and restore the country.”

The man holding him on the left was Jiang Yuan. He said irritably, “Jia Duo, you don’t need to tell him so much.”

Tao Yifei extinguished the fire inside the ruined temple and carefully erased the traces of their stay before leaving as well.

Outside, several horses were tied to a tree. Huo Fenghua immediately said, “Wait, I can’t ride a horse.”

Tao Yifei said, “Jiang Yuan, take the Second Prince with you. Ride together.”

Jiang Yuan’s expression was rigid. He answered, “Yes,” then helped Huo Fenghua onto a horse first. He then swung himself up in front of him, tugged the reins, and said, “Don’t fall off.”

Huo Fenghua hadn’t even processed that when Jiang Yuan kicked his heels into the horse’s belly. The horse lunged forward at once. Huo Fenghua pitched backward and hurriedly wrapped his arms around Jiang Yuan’s waist so he wouldn’t tumble off.

With Huo Fenghua clinging to him, Jiang Yuan’s face looked even worse. He spurred the horse on harder.

Time was tight and danger was pressing, so Tao Yifei had only summarized. In truth, ever since Huijing fell, he’d fled with the Crown Prince Huo Fengnian through countless hardships. They had finally reunited with the remnants of General Shao’s forces, only for Huo Fengnian to contract the plague and die in the end.

If that hadn’t happened, they never would’ve thought of the Huo Fenghua who was still in Donglin.

Huo Fenghua had been timid and cowardly since childhood, dull in aptitude. That was why he’d been sent as a hostage to Donglin. In these nearly ten years in Donglin’s capital Yujing, he’d run with Wang Anzhi and other pampered young wastrels of the city, eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and doing nothing of worth. It was precisely because he drifted along in a haze that he survived. If he’d shown even a little promise, then when Xichou fell, his life as a hostage would’ve ended right then.

Whether it was Xichou or Donglin, no one had ever taken this Second Prince of Xichou seriously. To suppress the Feng family’s rising momentum and to humiliate the already fallen Xichou, the Donglin Emperor issued an edict marrying Huo Fenghua to Feng Tianzong as a concubine. One didn’t want to marry, one didn’t want to take him, but an imperial command was not something they could defy. In the end, a soft sedan chair carried Huo Fenghua from the hostage residence into the General’s Manor. Trapped in a side courtyard from then on, he threw himself into the lake and ended his life.

If Huo Fenghua stayed in the General’s Manor, his life was worthless. But if he was taken out of Donglin and brought back to Xichou, the situation flipped entirely—Donglin would have to be on guard.

So this time, Tao Yifei led two highly skilled subordinates, Jiang Yuan and Jia Duo. The three disguised themselves and slipped deep into Donglin, lying in wait near Yujing for almost ten days. At last they seized an opportunity to pull Huo Fenghua out of Yujing, and now they rode without pause, determined to deliver him back to Xichou.

From the moment Huo Fenghua woke, they drove the horses hard. Other than brief pauses to let the horses graze and rest, they didn’t stop for a moment, until night fell and they finally halted in a forest.

Across two lifetimes, Huo Fenghua had never ridden for this long. When he dismounted, his legs trembled uncontrollably. The insides of his thighs burned with pain. When he reached down and touched them, his hand came away with blood—he’d been rubbed raw.

He leaned against a tree and looked down at the abrasions.

Jia Duo came over and handed him a small box of ointment. “This is a hemostatic wound medicine.”

Huo Fenghua took it. Jia Duo then offered him a piece of dried flatbread. Huo Fenghua bit into it, found it dry and rock-hard, impossible to swallow, and immediately spat it out.

Jiang Yuan leaned against another tree, watching him coldly.

Huo Fenghua didn’t care about their looks. He was exhausted, his spirit drained. In his previous life his family had been poor, and he’d suffered some hardships as a child, but it had still been far more comfortable than this. And after getting used to the fine food and clothing in the General’s Manor, just one day of hard travel already made him feel like his body couldn’t take it.

But hardship was only one side of it. The soul in this body wasn’t Xichou’s Second Prince. He felt no attachment to Xichou, and he wasn’t yearning to return and restore the nation. He’d studied history as a kid—very few princes of fallen kingdoms who screamed about restoration ever succeeded. He wanted to escape the General’s Manor, yes, but what he wanted was to change his name, live as an ordinary person, run a small business. He didn’t want to be a fugitive prince. If Donglin’s army caught him then, it would be a dead end, a miserable death.

He took a few swallows from the waterskin. Seeing Tao Yifei sit down by the newly lit fire, he spoke. “Commander Tao.”

Tao Yifei looked over.

Huo Fenghua said, “Is it really true that the Xichou royal line only has me left? Even collateral relatives—if they’re of the Huo clan, they still carry the royal blood, don’t they?”

Before Tao Yifei could answer, Jiang Yuan snapped, “What are you implying?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “I’m thinking… Everyone in the world knows I, Huo Fenghua, married Donglin’s Feng Tianzong as a male concubine. If I return to Xichou and we actually manage to restore the country, even if I become emperor, I’d be an emperor who used to be a male concubine. Wouldn’t that make Xichou a laughingstock under heaven?”

The moment the words left his mouth, the other three men’s expressions turned dark and ugly.

Huo Fenghua continued, “I have no grand ambitions. Why don’t you let me go? Go find another royal-blood heir to take the throne. I’m willing to change my name, live in seclusion in the mountains, and never appear again.”

Jiang Yuan and Jia Duo both looked to Tao Yifei.

Tao Yifei raised a hand, cutting Huo Fenghua off. “Second Prince, there’s no need to say more. You married Feng Tianzong as a male concubine not of your own will, but because you had no choice. When we capture Feng Tianzong someday, you can personally kill him. Victors write the history. No one under heaven will dare mock you then. And the royal bloodline cannot be confused. Besides you, who else could unify Xichou and make the people follow with one heart to resist the enemy?”

Huo Fenghua grew anxious. “I—”

“Enough!” Jiang Yuan suddenly barked, cutting him off. “Coward!”

“Jiang Yuan!” Tao Yifei said heavily. “Mind your manners!”

Jiang Yuan glared at Huo Fenghua, then sat by the fire with his rations and waterskin, head lowered.

Huo Fenghua had no choice. He punched at his stiff legs and shoulders, picked up the dry, cold flatbread, and chewed it in small bites, forcing it down.

They slept in the forest that night. Huo Fenghua was exhausted; leaning against the tree, he fell heavily asleep. Sometime later he woke up. The fire still hadn’t gone out. He glanced at the other three and saw their eyes closed, then braced himself to stand quietly.

He’d only just risen when Jia Duo asked, “Second Prince, where are you going?”

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help letting out a bitter laugh. “To piss.”

Jia Duo stood. “This subordinate will accompany you.”

Huo Fenghua sighed to himself. He could only nod. “Fine.” In his heart he knew there probably wouldn’t be a chance to escape on this trip.

Before they set out the next morning, Huo Fenghua suddenly had an idea. He left a mark on the ground. He thought Su Zeyang had no reason to let someone kidnap him and simply ignore it. If Su Zeyang came after him and saw the mark, he’d at least know which direction they’d gone.

At first he didn’t know what mark to leave. Then he remembered the sect leader token from the Xianyuan Sect in his chest. There was a half-circle symbol on it. He didn’t know what it meant, but Su Zeyang would. So before leaving, he drew that symbol on the ground. When Tao Yifei called him to depart, he hurriedly mounted up and followed them west.

After that came a relentless rush, day and night. Nearly twenty days passed before they reached a small town. It lay close to Donglin’s border. After the war, it was eerily deserted. Every household had their doors shut tight and windows bared. There was only one inn in the whole town, and not a single guest stood outside.

When Huo Fenghua got down from the horse, he looked up at the sky. Dark clouds gathered overhead showing signs a rainstorm was imminent.

Tao Yifei was looking at the sky too. “We won’t travel today. Ahead is wilderness. If the storm hits, there’ll be nowhere to shelter. We’ll stay here tonight.”

Jiang Yuan and Jia Duo went to tie up the horses. Tao Yifei took Huo Fenghua inside first and asked for two upper rooms.

They’d mostly slept outdoors these past days, or begged shelter at farmhouses. A proper night in an inn was rare. Huo Fenghua couldn’t help saying, “Why not take four rooms? I’ll pay the difference.”

Tao Yifei glanced at him and told the innkeeper, “Two rooms.”

They sat in the common hall and ordered some food. By the time Jiang Yuan and Jia Duo came in after tying the horses and feeding them hay, the rain had already begun pouring down.

There were no other guests in the hall besides them. Huo Fenghua stood and went to the window to look outside. The rain fell in sheets, blotting out the world as if night had dropped all at once. Cold wind, carrying the rank smell of wet earth, slapped through the open window, making him shiver.

As Jiang Yuan served food, he said coldly, “Come back, Young Master. You’re weak. Don’t catch a chill.”

Huo Fenghua now wore coarse cloth, but his skin was still pale and fine, his features still refined. No matter how you looked at him, he still seemed like a pampered young master. And after all the injuries, illnesses, and sleepless travel, he looked even thinner and more fragile, like a strong gust might knock him over.

He returned to the table, saw the rough, coarse rice, and deliberately said, “Just looking at it kills my appetite. I’m not eating.”

These past days he’d acted spoiled on purpose, hoping Tao Yifei would get fed up and dump him. But somehow, all the way until now, Tao Yifei had endured it.

Jiang Yuan flared. “Eat if you want. If you won’t, then don’t!”

But Tao Yifei shook his head and told Jiang Yuan, “Get the young master a bowl of noodles. Slice two liang of beef.”

Jiang Yuan immediately protested, “This—”

Tao Yifei waved him off. “Go.”

Jiang Yuan had no choice. He shot Huo Fenghua a resentful look and raised a hand to call the server.

When the noodles and beef arrived, Huo Fenghua carried his bowl to another table closer to the window. He ate while watching the storm outside. The inn stood on the town’s edge; ahead truly was a vast, bleak wilderness with nothing to block the view. The rain fell fine and dense, unending as it hammered the earth. The sight was oddly magnificent. In his previous life, Huo Fenghua had lived in a city. He’d never seen anything like this. Curious, he kept staring out.

After dinner, they returned to their rooms. Tao Yifei and Jiang Yuan shared one; Huo Fenghua shared the other with Jia Duo.

With nothing to do, Huo Fenghua sat on the edge of the bed and made small talk. “What exactly is your plan for this trip back? Feng Tianzong is still in Xichou territory with his army, isn’t he?”

Jia Duo lay on a straw mat on the floor. Hearing that, he said, “This isn’t a place to talk. Young Master shouldn’t speak recklessly.”

Huo Fenghua sighed, bored stiff.

Just then, a gust of wind blew the window wide open. Cold air and rain burst into the room. Jia Duo jumped up to close it, but they heard someone downstairs shout, “Whose horse got loose?”

Jia Duo leaned out to look. In the yard, a horse seemed spooked, pounding its hooves as it bolted for the exit. His heart jolted. He shouted, “It’s our horse!”

From the next room, a window was shoved open. Tao Yifei appeared, looked down into the yard, and called to Jia Duo, “Don’t go. Jiang Yuan will chase it.”

Huo Fenghua heard someone from the next room climb out into the wind and rain; it was probably Jiang Yuan.

He stayed seated on the bed and said, “The horse wasn’t tied properly? How did it run off?”

Jia Duo stared outside without blinking. His face gradually went pale. “I don’t know.”

Something in his tone felt off. Huo Fenghua looked at him more closely and saw a sheen of sweat on his forehead, his lips trembling faintly. “What’s wrong with you?”

Jia Duo turned back, one hand pressing his lower abdomen, embarrassed. “This subordinate suddenly has terrible stomach pain.”

“Diarrhea?” Huo Fenghua asked.

Jia Duo’s eyes flickered away. “It’s swollen and aching. I can’t endure it much longer.”

Huo Fenghua waved him off. “Then go. Why are you still holding it in?”

Jia Duo looked at him, hesitant.

Huo Fenghua said, “I’m not going to run. Your commander is right next door. Besides, with rain like this, where would I even go?”

Jia Duo nodded. Seeming unable to bear it any longer, he clutched his belly and hurried out of the room.

Huo Fenghua found it somewhat amusing. He stretched his arms and lay back on the bed, only for the bedboards beneath him to suddenly drop away. His body had nothing to brace against so he fell straight down into emptiness.

He plunged through a hidden passage beneath the bed and finally landed on a straw mat. Still dizzy and not sure where he was, he was grabbed by the ankle and dragged forward by a large hand.

Huo Fenghua propped himself up with his hands and saw only the broad back of a tall man. He kicked at him with his free foot and shouted, “Who are you?”

The space around them was pitch-dark and damp, like a cellar. He couldn’t make out the surroundings.

The man didn’t react to the kick. He switched to gripping both of Huo Fenghua’s legs and dragged him into a slightly brighter room. Candles burned on the walls. Besides that, the walls were hung with all kinds of instruments for torture and punishment. Stains mottled the stone and he wondered if they were bloodstains.

Someone had been standing there sharpening a blade. When Huo Fenghua was hauled in, that person joined the tall man. Together they yanked him upright and cuffed both his hands to the wall.

Only then did Huo Fenghua see clearly. The man sharpening the knife was the innkeeper.

The innkeeper pulled a small paper packet from his belt and handed it to the tall man. “Boss, knockout powder. So he won’t scream his head off.”

The man didn’t take it. He grabbed Huo Fenghua’s jaw, forcing him to lift his head and meet his eyes. Those narrow, sinister eyes flashed with excited light. “No need. I want to hear him scream.”

The innkeeper pocketed the packet again and stepped aside to keep sharpening the blade.

The tall man grabbed Huo Fenghua’s collar and tore it open, grinning obscenely as he used rough fingers to stroke from Huo Fenghua’s neck downward.

Huo Fenghua understood his intent at once. Goosebumps exploded across his skin. “Hey! What are you doing?!”

The moment the words left his mouth, he saw the innkeeper’s body jerk stiff. His head snapped up, eyes bulging. A thin line of blood slid down his forehead. Huo Fenghua looked closer and realized the tip of a silver sword had pierced straight through the innkeeper’s forehead and emerged from the front.

As the sword withdrew slowly, the innkeeper collapsed.

Behind him stood a figure in plain white.

Joy flashed across Huo Fenghua’s face.

The tall man who was touching him noticed the abnormality turned around. A cold glint of sword light swept past before the man felt a chill at his throat. When he looked down, blood was already gushing out as he helplessly slid to the ground.

Su Zeyang stepped forward, slashed through Huo Fenghua’s cuffs, and said, “Come with me.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 8

“Read for yourself what that letter says.” Su Zeyang walked over to the round table, sat down, and poured himself a cup of tea from the teapot on the table.

Huo Fenghua didn’t need to look to know what was in the letter. He was only glad he’d kept it simple: just that around the hour of Xu* tonight, he was asking Wang Anzhi to meet at Huayue Pavilion for a talk. As for what they would say once they met, the letter didn’t mention a single word.

*Between 5-7 PM.

He went to the door, wanting to yank the envelope out of the wooden panel. With one pull, he tore it clean in half. A corner remained embedded in the door, and he couldn’t pry it out even with his fingernails. So he simply smiled, pulled the letter paper out of the envelope, and said, “What did it say? Nothing, really.” Then he crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it into his mouth.

Su Zeyang rose from the table. Huo Fenghua had already chewed the paper a few times and swallowed it. Fortunately, the rice paper was soft and didn’t catch in his throat, but it still went down hard, and he nearly gagged.

After swallowing, Huo Fenghua reached for the teacup on Su Zeyang’s table. Ignoring Su Zeyang’s cold stare, he drained the tea in one gulp, raised a sleeve to wipe the moisture from the corner of his mouth, and said, “So, what did that letter say?”

Su Zeyang looked at him. “Why did you ask Wang Anzhi to come here?”

Huo Fenghua sat down at the table and patted his chest. “I didn’t ask Wang Anzhi.”

Su Zeyang remained silent.

When Huo Fenghua looked up and saw Su Zeyang’s expression was icy, he knew playing dumb wouldn’t get him out of this. He sighed and said, “I’m just stuck inside the high walls and deep courtyards of the General’s Manor and I’m lonely. Senior Brother, you won’t pay attention to me, and the General still hasn’t come back. So I figured I’d come to Huayue Pavilion, find a girl, and pour out my troubles.”

“If you want to visit prostitutes, then visit prostitutes. Don’t dress it up with pretty words,” Su Zeyang said.

Huo Fenghua took another sip of tea, thinking that Su Zeyang hadn’t guessed he meant to secretly meet with the Wang family behind the Manor’s back. He only assumed Huo Fenghua had arranged a brothel rendezvous. So Huo Fenghua went along with it, lowered his head, and said, “I’m an adult man too.”

Su Zeyang said, “What are you trying to say?”

Huo Fenghua set the cup down. “Senior Brother, you and the General are all lovey-dovey—no, two men in love, two men in heat. When you’re rolling around in red waves and having your fun, have you ever thought about your junior brother here, guarding an empty bed? The General’s away on campaign. You can stay at home and long for him to return, but what do I have to look forward to? They say ‘living widowhood*’, but I’m a man not yet twenty. You want me to be pure and abstinent, to live out my life like some widow?”

*The term he’s using is (守活寡) which basically refers to someone (wife) who is married but effectively has no married life (no intimacy with their spouse) as if they were living in widowhood (or forced celibacy/no sex relationship).

Su Zeyang frowned. “So you came to a brothel.”

Huo Fenghua said, “What else am I supposed to do? You want me to sleep with Sister Qingqing? I wouldn’t dare. And she wouldn’t want it either.”

“Shameless,” Su Zeyang said.

That set Huo Fenghua off. He stood up. “Food and sex are human nature, the greatest of human desires. I’d love to endure it, but you have to let me endure it! Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t castrate all his eunuchs before he brought them into the palace. You people lock me up in a side courtyard and won’t let me out to vent my urges. Are you trying to make me turn the entire General’s Manor into a den of debauchery?”

Su Zeyang slammed his palm on the table and barked, “Say one more word of nonsense and I’ll have you castrated immediately.”

Huo Fenghua jolted, backing up two steps. “Senior Brother, don’t go crazy. After all, I’m the sect leader of the Xianyuan Sect. If word gets out that our sect leader is a eunuch, wouldn’t that disgrace the sect’s reputation?”

Su Zeyang stared at him coldly. “If you’re afraid of disgracing the sect, then come back with me to the General’s Manor right now. From this day on, you are not to set foot in places like this again.”

Huo Fenghua was unwilling. “Then tell me what I’m supposed to do in the future.”

“None of my business,” Su Zeyang said.

“How is it not your business?” Huo Fenghua was panicking. He was afraid that if he went back with Su Zeyang this time, he’d be kept under tight watch, and it would be much harder to escape the manor later. He stepped forward, secretly sizing up the room and calculating whether he could get out, while continuing to spout nonsense at Su Zeyang. “Senior Brother, you probably don’t know this. I don’t care about the General, but I care about you.”

Su Zeyang froze slightly. “What did you say?”

Huo Fenghua saw that the only window in the room was by the bed, and there was a screen between them and the bed. He thought that escaping through the door might have better odds. Out loud he said, “Senior Brother, the one I admire is you.”

Su Zeyang’s beautiful eyes flew wide. He raised his hand and slapped Huo Fenghua across the face, shouting, “Insolent!”

Huo Fenghua’s head snapped to the side. The world spun. The corner of his mouth seemed split and bleeding. He raised a hand to cover his cheek, steadied himself, and forced down his anger. If he ran out the door, there was a long staircase down to the first floor with people everywhere. With Su Zeyang’s martial arts, how could he fail to catch him? It looked like he had to go through the window. So he lifted his head, looking pitiful, and said, “Senior Brother, do you really have to be that cruel?”

Even Su Zeyang felt a trace of regret after striking him. He clenched his right hand and said, “What you just said—never say it again.”

Huo Fenghua gritted his teeth. Gambling on the risk of being hit again, he lunged forward and hugged Su Zeyang, trying to kiss his cheek. “Senior Brother, your junior brother is serious about you.”

Su Zeyang wasn’t prepared. Huo Fenghua’s arms wrapped him completely, and Huo Fenghua actually did kiss him once on the cheek.

Huo Fenghua only thought Su Zeyang’s skin was soft and his cheek fine, carrying that faint sandalwood scent. That kiss wasn’t a loss. The next moment, Su Zeyang shoved him hard. Huo Fenghua staggered back several steps and fell to the floor.

When he’d thrown himself at Su Zeyang, he’d secretly shifted his angle. When he was pushed away he twisted again, and his fall landed right onto the screen inside the room, crushing it down with him.

Huo Fenghua braced himself and stood up, facing Su Zeyang. “Senior Brother, if you don’t mind, I’m willing to give my body to you.” As he spoke, he lifted a hand and began to undo the toggles at his collar.

Su Zeyang snatched up the teacup on the table and flung it at him, striking squarely at Huo Fenghua’s hand. “Stop!”

The teacup hit Huo Fenghua’s hand and fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.

The more Su Zeyang told him not to undress, the more Huo Fenghua insisted. Ignoring the tea spilled on his fingers and collar, he pulled his robe open wider, revealing the pale, slender chest beneath. He said, “Senior Brother, I know you have feelings for me too. The General isn’t here anyway. When he comes back, I won’t tell him. Here tonight, you can do whatever you want.”

As he stripped, he backed up until he sat on the edge of the bed. Seeing Su Zeyang’s brows drawn tight as he stared at him, Huo Fenghua simply yanked his upper robe off, baring his entire torso.

In that instant, Su Zeyang slightly averted his gaze.

Huo Fenghua suddenly spun around, only to see a black-clad figure appear outside the window. A hand shot in, seized his wrist, and dragged him out through the window.

Su Zeyang reacted and started forward, but an arrow shot in from outside. He had to twist aside to avoid it. Then he sprang onto the bed and pressed close to the window, peering out cautiously. The street outside was still lively, people coming and going, but amid the flow, the black-clad figure and Huo Fenghua were already gone.

The one who’d fired the arrow was hidden in the dark and seemed to be there specifically to stop him. Su Zeyang couldn’t be sure whether the ambush had fully withdrawn, so he could only jump down from the bed and chase out through the private room door.

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Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 7

Huo Fenghua fell into the water again. This time he’d also been out in the night wind. After he went back and lay down to sleep, he couldn’t get out of bed the next morning.

Qingqing didn’t know that he’d tried climbing the wall last night and run into so much trouble. She only thought his constitution was delicate, that the whip wounds on his back had just healed, and now he’d caught a chill from the wind. She had him rest in the room and told the kitchen to make more nourishing soups and tonics for him.

Fortunately, even though Huo Fenghua’s status in the General’s Manor wasn’t high, he’d never been short on food, clothing, or daily necessities. He stayed inside for several days, eating well and being well cared for. When he had nothing to do, Huo Fenghua would lie on the cushioned daybed by the window and flip through the manual Gu Guangji had left him. The thin book was full of methods for circulating qi. He read it for a long time and only understood that it taught internal cultivation, but he had no idea how to start. All he could do was sit and practice breathing exercises according to the movements depicted in the book.

After two or three days with little progress, his body gradually recovered.

Life in the General’s Manor was comfortable and carefree. Huo Fenghua’s urge to run away faded a bit, and he decided to wait a while longer. Still, being cooped up in the room day after day made him feel stifled. Once he was fully recovered, he wanted to go out of the manor and take a look around.

He slipped out of his little side courtyard, feeling uneasy along the way, afraid someone would block him and refuse to let him leave. He’d already decided in his head that he was now Su Zeyang’s sect leader junior brother. If Su Zeyang refused to give him face, people would still have to show some respect to the sect leader token. If someone really stopped him, he’d go find Su Zeyang and make a scene.

Thinking that way gave Huo Fenghua more confidence, and he walked with his back a little straighter.

This time he didn’t go through the back gate. He went straight to the front courtyard. Just as he reached the main gates of the General’s Manor, he saw the gates open. The gatekeeper turned and saw him, and shouted, “Young Master Huo, please move aside.”

The gatekeeper wasn’t polite to him at all, so Huo Fenghua stepped aside and watched a carriage drive in from outside.

Huo Fenghua had been in the General’s Manor for so long and had never heard of any visitors. He couldn’t help craning his neck to peer toward the carriage window. At that exact moment, the person inside lifted the window curtain too, and their eyes met.

Seated in the carriage was a man with fair skin and a short mustache, handsome features and a refined, scholarly air. He looked to be in his thirties. After seeing Huo Fenghua, his brows furrowed slightly. Only after the driver brought the carriage to a stop did the man lift the curtain and step down.

The man gave Huo Fenghua a small nod but didn’t address him.

Huo Fenghua could only give a short bow in greeting, not knowing how to address him. He was about to grab the gatekeeper to ask when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from the inner courtyard. Turning, he saw the manor steward Lu Xi arriving together with Liu Yong, the servant who attended Su Zeyang.

Before Liu Yong had even come close, he called from afar, “Prime Minister!”

The man nodded. “Uncle Lu. It’s been a long time.”

Lu Xi quickened his steps and hurried up to him, bending at the waist. “Eldest Young Master.”

The man reached out to steady him.

Liu Yong had come close now as well. He bowed, smiling broadly. “Prime Minister, Young Master Su heard you’d arrived and already had fine tea prepared. He’s waiting for you in the main hall.”

Hearing that, the man asked, “Has everything been well at the manor?”

Liu Yong hurriedly said, “All well, all well. Prime Minister, this way, please.”

The man looked to Lu Xi again. Lu Xi said, “Eldest Young Master, Young Master Su is waiting for you. Please go ahead. I still have a few matters to handle. I’ll come after.”

The man nodded and followed Liu Yong toward the inner courtyard.

Lu Xi then turned to Huo Fenghua standing to the side and asked, “Where does Young Master Huo plan to go?”

Huo Fenghua was a little afraid of Lu Xi. With both hands gathered in front of him, he said, “I’m going out for a stroll.”

Lu Xi’s expression was stern. “Your health hasn’t fully recovered. It isn’t suitable for you to be walking outside.” Then he raised his voice and called, “Wu Tong!”

The gatekeeper immediately answered and stepped forward. “Elder Lu, your orders?”

Lu Xi said, “Before Young Master Huo has recovered, he is not to leave the manor. Guard the gates well. Don’t break the rules.”

Wu Tong bent at the waist and repeatedly agreed.

A nasty flare of anger immediately rose in Huo Fenghua’s chest. He looked up and saw the man Lu Xi had called “Eldest Young Master” stop by the screen in the inner courtyard and turn back to look this way, presumably because he’d heard Lu Xi’s words. Huo Fenghua felt even more furious.

After giving the order, Lu Xi turned and went back inside at once, respectfully accompanying that Eldest Young Master in.

Huo Fenghua watched Lu Xi’s back. In the end, he didn’t dare openly challenge him. He drew a deep breath, then called loudly, “Wu Tong!”

Wu Tong froze for a moment, then strolled over and asked, “Young Master Huo, what can I do for you?”

Huo Fenghua asked, “Who was that just now?”

Wu Tong looked surprised. “Young Master Huo, you don’t know him?”

Huo Fenghua shook his head. “Why so much nonsense? Just tell me who he is.”

Wu Tong looked utterly baffled. “That’s General Feng’s elder brother, the Left Prime Minister of the court, Feng Tiansheng.”

This time it was Huo Fenghua who froze slightly. “Feng Tiansheng? Feng Tianzong’s older brother?”

Wu Tong nodded.

Huo Fenghua stood there, scratching his lip with his index finger, suddenly curious. He turned and headed toward the inner courtyard.

Su Zeyang was receiving the guest in the main hall. Huo Fenghua went into the inner courtyard and hid behind a thick, sturdy tree in the corner to peek inward. He saw Su Zeyang and Feng Tiansheng sitting facing each other, talking.

He hid behind the tree for a while, then slipped into the bushes beside it and approached the main hall from the side. In the end he flipped over a railing, landed on the corridor outside the hall, and sat beneath the window with his back against the wall.

He heard Feng Tiansheng saying, “The Princess Consort had fetal movement a while back and miscarried. The child couldn’t be saved.”

The hall went quiet. After a while, Su Zeyang asked, “Has the Princess Consort recovered well?”

Feng Tiansheng said, “She’s still resting in bed and doesn’t dare get up, but the physician says she’s recovering fairly well.”

Su Zeyang said, “Perhaps the child simply lacked fate. Prime Minister and the Princess Consort are still young. There’s no need to worry overly much.”

Huo Fenghua listened and guessed that the “Princess Consort” they were speaking of must be Feng Tiansheng’s wife, and that she’d miscarried recently. From Feng Tiansheng’s worried tone, the two probably didn’t have any children yet. Huo Fenghua didn’t know how many brothers the Feng family had, but if it was only Feng Tiansheng and Feng Tianzong, then the elder brother being over thirty with no child, while the younger brother liked men, would indeed be a source of worry in this era.

Feng Tiansheng then let out a long sigh and said, “Tianzong is still leading troops to wipe out the remaining forces of Xichou. Prime Minister Wang keeps pressing the Feng family relentlessly in court. The more military merit Tianzong earns, the more His Majesty suspects the Feng family. I’m afraid he—”

“Enough.” Su Zeyang suddenly cut him off, stood up, and barked, “Come in!”

Huo Fenghua froze. Before he could stand, a hand reached out through the window, grabbed him by the collar, and flung him into the room.

He slammed hard into a chair. Looking up, he saw that the one who’d thrown him in was Lu Xi. The anger from earlier shot up again. “Steward Lu, I’m at least the General’s man. Isn’t it a bit too much for you to treat me like this?”

Lu Xi answered evenly, “So it was Young Master Huo. I thought it was some petty thief outside eavesdropping.”

Huo Fenghua was choked speechless.

Su Zeyang said coldly, “Why were you eavesdropping?”

Huo Fenghua glanced at Feng Tiansheng, who was frowning at him. His mind turned, and he said, “I heard eldest brother had come, so I came specifically to take a look.”

No one in the room spoke.

Huo Fenghua smiled, straightened up in the chair, and said, “Go on talking. Don’t mind me.”

Su Zeyang said abruptly, “Get out.”

Huo Fenghua froze, thinking Su Zeyang was really giving him no face at all.

Feng Tianzong’s attitude was much gentler. He said, “I heard Young Master Huo isn’t feeling well. You should go back and rest.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer.

Lu Xi stepped forward. His tone was still fairly polite as he held out a hand. “Please, Young Master Huo.”

At this point, no matter how thick-skinned Huo Fenghua was, he couldn’t keep shamelessly refusing to leave. He stood and walked out. At the doorway he paused, turned back, and said to Su Zeyang, “I’ve just been lonely, staying by myself. I wanted to come see you.”

After saying that, he didn’t look at Su Zeyang’s expression. He left the main hall directly.

But as he walked, he kept thinking about what Feng Tiansheng had said. “Prime Minister Wang” must mean Wang Anzhi’s father, the Right Prime Minister Wang Chu. It seemed the left and right Prime Ministers weren’t simply on bad terms. No wonder Su Zeyang had warned him not to keep associating with Wang Anzhi.

If what Gu Guangji had said that night was true—that he was a hostage from Xichou—then after Xichou was destroyed, the Donglin emperor had married him to Feng Tianzong as a male concubine. That clearly wasn’t a reward. It was practically punishment for Feng Tianzong. Most likely Feng Tianzong’s accomplishments had begun to threaten the throne, and the emperor feared the Feng family’s power had grown too great.

Huo Fenghua turned these things over in his mind, but he couldn’t get the answers he wanted inside the General’s Manor. The frustration inside him grew until, at last, he thought of one person.

He hurried back to the side courtyard and wrote a letter to Wang Anzhi, asking him to meet the next evening at Huayue Pavilion. He went out and found a servant boy he’d gotten familiar with in recent days, a cheap little opportunist, and paid him to deliver the letter to the Right Prime Minister’s residence.

The servant boy took Huo Fenghua’s five taels of silver, his eyes shining. He tucked the letter carefully into an inner pocket and swore he’d deliver it to the Wang residence.

Huo Fenghua finally felt at ease and waited in the General’s Manor until the next day. After dinner, he sent Qingqing back to her room to sleep early. When dusk had fallen but the sky wasn’t fully dark yet, he slipped alone to the back courtyard. This time he brought a clean pair of trousers and successfully climbed over the high wall and got out.

The pleasure district that was quiet in the daytime became lively at night. The moment Huo Fenghua appeared at the street corner, a woman of the trade came up to tug on his arm, inviting him to go drink at the brothel nearby.

He pushed her hand away, ending up with the scent of powder all over him, and quickened his steps toward Huayue Pavilion.

As soon as he entered Huayue Pavilion, the familiar madam greeted him. This time she didn’t act shocked at all, only said, “Young Master Huo, you’re here? The private room is already prepared. Come up with me.”

Huo Fenghua froze, then realized Wang Anzhi must have arrived first, rented a private room upstairs, and was waiting for him. He smiled and nodded. “Lead the way.”

The madam’s hips swayed left and right as she walked. She led him up to the second floor, pushed open the door to a private room, and said, “Young Master Huo, please.”

Huo Fenghua stuck his head in to look and didn’t see anyone inside, but he still went in.

The madam closed the door from outside.

In the room there was a round table, a folding screen, and a bed. The bed was behind the screen. Huo Fenghua heard a faint sound and called, “Brother Wang?”

A figure was cast behind the screen. It slowly approached the edge, revealing first a section of snow-white sleeve.

A strange feeling rose in Huo Fenghua’s heart.

Then Su Zeyang in white stepped out from behind the screen.

Huo Fenghua’s expression sank. He turned to run.

However, Su Zeyang lifted an arm, and something flew out from his hand, slicing past Huo Fenghua’s cheek. With a sharp clang, it embedded itself in the wooden door.

Huo Fenghua looked closely and realized it was the letter he’d had delivered to Wang Anzhi. The paper envelope should’ve been soft, but in Su Zeyang’s hands it had pierced wood like an iron blade. Who knew how deep his internal force had to be.

Cold sweat slid from Huo Fenghua’s temple. He gave up on fleeing. Turning back around, he put on a wide smile and said, “Senior Brother, what a coincidence. You’re visiting brothels too?”

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