Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

Chapter 46

“Where have you been these past few days?” Feng Tianzong asked Su Zeyang softly.

Su Zeyang said, “I went to see Master, then I came back to Yujing.”

“For the Feng family curse?” Feng Tianzong asked.

Su Zeyang wasn’t surprised that Feng Tianzong already knew. He simply nodded and continued, “That wooden box holding yours and Elder Brother’s birth data was a tribute item made by the Yu family woodworks. I heard that the palace keeps records of who each tribute item is bestowed upon, so after returning to the capital, I didn’t go back to the General’s Manor first. I found a chance to make a trip to the palace.”

Feng Tianzong lifted his head to look at him. “You’re too bold.”

“I know trespassing in the palace is dangerous, so I didn’t let anyone notice,” Su Zeyang said. “You can rest assured. Every one of that batch of Yu family boxes had a serial number. I checked the Directorate’s records for the one from Luofeng Ridge. It was delivered to Her Highness the Noble Consort’s Shoukang Palace.”

At present there was only one Noble Consort the emperor had formally appointed: Wang Chu’s daughter, Wang Anzhi’s elder sister, Wang Yun’er.

“The Yu family boxes have always looked plain and old-fashioned. If it was sent into Shoukang Palace, it probably wouldn’t catch the Noble Consort’s eye. Maybe at some point it got packed up with gifts and sent back to her family,” Su Zeyang continued. “Anyway, this matter definitely can’t be separated from the Wang family.”

Feng Tianzong drew a deep breath, then said, “I understand. You’ve already done enough on this. From here on, leave it to me.”

Su Zeyang lifted his head from Feng Tianzong’s shoulder. “This might be settled very soon. Wang Anzhi is unconscious, and the Wangs will definitely recognize the effects of the soul-snatching curse. They’ll go find someone who can break it. By tomorrow there will surely be news.”

“I understand,” Feng Tianzong said. “I’ll send people to look into what’s happening at the Wang’s Manor.”

Huo Fenghua had been propping his chin up with both hands, listening the whole time. Now he couldn’t help but speak. “Can I ask a question?”

Su Zeyang looked over at him. “What?”

Huo Fenghua asked, “Those three sets of birth data in the box, aside from the General and the Left Prime Minister, who’s the third person?”

Su Zeyang looked at him without answering. He was silent for a long time before finally saying, “You don’t need to know.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “Does it have nothing to do with me?”

“It has nothing to do with you,” Su Zeyang answered.

Huo Fenghua stared at him quietly, then straightened up, hands folded in front of him, looking like a little old man who’d suddenly felt a chill on a winter night. “Fine. Then I won’t ask.”

The carriage fell silent. Up front, the driver flicked the whip with one hand and held the reins with the other, steering them onto a quieter road. The wheels clattered fast over the stone slabs. Huo Fenghua lifted the curtain and saw green roof tiles and red walls of noble residences outside, and lanterns hanging along the walls.

“We’re almost there,” he said.

The carriage drove straight into the General’s Manor.

Lu Xi hadn’t gone to bed yet. He was waiting in the courtyard to receive them. When the carriage door opened, the first person to step down was Feng Tianzong.

“General?” Lu Xi lowered his voice, but the shock in it was impossible to hide.

Feng Tianzong nodded. “We’ll talk in the room.”

Su Zeyang came after him, but he paused, leaned close to Huo Fenghua’s ear, and said softly, “Don’t bring up that data again.”

Huo Fenghua froze and turned his head to look at him.

Su Zeyang suddenly reached out, pressed a hand to the back of Huo Fenghua’s neck, and pushed his head against his own shoulder. He kissed behind Huo Fenghua’s ear and murmured, “Listen to your Senior Brother.” Then he let go and stepped down from the carriage.

Feng Tianzong stood outside and held Su Zeyang’s hand to steady him down. After that, he reached a hand out to Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua looked at his palm and felt a mischievous impulse. He jumped out of the carriage.

Feng Tianzong raised both hands, caught him midair by the waist, and set him down safely. When Huo Fenghua looked up, he saw a faint smile flicker across Feng Tianzong’s lips that quickly vanished.

Feng Tianzong let go, turned to take Su Zeyang’s hand again, then said to Lu Xi, “Uncle Lu, come back to the room with us. I still have things to tell you.”

Lu Xi nodded.

Huo Fenghua clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward slightly, looking at them. “Then I’m heading back to my room.”

Su Zeyang turned back to him and said softly, “Rest early.”

Huo Fenghua lifted a hand and waved, then turned and walked alone toward the small side courtyard where he lived.

Tonight was a little chilly, but the moonlight was beautiful. When he reached the lotus pond in the inner courtyard, he stopped on the zigzag wooden bridge and looked up at the sky. A solitary crescent moon hung there, cold moonlight spilling over the land.

Back in his room, Qingqing still hadn’t gone to bed. She’d prepared hot water for him to wash.

“Qingqing,” Huo Fenghua suddenly said, “do you know the moon’s light isn’t really the moon’s light?”

Qingqing looked at him strangely. “Then whose light is it?”

Huo Fenghua slid his feet into the wooden basin of hot water and sighed in comfort before saying, “Moonlight is actually sunlight reflected.”

“Huh?” Qingqing came over and set the foot cloth on the chair beside him. “You’ve drunk too much, Young Master. The sun’s set at night. Where would sunlight come from?”

“It’s true,” Huo Fenghua said. “The moon doesn’t produce light. And the land we’re on is actually a sphere. The sun and the moon are both spheres too. The earth goes around the sun, and the moon goes around the earth.”

Qingqing snorted with laughter. “You’re really something. You can even come up with that.”

Huo Fenghua looked at her and sighed with regret. “I haven’t read much. I only know this tiny bit of astronomy, and I told you all of it, and you still don’t believe me.”

Qingqing grabbed the cloth and tossed it at him. “Hurry up and dry your feet, or the water’s going to go cold.”

After Huo Fenghua finished washing, Qingqing carried the basin out. Once she dumped the water, she would probably go to bed.

As a maid of the General’s Manor, even if she slept late, Qingqing still woke before dawn every morning. She’d tidy herself up first, step out to check on Huo Fenghua’s room, and seeing the door shut and him still asleep, she’d go to the corner of the courtyard to light the small stove and boil water.

The main kitchen had a large stove and hot water could be fetched directly, but their side courtyard was a bit far. By the time Qingqing carried a bucket over, it was often nearly cold. So she frequently boiled water herself on the little stove in the courtyard, especially once the weather turned cold.

Today, just as she crouched in front of the stove and got the fire going, she heard footsteps entering from outside. She stood up in confusion. At this hour, no one usually came to Huo Fenghua’s small side courtyard.

Dawn was only just breaking. Qingqing waited until the person stepped into the yard before she could see his face. Her eyes widened in shock, and even her speech went clumsy. “G-General?!”

Wasn’t General Feng still leading troops in Xichou? When had he returned? She had no idea. And what shocked her even more was that ever since Huo Fenghua had married into the residence as a male concubine, General Feng had never once set foot in this side courtyard. He and Young Master Su had always acted as if Huo Fenghua didn’t exist at all.

Feng Tianzong gave Qingqing a nod and asked, “Is he up?”

On this return to the residence, it was impossible to hide from every servant, but fortunately everyone here had been personally chosen and trained by Lu Xi, with strict orders that nothing leak out. At most, the servants dared to gossip among themselves; no one would speak carelessly outside. So Feng Tianzong didn’t avoid Qingqing.

For a moment Qingqing didn’t even register who he meant. When she came back to herself, she hurried two steps forward and answered, “Not yet. He slept late last night. Young Master Huo probably hasn’t woken up.”

Feng Tianzong nodded. “Then I’ll go in and take a look.”

Qingqing lifted a hand on instinct, as if to stop him, but she reacted immediately, dropped her hand, and silently stepped aside.

Feng Tianzong pushed open the door. A warm breath of air rushed toward him. He walked to the bedside and saw Huo Fenghua lying there, the quilt covering half his face. He was sleeping on his side, completely unguarded, looking utterly without decorum.

But after traveling together these days, Feng Tianzong had already grown used to seeing him like this. He reached out and stroked Huo Fenghua’s hair.

Huo Fenghua rolled over, pulled the quilt higher, and let out an annoyed little hum.

Feng Tianzong said, “You’ve got a whole body of inner energy, yet you’re this defenseless. I’m already sitting at your bedside and you still don’t wake up?”

Huo Fenghua finally opened his eyes to a thin slit and answered lazily, “You think I don’t know it’s you?”

Feng Tianzong reached out and pulled him up. Huo Fenghua lifted his arms to hook around Feng Tianzong’s neck, leaning into his chest, still half-asleep, and murmured, “What is it? Didn’t Senior Brother satisfy the General last night?”

Feng Tianzong only smiled slightly and didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “I have a question for you.”

Huo Fenghua looked up at him. “What?”

Feng Tianzong said, “Do you still want to leave?”

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

Chapter 45

Wang Chu hurried over. He’d had some wine tonight, but he was still clearheaded. When he saw Wang Anzhi being hauled out of the pond by the household servants, his face immediately filled with anger. But the moment he spotted Su Zeyang and Huo Fenghua, he reined it in, turning instead to scold the servants for failing to look after the young master properly.

He ordered them to help Wang Anzhi away, and at the same time he also saw the red cloth floating in the water. Shocked and furious, he demanded, “What’s that?”

The two servants who had dragged Wang Anzhi out swam back toward the middle of the pond to grab the red cloth. The water wasn’t deep. Standing in it, they flipped the cloth over and discovered that what had been floating on the surface was a mannequin dressed in red. It looked eerily like the paper effigies burned for the dead.

Both of them jumped back in fright. One of them turned to Wang Chu and shouted, “Master, it’s a dummy!”

Wang Chu’s expression tightened. He first turned to Su Zeyang and the others. “It’s getting late. I won’t be keeping any guests today.”

Su Zeyang nodded, the first to respond. “Then we’ll take our leave, Right Prime Minister.”

Wang Chu’s tone was somewhat cold as he said to a servant behind him, “See them out.”

The servant hurriedly raised his hand toward Su Zeyang and the others. “This way, Young Masters.”

Huo Fenghua followed behind Su Zeyang as they headed out. Before leaving the inner courtyard, he saw that Wang Chu had already ordered the dummy fished out of the pond. Wang Chu was crouched by the water, inspecting it carefully.

The two of them left the Wang residence. The General’s Manor carriage was still waiting outside. After Su Zeyang got in, he reached out and pulled Huo Fenghua in as well. They sat facing each other inside the carriage.

Huo Fenghua studied Su Zeyang closely.

Su Zeyang leaned his head against the carriage window and closed his eyes.

“Senior brother,” Huo Fenghua called softly. “Are you hiding something from me?” Su Zeyang was absolutely not someone who would fear Wang Anzhi. Seeing him yield again and again tonight, Huo Fenghua felt there had to be a purpose to it, especially remembering Su Zeyang had said earlier he had something to do.

Su Zeyang opened his eyes and looked at him, speaking softly. “That red-clothed dummy was something I sank in the pond of the Wang’s Manor.”

Huo Fenghua wore an expression that said, I knew it. He leaned forward slightly. “And? What’s it for?”

Su Zeyang said, “Wang Chu should discover that the dummy has his son’s birth data pasted on it. If he’s careful, he’ll also find a few talismans pasted around the pond, sealed with wax on the outside to keep out the water.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “What’s it for? Another kind of curse?”

Su Zeyang said, “It’s a soul-snatching curse. It’s recorded in the same book as the curse array we saw at Luofeng Ridge.”

Huo Fenghua frowned slightly. “You want to curse Wang Anzhi to death? Why? Was that Luofeng Ridge array set up by him?”

Su Zeyang tipped his head back. “Even if he wasn’t the one who laid it, the Wang family can’t be unrelated. But I don’t want him dead. I just want to draw out the person behind the curse array.”

Huo Fenghua immediately understood. “A lost curse recorded in the same ancient book. If that person could set an evil array targeting the Feng family, then they can definitely remove the curse on Wang Anzhi. If Wang Chu wants to save his son, he’ll naturally invite that person over.”

Su Zeyang nodded slowly.

But Huo Fenghua suddenly grabbed his hand. “Senior brother, I remember Master saying that using this kind of vicious curse brings backlash.”

Su Zeyang lightly rubbed the back of his hand with his fingers. “Yes. That’s why I didn’t truly activate it. Wang Anzhi won’t wake up tomorrow because I drugged his wine tonight.”

Huo Fenghua froze.

With one hand still clasped with his, Su Zeyang reached into his robe with the other and took out a white jade wine cup. He raised it to eye level. “Tonight the Wang family hosted guests. Every table’s cups were identical. Plenty of cups were broken during the banquet. No one would notice one missing. No one would know Wang Anzhi was poisoned rather than cursed.”

Huo Fenghua looked at the cup. Su Zeyang’s long, elegant fingers closed around it, applying a little pressure. When he opened his hand again, the white jade cup had turned to powder. He cracked the carriage door open just a bit, and the powder sifted out between his fingers into the night outside.

When he drew his hand back, Su Zeyang touched Huo Fenghua’s face. Huo Fenghua felt as though he could still sense the cup’s dust lingering on Su Zeyang’s palm, slightly rough, yet oddly slick.

He stared at Su Zeyang’s face, the delicate lines of his features so perfect they seemed unreal. His heart raced. He lifted Su Zeyang’s hand, held it to his lips, and kissed it.

Su Zeyang gave a firm tug with the hand holding his, pulling Huo Fenghua into his arms. He pinched Huo Fenghua’s chin and kissed him.

Huo Fenghua’s soft tongue slipped into Su Zeyang’s mouth. His palm pressed to Su Zeyang’s throat, feeling the pulse beating there. The kiss turned fierce, until the carriage was filled with nothing but the sound of kissing and fabric rubbing. Huo Fenghua panted softly as he reached to pull open Su Zeyang’s collar. Su Zeyang’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if the wine’s heat was only now rising through him.

Suddenly, the languid, at-ease Su Zeyang snapped his eyes open. With one hand he flung Huo Fenghua behind him. He rose and shoved the carriage door open. Huo Fenghua saw a figure drop down as if from the air, agile as a leopard, and slip straight into the carriage.

The instant Su Zeyang saw who it was, all his guard fell away. Huo Fenghua even saw light flare in his eyes as he breathed, “Tianzong!”

Feng Tianzong shut the carriage door, sat down on the bench to one side, pulled Su Zeyang into his arms, and kissed him.

Huo Fenghua sat opposite them, propping his face in his hands as he watched.

When the kiss ended, Feng Tianzong still wouldn’t let go, lingering as his lips brushed against Su Zeyang’s. He asked intimately, “Where did you go? Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”

“Tianzong…” Su Zeyang didn’t answer. He only buried his face in Feng Tianzong’s shoulder and drew in a deep breath.

Feng Tianzong stroked his hair, then lifted his head and looked at Huo Fenghua sitting across from them.

Huo Fenghua blinked at him.

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

Chapter 44

The guests who’d come to offer birthday congratulations were invited to move into the inner courtyard to take their seats. Huo Fenghua was holding a pastry in his hand, searching along the lakeside for Su Zeyang, but he couldn’t find him. As crowds of people passed by him heading inward, a young man suddenly grabbed Huo Fenghua by the wrist and said, “Huo Fenghua?”

Huo Fenghua looked at him. The young man was dressed in fine, luxurious clothes, and by his looks he seemed like the son of an official family in the capital. Huo Fenghua clasped his hands in greeting. “Hello, brother. Do we know each other?”

The young man let go, staring at him in confusion. “You don’t recognize me anymore?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “My memory’s not great. I was locked up in the General’s Manor for so long that even people I used to know, I don’t recognize anymore.”

The young man looked him up and down, still full of doubt. After a moment he reached out and grabbed Huo Fenghua’s wrist again. “Come. Come with me.”

Huo Fenghua saw him heading toward the inner courtyard. He needed to go there to find Su Zeyang anyway, so he followed along. On the way, the two of them ran into Wang Anzhi, who was greeting guests. The young man lifted a hand and waved. “Look who I ran into!”

Wang Anzhi walked over with a smile. “Well, isn’t this Brother Fenghua? You haven’t seen him in ages. I was drinking with him not that long ago.”

“Oh?” The young man looked surprised.

Wang Anzhi led them farther in. “Since we’ve run into each other, we have to drink a few cups together tonight. You two sit first. Once I’m done here, I’ll come over.”

The inner courtyard was a large garden. One side had a pond too, though it was much smaller than the big lake outside, and the water seemed shallow, with only some aquatic plants floating around the edges. At this time, the garden was filled with banquet tables. Guests gathered around the round tables to sit, and a stage had been set up at the front. To celebrate Wang Chu’s birthday, the Wang family had hired the best opera troupe in the capital to perform “The Eight Immortals Congratulate the Birthday.”

Wang Anzhi and the young man brought Huo Fenghua toward a table near the pond. Halfway there, Huo Fenghua shook off the young man’s hand and said, “I still need to find someone.”

Wang Anzhi let out a laugh and asked, “Looking for your ‘sister’?”

The young man didn’t understand at first what Wang Anzhi meant, but then he laughed along.

“I saw him just now,” Wang Anzhi said. “Today I’m treating you to a drink. There’s no reason I need his permission. I’ll go talk to him for you.” With that, Wang Anzhi let go of Huo Fenghua and found Su Zeyang in the crowd.

Following his gaze, Huo Fenghua finally spotted Su Zeyang. Su Zeyang had casually chosen a table and sat down. Wang Anzhi walked over, murmured a few words to him, then pointed in Huo Fenghua’s direction.

Su Zeyang looked over and gave a slight nod.

Only then did Wang Anzhi grin and stroll back.

Huo Fenghua remembered Su Zeyang saying he still had something to do and couldn’t help feeling puzzled. At that moment the young man tugged at him again. Huo Fenghua didn’t resist, and the young man led him to sit at a table near the pond.

There were seven or eight young men at that table, all of them Wang Anzhi’s drinking buddies, the spoiled sons of the rich of the capital. Back when Huo Fenghua used to hang around with Wang Anzhi, he’d often drank and visited prostitutes with this group too.

Huo Fenghua’s appearance today naturally caused a stir. These young men, whose names he couldn’t even remember, pulled him down by the round table, all saying it had been ages, asking whether he’d been doing well living in the General’s Manor.

But no matter what they said, most of the “concern” was malicious. On the surface they called him brother, but inside they were curious about his identity as a male concubine. The concern was fake. The real point was to mock and humiliate him.

Huo Fenghua didn’t really care. When someone asked, he answered freely, without the slightest embarrassment.

The young man who’d brought him over said, “Brother Fenghua is truly a carefree soul.”

Huo Fenghua clasped his hands. “You’re too kind, you’re too kind.”

After a while, Wang Anzhi arrived too. The first thing he did after sitting down was pour Huo Fenghua a cup of wine. “You haven’t been out in so long. Shouldn’t you drink this one?”

Hearing that, Huo Fenghua picked up his cup and raised it to Wang Anzhi. “Brother Wang’s got a point. Not only should I drink, I should toast you first. Today is the Right Prime Minister’s birthday. With this cup, I wish him evergreen pines and cypresses, and a long life as lofty as the Southern Mountain!”

With him putting it like that, Wang Anzhi couldn’t very well refuse. He lifted his cup, clinked it with Huo Fenghua’s, and the two of them drained it.

As soon as the cup was set down, Huo Fenghua stood and refilled both their cups. He raised his cup again to toast Wang Anzhi. “This second cup, I wish the Old Madam robust health and blessings and longevity without end.”

Wang Anzhi shot him a look, then drank again.

When Huo Fenghua reached to pour a third cup, Wang Anzhi grabbed his hand. “What? Are you trying to get me drunk?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “What are you saying? Today’s the Right Prime Minister’s birthday. Brother Wang should be the star of the show. These cups are just my heartfelt intention. If Brother Wang doesn’t like it, then forget it.”

Wang Anzhi looked him up and down. “Ever since you went to the General’s Manor, you’ve changed a lot. Every time I see you, you feel different.”

Huo Fenghua stared at his wine cup, lips curling. He leaned close to Wang Anzhi’s ear and murmured, “That’s the General’s ‘nourishment.’ Is that what Brother Wang wants to hear? Satisfied?”

Wang Anzhi gave an awkward chuckle. He’d meant to humiliate and mock Huo Fenghua but hearing him say it so frankly and without any shame made it feel strangely pointless. So he asked, “Looks like you and that Su Zeyang get along pretty well?”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “Pretty well. He’s the legitimate wife, after all. I don’t go provoking him.”

“Tsk,” Wang Anzhi snorted. “So you’re willing to spend your whole life in the General’s Manor as a male concubine?”

Huo Fenghua lowered his voice. “Then would Brother Wang be willing to point out a clear road for me?”

Wang Anzhi said, “If you’re willing, then I’ve got nothing to say. But if you’re not, you might as well come back and follow me again. The Feng family isn’t a place just anyone can slip into, but since you’re already inside, wouldn’t it be convenient to get a lot of things done?”

Huo Fenghua looked suddenly enlightened. “So that’s how it is. Give me a little time, Brother Wang. I still need to think it through carefully.”

After they whispered a few more words, the young men at the table began to toast one another, and the atmosphere warmed up.

At first, some couldn’t resist making jokes about Huo Fenghua’s status. Later, seeing he didn’t care, it faded. More often they reminisced about their carefree days in the capital. The more they drank, the more spirited they became.

Wang Anzhi draped an arm over Huo Fenghua’s shoulder and said, “Fenghua, do you remember Miss Linglong, the top courtesan at Zuixiang Pavilion?”

Huo Fenghua wasn’t actually drunk. He didn’t know why, but his body felt like a bottomless pit. No matter how much he drank, his mind stayed clear. Only his cheeks were flushed. He deliberately let his eyes look hazy and smiled, shaking his head. “Don’t remember.”

Wang Anzhi said, “You insisted on stealing her from me. I said, let her choose and she chose you. I’ve held a grudge ever since.”

Huo Fenghua burst into loud laughter.

Suddenly, a cool, clear voice spoke from behind him. “It’s time to go.”

Huo Fenghua immediately turned. Su Zeyang was standing there.

Before Huo Fenghua could say anything, Wang Anzhi flung his wine cup aside and stood, walking up to Su Zeyang. “I’m drinking with my brother. Why’s Madam Feng in such a hurry?”

Wang Anzhi had drunk quite a bit and was already muddleheaded.

On the stage, “The Eight Immortals Congratulate the Birthday” had finished, and the banquet had mostly broken up. Guests were leaving one after another. Only this table of young masters remained, still drinking and chatting, with a few maidservants standing by to attend them.

Wang Anzhi wasn’t speaking particularly loudly, but in the open garden his words were unusually clear.

Su Zeyang’s tone was calm. “It’s late. We should take our leave, Young Master Wang.”

Wang Anzhi reached out and shoved Su Zeyang on the shoulder. “I told you to stay with the women. If you want to leave, then leave by yourself.”

Seeing Su Zeyang stumble a step back, Huo Fenghua hurriedly stood, wanting to separate them. But Su Zeyang said unhurriedly, “Fenghua came with me. I should take him home. So tell me, Young Master Wang, what will it take for you to let him leave with me?”

Wang Anzhi laughed. “What will it take? Then come drink with me. Everybody in the capital says Feng Tianzong’s male wife is a great beauty. I’ve had plenty of pretty women serve me. I’ve never tried a pretty man. Serve Feng Tianzong the way you do and come serve me too. Let me try.”

His words were outrageously rude. If other guests heard them, it would be hard to contain. But the only people left in the garden were his pack of cronies. A few young men who were a little more sober came up to persuade him. “Brother Wang, you’ve had too much. You shouldn’t say nonsense.”

Huo Fenghua also tried to smooth things over. “You’re drunk. Go rest early.” He was about to call a maidservant over to help Wang Anzhi back.

But Wang Anzhi lifted a hand and shoved them aside, saying to Su Zeyang, “I’m serious.” Then he actually raised a hand and touched Su Zeyang’s face, clicking his tongue. “Tsk. Pretty smooth.”

Huo Fenghua narrowed his eyes, deeply displeased. One hand clenched into a fist at his side. Before he could speak, he heard Su Zeyang say, “Sure. I’ll offer Young Master Wang a toast. But once you finish this cup, please let Fenghua go home with me.”

Wang Anzhi dropped down onto a nearby stool, tugged at his robe, and said, “Pour.”

Huo Fenghua reached out to press on Su Zeyang’s arm, but Su Zeyang gently pushed his hand away. Su Zeyang picked up the wine pot, poured a cup, and held it out in front of Wang Anzhi. “I toast you, Young Master Wang.”

Wang Anzhi stared at his pale fingers and couldn’t help reaching up to touch them. He looked up at Su Zeyang and said, “Feed me.”

A young man beside them tried to stop him, murmuring, “Brother Wang, that’s enough.”

Su Zeyang lowered his eyes, his face unreadable. He brought the cup to Wang Anzhi’s lips and fed him the wine.

After Wang Anzhi finished the cup, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Su Zeyang, trying to drag him into his arms. Several people rushed forward to stop him. Someone shouted at the maidservants nearby, “Go fetch your master! Your young master is drunk. Don’t let him make a scene!”

Su Zeyang said nothing, only struggled.

A drunk person was frighteningly strong. Even with several people trying to restrain him, they couldn’t. Su Zeyang retreated toward the pond. Wang Anzhi chased after him trying to grab him but Su Zeyang dodged aside. When Wang Anzhi lunged forward, he fell straight into the pond.

The pond wasn’t deep, but the moment the drunk Wang Anzhi went in, he disappeared from view. Two servants immediately jumped in and hauled him up. Just as his head surfaced, someone on the bank pointed into the pond and shouted in alarm, “What’s that?”

Huo Fenghua also stood at the shore looking in. In the middle of the pond, a piece of red cloth floated up, bobbing up and down. It looked as if someone in red clothing were floating on the surface.

At that moment a maidservant shrieked, “Ah! There’s a dead body!”

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

Chapter 43

Huo Fenghua bathed and changed in his own room, put on a fresh set of clothes, and neatly tied his long hair back. Seeing it was about the right time, he figured Su Zeyang’s meeting with the Prime Minister’s people should be over by now, so he left the side courtyard again and went to look for Su Zeyang in his room.

Su Zeyang still wasn’t there. He and Lu Xi were in the front courtyard. When Huo Fenghua arrived, Su Zeyang was having Liu Yong transfer the jade ruyi they’d found in the storeroom into a clean box.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help asking, “Who’s this birthday gift for, anyway?”

“Wang Chu,” Su Zeyang said.

Huo Fenghua froze. “You’re going to pay your respects at his birthday banquet?”

Su Zeyang nodded. “After all, Tianzong and Eldest Brother are still officials of the court.” The surface courtesies still had to be done.

Huo Fenghua asked, “When?”

“Tonight,” Su Zeyang answered.

“Tonight?” Huo Fenghua hadn’t expected that. “You’re going alone?”

Su Zeyang nodded.

Huo Fenghua thought of Feng Tianzong. Feng Tianzong must already be in the city but he just couldn’t openly return to the General’s Manor. Tonight he’d probably come back to find Su Zeyang.

Huo Fenghua mulled it over. Once Feng Tianzong returned, Su Zeyang definitely wouldn’t be willing to be intimate with him anymore. It had taken real effort to get Su Zeyang to agree to let him have his turn once. If they didn’t do it in the daytime, he probably wouldn’t get another chance at night.

So he circled around Su Zeyang, taking a few steps, moving from one side of him to the other.

Lu Xi was in the middle of talking to Su Zeyang and got squeezed aside. He couldn’t help asking, “Young Master Huo, do you need something?”

“I have a few words I want to say to Young Master Su,” Huo Fenghua said.

Lu Xi looked him up and down, thinking Huo Fenghua sure had an awful lot he wanted to say to Su Zeyang in private, but he still said, “Everything’s ready. Tonight, just have Liu Yong accompany you, Young Master, and make the trip.” Then, still uneasy, he added, “If you don’t like staying over there, I’ll send someone to fetch you and say there’s something urgent at the Manor and bring you back early.”

“It’s fine. Steward Lu, you don’t need to worry,” Su Zeyang said.

Lu Xi nodded. “Then I’ll put everything in order. Young Master Su, if you have something to do, go ahead.”

Su Zeyang turned to Huo Fenghua. “What is it now?”

Huo Fenghua lowered his voice. “In your room.”

They returned to Su Zeyang’s room, one after the other. Walking behind him, Huo Fenghua reached back and latched the door shut, then stepped up and hugged Su Zeyang around the waist from behind. He whispered in his ear, “Senior Brother, now you’ve got time.”

Su Zeyang raised a hand to touch his face, but said, “Now there’s no time. I need to change and get ready to go to the Right Prime Minister’s residence.”

Huo Fenghua wanted to say, Come on, it’ll be quick, but the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back. It felt humiliating. He could only let go and sigh. “I’m not comfortable with you going alone. I’ll go with you.”

Su Zeyang lifted his hands and began to undress. “You’re coming with me? Missing your old drinking buddies?”

Huo Fenghua sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to stroke his smooth side waist. “No. I’m worried Wang Anzhi will bully you.”

Su Zeyang shot him a look. “You think he can bully me?”

“He runs his mouth,” Huo Fenghua said. “Who knows what he’ll say. It’s better if I’m there with you.”

Su Zeyang changed into a white outfit with subtle silver embroidery at the cuffs. It looked much more elegant. “If you want to go, then come. I know you can’t stand being cooped up in this residence.”

That line left Huo Fenghua momentarily stunned. After a while he looked up and asked, “If you know I can’t stand it, then why do you still want to lock me up?”

Su Zeyang gazed out the window, his expression going distant. “If you’re determined to leave, then go. It’s just a matter of how you leave. It has to be planned carefully.”

“Wouldn’t you miss me?” Huo Fenghua asked.

Su Zeyang said softly, “What good would missing you do? Your heart isn’t here. You’ve tried every way you can to run. Am I supposed to lock you up for my own selfish desires?”

Huo Fenghua reached out and caught his hand. “You shouldn’t be trapped inside these high walls either. Come with me.”

Su Zeyang clasped his hand back, but said, “I can’t.”

Huo Fenghua pulled him into his lap and Su Zeyang didn’t struggle. Huo Fenghua kissed him.

Su Zeyang returned the kiss, lingering and deep. After a moment he stood and smoothed his clothes where they’d wrinkled from sitting. “Wait a little longer. I need to think about how to handle this.”

Huo Fenghua stared blankly, looking hurt.

Su Zeyang looked at him and said, “If you keep making that face, I’ll lock you up and won’t let you leave.”

Huo Fenghua lowered his head and sighed. When he raised it again, his expression was clear and bright. “By the way, back at Luofeng Ridge, that curse formation had three slips of paper. Whose birth data was on the one in the middle?”

Su Zeyang unhurriedly adjusted his sleeves. When he looked up to answer, he only said, “This has nothing to do with you. Don’t ask again.”

Huo Fenghua frowned. “Fine, I won’t ask. Who cares whether the Feng family ends up with no heirs!”

By evening, Su Zeyang and Huo Fenghua took a carriage to the Right Prime Minister’s residence. It was Wang Chu’s sixtieth birthday, and he was hosting a huge banquet. Nearly all the dignitaries and nobles in Yujing had prepared gifts to pay their respects. Even the emperor had sent longevity peaches from the palace.

When they arrived at the Wang residence, the place in front was packed with bustling carriages and hordes of people.

There were too many guests that Wang Chu had no energy to pick a fight with Su Zeyang. He accepted the gift, exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries, and invited them in to sit.

Just as Su Zeyang and Huo Fenghua reached the inner courtyard, a servant hurried after them and called, “Young Masters, please wait.”

At once, many guests turned to look.

Su Zeyang asked, “What is it?”

The servant didn’t recognize them. Uneasy, he said, “My Young Master says… He invites the two Young Masters to go to the side courtyard and stay with the women of the household.” Huo Fenghua glared at him, and his voice grew smaller and smaller.

Su Zeyang’s face showed neither pleasure nor anger. He nodded. “Please thank Young Master Wang for me. We won’t be going to the side courtyard. It would make the ladies uncomfortable. Tell Young Master Wang we’ll find a place to rest on our own.”

The servant glanced toward the front courtyard. Huo Fenghua saw Wang Anzhi standing in the crowd, looking their way with a half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

Huo Fenghua gave him a cold, mocking smile back.

Su Zeyang seemed not to have seen him at all. He turned and walked deeper inside.

Huo Fenghua followed behind, folding fan in hand, clicking his tongue with a “Tsk.”

“Don’t mind him,” Su Zeyang said.

Huo Fenghua asked, “We delivered the birthday gift. Why aren’t we leaving?” His skin was thick, but he still didn’t like being humiliated like this.

“I have serious business to handle,” Su Zeyang said softly. “You just eat and drink and enjoy yourself.”

Huo Fenghua snapped the fan open and fanned his face, puzzled what “serious business” Su Zeyang could possibly mean.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a place to talk.

Passing through an arched gate beneath a rockery, they entered the inner courtyard. Only then did Huo Fenghua realize the Right Prime Minister’s Manor was much larger than the General’s Manor. In the middle of the vast inner grounds was a huge pond, complete with covered walkways and pavilions. Weeping willows were planted all around it, and guests were chatting under the willow branches and admiring lotus flowers.

Su Zeyang was the sort of person who drew eyes everywhere. But even more people began whispering the moment they recognized Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua had once been a notorious playboy in the capital. Even as a hostage prince, he’d run with Wang Anzhi and other well-born youths for years, haunting brothels and taverns, always stirring up trouble.

In Yujing, plenty of people recognized him, whether they held office or not.

But ever since an imperial decree had married him to General Feng Tianzong as a male concubine, he’d never appear in the city again. No one expected to see him at the Right Prime Minister’s birthday banquet.

Someone asked in a low voice, “Who’s the man beside Huo Fenghua?”

Someone else answered, “That’s General Feng’s male wife, Su Zeyang.”

The first person seemed to realize it, then smiled ambiguously and praised, “A beauty. Both are beauties.”

Both beauties naturally meant Su Zeyang and Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua stood there, fanning himself as he endured everyone’s stares. After a while he grew irritated and said to Su Zeyang, “I’m going to get some pastries.”

Su Zeyang nodded.

Huo Fenghua walked into the crowd. A group of middle-aged men had been chatting together, but when he approached, they immediately fell silent, watching him leave with disgusted looks before resuming their conversation.

On a stone table in a pavilion were delicately made osmanthus cakes. Huo Fenghua popped one into his mouth, finding it soft, fragrant, sweet, melting in his mouth. He immediately reached for another to bring to Su Zeyang.

Just as he stepped out of the pavilion, lanterns all around the pond were being lit. Night had fallen. It looked like the banquet was about to begin.

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

Chapter 42

Su Zeyang’s kiss felt different from Feng Tianzong’s. It was softer, with none of that aggressive possessiveness. He was like cool water—enveloping you, and yet capable of drowning you all the same.

Huo Fenghua tightened his arms around Su Zeyang, hooked his tongue and sucked, his fingers lightly tugging at Su Zeyang’s belt.

Very quickly, Su Zeyang caught Huo Fenghua by the collar and shoved him to the side. But Huo Fenghua’s feet stayed planted firmly on the ground. Su Zeyang couldn’t budge him. After all, Zixi hadn’t been famous for nothing; decades of cultivation weren’t a joke.

Su Zeyang looked a little surprised. And Huo Fenghua had already locked onto his wrist and forced him down onto the crates behind him.

Huo Fenghua was just about to let out a smug laugh when Su Zeyang, nimble as ever, slipped sideways, regained his footing, and twisted Huo Fenghua’s arm back. At the same time he lifted his foot and kicked behind Huo Fenghua’s knee, making Huo Fenghua obediently sit down on the crate himself.

Su Zeyang looked down at him. “In such a short time, where did you get so much inner energy?”

Huo Fenghua was angry at first. He’d gotten all that inner energy and still couldn’t beat Su Zeyang. But hearing the question, he couldn’t help grinning smugly. “Guess.”

“I can’t guess,” Su Zeyang said.

Huo Fenghua sighed. “You’re so boring. Have you heard of True Master Zixi in Fengming?”

Su Zeyang lifted his chin slightly as if searching his memory. Huo Fenghua, seeing that innocent expression, felt his heart stir and reached out to wrap an arm around his waist.

Su Zeyang then patted Huo Fenghua’s hair. “I think I’ve heard of him.”

Huo Fenghua said, “He’s actually a lecherous, shameless old monster. Master stole one of his golden pills and fed it to me, and I ended up absorbing decades of his cultivation.”

Su Zeyang said softly, “What golden pill could be that powerful? I’ve never heard of absorbing someone else’s cultivation. Show me.” As he spoke, he offered his hand to Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua took it, kissed his arm once, and said, “How would I dare try? What if once it starts, it won’t stop?”

Su Zeyang was still puzzled. He pressed two fingers to Huo Fenghua’s pulse, trying to gauge his inner energy. But Huo Fenghua grabbed him in return, tugged him down, and pressed close to kiss him, murmuring intimately, “Is this really the time to talk about that? We clearly have other things we can do.”

Su Zeyang looked down at him. His long lashes trembled slightly, and suddenly he reached out and yanked open Huo Fenghua’s lapels, exposing a broad stretch of pale, clean chest.

Huo Fenghua sat on the solid wooden crate, tilting his head back.

Su Zeyang kissed his neck, one hand sliding up over his chest, thumb rubbing one nipple.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help panting lightly. Meanwhile, his thoughts turned lively. His hand traced along Su Zeyang’s supple waistline, slid down to his ass, and gave a firm squeeze.

Su Zeyang shot him a look and took Huo Fenghua’s nipple into his mouth.

That was when Huo Fenghua said, “You abandoned me at Luofeng Ridge.”

Su Zeyang’s movements paused.

With grievance in his voice, Huo Fenghua continued, “You’ve been back in the capital so long, and you never came to find me. You didn’t even ask about me once.”

Su Zeyang straightened and looked at him. “The curse is a matter of great importance. I—”

“You do it for Feng Tianzong, but you wouldn’t do it for me!” Huo Fenghua cut him off.

Su Zeyang looked at him, confused. “Last time… were you uncomfortable?”

Huo Fenghua stood up too. “I wouldn’t say I was uncomfortable. But I want to make you feel good too, Senior Brother.”

Su Zeyang said, “Last time I did feel good.”

Huo Fenghua lowered his eyes. “You left me at Luofeng Ridge…”

Su Zeyang turned and sat down on the crate, unfastening the knot at his collar. “Come, then.”

Huo Fenghua lit up with delight. He lowered his head and kissed Su Zeyang, speaking indistinctly as he did, “You can’t take it back now.”

Su Zeyang answered softly, “Mm.”

Huo Fenghua tugged his clothes open, one hand pinching his waist, the other kneading his chest. Hearing Su Zeyang’s breathing grow heavier, he felt satisfied. He nibbled lightly at Su Zeyang’s shoulder. “Senior Brother, I really like you.”

Su Zeyang stroked the back of his neck, fingers catching in his hair, and sighed faintly.

Huo Fenghua wasn’t satisfied. “Do you like me?”

Su Zeyang opened his half-lidded eyes. “I do.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t ask whether he liked Feng Tianzong more or him more. Instead he said, “Then you have to remember me for the rest of your life.”

Su Zeyang leaned back, legs spread slightly, and answered, “Alright.”

Huo Fenghua lowered his head, about to undo his belt.

Suddenly, both of them heard footsteps coming this way.

That went without saying for Su Zeyang, but after gaining decades of inner energy from Zixi, Huo Fenghua felt his senses had sharpened a lot. The footsteps were still some distance from the courtyard, yet he could clearly judge their direction. He immediately lifted his head and looked at Su Zeyang.

Su Zeyang was looking at him too. With silent understanding, they both stopped, stood, and adjusted their clothes, tying their sashes.

By the time Liu Yong walked through the courtyard gate, Su Zeyang and Huo Fenghua were already continuing to rummage through the boxes.

Liu Yong crept up to the storeroom doorway and knocked on the open door. “Young Master Su, the Prime Minister’s residence has sent someone.”

Su Zeyang closed the lid of a wooden box and asked, “What is it?”

Liu Yong said, “It’s Xu An, the Prime Minister’s personal attendant. He says the Imperial Princess is ill and wants to invite Doctor Du from our residence to examine her.”

Doctor Du had once followed Feng Tianzong onto the battlefield as a military physician. His medical skills were excellent. Later, growing older and with no family, Feng Tianzong had invited him to live at the General’s Manor, to treat people in the household and also to let him spend his later years in comfort.

Su Zeyang said softly, “The Imperial Princess is ill?” He hesitated slightly, then said, “I’ll go see Xu An.” Something like that couldn’t simply be ignored.

After speaking, Su Zeyang looked to Huo Fenghua. “Will you keep looking for the jade ruyi here?”

Huo Fenghua looked displeased at being interrupted when things were getting good. “I don’t even know what you’re looking for.”

Su Zeyang said, “Then go back to your room and get yourself sorted out first. Steward Lu should’ve already passed the word along. Qingqing probably knows you’re back too.”

Hearing the name Qingqing so suddenly, Huo Fenghua felt a wave of longing as well. He nodded. “Then I’ll go see Sister Qingqing first.”

Huo Fenghua returned alone to his small side courtyard. When he pushed the door open, he saw Qingqing sitting on a stone stool in the yard, staring off into space. He called softly, “Sister Qingqing!”

Qingqing jerked her head around, stood up, and said, “You really came back?”

Huo Fenghua walked over with a grin. “I’m back! Did you miss me?”

Qingqing didn’t answer. She just looked at him. After a moment, her eyes turned red.

Huo Fenghua froze and said, “Don’t cry. Why are you crying the moment you see me?”

“Who’s crying?” Qingqing lifted a hand to wipe her eyes. “I thought you’d never come back.”

Huo Fenghua felt a sour ache in his chest. He asked her, “So these days… you’ve been here alone keeping watch?”

Qingqing said, “Yeah. Every day I have to clean the room and the courtyard. By the time I’m done, it’s already afternoon.”

Huo Fenghua took her hand and said softly, “Really, don’t cry. I won’t be staying long. I’m still going to leave.”

Qingqing froze slightly, glanced outside, and said in a low voice, “You still want to slip away?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t explain his plans in detail. He only said, “Don’t worry. Before I go, I’ll make Feng Tianzong decide for you and marry you into a good family.”

Qingqing didn’t even have time to feel shy. She just asked, “How will you leave? The General and Madam won’t let you go.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Don’t worry about that. Before I go, I still have some things I need to handle. When the time comes, I’ll prepare your dowry. Keep this secret for me. Don’t tell anyone, alright?”

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

Chapter 41

Feng Tianzong left the horse to Huo Fenghua who rode into the city alone and returned to the General’s Manor.

Ever since he’d come to this world, he hadn’t stayed in Yujing for long before he was abducted and taken to Xichou. Now that he was back, it truly felt like a lifetime ago.

He led the horse slowly through the capital and even had to ask people for directions before he found the way to the General’s Manor. Back then, he’d exhausted every scheme to escape; now, no one was forcing him, yet he was still coming back willingly.

The main gate of the General’s Manor was shut tight, leaving only a side gate open for entry.

Huo Fenghua led the horse over and knocked. The gatekeeper, Wu Tong, took a long time to respond. He opened the side gate only a narrow crack to peer out. He’d looked impatient, but the moment he saw Huo Fenghua standing there with a horse, he froze.

Huo Fenghua didn’t urge him.

Wu Tong looked him up and down, then yanked the door open. “Young Master Huo? You… you… how did you come back?”

After Huo Fenghua went missing, Su Zeyang had left the residence to search for him. The servants didn’t know what had happened. They’d only heard, from a few maids who served close in, that Young Master Huo had run off with a prostitute from the pleasure quarter.

Even before marrying the General, Young Master Huo liked to frequent brothels and taverns, and later he’d even thrown himself into a lake in a suicide attempt. Saying he’d eloped with a prostitute sounded plausible enough. So the rumor spread from mouth to mouth, and all the servants believed it. Only because the matter was serious, Steward Lu had strictly forbidden anyone from repeating it outside, so it didn’t leak beyond the residence, though inside the household people gossiped constantly.

Now Huo Fenghua had returned alone. Wu Tong’s jaw practically hit the ground. He had no idea what had really happened.

Seeing him stare blankly, Huo Fenghua said unhappily, “What? You’re not letting me in? I’m still Young Master Huo of this manor, aren’t I?”

Wu Tong finally snapped out of it and hurriedly stepped aside. “Please come in, quick. I’ll have someone go report it at once, tell them you’re back—”

“No need.” Huo Fenghua stopped him and handed him the reins. “Is Young Master Su in the residence?”

Wu Tong answered, “He is. Young Master Su hasn’t gone out today.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “Then I’ll go find him myself. You don’t need to worry about it.”

He’d been away from the General’s Manor for months now. Aside from the change of seasons, the plants and paths inside seemed much the same. Only Huo Fenghua’s state of mind had shifted completely. Thinking of Su Zeyang made his heart flutter, yet there was also a faint unease.

When he reached the inner courtyard and passed the lake where he’d once thrown himself in seeking death, he suddenly remembered how, at Luofeng Ridge, Su Zeyang had handed him off to Wen Heyi and left without hesitation. His mood sank at once.

As he crossed through a courtyard gate, he ran into Zhu’er, the little maid who attended Su Zeyang. Zhu’er’s eyes widened. She clapped a hand over her mouth, looking as if she’d seen a ghost.

Huo Fenghua said, “What, saw a ghost?”

Zhu’er stammered, “Yo-Young Master Huo?”

Huo Fenghua said to her, “Young Master Huo asks you: is Young Master Su in his room?”

Zhu’er shook her head. “No. Young Master Huo… when did you come back?”

“I just got back.” Huo Fenghua said. “I’m going to see Young Master Su now. Where is he?”

Zhu’er pointed toward the back courtyard. “He’s in the storeroom with Steward Lu.”

“The storeroom?” Huo Fenghua glanced that way, waved his hand, and said, “Got it. Go do your work.”

Zhu’er still stood there, dumbfounded, watching him head for the back courtyard.

The General’s Manor storeroom didn’t hold anything especially critical. Mostly it contained gifts exchanged with court officials and rewards bestowed by the emperor over the years for Feng Tianzong’s military merits.

Before Huo Fenghua even reached it, he heard two people talking at the storeroom entrance. One was Steward Lu Xi, and the other was, of course, Su Zeyang. Huo Fenghua leaned out from behind the courtyard gate and saw Su Zeyang in clean white robes, his long hair neatly tied back, speaking to Lu Xi. Then Su Zeyang sensed the movement at the gate and turned—his eyes meeting Huo Fenghua’s.

For an instant, both of them froze.

Lu Xi also heard the sound and looked over. He didn’t notice Su Zeyang’s expression, only came down the steps in surprise and walked into the courtyard. “Young Master Huo? You’re back?”

Unlike the other servants, Lu Xi naturally knew why Huo Fenghua had left. Seeing him return alone still shocked him.

Huo Fenghua’s gaze slid off Su Zeyang’s face. He said to Lu Xi, “Yeah. I’m back.”

When Su Zeyang returned earlier, Lu Xi had asked about Huo Fenghua’s whereabouts. At the time, Su Zeyang had said Huo Fenghua wouldn’t be coming back for the time being. Now Lu Xi couldn’t help glancing at Su Zeyang. Su Zeyang only stared at Huo Fenghua without any reaction. So Lu Xi said, “It’s the best thing possible that you’ve come back.” Seeing the dust and travel-wear on him, he added, “I’ll have the servants prepare hot water and food. Young Master Huo has been through a hard journey. Would you like to return to your room first to rest and freshen up?”

“No need,” Huo Fenghua said. “There are some things I want to say to Young Master Su.”

Just then, Su Zeyang’s attendant, Liu Yong, came out of the storeroom carrying a wooden box. He asked, “Is it this ruyi, Young Master Su?”

Su Zeyang turned back, opened the box, then closed it again. “No.”

Liu Yong saw Huo Fenghua too and looked equally stunned. “Young Master Huo?”

Su Zeyang said, “I’ll find the jade ruyi myself. Liu Yong, you can go.”

Liu Yong stared. “Young Master?”

Su Zeyang took the box from him, then said to Lu Xi as well, “Steward Lu, you should go rest too. I’ll speak with Young Master Huo for a bit.”

Lu Xi bowed slightly. “Then I’ll take my leave. Young Masters, take your time.”

Liu Yong had no choice but to bow too, following Lu Xi as they left the storeroom area together.

Su Zeyang carried the box back inside. Huo Fenghua followed him in and saw many crates stacked in the storeroom. In one corner were numerous scrolls and paintings, piled together.

Watching Su Zeyang set the box down, Huo Fenghua asked, “What are you looking for?”

“A jade ruyi,” Su Zeyang replied.

“What for?” Huo Fenghua asked.

“A birthday gift for someone,” Su Zeyang said, then began opening other boxes, searching for the jade ruyi he’d mentioned.

Huo Fenghua stepped closer. “Senior Brother, you were so ruthless to me. You really could do it?”

Su Zeyang paused, turned to look at him. “There are priorities. I didn’t have a choice.”

Huo Fenghua stepped closer again, until their noses were nearly touching and their breaths mingled. Only then did he say, “Feng Tianzong was in a hurry. I wasn’t.”

Su Zeyang lowered his eyes. “Martial Uncle treated you fairly well.”

Huo Fenghua still felt wronged.

Su Zeyang lifted a hand, pressed it to the back of Huo Fenghua’s neck, and brought their lips together.

Huo Fenghua, as if venting his anger, bit back hard.

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

Chapter 40

Deep in the night, everything was quiet.

On the inn’s broken old bed, Huo Fenghua kept his back to Feng Tianzong, turning his head to tangle tongues with him. He felt Feng Tianzong’s rough palm stroking over his body, sliding up to his chest. Two fingers pinched his nipple and tugged gently.

Huo Fenghua’s breathing quickened. He wanted to turn over, but Feng Tianzong’s arm pinned him in place and wouldn’t let him move. One hand toyed with his nipple, while the other slid down to grip his half-hard shaft, kneading it with just the right pressure.

Feng Tianzong kissed Huo Fenghua’s shoulder.

Huo Fenghua turned his head back and said, “There’s a hole.”

Feng Tianzong gave a soft “Mm,” and after a moment said, “Then don’t make any noise.”

In a drafty wreck of a room like this, of course it wasn’t soundproof either.

Huo Fenghua squeezed his legs together in discomfort and even felt the bed give a small creak.

Feng Tianzong pushed his hand between his thighs, stroking the tender skin of his inner thigh, and lightly kneading his balls. Huo Fenghua tipped his head back. While forcing himself to keep his breaths quiet, he stared toward the broken hole, trying to make out what was on the other side. But it was pitch-black over there, and he couldn’t see anything.

Huo Fenghua said, “Maybe someone will look.”

Feng Tianzong actually chuckled and asked him, “Do you like that?”

Huo Fenghua wanted to say he wasn’t that shameless, but just then he felt Feng Tianzong tug his pants down a little. Feng Tianzong’s thick cock poked out and pressed against the cleft of his ass.

He immediately got tense. “You’re going in just like this?”

Feng Tianzong didn’t rush. He buried that hard heat into the crack between Huo Fenghua’s cheeks and began to grind in slow strokes. “Want it?”

Huo Fenghua closed his eyes. “Not that badly.”

Feng Tianzong seemed to laugh again, still reaching around to stroke and soothe the rigid length at his front, unhurried.

Huo Fenghua swallowed. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He panted hard, and then suddenly a light flared up in the room across the hole.

His breath caught. In the neighboring room, a young man who looked like a scholar stood by a table, lighting an oil lamp.

Sensing Huo Fenghua go silent and hold his breath, Feng Tianzong pressed his cock to the entrance behind and slowly slid in.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t hold it. He sucked in a sharp breath, clenching hard around him, wrapping Feng Tianzong tight.

Feng Tianzong’s breathing turned rougher too.

The scholar next door had sat down under the lamp to read, but maybe he heard something. He lifted his head with a strange look.

Right then, Feng Tianzong drew back slightly, then thrust in hard, forcing the head against Huo Fenghua’s sensitive inner wall. Huo Fenghua jerked, slapped a hand over his mouth, and swallowed down that soft, spring-lush cry.

Feng Tianzong stroked him as he rocked his hips and slammed into him, and whispered in Huo Fenghua’s ear, “If you like it, then cry out.”

Huo Fenghua kept his hand at his lips, his words shattered by the intermittent thrusting. “Can’t… can’t disturb someone… reading…”

Feng Tianzong seemed amused. He reached up, brushed Huo Fenghua’s long hair aside, and kissed his cheek.

But even if Huo Fenghua refused to make a sound, the bed beneath them squealed and creaked with gleeful enthusiasm, and in the still night it was loud.

Huo Fenghua worried in secret. With the inn’s rotten, drafty wooden walls, he feared everyone staying there could hear their bed.

The scholar next door stared blankly for a moment, then actually stood and walked toward the wall.

Watching him come closer step by step, Huo Fenghua could only feel Feng Tianzong’s hard, burning cock deep inside him. Every time it pried through slick flesh and ground along his inner walls, it sent tremors through his whole body, creating sharp and relentless pleasure. He was boneless, swaying with Feng Tianzong’s movements, until he saw the scholar reach the bedside. The man seemed to notice the hole and crouched as if to take a closer look.

Huo Fenghua snatched up a pillow and slammed it over the hole, blocking the view.

Feng Tianzong’s lust flared. This position wasn’t enough. He braced Huo Fenghua’s waist, flipped him over, and knelt on the bed. Then he gripped his waist and hiked his hips up, pounding him hard.

Huo Fenghua lay facedown, one hand still clutching the pillow to plug the hole, all his senses consumed by the burning friction inside him.

Feng Tianzong kept one hand on Huo Fenghua’s cock, feeling it grow harder and harder, until Huo Fenghua shuddered and spilled in his grasp. His ass clenched tight, soft flesh twisting and milking the cock inside him, forcing Feng Tianzong to pull back a little. Only when Huo Fenghua went slack did he drive in again with a brutal thrust.

This time he showed no mercy. He fucked him for a long while, until Huo Fenghua hardened again, and then, gripping his waist, he buried himself all the way inside Huo Fenghua and came.

Even after he finished, Feng Tianzong stayed wedged between Huo Fenghua’s cheeks, unwilling to pull out. Only when Huo Fenghua’s waist ached unbearably and he reached back to push him did Feng Tianzong finally withdraw slowly, gather him up, and roll over to lie down holding him.

The next morning, when they checked out, the innkeeper’s gaze kept sliding back and forth between Huo Fenghua and Feng Tianzong.

Huo Fenghua’s skin was always thick. He smiled at the innkeeper. “Can you hurry it up?”

The innkeeper flicked his abacus beads as he settled their bill.

Huo Fenghua turned to glance at Feng Tianzong and saw his expression calm, as if the innkeeper weren’t staring at him at all. Huo Fenghua felt grudging admiration. Looks like Feng Tianzong’s skin was even thicker than his.

After paying, they left the inn. Huo Fenghua walked ahead, about to head for the stables to fetch the horses, when he realized Feng Tianzong hadn’t followed. He turned back and saw Feng Tianzong staring at a mark in the corner by the wall, then changing direction after stepping out.

Huo Fenghua recognized the mark too. It was left by Feng Tianzong’s men. It looked like they’d found Su Zeyang’s whereabouts.

Huo Fenghua hurried after him. They reached a teahouse on the street corner. A little boy ran out of the teahouse and tugged at Feng Tianzong’s hem.

Feng Tianzong crouched, and the boy whispered in his ear, “Madam has returned to the General’s Manor.”

After he said it, the boy turned and ran off, using the copper coins he’d just gotten to buy candy.

Feng Tianzong rose slowly and told Huo Fenghua, “Zeyang is already back at the General’s Manor.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “Then let’s get back as quickly as we can.”

After that, they traveled day and night without pause. Every evening, Feng Tianzong would help Huo Fenghua circulate his energy and guide it to clear and smooth his qi. Later, as their true qi connected and flowed back and forth between them, even Feng Tianzong felt his inner energy grow by a fair margin.

This time, after ten days on the road, they returned to Yujing.

Before entering the city, Feng Tianzong suddenly reigned in. He jumped down from the horse, held the reins, and looked up at Huo Fenghua. “I won’t enter the city with you.”

Huo Fenghua was startled. “You’re not going in?”

Feng Tianzong said quietly, “I won’t go in with you. I’ll disguise myself and slip into the city, and I won’t return to the General’s Manor right away either.”

Huo Fenghua jumped down as well. “Then where are you going?”

Feng Tianzong said, “I’m a General who was sent on a campaign by an imperial decree. I can’t return to the capital privately without first reporting in, so I can’t move openly.”

Huo Fenghua froze, then understood. He asked, “Then should I tell Senior Brother you’re back?”

Feng Tianzong hesitated a little. “Not yet. I’ll arrange it myself.”

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Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

Chapter 39

After Gu Guangji finished gnawing on the rabbit, he wiped the grease from his mouth, stood up, and walked over to Huo Fenghua to take his pulse.

Huo Fenghua held out one hand.

Gu Guangji stared at his pale arm but didn’t know where to start, looking troubled.

Huo Fenghua lifted a hand and pressed it to his dantian. “I won’t suck inner energy anymore. It feels different from earlier.”

Feng Tianzong crouched beside him and asked, “How is it different?”

Huo Fenghua thought for a moment and said, “Just now, I could feel inner energy flowing from my palm along the meridians and finally returning to the dantian, forming a loop. But now I can’t feel that anymore.”

Gu Guangji asked, “Really?”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “Absolutely. Besides, even if I were going to suck someone’s inner energy, I wouldn’t absorb my Master’s. That’d be utterly unfilial.”

Feng Tianzong said, “He’s afraid you can’t control yourself.”

Huo Fenghua sensed quietly for a moment longer, then spread his wrist. “Really, it won’t happen.”

Only then did Gu Guangji squat down. Carefully, he reached out to feel Huo Fenghua’s pulse, and at the same time told Feng Tianzong, “If he sucks my inner energy, use the whip and pull me away—no, whip him away instead. Got it?”

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help laughing. “What, like I’m an electric shock?”

Gu Guangji asked, “What?”

Huo Fenghua shook his head. “Nothing. Master, hurry up.”

Gu Guangji finally set his fingers on the pulse point, nerves taut. Before he even felt the beat, Huo Fenghua grabbed his wrist and shook it violently.

For an instant, Gu Guangji jolted in fright and almost kicked Huo Fenghua away, but he quickly realized there was no inner energy flow at all. Huo Fenghua was just messing with him. He instantly roared, “I’ll beat you to death, you little bastard!”

Feng Tianzong hurried to hold Gu Guangji back and said to Huo Fenghua, “Quit it!”

His voice dropped, carrying authority.

Huo Fenghua immediately lowered his head and obediently said, “Yes, General.”

Gu Guangji was still fuming, but he did take Huo Fenghua’s pulse carefully. He found the pulse full and unusually strong. Clearly, a surge of inner energy was swelling through the meridians, speeding up the blood flow and making his whole body unbearably feverish. So he said, “That old demon Zixi poured his whole life’s cultivated, thick inner energy into a pill, and he swallowed it in one go. It’s already lucky he didn’t explode. His dantian can’t hold that much, so it’s running wild through his meridians, heating his blood everywhere. That’s normal.”

Feng Tianzong asked, “What should we do?”

Gu Guangji said, “What do we do? We can only slowly guide it back into the dantian. This isn’t a one- or two-day thing. Are you heading back to Yujing next?”

At the question, Huo Fenghua and Feng Tianzong exchanged a look. Feng Tianzong answered, “Yes.”

“Then you’ll be traveling together for another ten days. Along the way, you keep circulating your power to guide and clear his meridians, so the inner energy returns to his dantian. Teach him the method too. Maybe in a couple of days he won’t feel so hot,” Gu Guangji said. Then he had Huo Fenghua sit up, pressed both palms to his back, and fed his own inner energy into Huo Fenghua to help guide the swollen meridians.

A short while later, Huo Fenghua still felt scorching and miserable, but the limp weakness all over him eased a lot.

Feng Tianzong watched, still worried. “Is there any way to prevent him from absorbing other people’s inner energy?”

Gu Guangji glanced at him. “If I had a way, I wouldn’t have been scared out of my skin just now. To be honest, this kind of thing… is strange. I didn’t expect Zixi’s alchemy to produce something like this. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Huo Fenghua, draped in clothes, said, “If you don’t even know what it is, how dare you make me eat it?”

Gu Guangji scratched his cheek. “A pill that old demon refined to eat himself wouldn’t harm him, right?”

Huo Fenghua gave a soft snort. “That old demon was so perverted. What if it’s some kind of obscene aphrodisiac that makes you last forever?”

Gu Guangji considered it solemnly for a moment, then said, “Wouldn’t that be doing you a favor?”

Feng Tianzong coughed lightly. “Senior, you’re not coming back to Yujing with us?”

Gu Guangji answered without hesitation, “Of course not. I’m still wandering the martial world. There are lots of things I haven’t done. What would I go to Yujing for?”

Huo Fenghua asked, “Where do you want to go?”

Gu Guangji squatted down, propped his cheek with one hand, and thought hard. After a long time without deciding, he said, “We’ll see. I’ll just go wherever my feet take me.” Then he stood and brushed off his hands. “I’m leaving.”

“Right now?” Huo Fenghua asked in surprise.

Gu Guangji waved. “I’m off.” Then he told Feng Tianzong, “Treat my disciple well. Both of them.”

Feng Tianzong lowered his gaze slightly. “I know.”

Gu Guangji chuckled. His body seemed to float as he leapt out of the cave.

That left only Feng Tianzong and Huo Fenghua.

Feng Tianzong helped him straighten his clothes, then suddenly asked, “Did you look at the birth data on that slip of paper?”

Huo Fenghua paused and looked at him. “I know what you want to ask. I saw that slip. I don’t recognize that birth data.”

For a moment, Feng Tianzong seemed to let out a deep breath. Huo Fenghua didn’t know if he was imagining it. Then he added, “But I can’t guarantee it isn’t me.”

“What do you mean?” Feng Tianzong’s voice sank.

Huo Fenghua raised a finger and tapped his head. “When you were away, I jumped into the water to kill myself, but I didn’t die. I knocked my head up. A lot of things are blurry.”

Feng Tianzong looked at him expressionlessly.

Huo Fenghua spread his hands. “You don’t believe me, right?”

Feng Tianzong said, “I believe you.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t buy it. “Liar. I know you don’t.”

Feng Tianzong finished dressing him and tied his sash. “I’ve been in contact with you before. Back then, you were nothing like you are now.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “What was I like back then?”

Feng Tianzong didn’t continue. He only said, “If we don’t hurry, we’ll probably have to sleep out in the open again tonight.”

Huo Fenghua stood up and tugged at his collar to fan himself. “Let’s go. Tonight we’ll find somewhere cool to stay.”

As Feng Tianzong walked out of the cave, Huo Fenghua said, “Do you think I conspired with someone to mess with the Feng family?”

“No,” Feng Tianzong answered quickly. “The you from before didn’t have that kind of nerve or bearing. And we don’t have a grudge.”

Huo Fenghua said, “The hatred of a fallen kingdom doesn’t count as a grudge?”

Feng Tianzong gave a light laugh. “I’m just a sword in someone else’s hand. The one you should truly hate for your fallen kingdom lives in the palace. If you want revenge, you shouldn’t come to me.”

Huo Fenghua sighed. “I don’t think I have that kind of nerve or bearing either.”

He would never see the Huo Fenghua from the past again, but even just imagining it, he could picture what kind of person that had been. Using the same body, he couldn’t help feeling a little wistful and melancholy.

That night, they stayed in a broken-down inn whose guest rooms were drafty on all sides.

When Huo Fenghua entered their room, he smelled mold and rot. He asked Feng Tianzong, “Do we really not need to change to a better inn?”

Feng Tianzong set their bundle on a chair. “Weren’t you the one who said you wanted an inn that was cool?”

Huo Fenghua sat on the edge of the bed, feeling cold air pouring in through cracks in the window. He nodded. “It is cool.”

As soon as he said that, he started taking off his clothes. By the time Feng Tianzong turned around, he’d stripped clean.

“What are you doing?” Feng Tianzong asked.

Huo Fenghua lay down on the bed. “I feel awful.”

Feng Tianzong went over and helped him sit cross-legged, then sat behind him. He pressed both palms to Huo Fenghua’s back and, just as Gu Guangji had instructed, began guiding his inner energy to channel and ease the excess.

Huo Fenghua closed his eyes and followed the flow inside his body. He also tried to gather the excess inner power running wild in his meridians back into his dantian. It was slow, but the bloated pressure gradually eased.

When they finished circulating, Feng Tianzong got up from the bedside. Huo Fenghua had already collapsed back onto the bed, stretching out.

Huo Fenghua watched Feng Tianzong blow out the candle. The room dropped into darkness. He heard the sounds of Feng Tianzong returning to the bed and removing his clothes.

After a while, when his eyes adjusted and he could make out the long outline of the person beside the bed in the moonlight filtering through the window, he saw Feng Tianzong climb onto the bed in white underclothes and lie down on the outer side.

Huo Fenghua rolled over with his back to Feng Tianzong, facing the wall, and suddenly murmured, “Huh.”

Feng Tianzong waited a moment, then asked, “What?”

Huo Fenghua said, “There’s a hole in the wall.”

Hearing that, Feng Tianzong turned and moved closer behind him to look at the hole, then asked, “Want to plug it?”

Huo Fenghua’s body pressed against his, and he instantly felt a wave of coolness. His whole body was burning like a little furnace, so he burrowed into Feng Tianzong’s arms.

Feng Tianzong hesitated briefly, then still reached out to hold him.

Huo Fenghua turned his head and kissed Feng Tianzong on the lips.

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