Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 27

After confirming Huo Fenghua’s identity, Pan Yan gave no outward reaction. He merely had a servant relay the message. “It has been verified that this man is not Xichou’s eldest prince, Huo Fengnian, but General Feng’s household male concubine, Huo Fenghua. His qualification to compete is hereby revoked. Expel him from the tournament grounds.”

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help lifting his head, but he didn’t see Wen Heyi or Shao Feijie on the viewing stand. He knew there was no room left to maneuver. Seeing Feng Tianzong’s face like ice, he didn’t dare provoke him again and could only fall docilely silent.

At this moment, Pan Yan suddenly called out clearly, “General Feng, please take your person with you.” His manner was courteous and he gave Feng Tianzong plenty of face.

Feng Tianzong cupped his fists and thanked him, then gripped Huo Fenghua’s wrist and led him out of the arena.

Even after the two of them left, the spectators inside continued to buzz with discussion. Hardly anyone paid attention to the martial heroes still competing.

Huo Fenghua stumbled along under Feng Tianzong’s grip. Once they were out, he saw two men waiting. One was Cong Wenhao, the other Song Wei. Both wore plain cloth, traveling in disguise.

Cong Wenhao stepped forward and cupped his fists. “General, you found him?”

Feng Tianzong’s voice was icy. “Back to the inn first.”

Huo Fenghua was dragged the whole way, pleading, “General, ease up a little.”

Feng Tianzong didn’t answer. He hauled him straight into his room at the inn and slammed the door shut.

Huo Fenghua lurched into the square table inside, nearly knocking it over. He steadied himself with effort, turned around, and hurriedly said, “General, please calm down. We can talk this through.”

Feng Tianzong said, “Where did Su Zeyang go?”

Huo Fenghua took a breath. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me when he left.”

Feng Tianzong let out a cold laugh. “Didn’t you leave the inn together? You even rode only one horse.”

Seeing the fury in Feng Tianzong’s eyes, Huo Fenghua rushed to explain. “General, listen to me. It’s complicated, but Young Master Su leaving on his own was entirely for your sake, not mine.”

“For my sake?” Those words only enraged Feng Tianzong further. He stepped in, seized Huo Fenghua’s wrist, flipped him over, and forced him face-down on the table. He grabbed the already-torn clothes on his back and ripped them even more. “Then who is this brand for?”

Huo Fenghua had nothing to say.

Feng Tianzong pressed his fingers against the poplar-leaf mark, drew a deep breath, and closed his eyes briefly as he tried to steady his emotions.

Goosebumps rose across Huo Fenghua’s waist. At this point he couldn’t care whether he was betraying Su Zeyang or not. Keeping himself alive came first. So he said, “He insisted on branding me. I didn’t agree. From start to finish, he forced me. I haven’t wronged you, General.”

“What did you say?” Feng Tianzong’s tone turned abruptly colder.

Huo Fenghua was still sprawled on the table, not yet realizing he’d triggered a towering rage. He kept talking. “General, Young Master Su’s the one who’s being unfaithful. Don’t blame me. I’ll help you find him and drag him back. Next time you should use iron chains to keep him leashed up so he can’t run again.”

Feng Tianzong clamped a hand around Huo Fenghua’s throat and lifted his head. “What did you say? Say it again.”

Huo Fenghua couldn’t breathe smoothly. Only then did he realize Feng Tianzong was even angrier. He didn’t dare babble anymore. He grabbed Feng Tianzong’s hand with both of his, trying to pry a small gap between those fingers and his neck.

Feng Tianzong said, “He seduced you? Then I’ll see just how many of his marks you’re carrying!” As he spoke, he yanked Huo Fenghua’s clothes with his other hand, tearing through layers in an instant.

Huo Fenghua was stripped bare. This body had taken plenty of injuries, but the skin was naturally smooth. Given time, most wounds healed without leaving much trace. Only the two brands on his lower back remained starkly visible.

Feng Tianzong released his grip on Huo Fenghua’s throat.

Huo Fenghua coughed a few times and shoved Feng Tianzong away as he retreated to the corner of the room. He didn’t care that he was completely naked. He just rubbed his neck and said, “General, there isn’t anything else. Between him and me, it really isn’t what you’re imagining. The one he truly loves is you. With me it was just playing along.”

Feng Tianzong stared at him. “You said he was unfaithful and seduced you.”

Huo Fenghua’s head felt dizzy and swollen. “I was talking nonsense. If Young Master Su were going to stray, it’d be like a white plum blossom straying*, pure and cold, lofty and untouchable. Other than you, General, who could possibly tame him? This time he left because he went to find someone to remove your curse.” He rushed the words out, afraid that if he spoke any later he wouldn’t get the chance.

*He’s referring to the idiom “A red apricot branch reaching over the wall”, which is a metaphor for a wife having extramarital affairs. However, he replaced red apricot with white plum blossom (allusion or purity, coldness, restraint), highlighting how absurd it is for Su Zeyang to be unfaithful to Feng Tianzong. 

Feng Tianzong asked, “What curse?”

Huo Fenghua said, “A curse to make the Feng family line die out, no sons, no heirs.”

Feng Tianzong gave a cold laugh. “To save your own life, you’ll do anything. Any despicable trick, you’ll use.”

Huo Fenghua froze. “I’m telling the truth.”

Red tinged Feng Tianzong’s eyes. He was furious beyond measure. Suddenly his right hand flicked, snapping out the Fulong Whip. The long whip lashed up, and the tip coiled around Huo Fenghua’s neck, dragging him back to the table.

Once again, Huo Fenghua was pinned down on it, but this time Feng Tianzong pressed his whole body down over him. In his ear, his voice was cold as winter. “I want to see exactly what you taste like, to make him—” He didn’t finish, as if unwilling to say that name. One hand stroked Huo Fenghua’s smooth, soft waist, fingers pinching his faintly pink nipple until desire flared. Then he stripped down his pants and pressed his hard length against the cleft between Huo Fenghua’s ass.

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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 26

Huo Fenghua sat down and was handed a wooden tag with a number on it. It was his number. He casually hung it around his neck, when he suddenly heard an uproar ripple through the whole tournament ground. He looked up and saw that the city lord, Pan Yan, and his daughter Pan Zishu had appeared on the second floor viewing terrace at the front.

Pan Yan was lean and solid. Though he wasn’t young anymore, his eyes were still sharp, and he was full of energy. Pan Zishu wore a veil, so her face couldn’t be seen clearly, but her skin was snow-white and her figure slender. She ought to be a stunning beauty.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help standing up, wanting to get a better look at Pan Zishu. In an instant, another idea formed in his mind. If Pan Zishu really was a great beauty, why didn’t he simply go along with it and use Shao Feijie’s support to marry her?

If he did that, he’d have the city lord of Zhuyue City as his father-in-law, and a gorgeous woman like Pan Zishu as his wife. Then he could dig in his heels and refuse to follow Shao Feijie in restoring the kingdom. Could Shao Feijie really just seize him and drag him away? That would be far better than being at Shao Feijie’s mercy and unable to escape.

With that thought, the unease that had been haunting him finally settled. He sat back down and suddenly laughed.

A few people beside him were looking at him. He found it odd and glanced around, only to realize everyone else had hung their number tags on their chairs, and he was the only one wearing it around his neck. He quickly took it off and hung it on the left armrest of his chair.

When he looked up again, Huo Fenghua vaguely felt Pan Zishu was looking in their direction, amusement in her eyes. He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he lifted his chin and smiled back at her.

After waiting a little longer, the marriage competition officially began.

There were three platforms in the center of the arena. Each round called up six people. The numbers were split into three pairs, and each pair fought. The loser left, and the winner stepped down to prepare for the next round, then another pair went up to fight.

Huo Fenghua sat below and watched, his heart pounding. Every participant seemed highly skilled. If he went up with his pitiful, half-baked tricks, he figured he wouldn’t last even two exchanges.

Of course, there were weaker ones too. When they ran into real experts, the match ended in two or three moves. They retreated, and the next pair quickly filled in.

After half an hour, Huo Fenghua heard his number called. He stood, took off his cloak, and went up by the steps beside the platform. His entrance lacked a bit of swagger. He knew plenty of people simply leapt up onto the stage, but the platform was high, and he was afraid he wouldn’t make it and would embarrass himself, so using the stairs felt safer.

In the end, his opponent went to the edge and tried to leap up, but came up just short, tripped at the lip, and pitched forward.

Laughter burst out all around. Huo Fenghua felt secondhand humiliation for the man too, thinking, why would you even do that?

They faced each other, cupped their fists in greeting, and took their stances.

Huo Fenghua always set his stance beautifully, but the moment they traded blows, his weakness showed. They went back and forth for more than ten exchanges, and he suddenly realized his opponent was just as mediocre as himself.

And that man liked to roar low in his throat whenever he attacked, sounding terrifying, but his moves were clumsy, his strength lacking, and his reactions slow. After more than twenty exchanges, the man backed up to the edge of the platform, tangled his own feet, and fell off.

The referee immediately declared Huo Fenghua the winner.

Huo Fenghua looked dazed and confused. He lifted a hand and waved, then went down, still not understanding how he’d just won his first match.

The second match would be the next day.

That night, Huo Fenghua asked Wen Heyi whether his opponent had been arranged in advance, since he’d been so weak. Wen Heyi only smiled and told him to guess.

Huo Fenghua was convinced something was fishy about this whole tournament. Maybe Pan Yan really had been persuaded by Shao Feijie and was taking the chance to marry his daughter off to him. If so, then he could probably win tomorrow’s match with his eyes closed.

The next day, Huo Fenghua climbed onto the platform full of confidence. This time his opponent was an elderly man with hair already gone white.

In the viewing seats, people were murmuring to each other. Huo Fenghua couldn’t help turning his head toward the second-floor terrace again. He kept feeling Pan Zishu was looking this way.

He turned back and saluted the old man.

Yesterday, that old man had looked vigorous. He’d fought dozens of exchanges and defeated his opponent. Today, though, he looked sickly and listless. Either he hadn’t rested well, or he’d suddenly come down with an acute illness at this critical moment.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help finding it a little funny. He raised a starting posture and was just about to strike when someone suddenly shouted, “Hold it!”

The noisy arena fell instantly silent. With that shout, a tall, slender figure leapt lightly from the spectator stands. In a nimble flip, he landed on the very platform Huo Fenghua was on.

The arena steward pointed at him and bellowed, “Who are you? Why are you barging onto the platform?”

Who was he? Huo Fenghua, in shock, stumbled backward again and again. The man was Feng Tianzong.

The Feng Tianzong he’d seen yesterday hadn’t been an illusion at all. Somehow, he’d slipped away from the garrison in Xichou and chased him all the way to Zhuyue City.

Feng Tianzong had taken off his armor and changed into a brown cloth outfit, but his presence was undiminished. He seized Huo Fenghua’s wrist and called out, “City Lord, wait. This man’s identity is fraudulent. He shouldn’t be allowed to continue competing.”

The steward hesitated and didn’t dare decide on his own. He looked up toward the city lord’s stand.

The entire arena had gone quiet, and Feng Tianzong’s voice carried clearly to Pan Yan.

Huo Fenghua immediately whispered urgently, “General, you can’t joke about this.”

Feng Tianzong didn’t even look at him, only letting his lips curve faintly.

Pan Yan stood and walked to the edge of the terrace, looking down at Feng Tianzong. He murmured something to a servant at his side, and the servant shouted, “Who are you, sir? If this man isn’t Huo Fengnian, then who is he?”

Feng Tianzong tightened his grip on Huo Fenghua’s wrist and lifted his chin. “I am Feng Tianzong, the Great General of Donglin’s Expedition Army. This man is not Xichou’s eldest prince Huo Fengnian. He is the male concubine of my household, named Huo Fenghua.”

The moment he said it, the arena erupted. Spectators, and even contestants still fighting on the platforms, began murmuring. Even Pan Zishu could no longer sit still. She stood and went to Pan Yan’s side, looking in their direction.

Cold sweat poured down Huo Fenghua’s forehead. He shouted, “This man is spewing nonsense. None of it is true. City Lord, you mustn’t believe him! Huo Fenghua is my younger brother, a hostage in Donglin. We’re simply twins, and we look alike!”

Pan Yan’s brows knit tightly as he murmured some instructions to his servant.

The servant shouted, “General Feng, you claim this man is your male concubine Huo Fenghua. Do you have proof?”

Feng Tianzong smiled slightly. “Of course.” Before the words had even finished leaving his mouth, he yanked Huo Fenghua into his arms, pressing chest to chest. With his other hand, he tore open the cloth at Huo Fenghua’s left lower back, exposing a phoenix-shaped brand. “Among Donglin nobility, wives and concubines must bear the husband’s household brand on the lower back. City Lord, you may have someone inspect it closely. Is that not the phoenix mark of my Feng family on his waist?”

Huo Fenghua froze. He instinctively reached to touch his lower back, but Feng Tianzong caught his wrist and murmured into his ear, “Behave and you’ll suffer less. Don’t move.”

Pan Yan sent someone down to examine the mark on Huo Fenghua’s lower back.

Up in the viewing stands, Shao Feijie’s expression was hard as stone. He gripped the Blood Drinking Saber at his waist and looked ready to leap onto the platform, but Wen Heyi stopped him. “If you go now, it won’t change anything. Pan Yan will definitely hold you to account over this. We should leave Zhuyue City as soon as possible.”

Shao Feijie slowly loosened his grip on the saber hilt and replied coldly, “We leave.”

Meanwhile, Pan Yan’s servant had come down onto the platform and bent to examine the brand carefully. He suddenly let out a soft “Eh?” and said, “Why is there another one?”

The torn edge of the cloth on the right revealed a reddish trace. He hooked the fabric aside to look and found there was another brand there too.

Hearing that, Feng Tianzong lowered his gaze. He saw a poplar-leaf-shaped brand on Huo Fenghua’s right lower back. His expression turned icy. He clamped down on Huo Fenghua’s wrist so hard that Huo Fenghua couldn’t help crying out in pain.

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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 25

Zhuyue City lay in the southwest, but it was built on a plateau. The closer they got, the colder the weather became, while the sunlight grew harsher and more intense.

In the mornings, Huo Fenghua would wrap a sable-fur cloak over his clothes. By noon he’d be sweating from the heat and had to take it off, and at the same time he still needed to wear a bamboo hat to shield himself from the blazing sun.

As they traveled, they kept pushing Huo Fenghua to practice martial arts.

They spent nearly a month on the road. By the time they reached Zhuyue City, Huo Fenghua had at least managed to acquire some rudimentary kung fu. He could strike a pose that looked convincing enough, and he could barely block two or three of Wen Heyi’s moves. Any more than that and he was done.

When they arrived, Huo Fenghua sat on horseback and stared at the towering walls and the lofty bronze city gates, finally understanding what “rich enough to rival a nation” really meant.

It was midday. The gates stood open. Guards in white fur-lined jackets held spears and stood on either side, and they didn’t conduct strict searches on those entering or leaving.

After Huo Fenghua entered the city, he instinctively looked back up at the walls. Only then did he realize the gate was in fact heavily defended. Dozens of elite soldiers were stationed along the top, longbows in hand, carefully watching every person who passed through.

Zhuyue City was vast and densely populated. Unlike war-torn Xichou, the city bustled with prosperity. Shops lined the wide streets, and countless vendors called out as they hawked their goods. Walking along, you didn’t see a single beggar. Everyone looked well-fed and at ease.

They rode at a slow pace. It took nearly half an hour before they reached the guest lodge Zhuyue City had prepared for the young martial artists coming to compete in the marriage competition. The lodge was spacious as well. Huo Fenghua asked the steward who received them and learned that one lodge housed twenty to thirty contestants, and with their attendants, a single lodge could accommodate fifty or sixty people.

And because Huo Fenghua was entering under the identity of Huo Fengnian, his status was special. The steward arranged for the four of them to stay in a small side courtyard.

They had only just settled in when Shao Feijie left the lodge with Jia Duo, leaving Huo Fenghua and Wen Heyi in the courtyard. Wen Heyi picked up a long bamboo pole from somewhere and used it to rap at Huo Fenghua, urging him to hurry up and practice.

Huo Fenghua caught two of Wen Heyi’s moves barehanded. Then the bamboo pole snapped down on his palm. He shuddered in pain and tried to snatch the pole, but Wen Heyi flicked his wrist. The end of the pole slipped lightly out of Huo Fenghua’s grasp, and with a turn he smacked Huo Fenghua on the backside.

“I’m done,” Huo Fenghua said, annoyed as he walked over and sat on a stone bench, rubbing his stinging palm.

Wen Heyi said, “With those flowery punches and embroidered kicks, how are you supposed to marry the city lord’s daughter?”

“It’s not like I want to marry her,” Huo Fenghua said. “You’re the ones forcing me. Besides, even if I spend these last few days training without eating or sleeping, do you think that means I’ll be able to marry the city lord’s daughter?”

Wen Heyi twirled the bamboo pole and sat down on the stone bench beside him.

Huo Fenghua glanced at him and lowered his voice. “Martial Uncle, is Marshal Shao off greasing palms?”

“Greasing palms?” Wen Heyi’s gaze drifted over.

Huo Fenghua smiled. “With my skills, what marriage competition could I compete in? Shao Feijie brought me all this way, so it can’t be just for show. If he’s got some other plan, then he must be going to pull some strings.”

Wen Heyi smiled back. “So who do you think he’s gone to pull strings with?”

Huo Fenghua propped his chin on one hand. “Shao Feijie is the Grand Marshal of Xichou’s armies, a high-ranking general. He must know some powerful figure in Zhuyue City, like a general or something…”

“He went to see the city lord,” Wen Heyi suddenly said in a quiet voice.

Huo Fenghua was a little surprised. “So he really does have ties with the city lord.”

Wen Heyi’s fingers slowly rubbed along the slender bamboo pole. “Ten years ago, Zhuyue City wasn’t as prosperous as it is now. It was still a vassal territory of Xichou. Back then, the city lord, Pan Yan, personally went to Xichou’s capital Huijing with his daughter Pan Zishu to present tribute. That’s when Marshal Shao met Pan Yan. And by coincidence, your brother Huo Fengnian got along well with Pan Zishu. Pan Yan even joked about marrying Pan Zishu to Huo Fengnian. This time, Marshal Shao rushed here to ask whether Pan Yan still remembers what he said back then.”

Huo Fenghua froze. “Was it just something he said in passing, or was it an actual betrothal?”

“Marshal Shao said it was just in passing,” Wen Heyi replied. “But the late emperor held a banquet in the palace to receive Pan Yan and his daughter, and he said it in front of all Xichou’s civil and military officials. After all, a gentleman’s word is his bond.” As he finished, he tapped Huo Fenghua’s hand lightly with the bamboo pole.

“So that’s what this is about,” Huo Fenghua finally understood the purpose of the trip. “But Xichou’s fallen. If I were Pan Yan, I’d never marry my daughter to a prince of a ruined nation. Helping Xichou restore itself would be too hard, and the price would be too high.”

Wen Heyi watched him for a while, then sighed. “That’s what’s boring about you. Isn’t doing what can’t be done the fun of life? If I were Pan Yan, I’d marry my daughter to Huo Fengnian, then march east under the banner of restoring Xichou. First recover Xichou’s lands, install Huo Fengnian as a puppet emperor, and once the timing is right, strike down Donglin in one go and unify the Central Plains. Then find a chance to assassinate Huo Fengnian and take the throne myself. Wouldn’t that be far more interesting than clinging to a tiny Zhuyue City?”

After hearing that, Huo Fenghua suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine. “Martial Uncle… are you planning to do the same? Help Xichou restore itself and then kill the puppet emperor and take the throne?”

Wen Heyi smiled gently. He lifted Huo Fenghua’s chin with the bamboo pole and said softly, “Good Disciple, what do you think?”

Huo Fenghua slapped the bamboo pole away, shivering with goosebumps. “Martial Uncle, stop joking.”

They waited at the lodge until after dinner before Shao Feijie returned with Jia Duo.

The first thing Shao Feijie did was call Wen Heyi into his room. He shut the door and spoke with him in private for nearly two hours. During that time, Jia Duo kept watch over Huo Fenghua, giving him no chance to eavesdrop. Afterward, Huo Fenghua tried to ask Wen Heyi what Shao Feijie had said, but Wen Heyi kept dodging the question and never told him a single honest word.

So the days passed in a blur of training, eating, and sleeping. One morning, Huo Fenghua woke to find Wen Heyi already sitting in his room. A brand-new set of clothes lay on the round table.

Wen Heyi said, “Put on the new clothes. Today you’re going to the marriage competition.”

Huo Fenghua took a deep breath and realized he was actually nervous.

Pan Zishu’s marriage competition was set at a drill ground in the south of Zhuyue City. Earlier, Huo Fenghua had asked the lodge steward and learned that nearly four hundred contestants had submitted name cards to participate, from the Central Plains and from the borderlands and foreign tribes alike.

To ensure fairness, the city lord himself drew lots to assign each contestant an opponent and a round. Only by winning your round could you advance.

Matches were held on the central platform. Because blades had no eyes, and this was supposed to be a happy occasion, each bout would stop at “a touch is enough.” If the weaker fighter insisted on clinging stubbornly, they only needed to be forced off the platform for the other side to be declared the winner. When the final victor emerged, he would still have to spar once with the city lord’s daughter, Pan Zishu. Only if he won could he take her hand.

The matches began at dawn that day. Huo Fenghua changed into a new light-yellow outfit. Feeling it was too cold, he still wrapped himself in the sable cloak, a ring of soft white fur around the collar that made his skin look like gleaming snow.

On the way to the drill ground, Wen Heyi remarked, “With how frail you look, if I were the city lord, I wouldn’t marry my daughter to you either.”

Huo Fenghua pulled his cloak tighter and replied with, “Cold.”

When they reached the drill ground, Huo Fenghua saw a sea of people. Besides the contestants, Zhuyue City’s citizens had come from the surrounding areas to watch. They had to dismount while still far away and proceed on foot. By the time they squeezed their way inside, they were sweating all over.

The grounds were enormous. For this marriage competition, tall viewing stands had been built all around to accommodate spectators. Directly in front stood a newly built two-story pavilion. On the second floor was a viewing terrace. In the middle sat a broad chair, and beside it was another chair draped in pale pink gauze, presumably for the city lord and his beloved daughter. Neither had appeared yet, and the terrace was guarded only by many strong young soldiers.

As someone who had submitted a name card, Huo Fenghua was separated from Wen Heyi and the others after entering and was led to the front-row seating for contestants.

Alone, he felt uneasy. He looked up and scanned the stands, trying to spot Wen Heyi. But after searching left and right, he didn’t see him. Instead, in a corner of the stands, he caught sight of a familiar face, handsome and sharp.

Feng Tianzong!

Just then, someone behind him shoved him. He stumbled and turned around to see a poorly dressed young contestant pushing him aside, telling him not to block the way.

Huo Fenghua moved away a little. When he looked up again, the spot was already empty. The Feng Tianzong he’d seen a moment ago seemed like a phantom, but it still gave him a vicious fright.

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

---

Chapter 24

Su Zeyang left just like that, catching Huo Fenghua completely off guard. Huo Fenghua had been thinking that as long as he stayed by Su Zeyang’s side, he’d still have a chance to slip away, but Wen Heyi showed him not a shred of mercy. He grabbed the shackles on Huo Fenghua’s wrists and dragged him back out the way they’d come.

Huo Fenghua had spoken to Wen Heyi without the slightest courtesy before. Now he was uneasy, and he asked carefully, “Martial Uncle, where are you taking me?”

Wen Heyi let out a cold laugh. “Where would you like me to take you?”

Huo Fenghua forced a smile. “How about nowhere. Once we’re out of this cave, you and I go our separate ways.”

“In your dreams!”

Huo Fenghua said, “Martial Uncle, you’re someone so capable. Why follow Shao Feijie? Why don’t you and I start our own faction? No, we don’t even need to. Let’s go back to the Xianyuan Sect, recruit troops, and rebel.”

Wen Heyi looked at him. “Rebel against who?”

“Obviously rebel against Donglin,” Huo Fenghua said. “You like fighting wars. I’ll appoint you Grand Marshall of all the armies under heaven. You lead the troops and fight to your heart’s content. Who cares about Donglin or Xichou, we’ll beat them all into the ground. Then we’ll establish the Xianyuan Kingdom. I’ll be emperor, and you can be whatever you want.”

“We rebel against Donglin,” Wen Heyi drawled. “Do you think Feng Tianzong would let us off? Wouldn’t your Senior Brother come after you then?”

Huo Fenghua snorted. “He doesn’t want me anymore, so why should I care?” The words came out sounding even to himself a little plaintive. Then he added, “Fine, then we kill Feng Tianzong, tie Senior Brother up and take him back. I’ll chain him in my room so he can’t go anywhere.”

Wen Heyi said, “You’re really devoted to him.”

Huo Fenghua laughed. “Devoted, not exactly. If I become emperor, I’ll have three thousand beauties in my harem. If he behaves, I’ll spoil him. If he doesn’t, I’ll make him watch me favor my consorts every day.”

By then, they’d crawled out of the cave. The sudden light stabbed into Huo Fenghua’s eyes and made him lift a hand to shield them.

There was only one horse left outside. Su Zeyang had already ridden off on the horse they’d come on.

Even though he’d known that would be the case, Huo Fenghua still stood there dazed until Wen Heyi grabbed him by the back of the collar and tossed him onto the saddle.

Wen Heyi swung up behind him, made Huo Fenghua sit in front, and urged the horse forward.

Seeing they weren’t going the right way, Huo Fenghua said, “Martial Uncle, weren’t we going back to the Xianyuan Sect to recruit troops? Where are we going now?”

Wen Heyi answered lazily, “Recruiting troops doesn’t happen without money. I’m taking you to raise silver first, so we’ll have the means.”

“Where are we raising it?” Huo Fenghua asked.

“Of course we’re going to find Shao Feijie,” Wen Heyi said. “You’re a Xichou prince. Who knows if the Xichou royal house has some hidden trove or secret treasure. Once you and Shao Feijie reunite, we dig up the treasure, then we kill Shao Feijie and go back to the Xianyuan Sect and set ourselves up as kings.”

Huo Fenghua thought it over. “That’s a great idea. Martial Uncle, you really are something.”

After that, both of them fell quiet, with only the pounding hoofbeats of the horse.

A moment later, Huo Fenghua said, “Wait. Martial Uncle, you’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

Wen Heyi chuckled twice. “Guess.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t actually think his nonsense would persuade Wen Heyi, but the thought of being dragged back to Shao Feijie’s side, forced to live as “Huo Fengnian,” exhausted him.

He let out a heavy sigh, stared at the jagged mountains around Luofeng Ridge, and went silent.

Along the way, Wen Heyi stayed extremely guarded, leaving him no chance to run. The wrist shackles were also a huge nuisance. The moment he raised his hands even a little, they clinked.

They traveled for three days and linked up with Shao Feijie’s forward scouts. After that, Huo Fenghua was watched even more tightly. He gave up on trying to escape and decided he’d figure it out once he was back at Shao Feijie’s side.

If Shao Feijie still wanted him to impersonate the Xichou crown prince, then he couldn’t keep guarding him like a criminal forever. When the time came, Huo Fenghua could put on an act, make Shao Feijie believe he truly meant to follow them and restore the kingdom, and eventually they’d loosen their vigilance.

But when Huo Fenghua saw Shao Feijie again, it wasn’t at Tiantou Stronghold.

Feng Tianzong had led troops to attack Tiantou Stronghold. Shao Feijie caught wind of it and didn’t want a head-on clash, so he withdrew the garrison ahead of time, retreating into the endless primeval forest along Xichou’s border. This time, it would be even harder for Feng Tianzong to track them down.

Yet Huo Fenghua didn’t meet Shao Feijie in that forest camp either, but in a remote border town in Xichou. The place hadn’t been touched by the war, and no Donglin troops were stationed there. It was poor, but the people’s lives were still relatively peaceful.

Wen Heyi brought Huo Fenghua into a tavern in town. The two went in one after the other. The iron shackles on Huo Fenghua’s wrists were conspicuous, but in wartime ordinary people didn’t dare meddle, so no one had asked questions along the way.

Inside the tavern, Shao Feijie had changed into a merchant’s outfit, reining in the murderous aura he usually carried. He sat drinking at a table in the corner. Only one attendant was with him. When Huo Fenghua looked closely, he recognized him as someone familiar: Jia Duo, the man who’d gone to Yujing to bring him back to Xichou.

Back then, between Jiang Yuan and Jia Duo, Jia Duo had actually been quite polite to him.

Wen Heyi took Huo Fenghua forward and sat down at an empty spot at Shao Feijie’s table.

Before Shao Feijie could speak, Huo Fenghua placed both hands on the tabletop and smiled. “Marshal Shao. Long time no see.”

Shao Feijie looked him up and down. “What are you trying to do, Huo Fenghua?”

Huo Fenghua put on a startled look. “What did you call me, Marshal Shao? I’m Huo Fengnian. Why are you calling me Huo Fenghua?”

Hearing that, Shao Feijie looked to Wen Heyi.

Wen Heyi sneered. “This brat wants to play tricks. Ignore him.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Mr. Wen, that’s not right. You said you wanted me to cooperate with Marshal Shao. Isn’t Marshal Shao’s whole plan for me to pretend to be Huo Fengnian? Am I not acting convincingly enough?”

Shao Feijie didn’t bother with him. He said to Wen Heyi, “The lord of Zhuyue City is holding a martial-arts competition to choose a husband for his daughter a month from now. I’ve already had someone submit the Crown Prince’s name card. If we set out now, we’ll arrive right around early next month.”

“Huh? What?” Huo Fenghua cocked an ear. “A martial arts competition for marriage?”

Wen Heyi picked up the wine jug on the table and poured himself a cup. “Yep. We’re planning to get you a wife.”

Huo Fenghua was genuinely shocked. His mouth fell slightly open as he swept his gaze over the three faces in front of him, then landed back on Wen Heyi. “Mr. Wen, it’s not like you don’t know. I… prefer men. How am I supposed to marry a woman?”

Shao Feijie frowned faintly.

But Wen Heyi didn’t change expressions at all. “The Crown Prince has four secondary consorts. I’ve never heard anything about you preferring men.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Those four were just a smokescreen. The one I truly like is still a man. If you and Marshal Shao don’t believe me, I, Huo Fengnian, can swear to Heaven.”

“Enough!” Shao Feijie finally couldn’t take it anymore. “You will behave yourself and take part in Zhuyue City’s marriage competition, and you will marry the city lord’s daughter!”

Zhuyue City was a major city in southern Xichou. Though it was called a “city,” it actually covered a vast area. Beyond the main city were several smaller satellite cities, essentially like a small southwestern kingdom, and the lord of Zhuyue City was effectively a king.

This time, the city lord’s daughter’s marriage competition had been announced widely: regardless of birth or status, any man who submitted a name card to Zhuyue City could participate. The only condition was that the participant could not already have a lawful wife. Huo Fengnian had several secondary consorts but had never married a principal wife, and with the chaos of war, those consorts had all died in the flames of conflict. So now his participation could be considered proper and legitimate.

At this point, Huo Fenghua still didn’t understand all of Shao Feijie’s calculations. He leaned forward slightly and asked, “Marshal Shao, I don’t know martial arts. How am I supposed to enter a martial arts competition?”

Shao Feijie said, “Starting now, you train relentlessly day and night.”

Huo Fenghua let out a short “Ha,” thinking it was absurd beyond belief.

But Wen Heyi said seriously, “Don’t you have the internal cultivation manual sect leader Senior Brother gave you?”

Huo Fenghua looked at him.

Wen Heyi said, “Starting today, I’m teaching you martial arts.”

That day, Shao Feijie and his men didn’t rush to leave the town.

That night in the guest room, Shao Feijie used his Blood Drinking saber to chop off the shackles on Huo Fenghua’s wrists. Huo Fenghua crouched on the floor with his wrists resting on a stool, watching Shao Feijie lift the long blade with trembling nerves. “Marshal Shao, can you actually do this? Don’t cut my hands off too.”

Shao Feijie didn’t even look at him. Before Huo Fenghua could react, the blade fell in a sudden flash, severing the shackles perfectly without nicking his hands in the slightest.

When Huo Fenghua pulled his hands back, his legs went weak and he nearly couldn’t stand. He rubbed his wrists lightly and exclaimed, “What a blade. What a technique!”

Wen Heyi sat on a stool nearby, holding the internal cultivation manual he’d confiscated from Huo Fenghua’s chest. “Now that the shackles are off, starting now you train properly.”

Even without Wen Heyi forcing him, Huo Fenghua had always wanted to learn martial arts. Otherwise he wouldn’t have apprenticed himself to Gu Guangji in the first place. After Gu Guangji gave him the manual, he’d studied it for a long time on his own, but he could never find the correct path for many of the acupoints and qi-circulation methods. Su Zeyang never guided him either, so up to now he’d learned nothing and couldn’t keep up with internal training.

If he could truly take this chance to learn, then escaping in the future would naturally become much easier.

So he nodded at Wen Heyi. “Please give me guidance, Martial Uncle. I’ll study seriously.”

From that day on, they traveled slowly toward Zhuyue City, and Wen Heyi taught him the sect’s martial arts along the way. At night they practiced the internal cultivation method, and during the day Wen Heyi taught him a basic set of fist techniques.

With someone teaching him, Huo Fenghua got started quickly, but his progress was slow. Wen Heyi said Huo Fenghua was smart and his bones were well suited, but it was a pity he was already too old. Starting now, it would be hard for him to truly achieve much.

While holding a horse stance, Huo Fenghua asked Wen Heyi, “Martial Uncle, do you think if I train like this for a month, I’ll be able to enter that marriage competition and marry that city lord’s daughter?”

Wen Heyi was sprawled on a low tree branch nearby, lazily flipping through a book. “Do you think you can?”

“I don’t,” Huo Fenghua said. “That’s why I’m telling you early. I’m afraid you’re wasting your effort.” As he spoke, he glanced at Shao Feijie, who wasn’t far off, making a fire and roasting meat.

Wen Heyi closed the book. “Marshal Shao has his own plan. You don’t need to worry so much.”

Huo Fenghua thought for a moment, then lowered his voice. “Does Marshal Shao already have ties with the lord of Zhuyue City? Is sending me to the competition just a pretense, and the real plan is to borrow Zhuyue City’s wealth and troops to restore the kingdom?”

Shao Feijie had heard him. He lifted his head and shot him a look, saying in a low voice, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Huo Fenghua quietly pursed his lips.

Wen Heyi smiled at him. “You’re not completely wrong, and not completely right. Once we get to Zhuyue City, you’ll know what it’s really for.”

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

---

Chapter 23

When Su Zeyang heard the name Feng Tiansheng, he lifted his head and looked toward Wen Heyi.

Wen Heyi’s expression didn’t change much. He only glanced in Huo Fenghua’s direction, then walked the other way. At the spot directly opposite Huo Fenghua, he lowered his head and felt around until he found Feng Tianzong’s name, then said, “Come here.”

Su Zeyang stood up and walked to Wen Heyi’s side. Bending down, he saw the name: Feng Tianzong.

“What does it mean?” Huo Fenghua raised a hand and scratched his chin.

Su Zeyang crouched again and, following the dark red lines on the ground, roughly traced the formation with his finger. Then he stood and fell into thought.

Gu Guangji liked to study these unorthodox arts. When Su Zeyang was young, he often taught his disciple things like this, but Su Zeyang’s interest wasn’t there. He’d stayed single-mindedly devoted to swordsmanship. Even so, from what he’d seen and heard over the years, Su Zeyang still understood formations and talismans far better than Wen Heyi did.

Wen Heyi asked, “Well?”

Su Zeyang stepped along one of the lines to the center of the formation, crouched, and used his finger to mark out the ground. He shifted only two small steps, then stopped, rubbing the dirt with his fingertip. “This spot’s been dug up.”

Even though several candles were lit, the cave was still dim. The ground had been dug and then carefully filled back in. If Su Zeyang hadn’t searched closely, you wouldn’t be able to tell at a glance.

Wen Heyi walked over and crouched beside him. “Dig it up and take a look.”

The three of them dug into the dirt. When they’d gone nearly a foot down, Huo Fenghua’s fingers touched a wooden box first. He said quickly, “There’s a box.”

Su Zeyang brushed away the soil around it, lifted the box out, set it on the ground, and opened the lid.

It wasn’t large, only one layer inside. Three slips of paper lay on top, each with a talisman pasted over it.

Su Zeyang peeled off all the talismans at once and saw that each slip bore a different person’s birth data. His finger touched the one on the far right. “This is Tianzong’s birth data.”

“Oh?” Wen Heyi asked. “What about the other two?”

Su Zeyang looked at the middle one, then the far left. “I’m not completely sure, but judging by the year and month, the left one should be Tianzong’s elder brother’s birth data. I don’t recognize the one in the middle.”

Wen Heyi propped his cheek on one hand. “I thought this formation was only aimed at Feng Tianzong. Now it looks like it targets the Feng family. So what kind of formation is it?”

Su Zeyang’s eyes narrowed slightly, his voice icy. “A curse formation.”

“A curse?” Huo Fenghua was startled. “Cursing him with what? Cursing him to die?”

“I’m not sure,” Su Zeyang said. “But I have a guess. Based on how the lines run, I think someone may be trying to curse the Feng family into having their line die out.”

Huo Fenghua froze. His first instinct was to say that if Feng Tianzong married Su Zeyang, wasn’t that already “dying out,” but then he remembered Feng Tiansheng. He also recalled something and grabbed Su Zeyang’s sleeve. “Senior Brother, didn’t Feng Tiansheng’s wife miscarry recently?”

Su Zeyang’s expression turned even colder.

Wen Heyi said, “Maybe it’s just a coincidence. That kind of formation-cursing nonsense isn’t something I believe in.”

Huo Fenghua thought about it and felt Wen Heyi had a point. He’d grown up with modern scientific education and didn’t believe in this either, so he said, “Senior Brother, are you sure? I also think it might just be a coincidence.”

Su Zeyang said, “Either way, this is definitely a curse formation targeting the Feng family.”

Huo Fenghua had ridden hard for days and trekked through the cave passage for a long time. He was tired now, so he simply sat down, resting his shackled hands on his knees. “This is Xichou. Feng Tianzong brought troops and destroyed Xichou. It’s normal for Xichou people to curse him.”

“Cursing a whole family to die out is too vicious,” Wen Heyi said, lowering his head and tracing the carved patterns on the wooden box with his fingers.

Huo Fenghua gave a short, mocking laugh. “Don’t your emperors wipe out nine clans? If one day Feng Tianzong’s whole family fell into Shao Feijie’s hands, you think he’d dare spare even one?”

“That’s different,” Wen Heyi said. “This sort of curse is sinister and poisonous. It can’t be tolerated.”

Su Zeyang hadn’t spoken. He stared at the middle slip, trying to recall whose birth data it was. But the Feng brothers were orphans. As children, they’d drifted in from elsewhere to Yujing and been taken in by the Grand Tutor* He. One went into civil office, one into the military, and together they rose through the ranks. The person on that slip was still young, judging by the year and month. Grand Tutor He had no sons or daughters. Feng Tianzong had no other brothers besides Feng Tiansheng. So what connection could this person possibly have to them?

*[Taifu] (太傅) One of the Three Ducals, the Grand Tutor is charged with educating the monarch (princes and crown prince).

“Wait,” Wen Heyi suddenly said. “This curse formation might not have been set by Xichou people at all.”

Huo Fenghua asked at once, “What do you mean?”

Su Zeyang also looked over.

Wen Heyi smiled, tipped the wooden box over, and said to Su Zeyang, “Look at the patterns on the box.”

Su Zeyang ran his fingers over them. After a moment, he said, “This is a box made by the Yu family, Donglin’s famous master woodworkers.”

“And these patterns aren’t something ordinary households can use,” Wen Heyi said. “It should be tribute.”

If it was tribute made by the Yu family of Donglin, then the only possible recipient was the Donglin royal house.

Wen Heyi suddenly burst out laughing. In the cave, his laughter sounded especially sharp and grating. He laughed until tears came out, then pressed a hand to his chest and said, “Feng Tianzong fights south and north for Donglin and earns countless military merits. The Donglin emperor can’t kill him and shouldn’t kill him, so he uses this method to curse the Feng family into dying out. Hahaha. Isn’t it hilarious?”

As he laughed, he lifted a hand and slapped Huo Fenghua on the shoulder, almost knocking him sideways where he sat.

Huo Fenghua said irritably, “Martial Uncle, stop acting crazy.”

Su Zeyang’s expression was icy.

Huo Fenghua was afraid Su Zeyang might get too worked up, so he said, “I don’t think so. If the Donglin emperor wanted to kill the Feng brothers, it’d be easy. Why make it this complicated? And if he was setting a formation, why deliberately use royal tribute? Isn’t that asking to be found out?” Then he suddenly grew suspicious and looked at Wen Heyi. “Martial uncle, this isn’t some scheme of yours to sow discord, is it?”

Wen Heyi kept that gentle smile on his face. “It’s just a wooden box. Who would notice something like that? And this valley is so deep. When the formation was set, they never expected it would be discovered.”

“And yet you discovered it,” Huo Fenghua said. Wen Heyi still felt dubious towards him. He edged closer to Su Zeyang and said, “You pretend you found it by accident and bring us here, then you want my Senior Brother to tell Feng Tianzong. Feng Tianzong gets furious and switches sides, and you and your lover Shao Feijie sit back and reap the profit.”

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

---

Chapter 22

The window of the room was shoved open from outside. Cold wind poured in at once, and a pale-blue figure flipped in through the window and landed sitting on the sill, long hair whipping and flying in the draft.

Once Su Zeyang saw the man’s face, the sword he’d held across his front lowered to his side. “Martial Uncle Wen.”

Wen Heyi held a folding fan. With a snap he opened it and fanned his face a few times. His hair, already messed up by the wind, only became even more chaotic. He smiled at Su Zeyang.

Huo Fenghua also dragged the clothing that had slipped down around his wrists back up to wrap around himself. Kneeling on the bed, he craned toward the window, but the moment he moved, a sharp ache flared at the same time in his lower back and the burn on his right side.

“Martial Uncle? Why is it you?” Huo Fenghua asked in shock. Then, seeing Wen Heyi’s manner, he added, “Aren’t you cold? Why are you still waving a fan?”

Wen Heyi leisurely closed the fan, flicked his wrist, and tossed it. It dropped neatly onto Huo Fenghua’s head. He hopped down from the sill, shut the window, and snorted as he looked at the two of them. “I really didn’t expect Feng Tianzong to have his rear courtyard catch fire, and for you two to shamelessly end up tangled together.”

Su Zeyang replied coldly, “Now you’ve seen it.”

Wen Heyi walked to the table and sat down. He tried to pour himself a cup of tea, only to find it had already gone cold. He set the pot down and said, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Feng Tianzong?”

Su Zeyang calmly tied his clothes properly and said, “Do as you please.”

Wen Heyi thought for a moment, then said, “True, you’re not afraid. Feng Tianzong can’t even bear to touch one of your fingers. But your Junior Brother will probably have a miserable time.” As he spoke, he looked toward Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua, wincing, also struggled into his clothes. “Martial Uncle, why press so hard against your own people?” he said.

Wen Heyi only smiled. He picked up the iron plate Su Zeyang had tossed onto the tabletop earlier, glanced at it, then, as if enlightened, tossed it back to Su Zeyang. “There’s no need for me to go tell him. You two sneaking around like this, Feng Tianzong will find out sooner or later. When that day comes, we’ll see what you do.”

Su Zeyang tucked the iron plate into his robe and asked, “Then what’s your purpose in coming tonight?”

Wen Heyi said, “That day, after Shao Feijie withdrew his troops at Luofeng Ridge, I discovered a cave in the valley that was hidden beneath a boulder. Inside the cave there’s a secret passage that leads deep into the body of Luofeng Ridge.”

Huo Fenghua sat at the edge of the bed, listening carefully.

Su Zeyang asked, “What are you getting at?”

Wen Heyi leaned lazily against the table. “Disciple*, disciple, why do you have so little patience? I found something at the end of that passage. You’ll definitely be more interested than I am.”

*[Shizi] (师侄) More accurate, it’s nephew disciple, a term referring to a disciple of one’s martial brother.

Huo Fenghua cut in, “Martial Uncle, you’re already here. Why tease us with riddles? If he doesn’t beg you for information, you won’t say it? Then why’d you come at all?”

Wen Heyi shot him a mildly displeased glare.

Su Zeyang didn’t speak.

So Wen Heyi continued. “I found someone set up a formation down there. You know I’ve never been interested in those crooked arts, curses and arrays, so I can’t tell what it’s meant to do. But on the stone wall beside it, someone carved a name.”

Su Zeyang lifted his head to look at him.

Wen Heyi smiled. “The name was Feng Tianzong.”

Huo Fenghua only half understood. “What does that mean? Was the formation set by Feng Tianzong?”

“No,” Su Zeyang said before Wen Heyi could answer. “It’s a formation related to Feng Tianzong.” His brows knitted slightly. Then he looked at Wen Heyi. “You people want Tianzong dead. Why come tell me this?”

Wen Heyi propped one cheek with his hand. “I want to help Shao Feijie kill Feng Tianzong, yes, but on the battlefield, head-on, in the clash of armies. I don’t have a personal grudge against him, and I can’t stand that kind of sneaky, underhanded trick.”

“Isn’t that underhanded trick something the Xichou side did?” Huo Fenghua said. “This is Xichou territory.”

Wen Heyi said, “That’s not necessarily true. And even if it is, so what? I’m not a Xichou man.”

“Then why are you helping Shao Feijie?” Huo Fenghua couldn’t understand.

Wen Heyi only smiled. “That’s between Shao Feijie and me. It has nothing to do with Xichou or Donglin, and it has nothing to do with Feng Tianzong or with you two.”

Huo Fenghua rubbed his nose, catching the faint scent of something suspicious.

All this time, Su Zeyang had been frowning silently.

Huo Fenghua suddenly guessed what Su Zeyang was thinking. After hesitating, he got up and tried to move closer, but as soon as he took a step he grimaced from the pain.

“Senior Brother,” he said as he reached Su Zeyang’s side, “you want to go see that formation, don’t you?”

Su Zeyang glanced at him.

Huo Fenghua urged, “Go take a look. Otherwise you’ll go back to the capital and still feel unsettled. What if it’s some conspiracy against the General?”

“I’m going,” Su Zeyang said. “I’m only deciding whether to bring you.”

“Of course you’re bringing me,” Huo Fenghua said quickly. “Where you are, I’m there. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Wen Heyi let out a sigh. “You two don’t need so much nonsense. I came alone. If you want to come with me, then come. If you don’t, I’ll leave right now.”

“We’re going,” Su Zeyang said abruptly. He reached out and grabbed Huo Fenghua by the arm. “You stay with me.”

Wen Heyi flipped back out through the window. Su Zeyang left a short note for the two guards escorting them, then, tugging Huo Fenghua along, also vaulted out through the window. Under cover of night, Wen Heyi rode one horse, while Su Zeyang shared another with Huo Fenghua, heading southwest toward Luofeng Ridge.

Huo Fenghua sat behind Su Zeyang. With his hands still shackled, he could only clutch Su Zeyang’s clothing tightly. He asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother, aren’t you worried he’s setting us up?”

Su Zeyang said, “When I was young, my master brought me back to the sect. Back then, Martial Uncle was still young too. I more or less grew up with him.”

Huo Fenghua rested his head on Su Zeyang’s shoulder and listened closely.

Su Zeyang continued. “You’ve never returned to the sect. The Xianyuan Sect may be small, but since it was founded, our predecessors collected a vast number of books, almost everything under the sun. I was devoted to martial arts from childhood. My master liked odd arts, divination, and Taoist theories. As for martial uncle, he longed to achieve merit on the battlefield, so he read many military texts. I can understand why he’d follow Shao Feijie and oppose Donglin, but using vile methods to harm people is something he’s always disdained.”

Huo Fenghua wasn’t convinced. “He tricked me.”

Su Zeyang didn’t even think before replying. “You tricked me too.”

Huo Fenghua’s heart jolted. He hurriedly hugged Su Zeyang tighter. “I tricked you because I love you. Haven’t you ever heard of a white lie?”

Su Zeyang didn’t answer. Huo Fenghua felt unsettled, not knowing how much Su Zeyang believed what he’d said, or whether he’d never believed it at all.

They rode without stopping, and it still took three days before they returned to Luofeng Ridge.

The old battlefield had been cleaned up, but blood that had seeped into cracks in the stone still showed faintly. Huo Fenghua couldn’t help recalling how brutal that day had been. He murmured, “It’s better not to fight at all.”

Wen Heyi heard him. “If we don’t fight, how do we reclaim Xichou’s lost land?”

“Time changes, dynasties rise and fall. That’s a tide you can’t resist. People talk about resisting, about restoring the nation, but after enough years being ruled, they just get used to it and keep living.”

Wen Heyi glanced at him. “So you truly have no feelings left for Xichou.”

Huo Fenghua sighed on purpose. “Martial Uncle, I grew up in Donglin, and besides, I accept my fate.”

They tied the horses outside the cave, followed Wen Heyi behind the boulder’s crevice, and slipped into the cave. Connected to it was a long secret passage. There were carved steps up and down along the way, clearly man-made.

Huo Fenghua walked between the other two, stepping along the stairs. “Did someone dig out a whole cave just to set up some formation?”

“This cave is obviously old,” Su Zeyang said from behind him. “These aren’t fresh marks.”

“Then why would someone dig a cave like this in the mountain?” Huo Fenghua asked.

No one answered. Clearly neither Wen Heyi nor Su Zeyang knew.

They went up and down through the passage for nearly an hour, seemingly deep into the mountain. There wasn’t a trace of light. Wen Heyi led the way without lighting anything and Huo Fenghua grew tense, always wanting to hold onto something. He slowed until Su Zeyang was right behind him, then groped for Su Zeyang’s hand and clasped it.

Suddenly Wen Heyi said in a low voice, “We’re here.” He took a fire starter from his robe, blew it to life, and stepped onto the last stair.

At last, in the darkness, Huo Fenghua could make out Wen Heyi’s pale-blue silhouette. The flame was weak, and he still couldn’t see the surroundings until Wen Heyi lit several candle stands set into the cave wall.

Light spread. Huo Fenghua saw the stairs ended in a small chamber. The chamber was circular, not large, with a rounded dome ceiling. If he had to describe it, it looked like a steamed bun.

Su Zeyang released Huo Fenghua’s hand and touched the wall-mounted candle stand. “The stands are old, but the candles are new.”

They’d walked a long time through the secret passage without any branching paths. It led only to this chamber. Aside from the entrance they’d used, there was no second exit. The walls were smooth, like the passage itself, clearly cut by human hands.

“Someone dug a road that far, just to carve out a tiny chamber at the end? Why?” Huo Fenghua couldn’t understand.

Wen Heyi said, “Who knows why.”

Su Zeyang had already crouched down. Huo Fenghua looked over and, by the firelight, finally saw dark red markings on the ground, like a pattern drawn in dried blood.

He took two steps back and studied it. It was a large circular formation, nearly covering the entire floor of the chamber.

Remembering what Wen Heyi had said, he walked along the wall for half a circle. There, on the stone, he found carved characters. He traced them carefully with his fingers. But it wasn’t “Feng Tianzong” like Wen Heyi had said. It was “Feng Tiansheng.”

Startled, he said, “Senior Brother, the name carved here is the Left Prime Minister.”

Left Prime Minister Feng was Feng Tianzong’s own elder brother, Feng Tiansheng.

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

---

Chapter 21

From another perspective, Su Zeyang was quite experienced. He certainly wouldn’t act recklessly. Instead, he set his long sword aside, wrapped one arm around Huo Fenghua’s chest, and playfully twirled his nipple with his fingers. With his other hand, he grasped Huo Fenghua’s slightly flaccid penis, slowly and deliberately stroking it up and down.

Huo Fenghua held his breath, but his body slowly succumbed to the pleasure, and his lower body quickly became erect again.

Su Zeyang kissed his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Do you like it?” Feng Tianzong often asked him this in bed, and he was always frank; if he liked it, he liked it; if it felt good, it felt good.

Huo Fenghua, however, was too embarrassed to admit it. Being played with by a man until his whole body trembled and he gasped for breath didn’t seem like a glorious thing. He stubbornly said, “Senior Brother, let me… let me touch you. You’ll like it even more.”

“Is that so?” Su Zeyang said indifferently, but his teasing intensified. He lightly touched the tip of Huo Fenghua’s cock with his fingertips, feeling some fluid seeping from the opening.

Huo Fenghua’s legs went weak, and he could no longer support himself.

Suddenly, Su Zeyang’s hand reached towards his ass. His soft body immediately tensed up again, and he turned back to plead, “Senior Brother, be gentle.”

Su Zeyang replied, “Mm.”  His hand didn’t stop moving. Eventually, he slid his clean, smooth middle finger and entered the small opening between Huo Fenghua’s ass. At that moment, the warm, soft flesh enveloped his finger, making him sigh, “So tight,” and his finger involuntarily went in even further. Huo Fenghua leaned forward, his handcuffed hands supporting him on the bed, instinctively resisting the fingers probing into his body, and gasped, “It’s too deep.”

Su Zeyang wanted to insert a second finger, but Huo Fenghua tightened up. Su Zeyang said, “Relax!”

Huo Fenghua was covered in sweat, mostly from nervousness. He said, “Let’s not.”

Su Zeyang gently stroked the folds around his anus with his fingers, bent down to lick his earlobe, and whispered, “Hurry up.”

Huo Fenghua finally couldn’t hold back anymore and slightly relaxed his body, allowing Su Zeyang to insert the second finger. He felt a slight swelling and pain and opened his mouth to gasp for air. His waist sagged downwards and his shoulder blades rose high.

Su Zeyang’s fingers explored and expanded inside him, bending his fingers to press against the inner wall.

Huo Fenghua suddenly moaned. He said nervously, “Don’t press there, Senior Brother.”

Su Zeyang, however, began to repeatedly press that spot, asking, “Why?”

Huo Fenghua had never experienced this feeling before. The pleasure seemed to spread instantly, completely different from the previous touch. This uncontrollable pleasure came suddenly and intensely, and his voice began to tremble as he spoke.

Su Zeyang’s rubbing and pressing made Huo Fenghua gasp for breath. With his other hand, he pulled open his own clothes and pants, and when he felt the expansion was sufficient, he replaced his fingers with his erection, slowly pushing it in.

Although his movements were gentle, Huo Fenghua still felt a tearing pain. He wanted to escape several times, but then he thought that it was Su Zeyang, and he could endure it. He only tried his best to cooperate by relaxing his body and eventually allowed Su Zeyang to fully penetrate him. Su Zeyang heard his pained groans but didn’t rush to act. Instead, he reached out to caress him, withdrawing slightly before thrusting back in, deliberately rubbing against the sensitive spot he had found inside him with his fingers.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help but let out a cry.

Su Zeyang held his slender waist with both hands and began to thrust slowly and rhythmically, hearing Huo Fenghua’s soft moans with each thrust.

After the initial tightness and resistance subsided, he felt the movements becoming smoother. Huo Fenghua’s penis had also swelled, his face flushed. He couldn’t believe that those moans were coming from his own mouth. Every movement of Su Zeyang brought him immense pleasure; even without touching himself, he found he was already painfully hard.

“Senior… Brother—” The simple two words were broken into two by a sudden thrust. Huo Fenghua’s forehead rested weakly on his hand, his burning cheeks pressed against the cold shackles to cool down. He said, “I can’t take it anymore, stop…”

Su Zeyang’s voice was no longer cold, but tinged with seduction, “Not enough yet.”

“Mm, mm…” Huo Fenghua didn’t know what to do. His forehead rested against his wrist, and when he opened his eyes, he saw his own genitals, shamelessly erect under the stimulation of his ass. The head of his cock was red and glistening with cool liquid oozing from the tip.

He struggled to pull his hands free, his forehead resting on the bed, wanting to touch his poor little thing. But as soon as his fingers touched it, the slit of his cock contracted, and a thick liquid instantly shot out, even spraying onto his face.

Huo Fenghua was stunned. Su Zeyang gripped his waist and began to thrust faster, his breathing becoming more rapid. His back muscles tensed, holding Huo Fenghua firmly in front of him, not allowing him to escape.

Huo Fenghua, however, had no strength to escape. He lay limply on the bed, his body swaying with Su Zeyang’s movements.  After cumming, his body was incredibly sensitive, and the pleasure continued to build, scaring him a little.

Finally, Su Zeyang thrust himself deeply into Huo Fenghua’s body, breathing heavily with slightly parted lips. Even after fully cumming into Huo Fenghua, Su Zeyang still held his position, refusing to withdraw.

Huo Fenghua’s eyebrows and eyes were flushed. He turned his head to look at Su Zeyang and called out, “Senior Brother.”

Su Zeyang’s chest rose and fell, his long hair slightly damp with sweat. He stared at Huo Fenghua for a while before finally pulling out.

The cum instantly flowed out of Huo Fenghua hole that was slightly still agape.

Huo Fenghua was somewhat dazed. He turned over and lay on his side on the bed, his handcuffed hands reaching towards the headboard. He felt a vague sense of fear, not of anything else, but of the intense pleasure. He was afraid that he would become addicted to it and truly unable to feel pleasure again if it’s not with a man.

Su Zeyang sat beside him, his long black hair cascading down, like an immortal being tainted by worldly desires, both pure and innocent yet unrestrained and debauched. He reached out and touched Huo Fenghua’s face, his fingers still wet with the stain of his cum. A moment later, he got out of bed, naked.

Huo Fenghua stared blankly at Su Zeyang’s slender back. Su Zeyang held something in his hand, and as he passed the brazier, he flicked his wrist and threw it into the burning coals. Then he went to the corner of the room, dampened a piece of cotton cloth, and returned to the bedside. He sat down and reached out to wipe Huo Fenghua’s face.

Huo Fenghua was still staring blankly at his face, and after a moment, he said, “Senior Brother, you’re so handsome.”

Su Zeyang wiped his face clean, then used the same cloth to wipe his own lower body and also wiped away the traces between Huo Fenghua’s legs. Then he threw the cloth on the floor beside the bed and lay back down.

Huo Fenghua turned over to face him, resting his face on Su Zeyang’s shoulder, and said, “Senior Brother, my insides are still burning, like it’s still holding you in.”

Su Zeyang raised his hand to touch his cheek and asked calmly, “Do you like it?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t want to admit it frankly, only saying, “Next time, let me try it. I guarantee I’ll make you cry and scream with pleasure.”

Su Zeyang simply said, “Tianzong can do that,” as if he no longer cared about Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua was slightly displeased. He looked up at him and saw that his gaze was fixed on the bed canopy above, without any emotion. He couldn’t help but raise his head slightly and ask, “Senior Brother, have you tried that with General Feng?”

Su Zeyang didn’t answer.

Huo Fenghua said, “Why not? Is it because he refuses?  Ultimately, I love you more, and I’m willing to do anything for you.”

Su Zeyang lowered his gaze and glanced at him.

After a moment, Su Zeyang got out of bed again, walked to the brazier, and squatted down to pick up the fire tongs from the ground. Huo Fenghua carefully observed his bare back, his gaze lingering on his ass, and didn’t notice what Su Zeyang had taken out of the brazier with the tongs until he returned to the bedside. Only then did he see a red-hot iron block clamped in the tongs in his hand.

“What are you doing?” Huo Fenghua asked, surprised.

Su Zeyang said nothing, reached out and grabbed Huo Fenghua’s shoulder, and with a sudden force, flipped him over onto his stomach on the bed.

Huo Fenghua instantly understood Su Zeyang’s intention, and he cried out in panic, “Brother, don’t!”

But it was too late. Su Zeyang pressed the red-hot iron block against Huo Fenghua’s right lower back. Instantly, the flesh there was seared and cracked open, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

As Huo Fenghua let out a heart-wrenching scream, Su Zeyang had already removed the iron block from his waist and placed it on the table.

This time the pain came without warning, and it was truly excruciating. Huo Fenghua’s eyes almost welled up with tears. When Su Zeyang returned to the bedside, he buried his head in Su Zeyang’s lap and cried, “Senior Brother, how could you be so cruel to me?”

Su Zeyang slowly ran his fingers through his long hair and said, “This is my mark.”

Huo Fenghua cried sadly for a while, then suddenly remembered something else. He reached out to touch his left lower back. It was uneven, and he had always thought it was a scar. Now, could it be another brand?

Before he could examine it carefully, a voice suddenly came from outside the window: “You two shameless men, engaging in such indecent acts here!”

Su Zeyang immediately pushed Huo Fenghua away and got up, simultaneously grabbing his sword and wrapping his naked body in his robe.

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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 20

“I’m not going back.” No one expected Su Zeyang to say that. He looped an arm around Feng Tianzong’s neck, rested his head against Feng Tianzong’s chest, and said, “I’m going with you to wipe out the Tiantou Stronghold.”

Warmth spread through Feng Tianzong’s chest. He pressed his lips to Su Zeyang’s hair and said, “The battlefield’s dangerous. How could I let you follow me into war?”

Su Zeyang lifted his head to look at him. “If we’re talking martial skill alone, you might not even be my match.”

Feng Tianzong laughed. “But war isn’t a sparring match. Even if your kung fu is strong, charging alone doesn’t mean you can come out unscathed on a battlefield. I know what you’re feeling, but I still want you to go back. And there’s Huo Fenghua too. Keeping him here is a headache.”

Huo Fenghua was kneeling by Feng Tianzong’s feet. Of course he wanted nothing more than to be sent away. The road back from Xichou to Yujing was long, and he’d have chances to slip away. But in front of Feng Tianzong he couldn’t say that. After hesitating, he looked up and said, “General, I want to go to war with you too.”

Feng Tianzong lifted a foot and planted it on Huo Fenghua’s chest, using a little force to kick him over. His voice was cold. “Get out!”

Huo Fenghua took a deep breath. Unwilling as he was, he still got up and backed out.

As the curtain fell behind him, the last thing he saw was Feng Tianzong kissing Su Zeyang. He cursed them silently. When he turned, Feng Tianzong’s deputy, Cong Wenhao, was already waiting at the entrance. “Young Master Huo, please return to your tent.”

Huo Fenghua knew he couldn’t run, so he didn’t struggle. He went back to the nearby tent with Cong Wenhao.

Even though Su Zeyang insisted on following Feng Tianzong to the battlefield, Feng Tianzong still held firm and ordered Su Zeyang and Huo Fenghua to return to Yujing together. He assigned two personal guards to escort them.

Before they set out, he personally clamped a pair of fine iron shackles onto Huo Fenghua’s wrists and handed the key to a guard named Song Wei. “Don’t unlock them until you reach the General’s Manor in Yujing. And keep your eyes on him the whole way. Don’t let him get close to Young Master Su, understand?”

Song Wei replied, “This subordinate will obey the General’s orders.”

Feng Tianzong also gave Song Wei a letter to deliver to the old steward of the General’s Manor, Lu Xi, once they reached Yujing. The letter detailed how Lu Xi was to handle Huo Fenghua.

Then Feng Tianzong personally helped Su Zeyang onto his horse, held his hand, and said, “Be careful on the road.”

Su Zeyang cupped Feng Tianzong’s cheek. “I’ll wait for you at home.”

Feng Tianzong smiled slightly. “I’ll return with victory as soon as possible.”

He released Su Zeyang and stepped back.

Su Zeyang urged his horse forward. Even as it started walking, he kept turning his head to look back at Feng Tianzong. Only when the horse ran faster and faster did he finally have to face forward, tighten his grip on the reins, and look down the road.

Huo Fenghua’s hands were shackled, so Feng Tianzong’s two guards took turns hauling him along on horseback. He watched Su Zeyang ahead of him, white robes fluttering, and couldn’t stop himself from wanting to call out to his senior brother, but Song Wei immediately warned him to shut up and not speak to Young Master Su.

They set out before dawn and rotated among three horses. They didn’t stop all day, only lodging at an inn in a small Xichou town when the sky was turning dark.

The town had been occupied by Donglin troops. Soldiers patrolled day and night. Like Licheng before, the whole place felt desolate, and there weren’t many guests at the inn either.

Because Feng Tianzong’s guards wouldn’t allow Huo Fenghua and Su Zeyang to speak, after dinner they hurried them back to their rooms to rest early.

Both rooms were on the second floor, two adjacent “upper rooms.” But the moment Huo Fenghua entered his room, Song Wei locked the door from the outside.

Huo Fenghua’s shackles were still on. Hearing the lock, he went to the door and shoved at it. “Isn’t this a bit much?”

Song Wei said, “I’ll open the door for you at dawn tomorrow. Please rest well, Young Master Huo.”

Huo Fenghua glanced at the iron on his wrists, furious. “Rest my ass.”

After Song Wei left, Huo Fenghua went to the window and opened it. Looking down, he saw the inn’s outer wall was smooth, with no ledges at all. The first floor was high. He didn’t know martial arts, and if he jumped, he’d probably break his legs. No wonder Song Wei wasn’t afraid of him climbing out. He’d only locked the door.

Huo Fenghua went back and sat at the edge of the bed, took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and only then noticed the room was chilly. In the corner was a brazier for guests, but the coals were out. He walked over, wanting to light it, but with his hands shackled, even reaching into his robe for a fire starter was difficult.

Anger rising, another thought occurred to him. He went to the window and peered toward the next room, lowering his voice. “Senior Brother… Senior Brother…”

After a moment, Su Zeyang’s window opened. Su Zeyang leaned out to look at him.

Huo Fenghua said softly, “Senior Brother, my bed over here is cold and hard. Can I sleep in your room tonight?”

Su Zeyang withdrew with a cold expression. A moment later he leaned out again and extended the sheath of his sword toward Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua was instantly delighted. He struggled up onto the window ledge, leaned out as far as he could, and gripped the tip of the sheath with both shackled hands. Su Zeyang lifted the sword slightly and, with a practiced pull, drew Huo Fenghua out through the window. Then he seized Huo Fenghua’s arm and hauled him into the room.

The moment Huo Fenghua got inside, he felt a faint warmth. Su Zeyang had already lit the brazier.

Huo Fenghua hurried over, warmed his hands by the coals, and sighed in comfort.

Su Zeyang half-closed the window and came back to the brazier too, using a metal tong to stir the coals.

Huo Fenghua looked up at him. “You’re the best, Senior Brother. Let me stay here tonight, okay?”

Su Zeyang’s face was calm, but he nodded.

Huo Fenghua’s heart leapt, though he didn’t show it. After watching Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang together day after day, he’d long since been restless. Climbing over tonight was partly because the other room was cold and lonely, and partly because he had thoughts he didn’t dare say out loud.

Su Zeyang blew out the candle on the table. But with the brazier’s glow, the room was still bright.

Huo Fenghua turned and saw Su Zeyang already climb onto the bed. He quickly trotted over too, kicked off his boots, and squeezed onto Su Zeyang’s bed.

Su Zeyang lay on his back on the inside. Huo Fenghua raised his shackled wrists for him to see. “Senior Brother, have Song Wei take these off for me. They’re miserable.”

“That’s Tianzong’s decision,” Su Zeyang said. “Song Wei won’t listen to me.”

Huo Fenghua knew that too. He lowered his hands, sighed heavily, and said, “Then I’ll wear them all the way back to Yujing.”

Su Zeyang didn’t speak.

Huo Fenghua shot him a look, complaining, “Senior Brother, sometimes you’re pretty cruel.”

Su Zeyang finally looked at him, tilting his head slightly. “Am I?”

That innocent look on a face as refined as a painting made Huo Fenghua’s skin prickle. He braced himself and leaned in to kiss Su Zeyang.

Su Zeyang opened his mouth, allowing Huo Fenghua to delve his tongue in. Feeling his soft, wet tongue randomly licking and sucking in his mouth, he reached out and caressed Huo Fenghua’s waist.

Huo Fenghua’s heart was filled with excitement. He wanted to hug Su Zeyang, but the handcuffs prevented him. He could only raise his hands, reaching over Su Zeyang’s head to embrace the back of his neck.

Su Zeyang’s hand slipped under the hem of Huo Fenghua’s shirt, slowly caressing his smooth skin.

Huo Fenghua felt a tingling sensation. When Su Zeyang’s slightly cool fingers slid to his chest, and two slender fingers pinched one of his nipples, he couldn’t help but gasp.  Feeling dissatisfied, he hooked one leg between Su Zeyang’s legs, grabbed his shoulders, and made him turn over and lie on top of him. Then, his hands smoothly slid down his back, cupping and kneading his ass. Su Zeyang soon let out a low groan of unbearable pleasure. Both of their cocks were hard and were pressing against each other. 

As Huo Fenghua felt Su Zeyang’s kisses on his neck, his shirt collar was pulled open, and Su Zeyang lightly licked his collarbone, then slowly trailed down until his soft lips enveloped one of Huo Fenghua’s nipples. He teased it, sucking and circling it with his tongue. Huo Fenghua felt a tingling sensation, and he called out, “Senior Brother—” realizing his voice was unsteady.

Su Zeyang held his nipple in his mouth and glanced at him, his eyes still indifferent and emotionless, yet the combination of his actions made Huo Fenghua see a hint of lewdness.

Huo Fenghua, unwilling to give up, tried to take off Su Zeyang’s trousers, feeling along his smooth ass to find the opening, but was suddenly grabbed by the wrist by Su Zeyang.

Su Zeyang slowly pulled himself out of his embrace, sat up straight, and looked at him, while still holding his hand and pulling him up as well.

Huo Fenghua called out in surprise and uncertainty, “Senior Brother?”

Su Zeyang pulled Huo Fenghua up and turned him over on the bed, so he was in a kneeling position. He then pressed himself against Huo Fenghua from behind while his nimble fingers parted Huo Fenghua’s clothing, pulling down his trousers.

Huo Fenghua understood Su Zeyang’s intention and was immediately terrified. He had given his first experience with a man to Su Zeyang, but that was through the front. He knew that his back was still untouched, and he didn’t want to easily let someone penetrate him there.

He felt Su Zeyang’s erect cock pressing against his ass and quickly called out, “Wait, wait a minute! Senior Brother, you can’t do that. Let me do it instead.”

Su Zeyang ignored him, simply unbuttoning his own trousers and pressing himself tightly against Huo Fenghua’s ass. Huo Fenghua felt that firm warmth and instantly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. He started to struggle.

Su Zeyang reached for his long sword from the bedside, holding the sword and its sheath horizontally against Huo Fenghua’s neck, and said calmly, “I want to do it.”

Huo Fenghua’s heart tightened. He used the shackles on his wrists to block Su Zeyang’s sword, trying to push it away, saying, “Senior Brother, you really can’t do this. Did I not satisfy you enough that time?” He had forgotten that in the end, he was the one who had to relieve Su Zeyang with his hand.

Su Zeyang didn’t argue with him. Instead, he withdrew his sword from its sheath, creating a clanging sound. A glint of sword light flashed in Huo Fenghua’s eyes as he heard Su Zeyang said coldly, “Let me do it.”

Huo Fenghua’s whole body stiffened and sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. He softened his body and said tremblingly, “Senior Brother, this is my first time. Please be gentle.”

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

---

Chapter 19

Huo Fenghua waited the entire night in the tent and still didn’t see Su Zeyang come back. Lying on the couch, he sighed, rolled over limply, and drawled out a long, soft “Senior Brother…” without even knowing who he was calling it for.

In the end he was too exhausted. Even with his eyes closed, he still fell asleep. He slept for a long time. When he woke again, daylight was already bright and outside came waves of hoofbeats and the footsteps of soldiers patrolling the camp.

He got up and saw Su Zeyang still hadn’t returned. He lifted the tent flap and tried to go out.

Two spearheads crossed in front of him. The guards said, “The General has given orders. Young Master is not permitted to leave the tent!”

Huo Fenghua froze. “Why am I not permitted to leave the tent?”

The soldier didn’t argue with him, only said coldly, “The General has given orders. They must not be disobeyed!”

Anger rose in Huo Fenghua’s chest. “Fine. Then I’ll stand right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

The soldier said, “Please return inside the tent, Young Master!”

Huo Fenghua looked at the two of them, but they didn’t look back at him and only bore cold, indifferent faces. Helpless, he retreated one step back into the tent. He stuck only his head out from behind the curtain and said, “The General didn’t say I can’t stick my head out of the tent, did he?”

The two soldiers said nothing.

Huo Fenghua smiled again. “And the General didn’t say I’m not allowed to talk, did he?” Then he raised his voice and shouted, “Senior Brother! Senior Brother! Save me!”

After shouting like that for a while, the curtain of the central command tent not far away lifted, and Su Zeyang walked out. He glanced at Huo Fenghua first, then came over slowly.

Huo Fenghua looked up at him pitifully. “The General won’t let me come out.”

Su Zeyang said coolly, “Let him go.”

The two soldiers knew Su Zeyang’s status was anything but ordinary, and they looked troubled. “But the General has orders…”

Su Zeyang said, “I’ll take responsibility.”

The two soldiers exchanged a look and drew their spears back.

Huo Fenghua hurried out. Seeing Su Zeyang turn to leave, he chased after him and asked softly, “Senior Brother, General Feng isn’t here?”

Su Zeyang headed back into the central tent. “He went to scout.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Does the General still need to scout personally?”

Su Zeyang didn’t answer. He only asked, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Not yet.”

Su Zeyang pointed to a small table in the corner. Bowls and plates were set out, along with steamed buns and hot tea. “Go eat something.”

Huo Fenghua really was hungry. He sat at the table, drank a mouthful of hot tea first, then took a big bite out of a bun.

Su Zeyang stood before a sand table and studied the terrain intently.

After eating and drinking his fill, Huo Fenghua went over and looked at the sand table with him. At first glance he saw a mountain range. Between two peaks stood a small sign that read: Luofeng Ridge.

He pointed at it. “So this is Luofeng Ridge?”

A short distance east of Luofeng Ridge sat their current camp.

Su Zeyang said, “This is Luofeng Ridge.” His long fingers indicated Luofeng Ridge, then moved slowly southwest, to the very edge of the sand table where the terrain was unclear. There was only a sign that read: Tiantou Stronghold.

For some reason, Huo Fenghua felt the name was familiar.

Su Zeyang’s slender finger tapped Tiantou Stronghold. “Tiantou Stronghold sits in dense forest on a hillside. It covers a wide area and is easy to defend, hard to attack. The terrain layout is unclear. Xichou’s remnants are very likely camped there.”

Huo Fenghua suddenly remembered that Wen Heyi had mentioned Tiantou Stronghold. He pressed his lips together, stole a look at Su Zeyang, and decided to pretend he knew nothing.

It was true he liked Su Zeyang, and he didn’t want to go back to Xichou and become a prince of a fallen state, but he also didn’t want to help Feng Tianzong attack Xichou. Whether Donglin or Xichou lived or died had nothing to do with him. He had no feelings for either side.

“Senior Brother,” Huo Fenghua said, “you treat the General too well.”

Su Zeyang looked at him.

Huo Fenghua reached out and took his hand. “If you treated me half as well as you treat the General, I’d be satisfied.”

Su Zeyang said evenly, “I don’t treat you well?”

Huo Fenghua held his hand and pulled him to sit on the couch in front. This couch was where Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang had been together the night before. Huo Fenghua squatted by Su Zeyang’s feet and couldn’t help stroking the tiger pelt on the couch, only to find the fur was coarse and prickly. It only felt right if you stroked it in the right direction.

He couldn’t help asking, “Senior Brother, did the fur prick your ass?” The image from last night flashed through his mind, and his face heated in spite of himself.

Su Zeyang looked at him coldly and didn’t answer.

Huo Fenghua glanced up, unable to read his mood. He changed the subject. “Senior Brother, can I leave this place?”

Su Zeyang asked, “You want to go?”

Huo Fenghua sat down by his feet and pressed his face against Su Zeyang’s leg. “What else? Stay here and watch you two be intimate?”

Su Zeyang lifted a hand and lightly wound a strand of Huo Fenghua’s hair around his finger. “You can’t go. You’re coming back to Yujing with me.”

“And then what?” Huo Fenghua couldn’t help getting worked up. “Be locked in that side courtyard in the General’s Manor for the rest of my life? You never even come to see me!”

Su Zeyang answered slowly, “I’ll come see you.”

Huo Fenghua said, “That still won’t do! Unless you move in with me. We’ll be together day and night, just the two of us!”

Su Zeyang’s fingers stopped moving.

Huo Fenghua knew perfectly well Su Zeyang would never agree, and he’d never truly expected to live with him like that, but seeing Su Zeyang’s reaction still made him feel a little sad. He fell silent, tilting his head to rest on Su Zeyang’s knee.

Su Zeyang’s fingers were cool as they brushed lightly over Huo Fenghua’s cheek.

After a moment of silence, Huo Fenghua asked, “Other than going back to the General’s Manor, do I have any other choice?”

Su Zeyang said softly, “Not for now.”

Huo Fenghua sighed inwardly. He’d expected that, and he knew he couldn’t blame Su Zeyang. Still, he felt bitterly melancholy. He stared ahead, lost in thought, thinking that since Su Zeyang wouldn’t let him go, he’d have to slip away on his own. Going back to the General’s Manor wasn’t impossible. At least slipping away from Su Zeyang would be easier than slipping away from Feng Tianzong. He’d behave for a few more days and see how Feng Tianzong planned to arrange things.

But then Su Zeyang said, “Maybe later there can be. I’ll always find a way. I won’t trap you there for a lifetime.”

Huo Fenghua froze. He lifted his head to look at Su Zeyang and saw Su Zeyang looking back at him. His emotions churned. He turned to face Su Zeyang, knelt upright, straightened his back, and caught a lock of Su Zeyang’s long hair, tugging just enough to make him bend down. Then he pressed his lips to Su Zeyang’s and kissed him.

Unfortunately, before the kiss could deepen, hoofbeats sounded outside the tent, coming fast from far away, then stopping abruptly at the entrance.

Huo Fenghua hurriedly shoved Su Zeyang backward. Feng Tianzong lifted the curtain and strode in. Huo Fenghua went with the motion, putting both hands on Su Zeyang’s leg as if he were massaging it, cold sweat soaking his forehead.

Feng Tianzong marched in, and seeing Huo Fenghua, demanded, “Who let him out?”

“I did,” Su Zeyang answered.

Feng Tianzong shot him a hard look but didn’t flare up.

Su Zeyang stood and guided Feng Tianzong to sit on the couch.

Huo Fenghua tried to stand too, but Feng Tianzong said, “Did I tell you to get up?” So Huo Fenghua obediently stayed kneeling, feeling the heat of Feng Tianzong’s body mixed with the chill of his armor wash over him.

Su Zeyang reached out to help Feng Tianzong remove his armor. One of Feng Tianzong’s long legs stretched out in front of Huo Fenghua. Huo Fenghua glanced at it and reached out to knead it.

Feng Tianzong said, “We found two Xichou men to guide us to Tiantou Stronghold.”

His voice sounded a little rough. Su Zeyang turned to pour him a cup of tea and brought it to his lips.

Feng Tianzong looked at the cup, then suddenly said, “Feed me.” As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Su Zeyang’s waist and pulled him down onto his thigh.

Huo Fenghua was kneading Feng Tianzong’s leg and nearly got his hands crushed. He quickly pulled them back, hesitated, then continued kneading Feng Tianzong’s calf.

Feng Tianzong had already been with Su Zeyang for half the night, yet now it seemed his interest had risen again. He made Su Zeyang hold the tea in his mouth, then kissed him and drew the water over, all while sliding one hand under Su Zeyang’s robe hem to knead his waist.

Huo Fenghua heard Su Zeyang let out a soft hum. Rage and resentment flared. Without realizing it, his hands tightened.

Feng Tianzong suddenly released Su Zeyang and lowered his head, barking, “What are you doing?”

Huo Fenghua snapped back to himself and realized he’d kneaded all the way down onto Feng Tianzong’s instep. He paused, then said, “The General’s tired from riding. I’m helping massage your feet.”

Feng Tianzong didn’t respond to him. He only said to Su Zeyang, “Tomorrow at dawn we’ll break camp. I’ll send men to escort you back to Yujing. You’ll leave tomorrow morning as well.”

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 18

Huo Fenghua untied Feng Tianzong’s belt, took a deep breath, and pulled down his pants a little, revealing his cock hanging between his legs beneath a thick patch of pubic hair. Even though it was still soft, it was quite large.

He reached out and grasped it, then thought he should compliment Feng Tianzong, so he said, “General, you are truly magnificent and powerful!” After saying this, he looked up at Feng Tianzong but saw Feng Tianzong staring at him expressionlessly.  Feeling foolish, he lowered his head again, lifted the heavy organ, and, following the techniques he’d learned from Japanese movies in his previous life, licked it with his tongue.

After licking it, he found there was no unbearable odor, so he opened his mouth again and took the rounded head into his mouth, trying to swallow a section of it. Soon, Feng Tianzong’s penis hardened and swelled in Huo Fenghua’s mouth, making his entire mouth feel uncomfortable. He then spat it out and gently licked it with the tip of his tongue.

Huo Fenghua breathed slightly, thinking that since he had gone this far, he might as well try to please Feng Tianzong and make him lower his guard so he could find a way to escape.

He glanced at Feng Tianzong, then pressed his face against his large glans, gently rubbing against it. This was a subtle act of submission, as if worshipping, allowing a man to have his cock pressed against one’s face, which could bring the other party great satisfaction.

Sure enough, Huo Fenghua felt the thing in his hand harden even more. He looked at Feng Tianzong and saw that Feng Tianzong was still expressionless, but his eyes were slightly red, and his lips were tightly pressed together. Then, Feng Tianzong grabbed his erection and slapped Huo Fenghua’s face with it. Huo Fenghua slightly turned his face away, suppressing the curses that almost escaped his mouth. He bit his lip and said, “The General is truly amazing.”

Feng Tianzong’s voice was slightly hoarse, “Since you think I’m so amazing, why don’t you continue?”

Huo Fenghua then lowered his head again, opening his mouth to take Feng Tianzong’s cock that was now hard as steel.

This time, Feng Tianzong reached out and grabbed the back of his neck, pressing his head down. The thick, fleshy column immediately poked deep into his throat, causing him to gag reflexively. He tried to lift his head, but as soon as he did, Feng Tianzong pressed his head down again, each time deeper than the last.

Huo Fenghua felt his head throbbing with pain. The feeling of something repeatedly being thrust deep into his throat was unbearable. Besides nausea, he also had difficulty breathing. He began to whimper, raising his hand to press against Feng Tianzong’s arm, then gripping it tightly.

After Feng Tianzong had thrust his cock in and out more than a dozen times, he suddenly released his grip.

Huo Fenghua immediately fell backward, his face flushed red, saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth. He propped himself up with his arms, retreating backward repeatedly, and said in a hoarse voice, “General, please spare me, I can’t take it anymore.”

Feng Tianzong’s eyes were red, and he glared at him fiercely. After a long pause, he shouted, “Zeyang, come in!”

Su Zeyang, who had been waiting outside the tent, lifted the curtain and entered. He first glanced at Huo Fenghua, then slowly walked to Feng Tianzong’s side. Feng Tianzong roughly grabbed his arm, flipped him over, and pressed him down onto the couch beneath him, forcefully kissing his face and neck.

Su Zeyang gently pushed Feng Tianzong away, frowning at him. After being stared at by Su Zeyang for a while, Feng Tianzong’s expression softened slightly. He lowered his head and gently kissed Su Zeyang’s earlobe, then his kisses slowly moved from his jaw to his lips. This time, Su Zeyang accepted Feng Tianzong’s kiss.

Huo Fenghua was still lying half-prone on the ground. He looked at the two for a while, then rolled over and tried to sneak out of the tent.

“Don’t leave!” Feng Tianzong’s hand had already slipped inside Su Zeyang’s clothes, but he simultaneously distracted himself to stop Huo Fenghua, “Wait outside the tent!”

Huo Fenghua quietly replied, “Yes, General,” and quickly retreated outside.

Two of Feng Tianzong’s personal guards were standing on either side of the tent entrance. As soon as Huo Fenghua took a step, two long spears blocked his way. He quickly said, “I’m not leaving, I’m not leaving. I’m just changing to a more comfortable position.”

After saying that, he simply leaned against the tent and sat down.

At this point, he realized that the tent’s single layer of fabric wasn’t soundproof at all. Sitting by the entrance, he could clearly hear the sound of the two people’s clothes rubbing against each other, and even faint moans. He looked up at the two guards, seeing that their faces were calm and completely unmoved, so he had to lower his head and continue listening.

Things inside the tent seemed to be getting more intense. Huo Fenghua pressed his ear against the tent flap and heard Su Zeyang’s low gasps.

He couldn’t resist his curiosity and lifted a corner of the curtain, only to find that Su Zeyang had been stripped naked. His fair and smooth body was half-lying on the tiger skin rug on the couch, his long hair disheveled, and he was breathing slightly, his head tilted back. Feng Tianzong had already removed his upper garment. His skin had the healthy complexion of someone who had spent years honing his body on the battlefield, with broad shoulders, a slender waist, and firm muscles. He knelt by the edge of the bed, spreading Su Zeyang’s legs apart, and then bent down to gently bite and suck on one of his nipples.

Su Zeyang seemed to enjoy it immensely. He closed his eyes, moaning, one hand resting on Feng Tianzong’s shoulder, the other on the tiger skin rug, his fingers sinking into the golden-yellow tiger fur.

Huo Fenghua felt as if his heart was being squeezed.

Suddenly, Su Zeyang opened his eyes, and from his angle, he could see Huo Fenghua secretly peeking from outside the tent.

The two stared at each other for a long time without looking away. At this moment, Feng Tianzong reached out and lifted Su Zeyang’s head, their lips meeting. Su Zeyang opened his mouth to receive Feng Tianzong’s intrusion, while simultaneously reaching out to grasp Feng Tianzong’s large cock, gently caressing it with his fingertips.

Su Zeyang’s face was flushed from Feng Tianzong’s kisses, but he still didn’t avert his gaze from Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua suddenly felt his own face flush. His body began to heat up, and he could only press his face against the curtain, reaching out to slightly pull open his collar.

Su Zeyang’s gaze slowly followed Huo Fenghua’s opened collar, and at this moment, Feng Tianzong’s calloused hands forcefully kneaded Su Zeyang’s firm ass. Su Zeyang couldn’t help but groan loudly, his eyes hazy, his hands tightly wrapped around Feng Tianzong’s shoulders.

When Huo Fenghua noticed Su Zeyang looking at his collar, he suddenly had an idea. He pulled his collar open a little more, until one of his pale nipples was exposed. Su Zeyang’s body trembled. He hugged Feng Tianzong tightly and whispered in his ear, “Tianzong—”

Feng Tianzong said in a deep voice, “Do you want it?”

Su Zeyang nodded slightly.

Feng Tianzong persisted, “Do you want it? Tell me?”

Su Zeyang said, “I want it.”

Feng Tianzong then lifted his legs and pressed his cock against Su Zeyang’s ass. He slowly, but firmly, pushed the head in through the tender opening and gradually inserted himself into Su Zeyang’s body.

Su Zeyang gasped for breath, his body supple, his legs easily bending back to his chest. He reached out and hugged Feng Tianzong, kissing him passionately. After the kiss, Feng Tianzong rested his head against Su Zeyang’s neck, thrusting powerfully; his back covered in glistening sweat, his breathing becoming heavier and more rapid.

Huo Fenghua slumped to the ground, one hand supporting himself against the edge of the tent flap and gently stroked his chest.

Su Zeyang clung to Feng Tianzong’s back, his eyes fixed on Huo Fenghua’s chest as he licked the sweat from Feng Tianzong’s shoulder.

Huo Fenghua instantly felt a swelling in his lower body, and he silently reached out and grasped himself.

Meanwhile, Feng Tianzong increased the speed of his thrusting. He straightened his back, using all his strength to completely push himself into Su Zeyang’s body, feeling the wet, soft embrace. Su Zeyang groaned continuously, clearly experiencing repeated waves of pleasure. He reached out and touched Feng Tianzong’s face, calling his name, “Tianzong, Tianzong…”

Feng Tianzong whispered in his ear, “I love you.”

Then followed even more intense lovemaking and thrusting. …

When everything had calmed down, Huo Fenghua found himself completely drenched. He pulled his clothes together and, leaning on the doorframe, stood up.

Feng Tianzong had released himself once inside Su Zeyang, but he didn’t feel satisfied. He finally thought of Huo Fenghua and, without looking back, said, “You can go now.”

Huo Fenghua saw Su Zeyang give him a satisfied look, and said in an unsteady voice, “Thank you, General.” Then he walked outside.

A cold wind blew outside the tent, and Huo Fenghua couldn’t help but shiver. He pulled his clothes tighter, feeling his throat dry and sore. He looked up at the distance and couldn’t help but shout, “Oh god!”

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