Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 63

Wuhetan was a long way from Yujing, but Huo Fenghua and the others weren’t in a hurry. They didn’t set off until Xiongda’s injuries had mostly healed.

Over these days, Huo Fenghua threw all the silver he had on hand at the clinic, buying a bunch of tonics and supplements. Every day he had Xiong’er brew them for Xiongda to take. In the end, he’d “nourished” Xiongda until the man looked so healthy that his complexion was rosy, and every night he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

By the time they finally left, Huo Fenghua hardly had any silver left on him. So as they traveled, he and Xiong’er drifted through all kinds of gambling houses and street tables. The two of them always stopped while they were ahead. Sometimes they lost, sometimes they won, but in general they’d quit after winning ten or so taels, then move on and switch to another place.

On this journey, aside from gambling to earn travel money, Huo Fenghua spent the rest of the time grinding hard at martial arts.

Xiongda’s skills were pretty decent. He wasn’t some great master, but dealing with run-of-the-mill riffraff was no problem. Huo Fenghua had Xiongda spar with him. The moves Huo Fenghua knew were mostly the basic forms he’d practiced back when he followed Wen Heyi to Zhuyue City for that marriage competition. As he kept pondering and refining them, he gradually fused them with the powerful inner energy in his body. At the same time, he learned to control that inner energy when striking, so he wouldn’t casually injure people severely.

After sparring, Xiongda signed something quickly with both hands. Huo Fenghua looked at Xiong’er in a daze. Xiong’er said, “My brother says if you fight with people more, your moves will naturally get smoother and more familiar.”

Huo Fenghua nodded, and another idea took shape.

The next time they went to a gambling house, he stopped holding back. After he won several hundred taels and couldn’t even carry it all, he had Xiongda and Xiong’er find a chest and a handcart, then the two of them hauled the chest out.

They hadn’t gone far before someone blocked their way. Huo Fenghua told Xiong’er to go exchange the silver for notes at a money shop, while he and Xiongda stayed behind to deal with the men, using it as a practice opportunity.

When they were lucky, it was just ordinary thugs, and Huo Fenghua handled them easily. But twice they were unlucky. Among the gambling house enforcers there were one or two who were truly formidable. Huo Fenghua couldn’t take them head-on and could only dodge and weave, nearly getting separated from Xiongda and Xiong’er. They didn’t reunite until the next day at the city gate.

Still, after traveling like this, Huo Fenghua’s martial arts really did leap forward. Leaving aside fancy techniques, he could now wield his inner energy smoothly, and in a straight contest of inner power, ordinary people simply couldn’t match him.

They traveled in fits and starts, dawdling on the road for almost two months. Once they crossed the last stretch of desert, they’d reach Wuhetan.

That day, they followed a merchant caravan across the desert. At the desert’s edge, green trees and plants had already appeared ahead. The caravan leader parted with them. The caravan would continue northeast, while they would head northwest, cross the Wu River, and reach Wuhetan.

After splitting from the caravan, the three of them walked a bit farther, then rested under a few low trees. There was greenery here now, but the trees were short and sparse-leaved, and the ground was mottled yellow and green. It still looked desolate.

All along the way, Huo Fenghua had kept a cloth over half his face to block the sand. Now he flopped down and pulled it up to cover his whole face as he said, “No wonder Donglin doesn’t want to reclaim Wuhetan. This dump is dead as dirt. Even if you took it, what’s the point?”

Xiong’er said, “On the Donglin side it’s like this. It’s better closer to Xichou, but there’s still the Wu River between, so getting in and out is inconvenient. You have to use a ferry.”

Huo Fenghua suddenly sat up. “Come on. One more push. We’ve got to get into the city before dark.”

Xiong’er sat on the ground watching him for a moment, then beckoned. “Come here.”

Huo Fenghua, puzzled, moved closer. “What?”

Xiong’er grabbed a handful of dirt and sand and smeared it on Huo Fenghua’s face.

The soil here was still dry. The grit scraped Huo Fenghua’s skin painfully. He jerked back and covered his face. “Are you jealous of my looks and trying to ruin my face?”

Xiong’er clapped his hands. “Pah. You’re too fine-skinned. I’m worried you’ll get targeted before you even make it into the city.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t wipe the dirt off. He only sighed. “This era really has one thing wrong. Why do men keep thinking about men? Aren’t women better? Soft and sweet.”

Xiong’er stood up and stretched. “Spend a few more years out here. After enough sun and wind, you’ll get rough.”

Huo Fenghua thought about it, then silently pulled the cloth back over his face.

Half a day later, they reached the Wu River. They followed the upstream bank westward. Before long they saw the boundary marker between Donglin and Xichou. Less than half an hour later, they spotted a ferry at the riverside.

The ferryman was a burly man. He sized the three of them up and said, “Crossing? Three people, one tael.”

Huo Fenghua froze, about to suggest they just rob him, when Xiong’er had already produced a tael and handed it over. “Much obliged.”

The ferryman took it and let out a snort of laughter. “Get on.”

They were the only passengers. Huo Fenghua and Xiong’er didn’t look like much, but Xiongda inevitably drew attention. As the ferryman rowed them across, he asked Xiongda, “Where are you three from?”

Xiongda, of course, couldn’t answer.

Xiong’er said, “Donglin.”

“And what are you doing here?” the ferryman asked again.

This time Huo Fenghua spoke. “Visiting relatives.”

The ferryman nodded and said nothing more.

But when they’d crossed and the three of them stood to disembark, the ferryman suddenly pressed his oar down on the pack beside Xiong’er and said, “You can go. This stays.”

Xiong’er had just taken silver out of that pack, and he’d paid without hesitation. The ferryman decided they must have more.

Xiongda’s face darkened as he stared at him.

The ferryman squatted at the bow with a shameless grin, not afraid at all.

Huo Fenghua asked calmly, “Since when is that a rule?”

“It’s the rule here,” the ferryman replied.

Huo Fenghua shook his head. “Every place has its rules. If you rob people the moment you see them, your business won’t last. You’re just bullying a few outsiders like us.”

The ferryman laughed. “So what if I bully you?”

Huo Fenghua stepped closer. “I told you we’re here to visit relatives. Do you know who our relatives are?”

The ferryman’s eyes flickered and he hesitated. “Who?”

“Hu Dong. Ever heard the name?” Huo Fenghua said, and at the same time lifted one leg and kicked him square in the chest.

Hu Dong was a name Xiong’er’s friend had mentioned in his letter: Boss Hu, who monopolized the restaurant trade in Wuhetan, one of the city’s powerful figures. They didn’t actually know Hu Dong, and Hu Dong didn’t know them either. Huo Fenghua was just bluffing to make the ferryman wary.

The ferryman reacted quickly. Seeing the kick coming, he grabbed Huo Fenghua’s foot with both hands and tried to twist and throw him. But to his shock, he couldn’t budge Huo Fenghua at all. He stared up at Huo Fenghua’s slender frame in disbelief.

Huo Fenghua had poured inner energy into his legs. How could this man possibly shake him? Seeing the ferryman’s surprise, Huo Fenghua straightened his long leg and drove the kick into the man’s chest, sending him off the boat and into the Wu River.

The ferryman bobbed back up, his head breaking the surface.

Huo Fenghua flipped up his robe hem and half-crouched at the bow, smiling. “Wuhetan’s business isn’t yours alone. Don’t see a bit of silver and become blind. There are plenty of people you can’t afford to offend.” Then he stood and had Xiongda and Xiong’er grab their packs and follow him off the boat.

The ferryman didn’t swim ashore. He shouted from the water, “What are you to Hu Dong?”

A wind carrying the fishy stink of river water swept over the surface. Huo Fenghua’s robes fluttered as he strode forward with full swagger, not even turning his head. “I’m his uncle.” He didn’t know how old Hu Dong was, but he refused to take the loss no matter what.

Once they were a good distance from the riverbank, Xiong’er said quietly, “Stop talking nonsense. If that Boss Hu comes after you, it’ll be trouble.”

“He won’t,” Huo Fenghua said. “If you were him, and you’d offended Hu Dong’s uncle, you’d quietly cover it up. You wouldn’t go around telling people, would you?”

Xiong’er thought to himself that it really wasn’t that simple.

Wuhetan had no city walls. Though it was already dark when they entered, the whole place blazed with light. It was a city without night. As they walked the streets, the air was thick with all sorts of smells: women’s powder and rouge, the fragrance of wine from taverns, and even a faint metallic stink of blood drifting from some dark alley.

Following the instructions from the letters Xiong’er’s childhood friend, Ji Jing, had written, they found a fairly large tavern and asked the shopkeeper whether he knew Ji Jing and could pass along a message.

The shopkeeper was flicking an abacus. He looked up at them.

Xiong’er produced a palm-sized token-like object and showed it to him. After one glance, the shopkeeper beckoned over a runner and told him to take them to find Ji Jing.

There weren’t many pedestrians on the street. The runner led them around the dark alleys, through two brightly lit streets, and to the front of a restaurant. He went up and murmured a couple words to the attendant at the door, then left.

Huo Fenghua and the others waited a bit, then saw a tall, well-built young man come out of the restaurant and walk toward them.

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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 62

That night, both Xiongda and Xiong’er went to sleep. Xiong’er reluctantly agreed to let Huo Fenghua stay for one night. He made a bed for him on the floor by the stove, where even after lying down, Huo Fenghua could still feel the warmth from the embers.

Huo Fenghua lay on a torn old mattress. He folded his clothes into a pillow, laced his hands behind his head, and stared up at the hole in the roof.

He heard Xiong’er tossing and turning on the bed as if he couldn’t fall asleep. Xiongda didn’t move at all, but there was no snoring either.

After a while, Xiong’er got up and went outside to pee.

Huo Fenghua quietly followed him out. When Xiong’er was halfway through, Huo Fenghua slapped him on the back from behind, nearly startling the pee back up inside him.

“What are you doing!” Xiong’er snapped as he yanked his pants into place.

Huo Fenghua said, “I can’t sleep, and I keep thinking about what you said about Wuhetan. How do you know that place so well?”

Xiong’er finished tying his pants and walked to the middle of the yard. “A friend of mine went there two years ago. He wrote me a letter, told me to bring my brother to help him. My brother and I discussed it for a long time, and in the end we still didn’t go.”

Huo Fenghua asked curiously, “How did you discuss it? He can’t even talk.”

Xiong’er shot him a vicious glare.

Huo Fenghua hurriedly waved his hands. “Joking, joking. I mean, your friend, is he impressive? Doing well over there?”

Xiong’er said, “In his letter he said every restaurant and inn in Wuhetan, even a tea stall, is under one Boss Hu. Even if you set up a little stand selling food, you still have to pay tribute to Boss Hu. Back then he worked under that Boss Hu.”

Huo Fenghua stroked his chin thoughtfully. “A monopoly, huh?”

Xiong’er yawned and squatted down. “Wuhetan’s location is special, and it’s hard to transport supplies. Someone monopolized the river shipping. If you want to trade goods with the outside, you have to go through river transport. So in the city there are a few powerful figures who are basically in cahoots. Ordinary people can’t afford to offend them. And Donglin and Xichou are at war, so they don’t have the strength to take it back.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “What about Beiyi?”

Xiong’er said, “Beiyi is plagued with internal strife. They’re even less capable of dealing with it. Anyway, the more chaotic it is outside, the more stable Wuhetan becomes. Once things outside stabilize, they start worrying outsiders will covet it, and then the inside gets chaotic.”

Hearing that, Huo Fenghua suddenly asked, “If Feng Tianzong conquered all of Xichou, would he lead troops to attack Wuhetan?”

“Feng Tianzong?” Xiong’er hadn’t expected him to bring up that name. He looked up at him. “Do you know there’s a gambling pool about Feng Tianzong out there?”

Huo Fenghua froze. “Betting on what?”

Xiong’er said, “Whether the current emperor will let General Feng live to the day he conquers all of Xichou.”

Huo Fenghua went still.

Xiong’er laughed and shook his head. “When the cunning rabbit’s dead, the hunting dog gets cooked. But it’s all just rumors among people in the martial world. Don’t go saying it out loud. If the authorities hear you, they’ll drag you off and cut your head.”

Huo Fenghua reached out and patted Xiong’er’s shoulder, then squatted down beside him, his expression heavy.

Xiong’er looked at him. “What? You admire General Feng too?”

Huo Fenghua frowned. “Why ‘too’?”

Xiong’er said, “The war’s dragged on for years, so the excitement’s faded now. But a couple years ago, when Feng Tianzong led the great army sweeping across the Xichou battlefield, the whole court and countryside were fired up. Even kids in the alleys were chanting nursery rhymes praising Feng Tianzong’s brilliance and martial might, saying he was heaven-sent, a reincarnated immortal. My brother got swept up too and wanted to enlist. Later they turned him away because he was mute. At first I thought, Feng Tianzong really is amazing; every household, even children praising him. Then I thought, wait, something’s off. Those rhymes have tidy meter and catchy endings. No kid, and no backwoods brute, could’ve made them up. All that ‘reincarnated immortal’ and ‘divine soldier from heaven’ stuff—whoever wrote those rhymes was probably trying to get him killed, not worship him. How is that admiration?”

Huo Fenghua’s lashes trembled slightly as he looked at the silver moonlight spilled over the ground. He wondered whether Feng Tianzong understood all of this in his own heart.

Seeing Huo Fenghua fall silent, Xiong’er quieted too. After a while he said faintly, “None of that is our business anyway.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “Then let’s think about what is our business.”

Xiong’er looked at him.

Huo Fenghua said seriously, “I want to go to Wuhetan. I want to make money.”

Xiong’er was silent for a moment. “You’ve got skills. If you want to make money, you can do it anywhere. Why do you have to go to a place like Wuhetan, full of every kind of person?”

Huo Fenghua said, “Didn’t you say it yourself? In places like this, officials and merchants collude. For commoners like us to make a little money, we can only do illegal deals, sneak around our whole lives, never to see the light.”

Xiong’er snorted. “And if you go to Wuhetan, won’t you be doing illegal deals too?”

“That’s different,” Huo Fenghua said. “Does Wuhetan even have laws you can follow? No. Everything’s done openly in broad daylight. Then once you establish a new order, you make new laws, and make everyone follow your laws. Isn’t that good?” As he spoke, gave Xiong’er a flirtatious wink.

Xiong’er saw it and turned his head away in disgust. “We don’t have silver, and we don’t have that kind of ability. You think all the people going to Wuhetan are idiots? What you want to do, who knows how many people have tried before.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Who says we don’t have silver?” As he spoke, he pulled out a jade pendant from his chest and waved it in front of Xiong’er’s eyes.

Xiong’er froze. “A top-grade cat’s-eye green jade?” He reached out to grab it.

Huo Fenghua moved fast. There was no way he’d let Xiong’er get it. He only let him glimpse it in his hand. “Well? Worth a lot, right?”

Xiong’er stared at it for a long time, unable to stop himself from admiring it. “That really is fine jade. Where’d you get it? If you meet the right buyer, you could sell it for a huge price.”

“But I won’t sell it,” Huo Fenghua said, and tucked it back into his robe.

Xiong’er asked, “Family heirloom?”

Huo Fenghua shook his head. “A gift from the person I love. No amount of silver could make me sell it.”

Xiong’er sighed regretfully. “If you won’t sell it, then to you and me it’s worth nothing. Why show it to me?”

Huo Fenghua said, “I’m just telling you we’re not as penniless and powerless as you think. We’re young. If we already dare do sneaky things like stealing and cheating, why can’t we go to Wuhetan and make a run at it?”

Xiong’er buried his face in his arms and didn’t speak.

Huo Fenghua put a hand on his shoulder. “Look at this broken house of yours. Even if we go to Wuhetan and don’t make a name for ourselves, if you and your brother come back, I guarantee nothing in this place will be missing. Believe me?”

Xiong’er muttered, “My pots and pans are still decent, at least.”

Huo Fenghua laughed and tugged him closer. “Then come take a look. The world’s huge. If I get rich alone, it’ll be lonely. I’ve got to find a couple buddies to share it with. Come on.”

After a while, Xiong’er said, “If you can persuade my brother, I’ll go.”

Huo Fenghua grinned. “That’s easy.”

The next morning at daybreak, Huo Fenghua was still sprawled on the floor, lazy and unwilling to get up. He heard Xiong’er pacing around the room. Soon he heard him say softly to Xiongda, “Big brother, I’m going out to buy some food.”

Then Xiong’er left the house, gently closing the door behind him.

Huo Fenghua flipped up in one motion, went to Xiongda’s bedside, and crouched down. He rested his forearms on the bed edge, face-to-face with Xiongda, and said, “Big brother, little brother won’t introduce me, so I’ll introduce myself. My name’s Su Qiang, nickname Guangtou Qiang. You can call me Brother Qiang.”

Xiongda stared at him, looking blank.

Huo Fenghua lifted a hand for a handshake.

Xiongda didn’t understand what he meant. He watched that hand for a long time, then finally reached out and took it.

Huo Fenghua gave it a shake, let go, and said with a smile, “I talked with your little brother all night. We decided to go out and try our luck, do a bit of business, make some money so you two can marry wives. But he’s worried you won’t want to go, so he told me to ask you what you really think while he’s not here.”

Xiongda frowned. After a while, he lifted his hands and gestured in front of Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua didn’t understand a thing, but he patiently watched the whole gesture sequence and then nodded. “Big brother, you make a lot of sense. So are we going or not? If you want to go, nod. If you don’t, shake your head. Okay?”

Xiongda lay there quietly for a long time, then nodded.

Huo Fenghua’s mood soared. He reached out and patted Xiongda’s chest, then remembered he was injured and quickly rubbed it instead, saying, “Good stuff, big brother! You’ve got a future!”

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

---

Chapter 61

Huo Fenghua and Xiong’er sat side by side on the stone steps outside the clinic.

Huo Fenghua asked him, a little puzzled, “Since you’ve got such an amazing gift, how did you end up running a little roadside gambling table?”

Xiong’er glanced at him. “What else am I supposed to do?”

Huo Fenghua froze for a moment. He couldn’t think of much use for that ability besides playing fantan. He asked, “Why not open a big gambling house?”

Xiong’er spread his hands. “Where am I going to get the money to open a big gambling house? Just getting official permission costs silver, and I don’t have the money to grease palms up and down. How am I supposed to open one?”

Huo Fenghua frowned. “Opening a gambling house is that much trouble?”

“What did you think?” Xiong’er said. “How can a poor person open one?!”

Huo Fenghua thought quietly for a moment, then said, “Your brother’s fighting skills are pretty good too. By rights, the two of you shouldn’t be this poor.”

Xiong’er’s voice dropped. “My big brother is mute. A lot of places won’t hire him.”

“Mute?” Huo Fenghua was startled at first, then it clicked. “No wonder he didn’t say a word and just started swinging. So he can’t talk.”

Xiong’er said bitterly, “My brother’s talented at martial arts, and he can endure hardship. But he never got a good break, and he can’t speak, so he got buried here.”

Huo Fenghua grinned and patted his own chest. “I’m your good break.”

Xiong’er sized him up. “You? You look soft and weak. I really didn’t expect you to be that fierce.”

Huo Fenghua chuckled twice. “Never judge a person by their looks. Haven’t you heard that?”

Xiong’er asked, “What did you say your name was just now? Gaungtou Qiang?”

At the word “bald,” Huo Fenghua reflexively reached up to touch his hair. He nodded. “Yeah. I’m Guangtou Qiang.”

Xiong’er looked baffled. “But you’re not bald at all. Why are you called Gaungtou Qiang?”

“You don’t know,” Huo Fenghua said. “Before I turned seven, I didn’t grow any hair. And my name has the character Qiang in it, so my family called me Gaungtou Qiang. Then when I hit seven, my hair suddenly grew in, and later it even grew really well, but the nickname stuck.”

Xiong’er asked, confused, “There’s an illness where you don’t grow hair before seven?”

“Yep.” Huo Fenghua nodded seriously. “What weird illnesses don’t exist in this world? People just don’t see them often.”

Xiong’er asked, “Then you’ve got to have a surname, right?”

Huo Fenghua looked at him and let out a small laugh. “My surname’s Su. My original name was Su Qiang. Gaungtou Qiang is my nickname. You can call me Brother Qiang.”

“Brother Qiang?” Xiong’er looked skeptical. “How old are you?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer. He only asked, “How old are you?”

“Nineteen,” Xiong’er said.

“And your brother?” Huo Fenghua asked.

“My brother’s twenty-three,” Xiong’er replied.

Huo Fenghua nodded once. “Call me Brother Qiang. I’m twenty-four.”

Xiong’er couldn’t believe it. “Seriously? You don’t look twenty-four at all. At most you look eighteen or nineteen.”

Huo Fenghua patted his knee. “What did I just tell you? Never judge a person by their looks. I’d just said it and you already forgot. Being skeptical of people is a good thing, but refusing to believe anything you think is impossible, that’s being stubborn and self-righteous. Not good. Really not good.”

Xiong’er listened, a little stunned.

Later, the clinic was about to close. They wouldn’t let Xiongda stay overnight and told them to find a cart and take him home.

Huo Fenghua stood and tugged at the pack on his back. “No need for a cart. I’ll carry him back.”

Xiong’er had already seen Huo Fenghua carrying Xiongda all the way to the clinic, but he still asked worriedly, “Can you?”

Huo Fenghua said, “Of course. Trust Brother Qiang.”

He went to the bed, lifted Xiongda in a cradle carry, and had Xiong’er lead the way. The two of them left the clinic together.

The town was laid out in a neat square and wasn’t large. By evening, every household had closed their doors. Only the glow of oil lamps leaked from the windows.

Xiongda and Xiong’er lived in a broken-down house at the edge of town.

Halfway there, the moment Huo Fenghua was carrying Xiongda down the street, Xiongda suddenly woke up. He was still injured and could only jerk his head up in shock, not understanding what was happening, and lacking the strength to leap out of Huo Fenghua’s arms.

“Your brother’s awake,” Huo Fenghua called to Xiong’er ahead.

Xiong’er immediately turned back, leaned in close, and asked, “Brother? Are you okay?”

Xiongda tried to lift a hand to gesture, but the movement tugged at his ribs and sent a spike of pain through him. Cold sweat broke out on his pale face.

Huo Fenghua lowered his eyes to look at him. “Don’t move. We’ll talk when we get back.”

Xiong’er said too, “Brother, hang on. We’re almost home.”

He turned into a small alley, and they reached the brothers’ house.

Huo Fenghua laid Xiongda on the wooden bed inside, tugged over a ragged quilt to cover him, then couldn’t help lifting a hand to fan away the dust and looking around. “How does anyone live here?”

Xiong’er didn’t answer. He just squatted by the stove in one corner and started a fire, planning to boil hot water for his brother.

The whole house was a single room. One corner was the kitchen stove, and along the wall on the other side were two broken wooden beds. Huo Fenghua didn’t even know where he could sit.

Xiongda lay on the bed, eyes open, watching him.

Huo Fenghua told him, “Don’t stare at me, big brother. Your little brother cheated at gambling first. I only exposed him. And you were the one who hit me first. I just fought back.”

Xiongda coughed twice.

Xiong’er said while tending the fire, “Don’t say that stuff to my brother.”

Huo Fenghua circled the room once, then went over to Xiong’er and found a little stool to sit on. “You two clearly have skills. How did you end up like this?”

Xiong’er silently kept feeding the fire, the flames painting both their faces red.

Huo Fenghua said, “Don’t you want to get rich, kid?”

Xiong’er looked at him. “You don’t look like some wealthy bigshot either.”

When Huo Fenghua left the General’s Manor, he’d been dressed in plain cotton clothes and carried plain belongings so it would be easier to travel alone. Besides his face, nothing about him looked “rich.”

Of course, the fact that he could casually pull out that much broken silver meant he wasn’t poor either. But Xiong’er had only just met him. He wasn’t going to be persuaded by a couple words.

Huo Fenghua rested his forearms on his knees. “That’s why we make money together.”

Xiong’er asked, “How? Let’s hear it.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer right away. He stared at the fire and began thinking. If opening a gambling house required official permission like Xiong’er said, then it really would take a lot of silver to grease palms. The relationships would be tangled, and with his own shadowy status, maybe he shouldn’t head east after all.

Xiong’er didn’t urge him. He went outside, drew water from the well, and poured it into a pot to boil.

Huo Fenghua suddenly thought of Zhuyue City and Fengming Town. Zhuyue City was practically its own country. Fengming Town was on the eastern border of Donglin. It technically had an official government, but in name only. The real power there belonged to the old demon Zixi and his Yuzhen Sect. Now that Huo Fenghua had Zixi’s whole reservoir of power, he ought to find a place like Fengming Town—somewhere strength was what mattered.

With that thought, Huo Fenghua lifted his head to look for Xiong’er and found that Xiong’er was already sitting by the bed, feeding his brother water. Huo Fenghua hurried over and sat too, helping Xiong’er support Xiongda’s head as he asked, “Do you know anywhere the authorities can’t control, where everything depends on strength?”

The brothers both looked at him at the same time.

Xiong’er held the bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. He fell silent, glanced at Xiongda, then said to Huo Fenghua, “I know a place like that, but even if we go, we won’t be able to survive there. It’s a mess of all kinds of people. If you’re not careful, you can’t even keep your life. Better not to go.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Huo Fenghua said. “Just tell me, does a place like that exist?”

Xiong’er scooped up water and carefully brought it to Xiongda’s lips. After he swallowed, Xiong’er said, “At the junction of Donglin’s northwest, Xichou, and Beiyi, there’s a city built on a riverbank. It’s called Wuhetan.”

As he listened, Huo Fenghua used his sleeve to wipe the water from the corner of Xiongda’s mouth.

Xiong’er fed Xiongda another spoonful of hot water. “Wuhetan used to belong to Beiyi. More than twenty years ago, Beiyi lost a war to Xichou and ceded the land. Recently, Xichou was destroyed by Donglin. The Xichou officials in Wuhetan were dragged out of the government offices and killed by the locals. Donglin and Beiyi both still haven’t sent troops to reclaim it, so Wuhetan has become a true no-man’s-land. Whoever has the ability rules there.”

Huo Fenghua listened quietly and asked, “Is it prosperous?”

Xiong’er nodded. After he finished feeding Xiongda, he poured hot water into a wooden basin, dipped a cloth in it, and began wiping his brother down as he spoke. “Even though Wuhetan was ceded to Xichou over twenty years ago, it’s separated from Xichou by the Wu River. Xichou stationed troops on the other bank, not inside Wuhetan itself. It was lawless from the start, with all kinds of people mixed together. Lots of fugitives who’d killed people in the Central Plains went there to hide. Later, when Donglin attacked Xichou, even more people fled to Wuhetan. Now it’s truly flourishing. Every street has taverns and brothels, and gambling houses everywhere. But there are no rules. People kill in the street. If you kill someone, you won’t get beheaded. It’s chaos.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “Have you heard of Zhuyue City?”

“Of course,” Xiong’er said. “Why?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “Let’s take Wuhetan and copy Zhuyue City—break away and become independent. We’ll make ourselves emperors. How about it?”

Xiong’er couldn’t help laughing. “Don’t joke.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, kid.” As he spoke, he saw Xiong’er loosen Xiongda’s robe to wipe him down. Xiongda’s upper body was strong and solid, his chest full. Huo Fenghua couldn’t help reaching out and giving it a squeeze.

Xiong’er immediately slapped his hand away, furious. “What are you doing?”

Huo Fenghua held the back of his slapped hand. “Just touching. What are you mad about?”

Xiong’er snapped, “Y-you—are you Tu’er ye*?!”

*While often related to the rabbit of Chang’e (Moon Goddess), in historical slang terms, it refers to someone who is gay (often derogatorily). He is also sometimes treated as the Rabbit God overseeing homosexuality.

Huo Fenghua froze, then quickly understood what Tu’er ye meant. His heart jumped as he thought, I might actually be… But of course he didn’t admit it aloud. He said, “What are you talking about? I’m feeling his chest to see if it’s solid enough to go with us to Wuhetan and conquer the world.”

Xiong’er reluctantly believed him, though his expression still held suspicion. He pointed at him. “Stay away from my brother!”

Huo Fenghua scooted from the bedside to sit on a small stool nearby.

And on the bed, Xiongda’s dark face was faintly flushing, turning into a deep brown-red.

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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 60

Feng Tianzong went to Su Zeyang’s door and knocked softly.

Su Zeyang was inside, but he didn’t respond.

Feng Tianzong sighed inwardly. He didn’t keep knocking. He only said through the door, “Cong Wenhao sent me a secret letter. Something’s changed on the Xichou side. I need to rush back immediately.”

Su Zeyang still didn’t answer. In all the years they’d known each other, this was the first time Su Zeyang had ever treated him with such coldness.

Feng Tianzong continued, “I’ve instructed someone to keep watch over Wang Chu. I’ll also send people to handle the curse at Luofeng Ridge. Don’t get involved anymore. Wait for me a while. Once the war in Xichou is over, I’ll resign my post. Then we—”

He didn’t finish. His fingers rested against the door. In the end, it became only a sigh as he turned and left.

……

Huo Fenghua had been gone from Yujing for ten days now. At first he planned to head east, toward the sea. But as he traveled, stopping and starting, he grew uncertain, no longer sure whether that kind of stable, prosperous, wealthy place was truly where he wanted to go.

Feng Tianzong had prepared plenty of broken silver for him, enough to cover travel expenses for a long time. And along the way, every time he saw a gambling house, he had to duck in and play a few rounds. When he won, he quit while he was ahead. Ten days later, not only had his silver not decreased, it had only grown.

That night, Huo Fenghua stayed at an inn in a small town. The next morning, he was still asleep in his room when he heard a ruckus outside the window. He rolled out of bed and went to look, and saw that in the corner by the inn’s back wall, more than a dozen people were crowded together, apparently gambling.

Huo Fenghua leaned on the window and watched for a while. His hands started itching with the urge. He packed up quickly and hurried downstairs.

The group was gathered in a narrow alley, playing fantan.

As Huo Fenghua approached, the banker lifted his head and glanced at him. The banker was a skinny young man with slightly yellowish hair and sharp, lively eyes.

A dozen or so gamblers were placing bets. Huo Fenghua stood to one side, intending to watch a couple rounds first, but the young man said to him, “If you’re not betting, move along.”

The gamblers all turned to look at him warily.

Huo Fenghua smiled. He pulled out a bit of broken silver from his waist and casually tossed it onto the white paper marked “Four.” On this kind of street table, people were almost all throwing down copper coins. His piece of silver stood out immediately, and the young man looked at him again.

The young man squatting on the ground had his left hand pressed on an upside-down porcelain bowl and a bamboo counting strip pinched in his right hand. He called, “No more bets,” then lifted the bowl to reveal a pile of copper coins. With the bamboo strip, he started shifting the coins from left to right in groups of four.

The coins by his left hand were stacked together, too messy to count at a glance. He kept dividing them until the final group, when there were still four coins left. The surrounding gamblers were already shouting, either celebrating or cursing, when the bamboo strip suddenly flicked. It turned out that the leftmost “coin” was actually two coins stacked together.

The gamblers who’d just been cheering instantly groaned.

The young man used the bamboo strip to rake all the losers’ copper coins toward himself and dumped them into a bag. When he reached the “Four” position, he looked up at Huo Fenghua and smiled. “Sorry about that.”

Huo Fenghua smiled back.

After taking the losers’ money, the young man settled with the winners who’d bet “One.”

Standing aside, Huo Fenghua pulled out another piece of broken silver and tossed it lightly in his hand.

After paying out the winners in copper, the young man spun the bowl in his hand, then casually covered about half the copper coins in one motion. He raised his head. “Place your bets, place your bets.”

Without even looking, Huo Fenghua threw his silver onto “Four” again.

An old man with a white beard beside him couldn’t help saying, “Young man, that’s bold of you.”

Huo Fenghua cupped his hands politely. “You flatter me.”

The young man glanced at the silver, rolled his neck, and shouted, “No more bets!”

The crowd erupted. Huo Fenghua heard someone next to him screaming hoarsely, “Two! Two! Two…”

Unhurried, Huo Fenghua shifted positions and walked to the young man’s left. He watched him start counting the coins, pushing them aside group by group. When only three coins remained, Huo Fenghua grabbed the young man’s hand. “Hold on.”

The young man’s eyes sharpened on him. “What are you doing?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “You’re cheating.”

The young man jerked his arm up, trying to shove Huo Fenghua away, only to find Huo Fenghua’s grip locked on his forearm so tightly he couldn’t shake him. He flared up. “You bet, you lost. Now you want to renege because you lost silver?”

Huo Fenghua seized his wrist and gave it a downward shake. A copper coin shook out from inside the man’s sleeve.

“This round was clearly going to land on four. You stole one coin so it would land on three. You think nobody would notice?” Huo Fenghua said.

The young man’s face changed instantly.

Huo Fenghua reached down, scooped up his own piece of silver from the table, and shoved the young man forward, knocking him flat across the gambling mat. Seeing the others still staring dumbly, Huo Fenghua said, “He’s cheated you out of so much copper. What are you waiting for? Take it back!”

With that prompt, the gamblers surged forward, grabbing at the young man and fighting to rip away the money bag.

Huo Fenghua tossed his silver in his hand once more and walked out of the narrow alley.

The weather was nice. Huo Fenghua returned to the inn, ate breakfast, and planned to continue on his way. He came out with his pack on his back and saw a tall young man sitting at the inn’s entrance, wearing a shabby straw hat.

Huo Fenghua didn’t pay him much attention. He stepped out the door to keep going when the man suddenly grabbed him by the ankle.

The man was incredibly strong. With one yank, he almost dragged Huo Fenghua off his feet.

Fortunately, Huo Fenghua had internal energy. He forced himself steady, his qi surging outward and jolting the man’s hand away.

The man looked down at his palm, startled, then lifted his head to stare at Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua gave a snort. “Who are you?” He couldn’t place the man’s identity and worried this might be someone sent by Shao Feijie or Pan Yuanjun to capture him.

The man didn’t answer. He rose from the ground, towering over Huo Fenghua by two full heads, even a bit taller than Feng Tianzong.

Huo Fenghua had to tilt his face up. The man had a knife scar on his face, steady eyes, and hard-set features. Huo Fenghua asked, “What do you want with me?”

Still silent, the man reached for the pack on Huo Fenghua’s shoulder.

Huo Fenghua dipped his shoulder, slipped under the man’s arm with nimble movement, then reached back to clamp the man’s wrist, but unexpectedly the man evaded him.

Ever since Huo Fenghua had absorbed a whole reserve of inner energy from Zixi, he’d stayed by Feng Tianzong’s side. This was the first time he’d truly traded blows with someone. He felt a lightness and agility he’d never had before, completely different from that marriage competition back in Zhuyue City.

Very quickly, he started to enjoy it.

The man he was fighting was huge, yet astonishingly quick, clearly skilled. Huo Fenghua found he could read the man’s movements and defuse his attacks. Since he couldn’t catch the man’s wrist, he simply clenched both fists and drove them into the man’s abdomen.

The man tried to rely on sheer toughness and take the punch head-on while reaching to grab Huo Fenghua’s shoulder. He didn’t expect that Huo Fenghua couldn’t fully control his own inner energy yet. Those two punches landed, and the man spat blood and flew backward.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help exclaiming, “Shit!”

The man crashed onto the street. Huo Fenghua saw a small figure dart out from the side, rushing to the fallen giant and crying out in panic, “Big brother!”

Huo Fenghua recognized him at once: the gambling-table banker from the alley, the one he’d caught cheating.

The big man lay motionless. Huo Fenghua’s heart jumped. He ran over and crouched, pressing a hand to the man’s chest.

The skinny young man tried to shove him away, shouting, “What are you doing?”

Huo Fenghua ignored him. He scooped the unconscious man up in his arms and said to the young man, “What am I doing? Saving his life. Where’s the nearest clinic?”

The young man froze, then reacted and led the way. Huo Fenghua, carrying a man much larger than himself, hurried after him down a side alley.

He didn’t want to leave the General’s Manor only to end up with a manslaughter case on his back. Even less did he want this big guy to die and leave a little brother who’d hunt him down across thousands of miles for revenge.

They finally reached a clinic. Huo Fenghua laid the man on the bed and told the doctor, “Save him. I’ll pay.”

The young man stood to the side, panting, face tight with worry.

The doctor was elderly and moved slowly toward the bed. Huo Fenghua grabbed his arm and pushed him along, then slapped a handful of broken silver onto the counter. “Use whatever medicine you need. Fix him fast. If he lives, it’s on me. If he dies, it’s on you.”

The old doctor went a bit dazed, took the man’s pulse, lifted his eyelids, then hurriedly called apprentices over to help treat him.

The young man glared at Huo Fenghua. “If my brother dies, I won’t let you off.”

Huo Fenghua frowned. “Kid, your brother ambushed me. I didn’t provoke him. You’re being unreasonable. And besides, you were running a cheating gambling stall and got caught. Instead of reflecting and improving your ‘skills,’ you had your brother come rob me. If your brother dies, you could bury yourself with him ten times over and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

After Huo Fenghua finished, the young man’s eyes reddened, and before long tears spilled down.

Huo Fenghua blinked. “Why are you crying? Go ask the doctor what he needs. Bring every last coin your family has to treat your brother.”

At that moment, the old doctor turned back and said, “No need. His injuries aren’t fatal. Don’t worry.”

Only then did Huo Fenghua finally let out a long breath. He braced a hand on the wall and sat down on a chair near it.

The young man stood inside the clinic wanting to help care for his brother, but unable to do anything, looking awkward and helpless.

“Hey, you,” Huo Fenghua pointed at him. “I’ve got a question.”

The young man looked over. “What?”

Huo Fenghua propped his cheek on one hand. “When you were cheating just now, you lifted the bowl and immediately pocketed a coin. How did you know how many coins it would count down to in the end?”

The young man was silent for a moment. “I can tell at a glance.”

Huo Fenghua stared. “At a glance?”

The young man said, “Born with it.”

Huo Fenghua thought for a moment, then stood and walked behind the counter. He beckoned at the young man. “Come here, come here.” He pulled open a drawer and grabbed a handful of cardamom pods.

One apprentice shouted, “What are you doing?”

Huo Fenghua waved him off. “Borrowing them.” He scattered the pods on the counter and asked the young man, “How many?”

The young man looked once. “Twenty-three.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t quite believe it. He counted them one by one and found there really were twenty-three. When he looked up again, his gaze had changed. “Brother, what’s your surname?”

The young man said, “Xiong, I’m the second oldest.”

“Xiong’er¹?” Huo Fenghua couldn’t help laughing. “Then is your older brother called Xiongda¹?”

¹[Er] (二) Refers to second (as in he’s the second oldest brother). [Da] (大) Refers to the eldest (first oldest). 

To his shock, Xiong’er actually nodded.

Huo Fenghua instantly couldn’t laugh anymore. He lifted a hand and rubbed the top of his head. “Well then, what a coincidence. I’m Gaungtou Qiang²!”

Xiong Er stared at his head. “You’re bald²?”

²Clarity: Huo Fenghua is referring to the character in the show Boonie Bears. The two brothers have the same names as the two bears [Xiong] (熊) in the show (Xiongda (Big Bear) and Xiong’er (Second Bear)). Guangtou Qiang is considered the antagonist in the earlier season, often getting into it with the two bears (similar to what happened here). [Guangtou] (光头) also refers to being bald, which is why Xiong’er thought he was saying he is bald. Basically, Huo Fenghua was cracking a joke referencing a modern show that has characters of the same name as these two brothers.

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer. He grabbed Xiong Er’s arm and asked earnestly, “Brother, want to get rich together?”

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 59

At daybreak, Feng Tianzong came out of Huo Fenghua’s side courtyard and saw Su Zeyang standing outside. Who knew how long he’d been there.

When he saw Feng Tianzong emerge, Su Zeyang asked, “Is he any better?”

Feng Tianzong didn’t dare go closer and kept his distance. “The morning air is cold. You’re dressed too lightly. Go back.”

Su Zeyang asked again, “Is he any better?”

Feng Tianzong said, “He’s better, but Doctor Du says it won’t be that fast. He still has to run a fever and break out. Once he gets through these few days, he’ll be fine.”

Su Zeyang looked toward the tightly shut door inside the courtyard.

Feng Tianzong told him, “It’s just that even if he recovers, he’ll have pockmarks on his face. They’ll never go away.”

Su Zeyang frowned slightly. “Pockmarks? As long as he’s alive, pockmarks are nothing.”

Feng Tianzong gave a faint smile. “I hope he can think as openly as you do.”

Su Zeyang nodded with certainty. “He will.”

Feng Tianzong let out a sigh. “I’m going back to bathe and change. Otherwise I won’t dare walk around the residence. And don’t keep standing guard here. Take care of your own health.”

Su Zeyang answered, “Okay.”

On the second night, Feng Tianzong didn’t go to stay with Huo Fenghua.

At dusk, Doctor Du came by once to take Huo Fenghua’s pulse, then left. In the small side courtyard, it was just Huo Fenghua and Qingqing, quiet and desolate.

Huo Fenghua lay face-down on the bed while Qingqing sat at the bedside, fanning him with a small fan. The poisonous herb Doctor Du gave him truly wasn’t strong. After two days of medicine, the red rash was still there, but it didn’t itch nearly as badly anymore.

As she fanned him, Qingqing asked, “Young Master… have you really still decided to leave?”

Huo Fenghua hummed in response. “Of course I’m leaving.”

“But the General treats you so well now. You don’t have to go. Staying would be good too,” Qingqing couldn’t help saying.

Huo Fenghua tilted his head to glance at her. “Qingqing, that way of thinking is dangerous.”

Qingqing didn’t understand. “What?”

Huo Fenghua said, “Whether I live well or not doesn’t depend on whether a man treats me well. It depends on whether I’m living freely and comfortably. Remember that too, in the future. Don’t be stupid and throw everything away just because a man is nice to you. You still have to stay clear-headed.”

Qingqing half understood, half didn’t. After a while she asked again, “Then will Young Master come back in the future to see me later?”

Huo Fenghua said, “If you get married, I won’t come see you.”

Qingqing pulled the quilt up for him and sighed softly.

Huo Fenghua had been shut up in this little side courtyard for four days, and it made him think of those first days after he’d arrived in this world. The more stifled he felt day after day, the more desperately he wanted to leave quickly.

Several times Qingqing saw Su Zeyang standing outside the courtyard. When she returned to the room, she said to Huo Fenghua, “Young Master Su is outside. Do you have anything you want me to tell him?”

Huo Fenghua had set out a go board on the table and was playing gomoku against himself. He pinched a stone in his fingers for a long time without placing it. Finally, he told Qingqing, “There’s nothing to say. Don’t say anything.”

That night, Feng Tianzong came to Huo Fenghua’s small courtyard with the bundle prepared for his departure.

Huo Fenghua sat at the bedside eating candied fruit until the sweetness made his teeth ache. He asked Feng Tianzong, “Leaving tomorrow night?”

Feng Tianzong nodded. “Tomorrow night.”

Huo Fenghua set the candied fruit aside and stretched. “Finally. If I don’t leave soon, I’m going to rot.”

Feng Tianzong walked to the bed and lifted Huo Fenghua’s chin, tilting his face up. “The rash has already faded. In another couple days it might be completely gone.”

Huo Fenghua looked at him and didn’t speak.

Feng Tianzong’s fingers stroked his cheek. After a moment, he bent down and kissed him.

Huo Fenghua lifted his arms around Feng Tianzong’s neck and leaned back. The two of them fell onto the bed, biting and devouring each other’s lips and tongues with fierce urgency. Only after a while did they quiet down. Feng Tianzong pressed Huo Fenghua’s head into his chest and said, “Tomorrow night I can’t escort you out of the city.”

Huo Fenghua reached for another piece of candied fruit from the dish beside him and popped it into his mouth, the sweetness making him frown. “Okay.”

All day, the General’s Manor was calm, until night fell. Not long after Su Zeyang lay down to sleep, he heard a clamor in the distance outside. Uneasy, he asked Feng Tianzong, “What happened?”

Feng Tianzong hadn’t even had time to answer when hurried footsteps ran into the courtyard. Outside, Liu Yong banged hard on the door, shouting, “Fire! Fire!”

Su Zeyang shot up from Feng Tianzong’s arms, threw on a robe, and went out to open the door. “Where’s the fire?”

Liu Yong was panting. “Young Master Huo’s— his side courtyard. The fire’s too big. No one dares put it out.”

Late at night, the small courtyard where Huo Fenghua lived had caught fire. The first to run out was Qingqing, screaming for people to help. But the servants were terrified of catching smallpox. They only filled buckets and stood far outside the courtyard, forming a distant ring. No matter how Qingqing begged, they didn’t dare come close.

The moment Liu Yong heard, he came at once to notify Su Zeyang and Feng Tianzong.

When the two arrived, the servants were still clustered outside, afraid to go in. Inside the courtyard, the entire house was already engulfed in a raging blaze, flames roaring into the sky.

Su Zeyang saw Qingqing in disarray, wrapped in a robe. He grabbed her shoulders. “Where is Huo Fenghua?”

Qingqing sobbed and pointed into the firelight. “Young Master Huo is still inside. He didn’t come out.”

Su Zeyang’s breathing quickened. He grabbed two buckets of water and rushed into the courtyard, hurling them toward the burning house, but it was a drop in the ocean. Two buckets did nothing.

Feng Tianzong had followed right after him. He stood outside the courtyard, staring at the inferno. After a brief pause, he shouted, “Put it out!”

The servants all looked worried. Many ran outward, saying they were going to fetch more water, but only a handful actually carried buckets in to fight the fire.

Feng Tianzong didn’t scold them. He took up a bucket himself and went into the courtyard to douse the flames. The moment he stepped in, Su Zeyang grabbed the bucket from his hand. “Give it to me.”

“Zeyang?” Feng Tianzong looked startled.

Su Zeyang snatched the bucket, dumped the water over his own head, then flung the bucket aside and moved as if to charge straight into the sea of fire.

Feng Tianzong’s heart lurched. He rushed forward and held him in a tight grip. “You’re not going!”

Su Zeyang hooked Feng Tianzong’s wrist, then shoved him back with his other hand. “Move!”

Feng Tianzong was shoved aside but immediately reached again and caught Su Zeyang by the wrist. Su Zeyang lifted a foot to kick. Feng Tianzong seized his ankle and yanked him close, his voice turning cold. “I won’t let you go in!”

Su Zeyang’s brows tightened. He drove his knee up toward Feng Tianzong’s abdomen. The two traded blows in quick succession; Su Zeyang was determined to get inside, while Feng Tianzong blocked him with everything he had. For a moment neither could break free.

Then came a thunderous crash. A main beam, burned through, collapsed and fell, sending a shower of sparks flying in every direction.

Feng Tianzong dragged Su Zeyang back to dodge. Su Zeyang stared at the blaze, his expression blank. After a moment, he grabbed Feng Tianzong by the lapels and glared at him.

“Zeyang,” Feng Tianzong called his name softly.

In the end, Su Zeyang released him. He turned to take another water bucket and continued fighting the fire.

The fire burned until before dawn, until the far edge of the sky began to pale. Only when the entire house had burned down into a blackened skeleton did the flames gradually die. Feng Tianzong, Su Zeyang, and the household servants kept throwing water without stopping.

Su Zeyang’s white robe was smeared with black soot, yet he still hadn’t fully fallen into despair. As long as he hadn’t seen Huo Fenghua’s body, he wouldn’t believe he’d perished in the fire.

When the last ember finally went out, Feng Tianzong had someone bring a cloak and personally draped it over Su Zeyang’s shoulders.

Lu Xi led people into the ruins to search. Feng Tianzong called Qingqing over and asked, “What exactly happened?”

Qingqing had cried all night and her voice was hoarse. She said, “Last night, Young Master Huo told me that even if he got better, his face would still be scarred. I saw he was in low spirits, so I persuaded him to sleep early. Then in the middle of the night, the fire started all of a sudden. It began in his room. I couldn’t go in. I ran out in a panic to call for help, but…” She couldn’t go on.

Su Zeyang looked down at his palms, rubbed raw and bleeding, and suddenly asked, “The fire started in his room?”

Qingqing wiped her face with her sleeve. “Yesterday I had someone deliver lamp oil and put it in the room. It must’ve been Young Master Huo. He must’ve poured the oil over the bedding and lit it himself.”

At that moment, Lu Xi found a burned corpse in the ruins. He shouted toward the outside, “We found Young Master Huo’s body!”

Feng Tianzong looked toward Su Zeyang.

But Su Zeyang turned and started walking out of the courtyard.

Feng Tianzong grabbed his wrist. “Zeyang?”

Su Zeyang turned to look at him, his expression dark. “That’s not him.”

Feng Tianzong didn’t speak.

Su Zeyang flung his hand away. “He wouldn’t set fire to the house over something like that. Actually, I should’ve realized long ago. But I trusted you too much. You said there would be no secrets between us. No deception.”

Feng Tianzong lowered his gaze and slowly closed his eyes. His long lashes cast dense shadows over his lids. After a moment he opened his eyes and said, “This was his choice too.”

Su Zeyang shook his head, backing away step by step, his eyes cold. “Feng Tianzong, you lied to me. You both lied to me.” With that, he turned and strode away.

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 58

That night, news of Huo Fenghua’s illness spread throughout the General’s Manor. Word spread that Doctor Du had taken Young Master Huo’s pulse and said he’d come down with smallsmallpox.

Right after that, Steward Lu gave orders to seal off the entire side courtyard where Huo Fenghua lived. Other than Qingqing and Doctor Du, no one was allowed to go in. Doctor Du prepared medicinal powder and had it sprinkled throughout the entire residence, and over the next two days, everyone who’d had contact with Huo Fenghua went to Doctor Du to get medicine to drink.

When Su Zeyang heard the news, he immediately went to Huo Fenghua’s side courtyard, only to be stopped at the gate by Feng Tianzong.

“Go back,” Feng Tianzong told him.

Su Zeyang asked, “You won’t let me go in?”

Feng Tianzong looked at him. “Of course I won’t. Back when Doctor Du and I were in the army, we both had contact with soldiers who’d had smallpox, but you’re different. This isn’t something to joke about. Go back.”

Su Zeyang said, “I’ll just take one look at him.”

Feng Tianzong shook his head. “I’ll take good care of him. He’s got decades of inner energy from that old demon Zixi inside him. A bit of smallpox won’t do anything.”

Su Zeyang gazed into the courtyard.

Feng Tianzong clasped his hand. “Don’t worry.”

Huo Fenghua was hiding by the window. Only after he watched Su Zeyang leave did he let out a slow sigh and return to sit on the edge of the bed. His body was feverish, and the itching all over was unbearable. He couldn’t help wanting to scratch.

Qingqing saw at once and hurried over to catch his hand. “Whatever you do, please don’t scratch.”

Doctor Du was outside at the little stove by the window, brewing medicine. Hearing the commotion, he called in too, “Don’t scratch. These red spots won’t leave scars, but if you break the skin, that’s another matter.”

Feng Tianzong happened to come in and said to Qingqing, “If he scratches again, tie his hands with a rope.”

Qingqing answered and withdrew to help Doctor Du with the decoction.

Huo Fenghua pulled his feet up onto the bed. If he couldn’t scratch, he grabbed a small fan and fanned himself hard. The cool breeze over his skin eased the itch a little. When he saw Doctor Du come in, he asked, “Doctor Du, what kind of medicine is this? It’s intense. I’m starting to suspect I’m actually sick.”

Doctor Du walked to the bedside and took his pulse again as he spoke. “It’s a poisonous herb that grows in the southwestern mountains. Locals sometimes eat it by accident. Afterward they develop a fever and these red rashes. It looks frightening, but it’s temporary. There’s an antidote herb that grows locally too. Once you take it to purge the toxin, the rash fades. It doesn’t harm the body.”

Feng Tianzong sat down by the bed, took the fan from Huo Fenghua’s hand, and fanned him.

Huo Fenghua leaned into Feng Tianzong’s arms. “How long do I have to wait before I can leave?”

Feng Tianzong said, “At least three to five more days. Either the illness is severe and hard to recover from, or you recover but your face is covered in pockmarks and you’re so disheartened…”

“Pockmarks are pockmarks,” Huo Fenghua said, finding a comfortable half-lying position. “How great is it just to be alive. Dying over pockmarks on your face isn’t worth it.”

Doctor Du finished taking his pulse and laughed at that. “Young Master Huo is broad-minded.”

Huo Fenghua glanced at Qingqing, who was busy outside, and lowered his voice to Doctor Du. “Doctor Du, do you know of anything you can prolong the duration of… you know?”

Doctor Du didn’t understand. “Prolong what? The rash?”

Huo Fenghua shook his head. “To make a man last longer.”

Only then did Doctor Du understand. He sat up straighter, instinctively looking at Feng Tianzong, and blurted out, “The General wants it?”

“No,” Huo Fenghua said quickly. “I do.”

Doctor Du looked even more puzzled. He didn’t answer, only looked to Feng Tianzong.

Feng Tianzong said coldly, “Nonsense. Doctor Du, you don’t need to mind him.”

Doctor Du nodded with a smile and stood. “Once Young Master Huo drinks the medicine, he can rest. No other issues. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

Huo Fenghua had no choice but to say, “Thanks for the trouble, Doctor Du.”

After Doctor Du left, Feng Tianzong asked in a low voice, “What do you want that medicine for?”

Huo Fenghua said, “It’s not for you, so it’s none of your business.”

Feng Tianzong lifted his chin with one hand. “None of my business?”

Huo Fenghua frowned and weakly clutched Feng Tianzong’s lapel, murmuring, “General, it itches. It’s miserable.”

Only then did Feng Tianzong let him go. He looked at him coldly for a moment, then told Qingqing to bring in a basin of cold water.

After a while, Qingqing came in with a basin of clean cold water. She wet a cloth and wrung it hard, then went to the bed. “Let me wipe Young Master Huo down.”

Feng Tianzong held out his hand. “No need. I’ll do it. Once the medicine is finished, bring it in. Then you can rest.”

Qingqing stole a glance at Huo Fenghua, obediently handed the cloth to Feng Tianzong, and left the room.

Feng Tianzong undid Huo Fenghua’s clothes and pressed the icy, damp cloth to the rash-covered skin. The coolness immediately chased away the unbearable itch, drawing a long sigh from Huo Fenghua.

“Mmm…” Huo Fenghua half-closed his eyes and let out a soft sound.

Feng Tianzong said, “Behave.”

Huo Fenghua opened his eyes at once. “How am I not behaving?”

The damp cloth quickly warmed against his skin. Feng Tianzong lifted it, dipped it back into the cold water and wrung it out again, then wiped over Huo Fenghua’s red rash bit by bit.

Huo Fenghua simply shed his clothes and lay on his side to let him wipe the rash along his waist. “Yesterday afternoon in the study, why didn’t you tell me to behave then?”

Feng Tianzong didn’t answer.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t stay quiet. “I went to see Pan Yuanjun today.”

Feng Tianzong’s voice turned heavy. “I told you not to see him again.”

Huo Fenghua was pushed to roll over onto his stomach. He felt Feng Tianzong yank his trousers down, exposing his backside to the air and raising goosebumps. He said, “We can’t make it look too deliberate or he’ll get suspicious. I had Wang Chu contact Shao Feijie. Best if we can get a letter to show some ‘sincerity’ in cooperating. Once we have the letter, we’ll go report him to the emperor.”

Feng Tianzong used the wet cloth to gently wipe the rash along his inner thigh. “By then you’ll already be gone. What would he want that letter for?”

Huo Fenghua turned his head, trying to look at him. “But Wang Chu will definitely contact Shao Feijie. Why don’t we make a bet?”

“A bet on what?” Feng Tianzong asked.

Huo Fenghua couldn’t help laughing. “On Senior Brother. If I win, you give Senior Brother to me. If I lose…” He paused, then said, “If I lose, what do you want to do?”

Feng Tianzong laughed too, but he didn’t discuss the stakes. He only said, “Wang Chu will definitely contact Shao Feijie, that’s true. But I’m not sure I can intercept proof of their collusion.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “You’ve had people watching the Wang residence lately. Still haven’t found the one who set up the curse formation?”

Feng Tianzong shook his head. “Wang Anzhi still hasn’t shown his face. I think he’s probably still unconscious. As for whether the one who cast the curse will appear, that’s unknown.”

Huo Fenghua grew a little gloomy. “Have people keep an eye on whether Pan Yuanjun’s been going in and out of the Wang residence lately.”

Feng Tianzong looked at him. “Don’t keep involving yourself in this.”

“Once I’m gone,” Huo Fenghua said, “I won’t even be able to ask.”

“No matter what happens between us and the Wang family,” Feng Tianzong said, brushing his hair aside, “you go live well. Don’t come back.”

Huo Fenghua lowered his gaze. “Okay.”

Just then, Qingqing brought in the medicine. She handed the bowl to Feng Tianzong, then took out a small dish of candied fruit.

Huo Fenghua said to Qingqing, “Thanks for the trouble, Sister Qingqing. Go rest.”

Qingqing nodded, and as she left, she reached back to close the door.

Feng Tianzong held the bowl and touched the surface of the medicine with his lips. “Qingqing waited until it cooled before bringing it.”

Huo Fenghua sat up. “Qingqing’s a good maid.”

Feng Tianzong brought the bowl to his mouth. “Will you drink it yourself, or do you want me to feed you?”

Huo Fenghua took it. “I’ll drink it myself.” He hated bitterness, so he held his breath, tipped his head back, and gulped the whole bowl down without giving himself a chance to hesitate.

When he finished, he set the bowl aside and exhaled lightly. A thin trail of medicine ran from the corner of his lips.

Feng Tianzong lifted a hand and gently wiped it away.

Huo Fenghua frowned. “Bitter.”

Feng Tianzong picked up a piece of candied fruit and fed it into his mouth. Then he took the empty bowl to the table inside the room and said, “Sleep early. I’ll stay here with you tonight.”

Huo Fenghua sat cross-legged on the bed, shoulders slumped. He looked up at Feng Tianzong. “Stay with me for what? Go back and stay with Senior Brother.”

Feng Tianzong returned to sit by the bed. “He’s worried about you too. I’m staying. Sleep. Don’t mind me.”

Huo Fenghua studied him for a long moment, then lay down toward the inner side of the bed. “Then lie down.”

Feng Tianzong did as he said, lay down, and pulled him into his arms. He kissed Huo Fenghua’s forehead and murmured, “Go to sleep.”

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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 57

When Feng Tianzong entered the courtyard, the first person he saw was a young man in white sitting by the fire. He froze for a moment before realizing it was Huo Fenghua, not Su Zeyang.

He walked over and asked, “Didn’t you say Zeyang called me over to roast fish for him?”

Huo Fenghua lifted his head to look at him. “What, is it not okay to roast it for me?”

Feng Tianzong smiled at that. “It is.”

Huo Fenghua called for the servants to carry a soft couch out from Su Zeyang’s room and place it beside the fire. He had Su Zeyang sit to one side, while he himself lay with his head resting on Su Zeyang’s lap. Feng Tianzong sat on a low stool and put the already-marinated fish over the fire to roast.

Feng Tianzong said, “Just one fish? Why not have Liu Yong catch a few more, send them to the kitchen to be marinated, then bring them over. We can roast them all.”

“No need,” Huo Fenghua said comfortably, sprawled at ease. “I caught this one myself. I’m roasting it for Senior Brother.”

Feng Tianzong glanced at him. “Are you roasting it, or am I?”

“I was going to,” Huo Fenghua said, “but my head feels dizzy now and I can’t be bothered to move. Lucky you.”

Su Zeyang reached out and gently kneaded Huo Fenghua’s forehead. “Dizzy? Who told you to jump into the water to catch fish?”

Feng Tianzong was flipping the fish. He lifted his eyes. “You went into the water?”

Su Zeyang gave a low hum. “I couldn’t stop him.”

Huo Fenghua wrapped his arms around Su Zeyang’s leg and urged Feng Tianzong, “Is it done yet? It smells so good. I want the first bite.”

“Almost,” Feng Tianzong replied.

When the fish was cooked through, Feng Tianzong set it on a plate, pulled out the wooden skewer that had been run through the flesh, and used chopsticks to pry open the most tender meat along the belly. Avoiding the long bones, he picked up a bite and offered it to Huo Fenghua’s lips. “Do you want me to feed you?”

Huo Fenghua opened his mouth and ate it. But when Feng Tianzong picked up a second bite and offered it again, Huo Fenghua refused to open his mouth. “Give it to Senior Brother.”

Feng Tianzong smiled and lifted the chopsticks to Su Zeyang’s lips.

Su Zeyang glanced at him, then opened his mouth and took the fish. His soft tongue tip brushed the chopsticks.

Feng Tianzong used his thumb to wipe away the oil at the corner of Su Zeyang’s mouth.

Huo Fenghua watched them quietly. Then he suddenly sneezed twice. He rolled over and sat up. “It’s cold. I’m going back.”

Feng Tianzong asked, “The fish is done and you’re leaving after just one bite?”

Huo Fenghua stood and tugged his robe hem straight. “I called you here to roast fish for Senior Brother to eat. Those fish in the lake have grown that big and the great General still never has time to roast fish for Senior Brother. Isn’t now a perfect chance?”

Su Zeyang sat and watched him without speaking.

Huo Fenghua hooked a finger under Su Zeyang’s chin. “I’m going back. You two eat slowly. I still have to go out early tomorrow.”

Su Zeyang said, “You got chilled and you’re still going out?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “A gamble cures all ailments.” He stretched luxuriously and started toward the courtyard gate. After taking two steps, he remembered something and hurried back, trotting into the room to dig through the inner pocket of the clothes he’d taken off. He found the jade pendant Feng Tianzong had given him.

He stroked the pendant with his fingers and carefully tucked it back against his body. Then he pulled open the door and stepped out, seeing Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang sitting together, using the firelight to patiently pick the bones from the fish.

Huo Fenghua raised his hand and waved hard. “I’m going!” With that, he left Su Zeyang’s courtyard with light, cheerful steps.

The next morning, Huo Fenghua left the General’s Manor and headed for the house Pan Yuanjun had given him to settle Linglong.

He’d finally managed to have a home of his own in the capital, and now he was about to leave. The whole way there, Huo Fenghua kept sighing, feeling thoroughly unwilling. He wondered how housing prices in Yujing had been rising these past years. If he could coax Pan Yuanjun into transferring the deed to him, then come back in a few years, could he become rich overnight? He turned it over in his mind, only afraid he didn’t have enough time anymore.

Pan Yuanjun’s house was near the outskirts, in a secluded area. When Huo Fenghua arrived at the gate and carefully confirmed it was the right place, he lifted his hand and knocked.

He knocked for a long while before Linglong opened the door from inside. When she saw him, she froze slightly, then stepped forward and hugged him. “Young Master Huo, Linglong has been waiting for you.”

Huo Fenghua held her and patted her back lightly. “Miss Linglong, wait a little longer. Don’t be anxious.” As he spoke, he lifted a hand to cover his mouth and gave two soft coughs.

At the time, Linglong didn’t think much of it. She took his hand and led him inside.

Huo Fenghua looked around and found that though the house wasn’t large, it was clean and the rooms weren’t shabby. He sat down in the main hall, and Linglong turned to brew tea for him.

When she came back, Huo Fenghua asked, “Are you the only one living here right now?”

Linglong set the teacup on the table. “Commander Pan said the fewer people who know, the better. He had Linglong stay here alone for now. Once Young Master Huo has everything arranged, Linglong will go with Young Master Huo to the General’s Manor.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. He lifted the teacup and pretended to touch it to his lips without drinking, then set it down and said, “You know as well as I do that I’m just a male concubine in the General’s Manor. I don’t have any real say there. Linglong, wait a bit longer. You and I will soon be together day and night.”

Linglong looked at him, then lowered her head with a small smile.

They talked in the main hall for a while until someone knocked at the door. This time it was Pan Yuanjun.

This place was even more hidden than yesterday’s tavern, so Pan Yuanjun spoke with fewer scruples. He asked Huo Fenghua, “Young Master Huo said you can contact the Xichou side. Can you give me a token of proof?”

Huo Fenghua gave a short laugh. “When I entered the General’s Manor, I didn’t bring a single old possession with me. Even my clothes were newly made. I really can’t produce any token.” This part wasn’t a lie. His old residence in Yujing had long since been sealed up.

Pan Yuanjun nodded. “No matter. Then why not write a letter, and we’ll take it to meet Marshal Shao of Xichou?”

Huo Fenghua shook his head. “I won’t write a letter. You can go find Marshal Shao yourselves and bring his token to see me.”

Pan Yuanjun’s expression darkened slightly. “Young Master Huo, are you saying you don’t trust our Prime Minister?”

Huo Fenghua sighed. “Commander Pan, Feng Tianzong destroyed my Xichou and killed my family. Between him and me, we cannot share the same sky. Why guard against me? I won’t write that letter. It’s true I don’t trust you. Commander Pan, if our positions were reversed, would you dare to trust so easily?”

Pan Yuanjun said, “The Prime Minister has shown sincere intent. Young Master Huo can rest assured.”

Huo Fenghua said, “I trust the Prime Minister’s sincerity. The Prime Minister should trust me as well. With a letter from Marshal Shao, I can cooperate with the Prime Minister wholeheartedly against the Feng brothers. Otherwise…” He didn’t finish. He suddenly turned his head and began coughing.

This bout was worse than before. His fair, smooth face flushed red, and even the corners of his eyes reddened slightly.

Pan Yuanjun examined him from head to toe. Remembering Huo Fenghua’s status as Feng Tianzong’s male concubine, he couldn’t help looking toward Huo Fenghua’s waist and hips. In the end, he still sneered inwardly and let out a cold laugh, then sighed. “I understand Young Master Huo’s meaning. I’ll go back and explain everything to the Prime Minister and see what he plans to do.”

Huo Fenghua covered his mouth with the back of his hand. When he lowered it, his lips were a deep red. He nodded. “Commander Pan, please rest assured. With my status, I have no possible way to threaten the Prime Minister, and even less chance of helping the Feng brothers frame him. If I want to return to Xichou and restore my country, I have to rely entirely on the Prime Minister. I’m only asking for peace of mind, so that in the end the Prime Minister doesn’t take hold of some leverage over me and turn his face and deny me.”

Pan Yuanjun answered, “I understand.” He stood, looked at Huo Fenghua for a moment longer, and asked, “Young Master Huo, are you ill?”

Huo Fenghua took the silk handkerchief Linglong offered and wiped his lips. “Maybe I caught a chill. It’s nothing.”

Pan Yuanjun said, “Your constitution is delicate. You should take extra care. When I get back, I’ll have someone send over some nourishing medicines. Have Linglong boil them for you.”

Huo Fenghua stood as well and cupped his hands. “Many thanks, Commander Pan.”

Pan Yuanjun smiled and waved. “Then I’ll go first. I won’t disturb Young Master Huo and Miss Linglong.”

Linglong saw Pan Yuanjun out, then returned and replaced Huo Fenghua’s tea with a hot cup. “Young Master Huo, if you’re feeling unwell, why not lie down in the room for a while?”

Huo Fenghua nodded and went with her into the side room in the inner courtyard.

After they entered, Linglong closed the door. She turned to face him and called shyly, “Young Master Huo…”

Huo Fenghua lifted a hand to touch her cheek and leaned close to whisper in her ear, “Go to the bed and wait for me.”

Blushing, Linglong walked to the bed and sat down.

Huo Fenghua raised his hands and unfastened the knotted buttons at his collar at an unhurried pace. He removed his outer robe first, then pulled open the sash at the side of his inner garment. As the layers loosened and fell open, the first thing revealed was the pale line of his waist.

Linglong had been watching him the whole time. Now she suddenly froze, eyes widening. “Young master!”

Huo Fenghua paused mid-motion as he loosened his trousers. “What is it?”

Linglong looked flustered. “What… what is that on your waist?”

Huo Fenghua startled. He looked down and saw that his side waist really was covered in densely packed red rashes, creating an alarming scene. He touched his own waist, then seemed to remember something. He hitched his trousers up a little and found the same red rash had appeared on his thigh as well.

Linglong cried out and sprang up, instinctively backing away. “What is that?” She didn’t know what kind of rash it was. She only thought he was flirtatious by nature and wondered if he’d picked up some filthy disease outside.

Huo Fenghua hurriedly tied his sash back up and threw his outer robe on again, voice full of alarm. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just an ordinary wind rash. Wait for me to go back and see a doctor. Once it’s better in a couple days, I’ll come see you again.”

With that, he fastened his clothes tight, turned to leave, and as he walked out he began coughing violently again.

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 56

After dinner, feeling somewhat restless and uneasy, Huo Fenghua wandered alone through the General’s Manor. He’d kept the jade pendant Feng Tianzong gave him tucked close against his body, pressed to his skin inside his robes, where it quickly absorbed his body heat.

It was nearly dark now. The servants had finished the day’s work and were eating in the back courtyard, so the front courtyard felt unusually empty.

When Huo Fenghua reached the lake in the front courtyard, he saw someone sitting on the winding bridge over the water.

Su Zeyang was perched on the bridge railing with a handful of fish feed, tossing it in to feed the fish. A light breeze drifted over, lifting his long hair and the hem of his robe at the same time. With the lake’s mist rising around him, for a moment it was hard to tell whether this was the human world or some immortal realm.

Feng Tianzong’s return hadn’t been deliberately hidden from the household, but he spent most of his time in the study and rarely walked around the residence. Su Zeyang wasn’t constantly by his side. Even though Lu Xi made the decisions on many matters big and small, there was still no avoiding Su Zeyang having to worry over things.

Huo Fenghua walked over and sat beside him. “Senior Brother, there are still fish in this lake?” He’d never really looked closely. All told, he hadn’t actually spent that much time in the General’s Manor.

Su Zeyang replied, “I raised them the year I first entered the Manor.”

Huo Fenghua lowered his head and saw a whole school of fish rise to the surface, scrambling for the feed Su Zeyang tossed in. He found it odd. “These don’t look like ornamental fish. Why raise them?”

Su Zeyang simply answered, “To eat.”

“To eat?” Huo Fenghua was surprised. “You and the General really do have… refined tastes.”

Su Zeyang said, “When I first met him, I was being hunted by enemies. The two of us ended up stranded on a deserted island. We had nothing to eat so we caught fish from the sea and roasted them.”

Huo Fenghua bent forward, looking boneless, and gave a soft “Mm.” He then added, “Then you should’ve gotten sick of it long ago.”

Su Zeyang said, “It was always Tianzong who roasted the fish and carefully picked out every bone for me. But before we had the chance to eat these, he received an imperial decree and went off to war. He hardly ever came back.”

Huo Fenghua tilted his head to look at his face. “Then do you still want to eat it?”

Su Zeyang looked at him.

Huo Fenghua smiled. “I’ll roast fish for you and pick out all the bones, I swear I won’t leave a single one. After you finish, will you come with me?”

Su Zeyang asked, “Go where?”

Huo Fenghua lifted a finger and pointed into the distance. “To the ends of the earth, living together as a pair.”

Su Zeyang fell silent for a moment. Just before he could answer, Huo Fenghua reached up and covered his mouth. “Don’t say it. Not right now. Let me roast fish for you first, okay?”

This time, he didn’t wait for Su Zeyang’s response. He stood and jumped straight into the water.

For an instant, Su Zeyang looked startled. He rose almost immediately, instinctively reaching out to grab Huo Fenghua, but Huo Fenghua’s robe hem slid right out of his palm.

Huo Fenghua splashed into the lake. The fish scattered at once. One that was slower than the rest got caught in Huo Fenghua’s arms when he reached out. The big fish thrashed in his embrace, flinging water all over his face.

He bobbed in the water, lifting his head and laughing up at Su Zeyang. “Come on. Let’s go roast fish.” With that, he tossed the fish onto the bridge, then grabbed the edge of the wooden bridge and climbed up.

Su Zeyang reached out to pull him. The moment Huo Fenghua was hauled onto the bridge, he lunged right into Su Zeyang’s arms and hugged him tight. His soaked clothes quickly dampened Su Zeyang’s long robe as well.

Su Zeyang lifted a hand and patted his back gently.

Huo Fenghua looked up. “Is anyone around?”

“No one,” Su Zeyang said.

Huo Fenghua nodded. “That’s what I thought too.”

Then he kissed Su Zeyang. He first licked his lips lightly, then parted his teeth, slipping his tongue in to hook and tease Su Zeyang’s. At first Su Zeyang didn’t react, but then he took Huo Fenghua’s lips and tongue into his mouth and sucked, his hand sliding into Huo Fenghua’s wet clothing to pinch at his waist.

Not long ago, Feng Tianzong had made Huo Fenghua climax twice. Now, with Su Zeyang kissing him and kneading him like this, Huo Fenghua’s legs went weak almost at once and he could barely stand. He held Su Zeyang tightly, released his lips, and whispered, “Let’s go to your courtyard and roast fish, okay?”

Su Zeyang put an arm around his waist, bent down to pick up the fish, and said, “Okay.”

Back at the small courtyard where Su Zeyang lived, Su Zeyang had the maid, Zhu’er, take the fish to the kitchen to have it killed, cleaned, and cut open. He then brought Huo Fenghua into the room, found a clean set of clothes, and had him change.

Huo Fenghua stripped off everything, and the marks of lust all over his body were immediately revealed. Some were from last night, some from the afternoon in Feng Tianzong’s study. His nipples, in particular, were swollen and red, clearly just ravaged.

A sudden guilt rose in him. He stole a glance at Su Zeyang, but Su Zeyang didn’t seem to care at all. He simply stepped closer and reached to touch the brand on Huo Fenghua’s lower back.

It had been on him so long that Huo Fenghua himself had nearly forgotten it existed. Feeling irritated, he asked Su Zeyang, “The General told me this brand is a mark left on the wives and concubines of Donglin noble households. Is that true?”

Su Zeyang nodded. “Mm.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “Then why did you brand me? To say I’m your pork, stamp me like a seal?”

“Pork?” Su Zeyang didn’t understand what he meant.

Huo Fenghua hugged his waist and rested his head on Su Zeyang’s shoulder. “I mean, do you think I’m yours?”

Su Zeyang said, “Are you my pork?”

Huo Fenghua sighed helplessly. “Forget the pork thing. Just tell me, am I your person?”

Su Zeyang didn’t answer. He only said, “You really like holding me.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Because I like you.”

Su Zeyang glanced at him. Huo Fenghua suddenly put some force into it and pushed Su Zeyang down onto the bed. He lay on top of him with the clumsy urgency of a child and said, “Senior Brother, I asked you something. Answer me honestly.”

Su Zeyang gave a low “Mm” and pulled the quilt over to cover Huo Fenghua’s bare back.

Very softly by his ear, Huo Fenghua asked, “When I fuck you, does it feel better, or when the General does?”

Su Zeyang’s expression turned strange. He looked at him and said, “Do you even need to ask?”

Huo Fenghua felt like he’d been dealt a crushing blow. He grabbed Su Zeyang’s sleeve. “Not comfortable at all?”

“I didn’t say not comfortable at all,” Su Zeyang said. “You asked compared to Tianzong.”

Unwilling to accept it, Huo Fenghua asked, “What’s the difference?”

Su Zeyang thought for a moment. “You’re a bit too fast.”

Huo Fenghua’s face went red. He buried his face in Su Zeyang’s chest and stopped talking. After a while he lifted his head again and said, “I’ll go find some tonics to take, something like Indian God Lotion* or whatever. Then next time, will you still let me do it?”

*It’s an essential oil that you apply or spray to the cockhead of the penis. Supposedly it causes a burning sensation that reduces the sensitivity of the head, which can delay climax. Though it’s called Indian God Lotion, it’s actually a Chinese product; no such product exists in India.

Su Zeyang nodded. “Sure. What is Indian God Lotion?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer. He only hugged him tighter, rubbing his face hard against Su Zeyang’s chest. “What do I do? I like you so much.”

Su Zeyang stroked his head. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Huo Fenghua muttered. After a while, he asked again, “Have you ever slept with a woman?”

“No,” Su Zeyang said.

Huo Fenghua sighed. “Feng Tianzong really got lucky.”

Su Zeyang showed a rare smile. “What nonsense are you saying?”

Huo Fenghua pressed his forehead to Su Zeyang’s jaw. “I hope you’ll be well.”

Su Zeyang held his hand and didn’t speak.

Just then, Zhu’er knocked softly on the door outside. “Young Master Su, the fish is ready, and the fire’s going.”

Su Zeyang lowered his head to ask Huo Fenghua, “Shall we roast fish?”

Huo Fenghua stretched lazily and mumbled, “I don’t feel like roasting. I just want to lie down and not move.” Then he raised his voice toward the door. “Go invite the General over. Tell him Young Master Su wants him to come roast fish.”

Zhu’er acknowledged and trotted off.

Huo Fenghua pushed himself up from Su Zeyang’s embrace, grabbed Su Zeyang’s clothes, and pulled them on. In the end, wrapped in white, he even looked naturally airy and ethereal. He opened the door and walked out.

---

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

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 55

Feng Tianzong’s thick, burning-hot length filled Huo Fenghua’s empty hollow. Wet, soft flesh wrapped around Feng Tianzong’s cock, clinging tight, resisting when he pushed in, yet unwilling to let go when he drew back out.

Huo Fenghua’s legs lay spread, limp with weakness, lifted by Feng Tianzong and propped up on his shoulders. With the corners of his eyes flushed red, he met Feng Tianzong’s gaze, moaning without pause until Feng Tianzong bent down to kiss him deeply.

Each thrust was harsher than the last. Huo Fenghua’s fingers scrabbled wildly across the slick tabletop. Somehow he grabbed a writing brush and gripped it hard, nails digging into his palm until he nearly drew blood, yet it still couldn’t blunt the overwhelming pleasure surging through him.

His body trembled as he grew hard again. He reached down and had only just wrapped his hand around himself when Feng Tianzong reached over too, their fingers interlacing as they stroked the rigid shaft together.

The pleasure piled so high it became unbearable. Huo Fenghua reflexively tried to retreat, but Feng Tianzong pinched his waist and nailed him in place, wedging himself deep inside. The crown of his cock grinded viciously against the most sensitive spot along Huo Fenghua’s inner chambers. Huo Fenghua threw his head back; his pale skin bloomed with a faint pink flush, his nipples swollen and hard. He came again.

After cumming twice in a row, Huo Fenghua went slack, collapsing on the desk. Feng Tianzong caught him by the ankles and spread his legs until it hurt, still pounding into him with heavy, punishing force. He thrust deeper and harder, ramming into him another twenty or thirty times, until Huo Fenghua’s voice turned hoarse from crying out. Only then did Feng Tianzong spill inside him, and even after he came, he refused to pull out for a long while.

After the peak of pleasure subsided, Feng Tianzong sat back in the chair and held Huo Fenghua in his arms. He didn’t dress him, only wrapped him in an outer robe, keeping Huo Fenghua’s bare body pressed against his own.

Huo Fenghua was exhausted. He rested his head on Feng Tianzong’s shoulder and messed up his hair with his fingers, winding one strand around his finger again and again.

Feng Tianzong’s voice was low; when he spoke, his chest vibrated faintly. “Can you trust the maid in your courtyard?”

Huo Fenghua tried to answer, only to realize his throat was hoarse. He glanced up at him and gave a soft “Mm.”

Feng Tianzong said, “Then there’s no need to hide it from her. We’ll need her help later. Once you leave this room today, you start pretending to be sick.”

“Pretending?” Huo Fenghua asked in a rasp.

Hearing how hoarse he sounded, Feng Tianzong couldn’t help leaning in to kiss his lips again, not letting go until Huo Fenghua was panting. Only then did he release him and murmur, “Mm. For the next two days, you still go out as usual. Just say you’re sensitive to the cold and feel weak, and cough now and then.”

Huo Fenghua frowned as he listened. “What sickness do you want me to fake?”

Feng Tianzong looked at him. “Smallpox.”

Smallpox in this era had a terrifying death rate, and worse, it was highly contagious. If Huo Fenghua truly had smallpox, the entire side courtyard would be sealed off, and no one would dare visit him.

Qingqing could help cover it up, sure. But what about Su Zeyang?

Huo Fenghua asked, “What about Senior Brother?”

“I’ll talk to him,” Feng Tianzong said. “You don’t need to worry.”

Huo Fenghua asked again, “But if I die, there should still be a body.”

Feng Tianzong pinched his chin, lifting his face to study him closely. “Everyone in the capital knows Huo Fenghua is a good-for-nothing, with nothing of value except this pretty face. You contract smallpox, and even if you recover, you’ll be left with ugly scars on your face that never fade. So in a fit of agitation, you set fire to the bed curtains. The blaze spreads through the entire side courtyard. Only Qingqing escapes by luck, while you burn to death inside.”

Huo Fenghua froze slightly.

Feng Tianzong continued, “I’ll find a corpse that just died of smallpox. Once it’s burned, no one can identify it. That very night, I’ll have someone escort you out of the city. After that, you leave on your own and never come back.”

Huo Fenghua said, “If I die, will the Wang family suspect anything?”

Feng Tianzong said, “They might suspect Zeyang or my elder brother found out about your collusion and moved against you. But it doesn’t matter. They won’t find any evidence, and plenty of people can testify that you really did have smallpox.”

Just imagining what a smallpox patient looked like, covered in pustules, made Huo Fenghua shiver. “How do we fake that?”

Feng Tianzong picked up a clean brush from the table and traced slow circles lightly at the crease between Huo Fenghua’s thighs. “Have you heard of disguise techniques? Even a person’s face can be changed. Forging a few pox marks is always possible. And there’s a Doctor Du in the household. He used to be a military physician in my army. When he was young, he traveled all over and saw many strange illnesses.”

Huo Fenghua listened quietly, only feeling unbearably ticklish where the soft bristles swept. Without thinking, he drew his legs together.

Feng Tianzong went on, “I asked him. He said there’s a poisonous herb. If you eat it, the toxin enters the blood and makes your whole body feverish and break out in pox. But it’s easy to purge. As long as you take medicine in time, those toxic pox will disappear within a day or two and leave no trace.”

Huo Fenghua worried, “It won’t scar, will it?”

Feng Tianzong shook his head. “Doctor Du assured me again and again: it won’t leave any marks on your body.”

Huo Fenghua wrapped both arms around the back of his neck. “Have you been planning this for a long time?”

“Yes.” Feng Tianzong saw a strand of hair stuck to Huo Fenghua’s lips and reached out to brush it aside. “From the day you and I agreed on it, I’ve been planning.”

For no reason he could name, Huo Fenghua’s chest started to ache.

Feng Tianzong kept speaking. “Once you’re out of the city, you can go east. That’s the most prosperous part of Donglin. It’s easy to disappear in towns or the countryside. You can also go south or north, to the borders. The situation is stable now, and border trade is frequent. Just don’t go west to Chou. The fighting there won’t end in a year or two.”

Huo Fenghua seemed to sink into thought.

Feng Tianzong watched him for a while, then reached into his robes and took out a jade pendant. When he pressed it into Huo Fenghua’s hand, it still carried the warmth of his body.

Huo Fenghua took it and paused, startled. He lifted it to look. The jade was lustrous and clear, its green translucence like still water seeping through in layers. Even without knowing anything about such things, he could tell it was exceptional.

Feng Tianzong looked at the pendant and said, “I’ve worn it since I was little. After you leave, sell it.”

“Sell it?” Huo Fenghua froze completely. He didn’t understand.

Feng Tianzong’s expression stayed calm. “When you’re alone, carrying gold or silver isn’t convenient. Don’t pawn this at a shop. Find a traveling merchant who knows what it’s worth. It’s worth a thousand taels, though I’m afraid he might not be able to produce that much silver. Either way, don’t let it go for cheap. Seven or eight hundred taels is the minimum.”

Huo Fenghua gripped the jade pendant and asked, “Why?”

Feng Tianzong said, “I originally wanted to give you banknotes, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to resist checking your whereabouts later. If you sell this jade to an out-of-region traveling merchant, then even if I want to investigate in the future, I’ll have no way to start.”

Huo Fenghua suddenly felt like his chest was blocked tight. “Then why use a jade you’ve worn since childhood? Wouldn’t some random gold and silver ornaments do?”

Feng Tianzong covered his hand with his own and forced the pendant firmly into Huo Fenghua’s palm. “Take it.”

After that, Feng Tianzong said nothing more. He only held Huo Fenghua tightly in his arms, until the sky darkened. Only then did he dress him, smooth and tidy his disheveled long hair with his hands, and say, “Remember what I told you.”

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Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 54

“Why?” Huo Fenghua looked at Feng Tianzong, open astonishment in his eyes.

Feng Tianzong met his gaze. “There’s no ‘why.’ Isn’t this what we agreed on from the start?”

Huo Fenghua’s hand unconsciously tightened on Feng Tianzong’s lapel. “But it’s not resolved yet.”

He had told Qingqing before that he still had things to do, that he’d only leave after he finished them. What he meant was the curse at Luofeng Ridge. Su Zeyang had told him it had nothing to do with him and to stop asking, but Huo Fenghua knew perfectly well: among the three birth dates used in the curse formation at Luofeng Ridge, one had to be his. He was the formation’s “core,” the focal point his master had mentioned. So how could it have nothing to do with him?

He stared at Feng Tianzong, trying to read some emotion in his eyes, but Feng Tianzong’s gaze was like a deep pool, quiet and fathomless. Apart from a waterlike gentleness, there was nothing else to be seen. Huo Fenghua said, “If you let me go and this can’t be solved, then—”

Then what? He didn’t finish. If Su Zeyang couldn’t find the one who cast the curse, then the only way to break it would be to kill him. Would Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang kill him? Would he go to his death willingly?

So whether he stayed or left probably really wouldn’t change the situation.

In truth, the moment Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang got together, there was no going back. The curse of cutting off descendants would only hurt Feng Tiansheng. From the perspective of a modern person like Huo Fenghua, no kids just meant no kids. It wasn’t that big of a deal. But what did Feng Tiansheng think? And what was Feng Tianzong, as Feng Tiansheng’s younger brother, planning?

If he didn’t leave and Feng Tiansheng found out, and in order to break the curse decided to kill him with one stroke, would Feng Tianzong step in to stop it?

In such a short time, Huo Fenghua thought through countless questions. He stared into Feng Tianzong’s eyes. His mind sank in, yet his thinking stayed razor clear.

Feng Tianzong said, “Once you sink too deep, it won’t be easy to pull yourself out. Leave while you still can. What happens with the Feng family and the Wang family shouldn’t have anything to do with you. It’s not like I have no way to deal with it. Don’t keep sinking yourself into it.”

It was a mire: you step on me, I step on you. You watch someone die in it, and when you look up, you realize you’ve sunk halfway in yourself and can’t pull free at all.

Huo Fenghua understood what Feng Tianzong meant. His fingers brushed over the dark patterns in Feng Tianzong’s clothing.

Feng Tianzong wrapped one arm around his waist, the other pushing up his pant leg to stroke his calf. His lips pressed to Huo Fenghua’s neck, and he sucked hard. “Go. Haven’t you wanted to go for a long time?”

In this position, Huo Fenghua’s hips were pressed completely against Feng Tianzong’s thighs. He lifted his arms around Feng Tianzong’s neck, and a sudden tenderness surged up. He kissed the top of Feng Tianzong’s head.

Feng Tianzong tugged his clothes open and shifted him, making him straddle him face-to-face with his legs spread, seated on his lap. Feng Tianzong leaned back, bracing against the edge of the desk, then lowered his head and kissed Huo Fenghua’s bare chest.

Huo Fenghua tipped his head back, arms braced behind him on the desk. He felt Feng Tianzong take his nipple into his mouth, sucking and biting; pleasure spread quickly. He bent his legs and planted his feet on the chair, grinding and pressing between his thighs against Feng Tianzong’s crotch. Even through the fabric, he could feel how hard and eager he was there.

Their bodies fit each other too well, so in front of Feng Tianzong, Huo Fenghua was always wanton. He liked Feng Tianzong pinning him down and thrusting into him hard, using that hot, rigid cock to grind mercilessly against him until his whole body trembled and he climaxed.

But today, it seemed like they both had something else on their minds. Huo Fenghua tipped his head back, staring at the beam overhead, and between ragged breaths asked, “Should we tell Senior Brother?”

Feng Tianzong didn’t answer. He only gripped Huo Fenghua by the waist and pushed him forward until his upper body was nearly sprawled on the desk, then lifted a hand to pull down his pants.

His erection twitched in the cool air. Huo Fenghua bit his lower lip and looked at Feng Tianzong. Feng Tianzong held his gaze for a moment, then lowered his head and took him into his mouth.

Huo Fenghua let out a moan. In that instant, every hair on his body seemed to stand up. Compared to the pleasure of being wrapped in a warm, wet mouth, what made him sink even deeper was the satisfaction in his heart. Before this, Feng Tianzong had never used his mouth on him down there.

Any living creature, driven to pass on its bloodline and compete for resources, is mostly drawn to strength by instinct, whether man or woman. A woman hopes to marry the strongest man; a man, if he can’t be the strongest himself, hopes to follow the strongest man.

In Huo Fenghua’s eyes, Feng Tianzong was a man strong enough. He couldn’t help but feel a certain admiration and yearning toward him, though he would never admit it to Feng Tianzong.

His fingers dug into the surface of the desk. His legs were propped on Feng Tianzong’s shoulders, and he couldn’t help clamping them tighter around Feng Tianzong’s head. Like a fish out of water, he panted with his mouth open, chest heaving violently. He even tried to lift his hips, wanting Feng Tianzong to take him deeper.

Feng Tianzong obligingly opened his mouth further, even relaxing his throat, letting Huo Fenghua thrust deeper. At the same time, the hands cupping Huo Fenghua’s buttocks kneaded hard. Feng Tianzong slid a finger into his slick, soft entrance and slowly worked it in, pressing along the inner wall with his fingertip. He knew exactly where to press, where Huo Fenghua liked it most.

With that front-and-back assault, Huo Fenghua’s mind and body hit the peak at the same time. A little viciously, he clamped his thighs around Feng Tianzong’s head and wouldn’t let him pull away. His cock shuddered several times as he spilled everything into Feng Tianzong’s mouth.

When he finished, his waist went weak, and his half-softened length slipped from Feng Tianzong’s lips. He stared blankly at Feng Tianzong, seeing his lips flushed red. The decisive General who killed without hesitation on the battlefield now had his face tainted with vulgar desire, and the dot of milky white at the corner of his mouth only made him look even more wantonly beautiful.

Feng Tianzong held Huo Fenghua’s release in his mouth. Bracing his arms on either side of Huo Fenghua’s head, he bent over him and met his eyes from above.

Huo Fenghua’s heart was hammering. Then he saw Feng Tianzong part his lips slightly, and thick fluid mixed with saliva spilled out, trailing into a long string.

The moment Huo Fenghua realized what Feng Tianzong was doing, his already burning face went even hotter. As if possessed, he opened his mouth and caught the droplet as it fell, staring at the obscene string connecting their lips.

Huo Fenghua swallowed it all, his own release mixed with Feng Tianzong’s saliva. He tilted his head back; his Adam’s apple bobbed once. Then he hugged his legs and drew his knees to his chest, his long-empty hole clenching and fluttering, vivid in color. He said to Feng Tianzong, “General—”

Feng Tianzong’s long fingers stroked his throat and chest. “You want it?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t hide it at all. “I do. You can be rougher. I want it so badly.”

Feng Tianzong lifted his robe hem and undid his trousers, gripping his own hard, heated length in hand. Softly, he said, “Call me by my name.”

Huo Fenghua looked him straight in the eye. “Tianzong.”

The next moment, Feng Tianzong drove into him with savage force.

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