Taking advantage of the moment the door was opened, the woman gathered her skirts and fled.
Inside, the room was filled with lingering fragrance. The faint scent of the woman’s powder was not suffocating, but mixed with the curling aroma from the golden beast-shaped incense burner, it stirred a restless heat in the pit of his stomach.
However, Xue You had no time to mind such things.
Xiao Yanshi’s consciousness was chaotic; his face was flushed, and he looked like a boiled shrimp. Even so, when Xue You moved to pull back his robes, instinct caused Xiao Yanshi to grab his hand. “You… don’t touch me…”
“If you go on like this, how can you hope to survive?”
Xue You scooped him up and carefully placed him on the couch. Xiao Yanshi’s body was terrifyingly hot, and he was completely unconscious. The wounds on his wrists crisscrossed in a ghastly manner. Xue You treated the wounds as best he could, then removed Xiao Yanshi’s outer robe and pressed a damp cloth to his forehead.
Reflecting on the fact that Xue Shao’s men were everywhere outside the Flower House, he decided he could only cloak the situation and sneak him out. As for whether Xiao Yanshi could be rescued by his side, that would be up to fate.
With his mind made up, Xue You hoisted Xiao Yanshi onto his back and prepared to leave. But for some reason, his knees buckled. Mindful of the person on his back, Xue You instinctively braced himself against the table with his arm, but he struck it hard, hitting his funny bone exactly. In an instant, half of his body went numb.
After all, the person on his back was a grown man. When Xue You stumbled, instinct drove him to roll over, narrowly serving as a cushion for Xiao Yanshi. Xiao Yanshi, lost in his daze and with no way to steady himself, crashed heavily into Xue You.
Xue You let out a muffled groan, losing all his strength. But this was not the worst of it.
Because of the fall, Xiao Yanshi regained a sliver of consciousness, though his vision remained blurry. Sweat rolled down his forehead, and his eyes were hot and aching, forcing him to bite his lip and moan.
The floor was cold, but where their bodies pressed together, it was searingly warm. Xiao Yanshi, following instinct, grabbed the person in front of him. His hot, ragged breaths fanned against Xue You’s neck, burning his skin.
“Heir Xiao!” For some inexplicable reason, the sensation in his lower abdomen felt awakened, dominant and shameless. Xue You sensed that the situation was turning disastrous and grit his teeth, calling out to Xiao Yanshi, as if hoping to shock the other man into clearing his head.
But it was obvious that the man on top of him had lost all sanity and self-control. His hands climbed onto Xue You’s shoulders, rubbing against him gently.
“Hiss!” Xue You’s breath hitched, and he slammed his hand down to seize Xiao Yanshi’s wrist.
Yet, Xiao Yanshi, who was now subject to another’s whim, had discarded all inhibitions. He desperately sought the cool surface within reach, nuzzling against Xue You’s neck like a young child, sniffing him. His nostrils fluttered, and he murmured, dazed and innocent, “…Smells good.”
Boom!
Xue You lost his last shred of reason. With a powerful surge, he flipped Xiao Yanshi over and loomed over him.
Xiao Yanshi was by no means a delicate beauty with soft skin, nor was he some effeminate lad from a pleasure house. But that very body sturdy and firm along with eyes drenched in desire, was precisely what made Xue You lose his senses and his restraint.
With his robes flung wide, Xue You pressed down on Xiao Yanshi’s neck. A martial artist’s greatest taboo was letting someone grasp their throat, but Xiao Yanshi, in his current state, didn’t perceive it at all. He even lifted his chin eagerly, looking submissive and wanton.
Fingertips traced the neckline cool to the touch.
This time, it was Xue You who lost his grip on reality, his boldness swelling. He leaned down to inhale the scent of Xiao Yanshi’s sweat-dampened hair, the droplets of sweat searing his wrists. He laughed softly, greedily kissing Xiao Yanshi’s earlobe, lingering and pecking at it over and over.
It was somewhat frivolous, yet it only fueled his growing dissatisfaction.
…The moonlight melted into water, spilling over the lean, strong waist of his partner.
Xue You’s large palm, stained with sweat and drowning in passion, drifted into a trance-like state.
“Heir Xiao…”
The first time Xiao Yanshi was bruised and battered was when he was seven years old.
That year, he left Jiangling, hanging by the saddle of his father’s horse for half a month. Along the way, he ate a mouthful of dust, and his nose was blocked for days. On the third day after arriving at the city of Hese in the Northern Frontier, he was dragged off his bed.
His head was still spinning from the bumps, and before he could recover, he was rudely thrown to the ground. Xiao Yanshi climbed up and brushed the dirt from his head. When he looked up, a boy of about twelve or thirteen stood before him.
The boy wore a fur coat, and his wolf-skin boots seemed to still be stained with blood. He wore a wolf’s tooth around his neck that was chipped. What made Xiao Yanshi freeze, however, was the murderous intent surging in the boy’s eyes. It felt as if, should the iron chain at his feet loosen, he would pounce like a wolf and tear him to shreds.
“Second Young Master, the Marquis has commanded you to knock down this barbarian, or tonight you will be thrown outside the gates to feed the wolves.” The soldier nearby assumed Xiao Yanshi was terrified and felt a pang of pity. But the next moment, he saw Xiao Yanshi kick his short legs and fly at the other boy like a hawk.
Without a single word of greeting, he launched a sneak attack. The barbarian boy was startled by Xiao Yanshi’s shamelessness, but his reaction was swift. He dodged the pounce and kicked Xiao Yanshi in the stomach.
The little fellow howled, flew backward, and curled into a ball on the ground in agony. The nearby soldiers were shocked and instinctively drew their long blades, but out of the corner of their eyes, they saw Xiao Yanshi slowly climbing up, rubbing his stomach while complaining, “You’re older than me and you still hit so hard! A barbarian is just a barbarian, so crude!”
“You!”
“Why shouldn’t I say it?” Xiao Yanshi gasped. “I’ve never suffered such grievances since I was little. Today I am going to square off with you! If I don’t knock you down, I’ll go outside the gates and feed the wolves myself!”
“Ouch…”
“My backside!”
“Hiss, my tooth… my tooth fell out…”
“Barbarian, don’t you get cocky, I… Ouch! It hurts!!!”
“Ummph…”
Every part of his body felt as if his bones had been dismantled. When Xiao Yanshi woke from his dream, he felt uncomfortable everywhere. He slowly opened his eyes; the surroundings were dim, and for a moment, he couldn’t distinguish where he was.
Xiao Yanshi struggled to sit up. He was shirtless and dazed. The quilt at his hand was fragrant and soft, as if even the seams of his bones were soaked in a sticky, sweet scent.
Where is this?
Xiao Yanshi shook his head. With the combined effects of the drug and the wine, he still felt hazy. He grabbed an undershirt to drape over himself and moved to get down, but at the slightest movement, he felt a sharp pain in a certain place.
“Hiss!” Xiao Yanshi’s face was shocked. He lowered his head to look, and he stiffened at the sight of the bruises on his thighs.
T-this, this, this…
Xiao Yanshi couldn’t spare time for wild thoughts and endured the agonizing pain to get off the bed, but his legs turned to jelly, and he nearly collapsed onto the floor.
That was, until a spare arm reached out to catch him.
Hm? An arm?!
Xiao Yanshi turned his head and saw a man half-lying on the couch, stark naked, one muscular arm tightly clamped around his waist. “Careful.”
Careful your grandfather!!
Xiao Yanshi swung a punch backward with all his might. By now, even a fool would have understood what had transpired moments ago.
“Unh!” The man didn’t dodge or evade, taking the punch squarely to the face. Blood instantly spilled from the corner of his mouth.
At the same time, Xiao Yanshi’s face went white. The man looked down at the trembling body, and saw suspicious fluid spilling from between Xiao Yanshi’s thighs.
Xiao Yanshi: “…”