At the Rooster hour (around 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM), Puding was escorted by a brocade-clad imperial guard to Pei Yaoguang’s quarters.
The two walked one after another along the long corridor. With every step he took, Puding’s heart tightened a little more.
He was truly terrified of him. If he happened to run into that man, he could only consider it his own bad luck.
Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha, Puding silently recited the Buddha’s name in his heart, his fingertips revolving a strand of Bodhi seed prayer beads.
Inside the guest room, a folding screen stood at the front, blocking Puding’s view. The shadow of a person behind the screen was faint and indistinct. The room was wrapped in deep silence, with candle flames swaying slightly, as both men harbored their own thoughts.
Pei Yaoguang closed his eyes halfway and said in a gloomy, lingering tone, “Just stand over there.”
Puding did not know what on earth the man wanted to do, so he only replied in a calm, soft voice, “Amitabha.”
He slowly stepped past the screen and cast a brief glance ahead, his pupils suddenly contracting. The man’s rugged and muscular arms bulged with hardened flesh layer by layer, and his back was marked by numerous old scars of varying depths, each one bearing the indelible traces of time.
How could he possibly have so many wounds?
The man’s deep, husky voice sounded, “Heh, you weren’t scared by this, were you, Master?”
“These are the marks left behind from years of fighting and shedding blood in life-or-death struggles.”
Puding’s eyes shifted slightly. “Why must My Lord torment yourself so? Let others go, and let yourself go as well.”
The room instantly fell completely silent.
Pei Yaoguang suddenly burst into a loud laugh. “What do you know! How could it possibly be easy for me to reach the position I hold today?!”
“Then… is My Lord truly happy?”
Presumably, a person like him had likely never truly known happiness at all.
For a man like him, his eyes held nothing but status, reputation, and wealth.
A malicious glint rippled across the depths of Pei Yaoguang’s gaze. “Monk, you talk far too much!”
What right did he have to judge and criticize him? He was nothing more than a stubborn dullard who only knew how to tap a wooden fish, suffering from a hidden affliction.
He couldn’t even be counted as a normal man! Where on earth did he get such a sense of superiority? Pei Yaoguang thought to himself, though he didn’t voice the words aloud.
After all, his purpose tonight was not to lecture the monk, so he had no wish to ruin his own good mood.
Puding quickly bent his knees and knelt down. “My Lord, this humble monk has been disrespectful. I earnestly beg My Lord to forgive my offense.”
He needed to offer Pei Yaoguang a graceful way out. He knew Pei Yaoguang wouldn’t take his life; the man’s true intent lay far beyond the surface.
Tonight, there was no telling what kind of trouble he would stir up again.
Mist billowed from the wooden bathing barrel. Pei Yaoguang kept his eyes closed. “You monk actually look quite decent. It’s truly a pity that you became a monk.”
Puding did not take up the conversation.
“Why don’t you come to my commandery and take up an official post? It’s still much better than being a monk. I notice you even have some foundation in martial arts. Day after day trapped in these deep mountains, wouldn’t it be terribly boring?”
“Thank you for your kind offer, My Lord, but this humble monk’s martial arts are weak and insufficient to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.”
Seeing that Pei Yaoguang said nothing more, Puding felt a flutter of anxiety in his heart. He did not know what else a man like this might do to him, or how he might humiliate him next.
After a long moment, Pei Yaoguang spoke in a cold voice, “Give me a hand first and scrub my back.”
Hearing this, Puding dropped to his knees once more. “My Lord, this humble monk is a man of religion; it is entirely inappropriate.” His voice was as faint and delicate as the misty rain of Jiangnan.
“A man of religion only needs to keep the five precepts well. When you scrub my back for me, which of the precepts does that supposedly break?”
Puding murmured, “None.”
“Then why all your useless chatter!” Pei Yaoguang knitted his brow, his gaze gradually darkening.
He detested talkative people above all else.
Puding raised his gaze slightly and caught sight of the displeasure in the man’s eyes. His heart gave an immediate, heavy lurch.
“Then this humble monk will do as you command.”
He brushed the dust from his garments, rolled up his sleeves, and slowly approached. He extended a trembling arm into the water, his internal resistance making it feel as though he were plunging his hand into a cauldron of boiling oil.
Pei Yaoguang maintained a completely expressionless face, continuing to close his eyes and calm his mind.
His rugged, well-defined chest muscles rose and fell with his breathing, and his cheeks were flushed rosy from the steam, adding a touch of softness to his otherwise fierce and sharp facial features.
The splashing sound of water rang out, resembling a slow, lingering tune being plucked on an instrument.
Puding first poured some water over his shoulders and neck.
The candlelight flickered, seeming equally restless and expectant of whatever was about to unfold.
The water trickled down his back, slowly soaking into the old scars, feeling precisely like the hands of a lover caressing his wounds bit by bit.
Vapors billowed into the air, and even the potted plants on the desk glowed a vibrant green. A streak of bright, silvery moonlight spilled across the surface of the water, resembling falling stars.
Puding’s breath caught. He closed both eyes tightly and told himself to just pretend he was scrubbing pig skin!
Amitabha, Amitabha… he chanted continuously in his heart.
hardening his resolve, his fingertips touched the warm, damp skin of the man’s neck and brushed against his coarse, rough scars. At that contact, the corners of Pei Yaoguang’s lips curved upward ever so slightly.
In the dim candlelight, the fine hair on the man’s face was illuminated clearly down to every single root, and his sharply defined shoulder blades radiated an aura of potent masculinity.
“Can’t you use a little more strength?”
Were his vegetarian meals not enough to give him any force? Pei Yaoguang lowered his voice, keeping his posture unchanged.
Puding bit his lower lip and slowly answered, “This humble monk is afraid of rubbing the scars on My Lord’s back raw.”
“There is no need to worry. Master is overthinking it.”
Puding pressed his finger pads against the acupoints on the man’s neck, feeling how thick and solidly built his flesh truly was; he had to exert his entire body’s strength to make any impression.
After a long while, his legs felt stiff and no longer like his own. The closer he got to the man, the heavier and more overwhelmingly masculine and vigorous his aura became especially beneath the swirling mist, making him look like some majestic divine being descended from the high heavens in broad daylight.
Instead of feeling disgust toward him as he should have, he found himself harboring a sliver of awe!
What on earth are you letting your mind wander about? This is the person you despise most in the world.
Puding stopped his hands, slowly scooped up a ladle of warm water, and poured it over him again and again.
As he continuously repeated the action, the splashing sound of water echoed in his ears, causing Pei Yaoguang’s heartbeat to quicken slightly while wisps of steam drifted outward.
Yet, Pei Yaoguang was clearly unsatisfied this monk was simply going through the motions!
“Is that it? Massage my shoulders more!” Pei Yaoguang lifted his eyelids slightly, his voice deep like a heavy, muffled bell echoing in a deep mountain.
The man’s dewy, moisture-veiled eyes darted up to peek at him, feeling like an intangible mountain pressing down upon him and making it difficult to breathe.
“Oh.” Puding replied somewhat reluctantly.
What did this man take him for? Wasn’t this the sort of thing women were supposed to do?
“Does My Lord usually require men to wait on you like this?”
“No!” He answered with crisp, clean promptness.
With no other options left, Puding had no choice but to resign himself to it; after all, the man wouldn’t quit until he achieved his goal.
The man possessed an upright posture and a strong, sturdy frame. Puding’s two hands couldn’t even fully enclose his broad shoulders, making him feel a sudden sense of inferiority.
Compared to him, his own build truly appeared frail and slender.
Even though they stood at roughly the same height, he lacked entirely the well-developed, powerful muscles that the other possessed.
Puding increased his pressure. His hands were as soft and delicate as silk, even his finger bones remarkably gentle and pliable.
Against the backdrop of the warm water, the robust and solid shoulder bones blended with the thick, masculine aura filling the air.
Pei Yaoguang half-closed his eyes, indulging himself to the fullest. After several rounds of kneading and rubbing, he felt his shoulders and neck relax wonderfully.
Feeling the soft, smooth sensation of hands gliding across his neck, his body seemed to grow increasingly sensitive, and a tickling itch bloomed within his chest as if something was lightly scratching him.
He pressed his lips together thinly this sensation was starting to become somewhat addictive!
Following the shoulder and neck massage, Puding’s cheeks bloomed with a flush as bright as spring peach blossoms, his snowy skin tinged with peach-pink like rouge dusted by fresh white snow.
Ultimately, even the toughest steel could not resist a touch of gentle flexibility.
Pei Yaoguang’s expression grew increasingly grim and unsightly as internal dissatisfaction began to take root, turning what had initially been comfort into a form of slow torture.
A muffled groan slipped from the depths of his throat. (If having your shoulders massaged felt that good, then make a satisfied sound!!)
“That’s enough!”
Puding drifted into a brief daze before saying softly, “Was my work not done well?”
Pei Yaoguang’s eyes remained half-closed, but his brows were tightly furrowed, his expression growing increasingly detached.
Puding felt a tightness in his chest. Did I massage him too hard? Why does he look somewhat distressed?
Feeling a bit uneasy in his heart, he scooped up another ladle of warm water and slowly poured it over him.
A moment later, Pei Yaoguang lifted his head, folded a facial towel into a square, picked it up, placed it across his eyelids, and slowly turned his body around.
Puding instinctively stepped back, keeping a slight distance between them.
“Don’t just massage one side!” Pei Yaoguang spoke up suddenly, his tone carrying a hint of complaint.
“This…” Puding’s unfocused pupils slowly drifted upward, landing upon the wide, thick chest muscles covered in water droplets. Two pectoral muscles stood out prominently like steamed white buns, plump and full of elasticity.
The muscular lines were smooth and sensual, rising and falling with his breath, releasing a unique and compelling masculine charm.
Puding knew that if he didn’t satisfy him, the man would never let him off!
He felt entirely like a puppet, manipulated at the other’s whim.
He possessed not a shred of a man’s dignity.
In front of a completely inhumane person like this, what did dignity even matter?
Keeping one’s life was paramount.
Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha… Puding recited in his mind once again.
(Skipping the massage of the shoulders, elbows, and down to the fingertips)
Yet, he felt as though the temperature of Pei Yaoguang’s shoulders and neck was growing increasingly scorching, as though roasting inside a heater.
Puding’s hands were as nimble as water snakes, and the shoulder and neck massage felt remarkably comfortable! Pei Yaoguang’s heart felt as if it were being scratched by an itch.
Beneath the white facial towel, Pei Yaoguang lowered his eyelids. Through the tiny gap at the bottom, the monk’s skin fine, moist, and smooth like warm jade, glowing with a powdery radiance was reflected precisely in his eyes. (Is there a problem with this physical description?)
He raised his head and shifted slightly upward, looking at the monk’s smooth yet flushed face, which resembled the dawn of a rising morning sun. His watery phoenix eyes flashed with a faint, bashful shyness, and his gaze was entirely focused and earnest, as though he were performing a task of utmost importance.
Having his shoulders massaged comfortably and losing their prior stiffness brought him an indescribable sense of gentleness. Soaked in the warm water, the monk’s fingertips appeared increasingly crystal-clear and tender.
He actually felt a sudden urge to take one of those fingers into his mouth!
“Is the pressure of this shoulder massage acceptable to My Lord?”
“Mn.” Pei Yaoguang wore an expression of deep enjoyment, as though unwilling to waste another single word.
(Puding massaged his shoulders and arms to relieve his fatigue!)
Gradually, a rich, potent masculine aura permeated the air.
The man peered through the gap of the towel once more to witness the person before him. The monk was impeccably clean, with dark, lustrous eyes and fair skin. Under the warm illumination of the candlelight, his movements flowed together like water in a single unbroken stream.
Only those watery phoenix eyes possessed an even greater power to capture and hook a man’s soul.
An unprecedented surge of hot blood churned within his chest, resembling an impending volcanic eruption or an overflowing flood, causing the blood in his entire body to boil continuously. Every hair on his skin stood up in eager excitement, manifesting an intense, hyper-stimulated state from the inside out and urging him to hurry up and take the next step. (Is there a problem with this psychological description????)
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, feeling his throat burn with intense heat.
The depths of the man’s pupils looked like spilled dark ink, revealing a vast and unfathomable abyss.
Puding raised his head to glance out the window; the hour was already growing late, and it was time for him to return to his room.
“You’ve been leaning back for so long, it’s about time. The water has cooled somewhat as well. If My Lord has no other matters, this humble monk will take his leave,” Puding stammered quietly.
Pei Yaoguang’s thin, cicada-wing-like lips closed gently. The facial towel that had covered his eyes had long since grown ice cold, and right now, the contours of his jawline were sharp, resilient, and resolute.
Did this monk truly fail to understand his intentions?
Suddenly, with a crisp, soft plop, the facial towel on the man’s face dropped straight into the water.
Seeing this, Puding felt his heart constrict, instantly freezing him into silence.
He sensed that the gaze cast toward him by the other man was extraordinarily heavy, causing his breath to catch and filling his heart with jittery anxiety.
Those pupils seemed to harbor an endless, mysterious depth resembling a profound ocean, hiding some unknown secret within.
However, he could neither see through it nor guess the man’s intentions. That unfathomable gaze made him feel a mix of curiosity and dread, throwing his mind into a panic of uncertainty.
Strange, hasn’t he soaked enough yet?
The water isn’t even warm anymore.
Although Pei Yaoguang appeared outwardly relaxed as he soaked, his muscles were stiff and tense. The frequency of his chest’s rise and fall was rather hurried, and his lip line was drawn taut, as though he were desperately trying to suppress something.
How could Pei Yaoguang dare to move?! The mighty dragon raised its head…
He was no eunuch at all; this secret was something known to no one else.
As for this monk, the present moment was simply not yet the right time to let him know.