Inside the monk’s quarters, a solitary dark shadow stood in silent stillness.
“Creak”
Puding pushed the door open and entered.
Xiaobai stood up. “Were you going to Pei Yaoguang’s guest room?”
“Why did it take you so long to come back?”
Puding slowly sat down and let out a sigh. “I was waiting on him while he bathed.”
A cold sneer formed in Xiaobai’s heart. Eunuchs were truly fussy and pretentious.
Puding looked stunned. “Why didn’t you go outside to hide? He is right here in the Buddhist temple—aren’t you afraid he’ll discover your tracks?”
“The most dangerous place is the safest place. He would never guess that I am right under his nose.” Xiaobai curled his lips.
“Do you want me to help you kill him? Then he won’t be able to torment you like this anymore.”
Puding’s body trembled. “No! If you kill for me, I will break the commandment against killing. Besides, he is only treating me this way for the time being; once he escorts Noble Consort An away tomorrow, everything will be fine.”
The man enjoyed playing with and tormenting people for amusement, but opportunities to toy with him didn’t come often. He just needed to endure it and let it pass.
“Alright.”
Recalling how he had heard people outside discussing Puding’s hidden affliction earlier in the day, Xiaobai gave a light cough and asked hesitantly, “Is there something wrong with your body?”
He proceeded to recount everything he had overheard outside.
Puding felt a deep sense of shame, his complexion flushing with embarrassment.
Yet he wasn’t particularly surprised. He had anticipated such a day would come sooner or later, though he hadn’t expected it to arrive quite so fast.
“I wanted to tell you that I have an ancestral secret recipe that can cure that hidden affliction of yours.” A gleam of light flickered in Xiaobai’s eyes, shining exceptionally bright in the candlelight. He paused for a moment before adding, “However, I need to check your normal-state size first.”
Puding’s pupils suddenly constricted, his limbs growing stiff and rigid as if they no longer belonged to him.
“What did you just say?”
Xiaobai repeated, “I need to confirm whether you still have any need for treatment.”
The surrounding silence was so profound that they could only hear their own breathing.
“Never mind, I’ve already gotten used to it. I no longer count on recovering, and besides, I am still a monk.”
Xiaobai straightened his chest. “Really? If you regret this another day, you might not be able to find help.”
Hearing this, Puding’s expression turned murky and unreadable as he stared fixedly at him.
“People of our status never know on which day we might lose our lives. Therefore, while I still have my life, I want to help you however I can—consider it repaying a favor.”
Puding lowered his gaze, his inner thoughts tangled like a bundle of hemp rope tied into countless dead knots.
He was terribly conflicted.
“Then… I’ll give you a few days to think about it.”
Puding asked slowly, “What kind of medicinal ingredients are required? If it’s convenient, could you let me know?”
“Just taking medicine won’t be enough to cure it completely.” He lowered his eyelids, a flash of slyness glimmering in the depths of his eyes.
“Hm?” Puding met his gaze, having no idea what trick he was playing up his sleeve.
“It also has to be paired with acupuncture.”
“You know medicine?”
“Acupuncture is quite simple; these are just the basics.”
Puding raised his eyes to look at the statue of the Three Western Saints on the wall, chanting in his heart: Amitabha, disciple is only doing this to treat an illness, please forgive me, Buddha and Bodhisattvas.
With a slight movement of his fingertips, he untied the fastening cord of his monastic robe.
Xiaobai turned around in advance, gazing up at the bright full moon in the night sky while a scene of enchanting intimacy unfolded behind him.
Undercurrents seemed to ripple through the air, and the room grew so quiet that only heavy breathing remained.
“It’s done,” Puding said in a hoarse voice.
He half-closed his eyes to ease the tension and awkwardness in his heart.
Xiaobai slowly turned around, his gaze holding a clear, cold light mixed with a touch of detachment.
Puding, on the other hand, felt exceptionally uneasy. His unease was primarily directed at Xiaobai’s woman-like face; even though it was covered by a mask, his brows were like distant misty mountains, and his eyes resembled rippling autumn water.
Consequently, he constantly harbored the mistaken impression that the other person was a woman.
Xiaobai said coldly, “This looks completely normal.”
“Alright, tie up your clothes.”
Puding was stunned for a moment, falling into a daze.
So fast? Well, that was fine his mind settled down quite a bit.
He had originally expected Xiaobai to laugh at him.
Instantly, the heavy, stone-pressed feeling in his chest dissipated, and he grinned. “Xiaobai, thank you for your trouble.”
“Don’t mention it, I’m just returning a favor, nothing more,” he said. “At least while I still have my life.”
Puding’s expression turned stern. “Since your life is in danger, why don’t you step back and withdraw?”
Xiaobai crossed his arms over his chest. “Is it something you can just walk away from whenever you want? Things aren’t that simple.”
“If possible, this place can serve as your sanctuary for life,” Puding offered.
The high-suspended full moon cast its light down upon the top of Puding’s head, making him look like a Buddha statue standing before him, radiating divine light.
The brazier in the room crackled, making the entire interior cozy and warm.
A flash of shock crossed Xiaobai’s face, though it quickly returned to calm. His gaze held a hint of disdain mixed warmly with a trace of tenderness.
“No need, sooner or later I would drag you down with me,” he replied in a crisp, clear voice.
“You won’t. The Xishan Zen Temple has sheltered far too many people. Besides, as time passes, the men from the Commandery Command won’t pay any more attention to this place.”
“Why are you trying to help me?” Xiaobai asked, puzzled.
“This humble monk feels we have a karmic bond.”
“Hahahaha…” Xiaobai laughed out loud, though his voice was kept extremely low.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flickered outside the window. Xiaobai’s expression darkened as he walked over to press his back flat against the wall beside the door.
“Is someone outside?”
“Disturbing you, Master. This is what My Lord ordered me to deliver to the Master.”
Puding opened the door and saw a brocade-clad guard holding up a white porcelain bottle with both hands.
“This is…”
“This is a Bone-Strengthening Pill bestowed by My Lord, uh…” The guard lowered his eyelids. “My Lord said the Master will understand in his own heart.”
Bone-Strengthening Pills could nourish Yin, replenish the kidneys, strengthen Yang, and consolidate essence. What was the meaning behind this? Puding’s self-esteem suffered another devastating blow.
“My Lord also said that you must take it immediately, otherwise this subordinate is absolutely forbidden to leave.” The guard cupped his hands, a troubled expression on his face.
Puding took the porcelain bottle from his hands; it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He removed the stopper and poured out a cyan-colored pill.
Then he swallowed it in a single gulp.
“Please tell My Lord on my behalf: thank you for his trouble, and I am extremely grateful.” He felt a chilling draft inside his heart, wondering if this pill had been mixed with some other unclear substances.
“If the Master has no other business, this subordinate will take his leave.”
As soon as the man vanished from sight, Puding tightly shut the door, and Xiaobai reached out to press against his left wrist. “Don’t move.”
At that moment, his chi pulse was large, floating, and rapid, while the Tsun pulse was immensely powerful. His ministerial fire was stirring improperly, his vital energy was surging, and his heart-fire was blazing intensely.
“Not good! This pill is mixed with an aphrodisiac.”
Puding’s pupils suddenly constricted. “What should we do now?!”
Xiaobai turned to the side and said, “Consider yourself lucky to have run into me.”
“This type of lust poison is called ‘Seductive Bone’; it cannot be cured by ordinary medicine, and nothing less than ‘Spotless’ can neutralize it!”
“‘Spotless’?” Puding’s expression dimmed.
“Once you take Spotless, you can never fall in love or develop romantic feelings for the rest of your life. If you do, your heart will ache as though being gnawed on by ten thousand insects.”
“However, I don’t have it on me right now, so I have to make a trip back.”
Puding shook his head. “Returning there will be extremely dangerous for you—you mustn’t! Is there any other way?”
“Then the only remaining method is intercourse. Given your status, how could that be proper?”
A wave of intense heat rushed to Puding’s face. He pondered for a moment and asked, “If you go back and get caught, what punishment will you face?”
Xiaobai’s eyes held a layer of alienation. “Life and death intertwined, leaving it all to fate.”
“The price you’re paying to go back is too high. Forget it, let come what may—I suppose that eunuch just wants to humiliate me once more.”
“I’ll take you back with me, so that even if something happens to me, you can still get the antidote.”
“But I don’t want you to die!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, a ripple of surprise crossed Xiaobai’s face. He was actually concerned about whether he lived or died.
“Monk, you should worry more about yourself. You and I have no relation to one another; we’re just strangers who happened to cross paths.”
Puding replied hastily, “You and I have a karmic connection. Since you are helping me, I naturally treat you as the most important friend in my life.”
“But I’m afraid you’ll regret it. Think it through carefully—you still have about a quarter of an hour before it takes effect.”
The clear moonlight fell upon Xiaobai’s cold and delicate brows and eyes, and his pitch-black pupils like distant mountains conveyed an unreadable expression.
“I have a foundation in martial arts, so I can still protect myself. There’s no time to lose, let’s set off immediately.”
Puding changed into a set of night clothes, and Xiaobai grabbed his arm, leaping up onto the roof together.
Puding said, “If I go back with you, won’t I find out your true identity? How about you blindfold me, and only take it off once we’re inside?”
Xiaobai tore a piece of black fabric from his garment and slowly covered the monk’s phoenix eyes.
A gentle breeze swept past, and Xiaobai’s heart seemed to stir with the wind.
It felt as though he were blindfolding a Buddha statue, which only served to highlight the scarlet color of the monk’s thin lips.
A heavy shadow fell beneath his high nasal bridge, casting a soft aura over his refined and emaciated face.
Puding shifted his head slightly. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Let’s go,” Xiaobai said calmly.
Crossing a mountain range, Xiaobai leaped from a magnificent courtyard into a bedroom.
“You can take it off now.”
Puding pulled off the black cloth. It was pitch black inside, but under the moonlight, he could vaguely make out a small bed sitting inside a humble room.
“Is this your residence?”
Xiaobai gave a hum of acknowledgment and began rummaging through boxes and cabinets, making a rattling sound as porcelain bottles collided.
After a quick search, he managed to find the medicine bottle containing “Spotless.”
By that time, Puding’s head was spinning. His expression grew increasingly hazy, and his lips and neck felt abnormally scorching hot.
It was so hot.
Xiaobai approached him and said urgently, “Quick! Take it!”
Seeing that Puding remained motionless, Xiaobai narrowed his eyes and focused, only then realizing something was wrong with him.
A strange noise came from outside the door.
“Fenxin, is that you back?” Chiyu’s voice sounded from outside.
The next instant, Xiaobai shoved Puding down onto the bed, and with a flick of his finger, the azure bed curtain dropped. Seeing this, Xiaobai grabbed a quilt and covered his entire head with it.
With a creak, Chiyu slowly walked in, only to hear a set of face-flushing, ear-burning breathing sounds.
Xiaobai poked his head out from under the quilt and pulled up the clothing that had slipped off his shoulder.
Under the moonlight, a trace of flush on his face was faintly visible.
With moth-brow eyebrows and a high nasal bridge, his lips carried a hint of moistness.
A heavy shadow draped beneath his eyelids added a touch of mystery to his clear and alluring face.
“What are you here for? You have zero tact,” Fenxin scolded.
“I, I didn’t know you were… then I’ll take my leave,” she turned around immediately and said softly, “You, you’re back safely, that’s good.”
“Hurry up and leave!”
As soon as Chiyu left, Xiaobai tried to get up, but Puding grabbed him by the waist and pressed him firmly beneath his body.
He was scorching hot! It felt as though he was about to melt from his heat!
“Monk, wake up and take your antidote!” Xiaobai shoved him away.
No matter how strong Xiaobai’s physical strength was, how could he outmatch a man when he was in such an muddled, irrational state?
Xiaobai hurriedly pulled the bottle stopper out, poured out the Spotless pill, and then used two fingers to pinch the corners of Puding’s lips, shoving the antidote straight into his mouth.
Before he could pull away, Puding bit down on the antidote and accidentally caught Xiaobai’s index finger in his mouth as well.
Slowly, he wrapped his lips around the entire finger.
His wet, slippery tongue wrapped around the fingertip, sucking, licking, and stirring.
Xiaobai’s body stiffened as if struck by lightning, his cheeks burning red enough to drip blood.
He quickly knocked Puding unconscious, and only then managed to pull his finger out from between the other man’s teeth.
He lowered his gaze to look at his own index finger, where fine strands of silver saliva wrapped around it, gleaming with tiny glimmers of light under the moonlight.
The lingering warmth on his fingertip had not yet faded. Remembering the sudden fluttering sensation in his chest just moments ago, the corners of his eyes turned red, his earlobes burned hot, and his heartbeat had yet to calm down. It was the first time he had ever been treated like this by anyone and by a man, no less!
He felt somewhat humiliated. Still, when this monk went wild, he really didn’t hold back at all though it wasn’t entirely his fault; anyone afflicted with the Seductive Bone poison would end up acting the exact same way.