Shu Qing had always been afraid of the King of the Underworld. In fact, there was no one in the entire Underworld who wasn’t afraid of him. But after killing the Mountain God, Shu Qing’s fear became even more profound and specific. Compared to the King of the Underworld’s violent unpredictability, Shu Qing felt that his own tricks were just child’s play, not worth mentioning at all.
“Did I scare you?” The King of the Underworld asked, noticing Shu Qing pursing his lips in silence, trying hard to appear normal, but his body couldn’t stop trembling slightly. This made the King of the Underworld even more pleased. He reached out and pinched Shu Qing’s slender waist, laughing, “It’s good that you’re scared. I was too lenient with you before, which made you so arrogant.”
The King of the Underworld wanted Shu Qing to fear him, to revere him, so that he would obey and listen to him. However, the King of the Underworld also knew that this was difficult to achieve completely, as Shu Qing always had his little temper, showing one face in front and another behind. Initially, it was precisely this personality of Shu Qing that attracted the King of the Underworld. So he wouldn’t demand Shu Qing to change completely.
After this incident, the King of the Underworld decided to thoroughly tame Shu Qing. He wanted to control Shu Qing, to make him willingly submit. The little butterfly could keep his pride, but when facing him, the King of the Underworld wanted him to never dare show his claws again.
“From now on, be obedient, don’t make me angry again.”
“……”
“Do more things to make me happy, and I’ll make sure you’re happy too.”
“……”
“Did you hear me? Answer me.”
The oppressive feeling surrounded him like a towering cold mountain under the pale moonlight. Shu Qing felt like there was a thousand-meter deep abyss behind him and a tightly woven spider web in front. Both options were difficult and deadly. He hated this situation and didn’t want to make a choice.
The King of the Underworld waited patiently for a while, but when Shu Qing didn’t respond, the atmosphere subtly changed. He raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with danger: “Already starting to disobey?”
His large hand moved from Shu Qing’s chin down to his neck, as if ready to squeeze hard if Shu Qing dared to resist. Goosebumps rose on his skin, but Shu Qing didn’t retreat or avoid it, letting the King of the Underworld’s hand rest on him. Finally, a sound escaped his nose: “……hmph.”
Stubborn, but also filled with immense grievance. The sound drifted into the King of the Underworld’s ears, making them itch, and his heart itch too.
“Hmph what?” He hadn’t expected such a response from the little butterfly. Shu Qing turned his face away: “……You just scare me. I just got a little better, and you scare me again.” The grievance in his tone deepened.
Shu Qing then took a few steps back, looking like he was about to run away. Fortunately, the King of the Underworld was quick to pull him back: “Where are you trying to run off to?”
“……hmph.”
It was hard to tell if Shu Qing was pretending or if it was real, but the King of the Underworld was very susceptible to such little tricks. “Alright, alright, I won’t scare you anymore.” The King of the Underworld picked him up. “I’ll take good care of you tonight.”
“……”
Even though he didn’t want any of it, Shu Qing knew he couldn’t escape tonight, so he accepted it calmly. He might as well test it out. Could he really absorb the King of the Underworld’s spiritual power just by sharing a bed with him?
The King of the Underworld carried Shu Qing, walking forward, their thin clothes scattering on the ground. But the destination wasn’t the bed, it was by the window. “The moonlight is nice tonight, let me take a good look at you.”
After a long period of chaos, during which he had only slept with the little butterfly once, the King of the Underworld was indeed craving it. Shu Qing’s waist-length black hair spread out like a waterfall, the crimson and silver moonlight shining on him, seemingly able to illuminate him completely, a faint halo surrounding him. It was hard to associate him with the usually stubborn and ruthless little butterfly. Even without a stitch of clothing, under the moonlight, he remained pure and sacred.
The King of the Underworld’s breathing quickened, his palms burning as he touched Shu Qing’s cool skin. His large body covered him, the hunter eager to enjoy tonight’s sumptuous and delicious prey. But—
Shu Qing propped his hands behind him, his black eyes blinking, captivating, and while the King of the Underworld was momentarily stunned, he placed his fair and delicate foot on the King of the Underworld’s shoulder. Seeing no resistance, he boldly tested his strength, eventually stepping down on the King of the Underworld’s shoulder.
Thus, the high and mighty King of the Underworld, who always looked down on him arrogantly, was gradually pressed down by his foot. But when it reached the point where he needed to bend his knee, the King of the Underworld reacted, gripping Shu Qing’s ankle tightly, squinting his eyes: “……What are you doing?”
Yet, from this angle, he could see Shu Qing most clearly and purely. The King of the Underworld’s gaze was fixed, and Shu Qing curled his lips, placing his other foot on the King of the Underworld’s body, the cool sole sliding over the still-bleeding wound. “Didn’t Your Highness say… you wanted to take care of me?”
His foot continued to press down. “……Then just this once, let me do it my way, okay?”
Shu Qing wasn’t confident of success, but even if he failed, he wouldn’t be disappointed or surprised. He might as well try when he had the chance. If he succeeded, he could say he had the King of the Underworld under his foot. In other aspects, he was no match for the King of the Underworld, but in bed, he occasionally had the upper hand.
The grip on his ankle tightened, and Shu Qing instantly lost hope, thinking the King of the Underworld was going to refuse him. But the next second, the King of the Underworld loosened his grip, his palm caressing upward: “Then I’ll take care of you this time.”
“……”
Shu Qing couldn’t believe it, but as their eyes met, he watched as the wise and powerful King of the Underworld knelt before him on one knee. The man he always had to look up to, for the first time, he looked down at him from this angle.
“However, since you dared to ask me to do this, you better be able to handle it.”
“……”
Shu Qing was still caught up in the thrill of looking down on the King of the Underworld, not fully understanding the meaning of those words.
……
Until he experienced it firsthand, his supporting hands began to tremble with weakness, almost falling out of the window. That night, Shu Qing’s pleas for mercy were loud, with a choked sob, pitifully calling out for a long time. Enough for all the servants in the hall to hear. But it wasn’t until the King of the Underworld was satisfied, having bullied him enough, that he carried him back to bed.
……
The next morning, when the King of the Underworld got up, Shu Qing was still deeply asleep, unaware, sleeping soundly and messily. The strange fragrance on him hadn’t dissipated all night. A maid came in to serve, and the King of the Underworld couldn’t help but ask: “What fragrance has he been using lately?”
The maid replied, “It’s the same as before. The little immortal doesn’t like other scents, the incense in the room has never been changed.”
“I’m asking about the fragrance on him.”
The maid was puzzled, not understanding what the King of the Underworld meant. She had never smelled any fragrance on Shu Qing. “The little immortal doesn’t use any fragrance…”
“Then why does he smell so fragrant?”
The maid was even more confused, unable to comprehend the King of the Underworld’s meaning. “I don’t know…”
But the King of the Underworld didn’t find it strange, thinking of something, he chuckled to himself. “Never mind, it’s just one of his little tricks.” It seemed the little butterfly was scared after throwing a tantrum, trying to use this little trick to win his favor again.
The maid didn’t understand what the King of the Underworld was saying, but staying silent was always the right choice. After changing his clothes, the King of the Underworld glanced at the bed, noticing Shu Qing had woken up at some point, rubbing his eyes groggily, propping himself up slightly. The King of the Underworld paused his steps to leave, turned back, and sat by the bed. He reached out to touch Shu Qing’s face, speaking gently as he was in a good mood: “Keep sleeping, no need to rush to get up.”
Shu Qing nodded, his supporting arm instantly relaxing, burying himself back into the bed. With his eyes closed, his voice was a bit hoarse, yet sticky, he said, “Today, I want to go out for a walk…”
Seeing Shu Qing rare in his muddled obedience, without any pretense, not to mention going for a walk, the King of the Underworld might agree to anything. “Where do you want to go?”
“Just walk around, maybe leave the palace, I want to go out…”
In reality, Shu Qing was still extremely sleepy, just wanting to continue sleeping. But with the King of the Underworld about to leave, he had to seize the opportunity, while the man’s heart was soft, to gain his consent. He needed to figure out how many exits the Underworld had, and which one would be the quickest and safest for him to escape from.
“Better to go outside for a walk…” Shu Qing said with his eyes closed, “It’s just annoying here, I don’t want to see these people…”
The King of the Underworld seemed to sigh. “Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.” Shu Qing didn’t catch the unimportant parts. He only heard the King of the Underworld say: “You can go out, but you must take guards with you, and absolutely no causing trouble.”
Shu Qing responded with an “Mm,” then added, “I want to eat meat…”
The King of the Underworld chuckled, looking at the maid: “Tell the kitchen to make it for him.”
“Yes.”
Shu Qing said, “I also want roast chicken.”
The King of the Underworld glanced at the maid again. The maid: “Yes.”
“I also want new clothes.”
“Tell the steward to open the storeroom, pick whatever fabric you like.”
Shu Qing: “……Oh.”
After making his wishes, Shu Qing quieted down. He curled up, turned his back to the King of the Underworld, and soon fell into a deep sleep again. The King of the Underworld glanced at the maid again. The maid: “……Yes, I’ve noted everything down.”
Shu Qing slept for another two hours. He wasn’t fully rested, could have slept more, but he was anxious to complete his reconnaissance in the next few days. When he opened his eyes, the familiar soreness spread throughout his body, but it was much milder than before. Shu Qing’s guess was right, he seemed to have become a spirit-absorbing demon—after sleeping with the King of the Underworld, he gained a full amount of spiritual power. And from the King of the Underworld’s reaction, he seemed completely unaware of this?
How strange. But never mind. Shu Qing didn’t plan to delve into the reasons, who wouldn’t want free spiritual power? He’d take it as compensation from the King of the Underworld, absorbing as much as he could while he could. After washing up and changing into luxurious robes, the maid brought in the food, the roast chicken he had mentioned in his sleepy state. However, once awake, just the smell of it made Shu Qing nauseous.
His eyes immediately reddened, covering his nose and waving his hand: “……What is this, such a heavy smell.” The maid explained: “It’s the roast chicken you wanted this morning, just freshly made, still hot.” Shu Qing frowned: “I don’t want it anymore, just the smell makes me sick, take it away quickly.”
[Author’s Note] The little butterfly has completely captivated him [heart eyes][heart eyes]