Chapter 53
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
To be bitten and still sigh calmly, Gu Yuanbai truly admired him.
With a stern face, the emperor brought Xue Yuan to the stream and tore open his sleeve. Two small puncture wounds penetrated the skin. Gu Yuanbai took Xue Yuan’s dagger and tore off a long strip of cloth from his clothes, tying it tightly above the wound.
The young emperor may not have encountered such a situation before, but he remained calm, deftly treating the wound without any expression on his face. Xue Yuan was even somewhat fascinated by his composure.
He raised his other hand, wanting to touch Gu Yuanbai’s cheek, but halfway there, he saw blood on his fingers and withdrew it.
“Your Majesty,” he spoke up, “I feel honored.”
Being treated by the emperor for a wound must be more prestigious than what Zhang Xu had experienced, right?
With a dark expression, Gu Yuanbai snapped, “Shut up.”
While Xue Yuan was talking, Gu Yuanbai had already cut open the wound left by the snake bite with the dagger. He asked, “Do you recognize this snake?”
“I do,” Xue Yuan said. “It’s poisonous, but not very. At most, it’ll numb you for a few days.”
Gu Yuanbai nodded. Only then did he take a drink from the water skin. After confirming that there were no wounds in his mouth, he spat out the water, then raised Xue Yuan’s arm and leaned down to suck the venom from the wound.
As soon as his warm lips touched Xue Yuan’s arm, Xue Yuan stiffened in place, feeling somewhat dizzy.
Gu Yuanbai spat out the blood from his mouth, took a sip of clean water, and leaned down again to suck the fresh blood from Xue Yuan’s arm.
After several repetitions, when the color of the blood turned bright red again, Gu Yuanbai stopped. He rinsed his mouth several times to ensure that he hadn’t ingested any blood, and there were no signs of dizziness. Then he closed the water skin, turned around to look at Xue Yuan’s complexion, and saw that Xue Yuan’s face was flushed, his eyes distant, as if deeply poisoned.
Gu Yuanbai frowned and glanced around before gathering some pine moss to cover Xue Yuan’s wound and tearing off a piece of cloth to wrap it. Xue Yuan’s mind was in chaos, but then he saw Gu Yuanbai picking up the scabbard and the sharp dagger, scraping it against the scabbard, emitting sparks and a piercing friction sound. Startled by the noise, Xue Yuan looked up and met Gu Yuanbai’s gaze.
Gu Yuanbai put the dagger into the scabbard, “How do you feel?”
Xue Yuan felt it, “Your Majesty, everything is fine with me.”
Gu Yuanbai was puzzled, “If everything is fine, why is your face red?”
Xue Yuan thought to himself, “Laozi got kissed by my beloved, and I can’t blush to show respect?”
Afraid of revealing his feelings, he pretended to be impatient, turned his head aside, and tightened his jaw, “Your Majesty, let’s not talk about this. I’ll go get the wild fruits we just picked. It’s getting dark, and we need to set up the cave again to prevent snakes and insects from getting in.”
However, no matter how he arranged it, this cave was still very crude in front of the ruler of the world.
If it were just Xue Yuan himself, he naturally wouldn’t care about these things. But looking at Gu Yuanbai, Xue Yuan felt that nothing was good enough for the young emperor.
He took off his outer garment and turned the still clean side over to spread it on the grass mat, “Your Majesty, make do for the night.”
Dragging a bitten hand around, Gu Yuanbai calmly reminded him, “You’ll aggravate the wound by fidgeting, speeding up the spread of the remaining snake venom.”
Xue Yuan casually said, “I have a strong constitution, I’ll be fine.”
Xue Yuan, who had said he was fine around noon, was running a high fever at night.
Gu Yuanbai sat by the bed, almost silently watching the person leaning against the cave wall in a daze.
Xue Yuan was far away from Gu Yuanbai, sweating all over, his face slightly wrinkled in pain or struggle, his white undergarments stained with blood and dirt, looking extremely miserable.
Gu Yuanbai finally sighed and got off the bed, walking towards Xue Yuan.
He hadn’t expected to experience a plot that only happened in novels, but now he was experiencing it himself. However, the one injured, sick, and feverish was not him, a weak individual, but Xue Yuan, the strong protagonist.
Gu Yuanbai rubbed his forehead, dispelling drowsiness and fatigue, “Xue Yuan?”
Xue Yuan’s lips were dry, his face feverish. Gu Yuanbai squatted beside him and touched his forehead with his hand, confirming the fever. He called out again, “Xue Yuan, can you hear me?”
In a daze, Xue Yuan heard the voice of his beloved, he struggled to open his heavy eyelids, looking at Gu Yuanbai foolishly, “Your Majesty?”
This smile was too silly, Gu Yuanbai’s voice contained a hint of laugh, “Don’t sleep, stay awake.”
Xue Yuan only saw Gu Yuanbai’s lips moving, he swallowed saliva, his throat hurting, his eyebrows furrowed.
Gu Yuanbai said, “Don’t talk.”
Xue Yuan nodded, and Gu Yuanbai got up to fetch a water pouch. After giving Xue Yuan some water, and seeing him slightly more awake, he asked, “Are you cold?”
“Hot,” Xue Yuan hoarsely replied, “Your Majesty, I’m burning up.”
After saying that, he moved his hand and fell into the embrace of the young emperor. The scent of the palace incense wafted over, and the chill from Gu Yuanbai also spread. Xue Yuan sighed contentedly, amidst the confusion in his mind, he even forgot the threat the emperor posed to his root.
It was indeed his beloved, he feared no one but him.
In a moment of hesitation, the emperor was right before him. Following his instinct, Xue Yuan leaned forward and gently bit down.
Gu Yuanbai let out a muffled groan.
This sound completely extinguished Xue Yuan’s rationality. He closed his eyes and sniffed around Gu Yuanbai like a mad dog. Ignoring Gu Yuanbai’s voice, he couldn’t be pushed away. Suddenly, the mad dog grasped the emperor’s lifeline.
The emperor trembled all over and stopped moving.
Xue Yuan laughed, then stuck out his tongue and licked where he had touched. He moved his fingers, and the pleasant voice of the emperor came again.
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but grab Xue Yuan’s hair.
The feeling of doing it himself was completely different from having someone else do it to him.
Adult males, naturally react with physiological instinct.
Gu Yuanbai felt his scalp tingling with pleasure, his adrenaline rushing. Men are creatures who think with their lower body. After the pleasure, Gu Yuanbai’s rationality was stimulated again and again.
In the dark, with no one around, the constant chirping of birds and insects, the gentle breeze, in this environment, desires in the heart were magnified.
Xue Yuan followed the force and lifted his head, their eyes met.
Eldest Young Master Xue’s voice was low and hoarse, with a spark hidden in his eyes, “Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai looked down at him, seeing himself in his eyes. After a moment, the emperor pinched Xue Yuan’s chin, then kissed him fiercely.
Lips and tongues intertwined passionately like burning oil. Gu Yuanbai took the lead, hooking Xue Yuan’s tongue, sucking, entwining, his mind filled with instinctive impulses.
Xue Yuan’s breath was scorching hot as he hugged Gu Yuanbai, suspecting it was a dream.
When they parted, their lips were already burning.
Gu Yuanbai pinched Xue Yuan’s chin, lips brushing against his, he smiled and coaxed, “Guard Xue, service this emperor, understand? Get to work.”
If he served his brother well, he would be generously rewarded.
Xue Yuan served very well.
Gu Yuanbai felt satisfied, and after satisfaction, his rationality returned. He calmly got up, walked towards the grass bed, and Xue Yuan chuckled behind him, “Why is Your Majesty so heartless?”
Gu Yuanbai also smiled, “Both Guard Xue and I are men, how is that heartless? Isn’t it just letting Guard Xue serve me? Does Guard Xue still want to be my concubine?”
Xue Yuan paused, then his brows furrowed, casting a dark glance at him.
Gu Yuanbai seemed like a careless and irresponsible playboy, and he found it somewhat amusing himself. “Guard Xue, if I recall correctly, you once said you’d be willing to serve me even as a servant.”
Xue Yuan remained silent, his expression still grim.
Gu Yuanbai touched his nose and licked his lips.
Honestly, mixing it up with Xue Yuan felt kind of exhilarating—the clash of strength, the collision of personalities. Gu Yuanbai was pretty sure he didn’t like men, but the thrill he felt from that impulsive kiss with Xue Yuan just now, stimulated his lower half, felt surprisingly good.
Though it was called a kiss, it was more like a bite.
He could taste blood on his lips.
Gu Yuanbai casually sat on the edge of the bed, relaxed and disheveled. He looked at Xue Yuan, smiled again, and reassured, “Guard Xue, I was just a little excited. I’m sure you won’t mind. You’re not a woman, and I’m not a woman either. But this time I was reckless, it’s my fault.”
He brushed it off, “What does Guard Xue want?”
After a while, Xue Yuan coldly chuckled, “Your Majesty is indeed kind.”
Gu Yuanbai still had patience for him at this point, pretending not to hear the sarcasm in his words, and smiled, “After Guard Xue has figured it out, just tell me directly.”
He wanted to change the subject, but Xue Yuan didn’t let him. His tone was icy, like knives and arrows, “Your Majesty doesn’t even think for yourself?”
Gu Yuanbai wondered, “What should I think for myself?”
Xue Yuan’s hand clenched instantly, almost gritting his teeth, “—I touched you!”
Gu Yuanbai gave an objective evaluation, “Guard Xue’s hands are rough, but the strength is just right. It feels very comfortable when touched.”
In simpler terms, it was just a simple helping hand.
But that kiss was indeed impulsive, with male hormones surging. Gu Yuanbai kissed Xue Yuan impulsively.
—However, people tend to do things under impulse that even they can’t react to in time. Gu Yuanbai was fine with it himself, but it was inevitable that the person he kissed forcefully would mind.
His expression was very candid, but even with such a candid expression, it left Xue Yuan feeling unsettled.
So, anyone could do it? As long as it pleases the young emperor?
Xue Yuan’s expression was ugly. He clenched a rock, squeezing it hard until it pierced his palm, blood flowing out, bringing intense clarity amidst the pain.
Kissed for nothing? Touched for nothing?
What did that mean?
Early the next morning, Hongyun carried the two of them, galloping through the woods.
Following the direction of the warm sun in the east, Xue Yuan followed behind Gu Yuanbai, his face still grim, full of resentment, eyes deep and dark.
Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes slightly, appearing as if he was asleep.
Xue Yuan spoke to him in a low voice, his tone heavy, “Your Majesty, am I being ignored by you like this?”
Gu Yuanbai made a nasal sound, lazily saying, “Guard Xue, you’ve said this several times this morning already.”
Xue Yuan’s expression became even more gloomy. He coldly snorted, “Your Majesty, my heart feels cold.”
This statement made Gu Yuanbai laugh involuntarily.
But after laughing twice, he felt it wasn’t appropriate. Clearly, last night was a mutual confusion of feelings, when he forcibly kissed Xue Yuan, and Xue Yuan responded. But when Gu Yuanbai thought of the words Xue Yuan had said before, “loyal heart,” he felt that the current situation was a bit strange. “Is it a loyal heart to me that feels cold?”
It’s the heart of his beloved!
This thought was swallowed down. Xue Yuan muttered in response.
Thank goodness.
Gu Yuanbai breathed a sigh of relief completely.
Xue Yuan didn’t like him, wasn’t interested in him, just felt that his loyal heart had been tarnished by the emperor, perhaps uncomfortable with the kiss in the heat of the moment. But as long as Xue Yuan didn’t like Gu Yuanbai, Gu Yuanbai didn’t have the heartless feeling of a ruthless scumbag.
He said with some relief, “I was impulsive last night, but Official Xue, rest assured, I absolutely have no such dirty thoughts towards you.”
Xue Yuan was almost amused by this, his eyes flickering with a dark color. “Your Majesty’s words are absolutely right, I’ll remember them.”
D*mn it.
So infuriating.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
