To the west of the Longde Palace lay a grove, unlike the manicured gardens elsewhere. Here, the foliage grew lush and wild, with towering ancient trees exuding a rustic charm.
Deeper within the grove, one could glimpse the eaves of a secluded cottage. Its thatched roof and bamboo fences surrounded a patch of vegetable fields and gourds, deliberately designed to offer the royal family a taste of pastoral simplicity.
At this moment, Su Yan stood in a small clearing in the grove, holding a bow in his left hand and drawing the string with his right. Pressed closely against his back was the diligent Yu Wang.
“There’s no need for Wangye to be so close. Verbal instructions will suffice,” Su Yan said cautiously, his wariness apparent.
Yu Wang, tall and broad-shouldered, placed one hand on Su Yan’s shoulder and the other over his hand on the bow, effectively enveloping Su Yan in his embrace. Hearing this, he chuckled softly but didn’t move away. Instead, he stepped closer, slipping one leg between Su Yan’s.
Su Yan shivered, goosebumps rising all over his body. He was about to struggle free when Wangye nudged the back of his knee with his own. “Spread your legs a bit wider. The center of gravity should fall evenly between your feet… stop letting your thoughts wander.”
Wandering thoughts? This was pure gaslighting! Su Yan gritted his teeth and adjusted his stance as instructed.
“Keep your body straight and use steady force. Don’t hunch—”
Yu Wang’s hand moved to Su Yan’s waist, his long, strong fingers tracing a slow path across his abdomen. The sensation was like a master musician plucking the strings of a fine instrument—light, deliberate, and utterly tantalizing. Wherever his fingers went, a tingling warmth followed.
Su Yan trembled, feeling as though small, flickering flames were igniting along his waistline. They didn’t burn, but they itched deep into his bones.
“Don’t puff out your chest—”
Yu Wang’s hand glided from Su Yan’s waist to his chest, brushing over the fabric of his summer clothes, occasionally grazing his sensitive spots. The teasing motion made Su Yan gasp silently. Unable to bear it any longer, he let go of the bowstring and tried to pry Yu Wang’s hand away. “Let go! I’m done learning!”
“The Emperor himself ordered you to learn from me. Surely you wouldn’t defy a royal decree?” Yu Wang’s deep, resonant voice dropped even lower, carrying a luxurious undertone like gilded velvet. His words, whispered near Su Yan’s ear, were practically molten.
The magnetic voice reverberated against Su Yan’s eardrums, leaving him momentarily dazed. Inexplicably, his mind conjured up memories of watching anime in his previous life, complete with chatroom comments from fangirls flooding the screen: “The voice actor is killing me!” “Exploding and resurrecting repeatedly!” “Prop me up—I could listen to this for 500 more years!”
The barrage of imaginary comments filled his head like a haunting melody, sending a massive shiver down his spine.
“Don’t shrink your neck—”
Yu Wang’s fingers traced circles around Su Yan’s neck, moving down to his throat. His lips, almost touching Su Yan’s ear, began to drift downward, stopping just at the pulse point on Su Yan’s neck, barely making contact.
A hot breath fell on Su Yan’s sensitive skin. Before he could turn away, Yu Wang’s tongue flicked out like a swallow dipping into water, giving his neck a quick, light lick.
The electric sensation made Su Yan’s legs go weak, and he instinctively leaned into Yu Wang’s embrace.
Seizing the opportunity, Yu Wang pulled him closer, his tongue slipping into Su Yan’s ear, flicking in and out like a serpent’s tongue. The electric currents crackling through Su Yan’s body made him feel like a tree in bloom, with sparks flying inside him. He thought in disbelief: Is this even human? This isn’t a person; this is a walking pheromone, a human-shaped beast of lust!
His body had gone limp, but his stubborn spirit was still fighting back. Finally, he managed to push Yu Wang’s face away…by about a foot.
But he couldn’t silence Yu Wang’s mouth.
Yu Wang chuckled seductively, his fingers moving upward to caress Su Yan’s lips. “What a coincidence—Qinghe and the Crown Prince have wounds in the same spot on their lips.”
It seemed this running gag with the Zhu family was destined to follow him to the grave, never to be escaped… Su Yan thought in despair.
“The Crown Prince is young and naive. What fun could there possibly be in toying with him? Qinghe, why don’t you enlighten me, so this lonely prince may learn a thing or two as well, hmm?”
That final nasal sound was both tempting and threatening, snapping Su Yan out of his daze. He shouted angrily, “What nonsense are you talking about? The Crown Prince is only fourteen! I’m not a pedophile!”
Yu Wang laughed. “I’m twenty-eight; teasing me would be just right. Qinghe, care to give it a try?”
Before Su Yan could refuse, Yu Wang’s lips and tongue took advantage of the moment to capture his, thoroughly dominating him.
As for Yu Wang’s kissing technique, Su Yan couldn’t describe it because his mind went blank for as long as the kiss lasted. It was as if he were drunk, his mind filled with bizarre and colorful illusions, crashing waves, heavenly flowers scattering, turning into clouds and rain in Wushan.
This is so unfair—this is a legendary weapon of the mortal world… Su Yan thought dazedly until a wave of intense pain in his stomach suddenly brought him back to reality.
He pushed Yu Wang away and stumbled a few steps, clutching a tree trunk as he vomited uncontrollably.
Half-digested noodles with garlic, mixed with cinnabar, realgar, and calamus alcohol, were simply incompatible. Like old enemies forced into a wedding ceremony, they finally erupted into a brawl in his stomach.
He vomited so much that the ground was a mess, and the world spun around him.
Yu Wang was shocked.
In all his successful romantic conquests, there had been those who were kissed into weakness, those who were kissed into breathlessness and dizziness, and those who abandoned all propriety and disrobed voluntarily. But never before had someone been kissed into nausea and uncontrollable vomiting.
The sour stench wafted through the air, making him want to throw up as well…
After emptying his stomach, Su Yan gasped for breath, his eyes misty with tears.
The acid burned his throat and mouth, and he was desperate to find water to rinse out the taste. He quickly jogged along the gravel path towards the small pavilion and, sure enough, found a water source outside the building.
The spring water was channeled through sections of bamboo into a stone trough, and then it flowed down into another bamboo section, creating a water feature similar to the Japanese shishi-odoshi with a rustic charm.
Su Yan eagerly scooped up the water with his hands, rinsed his mouth thoroughly, and drank a few sips of the sweet spring water. He let out a long breath and finally felt at ease.
Yu Wang approached slowly with his hands behind his back, his face clouded with a dark expression, completely devoid of his usual carefree and flirtatious smile.
“Su Qinghe, you—” He started, but after a long pause, he couldn’t seem to finish the sentence.
Su Yan, somewhat gloating, hoped that his earlier vomiting had made Yu Wang doubt himself, doubt his life choices, and maybe even doubt whether his past “soulmates” had all been faking their enthusiasm.
So, with a pleased tone, Su Yan said, “I think we really aren’t suited to being close friends. It would be better for us to keep our distance and not torment each other any further.”
Yu Wang’s expression darkened as he drew closer, then swiftly grabbed Su Yan around the waist and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Done vomiting?” He laughed in fury, kicking open the wooden door of the cottage. Striding straight to the inner room, he threw Su Yan heavily onto the neatly made bed. “This prince has always cherished beauty, never letting any confidant suffer pain or grievance. But you, Su Qinghe, are truly one of a kind—a bona fide tough guy. Clearly, you don’t need my pity!”
Su Yan’s head hit the wooden bed frame, leaving him dizzy. Still, he tried to roll off the bed and make a break for the door.
Yu Wang grabbed his belt with ease, yanked him back effortlessly, and tossed him onto the bed again. With a few quick movements, he pulled off Su Yan’s belt and tied his wrists together in a tight knot, securing them to the canopy bed’s top beam.
“D*mn it, this again?! Can you cut it out already!” Su Yan seethed, recalling how he’d been forcibly pinned against a stone wall in the imperial prison just the day before. He furiously twisted his wrists, trying to tear the knot apart.
“What’s this? Someone beat me to it and already got to enjoy Su Shidu?” Yu Wang leisurely began to undo his own robes. “Doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”
“Enjoy your f***ing mother!” Su Yan spat furiously.
“My mother is the current Empress Dowager. That’s treason, punishable by death for you and your entire family.”
Yu Wang’s undressing was smooth and graceful, as if he had practiced in front of an audience many times. His dark purple robe embroidered with a coiled dragon, his white inner garment, and his black trousers were all neatly placed on the bed’s spring stool.
He was tall and muscular, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and well-developed chest muscles that made his shoulders seem even wider. His groin sported an impressive member, which, though not fully erect, already showed the fierce potential of a dragon lurking beneath the surface.
His chest and back bore faint scars from old wounds, some more visible than others, as if they had been caused by sharp weapons. The most severe one was near his heart, but thanks to high-quality medicine, the scar was faint and did not detract from his appearance. Instead, it added a rugged masculinity to his physique.
Even though Su Yan was in a dire situation, he had to admit that Yu Wang’s naked body was that of a man who had spent years in the gym. His physical endowment was also exceptionally impressive, a testament to his natural gifts.
…Natural gifts, my foot! Right now, he was the lamb on the chopping block! Enraged, Su Yan kicked at the bed frame, trying to free himself from the dead knot.
“I advise Qinghe to save your strength. You’ll want to cry later, but you might not even have the energy to do so,” Yu Wang said, his mood seemingly improving as he regained some of his usual flair. “If you cooperate, I promise you ecstasy beyond your wildest dreams. But if you resist, well, you’ll suffer for it.”
Faced with impending disaster, Su Yan suddenly felt a strange calm.
“Didn’t you say, Wangye, that such things are only enjoyable when both parties are willing? That you’ve always disdained forcing your will on others? I happen to agree. So how about this: give me some time to come to terms with it. After all, I’ve never… I’ve never…” He made a show of looking bashful, “I’ve never experienced anything like this. It scares me…”
Yu Wang was the type to retreat when faced with softness but advance when confronted with resistance.
He was accustomed to a life of debauchery and was beyond reproach; criticizing him only made him act out more. Even the emperor had to give him some leeway at times, and no one dared to cross him except the Empress Dowager.
Earlier, when he had retreated under the peach blossom tree, it was only because he found Su Yan’s reaction amusing, treating it as part of the game. He didn’t take the young man’s threats seriously.
Now, seeing Su Yan yield and soften, Yu Wang’s anger dissipated, and he resumed his usual demeanor of a gentle lover.
He sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over, and gently stroked Su Yan’s eyebrows, teasingly saying, “Oh? Su Qinghe has had a change of heart? What a pleasant surprise. Let’s see some sincerity then, shall we?”
He leaned closer to Su Yan’s face, as if determined to regain his lost pride. “This time, you kiss me. Let’s see if you still feel like throwing up.”
In a desperate attempt to find a way out, Su Yan steeled himself, closed his eyes, and quickly pecked Yu Wang on the corner of his lips.
Yu Wang burst into laughter, clearly amused by the young official’s inexperience. “My sweet little darling, that’s not how you kiss. Come, let me show you.”
He slowly lowered his head, his eyes brimming with what seemed like boundless affection, but there was also a cold weariness behind them. With a mocking smile on his lips, he kissed Su Yan.
Just then, the sound of suppressed sobbing came from outside, quickly turning into loud crying. The door was suddenly flung open, and a figure rushed into the room, stopping dead in their tracks just two steps from the bed, clearly shocked by the scene before them.
Su Yan turned his head to see who it was, and to his surprise, it was someone completely unexpected.
There he lay, receiving an unwelcome kiss, with a naked Yu Wang pressing down on him. They were caught in the act by an uninvited guest.
…D*mn it, is the universe forcing me to commit murder to silence the witness?
