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Chu Wanning, despite all odds, was a man.
After being asked enough times, he could do nothing but accept any silly request.
Xue Zhengyong had spent an entire month, day in, day out, during lunch, stopping by his classroom, inviting himself into the Red Lotus Pavilion, acting completely nonchalant, to ask him if he was interested in trying dual cultivation.
"Come on, Yuheng. In our sect we're not as timid as in Wubei Temple or Taxue Palace. My brother and I have always intended to allow more unorthodox forms of cultivation. None of that frivolous nonsense from the Upper Cultivation World. And you... You must know that you are our crown jewel at Sisheng Peak. If Chu Wanning sets the example, who can go against us?”
His words were as flattering as they were absurd. Chu Wanning didn't need to practice dual cultivation. In fact, what he needed was silence, peace, and for Xue Zhengyong to stay far away from his pavilion. So, without listening to any more of his nonsense, which came and went with the rhythm of his fan, he said yes.
His mistake was to stop listening to his drivel.
But he didn't do it because he looked down on him. He had built a prototype of a holy guardian in the form of a sparrow to warn of changes in the weather. He thought it would be particularly useful for farmers, but he wanted to make it available to anyone who needed it. The important thing for him was that they helped people and made their lives easier.
If only Xue Zhengyong would show him the same compassion.
"Very well, Yuheng. I can't wait for our celebratory outing. I'll have to tell my wifey to pick out my best robes. Going to a pleasure house with Elder Yuheng must be celebrated like New Year's!"
Chu Wanning turned his head so hard that he thought he had broken his neck.
"Sect leader, what the hell are you talking about?"
But it was too late. Xue Zhengyong left the pavilion like a freshly fed peacock, strutting around, proud of having achieved the impossible. Not only had he convinced Elder Yuheng to dual cultivate (oh, and who might be a suitable partner for such dreadful task?) but also to accompany him for a night of debauchery. No divine or demonic power could wipe that smile off his face!
"Damn," whispered Chu Wanning, surrounded by gears, nuts, and small metal wings waiting to take the shape of a sparrow's body. A headache threatened to ruin his afternoon. "Damn my luck."
❀
A week later, inside the carriage, Chu Wanning made an effort to display all his cold arrogance. He was not pleased at all.
Ultimately, he consoled himself by deciding to accept the foolish outing with Xue Zhengyong, feign acceptance of all his suggestions, and then claim to have amnesia to avoid being convinced by the sect leader to visit a pleasure house or select someone for dual cultivation.
He put a silver mask over his eyes, crossed his arms and refused to pay attention to Xue Zhengyong's anecdotes about frequenting those brothels with his brother, finding their first teenage love within their perfumed walls and becoming men under the skilled hands of the sweet girls. Ah, how could he forget sweet Meimei, experienced Xiu-er or shy Li Hua? They were all as beautiful as newly bloomed flowers: made up and wrapped in silk; their flesh always sensitive to a man's touch, ready to become sweet, bitten fruit.
Seeing Xue Zhengyong sighing over memories of his old paramours, Chu Wanning had to fight the urge to throw the honorable sect leader out of the carriage and inform Madam Wang and his young disciple Xue Meng of his untimely passing. 'You'll be better off,' he would tell them, without a shred of remorse. ‘How could you stand a man who talked such trash?’
However, once inside the brothel —absurdly named Immortal Peach Pavilion— Chu Wanning was grateful for Xue Zhengyong's presence.
The Immortal Peach Pavilion was sordid, offensive and overwhelming in every sense. Loud music, requested by the patrons, played in each of the private rooms. The entire place echoed with laughter, screams and moans. The air was also thick with the suffocating smell of sweet incense and strong liquor. Red paper lanterns bathed the scene in a supernatural light, making it seem as if the immoral establishment belonged to some circle of the underworld.
But perhaps the worst thing was the number of women dressed in transparent clothing, giggling foolishly and hiding their doll-like faces behind fans while blowing lipstick kisses in his direction. He stood paralyzed in the midst of that chaos of silk and rice powder as warm, small hands tried to grab his tunic and take him to one of their private rooms to devour him whole. Or at least to spend all his money.
"Daren, daren, come with me! Dear customer, we will treat you as you deserve. Come with us to drink, eat, and enjoy yourself! Come, come!”
It was Xue Zhengyong who, with his devastating charisma, cleared away the tide of smiling, rosy-cheeked women, waving his Xue is beautiful; Others are ugly fan.
"Calm down, little flowers. Let xianjun breathe. Don't be sad, my dear little birds. Such is life; not all our desires can be fulfilled. This honorable gentleman is married to a good woman, and my esteemed xianjun has come just to share a drink with me. Ah, Madam Chang, is that you? Please show us to your most exclusive room. Bring wine, food and music."
He spoke as if he were a deity from the heavens, dispensing blessings. At one point, he handed copper coins to all those who wanted to get close to Chu Wanning. He handed Madam Chang a bag overflowing with coins and, after winking seductively, the poor woman had no choice but to obey his orders and take them to a private room.
Chu Wanning was one ridiculous scene away from losing his composure and beating the sect leader to a pulp. However, when Madam Chang closed the door behind her voluminous figure and the noise from the pavilion died down, he felt he could finally breathe.
“Ah, a wonderful place,” added Xue Zhengyong, smiling broadly.
Torn between his affection for Xue Zhengyong and his rage at being dragged to this place, Chu Wanning decided to drink.
This would not be his last mistake of the night, but at that moment, Chu Wanning just wanted to stop feeling completely out of place in the lavishly decorated room with its colorful fabrics, gold-embroidered cushions and rugs depicting lewd scenes between men and women.
The only way to stop those vulgar images from hurting his mind and spirit was to drink until his senses were numbed. So he did, like a madman.
The food and drink arrived, as did the musicians, who played melodies from Sichuan's past. Xue Zhengyong sang along happily as he drank and chatted with the women entertaining him, trying to persuade the troublesome Elder Yuheng to join in the fun.
“Ah, come on, Yuheng. Why are you so reluctant to open yourself up to the pleasures of the flesh?” Xue Zhengyong asked, languidly scratching his eyebrow. “Is it so bad? We only have one life; shouldn't we enjoy it?”
Chu Wanning had to make an effort not to roll his eyes.
“I enjoy it, Sect Leader. I drink, I eat, and I have fun in my own way. Not everyone has the same idea of what constitutes pleasure. We all have different appetites.”
“Bah! I suppose you're right, Yuheng. It must be my fault then. Sometimes I feel like you're too mystical, too elusive… as if there's something strange and unknowable inside you. It scares me a little,” added Xue Zhengyong, sounding decidedly drunk.
“I’m no different from you or anyone else here, Sect Leader,” replied Chu Wanning, not knowing why the man’s words had affected him so deeply.
“No, Yuheng. You're better than us. You’re so goddamn good and pure. I know that. So forgive me for bringing you here. You must know that I do it simply because I want what's best for you and all our elders. I would never do anything to make you angry,” confessed the sect leader with devastating honesty. Then he let out a sly chuckle. “Well, I kinda want to make you angry a little bit. From time to time. Not too much. Meng-er would never speak to me again if I made you really angry.”
The liquor continued to flow and more food appeared. Before he knew it, more women and musicians had entered his room, surely hoping that Xue-qianbei would drop a coin or two from his generous hands. Xue Zhengyong was so affable and friendly, and so different from Chu Wanning, that he simply couldn't say no to all those men and women who wanted nothing more than to hear what he had to say.
His third mistake of the night was trying to flee the scene.
Standing up confident that his mask was enough of a disguise, he stumbled out of the private room looking for fresh air. He was sick of the sweet incense and the echo of laughter in his ears.
He didn't want to abandon the sect leader, but he needed to breathe something other than the scent of bodies seeking pleasure. He needed to see something other than the color scarlet, which seemed to beckon to him, inviting him to fall into the turbulent waters of lust and debauchery. Moreover, Xue Zhengyong's words left him reeling, though he didn't want to dwell on them.
The way he placed all his faith in Chu Wanning made him feel suffocated, not special. Once again, even those he cared about considered him more than human: a being alienated from others who could feel neither hunger nor thirst; someone more akin to his own holy guardians than a mere mortal.
But he was a man who was hurting and felt alone in the vastness of his room. A man who wanted nothing more than for someone to see him and accept him for who he was. No more, no less. Not as an unattainable immortal or a despicable charlatan. He wanted someone to see him as Chu Wanning and love him just the way he was.
But maybe he was just drunk.
He wanted to go downstairs, but on the landing he encountered the group of women who had accosted him when he arrived.
“Ah, look! It's the handsome xianjun from Sisheng Peak!”
“Even with the mask on, I can see that he's extremely handsome.”
“What intense eyes!”
"What a beautiful mouth!"
“Xianjun, xianjun! Come with us!”
Chu Wanning turned around and fled to the third floor like a fawn escaping from a hungry tiger, feeling humiliated by having to run away from those clamoring ladies.
Thankfully, there were fewer lit lamps on the third floor and some windows were open, letting in the cold, damp night air.
So he peered out of the window like a drowning man pulling his head out of the water to breathe after nearly suffocating.
Outside, the starry night; the world at peace. The crickets and the rustling of the treetops were so similar to the sound of the sea. Chu Wanning had seen the sea from afar, but had never entered its salty waters or sailed its turbulent southern waves. For some reason, that prospect made him feel a little better.
A glimmer of hope emerged: in the future, he would travel to the sea. His life would not end there, alone and unknown, fleeing the company of others out of shame for his own needs.
"Aiyo, gege, be careful!" a woman suddenly cried out.
Chu Wanning turned his head, surprised.
A couple were climbing the stairs to the third floor, stopping every other step to kiss and embrace each other over their clothes.
“Sorry, baobei. It's just that you're so delicious. Look how hard you've made me,” the man said, taking the girl's hand and pressing it against his bulge. The girl giggled.
“Gege, is all of this for me?”
“And it gets bigger, I promise.”
Mortified, Chu Wanning ran down the hallway to the back of the third floor, passing door after door and hearing the sounds of a sexual encounter coming from each one. Finally, he reached the last door. Although light was visible through the crack, it seemed silent.
Without thinking twice, he pushed the door open and entered the room, hoping to find refuge. Instead, what greeted him was akin to a dark ocean welcoming a man falling overboard from a ship.
The sound of water, the cold cutting through his skin like a thousand knives and the poor wretch's heart beating wildly as he knew he was about to lose his life to those deep currents pulling him down, down, down to the bottom.
That was how Chu Wanning felt when he saw what was inside the room.
Luckily, he was wearing a mask that hid most of his astonishment. Even though he was Elder Yuheng ,the Immortal Beidou and the most respected and feared cultivator in the world, he had never seen a naked young man lying on an unmade bed in such a way as to leave nothing to the imagination.The young man's legs, torso and arms were on full display, as was his huge dick (impossible to ignore) adorning the unmistakable body of a boy prostitute who was eating a piece of crystallized peach.
As if that weren't enough, the boy was heartbreakingly beautiful. His face seemed almost unreal, with black eyes outlined by thick eyebrows, a straight, symmetrical nose, full, well-formed lips, a sharp jaw and two dimples adorning his rosy cheeks. That stunning face was framed by long, straight black hair, the only thing covering his body—though not enough to hide the suggestive curves of his muscles.
Sprawled on his bed like a feast for the senses, Chu Wanning believed he was looking at a vision from heaven. That boy could only be a divine creation.
The two stood there, dumbfounded, looking at each other as if they had seen a ghost.
Initially, Chu Wanning's reaction was to run away. However, he heard the lovers' noises outside the door. Faced with the choice of seeing a naked boy or watching a couple having sex, he decided to stay inside the room.
In any case, what he did was close his eyes, hoping that would be enough for that ridiculous situation to evaporate like smoke.
Of course, life had never been particularly kind to him.
“Are you lost?”
The boy stood up in an instant and was now standing in front of him, so close that Chu Wanning could feel his breath.
Luckily, the boy had put on a sheer robe which he had tied around his narrow waist.
“Are you okay?”
Chu Wanning was surprised to see up close that the boy couldn't possibly be of age; if he was, he had been blessed with eyes that were too innocent for his age, making him look younger than his profession suggested.
Besides, he was too tall. Despite his apparent age, he was almost as tall as Chu Wanning, maybe a centimeter taller. But even if he was half a millimeter taller, the boy's voluptuous aura made him look more imposing. This was quite an achievement, especially since he was practically naked, barefoot, and with his hair loose, while Chu Wanning looked like an immortal fresh out of seclusion.
“Are you a customer?” asked the boy, tilting his head when he saw that the immortal in white had not answered any of his questions.
Hidden behind the silver mask and the mask of his impassive face, the boy could surely see a man dressed as a Taoist cultivator looking at him with indifference, unaware that inside he was about to lose his sanity.
“Yes,” replied Chu Wanning, because he was indeed a customer, and because that was the safest question he could answer without betraying his turbulent feelings.
“Oh,” said the boy, smiling broadly. “Did Madam Chang bring you here?”
Chu Wanning remembered the heavyset woman who had brought him and Xue Zhengyong to the private room downstairs. Although he suspected that he and the boy were talking from completely different contexts, he nodded.
“And did she say anything about me?” the boy asked again, frowning.
Chu Wanning shook his head.
The boy turned away, letting out a sarcastic chuckle under his breath. He sat down on the edge of the bed as if analyzing his situation.
He was almost unfairly handsome. Chu Wanning couldn't take his eyes off him. Maybe it was because his head was muddled from the bitter liquor that Xue Zhengyong liked, or maybe it was because the room wasn't filled with the heavy incense smoke that permeated the entire pavilion, but Chu Wanning found himself unable to escape.
In any case, he wanted to stay there until the leader of Sisheng Peak called for him, hidden from the other women's attention in the brothel and far from the noise of laughter, music and debauchery. For some reason, that secluded room at the back of the Immortal Peach Pavilion seemed like an oasis, separate from the rest of the world.
Chu Wanning did not have the capacity to discern whether this was due to the boy's presence or his masochistic tendency to always choose the worst option.
“Ha! To think Madam Chang was going to honor her word! It's not my fault that I have few clients. It's not my fault that I can't meet my monthly quota,” the boy said in a low voice, shaking his head. Then he raised his face again and flashed a smile so incandescent that Chu Wanning had to narrow his eyes.
“Well, it doesn't matter what that old hag, I mean, sweet Mother Chang, told you. If you're here, then you’re here, isn’t? What can I do for you? May I offer you something to drink? Would you like some pear blossom wine?”
The boy stood up and walked over to a table where he had a bottle of spirits and two small cups. He looked the boy up and down and nodded.
“Yes, you look like you prefer sweet things. Come, try this wine; I think you'll like it.”
Chu Wanning frowned, somewhat surprised. “How could you possibly know that?”
The boy smiled, revealing all his straight white teeth. “A hunch.”
“A hunch?”
He nodded and handed Chu Wanning the small glass filled with fragrant liquor.
The boy then clinked his little cup against Chu Wanning's and drank the wine in one gulp. Chu Wanning was left with no choice but to do the same, for fear of looking like a coward.
The wine was sweet, but the alcohol content was still present, invading his mouth and throat with an extremely pleasant sensation—the taste of ripe pears and liquid courage. The boy was right. He liked it. He liked it a lot.
The boy refilled his cup and Chu Wanning happily downed the second drink, glad to finally taste a wine that didn't taste like bitter medicine.
“It's your eyes,” the young man said suddenly.
“What do you mean?”
“Your eyes. They look kind,” he said, coming very close so that he could see the eyes he was talking about. Feeling the drowsiness of alcohol running through his veins, Chu Wanning didn't move an inch. “Although a little sad, too.”
"I'm not sad," he corrected him immediately, feeling offended by such a poor characterization.
"You have no reason to feel sad here with me."
"I'm telling you, I'm not—"
"I can make you feel good," murmured the boy, so close to his lips that Chu Wanning could taste the pear-wine flavor of his breath.
He was so close that Chu Wanning could also see his eyes, which were so black that they almost glowed purple, and the small freckles adorning his nose. He could smell the boy's masculine scent: musky, like a newly carved wild creature, with hot water and soap, as if to hide the danger lurking beneath his well-groomed exterior.
"I can make you feel so good that you won't have a chance to think about what's troubling you." Chu Wanning wanted to respond, but the boy took control of the situation, fearlessly taking his face in his hands and, before he could react, pressing his mouth against his in a passionate kiss.
The kiss was sudden and intense. Chu Wanning thought of shooting stars cutting through the infinite expanse of the sky. He thought of forest fires and how the paper talismans burned immediately upon fulfilling their purpose. He thought of how quickly fire spreads in a dry woodland and how wonderful and terrifying an uncontrollable fire could be.
The boy pressed his sweet, warm lips against his and, taking advantage of his surprise, slipped his tongue past his lips as if he wanted to taste the pear blossom wine he had just drunk.
'This is a kiss,' thought Chu Wanning, completely stripped of his intelligence and his shame.
This is a kiss. These are another person's lips on mine. These are hands on my face; the scent of a man —a boy— invades my nose. Someone is kissing me. Me.
Even at such a ridiculous moment, Chu Wanning couldn't help running through the litany of self-pity that always accompanied him in his mind. Perhaps it was because he had never imagined that a kiss could feel like this: as if the boy holding him so delicately was kissing his entire body; as if the vulgar sounds of his mouth against that teenage prostitute's mouth were sharp hooks pulling at his insides.
Chu Wanning was no fool. He knew perfectly well what kind of business the boy devouring his mouth so hungrily was in. He was surprised to think that, if this was a prelude to what awaited him, he would surely not survive.
Frightened, Chu Wanning pulled away from the boy's warm hands and, in an attempt to regain some of his lost dignity, slapped him fiercely across the face.
The boy took the slap with the grace of a betrayed puppy.
He let out a confused cry, turning his head to one side from the force of the blow. When he recovered, he looked back at Chu Wanning with puzzled eyes, as if the wrong person had been slapped, as if Chu Wanning were the evil child abuser and sadistic boss who enjoyed hurting the people he bought with his money.
Chu Wanning immediately regretted it, though he showed or did nothing to indicate this. He stood still, defying the most outlandish ideas he could think of (that the boy would scream for help, or pull a sharp dagger from his robe and stab him, or that a Divine Tribulation would take place in the secret room of a brothel to punish him for his sins), the boy raised his eyebrows in understanding.
Without further ado, he slapped Chu Wanning back so hard that it almost knocked the mask off his face.
Chu Wanning was beside himself. He was surprised, furious and humiliated, and on top of that, he felt an unfamiliar sensation in his stomach, as if a creature were inhabiting his body and begging for more of that boy.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Chu Wanning yelled, hitting the boy again, this time on the shoulder. "Why are you slapping me?"
The boy dodged most of his blows, somewhere between irritated and amused. “What? I thought you liked it.”
“How could I like getting slapped?”
“Then why did you slap me?” the boy shouted back. "I was just kissing you! I thought it was foreplay...”
“Foreplay?”
“I don't know! I don't usually have many clients. But I know some of those gongzi like to act out violent scenes in bed. Don't look at me like that! I don't like it either.”
Chu Wanning was speechless.
He stopped trying to hit the boy, ashamed to have anything in common with those men, and brought his hands to his face, fed up with everything.
"Is there a service where you don't have to kiss or slap me?" he asked, exasperated.
The boy let out a genuine laugh. "Yes, of course. Hundreds of them. Just tell me what you like, esteemed client.”
That was the crux of the problem. Chu Wanning had spent his entire life avoiding sex and physical affection. He had convinced himself that he wanted to devote himself to the noble task of creating artefacts for the common good and teaching the next generation of cultivators. He had convinced himself that he was not worthy of the vulgar, passionate life of mere mortals; consequently, he had no idea what he liked.
He remained silent, feeling uncomfortable under the boy's intense gaze.
"Or we can try a couple of things and rule out what you don't like. A removal service, if you want to call it that.”
"Wait. I..." Chu Wanning began, but the boy smiled beautifully, took his hand and led him to the bed where he had been lying naked. The words simply disappeared from Chu Wanning's mouth.
There, at the centre of the room, the boy's scent became even more intense.
It was an intoxicating, sweet, masculine scent, strengthened by the wine they had drunk and the taste of saliva still on his tongue.
He felt as if he were underwater, in a realm beyond human understanding, and that this boy was some kind of water demon about to devour him.
Why am I not afraid? Why am I not disgusted?
The boy settled himself on top of his legs, leaving him no room to reply or express surprise, and kissed him again. This time, he didn't kiss him gently but deeply and almost violently. He opened Chu Wanning's mouth with the tips of his thumbs and whispered, "Open your mouth, beautiful," before pushing his tongue in to touch his.
Despite his age, the boy was almost as tall as Chu Wanning, and heavier too. Chu Wanning immediately felt overwhelmed and overpowered, covered entirely by the boy's body, with his hands surrounding his face and his lips sucking on his.
Moreover, the kiss seemed to suffocate all his thoughts, and he remained like that for what seemed like an eternity, being kissed wildly by a teenage prostitute who was also beginning to move his hips against his legs. "You like it, don't you?" the boy asked, pulling away slightly.
Chu Wanning had refused to close his eyes, like a deer facing danger, and so he couldn't help but see the boy's lewd, saliva-wet lips.
The boy was so beautiful that, even in that embarrassing position, Chu Wanning couldn't help thinking he looked like a supernatural creature: a fairy or a demon. He couldn't be just human. On top of him, with his long, jet-black hair falling over him and his almost purple eyes looking at him with devotion, Chu Wanning thought that yes, of course he wasn't crazy; of course he liked him. After all, don't we all like beautiful things? There was no other reason.
The boy kissed him lightly on the mouth and then on the cheek, right on the border between his skin and the mask. "I love it, but I do it so little... I love kissing."
What could Chu Wanning say?
The boy pinned him down on the bed, having transformed into a different kind of creature possessed by an urgent hunger that could only be satisfied by kissing his gorgeous, unemotional client. Chu Wanning clung to the silk sheets as the boy began kissing his cheek, jaw, neck and earlobe.
“Ah!...” he moaned despite his best efforts not to make a sound. When he felt the boy's warm, wet tongue on his ear, his entire body reacted as if he had been struck by lightning.
"Do you like that?" the boy whispered in his ear. “What a naughty xianjun.”
"No, I don't like it," Chu Wanning insisted, feeling so mortified that he thought he would die right then and there.
"Your body says otherwise."
Still rubbing his crotch against Chu Wanning's, the boy stood up to see his handiwork.
Chu Wanning wanted to cover his face, but the boy stopped him. “Stop right there. Why would you do that? You look so... heh, I think I should pay you for letting me kiss you.”
"Indecent. Let me go. I have to go.”
"The night is young, Xianjun. Who's waiting for you? Do you have a lover waiting for you at home?”
Chu Wanning felt himself blushing. The boy's face was a picture of absolute shamelessness. He was smiling as if he knew the truth: that no one was waiting for him anywhere; that he had spent his entire 25 years alone; that no one had ever touched him.
"And we haven't finished our experiment yet... there are still many places on this body that need to be kissed."
“What do you mean?”
"Here, for example,' said the boy, opening the lapel of his robe to reveal the skin on his neck. He caressed the vein with his fingertips until he reached his collarbone. "Or here."
The boy lowered his face and began kissing where he had caressed. His kisses were passionate, leaving an indescribable sensation on his skin, like an invisible mark that threatened never to fade.
He could feel him sucking him, licking him with his tongue and nibbling him with his teeth. Each touch made him feel completely out of control. His body seemed to be boiling; his scalp felt prickly; he couldn't focus his gaze; he couldn't breathe. Years of cultivating serenity and control had been undone by a boy and his greedy mouth, kissing and licking every inch of skin he could reach.
But it was too much. In fact, it was so overwhelming that Chu Wanning couldn't help but register that feeling as panic.
Trembling, he tried to push the boy away, grabbing him by the legs. But the boy, much more uninhibited than him, took one of his hands and guided it to his groin to pat his powerful erection, barely hidden behind his translucent robe.
Chu Wanning had avoided looking at the boy's body, afraid of encountering that overwhelming expanse of golden skin again. But now the boy was rubbing himself obscenely in his hand, he couldn't help but see his hard, throbbing member.
“No! Let me go right now!” Chu Wanning gasped, surprised by how such a young boy could possess a penis of such size. It wasn't just the length that was surprising, but the width as well. It was an swollen flesh weapon, hot and wet under his hand.
"I'm so hard just from kissing you, xianjun. Isn't that surprising? It's never happened to me before...”
“That's enough! You... I don't know your name or anything about you, and you're touching me like that!” exclaimed Chu Wanning, pushing the boy off him as he sat back down. “If you don't get off me right now, I'm going to break your legs. And that's not a threat.”
Still smiling, the boy got off him, letting Chu Wanning climb down from the bed. He began to adjust his robe as though he were an immortal descending from an auspicious cloud to announce a divine mandate. He smoothed his hair as best he could, straightened his mask and walked confidently towards the door, determined to leave and never return, and to beat Xue Zhengyong to a pulp.
"My name is Mo Ran."
Chu Wanning stopped.
The way he said his name stopped him from continuingon his path of determined righteousness.
"Let's just say I'm a rescued person. I spent five years paying for my stay by working in kitchens, but then I committed a serious offence against my employer. Now, I have to sell my body to pay her back. But I don't usually make much money, apparently because Sichuan men don't like my method. Ha! But it's their loss.”
He said it all in an almost humorous tone, as if it were nothing more than a silly joke. However, when Chu Wanning turned to look at him, he saw deep sorrow in his face, casting a cold shadow over his beautiful features.
Mo Ran returned his gaze fearlessly, which was strange for Chu Wanning, who was used to seeing fear or obsequiousness in people's eyes, as if he were a deity. But nothing could be further from the truth.
"I'm an orphan. I can't read or write, but I like the plays they put on in the square. I like spicy food and pear wine. I like taking care of animals — I really think I'm good with them. What else? Oh yes, I like cooking, especially desserts. And I like men," Mo Ran added with a wry smile.
Although everything he had said seemed to hint at a complicated life, Chu Wanning's mind lingered on that last bit. He had never heard anyone announce their preferences with such sincerity. "You like men?"
'Yes, of course,' Mo Ran smiled, settling languidly on the bed and never taking his eyes off him. "I like them. Especially when they're tall and strong but have sharp faces and pretty eyes, and look at me like they want to strangle me."
Chu Wanning felt his pity turn to irritation. "And you're shameless."
“Yep, totally,” Mo Ran replied. “Are you going to tell me your name?”
"I'm leaving."
"Ah, xianjun, are you just going to leave like that?”
"Like what?"
Mo Ran pointed to his crotch. To his mortification, he discovered that he had an erection too. He had had an erection the whole time and hadn't even noticed. Chu Wanning turned so red that he thought his head was going to explode.
He stood as still as a piece of coal.
“Come on, xianjun,” said Mo Ran, jumping out of bed and pulling him towards him by the arms. "Help me earn my night's quota, and I'll help you with your problem. It's a good deal, isn't it? I promise you'll like it. As much as wine. Or more.”
Perhaps it was because Mo Ran had opened up to him, revealing the reason why a boy his age was working in a brothel, and had told him his name without fear or disdain, but with genuine hope that he would help him. Or perhaps it was because Chu Wanning could never pass up an opportunity to help someone in need. Still feeling drunk from the wine and the sensations, he let out a sigh and nodded his head. "It's just that..." Chu Wanning murmured, almost surprised at himself for being about to say something so sincere and embarrassing.
But the boy hugging him had been sincere, too. After all, he would never see him again. "I never."
Mo Ran waited a moment longer to hear what it was that Chu Wanning had never done. When he heard nothing more, however, he was neither disappointed nor upset. Instead, he smiled so broadly that he seemed to light up the entire room with his large, white teeth.
'It's okay. Xianjun, you're a cultivator, right? Do you teach the students at Sisheng Peak? Okay. Now I'll teach you. Got it?
Chu Wanning was annoyed by his honeyed tone and bothered by the furious thud in his chest. He frowned, immediately regretting showing any vulnerability at all.
"No, let go of me right now. I'm leaving,'" he replied, trying to break free from the boy's grip. “I said let go of me!”
It was a ridiculous scene:
Mo Ran tried to put Chu Wanning back in bed, but he sprang out like a cat jumping out of a window. However, the boy caught him in mid-air and squeezed him in his arms, laughing as if it were really funny and not humiliating at all. Also, how was he so fast?
Chu Wanning tried to run away a couple of times, only to be caught by Mo Ran, who, despite his age, was much stronger than him. Chu Wanning didn't want to resort to summoning Tianwen and punishing a poor prostitute boy who was confused and believed that he was a perverted client who enjoyed that kind of foreplay.
When Mo Ran finally dragged him back to the bed, he didn't climb on top of him; instead, he threw him down on the sheets, settled between his legs and began to remove his shoes and lift the skirts of his robe. Dizzy from Mo Ran's rough handling and tired from his futile attempts to escape, Chu Wanning propped himself up on his elbows to watch the boy fondle his cock through his trousers.
The contact was so sudden and sure that his entire body melted into shivers.
"Wow, xianjun, you feel so hard. And you smell so good," Mo Ran said, never taking his eyes off him as he pressed his beautiful face against the obvious bulge in Chu Wanning's trousers. "You smell like apple blossoms. It's so special."
The boy pressed his nose against his glans and inhaled deeply. Then, through the fabric, he opened his mouth and closed his lips around the tip of Chu Wanning's cock in an obscene yet extraordinary way. He had a demonic ability to make the most sordid things look beautiful.
“What are you doing?” exclaimed Chu Wanning, who was as terrified as he was ecstatic. Mo Ran had done nothing more than kiss him through his clothes, yet he already felt close to losing control.
“I want to make you feel good. That's what I'm paid for, xianjun.”
Mo Ran slipped his fingers into the waistband of his trousers and pulled them down, along with his underwear. Chu Wanning collapsed onto the bed, bringing a hand to his mouth. He was so tormented that he truly believed he had died of alcohol poisoning and was now suffering cruel punishment in some circle of hell.
"Wow," he heard Mo Ran say, running his warm hands over his thighs. "You're even prettier here. So, so cute. Xianjun, there's nothing ugly about you.
The words 'pretty' and 'cute' hurt Chu Wanning more than if Mo Ran had called him a 'pervert' or 'vile'. What was cute about him? It had never been used to describe him before, but once the boy had uttered it, Chu Wanning felt it pierce his heart, hurting him and embedding itself inside him like an arrowhead.
"Stop talking nonsense," he said, trying to cover himself with his robe. "Do what you have to do or fuck off".
Mo Ran let out a low chuckle. "Understood, dear customer. Your wishes are my commands; this humble prostitute will do as he is told.”
However, the caress that Chu Wanning had anticipated never came. After a minute of silence, he dared to open his eyes.
Mo Ran was standing in front of him, naked, having removed his robe. He was tying his long hair back with a blue ribbon. For a moment, Chu Wanning wanted to tell him not to, to leave his hair down.
But when Mo Ran removed all those ink-black strands from his face, revealing his stunning features, Chu Wanning realised that everything this boy did was seductive. Even if he covered his body in mud, Chu Wanning would still find him ravishing.
Besides, in this position, Chu Wanning could clearly see his dick: thick, long and red at the tip, curved upwards and moving lasciviously with the boy's slight movements.
It was… insane. Mo Ran seemed to have been created by a lustful god, moulding every part of him to provoke the greatest lust in others. His beauty was such that it could melt even the hardest permafrost with the heat of his body—the kind that covered Elder Yuheng's heart.
Chu Wanning promised himself that he would go with Elder Jielü to ask him to carry out corporal punishment for his criminal thoughts.
"Now that's better... What's going on?" asked Mo Ran, starting to crawl onto the bed and climb on top of Chu Wanning, pressing his shameless, uninhibited and attractive body against him. "Do you see something you like, xianjun?"
Mo Ran removed his belt, opened his robe and, ignoring Chu Wanning's trembling hands trying to prevent this humiliation, left him completely naked beneath him. The only thing protecting him was the silly silver mask covering most of his body.
Mo Ran ran his large, warm hands over Chu Wanning's torso, caressing his chest muscles and squeezing the soft skin on his stomach. He was so delighted that it really seemed as if he had paid Chu Wanning to serve him.
Making a superhuman effort not to show how terrified he was, Chu Wanning asked,
"Is this why you're popular in the pavilion? Why do you like to tease your customers like this?”
Mo Ran smiled, his dimples making him look younger still. “That's right. Believe me, I've tried, xianjun, but it's just not something I'm good at. You see, I like to sink into sweet, tight holes. There's nothing better than feeling that pressure around me, pulsing and begging for more. I'm afraid my dick is addicted to it."
As he spoke, Mo Ran began kissing his naked body, starting at his collarbone and moving down to the centre of his chest and over his nipples, which he sucked lightly, making Chu Wanning sigh.
He kissed his stomach and navel, and when he reached Chu Wanning's cock, he took his legs and spread them apart, positioning himself between them. "But don't get me wrong, xianjun. I love cocks. Yours, god, is becoming my favourite.”
“Stop talking nonsense—ah!”
Obeying his command, Mo Ran took Chu Wanning's cock in his hand and brought it to his mouth.
‘Fuck,’he thought, unable to utter a sound except that humiliating moan.
Mo Ran wrapped his lips around the head of Chu Wanning's cock and used his tongue to lick the liquid seeping out of it, pausing at the frenulum to lap at it as if it were candy.
The sight of this boy with his penis in his mouth was so maddening (this boy, with my penis in his mouth, what the hell) that Chu Wanning couldn't help but stare into Mo Ran's eyes. Mo Ran tilted his head back to release his member, making a terrible wet sound. He didn't just do it once either; he repeated the movement over and over again, sliding the tip of Chu Wanning's cock in and out of his mouth.
The pleasure was so overwhelming that it turned into agony. Chu Wanning didn't know what to do with himself. His whole body seemed to be at the mercy of that teenage prostitute's mouth. He didn't even realize that was something you could do in bed. He clung to the sheets, biting his lip to resist the urge to cry out for help.
"You taste so delicious, xianjun," Mo Ran murmured, pressing his lips against Chu Wanning's glans and tapping them lightly with his tongue. "I could eat you for breakfast every day."
"Don't say things like that..." Chu Wanning moaned, barely able to get the words out. His mouth was dry, and a fog had filled his head, making it impossible to think about anything else. "Aren't you supposed to be helping me? You're making it worse.”
The boy kissed the underside of Chu Wanning's dick so delicately that another shiver ran through his body.
“So you like this too?” Mo Ran replied slyly. “What a dirty xianjun! But you're lucky to have me here. I love sucking cocks."
Chu Wanning thought that would be the worst of it, but he was mistaken.
The boy returned to the tip of his mouth, opening wide to take in his entire length until he reached the back of his throat, which felt tight, hot and slimy as Mo Ran swallowed saliva.
The sensation was so intense and unlike anything he had ever experienced that he couldn't help but jump, arch his back and clutch at Mo Ran's head. “No! Get off me!” Chu Wanning exclaimed, grabbing Mo Ran by the ponytail and trying to push him away because it was too much.
This was unsuccessful, of course, as Mo Ran began to move his head up and down, fucking his mouth with Chu Wanning's cock without any remorse. The sounds filling the room were so vulgar that, if he hadn't had his hands on Mo Ran's head, he would have covered his ears to stop hearing that wet sound and the boy's ragged breathing. The boy seemed to be enjoying it immensely, even though he looked like he was choking himself by trying to shove his cock down his throat.
The assault seemed to last an eternity.
Mo Ran sucked his cock until saliva began to foam in his mouth and drip vulgarly onto his thighs, wetting him and making him tremble as he felt the cool liquid touch his heated skin.
From time to time, Mo Ran pulled away completely to take a breath, still connected to his cock by strands of saliva, which he caught with his tongue and sucked as if he couldn't waste a drop.
"Mo Ran," Chu Wanning groaned, feeling his entire body tense in anticipation of a climax that threatened to overwhelm him. “Mo Ran, Mo Ran, ngh, let me go now.”
The cruel boy pulled his cock out of his mouth just as his pleasure was about to spill out. This turned out to be even worse: the anticipation, the sudden stop and the cold he felt when Mo Ran stood up and sat on the bed to look at him. This combination of sensations pierced him completely as if the boy had used Tianwen to whip his soul directly.
He had to bite his hand to stop himself screaming.
Above him, Mo Ran wiped his mouth with trembling fingers. His eyes were red from the effort, and his lips were raw from spending almost half an hour sucking his cock. Yet he didn't seem discouraged at all. On the contrary, his black tourmaline eyes sparkled with delight at seeing the man beneath him losing his mind.
Taking advantage of Chu Wanning's temporary disconnect from reality, Mo Ran lifted his thin legs and folded them on his chest. Chu Wanning inhaled in surprise, suddenly feeling more exposed than ever.
“Mo Ran—”
The boy smiled, his countenance completely transformed. No longer did he resemble the lazy boy who spent his boring nights drinking his master’s wine; now he resembled a predator, a beast with sharp fangs who had found particularly fat prey that had voluntarily entered his lair after days without food.
Chu Wanning didn't like that look. His instincts immediately kicked in, his fists clenching the silk bedding as he waited for a sudden movement to launch his own attack. “Mo Ran!”
"I love it when you say my name, xianjun," said the boy between his legs. He was so beautiful it hurt and so dangerous that he resembled a wolf.
"It's as if you're saying it for the first time."
Chu Wanning saw Mo Ran's red tongue appear between his lips, curved in a mischievous smile. He closed his eyes before watching the boy bend down to eagerly lick the part of his body that not even he had touched for reasons other than hygiene.
Mo Ran pressed his lips there, on that dirty, secret pucker, and kissed it as he had kissed his mouth a moment ago. He felt with terrifying precision how Mo Ran sucked him, pressed the width of his tongue against him, and how the tip of his tongue pierced the ring of muscles he was squeezing to prevent intrusion.
“Let me go! Let me go!” Chu Wanning exclaimed, trying to remove Mo Ran's hands.
Perhaps this was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. He had never imagined that someone would use their mouth to provide pleasure, let alone put their mouth in such a filthy place—a space meant for discarding, not receiving.
And yet! Mo Ran's tongue continued to lick that part of his body with the same vulgar intention as when he sucked his cock: to extract pleasure, to take him to the limit, to make him lose his sanity, to make him feel so good.
But had there always been a way to feel good that involved physical torture?
Chu Wanning, in his supreme intelligence and good judgment, assumed that this was called 'sex'.
Mo Ran began to loosen him up with expert licks, sucking and penetrating him with the tip of his tongue. He kissed the space between Chu Wanning's balls and hole and buried his nose in all those folds, like a bumblebee lost in the pleasure of smearing itself with pollen.
Chu Wanning didn't feel drunk anymore. All traces of alcohol had evaporated from his body, perhaps due to the proximity of this boy, whose hands and mouth were so hot that, had he not seen that he was human, Chu Wanning would have believed he was facing a bat demon born from the bowels of a volcano.
"This is crazy," Mo Ran gasped, pulling away from Chu Wanning's ass as though he were taking his first breath after nearly drowning. "How can you taste so good, xianjun? Every part of you is delicious. It's driving me crazy."
"Mo Ran, you don't have to do that. I'll pay you," pleaded Chu Wanning, his voice hoarse after the ordeal. "I’ll pay you whatever you need to pay off your debt, but you don’t have to keep doing this. I'll help you, but don't do this anymore. Let me go."
The boy clenched his hands around his thighs so tightly that they were bound to leave bruises.
From his position, Chu Wanning could only see the dark eyes of the creature that seemed to want to devour him—no, that was about to do so.
“But do you like it or not?” Mo Ran growled, his voice low and threatening. 'I'll let you go if you tell me the truth. Did you like all this or not?”
Chu Wanning frowned. He was sweating under his mask, and his whole body was trembling. His heart was beating so hard that he couldn't fathom how it hadn't burst through his chest. Under normal circumstances, his body's reaction would have made it clear to him that he was in a life-or-death situation and that he should run away.
And yet...
"No," Chu Wanning lied, crawling backwards to escape Mo Ran's hands and mouth. "I don't like it."
Undeterred, Mo Ran crawled towards him, never taking his eyes off him. "Are you lying to me, xianjun?"
“No.”
“Don't fucking lie to me. I don't like it.”
Chu Wanning flinched at the bad word. Mo Ran's eyes were completely black and his pupils were dilated.
“Get out of here! Don't you dare come any closer to me."
"If you don't like it, why are you still hard, xianjun?' Why are your ears red? Why are you trembling?”
“I'm warning you.”
"No, you're lying to me. But I made a promise, didn't I? That I would make you feel good. I don't need your money. Xianjun, what I need is your body.”
The boy lunged at him like a wolf on a particularly slow hare, attacking with all the aggressiveness of a predator but with enough restraint not to break any bones.
He captured Chu Wanning's mouth in a wild kiss unlike any they had shared that evening. It was a hungry, possessive kiss that wanted to take control, that wanted to prove he was in charge.
No wonder he had no clients! Who would want to pay to have their mouth bitten by a feral boy?
Chu Wanning tasted blood, and worse still, his own taste: the taste of his cock and his ass mingled with Mo Ran's masculine, musky saliva and the sharp sweetness of wine. All of these sensations overwhelmed him, making him lose his mind and what little desire he had to fight Mo Ran.
The boy grabbed his face hard and used his thumb to force his mouth open so that he could suck on his tongue, leaving him breathless. Then he replaced his tongue with two fingers, coating them in saliva and running them over his teeth and palate and deep into his throat, making him gag.
Chu Wanning turned his head to one side, feeling tears welling up, but the boy gave him no respite. With one hand, he turned him onto his stomach and spread his legs with his knees. With his fingers wet with thick saliva, Chu Wanning felt him touch the hole again, caressing it with his fingertips and pushing slightly.
“Mo Ran! What are you doing?”
"Breathe, xianjun. Lift your hips. That's it. Lift your body. Don't be afraid. Get on your knees. See? You're doing well. Don't be nervous. If you resist, it's going to hurt."
"What the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed after kneeling on the bed and following that madman's instructions.
Mo Ran continued to caress the crease that was driving him crazy with its nerve endings. Although Chu Wanning wasn't looking at him, Mo Ran could hear the smile in his voice.
'I'm taking your virginity, baobei... Can I call you baobei?”
At that precise moment, Chu Wanning felt a finger break the barrier and sink slowly but surely into his rectum. He tensed his body instinctively, squeezing Mo Ran's finger.
'This is how men have sex. It's a little more complicated than with women, but once you've tried it, believe me, you'll never want to do it any other way.”
There was some truth to what he said: if men didn't have the same body parts as women, they had to find a way to replicate intercourse. However, the asshole was very different. It wasn't designed for penetration. Was that why he had spent so much time sucking it? And once you try it, you'll never want to do it any other way? Who did this boy think he was, talking like the protagonist of an erotic novel?
Chu Wanning buried his face in the sheets, trying to think of anything other than the pressure and burning sensation he felt as if his body were rebelling against this foreign object.
"Shh, xianjun, breathe. It's just my thumb."
"Is it just your thumb?" Chu Wanning exclaimed, turning his face to look at Mo Ran on top of him.
He couldn't see himself, but he could see the flushed face of the boy, whose eyes were fixed as he began to circle inside him with his thumb while the rest of his fingers dug into his buttocks.
"See? You've got it all in. Just enjoy it; we've got all night."
“Ah, ngh, who said I'm going to spend all night here?”
"Well, then be a good boy, relax, and you can leave sooner."
"You talk with a lot of confidence, you bastard—ah, wait, ah, ah."
Mo Ran suddenly pulled his thumb out, but immediately replaced it with another finger, which went in deeper. Instead of twirling around inside him, he began to move from the inside out.
"I think we need a little oil..." Mo Ran murmured, his voice sounding fascinated as if he were watering flowers and had realized they needed fertilizer.
"Just so you know, xianjun. This oil has slightly stimulating properties. Does that bother you?"
Chu Wanning didn't even hear what he said. His teeth were clenched so tightly that he was hurting himself. Inside his head, he was trying to understand his feelings.
All his life, he had been able to differentiate between what felt good and what felt bad. Eating osmanthus cakes, for example, felt good. It felt good to build holy guardians and to go out early in the morning and find that it had stopped raining. Running his fingertips over the strings of the guqin and listening to its precise harmony also felt good.
Conversely, seeing ordinary people suffer injustice felt bad. It felt bad to be cold and not be able to warm up straight away, or to enter a room and not see a friendly face. It felt terrible to know that he was alone in the world and that no one understood him.
At that moment, however, he was torn between two feelings: he disliked the idea of being out of control and subjugated by someone many years his junior. However, he enjoyed the kisses and caresses. In fact, he liked them so much that he reproached himself for having gone so long without them. But he disliked how his body trembled in fear and how some of Mo Ran's caresses hurt him. On the other hand, he liked how sweet the honorific sounded when Mo Ran called him 'xianjun', and how he looked at him with genuine interest.
He was a complete mess.
He wanted to run away. He wanted to beat that shameless boy black and blue. He wanted to kill himself with a sword. He wanted Mo Ran to kiss him again. He wished that night had never happened, yet he also wished it would never end.
Suddenly, Chu Wanning felt a warm liquid running down the crack of his buttocks. Before he could protest, Mo Ran covered his entire hole with the liquid and sank back into him, this time using his fingers instead of just one.
At first, he felt painful tightness and irritation, which made him tense up, but almost immediately, the warmth of the liquid and Mo Ran's fingers began to relax his muscles, and with them, he experienced a pleasurable sensation, as if his entire body were melting into streams of fresh water after the late winter snow had melted in the sun.
“What—what is that?”
Mo Ran did not answer immediately. Instead, he continued what he was doing, sliding his fingers in and out and moving them in circles inside. He went deep inside Chu Wanning, making him shiver.
He grabbed his cock with his free hand and began to move in unison, stimulating him from the front while loosening him from behind. When Chu Wanning's moans began to escape his tightly closed mouth, Mo Ran finally answered.
“It’s an oil made for these occasions, but I don’t like to use it because it makes you feel a bit strange. In my opinion, making love should feel natural. It doesn't matter if money is involved or not.”
"Is this making love?" Chu Wanning panted, turning his face to meet Mo Ran's gaze. His question had been genuine, but the way he said it sounded harsh, as if it were a reproach.
Mo Ran bit his lip, looking regretful. "Maybe that's my problem, xianjun. I fall a little in love with everyone who comes to bed with me. Maybe I'm not a good prostitute after all."
Chu Wanning didn't know how to respond.
What a strange boy! What was the purpose of his absurd statements?
Even if he had known how to respond, his body prevented him from doing so. At that moment, Mo Ran's ministrations took effect, and Chu Wanning came brutally in the boy's hand. The boy did not stop moving his hand until Chu Wanning hit him to make him stop.
“Agh, no!”
That had been terrifying.
His mind suddenly went blank. He felt himself twist backwards, opening his mouth and closing his eyes. His entire body twisted around the blow of indescribable pleasure, just as wood burns in the shape of lightning when struck by a bolt.
Chu Wanning felt both empty and full; soft and hardened; awake and sunk in a blinding miasma.
By the time he came to his senses, Mo Ran had laid him back down and was lying next to him, pressing his hot, sweaty body against his. Mo Ran positioned himself so that Chu Wanning's back was pressed against his muscular torso.
Meanwhile, Chu Wanning was on the verge of delirium, unable to form another word.
Mo Ran embraced him with his free hand and pressed his mouth to his jaw.
"Are you ready, xianjun? My cock is going to explode if I don't get it inside you right now."
Chu Wanning didn't answer, of course, but perhaps Mo Ran wasn't expecting an answer. Maybe his limp, warm, trembling body was answer enough. In fact, he hoped it was, because if it were up to him, he would have told him to fuck off by now.
Mo Ran pulled his fingers out of Chu Wanning's hole (when had he put all four fingers in?) and started kissing him on the cheek, neck and shoulder. He pressed the hard, hot head of his cock against Chu Wanning's aching hole.
He didn't penetrate him right away, but teased him by rubbing himself there and pushing lightly while kissing his neck and biting him gently. Chu Wanning clung to his arms, beside himself, and pushed his hips back, seeking the familiar pressure inside him.
"Ngh, Mo Ran. Ah, ah,” he moaned, unable to help himself. He immediately brought his hand to his mouth, but Mo Ran stopped him, intertwining their fingers.
"Let me hear you, xianjun. You sound so beautiful—it makes me harder.”
It was like everything was just bursting with colours and sensations. The red of the sheets was so bright that it hurt his eyes. Mo Ran's scent filled his lungs. His body seemed to move of its own accord, seeking that fullness, seeking Mo Ran's body.
"Mo Ran, are you going to put it in? Chu Wanning muttered, turning his head to look directly at him. Mo Ran opened his eyes wide, as if surprised. "Are you going to fill me up?"
"Yes, yes, xianjun. I'm going to fill you up so well. I'm going to fuck you until you know nothing but the feeling of having me inside you. Is that what you want? Do you want my cock inside you?”
Chu Wanning closed his eyes, and Mo Ran settled himself into position before slowly penetrating him, carefully passing through the ring of muscle so as not to hurt him. However, he was suddenly overcome by the urge to thrust deep inside the man.
“Ah!”
"Fuck, xianjun."
They both cried out at the same time, feeling their bodies join together. Chu Wanning had opened himself up to accept Mo Ran's big cock and Mo Ran surrounded his entire body, enclosing him in a warm cocoon that was the perfect size for just the two of them.
He had never felt so full. He had never realised that there was a space inside him that could be filled.
Neither of them moved. Mo Ran began to slow his breathing, pressing his forehead against Chu Wanning's head.
"Fuck, xianjun," he repeated, with a touch of humour and desperation. "I almost came. You're so tight and wet.
You're better than any of them. Fuck."
Chu Wanning tried to swallow, but even that slight movement reverberated throughout his body, causing him to tense up. Mo Ran was behind him, exhaling through his teeth and squeezing his hips with his hands.
How had he got himself into this situation? Where the hell was Xue Zhengyong? What time was it?
Mo Ran began to move at that moment.
He started very slowly, almost imperceptibly. Gradually, he quickened his pace, and Chu Wanning began to move with him. With each thrust, Mo Ran hit a spot inside his body that made his roll his eyes, almost justifying the pain of being penetrated so wildly.
Chu Wanning let Mo Ran open him up; he let that beautiful boy mould him into his image. He let himself be fucked, lost in pleasure.
At one point, Mo Ran turned him over onto his stomach again, holding his hips with his huge hands and pumping hard inside him, his buttocks slapping against his abdomen, panting behind him as if he were a beast chasing its prey.
"Ngh, ah, ah, that's it," moaned Chu Wanning, writhing beneath Mo Ran's body. Mo Ran continued to thrust into him furiously, squeezing his hips with his hands and whispering vulgarities. “Mo Ran, you're—ugh.”
He was killing him. There was no other way to describe what he was doing to him. It couldn't just be sex. It wasn't just making love. It was violent and all-consuming; Mo Ran wanted to suppress his body, or worse, merge with it by striking him, get inside his skin, muscles and guts, and never come out again.
So this is losing your virginity, thought Chu Wanning, overwhelmed. He felt split and torn apart as if someone had separated all the parts of his body and soul to examine them individually. He didn't know how he was going to put himself back together now that he had done this. He, who had led a celibate life far from carnal temptations.
What was going to become of him now? This boy was fucking him so hard that Chu Wanning thought he was about to suffer a qi deviation.
Mo Ran took him by the chin and turned his face towards his own. His eyes were like pools of black ink and his lips were like dew-bathed crimson petals. His beauty was so overwhelming that seeing him so close was painful.
“Can I fuck you forever, Xianjun?” he asked, his lips moving against his. “Can I be your first and only? I don't think I could go on living if I wasn't.”
What would a normal person say to that? In any case, he grabbed his chin, kissed him, and kissed him, as desperately as Mo Ran was fucking him.
❀
Just as Mo Ran had promised, they fucked all night long.
Chu Wanning had no idea that any of this was possible: on top of him, Mo Ran's cock thrusting into him, while he bounced on it with the help of his warm hands; standing, pressed against the wall, one leg over Mo Ran's shoulder; with his legs bent over his stomach, while Mo Ran stuck two more fingers into his abused hole, as if trying to tear it open.
He came so many times that he passed out on top of Mo Ran (who had made him cum just by using his mouth on one of his nipples and lightly caressing his puffy hole) and Mo Ran came inside him so many times that, when he woke up the next morning, the first thing he felt was the wet mess coming out of him.
He had so little energy that opening his eyes and blinking made him sink back into a stupor. Moreover, his mouth was so dry that when he tried to call for help, no sound came out.
"Xianjun," said a soft voice beside him. "Drink, please. It's water."
Mo Ran held his head and lifted it up enough for Chu Wanning to offer him a drink of cold water. He was so thirsty that he drank four or five bowls of water until the liquid settled in his stomach and his head cleared, as if the sun had finally come out after a storm.
Ugh! He almost never got drunk, but after this experience, he vowed never to drink again.
He brought a hand to his forehead. It hurt slightly, but not as much as the rest of his body did.
"I brought you some food, Xianjun," said Mo Ran, handing him a tray with a bowl of congee, some vegetable buns and pieces of peeled fruit. He had also placed two osmanthus cakes on a small plate. “Please eat something before you go.”
“Mn.”
The truth was that he was very hungry, and coincidentally, he liked all the food that Mo Ran had chosen: it was not too spicy, it was sweet and it was light. So he said nothing more, silently grateful.
Mo Ran sat on a chair in front of the bed and watched him eat.
He was no longer wearing the translucent robe that had impressed him the night before. Instead, he was wearing simple work clothes like a kitchen assistant would wear. His hair was tied back in a ponytail again, this time with a piece of fabric similar to that used for his clothes.
Chu Wanning watched him closely as he ate.
Despite his humble attire and accommodating disposition, he appeared beautiful and stately. Moreover, he appeared completely composed, as if he hadn't assaulted Chu Wanning last night to the point of fainting. Even his face was glowing.
“Is it tasty?” the boy asked.
"It's not terrible."
Mo Ran smiled, moderately satisfied. His dimples appeared too, looking as charming as their owner.
"By the way, Mr Xue Zhengyong from Sisheng Peak left a message for you," Mo Ran said suddenly. Chu Wanning almost choked on his congee. He had completely forgotten about the sect leader. “He said not to worry about being late. He's happy to see that your greatest wish has been fulfilled. He won't say anything to... Meng-er? He's waiting to hear everything in great detail. Oh, and don't worry about my payment. Xue-daren gave it to me in kind."
Mo Ran showed him the four silvers ingots he had in his hand.
Chu Wanning wanted to throw the food tray out of the window. Xue Zhengyong! It was all his fault! He had even paid the prostitute boy the same amount that he charged for exorcisms!
Overwhelmed, he brought his hands to his face and was surprised to find that he was not wearing the silver mask.
He immediately turned to look at Mo Ran, who took the mask out of the folds of his robe. "I'm sorry, xianjun. You dropped it last night and I couldn't bring myself to put it back on you,” Mo Ran explained apologetically. Approaching him like a scolded puppy with his tail between his legs, he continued, "Actually, I kinda took it off... Don't be mad at me. Your face is so beautiful, I couldn't help myself.”
"What the hell are you talking about? Give me that.”
"I'm sorry."
"It had a spell on it. There's no way it could have fallen off like that," Chu Wanning muttered, genuinely curious.
"Well, maybe I wished for it so hard that it came true," the boy joked.
But instead of making him laugh or irritating him, it made him think.
Ever since he had met the boy, he had felt that there was something strange about him. Yes, he had been surprised by his natural strength and quick reflexes, but also by his almost preternatural intuition: as soon as they met, the boy guessed that Chu Wanning liked sweet things and that his eyes betrayed a sadness that no one else noticed. He called it a hunch, but Chu Wanning thought it might be something else.
Had he not seen him naked right away, he might have noticed it from the start.
Chu Wanning cleared his throat.
“Mo Ran. Can I borrow your hand for a moment?”
The boy didn't hesitate for a second; he held out his hand, palm up, and Chu Wanning took it, feeling extremely awkward. He scolded himself: 'Control yourself, man. You had sex with him for hours. He licked you in places you didn't even know existed. It's just his hand.' He placed two fingers on his wrist and, as he had suspected, discovered that Mo Ran was filled with such powerful spiritual energy that none of the Sisheng Peak elders could compare to him.
In his mind's eye, he could almost see the shape of his future core, if fate allowed him to cultivate one: huge and golden, like a heart bathed in liquid gold.
He stood very still for a while, admiring it. However, he said nothing.
As surprised as he was, he decided to consider things carefully first.
He ordered Mo Ran to fill a tub with hot water for him to bathe in, then took him out of the room while he prepared himself, piece by piece, to become the esteemed Yuheng Elder that the cultivation world knew so well. Finally, he put on the silver mask.
When he left the room, he was surprised to find the boy sitting outside, waiting for him.
Uncomfortable and unsure how to start a conversation, the two of them walked down the silent, incense- and wine-scented stairs of the brothel. Outside the Immortal Peach Pavilion, a carriage was waiting, apparently sent by Xue Zhengyong to take his fugitive master home without further trouble.
Mo Ran accompanied him to the carriage, looking sad and beaten up to see him go. Chu Wanning felt a stab of pain in his heart.
"Have you ever thought about cultivating?" he asked, seemingly indifferent.
“Cultivating?” Mo Ran repeated, opening and closing his eyes in confusion. "I mean, yes, I suppose so. But I don't know if I have the talent for it."
"You do," Chu Wanning assured him, sparingly.
He took the bag of money from between the layers of his robes (he had counted the money when he got dressed—Mo Ran hadn't touched a penny) and gave it to the boy, who received it with both hands.
"What the sect leader gave you and this should be enough for you to buy your freedom from this place. Once you do, come and find me," said Chu Wanning, climbing into the carriage and watching the utterly stunned expression on the boy's face. Now it was his turn to get revenge. "Although I warn you, I am not a kind teacher. I am strict and unpleasant, and I will not hesitate to make you understand, by hook or by crook.”
Then he signaled to the coachman to move on.
However, the boy ran after the carriage, still dazed by what had just happened. Chu Wanning pulled back the curtain to see him.
“Xianjun, xianjun! Tell me your name!” Mo Ran pleaded, his black hair dancing behind him as he fell further and further behind, unable to keep up with the horse.
Chu Wanning smiled. It was an unusual, sincere smile. Dual cultivation or not, it didn't matter. He wanted to help him. He wanted to see him again.
"If you want to find out, go to Sisheng Peak and look for me."