The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 238- 240

Chapter 238: A Stay in the Summer House, the Trade Caravan’s Entry into the City

Ling Zhang had no idea what had got into him. He’d actually done that with Yuwen Tong in the open air. On their way back, they encountered a couple of servants working in the manor. Although they greeted the two of them and paid their respects in the usual way and Ling Zhang was sure that nobody had seen what they’d just done under the tree, he still felt somewhat uneasy, an embarrassed look on his flushed face. Despite the after-effects and his fairly limp legs, he managed to draw Yuwen Tong off like the wind.

Yuwen Tong was being drawn forward by him, but Ling Zhang was faintly unsteady on his feet and his Qi circulation was slightly irregular as well, so he didn’t have the heart to let Ling Zhang tire himself any further, obediently following Ling Zhang who was merely holding the lower hem of his clothes.

There was a contented smile on the corners of his mouth. They had just made out a while ago, but seeing Ling Zhang’s adorable bearing, he still felt a surge of longing.

Ling Zhang was quickening his pace. Worrying that he was exhausting himself, Yuwen Tong took a stride forward catching up with him, his arm poised behind Ling Zhang’s waist. “Slow down a little bit.”

Ling Zhang, having just done something that he was afraid of being found out by others, wished he could grow wings and fly back indoors. He slapped Yuwen Tong’s arm away from his waist and grabbed Yuwen Tong’s wrist, drawing him forward even faster.

Yuwen Tong, both amused and somewhat resigned, had no choice but to speed along with Ling Zhang so that he wouldn’t tire himself out.

The two of them ran into Zhao Shude when they returned to the courtyard house. The butler had been fairly worried about his two masters who had gone out for quite a long time late at night. Distantly seeing Ling Zhang walking in this direction with Yuwen Tong in his wake, a blush on the former’s cheeks, a satisfied smile in the latter’s eyes, Zhao Shude who was not a fool could tell at a glance from the weird mood that something definitely had happened between the two of them.Read more chapters at ReadNovelFull.com

“You may go and rest, Uncle Zhao. It’s so late. Yao Yi and the others will be on guard. There’s nothing you need to be concerned about,” Yuwen Tong said to Zhao Shude.

Zhao Shude, having no intention of being the third wheel, gave a nod and took his leave.

After Zhao Shude left, the two of them had the house all to themselves. Yao Yi and the others had got bathwater ready in the bathroom some time ago. In this kind of weather, it would be preferable to have a cold shower. Besides, the two of them had just had some passionate moments, and both their bodies felt somewhat sticky and sweaty, so they directly went to the bathroom without further ado.

Finally, the two of them had some private space. Ling Zhang quickly stripped off and then Yuwen Tong walked inside. “Let’s bathe together.”

Ling Zhang’s legs still felt weak. A while ago the two of them had stopped at the third base as the last time, but Yuwen Tong had been…

His crotch was red even at this moment!

“Get out. I’ll bathe first. You may come in after I finish my bath.”

Yuwen Tong closed the door without turning around, walked over and got undressed even faster than Ling Zhang. “That’ll be such a waste of time. It’ll be quicker if we bathe together.”

Ling Zhang, “…”

His eyes accidentally fell on something private and he flushed scarlet and spun around. Originally he had planned to scoop water with a water ladle to have a shower, but now he wanted to go straight into the bathtub and crouch in it.

However, he had just swiveled around when Yuwen Tong held him around the middle from behind, his warm even slightly scalding skin against his. Ling Zhang’s scalp instantly prickled. He turned to look at Yuwen Tong only to find his lips met those of Yuwen Tong who had clearly been waiting for this…

…

They were supposed to feel cool and refreshed after this bath, but when it was over, Ling Zhang was totally limp and bodily carried out of the bathroom by Yuwen Tong, wearing thin underclothing, terribly drowsy.

Yuwen Tong put him down on the bed. Ling Zhang comfortably let out a sigh on the cool bamboo sleeping mat, turned over and lay prostrate on it. In a quick surge of sleepiness, he closed his eyes, ignoring Yuwen Tong, and drifted off almost in an instant.

Yuwen Tong, worried that he might catch a cold, put a thin quilt over his waist, and then his palm slid downwards until it reached Ling Zhang’s perfectly round nice buttocks. He gently kneaded it in satisfaction for a while and then got into bed as well and lay down beside Ling Zhang. After a few moments’ thought, he put his arm around Ling Zhang and drew him over to his chest.

Ling Zhang, who was going into deeper sleep, subconsciously gave Yuwen Tong a push after being taken into his embrace, but his arm was limp, and this push devoid of strength. Yuwen Tong comfily squinted his eyes, took Ling Zhang’s hand and kissed it.

“Stop that,” sniffed half-asleep Ling Zhang in a barely audible voice.

Smiling, Yuwen Tong gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Sleep. I won’t cause any more disturbance.”

Ling Zhang said no more. After an unknown amount of time, feeling a little hot in Yuwen Tong’s arms, he turned over in an unconscious effort to get away from the heat source and return to the cool, comfy part of the bamboo sleeping mat. After Ling Zhang lay prostrate in a spot further away from him, Yuwen Tong moved over, put a hand onto his waist and drew him closer to his chest. Soon, Ling Zhang was in a sleeping position where his back was against Yuwen Tong’s breast, Yuwen Tong’s arms around him.

Too sleepy to make any more efforts to get rid of him, Ling Zhang angrily gave him a kick and then gradually fell into a sound sleep, a faint snore issuing from his nostrils.

This sound was, for all intents and purposes, celestial music to Yuwen Tong, who finally closed his eyes in contentment.

It was a very good night’s sleep, and Ling Zhang missed his usual morning cultivation the next day. The exuberant tree in front of the courtyard house they stayed in, which blocked the morning sunlight, was also responsible for this. Its dense foliage kept sunlight from reaching the rooftop as well. And there were also some Nan bamboos (phyllostachys pubescens) growing in a corner of the backyard. Though servants had been taking care of them making sure they didn’t overgrow the whole place, those tall bamboos in the corner also overshadowed part of the house. On top of this, there were some ingenious horticultural designs around the house, so even when the sun was riding high, it’d still be bracing inside.

This courtyard house was a summer home. Since the weather was getting hotter by the day, Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang had chosen to stay in this place, which had turned out to be a wise decision.

Seeing the daylight, Ling Zhang who had just woken up came to know that it was pretty late, that he’d overslept.

Yuwen Tong was sitting in a deck chair in the house reading a book, wearing thin underclothing, looking as if he had been staying indoors all along.

Ling Zhang, who could barely remember any occasions when Yuwen Tong had dressed like this at home reading a book in a lying position, couldn’t help but feel somewhat surprised. “You didn’t go out?”

Yuwen Tong put down his book. It seemed that he had been totally absorbed in the book, which was why he hadn’t noticed earlier that Ling Zhang had awoken. He tossed the book aside, rose to his feet and walked up to him. “How did you sleep last night?”

The night before, they first made out in a pitch-dark spot in the manor, and then once again in the bathroom, but Ling Zhang’s constitution had been greatly improved by dint of cultivation of internal energy. As a result, though he had felt very drowsy before turning in, now after a good night’s sleep, he felt fully refreshed and very comfortable.

Ling Zhang shook his head, got out of bed and stretched. “Not bad. This place is pretty comfy. It’s still very cool in here at this hour of the day.”

There wasn’t a house in the Ling Mansion in the capital city that was so liveable. It was getting hotter and hotter, and sometimes when he woke up in the morning in the Ling Mansion, he could feel his underclothing cling to his body due to sweat.

“If only I could stay here for the whole summer,” Ling Zhang couldn’t help but say wistfully.

Yuwen Tong responded, “We can stay here and wait until summer is over to return to the city if you want.”

Ling Zhang said, “I still have to go to the Imperial College. Also there’s no way you could idle around in this manor all summer. So forget about it.”

Yuwen Tong didn’t think this was merely a fond hope. As long as Ling Zhang really wanted to do this, he definitely would figure out a way to make it happen.

Since he felt cool and comfortable, there was no need for him to take a morning bath. After a quick wash, he combed his hair, changed and took a couple of bites of breakfast to ease his hunger. There would be a hearty lunch at noon.

Before lunch, Wang Dashan came over to Ling Zhang’s place and reported, “Young Master, Supervisor Wang said that the trade caravan had entered the city, and all herbs had been unloaded. He checked them all and no problem was found. They have started purchasing goods as planned, and the caravan will be ready to set off to return to Tanyang in a couple of days.”

Ling Zhang was happy to hear this. “Tell him I got the message, that I’ll reward him after going back. Remind him to pay extra attention to the procurement and see to it that nothing goes awry.”

Wang Dashan inclined his head. “Yes, Young Master.”

Originally Ling Zhang had wanted to do this himself, but the recent events had upset his plans, so he had had no choice but to put Wang Qing in charge of it. Wang Qing had proved himself a competent supervisor, and there hadn’t been a single matter that Ling Zhang had had to personally intervene to help handle.

Wang Qing and Li Sicai shared the responsibility for the procurement of goods to be transported back to Tanyang. Wang Qing was mainly in charge of the purchase of herbs and didn’t really have much acquaintance with other commodities. Li Sicai had specially visited all trading centers in the capital city recently and, with Yuwen Tong as a backer, had also modestly consulted many outstanding merchants in various industries and learned a lot, adequately preparing himself, which was why Ling Zhang believed he could relax safe knowing this task was in Li Sicai’s capable hands.

During the process, Xia Feng in the Ling Mansion had rid himself of the need of Li Sicai’s assistance. He had changed considerably these days. Everything in the Ling Mansion was neat and in order under his watch. Even at the time when Yuwen Tong had been faking his serious injuries and the Ling Mansion had been in disarray, Xia Feng had still managed to retain his composure. Because of his presence, none of the servants in the mansion had buckled at the knees or fainted even when faced with the emperor. Everything had been dealt with in a proper and orderly fashion, which had greatly gratified Ling Zhang.

In the trading center, an auspicious date for the grand opening of the drugstore had been selected, all in readiness.

Also, the general storekeeper of the Jiang’s Drugstore Chain had specially helped with the publicity, offering them a lot of constructive suggestions. Ling Zhang, after taking into consideration all others’ opinions and his own judgement, had invitations sent to all those whom he should invite, and soon received their replies promising that they would go to the drugstore on the day of the grand opening to offer their congratulations to him.

Half of the invitees were people that either Ling Zhang himself or Li Sicai or Wang Qing had had some dealings with recently. Some others had been introduced to him by the general storekeeper of the Jiang’s Drugstore Chain. Of course, there were also some invitations that had been sent merely because it was the right thing to do according to the professional etiquette. Although Ling Zhang had Yuwen Tong at his back, he had no intention of taking advantage of this to do whatever pleased him. Opening a drugstore was only the first step. Adapting himself to the rules of this industry and socializing more with other practitioners would help him better integrate into this business, avoid giving rise to anybody’s displeasure with or exclusion of him, and spare himself needless trouble as well.

Sure enough, not all his invitations had been replied in the affirmative. Some had been ignored. All these people had powerful backers to rely on, and their disregard of the invitations provided much food for thought. Ling Zhang put their names down but had no intention of sending men to ask them about the reason. He just told his men to have half an eye on news concerning these people, planning to stand by first and wait until identities of these people’s respective backers were ascertained to decide what he should do next.

Chapter 239: Till Death Do Us Apart

Although having not given a definite answer to that question of Yuwen Tong’s yet, he and Yuwen Tong were no doubt getting married, given how much their relationship had advanced.

Yuwen Tong clearly had come to know his thoughts, which was why he had acted much more boldly the last few times they’d made out. Yuwen Tong had sounded him out every time, and maybe the next time he would… Ling Zhang dismissed this thought from his mind and raised his head, pondering, ‘I’m a man as well. I shouldn’t resign myself to this situation so easily. It’s true that my kung fu is not as good as his, but if I put more efforts into it, maybe the next time I’ll be the one on top. If I don’t give it a try, I’ll never know for sure whether it’s possible or not. So I must not give up. Next time I’ve got to find a chance and get on top of Yuwen Tong.’

Seeing the weird glint mixed with a faraway expression in his eyes, which was somewhat spooky, Yuwen Tong couldn’t help but ask, “What are you thinking?”

“I… Nothing. It’s just that Uncle Zhao said there’d be a hearty lunch at noon, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Ling Zhang, who trusted Yuwen Tong wholeheartedly, had been immersed in thought when he’d heard Yuwen Tong’s question, and he’d almost made an honest response subconsciously. Fortunately he’d realized what he was talking about and stopped himself in time from letting the cat out of the bag.

Yuwen Tong knew Ling Zhang too well to fall for these words. Besides, the look on Ling Zhang’s face just now hadn’t really been like that of someone thinking about lunch; in fact, it had seemed that he was pondering over something strange, and he had specially kept it back from him… Did it have anything to do with him, by any chance?

Yuwen Tong had quite some speculations in his mind, but though he was resourceful and secretive and had many a conjecture, he still couldn’t guess what Ling Zhang had thought about just now. After all, the Marshal who had always been very confident had never considered the possibility of anybody getting on top of him some day.

…

On that day, the lunch was indeed sumptuous. There was meat of pheasants and roe deer, which Yao Yi and some others had personally caught on the hill behind the manor; there was also some kind of vine with small, oval leaves, which tasted somewhat bitter and was typically used for preparing drugs, but which, when dried and added to pheasant soup, imparted to the soup an appetizing flavor leading people to endless aftertastes. This kind of soup was particularly suitable to drink in this season. Ling Zhang’s eyes glinted with sheer contentment every time he took a sip of it.

Also, the braised chicken nuggets were extremely tantalizing and tender. The roe deer meat had no strong smell and was so delicious that Ling Zhang nearly bit his tongue. The former chef in the manor was said to be a mess cook serving in the army under the command of Old General Yuwen. He’d been a famous chef before joining the army. After being wounded in a war when serving in the old general’s unit, he’d come to the capital city, and all his family had been living in this manor since then. The current chef was the former one’s son, and his culinary skill was just as consummate as, if not better than, that of the head chef of the Taibai Tavern.

The day before, the reason why he and Yuwen Tong ended up doing that under a tree was because he overate first and then went on an after-dinner walk with Yuwen Tong. Therefore, earlier this day Ling Zhang had planned to control his portion. Besides, it was noon, and the weather was hot; there was no place out there suitable for an after-meal walk, so Ling Zhang really didn’t want to overeat, but… he still did. Had Yuwen Tong not stopped him, he would have consumed another bowl of soup.

Ling Zhang, feeling that he had so little self-control, reproached himself for quite a while after having his fill of food and drink.

Yuwen Tong, however, believed this couldn’t have been more normal, for Ling Zhang had barely reached adulthood and was still growing, and any virile young man at his age was in a period of his life when his appetite was supposed to be the heartiest. Furthermore, he had been practicing kung fu, which entailed a lot of strenuous exercise, and the day before the two of them had several consecutive bouts of making out, too. It would’ve astonished him had Ling Zhang managed to keep from overeating.

Since it was inadvisable to go for a stroll, Ling Zhang had no alternative but to sit for a while and then slowly walk around the house along the corridor outside.

“Alas, I feel an old man,” Ling Zhang sighed.

“There’s no need to rush into your advanced years,” remarked Yuwen Tong. He had almost blurted, “I’m sure I’ll beat you to an old age,” but forborne to do so after a brief trance. He didn’t want to say that. Merely in his late twenties as he was, he had an illusion that he was Ling Zhang’s senior by many years. Before this day he had never felt this way, and on this occasion it suddenly struck him like a stab in his heart.

He also recalled that Ling Zhang had once told him his grandfather was wearing a disguise, that his true face actually looked as young as that of a thirty-year-old man. Ling Zhang had started cultivating internal energy following the mental method of the Millennium Pavilion – did it mean that he’d appear young in his declining years like his grandfather?

For an instant, Yuwen Tong was panic-stricken. He scrupulously searched his brain trying to find out whether the cultivation method he’d been following would generate the same effects as that of the cultivation method of the Millennium Pavilion. After a few moments, he came back to his senses and remembered that ageless appearance resulted solely from powerful internal energy. Given that the cultivation method he’d been following was also top-notch and not necessarily inferior to that of the Millennium Pavilion, he believed as long as he put more effort into his cultivation and reached a higher level, he would be able to retain his thirty-year-old looks as Ling Zhang’s grandfather did.

As this thought occurred to him, he felt that this was a task which virtually brooked no delay. Yuwen Tong had always regarded himself as a boor and had never paid much attention to how he looked, but surprisingly, after he started a romantic relationship with Ling Zhang, he’d grown to care about his appearance so much.

Ling Zhang was unaware that a flurry of thoughts had flitted across Yuwen Tong’s mind in a brief instant. After hearing Yuwen Tong say there was no need to hurry into his advanced years, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Do you think there’ll be a day when the two of us need the help of walking sticks to have a walk in this place? If that’s the case, we’ll be supporting each other – two old men strolling around, each holding a walking stick – I bet that’ll be quite a funny scene.”

The whirl of thoughts in Yuwen Tong’s mind quieted as he heard this remark of Ling Zhang’s, the look in his eyes growing mild. Ling Zhang had already started picturing the two of them leaning on canes in the evening of their lives, walking hand in hand. Didn’t that mean the two of them growing old in each other’s company till death did them apart?

“I’ll carry you on my back if you’re too old to walk,” said Yuwen Tong.

On hearing this, Ling Zhang gave a snort, wanting to say that there was no telling who’d be the one needing to be carried, but then he suddenly recollected that Yuwen Tong was older than him. What if Yuwen Tong died of old age before him? Ling Zhang felt a twitch of panic, subconsciously dismissed this idea from his mind and said, “Then you’ll have to pay extra attention to your balance when you’re carrying me. I’m still growing and have been eating a lot. I’m sure I’ll be quite heavy when I’m old.”

Yuwen Tong smiled, “Rest assured, I won’t let you fall.”

Thinking that it would be quite fun being carried by him, Ling Zhang stopped this walk, stepped back inside and said, “Come on. I’ll let you have a try in a while.”

His eyes glinting dangerously, Yuwen Tong looked at him. Have a try? He could lift him up with one hand, not to mention carrying him on his back.

Of course he would carry him, but…

Yuwen Tong reached out a hand to stroke Ling Zhang’s belly and said with a worried face, “It’s so much bigger. How did you manage to stuff all those in it, anyway?”

‘I should keep an eye on him from now on. Binge eating is definitely bad for his health.’

Ling Zhang had no idea what Yuwen Tong had just made up his mind to do, that in the future, whenever Yuwen Tong was having dinner with him, he would always be stopped from eating more after having a moderate portion, no matter how delicious the food was, and there would be several occasions when he, in his anxiety, was only too anxious to eat Yuwen Tong alive.

Sure enough Ling Zhang was unaware of any of these at this moment. He removed Yuwen Tong’s hand from his belly and said, “Keep your hand under control.”

Something occurred to Yuwen Tong and he dissolved into snicker.

At first Ling Zhang was confused as to what was so funny, and after a few moments, he got a shrewd idea of it and chucked Yuwen Tong out of the house into the sun.

Yuwen Tong raised his head to look into the sky, feeling the sultry air. Thinking that it was about time, he drew Ling Zhang outside and the two of them slowly walked towards the hill behind the manor.

“Your stomach will feel much better by the time we reach the pavilion.”

They made some preparations the day before. Also, Zhao Shude had some time ago had the pavilion cleaned. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong, each wearing a large bamboo hat to shield themselves against the sunlight, headed for the hill at a gentle pace. When they were on the hill, there was a lot of tree shade and the bamboo hats were no longer necessary, so they took them off, carrying them with their hands.

When they’d been wearing the bamboo hats, the two of them had had to walk with a certain distance between them. Now the bamboo hats were no longer a problem, so Yuwen Tong took Ling Zhang’s hat, stacked it on top of his, carried them with one hand and reached out the other hand to hold Ling Zhang’s.

Ling Zhang, whose palm was wet with sweat because of this, grumbled about it but made no attempt to withdraw his hand.

There were cicadas singing on the trees all around. Though the weather was very hot, minds of the two of them were in perfect peace.

All bloodshed and fighting in the border areas as well as those interfering troublemakers in the capital city had been ejected from Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang’s heads respectively.

Yuwen Tong, holding Ling Zhang’s hand, walked to the pavilion located on the hillside. In front of the pavilion on its side stood a tree as big as the one outside the courtyard house in the manor that they stayed in. Yuwen Tong said that this tree had been transplanted here under his grandfather’s orders during the construction of this pavilion, that the tree had been sizeable at that time, and now it was even larger.

The towering tree was of a height greater than that of the two-storied pavilion, overshadowing it.

Hanging from protruding cornices on the rooftop of the pavilion were many eaves-bells, which made a pleasant jingling sound when wind blew by.

The pavilion covered a considerable area. In front of it was an even open space, and there were stone tables and stone chairs under the towering tree. Areas on the two sides of the building had also been paved. Standing beneath the tree, Ling Zhang could even hear the sound of water gurgling.

Yuwen Tong walked over and said, “Behind the mound on this side of the pavilion is a small waterfall and a lake.” Then he led Ling Zhang round the giant tree behind which was a walkway with steps built with rock. Proceeding along the walkway, they turned a corner and their view suddenly widened. In front of them was a lake, beside which was a small waterfall. Because of the hot and rainless spell, the water was not abundant, but it was quite cool. Trees flanked the lake and the falls, shielding them from the sun.

A winding brook was carrying water of the lake away down an incline. It was not steep, so the water was not flowing very fast.

“This stream leads to the manor. The water in the lake at the Roosting Dragonfly Pavilion comes from this place,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang’s eyes slightly brightened. He scooped up some water with his hands and splashed it on his face. “It feels pretty cool.”

Right at this moment, the sky began to darken slowly, the sunlight gradually blocked, wind starting to blow in gusts.

“A heavy shower is coming. Let’s go back to the pavilion first. We may have another stroll after the rain,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang rose to his feet and headed back with him. When they reached the pavilion, it was already very dark, branches of trees on the hill wobbling in the wind, their leaves whooshing, Ling Zhang’s robes fluttering as well. The sultriness of the weather was being blown away by the wind, and the rain was looming, a boundless canopy of black clouds overhead.

Chapter 240: Watching the Falling Rain in a Pavilion with a Happy Marshal

Yuwen Tong immediately grabbed Ling Zhang’s hand, drew him into the pavilion and shut the doors and all the windows.

They were in such a haste that Ling Zhang didn’t have the time to observe the place. He only knew that this floor was pretty spacious.

Yuwen Tong took him to the second floor which was actually a bedroom, a quite roomy one. There were bookshelves, a desk, armchairs as well as a weapon rack on which a sword was placed.

The side windows of the bedroom had been closed, but it was totally fine to leave the one facing the manor at the foot of the hill open, for there was a balustraded balcony outside them. Yuwen Tong left the front window ajar and stood beside it with Ling Zhang, watching the pouring rain accompanied by howling winds outside.

The sky was now completely dark, and the rain was very heavy. Also, the raindrops were falling diagonally. Fortunately, the wind was not blowing squarely towards the pavilion, or else the raindrops would’ve been thundering on the front window.

Looking out through the gap between the window and its frame, they couldn’t even get a clear view of the manor at the foot of the hill due to the torrential rain, let alone places further away. And they were smelling wet dirt. Large clouds of vapour were floating amid the woods, carrying the heat from the ground into the air.

The two of them sat down beside the window. Yuwen Tong fished out a chess board and they finished a game of chess to the rainstorm ongoing outside.

This downpour after noon which had come abruptly stopped in equal haste, and a while later the hot vapor rising from the ground lifted, and the wind became much cooler.

Drops of water were dripping down emerald green leaves washed by the heavy rain. The windows of the pavilion had been opened, and sitting in the room, they could enjoy the scenery on the foot of the hill.

The chess board had been put away. Yuwen Tong found a small jar of wine somewhere. As the mud seal was removed, the aroma of the wine instantly pervaded the whole pavilion. Ling Zhang took a deep sniff of it, staring at the jar, his eyes glinting longingly.

Yuwen Tong had everything planned out the day before, so of course this jar of wine had been prepared quite some time beforehand.

Although the rain had come to an end, the sky was still shrouded in clouds and leaden. Also, bracing breezes were blowing in from all sides through windows in the walls, and the mugginess of the noon was long gone. There was mist coiling around the hill opposite this one, and the view was very enjoyable.

Ling Zhang’s eyes had been fixed on the jar all along since he’d smelled the aroma of the wine. Yuwen Tong holding the jar walked towards him, raised the jar and took a mouthful of the wine. When he reached the front of Ling Zhang, he put his arm around his waist and kissed him, the wine going from his mouth to Ling Zhang’s as their tongues intertwined.

A gust of wind whistled in from the outside, fluttering the lower hems of their robes. It was cool, but both the two of them had fire in their chests at this moment. As the pungent wine coursed into their stomachs, their lips inched apart, but they were still very close to each other, face to face. Yuwen Tong slightly lowered his head, his forehead against Ling Zhang’s, barely any distance between the tips of their noses, the scent of wine wafting around them. Ling Zhang failed to refrain first, gently rubbed the tip of his nose against that of Yuwen Tong’s and tilted his head, but what he said was, “Another gulp.”

Yuwen Tong chuckled, straightened himself, his arm still around Ling Zhang’s waist, lifted the jar with the other hand and took another mouthful of the wine, which the two of them shared as they had done a few moments ago.

After the second gulp of wine was consumed, Ling Zhang found his breathing somewhat uneven. Just now Yuwen Tong had deliberately held him tightly kissing him hard, almost leaving him unable to catch his breath.

“This is the best wine I’ve ever had,” Yuwen Tong remarked significantly and then lowered his head to give the edge of Ling Zhang’s red lip another peck.

Ling Zhang’s waist had gone a trifle limp. Maybe because what they did the night before was too vigorous, his body still had quite vivid memories of it. Waves of numbness mixed with weakness were spreading through his back, softening him quicker than usual.

Naturally Yuwen Tong had perceived Ling Zhang’s physical reaction, holding Ling Zhang around the middle, his hands moving downwards…

The look in his eyes which were gazing at Ling Zhang was also slowly changing, his longing move intense than ever. Though not a word had been uttered, he had come to know Ling Zhang’s answer, and his self-restraint was overwhelmed by the temptation. On the previous few occasions, he had taken tentative steps trying to help Ling Zhang adjust. At the thought that he was going to get what he wanted on this day, even his eyeballs felt hot. He heavily pinned Ling Zhang to him with his arm on Ling Zhang’s hips, and in the instant their bodies impacted on each other, both of them couldn’t help but let out a short sigh in their heads.

Maybe because of the aroma of the wine about him, Ling Zhang felt his body burning up very quick. Though Yuwen Tong’s body was clearly even hotter, he still found himself involuntarily clinging tighter to Yuwen Tong. His sparkling eyes now had a layer of mist over. He blinked in an effort to disperse the hot fog to get a better view, oblivious of the fact that he swallowed hard in spite of himself, his plump, smooth-skinned and rosy lips twitching, his Adam’s apple briefly rolling, a groan escaping from his throat.

The expression in Yuwen Tong’s eyes abruptly changed once again. He inclined his head and clamped Ling Zhang’s lips, which were so tempting that even his eyeballs were burning, between his teeth, nibbling and rubbing them. With a bang, the jar of wine was put down onto the table, and he flung the now-available hand to the back of Ling Zhang’s head to help him withstand his increasingly vigorous kiss.

After a while, Ling Zhang panting raised his neck, gripping Yuwen Tong’s shoulders, more pressing Yuwen Tong tighter against him than pushing him away.

Yuwen Tong’s hands had moved to Ling Zhang’s back, supporting him, nibbling from his plump and smooth lips all the way downwards. Ling Zhang’s collar had been loosened some time ago, hanging over his half-naked shoulders. Yuwen Tong’s lips came to a fleeting pause as they reached a particular part of Ling Zhang’s body, his eyes staring fixedly at it. Merely a brief moment’s gaze made his throat unbearably dry, and only by resuming the kiss would he be able to ease this thirst which was making his blood boil.

…

When Ling Zhang sat down on the windowsill, his robes had been taken off and were on the crook of his arm. He bowed his head to look at the man who would stop at nothing to drain the last bit of energy from his body. The mist of tears that had been lingering in his eyes all along finally flowed down his cheeks, mixing with sweat, and dripped onto Yuwen Tong, his hands tightly clutching on to the window frames, his knuckles white due to the strain, his toes curling hard, his insteps tense.

…

The lamplight from the manor at the foot of the hill marked the fall of night. Clouds in the sky had been dispersed by the wind some time ago, countless stars twinkling in it. On the desk near the front window was the only lighted oil lamp in the pavilion. The pool of its dim light could barely cover the whole room. On the bed not far away, a quilt was churning violently, clothes scattered all over the ground. A small and exquisite fat-bellied porcelain bottle had fallen to a pile of garments, overturned, giving off a faint unique perfume. It was empty, something wet and creamy remaining on its opening, and a small amount of the substance had stained the clothes beneath it.

…

Purr…

It was the grumbling of his stomach that woke Ling Zhang up. He tried to open his eyes only to find them so sore that he had to leave them shut. When he moved his body, the soreness in his waist and back was so sharp that his face twisted for an instant. He had no alternative but to flex his hands first and then fumbled on the bed, but before he could find anything, a warm palm sneaked beneath the thin quilt, grabbed his hand and brought it back inside.

He was shrouded in heat waves from a giant stove at the bedside. To make things worse, Yuwen Tong was cuddling up against him tightly.

All his memories of what happened the day before in the afternoon and at night came flooding back. For a moment Ling Zhang’s mind was blank. They’d stayed here for so long…

“You’re awake. I heard your stomach rumble.”

Yuwen Tong gave him a kiss on the top of his head, stretching his arm to hold him tighter.

Ling Zhang, who ached all over with even the slightest moment of his body, gulped painfully.

Yuwen Tong was briefly stupefied and then quickly let go of him, sat up and said worriedly, “You feel awful?”

Ling Zhang, after waiting a few moments for the pain to ease, felt anger surging inside him at this question. Wasn’t it obvious enough?!

Yuwen Tong, who came to realize that he’d asked a stupid question, didn’t dare touch Ling Zhang any more. After thinking for a while, he gingerly helped Ling Zhang turn over, and then got out of bed and brought back something. Ling Zhang felt him applying something ointment-like to his waist and legs, which was giving off the smell of some kind of medicinal herb.

And then Yuwen Tong started massaging Ling Zhang, who gasped again at the first press. “Gently!” he huffed.

Yuwen Tong lowered his head to give him a kiss and then resumed kneading his waist more lightly. Even so, Ling Zhang still found it painful, but he endured it in the knowledge that the suffering would only be longer if he refused to let Yuwen Tong massage his aching muscles hard enough.

Aside from the soreness, he felt fine. Even his private parts were not really miserable. He vaguely remembered that the night before, Yuwen Tong holding him gave him a quick wash and then applied some kind of drug on his intimate parts.

Ling Zhang’s annoyance resulted from the soreness dissolved considerably and he groaned.

On hearing his groan, Yuwen Tong, who was massaging him sparing no efforts, looked at Ling Zhang’s body, took a deep breath and said, “I might lose control of myself if you don’t stop groaning.”

Ling Zhang, “…”

Lying propped against the pillow, Ling Zhang said, “I feel miserable,” in a soft and aggrieved tone of voice.

Feeling an instant twinge of overwhelming guilt, Yuwen Tong leaned over with his whole body against Ling Zhang but not putting any weight on him, kissed him on the cheek and apologized, “It was all my fault. I should’ve shown more self-restraint,’ in the tone of someone whose heart was aching.

But if he were to travel back in time, Yuwen Tong felt that he still wouldn’t be able to control himself.

In fact his mind was wandering right now. He didn’t need to relive the night before; the familiar touch of his body on Ling Zhang’s alone was turning him…

Subduing his impulsion, he cajoled Ling Zhang for quite a while. It was not until Ling Zhang urged him to resume the massage that he rose to his feet and continued kneading his aching muscles.

Ling Zhang was lying prostrate, his flushed face buried in the pillow. Yuwen Tong’s words embarrassed him so badly that he felt he might have trouble showing his face again.

Yuwen Tong, suppressing his various wild fantasies and impulsion, massaged Ling Zhang’s whole body, helped him put on his underclothes, which had been prepared in advance, then held Ling Zhang in his arms and made out with him for quite a while before assisting Ling Zhang out of bed and dressed. The twinkle in his eyes had never disappeared for a single instant since he’d opened them. This was the first time that Yuwen Tong had experienced the contentment coming with the fulfillment of his wish, and he was only too anxious to draw Ling Zhang into his embrace and just stay where they were, but Ling Zhang was hungry and he had to fill his sweetheart’s belly as soon as possible.