Chapter 44#

Taking Down That Gentleman (7)#

When Sang Xinghe rounded the screen and walked to the bedside, he saw the silhouette flickering behind the bedcurtains.

He exhaled a cloud of turbid air, gritted his teeth, and turned his back once more. He recited every Buddhist scripture he knew several times in his heart, his hatred for Yu Ci, the root cause of all this, deepening with each repetition.

How could there be such a bastard as Yu Ci in this world?

Last time, he had almost done something terrible to that person, but fortunately, he had been knocked unconscious by the candlestick.

Sang Xinghe had seen that candlestick at the time, but he had not dodged.

The other party was innocent; the only despicable one was Yu Ci.

He could not do anything excessive to that person.

Yet no matter how many Buddhist scriptures Sang Xinghe recited in his heart, he found his attention increasingly drawn to the person on the bed. He could even clearly hear the sound of the other pulling at the soft silk.

This time, the Left Protector, to prevent Sang Xinghe from being knocked out again, had nailed all dangerous objects like candlesticks firmly in place, making them impossible to lift. Sang Xinghe couldn’t even get Shen Jue to hit him again even if he wanted to.

Sang Xinghe closed his eyes, pressing his nails into his palm until they left bloody marks, but it was useless. His mind grew more and more chaotic, yet his body became increasingly sensitive. This torment felt like being caught between fire and ice—above the neck, ice; below the neck, flames.

He didn’t know how long passed before he finally let out a low gasp and, with difficulty, turned and walked toward the bed.

He gently lifted the curtain, and when he saw the scene before him, his breath almost caught in his throat.

This time, to ensure their union, the Left Protector had even dressed Shen Jue in an unbearably sheer garment. As the saying goes, the most alluring things are often those that are half-concealed.

Shen Jue caught sight of Sang Xinghe, twisted around, and started biting at the soft silk binding his wrists. But he had been given a powder that weakened his tendons, leaving him limp and powerless. He bit for a long time but couldn’t break it. Instead, his twisting motion revealed his slender figure.

He was like a beautiful bow, pulled to its utmost limit.

While Shen Jue was struggling to bite through the silk, his face was suddenly yanked back by a large hand.

“Forgive me,” Sang Xinghe’s voice came from above. “I have offended you.”

After just one round, Sang Xinghe felt his internal energy return to his body. He was startled by the Heavenly Luo Body’s constitution, and his movements unconsciously became gentler. He even untied the soft silk binding the other’s hands and feet. The moment Shen Jue was freed, he kicked Sang Xinghe with all his remaining strength. Seeing Shen Jue kick him, Sang Xinghe released him and dodged to the side.

Taking advantage of Sang Xinghe’s dodge, Shen Jue scrambled to get off the bed, but as soon as his foot touched the ground, he collapsed weakly to the floor. Before he could crawl forward a few more steps, he was scooped back onto the bed by the person behind him.

The candles burned down to a remnant of red wax, and the room was thick with fragrance.

By the time Sang Xinghe’s medicinal properties had fully dissipated, the sky was already tinged with blue. He got off the bed, glanced at the clothes scattered all over the floor, and a flicker of embarrassment passed across his brows. He walked to the wardrobe in the room, took out a set of clothes to wear, and selected another set in a lighter color.

He carried that set of clothes to the bedside, let out a soft breath, and then reached out to lift the curtain.

The person on the bed had already fallen into a deep sleep. Though a mask covered his face, Sang Xinghe could tell that the other had been crying—tears had traced a path from his chin down to his neck. Sang Xinghe draped the clothes over the sleeping person and let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

Ultimately, he had overstepped last night.

The other couldn’t speak, couldn’t even make a sound when crying. By the time Sang Xinghe noticed, tears had already soaked half the pillow.

Sang Xinghe had always prided himself on his composure, but now he realized that men in bed were almost all the same—even if they felt pity, it only made their movements slightly gentler. At this moment, Sang Xinghe felt both ashamed and lost, even harboring a faint sense of disgust.

What difference was there between his current behavior and that of villains like Yu Ci?

Sang Xinghe had always looked down on those who used the Heavenly Luo Body to train their martial arts, and now he had become one of them. This realization filled him not only with disgust for himself but also with disgust for Shen Jue on the bed.

Why did this depraved clan called the Heavenly Luo Body have to exist in the world?

Sang Xinghe had once hunted down a notorious demon in the martial world. Even while fleeing for his life, the demon had insisted on bringing his Heavenly Luo Body along, even committing indecent acts on the road that sullied people’s eyes. Back then, Sang Xinghe felt so nauseated he wanted to vomit, but the demon, even at the brink of death, was still fixated on his Heavenly Luo Body. He even asked Sang Xinghe to kill that Heavenly Luo Body.

“I won’t rest easy in hell without him accompanying me on the journey.”

Some said the Heavenly Luo Body was like a flower that bloomed only in bed—a flower of extreme seduction.

Now, Sang Xinghe truly understood the truth of those words.

In fact, by the middle of the night, his medicinal effects had mostly worn off. With his self-control, he should have been able to restrain himself, but he couldn’t. He was utterly unable to hold back. Last night, he was just like every other ugly man driven by desire. Sang Xinghe thought mockingly: perhaps he was never any different from other men; it was just the Heavenly Luo Body in the bed that had revealed his true nature.

…

Yu Ci stared at the Left Protector with an unfriendly gaze. “It’s done?”

The Left Protector bowed his head. “It’s done.”

“How is he?” Yu Ci asked.

The Left Protector pondered for a moment. “If the Island Lord is asking about Grand Hero Sang, then he’s doing as well as can be expected. I observed that he’s full of vitality now, though his expression isn’t too pleasant.”

Yu Ci snorted. “These righteous types are all the same. A few more rounds, and we’ll see if he still prattles on about propriety and virtue.” Having finished his questions, he had no interest in continuing to chat with the Left Protector, so he waved his hand dismissively. “Get out.”

The Left Protector acknowledged with a “yes,” but didn’t leave. “Island Lord, previously you instructed that Grand Hero Sang be fed the medicine every night. Should we perhaps ease up now? For example, skip a day or two? That Heavenly Luo Body is new to this, and he can’t even get out of bed yet.”

When he had gone to pick up Shen Jue this morning, he was shocked—he hadn’t expected that Sang Xinghe, who appeared to be a refined gentleman on the surface, was no different from a wolf starved for over twenty years in private. He had delivered the person in fragrant condition last night, but when he retrieved him, there was hardly an inch of unblemished skin left on his body. He wondered how many rounds they’d gone through last night.

Upon hearing the Left Protector’s words, Yu Ci narrowed his eyes. “Are you feeling sorry for that Heavenly Luo Body?”

The Left Protector quickly shook his head. “Of course not. I was just thinking that feeding Grand Hero Sang medicine every day might be too much for his body, especially since he’s only just regained some internal energy.”

Yu Ci curled his lip. “Fine. Do as you suggest. But keep a close watch on him. If…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but the Left Protector understood his meaning.

“Island Lord, rest assured. I will kill Shen Jue before anything happens,” the Left Protector said.

But in his heart, he thought: How can matters of the heart be predicted?

If two people spend every night together, skin touching skin, even the most iron-hearted person would start to feel differently about the other, wouldn’t they?

After the Left Protector left, Yu Ci smashed the teacup beside his hand.

Staring at the shattered pieces scattered across the floor, he gritted his teeth in hatred.

He had thought he wouldn’t care about Sang Xinghe sleeping with someone else. But just now, hearing the Left Protector’s words—learning that that little dwarf named Shen Jue couldn’t even get out of bed now—made him burst with anger. He didn’t need to imagine much to know how fierce the battle last night must have been. Sang Xinghe was probably utterly intoxicated with that Heavenly Luo Body.

But this was his own doing. Killing Shen Jue now would be too much of a blow to the face of the Lord of the Ten Ultimates Island, making him look like someone who couldn’t even tolerate a Heavenly Luo Body.

What was a Heavenly Luo Body anyway?

Just a weapon for storing internal energy. He wouldn’t get jealous over a weapon.

This was how Yu Ci comforted himself, but his mood was truly foul—so foul that he couldn’t even bear to watch the song and dance. The very sight of the Left Protector disgusted him. Like an irritable lion, Yu Ci bristled with rage at everyone he saw. He threw a fit all over the island, and in the end, couldn’t stop himself from heading to the Yi Water Pavilion.

He went late at night without notifying anyone, and the Left Protector, seeing that Yu Ci had been in a bad mood lately, didn’t dare tell him that Shen Jue had been sent to the Yi Water Pavilion again that night.

So when Yu Ci arrived, Shen Jue was already lying on Sang Xinghe’s bed.