Chapter 41#

Didn’t Know This Bad Dog Had Secretly Taken Off Its Muzzle and Licked Him All Over Again Chapter Number: 727725y#

Early in the morning, a convoy of three carriages was already prepared and ready to depart at the front gate of the Rong estate.

There was virtually no one there to see them off.

Rong Xiuyong had gone to his post at dawn, caring not at all that Rong Yu was heading to Yangzhou. After all, it was the same every year.

As for Rong Yue, since waking up, aside from that visit to the General’s residence to see Gu Yueze, he had kept the doors closed and refused to go out. He claimed to be focusing on preparing for the autumn provincial examination, and even the young gentlemen who came to visit him were turned away at the door. Rong Yu couldn’t get a single glimpse of him.

Thus, the only ones seeing him off now were Qin Mama, who genuinely cared for him, and a hypocritical Bai-shi.

Bai-shi, supported by her maidservant, wore a look of deep worry, her voice soft and feeble.

“Third Young Master, must you go to Yangzhou? Why not just spend your birthday at home this year? I’ll make sure it’s properly arranged for you—grand, lively, and splendid. I know you miss your late mother, but the road to Yangzhou is long and treacherous. I’m truly worried for you.”

What a picture of maternal kindness.

But those words weren’t meant for Rong Yu at all—they were for the onlookers gathered around to watch the spectacle. Her performance was so convincing that no one could see through it; they would only think she was a kind and magnanimous stepmother.

And that Rong Yu was an ungrateful, thankless son.

A flicker of mockery passed through Rong Yu’s eyes. With the hundreds of vicious rumors already attached to his name, did he really care about this?

Unfortunately, he was in poor spirits today and had no desire to engage in pleasantries with her. Just looking at that lotus flower of a woman annoyed him. After exchanging a few words with Qin Mama, he lowered the carriage curtain and said directly to Mo Shu: “Let’s go.”

The ignored Bai-shi remained where she stood, letting out a deep sigh. Her expression was sorrowful and tinged with grievance—she was just short of wobbling as if about to collapse.

The common folk sighed again, pointing and whispering at the departing convoy.

Not all of them were defending Bai-shi, of course. Mostly it was because behind Rong Yu’s carriage, a person was being led along, wrists bound with rope, dragged like a prisoner.

The people shook their heads and murmured among themselves, gaining a new understanding of how vicious this Third Young Master of the Rong family truly was. At least he was a living human being, yet he was tied up with rope like livestock—this was simply disregarding human life!

Mo Shu lifted the curtain and glanced back. He saw Chu Tan walking at an unhurried pace, tied by the rope yet wearing a perfectly calm expression, as if he felt not a shred of shame or embarrassment.

Wait until we get out of the city and the carriage picks up speed—let’s see if you can stay so composed then! You’ll be in for a rough time!

Mo Shu shook his fist fiercely.

That morning, he had gone to the main room to wake Rong Yu and found his young master curled up into a ball in the bedding, cheeks flushed, sleeping especially deeply.

Afraid they’d delay their departure, he woke Rong Yu and helped the drowsy, confused young master sit up.

But when he lifted the blanket, he saw that although Rong Yu’s underclothes were neatly worn, mottled marks were still visible peeking out from the collar. One could only imagine what lay beneath the clothes.

With a complicated heart, he helped Rong Yu get dressed, then crouched down to put on his socks—and saw two deep purple bite marks on that flawless, jade-white foot, as if gnawed by a dog.

He swallowed hard, pinched the pant leg and peered inside. The pale, slender calf was covered in red and purple finger marks and bite marks—a truly shocking sight.

Mo Shu’s fists clenched tight. He remembered that when he’d entered the courtyard earlier, he’d seen Chu Tan practicing his punches in the yard, full of vigor and vitality. Meanwhile, his poor master was now so exhausted he could barely stay awake, unable to even straighten his back.

How despicable!

Not a single ounce of self-awareness as a kept man!

However, all his indignation dissipated—replaced by pure schadenfreude—when he heard Rong Yu say Chu Tan wasn’t allowed on the carriage and had to run behind it.

Heehee.

Mo Shu shot Chu Tan a dirty look. As he was lowering the curtain and pulling his gaze back, he noticed Rong Yu had already lain down. He’d been pushed too hard; not only was his lower back sore, but his lower abdomen was also numb and bloated. Only lying down brought any relief.

Mo Shu’s expression turned concerned. “Young Master, shall I give you a massage?”

Rong Yu kept his eyes closed and gave a lazy “Mm.”

So Mo Shu went over and began massaging Rong Yu. His technique was excellent—honed from serving Rong Yu since childhood. From shoulders to lower back, then to both legs, he kneaded Rong Yu into pure comfort.

Much of the ache throughout his body diminished, and Rong Yu drifted off into a deep sleep.

He slept for the better part of the day. When he woke, it was already noon, and the carriage had long since left the city.

“Young Master, you’re awake.” Mo Shu wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and handed him a cup of tea.

“What time is it?”

“A quarter past noon.”

Rong Yu took a sip of tea, moistening his dry throat, and said, “Have them find a place to stop. We’ll eat lunch before continuing.”

There were over a dozen people in their party—drivers and guards—and traveling with everyone hungry was bound to cause problems.

“Yes.”

This stretch was a mountain path with no post stations, so they stopped in a clearing by the woods. Everyone got off, lit a fire, and warmed up the dried provisions they’d brought.

Mo Shu went down to give the orders and returned a moment later with a plate of steaming meat pies.

“My mother made these this morning. Young Master, have a bite to tide you over. Once we cross this mountain and reach the post station, we can have a proper meal.”

Rong Yu had no appetite. He didn’t even finish half a pie before shaking his head and pushing it aside. He then instructed Mo Shu to call Chu Tan in.

A moment later, Chu Tan climbed into the carriage, his face slick with sweat.

Rong Yu leaned against the couch, his voice languid. “Tired?”

Chu Tan replied hoarsely, “Tired.”

He’d been running after the carriage all morning without a moment’s respite. If he slowed down even a little, the rope would drag him forward, forcing his legs to move, scrambling and stumbling just to keep up.

His legs now felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Rong Yu asked again, “Hungry?”

“Hungry.”

Sweat dripped down Chu Tan’s forehead, his dark brows and eyes damp with perspiration, while his lips were pale and cracked, his throat about to catch fire. Forget food—he hadn’t even had a sip of water until now.

Rong Yu raised his arm, and Chu Tan thought he was about to get slapped. But instead, the young master wiped the sweat from his forehead with slender, pale fingers and said in a gentle voice, “This punishment is more agonizing than a whipping, isn’t it?”

In the book, Rong Yu had suffered exactly this punishment—except he’d had it worse than Chu Tan. He was already crippled in both legs, and then his kneecaps were deliberately carved out as humiliation. In the end, he was dragged to death by horses, both legs nearly ground down to nothing.

“Mm.” Chu Tan gave a low hum, taking Rong Yu’s hand and rubbing it against his cheek, his eyes dark and deep. “Because I couldn’t see you, Young Master.”

At least when he was being whipped, he could see the young master’s lively, animated expressions. That was far better than idly running behind a carriage.

“You deserve it!” Rong Yu snatched his hand back, a look of speechlessness flashing through his eyes.

He grabbed the soft pillow beside him and hurled it at Chu Tan, cursing, “I’m way worse off than you! My back still can’t straighten! And—”

And his rear was still swollen and sore, and that shameful place between his legs was achingly numb, chafing painfully against his trousers whenever he moved.

Chu Tan noticed Rong Yu’s hesitation to continue, and blinked. “I applied medicine for you, Young Master, and tended to you orally for a long time. Does it still hurt?”

At those words, rage shot up in Rong Yu’s chest like a blaze. He’d fainted from being fucked senseless last night and couldn’t remember anything after that—least of all that this bad dog had secretly taken off its muzzle and licked him all over again.

“Shameless! Disgusting! Get the hell out!” Rong Yu’s face flushed red with fury. He grabbed the teacup in front of him and hurled it at Chu Tan’s head.

Chu Tan raised a hand and caught it effortlessly, then tilted his head back and drank it dry. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and a faint, barely perceptible smile rippled through his eyes. “Thank you for your consideration, Young Master.”

Bickering with Rong Yu was absolutely Chu Tan’s favorite pastime—he could always make Rong Yu explode with rage.

And so he paid the price for his moment of lip service, running hungry behind the carriage for another whole afternoon.

Before the sun set, they finally reached the post station. After eating and drinking their fill, everyone retired to their rooms.

As usual, Mo Shu shared a room with Rong Yu so he could attend to any need his master might have at any time. But this time, there was an addition: Chu Tan insisted on squeezing into the same room to sleep, claiming the desolate wilderness wasn’t safe.

For the young master’s safety, he absolutely had to stay by his side.

Mo Shu rolled his eyes again. Saying it with such righteous indignation—he was just competing for favor. He needed to find an opportunity to tell the young master that a man this jealous couldn’t be kept around, lest the household fall into chaos in the future.

But what he never expected was that this time, Chu Tan would actually be right.

In the middle of the night, trouble arose.

A group of black-clad figures crept into the post station, lighting sleeping incense in each room, plunging everyone inside into deep slumber.

Only Chu Tan, the moment the first wisp of fragrance drifted into his nose, immediately grew alert and held his breath. He tore a strip of cloth to cover his face and swiftly vanished into the darkness.

Before even half a quarter-hour had passed, a black-clad man pushed open Rong Yu’s door. His target was clear—he made straight for the bed, the long blade in his hand glinting coldly, and swung viciously down at the bulging lump beneath the covers.

But he immediately sensed something wrong. Throwing back the blanket with force, beneath it lay only a pillow.

He silently cursed. Just as he drew in a breath, the sound of something cutting through air came from behind him. He spun away quickly, grappling with Chu Tan.

The black-clad man was no match for Chu Tan, but he had plenty of backup—more of them surged in through the doorway.

Chu Tan fought one against many. Two fists were no match for four hands, and what’s more, the enemies’ weapons were swords and sabers while he only had a short dagger he’d brought along. He gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Fortunately, the guards Rong Yu had hired at great expense were no pushovers either. The fierce sounds of fighting woke them, and after a moment to gather their senses, they quickly joined the fray.

The black-clad men had no intention of pressing the fight—seeing the tide turn against them, they scattered and fled. Chu Tan only managed to kill one; the rest all got away.

But from the fighting just now, Chu Tan had already guessed where these people came from.

He instructed the guards to go back and rest, saying no one would come again tonight. Then he brought Rong Yu out from behind the screen, laid him on the bed, and patiently called out to him, again and again.

It took quite a while before Rong Yu gradually regained consciousness. The moment he opened his eyes, he felt a throbbing pain in his head.

Chu Tan didn’t hide anything, and recounted the incident in detail.

Rong Yu rubbed his temples, thought for a moment, and frowned. “It’s Gu Yueze?”

Chu Tan nodded. “Young Master guessed correctly. When I was fighting them just now, I noticed these men aren’t ordinary martial artists—they’re trained soldiers. Think of who in the capital holds a grudge against us and has that kind of connections. It can only be Gu Yueze.”

Rong Yu pursed his lips in annoyance. His gaze suddenly caught sight of the blood-stained area on Chu Tan’s chest, and his eyes froze. “You’re hurt?”

Chu Tan glanced down, then said calmly, “It’s nothing.”

“Come here, let me see.”

Rong Yu pulled open Chu Tan’s clothes to find a deep knife wound across his chest, the flesh split open to both sides, blood flowing freely.

“You call that nothing?! Another inch deeper and you’d be dead!” Rong Yu frowned, unable to stop himself from raising his voice.

Chu Tan curved his lips. “If Young Master is worried about me, then help me apply the medicine.”

He pulled out a jade bottle—the wound medicine Cai Shu had left for him. It was meant to be kept just in case, but he never expected to use it so soon after leaving the capital.

“I’m worried about you, my ass!” It was no time to be fooling around, and Rong Yu shot him a fierce glare.

But even as his mouth cursed viciously, his hands gentled, carefully sprinkling the medicinal powder over the wound and bandaging it meticulously.

Looking at the white cloth wrapped round after round around Chu Tan’s chest, then at the vicious scar on his shoulder—that was from when he’d been bitten by a wolf before. And the whip marks across his chest and stomach…

It seemed like all of Chu Tan’s scars, long or short, deep or shallow, had been caused directly or indirectly by him.

Rong Yu’s gaze darkened. He reached out and pressed his hand over them, fingertips tracing the uneven skin. He didn’t know what it meant to feel heartache, only that a sour, bitter feeling spread from his fingertips to the depths of his heart—highly unpleasant.

Chu Tan wrapped an arm around Rong Yu’s waist and pulled him closer, then lowered his head to kiss the young master’s beautiful eyes.

This time, Rong Yu didn’t scold him for being presumptuous. Instead, he avoided Chu Tan’s wound, raised his arms, and wrapped them around him, burying his face in the young man’s scorching neck.

Neither of them spoke again, but a warm current seemed to flow slowly through the air.

Chu Tan raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was the first time Rong Yu had ever willingly thrown himself into his arms, and the first time he’d given him something resembling a response.

This wound was worth it!

But he hadn’t forgotten who had wounded him. Chu Tan’s eyes narrowed, a cold viciousness flashing through them.

He’d originally planned to let Gu Yueze live for another two months. Now it seemed that was no longer necessary.

【Author’s Note:】

Mo Shu (pounding the ground and shouting): I’m still lying on the floor over here! Doesn’t anyone care about me?!