Chapter 42#

“Whoever you seek, I’ll kill them.” Chapter ID: 728062y#

Mo Shu only learned about last night’s assassination attempt the next morning, from listening to the guards’ conversation.

The guards ate their breakfast, discussing the danger of the previous night while marveling at Chu Tan’s outstanding martial arts—how he fought multiple opponents alone without panic, his steady composure, his ruthless means , and how he even killed one of them in the end. It was truly admirable.

Martial artists are the most straightforward of people. Yesterday they’d watched Chu Tan run after the carriage all day in such a sorry state and had secretly looked down on him, but now they felt nothing but deep respect, even wanting to ask him for pointers and sparring sessions.

It was just that when Chu Tan faced them, he was extremely cold and taciturn, carrying an faint air of aloofness that made him seem hard to get along with.

The guards discussed this with great enthusiasm, but Mo Shu listened with his heart racing. He’d slept soundly last night and hadn’t noticed anything amiss when he woke up this morning.

He hurriedly carried breakfast upstairs, wanting to carefully check whether his young master had been injured.

But when he opened the door, he saw the “hard to get along with” Chu Tan kneeling on the ground, putting boots on Rong Yu’s feet. After that was done, he picked the young man up and kissed him again and again, like a clingy big dog—and sure enough, got slapped in the face in the middle of it all.

Mo Shu slammed on the brakes, standing at the door with a plate of steamed buns and a bowl of porridge, silently counting to ten before entering the room with a complicated expression.

By then, Rong Yu was already sitting properly upright in his wheelchair.

Mo Shu set the breakfast on the table and carefully chose his words to ask about the previous night’s events.

After Rong Yu finished telling him, he patted his chest in lingering fear. When he looked at Chu Tan again, there was considerably less disgust and rejection in his eyes.

This male concubine might be jealous and shameless, but he’d saved his young master’s life several times now—he was at least somewhat useful.

After breakfast, the group continued on their journey. Chu Tan had wanted to go back and kill Gu Yuezhe, but Rong Yu stopped him, telling him to recover from his injuries first before planning long-term.

Gu Yuezhe was, after all, the son of General Zhenyuan—not someone who could be killed on a whim.

Half a month ago, the General Zhenyuan had led troops to suppress the restless Western Xia Kingdom, and he still didn’t know his son had lost two fingers. Gu Yuezhe himself found it too shameful and had kept the matter tightly under wraps, not letting any outsider know except Rong Yue. Otherwise, a storm of bloodshed would have already broken out.

But if Gu Yuezhe died, it could no longer be hidden. Given the General Zhenyuan’s temperament, he would probably lead a hundred thousand troops back, digging up the entire capital if necessary to find his son’s killer.

Now, with Western Xia and Northern Yue both eyeing the Great Zhou Emperor’s fading sunset years, they were all stirring restlessly, and rebellions were breaking out across the borderlands. The court was precisely in need of its military, and to appease the army’s morale, the Emperor would absolutely investigate this matter to the very end.

In the past, Rong Yu had only wanted to kill Gu Yuezhe to wash away his humiliation, but given the current circumstances, that was hardly rational. He’d suffered once from underestimating his opponent and being overconfident—he wouldn’t make that mistake a second time.

Besides, there was still Rong Yue lurking in the capital with hungry eyes. He hadn’t forgotten about that.

Ever since Rong Yue had awakened that day, his words and actions had been strange throughout. Rong Yu had guessed that Rong Yue might have been reborn.

If he himself could transmigrate into a book, then the protagonist being reborn wasn’t anything special.

He just hadn’t figured out why Rong Yue was so afraid of Chu Tan—so afraid that he wouldn’t even leave his courtyard to avoid him. Previously, he’d been constantly trying to curry favor and find every way to get close to Chu Tan, but now he treated him like a flood or a savage beast.

Didn’t the book say that after Wei Jingtan became emperor, he made Rong Yue his male empress, living happily ever after with the other three gongs? Wasn’t that supposed to be a blissful ending?

Had the book’s ending changed, or had something else happened after the finale?

Something that had left fear carved into Rong Yue’s very bones—so much that even after being reborn, he didn’t dare face it.

Rong Yu stared at Chu Tan, lost in thought.

Chu Tan curled his lips into a smile and suddenly leaned in close. “Why is the young master looking at me like that?”

Rong Yu slapped a palm over the handsome face that had suddenly loomed before him, shoving him aside. He then propped his chin on his hand and thought for a while, then asked, “Let me ask you—would you be willing to share a partner with others?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Chu Tan’s smile vanished. His expression turned dark. “What does the young master mean by that?”

His gaze turned instantly icy, like frozen steel, and he shot a glance at Mo Shu. Mo Shu blinked, twisting his fingers together, sneaking several glances at Rong Yu, his ears slightly red.

Rong Yu: “…” Well, that answered that—he wouldn’t.

Rong Yu leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes to rest.

He’d stirred up trouble and then washed his hands of it, and the atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became very strange.

Chu Tan’s brows pressed low, his eyes cold and sharp as he fixed his gaze on Mo Shu, like a wolf whose territory had been invaded.

Mo Shu glared back without backing down. The goodwill he’d accumulated this morning was now just about worn away again. Jealous brute, petty miser—since when did the young master’s choices have anything to do with you, a mere male concubine?

This tense, swords-drawn atmosphere lasted until noon. There was still no courier station along the road, so as usual, everyone got off the carriage to build a fire and cook in the wilderness.

They stopped on a mountain path, beside a grove of trees where many wildflowers grew. Looking into the distance, there was a riot of purple and red, a glorious profusion of blooms.

Seeing such lovely scenery, Mo Shu wheeled Rong Yu off the carriage to take a stroll through the woods. Chu Tan naturally followed at every step, his eyes locked tightly on the two of them, refusing to leave even half a step.

Mo Shu rolled his eyes inwardly. A man like this—jealous and possessive to such a degree—would eventually be discarded by the young master sooner or later. He wouldn’t stoop to Chu Tan’s level.

“Young master, look—there’s a river up ahead!” Mo Shu raised his hand and pointed into the distance.

Rong Yu followed his direction and indeed saw a small stream flowing through the mountains, glittering like a bolt of white silk under the sunlight.

Mo Shu said in surprise, “I’ll go call some people over—let’s catch a few fish and roast them for you, young master.”

He set Rong Yu down by the riverside, then turned with a stern expression to Chu Tan. “Take good care of the young master. Don’t run off anywhere. I’m going to fetch people, and I’ll be right back.”

Then he hurried away at a fast jog.

But by the time he returned with several others, he discovered that his young master, who should have been sitting properly in the woods, had vanished along with Chu Tan.

Mo Shu: …He never should have trusted Chu Tan to stay put and wait for him to come back.

——

Deep in the woods.

Chu Tan lifted Rong Yu out of the wheelchair and set him down in a patch of low wildflowers.

The wildflowers were yellow and purple, their blossoms small but abundant, spreading out like a gorgeous sea of stars. Yet none of it was as eye-catching as the youth seated among them—his dark hair, crimson lips, and exquisitely delicate, almost bewitching features made him seem like a spirit fallen among the blossoms.

It was just that this “spirit” had a rather bad temperament. His beautiful face was expressionless as he tugged at the hem of his clothes, as if afraid of getting dirt on them, while coldly eyeing Chu Tan. “Are you insane?”

Chu Tan pressed forward without a word and kissed him.

One hand pinned both of Rong Yu’s wrists above his head, the other gripped his chin, and he kissed fiercely and heavily. His tongue forcefully pried open Rong Yu’s teeth, delving in to conquer and plunder, invading Rong Yu’s territory completely like a violent storm.

He sucked at the root of Rong Yu’s tongue while biting at his lips, not letting even a trace of saliva escape, devouring everything like a starving wolf, the force of it wishing he could swallow Rong Yu whole.

Rong Yu’s strength was no match for Chu Tan at all; he could only open his mouth and let the young man’s scorching breath flood his entire mouth. His tongue went numb from the suction, and his body gradually went weak.

Just as Rong Yu was thinking, “if you can’t fight it, enjoy it,” and preparing to lie back and properly savor the kiss, a slightly cool hand suddenly slipped into his clothes and roughly kneaded his chest.

Rong Yu snapped awake with a jolt and bit Chu Tan hard.

The taste of blood immediately filled both their mouths. Chu Tan felt the pain but refused to let go—he endured it and gave Rong Yu’s lower lip a heavy suck before pulling away, panting roughly, his eyes dark and unreadable as he stared down at the youth beneath him.

Rong Yu cursed, “What the hell are you having a fit about now?!”

Chu Tan said viciously, “The young master wants me to share you with others? With who? Don’t even think about it!”

Rong Yu: ?

He instantly stopped being angry—in fact, he almost wanted to laugh. “This is because of that?”

“Does the young master think this is something trivial?”

Rong Yu licked his slightly numb lips and smiled softly without answering.

“What are you smiling at? Do you think I’m too lowly to stand beside you? Or do you not care about me at all, and only treat me as a diversion?”

The more composed and unflappable Rong Yu appeared, the more urgent Chu Tan became. It was Rong Yu who was pinned beneath him, unable to move—but somehow Chu Tan was the one trapped here, unable to escape his own chains.

He was like a provoked beast, his hand closing around Rong Yu’s throat with force, then releasing. A dangerous glint flickered in his eyes, as if threatening Rong Yu to yield.

Rong Yu couldn’t help but crane his neck to gasp, the long column of his throat stretching into a beautiful, fragile line. His half-lowered eyes showed not a trace of panic, and his pale pupils met Chu Tan’s through fine lashes, filled with nothing but calm and composure.

As if he knew for certain Chu Tan would never lay a real hand on him.

And indeed, Chu Tan couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was only trying to scare Rong Yu.

The grimness in his eyes faded. He let go, bowed his head, buried his face in the crook of Rong Yu’s neck, and breathed in gently, both arms pulling the youth tightly against him.

The two of them had fallen into the flower patch, the blooms clustering around them, filled with the soft fragrance that enveloped everything.

“You can’t, Rong Yu.” This was the first time Chu Tan had spoken Rong Yu’s name. His voice was very low and soft, the two syllables rolling off his tongue with a lingering tenderness.

But his tone was utterly sinister. “Whoever you seek, I’ll kill them.”

“And what about me?” Rong Yu wasn’t the least bit frightened. Instead, he asked with keen interest, “If I did find someone else, what could you possibly do to me?”

Chu Tan said, “I’ll chain up your hands and feet, and fuck you day and night until you no longer have the energy to think about anyone else.”

Rong Yu frowned slightly, seeming a bit unsatisfied with that answer.

He asked very seriously, “Why not kill me? If you think I’ve betrayed you, shouldn’t you kill me to vent your anger?”

Chu Tan raised his eyes and looked at him deeply. After a long moment, he said, “I can’t bear to.”

He kissed Rong Yu’s forehead. “No matter what, I want you to live.”

Rong Yu blinked, his brows curving slightly. Golden sunlight spilled into his eyes, like a bay filled with fragments of shimmering light.

Chu Tan’s heart softened, and he couldn’t help leaning in to kiss his eyes again—only to be shoved away by a slap from Rong Yu.

Rong Yu’s smile vanished in an instant. He coldly launched into an interrogation. “Why did you just stick your hand into my clothes? Were you trying to rape me?”

Chu Tan: …?

The young master flipped his mood like a book page, and Chu Tan still hadn’t figured out what was happening.

Rong Yu gave him no chance to think, firing off questions in rapid succession that left Chu Tan completely blindsided.

“Just because I said something offhand this morning, you were going to rape me? Do you even know your place? Do you have any shame? Have you considered my feelings? Are you a dog?”

The youth glared at him with those beautiful peach blossom eyes, a faint red mark from Chu Tan’s earlier grip still on his neck, like a little peacock fluffing up its feathers in fury.

Chu Tan was completely stunned. His face, which was usually as thick as a city wall and had never known restraint, actually felt a flicker of guilt.

“I—”

Rong Yu cut him off again, lifting his chin with a proud, arrogant expression. “Do you know you were wrong?”

Chu Tan couldn’t claim much, but he was definitely the fastest at admitting fault—even though he never actually changed.

So he answered habitually, “I was wrong.”

Rong Yu’s mood instantly turned from overcast to sunny, his shift so fast one might wonder if he’d been faking it all along.

He gently licked away the bead of blood seeping from Chu Tan’s lip, then smiled as he patted his handsome face. “Good boy. Do it again next time, and I’ll teach you a lesson.”

[Author’s note:]

Some master’s self-indulgent attempt at dog training, and some vicious dog playing at being obedient.