Qu Fongning’s clothes were half-uncovered, his collar bones flushed red, his eyes lost some clarity as well. He bit his lips, watching him. “Here?”

Yujien found him not shy of people, his heart fluttered as well, and he rasped, “Like people watching?”

“Don’t you?” Qu Fongning flickered his lashes, wrapping around his neck.

Yujien made no reply and pressed his ass to himself. Qu Fongning’s snow-white underwear stretched clear of wrinkles. His loins stood proud, tugging against his scalding enormity, his hands caressed the erection through the military uniforms, his eyes misted with moisture, and his flank couldn’t help melting.

Yujien gently tapped his forehead on his mask, striking the silvers to a ring. “Wait a moment for the romps.” He motioned to the other side. “Give him a look.”

Qu Fongning did as bid, and slumping on his chest, turned his head for a look. He saw the Left Crown King tilting over the cup, his gaze dim, with not a single drip of wine touching his lips, and dazedly pouring all over his sleeve.

Yujien nudged his coarse knuckles against his entrance, watched the Left Crown King’s face muscles give a jerk, and his smirk deepened. “Ningning really is impressive.”

Qu Fongning turned his face around and darted a smug look at him: “The Ghost Sovereign’s Paramour!”

Yujien smiled, clasped him in, and returned to touching his ass. Qu Fongning’s expression turned forbearing. “Don’t… touch it anymore. It’s coming out,” he moaned.

His physiques lusty and sensual, with the prolonged teases and no penetration, his lewd waters slowly ebbed out of his body, and the silk underwear wetted a small blotch. A blaring clank. The wine cup fell from the Left Crown King’s hand to the ground. His face appeared both wild with ecstasy and mad with grief. “This… This is…”

“My son,” Yujien provided.

The Left Crown King gasps many short breaths, like a cock hanging on its neck. “So… not a one in ten-thousandth, but… a treasure beyond price.” He then blurted a few words in a strange gibberish, his tone pressing and taking on some supplication.

The corner of Yujien’s lip went into an imperceptible flick and returned a sentence in a similar tongue. The Left Crown King was shocked with glee and pressed on for many sentences. Yujien unhurriedly replied with a word. The Left Crown King spat out a Haa, seeming in disbelief, and slapped the stand, seeming to be a firm rejection. Yujien spoke no more, but flippantly held up the wine cup and took a light sip. He then brought it before Qu Fongning, revealed a corner of his mask, and poised to feed him.

They were speaking in ancient Fanshwar, and Qu Fongning naturally understood not a single word. “What are you and the smelly gaffer talking about?”

Yujien smiled and said, “Versing about love.”

The Left Crown King’s face nearly contorted, truly looking very much like the beaten lovelorn, and he bit his teeth for a few more words, sounding something like they shall never meet again. Yujien airily held up the conversation, coming and going for a round, and at last chuckled, giving Qu Fongning’s bum a spank. “Ningning, go offer a cup of wine to the Crown King.”

Qu Fongning answered, fixed his attire, brimmed a cup, and came before the opposite side, docilely kneeling down.

The Left Crown King’s triple-whites eyes slithered across his body like a snake; it couldn’t be described as looking at him, much more like thickly licking him. He followed to voice, but towards Yujien, “General Ghost Sovereign, this is one priceless cup of wine from your lovely creature.”

“Then the Crown King should savor it all the more, so as to thoroughly taste the flavors within,” said Yujien.

Qu Fongning bowed his brows and eyes, serving the wine ahead, and paid no mind to anything else. The Left Crown King greedily watched him for the great length of one-hundredth of a day, and finally let out a grating laugh, held his hand for a pull, and drank the wine off his fingers, almost gulping in his entire limb into his stomach. In the end, he leaned into his ear, and, dimly, whispered a few words.

~

That night, Qu Fongning stayed within the main ger with his whole-body searing of insuppressible desire, and couldn’t shut his eyes for a single moment. When the night loomed deep, Yujien finally returned under a full blanket of snow. He found him burrowing upright under the blankets, his eyes raven and bright, completely the look of a mastiff shepherd, and he almost wanted to ruffle his ears. Qu Fongning lifted the covers and lunged at him. “Let the old boy wash his face!” Yujien scolded with a laugh. Qu Fongning entirely ignored his words, coiled straight onto him and started ripping his belt and buckle. With the back and forth, he turned Yujien on as well, and the latter had to compromise: “Fine, fine, feed you first.” And he pressed the body onto the bed and didn’t stop until he had him thrice. Qu Fongning was abundantly passionate that night, his hole was screwed all swollen but was still grinding him in his embrace, with a face still unsatiated. “What’re you rubbing for, no more.” Qu Fongning wrapped around his nape, coquetting in a tiny voice, “I’ll give you a blow…” Yujien held a pause and regarded him. “You don’t mind the smut? Just came out of you here,” he said. His hand took a gentle nip, and some essence immediately flooded out of his rear. Qu Fongning was then reminded of it, his brows furrowed a bit, and he went on his own to weigh the stakes. Yujien watched him gnawing on his finger on the dilemma, felt sweet, and couldn’t bear tantalizing his appetite. He turned him around in his arms and entered him from the back. Qu Fongning let out a satisfied mn, grabbed his hand to touch his lower abdomen, and said, “Me here is… a little denser too.”

“Mn. My Ningning has grown up,” said Yujien, pushing into his depth, pumping slowly and steadily. Qu Fongning followed his rhythm with his waist, his ass moistened even more, and his moans gradually softened to silk. When he first started on sex, he was overly impetuous, a common fault of youth. Yujien personally guided him for more than a year and he finally learned other marvels, and their intercourses grew even more consonant. Yujien plucked his rear full of spring water, and his finger pushed obliquely into his lips. “Captain Qu is moaning so sultrily, planning to broadcast to the entire world?”

Qu Fongning held his finger in a suck, muttering mistily, “So what if they hear, I’m not afraid of embarrassing myself.” And he took a bite at his finger belly with a gloat, “You are the one raping your son, you disgrace yourself much more than I!”

Even Yujien couldn’t handle this sort of dirty talk. His voice dropped hoarse as well, “The old boy rapes you? Mn? How goes the rape? Is it like this?” He held his flank down for a dozen thrusts, making him almost couldn’t cry out. And then he asked, “What did the Crown King say to you?”

“He said, if I wasn’t yours; hiking the sky and digging the earth, and falling a million corpses, he would… get me into his hands,” Qu Fongning said, gasping, then his moans suddenly mellowed, obviously having his tender spot hit on.

“Well, well, has somebody holding you in their mind,” Yujien chuckled. Finding his moans utterly tantalizing, he turned him over for kisses.

Fanshwar’s strength was nowhere near Chienye’s. Qu Fongning was not afraid at all, but still voiced his curiosity between the kisses: “What did you say to him?”

Yujien retreated by a bit and plunged all the way to his deeps. “I settled a price with him, sold you off.”

Qu Fongning’s thighs tensed tight from the pleasure. Upon his words, he giggled, “How much for the sales?”

Yujien regarded his guileless smile. His gaze darkened. He held him back on the bed.

“… Not for sale for any amount of gold.”

~

They tangled and frolicked for an entire night until light bounced off the snow. It was already near morning firestoke time, and the two ended up giving up sleeping altogether and cuddled, chit-chatting. Yujien mentioned Li Daer’s Royal Army was fleeing towards the southwest and would meet up with Southern troops in seven- or eight-days’ time. Qu Fongning immediately gained his energy. “And they’ll come charging back?” he chased. “They haven’t got the gall! They’ll probably turtle back into the mouth of Mount Ravine, into the Clouding Vale area while we jam the bases in Hehuang. We’ll split up then reunite for the combo attack, and catch the turtle in the jar,” said Yujien, chuckling. Qu Fongning nodded and said, “This Southern alliance is really jinxed. Lost the city and the war, and need to sacrifice themselves for another’s funeral!” “For them the grand and great empire of ceremony and courtesy, dignity and decency is of the supreme. Everything else is of no importance,” Yujien scoffed. Qu Fongning’s lashes flickered. “I just remembered a shameless oldster. ‘Tis an odd wonder that Old Lio Fox didn’t get a foot in this,” he said, reclining his head back. “The Old Fox is busy making games, hasn’t got the time to reap this cut,” said Yujien. “What game?” Qu Fongning asked quickly. Yujien smirked. “A hide-and-seek game.”

Qu Fongning instantly understood and cheered, “The White Rock Labyrinth! Bi’ro is going to fight Za’yii?” Bi’ro was in the north, Za’yii in the east, the two countries leveled in power, and after Khilan’s downfall, their strengths only fell behind Chienye. Them fighting each other was better than anything they’d hope for.

Yujien flicked his forehead. “They fight theirs, what are you happy about?” Za’yii and Bi’ro had a brotherly bond; the royal houses were connected by marriage, with ties deep and dense, a convoluted mess in truth. Though the Za’yii King Daishüban was the Prince Regent Badama’s elder brother from a different mother, the two were very tight. Years ago, when Badama fell in love with the Shiran beauty Namir but was intercepted by Yujien, he vowed to never marry for the rest of his life. And he only moved on in Yongning third year, marrying a civilian woman to be his wife, treating her with a thousand tenderness and ten thousand favors. One year into their new marriage, they were still as thick as glue, and would enter and leave the royal halls hand-in-hand. But who would know, once Daishüban saw this sister-in-law, he fell for her beauty and stole her into the palace, and rose her as the royal consort. Badama revolted in his rage. Lio Fox seized the opportunity and led over a hundred thousand men host under the name of peacekeeping. Supposedly, there would soon be a great crisis.

Having heard this, Qu Fongning started to feel the sincerest pity for this tragic man who twice lost his love, and also couldn’t help feeling curious about the bewitching femme who stirred a nation into chaos. What kind of beauty is she? At the question, he only learned her name was “Hemei Chuchu.” Qu Fongning whistled his exclamation. “Only this kind of beauty deserves this kind of name,” he said. Yujien smiled and said, “Beauty? She’s got an even lovelier name, I’ll tell you in the future.”

Qu Fongning had the heart of a child, immediately wrapped onto him, and wanted him to tell now. Yujien held him on his chest, allowing his weight on him. “Tell what?” he asked. “Name! The lovely name!” yelled Qu Fongning. Yujien caught his hands high, smiling at him. “Mn, Ningning.” Qu Fongning didn’t catch his meaning and was still yammering on his own. Yujien held his face with his deep-set eyes, and dropped his voice, “Already said.”

Qu Fongning suddenly understood. His face reddened at once, and he wiggled no more. The pair was for a moment silent, quiet in absolute tendresse. Soon, Yujien gently stroked the back of his head, pressing his lips to himself, engaging him into a long and lingering kiss.

~

Before a few days, Li Ignis Division’s Spring Sun Battalion and Kan Aqua Division’s Longbow Battalion received orders in tandem to defend the mouth of the Clouding Vale. The Longbow Battalion Captain was close with Oyghrmuki, and chatted excitedly with Qu Fongning en route, marching side-by-side, filling the snowy winds with his gallant laughs. Cher Vei went the entire way with a sunken, dark face, plain in his discontent. And Qu Fongning had to come talk to him, “Why is the Little General unhappy?”

Cher Vei offered him a sulky look, now even more irritated. Before he came, he gave grand words to ring up the name of the General Cher Junior, and impress General Yujien and his father. But the war was about to end, and he hadn’t gained a single remarkable victory. Compared to Qu Fongning’s valor of piercing Li Daer’s right eye with a single shot, he really lost face for the Autumn Hunt Army! Presently, he grunted a humph and said, “I often heard General Yujien treat you with however much favor. Seeing it today, it’s truly unusual, giving you an empty vale to catch birdies before a great battle.”

Qu Fongning gave a soundless laugh, not replying to his jab. Captain Kur couldn’t resist a snort. “Our Captain Qu is braver and smarter than others. There wasn’t one battle in which he wasn’t charging in the forefront, or routing enemies through tactics from a thousand li away. It couldn’t be that Little General Cher really doesn’t grasp the sudden change of order this time?”

Qu Fongning sensed his sharp tone and hurried to interject, “General often said I’m rash in advancement and immethodical in stasis. This retraction to outer defenses is also a type of… test for me.” In truth, he was fiercer than anybody else at the reception of the order. But all the crying squabbles happened on the bed, and the others had nowhere to find out. Yujien consoled with reason and solaced with care, in the end, lost his patience and held him down on the furs for a hard romp, and at last appeased the fires of this invisible war. Before his departure, he added another scolding: “Don’t drag the face! Take him back with full hairs and tail and it’ll be a great merit for you.” And Qu Fongning became even more unhappy, turned around and held out a palm, counting one line after another: “Dissolute and alcoholic, weak and craven, envious of talent and virtue, greedy for merit and riches; got more than half of the nine vices! If I brought up a son like this, I’d been dead of worry!” Yujien was laughing beside himself, teasing him. “The others are all useless. Only you’re useful. You’re the best, right?” Qu Fongning was smug. “Of course! Don’t they see who brought me up!” Immensely delighted, Yujien gifted him a one-zhang-height dragon belly cooler, filled full of pomegranate seeds. Qu Fongning immediately forgot the troubles of being a nanny and started nibbling happily. He knew these things were hard to come by, had a few, and smooched a kiss on Yujien’s cheek, thanking him. Yujien scoffed. “What’s the big deal about this? Even if you want Lychees, Da-ge’ll get them to you with a ride of red dusts¹.” This had been a moving line of love, pity Qu Fongning was unlearned of literature and didn’t understand the romantic allusion. He gave a dumb oh, cradled the pomegranates, and hopped away.

Currently, he rode his horse in the snow, and his lips curled up. He called Uighshön over, searching his pockets. Uighshön was ticklish and laughed to twitching all over, almost tumbling down the hill. Cher Vei watched the horseplay and assumed he was putting this up in front of him on purpose, and his little face fumed even whiter from the rage. That very day, he looted four pretty girls from the vale outer, vented his fumes for an entire night, and finally stilfled down his indignant fury. Unknowingly, one of the girls was no small fry, being the daughter of the local hunter chief. The very next morning, hundreds of people came furiously jamming before battalion grounds, rising pikes and spears, yammering and clamoring, yelling for all to know. And it was Qu Fongning who came forth for apologies and finally send the mob away. Cher Vei’s face went green and pale. He stooped his head into the battalion yurt and called sick for three days straight. The Autumn Hunt Army beamed at having nothing to do, and were pouting their asses by the gates, catching birds. Captain Kur observed from afar and snorted, “These wimpy calves, they’re really catching birds!”

Qu Fongning followed his gaze, and happened to see a fat finch landing into a net and three to five men crying with glee, their voices ringing across the vale. “Left and right, they are idle. Might as well let them catch some birds and prey, perfect for stretching some bones and muscles, and relieving the bores of garrison,” he said, smiling. The Clouding Vale neighbored Juma City North and was a hundred and forty li away from the greater Chienye army station grounds. Though it was on a path of refuge for the remnant Wester Liang troops, Juma City was already lost, and theoretically, Li Daer wouldn’t take the risk to venture this way. Yujien sending them here was more or less putting them on idle standby.

“The Commander General sells a favor to his sworn brother, but wounds his own beloved son,” Kur cackled, slapped his shoulders, and returned to the Longbow battalion.

Qu Fongning made a small smile. He whirled to peer at the self-entertaining Autumn Hunt soldiers, took another look at the empty Autumn Hunt great ger, and somehow felt an unease. Shortly after returning to his yurt, his anxiety aggravated, and he paced round and back in the yurt. “Go invite the Little General over!” he ordered Uighshön. After a long while, he finally saw several Autumn Hunt soldiers entering grudgingly. “Where’s Cher Vei?’ Qu Fongning snapped the question. The men appeared nervous, one pushing the other and back and forth, each and every one wanting to speak and not. Qu Fongning jolted up. “Where did he go? Did he bring troops?” he barked. “The Little General said… he can’t suffer this insult, wants to give… those hunters a lesson. He took… took a hundred men, all… elites,” said an old soldier, quivering. Qu Fongning bolted in a step, snatching his collar, hollering, “When was this?” “Yesterday… early last morning…” the old soldiers replied in terror. “Why didn’t you inform me earlier?” Qu Fongning roared. Captain Kur ensued to arrive and was also in a great rage. “What a scamp! A complete disregard of military discipline, totally unfit to be the commander of an army!” he cursed. Qu Fongning fell silent for a moment, went to grab for the white minks and Moon Frost by the curtain door. “I’m going to fetch him,” he said. “Captain Qu, this is a head-chopping serious crime! Why would you test the law for him? Let him freeze up for a couple of day, and he’ll know to come back himself!” Kur exclaimed. Qu Fongning halted a step. “I can’t let him wander out by himself, with his well-being unknown. If anything is to happen to him, how are we to report to General Cher?” he said. Kur paused and let out a sign. “Fine, I suppose the General won’t really punish you.” “Perhaps not quite,” said Qu Fongning, humbly. And he summoned a team of elites and entered the vale to look for the missing man.

They traveled out for thirty li and only saw the snowy vale dotted with traces of blood, a field of disaster, yurts and vessels stomped to shreds, and women and children’s corpses strewn straight and askew across the wreckage. But Cher Vei was nowhere to be found. Qu Fongning ordered the troops to spread into three paths, searching into the wee hours, and finally found Cher Vei’s group trapped under a sunken snow well. Cher Vei had suffered through hunger and cold for a day and a night, accumulated a belly full of fury, and gave Qu Fongning a staggering shove as soon as he got up. “What have you been doing earlier? Come so late. You’re trying to kill me on purpose, yeah?” he screamed. The Spring Sun Battalion soldiers witnessed their captain taking the risk to come forward for the rescue, he not only wasn’t grateful, he was even verbally disrespectful, and all raised angry looks. Gerrgu went up a step, the towering figure blocked in front of Qu Fongning, his fan-like hand gave a light push, and Cher Vei reeled back several paces. “You’re asking for it!” He jumped. The Autumn Hunt troops flocked to unsheathe their blades behind him, and the Spring Sun battalion ensued in raising their weapons. A blood bath right on the horizon.

And Amur suddenly shifted his ears and hurried a number of hand signs towards Qu Fongning, whose face changed. “How many?” he asked. Amur slowly shook his head, and pointing at the two confronting sides, made a number.

“What are you murmuring about? He said four, four what?” Cher Vei was baffled, and pointed.

Qu Fongning silently gave him a look, his gaze extremely odd. He followed to lay down the banners, ordered the crowd to find leeward spots to hide, and he himself also crouched down behind a snowy hill.

Cher Vei thought he was still ordering him around, was about to explode, and Qu Fongning slammed him down on the ground, growling at him, “Shut up!”

Cher Vei’s whole face was dunked in the snow. He struggled his head up for a look, and his entire body seemed to have fallen down an ice cavern and his jaw started shuddering.

Before the pale dawn, dark masses of tens of thousands of remnant Western Liang troops were marching towards their hiding place.

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