Chapter 44: Shackles

Within the chamber, red candles flickered everywhere, casting an enchanting crimson glow. Beigong Qiyi cradled Beigong Juechen in his arms and approached the bed. A faint aroma of incense lingered at the headboard, and the shimmering candlelight illuminated the golden-edged, scarlet bed curtains, painting a scene of extraordinary charm.

Beigong Qiyi gently laid the man upon the bed. Beigong Juechen’s eyes remained closed, his beautiful face expressionless. Sitting at the bedside, Beigong Qiyi gazed at him, feeling his heart so full it might burst. Unable to resist, he reached out and traced the man’s features, inch by inch, with exquisite care.

His fingers glided from the smooth, rounded forehead to the closed eyes, then slowly down along the elegant bridge of the nose to the flawless, pale cheeks. His touch was feather-light, almost reverent. Beigong Juechen’s skin was delicate and smooth, not as cold and forbidding as his demeanor, but instead carried a touch of warmth.

In his long, phoenix-shaped eyes, darkness swirled like ink, mingling madness with obsession. Beigong Qiyi lowered his head, drawing closer to those tightly pressed, rosy lips. When their nearly identical lips were about to touch, Beigong Juechen’s eyes suddenly opened.

Those eyes—a breathtaking shade of emerald—had been etched into Beigong Qiyi’s memory for sixteen years. Mesmerized, he stared at those icy, piercing eyes and murmured, “So beautiful…” Though he had not tasted wine, he felt intoxicated. Their lips were so close that every one of Beigong Qiyi’s breaths fell upon Beigong Juechen’s mouth. The man gazed at him with a blank expression, as if wishing to tear him apart.

“Brother, brother…” Beigong Qiyi called softly at his ear, “Brother, do you know? From the moment you leapt to pick a lotus for me, from the instant you stood amidst the sea of blossoms, I knew—I wanted you. I had to have you. You thought I’d forgotten, but I remember everything clearly. Even when you weren’t by my side, not for a moment did I forget.”

He sang the tune of “Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix”: “A beauty I have seen, and cannot forget; if parted for a day, longing drives me mad.”

Beigong Juechen let out a cold laugh, closing his eyes and refusing to look at him. Beigong Qiyi gently caressed his face, chuckling softly, “Brother, you knew all along, didn’t you? That’s why you were so eager to send me away from the manor.”

With eyes still closed, Beigong Juechen scoffed, “I should have crushed your feelings at the start.”

Beigong Qiyi merely shook his head and smiled, “Crush my feelings? Brother, do you know, once desire is awakened, it cannot be suppressed. Unless you kill me, this longing will keep growing, like wild grass—burn it as you might, the spring wind will bring it back anew.”

The man lay silent, as if asleep. The youth bowed his head, his black eyes brewing a storm. After a long pause, he sighed and pressed his lips gently to the man’s.

The moment their lips touched, a sudden light flashed in Beigong Qiyi’s eyes.

Yet in the next instant, the youth let out a stifled groan, raising his head with furrowed brows, crimson droplets of blood staining his lips. He wiped the blood away unbothered, sighing, “Brother, at this point, why bring yourself more pain?” Even as he spoke softly, his fingers cruelly ground against Beigong Juechen’s lips.

The man’s already rosy mouth grew even redder, as if dipped in rouge—so bright it seemed to bleed.

A violent light flared in Beigong Qiyi’s eyes. Suddenly, he tore the glaring red wedding robe from the man, revealing a body as flawless as white jade. The youth’s hands roamed the elegant lines of Beigong Juechen’s chest. “Brother, your body is so beautiful that even a saint would lose his mind.” His fingers gently kneaded a dusky pink bud on the left side of the chest, and Beigong Juechen’s body tensed. “Let go,” he ordered harshly, eyes snapping open.

“How could I let go?” Beigong Qiyi laughed lowly. His not-so-long fingers pressed into the sensitive bud. “I’ve waited so long for this day—how could I let go now?” With increasing pressure, a bead of bright blood welled up.

Unchanged, Beigong Juechen regarded him coldly with those emerald eyes, expressionless. Beigong Qiyi bent down and licked the blood from the man’s chest. “Delicious…” he murmured, his voice haunting and seductive, yet chilling to the bone.

“Beigong Qiyi, Father told us: by blood and bone, we are closest kin. I promised him I’d protect you all your life. But if you persist in this madness, I swear by the name of the current head of the Beigong clan—there will be no more Beigong Qiyi among us!”

Beigong Qiyi froze, lifting his gaze to the man. Beigong Juechen’s face was cold, still proud, never yielding an inch. Beigong Qiyi stared into those emerald eyes, his fists clenching. “So, Brother, you mean to sever all ties with me?” His voice dropped low. “But don’t forget—even now, your powers are sealed. You cannot move. Even if you regain mobility, that power will never return. In this state, what right have you to speak as the clan head?”

Beigong Juechen’s expression only grew colder, but Beigong Qiyi remained unmoved. He removed the man’s hairpin, letting long black hair spill over the red lotus-embroidered sheets. Stroking the twin lotus on the pillow, he whispered, “Though people envy mandarin ducks and not immortals, we are brothers by birth—our blood is one and the same. We are as these twin lotuses—no matter what happens, our blood remains forever joined.”

He combed through the man’s tangled hair with slender fingers, his smile radiant yet chilling. “I am your brother. You named me. We look alike, our blood is the same. By bone and blood, we are inseparable for this lifetime.”

“You say I am obsessed. But you are the only one I have ever wanted in this life or the last. How could I ever let you go, my brother?”

Beigong Juechen studied him for a long moment before lowering his eyes with a sneer. “So many men covet this body of mine, it seems.”

Beigong Qiyi’s face darkened, the smile fading from his lips. He idly played with a lock of the man’s hair, but suddenly gripped it tight, jerking Beigong Juechen upright by his hair.

The youth seized Beigong Juechen’s jaw, voice harsh. “Lying in my bed, you think of other men? There’s something I wish to ask you.” All Beigong Juechen’s weight hung from that handful of hair, but he merely furrowed his brow, making no sound.

With his other hand, Beigong Qiyi toyed with the hardened bud on the man’s chest, leaning in to whisper, “When you were taken by Qi Yong, we both knew his intentions. During those two days and nights, what exactly happened?” As he spoke, his grip on the sensitive bud grew fierce.

A change flickered across Beigong Juechen’s face. Staring at the madness in the youth’s eyes, he began to laugh—a laugh that had never belonged to him before, stripped of all pride and coldness, filled instead with a strange allure. He watched the youth’s shocked expression and murmured, “Whatever happened between us—do I need to tell you?”

Beigong Qiyi suddenly recalled the white lotus he had sullied with his own hands. Rage surged across his face. In a flash, he struck Beigong Juechen hard. Five purplish finger marks bloomed on the pale cheek. Beigong Juechen coughed lightly, vivid blood trailing from the corner of his lips.

The youth flung the man onto the bed, half-lidding his eyes as he barked, “Did he touch you?” Beigong Juechen met his gaze with open mockery. Fury deepened in Beigong Qiyi’s eyes as he gripped the man’s bare shoulders, growling, “Tell me—where did he touch you?”

With a look of disdain, Beigong Juechen raised an eyebrow and, with an effort, guided the youth’s hand over his own body. “Everywhere. He touched it all. This body you want—it’s nothing but leftovers.”

Since things had come to this, being defiled by one or another mattered little. Beigong Juechen, proud and cold by nature, viewed this body merely as a vessel for survival, caring nothing for others’ opinions.

If things could not end well, he did not mind mutual destruction.

The skin beneath his palm was warm and smooth, yet Beigong Qiyi felt chilled to the core. He stared, dazed, at Beigong Juechen, not even noticing as the man released his hand. Beigong Juechen cast him a sidelong glance, still the very image of the former master of Lì Manor.

Beigong Qiyi drew a sharp breath, then laughed in his fury. His hand slid slowly over Beigong Juechen’s bare legs. “I suppose there’s one place he hasn’t touched.” So saying, he thrust two unkind fingers into the dry entrance between the man’s thighs.

Beigong Juechen’s body jolted. The youth’s smile was gentle and soft, but his actions were anything but. The fingers inside him scraped cruelly at the inner walls, and slowly, slick warmth eased the dryness.

Beigong Juechen’s limp hands trembled upon the crimson quilt. His brow furrowed in pain. Beigong Qiyi brought his hand to the man’s creased brow, gently smoothing it, his smile growing ever more tender. “If it hurts, Brother, cry out. If you keep silent, I’ll think it doesn’t hurt at all.”

Beigong Juechen pressed his lips together, silent. His emerald eyes held no emotion. Beigong Qiyi covered those eyes with his hand, sighing, “Don’t look at me like that. I have no wish to force you—but if I don’t, you’ll never see me as anything but your brother.”

He bent to kiss Beigong Juechen’s slender neck, leaving a bright red mark. “But Brother, I don’t want to live forever in your shadow. I want you to see me, to see how I grow stronger. I can help you achieve anything you desire—but all I ask for is you.”

“I don’t need it,” Beigong Juechen replied flatly, turning his head away. “What I want, I will obtain myself—I don’t need your help.” Beigong Qiyi paused, then laughed softly. “It’s no use saying that, Brother. Your powers are sealed—everyone in Lì Manor answers to me now. You cannot leave.”

“Is that so?” Beigong Juechen sneered. “The people here only obey the owner of the jade token. Without it, how will you command them?”

“Jade token?” Beigong Qiyi raised an eyebrow, stood, fetched the token from the cabinet, and placed it before Beigong Juechen. “Is this the token you mean?” The green jade bore the character for “Lì.” Beigong Juechen’s brows slowly knitted. “So, you even managed to bribe the people in my own quarters.”

The youth laughed lightly, tossing the token aside. “You always underestimated me, Brother. That’s why you’re so helpless now.” Beigong Juechen gave a cold laugh and closed his eyes. “To the victor the spoils. You’ve won. If you want this body, do as you please.”

The two fingers withdrew from the man’s body. Beigong Qiyi cleaned the blood from them with a handkerchief. “You’re wrong, Brother. Your body is not enough.” With a finger pressed to the man’s left chest, Beigong Qiyi said softly, “What I want even more is your heart.”

At this, the man gave a mocking smile. Beigong Qiyi gazed at him, feeling the steady, untroubled beat of his heart under his hand. He half-closed his eyes. “I know there’s no feeling in your heart for me. But if I can’t have it for now, having your body will suffice.”

His eyes roved over the man’s utterly exposed form, the corners of his eyes lifting in a languid smile. “I will make sure you remember me—with your body. Remember, I am not just your younger brother.”

In a modest house where everything was black and white, a man in white quietly plucked withered leaves from dying flowers. Suddenly, his hand stilled.

Night was falling outside. It was November twenty-eighth—the day of that man’s wedding, and also… His hand clenched around the dead leaves as he straightened and gazed into the distance, his eyes slowly losing focus.

All that the man now suffered, he was complicit in. He had known the truth, yet kept silent for his own selfish desire. He could have stopped it, but let it happen to satisfy his own longing. Closing his eyes, he seemed to hear something shatter.

He knew it was the desire he had suppressed and hidden for so many years.

Forgive me, but I do not regret it.

Author’s note: There was a little bit in this chapter!

The next chapter will have that kind of scene—so there won’t be an update tomorrow.

The next update will be at 8:30 PM this weekend, and a replacement at 10:00!

Please try to read during that time!