Chapter 79: Bringing You Back to the Manor

The copper-hued metal dart pinned the falling dead leaf to the tree. Clad in white, the woman walked over and pulled out the dart. She picked up the leaf and glanced at it, letting out a soft laugh. "Such precision," she said. The leaf was neither small nor large, yet the dart had pierced precisely through the very top of the stem—just a hair’s breadth away, and the leaf would have fallen.

Qiang Yanxi nodded, gazing at the beautiful woman in white approaching her. In her memory, Ran Luo had always favored red—rose, crimson, dark red—every shade seductive and dazzling, unforgettable at first glance.

But today she wore pure white, a large lotus embroidered on her chest, making her appear as graceful and upright as a lotus herself. Even her makeup was far more subdued than before. Yet, no matter how she changed, one thing remained constant—her beauty. Red clothes were alluring, white clothes elegant; beauty was intrinsic to her, and any makeup or attire was merely another ornament.

An embellishment upon perfection.

Ran Luo handed the dart back to Qiang Yanxi. Qiang Yanxi glanced at it and shook her head. "I don’t need it," she replied. Once her dart had been thrown, why retrieve it? Ran Luo smiled softly, as if she’d anticipated this answer, yet still offered the dart to Qiang Yanxi.

Qiang Yanxi hesitated, puzzled by her gesture. Ran Luo laughed gently, "If you don’t want it, then give it to me. But help me wear it, won’t you?" Qiang Yanxi’s confusion deepened. "Wear it? Where?" Ran Luo winked at her and pointed to her own dark hair. "On my hair, of course."

Her bun was simple today, styled like a flower bud and adorned with nothing else. Qiang Yanxi took the dart. Its design was plain, unadorned, not strictly beautiful. "You really want to wear this?" she asked. Ran Luo nodded with a radiant smile. "Yes, please help me."

Qiang Yanxi pursed her lips—well, the heart of a woman was a mystery indeed. She didn’t claim to understand women’s minds (though, Qiang, you are a woman yourself…). She slid the dart diagonally into Ran Luo’s hair bun and murmured, "It’s done." Ran Luo reached up to touch the dart, her smile deepening.

She was beautiful, so even an unremarkable dart in her hair did nothing to diminish her charm.

Ran Luo stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Qiang Yanxi’s neck. Only then did Qiang Yanxi notice the faint white petal between her brows, so pale and subtle she hadn’t seen it before. Ran Luo tilted her head back slightly; her lips, untouched by rouge, were a delicate rosy hue, like a peach blossom petal. And she pressed that petal to Qiang Yanxi’s lips.

Qiang Yanxi stiffened all over, intent on pushing her away, but Ran Luo withdrew her lips first. She stepped back, looking at Qiang Yanxi, the peach blossom petal slightly raised. "Yanxi, I have obtained the antidote to the love curse. Do you wish to remember me?"

Qiang Yanxi was stunned for an instant, then nodded vigorously. "I do." I want to remember you. I want to remember everything about you. I want to recall all the important things I’ve forgotten.

A shimmer of moisture suddenly filled Ran Luo’s eyes. She blinked, letting the tears settle, then slowly produced a small bottle from her sleeve, pouring out a dark pill and handing it to Qiang Yanxi. Qiang Yanxi looked at the pill in Ran Luo’s snowy palm, then at Ran Luo’s expectant face, and swallowed it without hesitation.

Perhaps she swallowed too quickly; a wave of dizziness swept over her. Ran Luo caught her deftly. Qiang Yanxi frowned, shaking her head hard. Her vision blurred—a flash of red swept past. Everything was red, even the flicker of candle flames.

She saw two people, sitting opposite each other, arms entwined. Qiang Yanxi knew they were drinking the nuptial cup. She longed to see their faces clearly, but the scene shifted. She saw a woman in red planting flowers, while another woman dressed in black leaned silently against a tree, watching her. The woman in red turned and smiled gently at the woman in black.

The scene shifted again. She was no longer an observer but a participant. She was being hunted, gravely wounded, and in the moment before she fainted she saw a pair of snowy brocade shoes. She struggled to lift her head. Her vision was blurry, but she could see the figure wore a pure white gown, dazzlingly white, just like Ran Luo’s dress today.

Qiang Yanxi suddenly opened her eyes. She remembered—it was Ran Luo who had saved her life, remembered their wedding attended by only the two of them, remembered the warmth of Ran Luo’s body, remembered her kiss, remembered…that she truly loved her.

She turned to Ran Luo, whose exquisite face was filled with anticipation and restrained fear. Qiang Yanxi’s lips moved slightly; she pulled Ran Luo into her arms, her kiss falling gently on her hair. "I remember now. The heart that loves you remembers."

Ran Luo gripped Qiang Yanxi’s lapel in a daze, listening to her soft words, then buried her face deeply in Qiang Yanxi’s embrace.

She had missed this embrace for so long—so long that tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

※※※

The sunlight was not hot, just warm enough to drive away the winter’s chill, but Fu Zhi felt icy cold all over. He lay sideways facing the place where Bei Gong Juechen rested. Though he could not see, he could hear.

The obscene, slick sounds of intercourse, the man’s suppressed groans, the boy’s occasional gasps and soft laughter—all echoed clearly in his ears. Every unpredictable thrust and withdrawal was like a knife, slicing at his heart.

It was not a sharp blade, but a rusty, dull one—each cut required tearing to draw blood. Fu Zhi shut his eyes tightly, regulating his internal energy, attempting to unseal his acupoints. But the sword strike from Bei Gong Qiyi had hit precisely his weak spot; now, even breathing heavily was a struggle.

The boy’s sex was deeply buried in Bei Gong Juechen’s body, grinding against that sensitive spot. The man’s thick brows were furrowed, his lips swollen as though bleeding. In truth, they were—Bei Gong Qiyi was sucking the beads of blood from his lips, his hands gripping the man’s waist so tightly that his fingers dug into the flesh.

"Big brother, I’ve missed your body so much…" he laughed softly, withdrawing his member fully from the man’s body, then thrusting it back in hard. Bei Gong Juechen’s long lashes quivered; his body was so pliant now that Bei Gong Qiyi could fold his legs over his head with ease.

The boy’s relentless thrusts were swift and powerful, as if he were venting all his longing and jealousy onto the body beneath him. Bei Gong Juechen’s eyes were tightly shut, his bleeding lips pressed together, swallowing every moan rising in his throat.

Bei Gong Qiyi kissed the man’s lips, his hands forcibly spreading Bei Gong Juechen’s pale buttocks to thrust deeper inside him. Where their bodies joined, a dark red stain marred the brocade blanket, and even the inside of Bei Gong Juechen’s thighs bore dry blood.

"Big brother, I want to hear your voice," Bei Gong Qiyi murmured, his words muffled by the man’s lower lip. Bei Gong Juechen’s eyelids flickered, and suddenly he sneered coldly.

Bei Gong Qiyi sighed ambiguously, kissing the man’s cheek and moving to his ear. The boy spread Bei Gong Juechen’s legs wide, pressing them onto the arms of the rocking chair. The chair rocked violently, driving Bei Gong Qiyi’s sex within Bei Gong Juechen to move unpredictably. "Big brother, you know I can’t bear to let anyone else see your body, but if you won’t make a sound, I’ll let Master Fu Zhi try what you once said you’d do to me."

Bei Gong Juechen’s brows knit tighter. He had said many things to Bei Gong Qiyi, but he knew what the boy meant: Unless you kill me, I’ll slice your flesh off piece by piece and feed it to the dogs…

Bei Gong Qiyi smiled faintly, nibbling on Bei Gong Juechen’s jade-like earlobe. "Big brother, you know me—I keep my word. Besides…" Bei Gong Qiyi’s expression darkened, his hand caressing Bei Gong Juechen’s lips. "Besides, he’s kissed you!"

Bei Gong Juechen’s limp hand moved unconsciously on the brocade blanket. He opened his eyes, glaring coldly at Bei Gong Qiyi. "Bei Gong Qiyi, you should know that after today, once my strength returns, you’d better consider your fate." Bei Gong Qiyi’s smile did not falter, his fingers playing with a lock of Bei Gong Juechen’s black hair. "Big brother, if I hadn’t thought of a plan, I wouldn’t have come to take you back to the manor now."

Bei Gong Juechen’s gaze grew icier. From the moment Bei Gong Qiyi appeared, he knew it was yet another trap—one he was forced to fall into.

The rocking chair shook violently again. Bei Gong Qiyi’s sex pressed precisely against Bei Gong Juechen’s sensitive spot. "Big brother, have you decided?" Bei Gong Juechen’s tightly pressed lips moved, then he laughed in fury. "Fine, fine, Bei Gong Qiyi, I’ve lost to you once, and now again. You’ve done well!"

Bei Gong Qiyi spoke softly, "Thanks to you, big brother. If you hadn’t ignored my little tricks, perhaps I wouldn’t have succeeded." As he spoke, he began to thrust fiercely again.

Low, agonized moans sounded. Fu Zhi’s face, already pale, grew ashen. The pain and pleasure in those moans created a strange symphony. Bei Gong Qiyi kissed Bei Gong Juechen’s lips, moving quickly.

The rocking chair swayed with their movements, creaking occasionally. Bei Gong Qiyi’s pace grew faster, Bei Gong Juechen’s voice rising from deep to rough.

Finally, the boy pounded fiercely a dozen times, lifting Bei Gong Juechen in a tight embrace so their bodies remained joined, pouring every drop of his hot seed into the man’s torn, wet passage.

Bei Gong Juechen’s breathing soared, Fu Zhi shut his eyes tightly, blood slowly trickling from the corner of his mouth.

None of them noticed—a strange red light flashed where Bei Gong Qiyi and Bei Gong Juechen’s bodies joined. In that instant, the cinnabar mole on Bei Gong Qiyi’s forehead turned blood red.

Author’s note: [End of Volume Two]

At last, the second volume is complete. It wasn’t easy.