Chapter 61: What Is This? Is It Edible? Part 2

The servants filed out, but Pei Jingyi remained, lounging insolently in his chair with his robes in disarray, exposing a large expanse of his firm chest.

Yun Niang was a young woman, after all; it wasn’t proper for her to drag him out. She could only grit her teeth and retreat, gently closing the door behind her.

Gu Huaiyu had no intention of dealing with the man right now. He picked up the bowl with both hands and began to sip slowly. As the warm blood slid down his throat, a surge of heat rushed toward his limbs.

He let out a very faint “mm,” the sound carrying a hint of satiated lethargy. He closed his eyes, savoring the rush of strength flowing through his body.

Pei Jingyi watched his blood-stained lips and suddenly spoke. “How do you usually… vent your fire, My Lord?”

His tone was flat, as if he were casually asking about the weather, entirely devoid of shame.

Gu Huaiyu’s thin eyelids flickered, but he didn’t open them. “What does that have to do with you?”

“We are both men. I thought we might exchange experiences.” Pei Jingyi sat up, resting his arm on his knee. His bare shoulder leaned into the halo of the candlelight. “You aren’t ignoring me because you’re shy, are you?”

Gu Huaiyu treated his words like wind in his ears, offering no response.

Pei Jingyi stared at that frigid face, his voice dropping an octave as he chewed on his words slowly. “I taught myself when I was barely ten. Back in the military camps, whenever the urge hit, I couldn’t sleep a wink unless I spent the whole night working at it.”

“Once the camp went quiet, I’d sneak out to a deserted mountain hollow…”

His gaze meticulously traced the lines of Gu Huaiyu’s features. His words were crude, yet his tone was perfectly serious. “Sometimes I’d hide behind a rock, drop my trousers…”

“Gritting my teeth while I did it… the wind blowing, the grass tickling my skin…”

Gu Huaiyu snapped his eyes open, asking with a cold sneer, “Are you tired of living?”

Seeing him open his eyes only encouraged Pei Jingyi further. He pressed a knuckle to his temple. “The feeling when you reach the peak…”

“It’s like an arrow piercing through your skull. It’s so good your brain buzzes, and you go numb from your spine down to the soles of your feet.” His voice was low and raspy. He licked his lips as if savoring the memory. “In that moment, who cares about life or death? Even if I died on the spot—it would be worth it.”

Gu Huaiyu’s brow furrowed, his knuckles turning white where they gripped the table. He couldn’t tell if he felt disgust or loathing… it was more of a strange, alien sensation. It was a dangerous experience he couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Seeing his silence, Pei Jingyi leaned back in his chair, his legs spread casually. “I like this posture best. It makes it easy to use your hands while you watch…”

“Especially at the peak—” He suddenly flexed his core, thrusting his hips upward slightly. “Like this. You can see everything clearly.”

Gu Huaiyu gripped the edge of the table, his face as cold as frost. “Put your clothes on and get out.”

Pei Jingyi could tell that pushing any further would truly cost him his life. He casually gathered his robes and tied a loose knot. He stood and cupped his hands in a mocking salute. “This subordinate shall ‘roll out’ then. Rest well, My Lord.”

Once the sound of footsteps vanished down the corridor, Gu Huaiyu raised his hand. His brow remained furrowed as his fingertips touched the burning skin behind his ear. He stared down at the open book on the table; the ink seemed to swim before his eyes, the words losing all meaning.

Having just consumed the Nine Li blood, his body was searingly hot. His blood felt full, and a long-absent sense of comfort radiated from the very marrow of his bones.

Is it truly that pleasurable?

The thought was like a drop of ink in still water, blooming across his consciousness.

He had tried it occasionally in the past, but his body had been too weak. Every time, his strength would fail him halfway through, leaving him bored and hollow. Over time, even the desire had faded.

But now, the warm energy circulating through his veins made his muscles feel supple and his fingertips feel strong. That long-forgotten urge began to sprout once more.

Gu Huaiyu closed his eyes. That animal.

It was all Pei Jingyi’s fault. A mouth full of filth, a head full of bastards’ thoughts. He would have to kill him later.

But not now. Now… he wanted to verify if those crude words were actually true. He wouldn’t be as vulgar as that beast.

Gu Huaiyu pulled a square of pure white silk from his sleeve and folded it twice. The cool, smooth touch of the silk against his fingers wasn’t unbearable. At least he wouldn’t have to dirty his hands.

The golden candlelight flickered in the absolute silence of the night. Gu Huaiyu leaned back against the chair, the hard wood cradling his thin frame like an embrace. On a face that usually held no expression, his brow began to knit, and his eyelashes trembled with a subtle, rhythmic agitation.

“Nng…”

A gasp escaped his teeth. He immediately bit his lower lip, swallowing the rest of the sound back into his throat. He couldn’t help but tilt his head back, his Adam’s apple bobbing violently as if he were gulping down the noise—or perhaps trying to suppress the overwhelming sensations.

His other hand clenched the armrest tighter and tighter. A delicate flush bloomed at the corners of his eyes, and a fine layer of sweat clung to his cheeks and neck. He breathed sharply, his vision darkening in pulses, his thin chest rising and falling in heaving waves.