Chapter 6

With Wei Huai’s promise, Prefect Xu was somewhat stunned. He couldn’t figure out why Wei Huai had suddenly changed his attitude, but it seemed only natural. Qixue was so beautiful—how could anyone not like him? That wouldn’t even count as human.

Amid his astonishment, Prefect Xu could only feel wild joy. Wei Huai’s words amounted to a solemn pledge; it was like handing him a blank silver note to fill in as he pleased!

“This official understands, this official understands. Thank you, General Wei…”

Amid Prefect Xu’s repeated respectful send-offs, Wei Huai carried Qixue away from the prefect’s mansion and returned to the military camp outside the city.

Along the way, Qixue obediently huddled in the crook of Wei Huai’s arm, not daring to move—not because he was deliberately acting cute, but because the white tiger beneath them terrified him…

As soon as they entered the camp, Qixue grew even more tense, overwhelmed by the auras of the massive demonic beasts until he could barely breathe. Staying here was torment for him, but for the chance to enter the palace and see the emperor, he could endure even the worst discomfort.

Wei Huai held Qixue and leaped lightly down from the white tiger’s back. The soldiers in the camp all knelt in salute, respectfully welcoming the general’s return. Even the ferocious demonic beasts prostrated themselves on the ground, lowering their heads without any hint of insolence.

“All of you, rise.”

Wei Huai smiled, carried Qixue straight into the general’s tent, and only then set him down. He leaned in for a gentle kiss on Qixue’s lips. “Go bathe first.”

Behind the screen stood a bathtub filled with hot water, steam rising faintly from the surface.

Qixue stripped off his clothes and sat in the tub, soon steaming until his skin flushed pink. Soaking in the hot water felt wonderful; his taut nerves gradually relaxed as he pondered his next steps.

Fortunately, he had won Wei Huai’s favor. In truth, he had been terrified when the dagger pressed against his throat, but during the dance, he had secretly observed Wei Huai’s reactions. Wei Huai had watched intently, showing no sign of dislike, so Qixue had decided to go all in. Luckily, he had gotten the result he wanted.

Wei Huai liked him now, but that fondness surely wasn’t deep—more like a fleeting novelty. What Qixue needed to do was captivate Wei Huai’s heart, make him utterly infatuated, and get him to take Qixue back to Shangjing. Only then would he have a shot at seeing the emperor.

As for how, there was no doubt: his beauty. Beauty was his sharpest weapon.

Once in Shangjing, he would find a way into the palace and become the emperor’s favored consort.

Lady Shanyin had taught him to leverage his looks, and this must have been her intent. Gaining the emperor’s favor didn’t necessarily mean entering the rear palace, but since Qixue couldn’t lead armies or govern the realm, he lacked the talent to become one of His Majesty’s trusted ministers. He could only be a beguiling consort who bewitched the sovereign’s heart.

Qixue’s movements slowed as he washed his hair, lost deep in thought, until a voice from behind interrupted him.

“You’re washing so slowly? I’ve been waiting impatiently.”

Wei Huai’s tone held a smile. He lifted Qixue’s long hair from behind, exposing his jade-like back, then leaned down to kiss it.

Qixue had never been touched like this before and trembled involuntarily. “I’ll be out right away.”

“No need. I’ll join you.”

Wei Huai shed his clothes, his tall, muscular naked body stepping onto the low stool and into the tub.

The tub was large, but with two people, it felt cramped. Wei Huai stretched out his long arms, pulling Qixue into his embrace, their bodies pressed intimately together.

“General, I…”

Qixue had thought he was really there to bathe and was about to show his thoughtfulness by scrubbing Wei Huai’s back. But Wei Huai didn’t let him finish—kisses rained down relentlessly.

…

The water in the tub had cooled by the time Wei Huai carried the limp, boneless Qixue back to the bed. He positioned him on his knees, gripping his waist.

Qixue clutched the quilt and let out pitiful whimpers, begging Wei Huai for mercy. But Wei Huai just laughed. “If you still have the strength to talk, why not say some things I like to hear? Maybe I’ll let you off sooner.”

In the end, Qixue was exhausted into sleep, not even remembering when the candle on the lampstand went out.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already noon the next day.

Wei Huai was absent from the tent. A scrawny little girl sat nearby, propping her head as she admired his sleeping face.

Seeing him awake, the girl introduced herself. Her name was Apricot, and she was twelve, but so thin and short that Qixue thought she looked only eight or nine.

Apricot’s family had been desperately poor, on the verge of starvation, so her parents traded her for their neighbor’s daughter—two families exchanging children to eat.

She had been strung up like a live lamb, with firewood piled below and a crowd gathered around, waiting to eat her.

The uncle who had once been kind to her couldn’t hold back his hunger. He picked up a razor-sharp thin stone slice, ready to cut a piece of raw meat from her to taste some meaty flavor. Suddenly, an arrow whistled from afar, piercing his hand and severing the rope binding Apricot.

Her savior was Wei Huai, who brought her back to the camp and let her help in the kitchens.

That morning, Wei Huai had called her over to tend to Qixue. The camp was full of rough men; only Apricot was attentive enough to care for him properly.

Apricot said, “The general said you’d definitely have a sore waist today and wouldn’t be able to get out of bed. Should I rub it for you?”

Qixue felt a surge of irritation at that. So Wei Huai knew full well how roughly he’d tormented him. His waist really did ache too much to get up, but with all the marks on his body, he didn’t want a little girl seeing them. He shook his head. “Just get me a cup of water.”

Apricot nimbly poured warm water and helped him drink. Qixue downed two cups in a row before signaling it was enough. “That’s good.”

“Are you hungry, young master? I had the kitchens save some food for you—it’s still hot.” Apricot asked solicitously.

Qixue asked about the dishes and shook his head immediately upon hearing they were all meat. “My appetite’s off; I can only eat vegetarian. Do you have any pastries?”

“Yes, just wait a moment, young master.”

Apricot was thorough; she had prepared pastries in advance. They were fragrant, crumbly, and utterly delicious. Qixue devoured them all and praised her sincerely. “These are so good. You’re really talented.”

A smile bloomed on Apricot’s little face. “I’m glad you like them, young master.”

The girl was clever and capable, utterly likable, yet her background was so tragic. Qixue couldn’t help feeling a touch of pity for her.

Having regained some strength, he chatted idly with Apricot and asked something that piqued his curiosity. “What happened to your neighbors afterward? Were they punished?”

“They were,” Apricot nodded. “The general said that since they liked eating human flesh, they could eat each other—just one piece of family meat per person.”

Grandmother ate father, parents ate son, son ate mother.

The more cherished, the more unbearable, the more they had to eat. They all had to taste the flesh of their most beloved.

The mother shook her head, crying, unable to bring herself to cut her son. Wei Huai laughed. “You can’t bear to slice off a piece of your son’s flesh, but you were willing to send your daughter off to be eaten? Fine then, eat your daughter’s flesh instead. I can spare you.”

He tossed down a bundle, from which a meaty aroma wafted. Peeking from one corner was the daughter’s head, boiled beyond recognition.

“Ah!!”

The mother screamed, driven mad, and bashed her head against a rock to death. The son was frightened into idiocy, only able to giggle and drool. The grandmother and father were sent to the harshest corvée labor and soon perished together.

The daughter had been Apricot’s friend; Apricot buried her herself, giving her friend a proper rest in the earth.

As for Apricot’s own family, since they had killed and even eaten a bit, they were either executed or sent to corvée labor. Apricot never inquired after them. She didn’t miss them and wouldn’t plead for them.

“What you did was right…”

Qixue comforted Apricot, but midway through, he clamped his mouth shut, fighting back the urge to vomit.

The thought of a cooked human head made him want to retch. It sharpened his realization that the world beyond the mountains was far darker and crueler than he had imagined. On his own, he could never safely reach Shangjing. He had to rely on Wei Huai’s power.

Moreover, Wei Huai was truly ruthless, his methods unconventional. No wonder Prefect Xu feared him so.

But was he a bad person? Qixue didn’t think so. If he faced mountains of corpses and bloodbaths, witnessing all manner of inhuman atrocities day after day, he might turn even more twisted than Wei Huai.

Late that night, Wei Huai returned to the tent, reeking of thick blood, startling Qixue awake from his sleep.

“Go back to sleep.”

Wei Huai kissed him and fetched cold water to bathe, rinsing the blood from his body.

Qixue thought for a moment, then forced his aching, limp waist to get up. He draped Wei Huai’s oversized outer robe over himself and said softly, “Let me scrub your back, General.”

Wei Huai didn’t refuse. He glanced back with a smile and obligingly leaned over the edge of the tub, waiting for Qixue to wash him.

Qixue soaked a cloth and gently pressed it to Wei Huai’s back, wiping down along his spine.

In the dim candlelight, Qixue vaguely saw many scars on Wei Huai’s broad back. A few faint red marks were from when he had clawed at Wei Huai the night before in overwhelm, but most were old wounds: knife slashes, arrow punctures, claw and bite marks from beasts—every kind imaginable.

One was particularly long, slanting across his entire back. If it had been just a fraction deeper, it would have been fatal, but Wei Huai had survived by sheer luck.

Curious about what demon had left such a scar, Qixue lightly traced it with his fingertips, back and forth.

The more he touched, the tenser Wei Huai’s back grew. Finally, he couldn’t endure it and turned around. “You’re doing this on purpose?”

What?

Before Qixue could react, he stared at Wei Huai in bewilderment, eyes misty. With a splash, Wei Huai rose from the tub, water splattering everywhere, and scooped Qixue up a bit roughly.

“I was planning to let you rest tonight.”

Wei Huai lowered his head, kissing Qixue’s cheek before nipping lightly. “But since you don’t want to rest, I’ll indulge you. I’m always happy to oblige, anytime.”

No, that’s not what I meant!

Qixue wanted to protest, but he was already tossed onto the bed. Wei Huai grabbed his belt and blindfolded Qixue’s eyes. “You’ve touched my scars. Now let me check if you have any. One for each one we find… and if there aren’t any…”

In the darkness, Qixue could hear the delight in his voice. “…then we go until I’m satisfied.”