Chapter 48: A Living, Breathing Spectacle
Qi Xiao arrived outside the tent where the living dead were being held and heard a series of roars from within. The guards, having listened to these shrill howls all night, all had pale, sickly expressions.
Inside the tent were wooden cages, reinforced not only with wood but also with a layer of iron mesh. The living dead were restrained, and so they were extremely agitated, the wood covered in mottled scratch marks, the ground a mess of wood chips.
I captured these living dead to train my soldiers, Qi Xiao thought. He knew very well that even though his soldiers were the most valiant Shuras among the four armies, they couldn’t help but feel fear and discomfort towards these living dead. Therefore, if Junce were to attack for real, and not just test the waters like today, his men would have a hard time winning.
He hated taking risks. He didn’t want a “maybe,” but a “definitely.” His men had to be able to fight the living dead, and win. Therefore, they first had to familiarize themselves with their habits and attack patterns. They couldn’t be as ignorant as he had been last time, which had led to Yunzhi getting hurt…
“General Qi.”
Hearing the call, he turned and saw Jiang Luori’s wife, Chen Xinxin, standing by the tent entrance.
“Mrs. Jiang? What is it?”
She glanced at the living dead and stammered, “I just… I just came to see.” The living dead were terrifying to look at, and she looked away after just one glance.
He understood. “Are you worried about Luori, Mrs. Jiang?”
She nodded.
“These living dead look… also…”
“There is no need to worry, madam,” Qi Xiao said with a solemn expression. “Although I cannot guarantee the safety of every one of my soldiers, I will do my best not to let them fall into danger.”
“I believe you, General Qi,” she smiled. “Luori has always told me that you are the best general.”
“My Southern Conquest Army is the best army,” Qi Xiao also smiled, “and Luori is the best lieutenant.”
“I almost forgot this.” She handed him a paper bag and, looking down shyly, said, “Congratulations on finding a good partner, General Qi. This is a small token of my appreciation. It’s not much, please don’t laugh.”
That day when Qi Xiao had carried Fu Yunzhi into the city, everyone had seen it and understood.
He took the paper bag. A faint fragrance wafted out from inside.
“If it weren’t for you, General Qi, Luori and I would not be together,” she said. “This bag of cookies is a small gift, but my husband and I are truly very grateful to you.”
“It takes a hundred years of cultivation to cross a river in the same boat, and a thousand years to share a pillow. Mrs. Jiang and Luori were fated to be together. Even without me making the connection, you would have met at some point, somewhere, and then fallen in love and grown old together.” This was what he truly thought, not just a polite refusal.
A warmth spread through his heart. He had crossed time and space, crossed a hundred years, to love Fu Yunzhi. What a great fate that must be.
After Chen Xinxin left, he put the bag in his robes and summoned a lieutenant, telling him to have all the off-duty soldiers gather in the open space outside.
The Southern Conquest Army, also known as the Shura Army, although they drank and gambled and acted arrogantly when there was no war, had the best discipline on the battlefield. Their formations were excellent, and in battle, one of them could match three soldiers from other armies.
With his order, the open space was filled with soldiers in no time.
He had seen the strength of the Ten-Ox Vine before and had taken some from Wulanbaer for emergencies. Now, he took it out, used it to lasso one of the living dead, and dragged it to the open space.
Seeing the living dead standing before the troops, restlessly struggling and growling, the soldiers all unconsciously placed their hands on their sword hilts. The soldiers in the front row even felt their hearts beat faster.
“Who wants to come up and challenge this thing?” Qi Xiao shouted.
The area was silent.
“This thing is just a walking corpse! There’s nothing to be afraid of!” he said angrily. “You are the Southern Conquest Army, the Shura Army! A thousand Shuras are standing before me, and not a single one of you dares to step forward? It’s just a corpse! Look at how scared you are! If that’s the case, then you can all just go home! In a real battle, there will be a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand of these monsters! Won’t you be scared out of your wits then? You’re a disgrace to my name!”
As soon as his voice fell, a clamor arose among the troops, and many immediately raised their hands, shouting to go forward. Seeing the dense forest of hands, he was satisfied and randomly pointed out five men to step forward.
After the five men stood beside the living dead, he cut the vine and jumped away, leaving the battlefield to them.
At first, the five of them were just like him before, taken aback when their swords were entangled by the worms. But they helped each other, and no one was injured. They quickly got the hang of the fighting style and technique.
Seeing that there were no major problems, he looked around. “Hasn’t Luori returned yet?”
Before one of the lieutenants could say “no,” they saw Jiang Luori walking towards them. Behind him was Mu Linglong in a white robe.
“Why did you come in person, Cult Leader Mu?” Qi Xiao said, a little embarrassed. “I could have just had Luori inform you, and I would have gone to find you.”
“It’s fine. I ran into Lieutenant Jiang in the wild. What’s wrong?”
Qi Xiao signaled for him to wait, handed the Ten-Ox Vine to Jiang Luori, and instructed him to slowly release the living dead from the tents, making sure everyone got a chance to practice and become proficient.
“Cult Leader Mu, let’s talk as we walk.”
After the two of them left the open space, Qi Xiao asked, “Cult Leader Mu, may I ask you for something?”
“Medicine? If I have it, you can take it, General Qi.”
“It is indeed medicine,” Qi Xiao paused. “You have aphrodisiacs, right?”
“…”
What?
Seeing Mu Linglong’s blank expression, Qi Xiao cleared his throat and asked another question. “Do we have to do that today? Can’t it be a day or half a day later?”
“Absolutely not!” Mu Linglong said seriously. “The Gu parasite will begin to hibernate a day after being implanted in the body. Having intercourse now, while it’s still active, will have a better effect… No! I should say, today is the best opportunity. If you miss it, it’s gone.”
“I expected you would say that,” Qi Xiao sighed. “But for some reason, Yunzhi is unwilling tonight, no matter how much I coax and pester him. He even got angry.”
“Perhaps you did something to make Master Fu unhappy?” Mu Linglong said. “Or maybe… uh… the last time didn’t end well?”
With that, his face turned red.
What kind of topic is this in the middle of the night…
“Absolutely not!” Qi Xiao said with confidence. “Yunzhi was lying on top of me before I even made the request. As for the bed matters, every time has been very satisfying.”
He smugly thought to himself, I’m theoretically experienced in hundreds of battles. Every time, I make my wifey so satisfied she can’t take it anymore~
Mu Linglong pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, “General Qi, would you mind if your lover’s appearance was not as it was before? If… I mean, if one day, Master Fu was not as good-looking as before, and even became very ugly, would you mind?”
“Of course not!” Qi Xiao said without thinking. “I like Yunzhi no matter what he looks like. This question is too strange. It’s like, if Alliance Chief Shen became ugly, would you mind, Cult Leader Mu?”
“That’s not certain. He was never good-looking to begin with, especially ugly,” Mu Linglong smiled.
Qi Xiao: “…” He’s quite handsome, though.
“Since you don’t mind, General Qi, then I will speak for Master Fu,” Mu Linglong said. “Do you still remember? The Flower Moon Gu will affect the host’s appearance. Hair loss, skin decay, and other problems will gradually appear. Therefore, I dare to guess that this is probably why Master Fu refused.”
Hearing this, Qi Xiao was stunned, not knowing how to react.
So, that’s how it is…
“Thank you, Cult Leader Mu.”
Seeing Qi Xiao hurry away, Mu Linglong crossed his arms and said coolly, “You followed me all the way. Did you really think I didn’t know?”
Shen Linye jumped down from a tree branch, aggrieved. “You actually said I was ugly.”
“Am I wrong?”
Shen Linye placed his cloak on Mu Linglong’s shoulders and smiled. “It’s fine. No matter how ugly, I’m still your husband.”
“Don’t follow people like that next time,” Mu Linglong said helplessly. “General Qi was just anxious and preoccupied, so he didn’t notice. What would he think if he knew?”
“You were alone with another man in the middle of the night. How could I not care?”
“That’s General Qi! Your friend, General Qi, who has a partner.” What is in this person’s head? Tofu?
“I don’t care,” Shen Linye said, turning his head away. “Anyway, you were with another man, and you were talking so happily.”
Mu Linglong glanced at him, draped the cloak over himself, and turned to leave.
Idiot!
“Hey, hey, wait for me!”
Fu Yunzhi lay on his side on the bed, his head propped up on his hand. Hearing a noise, he guessed that Qi Xiao had returned and immediately closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Please don’t bring up that matter again…
“Yunzhi?”
“…”
Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he was suddenly and forcefully flipped over by Qi Xiao, his sash roughly torn open.
“Qi Xiao! Stop! Stop it!”
Seeing him tear open his sash and then move his hand to his inner robe’s tie, Fu Yunzhi’s eyes widened. He had never expected him to disregard his wishes like this. This had never happened before!
I have to do it tonight, Qi Xiao thought. Even if wifey gets angry, I have to do it. At worst, I’ll kneel on a washboard tomorrow, or those nets with the barbs!
Fu Yunzhi’s hands were pinned above his head by Qi Xiao and tied with his sash. He struggled with all his might, but Qi Xiao had tied it very tightly, and in a dead knot, so he only managed to leave red marks on his wrists.
“Qi Xiao! I’m not done with you! You…” The rest of his words were blocked by a pair of lips.
“Silly boy,” Qi Xiao whispered, “I know everything.”
Fu Yunzhi was stunned. He saw Qi Xiao pull the front of his robe, which had been pulled open, back over him.
“Little fool, how could I mind? No matter what you become, even if you’re uglier than those living dead, I won’t mind. You don’t like me looking, so I won’t look. You just had to tell me.”
“Since you know everything,” Fu Yunzhi panted, “then let me go.”
And if I’m uglier than the living dead, I doubt you’ll still like me!
Qi Xiao let out a low, deep laugh. “Heh heh…”
“…” Fu Yunzhi didn’t understand, but the warm breath on the side of his neck sent a shiver down his spine.
“What did I say before?” Qi Xiao said enticingly. “Have you forgotten now? Now… who has broken their promise, and who should naturally be punished. Right?”
“You… you! You bastard! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t look?” Fu Yunzhi’s cheeks were flushed, and he wished he could slap the person on top of him twice.
“I only said I wouldn’t look, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it,” Qi Xiao said. “Actually, this is quite good, hehehe… shame play…”
Although Fu Yunzhi didn’t understand, he knew that whatever he was saying was definitely not something good. But before he could resist, he saw Qi Xiao take off his trousers and forcefully pull his legs apart.
“We’ll just leave the top on,” Qi Xiao said with a wicked smile. “We can still do it with the bottom off.” With that, his soft lips traced a path from Fu Yunzhi’s earlobe, up to kiss his eyes, which were bright red with anger, and finally, heavily, on his red lips, which were about to open to stop him. One hand caressed his front, while the other explored his rear.
Fu Yunzhi was turned into a pool of spring water by him, panting and moaning softly. His body felt very uncomfortable, but his hands were tied and he couldn’t move. His lower body was naked, his shameful parts exposed for someone to play with, while his upper body was tightly covered, which made him feel even more embarrassed for some reason.
“You… hurry up.” This feeling was too terrifying. He closed his eyes, wishing he would finish soon.
Seeing him so shy that he didn’t dare to look at him, Qi Xiao let out a low laugh. “Don’t be in a hurry.”
The night is still long. You don’t know until you do it, and once you try, you’ll be in heaven! With such a living, breathing spectacle before him, Qi Xiao felt he could get off just by looking at Fu Yunzhi, tied up and unable to move, his lower body stripped and dripping with juice.
At midnight, the only sound was the neat footsteps of the patrolling soldiers. The spring light leaking from the tent made the passing soldiers lower their heads in embarrassment.
The general and Master Fu’s relationship is really good. The general is good at fighting, and Master Fu makes the plans. How can we be afraid of not winning this war?
