Chapter 18: Deep Affection
Wen Ning’an had a long, drawn-out dream.
It was from a long time ago. Two years ago, on the day Feng Qi had just ascended the throne, the snow was falling heavily, and a thick layer of white covered the courtyard. Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi were nestled in a warm room, with thick floor heating beneath them and a brazier in the middle, its charcoals crackling as they burned.
Feng Qi was very drunk. He was wearing cotton clothes and a mink fur cloak, and the heat trapped inside felt stuffy, so he began to peel off the layers of fabric. After he was completely naked, he felt cold again, so he turned and embraced Wen Ning’an. They held each other, kissed each other, and finally indulged in unrestrained passion and fevered intimacy, an unstoppable flood.
The feeling of Feng Qi thrusting into him, of that thick object rampaging inside his body, felt as vivid as if it were happening now. Everyone thought Feng Qi’s libido was low, that he wasn’t interested in matters of love. In reality, he was fine when he did nothing, but once he started, it was impossible to withstand, as if he wanted to drive a person to death, a madness like a fierce beast—as unreasonable and wildly arrogant as he always was.
It was more terrifying than pleasurable. Yet, as unforgettable as that feeling was, it could not compare to Feng Qi’s ice-cold gaze and thorny, hurtful words the next day.
“You weren’t so drunk you lost consciousness yesterday, were you?”
Feng Qi had said coldly, “Your consciousness was still present. Why didn’t you stop me? You even… welcomed it? Heh, are you that despicable?”
Wen Ning’an had clutched his outer robe, lowering his head, not knowing what to say.
“You like me? So all your help in the past was for personal gain, wasn’t it?”
“I didn’t…”
Feng Qi had curled his lip into a cold sneer. “Disgusting.”
Wen Ning’an had abruptly looked up.
Feng Qi had averted his gaze, refusing to look at Wen Ning’an’s wound-covered body, and clenched his fist. “You make me feel disgusted. Both your body, and you yourself.”
Wen Ning’an had trembled all over, clutching his outer robe tightly. The bright yellow bed, representing the supreme ruler of the world, was covered in the traces of last night’s frenzy, a glaringly stark sight.
“Yixin…”
“Yixin…”
Wen Ning’an’s eyes flew open, and he saw Feng Qi’s face, magnified countless times, right in front of him.
Feng Qi’s face at this moment overlapped with the one in his dream. Wen Ning’an was startled and, on instinct, reached out and pushed Feng Qi away with all his might.
Thud—
A fiery sting shot through his backside. Feng Qi sat on the cold wooden floor, speechless.
Wen Ning’an took a few breaths to calm himself. After the chaos in his head subsided, he saw Feng Qi sitting on the floor with a blank expression, looking at him with the silent suffering of a man who had swallowed something bitter but couldn’t complain. There even seemed to be a hint of anger and grievance in his eyes. For a moment, he couldn’t react.
Did I… again…
“Huaitian, I…”
“It’s alright.” Feng Qi propped himself up using the edge of the bed and stood, patting the dust from his robes. “I’m used to it.”
Looking at Feng Qi’s aggrieved and gloomy face, Wen Ning’an couldn’t help but lower his head and let out a faint smile.
It’s different…
It’s different now…
Seeing Wen Ning’an’s soft smile, Feng Qi thought he was being laughed at. Unable to keep his pride, he leaned forward and pounced on Wen Ning’an like a hungry wolf.
Wen Ning’an fell back onto the bed with a start, his head sinking heavily into the soft pillow, while Feng Qi pressed down on top of him.
“Let that be a lesson for laughing at me.”
“Ngh…!”
“Let that be a lesson for laughing at me.”
“Mmph… don’t… hah…”
Wen Ning’an was so uncomfortable that he twisted and struggled, wishing he could scream. He was out of breath, his face was flushed, and his eyes were unfocused.
Feng Qi grinned mischievously, his ten fingers roaming over Wen Ning’an’s body, giving him… a tickle attack.
With one hand, Feng Qi pinned Wen Ning’an down so he couldn’t escape. With the other, his fingers moved restlessly, maliciously tickling his armpits, his waist, and the soles of his feet. Not a single sensitive spot on his entire body was spared.
“Stop it…”
Wen Ning’an couldn’t stop giggling. Seeing Wen Ning’an in such a helpless and flustered state because of him, Feng Qi suddenly felt a little hot.
Crack—
The fragile bed, eroded by dampness and termites for many years, finally couldn’t withstand the vigorous shaking of two adult men… and gave up the ghost.
A deafening “CRASH” sounded in their ears. By the time the two of them reacted, the bed had already broken in half from the middle. They felt the space beneath them give way and fell downwards abruptly.
The door was pushed open. Auntie Qiu and Master Qiu looked at the situation in the room—on the collapsed bed, a disheveled Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi lay on the wreckage, the smiles on their lips not yet faded. Feng Qi was on top of Wen Ning’an, his hands placed somewhere unknown, while Wen Ning’an’s face was flushed, his eyes hazy…
Auntie Qiu: “…”
No wonder there have been strange moaning sounds leaking from the room since a while ago…
Eek~
How intense must it have been for the bed to collapse!
Master Qiu said directly, “Well, I understand. Can’t help yourselves. But my daughter is still young. Why don’t you two hold it in for now? It would be more comfortable to use your own fine beds when you get back to your residence, right?”
Wen Ning’an: “…”
You—you’ve misunderstood…
We weren’t having a daytime romp…
Seeing the despair on Wen Ning’an’s face, Feng Qi couldn’t help but laugh out loud and slowly sat up.
“I’m truly sorry…” Wen Ning’an said, suppressing his shame. “This bed… we will compensate for it.”
“No matter, no matter!” Master Qiu waved his hand. “I’ll just get some wooden planks to fix it.”
The rain had also stopped. After the two of them bid farewell to Master and Auntie Qiu, Wen Ning’an swore that he would never come to Tonghua Village again in this lifetime!
The two walked side by side on the winding path leaving Tonghua Village. Feng Qi, seeing the weary look on Wen Ning’an’s face, nudged him with his elbow and smiled. “Yixin, don’t be angry.”
“I’m not angry…”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Feng Qi then said, “Then say you love me.”
“…”
“Then you are angry.”
The corner of Wen Ning’an’s mouth twitched. Is he three or five years old?
As they passed by a dilapidated, grayish-white small courtyard, Wen Ning’an suddenly stopped. Most of the houses in this village were like Auntie Qiu’s, casually built with wooden planks, just enough to provide shelter from the wind and rain. So this proper-looking house was a refreshing sight.
“What’s wrong?”
Wen Ning’an pointed to the red knotted cords hanging on the low wall and turned to Feng Qi. “This is a custom of the Dongwu people. If a husband and wife weave concentric knots together and hang them around their love nest, they will be able to grow old together, bound like the knotted cords, never to be separated, much like our Red Thread of Fate. Furthermore, these knotted cords also have a protective function.”
“I see.” Feng Qi nodded slightly.
Wen Ning’an smiled. “This must be a loving couple. After all, weaving one knotted cord is very time-consuming, but look how many there are here. They almost cover the entire low wall surrounding the courtyard.”
Feng Qi frowned and looked at the courtyard again. Even so, there seems to be no sign of life here.
Driven by curiosity, Feng Qi took a few steps forward, stood on the steps, and shook the small iron ring on the main gate. After waiting for a long while, there was still no one to greet them.
“Let’s go in and have a look.” After shaking it several more times with no response, Feng Qi took Wen Ning’an’s hand and pushed open the unlocked street gate.
Passing through the gate, they saw that the inside was empty, desolate, and cold. In the courtyard, moss grew everywhere, insects occasionally scuttled by, and there were many swallows’ nests on the cobweb-covered beams. Wen Ning’an reached out and gently wiped the wall; the dust had already accumulated several inches thick.
Wen Ning’an asked doubtfully, “This…”
Feng Qi shrugged. “Maybe they moved away?”
But if they moved away, why didn’t they take the knotted cords with them? Could it be that one of them died or they separated?
“Hmm?”
In a corner of the courtyard, Wen Ning’an found a lily that was particularly vibrant and large, a lush existence that stood out among the flowers. His mind immediately connected it to another custom of the Dongwu people…
Wen Ning’an squatted down and, under Feng Qi’s puzzled gaze, gently pushed away the soil around the lily with his hands. As expected, an earthenware jar was buried under the ground.
“What is this?”
Wen Ning’an explained, “As you know, the Dongwu people are very devout. Their lives are inseparable from gods and religious customs, so their lives are much more ancient and superstitious than ours. They have a custom called ‘blood nurturing.’ For example, a wife places a small urn inside a large urn, lets her own blood flow into the large urn, and then her husband’s blood into the small urn. ‘Nourishing your life with my blood’ means the wife is praying to the gods, praying that they can protect her husband, even if it means sacrificing her own life.”
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow.
If this method really works, he would want to do it too, just to ensure Wen Ning’an’s lifelong safety.
“Since they’ve gone to the extent of blood nurturing, why would they abandon this place?” Wen Ning’an looked at the desolate surroundings, feeling a sense of pity. From the remaining traces, furniture, and scenery, it was not difficult to imagine the sweet and warm little life the owners once had. Yet now, it was all covered in a thick layer of dust.
Wen Ning’an didn’t want the final ending for the owners of this house to be a bad one.
The storm had subsided a little. The few remaining hunters who hadn’t gone out to make a living with Wang Zhengyi began to stir. Even though the sun was about to set, for these hunters, the forest at night was no different from home. After leaving the courtyard, Feng Qi and Wen Ning’an met a hunter carrying a bow and arrow, heading into the forest.
“Brother,” Feng Qi called out to the man who was also passing by. “Do you know who this courtyard originally belonged to?”
The man shook his head. “Alas, wasn’t it that Wang Zhengyi and An Su’s? Those two really are… never mind.”
Feng Qi and Wen Ning’an looked at each other.
No wonder it’s abandoned, but…
Wen Ning’an said, “I want to go to the Ministry of Justice’s prison to meet that Wang Zhengyi. Is that alright? Not for the Xu family, but for these two.”
Feng Qi nodded and smiled. “I’ll accompany you wherever you want to go. There’s nothing urgent at the villa recently anyway. But it’s getting dark now. Let’s go back to the villa first and go tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
