The blood finally stopped, but a biting red stain was left on the front of his white shirt.
He thought about how Jiang Xunyi should be in a lot of pain, but as he lied there, his nearly bloodless thin lips seemed to be pursed in a shallow smile. His eyes and eyebrows were pitch-black and striking, and he looked like a beauty with heavy makeup on.
However, a teardrop suddenly flowed down the corner of his narrow eyes and sank into the hair that looked like crow feathers.
He stared as if he was bewitched and finally couldnât help but lower his head to kiss himâŚ
ââââââââ
Amidst the confusion of his few sober moments, the only real thing that could be felt was the pain in the chest. The pain was like a steel knife scraping his bones, and it penetrated into his internal organs. It could almost drive a man insane.
However, he seemed to smell a kind of gardeniaâs fragrance in this endless pain.
Jiang Xunyi felt like he was slowly laughing. âDad, mom, big brotherâŚIâm backâŚâ
There was a gardenia tree in the courtyard of his villa. Every summer, the courtyard was full of this plain and long-lasting fragrance. In a moment of delirium, Jiang Xunyi seemed to feel as if he could touch the soft white petals, but in a blink of an eye, everything was gone.
Jiang Xunyiâs mind was muddled, and muttered to himself, âToday is the day I was discharged from the hospital. If you donât go to the hospital to pick me up, I will come back by myself. Dad, you must have been dilly-dallying, making everyone late. Did mom scold you? Brother, I can play basketball with you now, so why donât we two brothers compete with each otherâŚâ
The image before his eyes was clear, and it was hard to tell whether it was a dream or not. Where does the dream of the night go if not home[1]?
Finally, the unanswered whispers gradually stopped, and he fell into the deep darkness again.
He didnât know how much more time passed, but in his daze, Jiang Xunyi felt his face itch. He instinctively stretched out his hand to block, but he only felt warm skin.
The shadow cast by Wanderer Zihui on him was so deep that before Jiang Xunyi was even fully awake, the appearance of a naked woman appeared in his mind.
Thinking of this, he immediately turned over and sat up, pushing the person who was half pressed against him aside. However, he didnât expect his body to be so weak, and with just this move, he almost toppled off the bed. He was picked up by the person, who half hugged him and laid him down on the bed again.
Jiang Xunyiâs injury was severe, and pain cleared his mind. Recalling what happened before, he knew that struggling was useless, and he simply didnât move. His eyes flashed, and he spoke word by word: âChen Yuanxin.â
He revealed a pair of extremely beautiful eyes. The corners of the eyes were slightly pointed, a very contrasting black and white. The drifting fabric beside him carried the color of fire, making his eyes appear even more radiant. It seemed that even his long eyelashes were coated with a layer of gold. But at this moment, his thin face full of anger, his eyes seemed sharp, brilliant as a sword.
Following his illness, his skin was pale, and his appearance was increasingly handsome. It was impossible to find the slightest flaw, and even straight people couldnât help but want to possess him. He was extraordinary, and yet it was impossible to possess his arrogant body. They could only endure the pain in their chests and unwaveringly live on.
Chen Yuanxinâs finger turned white, and he finally put Jiang Xunyi back on the bed, smiling with restraint. âSomeone like Young Master Jiang can still remember Yuanxin. I am really flattered.â
Jiang Xunyiâs face didnât expose the fragility and helplessness he had in his dream at all. He just coughed twice and reached out to cover his chest â blood was already faintly showing there. He was unable to speak for a while, but he let out a simultaneous cough and a laugh. With his other hand supporting himself on the bed, he was able to determinedly sit up slightly straighter.
Seeing him swaying, Chen Yuanxin hurriedly reached out to support him. He touched Jiang Xunyiâs chest injury with one hand and sighed slightly. âCan you be careful with your body? Young Master Jiang, when you donât cherish yourself like this, I have no need to pity you. If you really canât be free, why donât you let me top you here, and I can solve the pain of lovesickness.â
Jiang Xunyi was stunned for a moment before he realized what he meant. He came from a modern world, so naturally, he had heard that there could be feelings between two men. However, he had only ever taken it as a story and had never connected it to himself. At this time, he could not fully understand Chen Yuanxinâs words.
However, his current situation did not allow him to think too much. Jiang Xunyi quickly grabbed his opponentâs wrist and forcibly stopped his actions. He laughed as he said, âWeâve been enemies for so long; I didnât even know that Demon Sovereign Xuan Li was into something like this! Whatâs the matter, are you tired of playing with the Demon Race, and thus came to me to become a concubine?â
When the words âDemon Sovereign Xuan Liâ were spoken, Chen Yuanxinâs movements suddenly stopped. However, after a moment of surprise, his heart suddenly heated up â what he wanted was exactly such a person. He was free with both his words and actions, and even if he was at a disadvantage, he left the impression that he should never be looked down upon.
âHow did you know it was me?â
Jiang Xunyiâs hair crown[2] had fallen off, and he leaned against the head of the bed in only his white inner robe. He seemed even thinner and his image was disorderly, but his imposing manner remained undiminished. Seeing that the other had been stirred up, he became more relaxed. âYour Excellency looks surprised; arenât you looking down on my ability? In fact, when I used my soul fire[3] to smelt Chen Yuanxinâs sword, I could feel that although the sword belonged to âChen Yuanxinâ, there was an almost indecipherable connection to you. However, I didnât want to incur more problems at that time, so I didnât expose it. Up to this point, there have been traces of demons behind all the incidents. If I were not able to guess that the culprit was you, then I am living in vain.â
He briefly paused, looked at the other party for a moment, then said, âXuan Li, I see youâre not taking things by force but instead disguising yourself. Hey, whatâs the matter? After being beaten by me several times, do you not dare to show your true colors? You are a very talented person, and your wretched appearance was so accurate that even the fox Yun Xie has been blinded.â
âJiang Xunyi is really Jiang Xunyi. Even here, he is still aggressive.â Demon Sovereign Xuan Li sighed with a smile, then stretched out his hand to remove his disguise, revealing a face with a distinct outline, just like Jiang Xunyi had guessed. Not only was his disguise on his face, even his neck was covered with a layer of fake skin. When he tore it off, he suddenly revealed a circle of stitches on his neck.
Jiang Xunyiâs gaze swept across the sight calmly, almost seeming like he hadnât paused at all, but something finally became clear in his heart.
Demon Sovereign Xuan Li didnât see his shock, instead even feeling that the other was bored. He threw away the mask offhandedly and took a bottle of ointment from the bedside. He roughly forced his way over and stretched out his hand to tear off the front of Jiang Xunyiâs clothes, revealing the wound on his chest.
It took all of Jiang Xunyiâs energy for him to maintain his calm look and speak, so he was no longer able to block Xuan Liâs movements. He simply endured as the other put the unknown ointment on his wound. He raised his chin slightly and said, âI thought you were an unrestrained homosexual, but seeing you act so gently and considerately, Xunyi feels that he had misunderstood. Miss Xuanli, you are so unrestrained; are you not afraid that your reputation will be ruined if you spend time with someone who was once labelled as a rapist?â
Demon Sovereign Xuan Li had lived for so many years, and yet he had never heard someone talk to him like this. He froze for a moment before realizing that Jiang Xunyi was calling him a sissy. His hand didnât stop applying the medicine, but he couldnât help but laugh again.
Jiang Xunyiâs voice was full of scorn. âDonât smile. When you smile, your mouth and eyes get slanted. Itâs too shabby.â
Xuan Liâs smile froze.
Jiang Xunyi casually added, âDid you kill all the tailors with good craftsmanship back then? The craftsmanship of those remaining is not very good. I suspect he forgot to sew your brains.â
After he said this sentence, there was a sudden pain in his chest as Demon Sovereign Xuan Liâs fingers plunged into his wound. The flesh that had grown a little bit was suddenly torn, and blood gushed out.
The demon raceâs wound medicine was already potent, and with this move, the pain inflicted felt like no less than a thousand swords. However, Jiang Xunyi didnât show weakness and only smiled. âFinally done with acting? Xuan Li, we are enemies. For you to fake this image, even if you donât feel tired, it still makes my teeth sore. This is much better.â
He looked like he was really not affected by the pain. If it werenât for the cold sweat covering his forehead and the paleness of his face, Xuan Li would have believed that he had attacked too lightly.
He slowly raised his hand, fingertips covered with Jiang Xunyiâs blood. âMaster Jiang, you are truly smart, but why donât you understand that the more you know, the faster you will die?â
Jiang Xunyi sneered, but Xuan Li suddenly leaned down, pinched his chin firmly, and wiped the blood on Jiang Xunyiâs lips with his other hand.
Jiang Xunyi was mysophobic, and he couldnât stand even his own blood. Caught off guard, he said angrily, âWhat are you doing?!â
His pale lips were stained bright red, and he became even more beautiful. With his sword eyebrows and phoenix eyes, jade face and vermilion lips, all combined with his angery expression, his appearance had an unparalleled scorching effect. Xuan Liâs breathing increased, and suddenly he lowered his head and kissed him.
Jiang Xunyi almost exploded.
As a neat freak who was reluctant to even make physical contact with strangers, in this moment, he could not consider any humiliation or integrity issues at all. He just felt that this was too disgusting!
Xuan Li pressed down on Jiang Xunyiâs shoulders, licked the blood from his lips, and stroked Jiang Xunyiâs lower abdomen with his other hand. With a strength that even he himself didnât know the origin of, Jiang Xunyi slammed his knee up. As Xuan Li was dodging, he quickly broke free, his five fingers darting towards the opponentâs throat. This move was accurate and fierce, and if the other was not careful, five holes would be inserted in his neck. It was a move that carried killing intent.
Xuan Li finally completely tore off his warm mask and smiled coldly. âGood! You never had to hesitate to kill me.â
At the same time, he stretched out his right hand and grabbed Jiang Xunyiâs wrist.
Jiang Xunyiâs didnât panic; he immediately shot his hand out towards the otherâs temple.
Xuan Li didnât expect that he still had such a skill even with his severe injury. This time, he was really taken aback. He was barely able to lean back and avoid the move before it killed him. There was a âclickâ, and Jiang Xunyiâs wrist bone was crushed to pieces in his hand.
Xuan Li said coldly, âI originally wanted to treat you well, but you asked for it!â
He reached out and grabbed Jiang Xunyiâs waist, pressing it down again. In the confusion, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his hands immediately loosened its grasp. At the same time, Jiang Xunyi couldnât hold back anymore, and he spouted a mouthful of blood, splashing Demon Sovereign Xuan Liâs face.
Demon Sovereign Xuan Li originally didnât want to hurt him, but this person had been too irritating, and he couldnât control himself for a while. At this time, he was shocked at just how pale Jiang Xunyiâs face was, and he subconsciously raised his hands to support him. However, just has his hands began to rise, his chest felt choked.
A faint redness flashed across his face, and after a while, a silver needle was forced out of his chest. As soon as the needle touched the air, it changed into a cloud of smoke and dispersed.
Through this, Xuan Li also calmed down a bit. Seeing Jiang Xunyiâs appearance, he felt both pity and anger in his heart and said coldly, âAfter suffering such a serious injury, you still dare to condense your spiritual power to make a needle. It seems you really donât want to live anymore.â
Jiang Xunyi smiled instead. âXuan Li, so you know now? It is not that easy to climb into my bed. Iâve always liked smart and gentle people. You have a wild temperament and it doesnât suit me, so you had better just leave.â
Xuan Li was so angry that his teeth hurt, but he couldnât bear to kill Jiang Xunyi. The other wasnât scared of a beating and it was impossible to argue with him. He felt like his heart was suffocating and didnât say anything for a long time. He spun around and kicked the stool beside the bed before shouting, âServants! Where did everyone go? Where is Deng Xing? Make him come here quickly!â
[1] ä¸ĺ¤ĺ¤˘éä˝čďźéŁĺćĽčć¨ä¸ â from Yan Jidaoâsăć¸ ĺšłć¨ă. Also I wanted to let you guys know I am very terrible at translating ancient Chinese poetry, so I just did my best with what I felt like it meant.