Chapter 54: Sweetness
In the western suburbs of Zhijun, the Wutao Army burst into excitement. Jinlu stepped out of his tent, gazing at the Wei Zhen Army he had waited for day and night, joy spreading across his face. Zhongshan dismounted and patted Jinlu's shoulder.
"You've finally arrived!" Jinlu exclaimed emotionally.
Zhongshan smiled. "What's the matter? Still can't manage without me?"
The Dudong Army was even more ecstatic, but only the Fourth Prince Boquan stood outside the tent, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Mancheng swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes lingering on Boquan.
Boquan suddenly felt a inexplicable wave of fear wash over his entire body.
"Oh! Brother Boquan." Mancheng's face broke into a naive, innocent smile.
Boquan's hair stood on end—even in Dudong, Mancheng had never called him so intimately. Boquan forced a stiff smile and clasped his hands in greeting: "Man... Commander General..."
"Why be so formal with Brother Boquan?" Mancheng walked over, his every movement radiating an imposing manner as he stood before Boquan with an overwhelming presence. He examined Boquan up and down, then lowered his voice: "It's been a long time. Today I finally have the chance to ask you—when Mancheng wasn't in Dudong, did you brothers come up with any new toys?"
Boquan's legs turned to jelly.
Zhongshan strode over quickly, neither servile nor overbearing as he clasped his hands toward Boquan, a cold smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"My apologies." Mancheng reached out and patted Boquan's shoulder, as if brushing off dust: "Mancheng only said a few words, I didn't even draw my blade. Why is Brother Boquan's leg shaking so badly?"
Though his tone was calm, it sent Boquan spiraling into terror. How many blood-soaked stories had he heard about Mancheng over these years? Wasn't every single one about brutality and cruelty? This man with the delicate features was no longer the crybaby who could be bullied at will from ten years ago. If he was in a bad mood, he could casually order someone dismembered without blinking an eye. Bo He's scar-covered arm was proof of that terrifying sight.
Mancheng wished to kill him on the spot, but then shifted his tone: "Boquan, I'm warning you—my patience is thin. Get back to Dongzhou immediately. If I see you again, the consequences won't be pleasant!" After saying this, he shot Boquan a venomous, cold glare, then turned and walked away.
Zhongshan followed behind, murmuring quietly: "You're still holding grudges."
Mancheng shot him a sideways glance.
Zhongshan clutched his chest and teased: "I'm so scared!"
Mancheng burst out laughing, swatting him on the forehead with a grin: "I do hold grudges! You better watch yourself!"
After the Wei Zhen Army arrived at the western suburbs of Zhijun, they immediately took the initiative, storming into Zhijun city that very night like a gale sweeping away fallen leaves. They swept through the counties around Zhijun, then pursued relentlessly, their hooves ravaging everything. Within just a few days, they had recaptured Piao City for Dudong and pressed straight on to Liule City.
In Yuanliao City, Zhangzhou sat listening quietly to the military reports from the north, his face betraying not a trace of joy. He only said flatly: "I understand."
After dismissing court, Zhangzhou called out to Peng Hong: "Did you send the messenger I told you to send to Dudong to persuade Mancheng to return?"
"He was killed by Mancheng." Peng Hong's expression remained impassive. "Mancheng displayed his head outside the Wei Zhen Army tent, saying he forged imperial decrees and corrupted military morale."
Zhangzhou's face showed utter dejection.
Peng Hong tried to comfort him: "Judging from the situation, in another ten days or so the Wei Zhen Army will have recaptured all the lost territory of Dudong. At that point, Mancheng will naturally return to Yuanliao... Zhangzhou, are you listening to me?"
Zhangzhou slumped like a man drunk, his head falling onto the desk.
Peng Hong froze, suddenly recalling a snowy night many years ago when he had been in this same helpless position, murmuring to himself—
"...Fate was destined to bring me to his side, destined to make us love each other desperately, destined to make us hide this love forever... If I had listened to him, if we had hidden away on some nameless island to spend our lives together, would he have stopped crying?"
That confused young man was now the supreme ruler. Time had changed, years had passed—how much more helplessness had accumulated? How much more sorrow?
"I've been restless lately..." From atop the dragon throne, Zhangzhou's voice came through haggard and depressed, halting and fragmented: "Ever since he left, I've been in a daze. I keep my eyes open, but my mind is filled with him... I... I regret it... I don't know why, but I can't sleep at night, night after night. I keep thinking about how he stood at the entrance of the main hall that day, waiting for me to ask him to stay, but I... I... I regret it so terribly... I want him back! I want him back by my side right now, standing before me this instant!"
Peng Hong's eyes filled with pity—not just for this brother-in-arms, but for himself as well. Mancheng would return, but even if Jin Yin returned, he would never be Peng Hong's again. He sighed and continued: "Wait until Mancheng comes back, then you can comfort him properly. The moment you ask, he'll乖乖 listen anyway."
"You don't understand. I've had this inexplicable fear lately—I feel like I'm going to lose Mancheng. It sounds ridiculous, why would I lose him? But I can't help thinking about it... thinking desperately, the more I think the more afraid I become, the more afraid I become the more I want him back immediately... Without him, what's the point of me living..." Zhangzhou clenched his fist, as if grasping at something he was about to lose. "Mancheng! Mancheng... Mancheng... Come back..."
Mancheng stormed into Zhongshan's tent, immediately cursing: "Damn it! Why didn't we push straight through to Liule? That useless Jinlu! The Wutao Army couldn't hold on, and the Wei Zhen Army hadn't fought their fill! And you! You sided with him too!" With that, he kicked off his boots, climbed onto Zhongshan's bed, and lay down in a sulk.
Zhongshan laughed: "Jinlu has his reasons. As long as those two Yongzhao princes are kept in Liule, He Mingpei in Koushu City will come to their rescue. Then we can kill them all at once—wouldn't that be better?"
"We could have taken Liule first and killed those two dog princes, then charged to Koushu to kill He Mingpei—just the same!"
Zhongshan explained patiently: "What if He Mingpei escapes?"
Mancheng pouted but said nothing more.
"Jinlu is a crafty old fox. He specifically waited for He Mingpei to come personally to rescue those two princes." Zhongshan said, stripping off his outer robe. "You going to sleep or not?"
Mancheng smiled, crawled into the blankets still fully clothed.
Zhongshan extinguished the lamp, fumbled his way onto the bed, and lay down pulling Mancheng close. "Hey, how have you been so obedient lately? When you were yelling at Jinlu today, I barely said a word and you calmed down right away. Heh... Did you see everyone else's expressions? That was priceless!"
"Heheh... What expressions?"
"Their eyeballs nearly popped out of their heads."
Mancheng nuzzled Zhongshan's face, laughing happily. "Oh yes, speaking of which, that young Yongzhao prince today was staring at me so hard, his eyeballs were practically falling out too—did you see that?"
"Of course I saw! That idiot was completely smitten with you. Why didn't you kill him?"
Mancheng said with a cheeky grin: "I actually liked that little brat. I heard he's the one who captured Bo He alive. I could just kiss him."
The two grinned at each other. Zhongshan said: "I think that kid is formidable. He kept staring at you while dodging your blade—slippery like an eel. If it weren't for him taking those painless hits from you, he'd probably still be watching."
"Heheh... Are you jealous?"
"I'm not that petty."
"I want to hear you say you're jealous!" Mancheng whined.
Zhongshan laughed helplessly: "I'm jealous!"
Mancheng lay sprawled on top of Zhongshan, grinning smugly.
Zhongshan held him in his arms and asked with a smile: "You've been so good to me lately, it's making me uncomfortable. Did you take some kind of medicine? Go soft in the head?"
"Heheh..."
"Great, you've really lost it."
"You're the one who's lost it."
"Come here, little cutie, turn your face so I can kiss you."
"Zzz..."
"Fallen asleep? You're impossible..."
"Zzz..."
"Busted! You're pretending. I'm going to bite your face... I really will bite..."
Outside the护国将军's tent, the two guard soldiers noticed the light go out shortly after those two entered. They'd long grown accustomed to this, and were just about to shift into a more relaxed stance when a sudden voice rang out: "Ow! You actually bit! Cheng Zhongshan! That hurts! Ow—"
"Goodness! How could I have bitten that hard? Let go of your dog teeth! My hand! My hand is broken! Really broken! Whew..." The voice faded, meaning General Xia had let go. A peculiar smile crept across the two soldiers' faces.
A soft murmur came from inside, followed by another cry: "Hey! You really are a rabid dog! You've bitten someone to death! Help!"
General Cheng calling for help?
One soldier shot a questioning glance at the other: Should we go in and help?
The other replied with his eyes: You don't want to live, do you?
"Aaargh! I was wrong! Spare me! I really won't do it again, spare me—"
Goodness gracious! The world is ending! General Xia... begging for mercy?
The two soldiers gaped, staring at each other.
Then it suddenly went quiet inside...
The two pressed their lips together, their tongues intertwining, lost in this tender intimacy that wrapped around their fingers.
After a long while, Zhongshan reluctantly released Mancheng's lips, moving to kiss his brow, then his hairline, where he paused. "Mancheng, your hair smells wonderful."
"What's so good about it? It's just the smell of blood."
Mancheng tried to pull free, but his hands were firmly held by Zhongshan.
Zhongshan buried his nose in Mancheng's hair, breathing in deeply: "I've washed it for you so many times. How could there possibly be any blood smell?"
"There is... No matter how many times I wash it, I can still smell it. No matter how much I wash, it won't come off..."
"There isn't." Zhongshan kissed his hair, moving down to the hair at his temples, his voice gentle: "Not a trace. You smell absolutely divine. I could just swallow you whole."
"Heh!" Mancheng couldn't help but laugh, though he continued to struggle.
Zhongshan chuckled smugly but didn't loosen his grip.
Mancheng wriggled and complained: "Get off! You're crushing me, I can't breathe!"
" beg me."
"I'm begging you, General Cheng..." He made his voice as coy as possible.
"I refuse!"
"You—!"
Zhongshan knew that if he kept teasing, Mancheng would get angry. So he playfully released his grip and propped himself up on his elbow to look at him.
Mancheng rubbed his wrists. In the darkness, a pair of bright, glistening eyes stared straight at Zhongshan.
"What are you looking at? Plotting where to bite next? Not the throat—I die if you bite that!"
"Heheh..." Mancheng snuggled close, wrapping his arms around Zhongshan: "No more biting. Let's sleep."
Zhongshan, however, grew wary: "Mancheng! You're acting very strange. Could it be you're planning to bite my throat while I sleep? Ah! I'm so scared, so scared!"
"Hahaha..." Mancheng burst into laughter in Zhongshan's arms. When his laughter finally subsided, he touched the bite marks on Zhongshan's arm and said softly: "No more biting. If I bite you, it hurts me too."
Zhongshan's whole body went rigid. He pulled the man in his arms tight, too overwhelmed by happiness to speak.
Mancheng's smile faded. His eyes grew misty with unshed tears.
Zhongshan—I only said something like this and you're this moved. If you heard me say I love you, what expression would you make?
Older sister, I've come to my senses. Actually, without you telling me, I already know. The one who loves me deeply, the one who never uses me, the one who gives their whole heart for me, the one willing to sacrifice everything for me—that person has been by my side all along...
Why am I still hung up on someone who has spent his whole life looking down on me?
From now on, I will treasure my Zhongshan, love him dearly, cherish him dearly—so that he no longer has to toss and turn in this blood and storms.
Zhongshan, in another week it will be your birthday. No one has ever remembered your birthday—have you even forgotten it yourself? From now on, I will remember it for you.
This year, I will give you a grand gift. I will give you joy after all your suffering. When we've driven back the Yongzhao army, I will leave this killing and torment with you, and we will live a free, peaceful life together.
You loved that little fishing village in Xiongzhou—I remember. That's where we'll go. From now on, I will belong to you alone. However many years I have left, I will make you happy for that many years.
You... just wait for me a little longer.