# Chapter 66: The Beginning – Yuyin Mountain
The Yuyin Mountain range stretched endlessly beyond the outskirts of Yuanliao City, its peaks and valleys resplendent with natural beauty. At the foot of the mountains, lush green trees and creeping vines clustered with delicate wildflowers, while rabbits and birds startled occasionally by the dense forest occasionally darted about.
On a small clearing atop the rarely-visited summit, wisps of smoke curled gently into the air.
"What taking so long? We've been climbing half the day—I'm starving!" Mancheng hopped around anxiously, scratching his head and ears as he pressed.
Zhongshan flipped the wild rabbit over the fire, shrugging with helpless resignation. "You're complaining to the wrong person. If you can't wait, go ahead and eat it half-cooked."
"Damn it!" Mancheng cursed, pacing back and forth, then squatted by the fire, staring at the rabbit slowly becoming fragrant above the flames, swallowing hard.
Amused, Zhongshan warned, "Stay back from the fire, careful you scorch that pretty face of yours."
Mancheng shot him a glare but moved closer anyway. His fair complexion was tinged with a ruddy glow from the firelight, and his eyes gleamed with hunger.
As the rabbit meat gradually turned golden and exuded a faint translucent sheen, Mancheng's stomach growled audibly in protest. "Is it done yet or what?" Unable to bear it any longer, he pounced forward and snatched the branch from Zhongshan's hand, pulling the rabbit away from the flames. He blew on and fanned the steaming treasure, then hastily tore off a rabbit leg and took a bite.
"Mmph—" Mancheng blew on it and chewed a couple times, nodding vigorously. "Delicious! Delicious!" He then stuffed the gnawed leg into Zhongshan's mouth.
Zhongshan accepted it with delight and ate with relish. Mancheng, meanwhile, used both hands with gusto, demolishing the rabbit until his entire face was covered in grease. In no time at all, the two of them swept the rabbit clean as a tornado through a field of grain. Mancheng gleefully wiped his oily hands on the hem of Zhongshan's clothes. "Zhongshan, you're really something—you can do anything."
Zhongshan smiled. "Thank you for the compliment, General."
"Don't call me that!" Mancheng pouted. "Damn it all, being some general means I have to attend court every single day to listen to those boring trivialities!"
Zhongshan couldn't help but laugh. "Those are important military strategy meetings, you know."
Mancheng's face was full of disdain. When he saw this, Zhongshan added, "If you don't like listening, just don't go. What can His Highness—the King—do to you?"
"Hmph, the trouble is Peng Hong. That bastard lectures me every chance he gets. My own father didn't nag me this much." Mancheng's mood dampened, his voice growing weaker. "But... I don't have any legitimate business to use as an excuse to visit the Yaojue Palace. At least when I attend court I can see Zhangzhou. If I don't go, it's so hard to even catch a glimpse of him."
"..."
"Zhangzhou hasn't sought me out for over a month now. He really knows how to endure loneliness..."
"His Highness is different from you, of course. He truly keeps his desires in check, avoids sensual pleasures, is upright and diligent, an exemplary..."
Mancheng shot him a vicious glare. "My ass! Fine, call me a debauched lecher if you want!"
Zhongshan offered an appeasing smile. "Well, it's not like you've been idle either. Which famous courtesan in the city haven't you visited?"
Mancheng still sighed repeatedly. "Zhongshan, I miss him. This feeling is awful—when we can see each other every single day, yet it feels so far away. Even holding hands is impossible." He paused, then added, "In a few days I'm going to Dudong to meet my sister and Mandu, which means I won't be able to see him for half a month."
Zhongshan said nothing.
Mancheng turned the topic with worry. "Zhongshan, come with me to Dudong. Honestly, I'm a bit scared going to that place alone."
Zhongshan gazed at him with sympathy, but deliberately adopted a light tone. "Alone? Aren't there thousands of soldiers escorting you?"
Mancheng frowned. "They're not the same as you."
A thrill of joy surged through Zhongshan's heart, but he maintained a serious expression and shook his head. "I'm not part of your elite troops. If the Prince doesn't release me, I can't do anything. Besides, what are you afraid of? Who do you think you are now? Those useless lechers of Dudong will scurry away with their tails between their legs."
Mancheng's expression turned gloomy. He fell silent.
Seeing his displeasure, Zhongshan tried to comfort him. "Fine then, I'll risk my life for you. Even if the Prince doesn't agree, I'll just go anyway. But you'll have to cover for me if he blames me."
"Yes!" Mancheng's face lit up immediately. He then clapped Zhongshan on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll get you away from that bastard Peng Hong eventually."
"Ai, ai," Zhongshan waved his hand. "The Prince has treated me well. He even broke protocol to promote a greenhorn like me to deputy general. How could I have any complaints?"
Mancheng's eyes widened. "With your martial skills, who in the entire city could match you? Of course he'd value you! Hmph, I was the one who picked you up, but he gets the benefit! If I don't get you back, I'll never forgive myself."
Zhongshan gave a bitter smile and nodded repeatedly.
The two got up and continued toward the summit. The path had long disappeared, and they struggled to lead their horses through the thick carpet of fallen leaves on the mountain trails. As a rumbling sound grew louder, by late afternoon, the Hidden Sky Waterfall tucked away in the mountain's canyon came into view. Mancheng instantly cast aside his exhaustion and bounded forward in delight.
Never had he witnessed such grandeur! Towering cliffs burst with magnificent torrents as if launched from the heavens, the spray and mist swirling like white fireworks—now clouds, now fog. The pool beneath the waterfall churned with emerald waves, a scene like fairyland.
It was Mancheng's first time seeing a waterfall. Overjoyed, he danced with excitement. "Zhongshan, where does all this water come from?"
Zhongshan pointed to the cliff top, smiling. "A dragon lives up there—this is what it spits out!"
"You always lie to me!" Mancheng refused to fall for it, laughing. "I know there's no dragon in this world! I'll climb up myself and see where the water actually comes from!" With that, he ran along the pool's edge to the cliff base and, full of energy, started climbing up the vines and rocky outcrops.
Zhongshan followed behind, but climbed far more nimbly, soon pulling ahead. He looked down with a teasing smile. "I'm going up first!"
Mancheng's face flushed red with frustration. He grabbed Zhongshan's trouser leg and whined, "Zhongshan, give me a hand!"
Zhongshan mocked, "Little cutie, where's your bravado now?" He extended his hand down, speaking to him like a child. "Come on, give me your hand."
Mancheng gripped his hand tightly and scrambled up quickly, then stepped on his shoulder, laughing triumphantly. "You can't climb faster than me!"
Zhongshan was afraid he'd lose his footing and dared not move until Mancheng's feet left his shoulder. Only then did he follow, climbing while calling out, "Be careful!"
Mancheng paid no attention, fearing he'd be overtaken again, climbing even more frantically. Then he heard Zhongshan call out behind him once more, "Be careful!" Mancheng looked down to respond, but felt something slippery in his grip. Looking closely, it was a thick snake the size of a human arm!
Before Mancheng could react, Zhongshan had already spotted the snake, but with the distance between them, there was nothing he could do. He watched helplessly as the snake lunged toward Mancheng, cold sweat breaking out.
Mancheng jerked his head aside, reaching for his sword—but the snake had already bitten his left shoulder. Mancheng let out a cry and fell. Zhongshan leaped desperately, catching him in mid-air. Fortunately, instead of crashing onto the shore, they splashed into the pool with loud splashes.
Soaking wet, the two scrambled out of the water. Mancheng tore open his clothing and saw two fang marks on his left shoulder, panic-stricken. "Zhongshan, is that snake poisonous?"
Zhongshan had long recognized that particular snake was completely non-venomous, but he wore a mournful expression and remained silent. Mancheng, seeing his grave expression, assumed he'd been poisoned, his face turning ashen. Stammering, he said, "Wh-what do we do? We need to get down the mountain to find a doctor!"
Zhongshan suppressed his laughter and sighed. "Mancheng, before you even reach the foot of the mountain, you would..."
Mancheng's eyes turned red.
Seeing how pitiful he looked, Zhongshan felt a pang of regret and quickly said, "I'm messing with you—that snake isn't poisonous!"
Tears spilled from Mancheng's eyes, and he couldn't listen to reason, wailing, "What do I do? Zhongshan! I don't want to die! What do I do?"
Zhongshan didn't know how to comfort him. Suddenly, he bent down and pressed his lips to the wound, sucking the blood and spitting it into the pool. Mancheng's shoulder trembled. There was something almost intoxicating about it for Zhongshan. After sucking several times, his heart was racing, yet he maintained a casual tone, gently asking, "Are you scared now?"
Mancheng was deeply moved, his tears wouldn't stop. After a long while, he sighed. "I'm really such a coward. You can laugh at me all you want."
Zhongshan stared at his tear-filled eyes, transfixed. Mancheng, lost in his own thoughts, continued, "Zhongshan, I don't have many years left to live, but I want to live each day I can."
Zhongshan startled. "What?"
Mancheng's eyes were filled with despair as he trembled, "Zhongshan! I'm so afraid of looking at my own face! I'm becoming more and more like my father—I look exactly like him now! Zhongshan! For several generations in my family, the men only live into their twenties! My father didn't even make it to his thirtieth birthday!" Fear made his words disjointed, calling Zhongshan's name over and over, though it was more like talking to himself. "Zhongshan, I'll be the same as them! I'll definitely be the same! I'm eighteen years old! Even if I live as long as my father, to thirty, I only have twelve years left! Zhongshan! What should I do, can time stop? I'm so scared... What should I do, I only have twelve years... So many fun and interesting things in the world, why must I be the one who hurts people, why must I be the one to play the devil... I... I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."
Zhongshan stood frozen, listening to his endless murmured confessions, his heart aching unbearably. Now he understood why Mancheng had always been so wild and carefree.
Poor, poor Mancheng! When a person knows their fate from the start, what ambition or pursuit could they possibly have? What wish could they possibly make?
Mancheng composed himself, raising his tear-stained eyes to ask, "Zhongshan, do you think I'm being paranoid?"
Before he could finish, Zhongshan interrupted, saying firmly, "I believe you!" Then he boldly wrapped his arms around Mancheng.
Mancheng neither resisted nor evaded. Tears streamed down his face. For some reason, facing this common soldier from a different world, he was so vulnerable, so fragile. The tears he couldn't shed in front of Zhangzhou all fell in Zhongshan's embrace.
Zhongshan gathered his courage. For the first time, he made a request. "Mancheng! Let's leave Yuanliao together. After this, I'll play with you every day. I'll do everything you say. Even if there are only twelve years left, I can make every single day wonderful for you. Mancheng!" Seeing Mancheng in a daze, he pleaded, "Mancheng, come with me!"
Mancheng slowly shook his head.
Despair washed over Zhongshan. In his eyes, he was nothing more than a subordinate who accompanied him in play. How could he possibly compete with that heavenly son who made Mancheng love him so blindly, so madly?
Suddenly Mancheng seemed worried. "Zhongshan, my shoulder still hurts a bit. Could there still be poison?"
Zhongshan's heart turned cold and indifferent. "Don't worry about it. There's no poison at all. I was teasing you."
Mancheng was stunned. Embarrassment turned to rage. He shoved Zhongshan away and jumped up, reaching for his sword.
Zhongshan was terrified out of his wits—if this impulsive fool drew his blade, he'd be dead on the spot! So Zhongshan flung himself onto him, pinning down his wrist and begging, "Mancheng! I was wrong, please! Don't draw the sword!"
Mancheng couldn't move his hand. A surge of anger rose within him. He glared up viciously—only to find their faces inches apart, Zhongshan's rapid breath warm against his ear. Mancheng's heart suddenly raced, and he said through gritted teeth, "I won't kill you. Let go."
Zhongshan was beside himself with fear. "You always go back on your word. You must be tricking me this time too."
Mancheng let out a soft laugh, his anger completely dissipated. "What do I have to say for you to believe me?"
Zhongshan was still shaken, hesitating, then frowning in silence.
Mancheng felt the heat of Zhongshan's body pressing against him, and upon close inspection of his face, was suddenly struck by how defined his brow bone and nose bridge were—less imposing than Zhangzhou, but far more handsome and bright. Something stirred within Mancheng. He leaned in and kissed Zhongshan's cheek.
Zhongshan was struck like lightning, his mind going completely blank. Instinctively, his grip loosened. Mancheng released the sword, drew his hand out to caress Zhongshan's face, and whispered near his lips, playing with his senses. "Zhongshan, what are you waiting for?"
Mancheng had expected him to respond appropriately, but Zhongshan remained completely motionless!
Mancheng frowned slightly. "Zhongshan, do you absolutely need a woman? Can't you even play with me?"
Even after such an explicit invitation, Zhongshan still didn't move.
Little did Mancheng know that Zhongshan had already lost his soul and seven spirits, his interest instantly evaporating. He pushed Zhongshan away and said coldly, "Forget it if you don't want to."
Zhongshan snapped out of his daze like a drunk coming to his senses. Overwhelmed with emotion, he embraced Mancheng and said, "I want! I've wanted you for so long! Mancheng, I..." Before he could finish, desire burned uncontrollably within him. Regardless of the fading daylight, regardless of whether anyone might pass by the waterfall, he pressed Mancheng down, kissing him passionately while tearing at his clothes. One who had long been accustomed to unrestrained indulgence, the other who had yearned and hungered for so long—at this moment, like dry kindling meeting fire, they ignited at a single touch...
The sky unfurled its dark veil, stars emerging. The waterfall continued its thunderous roar into the pool below. The two warhorses beneath the trees watched with indifference, witnessing their masters, so fierce on the battlefield, now entwined in fierce, passionate turmoil.
Heaven and earth merged as one, spring light infinite, souls consumed by passion...
The two settled into stillness, whispering tenderly to each other. Zhongshan held the person who had made him fall in love at first sight, his happiness and contentment like a dream. Droplets—whether water or sweat—glistened on Mancheng's jade-like skin. His flawless face carried a pink flush. Zhongshan gazed at him spellbound for a long while before asking, "Are you cold?"
"Of course I'm cold!"
Zhongshan pulled him tighter. "Still cold?"
Mancheng was drowsy, too lazy to respond.
Zhongshan wore an indulgent smile, feeling he had nothing else to wish for in this life.
"Mancheng, are you asleep?"
Mancheng didn't even open his eyes, making a vague sound in response.
"Mancheng... if you weren't carrying a sword, I would have taken you long ago."
"Pfft." Mancheng couldn't help but laugh, nestling further into his embrace.
"I think I've gone crazy too... Mancheng, ever since I met you, I've lost all ambitions and desires. I don't even know what my purpose in life is anymore. My entire heart is filled with thoughts of you! Mancheng, I..."
How familiar these words were! They were identical to what he had said to Daochun so many times! Mancheng's drowsiness vanished in an instant. He urgently cut him off. "Zhongshan!"
Zhongshan looked at him tenderly, gazing at his beloved with eyes full of affection.
But Mancheng's tone held not a trace of warmth. "Zhongshan! I only want your body, not your heart. If you can't handle this, stay away from me."
The fiery passion in his head was like being doused by the waterfall—suddenly, only freezing cold remained. Zhongshan was stunned. Unable to suppress his disappointment and sorrow, he released Mancheng, got up, and put on his damp clothes.
Mancheng felt a twinge of guilt and asked, "Zhongshan, are you angry?"
"No." Zhongshan was surprised at his own composure. He turned back, speaking as if nothing had happened. "I'm going to find some branches to start a fire and dry our clothes. You really thought I could hold you like this forever?"
Mancheng pouted and whined, "Zhongshan, I'm hungry again!"
Zhongshan pointed to the deep pool. "Go check if there are fish in there."
"Zhongshan!" Mancheng squirmed. "You animal! I... I can't even move!"
Zhongshan grinned triumphantly. "Why aren't you being tough now?" Seeing Mancheng's red face, he added, "Little cutie, you wait here乖乖. I'll be right back." With that, he walked into the forest. The moment he was out of Mancheng's sight, Zhongshan felt an unbearable stab of pain in his heart. No matter how he clutched his chest, he couldn't suppress the self-pitying grief. He let his tears fall freely.
Mancheng, how did I ever meet you? Mancheng, I think I'm done for. You want me to live, I'll live. You want me to die, I'll die. You want me to play, I'll play with you for a lifetime. The words "I love you"—if you don't want to hear them, I'll never say them.
I'll endure. As long as I can stay by your side, I'll endure until I die.