Oh no!
Luo Tingshi quickly lowered himself, kneeling before Yu Zhi to reveal the truth.
“The Dragon Breath Pill is indeed a miraculous elixir. Unfortunately, my master used a secret potion to temper my body years ago. Since then, any poison entering my system neutralizes itself. I didn’t mean to deceive you. Back then, you hated me intensely, and I feared…”
“Feared what?”
“Feared you’d use other methods to truly cripple my martial arts.”
Yu Zhi sneered coldly: “No wonder you swallowed the Dragon Breath Pill so readily.”
He had been deceived by Luo Tingshi once again.
Yu Zhi felt transported back to that year. He had frantically thrown himself into Luo Tingshi’s arms seeking refuge, only to discover Luo Tingshi was the very architect of his downfall.
The fragile trust he’d painstakingly built crumbled in an instant, casting a shadow over all their past interactions.
He couldn’t tell—couldn’t tell which of Luo Tingshi’s words were true, which were false.
Yu Zhi lowered his gaze, his eyes slowly scanning the dark figure before him from top to bottom. A chill welled up in his heart as he asked in a voice as still as an ancient well: “Luo Tingshi, Luo Tingshi… do you truly…”
…love me?
After a moment’s hesitation, Yu Zhi bit back the three words, swallowing them whole.
The answer no longer mattered.
Even if Luo Tingshi truly loved him, so what? He didn’t want the love of someone like that!
“Xiao Yu, I…”
“Bang!” The thunderous crash of the wooden door being smashed interrupted Luo Tingshi’s words. Guards rushed into the room, their eyes widening in horror at the bandits sprawled across the floor. They immediately knelt, pleading for punishment. “Your Majesty! We failed in our duty to guard you! How dare these bandits infiltrate! Is Your Majesty unharmed? Please punish us!”
“Go to Lu Jing to receive your punishment.” Yu Zhi’s gaze swept over the room filled with fallen bodies. “First, bind these men. Send them to the magistrate’s office at dawn.”
The guards obeyed, swiftly tying up the bandits and dragging them out the door.
Soon, only the two of them remained in the room.
Yu Zhi didn’t even glance at Luo Tingshi. He turned and burrowed under the covers, murmuring softly, “I’m so tired. Finally, I can sleep.”
Luo Tingshi’s dark eyes fixed on the small, shadowy figure turned away from him on the bed. A current of emotion stirred beneath his gaze.
He would not allow Yu Zhi to shut the door to his heart that he had opened for him.
“Xiao Yu, will you punish me?” Luo Tingshi climbed into bed, wrapping his arms around Yu Zhi from behind and coaxing him in a subdued tone, “Any punishment is fine, just don’t ignore me.”
“I’m very sleepy. Don’t disturb me,” Yu Zhi muttered, his voice tinged with irritation at having his slumber interrupted.
Luo Tingshi immediately fell silent, daring not to speak further.
Amidst the rustling rain, the two embraced and drifted off to sleep.
–
Luo Tingshi had been feeling restless lately. He glanced at Yu Zhi playing with the little white cat in the pavilion, then paced back and forth in the courtyard like a caged beast.
After that night, Yu Zhi had changed toward him.
Though Yu Zhi still clung to him and sought his embrace during the day, and they continued their nightly intimacy—growing more frequent with each passing night—the closer their bodies grew, the farther their hearts drifted.
Yu Zhi seemed to truly regard him only as a tool for his own comfort.
“Luo Tingshi, come here.”
The youth’s clear, resonant voice carried through the sparse autumn leaves, reaching Luo Tingshi’s ears. Luo Tingshi’s lips curved upward instinctively as he hurried to the youth’s side, leaning down to ask, “What does Your Majesty command?”
Yu Zhi raised his arm. “Help me back to my chambers.”
Luo Tingshi immediately helped Yu Zhi to his feet, and the two moved slowly toward the bedroom. Xiao Bai followed alongside them, plucking leaves and teasing grass along the way, occasionally rolling on the ground, staining its white fur with patches of black.
Yu Zhi glanced at him and warned, “You’re getting your fur dirty. I might just have someone give you a bath.”
“Meow~” Xiao Bai’s pupils flinched. It lowered its head to examine its tiny paw pads—now completely blackened. With a despairing meow, it threw caution to the wind and rolled on the ground even more vigorously.
Yu Zhi shook his head with a smile. “This little rascal.”
Luo Tingshi heard the affection in Yu Zhi’s voice and felt a pang of sadness. He wasn’t even as cherished as this cat.
It was mid-autumn now, the sky overcast and carrying a chill. Autumn winds swept through, sending yellowed, withered leaves tumbling from the branches to pile thickly on the ground.
Luo Tingshi tightened his grip on Yu Zhi’s shoulder, lifting his wide sleeve to shield him from the chill.
Crunching through the dry leaves, a few crisp sounds reached their ears.
Yu Zhi looked down. Six months pregnant with twins, his body grew heavier by the day—he could barely see his own feet anymore.
He sighed softly, nestling into Luo Tingshi’s embrace as they returned to their quarters.
Luo Tingshi carefully helped Yu Zhi lie down on the bed, picked up a light quilt nearby, and tucked it around him meticulously, ensuring no more cold wind could seep in. He gently smoothed the strands of hair that the wind had slightly disheveled, asking softly, ” Your Majesty, is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Do it.” Yu Zhi’s reply was concise.
Luo Tingshi hesitated for a moment before saying, “We were together only last night. Such frequent intimacy could harm the children within you.”
Yu Zhi scoffed. “Not doing it would harm them.”
In recent days, he had noticed his body craving Luo Tingshi more intensely.
He had consulted Physician Zhang, who assured him this was normal.
“As the royal fetuses grow larger, they require more nourishment from the mother’s vital essence. This causes severe depletion of the Emperor’s primordial energy, making it natural for his body to need substantial replenishment from Luo Tingshi.”
Yu Zhi felt helpless and resigned himself to his fate.
“Why haven’t you moved yet?” Yu Zhi watched the man standing silently before the bed, utterly motionless, and a surge of irritation welled up within him.
The man who once clung to him daily, begging for intimacy, now seemed reluctant to engage night after night.
His gaze swept over the man, his expression cool. “What? Now that you’ve had me, you find me utterly uninteresting? No longer wish to make love with me?”
“Of course not!” Luo Tingshi protested urgently. “I fear it might harm your body.”
Yu Zhi glared at him, then tossed aside the quilt, exposing himself to the man. “Come quickly.”
Luo Tingshi’s eyes darkened.
The once-slender figure before him had grown fuller, the flesh settling precisely where it should.
Luo Tingshi’s dark gaze swept over Yu Zhi’s chest, thighs…
Yu Zhi couldn’t bear it anymore. He kicked him with his foot. “Hurry up.”
As he lifted his foot, Luo Ting’s eyes instantly flushed red, and he lunged forward….
Nourished by the man’s vital energy, Yu Zhi’s exhausted body gradually regained its vigor. His dantian felt as if bathed in spring sunshine, erupting with a surge of warmth that coursed through his meridians, repairing the damaged and parched parts within him.
Yu Zhi lay lazily in the man’s embrace, waiting quietly for his body to recover.
Luo Tingshi gently stroked Yu Zhi’s slightly damp temples, studying him closely.
The man in his arms bore a look of spring in his eyes, his face as if dusted with powder. Beneath his porcelain-white skin shone a warm radiance, his complexion truly much improved from before.
Luo Tingshi sighed, “They say dragons are inherently lustful, and this is no lie. After this emperor’s nourishment, Your Majesty has truly become radiant. If absorbing my essence can restore Your Majesty’s health, I shall gladly offer all my vitality for your nourishment.”
Yu Zhi lifted his closed eyelids slightly, shot him a sidelong glance, and remained silent.
Luo Tingshi chuckled softly, his fingertips brushing the crimson earlobe of the figure in his embrace. “Your Majesty,” he murmured, “the way you clutched the bedsheet and wept quietly just now… you truly resembled a little kitten. Father-in-law’s choice of that nickname for you was remarkably fitting.”
Yu Zhi’s heart lurched.
What did Luo Tingshi mean by that? Was he testing him?
Yu Zhi’s thoughts raced. He lifted his eyes, ignoring the cold rebuke and retorted, “You truly have no shame. You are forbidden to call my father ‘father-in-law’.”
“But Xiao Yu clearly called me ‘my husband’.” Luo Tingshi feigned hurt as he wrapped his arms around Yu Zhi’s waist, nibbling his earlobe. “A ruler’s words are binding. You said it.”
“How could bedroom banter be taken seriously?” Yu Zhi propped himself up against Luo Tingshi’s chest, straddling his waist as he looked down at the man beneath him. “Even if it wasn’t bedroom talk, so what? Just because I called you ‘my husband,’ do you really think you’re mine? You’re nothing but a plaything for my amusement.”
Luo Tingshi’s expression darkened abruptly. His grip on Yu Zhi’s waist tightened involuntarily. He stared at the man atop him, feeling a profound sense of strangeness.
“Xiao Yu, you weren’t always like this.”
Yu Zhi offered a forced smile. “I learned it all from you. Emperor Sheng taught me well.”
“Very well. Since we share a master-disciple bond, perhaps Xiao Yu should learn how to honor one’s teacher.” Luo Tingshi released his grip. Where his fingers had pressed against Yu Zhi’s waist moments before, deep crimson marks now stood out, vivid and lingering, as if he had been abused.
“Still want to be my master? Don’t you think you’re qualified?” Yu Zhi leaned down, tapping the man’s chest. “You? You’re only fit to warm my bed.”
Luo Tingshi seized the fingertips on his chest, pulling him back into an embrace. His voice, like a sigh, murmured into the other’s ear: Yu Zhi, trust me. I only deceived you that one time. Please, don’t treat me like this anymore.”
“No.” Out of Luo Tingshi’s sight, Yu Zhi glared at him, his cheeks puffed out in indignation.
He hated Luo Tingshi.
Hated him intensely!
He refused to trust this man again.
Luo Tingshi sighed helplessly, “What would it take for you to trust me again?”
Yu Zhi sneered coldly, “Give me your empire, and I’ll believe you.”
“Fine.”
Yu Zhi: “???”
Had he heard correctly?
Yu Zhi gripped Luo Tingshi’s arm, struggling to turn within his embrace. The man’s handsome, stern face gradually came into view.
Luo Tingshi’s brows and eyes were serene, his thin lips pressed tightly together. His expression seemed genuine.
Yu Zhi opened his mouth, struggling for words before finally managing, “Luo Tingshi, you’ve lost your mind.”
Luo Tingshi murmured, “I would never consent to anyone else. But if it were you…”
He wrapped his arms tightly around Yu Zhi, gazing into his eyes as he spoke each word deliberately, “I offer the empire as my dowry. I seek to marry the ruler of Yu Kingdom. Your Majesty, will you marry me?”
The man’s heavy gaze felt tangible, pressing down on Yu Zhi’s heart until he could barely breathe. He clenched the man’s wrists, his fingertips trembling slightly despite his efforts to suppress it.
“You’re deceiving me, aren’t you? You’ve always enjoyed deceiving me. This can’t be real.”
Luo Tingshi gripped Yu Zhi’s hands tightly, pressing them against his chest. “It’s true, Your Majesty. Listen…”
The violent thudding of a heartbeat pounded against Yu Zhi’s palms, growing faster and heavier, sending tingling numbness through his hands.
Yu Zhi shook his head, refusing to believe it.
“Your Majesty, it’s telling you I love you.”
Yu Zhi felt as if struck by lightning, his mind reeling. He frantically averted his gaze from the man’s eyes. Luo Tingshi abruptly cupped Yu Zhi’s cheeks, locking his gaze firmly, refusing to let him look away.
He repeated his earlier words slowly and clearly.
“Luo Tingshi, Emperor of Sheng Kingdom, offers the empire as dowry to wed Yu Zhi, Emperor of Yu Kingdom. Your Majesty, will you join me in holy matrimony, pledging never to forsake each other for all eternity?”
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