Chu Wanran had already been unconscious for two days.
In these twenty-four hours, Li Xuan had barely closed his eyes.
The faint glow of his “Pure Heart” light never once went out through the night, carefully nourishing the damaged spiritual meridians of the person on the bed. The red veins in his eyes blurred into a faint exhaustion, yet his gaze remained fixed with unmistakable focus.
Zhao Chengyuan stood under the corridor, looking at the slender figure behind the window lattice, his brows deeply furrowed.
With Chu Wanran unconscious, his “space traversal” ability could not be used. The Fulong Battalion in Lingqu County could not be without its commander. Even on full-speed horseback, a one-way trip would still take four to five days.
After careful consideration, he finally made his decision—he would return alone using light-foot martial arts. He must inform Elder Su and Elder Medicine of the danger of the “Devouring Spirit Insect” so they could devise countermeasures and an antidote.
Before leaving, Commander Zhao pulled Li Xuan into his room.
With a soft “click,” the door latch turned. Zhao Chengyuan immediately stepped forward and pressed him into the corner. The moment the door shut, it cut off the noise of the courtyard and trapped the two of them in a tight space where even their breathing could be clearly heard.
He lowered his gaze and looked at the person before him. His dark eyes churned with countless questions—about Li Xuan’s secrets hidden under the power of time—but in the end, they all turned into a soft sigh and were swallowed back down.
“You know what I want to ask.” His voice was deep like a cello, carrying absolute certainty.
“Commander Zhao… I…” Li Xuan’s ears instantly turned red. His eyelashes trembled in panic like butterfly wings caught in wind, his fingers curling unconsciously, clearly at a loss for words.
Zhao Chengyuan’s fingertips gently touched the top of his head. The movement was almost reverent, carrying restrained tenderness.
“I won’t ask. But I hope you’ll tell me yourself—because I trust you.”
His gaze was too hot, like burning starlight, pressing straight into Li Xuan’s eyes and making his panic even more obvious.
Li Xuan’s face grew even redder, his voice barely audible.
“Mm… I will. I’ll tell you. Can you wait until I return to the Fulong Battalion?”
“I’ll wait.”
Zhao Chengyuan’s hand slid down from his hair and paused at his slender neck, thumb slowly rubbing the warm skin with a subtle possessiveness.
“The Fulong Battalion needs you. I… also need you.”
His breath drew closer, warm air brushing Li Xuan’s ear.
“Tell me… the masked man at the West City rift that day. Was it you?”
Li Xuan bit his lip and slowly nodded. His ears were red as if they might bleed.
If this were the modern world, it would have been a textbook case of being caught red-handed.
Seeing his shy, flustered expression, Zhao Chengyuan’s chest surged with heat. He leaned in unconsciously until their noses were almost touching. The air between them thickened, intimate and suffocating.
“So it really was you…”
“Commander Zhao, I’m sorry, I was…” Li Xuan hurried to explain, but before he could finish, Zhao Chengyuan pressed a finger lightly against his lips.
The touch was warm and slightly rough, calloused from years of holding a sword, sending a faint electric numbness through him.
“Don’t rush. I’ll wait until you return to the Fulong Battalion to explain.”
His voice lowered further, lips almost brushing Li Xuan’s ear as warm breath slipped into it.
“I’m traveling back to the Fulong Battalion. The journey is long and consumes a great deal of spiritual energy. Can you help me cleanse my heart once more?”
Li Xuan’s eyes widened. His heartbeat thundered.
“…Huh.”
He dazedly agreed.
He reached out instinctively to undo Zhao Chengyuan’s clothes.
“That’s not it.” Zhao Chengyuan caught his wrist. His grip was gentle, yet impossible to break.
The next moment, warm lips pressed against his.
The kiss was light at first, restrained. When he pulled back slightly, his eyes were filled with deep, unreadable emotion.
“It’s like the first time you helped me… with your mouth.”
Li Xuan’s gaze turned blank, like a confused young beast, completely disarmed under that stare.
In his mind, he was screaming in panic.
Zhao Chengyuan could no longer hold back and deepened the kiss.
After days of restraint, and after seeing Li Xuan cleansing Chu Wanran’s meridians, the desire within him surged like a flood breaking its dam.
The shallow kiss quickly turned into something deeper and more intense. Their tongues tangled, forcing past restraint, taking in each other’s breath.
“Mm… Zhao…” Li Xuan was pinned against the wall, unable to move, forced to endure the sudden intensity while instinctively channeling spiritual energy. A golden glow seeped from his lips, carrying a faint floral scent as it flowed into Zhao Chengyuan.
A wave of numb pleasure swept through Zhao Chengyuan’s body, drawing out a suppressed groan.
“…Ah.”
His rationality began to collapse under desire.
His hands grew restless, unfastening Li Xuan’s outer robes and inner garments, revealing pale, delicate skin beneath.
He kissed downward—from lips to forehead, to neck, and finally to the chest, lingering there with warm, moist movements, while his fingers traced sensitive spots.
“Ah… no… don’t…” Li Xuan trembled, fingers clutching his clothes.
“Hm? Don’t?” Zhao Chengyuan’s voice carried a faint smile.
“Not allowed?”
“It itches…” Li Xuan bit his lip, face flushed bright red.
“That here?” Zhao Chengyuan’s hand moved lower.
Li Xuan shuddered violently.
From there, everything blurred into rising heat, trembling breath, and overwhelming sensation.
…
Later, Li Xuan lay weakly against his shoulder, exhausted and flushed.
“…Commander Zhao, isn’t that enough? If this continues, I’m going to ascend into immortality.”
Zhao Chengyuan chuckled softly.
“No… not enough.”
He turned him around, pulling him into his embrace from behind.
“Rest first. I’ll handle the rest myself.”
…
Zhao Chengyuan holds Li Xuan from behind, keeping him close as he takes control of the situation. Li Xuan is overwhelmed, both by the intensity of the moment and by the continued flow of his “Pure Heart” energy, which Zhao Chengyuan continues to absorb in order to recover and replenish his strength for the journey ahead.
Their movements become more intimate and consuming, driven less by clarity of thought and more by accumulated tension, mutual attraction, and the strange dependency formed through the cleansing ability. Li Xuan, though mentally flustered and internally protesting at how quickly things are progressing, remains physically unable to resist, his focus constantly splitting between maintaining his ability and enduring Zhao Chengyuan’s closeness.
Zhao Chengyuan, on the other hand, shows a rare loss of restraint. His usual discipline as a commander gives way to possessiveness and urgency, as if the emotional restraint he has maintained until now finally breaks. His words turn increasingly low and direct, emphasizing trust, need, and a refusal to let Li Xuan retreat from him emotionally or physically.
The interaction continues in a blurred rhythm of closeness, whispered exchanges, and sustained contact, until both of them reach a point of exhaustion. The “Pure Heart” energy gradually stabilizes and fades, signaling the end of the transfer.
Afterward, the atmosphere shifts sharply.
The intensity drains from the room, leaving only heavy breathing and silence. Zhao Chengyuan remains holding Li Xuan, who is now completely drained of strength and consciousness, his body relaxed against him. Instead of further pursuit, Zhao Chengyuan’s expression softens into something quieter and more grounded—satisfaction mixed with restraint returning.
He adjusts Li Xuan’s clothing, making sure he is properly covered and supported, and holds him with a protective grip rather than a possessive one. The earlier heat is replaced by a calmer, more settled intimacy.
Zhao Chengyuan eventually lifts Li Xuan into a more comfortable position and keeps him close, allowing him to rest fully after overexertion of both energy and body.
Before leaving, his final words are not provocative, but steady and certain—reaffirming that he will wait for Li Xuan to speak honestly when he is ready, and that whatever secrets he carries do not change Zhao Chengyuan’s decision to stay involved in his life.