Outside Daze City
When the rising sun pierced through the clouds and a faint red glow spilled across the earth, the first siege finally came to an end.
The ancient border city gradually revealed its appearance after a night soaked in blood beneath the morning mist. It was like an exhausted giant beast lying across this vast land, its broken bricks and tiles resembling torn flesh, its reddened moat like fresh blood gurgling from its wounds, and beneath the city were piles upon piles of corpses—
Those of the Liao soldiers and those of the Chonghua cultivators, tangled together in every direction, scattered beneath Daze City like ants.
This was only the first battle. While the fighting had not yet ended, no one would come first to collect the remains of their brothers. Whether it was Mo Xi or Gu Mang, they had long since become accustomed to such scenes.
Yet they would still feel exhausted.
“Marshal Mo, are we not attacking again?”
“The opposing side responded in haste. Although their losses are heavy, after an entire night, they have already adjusted their subsequent defenses. Half an hour ago, they entered a stalemate with us in a drawn-out struggle.” Mo Xi shook his head. “After a long-distance march and an entire night of fierce fighting, Chonghua’s cultivators are already utterly exhausted. If we continue fighting, the situation will become unfavorable to our side. Cease fighting for now. Retreat and establish camp. Let them treat their wounds and have everyone rest.”
“Yes!”
The Chonghua cultivators then withdrew to a safe area outside the city, building defensive barriers and trenches and setting up camp to rest.
Mo Xi also returned to his own tent. Several personal guards were busy arranging the bed and small tables, and Gu Mang was among them. However, in order to keep Gu Mang’s face covering from appearing too conspicuous, Mo Xi had specifically ordered all the personal guards assigned to him this time to wear masks.
The border wind blew the tent flap loudly. Mo Xi walked in and said to the cultivators who were busy working, “There is no need for so many people to set things up here. All of you go out.”
After a pause, he said to Gu Mang, “You stay.”
Thus, the other personal guards all left as instructed. The tent flap fell closed. Mo Xi walked up to Gu Mang and raised his hand to remove the face covering from his face.
“No one is here. You don’t need to wear this anymore.”
Gu Mang said, “Aren’t you afraid someone will see me?”
“I’m not.”
As he spoke, Mo Xi turned around and placed Gu Mang’s face covering on the bedside table, then stepped forward and embraced him.
Probably noticing Gu Mang’s nervous unease, Mo Xi sighed and said, “I was teasing you. I placed a defensive barrier outside the tent. Without my permission, no one can come in.”
His chin rested against Gu Mang’s forehead.
After a while, Mo Xi lowered his head and kissed the top of Gu Mang’s hair. He raised his hand and stroked Gu Mang’s hair, saying softly, “I’m sorry. This is clearly your army, yet I can’t let you personally lead it. I can only let me, this stepfather, mess around with it.”
Gu Mang lowered his head and laughed. “The Northern Frontier Army has almost completely changed its personnel. If I really came back now, then I would truly be the stepfather. Besides, what’s the difference between you and me? You haven’t done any worse than I did. But there is one thing that is true.”
“Hmm?”
“I can’t keep hiding beside you forever, can I?”
“……”
“Mo Xi, I should do something too.”
Mo Xi was not surprised at all that Gu Mang would have such a thought. In fact, he had always known that Gu Mang would say these words sooner or later. It was as though he actually felt that even if Gu Mang were given one chance to return to the past, Gu Mang would still choose to walk this thorn-filled old road.
This man, whose eyes looked so gentle, actually had a heart more steadfast than anyone else’s.
“There will be an assignment for you. But not now. At least before the second siege, you are not suitable for carrying out what I want to ask you to do.”
He lowered his head and met Gu Mang’s somewhat disappointed gaze. After a pause, he added, “Would Senior Brother please wait a little longer?”
Since Mo Xi had already put it that way, there was nothing more for Gu Mang to say. The two of them had been busy all day, and like the other cultivators of the Northern Frontier Army, they were both very tired.
Mo Xi said, “Go sleep for a while first.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll look at the battle map for a while longer.”
“You need to pay more attention to your own health.” Gu Mang raised his hand and poked Mo Xi in the chest. “Go rest early after you’re done. Your older brother will be waiting for you in bed.”
“……”
Mo Xi gave an awkward little cough because of his final sentence.
Gu Mang secretly laughed as he watched Mo Xi pretend to remain calm. Clearly, they had already been passionately entangled with each other so many times, yet he would still silently blush at the tips of his ears because of one of his lover’s completely undisguised jokes.
His little Junior Brother really was just so pleasing to him.
The battle map was pushed around many times, and the methods of advancing, the arrangement of defensive barriers, and the route plans were all revised again and again. By the time Mo Xi finally finished, he turned around and saw that Gu Mang was already asleep, lying face-down on the military cot.
Even as the commander of an army, Mo Xi’s military cot was not much wider than everyone else’s. Fortunately, Gu Mang had a habit of curling himself into a tiny corner when he slept, as though afraid of taking up someone else’s territory—the humility buried in his bones manifested in such an animal-like way, becoming both pitiful and adorable.
Mo Xi gazed at him intently for a while. Then he got up to wash and bathe. When he returned, Gu Mang still had not moved at all, curled up like a cat.
He sat down at the edge of the bed, moving very lightly and making no additional sound, only causing the bedding to sink slightly.
Then he lay down fully clothed, his hands properly folded over his waist and abdomen, and closed his eyes to rest.
Mo Xi was truly a very self-disciplined person. The loss of control, irritability, and anger he had once displayed had truly been because he was trapped in a fog and did not know the truth. It could not be said that his temperament itself was like that.
Therefore, after he and Gu Mang had cleared up their misunderstandings, after he had finally obtained the sincere love of his beloved, he was wholeheartedly worried about Gu Mang’s health, rather than being like so many men in this world who could hardly wait to immediately take their lover back for themselves again.
Now, he only hoped that Gu Mang could be well, no matter how long his memories could last or how much time remained for him to be lucid.
He only hoped that he would be healthy.
……
Unfortunately, a man’s body and a man’s brain were not allies on the same side.
Around noon, Mo Xi hazily awoke from his deep sleep, only to immediately discover that Gu Mang had somehow turned over and curled sideways into his arms.
Even worse, the bathrobe that Gu Mang had casually gathered together before sleeping had come undone. Beneath the snow-white lapels, a large expanse of firm chest was exposed, while one bare leg stretched slightly forward and pressed against Mo Xi’s body.
Mo Xi’s breathing instantly stopped.
——
His heart was pounding.
This situation was truly very much like when they had both still been young, before Mo Xi had ever revealed his feelings to Gu Mang.
During that period, Gu Mang had also always liked clinging to him while sleeping.
Actually, it was not that Gu Mang liked clinging to him. It was because at that time Lu Zhanxing had gotten involved with a pretty female cultivator in the military camp.
At the time, Gu Mang lived in the same felt tent as Lu Zhanxing. Once, Gu Mang returned leisurely while biting into an apple. The moment he lifted the tent flap, he saw his own brother and a woman rolling around passionately on the cot.
Gu Mang nearly choked to death on the piece of fruit caught in his throat. His face instantly became even redder than the apple, and he hurriedly dropped the tent flap and ran away.
Even though Lu Zhanxing chased after him and apologized many times afterward—things like, “Ah, it’s all my fault, I accidentally forgot to put up a barrier,” and, “Ah, Mang’er, how come I remember you said you weren’t coming back tonight?”—none of it was useful.
Don’t be fooled by Gu Mang’s flirtatious, romantic appearance, always seeming to chase after beautiful people. At that time, he was actually still a pure young man who had never even kissed anyone before.
Seeing such an intensely passionate live scene from such a close distance—and it being his own brother’s live scene at that—was simply too shocking a blow.
Gu Mang laughed it off verbally and said it was fine, but he had goosebumps all over his body. So for that period, he especially disliked returning to his own tent, afraid that he would see another stimulating scene.
But he couldn’t not sleep, right?
Thus, after thinking it over and over, he decided to seek refuge with the one among all his buddies who looked the most aloof, upright, and reliable.
With precisely this mindset, Gu Mang happily rolled himself onto Mo Xi’s bed.
Mo Xi absolutely refused. The reasons he gave were also bizarre—
“I have mysophobia.”
Gu Mang said, “I take baths.”
“My bed is too small.”
“It can still fit two people.”
“I’m not used to sleeping with other people.”
“Sleep together a few more times and you’ll get used to it.”
“I have bad sleeping habits. I might even hit people in my dreams.”
“Oh? That serious?”
“Yes.”
“Then Big Brother absolutely has to sleep with you even more, and properly correct you.”
“……”
After coaxing and pestering him, and then simply forcing his way onto the bed, Mo Xi was ultimately worn down by him and had no choice but to let him occupy more than half the wooden cot while he himself faced the wall and slept pressed against it.
Gu Mang looked at Mo Xi lying there fully clothed, his hair still neatly tied, his appearance proper, cold, and aloof. His heart was greatly comforted and reassured—he felt that he had chosen the right person.
What an exceptionally self-disciplined and proper flower growing high upon an inaccessible mountain this was. There was absolutely no way he would casually flirt with female cultivators in the military camp and engage in such improper affairs.
But what Gu Mang did not know was what kind of desire was surging through the heart of this flower growing high upon an inaccessible mountain.
If that desire were wantonly released, it would be enough to burn and injure anyone, washing them away until they were shattered into pieces.
And this desire had been born because of him, like a flood intending to pour into his body.
Thus, during that period, Gu Mang slept peacefully and securely, far away from the nightmares Lu-ge had brought him, while bringing the Young Master Mo countless terrible spring dreams.
Mo Xi slept badly every night and did not even dare to turn over.
It happened to be winter then. Mo Xi was naturally warm-bodied, while Gu Mang was afraid of the cold, so after Gu Mang fell deeply asleep, he would unconsciously move closer and embrace him.
Even many years later, Mo Xi could still remember those nights—the blizzard and howling northern wind outside the tent, the darkness inside the tent, and beneath a thick, warm quilt, Gu Mang curled up sweetly, one hand draped around his waist from behind, his soft cheek pressed against his back, occasionally rubbing against him while murmuring in his dreams.
At that time, Gu Mang genuinely thought Young Master Mo was cold and heartless, someone who kept his distance from women.
Yet he never realized how much self-restraint this young man, who was supposedly “cold and heartless, keeping his distance from women,” had needed to suppress the desire and ambition to turn around and pin him down on the bed and have his way with him.
The only thing he noticed was that back then, every morning, Mo Xi would either get up much earlier than him or refuse to sit up until after Gu Mang had left the tent. In any case, he simply refused to get up at the same time as him.
And during that period, Mo Xi was always suffering from excess internal heat. Either there would be bloodshot veins in those beautiful eyes, or a blister would appear at the corner of his thin lips. His whole person always looked sleep-deprived, with the faint bluish shadows beneath his eyes that came from staying up late.
Because of this, Gu Mang had even asked Lu Zhanxing worriedly:
“…Is my sleeping posture really that bad? Did I actually sleepwalk and hit him?”
At this moment, Mo Xi looked at the sleeping Gu Mang before him. His gaze moved inch by inch over his Senior Brother’s gentle features, his slightly open collar…
Everything was so similar to back then.
At his most idealistic, he had once imagined that many years later he could continue to have a heartfelt relationship with his Gu Senior Brother, entwined endlessly with him.
At his most pessimistic, he had also once imagined capturing that traitorous man and locking him inside his residence, torturing him to death.
The one thing he had never imagined was that after so much time had passed, after they had gone through so much, he would still once again experience the feeling of having his Senior Brother lying beside him, yet not daring to touch him lightly.
On this bed, everything seemed to have returned to the time when they were both still young and inexperienced. The more than ten years of rolling years, the sea of blood and primordial chaos, all seemed to be erased with a single stroke.
Mo Xi’s heart burned fiercely. He looked at Gu Mang, his gaze so soft yet so intense.
His love for him, and his desire for him, had actually never diminished by even the slightest bit compared with back then.
“Marshal Mo!”
A personal guard’s voice suddenly came from outside. He raised his voice and called to him, “The kitchen has already prepared the food. Everyone else’s portions have been sent down. You can also go to the main camp to eat!”
The little cultivator shouted loudly. Before Mo Xi had time to stop him, Gu Mang was already awakened by the noise.
Those deep blue eyes opened, and the more than ten years of time returned to their bodies once again in that instant.
“Mmm…”
Mo Xi’s voice was somewhat hoarse. He said softly, “It’s noon. You can eat now.”
“Sleepy.”
Gu Mang blinked hazily, yawned, and wanted to burrow into Mo Xi’s arms.
“Let me lie here a little longer…”
The bed was only so big. When Gu Mang burrowed over, Mo Xi was caught completely off guard. He wanted to dodge, but there was nowhere to dodge to.
Thus, when Gu Mang pressed tightly against him and felt that familiar hardness, Mo Xi became completely stiff with embarrassment.