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It was hard to say which of them had started it. One moment they were standing in the small kitchen area of Puqi Shrine, Xie Lian lamenting the devastation of his most recent recipe and forbidding Hua Cheng from trying it. The next, Xie Lian’s back was pressed against the wall, strong hands on his waist anchoring him in place.
Hua Cheng gave a soft sigh as the kiss deepened. His tongue traced the curve of Xie Lian’s lower lip before delving into his mouth. A choked moan met his advances. Xie Lian surprised him by meeting his heat and offering more of his own; rather than shying away from the passion, as he had in the past, his own tongue danced alongside Hua Cheng’s.
Though he was acting braver than ever, a helpless greed raged within Xie Lian. The first time they had kissed like this in Qiandeng Temple, he’d had the excuse of helping Hua Cheng to hide behind. He’d maintained strict control over his own body’s reaction, difficult as it was. Later, he’d been able to continue hiding under the guise of exchanging spiritual power. But lately, such intimacy had become increasingly more difficult, and less innocent, for his inexperienced body. It sent his heart flying and his blood racing south with such speed that it left him dizzy.
Each moment following Hua Cheng’s return after Mount Tonglu had wreaked havoc on his self-control. Each time had brought him closer and closer to throwing his former restraint out the window, breaking his vow, and begging for what he’d never desired before.
Hua Cheng had never pushed him. Now that things were clearer between the two of them, he was naturally freer with his affection, but there remained a line he never crossed. His hands never strayed past Xie Lian’s face or waist; his body never pressed too close.
But for Xie Lian, that line had begun to waver. How could he care for that now, after anything? What was the point of staying true to his path if it meant losing such precious moments with his San Lang?
Today, that thin veneer of restraint seemed destined to snap.
Hua Cheng’s kiss was searing, despite his body’s usual coolness. His hands were tight on Xie Lian’s body, one gripping his waist while the other laced through long strands of hair. But apart from his hands and the heat of his mouth, there was no other contact; his body maintained the solid space between them. But even without such friction to blame, Xie Lian’s robes bulged just below the waist. His hips occasionally rolled forward, pleasure jolting through his body when the cloth of his own clothes brushed against his aching cock.
Leave it to Hua Cheng to make him feel a way he never had. In eight hundred years, he had never wavered from his cultivation—he had never been tempted, had never even considered that this might happen one day. Barring that embarrassing ordeal with the Land of the Tender, he’d never expected that his body would feel this particular urge.
But now, he balked at how easy and simple that abstinence had seemed.
His pulse was racing, his clothes felt tight, his fingers trembled. Even headier was the sticky fluid he felt under his clothes, his weeping cock behaving as it never had cause to before. He wasn’t so sheltered that he wasn’t aware of the process or what that stickiness meant—after all, he had occasionally glanced through the explicit stories written about Pei Ming’s…encounters with women. But apart from appreciating the poetry with which some of them were penned and the gaps in his education they had filled, those stories had never particularly affected him.
The point was, he theoretically understood what would happen; he had just never expected it to happen to him . And that general knowledge in no way prepared him for how it would actually feel .
His cock throbbed once more in that unfamiliar, demanding way. Impatient, his body was screaming for more, more, more .
Shuddering, he clutched at the collars of Hua Cheng’s robes with one hand. His other fingers trailed down Hua Cheng’s arm to his wrist, leaving goosebumps in his wake. He itched to move Hua Cheng’s hand lower, to bring it to his body and watch the reaction when Hua Cheng felt the way he ached for him.
Hua Cheng panted against his mouth. He let Xie Lian’s fingers shackle his wrist, tightening his own on the supple waist he held. His other fingers pressed to the back of Xie Lian’s neck, thumb curving around to feel the pulse rabbiting on his throat. Enjoying the way Xie Lian whimpered, he sucked on his tongue and earned another reedy sound.
But he wasn’t a Ghost King without mercy. Feeling Xie Lian’s frantic heartbeat and the way his chest heaved, Hua Cheng’s lips twitched. He moved his kiss lower. He licked and sucked a mark into Xie Lian’s neck, unable to separate but willing to give him a breather.
Xie Lian gasped at the feeling. Glossy lips parted as Hua Cheng’s teeth lightly grazed a sensitive part of his neck.
Offering more of his neck, Xie Lian felt a flicker of something odd within him, buried deep within his heart. It was a jagged and pointy thing, sour at the edges. It took him a long time to understand what it was.
“S-San Lang?”
Hua Cheng was quite preoccupied with his work. Tongue pressing down against the spot over Xie Lian’s pulse, he could only offer a soft, “Mm?”
Xie Lian gasped. “It’s just…S-San Lang really knows what he’s doing…”
Something in his tone made Hua Cheng stop. He lifted his head, eye dancing mischievously with mirth. “Oh? Gege thinks so?”
“En…”
Hua Cheng smiled. “Then this San Lang is very happy to hear it.”
He went to kiss Xie Lian again, only to be slightly dodged.
If he kissed him, Xie Lian wouldn’t be able to think anymore, and he wanted to know…
“How, um…that is…San Lang must have a lot of experience in these matters…”
Another flicker of mischief made the ghost king’s lips twitch. “Oh? Is Gege drinking vinegar now?”
Xie Lian blushed. “Wh—of course not, San Lang can be with whoever he wants. Eight hundred years is too long—why shouldn’t San Lang have had someone to, ah…that is…to…”
Merciless, Hua Cheng grinned. “Someone to…what?”
Xie Lian dropped his head to Hua Cheng’s shoulder. “ San Lang …why do you have to tease me like this?”
Hua Cheng chuckled. His lips brushed against Xie Lian’s temple, light as a butterfly’s wings. “There is no need to think too much about it. The only one San Lang has ever been with is Gege.”
Xie Lian’s heart skipped several beats, eyes widening. “How could that be…?”
“Why would a man drink from a muddy puddle when he has glimpsed the sea?”
Xie Lian spluttered. “You—that’s— San Lang !”
Hua Cheng laughed at his reaction. “Gege is too cute.”
Xie Lian huffed indignantly. “San Lang is too mean.”
Grinning, Hua Cheng tilted Xie Lian’s chin up with the crook of his forefinger. “Is that so?” His gaze penetrated Xie Lian, pupil so dilated that it appeared to eclipse his iris.
Xie Lian’s eyes fell to Hua Cheng’s mouth. “San Lang has really never…even kissed someone?”
Hua Cheng seemed to enjoy the question. “Just Gege.”
Shock colored Xie Lian’s face. “How could that be? San Lang is so…”
Hua Cheng’s smile turned feline. Fishing for the compliment, he encouraged him with a small, “So…?”
Xie Lian flushed. “San Lang knows he’s very talented. How could that be, if you’ve never…?”
Hua Cheng didn’t break eye contact. “This San Lang has a vivid imagination. And not all learning needs to be firsthand.”
Xie Lian blinked. He struggled to process what that meant before the weight of its significance settled on him. His expression faltered anew, this time troubled.
Reading the change, Hua Cheng wondered, “Does this bother Gege?”
Xie Lian hesitated, then sighed. “It’s just…San Lang was alone for so long…”
Hua Cheng smiled, unbothered. “Gege is the only one San Lang ever wanted.”
Xie Lian met his gaze with sincerity. “I’m sorry I made you wait.”
Hua Cheng’s eye sparkled. “Gege never made San Lang wait. How can someone wait for what they never expected?”
Xie Lian couldn’t think of how to respond. Such devotion was indeed hard to comprehend.
If that was how Hua Cheng felt, then Xie Lian could do nothing but make up for lost time.
Hua Cheng’s thumb brushed Xie Lian’s lip. “Gege looks so serious—”
Xie Lian closed the distance between them again with a mix of tenderness and hunger. Their teeth clacked in his eagerness, earning an affectionate chuckle as Hua Cheng met his kiss. Xie Lian didn’t waste time deepening it. He wanted to surprise Hua Cheng, so he pushed his tongue into his mouth. Hua Cheng groaned quietly. He let Xie Lian do what he wanted—it had always been so. His heart, his body, his life—he had long ago promised them to another.
Xie Lian tried to replicate Hua Cheng’s skills, but, like with cooking, he couldn’t tell if it was actually good or if Hua Cheng was just very forgiving. Helpless, he eventually eased off to let Hua Cheng take control once more.
Hua Cheng’s tongue replaced Xie Lian’s, exploring his mouth with reverence.
Xie Lian whimpered. His cock twitched in his robes, almost vulgar in its persistence. His fingers fluttered. He didn’t know what to do, how to make it feel better, how to make the throbbing stop. He wasn’t sure what would feel good, what would ease this damnable suffering.
Trembling, his fingers again sought out Hua Cheng’s hand on his waist.
He parted from the kiss with a wet smack that made his ears burn. When he spoke, his voice shook on the simple call.
“S-San Lang?”
Hua Cheng met his gaze again. He swept one thumb against Xie Lian’s lower lip, drying the sheen he had left behind. “Gege?”
The affectionate, familiar gesture stalled Xie Lian further. “I…I…that is…i-if this gege wanted to…try something…would San Lang do it with him?”
Hua Cheng’s smile seemed softer than ever. “Anything.”
More heat flustered Xie Lian. “Well…that is…um…” The words were indeed hard to say.
Hua Cheng chuckled very quietly. “Gege has no need to feel nervous.”
Xie Lian met his eye and knew it was true. Gathering his strength, he whispered a faint plea. “ Touch me .”
Hua Cheng’s lips parted in shock. Whatever he’d been expecting was evidently not that .
He recovered his composure as fast as he’d lost it. Mouth curling at one corner, he mused, “Oh? Am I not touching Gege right now?”
Xie Lian’s face felt like a furnace. He hid in Hua Cheng’s shoulder and complained, “San Lang …you really are so bad…how can you tease me at a time like this?”
Hua Cheng chuckled. “San Lang knows Gege’s boundaries. This lowly servant wouldn’t dare presume to know what Dianxia means.”
But Xie Lian had barely managed to get the words out the first time! How could he say such an embarrassing thing twice?!
Shaking faintly, he reached for Hua Cheng’s shoulders. If he couldn’t voice it, then perhaps a demonstration was easier.
He was the flower-crowned martial god, for goodness sake! Surely, he could afford to be a little bolder sometimes!
Pulling at the other, he managed to switch their positions. Hua Cheng leaned against the wall obediently, which gave Xie Lian room to move closer. Chests pressed together, Xie Lian was delighted to note that Hua Cheng’s breath moved just as fast as his own. Before he could feel sheepish, he closed the distance between them once more.
At the change in position, a small dent formed between Hua Cheng’s brows. He reached for Xie Lian’s head, fingers lacing through his hair.
Slowly, Xie Lian began to shift. He had pushed Hua Cheng in such a way that the taller man had to bend one leg slightly to accommodate the height difference. Now, Xie Lian stepped around that leg, straddling it.
In such a position, Hua Cheng trembled. His hand tightened on Xie Lian’s waist.
Panting, Xie Lian moved closer, closer, until his body and Hua Cheng’s finally met.
They both let out low sounds when Xie Lian’s hard cock pressed into Hua Cheng’s hip—Xie Lian’s moan was a light, choked sound while Hua Cheng’s was deeper, surprised.
The feeling far exceeded what Xie Lian had been expecting. He moaned again, thighs squeezing shut around Hua Cheng’s.
Hua Cheng was no better off. He groaned, hand squeezing that delicate waist. For a moment, it seemed he would encourage the small rocking motions Xie Lian had started. But then he softened his grip and stopped Xie Lian’s movement.
Xie Lian pulled from the kiss, and Hua Cheng felt drunk on the far-away look in his eyes.
Xie Lian had never felt so good. Cock throbbing, he couldn’t understand why Hua Cheng had stopped him. “San Lang?”
Hua Cheng managed a pained sound. His eye traveled down the length of Xie Lian’s torso, stopping at the bulge pressing into his own hip. “You really will be the death of me…”
Xie Lian clutched at Hua Cheng’s lapels. “Please…San Lang…”
Hua Cheng’s eye widened faintly. His own mind was hazy, but he pushed through the fog to think clearly. “Gege, your vow…”
Xie Lian shook his head. He reached for Hua Cheng’s fingers on his waist, thumbing the red thread tied there. His forehead fell to Hua Cheng’s, and his voice wavered when he spoke, both with emotion and nervousness. “I-I don’t want that anymore. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I…I want…”
Hua Cheng’s fingers dug into his hips. His own voice was a whisper. “What, Gege?”
Xie Lian swallowed. “...want you…San Lang. All of you…if you’ll have me…”
Hua Cheng’s lips parted with a soft sound as he pulled Xie Lian to his lips. His other hand stayed on his waist, keeping him still.
Wet and messy, the kiss felt feral in a way. Hua Cheng captured his mouth and stole his breath for a few frantic seconds, then pulled back.
“Will this be…Gege’s first?”
Xie Lian blushed. “O-of course you’re my first…”
Hua Cheng seemed to hesitate. “I mean…has Gege ever…” Failing to find a delicate phrasing, he gave Xie Lian a teasing look and continued boldly, “Had Gege ever come before?”
Xie Lian choked. Rubbing his nose and ignoring the way his cock throbbed at the suggestive word, he stammered out a response. “O-oh…ah, that, um…well…n-no, never…”
Hua Cheng’s pupil seemed an abyss. His lips parted, tongue swiping through them as he processed that information.
Xie Lian squirmed. Hoping to fill the silence, he politely and thoughtlessly returned the question. “Has San Lang?” It was only after he said it that he realized what he was asking.
Lips curling, Hua Cheng nodded. “Of course.”
Xie Lian frowned faintly, confused. “But you said you’ve never been with anyone…?”
Hua Cheng gave him an affectionate and teasing look. “Gege.”
Realization struck Xie Lian like a lightning bolt, and he wanted the earth to swallow him whole.
But then a wanton image shot through his mind—Hua Cheng, hand around himself, eye closed in pleasure, working himself harder, harder, faster, arching, moaning—
Xie Lian’s cock jerked against Hua Cheng’s hip. “O-oh…” He tried to move his hips, only for Hua Cheng to painstakingly stop him again.
Hua Cheng swallowed thickly. “Gege, look at me, please.”
Xie Lian managed to obey.
Watching him intently, Hua Cheng asked, “Is Gege certain this is what he wants?”
Xie Lian nodded. “I am. This gege has been, ah…wanting to…ask for a while…I had, um…”
“Had what?”
Xie Lian wished he’d never mentioned it. “Ah, it’s…too embarrassing.”
Hua Cheng smiled. “How could that be?”
Xie Lian fidgeted with Hua Cheng’s collar. “It’s…I had a dream…”
“Dream?”
Xie Lian shifted his hips a little, lips falling open at the minute friction against his weeping cock. Breathless, he tried to explain, “We were…like this… I…I want to…for the first time…with San Lang.”
Hua Cheng’s fingers seemed to tremble. He met his sheepish gaze sincerely. “If Gege is certain, then this San Lang would be honored to give Dianxia his first. But Gege—”
His tone turned so serious that Xie Lian looked up from where his eyes had fallen.
“This San Lang will only do this with Gege if he promises to talk to me. If you want to stop or slow down—if you change your mind or feel overwhelmed, do not hesitate to tell me.”
Xie Lian marveled at how safe a ghost king could make a martial god feel.
He smiled and nodded again. “ En .” He realized he had already broken that promise when Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I promise, San Lang…and San Lang has to promise, too. If he wants to stop or slow down.”
Hua Cheng gave a private smile. “Gege doesn’t have to worry about San Lang.” With that, he pulled Xie Lian in for a kiss and softened his hold on his waist.
Xie Lian gave an experimental roll of his hips. Pleasure flared through his body from even that small relief. He moaned, gripping Hua Cheng’s arms. His cock throbbed, urging him to move more quickly, and for the first time in his life, he obeyed it.
Clumsily, he began to grind on Hua Cheng’s thigh with increasing urgency. He moaned into the kiss, eyes screwed shut. After a moment, he couldn’t breathe. He pulled back, letting his head fall back.
Hua Cheng gripped his waist. His thigh lowered to give him something better to grind on. His eye shone on Xie Lian, drinking in every expression. “Gege…”
Xie Lian bucked his hips forward. “ Oh ! Oh—ah—S-San—”
Hua Cheng licked his lips, pulling Xie Lian faster. “Feel good, Gege?”
Xie Lian nodded hastily, too far gone to feel shame. “Good, so good, so— mm — ngh —”
Hua Cheng gave a pained sound, smiling faintly. “Gege is so beautiful, sounds so pretty.”
Xie Lian whimpered. His cock chafed a bit, but that was far from his focus. Something unfamiliar and strange was forming in his stomach, and he chased it with abandon.
Xie Lian fell forward, closer, faster. Hua Cheng gasped and threw his head back into the wall. Chasing his release desperately, Xie Lian’s thigh had wedged between Hua Cheng’s legs and rubbed against his cock.
Body tensing, Hua Cheng gripped Xie Lian’s waist and pulled him closer. “Gege— Gege —”
Xie Lian panted his name in reply. “So good, so good—San Lang—”
Hua Cheng swore. One hand fell to Xie Lian’s ass, so soft through his robes, while the other ran up Xie Lian’s chest. Through his robe, he found his nipple and thumbed it.
Xie Lian bucked and cried out. His pace grew frantic, hands clasping Hua Cheng’s clothes for dear life. “San—San— oh ! Something—I—I can’t—”
Hua Cheng nodded feverishly, forehead falling to Xie Lian’s. “ Dianxia …”
Xie Lian managed one more thrust before he gave a strangled moan. A pleasure he had never known burst from near his spine and rushed through him with fervor. His cock throbbed with it, robes growing messier as he moaned and jerked.
Feeling Xie Lian come on him, Hua Cheng lost his self-control. He pulled Xie Lian closer one final time, then groaned into his shoulder.
“ Gege —”
Xie Lian was no better. He whimpered as the feeling slowly dissipated, leaving him weak-limbed and shaky. “San Lang, San Lang…” He pulled Hua Cheng to him, kissing him with lethargic fervency.
His thoughts were foggy, disjointed. He felt a flicker in his core, a loss of something once intrinsic to his entire being. But feeling the way Hua Cheng held him, the tenderness of his touch…Xie Lian knew there was nothing to regret.
A whole new world had been opened to him, and he wanted to learn everything with his San Lang.