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After countless farewells, the spiritual communication with Hua Cheng finally ended.
“It seems Xianle has been living an exciting life down below,” Jun Wu said. He patted Xie Lian’s shoulder, about to leave the Palace of Xianle, but after a moment’s consideration, he pulled Fangxin free from its position at Xie Lian’s waist and placed it in his palms. “Entertain me.”
“My lord?” Fangxin feels as though it weighs a thousand pounds in Xie Lian’s hands. Entertain him? Xie Lian couldn’t stop his face from going pale at the memory of how White No-Face had used Fangxin and Xie Lian to entertain himself in the past.
“You’ve taught yourself how to swallow swords since your second banishment, right?” Jun Wu said. “Show me.”
“Ah, right. Of course.” Xie Lian stared down at Fangxin. He had intended to swallow this same blade not so long ago, but that had been in order to kill the infant spirit in his belly, not to entertain. Fangxin was a weapon designed to maim and kill, far more dangerous than the dulled swords used by street performers. Maiming was exactly what it would do to him if swallowed. Surely Jun Wu knew that, yet he still waited expectantly.
Xie Lian took a deep breath. He tilted his head as far back as it could go, lined up his open mouth with his esophagus, tucked his tongue out of the way, and started to slide Fangxin in. The soft muscles in his throat were relaxed and still, with not so much as an involuntary flutter, but it didn’t matter. Fangxin was simply not meant to be used for mere parlor tricks. Xie Lian didn’t even have the sword a third of the way down, and already its sharp edges had begun to slice the lining of his throat, the blade too wide to accommodate. The only way Fangxin could fit inside a person was through a stab wound. Xie Lian steeled his nerves and pushed the sword farther inside anyways, past his Adam’s apple, his breastbone, his heart, all the way down until the tip was inside his stomach and the handle rested flat against his lips. He could feel the blood beginning to trickle from his stinging cuts, but it wasn’t so bad. This much pain was manageable.
Jun Wu clapped twice and took a step towards him. Xie Lian began to back away, then stopped abruptly as a sudden pressure seized his throat. The cursed shackle around his neck had tightened at Jun Wu’s command! A fresh wave of blood flowed down Xie Lian’s throat as Fangxin dug deeper into his sensitive muscle. Jun Wu walked up to him, one hand falling on his shoulder as he examined the blade up close. “Impressive.”
Jun Wu’s hand was heavy on Xie Lian’s shoulder, warning him to stay still. As if Xie Lian needed any warning. Every tremor of his body, each squeeze of that cursed shackle around his neck, and a new laceration made its jagged mark on the inside of his throat. Jun Wu drew in close behind Xie Lian and pulled him in even closer with an arm around his waist. With each breath he took, Xie Lian’s back pressed into that powerful chest behind him. He forced himself to keep his breathing steady, all too aware of the deadly weapon down his throat. Jun Wu smoothed down Xie Lian’s hair, pressed a kiss to his forehead, and gripped Fangxin’s hilt with his right hand.
Dread coursed through Xie Lian, but he stayed still as that hand slowly started to pull Fangxin upward in a straight line. As long as his body stayed still and his throat stayed open, those wicked edges wouldn’t carve a new path across his esophagus. Xie Lian didn’t look away as Jun Wu pulled more and more of the sword from inside him, before stopping abruptly. Fangxin was still lodged halfway inside of Xie Lian, not so deep as to pierce his stomach but enough to slit his throat from the inside with one false move. He didn’t dare move, only allowing his gaze to flick backwards towards Jun Wu, eyes shiny and pleading.
The hand on Xie Lian’s shoulder reached to cup his cheek instead, thumb stroking the lips stretched wide around his sword. “You look so beautiful,” Jun Wu murmured. In one languid, controlled motion, he pushed Fangxin all the way back down.
Xie Lian wanted to run and hide. He wanted to bury his face in Hua Cheng’s arms and forget all about Mount Tong’lu and the long buried truths they had unearthed. He wanted the old Jun Wu that had shown him grace and guidance back, not… this. Not the Jun Wu that would thrust a blade in and out of another god with such a predatory smile, unrelenting even as Xie Lian struggled and gagged around the intrusion.
Red bloomed at the corners of Xie Lian’s mouth, the blood that had pooled in his throat having nowhere to go but up with each new strike. He could feel each new cut as it formed, no longer just unavoidable scratches but deep and vicious gashes. Jun Wu stabbed downward with cruel abandon, intent on thrusting Fangxin as deep as it could go without any regard for Xie Lian’s wellbeing. Those wounds would heal and the pain would fade, after all, and Jun Wu’s most prized possession would recover without a single blemish.
Jun Wu forced Fangxin deeper still, well beyond the point where any mortal could hope to survive such thorough penetration. Something soft and vulnerable within Xie Lian split open, and he couldn’t help the scream that tore from his ruined throat. His body convulsed against his will, the sword embedded within him shredding his insides more and more with every movement. Jun Wu dropped Fangxin’s hilt in favor of pulling Xie Lian close to his chest, his flailing arms pinned to his sides in the embrace.
“Beautiful,” Jun Wu repeated, his breathing ragged.
Once Xie Lian’s body fell limp, Jun Wu encircled his slim waist with one arm, supporting him as he reached for the hilt protruding from Xie Lian’s jaw. As soon as Fangxin was unsheathed from him and tossed aside, Xie Lian doubled over, gagging as blood and bile poured from his mouth. If it wasn’t for the arm around his waist holding him up, he would have fallen flat onto his face. Dimly, Xie Lian could feel fingers running through his hair and pulling the sticky strands away from his face as he heaved. Jun Wu’s hold didn’t waver once. Finally, the torrent of gore slowed to a trickle of crimson saliva and Xie Lian stopped shaking.
As soon as that grip on his waist loosened, Xie Lian’s legs buckled. Jun Wu had to seize his arms to hold him upright, turning his unresponsive body around until they’re face to face. His vision was blurry, soaked with red, but Xie Lian knew that Jun Wu’s gaze was intent upon him, devouring the spectacle he’s created. Jun Wu dragged Xie Lian’s arm over his face, wiping it clean with his own white sleeve. With his vision cleared, all Xie Lian could see was Jun Wu’s face, cold and inscrutable. He let his head drop, unwilling to look. Jun Wu chuckled and pulled him into another hug.
“So helpless, Xianle. Do you understand now that you can’t defeat me? That your place is by my side?” He stroked Xie Lian’s hair, letting him hide his face in his shoulder. Despite his best efforts, Xie Lian couldn’t disguise how his body was trembling from fear and exertion, and Jun Wu held him closer still, trapping him against that muscular chest in an imitation of comfort.
Before long, Jun Wu released him from the hug. With nothing to support his weight, Xie Lian collapsed onto the ornate marble floor, narrowly avoiding the puddle of his own blood. He could feel his ruined organs throbbing as they struggled to repair themselves, but he banished the pain to a dark corner of his mind. He’d had worse, hadn't he? Xie Lian curled in on himself in a display of mock agony to distract Jun Wu from the way his mind had begun to race. He needed to contact Hua Cheng and tell him what had really happened, who Jun Wu really was. There had to be a way and he had to find it now, while he was beaten and humiliated and Jun Wu’s guard was lowered against him. There won’t be a chance like this again— at least, Xie Lian really, really hoped there wouldn’t be.
Xie Lian heard Jun Wu step forward and he lifted his head, alert. Jun Wu’s shoes had stopped right before him, splatters of blood staining the upturned toes. After a long moment of silence, that deep voice ordered, “Kneel.”
After suffering such a thorough and cruel humiliation, the degrading command now seemed downright merciful. Xie Lian slowly stumbled to his knees and shuffled forward to kneel at his feet, eyes downcast. He heard Jun Wu exhale. “Good. Look at me.”
Xie Lian looked up and his pupils shrank in horror. Above him, Jun Wu was undoing his belt with one hand, the other coming to land on Xie Lian’s head and entangle in his hair. He tried to swear and scramble backwards, but Jun Wu’s grip was too powerful and Xie Lian’s vocal chords were severed. Trapped, he glared up at Jun Wu and covered his mouth with one slender hand.
Rage flickered across Jun Wu’s face. Xie Lian saw movement from the corner of his eye, heard a sharp crack, and his head snapped to the side from the force of the slap. With a crazed look in his eyes, Jun Wu pried Xie Lian’s hand from his mouth and shoved two fingers past Xie Lian’s tightly closed lips. He forced them in as deep as they would go, sneering. “Even now, you refuse to give yourself over to me? Is your cultivation truly so important to you?”
Fresh blood spilled down Xie Lian’s chin as Jun Wu’s fingers jabbed into the wounds on his throat, deliberately tearing into the already destroyed tissue. Xie Lian jolted, his body trying to flee even as his mind disassociated from the pain. Jun Wu waited until Xie Lian stopped thrashing before he jerked his hand away and finished pulling his cock free from his robes. Still holding Xie Lian in place by the hair, he started to stroke himself to full mast, blood and saliva smearing across his cock as he worked. He was big, of course, almost frightening, but Xie Lian hadn’t expected anything less. It was only natural that the Heavenly Martial Emperor would have a cock as impressive as the rest of him.
Without warning, the cursed shackle around Xie Lian’s neck constricted and his vision blurred. Panicked, Xie Lian’s hand flew up to his neck. The moment his mouth opened in a gasp for air, Jun Wu grasped Xie Lian’s head with both hands and yanked him forward, forcing himself all the way in. Xie Lian whimpered, his shaking hands grabbing at Jun Wu’s clothing in a plea for mercy, either from the cock in his throat or the tightened shackle around it. Jun Wu ignored him, eyes closed and face upturned as he luxuriated in the feeling of Xie Lian’s mouth around him.
After a few moments, he looked down at Xie Lian. His arms have fallen limp at his sides, the indignant fire in his eyes dampened. Jun Wu’s expression softened. “I didn’t want your first time to be like this, Xianle. I wanted you to feel special,” he said. He released the pressure around Xie Lian’s throat. Air flowed back into his lungs, hot and heavy around the cock in his mouth, but air nonetheless. Xie Lian could cry from relief. He must have actually been crying, because Jun Wu swiped a thumb under his eye, concern evident. “Does it really hurt that much?”
It didn’t, not compared to being penetrated with Fangxin the same way, but Jun Wu frowned anyway. He almost looked guilty, but Xie Lian knew better. Jun Wu had unleashed the human face disease and threw the Heavenly Capital into disarray without a second thought. He wasn’t capable of guilt. Still, he caressed Xie Lian’s face with affection and told him, “Do not disobey me, and I’ll make sure it feels good for you too.”
It was an empty promise. The most Jun Wu could do was make sure it doesn’t hurt, and with his size and Xie Lian’s current state, even that much was easier said than done. Xie Lian’s mouth was too ruined to allow him to do much of the work himself, leaving their pleasure entirely up to Jun Wu. All Jun Wu could do was slide slowly in and out, petting Xie Lian’s hair while he alternated between asking, “Does it hurt? Does it feel good?”
It was obvious he wanted to go faster. His hands trembled on Xie Lian’s head, cock throbbing with every halfhearted thrust. He was sweating hard, the salt mixing with the taste of iron in Xie Lian’s mouth. It must have been agonizing for Jun Wu to hold back like this, and the funny— sad? part was that it was still just as awful for Xie Lian. His injuries still burned at the slightest nudge, and even a glimpse of the man above him left Xie Lian nauseous. He wasn’t ready for this, body or mind. He could barely keep himself upright anymore, unable to faint but his mind growing foggy from the lack of blood and oxygen regardless. His eyes drifted closed.
“Look at me. Xianle, look at me.”
Xie Lian knew he had to look, had to stay obedient if he didn't want this to get any worse. He blinked up at Jun Wu, docile, then felt his eyes widen as if in alarm. Xie Lian’s arms flew up to punch and claw at Jun Wu’s thighs, choked screams trying to force their way out from around his cock. Caught off guard, Jun Wu let him go. Xie Lian’s body scrambled backwards, his hands now pressed to his own neck, and he could feel himself struggling to form words around the gaping holes in his throat: What the fuck? What the fuck? Was that the emperor?! Your Highness, what is happening!?
The soul-shifting spell!
Such a rare and devious spell must have slipped through the cracks of Jun Wu’s concealment barrier. The connection between Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan had been blocked when the latter had lost his spiritual powers, but with enough power on loan from Hua Cheng, Shi Qingxuan had been able to reconnect at the worst possible time. Not only had he been forced to suffer alongside Xie Lian, even for a moment, but his visceral reaction was certain to have aroused Jun Wu’s suspicion. Xie Lian started to crawl back towards Jun Wu, his face lowered to hide the words he mouthed to Shi Qingxuan.
Lord Windmaster, please leave! I’ll tell you everything later, so leave before the emperor figures out what’s happened!
Your Highness! You can’t mean that you’re going to let him— Hua Cheng is—
Now!
Xie Lian didn’t know if Shi Qingxuan had exited his body yet, but he didn't stop Xie Lian from kneeling in front of Jun Wu once again if he was still there. Xie Lian lamented his luck as he waited for his next instruction, heart racing. The Wind Master would certainly try to keep what he had witnessed a secret, but Xie Lian had firsthand experience with Shi Qingxuan’s terrible skill in lying. Any excuse Shi Qingxuan might try to tell Hua Cheng would be seen through immediately, and then what would happen? Even Hua Cheng wasn’t powerful enough to challenge the Heavenly Martial Emperor head on, but once he heard the truth he was sure to try. How could Xie Lian allow that to happen?
“Are you done?” Jun Wu’s voice snapped Xie Lian from his internal spiral and he jolted to attention. His face was wiped clean of affection, leaving a cruel and impassive mask. “I thought you had decided to be good. Or was that show of defiance not from you at all?”
Xie Lian could only nod helplessly, hoping that Jun Wu understood his answer as “Yes, that was me” and not “Yes, it wasn’t me”.
Jun Wu studied Xie Lian for a long moment and clicked his tongue. “Just in case, I’ve blocked the soul-shifting spell within the Heavenly Capital. I don’t think either of us want any more interruptions.” So he did know. Xie Lian’s heart sank. So much for explaining the situation to Shi Qingxuan. Jun Wu pushed two fingers into Xie Lian’s mouth to open him back up, then withdrew and lined up his cock. “I warned you what would happen if you refused me again, Xianle. I’m not going to go easy on you anymore.”
In one swift motion, Jun Wu buried himself inside. He groaned in pleasure, even stumbled to one side, but straightened just as fast and yanked Xie Lian forward by the hair in an attempt to mask his moment of weakness. Xie Lian whined in protest, the coarse pubic hair tickling his nose and Jun Wu’s balls uncomfortably heavy against his chin. Could something so unpleasant for one of them really feel so good for the other? Jun Wu pulled Xie Lian’s head back, allowing him a moment to cough and wheeze for air, then guided him back to his dick. Xie Lian swallowed him all the way to the base again, tears filling his eyes.
“Does it hurt?” It hadn’t been long ago that Jun Wu had asked that question with worry in his voice, but now Xie Lian could only detect cruel excitement. He thrusted in and out without pause, relentless and erratic. The pain that Xie Lian had worked so hard to numb returned in full force with each yank of his hair and each strike of Jun Wu’s cock against his wounds. He really had been going easy on him. Jun Wu now wielded his cock like a weapon, targeting Xie Lian’s weak spots and battering them without mercy. He panted, “Does it hurt? Does it hurt?”
Yes, it hurts! It hurts! Xie Lian yelled internally. Externally, all he could do was scowl up at his assailant, his watery eyes filled with betrayal and venom.
“Don’t look at me like that. I tried to show you the reality of the world. I gave you so many chances to come to me willingly, and you chose this path instead,” Jun Wu growled. He snapped his hips forward. A crushing grip on the back of Xie Lian’s head trapped him in place as Jun Wu forced his way deep inside and stayed there. He groaned, dick pulsing as Xie Lian’s throat spasmed around the intrusion. Two hands wrapped around Xie Lian’s neck, right over the cursed shackle, and squeezed until his vision went white and blood spurted from his mouth, dripping down his chin. Xie Lian heard Jun Wu groan again, felt the cock in his throat twitch as it emptied its seed, and then finally, the pressure on his neck vanished.
Xie Lian didn’t think there was anything left inside of him to vomit up, but with this latest torment, his body had decided otherwise. Jun Wu had barely pulled out before Xie Lian folded over, clutching his stomach. Acid scalded his innards, seeping into the gashes that now lined his throat as his stomach expelled everything it possibly could from inside of him. Xie Lian’s body purged itself until he was dizzy, red and white fluid splashing onto his white robes when he failed to move out of the way in time. He could see bloody chunks of his own organs floating in the pool of semen.
This couldn’t have pleased his lord, but if Jun Wu was disgusted he didn’t let it on. He only sighed and crouched down to remove Xie Lian’s sullied outer robes, ignoring the weak shoves as Xie Lian tried to defend himself. He gathered Xie Lian into his arms and started walking towards the back halls of the palace, away from the bedrooms. They arrived at a white jade bathing pool and Jun Wu set Xie Lian down, leaning him against a wall before turning to leave with a sweep of his robes. “Clean up and rest.”
It wasn’t until he heard the front doors of the palace slam shut that Xie Lian stopped shaking.