Feudal Dregs - Chapter 64

The candles in the room had already been extinguished, leaving it pitch black. The bright autumn moonlight crept in through the half- closed window, casting a faint glow. The bed curtains were drawn, sealing the bed tightly, but they couldn't contain the muffled gasps and moans escaping from within.

The bedding on the bed had been aired on a sunny day, still faintly carrying the dry scent of sunlight. Lan Yu buried his face completely in the covers, his nape gripped by a strong, damp hand. The man's fingers were well-defined, his palm broad, exerting pressure on that slender neck out of desire, subtly betraying his impatience.

Lan Yu felt unbearably hot inside the curtains.

It was already deep autumn, and Beijing's autumn carried the chill of winter, especially at night. Yet Lan Yu was drenched in sweat. His knees were too weak to stay upright. Li Mingzheng's member thrust deep, the massive shaft pushing past the tight entrance into the inner chamber, grinding out slick fluids. Lan Yu's forehead was also damp with sweat, pressed against his arm. Every thrust from Li Mingzheng jolted him, tangling the hair at his temples even more, his face increasingly flushed with desire.

Neither of them spoke. Only suppressed, restrained panting and the sound of flesh meeting flesh were sealed within the curtains, like this illicit, hidden affair that could never be known to outsiders.

Li Mingzheng usually sought out Lan Yu for one thing.

Sometimes, Lan Yu felt that in Li Mingzheng's eyes, he was just a whore his father kept—someone to pull into bed when he needed release. Li Mingzheng was a man of self-control, not overly driven by lust, so his visits weren't frequent. But each time, he became more relentless.

Lan Yu's passage felt like it was being melted by that obscene tool, the thing invading the deepest part every time, every inch of his inner flesh tamed, soft and pliant as it clenched around that cock. It went too deep—Lan Yu instinctively covered his lower abdomen, his moans laced with an unconscious sob. Pitiful, yet undeniably pleasurable, it made him seem all the more endearing, tempting the man to fuck him to death right there on the bed.

Li Mingzheng's gaze darkened, his waist and abdomen tensed as he thrust his hardened length deep into the slick passage with a forceful motion. The gush of wetness that followed drew a low, involuntary groan from him. Even someone as composed as Li Mingzheng had to close his eyes briefly to steady himself, barely holding back his release. The bed curtains blocked out the moonlight, obscuring Lan Yu's expression from view, but this only heightened Li Mingzheng's awareness of the soft, pliant heat enveloping him. Every tremble and clench amplified the pleasure tenfold, intoxicating beyond measure.

His hands roamed over Lan Yu's waist—firmer than a woman's, with a resilient strength beneath the sweat-slicked skin that clung to his palms. When his fingers brushed against Lan Yu's slender abdomen, they encountered the other man's curled fingers, which instinctively tried to withdraw. Li Mingzheng caught them effortlessly, pinning them firmly beneath his grasp.

With another deep thrust, he could feel the slight bulge his movements created in Lan Yu's lower belly. Lan Yu shuddered violently, his voice thick and pleading, "You'll break me..." The words trembled with unshed tears, sending a feather-light tickle across Li Mingzheng's heart. He bent to suck at Lan Yu's neck, pressing his palm against the soft swell of flesh as he murmured dismissively, "You won't break."

The faint fragrance in Lan Yu's hair carried traces of the imported soap Li Mingzheng had chosen for him recently—part of the new stock in the upscale department store Li Mingzheng had opened in a prime location in Beijing. As autumn turned to winter, the Li household servants dutifully prepared winter necessities for the family. Unbeknownst to Lan Yu, every item that reached him had passed through Li Mingzheng's hands, from heavy cloaks to the most intimate undergarments.

Burying his nose in Lan Yu's hair, Li Mingzheng detected more than just the soap's scent—a cloying, peculiar sweetness lingered beneath it. One whiff was enough to recognize the telltale odor of opium. The old master Li was a heavy addict and often demanded Lan Yu attend to him during his sessions. Li Mingzheng's grip tightened abruptly on Lan Yu's sweat-dampened body, his fingers pinching a nipple hard enough to wrench a gasp from the younger man, pulling him back from the haze.

"Stay away from my father when he's smoking from now on," Li Mingzheng ordered, his voice measured.

Lan Yu hesitated, the heat of Li Mingzheng's body pressed against his back, the words spoken too evenly to decipher. He caught Li Mingzheng's hand as it toyed with his nipple and teased, "Is the young master jealous?"

His fingers curled playfully around Li Mingzheng's, stirring a restless itch in the other man. Li Mingzheng flipped him onto his back, facing him directly, and rolled the pert nipple between his fingers until it swelled before stating, "Even prolonged exposure to opium fumes can lead to addiction."

The memory of that floating sensation from the opium smoke sent a tremor through Lan Yu. In the darkness, he couldn't see Li Mingzheng's face, couldn't tell if the concern in his words was genuine. He leaned in to bite Li Mingzheng's lip, and when their mouths met, Lan Yu whispered against them, "Then what should I do?"

"Your father wanted me to smoke with him," Lan Yu said. "If he really meant it..."

Li Mingzheng remained silent. Seeing no reaction, Lan Yu slowly stepped back and sighed, "If I really became an opium addict, would you look down on me even more?"

Li Mingzheng stroked Lan Yu's cheek, his tone calm as he said, "If you start smoking opium, this body of yours will waste away. How many times do you think you could endure me then?"

Lan Yu let out a soft hum and laughed. "Dying in bed is still more dignified than dying in a well. At least you'd give me that much."

Then, with a playful smile, he asked Li Mingzheng, "Young Master, can it be that you can't bear to part with me?"

Li Mingzheng lowered his gaze to look at Lan Yu. Even in the dark, he could sense those eyes fixed on him. "Stepmother," he said, "even if I truly couldn't bear it, you'd still have to be alive for it to matter."

"You don't understand," Lan Yu murmured. "In this lifetime of mine, to finally have one wish fulfilled—I'd die content."

His words were light, yet they carried an immeasurable weight of emotion. Li Mingzheng's mind wavered for a moment, but he couldn't make out Lan Yu's expression in the darkness. For the first time, he felt a pang of regret for not lighting a candle.

Li Mingzheng pinned Lan Yu down and took him on the bed for a long time, thoroughly filling that regret with raw desire. By the end, Lan Yu's hole couldn't even close properly, his urine spilling onto the sheets, his belly full of cum. Li Mingzheng didn't pull out his spent cock, keeping it lodged inside as Lan Yu lay dazed from the fucking. Their bodies pressed close, Li Mingzheng leaned down to kiss him, and Lan Yu instinctively sucked on his tongue, muffled moans escaping his lips.

Suddenly, the curtains at the foot of the bed rustled. Li Mingzheng glanced over—it was Lan Yu's cat.

He knew it was the one Li Yuqing had given him.

Lan Yu, half-lost in pleasure, seemed to sense something and turned his head to look. But before he could, Li Mingzheng gripped his jaw and forced his tongue deeper into his mouth, the kiss turning rough and urgent.

Lan Yu tried to push him away, mumbling, "Yutuan... wait a moment."

Li Mingzheng said, "Ignore it."

Much later, Li Mingzheng got up and lit a lamp, bathing the room in a dim, golden glow.

When he returned to the bed with a cup of water, Lan Yu's eyes were closed, his body bare. The cat perched on the slanted pillow, its mismatched eyes glaring at him with false bravado.

Li Mingzheng didn't spare it a glance. Instead, he pulled Lan Yu into his arms and said, "Open your mouth."

Lan Yu had screamed himself hoarse, his lips parched. Dazedly, he parted them and drank most of the water from Li Mingzheng's hand, his eyes still barely open. Li Mingzheng wiped the stray droplets from his lips with a finger, then finished the last of the water himself. The sheets were ruined, but he didn't call for Yin Huan. Instead, he went straight to the cabinet and pulled out a fresh set, wrapping Lan Yu haphazardly before propping him against the headboard, where he sat half-asleep.

Lan Yu was too exhausted to resist. When Li Mingzheng held him, he simply leaned against his shoulder. As he swayed drowsily, nearly toppling off the bed, his head landed in the cradle of Li Mingzheng's palm.

Surprisingly patient, Li Mingzheng pinched Lan Yu's earlobe and said, "Sit for a while."

Lan Yu responded with his eyes closed. It wasn't until Li Mingzheng released his grip that he gradually came to his senses. Opening his eyes, he saw Li Mingzheng removing the soiled bedding and unhurriedly spreading out a brand-new mattress. The man had already donned his undergarments, his tall figure silhouetted against the candlelight, revealing only the sharp, cold profile of his face.

A faint stir rose in Lan Yu's heart as he thought hazily—Li Mingzheng was actually making the bed for him.

Perhaps it was because this man always seemed so aloof, as unruffled as a deep, ancient well, that such mundane tasks felt both incongruous and yet strangely fitting—an odd contradiction.

As if sensing Lan Yu's gaze, Li Mingzheng turned his head slightly, their eyes meeting. In that moment, the two no longer resembled a rebellious heir and his father's concubine entangled in an illicit affair, but rather carried the air of a loving couple sharing a bed.

Lan Yu stared blankly, pinching his palm lightly. Just as he was about to tease with a playful remark, a knock sounded at the door. Tong Ping's voice came from outside, "Master, there's urgent news."

Both of them snapped back to reality.

Without a word, Li Mingzheng smoothed out the bedding, then lifted Lan Yu along with the covers and placed him on the bed, drawing the curtains shut before saying, "Enter."

With a creak, Tong Ping pushed the door open but stopped after only two steps, lowering his voice. "Master, urgent word has come from Jining."

Li Mingzheng mused for a moment. "Speak."

Tong Ping hesitated, glancing at the bed curtains behind Li Mingzheng. "Third Young Master and Fifth Concubine were ambushed by bandits in Lanling County and taken captive."

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