Soon, the couple’s quiet time on the pavilion was interrupted as Kong Min came to fetch them back to the conference room so that they could continue the discussion.

By the time they walked back to the room, the last dregs of sleep clouding Qinghe’s mind had dissipated.

As soon as Qinghe sat down in his previous seat beside Wei Xiang, the female Sentinel in charge of the archives began, “You said before that you had a way of assassinating Yuan Sheng despite his many safeguards, the Thousand Transportations array in his palm, and the high-level spirit-suppressing material lining the walls of his bedroom. May I ask what your plan is?”

Carefully settling himself in his seat, Qinghe looked at the female Sentinel and nodded. “Yes, I do have a way, but it is not so that I can assassinate the leader of Black Fang, but rather so that you can take him into custody. There’s no need to shed blood unnecessarily.”

The female Sentinel looked at Qinghe with a protesting expression. “That sounds improbable.”

Hearing Qinghe’s words, Qian Ming also joined in, “Little Brother, that Yuan Sheng is so crafty that killing him is more feasible when compared to capturing him.”

Wei Xiang merely smiled at the side, his face displaying his confidence and faith in his beloved.

Seeing this, Feng Huixin spoke, “Qinghe, if you really have a way of taking Yuan Sheng into custody, then I would like to use it.”

Qinghe blinked in surprise, then smiled. “Yes, thank you, Grandmaster.”

Then turning to the rest, he said, “I do indeed have a plan. But I need the help of two other people to neutralize the opponent’s defenses first. And once Yuan Sheng’s defenses are down, the Sentinels can simply use the shadows to appear and arrest him. I will make sure that until you are in place to take him into custody, he will not resist.”

Expressions of incredulity filled the room.

The female Sentinel was the first to speak into this stunned silence. “You said you needed the help of two other people. Who might you mean?”

“One of them is Sentinel Rue,” Qinghe answered directly.

Hearing this, Rue Xu’s always-present frown smoothened as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Me?”

From beside him, Hou Yu shot his younger brother a bitter glare. How lucky was his brother that he would be able to help that cute person!

The female Sentinel prodded, “And who is the second person?”

Qinghe’s pleasant smile widened. “The other person is the Sect Master of the Silver Moon Sect, Wu Xiao.”

……

The clouds floating over the Silver Moon Sect were bathed in the rosy light of evening, the large puffs nudged along by the gentle wind. The crisp air shrouding the island had turned colder, thickened with the silvery mist that was beginning to roll in from the ocean.

In the sect master’s quarters, the curtains in the living room billowed inward, the windows opened wide to let in the fresh salty air, while the windows in the bedroom stayed closed to keep the evening chill from affecting the pair of lovers. Over the long, painted screen that bisected the spacious room, indistinct shadows wavered, entwined.

On the bed that was situated on the other side of the screen, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui were busily immersed in passionate activities that were flavored with Wu Xiao’s heavy tastes.

After that first time, the couple had frolicked between the sheets together countless times till now, and gradually, Jing Shui had also more or less become fascinated with Wu Xiao's tastes, happily submitting himself to be played with by his lover.

This was one such time.

Currently, Jing Shui was bent over on the bed, his body completely bare. His arms were folded behind his back, his wrists placed side-by-side horizontally and tied together. His knees were positioned far apart on the bed, his ankles fastened to the ends of a wooden bar with leather restraints to keep his legs spread wide open. A soft, velvety string was tied expertly over and around his straining member, cinched at the base below his balls, wrapped around the length of his shaft, and passing over the moist slit at the head.

The little nubs on his chest were stretched until taut and complex-looking devices of metal and wood were clamped onto them, making the little pink points peeking out at the end look all the more pitiful and fragile in comparison. A thin chain connected these devices and small weights were hung from the links of this chain, swinging and pulling at those delicate buds every time Jing Shui moved even slightly.

A blindfold made of soft black cloth covered his eyes, cutting off his vision completely while greatly heightening his sense of hearing and touch as a result. It made Jing Shui feel both vulnerable and excited, the feeling of being at his lover’s mercy comforting and thrilling at the same time.

With his body bent forward, Jing Shui gasped, his chest heaving up and down, causing the swinging weights on the chain to pull harder on his sensitive buds. Tears dampened the blindfold covering his eyes and trailed down from the edge of the black cloth, sliding over his cheeks flushed red from the constant stimulation.

“Ah-Shui, how is it? Do you want me to take it out?” Wu Xiao asked, his kind voice contrasting with his ruthless action of wrenching and rotating the object that was thrust deep into his beloved’s bottom.

Wu Xiao’s eyes gleamed with pleasure at the sight Jing Shui’s twisting form presented, gazing eagerly at all the tempting lurid details of their lovemaking till now―his beloved’s smooth skin that was currently scattered with telltale pink marks, his arched back draped with sweat-dampened strands of silky black hair, his lover’s entrance stretched wide to accommodate the object within, his Ah-Shui’s hoarse voice pleading and sobbing piteously, “Wu Xiao…ah…please…more…”

Hearing this, Wu Xiao’s eyes couldn’t help but soften even as his smile turned sharper.

Gripping the flat base of the long, teardrop-shaped container that was currently seated snugly within his lover, Wu Xiao lightly pulled it outward. The wide bottom of the teardrop began emerging out of Jing Shui’s straining entrance, bringing with it a small stream of liquid that began dripping from the quivering opening.

Feeling the trickling wetness, Jing Shui tried to clench his inner muscles closed, but it was to no avail.

“Wu Xiao! W-What…”

With a playful smirk, Wu Xiao suddenly plunged the object back in forcefully. Jing Shui’s spine snapped straight as he let out a groan at the sensation of the long teardrop’s blunt end forcibly parting the walls of his soft channel and pushing in.

Jing Shui could feel more liquid pouring out of the blunt tip of the container and into him, filling his already stuffed passage and drenching his inner walls anew. With every movement, he could feel the heavy liquid sloshing in his belly, making him shift restlessly as he kept trying to adjust to the queer sensation.

“Ah…W-Wu Xiao…I-I…”

With his eyes glinting brightly, Wu Xiao asked playfully, “Hm? What is it, my beloved Ah-Shui? Do you want me to use some of my other instruments on you as well?”

But Jing Shui could only moan loudly in answer as Wu Xiao’s hands resumed playing with his body. Those slender and cool fingers lightly skimmed over his restrained shaft before his palm moved up and pressed against his heaving belly.

“How is it? Do you feel uncomfortable here?” Wu Xiao suddenly asked with concern.

Jing Shui slowly shook his head, then elaborated painstakingly, “I-It just...feels a bit…too full, b-but…I can…take it.”

“Hmm, then that’s good,” Wu Xiao murmured, pushing aside his beloved’s hair as he bent his head down to kiss and suckle on the few patches of unmarked skin still left on his lover’s smooth back. He could feel his Ah-Shui’s muscles shift and strain under his lips as Jing Shui gasped and moaned again.

“Wu Xiao…p-please…I want…”

Wu Xiao swept his tongue once over Jing Shui’s straining spine before lifting his head and prodding. “What do you want, my beloved?”

Jing Shui felt his body trembling as Wu Xiao once again began toying with that thing stuffed into his passage, causing it to spill more liquid into him. But Jing Shui nevertheless tried to push out the words he wanted to say through gritted teeth, “I-I want you…inside me…p-please, Wu Xiao…I can’t―ah!”

Listening to his Ah-Shui’s pleas, Wu Xiao abruptly pulled out the teardrop-shaped container out of his lover’s passage, causing Jing Shui to exclaim in surprise. A stream of thick liquid immediately began to pour out of the gaping opening, but Wu Xiao quickly pressed his own member against Jing Shui’s entrance and pushed in, halting the flow of the liquid and trapping it inside once again.

Bending over his lover, Wu Xiao whispered into Jing Shui’s ear teasingly, “Satisfied now?”

Pressing his burning face into the bed, Jing Shui shuddered, trying to accustom himself to his beloved’s girth. “…Mn…y-yes…deeper,” he urged greedily in a low voice.

And so, with a helpless and indulgent smile, Wu Xiao began to move. His hips thrust in and out in hard motions even as his hands roamed over his Ah-Shui’s skin, rubbing and pinching, caressing and soothing endlessly.

With his hands tied behind him, Jing Shui felt frustrated at his inability to touch his lover back even as his body writhed and thrashed around as if to somehow let out the frantic heat burning within him.

Wu Xiao looped an arm around Jing Shui’s shoulders and pulled his lover’s warm body up against him, feeling how his Ah-Shui’s bound hands were clenched into fists as they were pressed between them.

As the need kept raging inside him, Jing Shui twisted his body so that he could tilt his head up and press his lips against Wu Xiao’s, his hot tongue snaking out to lap enthusiastically at his beloved’s mouth. Wu Xiao parted his lips and sucked that red tongue inside, letting his own tongue twine around it in a sensual caress.

The movement of their lower halves slowed as the pair of lovers began to focus on enjoying the burning heat thrumming under their skin, shifting and arching against each other to feel their sweat-slickened bodies sliding against one another even as their mouths stayed fused, their lungs filled with the other’s breath.

As the heavy scent of lust in the air grew even thicker, the couple suddenly stopped, their expressions going wide-eyed with surprise.

Just now, they’d both heard the soft tap of someone landing on a windowsill in the living room. Thankfully, the screen separated the two rooms so that the lovers’ intertwined bodies would not be visible to this unexpected visitor, but as lewdly joined together as they were on the bed, this single barrier didn’t reassure the couple in the least.

Just when Wu Xiao was contemplating whether or not this intruder was an enemy, a familiar and pleasant voice lightly called out, “Sect Master Wu, are you here?”

“…”

Wu Xiao wanted to sigh. He should have known that it would be that troublesome Feng Qinghe! And how had that brat even managed to get into his sect without him noticing?! As expected of that tricky fellow, he really had the skills of a sneaky spy!

As Wu Xiao went on an angry tirade inside his mind, Jing Shui, on the other hand, felt like he would die of shame.

His current position was extremely embarrassing to be found in, what with the way he was naked and trussed up, several implements attached to him, his eyes blindfolded, his entrance leaking liquid, and his lover still buried inside him.

If his friend were to catch him looking like this…

Jing Shui bent down and hid his head in the pillows like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, staying absolutely still and trying not to let even a single peep escape him in the hopes of not being found. He’d rather die a horrible death than let his friend see him in this situation!

On the other side of the screen, Qinghe looked in the direction of the bedroom with a confused frown. “Sect Master Wu, are you busy?”

Wu Xiao sighed, then with his member still buried inside his lover, he answered in an irritable voice, “Yes, I’m currently very busy. Xiao Feng, you can just show yourself out now.”

Seeing how his lover was so casually talking while maintaining this position, Jing Shui’s feeling of humiliation reached new heights, causing him to unconsciously clench his butt. Wu Xiao stifled a gasp at his beloved's hot walls suddenly squeezing his shaft.

Seeking to retaliate, Wu Xiao slowly began to slide his member in and out of his Ah-Shui, his actions completely noiseless. Being stimulated like this, Jing Shui could only helplessly shudder, his eyes squeezing out desperate tears as he frantically tried to swallow his cries lest his friend found out what was happening.

Unfortunately, Qinghe remained unknowing of Jing Shui’s woes as he began speaking again, “But Sect Master Wu, I have something important to discuss. We don’t have much time.”

Jing Shui felt his body quivering with tension as it tried to bear the pleasure of his inner walls being relentlessly rubbed by his lover’s thick member. He keenly felt the heavy liquid in his belly rippling gently in response to being disturbed by Wu Xiao’s gentle thrusts.

Jing Shui wished with all his might that his friend would just leave quickly. Having to stay silent while being tormented like this was too unbearable, and this situation itself was too embarrassing! How could he even meet Feng Qinghe’s eyes after this?!

“Sect Master Wu?” Qinghe’s befuddled voice came from beyond the screen.

Through clenched teeth, Wu Xiao got out, “Xiao Feng, would waiting a few more minutes kill you?”

Meanwhile, Jing Shui kept shuddering unstoppably as the tip of Wu Xiao’s finger lightly flicked the tops of the small pink buds peeking through the clamps on his chest. Jing Shui’s fingers clenched tightly where they lay on his back and his toes dug deep into the sheets, every line of his body growing taut with strain.

Qinghe’s clear voice sounded again, “So…you want a few more minutes? Fine by me, but at least tell me how long I have to wait.”

Even as Qinghe talked, Wu Xiao’s hand began relentlessly squeezing the heated length of Jing Shui’s bound member, massaging it in rhythmic motions in accompaniment to his thrusts. Jing Shui bit a pillow and forced down his cries. He could feel the bursts of pleasure urging hot liquid to pour out through his shaft, only for the release to be mercilessly halted by the string tied at the base of his member. Tears unceasingly slid over his cheeks, washing his face with signs of his frustration as his body kept on trembling with silent sobs.

In his mind, Jing Shui kept desperately praying to Qinghe―Brother Feng, please have mercy on your pitiable friend and just leave already!

In a voice gone breathy from panting, Wu Xiao spoke, “Just half an hour should be enough for me to finish and come out.”

Finally receiving an answer, Qinghe replied cheerfully. “Oh, okay! I’ll wait outside then.”

Almost immediately, both Jing Shui and Wu Xiao sensed Qinghe leaping out the window and leaving the room.

With the source of the constant interruptions finally gone, the couple couldn’t help letting out sighs of relief.

Now that he didn’t have to feel worried about being found out, Jing Shui began sobbing and whimpering openly, his body twisting in his restraints as he begged in desperation, “Wu Xiao, p-please…hurry…i-it’s too much! I c-can’t…bear it anymore!”

With a helpless smile, Wu Xiao clutched his lover close and whispered affectionately, “I guess I tortured my Ah-Shui a bit too much today. Let me give you relief then.”

Jing Shui’s screams of pleasure soon resounded in the room as Wu Xiao made good on his promise.

……

Outside, Qinghe found a secluded and peaceful spot in the hydrangea garden and leaned against a wall, his expression as if he were pondering deeply on something.

Suddenly tilting his head down to look at the shadow by his feet, Qinghe asked aloud, “Xiang, did you see those weird things in their room just now?”

Wei Xiang’s amused voice sounded from the shadow, “What weird things? Qinghe, love, did you forget that I can’t spy using wind like you?”

With puffed cheeks, Qinghe defended himself. “Hey, I wasn’t spying! I just forgot to retract my spirit sense. Anyway, I saw that Sect Master Wu was using a lot of strange things on Brother Jing. There were a couple of small, bizarre devices on his chest, and his eyes were blindfolded for some reason, and then there were those restraints that actually looked completely different from those used on criminals, also―”

Wei Xiang hurriedly interrupted his clueless little lover, “Qinghe, never, and I do mean never, mention what you saw today to your friend. With his thin skin, I’m afraid you’ll make your Brother Jing embarrassed enough that he’ll wish for death.”

Qinghe tilted his head confusedly, not understanding what there was to be embarrassed about. But since his beloved’s voice sounded firm and urgent, he decided to agree. “…Oh, okay. But Xiang, do you know what those things I told you just now about are?”

After a lengthy pause, Wei Xiang finally admitted, “Maybe.”

Qinghe’s expression turned thoughtful. Then he hesitantly asked, “Xiang, those things…do they hurt when you use them? If you put them on me, do you think I will like it?”

Wei Xiang couldn’t help but startle at this direct question. Just imagining his alluring little lover wearing those sorts of implements while tied up on their bed made Wei Xiang feel a nosebleed coming on.

Not sensing his beloved’s thoughts going astray, Qinghe curiously poked himself in the chest, causing one of his little buds to perk up and rub against the inside of his clothes. As his fingertip kept on prodding and nudging the sensitive nubbin, Qinghe continued with a confused frown, “Xiang, having those things pinching in a place like this…do you think it might actually feel good?”

Wei Xiang felt that his lover was testing his self-discipline again. He had to exert strict control over his thoughts to stop himself from exiting the shadow realm and pushing down his little lover right here, venting the insistent lust stirred up by his beloved’s obliviously tempting words and actions.

In a strangled-sounding voice, Wei Xiang finally managed to say, “Qinghe, let’s discuss this later. I will explain everything to you in detail when we are alone. I’m afraid that this is not something we should be talking about outside like this.”

Qinghe nodded and easily agreed. “Alright then.”

Just as Qinghe wanted to begin contemplating over this newfound knowledge, he spotted the figure of a satisfied-looking Wu Xiao heading their way.

“Ah, it seems like Sect Master Wu is done,” Qinghe observed. Then perking up, he spoke, “Xiang, do you think I should directly ask him about all those things he put on Brother Jing?”

“No! Definitely not!” Wei Xiang burst out.

Qinghe merely raised an eyebrow in reaction. “Okay, okay, I won’t ask him. But Xiang, why do I feel like you’ve gotten more dramatic today? Are you learning your senior brother’s bad habits?” Qinghe asked in a disapproving tone.

“…”

Wei Xiang truly didn’t know what to say and could only stew in silence.

After a while, Wu Xiao reached the place where Qinghe was leaning relaxedly against the wall with his arms folded and expression serene.

“So, Xiao Feng, what matter did you come to bother me about just now?” Wu Xiao directly got to the point.

Qinghe hesitated, then offered sincerely, “Sect Master Wu, if you truly think it’s that much of a bother, then don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you get appropriate compensation for your help.”

Wu Xiao rolled his eyes and sighed. “Xiao Feng, did you forget? For how you helped my Ah-Shui with his family last time, I told you that whenever you need my help, you only have to ask. There is no need for you to give me anything in return. And while I do feel annoyed that you interrupted us in the middle, it hardly means that I’m angry with you. Me feeling annoyed does not change the closeness of our relationship, understood? Now spill, what do you want?”

Qinghe blinked and looked away, his mind feeling strangely out of balance at these words that were so casually spoken. And so, while still in a daze, Qinghe replied, “Sect Master Wu, how good is your embroidery?”

“…Huh?!”

Wu Xiao could only exclaim dumbfoundedly.

Over the course of the next few hours, Qinghe explained what he wanted in detail and gave Wu Xiao an in-depth outline of the spell formation he needed him to craft. This outline had been drawn up with the help of Rue Xu and would serve as a base of understanding for Wu Xiao to create this unique spell.

After receiving Wu Xiao’s reluctant assurance that the formation would be ready within a couple of days, Qinghe and Wei Xiang took their leave of the Silver Moon Sect’s grounds by using the shadows again.

Two days later, Qinghe finally entered the competition held in Black Fang’s territory, his contrived persona firmly in place.