It was a bright afternoon. Sunlight poured down from the cloudless sky while insects chirped loudly in their leafy shelters.

The Ning household’s carriage trundled along the road at a steady pace, heading towards the Yan household yet again. Within, Ning Wei’s eyes glanced over a creased letter habitually. By now, each word was already etched into his heart.

It had almost been a month since Ning Wei left the forests of Sui and returned to the empire. Since he had the advantage of traveling by horse while Yan Yixuan had to journey by foot, he had expected a few days’ delay on the young man’s part. Yet, a week after he returned, Ning Wei received a letter sent through the Yan household stating that Yan Yixuan had some other business along the way and would be late.

Alongside words of adoration and love, Yan Yixuan also explained in the letter that since he didn’t have any money with him, he and his group were subsisting on what Ruan Shu and Cang Xiyu happened to bring with them, along with whatever the bandits could muster. The group had crossed into the empire and was currently staying at a small inn at one of the border towns so that Yan Yixuan could complete his tasks.

Due to the lack of funds, Yan Yixuan couldn’t pay the messenger from his own pocket for the letter to be delivered all the way to the capital, so the messenger was instructed to get his compensation from the Yan household instead, then bring back some money from there for Yan Yixuan to use. That was why Ning Wei had received the letter through the Yan household. This also made Ning Wei hopefully rush to the residence almost every day in the hopes that another letter would be awaiting him, though checking up on his father and trying to help him recover was also a big part of it.

On one such visit, Ning Wei had even asked the servants at the Yan household if they could make some of Yan Yixuan’s concoction for him. With an expression of barely hidden sympathy, they had obliged, even going as far as to using one of Yan Yixuan’s own waterskins to hold it. From then on, Ning Wei had held onto the waterskin with the herbal concoction as if it would somehow connect him better to his beloved.

Pitying him, the servants had once even offered to let him continue to live in the room he stayed at with Yan Yixuan. But since Ning Wei knew that the familiar surroundings full of their shared memories would only make him miss his lover more, he had refused.

Now, in the carriage, Ning Wei put away the letter and took out the waterskin with the concoction. From the way he actually opened it and began drinking its foul-tasting contents, one could guess how much he must be missing Yan Yixuan. Pulling away from the waterskin, Ning Wei grimaced at the taste. He couldn’t help but think that this must be one of the worst love tokens in the world. But since the herbal concoction shared Yan Yixuan’s scent, Ning Wei steeled his spine and took another gulp.

Stoppering it and finally returning it to his waist, Ning Wei leaned back into his seat with a sigh. He reached into his robes to stroke the white jade hair stick, the one Yan Yixuan had given him just before they parted by the bridge. By now, the hair stick had already been smoothed to shine due to the wear from his repeated handling.

But Ning Wei knew that all the mementos in the world couldn’t fill his heart the way his little fox did.

The general tried to suppress his uneasiness and longing again. Not knowing where his beloved was or what he was doing, or even more importantly, when he would be returning, made Ning Wei feel a little lost. He was unused to this feeling and guessed that such anxiety might be leftover from before. After all, the last time they were this far apart was when Yan Yixuan just went to Sui, and the young man had ended up getting into serious trouble. Now, Ning Wei’s mind insisted that the situation would repeat and that his lover must be in danger while he was sitting here doing nothing.

Ning Wei let out a deep breath and began working on managing his emotions again, convincing himself that it was alright. The previous threat was taken care of. He would see his lover any time now.

Suddenly, the familiar sight of guavasteen trees flashed past the window. Ning Wei sat upright and peered out. He had passed this scenery countless times on his way to the Yan household after their households were connected through the pact. Each time, he couldn’t help but recall how his lover had waylaid him on this very road back then.

Ning Wei smiled with fond amusement at the memory. Though he knew that it was highly unlikely, he couldn’t help but hope that Yan Yixuan would indeed waylay him like that again. Laughing at his own wistful thoughts, Ning Wei reached for the waterskin at his waist once more like an alcoholic compulsively reaching for his drink.

The carriage suddenly jerked to a halt.

Ignoring the burst of excitement that tried to convince him that his wish was really coming true, Ning Wei called out to the driver, “What is it?”

The driver’s cautious voice answered, “There’s someone standing in the middle of the road.” There was a pause, then he went on in a bewildered tone, “It can’t be… It looks like the duke―”

Ning Wei flung open the carriage door with a bang and rushed out without caring to hear anymore.

In the middle of the road, a young man stood wearing loose, coarse robes. He had a wide-brimmed straw hat commonly used by travelers to protect themselves from the elements, and it hid the top half of his face. But the pair of lips visible below was all too familiar, especially when quirked into that little smile.

Ning Wei didn’t hesitate to quickly stride over and hug the young man tight. The straw hat tumbled down with the force of his embrace, revealing Yan Yixuan’s face filled with a smug yet exuberant joy. His hair and clothing were not as neat before, but he was definitely in a much better condition than he had been in the forest. He had clearly gotten enough rest and food after entering the empire.

Ning Wei was almost breathless as he studied him disbelievingly. When he finally realized that he was really, truly holding this person in his arms again, a smile filled with relief and joy bloomed on his face. His voice was quiet and wondering, “Ah-Xuan, you’re back.”

Yan Yixuan smiled softly, his eyes showing his own deep yearning. He wound his arms around his beloved and squeezed closer, unwilling to let even air get between them. “Yes, I’m back, Ah-Wei.”

Ning Wei’s gaze remained fixed on him, taking in every small detail. “How did you end up on the road here? I thought that once you returned, you’d want to directly go to your house first and then call me over.”

Yan Yixuan shrugged with a helpless smile. “I did intend to freshen up after all this time on the road and the border offices before greeting you more dignifiedly, but… I couldn’t wait to see you again. So I asked around and determined you’d be taking this road today before waiting here to surprise you with this little reenactment of our first meeting.” Then grinning, he stated, “Ah-Wei, I missed you so much.”

This honest admission made Ning Wei tighten his hold on him while his heart squeezed happily. In a quiet voice, he replied, “I missed you very much as well.”

Yan Yixuan looked at him with a warm and affectionate smile.

Ning Wei’s heart thumped. He couldn’t wait anymore. He needed to use more physical means to confirm and imprint his lover’s presence into his mind and body.

Framing Yan Yixuan’s face with his hands, Ning Wei tilted the young man’s head up while bending down.

Gaze fixed on Ning Wei, Yan Yixuan swept his tongue over his lips, looking forward to when their mouths would finally connect.

Their breaths mingled as they drew near enough to see each other’s reflections in their beloved’s eyes. Slowly lowering their eyelids, the couple gently brushed their lips together at first, luxuriating in this familiar warm and soft sensation, then opened their mouths to deepen the kiss…

“Hey, brat, when are you going to take us to your house?” the brash voice of one of the bandits sounded, shattering the sense of intimacy.

The couple broke away at the abrupt interruption.

Letting out a longsuffering sigh, Yan Yixuan rested his forehead on Ning Wei’s shoulder and tried to compose himself. Ning Wei rubbed his back sympathetically. Now that his beloved was back in his arms, his mood was too bright to be brought down by just one interruption.

With a curious expression, Ning Wei turned in the direction of the voice and saw that the bandits, Cang Xiyu, and Ruan Shu stood near the line of trees, appearing to have been there since the beginning. Ning Wei realized that he'd been so shaken by Yan Yixuan’s presence that he hadn’t even noticed them.

With exasperation, Cang Xiyu was looking at the bandit who had interrupted the smooching lovebirds, while Ruan Shu had his palm on his forehead as if he couldn’t believe someone could be that oblivious to the atmosphere. Near them, a couple of the bandits were carrying some large boxes along with their usual bags. Ning Wei guessed that Yan Yixuan’s mysterious business that delayed him might have to do with those boxes since they were the only noticeable thing different in the group when compared to when he saw them before.

Turning back to the Yan Yixuan still hiding his face in his shoulder, Ning Wei chuckled. “You really brought those bandits over?”

Yan Yixuan leaned back and nodded, looking resigned to his fate of not being able to kiss his Ah-Ning in the near future. “Yes, I did say I intended to make them my household’s guards, didn’t I??”

Ning Wei’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at the bandits again. He casually said, “Maybe I should personally train them.”

The bandits heard it and cheered happily. They were actually going to be taught by their hero! If they knew it would turn out like this, they would never have hesitated to agree to the brat’s offer of employing them!

Meanwhile, looking at his beloved’s expression that said that the training he was planning for them wouldn’t be easy, Yan Yixuan finally felt his spirits lighten. Ha! That’s what those idiots got for interrupting his and his Ah-Wei’s reunion kiss!

Seeing his little fox bounce back to normal, Ning Wei affectionately rubbed his head. He decided to increase the bandits’ training intensity further so that his beloved could gloat at their misery later and cheer up more.

“Ah-Xuan,” Ning Wei called. “Why don’t you ride in the carriage with me? Steward Ruan can escort the official home and then take your new guards to the household.”

Hearing the general blatantly attempting to score some time alone with his beloved, Cang Xiyu sighed, but knew better than to say anything.

The bandit from before frowned and opened his mouth, about to complain that they didn’t have a carriage or horses to get back and that the general should help them with it first. But Li Yang blocked his mouth with a glare and dragged him to the back to give him a thorough tongue lashing about not getting in between their hero and their new employer spending time together right now.

Ruan Shu understood that the lovers needed to discuss things after having to stay apart for so long, so he easily agreed, “I’ll take care of everything from here. Yixuan, you go spend time with your general.”

“Thank you, Brother Ruan. Then I’ll have to trouble you,” the young man responded cheerily.

Ruan Shu nodded with a smile, then had the bandits hand over the boxes to Yan Yixuan and wished the couple a pleasant journey. He then began discussing their travel arrangements with Li Yang.

Ning Wei climbed into the carriage and Yan Yixuan was about to happily follow him in with his boxes when Cang Xiyu called to him.

Yan Yixuan let Ning Wei take the boxes in and turned to look at the official askance.

Cang Xiyu pressed his lips together and admitted uncomfortably, “It seems, in the end, I wasn’t of much use at all. You had to risk yourself to protect me as the others fought the scouts. I also wasn’t able to make the prince see reason at the end, and you had to step up once again.”

Yan Yixuan blinked with surprise. Then assuming a serious expression, the young man walked over to him and patted his shoulder while comforting, “Yes, but you stood by me loyally and carried me when I couldn’t walk. Without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to preserve as much energy to save you or face the prince later.”

Hearing such uncharacteristically gracious words from this young man’s mouth, Cang Xiyu was moved.

Then Yan Yixuan ruined it all by going on, “Don’t worry, Official Cang. The loyalty and stamina you displayed wouldn’t have lost to any donkey.”

All gratitude Cang Xiyu felt flew out the window. He huffed, “I knew nothing good would come out of that mouth of yours!”

Yan Yixuan laughed. Once his mirth subsided, the young man showed an open smile to the official and said with rare sincerity, “Thank you for being there to support me, Official Cang. It truly wouldn’t have been as easy without you.” Feeling his ears begin to heat at being so direct, Yan Yixuan quickly turned around and hurried back into the carriage.

Cang Xiyu was still wide-eyed as the carriage began moving. Then breaking out of his shock, he shook his head with a wry smile. What was he even going to do with such a capricious young man for a friend?

↢∘●∘↣

The air inside the carriage was saturated with a quiet sweetness. The shadows enfolding the space was tinted a light, muted gold, while sunrays danced on the surfaces of the fluttering curtains.

Yan Yixuan and Ning Wei sat together while holding hands, their sides pressed against each other. A weight that had accumulated on their shoulders over their time apart finally disappeared, leaving them feeling light and airy. There was so much they wanted to say, but for now, they would just bask in the relief of finally finding themselves back by their beloved’s side.

The boxes Yan Yixuan brought with him were placed on the seat opposite to them. The muffled sounds they emitted due to the shaking cabin made Ning Wei recall the boxes of weapons, clothing, ornaments, and other equipment Yan Yixuan had once taken to the empress’s private celebration due to the suspicion that she might make him perform something.

Ning Wei smiled softly at the memory.

Yan Yixuan leaned against his side, blinking with a slow laziness. Looking at the general, the young man suddenly spoke, “Ah-Wei, remember the first time I rode in this carriage?”

His smile growing tinged with remembrance, Ning Wei nodded.

The young man chuckled. “It wasn’t nearly so easy for me to enter it at that time when compared to now.”

Ning Wei coughed. He really hoped his beloved would stop bringing up his past rudeness to tease him so frequently. He wished he could go back in time and redo their meeting to erase this black history of his…

To divert the topic and satisfy his own need to know, Ning Wei asked, “Ah-Xuan, where were you this past month? Is the business you needed to complete related to these boxes?”

Yan Yixuan’s eyes gleamed as he smiled up at him. “Yes. I went on a little detour to get you the souvenirs you asked for.”

Ning Wei blinked with confusion, then realized what he meant. When Yan Yixuan was about to set off to Sui, Ning Wei had indeed asked him to get him some souvenirs playfully. He couldn’t believe that after everything that happened, his little fox still remembered and went to such great lengths to fulfill a request he’d only made in passing.

“Ah, I almost forgot,” Yan Yixuan murmured. He reached for his waist to unfasten the sword Ning Wei gave to him as a talisman before and presented it to the general. “Here, Ah-Wei. I think it’s time I returned it to you.”

Ning Wei took the sword with both hands, inspecting it with an intent expression. Strapping it to his belt, he sighed quietly at the feeling of the familiar weight hanging from his waist again. Then remembering that he still had the young man’s hair stick with him, the general gave it back so that they would now have a token each again. Yan Yixuan gladly replaced his current hair stick with the white jade one.

After checking that his hair hadn’t gotten disheveled, Yan Yixuan’s attention shifted to the boxes. He reached for a narrow one placed at the very top of the pile of boxes and gave it to Ning Wei with an eager smile. “Ah-Wei, here’s the souvenir you wanted. Tell me if you like it.”

The general accepted it curiously and opened it. Inside the padded box lay a sword in its sheath, shining brightly as if fresh from the forge. Ning Wei’s eyes widened. He carefully lifted the sword from the box and slid it out of its scabbard. The bright gleam of the new blade was almost blinding. Ning Wei’s gaze roved appreciatively over the sword and he realized that it had all the features he said he wanted, from a longer blade and smoother hilt to the lack of decorations. His beloved had remembered everything.

No wonder it had taken the young man so long to return. No wonder he needed to get more funds from his household. Yan Yixuan must have asked the swordsmith to tailor this sword exactly to Ning Wei’s specifications.

Ning Wei looked up in a daze and met Yan Yixuan’s anticipatory and nervous gaze.

The general felt his chest warm. He smiled gently and praised, “I like it very much. Thank you, Ah-Xuan.”

Yan Yixuan beamed, his eyes curving into crescents.

Rather than placing the sword back into the box after sheathing it, Ning Wei instead transferred the tassel from the old sword to it and directly wore it on his other hip. Since he needed to return his old one to his father, this would now be his sword.

His gaze flicking to the two other boxes sitting unopened, Ning Wei asked, “What do you have in those?”

Yan Yixuan could barely suppress his smug smile. “You’ll see later.”

Ning Wei looked at his secretive expression, then helplessly decided to let it go. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to wait then. But it reminds me. Ah-Xuan, I have a gift for you as well.”

Yan Yixuan brightened and leaned into him. “What is it?”

Ning Wei chuckled. “You’ll see when we get home.”

The young man nodded happily. At least he wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.

Ning Wei was gratified to see how excited his lover was for his present. Stroking his head affectionately, he asked, “Shall we talk about Sui now? I’d like to know what happened after we parted by the bridge. I take it you met the prince?”

Yan Yixuan tried to arrange his expression into a more serious one and nodded. In truth, he was looking forward to sharing how he outwitted the prince and receiving his beloved’s admiration and praise. Trying to maintain a solemn look, he detailed everything that happened after he and his group crossed the bridge.

He told Ning Wei about their encounter with the scouts, then the subsequent deception where Yan Yixuan played the part of the tyrant while Cang Xiyu acted the victim who wanted to switch sides so that the prince would split up his forces. Yan Yixuan then explained how they crossed paths with the prince and the heated exchanges that lead to the prince trying to intimidate the young man, which ended up with Yan Yixuan putting a dagger to his throat and getting the upper hand instead.

When Ning Wei heard that Yan Yixuan had had a trump card all along in the form of the prince owing him a favor, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ah-Xuan, don’t tell me… Did you drag the situation out just to take the chance to test those bandits’ and that official’s loyalty towards you?”

Yan Yixuan shrugged, trying to look innocent. “Well…not exactly. I did want to try and save that favor for as long as possible so that I could take the best advantage of it later. But I can’t deny that it definitely had the advantage of helping me test their loyalties as well.”

Ning Wei shook his head amusedly. But he was nonetheless glad that his beloved had found more trustworthy people to keep by his side now. The problem of the household lacking guards could finally be solved.

Yan Yixuan blinked expectantly at the general and tugged his sleeve. “Ah-Wei, see? I took care of the prince on my own in the end even though he had more people and power in the situation.”

When Ning Wei realized his little fox was asking for praise, his heart melted at the sheer adorableness of it. He smiled widely and rubbed his head. “Mn, you indeed took care of it very well. I can only imagine how badly defeated that prince must have looked when he realized how he messed up by going against you.”

Yan Yixuan preened happily and hummed in agreement.

Unable to help it, Ning Wei leaned forward to pepper that lovable face with little kisses. Yan Yixuan squirmed and laughed as his lover’s stubble tickled the sensitive skin on his cheeks, but he didn’t lean away.

Letting go, Ning Wei bent to bury his face in the crook of the young man’s shoulder. The familiar scent of herbs comforted him.

Yan Yixuan stroked his back while smiling cheerfully. “What about your own adventures, Ah-Wei? Did anything happen with your troops after we parted?”

Ning Wei chuckled and nodded. “Yes, something did happen. I think you’ll like this.”

The general then explained how they ran into the prince and how they argued. Ning Wei took great relish in detailing their conversation, both to show how he had bullied the prince so that his beloved could feel vindicated, and to also make the young man laugh at the choice of words he’d used to insult that cretin. By the time Ning Wei finished explaining about the implementation of Project Porcupine and its effects, Yan Yixuan was already in tears, having laughed so much that he could only wheeze and needed to lean on the general for support.

After his laughter finally eased, Yan Yixuan wiped the tears off his reddened face and turned his bright eyes to his lover to commend, “Ah-Wei, that was brilliant! I wish I could have seen his face when you said those things. I bet he looked like his head would explode.”

Ning Wei smiled cheerily as pride blossomed in his heart. He spoke with both modesty and affection, “I wanted to make sure my little fox would be avenged after how you were wronged. My subordinates were all too happy to make him pay too.”

Yan Yixuan just hugged him tightly, unable to stop smiling.

Ning Wei wrapped his arms around him in return, his own joy insuppressible. “What plans do you have for that prince now?” he asked inquisitively.

The young man chuckled. “For now, I’ll tattle on him to the empress. Then the entire imperial court can have fun coming up with a list of things we can demand from the king of Sui to make up for his first son’s actions. By the time we’re done, that prince will most definitely lose his position as a prospective heir.

“The only thing that might need a little time and effort is collecting sufficiently credible evidence about what the prince’s true intentions were in doing all this. After all, just our words wouldn’t make a solid enough case and might be considered biased. Ideally, having an account from someone belonging to Sui and unaffiliated to us would be more convincing. But it will be very difficult since the only ones from Sui to witness it all, other than the prince himself, were his lackeys. I doubt we can get a truthful statement from any of them.”

Ning Wei grinned. “I have something even better: a signed testimony about the prince’s intentions from one of his guard captains himself.”

Yan Yixuan stared at him blankly. “How…?”

Ning Wei said cheerfully, “Didn’t I say I had a gift waiting for you at home? It was this.”

The young man’s eyes shone. He lunged forward and squeezed the general in an enthusiastic hug. “Thank you, Ah-Wei! That’ll really help in making our case.”

Ning Wei smiled lovingly and pretended to feel breathless. “Oof… Ah-Xuan, why does it seem like your strength has grown a bit?”

Yan Yixuan let go, his expression showing his surprise and glee. “Has it? I haven’t noticed it, but I did have to exercise my muscles a lot recently and ate plenty of meat. Maybe it’s because of that.”

Ning Wei nodded seriously. “Yes, I’m sure it is. If you continue being active instead of sitting at your desk for so long, there’s a good chance your recovery after our lovemaking sessions will show improvement as well. Who knows, you might even be able to switch positions with me in just a few more months.”

The young man was unable to hide his delight and anticipation after hearing this. He decided to set aside some time every day to train his body from now on. He had to increase his strength and stamina so that he can trap his lover under him quickly!

As Yan Yixuan was lost in thoughts of all the wonderful things he could do while on top of his beloved, he heard Ning Wei tentatively ask, “But Ah-Xuan, even if you block that prince’s way to the throne…is it enough? Isn’t it too light of a punishment for everything he did and wanted to do against you?”

Yan Yixuan blinked. “Do you think so?” Tilting his head thoughtfully, the young man went on, “Considering the way he is, I’m sure the prince will not take this blow to his ego and position lying down. He will try to retaliate in some way. However…” A small, sharp smile pulled his lips up. “Now that I’m back in the capital, I can play the game much better and give him his just desserts. I’m looking forward to being entertained by all the trouble he’ll get into.”

Ning Wei looked at his lover with a deep gaze. “I still think you’re being too lenient by waiting for him to come after you again.”

Yan Yixuan smiled, his gaze inscrutable. “Do you disapprove?”

The general shook his head. “I will support you in whatever choice you make. I just want to know the reasons behind it so that I can learn more about you.”

The young man chuckled. How could he deny such a sweet intention? He resettled himself in his lover’s arms and sighed quietly. He began speaking, his voice low and even, “Maybe it’s true that I’m not being as harsh as would be expected of me. But that’s only because I'd be a hypocrite if I condemned others for being selfish when I myself have hurt and killed people for the sake of the ones I love.”

Ning Wei’s expression shifted subtly, unable to help but recall the many ways Yan Yixuan had gone against others to support and protect him from behind the scenes.

The young man continued, “From the outside, all my actions might seem to have a political or self-serving reason, so people have simply labeled me as ruthless and act cautious with me, which I think is justified. So, when I see someone whose actions look outwardly political or self-serving, just like the prince’s reason for wanting to capture and give me to his father, I only feel annoyance at the trouble but no true animosity. Of course, I was more than a little irked when that pest of a prince tried to go after the people with me, but that’s all it is. I don’t particularly hate him since he never had the opportunity to actually hurt me.”

Ning Wei closed his eyes and rested his chin on his beloved’s shoulder. “I understand.”

Yan Yixuan turned to look at him, trying to comprehend the complex tone behind those two words.

Ning Wei opened his eyes and met his gaze with a soft smile. “Maybe the true reason I feel so unsatisfied with letting that prince get off easily is because of how he wanted to take away and hurt someone who is so unbearably precious to me.”

Yan Yixuan felt a slow burn crawl up his neck and redden his face. He pressed his lips together. “Oh?”

Ning Wei nodded, his smile widening. “Yes. And, well, it just means that I’ll have to start being angry on your behalf towards anyone who tries to take advantage of you and teach them a lesson.”

The young man chuckled. “How very generous of you.”

Ning Wei pressed a gentle kiss to his jaw and sat up straight. He lifted a startled Yan Yixuan up and placed him on his lap so that they faced each other.

Yan Yixuan hurried to take support from his lover’s shoulders and blinked uncertainly. “Ah-Wei?”

The general wrapped his arms around the young man as if to make sure he wouldn’t run away. “Ah-Xuan, I want to ask you something, and I need you to answer me honestly.”

Yan Yixuan stiffened with caution, but nodded hesitantly.

Ning Wei smiled up at him, gentle compassion in his voice, “Can you tell me what happened the first time we met?”