Chapter 6

A major event had recently stirred the capital. It had nothing to do with the empire’s safety, yet it tugged at the hearts of many.

The Zuo family of Jiangnan had always been an unremarkable martial clan. Everything changed when they produced a woman known as the most beautiful under the heaven.

Zuo Lingxue.

Not only was she breathtaking, but her skill with dual sabers was exquisite. She had fully inherited her father’s legacy and was already showing signs of becoming the next head of the family.

So young, so brilliant. Her presence attracted not only wandering swordsmen but also the powerful and noble of the capital. Among them, the two most prominent were Prince Yong, and the great General Bu Nian.

Bu Nian needed no introduction. At a young age, he commanded thousands, with ruthless methods and a mind as deep as the sea. No one in court dared underestimate him. Prince Yong, though free of official duties, had grown up alongside the emperor. Raised under the Empress Dowager’s care, he was known for his exceptional looks and noble status.

These two had competed for her affection for years, often in silence but never without intensity. Judging by temperament and background, Bu Nian seemed the better match. However, fate had its own designs. Two years ago, Bu Nian’s father passed away, and he entered a mourning period that prohibited marriage for three years.

Had Zuo Lingxue chosen to wait, the tale of the hero and the beauty would have become a legend. But she clearly did not wish to wait. Three days ago, she officially became betrothed to Prince Yong. The imperial astrologers were now selecting an auspicious date for the wedding. The news came suddenly and caught everyone off guard.

For Bu Nian, it was like being struck in the back of the head. He had never doubted her affection. He had never doubted she would one day become his wife.

In his mind, Zuo Lingxue had always belonged to him. Now, she was about to marry someone else. Bu Nian, undefeated in battle, had suffered his first loss. And it happened in love. The defeat was harsh and humiliating. He had become the laughingstock of the capital.

People waited to see how he would respond. Some expected him to take his army and raze the Zuo estate. Others thought he might go straight to Prince Yong and beat him to the ground.

But Bu Nian remained calm. He raised no troops and made no accusations. He said nothing to Prince Yong. Instead, he brought only a few men, dressed plainly, and visited the Zuo residence to retrieve the token of affection he had once given Zuo Lingxue.

Inside the carriage, he rubbed his fingers along the surface of a delicate peace-lock pendant. His eyes were lowered. His face revealed nothing.

The peace-lock was exquisitely crafted. Made of pure silver, the front bore the engraving “Long Life and Hundred Years,” while the back read “A Lifetime of Wealth.” A ruby tassel hung from the base, and the entire piece was cleverly hollowed. Once the chain was unhooked from the lock’s clasp, it could be opened.

Bu Nian unfastened the peace-lock and retrieved a yellowed slip of paper from inside. It was a love poem he had written for Zuo Lingxue years ago.

“A beauty, clear-eyed and graceful. A chance meeting that fulfills my heart’s desire…” he recited softly. Then suddenly, a cold laugh escaped his lips, thick with scorn. He clenched the slip in his palm, and a moment later, opened his hand again. The paper had been crushed to powder under his internal force.

He tossed the dust out of the carriage. The autumn wind caught it and scattered it into the air, carrying it away without a trace.

If the Zuo family desired wealth and royal kinship, then so be it. Let them have it. As long as they did not regret it later.

As they neared the capital, the weather turned abruptly. Clouds thickened overhead. Winds howled, heavy and wild. A storm was clearly on the way.

The carriage guards predicted they would not make it back before the city gates closed. After consulting with Bu Nian, they turned toward the country estate, planning to stay the night and return to the General’s residence the next morning.

It had been another two months since Lian Ai last saw Bu Nian. Not long after his last visit, the entire staff at the estate had been replaced. The new servants were nothing like the stiff and silent ones before. For once, the house felt alive.

They seemed to believe Lian Ai was Bu Nian’s personal companion, someone kept in secret away from the main residence. Their attitude toward him was extremely respectful, almost treating him like a minor master of the house. So when Bu Nian finally arrived, they immediately sent for Lian Ai to attend him.

He couldn’t refuse. Carefully carrying a tray of food and wine, he walked to the door and knocked.

“Come in.” Bu Nian’s low voice came from within a moment later.

Lian Ai pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to realize Bu Nian was bathing behind the screen.

He set the tray on the table and kept his eyes obediently lowered to the floor. “General, I’ve placed your food here.”

Water splashed behind the screen. After a moment, Bu Nian spoke again. “Come wipe my back.”

Lian Ai froze for a second, then quickly replied, “Yes, General.”

He walked around the screen and saw Bu Nian resting in the tub, arms stretched out along the rim. His long, wet hair was tied up messily at the crown of his head. The firm lines of his chest glistened under the water, every muscle defined and strong.

Lian Ai rolled up his sleeves, took a cloth from nearby, soaked it, and began to wipe his back in silence. Neither of them spoke. Aside from the difference in their status, Bu Nian’s mood was clearly foul.

Lian Ai had a knack for reading people. After several encounters with the general, he couldn’t say he fully understood him, but he had grasped parts of his temperament. Seeing his expression dark, brows faintly furrowed, and his eyes fixed without blinking at one spot, he could tell Bu Nian had something heavy on his mind. And so, Lian Ai served him with even more caution, fearing he might provoke him at the wrong moment.

By the time he finished wiping Bu Nian down, Lian Ai was drenched in sweat. Some of it came from exertion. Most of it came from fear.

“Enough. Dress me,” Bu Nian said, standing up from the bath with water streaming down his body.

Lian Ai quickly dried his hands, grabbed the inner robe, and helped him into it the moment he stepped out of the tub.

Once the underclothes were on, Bu Nian threw on a loose cloak and ran his fingers through his wet hair, tossing it back as he walked out from behind the screen.

The table was covered in delicate dishes, but he didn’t spare them a glance. He passed by as if they weren’t even there, grabbed the wine jug, and walked straight out the door.

Lian Ai stepped quietly to the doorway and peeked out. He saw Bu Nian sitting on the steps beneath the eaves, staring into the rain as it poured over the courtyard.

He hadn’t been dismissed. Without permission to leave, he stayed where he was, waiting to see if the general would issue any other orders.

Half an hour passed. Bu Nian emptied the jug and still didn’t return inside. Lian Ai, with nothing to do, saw that some of the general’s clothing was scattered on the floor. He bent down to pick it up.

One by one, he gathered the garments. Just as he lifted the outer robe, something heavy slipped from the sleeve.

Startled, he reached to catch it, but it was too late. A silver peace-lock pendant dropped to the floor and landed with a heavy thud.

His face drained of color. His legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees. He picked up the pendant with trembling hands and gently blew the dust from its surface. As he wiped it clean, he realized with horror that one of the three ruby tassels had chipped. A third of the gemstone was gone. What had once been perfectly round now looked broken and flawed.

He stared at the peace-lock, not knowing what to do. If this was something precious, and it surely was, then even a single ruby might cost more than ten of him. Panic overtook him completely.

While he was still frozen in dread, a clap of thunder exploded overhead. He flinched violently. Before he could recover from the fright, a hand wrapped around his neck from behind.

“Who said you could touch my things?” Bu Nian’s breath was heavy with wine, his voice low and dangerous, each word pressed out with chilling clarity.

Lian Ai froze. It felt like a venomous serpent had coiled around his throat. He didn’t even dare to breathe too hard.

He wanted to explain it had been an accident, but as soon as a single sound left his lips, the grip tightened. He couldn’t breathe.

He clawed desperately at Bu Nian’s hand, begging silently for him to loosen his hold. The corners of his eyes burned red from the strain.

“Do you know who gave me that peace-lock?” Bu Nian leaned close to his ear and asked softly. He didn’t wait for an answer. “My mother had it made for me when I was a child. It was the only thing she left me. I later gave it to the one I loved.”

Dread sank even deeper into Lian Ai’s chest. He had broken something left behind by the general’s mother. Even if he had a hundred lives, he could never repay that.

Bu Nian slammed him forward onto the table, then pressed down hard from behind.

He swept the dishes from the table with a loud crash, then slammed Lian Ai’s hand down flat against the surface, the one still holding the peace-lock.

“Today, my beloved returned this to me. Because she’s marrying someone else.”

His voice shook with fury. Even without looking at his face, Lian Ai could feel the rage seeping through his bones.

“General…” Lian Ai lay against the table, his cheek pressed to the wood. The words came out in a breathless, broken tone, trembling from fear.

“She knew everything. She knew my situation. She knew my ambition. And yet she still chose the worst way to betray me.”

Whether it was from standing in the cold outside or something else, Bu Nian’s body was icy. Pressed against Lian Ai’s back, the chill passed through the fabric and made him shiver uncontrollably.

Bu Nian didn’t need answers. He wasn’t listening. At this moment, no flattery or pleading would reach him. He was drowning in his own fury, and all he wanted was to unleash it. Lian Ai had simply appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time. Breaking the peace-lock sealed his fate as the perfect outlet.

One of Bu Nian’s hands clamped down on his wrist. The other gripped the back of his neck. The loosely tied inner robe slipped open with the force, revealing the firm line of Lian Ai’s chest.

His gaze was sharp, deadly. His face was pale, stripped of even the faintest flush that wine should have left. The skin against Lian Ai’s felt cold as iron.

“Didn’t you say you could make me feel good?” His grip tightened. The pressure on Lian Ai’s neck and wrist was unbearable. It felt like his bones were about to snap. “I’m in a foul mood right now. If you can’t change that, then keeping you is pointless. I may as well send you straight to the underworld.”

Lian Ai’s heart dropped into his stomach. He forced out a desperate reply.

“No… please, General. I can. I’ll make you feel good. I can do it.”

He was terrified Bu Nian would snap his neck in the next breath. Shifting his hips, he rubbed his ass against the man’s groin. Their bodies were pressed together so tightly that he found the right spot easily.

He was just a plaything. There were no other tools he had. This was the only way he knew how to please the General.

Bu Nian reacted to the grinding, but it ignited a different kind of fire.

He released Lian Ai’s neck and grabbed his waist instead.

“Do you sway your hips like this for any man? Did you do the same for my father too?”

Lian Ai lifted his upper body slightly, shifting to move his hips more smoothly. The softness of his flesh rubbed along Bu Nian’s arousal.

He didn’t dare say anything reckless. Quietly, he answered, “From now on, I’ll only do this for General.”

Bu Nian’s hand dug hard into his waist. The pain shot through Lian Ai’s spine and made his hips buckle, but he didn’t dare make a sound.

“You think I’m like my father? That I’d want something ridden by thousands men?” He yanked Lian Ai’s hair and dragged him up, face-to-face. His voice was eerily cold. “I think it’s dirty.”

Lian Ai arched his back, his waist trembling. His upper body bent like a crescent.

“I… I’m not dirty…”

The awkward position made it hard to breathe, let alone speak properly.

Bu Nian didn’t seem to catch his words. He gave another harsh pull on his hair.

“What did you say?”

Lian Ai fought to keep the fear out of his voice. “This servant is not dirty, General… I’ve never been touched… never ridden by anyone…”

For someone like him, with a background as low as dirt, this claim felt pathetic. But if Bu Nian could find some value in it, if this body could buy him another chance to live, he would take it. At least then, he might finally be able to breathe a little easier.