Chapter 7

The movement behind him stopped for a moment. Just as Lian Ai began to worry and turned slightly to glance back, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. Bu Nian had ripped the entire back of his robe open with his bare hands.

The fabric hit the ground, tossed aside like garbage, landing in a heap with the spilled food from earlier.

Before Lian Ai could react, a searing pain exploded in his shoulder. Bu Nian had sunk his teeth in hard.

“Ah!” His scream tore from his throat, soaked in a sobbing tone.

Bu Nian bit down like he meant to tear flesh from bone, not stopping until blood seeped from the wound. Lian Ai whimpered pitifully. His eyes blurred with tears that spilled the moment he moved, sliding freely down his cheeks.

The pain had barely begun to fade when Bu Nian ripped off his underclothes. There was no warning. No time to prepare. He forced Lian Ai’s legs apart and shoved his swollen cock deep into his body.

Lian Ai knew better than to fight it. Ruining the General’s mood now could cost him his life. He gritted his teeth and clung tightly to the edge of the table, digging his fingers in as the violent pain surged through him.

His pale, slender legs trembled violently as he struggled to remain standing. A thin trickle of blood ran down from the base of his thighs, soaking into the snow-white undergarments bunched at his ankles. It looked almost like a virgin’s first red stain, startling in its purity.

His fair skin was already bruised and battered from Bu Nian’s earlier roughness. Around his waist, purplish marks had begun to bloom. The small hollows of his lower back stood out with how his hips were forced into a deep arch. Bu Nian’s hands naturally found their place there, and he pressed down hard. It was the perfect fit, as if his body had been made to be held just like this.

Bu Nian fucked him without pause or mercy. Every thrust slammed in to the hilt, pulled out, and drove back in with a vengeance. He didn’t stop, not even to breathe, as if he wouldn’t be satisfied until Lian Ai was broken into pieces beneath him.

“Ah… General… you’re so… ah, so fierce…” Lian Ai’s voice was broken by the pounding, every word gasped between thrusts. His hips moved in sync with Bu Nian’s, meeting every thrust, clinging to him when he pulled out, and gripping tight when he slammed back in.

After the initial pain of being penetrated for the first time, the blood that followed acted as a crude lubricant. As Bu Nian kept thrusting, the movements became smoother. It still hurt, but no longer to the point of blinding pain.

Bu Nian’s breath was ragged. His cock pumped in and out with brutal speed, slick sounds filling the room as Lian Ai’s hole turned into a mess of fluids. His heavy balls slapped hard against Lian Ai’s round, lifted ass, making a series of lewd, skin-on-skin smacks that echoed loud and obscene.

The tight, wet hole sucked him in with maddening pressure. The sensation made Bu Nian’s body tremble with pleasure. Caught in that bliss, his hands lost all restraint, gripping and kneading Lian Ai’s soft flesh until purple marks bloomed across his body.

Lian Ai’s body, trained for years in the brothel, was sensitive to an extreme, yet he had perfect control. The madams who bought children always tested them with a feather. The ones who weren’t ticklish were discarded. Only the ones who squirmed and giggled at the lightest touch were kept. The more ticklish they were, the more sensitive their bodies tended to be.

Sensitivity alone wasn’t enough. A bedslave had to learn not to climax too quickly. If a client hadn’t had his fill, and the boy came first, collapsing limp like a dead fish, it was the worst kind of failure.

After years of training, Lian Ai had mastered the ability to reach the edge without tipping over. He could bring his body to the peak of pleasure again and again without ejaculating, keeping his tightness, his strength, and his allure. The longer he held out, the more fevered his desire became.

Bu Nian felt the body beneath him tense. The inner walls clenched tight, pulsing around his cock. He thought Lian Ai had come. But when he reached down to check, his hand came back dry. His cock was half-hard at best.

He kept thrusting, shallower now, grinding into the snug, hot walls. The pleasure was so overwhelming he nearly lost control.

“Ah… General… it feels so good…” Lian Ai whimpered, his fingers clenched so tight on the edge of the table that his knuckles had turned white. His other hand gripped the peace-lock with all his strength, pressing it so hard into his palm that the engraved patterns were etched into his skin.

A cruel glint flickered in Bu Nian’s eyes. The next second, he lifted one of Lian Ai’s legs and propped it on the table. Then he spread those flushed cheeks, revealing the twitching, crimson hole nestled between them, and slammed his entire length in to the base.

“Ah..!”
Lian Ai jolted helplessly, but the man behind him pinned him down firmly. Just moments ago his spasms had finally stopped, yet now his body trembled uncontrollably again.

Bu Nian leaned over him, panting against his back. “You really are… slutty to the bone.”

Lian Ai’s vision blurred. Sweat beaded across his brow, temples, and the sides of his nose.

He bit his lip softly. “It’s the General… ah… you’re amazing!”

Bu Nian’s body, once cold as ice, had long turned scorching hot in the throes of sex. Only his long hair still held traces of dampness, strands falling over his neck and tickling against Lian Ai’s spine, making his already sensitive body shiver uncontrollably. Even the edges of his ears flushed pink.

Thunder rumbled outside the room, drowning out Lian Ai’s lustful and whimpering cries, only letting a few sweet, sticky moans slip through with the wind and rain.

—

Bu Nian sat up in bed and pressed a hand to his forehead. A sharp, splitting pain throbbed in his skull.

He had drunk too much, too fast last night. The cold wind had only made the drunkenness hit harder. And he had a troubling habit. When he was drunk, it never showed on his face. But his behavior always turned far more unreasonable than usual.

He turned to look at the other side of the bed. There, sprawled across the sheets, was a bare back draped in messy black hair. The skin was mottled with bruises, shades of blue and purple blooming like fingertip-shaped flowers.

The quilt had slipped down with Bu Nian’s movement, exposing the curve of Lian Ai’s hips. Even without lifting the rest, it was obvious what kind of wreck lay underneath.

Bu Nian pulled his gaze away and got out of bed.

As he bent down to pick up his underclothes, a sudden pain shot across his back. He turned to the bronze mirror and saw shallow scratch marks, thin lines of blood raked across his shoulders.

That sight dragged last night’s madness back into his mind. His expression soured further. He finished dressing, skipped breakfast, and left in the rain.

When Lian Ai woke, rain was still falling outside. The bed beside him was already cold.

He opened his mouth to call someone, only to find his voice completely hoarse. Every syllable scraped out with effort.

Fortunately, the servants had already been waiting outside. The moment they heard him, they came in to attend him. None of them looked directly at him. They acted like they didn’t see the injuries covering his body, though every movement was careful and precise.

After applying medicine, Lian Ai didn’t want to stay in bed. One of the boys helped him to the cushioned seat by the window.

He sat there blankly, staring out at the rain, holding onto the peace charm that had nearly cost him his life. Maybe Bu Nian had left in such a rush he forgot to take it.

Lian Ai decided he would keep it safe, enshrine it like a family relic, and wait until the General came to claim it.

He hugged his knees, burying his face into soft clothes. Every little movement sent a fresh jolt of pain through his body.

Lian Ai. His name meant pity and affection. But in his entire life, no one had ever truly shown him either. If even he couldn’t care for himself, who else in this world possibly could?

He slept in a daze, and by the time he woke in the evening, he was already feeling much better. It was still difficult to walk, but at least the pain had eased.

The General’s estate really did have impressive medicine. The items used by noble families were nothing like those found in a brothel. Had he still been back there, injuries like these would have taken at least three to five days to heal.

After dinner, he got ready for bed early. Just as he undid his hairpin and sat in front of the mirror to comb his hair, he caught sight of a figure slipping in through the window behind him.

A jolt of fear shot through him, and the comb nearly snapped in his hand. He turned sharply, voice rough and strained.
“Who are you?!”

The stranger’s eyes curved into a smile. His tone was light and pleasant.
“I’m Zuo Lingyu.”

He didn’t look or sound like a thief, and with his boyish charm and well-kept appearance, it was easy to let one’s guard down.

Though still tense, Lian Ai was no longer as frightened. “Why did you break into my room? Do you even know who owns this estate?”

The youth named Zuo Lingyu furrowed his brows and pouted. “Of course I do. Isn’t it Bu Nian?”

That shocked Lian Ai. The boy had casually addressed the general by name, showing no respect at all. Could he be the son of some powerful noble family in the capital?

“That hypocrite Bu Nian marched all the way to my house to scold us, acting like my sister betrayed him. But he’s the one who got someone hidden away in his golden little cage, doesn’t he?”

The boy clasped his hands behind his back and strolled past Lian Ai, eyes sweeping him up and down. “Not even a tenth as pretty as my sister.” His voice was full of disdain.

Lian Ai didn’t dare argue.
“If Young Master says so, I wouldn’t know how to respond.”

Zuo Lingyu glanced at the dressing table beside him. His expression suddenly shifted. He stepped forward and snatched something up in his palm.

Lian Ai saw what he had taken, and his face changed too. He lunged to grab it back, but Zuo Lingyu easily held him off with one hand.

“He even gave you his token of affection?”
The boy’s gaze sharpened, sweeping over Lian Ai more carefully now.

“That belongs to the General. He forgot to take it with him. Please, Young Master, give it back…”

Lian Ai was pale with anxiety. If that item ended up in someone else’s hands, the General would skin him alive.

Zuo Lingyu suddenly let out a curious sound, leaning in so close their faces were nearly touching. “You look just like someone I know.”

Lian Ai froze, not understanding what he meant.

“Do you have parents?”

Lian Ai frowned. “Who doesn’t? I wasn’t born from a rock. Of course I have parents.”

Zuo Lingyu had followed Bu Nian to this private mansion, originally planning to drag out the lover he was hiding and confront him face to face. He was ready to make a scene. But now, that plan was temporarily shelved.

“No, I mean, do you know who they are? Their names? Where are they now?”
He stroked his chin, studying Lian Ai closely.
“You really look like an aunt my family knows. She had a son who went missing when he was barely two. They never found him again.”

The longer he stared, the more convinced he became. “You might be her lost child.”

Lian Ai was completely thrown off by the sudden turn of events. He opened his mouth a few times before finally managing to speak.

“I… I don’t remember. I was sold to a brothel when I was a child and grew up there. I don’t know my parents’ names or what they looked like.”

Zuo Lingyu clapped his hands, clearly thrilled.

“Then it must be you.”
He reached out and grabbed Lian Ai’s wrist.
“Come on. I’ll take you to find your parents.”

Lian Ai stumbled after him. But just a few steps later, he suddenly remembered something. The day the poison in his body would flare up was only a few days away. He stopped in his tracks and tried to pull away.

“Wait. I can’t go.”

He was grateful his head was clear this time. Leaving with this boy might never lead to finding his parents. Without the antidote, the poison alone would be enough to kill him. And if Bu Nian found out he had run, he wouldn’t survive it.

“You’re really difficult. What do you mean you can’t? If Bu Nian shows up, I’ll deal with him.”

Lian Ai had finally learned to be cautious, but heaven clearly wasn’t planning to give him a choice.

“No, listen to me, Young Master. I..”

A sharp pain struck the side of his neck. His body went limp before he could finish the sentence.

Zuo Lingyu made it very clear he wasn’t interested in listening. He knocked Lian Ai out and carried him off.