Chapter 14

With just the two of them on horseback, they returned to the General’s estate. Bu Nian dismounted, handed the reins to a servant who came out to meet them, then turned around and saw that Lian Ai was still sitting on the horse.

“Still not coming down?” The warmth he had shown earlier had vanished.

It was Lian Ai’s first time riding a horse, and the animal was tall and strong. He had no idea how to get down.

Even among the women in Bu Nian’s household, few were this helpless when it came to dismounting. Seeing a grown man so stuck, those around could only sigh and did not know what kind of expression to make.

While Lian Ai hesitated, Bu Nian opened his arms with a helpless look. “Jump down.”

Lian Ai gritted his teeth, clutched the box of pastries and leapt down.

Bu Nian caught him by the waist, spun him gently, set him on the ground and walked off. Lian Ai quickly followed behind.

They went around the screen wall and entered the main hall. Bu Nian lifted his robe and sat down at the table. A servant came forward with a bowl of water infused with herbs for him to wash his hands.

Lian Ai arranged the pastries and stepped back.

Bu Nian picked up a piece of snowy white cake. When he saw Lian Ai standing nearby, he tilted his chin slightly. “Sit and eat with me.”

Lian Ai obeyed and sat down. He also washed his hands, then picked the smallest piece and began eating slowly.

“That was Princess Fuqu just now. She’s the treasured daughter of Prince Kangding. From now on, if you see her, turn and walk the other way. Don’t face her directly.” Bu Nian licked a crumb from his lips, his expression cold. “The more you respond to her, the tighter she’ll sink her teeth in.”

Lian Ai thought back to Bu Nian’s strange behavior earlier and hesitated before asking, “Just now, did the General… act that way for the Princess to see?”

Bu Nian picked up another piece of cake and said slowly, “What, you didn’t like it?” He split the soft pastry in two, revealing the sweet red bean filling, and handed one half to Lian Ai. “Everyone in the capital thinks I’ve been wallowing in heartbreak, unable to move on, and now I’ve fallen for you. Why not go along with it? I might as well play the part.”

Lian Ai accepted the cake, but it suddenly felt hot in his hand.

“No. I wasn’t unhappy.” He shook his head.

Whether Bu Nian was using him as a shield or truly meant to use him that way, it was all beyond his control. There was no room for resistance. How could he not accept it? If Bu Nian was willing to speak honestly about it, he should be grateful.

Bu Nian looked at him. “Are you really willing to live your whole life as a plaything?”

Lian Ai looked at him in confusion. Was this another test?

Before he could react, Bu Nian suddenly slapped the half-eaten pastry out of his hand and said coldly, “If you don’t like it, then stop eating.” Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Lian Ai by the wrist and started walking.

Lian Ai let himself be pulled along. They passed through halls and pavilions, heading toward the archery corridor at the back of the residence.

This corridor stretched nearly three hundred feet, with a window every five feet. It was wide, open, and well-lit. Bu Nian used it for horseback riding and archery practice.

At one end, racks held various bows and crossbows. At the other stood targets made from bound straw.

Bu Nian stood before the rack for a moment, then pulled down a small crossbow and tossed it to Lian Ai.

“With your arm strength, you won’t be able to draw a bow. Try the crossbow instead. It takes longer to load, but the force is greater. It suits you better.”

Lian Ai held the weapon with both hands, completely lost. He had never touched a real weapon in his life. Back in the valley, he had thought that jeweled hairpin-sword was already something rare. He never expected to be given a weapon he had only ever heard of, never seen.

“I don’t know how…” Hearing about it was one thing, but holding it was something else entirely. He couldn’t even tell which end was which, let alone how to use it.

Bu Nian picked out a short bolt from a quiver and came over. Standing close, he guided Lian Ai’s hands and loaded the crossbow with him.

“This part is the arm. This is the trigger. That’s the latch. Pull this, and the bolt fires.” Bu Nian leaned in behind him and held his hand as he released the first shot.

Lian Ai’s hand trembled the moment the bolt flew. The shot went wide, barely grazing the edge of the target.

Bu Nian let go. “You still need a lot of practice.” He gave Lian Ai a light kick behind the knee.

He had thought that with Lian Ai’s delicate frame, the kick would knock him over. But Lian Ai only bent his knees slightly and stayed standing.

Bu Nian gave a surprised hum. “Your footing isn’t bad.”

Lian Ai’s arms were trembling, but Bu Nian hadn’t told him to put the crossbow down, so he didn’t dare lower it on his own.

“Uh… In the brothel, we had to train in foundation skills too.” Flexibility, waist strength, and the muscles between the thighs all had to be trained. Nothing could be lacking.

“Even the legs have to be trained?” Bu Nian leaned back with his arms crossed.

Lian Ai gave a strained nod. “Yes… they have to grip tight.”

As for what they needed to grip, there was no need to explain. Bu Nian understood well enough.

His face twitched. He gave a dry cough and said, “Your arms are too weak. Another hundred bolts.”

From that day on, Lian Ai gained a new daily routine. He no longer practiced bedroom arts as he had in the past, but instead trained with the crossbow, a hundred shots each day. At night, he had to endure Bu Nian’s assessments.

His arms grew so sore and weak he could barely hold his chopsticks. He tried three times to pick up a dish, only to drop it twice.

Fen Zi could only take a spoon and feed him herself, saving the table from being completely ruined.

“Why is the General suddenly making me practice riding and archery? Does he want me to join the army? But I’m baseborn. I’m not allowed to serve…” Lian Ai was completely baffled by Bu Nian’s decision. He couldn’t understand what the man was thinking.

When Bu Nian asked if he truly wanted to live his life as a plaything, of course the honest answer was no. No one wanted to live as someone else’s plaything. Women, at least, could gain favor through childbirth. But men like him had no such path. Once their youth faded, they were discarded and had nowhere else to go.

Fen Zi burst into laughter. “Join the army? The General values you. He wants you to have a skill to fall back on. Stop overthinking.” Her eyes softened as she fell into memory. “The General followed his father into battle at fourteen and returned to the capital at sixteen. I remember the day he rode through the main street on horseback. So many young ladies threw flowers and fruits from the balconies. That’s when Princess Fuqu noticed him. She’s been clinging to him ever since. It’s exhausting. For the General to value you like this, it’s a good thing. When he doesn’t care for someone, he won’t spare so much as a glance. You’ve seen that for yourself.”

That’s not because he values me. He’s just using me as a front.

Lian Ai sighed inwardly but kept his expression calm. “What about Zuo Lingxue?”

Bu Nian was a noble in the capital. How did he end up involved with a woman of the martial world? Did the number one beauty under heaven throw fruits from the balcony too?

Fen Zi hadn’t expected him to bring up Zuo Lingxue so suddenly. Her tone shifted slightly. “Zuo Lingxue… Miss Zuo met the General at the border.” She stood beside the table, serving him more food as she spoke. “Eight years ago, our Great Qi fought against the Huayue people beyond the border. They took three of our cities and slaughtered civilians without mercy. The court was outraged. The Emperor ordered the old General to lead the army, and the old General appointed the young General as vanguard. Many patriots from the common folk went to the frontlines, either to fight or to help rescue civilians. Miss Zuo was one of them.”

Lian Ai let out a sigh. “Miss Zuo must have been truly remarkable.”

He remembered that war clearly. As a citizen of Great Qi living in the capital at the time, there was no way he would not have known. Back then, everyone who came to the brothel, whether merchant, scholar, commoner, or official, spoke of nothing but the situation at the border.

General Bu was said to be a tiger father who raised no weak son. The young general fought fiercely, took back three cities, and sent the Huayue forces fleeing in defeat. For a time, the people called them both war gods and even pasted their portraits on their doors to protect the household.

When the Bu family returned in triumph, the entire city turned out to welcome them. Lian Ai had been young then. He remembered crowding by the windows with the other prostitutes, not even knowing who he was waiting to see.

When that young general passed on horseback, riding a white steed, the girls went wild. They threw handkerchiefs and flowers, shouting his name, hoping he would glance up at them just once.

It was the first time Lian Ai had seen such a man. He looked every bit the hero, radiating strength and pride, far beyond any guest who had ever come to the brothel.

Fen Zi sighed. “She was only thirteen or fourteen then. She followed her master to the front, helped civilians, gathered supplies, gave money and effort both. She was an extraordinary girl. It’s a pity she and the General were never meant to be.”

One was a young general. The other, a peerless beauty. Nothing could have matched better than that.

Their bond had been deep, but in the end, she chose another. No wonder the General had seemed so bitter back then.

That evening, Lian Ai was practicing in the archery corridor when Bu Nian returned.

“You finished the hundred shots?” Bu Nian came up behind him and asked.

Lian Ai held up the crossbow, his forehead slick with sweat. “Not yet. I just reached seventy.” He wore a light training tunic, looking sharper than usual.

“Keep going.” Bu Nian’s voice was stern. “When I was your age, I could draw a two-stone bow. Look at you. Your hands start shaking after seventy bolts.”

Lian Ai bit his lip and loosed another shot, but his hand trembled too much. The arrow veered completely off and missed the target entirely. He dropped his arms and sat down heavily on the floor. He could not move a finger anymore.

“The General trained in martial arts since childhood. I was taught something else entirely. How could I possibly compare?” He panted as he spoke.

Bu Nian said nothing. He suddenly tossed something into Lian Ai’s lap.

Lian Ai flinched and looked down. The object in his hands felt cold and heavy. When he opened his fingers, he saw it was Bu Nian’s peace-lock pendant.

Lian Ai looked up in confusion. “What does the General mean?”

Bu Nian curved his lips into a smile. “Put it on.”

Lian Ai wasn’t sure what he was trying to do, but obeying was always the safest choice. He quietly fastened the peace-lock around his neck.

Bu Nian clasped his hands behind his back and walked a few steps in front of him, as if evaluating something. After a moment, he said, “Not bad. Now you look the part.”

Lian Ai understood then. The General truly meant to use him as a shield. To convince others, he had even handed over the peace-lock.

He lowered his head and touched the silver pendant on his chest. “Don’t worry, General. I will take good care of it.”

The broken ruby had already been repaired. Three tassels now hung from the lock, swaying gently. It looked quite charming.

Bu Nian had stopped wearing the peace-lock since childhood. Later, when he met Zuo Lingxue and grew close to her, he gave it to her as a token of affection. After all that, it had somehow ended up in Lian Ai’s hands. And surprisingly, it suited him.

“If you break it again, I’ll whip you.”

Lian Ai carefully tucked the peace-lock against his chest. The cold metal made him shiver.

“I won’t.” He pressed his lips together. “I will be careful.”

Bu Nian rarely had free time. After giving instructions and checking in on him, he turned to leave. But just as he was walking away, he remembered something and stopped. He stepped back and returned to stand in front of Lian Ai.

“In a few days, I’ll be leaving the capital. You’re coming with me.”

Lian Ai’s surprise showed clearly on his face. “I’m going too? Is it… for leisure?”

He couldn’t imagine any reason why Bu Nian would bring him along unless it was for entertainment.

“Something like that.” Bu Nian’s expression was cold, tinged with disdain. “The Emperor has asked me to seek a medicine.”

“Medicine?”

Bu Nian’s mouth curled with even stronger mockery. “It’s said to be some miracle drug that keeps a man hard all night and lets him handle several women at once. The task itself is indecent. If I carry it out indecently, no one will question it. Taking you along only helps confirm that I’ve been ruined by pleasure and can’t be trusted with real responsibility.”

The imperial selection of palace beauties was in progress. No one knew whose whispers the Emperor had listened to, but in order to better enjoy the young, tender bodies being sent into his harem, he ordered Bu Nian to travel to Qingzhou to visit Daoist Ji Yuan and obtain the drug from him.