UCTOOT CH19.2

Shi Shu reached back to rub his lower back, seemingly uncomfortable from the ticklish sensation.

He had no idea what was so attractive about himself. When his fingers touched a wound, Shi Shu hissed sharply, letting out a muffled groan, and his narrow waist and hips twisted with the movement.

In an instant, Xie Wuchi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his brow furrowed sharply.

Perhaps unintentionally, the half-tucked pants that Xie Wuchi had pulled down slipped even further, revealing more of their rounded contour.

The pants were very loose. With just a slight hook of his finger, Xie Wuchi could have exposed Shi Shu’s entire lower body.

Shi Shu’s strength was not great, at least not compared to Xie Wuchi. Just like in the river today, with the same force, he could hold his jaw, support him with the other hand, and easily press him into a deep, wet kiss, trapping him in a dead end from which he couldn’t escape, enjoying the sweetness and flesh within.

Shi Shu was a small animal whose struggles only added to the fun.

Shi Shu’s resistance seemed to be a kind of pleasure. After all, compared to submission, the hormone levels were higher during confrontation.

His fingers continued to knead the smooth skin, rubbing until it turned red. Lin Yangchun had said to rub the ointment in. Xie Wuchi’s palm caressed those patches of firm, fair flesh, his hand tightening slightly.

Shi Shu asked, “Xie Wuchi, are you not done yet?”

Xie Wuchi’s gaze was dark, his voice hoarse. “Almost. Be careful not to touch the wounds.”

“It’s so itchy,” Shi Shu said. “The way you’re rubbing it is making me extremely itchy, like my heart and liver are being scratched.”

“Hmm?”

Out of a little bit of selfishness, when the ointment on his back was dry, Xie Wuchi pulled the clothes down, covering that startling expanse of snowy white flesh, and only kneaded his narrow waist, occasionally touching the buttocks below the dimples of his back.

“Very itchy? Just bear with it a little longer, it will be over soon. I guess your legs will hurt tomorrow too.”

Shi Shu propped his face in his hands. “It’s hard to say.”

This kind of itch was different from a normal itch. The rubbing made Shi Shu’s heart feel a little itchy, similar to when you have strange dreams at night and wake up to find a little boy’s physiological problem has occurred.

Shi Shu couldn’t be sure if he was having a reaction or what, he just felt that Xie Wuchi, sitting behind him, had an overly scorching palm, and the way he touched him was completely different from when he slung an arm around his buddies.

But he’s just kindly helping me apply medicine, right?

Doctor Lin said so too.

Shi Shu couldn’t bring himself to suspect him.

Then, Xie Wuchi’s hand gradually moved forward, pushing the clothes up again, probably to the level of his armpits, revealing a large expanse of snowy white skin on his chest and below.

Xie Wuchi leaned down slightly and placed his scorching palm near Shi Shu’s ribs.

“Ah!” Shi Shu cried out suddenly, like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck.

Xie Wuchi smiled and said lightly, “Your waist is very sensitive.”

Shi Shu said, “Yes, I’m ticklish. As soon as you tickle my armpits, I want to laugh.”

“Here, I’m afraid it’s not about being ticklish.”

Xie Wuchi’s fingers roamed around his ribs, barely touching. There were a few extremely small, broken patches of skin, and his fingertips gently rubbed the injured areas.

Shi Shu’s brow was almost knitted into a single line. “Xie Wuchi!”

“Hmm?”

“It’s so itchy, so uncomfortable!”

“It’ll be over soon. After I finish rubbing in the ointment for you, I’ll go brew your medicine.”

Yet his voice was extremely proper. Shi Shu quieted down, forcing himself to be calm. “Does your stomach still hurt?”

“Much better. The Baohe Pills are effective.”

“We should buy a few more bottles to keep here as your regular medicine.” When his chest was brushed by his fingertips, Shi Shu bit his lip hard. “Ugh…”

“Do you feel anything?”

Shi Shu said, “What feeling? I’m not used to physical contact with people, it’s very uncomfortable.”

—Sexual repression.

The room was dim, with a dark, oppressive brown bed, a flickering candle, and the sight of a half-naked beauty’s waist under the lamplight. The atmosphere was amorous and extremely ambiguous. If it were someone with intent, the next moment could clearly break through this hypocrisy. It would only take a single match to instantly ignite a raging fire and plunge into a frenzy.

But everything was suppressed under a calm surface.

Flirting, caressing, one pretending not to understand, one truly not understanding.

The epitome of feigned seriousness.

In such a situation, only Shi Shu would think nothing was wrong.

However, the more oblivious Shi Shu was, the more it proved there was a problem with him. He was subconsciously refusing to admit it.

“Alright,” Xie Wuchi pulled down the lifted clothes, covering the snowy color, and then covered him with the blanket. “Tomorrow, I will go to the Prince’s political council office to serve. It’s not convenient for you to move around for the next few days, so just stay in the courtyard.”

“What position are you taking?”

Shi Shu sat up and got dressed properly.

“Advisor, which is a strategist. People in high positions of power will have many people around them to give advice. A single person’s intelligence is limited, and there will always be things they can’t handle, so they hire other smart people to help with decision-making. This is an advisor.”

“The Prince has ambitions, he’s not an ordinary royal relative who only seeks pleasure. His elder brother is the emperor, who also often entrusts him with important responsibilities, to govern the country and manage military and state affairs. This is where advisors come in handy. By associating with other smart people, their minds can create sparks.”

“Today, Feng Lu wanted to kill you.” Xie Wuchi washed his hands in the basin, his face emotionless.

“This grudge, I’ve noted it down.”

Early the next morning, Shi Shu stood under the dense shade of the peach blossom forest, squinting. A bird hopped around above his head as he flexed his wrists.

To be honest, he had been annoyed by this hanging rope for a long time.

The wounds on his body had already scabbed over, but walking was still not smooth. Shi Shu stared at this crooked-necked large peach tree and began to climb up the trunk.

Normally, Shi Shu was afraid of ghosts, but because he was in a bad mood, he wasn’t afraid anymore. How could ghosts and gods be as scary as the man-eating feudal bureaucracy! Huh?!

He was filled with hatred again, and he decided to hate it for a lifetime.

Shi Shu slowly climbed up the tree trunk, holding a small knife in his mouth. When he reached the spot, he began to cut the rope bit by bit.

The hanging rope was covered in grease. One end was weathered by the wind and sun, and the other end was some kind of black, greasy substance, similar to skin tissue.

It was said that the person who hanged themself had stood exactly where Shi Shu was now, put the rope around their neck, and jumped. When they were taken down, their cervical vertebrae were already broken.

“May you rest in peace. No offense, but this rope hanging here scares me every time I see it.”

Shi Shu cut the rope, and it fell to the ground.

“I’ll buy some paper money to burn for you. Take care, brother. I wish you a good reincarnation in your next life.”

Shi Shu also threw the knife down and slowly climbed down the tree, but he could clearly feel his wounds starting to tear.

When he reached the largest fork in the branches, it was too high. Jumping from a high place yesterday had left his ankles swollen, and jumping down again would surely make his wounds bleed profusely.

“Tsk, what should I do?”

Shi Shu squatted, silent for a moment, and then had no choice but to shout, “Xie Wuchi!!!!!!! Help!!! Help!!!”

“Xie Wuchi, come quick!”

The courtyard gate opened, and Xie Wuchi’s tall figure stood there. He was dressed in a light blue scholar’s robe, his dark hair tied up high, his back straight as a pine tree. The moment he saw him, his jaw clenched slightly, and his gaze instantly turned from a deep, still pool to sharp.

—When a child is quiet, they must be up to no good.

“Xie Wuchi, help me out, get me a stool.” Shi Shu said, “I cut the rope that someone hanged themself with, but I can’t quite get down.”

Xie Wuchi asked, “Is your life that tough? No matter how much you mess around, you don’t die?”

Shi Shu said, “It’s mainly because once you leave today, I’ll be alone in the courtyard, and I’ll have to keep staring at this rope. It’s very unpleasant, so I thought it would be better to deal with it once and for all.”

Shi Shu coughed. “I’m just injured from yesterday and need help. Actually, I’m very good at climbing trees. I can even climb coconut trees.”

Xie Wuchi walked straight over. Laifu ran up to him, wagging its tail.

Shi Shu asked, “Aren’t you getting a stool?”

Xie Wuchi stood under the peach tree. The morning sun shone brightly, and broken spots of light reflected on Shi Shu’s face. Xie Wuchi was very tall. He held out a hand to him. “Come here.”

“Isn’t this inappropriate? Get a stool.”

“There isn’t a stool that high in the courtyard.” Xie Wuchi said, “Come down.”

Shi Shu said, “Why don’t you move aside, and I’ll just jump?”

Before he could finish, Xie Wuchi seemed to have lost his patience. His wrist was suddenly pulled away from the tree trunk by his hand. Shi Shu’s eyes widened, then immediately closed again.

“Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh—”

He was caught by a pair of arms under his armpits, holding his back, but the position clearly avoided his wounds. The other hand supported his butt, holding him in an embrace.

Xie Wuchi lifted his chin. Shi Shu lowered his head and opened his eyes. Their two pairs of eyes instantly met, one pair pitch black, the other brown. Xie Wuchi’s cold eyes narrowed slightly in the sunlight.

Shi Shu threw his arms around his shoulders. “Damn! That was thrilling!”

Shi Shu felt like he had just been on a roller coaster and couldn’t help but laugh. “Ah hahahahaha hahahahaha!”

He was treating him like a brother again.

Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes and gently placed him on the ground. Shi Shu’s laughter stopped, but another burst of wild laughter continued, “Ah hahahahaha hahahahaha!”

Shi Shu: “…”

“?”

At the end of the small path not far away, stood two figures, one tall and one short. The tall one was thin and solitary, looking sickly, dressed in a green robe and holding a fan, covering his mouth as he chuckled.

The shorter one, in royal blue silk, was a boy of thirteen or fourteen, holding his stomach and laughing wildly, slapping his knees.

“Brother Pei, look at these two brothers! Ah hahahaha!”

It was over. It was one thing for Shi Shu to embarrass himself, but now he had made Xie Wuchi lose face with him.

Shi Shu recognized Pei Wenqing, but not the younger one. Xie Wuchi was quiet for a moment, his expression returning to normal. “Ninth Prince, Brother Pei.”

Pei Wenqing cupped his hands in greeting, holding a roast goose. “Xie Shishu, I heard from Imperial Physician Lin that you were sick, so I came to see you.”

Shi Shu had helped him yesterday, and he remembered. Now he had returned.

“You’re too kind, too kind,” Shi Shu took the roast goose and looked at the young boy, the Prince Chu Wei’s ninth younger brother, Chu Heng. “You are…”

Chu Heng said, “No need for formalities with this young prince. This young prince was looking for Brother Pei to study and heard he was coming to see you today, so I came along.”

This young boy spoke with a natural air of boldness, seemed very smart and clever, his eyes darting around, extremely curious about Xie Wuchi, unabashedly sizing him up again and again. It was obvious that this was the real purpose of his visit.

Xie Wuchi said, “I must go to the council room, please excuse me for not keeping you company.”

“Go on, go on.” Chu Heng watched his retreating back. “Xie Shishu, your brother is truly a talented young man. And you, you are also a handsome man.”

“…”

Chu Heng asked, “He’s not really your brother, is he?”

Shi Shu asked, “How did you know?”

“Imperial Physician Lin told us.”

“…How did he find out?”

Chu Heng said, “Imperial Physician Lin is a world-renowned doctor. He can tell the symptoms with one look. You and your brother look very different. According to Imperial Physician Lin, it might involve bloodlines, generational skips…”

“That impressive.” This Imperial Physician Lin, living in ancient times, was on the verge of discovering genetics and heredity.

“But don’t worry, he only told us, he won’t tell anyone else.” Chu Heng tapped his fan, sizing him up. “Are you two cut-sleeves? The way he held you down from the tree just now was very touching.”

“…”

Shi Shu said, “No, I hate gay men.”

“Come in and sit, have some tea. Pei Wenqing, were you alright after you went back yesterday?”

Shi Shu called him by his full name. Pei Wenqing was stunned for a moment, then smiled. “I’m fine. It’s a chronic illness. Once you get used to it, you can live with it peacefully.”

Chu Heng was more talkative. “I heard you were chased by people from the Singing Phoenix Bureau last night?”

Shi Shu asked, “Who said that?”

Chu Heng replied, “Still Imperial Physician Lin.”

Shi Shu said, “Imperial Physician Lin’s mouth is like a sieve. Anyway, what’s up?”

“Tell us, tell us quickly!” The young boy was very interested.

Shi Shu hadn’t made any friends since he arrived. Getting along with them without any airs was quite pleasant, so Shi Shu told them about the incident, omitting the part about being French-kissed by Xie Wuchi, and said that he had escaped.

Chu Heng cheered, “Bravo! Impressive, impressive, I see you in a new light!”

Shi Shu said, “It was alright. I’m a national first-class long-distance runner, just kidding with you.”

This term, they didn’t understand.

Pei Wenqing held a fan, coughing from time to time, a faint smile on his face. Shi Shu had heard that he was lofty and proud, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. He probably just couldn’t find common ground with others.

“Brother Pei’s father died at the hands of Feng Lu’s Singing Phoenix Bureau, so he came especially to see you,” Chu Heng said.

Pei Wenqing said, “Those people are bloodthirsty. It’s great that you weren’t caught. Otherwise, they would have flayed a layer of your skin, used all kinds of torture instruments, and tormented you from a living person into a dead one.”

Shi Shu suddenly remembered, “Your father—”

A shadow of melancholy crossed Pei Wenqing’s face again. His sickly constitution was the result of the grief and anger from his father’s wrongful death. Shi Shu quickly patted his shoulder in silent comfort.

Pei Wenqing said, “No need, I understand everything in my heart.”

Chu Heng was more cheerful by comparison. “Brother Shu, can you teach me how to escape? I’m willing to become your disciple.”

Shi Shu said, “No need for discipleship, I’ll teach you directly. But my body hurts a lot right now, so I can only guide, not demonstrate.”

If he demonstrated, Xie Wuchi would come back and mock him again for having a tough life.

The two of them went to an open space to run. Pei Wenqing fell silent. He brought over a small stool and sat beside them, watching them run, a genuine smile on his face.

The morning passed, and both of them took their leave, but they agreed to come again soon.

Shi Shu saw them off. Xie Wuchi’s figure appeared from not far away, his light blue robe very conspicuous, his posture as tall and straight as a jade mountain. He walked at a steady pace, a thoughtful look on his face. He walked through the peach blossom forest and stopped in front of Shi Shu, holding a packed food box.

Xie Wuchi said, “I brought you food. Eat.”

Shi Shu said, “You’re purely raising a son, Dad!”

Xie Wuchi sat down to drink tea. Seeing the cups on the table, he understood that the others had just left. “You get along well with that Pei Wenqing?”

“What about him? He’s very quiet and doesn’t talk much, but he has a good personality.”

Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes to look at the tea and said, “Good. If you get along, then interact more.”

Pei Wenqing’s father, Pei Zhi, was the leader of the “New School.” Although this doctrine was not valued by the court, it was extremely influential among scholars, and Pei Zhi’s reputation was one of integrity and uprightness. Pei Wenqing had Pei Zhi’s unpublished works, which were highly sought after by literary circles, and he himself had many brilliant and insightful manuscripts on current affairs, with remarkable influence among the students of the Imperial Academy.

Being able to win over Pei Wenqing was a good thing, but Xie Wuchi didn’t need to explain these things to Shi Shu.

“The Prince learned about the Singing Phoenix Bureau’s pursuit last night. He went to question them, so the matter can be considered settled. You don’t have to be on edge anymore. However, you and I still need to go for questioning to close the case.”

Shi Shu didn’t hear clearly. “Okay. This roast goose is delicious, want to try some? I promised Pei Wenqing I’d go over to his yard this afternoon.”

“…”

Xie Wuchi’s expression was calm. He lifted his eyelids, his gaze resting on Shi Shu, and his face suddenly turned gloomy. “You changed your clothes?”

Shi Shu said, “Yes, I didn’t know you were coming back for lunch. The ointment for the wounds hadn’t been applied yet, so Chu Heng and Pei Wenqing helped me apply it.”

To Shi Shu, this was nothing. It was just showing his upper body to another man. In his university dorm, he would sometimes walk around naked for a few minutes after a shower to air-dry.

Xie Wuchi asked, “You took off your clothes and let him apply it?”

“No,” Shi Shu said, “I just lifted the back of my shirt, and he helped apply the medicine.”

Xie Wuchi tightened his grip on the teacup. This kind of thing was originally nothing, and to him, it wasn’t actually important.

Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes and smiled calmly. “Good, very good.”

Shi Shu said, “…Your expression is a bit strange.”

“Oh? That might be because I’m starting to ship you two.”

Shi Shu: “…”