Heavenly Soul

Now, in his home at the Forest"s Cradle, Ying Xulin finally gave in to temptation and connected to the gem embedded in Kong Min"s chest again, wanting to see just what the other man was up to. All these years spent without hearing Kong Min"s voice or his laughter dragged on even Ying Xulin"s patience. He who could stand still and silent for millennia could barely hold himself back for a few years before succ.u.mbing to the temptation of watching Kong Min again.

But as he eagerly connected to the gem and spied on him, Ying Xulin realized that Kong Min seemed to be quite…occupied. It wasn"t that he hadn"t seen Kong Min having s.e.x with others through their connection before, but it seemed strangely grating this time.

On the other side of the connection, a woman"s voice sounded, thick with desire, "Ah…ahhh… Yes, mnn, there…Kong Min, just like that….uhh, deeper, deep― Ah!"

Kong Min chuckled and murmured, "Is it deep enough now?"

The woman could only groan breathlessly.

A man"s voice rumbled, "Hnn, Kong Min, you"re so tight… It makes me forget that I"m also being plowed…"

Kong Min let out a husky laugh while the man further behind grumbled something in complaint at that statement before seeming to increase the tempo of his thrusts. The man directly behind Kong Min groaned thickly, his own member staring to pump more furiously into Kong Min. But even as Kong Min received his thrusts, the movements of his own hips remained as slow as before, pushing languidly and without hurry into the woman before him. The woman gasped and shuddered, holding on tight to Kong Min"s shoulders while the man working behind her reached over his hands to squeeze and knead the lush mounds on her chest sensually. Meanwhile, another man began dragging his hands over Kong Min"s skin, his eyes blinking sultrily as his lips began nibbling Kong Min"s shoulder, heading down towards the stiff nubs his chest. Kong Min sighed with pleasure and reached out a hand to press the other man"s head into his skin, silently asking for more.

As he witnessed this scene, Ying Xulin"s irritation kept mounting more and more, until he suddenly cut the connection and began pacing furiously in the clearing. The gentle sunlight spilling down into the glade slowly diminished as the tree branches intertwining high above squeezed closed tightly. The flowers with translucent petals and glowing pollen that littered the edge of the Forest"s Cradle slowly closed up into buds. A grim atmosphere filled the clearing in a reflection of its master"s mood.

The more Ying Xulin thought of the scene he just saw, the angrier he got. Before, he hadn"t felt much more than curiosity when he saw Kong Min sleeping with others. But now, after he"d had a chance to touch Kong Min, to know how soft his skin was, how warm and supple his body felt against his, how he tasted on his tongue…Ying Xulin realized that he didn"t like how other people were currently learning that too. Only he wanted to know that special feeling! Only he wanted to be able to touch that person! But instead, Ying Xulin was forced to think about how those other people were currently not just touching Kong Min, they were also kissing him, entering him, being entered by him…

Ying Xulin felt a cutting surge of rage. This was unacceptable! His hand suddenly swung out and punched a nearby tree to vent his roiling emotions, shattering its trunk to pieces and bringing it down with a groan and a crash.

The loud sound startled him out of his boiling anger.

Ying Xulin slowly lowered his hand and looked at the destroyed tree with a blank expression. With a small wave of his fingers, he made the roots covering the clearing"s floor part and let the broken tree trunk sink into the ground. The earth and the roots slid back into place.

Ying Xulin then turned to look at the remaining stump of the tree. Though it looked pitiful, most of its trunk aboveground shattered, its roots were still safe and deeply embedded into the ground. As long as the roots of a tree were still alive, the tree could be revived. Sending a bit of his healing energy into the stump, Ying Xulin urged it to grow upward, accelerating its development by several folds until the tree was restored to its previous height.

Ying Xulin studied the tree that now had a different shape from the tree that had stood here for centuries. His eyes looked melancholic as he raised a hand and rested it on the newly regenerated trunk, patting it gently in apology. How rare was it for him to hurt those under his care like this… He couldn"t help but ponder over it.

He was the manifestation of this planet"s land, calm and steady, immovable like the ground. And yet he had abruptly burst into rage like a volcano. The suddenness of this emotion confused him. Why was he behaving so strangely? Why did he feel so…unpleasant at the thought of that person letting someone else be more intimate with him than he"d allowed Ying Xulin himself? Was it because it made him think that Kong Min liked those people more than him?

The realization made his chest grow heavy and tight, puzzling Ying Xulin yet again.

It seemed that what he"d asked from Kong Min was not enough. He needed more, something different than the superficial exchange of bodily fluids those other people were getting, something Kong Min would give only to him.

His eyes narrowing in thought, Ying Xulin plotted, patiently waiting for Kong Min to ask for his aid and fall into his clutches again.

...

That time came soon enough.

A few weeks later, Kong Min took part in a dangerous task where he and a few members of his team had to infiltrate one of the bases of Black Fang. Their objective was to get some vital information that would help them track down the underground routes through which the black market organization traded beasts. Their target was a certain branch that specialized in breaking and taming powerful beasts through illegal methods like torture and brainwashing, then lending them out to lowlifes who wanted to use these beasts as tools to kill. For example, they would set them upon their rivals or enemies to make it look like they were mauled by rampaging animals and avert suspicion from themselves.

But after Kong Min and his team finished their infiltration into the base, got the information they wanted, and were on their way out, they ended up triggering a trap by sheer bad luck and alerted a few guard beasts to their presence. They had previously split up and had planned to meet outside the facility. Because he was able to use shadows, Kong Min ended up being the only one who could make it out. But he naturally couldn"t just leave his teammates inside and flee.

However, if he entered the compound, there was a high chance he would also get caught, which would only end up with them failing their mission while Black Fang gained them as hostages. His master was currently on the other side of the world and Wei Xiang was in his room recovering from a serious injury. The other senior officers who had founded the Order along with his master had all long gone deep into seclusion by now. No one else in the Order would be able to pack enough of a punch to tear through those guarding beasts and rescue the captured Sentinels without causing them harm.

Knowing that every moment wasted would only make things worse, Kong Min decided in desperation to finally ask for Ying Xulin"s aid.

His hand touching the gem on his chest, he called with his mind,

After a moment of tense silence, Ying Xulin"s deep and mellow voice flowed out, a hint of sullenness in it,

Kong Min"s lips twitched. Then shaking his head, he quickly brought the topic back on track,

Hearing that he was in a hurry, Ying Xulin also didn"t waste any time.

Kong Min stated firmly. Kong Min suddenly trailed away and sighed, realizing he didn"t have much of an offensive ability to speak of that he could use. he said glumly.

Confused, Ying Xulin asked,

Kong Min gave a bitter laugh.

Ying Xulin said calmly.

Kong Min hesitated, but since they"d already taken too much time discussing, he decided to just agree,

Ying Xulin replied simply.

Kong Min told him and summoned his spiritual artifact—a plain-looking wooden bow with a thin glowing amber string connecting the tips.

Ying Xulin responded,

Hearing this, Kong Min barely had the time to brace himself before warm energy came flooding into his body from the gem, suffusing every nook and cranny with a pleasant buzz as if from being drunk, but his mind was completely clear. The scent of freshly tilled earth and green leaves painted with sunlight suddenly seemed to surround him, smelling of spring days and comfort. Kong Min felt his skin tingling and his desire rising at the pleasurable sensation. He gritted his teeth and forced down his reaction. d.a.m.n, why did it seem like he got so easily turned on whenever it came to the Master of Land? His junior brother might be right, he really needed to practice more self-control.

After the warm power had finished fully filling him, Kong Min decided not to waste time and directly snuck into the base again.

Meanwhile, near the border of the base, trees were pulling up their roots from the ground, their branches waving menacingly as they knocked down the boundary walls and strode into the compound. Startled screams and shouts of alarm sounded as the members of Black Fang hurriedly tried to deal with these bizarre trees. But the trees seemed to be filled with mindless rage, rampaging across the base and either killing or incapacitating everyone it came across.

With Ying Xulin"s version of distraction thus underway, Kong Min was able to easily avoid most of the members. He unfortunately still encountered a few beasts and their handlers on his way. But with Ying Xulin"s guidance, he manifested his power and used it to make glowing hunter-green colored arrows of pure spiritual force before quickly shooting it at those who obstructed him. After searching around for around an hour, he was finally able to find his teammates. He incapacitated the Black Fang members standing guard over them and the five Sentinels quickly escaped together.

After they returned to the Order, the five Sentinels caught their breaths and began the arduous process of writing reports and submitting the information they found. As their leader, Kong Min naturally had the most work to do, much to his despair.

"Hey, Team Leader, we have a group event going on at that newly opened brothel in the city. Are you going to join us for some naked fun?" asked one of the Sentinels while on his way out of the office set aside for Kong Min"s informatical team.

Kong Min let out a sigh filled with misery and slumped down on his desk. Oh, how he wished he could indulge himself in an orgy or two like some of his teammates… In a dispirited voice, he answered, "Wei Xiang is down, so I"ll have to finish my own paperwork today. I can"t come this time. To all those people who won"t be able to bask in my magnificent presence, please send my sincere regrets."

The Sentinel laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I will." Then waving his hand, he said, "Don"t die under those piles of paper now, Team Leader." Then the Sentinel left, leaving Kong Min alone in the office.

Letting out a breath, Kong Min sat up and decided to start working again.

Just then, Ying Xulin"s voice sounded from the gem, his tone strange,

Kong Min sighed.

For some reason, Kong Min wanted to smile. What was so amusing about the way he complained during work? This Master of Land really was strange.

For a few moments, Ying Xulin"s said nothing. Then he spoke, his tone slightly cold,

But Ying Xulin remained unrelenting. With that, he disconnected.

Kong Min wanted to cry at the injustice. He wasn"t sure he"d be able to finish his work even if he pulled an all-nighter. This was so unfair!

After giving himself a few minutes to rant in his mind and pity himself, Kong Min set back to work, albeit a bit faster than before.

d.a.m.n, he couldn"t wait for his junior brother to get better so that he could saddle him with his work again!

...

The next morning, Kong Min went to the Spirit Bewildering Forest as asked. He was shown the way by the same glowing mushrooms lining the cleared path and the same luminescent clouds floating playfully along the way. After walking for some time, he arrived at the border of the Forest"s Cradle and entered the clearing.

As if waiting for him, Ying Xulin stood at the center. This time, he"d put away his crystalline golden stag horns and the vines growing from his hair. If not for his sharp claws, fangs, and that ethereal aura about him, he would look completely human.

The moment he saw Ying Xulin, Kong Min began to grouse, "Ah-Xu, what gives? What made you so grumpy that you decided to take revenge on me by calling me out so early? I"ll have you know that I had to work extra hard to finish everything by this morning! For someone as inefficient with paperwork as me, do you know how horrible such an experience was?"

But Ying Xulin did not react, his expression unfathomable as his dark green eyes kept staring at Kong Min intently.

Kong Min suddenly felt the pit of his stomach clench with trepidation. Ying Xulin felt…dangerous somehow. But since Kong Min always had his guard up against the Master of Land anyway, he just pushed the warnings of danger aside and went over to stand before the silent man. "What is it? Are you mad at me for something?"

Ying Xulin"s eyes narrowed. He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Kong Min"s upper arms tightly, pulling him closer. Kong Min stiffened, but didn"t struggle. Seeing this, Ying Xulin smiled a small, sharp smile.

His dusky red lips parting, Ying Xulin exposed his sharp white fangs as he said, "It"s good that you kept to your promise this time."

Kong Min pressed down his unease and showed a casual smile as he chattered carefreely, "Did you think I"d be late every single time? I feel wounded. Now, what do you want as payment this time? s.e.x again? My hair? Or are you going to go for my fingernails? If so, I"ll have to warn you that I always keep them short, so you"ll have to wait for them to grow back before I can get you some."

His fingers tightening on Kong Min"s upper arms, Ying Xulin simply answered, "I want your blood, to drink it fresh from the source."

A shiver rippled up Kong Min"s spine. Even he didn"t know if it was because of fear or…excitement. Well, it was probably not the latter…or at least he hoped it wasn"t. Because that would be a whole new level of messed up even for him. After all, he"d never been interested in blood play before.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out to compose himself and set his rampaging thoughts in order, Kong Min gave a short nod. "Okay, then. Just don"t kill me."

Ying Xulin"s sharp expression eased and he finally let go of Kong Min. "I wouldn"t be that careless. Now please undress completely so that I can choose where to bite you."

Kong Min froze, then forced himself nod. He hadn"t known Ying Xulin would want to directly drink from him. But as freaky as that was, it was still not as bad as it could be. Lifting his hands, Kong Min dutifully began undressing, removing everything, even his hair stick.

Meanwhile, Ying Xulin waved a hand and brought up brown vines from under the ground, letting them extend up from between the tree roots on the clearing"s floor. The wooden vines knitted together to form a chair. Turning to Kong Min, he a.s.sessed his body with his gaze as it was slowly revealed, considering where to draw blood from.

Once Kong Min had removed his clothes, Ying Xulin motioned to the newly made chair. "Sit down."

Kong Min looked at the rough wooden vines making up the chair and decided that it would definitely not treat his bare b.u.t.t with the tenderness it deserved. So, gathering up his soft inner robe and folding it, he placed it on the chair"s seat and sat down happily, even wriggling his b.u.t.t to ascertain that it was indeed comfortable.

Seeing this, Ying Xulin"s face unconsciously softened.

"So? Are you going to start sucking my blood like a mosquito now? Do you have a needle-like thing that you"re going to roll out of your mouth to pierce my skin and suck blood from?" Kong Min curiously asked.

Ying Xulin"s eyebrow twitched. This person… he was so ridiculous. But his displeasure from before had already reduced a fair amount by now.

Ying Xulin went over to crouch before Kong Min, then pushed apart his knees to settle between them. Kong Min stiffened. What was this guy trying to do in this position? If he got hard again because of this man breathing directly on his dangly bits, he wouldn"t even be able to hide his reaction!

Meanwhile, tracing a fingertip diagonally up over Kong Min"s thigh, from just above the inner side of his knee, Ying Xulin stated, "I will drink from here."

Kong Min blinked. "The femoral artery?" Giving a nervous laugh, he joked, "Ah-Xu, isn"t that a bit too intimate for a second date?"

With his unblinking dark green eyes looking into Kong Min"s light brown ones, Ying Xulin said, "This is nonnegotiable."

Kong Min stared enraptured into Ying Xulin"s deep gaze for a moment. Who"d have known that the Master of Land would have such hypnotic eyes? He felt that if he kept looking into that gaze, it could suck in his very soul. Shaking it off, he finally replied, "…Alright, then. Just don"t let me bleed out."

Ying Xulin solemnly nodded.

Seeing him sitting between his legs, Kong Min felt a sense of vulnerability and fear, but he pushed it away. Remembering how this being had helped save his junior brother first, and then his teammates yesterday, Kong Min resolved to submit himself under those sharp teeth and let Ying Xulin chew him or bite him or do whatever he wanted. It might hurt enough to make him scream and curse at the heavens, but he could heal it all anyway. Keeping to his word and giving the Master of Land his payment was more important.

Meanwhile, Ying Xulin was staring fascinated at the sight of Kong Min"s member right in front of his face. Without thinking much, he reached out and brushed the back of his hand against the tip.

"Ah!" Kong Min immediately jerked upright, startled. Then reaching out to clamp Ying Xulin"s wrist to stop him from doing anything else, he admonished, "Ah-Xu! Don"t touch me there!"

Clearly understanding his rejection, Ying Xulin felt his anger bubbling up again. Why was he not allowed to touch this person like this while Kong Min let others do all those things to him? Ying Xulin"s eyes gleamed as something hungry and wild peeked out. He wanted to hold this person down and possess him! He wanted to make Kong Min say that he was more important to him than all those other people!

But no matter how appealing such thoughts were, Ying Xulin still pushed them down. No, he couldn"t take this person with force. Not only did he know that it was wrong, he also didn"t like how it might hurt and push Kong Min away from him even more. And so, he let his hand be led away from between Kong Min"s legs.

Sensing that Ying Xulin was being cooperative, Kong Min let go of his wrist. He hesitated, then extended a hand to pat Ying Xulin"s head. "Thank you for stopping when I asked you to."

Ying Xulin"s dissatisfaction and resignation at not being able to touch him however he wanted gave way to quiet happiness at Kong Min"s careful touch. Hmm, this wasn"t so bad… Being touched by him felt good, and the thought of touching him felt just as nice.

And so, turning his head, Ying Xulin brushed his lips over Kong Min"s inner thigh. He murmured softly into the warm skin, "I"m going to begin now."

Kong Min tried to relax his thigh muscles and nodded. Making his voice sound light and cheerful, he teased, "Alright. But unsurprisingly enough, this will be my first time being bitten like this. So Ah-Xu, please be gentle with me~"

Ying Xulin nodded with a serious expression and opened his mouth, revealing his pointed incisors and carefully positioning them on the dusky thigh. Kong Min felt four sharp points pressing into his skin right above his artery and had to force himself to remain still. He placed his hands on the armrests of the chair and clenched down on the rough wooden vines so that he wouldn"t unconsciously push Ying Xulin"s head away.

Ying Xulin slowly bit down, and four bright points of pain came alive in Kong Min"s thigh. He could feel the sharp teeth slide through his skin and sink into his flesh, sending out pulses of agony combined with a deep ache from within. He could feel those fangs puncture his artery, then draw back a bit to let the hot blood rush out and flood Ying Xulin"s mouth. With his lips clamped tightly around the wound, Ying Xulin greedily swallowed the coppery blood that was flowing into his mouth in time with each beat of Kong Min"s heart. He could taste the vivid flavor of Kong Min"s life force mixed in, evoking the sensation of sun-warmed trees, wildflowers waving in the breeze, and slate cooling in the shade. Ying Xulin"s grip on Kong Min"s thigh tightened as he drank deeper.

Kong Min grimaced, his face taut. He began to feel lightheaded, his body weakening. He was losing too much blood. Opening his mouth, he called, "Ah-Xu, enough. You"re taking too much."

Ying Xulin immediately stopped. Withdrawing his fangs, he quickly licked over the puncture wounds and sent in his healing energy. As the strong warmth washed over his injury and melted under his skin, Kong Min let out a deep sigh and settled back into the chair. The blood loss made him tired and drowsy, and this gentle warmth spreading through his body was like a soft blanket enfolding him, lulling him to sleep. But Kong Min forced himself to stay awake. The thought of sleeping here in front of the Master of Land whom he didn"t yet feel familiar or trusting with wasn"t restful at all.

Sighing, Kong Min lazily retrieved a few pills to replenish blood loss and popped them in. Then, while he rested in the chair for a few minutes with his eyes closed, he circulated his spiritual energy to accelerate the effects of the pills. Once he felt steady enough, he opened his eyes and straightened again.

Ying Xulin was looking at him with an intent gaze as usual while his tongue licked over his lips with satisfaction.

"Was I tasty?" Kong Min asked amusedly.

Ying Xulin honestly nodded. "Yes."

Kong Min chuckled. "That"s good then." Getting up, he stretched his body once, then began putting his clothes back on after lightly dusting them.

Ying Xulin studied how loose and languid Kong Min"s body seemed, his motions casual and lazy as he slowly dressed. He knew that once Kong Min was done, he would leave. His heart clenched. He didn"t want to let him go.

Without conscious thought, Ying Xulin called out, "When will you come back?"

Kong Min looked up from the belt he was tying on with surprise. His lips bending into a carefree smirk, he asked, "Ah-Xu, I"m not even gone yet and you"re already starting to miss me? How adorable~"

But Ying Xulin was unamused.

Seeing that he was waiting for a serious answer, Kong Min sighed and turned away. He finally spoke in a rare honest and serious tone, exposing his real thoughts for the first time, "Ah-Xu, it"s dangerous for me to keep coming here. I never know what you"re going to ask. I"m glad that you wanted things only from me till now, be it my blood, s.e.x with me, or even my life. But I can"t help but think that there might come a day when what you ask from me will hurt the people I care about or compromise my integrity as a Sentinel. I cannot split loyalties. I have to be someone who solely belongs to the Order of Sentinels with no loopholes whatsoever. And so, while I truly am grateful to you for helping me when I needed you most, I"m afraid I will have to try my best to not ask for your help again."

Every word was like a stab to his chest, making Ying Xulin"s emotions spiral further downward while his expression turned more and more unfathomable. His eyes grew cuttingly sharp, the light in them unearthly.

But with his face still turned away, Kong Min didn"t notice. Giving a self-depreciating laugh, he continued obliviously, "But I suppose whether I"m here or not won"t matter to someone as powerful and old as you. I"m sure that if you get bored, you can find some other human to gift this sort of gem to and start playing with them instead. I realize that I don"t matter much at all. I still feel like I was the one who profited the most from our dealings. Anyway, thank you for everything, but I have to go now."

Kong Min bowed deeply towards Ying Xulin, then straightened and quickly began walking away without daring to meet the other man"s gaze. For some reason, Kong Min felt a strange sense of guilt and unwillingness. But everything he"d said was his true thoughts in a nutsh.e.l.l. He might smile playfully and flirt with the Master of Land, but he never felt safe enough to bring his guard down around him. Even though he casually called him Ah-Xu while talking with him, Ying Xulin had never been anything less than the Master of Land, a primal and fearsome being, in his mind.

But Kong Min didn"t realize that right now, Ying Xulin was feeling this alienation and distance deep in his heart.

Choking down his storm of emotions, Ying Xulin suddenly asked in a deceptively calm voice, "After you leave here, what are you going to do?" After leaving him behind with such unintentionally cruel words, would he just go about his day like nothing happened? Content to forget Ying Xulin"s existence while he stayed back alone in the Forest"s Cradle able to do nothing but watch him through the gem?

Kong Min paused his steps and tried to sound lighthearted, "Well, since you didn"t let me have time to relax after all that work, I"m planning to let out some steam now. I"ll probably hit a few brothels in town and have some orgies~ Why? Do you want to join me or something?"

Trying to appear unconcerned, Kong Min turned back to wink at Ying Xulin.

The air in the clearing turned still and heavy.

Before Kong Min could realize what was happening, the Ying Xulin who had been so still till now suddenly leapt towards him and pushed him down. Kong Min"s eyes widened as he felt the abrupt and unexpected sensation of b.u.mpy tree roots digging into his back while the face of an enraged Ying Xulin filled his vision.

Ying Xulin"s hair writhed around him as if with a will of its own, each strand a green vine decorated with leaves and tightly furled white buds. Large translucent horns glistening gold extended from his head, looking like the spread branches of a tree rather than the horns of a stag like before. The angles of his face appeared harsh and too sharp, his phoenix eyes tilted up too much at the outermost ends. Bottomless rage and savageness turned his dark green eyes almost black. His lips were peeled back to reveal a mouthful of sharp fangs that descended down directly upon Kong Min"s throat, tearing into it.

All Ying Xulin cared was to appease this anger and hurt inside him somehow. He couldn"t think of anything else, his senses clouded with fury and the need for violence. And the taste of blood in his mouth, filled with the essence of this person he craved to be near to so much, satisfied that urge.

Meanwhile, Kong Min panickily tried to push away the man on top of him, but Ying Xulin didn"t even seem to notice. His clawed fingers dug into Kong Min"s shoulders and held him firmly in place without signs of budging. Kong Min was in too much of a shock to be able to think straight. Ragged blasts of absolute agony tore up from his throat. He could distinctly feel the shape of every fang digging into his flesh. It chewed into him, ripping his throat and shredding his jugular. Blood spurted out from the jugular veins due to the force of his heart pumping and air escaped his trachea with a shrill whistle. He couldn"t breathe, choking on his blood. His struggles weakened, his body feeling too heavy. Cold began to claim his extremities, slowly crawling up from the tips of his fingers and toes.

With the last of his strength, Kong Min pushed his hand between their bodies and dragged his palm to lie on his own chest. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he sent a desperate plea directly to Ying Xulin"s mind,

As the words filtered their way through the haze of violent rage and hurt, Ying Xulin slowly came to a halt, awareness once again flooding him. He felt pulsing flesh and hot blood in his mouth. His vision cleared, showing him Kong Min"s mangled throat and his bloodless face.

Ying Xulin froze in utter disbelief.

But hearing Kong Min wheeze as he struggled for breath, Ying Xulin hastily let go of his throat and retrieved the claws he"d embedded into the younger man"s shoulders before leaning back in shock. Bright red blood covered Ying Xulin"s mouth and dripped from his chin. Panic gripped him as he realized just what he"d ended up doing. He"d almost killed Kong Min. He"d almost taken away the life of this precious person in a few moments of uncontrollable rage. And seeing the severity of the injury he caused…he really might lose him if he didn"t do anything.

Understanding this, Ying Xulin hurriedly pressed his hand to Kong Min"s throat and quickly sent in a large rush of his healing power. But even as the torrent of warm energy began knitting closed the damage, it overfilled Kong Min"s spiritual pathways and strained them to the point of bursting. As jagged pain suddenly cut through his spiritual pathways, Kong Min gave out a ragged scream and flinched back from Ying Xulin"s hand. Ying Xulin"s fingers remained hovering in the air. But faced with such a reaction, his frantic desperation and the pain in his mind only grew.

Though not fully closed, by now, Kong Min"s wounds had healed enough for him to at least be able to access the shadow realm. Even though it would be risky to use the shadows in a place like the Spirit Bewildering Forest, it was the only way he could escape while in this state.

And so, his heart still thudding in fear and agony, Kong Min quickly opened up a pathway and vanished into the shadows, leaving behind the Forest"s Cradle and a frenzied Master of Land.

...

Kong Min arrived at a dry and deserted plain without any trees and shrubberies in sight. Because his mind was too muddled to be able to specify a particular place, the shadows had deposited him in a random location.

As Kong Min fell down onto the hard ground without strength, the wounds on his throat opened up again. Blood swiftly began pooling under him. His sight was dizzy and his limbs grew colder by the minute, but his mind felt strangely clear.

Sending a tendril of thought towards the familiar presence of his junior brother"s mind, Kong Min called with a lot of effort,

Kong Min felt Wei Xiang"s attention turning in his direction before his junior brother replied,

Kong Min felt too dull, unable to even muster much of a reaction. Closing his heavy eyelids, he squeezed out,

Wei Xiang"s exasperated voice sounded,

Kong Min wanted to sigh at how his centuries of frivolousness seemed to have caught up with him. Forcing out some more energy, he pleaded,

Wei Xiang"s tone immediately changed,

Kong Min felt the strange urge to cry, but didn"t have the strength for even that. he managed to get out. The world suddenly began to spin more vigorously, making Kong Min frown as he clutched at the ground. If he weren"t in eighth realm already, he doubted he would"ve been able to keep going for so long without conking out.

With audible urgency, Wei Xiang asked,

Wei Xiang commanded heatedly.

Kong Min felt like grumbling. d.a.m.n it, he was so hurt, and his junior brother still took the time to be bossy with him. As someone who was mostly used to just sneaking around and gathering information, he wanted to yell that he had never been subjected to this much physical agony before! Where in all the h.e.l.ls was he supposed to find the strength to deal with this pain while also a.n.a.lyzing his environment?

But strangely enough, realizing that his junior brother must be frantically worrying about him gave Kong Min the strength to open his eyes and study his blurry surroundings. He could barely make out the outline of an ashy brown mountain range. He couldn"t detect any obvious vegetation nearby with his wood ability. The ground under his hands and cheek was split with thin yet defined cracks, and the soil dusting over it felt dry and grainy. Closing his tired eyes once again, Kong Min sifted through the information in his mind, trying to match his location with a similar area on the map.

Ah, he felt so dizzy and sleepy… Even the pain was turning to numbness now… Maybe he should take a teeny tiny little nap and…

Wei Xiang voice suddenly thundered in his mind, jerking him awake.

Collecting himself, Kong Min grumbled in his mind and replied weakly,

Wei Xiang spoke with relief,

Even as weariness weighed down his bones, Kong Min felt his previous fear and uncertainty fade away. His junior brother was so dependable. Now that he was looking for him, he would definitely find him and take care of him. Everything would be alright again…

An image of Ying Xulin"s face suddenly flashed in Kong Min"s mind, that inhumanly beautiful visage twisted with anguish and horror as if he himself didn"t realize what he had done. Those deep green eyes filled with ancient power had shown such fear and despair, as if finally understanding the severity of the injuries he"d inflicted, that Kong Min could die because of him. Or maybe all that was his own imagination, Kong Min reflected. But that image was too vividly imprinted in his mind for him to have mistaken anything.

However, none of it mattered now. After today, he most definitely wasn"t going to be making any deals with the Master of Land.

Kong Min ignored the inexplicable feeling of loss that thought evoked and instead tried to focus on the very important task of not dying.

...

By the time Wei Xiang arrived, Kong Min had already pa.s.sed out due to blood loss. He only regained consciousness again several minutes later after Wei Xiang forced him to choke down various healing and blood replenishing pills. And rather than awakening due to being healed, it was the absolute agony of his damaged and bleeding throat being forced to swallow the medicine that brought him to awareness.

Afraid to move him in this condition, Wei Xiang waited until Kong Min"s wounds had at least stopped bleeding before lifting him up and using the shadows to transport them both back to the Sentinel headquarters. After getting Kong Min looked at by a healer and giving him more medicine, Wei Xiang finally asked his senior brother about what happened. After some hesitation, Kong Min recounted the meeting with the Master of Land.

Once he finished saying everything, Kong Min anxiously tried to burrow deeper into the bed in preparation for a scolding. He expected his sharp-tongued junior brother to severely berate him for being so careless in the presence of someone as old and inhuman as the Master of Land. But instead, Wei Xiang carefully covered him with a quilt and silently left, his expression unreadable. Kong Min was baffled. But soon, his injuries took their toll on him and he drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

Meanwhile, being the calm, rational, and forgiving person that he was, Wei Xiang furiously stormed towards the Spirit Bewildering Forest to confront Ying Xulin and try to rip out his limbs for hurting his senior brother. Did he know that the Mater of Land was a being who was actually powerful enough to kill him with a single thought? Yes, of course he did. But just remembering the sight of his senior brother when he found him, lying on the ground limply, his skin white as paper, with blood pooling under him as he slowly bled to death, ignited enough fury in Wei Xiang to fuel him.

Unconcernedly barging into the Spirit Bewildering Forest, Wei Xiang a.s.sumed his wyvern form and roared, the noise loud enough to reverberate through the forest. A few minutes later, he felt a tendril of potent and primal power brush him as if beckoning. It smelled of peat and moss and growing green things. His eyes narrowing, Wei Xiang turned back into a human and followed the tendril of power until it led him into a clearing carpeted with roots and filled with the scent of his senior brother"s blood and fear.

Wei Xiang"s expression darkened further. But before he could start shouting and demanding for the Master of Land, Wei Xiang froze. The atmosphere in this clearing felt wrong. An uneasy sense of dreadful stillness permeated it. Gloomy shadows pooled in the hollows between the roots while the translucent flowers at the edges had all closed their petals tightly, the buds bowed down as if in mourning. There was no breeze to shift the air and the leaves of the trees around the clearing were unnaturally silent.

Feeling cautious, Wei Xiang looked around and spotted a man crouching by a patch of blood, looking down with revulsion and horror at his own clawed hands stained red. His face was bone-white as if he"d just received a terrible fright, making the blood covering his chin and mouth stand out starkly. His figure was deathly still as if frozen in time. Not even a strand of his hair moved.

Before Wei Xiang could say anything, the overwrought figure of the Master of Land spoke, his voice hoa.r.s.e and whispery, "Do you think I will feel better if I rip off my arms? Do you think he will forgive me then? Or should I offer him my throat to tear into as recompense?" His head turning woodenly, Ying Xulin looked at Wei Xiang with blank eyes. It was as if he couldn"t comprehend what was before him at all, his mind stuck in the moment everything went wrong.

Wei Xiang sighed. This was not how he thought he"d find him. "What good will your self-mutilation do him? Do you really think he is the type to gain pleasure from hurting someone or seeing them hurt themselves for him? Nothing you do will change the fact that you screwed up. All the regret in the world isn"t going to help you fix it."

Ying Xulin looked back down at his hands and stared for a few moments. "Then… Then what do I do? I am only the land, and all I know is my forest. I can understand plants, I can understand beasts, but I do not understand humans. What do I do?"

Hearing the naked vulnerability in his tone, the Wei Xiang who"d actually come here to yell at and fight with this being could only shake his head and give up. Leaning against a nearby tree and folding his arms, he said, "If you ever have the good fortune of meeting him again after what you did to him, you better get down on your knees and apologize with all the sincerity you can muster. But since Kong Min never seemed to have trusted you in the first place―and it turns out it was with good reason―now that you hurt him so badly, I doubt you"ll ever see him again. No matter how stupid and irresponsible he seems, my senior brother is not a complete fool. He will not take unnecessary risks after knowing the dangers firsthand like this. If you"ve really been observing him all this time through that rock he"s got stuck to his chest, then you should have already known that. So why did you still hurt him at the risk of not seeing him again?"

Ying Xulin let out a shuddering breath. "I didn"t… It wasn"t…intentional. I seem to have lost control after he…he said he didn"t want to see me anymore. He said he won"t call for me anymore. He lets all those other people touch him in all those ways, but why does he refuse only me? Why does he not allow me closer? Why does he not like me when I like him so much that I wish to keep him here with me forever? I…I do not understand."

Wei Xiang sneered. "If you like him so much, the first thing you should have done is to think about making him happy and how to make him want to stay with you of his own volition rather than just thinking of trapping him beside you. Why would anyone wish to be liked by someone who thinks so selfishly? If you like him, then you could have done him favors for free when he truly needed them. That would have let him trust you. But you instead took advantage of those favors he owed you to injure him to the point of death. It is not wrong to ask payment for services rendered. But if you truly cared about him as deeply as you claim to, you wouldn"t have asked him to pay such a high price in the first place.

"And why should he sleep with you just because he sleeps around freely with others? They are people whom Kong Min already knows and trusts. He knows he can defend himself even if things go wrong with them. He has no such guarantee with you. He does not even know you or trust you. He would have to be stupid beyond belief to still let you bed him. Him not wanting to see you anymore is only a given. And haven"t you already proven with your actions that his decision to not come to you again was the right one?

"You say you don"t get humans. But all you need to do is take a look at them through that gem and at least try to understand them. Have you ever done that? You seem to lack empathy. It can easily be fixed if you were only willing to think of others instead of just yourself. Did you try to get closer to Kong Min or did you just expect him to do all the work? Did you even try to show him that you liked him? Did you try to convey that with words or actions? No wonder he only thinks of you as a stranger. Everything that happened was because of your lack of understanding. You should fix that and try again with someone else. You"ve hurt Kong Min enough."

Straightening from where he had been leaning on the tree, Wei Xiang unfolded his hands and continued in a harder voice, "If you truly like him and care for him, then don"t set your sights on Kong Min ever again. And stop stalking him through that gem."

Ying Xulin looked at him with wide eyes, unable to say anything. His face seemed even paler than before.

Shrugging, Wei Xiang turned and walked out of the clearing. It might not have been the kind of discussion he"d expected to have with the Master of Land, but he felt that he"d said all he needed to. As pitiful as that man had looked, Wei Xiang"s biggest priority was still his own senior brother"s safety rather than someone else"s hurt feelings. He had at least succeeded in telling the Master of Land off.

Now, he could only hope that his senior brother would truly stay away from this inhuman being as well.

...

When Kong Min woke up, the first thing he saw was his master"s blank face and the worry in his eyes as he sat by the bedside.

Opening his mouth, Kong Min croaked, "Master."

Feng Huixin"s brows furrowed lightly in a distressed frown. "Min-er, are you alright? Does it still hurt anywhere? What happened? How did you get hurt like this?"

Struggling to keep the pain and dizziness he still felt from showing on his face, Kong Min laughed hoa.r.s.ely and tried to speak in a lighthearted tone, "I guess this is what I get for unknowingly angering something as ancient as the manifestation of all land in our world. As it is, I feel like I got off easy without having my limbs and head ripped off. Don"t worry, Master. I"ll heal quickly."

Feng Huixin"s expression grew grim as he asked in a low and furious voice, "This was done to you by the Master of Land?"

Kong Min winced but still honestly nodded.

Looking at the apprehension visible in his second disciple"s face, Feng Huixin"s expression softened. He reached out a hand to gently pat Kong Min"s head. "It"s alright, Min-er. I"ll take care of it now."

Kong Min blinked confusedly as he saw Feng Huixin get up and begin heading towards the door. Then suddenly realizing what his master was planning, Kong Min shot upright on the bed and reached out to grab one of Feng Huixin"s sleeves to stop him. "Master, wait! Don"t― Ouch! Ow ow ow, my neck!"

Feng Huixin immediately halted and turned around with concern. Seeing Kong Min clutching his throat as he grimaced, he quickly walked back to the bedside and pressed his second disciple back onto the bed. "Min-er, lie down. You"re in no condition to be moving now."

Relaxing back into the mattress, Kong Min panted with strain. All the aches and pains in his body seemed to have multiplied in intensity due to this small exertion. After taking some time to regain his breath, he finally looked at Feng Huixin and said, his voice seeming even rougher than before, "Master, I knew the risks when I requested those favors from him. I knew he might ask for my life as payment or something even worse. So please, don"t be angry on my behalf, alright? Even though I do feel miffed at getting my throat torn up despite already paying my due, I…I still don"t like the thought of him being hurt."

Feng Huixin"s eyes widened slightly, then he sighed and sat back down on the chair by the bedside. He carefully stroked Kong Min"s head and chided in a gentle and reprimanding tone, "Silly child, how can you expect your master to not be angry when someone hurt you this terribly? How can you expect me and your junior brother to behave rationally?"

Hearing such care from his Master, Kong Min felt warm. Then as the implication registered, he suddenly shot upright in alarm. "Wait, what? My junior brother?! What did that crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d do? Master, please tell me he didn"t…"

Pushing Kong Min to lie back down on the bed, Feng Huixin sighed yet again. "Yes, Xiang-er did indeed say that he was going to confront whoever hurt you. I suppose he meant to talk to the Master of Land."

Kong Min gaped at him. "Master, this is bad! We have to get to Wei Xiang before he angers that guy and gets himself hurt!"

A sneering voice suddenly spoke from the doorway, "Who are you saying is going to get hurt? Do you think I"m a defenseless little squirrel like you?"

Kong Min and Feng Huixin turned to see Wei Xiang striding into the room, utterly unharmed. For some reason, he looked slightly dissatisfied.

"Junior Brother, how did it go?" Kong Min quickly asked, his expression apprehensive.

Wei Xiang rubbed his forehead tiredly. "I expected to face down a vicious monster and engage in a difficult, life-threatening battle. Instead, I feel like I kicked a puppy when it was down and scolded it on top of everything."

Kong Min looked uncomprehending. How could someone like the Master of land, an old being who"d ripped his throat so ruthlessly, give the impression of a pitiful little puppy? It was illogical! Maybe Wei Xiang was the one who had bullied him into that state! Yes, that certainly made sense. Kong Min nodded to himself. Then, after some hesitation, he asked, "That guy…how was he when you found him?"

Wei Xiang raised a brow at the hint of concern and inquisitiveness in his senior brother"s voice, but still gave his truthful impression, "He looked wretched and miserable, as if he had murdered his dearest person with his own hands without realizing it and was now regretting it to the point of wishing for death and eternal d.a.m.nation."

Kong Min grew dazed with shock. He couldn"t even imagine such a scenario. His expression turned thoughtful, then pained. Just what did Ying Xulin really think of him to show such a reaction? Or was it not because of him at all? But…

"When will you come back?"

Ying Xulin had sounded so hopeful when he"d asked that. He"d thought he was misinterpreting things. But…maybe he wasn"t. Maybe…Ying Xulin really did like him enough to seek his company.

Kong Min"s hand rose to his chest, unconsciously rubbing the gem embedded there.

Wei Xiang scowled. "Second Brother, don"t tell me that you"re sympathizing with the one who ripped out your throat? If you already forgot how that must have felt, then I can demonstrate it again and tear out your throat to refresh your memory."

Feng Huixin sighed. His third disciple always tended to say such violent things… But he supposed that was how he showed his brotherly affection.

Kong Min gulped and said, "O-Of course there"s no need for that! I was just wondering about him, that"s all."

Unconvinced, Wei Xiang walked up to Kong Min before pinching him by the nose and wiggling it. "Stop thinking about him. He hurt you, so you"re not going to meet him again, that"s final."

Kong Min slapped at Wei Xiang"s hand, but he was too weak to put much force behind it. Pushing and pulling, he finally managed to get those fingers off of him. Kong Min rubbed his nose with an aggrieved expression and finally spoke irritably, "Yes, I know, I know. You don"t have to tell me, you little nose-abusing brat. I"m not a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t to voluntarily go back for more beatings, so stop worrying so much."

Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes. "That better be the truth." Then turning to Feng Huixin, he said, "Master, let"s leave Senior Brother alone now to rest and reflect alone on his mistakes."

Kong Min pouted childishly while Feng Huixin nodded, amus.e.m.e.nt lightening his eyes. Patting Kong Min"s on his head again, he said, "Min-er, be good and rest up so that you can get better soon."

"I"m always good," Kong Min groused, but still obediently pulled up the quilt to his chin and settled in to sleep for a while.

Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin left him to rest in his room. Walking to Feng Huixin"s office, they sat down on opposite sides of the desk.

Feng Huixin looked at Wei Xiang quietly. "Is there something you wish to discuss, Xiang-er?"

Wei Xiang leaned back into the chair bonelessly and sighed. "Yes, Master. I wanted to talk about the Master of Land"s motivation behind hurting Second Brother and his thoughts towards him."

Feng Huixin sat up straighter, alertness tightening his features as he nodded for him to go on.

In a serious voice, Wei Xiang began, "From what I observed, the Master of Land seems to be just a clueless lovestruck idiot who does not even know that he has fallen for that just-as-clueless senior brother of mine. Seeing how idiotic the both of them are in their behavior towards each other, I would love to say that they really do deserve to be together, but the Master of Land"s idea of liking someone isn"t healthy. As a lover, he seems like he might be controlling, violent, and lack empathy. On the other hand, despite how much that idiot senior brother of mine sleeps around, he barely has any experience with romantic relationships. As sympathetic as he is, he could easily end up in an abusive relationship without even realizing it. It"s better if we keep Kong Min away from that Master of Land as much as possible."

Feng Huixin listened with a small frown, sunken into thought. For a few minutes, there was only silence. Then Feng Huixin spoke, "Xiang-er, things are seldom so cut-and-dry. While I agree that the Master of Land seems dangerous and even unstable, it should not be up to us to keep Kong Min away from him. I trust in Kong Min"s ability to judge people. If he decides to accept the Master of Land"s pursuit, then we can only let him know that we support him. If he thinks we disapprove, he might not feel comfortable in confiding his troubles in us, which might end up with us being unable to help him if something goes wrong in their relationship."

Wei Xiang frowned. What his master said made sense in one way, but still… "Master, what if that guy turns toxic and abusive? As much as he seems to regret hurting Kong Min, the way the Master of Land thinks is still too selfish and inhuman. I"m not sure if such an old being can change himself just to get together with Kong Min."

"If that is the case, then we will intercede," Feng Huixin said calmly. "But until then, let us leave it to Kong Min. As it is, it is unlikely that he will seek out the Master of Land or try to ask for a favor from him again. We might be worrying for nothing."

Wei Xiang hesitated, then nodded. But his expression still showed that he was dissatisfied.

Feng Huixin smiled. Despite the way he bickered with his senior brother, his third disciple obviously cared much about him. "Xiang-er, I understand that you might not be pleased with my decision. But the reason I wish to give this Master of Land a chance is because he reminds me of how my wife used to be before she mellowed out. No, I"m sure she was far worse than him."

Wei Xiang blinked in surprise. His master only spoke of his family back in Heaven very rarely. And when he spoke of them, it was always with affection. But Wei Xiang had never expected that the wife his master remembered so fondly would turn out to have such a…difficult-sounding personality.

Feng Huixin went on, "But despite how unlawful and cruel she was towards others, and despite how much she caused me to be hurt due to her actions as well, in the end, she was still able to change for the better for me. She learned to abide by the rules and laws for my sake. If my own master had refused to let me spend time with her due to her personality, then I would have missed out on the greatest blessings of my life. I do not want to make that mistake with Min-er either."

Faced with his master"s earnest words and expression, what could Wei Xiang do but agree? "Very well, I understand. Since Master feels so strongly, I will also try not to interfere if anything develops between Second Brother and the Master of Land. However, I will still look out for any signs of abuse."

Feng Huixin nodded. "Yes, that is reasonable. Thank you."

Wei Xiang smiled wryly. After a few more minutes of chatting, the master and disciple parted ways to start attending to their respective work. Occasionally, they went over to check on Kong Min as well.

Within a few more days, Kong Min was fully healed, and he merrily began going on reconnaissance missions and collecting information as usual. For all intents and purposes, nothing seemed to have changed in his life at all.

...

Centuries pa.s.sed by peacefully without Kong Min falling into any more dangerous situations. But strangely enough, he found himself unable to forget the Master of Land. His face would pop up in his mind at the oddest of times, reminding Kong Min of his strangely intent gaze filled with deep, unfathomable emotions, his hesitant yet eager touches, his small smiles that lit up his expression with warmth, or the way he looked standing alone in the middle of the clearing, his chin tilted up as the gentle rays of light cascaded over him, his dark green eyes unfathomable and still. He was such a strange, ethereal being. Yet he was also like a sheltered child in the way he couldn"t fathom the mundane world of humans.

Each time such thoughts intruded into his mind, Kong Min would have to forcefully push them away. No, he couldn"t think of such things. It almost made him feel like he missed Ying Xulin. It was better not to go down that road.

And so his life went on without incident.

Yet suddenly one day, he was faced with a crisis that once more brought him into contact with the Master of Land, albeit forcefully.

Kong Min and a few others were out in the ocean, traveling by way of ship to a nearby clump of frozen islands while pursuing a powerful criminal who"d used his water-wielding ability to flee that way. Kong Min"s group was in charge of scouting as usual. With a few water- and ice-wielding officers of their own onboard, they sailed the ocean waters with relative confidence.

The air was bitingly cold in this part of the ocean. Increasing numbers of large icebergs floated by, having broken off from the frozen island ahead. Some of the chunks reached several times higher than the mast of the ship, making the Sentinels steer the vessel with utmost caution as they squeezed their way through the fields of icebergs.

But despite their caution, just as they managed to reach an area of clear water, they ran into trouble. The wind suddenly began to blow with more vigor and the skies turned grey. The ship creaked and groaned, then slowly began tilting one way. Shouts of alarm sounded and someone soon discovered the cause.

At the side, standing on the surface of the ocean nonchalantly, was a figure. It was of a man wearing loose robes in green and blue that were opened all the way at the front, proudly displaying his solidly muscled chest and abdomen. His skin was bronze and his unbound hair wild and curly. With a ruggedly handsome face and a chiseled jaw, he looked untamed and roguish. His eyes were a deep, dark blue like the very depths of the ocean, and they swirled with unrestrained laughter. His dusky peach lips were pulled in a wide smile at the sight of the ship helplessly dancing and swaying in front of him.

Now that the Sentinels noticed his existence that seemed to strangely blend with the ocean itself, they realized that strands of power seemed to flow down from him, dissolving into the water and making it churn and rise up with force. The officers who wielded water all tried to wrench away control of the ocean around their ship from this man"s ability, but they all failed without managing to make the slightest difference.

"This is unnatural!" one of the officers exclaimed frustratedly, slumping down onto the wet deck in exhaustion. The wind whistled shrilly, violently whipping about their hair and robes.

Yet another officer with the ability to manipulate the water element nodded and explained to the others, "Normally when two people wielding water struggle to capture control over the element, the command over that body of water sways back and forth until one of them overpowers the other. But this time, the water doesn"t listen at all! It"s like my ability became null, unable to affect it even a bit."

Several other officers with the ability to manipulate water nodded, expressing their own helplessness.

"Who is this person? Why is he blocking our way? Is he a helper that Su Dong called over to buy him time to escape from us?" one of them asked.

A thoughtful silence descended as they pondered on this.

"We should stop dillydallying and use elements other than water on him," a hot-tempered Sentinel suddenly declared. Then turning to Kong Min, he said, "Team Leader Kong, please give us the order to start bombarding him with spells and projectiles. He might have very good mastery over manipulating water, but I refuse to believe he can ward off other forms of offense as well."

Kong Min sighed. "Let"s not be hasty now. Despite his seemingly monumental ability, he hasn"t sunk our ship yet, so he might be waiting for something. We should ask if he has any terms he wants fulfilled for letting us through. It is better not to risk attacking him and earning his ire when we might be able to choose a more peaceful route."

The Sentinels nodded thoughtfully.

Sudden laughter rang out in interjection, loud and exuberant as it was carried over by the ocean waves. Seeming to have heard their conversation, the man standing on the ocean surface said in a cheerful, booming voice, "I"ve been quite fortunate in getting you lot over my waters. You want to speak terms? How about you try to get your ship out of my control. You can ask help from any being you want. Someone who governs fire might be able to evaporate the waters and raise up your ship on clouds of steam. Someone who has mastery over the wind might be able to sweep up your vessel on salty winds and take you to your destination. And someone who rules the earth…" As he trailed away meaningfully, the man"s deep blue eyes seemed to fix directly on Kong Min. In a casual tone, he continued, "Well, aren"t you curious to see how such a being might come to your aid in the middle of the ocean?"

Kong Min froze. This man… What he was implying was very clear. He wanted him to ask help from the Master of Land. Kong Min felt his heart beating frantically. Why would he want him to do that? And how did he even know of his connection to Ying Xulin?

"If you keep wasting time, I might just get bored and capsize this little vessel of yours and eat you all up with my waters," the man said with humor dancing in his eyes. Following his words, the right side of the ship suddenly rose, almost flipping over as if in demonstration.

The Sentinels glared at the man even as they clutched at the nearest stable support. Some of them tried to fly up, but glistening streams of water quickly leapt out of the ocean, swatting them back into the ship. Using the shadow realm over waters was also impossible. It was clear that there would be no escape.

Seeing that the officers understood this, the man on the water grinned and went on, "Of course, if you manage to escape me, I will do you all the favor of presenting your prey to you directly without fuss and promise to not bother you on this journey again. So how about it?"

While the other Sentinels gritted their teeth and tried to find some way to wrench their ship out of this man"s control, Kong Min"s mind raced. Did he really have no choice but to ask for Ying Xulin"s help again? Was this man really so unbeatable that he"d have to ask the Master of Land"s aid? But even if he did, this was the ocean. Would Ying Xulin even be able to help in this environment?

The man standing on the ocean grew impatient. "How much longer will you have me wait? Do you think I, the Master of Oceans, have that much free time that I would spend it playing with you land-dwellers all day long? Decide what you"re going to do within the next three minutes, or you can all take a visit into my kingdom in the Deep Waters. I promise it"ll leave you absolutely breathless."

The Sentinels all looked at the man with wide eyes. He was the Master of Oceans?! How the f.u.c.k were they supposed to beat him then?!

Kong Min felt just as shocked. But hearing the time limit, he didn"t dare dally any longer. He quickly lifted his hand to his chest, right over the gem. Before he could chicken out, he called out with his mind,

As soon as he was done making his request, Kong Min felt strange and awkward. Would Ying Xulin even answer? Did he even remember him after these many centuries? After all the things Kong Min had said to him the last time, would he even care about continuing this game of offering aid and receiving payment? Even if he did…just what sort of payment would he ask?

Pushing it all aside, Kong Min once again called out hesitantly,

Ying Xulin"s familiar voice flowed through the connection, sounding somewhat unsteady and filled with inscrutable emotions,

Kong Min leaned into the wall beside him in relief. Though he knew that the Master of Land might not necessarily win against the Master of Oceans, especially while they were surrounded by his waters, Kong Min realized that he still trusted in Ying Xulin. As long as they made a bargain like this, Ying Xulin always kept up his end. Since he agreed, he must be able to do it this time as well. Though Kong Min felt that such strong belief was sudden and unexpected, he still held onto it and hoped. If this didn"t work, he really didn"t know what else he could do.

Meanwhile, the Master of Oceans received an irate knock on his mental barriers before his brother asked,

The Master of Oceans smirked.

Ying Xulin felt stunned. So his brother had actually done this to give him another chance to meet with Kong Min? In a quieter tone, he finally replied,

The Master of Oceans showed a smug expression.

Ying Xulin felt as if he"d heard something earthshaking. His…romance? So what he felt towards Kong Min was…romantic attachment?

Not knowing how to deal with this realization, Ying Xulin pushed these thoughts away to sort out later and went back to talking with his brother.

The Master of Oceans replied cheerfully.

Ying Xulin sighed, but said,

As Ying Xulin mobilized his power and sent out a command, the Master of Oceans chuckled.

Large pillars of sand suddenly burst out of the water surface right under the ship, extending upwards from the ocean floor. They supported the ship, lifting it up and out from the waters that were under the Master of Oceans" control. When streams and spouts of water tried to target the ship, the pillars of sand turned flexible and battled with the water.

However, the Master of Oceans remained undaunted as he chuckled.

Sure enough, a gigantic wave rose in front of the ship, like a wall of water, its size unfathomable as it reached up towards the heavens. As its shadow covered the ship, the people within looked up at it with horror.

Suddenly, one of the pillars of sand formed into a fist, and quickly slipping into the Master of Oceans" guard, punched him straight in the gut.

The watching Sentinels, "…"

Faced with the unexpected offensive, the Master of Oceans stumbled. The gigantic wave immediately crashed down, its momentum less than expected. The pillars of sand lifted the ship higher so that it wouldn"t be affected by the turbulence of the waters, keeping it safe.

In an annoyed voice, Ying Xulin snapped,

The Master of Oceans wheezed,

With his work thus done, the Master of Oceans simply jumped into the ocean and vanished.

The water streams and spouts that were fighting with the pillars of sand stopped and melted back into the ocean as well, the waters calming once again. The pillars of sand also gently lowered the ship into the water before disappearing under the water surface.

As the ship peacefully rocked to and fro once again, there was only silence for a minute.

Then a tendril of water extended out of the ocean with an unconscious man held in its grip and deposited him onto the ship"s deck before disappearing. The Sentinels immediately recognized it as the criminal Su Dong they were pursuing.

The Sentinels burst into action, some dealing with properly taking the partially frozen criminal into custody while the others reported back to headquarters with updates on the situation, a.n.a.lyzing what had just happened. To be able to stand up against the Master of Oceans, the being that had helped them must be very powerful. Some even speculated that it might be the reclusive Master of Land whose true location remained unknown to them till now.

But after Kong Min finished commanding that the ship be turned around to head back to sh.o.r.e and gave out some orders to deal with the mess, he removed himself from these discussions and found a quiet place for himself. Reaching up, he gently touched the gem through his clothes and said softly,

For a few moments, there was only silence. Then Ying Xulin answered, Without saying anything else, he cut the connection.

Kong Min was stupefied at such lax terms. But as someone came to call him to deal with some remaining issues, Kong Min had to put away his confusion for now and concentrate with giving out more instructions.

It took a few days for the ship to return to sh.o.r.e and for Kong Min to finish his reports and duties. Throughout that time, he didn"t hear from Ying Xulin at all. Yet it only made Kong Min think about him more. After the way their last meeting went, how would Ying Xulin behave this time? What would he ask as payment? Thinking about the way he"d given him some slack about when he could pay, Kong Min could only hope that Ying Xulin would be a bit more understanding than before in other ways as well.

A little less than a week after the incident with the ship, Kong Min nervously made his way to the edge of the Spirit Bewildering Forest again. The familiar sight of small mushrooms lining a cleared path and warm glowing clouds frolicking in the air greeted him—but there was a new addition this time.

Perched on one of the soft and fluffy clouds was a small, glowing squirrel. Its fur was a soft russet with hints of orange and luminescent gold. It blinked up at Kong Min with large purple eyes that looked solemn, its whiskers twitching.

Kong Min, "…"

Remembering Ying Xulin"s comment at the end of their first meeting when he called him a squirrel, he wanted to burst out with both indignation and laughter.

Reaching out a hand with a smirk, he said, "Did he send you to keep me company, you funny little tree rat? Come here and let me squeeze your tail for a bit. It looks so fluffy."

The squirrel shot him a glare and quickly jumped to another cloud to escape his grabby hands. Kong Min only grinned and followed it, reaching out again. The squirrel flicked his tail at him as if in challenge and kept swiftly evading his hands while leaping from cloud to cloud. The glowing cottony clouds had already started moving along the path, causing Kong Min to start walking behind them as well as he chased the squirrel with an evil grin. After a while of this, the guide-squirrel gave Kong Min a triumphant twitch of its little nose and flounced off the glowing cloud before zipping away and quickly disappearing into the murky dark forest.

Kong Min looked at it puzzled, then realized he"d already reached the edge of the Forest"s Cradle. Kong Min froze. That sneaky little squirrel had tricked him! It conspired with those floating clouds and lured him to Ying Xulin while he was still uncertain about this situation! d.a.m.n, he should"ve known a tree rodent would be untrustworthy…

Sighing and putting away these silly grievances, Kong Min decided to just give in and walked forward slowly, entering the clearing. Nothing much seemed to have changed in all these centuries. Ying Xulin also stood at the center as usual, looking keenly at Kong Min as he stepped in.

Kong Min gave him an awkward smile. He wanted to tease and joke his way out of this awkwardness, but he found that he was unable to. He didn"t know what att.i.tude Ying Xulin would show him.

Not seeming to sense his hesitancy, Ying Xulin kept his dark green eyes intently focused on Kong Min, his gaze roving as if drinking him in. As their eyes locked, he began walking towards Kong Min with long, purposeful strides.

Kong Min stumbled back a step in alarm, but stopped himself from outright fleeing. His heart beat too fast. He remembered the terror of feeling this man"s fangs in his throat, his claws digging into his shoulders to pin him in place. He remembered the pain and helplessness, the fear of being killed. The sharp edge of these emotions had already grown dull after centuries, but the sense of danger he felt when seeing Ying Xulin was still there. This person was too unpredictable for him to feel at ease in his presence.

Ying Xulin reached him, and before Kong Min could decide whether or not he wanted to run away, Ying Xulin went down on his knees, his head bowing.

Kong Min blinked at him uncomprehendingly.

His mellow voice husky with emotion, Ying Xulin sincerely said, "I"m sorry for hurting you last time, although it was not my intention to do so. I couldn"t bear the thought of you leaving me and never coming back. I didn"t want to think of you lying with those other humans while you refused to let me touch you the same way. I apologize for not conveying that properly and being violent instead. I realize that thinking that way was selfish of me, and I promise to do better from now on. I hope you will understand that I…I really like you. I will not hurt you. And no matter when you call for me, I will try to help you as much as I can. So please…don"t leave me alone again."

Kong Min"s lips parted, but he couldn"t say anything. His eyes were wide as he stared at the top of Ying Xulin"s bowed head. He tried to process what he"s just heard, but his mind felt unable to comprehend it. This was too illogical!

Drawing in a shuddering breath and letting it out, Kong Min tried to regain some composure. "Ah-Xu…that… I"m not sure what you mean but… Um, why don"t you get up first? We can take our time to discuss whatever you want to say after that."

Ying Xulin obediently rose up. Kong Min was alarmed to find that Ying Xulin"s eyes were red-rimmed, his gaze inexpressibly sad.

His voice a low murmur, Ying Xulin tried to explain further, "What I meant to say was that I"ve come to realize your importance to me. You are someone who cannot be replaced in my life. I have failed to show you the appropriate care before, but I will make sure to do so from now on." Reaching out, he clasped one of Kong Min"s hands in his. Looking deeply into the younger man"s startled eyes, he continued, "I only ask that you give me another chance."

Kong Min continued to look at him confusedly, then chuckled uneasily. "Ah-Xu, if you say it that way…it almost sounds like a romantic confession."

Ying Xulin earnestly nodded. "Yes, it really is. My brother made me understand that what I feel for you is romantic love. Since that is so, I wish to ask you to become my lover and let me take care of you and spend time with you. But it is alright if you do not agree now itself. I understand that after all that I did to you, I am undeserving of your affections. I will try to court you properly from now on. All I ask is that you give me the chance to win your favor. Are you willing to do that?"

Kong Min felt like he was in a surreal dream. After hearing from Wei Xiang about how distraught Ying Xulin had been after hurting him last time, Kong Min had come to realize that Ying Xulin might not be all that indifferent towards him. But he still hadn"t expected that what Ying Xulin felt for him would actually be romantic attraction! How was he supposed to react to this?!

Kong Min floundered for a minute before finally finding the words to say, "Ah-Xu, I…I don"t mind giving you a chance—or at least, as much a chance as anyone gets. But you should understand that I am still free to sleep with whoever I want. If I ever agree to become your lover, then I will naturally stop looking at others. But until then, you are not allowed to behave jealously or restrict me in any way. Before even thinking of being lovers, we should become equals and each other"s friends. We can see if our affections will develop and deepen after that."

His expression then turning stern, he warned, "However, I will have you know that if you ever hurt me again despite claiming to like me, I will not stick around. You are much more powerful than me, which puts me at a disadvantage and makes me cautious. I do not blame you for it, but after what happened the last couple of times, I feel that my caution is only justified. I do not know you or understand how you think, which makes me feel like I have to walk on eggsh.e.l.ls or risk setting you off into violence. But I am still willing to put all that aside and trust you this once. Please, do not break that trust."

Ying Xulin quickly nodded to show that he agreed, his smile filled with disbelief and relief. He honestly had not expected Kong Min to agree to give him a chance, so he was more than happy.

Seeing him smiling, Kong Min felt his own expression easing. d.a.m.n, but this man really looked too good. And the way his eyes turned warm when he gazed at him, his whole face lighting up, really made Kong Min want to just agree to become his lover. But no, he couldn"t make such a commitment lightly. He would take his time and a.s.sess him carefully. He was not against becoming lovers with Ying Xulin, but at the same time, he himself wasn"t all that romantically attracted towards him right now. Though Kong Min felt s.e.xually interested in Ying Xulin, he couldn"t see them together as a couple. But who knew, maybe if he gave Ying Xulin a chance and spent more time with him, it might change.

At that thought, Kong Min unconsciously smiled, his expression as he looked at Ying Xulin turning soft. Faced with such a look, Ying Xulin"s heart beat faster, his cheeks slowly warming. He really liked it when Kong Min looked at him like that.

Shaking his head to break out of his thoughts, Kong Min finally asked, "So Ah-Xu, how do you want me to pay you back this time?"

Ying Xulin blinked. "Well, if you do not wish to, then…I am willing to think of some other way to maintain the balance of this transaction."

Kong Min raised an eyebrow. "How generous. But we are not lovers yet, so I would feel like I was abusing your…affections towards me by not paying you for your help. Is there something you want?"

Ying Xulin hesitated, then looked away. The color in his cheeks deepened as he replied, "Then would you permit me a kiss?"

Kong Min stiffened. "I…" he trailed away uncertainly. However, just as Ying Xulin started looking disappointed, Kong Min suddenly said, "Well, as long as you a.s.sent to a few conditions, I"ll agree."

His eyes shining with hope, Ying Xulin nodded.

Letting out a breath, Kong Min began, "First, I need you to understand that just because I"m acquiescing to this doesn"t mean I"m agreeing to become your lover. Second, I want you to sit down and let me kiss you. If you can promise not to move your hands, then it"s even better. I just need to make myself feel safe. Is that…alright?"

Ying Xulin thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I do not mind these conditions."

Waving a hand, Ying Xulin brought out wooden vines from the ground again and made them weave together to form a wide chair. Sitting down, he placed his arms on the armrests and let a couple of vines bind his wrists and hold them down. Leaning into the backrest, he looked up at Kong Min, an expectant invitation in his eyes.

Kong Min swallowed. Seeing Ying Xulin lying back in the chair languidly, his hands bound as he waited for him, really made Kong Min feel like taking advantage of this delicious looking man. He wondered how Ying Xulin would look like when naked…

Pushing aside such thoughts, Kong Min licked his lips once and walked up to Ying Xulin. Instinctive fear welled in him as he stood before him. However, seeing that Ying Xulin was only looking at him without moving and that his hands still remained bound to the armrests with thick vines, Kong Min"s fear slowly calmed. He wished he could just shed his caution towards Ying Xulin already, but all he had to do was get close to him and Kong Min could already feel the memory of hands wrapping around his neck or teeth embedded into his throat. He couldn"t help it. But he also wanted to see if he could get closer to Ying Xulin, so he would try to battle his own fear and give this person a chance.

Kong Min reached out hesitantly and placed his hands on Ying Xulin"s shoulders. He lifted his legs one by one and rested his knees on either side of Ying Xulin"s thighs. He settled there while straddling Ying Xulin"s lap before leaning forward. They pressed against each other, the hard oval gem on Kong Min"s chest distinctly felt by them both. As they stayed this close, the warmth of their bodies began to seep through their clothes. They were face to face, peering into each other"s eyes and reading each other"s thoughts. There was hesitation, hope, curiosity, and so many more emotions swirling in those depths as one pair of dark green and another pair of light brown eyes remained locked. It was as if the two people were drowning in each other.

"Close your eyes," Kong Min suddenly breathed.

Ying Xulin complied.
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Kong Min took a moment to let his gaze rove over the beautiful face in front of him. Then lowering his own eyelids, Kong Min leaned forward until their lips touched. Ying Xulin"s lips were smooth as satin and warm. Kong Min tilted his head and pressed their mouths together with more force. One of his hands lifted to cup the back of Ying Xulin"s head, letting the thick strands of hair slip between his long fingers.

Ying Xulin leaned into him as if asking for more, so Kong Min obliged by opening his mouth and suckling the other man"s lips. His tongue explored their shape and texture before slipping in between to tease the seam. Kong Min pushed insistently, clearly asking for entry, and after remembering to retract his fangs, Ying Xulin unhesitatingly parted his lips to allow him in. Kong Min immediately extended his tongue into Ying Xulin"s mouth and slid it over the warm and slick tongue waiting inside.

Ying Xulin hesitated, not knowing how much he was allowed to reciprocate. He didn"t want to scare Kong Min away with too much enthusiasm. But as Kong Min kept drawing the tip of his tongue over the roof of his mouth, sweeping the flat of it against the inside of his cheeks, tracing the line of his sensitive gums, and reaching deeper as if wanting to shove it down his throat, Ying Xulin felt his need becoming uncontrollable. He stopped being pa.s.sive and let his own tongue into Kong Min"s mouth to learn its shape and flavor. Despite being older by an unfathomably large margin, he clearly wasn"t as experienced as Kong Min. But he saw no reason to be daunted by that as he sucked Kong Min"s tongue with vigor, his lips locked tightly with the younger man"s. And as Kong Min moaned, Ying Xulin delighted in the vibration he felt through their melded mouths.

Kong Min felt slow heat filling his body and let it flow through him. He softened against Ying Xulin, leaning into his chest. One of his hands ma.s.saged the bound man"s shoulder while the other palm was pressing into the back of his head, loathe to let it retreat and cause even a little bit of s.p.a.ce to separate their mouths. The more their tongues danced together and the more their breaths mingled, the more heat pooled in Kong Min"s belly. Instinct took over and Kong Min shifted restlessly, rubbing his body against Ying Xulin"s in slow, sensual motions. His hips lowered as if of their own accord, trying to find the bulge between Ying Xulin"s legs with his own throbbing hardness.

Ying Xulin"s chest heaved, his mouth and tongue busily working. l.u.s.t thundered through his veins, but he forcefully held it back, content to enjoy whatever Kong Min was prepared to give. The sensation of the younger man pressing into and moving against his body of his own accord already gave him endless satisfaction. Then feeling Kong Min beginning to rub their arousals together through the layers of their clothes, Ying Xulin cooperatively widened his legs, letting the younger man have more access.

Kong Min pumped his hips forward with more vigor, his throat vibrating as he let slip a deep groan. Ying Xulin eagerly swallowed the sound and moved his own hips while keeping to the rhythm of Kong Min"s body. Swollen with desire and sensitized by it, their aroused members pressed into each other through the robes, pushing and rubbing together in concert. Pleasure rioted through them, the molten heat pulsing through their veins in an increasing tempo. Their mouths grew desperate, sucking and sliding against each other without finesse, devouring each other with raw hunger. Their bodies moved with increasing fervor, seeking more and more pleasure, more and more stimulation from one other.

Gasps and pants intercepted the sound of fabric rubbing together and the wet noises of pa.s.sionate kissing. Kong Min"s palms moved to cup Ying Xulin"s jaws, his thumbs rubbing circles into the older man"s cheeks as he pulled his face as close into his own as possible. The pleasure mounted, ragged bursts of intense sensations exploding just under their skin. Their robes were an entwined mess, the fabric churning together as their hips drove into each other"s with vehemence, seeking with mindless frenzy to ignite the spark that would take them over the edge.

As Ying Xulin tried to suppress his release, Kong Min"s climax erupted. He shuddered and hugged Ying Xulin, his mouth finally separating from his. Kong Min"s reddened lips stretched wide open as he let out a strangled cry. Ying Xulin kept his own hips moving against Kong Min"s. He felt the younger man"s hardness twitch and pulse under his clothes before a patch of wetness spread under the thick robes. The very thought that he"d brought his beloved to o.r.g.a.s.m pushed Ying Xulin over the edge. With Kong Min"s warmth wrapped around him, his hands clutching at him, Ying Xulin released, not caring that it was into the inside of his pants. His head arched back, his eyes squeezed closed as Ying Xulin rode the waves of ecstasy along with Kong Min.

As their o.r.g.a.s.ms finished ravaging them, the violent pleasure withdrew, leaving calm and peace in their wake. The stillness that claimed them was a stark contrast to their hectic movements just now.

Bowing down, Kong Min buried his head in the crook of Ying Xulin"s shoulder and basked in the bliss of the afterglow. The smell of Ying Xulin"s sweat filled his nose, earthy with a hint of musk. It felt masculine and pleasant. Meanwhile, Ying Xulin simply tilted his head to let it rest on Kong Min"s, also content to be silent and soak in the serenity.

After a few minutes, Kong Min shifted and leaned back. His body feeling languid and at ease, he slowly got up from Ying Xulin"s lap, then stretched his body and yawned.

As he turned and saw that Ying Xulin was still sitting in the chair while keeping his own hands bound, Kong Min smiled. In a husky voice, he teased, "Ah-Xu, how obedient! But you don"t have to keep yourself tied up now."

Ying Xulin nodded and the vines unbound themselves from around his wrists. His body still felt heavy and lax after being freshly sated, so he remained sitting for now.

Kong Min sighed and remarked, "Well, it was only meant to be a kiss, but it ended up going in a very…unexpected direction. Well, think of the extra payment as a bonus." Kong Min grinned at him.

Ying Xulin could only stare. Seeing Kong Min finally smiling so openly and being so cheerful with him made him feel fully relieved. What he had done the last time thankfully didn"t push this person away permanently. And yet, it also felt different from before. Kong Min"s smiles and teasing felt more genuine, the distance between them having lessened by a lot.

With hesitation, Ying Xulin finally spoke, "Kong Min… Did you like it? Did you…enjoy what we did?"

Kong Min looked surprised. Then his cheeks slowly reddened. Coughing, he said in a low voice, "If me spilling myself within my pants wasn"t clue enough, then let me spell it out: Yes. I enjoyed it very much."

Ying Xulin"s apprehension dissolved into happiness. Smiling, he said, "Then I"m glad. From now onwards, please don"t hesitate to ask me for help with anything. Since you insisted, I will request payment, but it will not be much. I will let you decide if you wish to pay me the way I ask or choose something else. If I can help you be happy, if I can make you feel that being with me is not unpleasant, then that in itself is enough for now."

Kong Min just stared at him entranced, his heart suddenly thundering faster. He could feel his face growing hotter as his recently-appeased desire tried to awaken again. After taking in a deep breath to try and clear his daze, he unsteadily nodded. "Yes, well, good. That"s an admirable att.i.tude to have!" After quickly nodding a couple of times more, Kong Min said, "Well, I…I"ll be returning now. If something comes up, I"ll definitely ask for your help. I, uh, I"ll go."

Turning around, Kong Min strode away as if in a panic.

Ying Xulin looked at his swiftly retreating back with puzzlement. But when he connected to the gem in Kong Min"s chest to take a peek at his emotions, he unexpectedly felt warmth and awe towards him blooming within Kong Min, along with an unexpected burst of shyness.

Ying Xulin"s smile turned soft and joyful as he closed his eyes and leaned back into the chair before cutting the connection again. It seemed that wooing his beloved wasn"t as hopeless as he"d thought after all.