After a thorough sweeping assault, a deep kiss pressed down upon the root of his tongue.
One of the most sensitive organs in the human body, with its complex neural network, was entangled. In a few breaths, he felt a terrifying current surge up from his tailbone.
His body went almost half numb. His tongue tried to evade, but in such a confined space there was nowhere to hide; within moments it was caught and entwined again.
His gums occasionally knocked together, a faint, intermittent ache that was always swallowed up by the intensity of the kiss.
The other person’s breathing was deep. Gu Yun could hear his own breathing turning equally heavy. This was even more intense than their first kiss. He nearly wanted to clamp his teeth down and bite a few holes into that tongue just to see whether the other would still dare to misbehave.
But he hesitated, and ultimately did not have the courage. After fumbling for a while, he gave up.
The long kiss gradually dissolved the overwhelming stimulation.
The sound of kissing was thick and sticky. Gu Yun struggled to swallow; he simply could not hold all the saliva produced during the act.
His tongue went numb. The other person withdrew, bracing one hand on the ground and sitting up while still holding him.
Gu Yun was half-kneeling on his thigh, head lowered, eyes rimmed red. He breathed softly, lifting a hand to wipe away the glistening fluid at the corner of his mouth.
Lin Yue’s pair of dark, ink-like eyes stared straight at him.
Gu Yun sensed it and looked up, but the other had already turned his face away.
What did that mean?
He could not understand it, and irritation rose within him. He wiped his mouth clean and reached to pry away the arm around his waist, wanting to get water to rinse his mouth, his throat, and his stomach. If the latter two could even be washed at all.
In a daze, he even swallowed the saliva left from the kiss. Although most of it was his, there was still a portion that belonged to the other…
The other’s gaze avoided him, yet his arm tightened instead, refusing to let go no matter how Gu Yun struggled. Gu Yun could not help but flare up.
Before he could even speak in anger, the other turned his face back.
Their noses collided. Gu Yun hissed in pain, only to be kissed again.
He widened his eyes in disbelief. They were too close, their breaths tangled together, and all he could see were the other’s eyes. The eyelids were slightly lowered, the gaze half-shrouded in shadow, as though lost in indulgence.
Gu Yun drifted for a moment.
The other’s hand moved to the back of his neck, squeezing lightly.
“What are you spacing out for?” Lin Yue’s voice was hoarse. The kiss did feel good, rather sweet. He changed angle and lightly pecked the lips of the person in his arms.
Gu Yun snapped back to his senses and jerked away, covering his mouth. Lin Yue kissed the back of his hand instead.
Lin Yue’s brows drew together slightly, clearly about to lose his temper. “Do you dislike me?”
I don’t even mind that you’re a man, how dare you dislike me?
So you only realise now that this is inappropriate? What were you doing earlier?
Gu Yun forced a strained smile and argued, “I don’t dislike you. It’s just that kissing isn’t very clean.”
Lin Yue replied, “Oh? By your logic, we’ve done things that are even less clean.”
Gu Yun said, “What I mean is that this place isn’t clean. And it’s getting dark. Other tenants will come out to cook. It’s not appropriate for us to be like this in public.”
Lin Yue said, “Is that so?”
Gu Yun nodded vigorously.
Lin Yue looked at him for a moment, then suddenly pulled him up and dragged him into the house. Gu Yun immediately panicked, stumbling a few steps, grabbing his hand and saying, “I’m hungry.”
“It’ll be ready soon.”
Gu Yun said, “You kissed me too hard.”
Lin Yue stopped and turned back to look at him.
Gu Yun lowered his hand, leaned closer, and pouted. “See for yourself.”
Lin Yue pinched his chin and lowered his eyes to examine him carefully. “Where?”
Gu Yun thought: Is there really no injury? But his mouth did feel burning and slightly painful. His eyes flickered as he stammered, “Some injuries are too small to see, but I can feel them…”
“Whenever you get into a fight, you should just send your mouth out to take on a hundred people,” Lin Yue sneered, then lifted him up.
Blood rushed to Gu Yun’s head. He felt a little dizzy but quickly recovered, patting the other’s back and kicking his legs, flailing like a moth.
This level of resistance was no different from none at all. Lin Yue carried him back into the house, set him on the table, and leaned in.
Gu Yun turned his head to avoid him. Seeing there was no escape, and as the other’s hand slid under his clothes, he cursed inwardly, realising belatedly that he had never seen how much of a mad dog this person was. He grabbed his hand tightly and, in a half-pleading tone, kissed him lightly on the lips.
“Really, I’m not disgusted. I’m just hungry, and it hurts too.”
Lin Yue said coldly, “Stick your tongue in. That’s not an unreasonable request, is it?” He parted his lips slightly.
Gu Yun: I’m going to fry your damn mouth!!!
He thought quickly: Should he tell the truth? He could already find work now anyway. But if he told the truth at this moment, setting aside whether he could find work after being thrown out, and how many meals he would go hungry in the meantime, just the act of speaking now might disgust the other and make things worse.
Gu Yun felt his life was hanging by a thread. After much hesitation, he steeled himself, leaned forward, pressed his lips against the other’s, and tentatively slipped his tongue in. It touched teeth, warm, hard, and moist. He closed his eyes and forced himself onward.
A loud voice came from outside the courtyard gate.
“Is Young Master Lin here?”
Gu Yun’s heart leapt with joy. He immediately withdrew to his original position. His lips, still red and glistening, opened and closed as he spoke with clear delight.
“Someone’s looking for you. Is it the county magistrate?”
Lin Yue pinched his cheek, which still lacked much flesh. “You seem very pleased.”
“Why would I be pleased?” Gu Yun feigned disappointment. “What bad timing.”
Lin Yue said, “Then we’ll continue after the kiss.”
“Young Master Lin!” The voice outside grew louder.
Gu Yun pushed against his chest. “Blinded by desire? Someone’s waiting outside.” With that, he seized the chance to slip off the table and pushed him towards the door.
Lin Yue did not move, standing like a wooden post. Just as Gu Yun was about to scold him under the banner of righteousness, the other man reached out and straightened his clothes, then his own, before taking his hand and leading him out.
Gu Yun: “…”
If you’re going out, why are you dragging me along? I need to wash my mouth, my throat, my stomach…
He cursed inwardly but wore a well-behaved expression on his face.
“Young Master Lin!” The caller smiled as he approached. Before Lin Yue could lead Gu Yun closer, he hurried over. “The patrolmen said you were at home. We called a few times and thought you weren’t in, and were about to send someone to look for you.”
Lin Yue cupped his hands. “Thank you for your concern, Brother.”
The man was the county magistrate’s attendant. He said, “You are too polite, Young Master. It is my duty. I hope I have not disturbed you.”
The final words were mere courtesy, yet unexpectedly, Lin Yue replied, “You should have come later.”
Gu Yun nearly choked. He hid behind Lin Yue to avoid being seen.
Even though the man could not see him, he seemed to guess something anyway. “It is my fault, Young Master. Please do not be angry. Our master has prepared a banquet for both of you.”
He handed over an invitation.
“You must attend. Our master heard you intend to take the imperial examinations and has gathered books and examination papers that are otherwise unavailable to present to you.”
The man looked at Gu Yun. “Gu-niangzi, our mistress is also concerned you may be bored staying at home. This banquet is an opportunity for everyone to become acquainted. In future, if you feel bored, you may visit the residence to see the mistress.”
“In the county, many prominent ladies often hold gatherings. Our mistress is eager to introduce someone as young, beautiful, and fortunate as you, with such an excellent husband, to them.”
The man’s speech flowed smoothly, sweet as honey.
Lin Yue only needed a moment to realise that although this man was the county magistrate’s attendant, he had been sent at someone else’s instruction.
The magistrate’s nephew?
Lin Yue glanced at the invitation. It had been written by a clerk trusted by the county magistrate.
Gu Yun peeked at it. Lin Yue handed it to him, then said to the attendant, “Please inform the magistrate we will arrive shortly.”
The man smiled and departed.
……
By calculation, the people from Chancellor Meng’s side should arrive in Zhuyang County within two days at the latest. Was it too late now to formally host a banquet for Young Master Lin and his wife?
He had said long ago that after impeaching Magistrate Wang, they should properly host a banquet for them. It should have been even earlier, but in such a remote and impoverished place, even preparing a passable banquet would take several days.
At that moment, Magistrate Gu was speaking with his nephew.
The scholar said, “Uncle, it is not late. Think about it: if we appear too eager, they may look down on us. Presenting books and exam papers now, and letting the madam accompany his wife for company, is just right. Not too eager, not too cold. No matter what, they will remember our goodwill.”
The magistrate stroked his beard.
The scholar continued, “Master Huang cannot bear to see us doing well. Since he has not mentioned gifts or banquets recently, we should do the opposite of what he would do. That must be correct.”
The magistrate said, “True enough. I wonder if my memorial impeaching Magistrate Wang has reached the capital?”
The scholar replied, “Even if it has, once the Chancellors see it and pass it to the provincial authorities, and the officials investigate Wang Gong, verify the facts, and finally pass judgement, it will still take quite some time. Uncle, you must be patient.”
The magistrate nodded. “Good lad. Once we send Young Master Lin off, I will arrange for you to enter the yamen as a clerk, assisting Master Huang.”
“Once you have learned Master Huang’s skills, I will secure some merit for you and recommend you as Registrar. The County Magistrate position already exists, though the current one is merely a mediocre scholar, so the Registrar post is vacant.”
“This place is barely a mid-ranked county and not particularly wealthy. With a bit of networking, it should not be difficult.”
“As for Master Huang, once you hold the Registrar position, find a way to handle him for me. If the opportunity arises later, I will promote you to County Magistrate.”
The County Magistrate of a mid-ranked county is a ninth-rank official.
Even so, for a scholar who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, it was already an extremely rare opportunity.
The scholar was overjoyed and knelt. “Thank you, Uncle!”
A servant stood by the wall and overheard everything. He then quietly went to Master Huang’s residence to report it.
Upon hearing this, Master Huang sneered inwardly: a pair of fools. Want to deal with me? Let’s see who survives longer.
He changed into servant’s clothing and slipped out through the back door of the magistrate’s residence, riding swiftly out of the city to a grove.
Deep in the grove, three horses emerged. All were ridden by masked men in black. One held a torch.
The leader asked, “Well?”
Master Huang replied, “The magistrate has invited the Lin couple to his residence. Your master must not forget his promise to me.”
The leader in black looked down at him.
Master Huang said angrily, “That night your master summoned me, I thought it was to thank me for revealing Lin Yue’s whereabouts. I did not expect him to want me to help deal with the magistrate instead.
“I refused. I gain nothing from this.
“Do you think changing the magistrate would make me an official?
“He is ruthless enough to send his clerk to find Jailer Feng and order him to kill Lin Yue and his wife.
“If Jailer Feng succeeded, he would be killed afterwards, and the blame for the murders would be placed on me. The magistrate would seize my power, Feng would betray me, and I would be framed as the murderer. A perfect scapegoat.
“Afterwards, he would use this to impeach the magistrate. Chancellor Meng would investigate, and the magistrate would be sacrificed, closing the case neatly.
“Do not think I do not know your master’s plan. In the end, it is all human calculation against fate. The Feng household fire, Feng revealing the mastermind, your master realising the magistrate would come for him, and then striking again during the lull. Unfortunately for him, the target knew martial arts.
“He ended up handing over evidence and losing a clerk. How laughable.”
With a “whoosh”, the man in black drew his blade and pressed it against Master Huang’s throat.
