SEHE Chapter 55

Learning Martial Arts

“It’s even harder to make you shut up.” Pei Yanci grabbed Wushu by the collar as he tried to escape back to the carriage. “Let’s go.”

“We can’t pit our brother like this, big brother.” Seeing him bring Wushu into the mansion, Wuli paced in circles twice on the spot, then followed with small shuffling steps and a dejected expression.

Pei Yanci hadn’t come to Tang Xizhui’s mansion for any other reason. He had previously promised to teach him martial arts, and seeing that several more days had passed, he was taking this opportunity to leave the mansion and stay here for a while. In ten days’ time, he could at least understand the martial arts manual’s oral instructions by heart.

He believed in this body’s good foundation.

As soon as he entered the mansion, he felt something different from usual.

Huo Cun hurried over from the long corridor. Seeing that Pei Yanci had already reached the courtyard in front of the main hall, his pale and panicked face forced out a trace of feigned composure and flattery. The thick powder on his face nearly cracked from this expression.

Wushu hid behind Pei Yanci, timidly poking out his fuzzy head to look at him curiously.

“Chief Steward Pei, why did you come so suddenly today?”

“An hour ago, I had Chunsheng come to the mansion to inform Nine-Thousand-Years that I would be staying here. Nine-Thousand-Years said I’m always welcome.” How could this be considered sudden?

In the Great Yu aristocratic circles, making an impromptu visit to someone’s mansion was considered impolite behavior, though there were exceptions – in urgent situations, or when subordinates came to report or petition.

“Is that so? Dugong is busy with affairs and probably forgot about this matter.”

“Is he inconvenient right now? No matter, I’ll wait until he’s free to discuss it.” Pei Yanci said, “Are there three empty guest rooms available?”

“Yes, yes, Chief Steward Pei, please come this way.” Huo Cun bowed slightly at the waist and personally led them to the back courtyard.

Following the long corridor from which Huo Cun had come, during his previous two visits to the Chief Overseer’s mansion, Pei Yanci hadn’t looked carefully. Today, from the corner of his eye, he inconspicuously glanced to both sides of the corridor. There truly were pavilions every five steps and towers every ten steps, with winding waterways, platforms and waterside pavilions, rainbow-drinking streams and ravines. Clusters of blood-crying azaleas blazed like fire, carrying a decadent crimson that decorated the black-tiled, white-walled pavilions with wanton beauty, like a mouthful of heart’s blood carelessly splattered there by heaven.

Going further in was a small lake, where the red gradually faded into charming and lovely weeping silk begonias – their graceful beauty playing with spring emotions, stained with rouge yet impossible to paint.

Past the octagonal flower frame, through the book-drying platform, past the moon gate, the summer pavilion, climbing pine rockery, plantain and moss clusters, banquet towers – everywhere were layered stones and sparse pools, winding corridors that curved back on themselves, possessing both the delicate permanence of clear breezes and bright moon, as well as the magnificent grandeur that reached from earth to clouds.

Turning another corner, what met the eye was a stretch of snow-white apricot blossoms, their petals drifting down with the breeze like a warm spring snow, carpeting the ground in white.

Under this purest white, Tang Xizhui wore a light mugwort green robe with blue-gold lotus wide sleeves, with several camellia flowers of different sizes painted at the corner of his right eye in gypsum gray pigment.

Today the colors on his body weren’t bright, seeming to be mixed with an unclean, gloomy undertone, yet still made everyone’s breath catch the moment his figure appeared before them.

Drawing closer, Pei Yanci discovered that those camellia flowers were sprinkled with fine, brilliant light – it didn’t look like silver powder, but rather like crushed mother-of-pearl, piece by piece carefully pasted at the corners of his eyes and cheeks.

The originally pale, gray camellias immediately began to glitter and shine. Between glances, those bewitchingly cold eyes rippled with horizontal waves, their gaze surpassing mother-of-pearl’s sharpness, cutting sharply yet lightly across their bodies.

Pei Yanci sensed a trace of undissipated killing intent about him. Among the swaying shadows and branches, he glimpsed what seemed to be a severed limb still bleeding in the distance.

A dangerous, urgent tension suddenly filled the air.

He turned his head to look more carefully, but there was nothing there.

“You said you came to learn martial arts, yet you brought two attendants? When has this lord ever made you personally lift a finger?” Tang Xizhui was holding a silk handkerchief, wiping his fingers one by one. Seeing Pei Yanci, his eyes carried a languid indifference, as if still immersed in the lingering excitement of a previous revelry, wanting to direct his undissipated interest toward this uninvited guest who had disturbed his refined mood.

“The Crown Prince’s mansion was too stuffy, so I brought them out for some fresh air.” Pei Yanci’s sharp eyes noticed that the golden amber jade ring on Tang Xizhui’s index finger had a trace of blood on it.

“Leave.” Tang Xizhui’s dark, ghastly eyes stared at Pei Yanci. Huo Cun at his side immediately responded, bowing his head as he pulled Wuli and Wushu to continue walking forward.

Before coming, Pei Yanci had already prepared to practice martial arts directly. At this moment, his black close-fitting, crisp short outfit made Tang Xizhui look him over twice.

He tossed the handkerchief in his hand onto the face of a nearby eunuch, flicked his fingers through the flower shadows, and a white jade bone fan appeared in his hand, which he used to pat Pei Yanci’s arm in a frivolous manner.

“Not only is this person skinny, ugly, and dry-looking, but the flesh on his body is also soft and flabby.” Tang Xizhui’s eyes showed contempt as he said disdainfully, “And yet he still fantasizes about learning a move or two.”

Pei Yanci unceremoniously pushed away his fan-holding hand, raising an eyebrow in light mockery, “Who was it last time that bit my shoulder and wouldn’t let go?”

It was true that his muscles were soft from long lack of exercise, but these words didn’t penetrate his heart at all.

Tang Xizhui was pushed so that his body swayed to one side. He paused for a moment, then slowly turned his head toward him. A strand of hair happened to fall down, floating before his eyes. His large, narrow eyes narrowed slightly like a fox spirit, his upturned eye corners glancing sideways, red lips slightly parted. “Do you find my touch disgusting?”

Pei Yanci’s mind wavered, the words in his mouth nearly unable to come out. He steadied himself and said calmly, “I wouldn’t say disgusting.”

Tang Xizhui hadn’t used that aphrodisiac incense for some time, but he felt that he occasionally became somewhat restless.

In his previous life, being physically weak, his desires were so faint he hardly had such thoughts. Now that he was a vigorous young man, he could clearly feel his body’s cravings for this.

Tang Xizhui obviously knew how much effect his appearance could have, especially when he deliberately used it as a means.

He tilted his head down, his body involuntarily moving closer. His warm breath sprayed against Pei Yanci’s ear and temple as he whispered, “Then do you like it, when I kiss you like that?”

In the most warm, heartstring-tugging licking, was wrapped a trace of sharp, teasing pain from teeth.

“Not particularly.” Pei Yanci didn’t avoid his approach. In just a few breaths, he had already recovered his usual composure, saying playfully, “You care so much about my opinion – what, have you fallen for me?”

Tang Xizhui’s expression stiffened slightly.

What had started as belittling and manipulating Pei Yanci had turned into him nearly exposing his own heart.

Before he could answer, Pei Yanci took out the martial arts manual he had given him earlier from his robes.

“Can we start teaching me martial arts now?” He didn’t want to waste time on such useless matters.

Tang Xizhui saw the indifference and unconcern in his eyes.

Whether he had fallen for him or not, Pei Yanci completely didn’t care.

Just like last time when he had warned this person to stay away from him – that had been Tang Xizhui’s occasional burst of conscience speaking out. Such well-meaning advice, Pei Yanci had completely ignored.

He reached out his hand. His cold fingers were warmed by the body heat absorbed by the paper pages. He paused for a moment before taking it, opening it, but his gaze couldn’t help but follow that figure who had turned and walked gracefully to an empty space to stretch his limbs.

Pei Yanci loosened his joints, casually kicked his legs at the air, then looked toward the person who had fallen silent. “What should I do?”

“For these days, you’ll first build your foundation. Half an hour of horse stance daily to train leg strength, then half an hour for arm and wrist strength. Once your hands and feet are trained, then train your waist and abdomen.” As Tang Xizhui spoke, his gaze slid toward Pei Yanci’s flat, slender waist. He licked his lips and continued. “Once you’ve consolidated the foundation of internal and external skills, you’ll be able to guide qi with intention and form power with qi – only then will you have achieved minor success.”

Then, while Pei Yanci was in horse stance, Tang Xizhui explained word by word the martial arts formulas and human meridians on the pages. When his mouth became dry from talking, he looked down to sip some tea.

Nearby, young and beautiful maidservants brewed tea, fanned, and waited quietly. They stood close by, their ethereal dress trembling slightly under the dark, terrifying aura, not daring to breathe heavily.

Tang Xizhui didn’t care whether he was listening or not, explaining half a volume’s worth of content in one go. Seeing that the time was about right, he called for him to stop and rest.

Pei Yanci let out a long breath, somewhat staggering as he walked to the stone table to sit down, drinking several mouthfuls of tea in succession.

Tang Xizhui put down the martial arts manual, holding a white bone fan in one hand while attentively taking out a clean handkerchief with the other to press against his forehead and face, wiping away his sweat.

The sweat kept emerging even after being wiped away, continuously rolling down, following his raised head and tense neck as it slowly slid down, leaving a water trail before soaking into the tightly overlapping collar.

The black short outfit on Pei Yanci’s body had become even darker, soaked with sweat and tightly wrapping around this young, masculine body.

He drank several bowls of tea in succession, for the first time finding even this strange-tasting tea quite delicious, saying with satisfaction, “Nine-Thousand-Years is indeed thoughtful, helping me cool the brewed tea to the right temperature.”

He liked strong, hot tea, but at this moment when his body was hot, drinking something too hot wouldn’t be suitable and would burn his mouth. Drinking cold tea would damage his yang qi, and after heavy sweating, it would easily allow for a chill to enter his body. In his previous life, he had paid great attention to this, but the eunuchs serving him could never grasp the right timing.

When it came to attentive and considerate service, truly no one could compare to Tang Xizhui.

He hooked his finger at his collar, shaking it outward. The damp heat trapped on his body, carrying the scent of sweat, billowed out from the collar opening. His skin, washed clean by sweat, showed a healthy pale color. His collarbone, glimpsed through the moving collar, was also glistening with sweat, as if it had been sucked on by someone.

Tang Xizhui, sitting nearby, also felt this wave of heat. Since it was fresh sweat and he had always been clean, the sweat had no unpleasant odor – only water vapor mixed with a rich scent somewhere between that of a youth and an adult man.

The originally tender and moist white peach, drenched and ripened by this sweat, had become resolute and strong, not to mention the innate imperial aura of power and majesty in Pei Yanci’s features.

Tang Xizhui realized that it was this temperament that had originally attracted him.

The sweet youthfulness of a sixteen-year-old body, yet with eyes that carried the proud aloofness of looking down on all living beings, along with the mature composure that came from having experienced everything.

He had always seen Pei Yanci as a man, not as some inexperienced young boy. And now, he wanted to greedily seize from him that part of himself that would forever be incomplete.

“It’s getting late, I’ll practice a bit more while I can.” After resting for a moment, Pei Yanci returned to the empty ground.

The fan made of carefully carved white bone slowly folded closed, tapping against his bright red lips.

The numbing pain instantly spread from his lips and teeth, finally suppressing the violent and cruel nature that was rising in his heart.

Wait a little longer. Don’t be greedy.