**Warning: Sexual Content**
Inside the single section of Rao Manor that had miraculously been spared from the fire's devastation, the group was gathered around the old, sturdy dining table. The atmosphere was thick with a heavy silence, punctuated only by the clatter of cutlery as they waited.
Yongzheng's absence was a palpable presence, his empty seat a silent testament to the drama and conflict that had just unfolded. Everyone's attention, however, was currently focused on the doorway, waiting for Xue Horan and Yuan Xiurong to emerge from the makeshift kitchen and finally place the much-needed, warm dishes on the table.
Dong Shun broke the silence. "Where is Diwei?"
Yuan Xiurong replied, gently setting down a bowl. "He said he didn't want to eat."
Xue Horan, carrying a platter of food, stepped in to defend his partner. "Qianbei, Yongzheng doesn't want to be called Diwei. Could Dong qianbei respect his wishes?"
Dong Shun stood his ground. "His name is Rao Diwei and he can't deny it."
Xue Horan maintained his calm. "He doesn't deny that he is a member of the Rao family, but he has his reason to refuse the name Diwei. Perhaps this name has brought him some bad memories that he doesn't want to relive."
Dong Shun slammed his hand on the table angrily. He frantically insisted, "He is a member of the Rao family, and his veins are filled with the blood of the Rao. As a member of the Rao family, it is his duty to carry on the family name!"
Rao Zhengsheng, knowing Xue Horan was a quiet person who rarely argued, and always standing by him regardless of the situation, immediately intervened. He stretched out his hand and held Xue Horan's right hand under the table.
"Dong shushu, Horan is right. If Yongzheng doesn't want this name, we shouldn't call him that. Over the years, we don't know what he has experienced. He may have his own reasons. If we continue to push him, the further he will distance himself away from us."
Dong Lanying quickly agreed with her senior brother. "Father, da shixiong is correct."
Since everyone seemed to agree not to call Yongzheng "Diwei," Dong Shun had nothing left to argue. He realized Rao Zhengsheng was right about the risk of alienating him. He sighed and conceded, "Well, since everyone agrees, then I won't say more."
Xue Horan smiled gratefully at Rao Zhengsheng. "Thank you, qianbei. Please give him some time. Yongzheng is a very considerate person, and he will come around after he thinks it through."
Dong Shun waved a hand dismissively. "Well, since everyone is working together, then I will give in." He looked around the table, a wave of nostalgia washing over him. He sighed. "I remember the last time I had dinner here... is when that devil Cao Fengge came to destroy the Rao Manor. I didn't expect to have the opportunity to sit here for dinner again."
The tense dinner continued inside the salvaged section of the Rao Manor. Dong Lanying turned to her father, seeking answers to a decades-old tragedy. "Father, why did Cao Fengge want to kill you and the Rao family?"
Dong Shun sighed, the memory still painful. "I don't know. Cao Fengge appeared at our house and threw one of my cousins on the floor. He claimed that my cousin had stolen his secret manual. I didn't even know what that secret manual was. Then he kidnapped you and your mother. At that time, you were only four months old and could hardly sit. I rushed into the Beixing Sect and rescued you and your mother. Then we headed here."
Yuan Xiurong offered her assessment of the enemy. "As far as I know, Cao Fengge is the kind of person who will not hurt others unless they hurt him first."
Dong Shun conceded her point. "You are right, at that time da ge said the same thing. When I was down there, I spent many years thinking about the reasons behind the Rao massacre. The only possibility I can think of is that Cao Fengge used me to get to da ge. He knew that the first person I would run to would be da ge, or if my family was murdered, the first person to avenge us would be da ge."
Yuan Xiurong then introduced historical context. "As far as I know, the four ancestors have been very closely related since the founding of the four households. Even if the Wang established the Yueguang Sect, they are still regarded as the Wang Household of Central Plains and highly respected in the martial arts world."
Dong Shun admitted his ignorance. "I don't know much about the history of the martial arts world or the four households."
Yuan Xiurong elaborated on the foundations of their world. "The four martial artists, Rao, Wang, Cao, Gu, volunteered to be spies inside an evil clan. They successfully demolished that evil clan. That is the reason they are named the Four Households of Central Plains."
Rao Zhengsheng asked, trying to find a link to the present conflict, "Which evil clan was that?"
"I am not sure either," Yuan Xiurong admitted.
Dong Shun cut through the history, bringing them back to the present, urgent reality. "It doesn't matter. The fact is that Cao Fengge is our enemy, and we will not rest until Cao Fengge is dead."
Inside Yongzheng's room, he stared at the blanket neatly folded sitting on the bed as hundreds of thoughts circled inside his head like the many layers of the single folded blanket. He knew that as soon as a person knows his past, no matter how much they had trusted or liked him, it will instantly shatter due to fear. His Shifu was correct: people often judge the individual by their past, and no matter if the individual had changed, the thin line of "what if" would forever connect to his name.
He sighed, knowing deep in his heart that he had no reason to stay. He decided he would leave in the early morning. Yongzheng considered carefully and decided not to avenge Cao Fengge. He felt that to take revenge would be unfair to the people he killed in his past life, and it would not be conducive to his spiritual learning.
He was about to blow out the candle when there were three light knocks on his door. He walked over and opened the door. He saw Xue Horan holding a tray of food.
Xue Horan walked into Yongzheng's room and put the tray of food on the table. "You haven't eaten; you must be hungry." He looked at the bed and saw the untouched bed. "Where are you going?"
Yongzheng closed the door behind him. "I'm going home," he said, sitting opposite Xue Horan.
Xue Horan tried to offer reassurance. "Dong qianbei agreed to call you Yongzheng. Da Shixiong finally persuaded him." He looked at Yongzheng but only saw Yongzheng staring intently at him. "Eat the food before it gets cold."
Yongzheng finally spoke, making a painful declaration wrapped in a final duty. "Horan, before your father died, he taught me the last twenty moves of the Butterfly Swords Manual. He had me promise him to teach these moves to Rao Zhengsheng the day after your wedding. The day after your wedding to Rao Zhengsheng, I will come back to teach him the last twenty moves. If Rao Zhengsheng refuses to marry you, then I won't teach him these twenty moves according to your father's request."
Xue Horan looked at him, trying to be pragmatic. "Yongzheng, you can teach him. He needs it to defeat Cao Fengge."
"But your father…" Yongzheng protested, bound by his solemn promise.
"My father won't mind, because he is my father's first disciple," Xue Horan countered.
"That was not what I promised your father," Yongzheng insisted.
Xue Horan sighed, finally revealing his insight into his father's actions. "I know my father wants someone he trusts to take care of me, so he used this as a wager and forces da shixiong's hands." He looked at Yongzheng, his tone cooling. "I have my own pride."
He stood up and walked to the door, preparing to leave. He turned back. "Yongzheng, since it's goodbye, do you have anything to say to me?"
Yongzheng stood up and walked toward the door. "You may not want to hear what I want to say."
"Why do you think so?" Xue Horan asked, turning around and looked at Yongzheng's back.
"I see it in your eyes. The way you see me is the same as the way those people see me. The look of disgust. So, it's better not to say anything," Yongzheng confessed, acknowledging the fear his secret had caused, keeping his gaze on the table and still refused to look at Xue Horan.
"Before goodbye, I want to say a few words to you," Xue Horan stated firmly.
"Go ahead," Yongzheng invited, bracing for rejection.
Xue Horan looked him squarely in the eye, his voice clear and resolute. "If I marry someone in the future, that person can only be you." He held the intense gaze. "Goodbye, Yongzheng."
Hearing Xue Horan's words, Yongzheng's heart hammered wildly against his ribs. He surged to his feet, turning to stare intently at Xue Horan. He covered the distance between them in three fierce steps, seized Xue Horan's left arm, and yanked him violently into his embrace. Hugging Xue Horan with a desperate, crushing grip, he buried his face close to Xue Horan's ear and whispered, his voice soft and urgent, "Say it again."
Xue Horan repeated the vow, his voice trembling slightly. "If I marry someone in the future, that person can only be you."
Yongzheng lowered his head and immediately kissed Xue Horan's lips. The kiss was deep and consuming; Yongzheng slid his tongue into Xue Horan's mouth, their tongues intertwining as all the unspoken passion between them ignited.
Yongzheng picked up Xue Horan and carried him to the bed. He laid Xue Horan down and stared at him, giving him one last chance to retreat.
"Are you sure?" Yongzheng asked.
Xue Horan looked up at him, his answer clear. He nodded.
Yongzheng removed his robe and began to untie Xue Horan's robe. It wasn't the first time Yongzheng had been intimate; in his past life as Number One, he'd had plenty of encounters with both men and women. He lowered his head and began to kiss Xue Horan's white swan neck. He slid his tongue to Xue Horan's breast and began to lick his left nipple.
Xue Horan knew nothing about this kind of act, so he let Yongzheng lead the way. His only prior experience was with Cao Wenyan, which had only brought him pain. Now, Yongzheng teased his nipple with his tongue and fingers, creating an indescribable feeling that was both scary and exciting. He felt butterflies hovering inside his lower abdomen, and that sensation grew stronger as Yongzheng's hand began stroking his member.
When he snorted softly, Yongzheng sealed his mouth with Yongzheng's, stopping the sound. He breathed heavily through his nostrils, trying not to open his mouth and let out a moan. Yongzheng moved down from his mouth to his neck and began to kiss his belly.
Yongzheng inserted his finger into Xue Horan's backdoor and began to thrust as his tongue hovered over Xue Horan's member. After sucking a few times, Xue Horan released his creamy liquid into Yongzheng's mouth. Yongzheng let the fluid drip onto Xue Horan's soft backdoor, then spread Xue Horan's legs apart.
Yongzheng looked at him tenderly. "Horan, it may hurt. If you want to stop at any time, just let me know." He held his member in his right hand and carefully guided it into Xue Horan's soft backdoor. He pushed slowly, inch by inch, until his entire member was fully inserted. "I want to move now."
Xue Horan breathed heavily, his voice strained. "Yongzheng… Don't use too much force… I'm not used to... ah..."
Yongzheng smiled at him. "Alright…" He began to thrust slowly. "If you want me to push harder and deeper," he said, kissing Xue Horan's lips, "tell me."
Xue Horan muffled and moaned, "Hmmm…hmmm…" He hugged Yongzheng's waist tighter. "Yongzheng... Ah..."
Yongzheng kissed Xue Horan, pouring his heart into the moment. "Horan, I really love you." He continued to thrust, his mouth and tongue refusing to let go of Xue Horan's.
Inside the dark room, the soft, quiet panting sounds of the two men echoed in the small space. The creaking of the old bed was as soft as the mating sound of beetles in the dark.
Standing on a hill, overlooking the old Rao Manor, Cao Wenyan looked at the twenty men he had brought with him. "Are you all ready?" he asked.
Red Mice confirmed, "Young master, everything is ready. We are just waiting for you."
Cao Wenyan gave the order. "Light it up."
Twenty men all let go of their fire arrows, and a wave of blazing arrows spun into the night, flying directly toward the Rao Manor.