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Panting breaths echoed loudly in the cold, dark cave Xie Lian had attempted to find refuge in. A heated torment ravaged his body. The crown prince felt his form ache and throb in places he had never experienced before. His stomach felt tight, his head dazed. Xie Lian could only expose his chest to the cave's frigid air to appease this heat. His tormentors laughed and howled at his pain. He could hear their calls from the cave mouth, how they taunted and teased the crown prince.

“If only his highness would come to us – we could make the pain go away!” They yelled out in high-pitched, overly feminine voices.

Filthy lies, Xie Lian thought.

Xie Lian’s mentor had taught him about these creatures of lust, Land of the Tender. Demons that preyed upon vulnerable men. The prince had never expected that he would now be one of those poor men. This night was surely cursed. His encounter with the mysterious, white-masked figure was followed by saving his cousin Qi Rong from binu. When he had attempted to help the injured woman who lunged at him, the red flower in her hair had poisoned him. The malevolent laughter of the flower demons had followed him and the soldier as they fled into the cave.

At the thought of the young man defending the cave mouth, Xie Lian’s pulse quickened. His abdomen flexed as his core throbbed. The poison that flooded his body had caused him to think thoughts he wasn’t allowed to entertain. He considered the strength and agility the other had demonstrated earlier. He showed resolve when he followed Xie Lian that night. The soldier had rushed ahead to shield Xie Lian when they discovered the pile of corpses and binu again. Xie Lian had only pushed him behind himself because, at least, he was a god, and he wouldn’t die. When he carried Xie Lian further into the cave, the prince felt the growing muscles of the other’s body support his own. A large, warm hand had pressed into Xie Lian’s side, attempting to keep him upright, and the prince’s breath caught when he recalled just how that felt. His panting quickened when he realised how much he wanted to feel it again.

Xie Lian’s cultivation, his purity, demanded he not stray down such lines of thought. His mentor had taught him how to ignore the pursuits of women, not yet being told of the special case of Xie Lian’s body. Xie Lian had assured him he had no interest in women, which was true. He would have never guessed that his predicament lay in men, or at least in one man. Even as the flower demons tried to call out to him, Xie Lian felt no interest in their high-pitched voices. Instead, he found himself plagued with thoughts of the ink-black-haired soldier defending him vigilantly.

A small smile graced Xie Lian’s face when he looked at his bleeding forearm. His soldier had been so ready to take on the burden of Xie Lian’s pain, refusing to stab Xie Lian when asked, willing to spill his own blood if it meant the prince wouldn’t. In the end, they had both bled to form the array that the other man stood between. As another wave of heat spread throughout Xie Lian’s body, he made a horrid realisation: the blade had been covered in the aphrodisiac from the soldier cutting away at the demons. It spread in his blood readily, causing his mind to become foggier. His voice broke as he cried out a moan.

“Your Highness!” A deepening voice yelled out from the entrance.

“Oh?” One demon teasingly questioned.

Another one followed up by snickering out, “Pretty Gege, don’t have too much fun without us!”

The chittering of several demons made Xie Lian’s erratic breathing worse. Their insistent laughter caused time to blur for a few moments. Anxiety built in his core. There were so many of them. He could hear the back and forth of the soldier and demons, and called out for the other to not look at them, only to hear one more erupt from the ground.

“This is your type little Gege?”

A silence fell upon the cave for only a moment before a mammoth of laughter besought the air. Taunting and teasing, the soldier was mercilessly bullied by the demons. Xie Lian could not see what form the Land of the Tender demon had taken, but it had stolen the man’s attention, even if for only a moment or two, and something about that thought made Xie Lian’s gut twist.

“Shut up!” The soldier yelled back. Xie Lian heard some of the demons cry out once more as he assumed the other man had sliced at them once more. “You seek your death!” The voice of the younger man had an edge to it, like that of a growling wolf.

Flushed skin adorned the prince’s fair body. A sheen of sweat covered him, and he could feel the high ponytail Mu Qing had set that morning in total disarray as his body writhed back and forth. The unforgiving stone at his back clawed at his sensitive skin. Xie Lian had few precious moments to make a decision. He knew mania and bloodlust would fill him if he did not satiate the desire that drowned the crown prince. He sobbed out another moan before weakly calling for the other to join him.

For once, the soldier had obeyed Xie Lian’s orders. He did not rush to the prince’s side despite how much he desired to do so. Xie Lian had to once more call out for him before the other knelt before him. In Xie Lian’s frenzied movements, he had begun to slide down the cave wall. He felt weak and feverish. He could only ask for the other’s aid in sitting upright once more. The Xianle soldier put his sword to the side and reached for the prince, nearly blind from the lack of light.

Cold hands brushed against the flushed pale jade of Xie Lian’s exposed shoulders, and both men jumped at the feeling. The soldier pulled his hands away just as Xie Lian’s back arced, pushing his chest towards the other. The action hadn’t been of the prince’s conscience, but when he sagged back down, he couldn’t help but feel forlorn for some reason. The dim lighting and bandages that were wrapped around the right side of the soldier’s face made it hard for Xie Lian to determine what the other was thinking, but he could feel the wide-eyed look the man was giving him. The younger man wrapped his arm around Xie Lian’s bare torso and helped him sit up. He immediately withdrew from the prince and turned to leave.

“Wait, don’t leave yet!” Xie Lian called out, and the other listened. They looked at each other before Xie Lian said, “Cut off a lock of my hair, I need it.”

The other knelt before Xie Lian again. His hand reached towards Xie Lian’s panting body. His hand landed on the soft swell of Xie Lian’s left breast. Startled, Xie Lian’s shoulders jumped again, and a sharp whine escaped him. A calloused thumb swept across the heated skin in search of Xie Lian’s loose strands. When the efforts resulted in nothing but causing Xie Lian to squirm, the soldier’s hand moved lower, rubbing against Xie Lian’s sensitive nipple with the palm of his hand. As if entranced by the softness his hand had discovered, the younger gave a curious squeeze to the small breast.

A loud, wet moan ripped from Xie Lian’s throat. He arched his back and was rewarded with another groping motion. It felt good. It felt really good.

“Oh, don’t have too much fun playing with him!” A demon called from the entrance.

“He sounds so pretty! It makes you want to take a bite out of him.” Another giggled.

The momentary boldness that had filled the soldier had been revoked by the teasing. He quickly removed his hand and bowed his head, “Your Highness, forgive me. I did not realise-“ His words cut off with his voice sounding faintly out of breath. For a moment, Xie Lian thought he could hear the other taking in deep breaths, not dissimilar to his own.

“I-It’s okay.” The crown prince whispered. “Try a-again.”

He complied once more except this time, he reached with both hands. Blindly, his hands settled on the slim waist of Xie Lian. The soldier gripped appraisingly, flexing his fingers for a moment.

“H-Higher…”

“Mm.” He didn’t take his hands off Xie Lian as they migrated up. The calloused hands of a trained soldier felt rough against Xie Lian’s skin. He cupped Xie Lian’s small breasts again. When Xie Lian’s back arced once more, the soldier gave another bold squeeze.

Xie Lian didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but he could have sworn the other had moved closer. The ice-cold air of the cave suddenly felt just as heated as his flushed skin. He became thankful that the dark made it nearly impossible for the other to see how affected he was. He had never been touched like this before. He had never imagined that he would be, but now he longed for those hands to explore his body more. Xie Lian could feel the beginnings of wetness growing between his thighs. The throbbing heat from his chest agonizingly made its way down to his core.

The other man lingered for a few more moments, subtly feeling the prince up before he finally found a lock of hair. Swiftly, he cut it and offered it to the prince, and they both took a minute to compose themselves.

Xie Lian’s body was exposed and needy. His mind was fogged, slowly becoming overcome with lust. He shockingly wasn’t scared or angry. The other man had to of known where he was touching Xie Lian. The prince was sure of it. However, he found his truth in this moment of respite – he didn’t want the other to stop. At the first touch, he had assumed his reaction to be entirely due to the poison the flower demons had infected him with. At the second, he realised it was because he wanted to keep going. As he tied his hair around the other’s finger, his mind continued to wander. He had intended to use the sword to release the bloodlust by inflicting pain on himself, but now… Now he was considering exploring another form of cure: satiating the lust.

Before Xie Lian could ask for the sword to remain by his side, the soldier stood, taking the sword with him, and returned to his post at the cave entrance, slicing at the demons once more. When the other had walked away, Xie Lian felt a piece of himself being ripped apart. He wanted to beg the other to come back. To keep touching him. To light the fire starter again and look at the prince. There were a million wants that flooded the prince’s mind like an ichor.

Minutes of this torment passed, and the prince's body twisted and turned, squirming against the cold stone that scratched at his back. He felt tears begin to line his eyes as everything that rubbed against his sensitive skin overwhelmed him. Without the sword, he could not use bloodletting to release the mania that was building in his veins.

Amber eyes looked to the silhouette standing guard, only to meet the other’s gaze. The soldier quickly snapped his eye away and back towards the demons, but Xie Lian had caught it. He suddenly realised that the moonlight from the entrance illuminated a small portion of his body, specifically his exposed upper half. When the younger man glanced back at Xie Lian again, the prince was able to tell he was staring at Xie Lian’s breasts. Every time he looked back, he would force his eye closed with a pinched expression before turning away and swinging violently at the teasing demons.

Clearly he was interested, right? Xie Lian could not recall the other being poisoned, so he interpreted the other man’s actions as his own free will. The wandering hands, the groping, the sneaking glances – he had been mapping out the prince’s body. For what other reason could he have done that?

The prince took a moment more to study the silhouette of the other. When they had first met that night, Xie Lian had been shocked at just how tall the younger man was. Now that he was lying against the cave wall, the soldier looked even taller. His shoulders were broadening from his training, but not quite the width of a full-grown man. His black hair was tied in a half-up do. Xie Lian stared at the bandages wrapped around the right side of the other’s head and found himself reaching up for them. He didn’t know if it was simply curiosity towards the other’s appearance or out of worry and care for a possible injury, as the other had claimed; either way, he wanted them gone.

Inexorably, Xie Lian found himself drawn to the other. Curiosity, attraction, care, he didn’t quite know which one was at the precipice of his thoughts – possibly all three. For some reason, he knew the other was safe, that he could be trusted with Xie Lian’s fogged mind and pliant body.

With determination in his movements, Xie Lian crawled towards the cave entrance. His robes slipped further open and into disarray, and the prince aided their discardment with stumbling hands. What was left of Xie Lian’s modesty was laid on the cave floor right as he found himself in the other’s shadow. His white robes were on the ground, his only protection from the dirt beneath, but that mattered little compared to the young man before him. They were separated by the ward Xie Lian had created earlier. He now scorned it, as it stood in his way of reaching out for the other.

“Oh! Has our pretty prince finally decided to come play?” A demon laughed out. “So lewd for you to be revealing yourself to us like this, Your Highness!” The way they said his title was mocking, attempting to obtain a reaction from the prince.

Their high-pitched squeals were distasteful, but Xie Lian blocked them out as he looked at the other. The soldier’s shoulders were stiff, and his gaze remained forward as if with all his willpower, he refused to turn around and look. Almost as if he would not allow himself.

Why not? Xie Lian questioned. He was on his hands and knees, completely bare. Xie Lian could vividly remember how those groping hands had felt, the heated weight of the other’s eye on his breasts. The other’s refusal to look hurt the prince. Xie Lian was exposing himself to the other, in hopes of being soothed, cared for – and the other wasn’t looking. His vulnerability was a sign of his trust, no? That it was okay?

With tears lining his eyes, Xie Lian’s head began to bow in shame. He questioned his reasoning and sudden willingness to abandon his cultivation. He could feel the wetness from his throbbing pussy trail down his inner thighs to stain the dirtied robes beneath his form. His abdomen tightened as another wave of heat coursed through him, and the prince sobbed out a pathetic moan.

“… Your Highness?” The younger man’s voice was heavy with disbelief as if he could not picture a world in which Xie Lian would sound like that right behind him.

Xie Lian’s arms were shaking with the effort to hold himself up, a surprise to the martial god. Lethargically, he leaned back to sit on his heels, only to fall onto his back as he swayed unsteadily. A pained whimper escaped him when pain shot through his elbows.

Turning slightly, but still not allowing himself to completely turn, a more frantic call came from the other, “Your Highness, are you okay?”

“I-I’m…” His words were cut off by the sharp intake of breath his body reflexively gave when he looked up. The younger man was standing before him, just like before, but now his silhouette was framed by Xie Lian’s spread legs, bent at the knees and feet flat on the ground.

That did something to Xie Lian’s racing mind. He couldn’t help but think, That’s who belongs there. It was bizarre how comfortable he felt with the other, but he knew the other’s intentions were nothing like the taunting demons that hunted him. The swift questioning about Xie Lian’s well-being only affirmed the prince’s judgement.

Lying flat, Xie Lian instinctively widened the gap between his knees. Nervously, he brought his right hand to his chest and cupped himself, guided by the flower’s poison invading his mind. His shoulders tensed for a moment, and an unsatisfied whimper was let out. It felt nothing like when the other had touched him. Frustrated, Xie Lian’s hand quickly abandoned his breast and moved down to rest on his lower abdomen. He hesitated on trailing further. He had spent his entire life cultivating; his chastity wasn’t something he could just give up, and truthfully, Xie Lian was scared to go any further.

Another wave of lust rushed through his body with a vengeance, forcing the prince’s expression to become pinched. Xie Lian’s entrance let more slick escape as if taunting him. His clit throbbed and ached for something the prince was unsure of. He never touched himself other than to clean - he didn’t know how to pleasure himself properly. Those thoughts caused the prince to look at the other with pleading eyes. As his fingertips came into contact with his desperate clit, Xie Lian sobbed out, “I’m n-not.”

The feeling was electric. His back arched up and his fingers pressed down onto his clit, causing a rush of sensations to make themselves known in his core. His entrance twitched with need, his belly tightened, but most of all, his fingers became drenched. Xie Lian’s clumsy fingers rubbed at his clit, causing his body to continue squirming, he let out small gasps and tiny moans all the while.

The soldier clenched his hands tightly around the sword’s handle as he listened to the prince behind him explore himself. He took several deep breaths to try to remain focused on standing guard.

Listening to the wanton moans of Xie Lian, many demons became excited. They called out for the prince, complimenting him on the lovely sounds he was making. They pushed for him to come out, show himself to them and stop hiding behind the younger man.

“Little Gege, you aren’t even interested in the sight behind you?” One taunted.

“Shut up.” The soldier gritted out.

They laughed, “Get out of the way then! If you won’t please him, we certainly will!”

Lost in his world of sybaritism, the prince’s mouth couldn’t stay closed as he panted and moaned at all the pleasure he was feeling. His fingers moved faster, and his hips chased them. Golden amber eyes rolled back as he slid his fingers down to touch his drooling entrance. The lewd sound of his fingers sliding through slick folds was loud. Even the laughing demons could not restrain the sound. With a bold move, Xie Lian mustered up the courage to tentatively push a finger into himself, releasing a gasping moan at the sensation.

The soldier tensed again before muttering, “Your Highness, forgive me.” With that final piece of restraint thrown to the wind, he turned around and took in the most wondrous sight. Before him, Xie Lian lay bare, spread out, and needy. That obsidian eye raked across what little he could see in the dark. He stared, transfixed, at the hand curiously exploring the hidden flower blossoming between the prince’s legs.

Xie Lian felt a rush flood his racing veins. His body arced in an amateur’s attempt at seduction. His mind begged him to entice the other to his side, to be touched and to touch. He wondered if the other ached just as he did.

Quickly, he found an answer as the soldier stabbed the sword into the ground and moved to palm his throbbing erection through his pants. A stuttered breath came from the younger as he ground his hand against his clothed cock. His eye was wide as he took in Xie Lian’s clumsy exploration. A look of pure disbelief flitted across his face for a moment.

Spurred on by the other’s attention, Xie Lian’s finger sank deeper into himself, pushing in and out slightly. His other hand came back to his tits and groped them with frenzied movements, letting the poisoned heat control his movements. His finger slipped out of his cunt and returned to stroke his throbbing clit. He moaned out in a broken voice for the other.

The two were hyper-focused on each other, refusing to acknowledge the taunts of the demons at the cave entrance. The world seemed to melt away around them. Heated air and tension stood between them.

Xie Lian’s eyes glanced down at the other’s hand before darting back up to his face. He bit his lip to restrain a plea that wanted to make itself known. He wanted to see the other’s need.

Understanding the prince’s wordless desire, the soldier pushed his pants down and freed his hard cock. He hissed at the cold cave air caressing his erection. After spitting in his hand, he quickly wrapped a hand around his girth and stroked himself to the sight of the spread-out prince. “Your Highness…” He whispered, his voice carrying a sense of awe.

Xie Lian whimpered. His fingers could not decide where felt best. He wanted to continue petting his clit, but his entrance kept drooling and begging for his fingers to return. Abandoning his clit, two fingers slid through his folds once more and pushed into his pussy. He whined at the stretch. His walls clung to his fingers, hot and absolutely soaked. Xie Lian began to slowly drag his fingers out before pushing them back in. He repeated the motion and picked up a rhythm, learning how to finger himself, all under the watchful gaze of the other.

Groaning, his soldier kneeled, still furiously stroking himself. He inched his way closer to the ward line until his knees were touching it. “Your body was painted in a beauty that even the heavens would shudder in envy.”

The younger man clearly ached to taste the naked form his eyes had devoured.

Driven by that thought, Xie Lian dragged his soaked fingers out of his body and lifted them towards the other’s face. The sticky wetness coated them and his hand, threatening to spill down his arm.

Another groan, and the younger man leaned past the ward line, inching between the prince’s spread legs. He bent down and seized the wrist of the god with a force that surprised Xie Lian. He brought the soaked fingers to his lips, taking in the sweet scent of his prince before taking them into his mouth and inviting them in. Moaning, his tongue obsessively chased every drop of slick that covered them. He dipped between the fingers before pulling them out of his mouth, giving one last harsh suck as they left. He shocked Xie Lian when his tongue swiped across the remnants on the prince’s palm.

Possessed, Xie Lian ripped his wrist from the other’s grasp and shoved the now spit-soaked fingers back into his cunt. His prior gentle exploration was lost in favour of heated speed. His fingers fucked into his entrance far more aggressively than warranted but something in him became desperate to put a piece of the other inside. From what little he knew of sex, he knew his cultivation would be broken if the large, pulsating length of the other was pushed inside. To save himself, he would have to settle for this.

With glorious rapture in his voice, the other sighed, “Your Highness, you taste divine.”

An agonising throb racked through the prince’s body at the praise. He whined, and his hips pushed up and towards the other. He could feel his core tightening further. Something was building within him quickly, and he didn’t know what it was. It was frightening, and yet, he coveted it nonetheless. He wanted whatever peak he was about to be thrown over. His mind clawed in bliss, preening at the knowledge that while his seduction was amateur at best, his body had won over such a wonderful man.

“I-“ The soldier started. He grew hesitant for a moment before continuing, “I want to drown myself in you. I never want to forget your flavour, Your Highness.” His hand stroked frantically, his hips jerked as his orgasm neared. “I’m close, are you?”

“C-close?”

“I’m so close. I’ll give it all to you.” The soldier assured.

Xie Lian didn’t know what ‘it’ was but found himself pleading for it nonetheless. “I w-want it.”

The god’s words pushed the soldier over the edge and cum erupted from his cock, spilling onto the pliant body before him. Xie Lian’s abdomen and chest are the first to be christened, but a crazed part of the soldier urged him to aim towards the flushed vulva of the prince, and he obeyed.

Xie Lian’s fingers became drenched in thick cum and a spark in his mind was ignited. He didn’t stop fucking his fingers into himself, if anything, he pushed them even deeper. His fingers abandoned his pussy only long enough to scoop up more of the soldier’s cum before he fucked them back inside. His other hand glided through the mess on his chest. He smeared the sticky mess into his skin for a moment before locking eyes with the breathless other. Xie Lian pushed cum soaked fingers into his mouth and his eyes rolled back as pleasure took over his entire body. His fingers which had been inside his clenching walls were pushed out and he pinched his clit in his desperation for stimulation. It’s all too much. His hips arched up towards the other’s cock, which was dangerously close to Xie Lian’s precious chastity, and the prince found himself squirting at the salty taste of the cum in his mouth.

The soldier’s still-hard cock gave an aggressive twitch when some of the prince’s squirt landed on his heated flesh. He moved to hover over the prince, intent on pressing himself flush with the other, when a distracting voice came from behind. “Your Highness-”

“What a show! What a show!” A demon cheered.

Another answered, “If we can’t have the prince’s virginity, wouldn’t it be best if our little Gege did?” Many laughing voices increased in volume at the proposition.

Xie Lian was still overwhelmed by his first orgasm, but he refocused on the man before him, and he could see a mix of emotions passing over the other’s face. When it settled on rage, Xie Lian found himself swept up in the soldier’s arms, held in a bridal carry with his dirtied white robes clenched in his hand. Xie Lian’s skin was pressed against the other’s armour, and it was overstimulating. He pulled at it, trying to take it off as the younger carried him further into the cave, away from the prying eyes of the demons.

When the white robe was laid out again, Xie Lian found himself being gently set down, and the other pulled away, despite his insistent tugging. He could not see in the complete darkness, and he didn’t like it. “Don’t leave me,” he whispered.

“I’m not going anywhere, Your Highness.” As he spoke, sparks from the fire starter flashed through the pitch black. “I didn’t want vermin to see you like that.” He continued to strike the fire starter until a flame was made.

Once more, before him was the stretched-out form of the prince, except now illuminated by the warm light of the fire. Xie Lian’s unblemished skin still had remnants of the soldier’s seed tracked across his chest, and his thighs had lingering trails of slick. His hair was in total disarray, and his bangs clung to his forehead due to sweat. A true mess, something almost irredeemable for a crown prince.

Xie Lian’s breath caught when he saw the expression on the soldier’s face. For a moment, it was like when his mask came off during the Shang Yuan parade. A young boy looked at him with wonder in his eye that mirrored the man above him.

Xie Lian felt seen. He felt like he was more than a crown prince, or even a martial god. He felt like he was the object of desire that this man had been looking for his whole life. And with a startling revelation, Xie Lian realised that he wanted to be that. He spread his legs welcomingly and felt slick escape his body once more when those eyes turned from fascination to a new emotion Xie Lian didn’t even know existed. Something that matched the heat and pushed rational thought from his mind, something equally hungry and primal.

Libidinous urges corrupted the prince once more. His hands drifted across his flushed skin, burning with every desire. Xie Lian watched the other place the makeshift torch not too far from the pair, and he then made quick work of what remained of his armour, eye never straying from his beloved prince. Xie Lian welcomed the other back between his legs, assuming they would resume their mutual pleasure through masturbation, just as before. He mirrored the other, moving to touch his clit again, fixated on the younger’s large hand that went to take hold of his throbbing length. The soldier did not stop to stroke himself, though. He pressed forward, allowing the thick glans of his cock to kiss Xie Lian’s plump outer lips, spreading them apart. Xie Lian’s legs were pushed down as the other moved dangerously forward. His body contorted with pleasure, giving into the way the younger folded him in half and relishing the slick glide of his cock between XIe Lian’s folds.

When the blunt head of the soldier’s cock kissed his entrance, Xie Lian quickly moved his right foot to push the other’s chest away. “No!” He cried out.

The younger stopped pressing forward, allowing himself to move slightly back by the force of Xie Lian’s right foot. He looked to the god with a questioning gaze. “Your Highness, I promise I won’t hurt you.” His hand not holding his cock moved to hold Xie Lian’s ankle, caressing the bone with his thumb. “I’ve overheard other soldiers talk about their wives. I assure you, I would do my best to not cause you harm.”

“I-It’s not that.” Xie Lian reassured. The fog was returning, questioning why he would stop the other from soothing him. “My cultivation… I must remain a virgin. I-I can’t.” Frustrated tears lined his eyes. Agony plagued his body and mind. For a brief moment, Xie Lian considered throwing it all away. That moment was interrupted by the crestfallen look the other gave him.

Their breaths echoed against the stone walls that hid them away. The soldier did not speak up for a few moments. His thumb continued to rub at the ankle of his prince for just a bit longer before he replied, frustration underlining his tone, “I understand, Your Highness.” His hand drifted from Xie Lian’s ankle to wrap around the prince’s foot, bringing it up to his face. “Allow us this, then.”

Xie Lian could not believe his eyes as he watched the other stare at the soft underside of his foot with adoration. He almost didn’t feel the fleeting kiss the soldier planted where his gaze was. His other leg was seized and lifted to join the other, entrapping the throbbing erection against his soaked cunt. The prince’s head was thrown back as the younger man thrust into the plush softness between them.

Every thought in his mind was rewired as his clit dragged against the heated weight. His thighs squeezed together in an attempt to soothe his needy cunt, creating an even tighter space for the other to fuck into.

Thin lips wrapped around the big toe of his right foot, giving the flesh a suck before popping off and pressing heated kisses to the rest. As the soldier licked, following the arch of his foot, Xie Lian pressed his hips up to meet the other’s thrusts. Fervent kisses trailed from his foot to his calf before the prince’s legs were thrown over the soldier’s shoulder. The speed at which the younger was thrusting sped up as he chased pleasure in the paradise the prince offered freely.

Xie Lian’s high-pitched whines echoed loudly off the cave walls. He could not stop watching the other kiss every part of his body that he could reach. He could feel the heavy weight of the soldier’s balls smacking against his milky ass, the intimidating length parting his plump folds – demanding pleasure from Xie Lian’s virgin body.

“M-more,” The prince brokenly whispered.

Resolute, the soldier leaned over the prince and pressed themselves closer. The tops of Xie Lian’s thighs met his chest. The mortal had the god beneath him, folded in half, incapable of stopping him should he decide to take what was left of his innocence. His lips descended onto the prince’s chest, kissing the bouncing flesh. When he graced his prince’s areola and heard the delightful moan the god gave, he moved to take the nipple into his mouth and sucked.

Xie Lian’s eyes rolled back, and he arched his back, pressing his breast further into the other’s face. His arms lethargically wrapped around the broad width of the soldier’s shoulders, and his fingers dug into the muscled back. A large, calloused hand returned to its place on the prince’s neglected tit, groping and squeezing. He let out a sharp cry and tried to meet the rutting hips that pressed him down.

Suddenly, the deepening voice of the younger sounded in his head, “May my actions bless him with the most pleasurable peak… May he remember me on the nights that he explores himself again…”

Xie Lian was startled for a moment. His mind swiftly became overwhelmed with the other’s wants. Another’s desires flooded him. It was the whispers of prayer that Xie Lian had grown used to as a god, something he typically blocked out. His cunt ached when he realised what that meant.

The man above him, touching him, was praying. With an electrified shock of pleasure, Xie Lian felt his clit pulse as he abruptly came again, soaking the cock fucking against his overstimulated pussy. His nails raked across the other’s back in a desperate attempt to somehow pull him even closer.

The prince whined at the overstimulation, heat still thrumming in his veins but suppressed momentarily. His wet eyes blinked open and he looked up at the other.

The soldier had let go of Xie Lian’s sore nipple. He supported himself on one elbow, while his free hand traced blasphemous lust across the prince’s body. His head was bowed slightly, with his eye raked over Xie Lian’s form. His bandages had become slightly loosened by his frenzied movements of their pseudo-fucking.

Xie Lian’s hands moved from their hold on the other’s back to his head, directing him to meet the prince’s gaze. Xie Lian weaved his fingers through the wrappings and removed them as their eyes met. The younger tried to turn the right side of his face into the shadows, but found no strength to fight when the prince dragged him back to meet his gaze. Xie Lian’s breath took a sharp intake when he saw that hidden side. The other was truly handsome, but that was second, as Xie Lian felt he was looking right at the most marvellous colour imaginable.

The blood red of the most perfect maple leaf.

It was no match for the obsidian eye, but it was perfect for the soldier. Xie Lian’s hands drifted from the other’s face to settle on his shoulders. Their eyes remained locked as the soldier leaned back, holding Xie Lian’s ankles and spreading the prince’s legs. He slowed his pace and dragged his cock through soaked folds. That hunger from before had returned to his expression. Those eyes moved to rake across the blessed divinity of the prince. His cock pulsed against Xie Lian, and he felt the other man trying to hold back.

Xie Lian did not want him to restrain himself anymore, so long as he kept his word and did not tarnish the prince’s purity, he would gladly give him this. He had made the prince feel immeasurable pleasure and continued to do so with heat in his eyes. Compelled, Xie Lian spoke, "It's okay.” His hands tightened their grip on the other. “Defile your god."

Mixed-matched eyes shot up to meet the god’s. With no hesitation, the soldier took hold of his cock and once more pressed his glans to Xie Lian’s entrance, and yet he didn’t push in – still restraining himself from ruining his god’s trust. Furiously, he stroked himself, turning his cheek to Xie Lian’s right calf and biting into it.

When his cum began to fill the clenching walls, they both cried out in pleasure, and Xie Lian found himself also orgasm at the sensation. Finally, the emotion he saw on the soldier’s face was given a name in Xie Lian’s mind.

Carnal reverence. The pinnacle of desire for a mortal and a god.

Wasting no time, Xie Lian found himself manoeuvred onto his front. Lips trailed up the backs of his legs, over the swell of his ass, before a hot tongue dragged across the ridges of his spine. Teeth dragged across his nape as his waist was squeezed.

“I would map out the stars in the heavens if it meant I could know you.” The soldier prayed.

Xie Lian had always known he was beautiful. He had been adorned with compliments from the time that he was a young boy, but it had come to a point that those words had lost meaning. This was different. The hands and lips caressing his body in worship felt divine, and for the first moment in his life, Xie Lian felt beautiful. He could hear the desires of the other as his body was kissed and caressed, memorised. His body was becoming a monument, carved out by the hands of his lover. He knew that no matter how many centuries he would endure, this man had become eternal for him.

Less restrained, the soldier allowed himself to mark his god’s flesh. Love bites were scattered across the pale slope of Xie Lian’s neck. His hand wrapped around the slim waist and squeezed once more. He crawled on top of the prince, crushing him beneath his weight. His hands adjusted their grip before he pulled the prince’s lower half up to meet his own. The younger man’s thighs entrapped Xie Lian’s, forcing them together, creating a tight space in between them once more. He waited for his prince’s comfort, and then he slid his cock between the soft fat and resumed his prior motions.

Xie Lian’s mind melted from the poisonous heat, the vile pleasure. It was all too much for the virgin prince. With no energy left in his body, he surrendered to the other, allowing him to take control. Xie Lian let himself lay there, malleable, soaking in the drag of his lover’s cock between his thighs. Though his body felt the shocks of overstimulation, he tried his best to keep from squirming. His mind sang in rapture, the lust was slowly becoming more satiated and yet it still craved more. When a large, calloused hand drifted from the prince’s waist to knead the soft fat of his ass, the god’s head swam.

“So soft,” the other whispered, enamoured.

At the praise, Xie Lian’s thighs pressed together even more, receiving a guttural moan in response.

“J-just like that, Your Highness.”

Encouraged, Xie Lian attempted to keep his legs tight around the pulsating length grinding against his most vulnerable parts. The delicious wet drag marked them both in sin. Xie Lian could not restrain himself as he begged the other to touch him, to know him.

And he did. The soldier’s hands could not stop wandering over the porcelain heat trapped beneath his body. The rough way his hands wrapped around the slim waist of the prince would surely bruise him. His body was claiming Xie Lian’s. His large hand threaded through the messy locs of his prince, gripping them to keep the prince steady as he fucked harshly against Xie Lian’s sensitive pussy.

Drool escaped the prince’s open mouth. Xie Lian’s voice continued to break as he made wanton moans. His body was forced into a loop of continuous orgasms as the soldier gave him no rest. Everything was becoming a blur, his eyes hooded, and his mind was dazed.

“P-please…” Xie Lian cried out - for what, he did not know. He felt the weight of the other’s cockhead press against his cum-filled entrance before flooding him with even more. As the excess spilt from his twitching cunt, the electrifying shock of another orgasm ransacked his body. His body squirmed and spasmed as the last of the poisonous aphrodisiac slipped from his mind.

His body collapsed, completely lax and with no remaining effort left to hold a proper posture. Xie Lian was guided to lie on his side as his body desperately panted for air. He gasped and writhed as his sensitive skin was caressed. Exhaustion was settling throughout his form as the tormented heat vanished.

“-So good, Your Highness.”

Xie Lian’s blurred mind could only faintly hear these words. He felt his head swimming in the aftershocks of brutal pleasure. When he felt the sweat that clung to his skin, he whined in discontent. He was filthy.

As if picking up on the prince’s discomfort, the soldier’s soft length slid from between Xie Lian’s legs. When Xie Lian remained unsettled, he asked, “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

Incoherent mumbling came from the god. Xie Lian lay there for a minute more, aimlessly wiping himself and being overstimulated by his hands. It was as if his body could not fully recognise that the poison was absent from his body now. The love bites the younger had marked his body with earlier were beginning to throb and ache every time he passed over them.

Realising Xie Lian’s wishes, the soldier took hold of those clumsy hands. His right hand seized the wrists of his beloved and held his body still with his left. “Let me,” he said sternly.

Xie Lian gave a small nod and closed his eyes. In the pitch-black, his body focused on the sensation of the wet drag of the other’s tongue across his body, bathing him like a baser animal would. Across his legs, down to his feet once more, and back up to his sticky stomach. Everywhere. While a heat did build in his core once more, it was more out of the revelation that he was adored in such a way.

This cleaning was only rudimentary, but left Xie Lian feeling even more marked than before. He was completely covered in the essence of the other. He loved how the other took care not to rile the prince up. Slowly, his larger form crawled on top of the prince, settling like a weighted blanket, grounding Xie Lian. The prince freed his hands and wrapped his arms around the other’s broad shoulders, holding him close. He could feel the thin lips of the other sucking another mark on his neck as his calloused hands pet the soft give of Xie Lian’s waist.

Xie Lian allowed himself this moment. He basked in the other’s arms. This momentary bliss melted the stress of the war, the climbing anxiety of failing his people, the fear of failing his parents, and his role as a deity. The terror the white-masked figure had struck in him earlier was forgotten in this time spent underneath the soldier.

Minutes passed, and the light from the fire starter began to threaten to fade.

Curtain call on this brief escape.

With great effort, Xie Lian forced himself to push the other away, immediately mourning the loss of his warmth. Quickly, he explained, “I have to get back. Qi Rong would have told them by now, and I don’t want to worry them.”

The soldier’s face became pinched when Qi Rong was mentioned, but he simply bowed his head before muttering, “I understand, Your Highness.”

They departed from each other’s bodies to dress themselves once more. Xie Lian could not stop himself from staring at the bandages that wrapped around the younger’s face again, covering that gorgeous red eye. He wanted to ask why the other hid it, but restrained himself, focusing on his own state of disorder.

Xie Lian’s robes were ruined, covered in their mixed pleasure and dirt from the cave floor. He would have no choice but to burn them when he returned to the palace, or else he’d meet the wrath of Mu Qing’s displeasure. The state of his robes made him question his own. Xie Lian could still feel the soldier’s spend spilling from his body and the mess of his hair. A real bath was in order, otherwise, there was no other way he’d be able to keep the facade that nothing happened tonight.

“Your Highness, do you need help?”

“N-no!” Xie Lian quickly felt a flush burn in his cheeks, realising the other was watching him dress. “I was just thinking that a bath would be nice. I can’t return to the palace like this.”

The soldier kept his gaze on Xie Lian as the prince loosely tied his sash around his waist. He then reached out a hand to help the god stand for the first time in what felt like hours.

Instead of pulling his hand away, Xie Lian allowed himself to be guided through the winding cave, tightly holding onto the other. As they grew closer to the wards, Xie Lian had expected the taunting voices of the demons to return, but there was only silence. Once they reached the entrance, they were both surprised to see the remains of the demons littering the ground at the cave's mouth. Their bodies were turned into shredded plant material, unrecognisable from the humanoid forms they attempted to seduce the two with.

Xie Lian looked at the bodies and knew they were a clear sign that reinforcements had been sent. Most likely Feng Xin and Mu Qing, he thought. He could see footprints scattered about in the dirt, leading away from the cave entrance.

Their grasp broke off as the barrier separated the two once more. The soldier stepped over the ward line and reclaimed the sword he had abandoned earlier. Quickly, he dragged his shoe through the ward, dismantling it. He turned and removed the barrier between Xie Lian and himself, taking his god’s hand back into his hold and guiding Xie Lian through the forest. “I know of a stream nearby, Your Highness.”

They weaved their way through the forest. Unlike before, Xie Lian followed this time. His body was feeling lethargic. Embarrassment was starting to set in, and the flush from earlier persisted longer than he expected. He kept his eyes trained on the younger man’s back. Xie Lian had never been so vulnerable with another before, yet remarkably, this stranger felt so trustworthy. His skill with the sword proved him capable; with a sabre, he would prove himself even more so. His clear devotion to the prince made him loyal. Xie Lian felt a sense of longing bite at his heart. He tightened his grip on the other’s hand, never wanting to let go.

The tree line cleared into a small riverbank. The waters were low and almost stagnant.

“I will stand guard, Your Highness.”

Shyly, Xie Lian bowed his head and gave a small nod. There was a spark of disappointment in his core when he heard those words. The other man needed to bathe too, right? He could join the prince. There was no way he would return to his station reeking of their rendezvous, else others would know. Or at least, that is what Xie Lian tried to reason with himself.

The prince stepped to the water, anticipating the freezing embrace it would offer. He shed his ruined robes and placed them at the water’s edge. No heat remained in his body as he dipped into the cold stream. Shivers ran up his body, and Xie Lian was reminded of how little his divine form could protect him from. Xie Lian stepped further into the water, whimpering when the icy temperatures kissed his sensitive skin, forcing himself to attempt adjustment.

“Your Highness?” The soldier called out.

“I’m okay,” Xie Lian affirmed, although his teeth were already chattering. “It’s just cold.”

Clumsy swipes of cold water on his flesh were almost too much. Xie Lian winced every time he passed over the numerous love bites that marked his skin. Using the moonlight, he could see the faint bruises the other had left on his waist. Compelled, Xie Lian found himself pressing down on those marks, silently relishing in the dull ache they provided. A reminder that this wasn’t some fantasy his mind had conjured. He could feel his entrance leaking the soldier’s seed into the waters, but he knew he would have to clean himself out to remove it all. A deep part of his mind mourned the loss.

Xie Lian reached between his legs and tentatively touched himself. His body jumped in the shock of overstimulation. Once again, Xie Lian’s fingers were causing him nothing but distress. He looked to the river’s edge where the younger man stood guard. Tears of frustration built up again. Xie Lian was a god, a crowned prince, yet he could barely clean himself without crying out like a wounded animal. He closed his eyes and dipped a finger into his entrance, hissing as it sank further in.

Stuttering breaths sang in the night, accompanied by the chittering of the forest’s nocturnal inhabitants and the brushing of tree leaves against themselves. The god tried his best to clean himself, but every time he pressed back in, he cried out. When Xie Lian looked at his soldier again, he was being watched. As Xie Lian removed his finger, he sobbed out.

Without a prompt, the other man waded into the water, soaking his armour and boots. “Let me, Your Highness.” He did not wait for the prince to welcome him into his arms. He took hold of Xie Lian’s slender waist and turned him away, pressing his front to the prince’s bare back.

Xie Lian melted into the man behind him. It made no sense. His own flesh was causing him to be overwhelmed, and yet, the cold armour of the other didn’t. Perhaps, it was just that the other man was exactly what Xie Lian needed. When he felt those thin lips leave soft kisses on his nape and shoulders again, he allowed his mind to shut off and closed his eyes.

Large hands trailed across his body once more, however, this time was different. Before, Xie Lian was desperate - he wasn’t fully aware. Now, he had no excuse. The way his body pushed back against the other, the way he tilted his head to allow for more access - he relished in this adoration, this love. When two fingers slid through his slick folds, his hips pushed into them and he spread his legs slightly to welcome them.

“I’ve got you.”

Those fingers gently pressed into Xie Lian, coaxing the leftover spend to spill from the prince. He stroked the pulsing walls gently, guiding Xie Lian to another release. Despite not having time and the threat of being caught, they both submitted to the ecstasy of the moment. The soldier’s unoccupied hand moved up to grope his breasts, massaging them before toying with the hard nipple that pressed into his palm.

Another moan sobbed out of Xie Lian’s open mouth. The prince pressed his head to nuzzle against the other’s. One of his hands clung to the wrist of the hand that was rubbing against his clit and fingering him, sending sparks up his spine. His other hand reached back to thread through the messy locs of the other, pulling him impossibly closer. Their breaths mixed dangerously. Their hips moved in a synchronised dance to bring more pleasure for them both.

Emboldened momentarily, the younger turned his head and pressed a fleeting kiss on his cheek. It was sweet, contrasting with the sacrilegious worship he adorned Xie Lian with. The last of the other’s spend had been removed from Xie Lian, but those hands didn’t leave his body. He returned to groping Xie Lian’s chest. His hips pressed harder against the plump backside of his god. His fingers sped up their motions suddenly, causing Xie Lian to twitch in his arms, with nowhere to escape.

Not that Xie Lian would want to. His mind was being overwritten with true pleasure. This wasn’t a poison ransacking him. The man behind him wasn’t a demon, intent on ruining his chastity. The man behind him adored Xie Lian, which brought the prince a different kind of pleasure.

Curiosity got the better of the prince when he sighed out, “H-have you ever thought of me l-like this?”

The taller man hid in the crevice of Xie Lian’s neck and shoulder in shame. The answer was clear from the way his body was drawn to the prince. How he had felt the prince up earlier in the cave, his eye eagerly drinking up any glimpse, the lack of restraint that only someone next to the thing they covet most could match.

“Please - I-I just want to know.” Xie Lian tried to reassure him, pressing into his hands and moaning invitingly in his ear. Xie Lian didn’t quite know why he suddenly felt such a need to know. It might have been due to the way the younger made him feel. That it was okay to be wanted in such a way. To want someone, to want him.

Hesitation gripped the other man for a moment longer. Finally, he lifted his head and confessed, “I have, Your Highness.” His thumb swept over Xie Lian’s throbbing clit, rubbing circles and pressing down. “I-,” he continued, “I have listened to the other soldiers speak of their wives and sometimes, the women at the brothels they visit.” His voice dropped lower, there was a slight edge - a shameful desperation. “Your Highness, forgive this one. I do not think of women in brothels. In the night, when I think of a wife, I think of you.”

Wife. Xie Lian thought deliriously. The title caused his racing heart to thrum in his ears. His blood pounded in his veins.

“I knew of Your Highness’s unique body - that you were born like this. It is shameful to admit that I envisioned you in such a way.”

“N-no…”

“No?” His hands slowed their motions at the word.

Xie Lian pressed himself against the other, flexing his hands to encourage him to continue. “It’s okay… If it’s you, it’s okay.”

There was a sharp inhale then, teeth biting down on the prince’s nape. Those fingers curled and pressed into the god’s G-spot, causing his abdomen to tighten. They fucked into him harshly. The fingers which toyed with his chest became merciless.

Crying out, Xie Lian did not know what to do anymore. He had no control over his body as he was sent into wave after wave of pleasure. He felt himself coming, drenching those long fingers in slick. His clit twitched in synchrony with his entrance. The hand on his chest moved to grip his waist, and those hips thrust against him a few more times before he heard the stuttering sigh of the other, as he met his orgasm too.

The prince sagged into the other’s arms, no energy left. He distantly felt himself being cleaned once more. His mind floated in the starry sky, his head lolled on the sturdy shoulder behind him. It felt like a dream. He was picked up and held in the other’s arms, taken to the robes he had abandoned earlier. The silk felt nice now, like a blanket, as it was placed on him. He didn’t realise he was now sitting on a rock until the younger man kneeled to tie his sash tight, Xie Lian’s hands resting on his shoulders, desperate to keep some form of contact.

As he sat there, Xie Lian studied the other. He drifted his hands to cup his face, guiding him to make eye contact. Those bandages prohibited the martial god from seeing that stunning red again. His thumb slowly swept under that hidden eye. While he stared, Xie Lian came to the startling realisation, he didn’t know his name. They had done so much - been so intimate. Despite this, he hadn’t asked. He was so used to meeting soldiers and citizens that their names had blurred together. This was different. The man before him was different, more.

“Your Highness?” The soldier softly asked.

Xie Lian smiled gently at him. When he stood, his hands coaxed the other to follow. Xie Lian’s head had to tilt up to keep their gaze locked. His right hand came to rest on the younger’s chest plate, right above his heart. His left hand continued to cup his cheek, noting how the other seemed to press into his palm. “Your name?”

“Huh?” The taller man questioned, seemingly dumbfounded at the question.

“Your name,” Xie Lian affirmed, “I just realised I don’t know it.”

Thin lips parted as he stared at the prince. His expression wore a look of surprise, then hesitation. Finally, he settled on something akin to saddened resignation. “I always assumed Your Highness would not recognise me.”

Now it was Xie Lian’s turn to be confused.

With a steeled look, he continued, “I don’t mind, Your Highness. It’s been a long time since then.” He leaned towards the prince subconsciously, resting his hands on his waist as if it belonged there. “My name is H-”

“Your Highness!” Two distinct voices yelled out, emerging from the tree line.

Out of shock, Xie Lian quickly moved out of the other’s grasp and clutched his hands against his chest. He turned to Mu Qing and Feng Xin, darting his eyes between them.

Feng Xin’s brow was deeply furrowed. His steps were fast as he approached the prince, side-eyeing the taller man by his side. “Your Highness, I’m so glad we found you!”

“We’ve been searching for you - Qi Rong said there were demons,” Mu Qing spoke over him as he came closer. “We found those most indecent creatures, but could not find you.”

“We feared the worst, Your Highness!” Feng Xin continued.

The two took hold of Xie Lian’s shoulders and urged him away from his companion. Xie Lian could only give weak responses as he tried to keep up. Just before they reentered the forest, the prince managed to turn his head to look back at the younger man, abandoned and alone. From that distance, Xie Lian could not decipher his expression, but he could see the way his shoulders had hunched slightly. He desperately wanted to return to the other’s arms and reassure him that what they had wasn’t fleeting.

As Xie Lian started to speak, his attendants continued their fretting actions, pushing him into the tree line and out of sight of his lover. Xie Lian had suffered minor injuries, but he was completely lethargic, causing Feng Xin to carry the prince on his back. The weariness of it all was beginning to take a toll. He had not allowed himself a moment of rest since coming to the Mortal Realm two months ago. Now, he had fought the poison without bloodletting or satiating it properly. He closed his eyes, but all he could see was his soldier.

“Your Highness, who was that man?” Mu Qing asked quietly.

“He was being too familiar with you, Your Highness.”

Xie Lian gave himself a minute to think of a response. Mu Qing and Xie Lian followed a cultivation path that required chastity. Even though the royal court and most of Xianle had come to accept who Xie Lian was, he wondered if they would judge him again for being with a man.

“He protected me,” he finally answered. “He was extremely skilled - probably better suited for a sabre, though.” Xie Lian rolled his head to face Mu Qing before he continued, “Mu Qing, please find out what troop he is a part of and get him settled. I think he could be appointed.”

Mu Qing’s face was undiscernable. His gaze was fixed on the messy visage of his prince.

“Isn’t he too young? He only looked like he could be sixteen or seventeen.” Feng Xin questioned.

“I would be against the rules, I don’t think it would be proper,” Mu Qing advised.

“I’m a god descended into the Mortal Realm, military rules aren’t a concern anymore. He was quite powerful, and I know he’s loyal to me.”

Neither of his attendants said anything to oppose that statement. The crunching of leaves underneath their feet and the night breeze drifting through the trees were lulling Xie Lian into a sweet dream, one where he was being held underneath a canopy of red silks by a nameless man with mismatched eyes.