Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The bright moon shines clear, oblivious to the passage of mortal time, still the same moon as in years past, yet how many generations have come and gone since then.

Murong Jie knew he could not continue. He had always been one to hold back, never wearing his heart on his sleeve. Whether it was pain, hunger, or desire, it was all nothing to him.

But today, he didn't feel like holding back. The ache throbbed painfully, begging for release.

And Lu Yunqi, by now, was already drunk as a skunk, limp as a rag doll, putty in his hands, with no clue what was being done to him.

This was a temptation—one that hooked you, a bottomless pit. If he took one more step, he might fall into that pit and never climb back out.

Murong Jie drew a deep breath, then let out a rare, mocking chuckle, looking down at Lu Yunqi's face and muttering, "Pull back? Why would I? He owes me—let him pay me back with everything the Lu family owns—and with his own body too."

With that, he finally leaned down and kissed Lu Yunqi.

It was the first time he'd ever tried to feel what Lu Yunqi felt. His lips were soft, and he smelled different than before.

In the past, his expressions had been off-putting. Now, he looked soft and pliant, with a faint scent of orchids.

When their lips met, Lu Yunqi let out a soft, unconscious whimper, but offered no further reaction. Instead, he obediently parted his lips, letting Murong Jie have his way inside his mouth.

Never underestimate a man who's been holding back—especially sexually. Once that dam broke, it was nothing short of explosive.

Murong Jie grabbed Lu Yunqi's hands and pinned them on either side of his head, holding tight.

A drunk man was easy to handle—his body just reacted on its own.

When he was fully inside, Lu Yunqi's red lips parted and let out a moan that echoed through the cabin. The little boat drifted along with the rocking of the oars.

But when awake, you don't realize the sky is reflected in the water; the boat is full of clear dreams pressing on the starry river. The moon hides the lotus scent, shrimp dart among the fish, the wind rustles the bamboo, and clouds cover the moon.

The boat drifted to the water's edge without them noticing, but Murong Jie still wasn't satisfied. The drunk Lu Yunqi was just as lost in the moment, and the sounds from inside the cabin got louder—until Murong Jie softly covered his mouth and whispered in his ear, "Keep it down. You're gonna bring people over."

But Lu Yunqi wrapped his arms around Murong Jie's neck and, over the sloshing water, rasped, "I don't care..."

Murong Jie asked, "Are you even drunk?"

When he looked again, the guy had already passed out. Murong Jie, halfway in, halfway out, let out a helpless sigh.

By then, the bright moon had shyly ducked behind the clouds. Murong Jie sat up halfway to fix his clothes, and in the end, he didn't leave the guy alone in the boat. He carried him back to the main estate.

After his indulgence, Murong Jie sank right back into self-loathing. He dumped Lu Yunqi on the bed and went back to his own place. He closed the door and stood with his back to it for a good long while.

It had been wild, sure, and satisfying—but once it was over, all that was left was a hollow feeling.

He cursed himself out for a while, and when he was done, he hung fireflies outside his window. Half an hour later, Xiao Hei snuck into his room, bowed, and said, "Master, what do you need?"

Murong Jie asked, "Anything new going on?"

Xiao Hei thought for a moment, then said, "It's about Lu Yunqi. For some reason, he's taken in over a hundred refugees and put them up in his courtyard. Nobody knows why."

Murong Jie waved a hand. "Tell me something I don't know."

Xiao Hei let out an "oh" and said, "The Yuezhi tribes have fully taken over the Hexi region and captured three more cities from the Great Jin. The elders want to know if you want to keep going."

Murong Jie asked, "How are things over there?"

Xiao Hei replied, "It's manageable, but we're seriously short on grain and supplies."

This problem had always been there. The Yuezhi were fierce fighters, the new recruits Murong Jie had brought in were loyal and brave, and Murong Jie himself was a tactical genius who often won with fewer men or even without a fight—but every city they took came with the same supply shortage.

Times were tough. Regular folks could barely fill their stomachs, let alone an army of ten thousand.

An army runs on its stomach. If they kept pushing forward, the grain they'd burn through was no small matter.

Murong Jie pondered for a moment before instructing, "Tell the elders to hold a temporary ceasefire and defend the cities. I'll handle the grain problem."

Xiao Hei acknowledged and vanished into the night.

The grain issue was urgent, but Murong Jie himself was uncertain. His initial goal was to take the surrounding commanderies of the Jin State, so he could seize their grain stores for his own use.

But to take those commanderies would require a massive force.

As things stood, he had yet to accomplish his great ambition and held no real power. The Yuezhi lands were also a wild frontier—truly a difficult position for Murong Jie.

His brow furrowed slightly, and then his thoughts turned to Lu Yunqi—to what he had said today.

If Lu Yunqi truly wanted to help him, did that mean he could ask?

The moment the thought surfaced, Murong Jie immediately dismissed it. Was he really going to resort to living off a man's support?

No. Absolutely not!

The drunken Lu Yunqi had no idea of the inner turmoil raging in Murong Jie's mind. He slept soundly through the night, and early the next morning, he went straight to find Yuan Pingya.

This time, he had learned his lesson. He didn't go alone—he brought Liu Bao along.

If there was anyone in this world he trusted most, Liu Bao was at the top of the list. Liu Bao had died for him nine lifetimes, and each death had been brutally tragic.

At first, he hadn't understood why Liu Bao would willingly die for an aristocratic master who oppressed him.

Later, he learned that Liu Bao was a death slave from the black market—different from ordinary slaves.

Death slaves were sold to underground gambling dens, forced to fight beasts for their lives. Win, and they earned a meal. Lose, and they became the beasts' dinner.

The original owner had bought him simply because he was entertaining and could amuse him.

Over the years, the original owner had grown accustomed to him and was happy to keep him around.

After Lu Yunqi took over the body, he began to rely on Liu Bao heavily, recognizing his competence and promoting him to steward.

Liu Bao trotted along cheerfully, grinning the moment he saw him. "Young Master, what do you need?"

Lu Yunqi asked, "Are there any remote caves around here? Take me to see one."

Liu Bao was puzzled. "What do you need a cave for, Young Master? Oh, right—I shouldn't ask. There is one—a big cave in the back mountain. I heard it used to be haunted. No one dares go near it."

Lu Yunqi nodded. "Good. That's the one. Take me there."

Liu Bao hesitated. "You really want to go? That place... it's haunted!"

Lu Yunqi tapped Liu Bao's head with his fan. "You little rascal, let me tell you—there's no such thing as ghosts in this world!"

Liu Bao rubbed his head and chuckled. "If the Young Master says there are none, then there are none. Liu Bao will take you there right away."

With that, Liu Bao had someone harness the carriage, while Lu Yunqi brought Yuan Pingya aboard. The three of them rode together toward the cave in the back mountain.

The back mountain was pretty big. The carriage wound its way around, following the mountain path up to the halfway point, where they finally came across a wide-open cave.

Liu Bao led Lu Yunqi inside, saying, "I heard this used to be a mine, but there was a cave-in and a bunch of people died. It's been abandoned since then..."

Lu Yunqi nodded. Liu Bao lit a torch and led him deeper into the mine.

It was Yuan Pingya who was a bit timid. As soon as they entered the mine, a gust of wind echoed through, scaring Yuan Pingya so bad he hid behind Lu Yunqi.

Lu Yunqi: ...

Oh, so this is what they call a "delicate bottom"?

He sighed helplessly and said, "Little Yuan! There are no ghosts in this world. Don't worry, even if there were, I, the young lord, will protect you."

Yuan Pingya was extremely embarrassed. He cleared his throat and said, "No, no, no, young lord. It should be me who protects you."

Lu Yunqi slung an arm around Yuan Pingya's shoulder and gave it a pat, saying, "Relax. It's just a mine, not some demon's den."

The three of them walked a bit further in and spotted a set of tracks up ahead, with an abandoned mine cart on it. Lu Yunqi said, "Come on, let's check it out."

Liu Bao said, "Young lord, hop on. We'll push you."

Lu Yunqi thought that was a good idea. He climbed into the dusty mine cart, not really caring about the grime. Once inside, his two trusted men pushed him forward.

The track creaked and groaned as they went deeper, the cave growing deeper and darker. When they reached the very end, they discovered it was originally a jade mine. The walls were laced with veins of jade, with bits of jade and emerald scattered on the ground.

But it had clearly been abandoned for a long time. There probably wasn't any valuable jade left, which is why it got abandoned.

Lu Yunqi nodded in satisfaction and said, "Perfect, this is the one."

Liu Bao was confused. "Young lord, what do you mean 'this is the one'? What are you going to use this mine for?"

Lu Yunqi raised an eyebrow at him and said, "You two wait here. I'll take you somewhere amazing."

With that, he set up an Anywhere Door on the spot, grabbed both of them by the hands, and stepped through. The next second, the two of them, who'd been in that pitch-black cave, suddenly found themselves on the bright, open Wanping Plain.

After stepping through the Anywhere Door, they both just stood there, stunned.

They watched the busy residents in the distance, listened to the strange tunes they were singing, and saw the lush vegetables growing across the Wanping Plain. For a moment, they thought they had stepped into a paradise.

It wasn't until Lu Yunqi waved his hand in front of their faces that they snapped back to reality. Yuan Pingya was the first to exclaim, "This... this place... is this where the gods live?"

Lu Yunqi pointed into the distance and said, "This is my utopia! Not bad—they've cultivated even more land, and the prosperity level has gone up too. Oh, the rice looks good, and the wheat looks good too. Ha, they've even started raising poultry, and there are cattle as well. Truly impressive."

Lu Yunqi said "impressive" several times in a row. Yuan Pingya was dumbfounded. "It's more than impressive. This... this place is practically an ideal haven for tenant farmers. With all that land, how much grain could it produce?"

Liu Bao also snapped out of it and asked, "Young lord, when... when did you build this u-topia thing?"

Lu Yunqi tapped him on the head and said, "Of course, I did it when you weren't looking. Well, do you like it here?"

Just then, Du Ze walked over to them and asked politely, "Master, if I may ask, are these two workers from your world?"