C88 – Sinister Lover [Slice]
by UntamedSChu Chen’an’s heart thumped.
It was Lan Huai’s voice.
He exhaled carefully, feeling all the cells in his body tense.
The icy kiss lasted for a long time, and the man’s other hand wrapped around his shoulder.
He didn’t dare to move a bit, only praying that this feeling would soon disappear.
However, Lan Huai was still kissing him, from his forehead to his chin, the coldness almost penetrating his body.
“Why did An An take so long to come home?” Lan Huai’s grim voice travelled into Chu Chen’an’s ears, his fingertips rubbing Chu Chen’an’s eyebrows.
Chu Chen’an’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, not daring to answer Lan Huai’s extremely oppressive question.
The night wind was cool, and the melodious sound of the ocarina music echoed for a long time, making the atmosphere more and more bizarre and creepy.
Chu Chen’an closed his eyes tightly. In the darkness, he seemed to only feel Lan Huai’s slow and methodical strokes.
The corner of his lip that was bitten still vaguely hurt, and he felt Lan Huai kiss his neck again.
Suddenly, another pain came from his neck.
Lan Huai lightly bit his neck, rubbing against Chu Chen’an’s ear. “I don’t like An An avoiding me.”
Chu Chen’an was startled.
Immediately after, there was another round of kisses.
Chu Chen’an was shivering.
He was kissed all over, and he gradually fell asleep under the strong fragrance.
……
Chu Chen’an snapped his eyes open; his head was covered with fine sweat, and he sat up with his hand propped on the bed.
He glanced at the window. The sky outside the bamboo window had just dawned, the air was cool and pure, and occasionally there were a few bursts of crisp birdsong from the forest.
He stared blankly at the floor for a few seconds, then his moist peach blossom-like eyes widened, and he pulled at his collar and looked down.
There were red marks all over, the most serious between the two points.
It was only then that Chu Chen’an came to his senses.
It really was Lan Huai last night!
He got up in a panic and went to look at the mahogany sword he had pressed against the bed.
The excellent mahogany had turned into grey-black ash.
He could feel Lan Huai’s anger.
The ocarina that he had thrown outside the corridor was now hanging above his bed, the tassel swinging from time to time with the fine wind, emitting a clear and crisp sound.
Chu Chen’an was looking at the ocarina in dismay when a knock on the door suddenly rang out.
Frightened Chu Chen’an trembled as he moved to open the door.
He Xuesheng stood outside the door; the bags under his eyes was heavy. He looked downcast. “Chen’an, Lao Liang, and the others haven’t been heard from for two days; why don’t we go up the mountain to look for them?”
Chu Chen’an had heard He Xuesheng say that Lao Liang was He Xuesheng’s cousin’s husband, and he came on this trip because he begged Lao Liang to bring him along.
Not being able to contact their family for two days up the mountain would inevitably make anyone worry.
“Okay, I’ll pack up.” Chu Chen’an raised his hand to cover the red marks on the back of his neck.
“Hmm.” He Xuesheng followed Chu Chen’an in and sat down on a rattan chair. He tilted his head and sniffed. “Chen’an, you smell so good, kind of like the smell in that flower field.”
Chu Chen’an’s hand that was packing his backpack paused, then he laughed dryly. “Really, I didn’t pay much attention to it.”
He went into the bathroom to change into a set of clothes: a simple white top and jeans, which made his skin look even more fair; his waist was thin; and he had long legs, making him look younger.
The collar of the shirt was quite long, making it more or less able to cover the little red marks. He put two band-aids to hide the marks that couldn’t be covered above the collar.
He Xuesheng’s occupational disease struck, he shook his head and asked, “Chen’an, can you be my mannequin? Your body structure is simply perfect.”
Chu Chen’an laughed dryly, “Let’s go.”
……
The two of them ran into Lan Xu downstairs, as usual.
Lan Xu’s sitting posture was upright and elegant. He wore a bright purple robe, and his hand held a cup of celadon tea. Even with the hot air blurring his face, it was easy to recognize him.
Chu Chen’an’s footsteps slightly paused, and he met Lan Xu’s gaze.
Lan Xu smiled up at him and said, “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Lan Xu.” He sat down at the table, took a bun, and started nibbling on it. “You got up early.”
Lan Xu nodded flatly at He Xuesheng then he glanced at the backpack behind Chu Chen’an. “Are you guys going somewhere today?”
“Well, we’re planning to go up to Wulan Mountain to look for Old Liang and the others.” He Xuesheng chewed on a steamed bun and responded, explaining, “Oh, Lao Liang is the one who took the camera the other day; he’s my cousin’s husband. I haven’t been able to get in touch with him, so we’re going to look for him.”
Lan Xu understood; he watched as Chu Chen’an put down his backpack and took a sip of congee.
Chu Chen’an’s hemline was over his jeans, making him appear thin, and he had two suspicious band-aids on the back of his neck, with a bit of red markings on his surrounding pale skin that he couldn’t hide.
Lan Xu’s eyes darkened; he naturally knew what they were.
He quickly regained his smile and turned to He Xuesheng, “So do you guys know the way up the mountain?”
He Xuesheng’s movements lurched, and only then did he react, slapping his thigh and looking towards Chu Chen’an. “Right, we don’t know the way.”
Chu Chen’an raised his eyes, and then he met Lan Xu’s dangerous gaze.
“How about…” He Xuesheng tugged on Chu Chen’an’s sleeve and whispered in his ear, “Let Lan Xu show us the way.”
Chu Chen’an glanced at He Xuesheng.
But Lan Xu was, after all, Lan Huai’s younger brother.
Before he could finish thinking about it, He Xuesheng had already taken the lead and asked, “Lan Xu, are you free today? We’re not familiar with this place; can we trouble you to show us the way?”
“Can.” Lan Xu nodded leisurely, propped up his chin, and stared at Chu Chen’an’s moist red lips. “I’m free today.”
Chu Chen’an glanced obliquely at Lan Xu and whispered, “Thank you.”
Chu Chen’an felt that Lan Xu’s gaze was burning, so he lowered his eyes and drank most of the bowl of congee.
His red lips were glistening with water, looking soft and enticing.
Lan Xu salivated over it for a long time.
……
They quickly moved to depart, heading up the road towards the fortress.
Lan Xu stood between the two of them. Chu Chen’an kept his head down and didn’t speak, but He Xuesheng didn’t notice the subtle atmosphere and spoke the entire time.
“Lao Liang said they were going to the secret realm; we can go there first.” He Xuesheng had a blade of grass in his mouth. “Lan Xu, you know the road to the secret realm, right?”
“Hmm.” Lan Xu looked ahead.
Suddenly, Chu Chen’an felt a rush of footsteps coming from his side.
“Clang,” and a few more clangs followed.
A pair of pale hands then violently clutched his legs, and the sudden gravity caused him to tilt to the other side.
Chu Chen’an was startled and looked down to see that the one tugging on him was a young woman in a red dress; her face was haggard and terribly white, and both of her feet were chained.
Just when his centre of gravity was unsteady, Lan Xu on his side wrapped his arm around his shoulders, allowing him to steady himself.
“Be careful.” Lan Xu said to Chu Chen’an.
Chu Chen’an looked at the young woman on the ground, he squatted down to help her, but the woman glared at him hideously and fiercely hugged Chu Chen’an’s neck tightly.
She whispered in Chu Chen’an’s ear, “Run, he is not a good person, there are ghosts under the ground … Run … quickly.”
The woman’s voice was too low, and before Chu Chen’an could hear what she said after, Lan Xu pulled her away from Chu Chen’an.
Lan Xu looked at the red marks on Chu Chen’an’s neck that had been exposed , furrowed his brow slightly, and the haze in his eyes disappeared in an instant.
He helped Chu Chen’an up and asked in a warm voice, “Is everything alright?”
Chu Chen’an timidly looked at Lan Xu and nodded.
Who was the “he” this woman was talking about?
Immediately after, a young foreigner came from behind her.
“Wu Yao, hurry up and take her back.” Lan Xu narrowed his eyes and smiled, but his voice was cold. “It won’t be good if something goes wrong.”
The red-skirted woman hissed, scaring He Xuesheng, only for him to see her crawl a few metres on the ground, she frantically screamed, “No going back, I’m not going back, let go of me! Ah, ah, ah, I don’t want to go back!”
Suddenly, the woman fell on her back.
Her limbs trembled as if she were being controlled, her eyes were dull and empty, and her mouth felt so heavy that she couldn’t shout anymore.
The young man named Wu Yao, dressed in a pale yellow robe, yanked on the red-skirted woman’s arm with one hand and dragged her into his arms as he spoke, “I’m sorry, my wife is having some mental problems, so I’ll take her back now.”
After saying that, Wu Yao picked up the red-skirted woman and walked away.
The red-skirted woman didn’t have any injuries on her body, but there were many ambiguous marks. She didn’t look like a member of the clan here; it looked like she was forced.
Was she abdu-cted? Sold?
But there were quite a few young women in the fortress, and the economic development wasn’t backward; there was no need to buy a foreign woman to marry.
Chu Chen’an was frozen in place for a long time.
He Xuesheng watched them walk away. “She does seem to be emotionally unstable, ah…”
Lan Xu patted the dirt on Chu Chen’an’s shoulder and said, “Let’s keep walking.”
Chu Chen’an nodded. “Okay.”
He was still recalling what the red-skirted woman had just said.
There were ghosts underground; he knew that the last time he came to this copy.
But who was that “he”?
……
They quickly walked up the mountain road, and Lan Xu led them through the dense forest.
The trees in the dense forest were so thick that they couldn’t tell which way to go, so they could only rely on following Lan Xu forward.
A few bursts of gloomy birdsong leaked out from the forest from time to time, making the atmosphere seem depressing and creepy.
After passing through a dense forest, they arrived at the shrubbery, where there were many bright red and beautiful flowers. The air began to fill with a mesmerizing fragrance.
“I can’t… why do I feel like I’m getting dizzy?” He Xuesheng shook his head and walked at the end. “Am I suffering from heatstroke?”
“I have water here,” Chu Chen’an hurriedly handed him the water in his bag and said with concern, “Why don’t we take a rest before we continue?”
Lan Xu watched as Chu Chen’an gave He Xuesheng his own bottle of water, having glanced at the back of Chu Chen’an’s band-aided neck.
His fingertips lightly crushed the green leaves, and a hidden glint flickered in his eyes.
He smiled and said, “Okay, then let’s rest for a while.”
They sat down in front of a patch of wooden mounds.
He Xuesheng drank the water from the bottle in one go, he rubbed his temples wearily, but his mouth still felt dry.
Lan Xu looked at Chu Chen’an and asked, “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Yes, it was okay.” Chu Chen’an nodded, picking up a small wooden stick and poking the ground.
Last night, he was nibbled on by Lan Huai.
Chu Chen’an’s eyelashes were curled, trembling slightly like butterfly wings, causing Lan Xu to stare blankly for a moment.
Lan Xu asked, “Does your back hurt?”
Chu Chen’an shook his head, his voice soft. “No, it was just a mosquito that accidentally entered.”
Lan Xu smiled, his tone flat. “That’s how it is.”
Suddenly, there was a “plop” sound.
He Xuesheng on his side fell directly to the ground, his lips began to visibly turn blue, and he fainted.
Chu Chen’an’s eyes widened in fear as he quickly picked up He Xuesheng and leaned him against a tree stump. “He Xuesheng, what’s wrong with you?”
Lan Xu walked towards him unhurriedly, each step accompanied by a crisp silver bell.
Chu Chen’an inexplicably felt panicked. He turned back to look at Lan Xu and ask, “He, what’s wrong with him?”
Lan Xu smoothed his silver jewellery with his hand and said slowly, “Maybe it’s poisoning.”
“What?” Chu Chen’an gently patted He Xuesheng’s face, but He Xuesheng had long since lost consciousness.
He looked around at the flowers around him; the gusts of fragrance filled his nostrils, and he said in a trembling voice, “Then what should we do? Let’s take him back first.”
As he stood up, he felt his two feet go weak, then he collapsed into Lan Xu’s arms.
His eyes trembled pitifully, and his crimson lips were slightly open.
Lan Xu slowly and methodically stroked the tips of Chu Chen’an’s hair, which was sticky with sweat, away from his forehead.
He said softly, “What to do? You seem to have been poisoned as well.”
Lan Xu’s voice was low and seductive, causing Chu Chen’an’s vision to blur.
Lan Xu hugged him very tightly. Chu Chen’an slightly struggled, but his hand slid down Lan Xu’s shoulder.
Lan Xu’s wide palm wrapped around Chu Chen’an’s small hand and held it up.
Chu Chen’an’s eyes were chaotic; he squinted his eyes as if he had been brought into an ice cellar.
It was so cold around him that Chu Chen’an felt like he was falling into a drowsy dream.
“He kissed you for a long time, didn’t he?” Lan Xu’s fingertips rubbed Chu Chen’an’s lower lip and he said jealously, “I want it too.”
“Be good; don’t move.”
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