Chapter 182

Chapter 182

"Wait... hold on..." Pinned against the tree trunk, Shen Que tried to push Chen Zui away. "Let's go home for treatment."

"Brother Shen, the environment also affects the efficacy of treatment," Chen Zui said, grabbing Shen Que's hand, which was pressed against his chest, and pinning his wrist to the tree trunk.

He had him completely subdued.

Shen Que didn’t understand the treatment process and could only trust Chen Zui’s words. After all, when it came to treatment, Chen Zui was the ultimate authority. But, "You're not wearing..."

"It’s fine. We didn't use one last time either," Chen Zui replied swiftly, every cell in his body still thrumming with excitement.

Sometimes, Chen Zui thought of himself as a deviant. He had become a mercenary out of necessity, and many in this line of work became repressed and weary of the endless killing over time.

But not him. He loved the extreme tension and thrill between life and death, loved the sensation of warm blood splattering on him like blooming datura flowers, and even more so, he relished the expressions of fear, anger, and despair on the faces of the dying.

This was probably why he had risen to the top as a mercenary.

Having played the good guy in town for so long, this long-awaited slaughter had every cell in his body, down to the nerve endings, dancing with joy.

His eyes shone brighter than the stars in the sky.

"Brother Shen, don’t worry. I'm not disgusted by you," Chen Zui said, using his hand to prepare the way. His movements were a bit rough, but fortunately, during each previous treatment, he had secretly applied some salve to Shen Que, so Shen Que had gotten used to it.

Pinned against the tree trunk and unable to move, Shen Que felt like he was about to bubble over with joy upon hearing Chen Zui say he didn’t mind him.

Not minding meant liking, liking meant love, and love meant being head over heels—just short of piercing through that thin layer of paper between them.

The paper hadn’t been pierced yet.

But something else had.

*

For a moment, Shen Que could no longer let his thoughts run wild. His free arm braced against the tree trunk to keep his head from knocking against it repeatedly.

The small grove was pitch dark, with moonlight fragmented by the leaves, barely filtering through.

In the darkness of the outdoors.

A handsome, well-built man with wheat-colored skin was bent over... and he was the leader, with his subordinates just nearby in the town.

As for the usually elegant, graceful man in a white coat, he had transformed into a beast under the cover of night, fiercely punishing his prey, each strike deadly.

The nearby river rushed in the night, masking the rhythmic pounding sounds.

Zhou Zhou, whom Shen Que had told to read fewer novels, peered toward the river. The boss and Doctor Chen had been bathing for a really long time. They must be cultivating!

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea. He tapped his open palm and exclaimed, "Ah, it’s the legendary dual cultivation!"

"What’s dual cultivation?" his night watch partner asked curiously.

"Dual cultivation is when two people cultivate together. It’s more fun than cultivating alone, just like how we do night watch in pairs."

The other corrected him seriously, "We work in pairs so that if something happens, one can report it. It’s not for fun."

The two stared at each other for a long moment.

Zhou Zhou: "You’re so boring."

The other: "Oh."

Meanwhile, the neighboring West Town was lively. Twenty bodies were arranged in three rows on the square, with Zheng He placed alone in the front row.

The number eighteen represented the kills Chen Zui was certain of; he didn’t know the grenade he threw later had taken two more lives.

The leader of this group, Lie Hu, sat mountain-like on a chair, draped in a coat, with a pipe in his mouth. Even without any expression, his face looked fierce and menacing.

He set his foot down on Zheng He’s head. "You’re saying he betrayed us and killed these people?"

The two who had survived the grenade blast stood to the side. "Yes, we saw him kill with our own eyes. He only fled when he saw us. We never expected him to have such a deadly weapon."

The speaker gritted his teeth in anger, clutching his blistered arm.

Lie Hu had considered the possibility of a night raid by East Town but never expected it to be betrayal from within. He pressed harder on Zheng He’s head with his foot. "Zheng He didn’t have the skill to kill this many people."

"Boss, nobody was guarding against him, so he easily succeeded. That damn bastard, how dare he!"

Lie Hu’s gaze swept over the bodies. Almost all had been killed with a single, clean strike. The night watch teams worked in pairs, and to achieve this, Zheng He would have had to kill two people simultaneously while they were off guard—swiftly, accurately, and mercilessly.

With Zheng He’s abilities? Unlikely.

Something was off, yet everyone had witnessed him killing and fleeing.

"Did he act strangely recently?"

No one answered his question, as expected. Who would want to be associated with a traitor at a time like this?

Lie Hu’s eyes fell on Zheng He’s night watch partner. Based on finding Zheng He’s body outside the town, it seemed Zheng He had been stopped while trying to escape, and the two had fought to the death.

But the strange thing was, if Zheng He had betrayed them, wouldn’t he have targeted his partner first?

Lie Hu was certain things weren’t as simple as they seemed, but without evidence, voicing his doubts would only cause confusion and dampen morale. He kicked Zheng He’s body away.

"Skin him, tear out his tendons, and hang him in the square. This is the fate of a traitor. I hope you all remember this."

The night watch teams were increased from pairs to groups of three.

By the river.

Shen Que once again examined his ailing part. The thing that had been unwell before was now full of vigor, further convincing him of Chen Zui’s words. It really did need more sessions.

Biting his lip to suppress any sounds, that sensation washed over him again. Struggling to maintain rationality amidst the excitement, he watched as his ailing part left his marks on the tree trunk.

It seemed that with a bit more consolidation, he would fully recover!

Shen Que: "It’s done."

Chen Zui: "Brother Shen, wait a little longer. I’m not done yet."

Chen Zui swept his damp bangs back, styling them into a slicked-back look. His slightly furrowed brows and eyes revealed his wild nature completely.

He gazed at Shen Que’s neck and suddenly bit down.

Shen Que froze for a moment, not because Chen Zui had bitten his neck, but because he had just... and Chen Zui was still continuing the treatment.

This was truly too much.

His mind was turning to mush.

Chen Zui gave two playful bites before forcefully grabbing and turning Shen Que's head toward him. "Brother Shen, let's proceed with some oral massage therapy."

Shen Que was completely stunned by Chen Zui with his hair slicked back.

He stared intently at Chen Zui's face, even as his mouth was being kissed and invaded without any reaction.

Holy shit!

This guy is way too handsome!

Chen Zui's large hand came to rest on Shen Que's chest.

Three types of massage therapy at once.

Shen Que's sturdy, well-built body twisted in his embrace as if being pleasured.

Shen Que felt like he needed to pee again.

Damn it, what’s wrong with him!

"Chen Zui, I think I need to pee..."

Chen Zui raised an eyebrow, suddenly sliding his hand behind Shen Que’s left knee and lifting his leg slightly against the tree trunk.

Shen Que hopped a couple of times to steady himself. "What are you doing?"

Chen Zui chuckled lightly. "This is how puppies pee."

Shen Que: !

He felt both embarrassed and angry. What nonsense was this guy spouting? Who's a puppy!

He tried to push Chen Zui away. "You’re the puppy..."

Unexpectedly, Chen Zui flicked his fingers, and Shen Que could no longer hold it in, releasing a stream of urine against the tree.

Shen Que: ...

But to his even greater surprise, Chen Zui started his "treatment" again right at that moment. After just a couple of strokes, the heat made him pee even more intensely.

Chen Zui picked up the underwear Shen Que had tossed on the ground and stuffed it into the recently treated area to prevent the medicine he’d applied from leaking out and going to waste.

The forest returned to silence. After the treatment, only Chen Zui remained, his eyes brimming with satisfaction, while Shen Que covered his face, too ashamed to show himself.

Chen Zui tapped lightly on Shen Que’s hand, which was still covering his face.

"Anyone in there?"

"No one."

Shen Que sounded dejected. This was the second time already...

"Ah, what a pity. I was going to tell Brother Shen that since he’s just recovered, it’s normal to have little control. But it seems..."

Before he could finish, Shen Que had already lowered his hands, leaning his head excitedly close to Chen Zui’s face. "Really?"

Chen Zui nodded, a hint of fondness curling at the corners of his lips.

Relieved, Shen Que thought to himself, See? I’m not the kind of man who can’t control himself.

"How long until I adapt?"

"Whenever Brother Shen can control it, that’s when you’ll be fully recovered."

Shen Que felt as if he’d heard divine words and nodded vigorously.

The two then headed back.

Zhou Zhou: "Boss, Doctor Chen, you’ve finally dou… finally finished bathing. I was about to go check on you."

Shen Que: "Focus on your night watch."

Zhou Zhou chuckled.

"Brother Shen, let’s change the night watch to groups of three."

"Why?"

"It's still pretty easy to kill two people."

Shen Que paused mid-step and glanced at Chen Zui, who had said this so casually.

He’s so strong—he probably wouldn’t let me have my way with him.

"Alright."

Zhou Zhou watched the two walk away. "Weird."

His night watch partner: "What’s weird?"

"Don’t you think the boss is walking a little strangely?"

"Probably tired from dual cultivation."

Zhou Zhou looked at his partner. "You’re pretty funny."

—

The first thing Shen Que did upon returning home was rush to the bathroom. Under the shower, he awkwardly pulled out his underwear.

He didn’t dare imagine—what if it were Chen Zui stuffing it in...

Shen Que was increasingly convinced he’d been daydreaming. He’d thought Chen Zui was a sweet, soft piece of cake, but after scraping off the outer layer of cream, damn—inside was solid steel, capable of transforming into a cool, deadly cannon.

Absolutely immovable, unstoppable, and uncontrollable!

"Sigh..."

—

The next day, Chen Zui focused on one main task: using the materials on hand to make more hand grenades.

Liang Yingzhang suddenly appeared. "What are you doing?"

He was still very curious about Chen Zui.

Chen Zui: "Hand grenades."

Liang Yingzhang was stunned. He’d thought Chen Zui’s medical skills were impressive enough, but not only was he skilled in combat—he could even make something like this.

Chen Zui looked at him: "Medics are soldiers after all."

Liang Yingzhang curiously approached: "I can help you out."

Chen Zui didn't stand on ceremony, only warning: "Be careful."

When Shen Que arrived, he saw the two standing very close—so close that from a certain angle, Liang Yingzhang looked like he was in Chen Zui’s arms. Chen Zui was teaching him something and even showed him how to handle what he was holding, their fingers brushing in the process.

Back when Shen Que was still straight, he wouldn't have thought twice about it.

But now…

"Ahem!"

He drew their attention.

"Xiao Liang, Old Lei has work for you. You should head over."

Liang Yingzhang had actually just finished his tasks there and had come over because he had some free time.

He glanced at Shen Que, then at Chen Zui beside him, and quickly caught on to what was going on.

"Heh."

He chuckled softly.

A mischievous idea popped into his head—after years of clashing with Shen Que, it had become a habit.

He stood up, suppressing his discomfort, and deliberately faked losing his balance, leaning into Chen Zui’s arms.

As Shen Que stared wide-eyed, Liang Yingzhang straightened up and smiled apologetically: "Thank you for teaching me so much today. I’ll come another time to assist you."

As he left, he threw a rather affectionate glance back.

Liang Yingzhang walked past Shen Que, taking in his expression, and nearly burst out laughing.

After leaving, he couldn’t help but shudder and brushed his arms.

Ugh.

Flirting with a man feels so weird.

But Shen Que’s reaction was amusing. He felt pleased for a moment, then thought he was being too childish.

Shen Que stared intently at Chen Zui, looking like an innocent young man who’d given himself to him and now demanded an explanation.