Chapter 1 Delivered to the Door, No Escape Now

Chapter 1: Now That You've Come to Me, Don't Even Think About Running

“The Xie clan, a lineage that has produced empresses for a century, shares power with the emperor!”

With a sharp *smack*, the storyteller’s wooden block struck the table, and the entire teahouse fell silent.

Dressed in a simple blue long gown, the storyteller stroked his goatee, eyes gleaming. “It has been an ironclad rule since Emperor Taizu founded our dynasty that only women from the Xie clan can become empresses of Dajing—”

By the window of a private booth on the second floor, Yan Weichu idly lifted his teacup and his gaze, catching sight of a sparrow startled into flight in the night outside.

Behind him, an elderly eunuch frowned and tilted his head, signaling with a look to someone waiting by the door. Yan Weichu spoke softly, “Don’t make a fuss.”

“Now, speaking of the Xie clan—they are anything but ordinary!” The storyteller’s voice continued downstairs, dramatically rising and falling. “From the very beginning of Emperor Taizu’s rise, the Xie ancestors led three thousand iron cavalry to protect the emperor. In the Battle of Xiaoguan, despite being struck by multiple arrows, they shielded Emperor Taizu through the encirclement.

“The first decree Emperor Taizu issued upon ascending the throne was to grant the Xie ancestors the hereditary title of Duke of Zhenguo, officially designating the Xie clan as the imperial consort clan of Dajing. For over a hundred years since, the Xie clan has guarded Wulong Pass. Generations of Dukes of Zhenguo have commanded the northern border armies, subduing invaders, expanding territories, and achieving unparalleled merits for Dajing. Nine Xie ancestors died in battle, their memorial tablets filling three full rows in the ancestral hall—a true centuries-old military family, loyal and heroic through and through!”

The audience erupted in cheers. The storyteller slid a folding fan from his sleeve and flashed it open with a sharp snap. “Twenty years ago, the Senior Duke defeated fifty thousand enemy troops with just eight thousand at Jinshayu, crushing them so thoroughly that they dared not look south for a decade.

“Today’s tale, however, is about the Senior Duke’s legitimate grandson, the emperor’s cousin, a young general who made his name on the frontier at just sixteen—Xie Xiao!”

The steam from the hot tea rose in delicate swirls, obscuring Yan Weichu’s expression. At the mention of that name, only his eyelashes quivered slightly.

“They say Xie Xiao could recite military stratagems at three, draw a strong bow at five, and hit a target from a hundred paces on horseback by ten. Five years ago, when the Wurhun Khan tribe invaded the border again, the Senior Duke was ordered to lead the campaign. Xie Xiao volunteered to join the army, but the Senior Duke initially refused, saying the battlefield was perilous and weapons are blind. Who could have guessed the young man would kneel at the estate gates for three days and nights without a drop of water? Seeing his determination, the Senior Duke had no choice but to agree.”

The listeners were spellbound, and someone couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a stubborn young man!”

“After joining the army and arriving at the front, Xie Xiao immediately displayed extraordinary talent,” the storyteller lowered his voice. “During a military council that night, all the generals advocated holding their positions and waiting for reinforcements. Only this young man proposed a daring raid. He argued that although the enemy forces were numerous, their supplies were insufficient. If they could cut off their supply route, the enemy would collapse without a fight!

“The Senior Duke and the generals deliberated until midnight and ultimately adopted the young man’s strategy. That very night, Xie Xiao personally led five hundred light horsemen, taking a detour under the moonlight to the enemy’s rear, and set fire to the Wurhun Khan’s grain stores!” The storyteller, growing animated, snapped his fan shut and waved his arm. “The flames leapt toward the heavens, throwing the Wurhun Khan army into chaos!”

“Excellent!” The teahouse burst into applause.

Yan Weichu set down his teacup, lightly tapping the rim with his finger, his gaze fixed on the distant lights in the night outside the window, lost in thought.

“But that’s not all,” the storyteller continued once the crowd quieted. “After that, Xie Xiao pursued the victory, leading his troops to capture several cities in a row, pressing straight into the Wurhun Khan’s royal court!

“After this battle, the Wurhun Khan forces crumbled like a mountain, splintering apart and fleeing westward in panic. The young General Xie Xiao played a pivotal role in this. It is said that when Xie Xiao confronted the Wurhun Khan beneath the city walls, the Khan, seeing the forest of armored cavalry and banners blotting out the sun beneath his capital, was terrified out of his wits. He abandoned the city and fled overnight. Xie Xiao led an elite cavalry in pursuit for two hundred *li*, personally cutting off the Wurhun Khan’s head. From then on, he earned the fearsome title of ‘Jade-Faced Asura’ throughout the northern deserts.”

Someone in the audience asked, “What does ‘Jade-Faced Asura’ mean?”

The storyteller stroked his beard and smiled. “Naturally, it means that although this young general possesses the aura of a king and the appearance of a celestial being—according to those who have seen him, Xie Xiao stands eight feet tall, with a majestic bearing and a face like carved jade. On the battlefield, clad in silver armor and riding a white horse, he resembles a god descended from heaven.”

The crowd marveled.

The door creaked softly as the messenger withdrew. The elderly eunuch Zhao Anfu returned to Yan Weichu’s side and whispered a few words.

Yan Weichu furrowed his brow, his mind racing, then stood up and gestured. “Lead the way.”

*

In the room, Xie Xiao extinguished the lamp and sat by the table, grabbing the teapot and gulping down several mouthfuls of cold water.

The unnatural heat raging within him refused to be suppressed, rampaging through his veins and demanding an outlet.

Having spent too long on the border, he had yet to readjust to the capital’s decadent ways when he was ensnared in a trap.

A knock sounded at the door, followed by a woman’s coquettish voice. “Sir, allow me to serve you.”

Xie Xiao snarled, “Get lost!”

A moment later, someone else arrived, pushing the door open without hesitation.

“I said—”

Xie Xiao looked up. The intruder was a young man.

Wan moonlight spilled through the doorway, casting the figure’s features into shadow, making them indistinct.

Xie Xiao struggled to hold up his heated body, stepping forward one heavy step at a time.

The door behind Yan Weichu slammed shut in a sudden gust of wind. Before he could react, Xie Xiao slammed him forcefully against the door, his back hitting the wood with a dull thud.

Xie Xiao clamped Yan Weichu’s jaw, his voice hoarse as he demanded, “Who are you? Who sent you?”

Yan Weichu remained silent, using the faint light seeping through the door crack to study the person mere inches away.

Jade-Faced Asura, a god descended from heaven.

But now, Xie Xiao’s eyes churned with violence, mingled with an intense, unwanted desire.

This was Fumengzhu, a notorious pleasure house in the capital.

Xie Xiao, invited here for the first time, had fallen into a trap.

Yan Weichu, cherishing talent, didn’t want anything to happen to Xie Xiao here. He had come specifically to prevent that, even leaving his attendants outside the courtyard to avoid exposing Xie Xiao’s undignified state. He never expected Xie Xiao to already be in such a condition.

The wine Xie Xiao had drunk earlier was drugged, and his consciousness was on the verge of collapsing.

In his haze, all he could see were those eyes swaying in his vision—exquisitely shaped, pupils black and bright, shimmering with a faint light, the corners upturned as if naturally tinged with rouge.

Xie Xiao seemed bewitched, leaning closer, wanting to see more clearly.

Yan Weichu sensed danger and placed a hand on Xie Xiao’s shoulder, intending to push him away, but his wrist was seized.

Xie Xiao turned his head, his voice growled in Yan Weichu’s ear, “I don’t care who you are. Since you’ve come to me, don’t even think about running.”

Yan Weichu swallowed, warning him, “Young Master, you’re drunk. Comport yourself.”

“Comport myself?”

Xie Xiao seemed to have heard a joke, biting out the words, “You came here specifically to tell me to comport myself?”

He had no interest in carnal pleasures, but he detested being manipulated, and Yan Weichu’s tone only enraged him further.

Caught off guard, Yan Weichu was dragged into the room by Xie Xiao, pressed behind layers of curtains, trapped between the wall and Xie Xiao’s body.

Xie Xiao covered Yan Weichu’s mouth with one hand, roughly tearing at the belt around his waist.

A beast in fury, devoid of all reason.

Yan Weichu was pressed so hard it hurt, barely able to stand.

Yet, his mind was exceptionally clear at this moment. If he struggled, bit this scoundrel’s hand, and cried out, the Imperial Guards would rush in immediately, and this audacious fool who dared to assault his superior would meet a gruesome end.

Yan Weichu’s eyelashes trembled, but at the last moment, as he met Xie Xiao’s eyes—even uncontrolled, still cold, sharp, and profound—he paused, stifling the shout that was about to escape.

Xie Xiao’s heavy breathing pressed closer, catching the faint scent on Yan Weichu. He furiously yanked off Yan Weichu’s belt, tearing open his robes.

The covered mouth and nose brought a spreading sense of suffocation; Yan Weichu’s eyes nearly welled with tears.

Seeing this, Xie Xiao unconsciously loosened his grip.

Yan Weichu gasped for breath, complaining, "It hurts..."

Xie Xiao gripped his wrist, sensing the scorching heat of his body. Yan Weichu knew he was enduring something unbearable, and as if possessed, he blurted out, "I can help you... with my hand."

Xie Xiao's anger gradually subsided, but the unholy fire within him only burned fiercer.

During their brief standoff, only the intermingling sounds of breathing and heartbeats intertwined in the silence.

Xie Xiao yanked off his own belt too, pressing closer. He grabbed Yan Weichu's hand and pulled him toward himself forcefully.

Yan Weichu couldn't avoid it. What he felt in his hand made his heart race, and he clumsily repeated the motion.

Xie Xiao, dissatisfied with his evasion, bit his earlobe, toying with it in his mouth. Yan Weichu trembled uncontrollably, biting his lip hard.

Xie Xiao was finally pleased by this reaction. His hot, moist lips trailed down from Yan Weichu's neck to his chin. Yan Weichu tilted his head back, unable to bear it, and let out a muffled groan.

"Who sent you?"

Even in such a state, Xie Xiao hadn't forgotten to interrogate the person in his arms, as if he weren't the one being consumed by desire.

Yan Weichu's body grew weak, and he could barely keep his grip.

"I won't... tell you."

Xie Xiao's kisses moved downward, this time nibbling at his delicate Adam's apple.

"Don't... ah..." Yan Weichu couldn't help but moan.

Xie Xiao taunted him deliberately, licking and sucking that spot relentlessly. His hand slipped inside Yan Weichu's open collar, wrapping around his waist and pulling him closer. His palm pressed roughly against his back, kneading upward.

"Don't move." Yan Weichu's instinctive struggle only further aroused Xie Xiao, and his grip grew even tighter.

Yan Weichu felt as though every part of his body was no longer his own. Unfamiliar sensations surged within him, and he knew all too well what they were.

When his hand was covered in sticky, slick wetness, Yan Weichu froze for a moment.

Xie Xiao seized his chin again, forcing him to look up, trying to get a clear view of his face.

Yan Weichu snapped back to reality, shoved the man away, and rushed out.

The door banged shut, swinging back and forth, moaning in the wind.

Xie Xiao was momentarily stunned. He turned around, his gaze chasing after the figure that had already vanished into the night.