She Was the Only One Who Brought Him Pleasure
Su Zhenzhen didn't think she usually had a uniform fetish. Now that she thought about it, it was probably because those uniforms lacked a face that interested her.
Inside the small tent, Su Zhenzhen had Mu Dan move a wooden box and sat down in the place with the best light.
She tinkered around the small stove for a while and finally found a "charcoal pencil" she was satisfied with.
The reason her previous drawings were so bad was that her tools weren't handy.
Modern drawing used graphic tablets; only some older artists insisted on hand-drawing.
Su Zhenzhen first tested the feel of the "charcoal pencil" before she began to draw.
"Don't move."
Seeing the young man trying to get up from the box, Su Zhenzhen immediately stopped him.
Lu Hexu propped himself up with both hands and sat back down.
His gaze fell on the woman.
Su Zhenzhen was still wearing the court dress she hadn't changed out of, looking very serious as she held the bandage-wrapped charcoal piece and began to draw.
Marks gradually appeared on the plain white paper.
Although Su Zhenzhen's drawing skills weren't great, she had learned a bit when she was a child.
Alright, she gave up.
Su Zhenzhen stealthily hid the finished drawing behind her back.
She would never again attempt a field in which she had no talent.
Seeing her little movements, Lu Hexu shifted his numb legs and arms, stood up from the box, and walked toward her.
"There's nothing to see." Su Zhenzhen hid the drawing behind her back.
Lu Hexu leaned over, pinning her shoulder with one hand while taking the drawing with the other.
"Don't look, don't look."
Su Zhenzhen couldn't snatch it back in time. Lu Hexu looked at the lump of black charcoal on the paper and fell silent for a moment. "It's drawn well."
Su Zhenzhen: ...
Lu Hexu tossed Su Zhenzhen's drawing aside and then lifted her onto the box.
The young man pressed against her cheek and whispered, "Aren't you going to touch?"
He had kept her company while she drew for so long.
Could she?
Looking at the beautiful young man's face in front of her, Su Zhenzhen's sadness quickly detached from that drawing.
She raised her hand and pressed it against the young man's chest through his clothes.
He was really thin.
Su Zhenzhen could feel the young man's protruding bones; she could even trace their shapes with her fingertips.
The young man propped his hands on the wooden box, loosely gathering her into his arms.
Lu Hexu leaned forward slightly to make it easier for Su Zhenzhen to move, just like a kitten allowing its owner to pet it, revealing an expression of enjoyment.
Su Zhenzhen's fingertips moved down and landed on his waist.
Any lower...
[Can't touch anymore.]
[Nothing there.]
Su Zhenzhen restrained herself and withdrew her hand, saying to the young man, "Alright."
Lu Hexu tilted his head up, a trace of sudden confusion flashing in his gaze toward the woman. He still maintained his leaning posture.
Lu Hexu blinked slowly, his pitch-black gaze moving up to meet the woman's clear pupils.
"I still have to go to work tomorrow."
She was a strong and clear-headed corporate slave.
"Oh right, there's this." Su Zhenzhen stood up and found the Lithospermum Tissue-Regenerating Ointment she had recently taken the time to make from the box behind her. It could fade scars and was specially used for skin repair after burns.
"Once a day, remember you must apply it." As she spoke, Su Zhenzhen took the young man's hand, lifting his wide sleeve to reveal his mottled arm.
Apart from the fresh burn scars, Su Zhenzhen had long noticed other scars on the young man's arm, looking like they had been slashed open by a sharp weapon.
Everyone has secrets they don't want others to know.
Su Zhenzhen did not ask too much.
It was just that her eyes held a bit more heartache as she looked at these old scars.
She took out a bamboo slip, carefully applied the ointment to his arm, and then fanned it with her hand to let the paste absorb as quickly as possible.
-
It was getting late, and Su Zhenzhen, who had to go to work tomorrow, couldn't hold on and fell asleep.
Lu Hexu carried a glazed lamp out of her small tent to fetch some mountain spring water from the front for her.
"Lord Mu?"
A voice came from behind Lu Hexu. He turned his head to look and saw a man wearing a flying fish suit standing behind him.
It was currently the time for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to change shifts, and there was no one around. Li Jinhuai stepped forward, "Lord Mu, I have long looked forward to meeting you."
Originally, as one of Wei Heng's many adopted sons, Mu Dan was not well-known to the public. It wasn't until the battle at the Zhao family, where he sliced that Second Young Master Zhao into a human stick and hung him at the mansion's gate, that his fame skyrocketed.
Of course, it wasn't a very good reputation.
The public felt satisfied that this Second Young Master Zhao got what he deserved, yet they were terrified by the killer Mu Dan's methods, feeling it was truly too perverted and cruel. There were also private rumors that Mu Dan's perversion was inextricably linked to the fact that he was a eunuch.
Li Jinhuai's gaze fell on the bunch of keys hanging at Lu Hexu's waist.
Those were the keys to the sacrificial vessel storehouse.
Because Lu Hexu rarely showed his face, even the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Han Shuo, rarely saw him. Therefore, Li Jinhuai, who had just taken office not long ago, simply did not recognize him.
Of course, the most important thing was that Lu Hexu didn't like to manage affairs; normally, all matters were handled by Wei Heng.
"I have a good place to take you, My Lord. Are you interested?"
Lu Hexu was not interested.
"What place?"
"A place of pleasure."
-
Lu Hexu had never been to such a place.
After entering through an ordinary ebony door with copper rings, one arrived in a courtyard.
It was late at night, and the surroundings were hung with red gauze lantern lights.
The autumn trees in the courtyard were desolate, and the servants all wore masks.
Following the servant inward, passing through a corridor, they entered a main room. Going down the stairs on the side of the main room revealed an underground level.
A house that looked completely ordinary on the outside actually contained a hidden world inside.
The underground level was very large, filled with dozens of tables, with people serving on the side. Everyone in sight wore embroidered silk and satin, clearly either rich or noble at a glance, but their postures were extremely frenzied. Their eyes were bloodshot, staring at the dice cups like wolves staring at meat.
"Lend me some money, lend me a bit more money. Once I win my money back..."
The masked servant did not hesitate to invite this person into the inner room.
When this person came out, he had bank notes in his arms again, having pawned who knows what.
The sound of dice shaking madly in the cups stimulated everyone's senses, and the dim surroundings made it impossible to perceive day or night.
"My Lord, care to try?" Li Jinhuai invited Lu Hexu.
Lu Hexu nodded and followed Li Jinhuai to one of the tables.
Li Jinhuai shot a meaningful look at the person shaking the dice.
That person nodded secretly.
"My Lord, this is the simplest one. Bet on big or small."
Lu Hexu glanced at Li Jinhuai, then at the person shaking the dice. "I didn't bring any money."
Li Jinhuai immediately took out a few bank notes and handed them to Lu Hexu. "I'll lend some to you first, My Lord."
A crazy shout of winning money came from the next table.
"I won, I won..." The man clutched the bank notes and slumped to the ground, crying one moment and laughing the next, looking like a madman.
Stimulated by this table, the atmosphere at the other tables became even more lively.
Lu Hexu was not greatly affected. He had little interest, his expression remained cold, and he casually bet on big.
"Open the cup! Three, six, six. Big!"
"My Lord seems to have good luck. Shall we continue?" Li Jinhuai stayed by Lu Hexu's side.
Lu Hexu lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable. "Alright."
...
In the middle of the night, Li Jinhuai accompanied Lu Hexu out of the casino. "Your Excellency has great luck to have won so much in just one night."
"Mhm." Lu Hexu's expression was indifferent.
"Your Excellency, will you come again tomorrow?"
Li Jinhuai didn't believe anyone could withstand this kind of temptation.
Sure enough, he heard: "I'll come."
Li Jinhuai turned back and went into the casino again; his addiction had been hooked.
Lu Hexu headed back alone.
The journey back felt somewhat long. Holding a glazed lantern, Lu Hexu looked at the swaying halo of light and thought of Su Zhenzhen's face.
By the time Lu Hexu returned, Su Zhenzhen was already asleep.
He stood by the bed and reached out to touch the woman's face.
Compared to the boring place of pleasure Li Jinhuai had spoken of, she was the one who truly brought him pleasure.
Lu Hexu turned, fetched some mountain spring water, and placed it in the tent.
Early the next morning, after washing up, Su Zhenzhen followed the main group to the royal temple to continue wiping the sacrificial vessels.
There were a vast number of sacrificial vessels, and they were required to be wiped spotless without any damage. Everyone was on high alert.
Su Zhenzhen was even more highly concentrated.
She couldn't afford to pay for any damages.
If she accidentally broke one, she wouldn't be paying with money, but with her head.
She finally understood why no one was smiling. Working with their lives on the line every day, who could possibly smile?
After diligently wiping the sacrificial vessels all day, it was finally time to get off work.
The door to the sacrificial vessel storehouse was opened. The young man wearing a red round-collar robe walked in. Just like yesterday, he counted the quantities one by one and inspected them. After passing the inspection, everyone left one after another.
Su Zhenzhen walked a bit slower; she was waiting for Mu Dan.
The young man approached from behind her, carrying that glazed lantern.
"Did you leave these?" Su Zhenzhen was carrying a thick stack of silver notes she had found on her bed yesterday.
She didn't dare leave them in the tent and didn't know where else to put them, so she simply carried them on her person.
"Mhm."
Carrying such a huge sum of silver notes, Su Zhenzhen was extremely nervous. "Where did you get this?"
Lu Hexu thought for a moment and said, "I'll take you somewhere."
Ever since arriving at the royal temple, Su Zhenzhen had not been out.
She followed Mu Dan out of the royal temple's perimeter, and the two arrived in front of a rural courtyard.
Because the royal temple was in a remote location, there were rice paddies and farmers everywhere. A newly renovated house standing here looked somewhat conspicuous, like a private villa built by a wealthy family in the countryside.
The house seemed to have been renovated not long ago, as the strong, pungent smell of lacquer still lingered in the air.
Mu Dan had clearly been here before. He skillfully led Su Zhenzhen downwards to the underground level.
Looking at everything before her, Su Zhenzhen subconsciously grabbed the young man's sleeve.
"Is this the place you wanted to bring me to?"
Lu Hexu nodded. "They are all very happy."
Su Zhenzhen took a deep breath. "Let's go out first."
Although puzzled, seeing the woman's poor complexion, Lu Hexu still went out with her.
Once outside the house, Su Zhenzhen couldn't hold back anymore. Pulling Mu Dan to the wall beside the house, she started, "Gambling is not a good thing. It will make you lose your family fortune."
Lu Hexu said, "I won't lose."
"People who gamble always say they won't lose! Anyway, you are not allowed to come here anymore." Su Zhenzhen was so angry her cheeks were flushed red.
Gambling was something very difficult to quit.
Driven by the reward mechanism of dopamine rushes, winning makes you want to continue, losing makes you want to win it back. Coupled with the crazy atmosphere created by like-minded people in the casino, once you enter the deep sea of gambling, rationality becomes a stranger.
"Mhm." He originally only wanted to make her happy. Since she wasn't happy, he wouldn't come anymore.
"Swear it."
Lu Hexu stared at the woman's face for a while, slowly raising his hand. "I swear."
"If you lie to me..." Su Zhenzhen glared at him, trying to think of a threat. After thinking for a long time, she finally came up with, "I will never talk to you again."
Lu Hexu leaned against the wall, propping up his chin with one hand, and tilted his head to look at her. "How terrifying."
Su Zhenzhen: ...
On one hand, Su Zhenzhen was angry that Mu Dan had actually gone gambling. On the other hand, she was angry that such underground casinos were so blatant and harmful even in ancient times.
She remembered in modern times, when the news of their neighborhood's demolition was just released, people had already set up traps to bring families who received demolition compensation to casinos, causing those families to be torn apart.
"Harmful casinos like this should be shut down! The people who run them should rot in jail!"
"Mhm." Lu Hexu nodded in agreement.
This matter was easy to handle, but now was not the time; he had to wait a few days.
Since it was rare to leave the bounds of the royal temple's encampment, Su Zhenzhen suggested they take a stroll nearby so Mu Dan wouldn't think of the casino again.
This was a very rustic farming village.
As the two walked from the end of the village to the front, they heard the distant sound of gongs and drums.
The area ahead was brightly lit, with dozens of people gathered for a rural banquet.
A child running around with a kite bumped into Su Zhenzhen.
"Careful."
Su Zhenzhen steadied the child, who ran off smiling.
Someone noticed the two of them and walked over carrying something. "You're from out of town, right?"
Su Zhenzhen nodded, her gaze falling on what the middle-aged woman was holding. "Are those dried persimmons?"
The woman nodded and offered generously, "Have a taste. Our village is holding a banquet today to offer sacrifices to the Earth God after autumn, praying for a good harvest. If you had come during the day, you would have even seen the god's statue parading through the village."
Su Zhenzhen had never seen this kind of ancient custom; she had only seen it on TV.
People would slaughter pigs and sheep, prepare incense, candles, wine, and grain offerings. The village elders would preside over the ceremony, burning incense and bowing, praying for favorable weather and an abundant harvest.
After the sacrifice, these offerings would be distributed to the villagers as good luck, signifying the gods' blessings and the sharing of the harvest.
Su Zhenzhen accepted the dried persimmon and then shared half with Mu Dan.
Rub off some good luck.
The young man seemed to remember the bitter and astringent taste of the wild persimmons from before. He sniffed it first, and deciding it shouldn't taste bad, he opened his mouth and took a bite.
The soft persimmon skin was covered in frost sugar. One bite revealed the soft, chewy persimmon flesh inside, carrying the natural sweet and rich fragrance of the fruit.
After Lu Hexu finished his half, he saw that Su Zhenzhen had only taken one bite.
Su Zhenzhen didn't really like eating such sweet and rich things.
She casually handed the half-eaten dried persimmon to Mu Dan.
Besides the dried persimmons, there was other food on the table.
The woman was very enthusiastic. "Visitors are guests, don't be shy."
Holding Mu Dan's hand, Su Zhenzhen took some rice cakes and dried persimmons, and found a place to sit.
Not far ahead, there was actually an opera performance. Although it was just a makeshift troupe, it provided quite an atmosphere.
In the past, Lu Hexu only found opera stages noisy, so noisy that it made him want to kill someone.
"What are they singing?" the young man asked, eating the dried persimmon and taking another bite of the rice cake.
Compared to the rather tasteless rice cake, the dried persimmon obviously suited his taste much better.
Su Zhenzhen, on the other hand, preferred the rice cake.
"I don't know either." Su Zhenzhen shook her head. She didn't like listening to opera much either, though she watched quite a lot of stage plays.
After listening for a while, Su Zhenzhen heard the familiar name "Mu Guiying" and said, "It seems to be the Generals of the Yang Family."
"What is the Generals of the Yang Family?"
Huh?
Su Zhenzhen turned her head, looking at Mu Dan with a blank expression.
"Have you never listened to an opera?"
Lu Hexu shook his head.
"The Generals of the Yang Family is a story about a whole family of people who are loyal to the emperor and serve their country."
Lu Hexu nodded.
As they talked, there were children playing cricket fighting nearby.
Su Zhenzhen leaned in curiously as the two children shouted, "Go, go, go!"
"What is this?"
Su Zhenzhen felt that Mu Dan had turned into a curious young boy.
"Cricket fighting."
"I want to play too." The young man rested his chin on Su Zhenzhen's shoulder and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Su Zhenzhen bribed the two children with a few copper coins, successfully gaining custody of two crickets. Then, she and Mu Dan each took a blade of grass and began their own cricket fight.
"Go, go, go..."
The two crickets inside the earthen jar had their antennae and legs prodded by the grass stems. Before long, they started fighting, rolling together in the pot and letting out chirping sounds as they clashed.
Lu Hexu rested his chin on one hand, while his other hand twirled the grass stem to continue prodding his cricket.
His cricket suddenly leaped and pinned Su Zhenzhen's cricket down.
Su Zhenzhen immediately used her grass stem to flick it away.
Lu Hexu raised his eyes to look at her. "You're cheating."
Su Zhenzhen replied self-righteously, "We never established the rules."
-
After Su Zhenzhen and Lu Hexu had enough fun, they headed back with a basket of dried persimmons and rice cakes. When they returned to their tent, they ran into someone.
It was Li Jinhuai, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The man wore a flying fish suit with an embroidered spring sword at his waist. He was tall, with long legs and a handsome appearance. Judging solely by his looks, he was indeed quite attractive. It was said that many palace maids secretly admired him. However, because the Embroidered Uniform Guard had a fierce reputation, these maids only dared to think about it. After all, no one wanted to lose their life over a romance.
But Su Zhenzhen knew that this Li Jinhuai had a massive flaw.
As the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Li Jinhuai worked for Shen Yanci because he owed a massive gambling debt.
From the very beginning, after being led into the casino by people arranged by Shen Yanci, Li Jinhuai's fate was firmly in Shen Yanci's grasp.
If Su Zhenzhen remembered correctly, that underground casino was even opened by Shen Yanci's people.
Truly, whether he won or lost, the money all went into the same pocket.
Li Jinhuai's gaze fell on Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan's clasped hands.
"This must be my sister-in-law, right?"
The news of Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan being a paired couple had indeed spread quite far.
But why did this Li Jinhuai look like he was very familiar with Mu Dan?
Li Jinhuai had only heard that Mu Dan was paired with a palace maid, but he hadn't expected this maid to be so beautiful.
What a pity, being with a eunuch.
"If sister-in-law ever needs anything in the future, please feel free to come find me," Li Jinhuai said gently.
Su Zhenzhen didn't speak; she just blindly hid behind Mu Dan.
Li Jinhuai didn't mind. "Sister-in-law has a rather quiet temperament."
"Yeah, we're leaving." Mu Dan held Su Zhenzhen's hand and led her directly away.
As soon as they returned to the tent, Su Zhenzhen immediately pulled the curtains shut. Then she took Mu Dan's hand and earnestly advised him, "He is not a good person. Don't hang out with him." After saying this, Su Zhenzhen thought of something and subconsciously widened her eyes. "Was he the one who took you gambling?"
Lu Hexu replied, "Yes."
The chair in the tent was piled high with Su Zhenzhen's clothes.
Lu Hexu sat on a trunk, and Sushan jumped up, crouching on his shoulder.
Lu Hexu didn't chase it away; he just looked at Su Zhenzhen and said, "How did you know he gambles?"
"Because... because I heard that the man from just now secretly loves to gamble. He even takes people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to gamble with him. He's been scolded by the Commander of the Guard several times. On the surface, he claims he has changed, but behind his back, he is still gambling."
Given Su Zhenzhen's status, she had no way of knowing these private matters. She only remembered these few lines from the original novel after seeing Li Jinhuai.
Mu Dan kept his posture of resting his chin on one hand and continued to look at her. "Hmm."
"I'm a spy, aren't I? I have my own connections," Su Zhenzhen explained dryly. "Anyway, you are not allowed to gamble. With things like gambling, once you get involved, it's very hard to quit."
Lu Hexu's gaze fixed on the woman's face. The lighting in the small tent was dim, with only a very faint oil lamp.
Lu Hexu had already tried gambling, and he didn't find it interesting at all.
He felt that the Su Zhenzhen in front of him was much more interesting than gambling.
Once you get involved, it's very hard to quit.
This sentence should be applied to her.
"Okay."
Even though Mu Dan agreed, Su Zhenzhen was still very angry.
She wished Li Jinhuai would choke to death on water immediately or get trampled to death by a horse as soon as he stepped outside.
Su Zhenzhen angrily smashed her pillow.
Sushan, who had originally run over wanting to get close to her, was frightened by her aura and immediately slipped away into the wardrobe.
Su Zhenzhen got tired from smashing the pillow and stood by the bed panting heavily.
You're acting on impulse, Su Zhenzhen.
"So red." Two hands reached over from behind, cupping her face and tilting it back.
She was flushed from anger.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head back to look at Mu Dan standing behind her.
She reached out and pinched the young man's tall, straight nose.
The young man frowned and said, "Uncomfortable."
[I want you to be uncomfortable.]
[That's what you get for going gambling.]
"Are you still going to gamble?" Su Zhenzhen asked while pinching his nose.
Lu Hexu looked at her with wide eyes. Because his nose was pinched, his voice sounded a bit nasal when he spoke. "I won't go anymore."
[So good.]
[His nose is really good-looking.]
The nose on Su Zhenzhen's current body was very similar to her original body's. The wings and bridge were not prominent, a bit soft and flat, yet it surprisingly suited this face perfectly. However, she still really envied Mu Dan's beautiful nose, with its perfectly straight bridge, deep root, and perfectly proportioned width.
[I want to take a bite.]
Just as Su Zhenzhen thought this, the hands cupping her cheeks suddenly slid down, pressing her shoulders and turning her around.
Su Zhenzhen felt a bit dizzy from being spun. The young man raised his hand and pressed her down to sit on the edge of the bed.
As soon as Su Zhenzhen sat down, she felt a warmth on the tip of her nose.
The young man's breathing hit her cheeks; his soft tongue licked across the tip of her small, delicate nose, and then he tentatively and gently bit it.
In fact, although Su Zhenzhen's nose wasn't as tall and straight as the young man's, it was exquisite and soft, like a crescent moon, extremely elegant.
"You can bite mine too," the young man murmured softly, his face pressed against hers.
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously swallowed, her gaze falling on the young man's beautiful nose tip.
She stretched out her arms, wrapping them around the young man's neck. Tilting her head up slightly, her lips trailed up from his mouth to gently kiss his perky nose tip, and then she took a bite.
"Mmh."
Lu Hexu let out a muffled groan.
Su Zhenzhen didn't stop there. She continued to bite the young man's lips, then trailed downward, kissing his neck.
Because the posture was awkward, she pulled him onto the bed.
Lu Hexu was pressed onto the bed by the woman. He lay there, watching Su Zhenzhen lean over and take a bite of his neck.
The force of this bite was much stronger than the previous two, even carrying a hint of gnawing.
Su Zhenzhen tasted a faint metallic tang of blood.
She was never usually this savage. Even if she coveted Mu Dan's beauty, she would always pluck the flower carefully, deeply afraid of hurting the beautiful young man.
Of course, the main reason was that she had the desire but lacked the courage. She was the type who talked a big game, but when it came time for the actual battlefield, she would tremble, drop her armor, and flee.
After biting him, Su Zhenzhen felt a twinge of heartache, along with a bit of regret.
She was truly a little angry; he couldn't possibly know how much damage gambling could inflict on a person.
Su Zhenzhen's fingertips brushed over the bloody mark she had left on Mu Dan's neck.
"Does it hurt?"
A soft, blush-like crimson spread across the young man's cheeks, trailing down from beneath his eyes. His gaze fell upon her face, suffused with a hazy lust. Clearly, it didn't hurt; rather, it felt incredibly good.
The next moment, their positions reversed.
Su Zhenzhen was pinned beneath the young man.
His fingers slid down her cheek and brushed aside her collar, revealing a slender, fair neck.
In the lamplight, the woman's neck possessed the luster of premium white jade, looking like crystallized white honey.
Lu Hexu's eyes darkened a few shades. He licked his lips and lowered his head.
Su Zhenzhen instinctively curled her body inward, but the young man pinned her shoulder with one hand, forcing her to open up to him.
Compared to Mu Dan's lean, bony frame, Su Zhenzhen's skin was noticeably more supple and soft.
Perfect for biting.
Lu Hexu took an intoxicating bite, and then another.
"Enough, enough..."
Su Zhenzhen grabbed the young man's hair with one hand, but accidentally undid his hair tie.
The young man's long hair tumbled down, draping over the two of them like a falling black veil.
Su Zhenzhen gripped his long hair tightly, only to feel the biting force on her collarbone grow even heavier.
Oh no, the hair.
Su Zhenzhen quickly let go, and the young man relaxed his hold. He gently licked the bloody marks he had bitten into the woman's collarbone.
The young man's slender body lay over hers as he raised his eyes to look at her.
His dark eyes were steeped in a shallow, watery gleam, looking utterly satisfied from his feast.
