“There is still no movement?” Duan Shun Jie threw his gaze at the gradually becoming dusky colored sky, then once again looking at the standing on the outside of the tent guard who was on the keep watch duty.

“Nothing. The Datong army is not making any moves at all.” The answer from the guard was still the same as before without even the slightest change.

Although the answer didn’t come as a surprise, Duan Shun Jie still couldn’t help but show a disappointed face because of the expected answer.

Pei Jin Tian, you hold back the troops without moving1, are you preparing to launch your attack in a certain way?

The Pingnan troops had completed all the preparations to meet the enemy head on. No matter what kind of attack, whether it was an open direct attack or a sudden surprise attack, he already had his plan set for it. Yet, the refuse to surrender letter that he had sent was like a stone which fell into the deep ocean, without any reply, it also didn’t incite any kind of response.

Looking at the gradually becoming dark sky, Duan Shun Jie had a premonition that today also would be spent in vain. --- It was not like he was such a fool to the point that he wouldn’t be prepared for the enemy’s surprise attack at night, the campsite of the Pingnan’s troops was surrounded by mountains on three sides, though, all four sides were surrounded by numerous streams and dangerous slopes, if Datong’s army was thinking to do their nightly surprise attack on such a moonless night, it would be the same as to follow the path to their own doom2.

But tonight… Duan Shun Jie raised his head to face the sky that had been covered by a layer of darkness, tonight was completely moonless as well as a windless and suffocating summer night.

“Have the people who lie in ambush to withdraw.” With a deepened voice, he issued an order.

“General …” The Second-in-Command by his side was revealing an anxious expression, however, Duan Shun Jie firmly insisted by nodding his head and straightly told him that tonight Datong’s army wouldn’t make any movement too.

“Chang Er, tell the people in kitchen to send my meal to my tent.” Ignoring the still had something to say Second-in-Command, Duan Shun Jie already turned his body and walked out of the tent, while walking he instructed a boy servant who served him as his personal attendant.

Arriving to his own tent, the first thing Duan Shun Jie did was to remove all of the wrap tightly on his body armor and put it down --- even if the armor was a life-saver in certain times, but in this extreme hot and stuffy season, it could cause you death from the stink smell before anything.

Diligently he held in his breath so that he wouldn’t smell his own body odor, Duan Shun Jie wrinkled his brows while stripping his outer clothes and rolled them into a bundle, getting them to be washed together when he has his own relaxing bathing time.

Ordinarily, this kind of trivial daily ch.o.r.e should be taken care of by his boy servant, but how unfortunate, Duan Shun Jie had the worlds most unskilled in washing clothes boy servant. When he was at Mount Zhongnan and at the beginning of entering the Pingnan troops, he managed by himself all of these daily routines. Chang Er was who Ouyang Fa De insisted to be appointed as his attendant several months after he was promoted as the Great General --- he should have firmly declined this offer at that time!

Before he had ruined the third piece, while washing the second piece of underpants that was ruined by Chang Er, Duan Shun Jie almost had to beg him and ensure him that he wouldn’t tell anybody else in order to safely s.n.a.t.c.h back his laundry duty --- for information, at the time when one went on an expedition or to go into battle, every single piece of clothing wouldn’t be able to be mended thus this made all clothes as highly valuable belongings!

Hurriedly, he dug into the meal on the table which was brought in by Chang Er, Duan Shun Jie led the tightly tied up at the back of his tent, Cong Yun, to go straight to the warm pond which was located in the depths of the mountain.

The rapid movement of the horse not only rose up a spell of gust and blew dry the sweat on his body caused by the heat, but also lightened up his whole day’s tensed nervousness. Thinking that he was about to see Yan Xi Cheng soon, his heart was giving out a childlike excitement at once --- although Yan Xi Cheng was giving people a kind of distance and an unattainable impression, yet his beauty as well as his reservedness as a highly privileged n.o.ble caused Duan Shun Jie’s heart to yearn for him and looked forward for their meeting, like a magnet that strongly attracted him.

After riding on Cong Yun’s back rapidly for quite some time, the warm pond came to his sight. Without the moonlight to illuminate it, the pond looked dark and deep. Windless and tranquil, without any turbulence the surface of the pond made it appear like a mysterious mystical mirror, emitting a hard to describe enchanting feeling.

Releasing the rein on Cong Yun, Duan Shun Jie took the torch that he brought and ignited it before he tied it on a withered tree by the side, he made use of the slight weak light it produced to wash his clothes.

Though it was such a suffocating hot night, facing the layer of serene water surface, his ears also could hear the transmitted insects’ song in bits and pieces, Duan Shun Jie’s hot and dry mood also gradually calmed down, as if dissolved far and deep into this clear water in the middle of the mountain.       

“Night is clear as the water…” He couldn’t restrain his thought and with a lowered voice he said it out as if unaware.

“Shun Jie, I never expected that you actually were refined in literature. It is truly unexpected!” Surprisingly, from a place not too far away, a responding voice came through.

“Xi Cheng!” Duan Shun Jie joyously lifted his head, meeting with the sight of the dressed in white Yan Xi Cheng coming out from the dense gra.s.s while carrying a lantern as he leisurely moved closer to him. In that pitch black environment, there was only his elegant figure shrouded by a dense light, it was as if a picturesque work of art of a red and green painting had come alive, causing people to be fascinated by him.

“Xi Cheng!” Duan Shun Jie himself was unable to explain the kind of fondness that was bursting out from the depths of his heart. He set aside his half-washed clothes, and quickly welcomed his friend by taking over the lantern in his hand.

“Though I have this frail-looking appearance, it was not like even a lantern I couldn’t hold.” Even though Yan Xi Cheng was obviously mocking Duan Shun Jie’s busybody nature, he still meekly went along with him until the pond’s side.

“You wash your clothes yourself?” Upon a glance on the spread out on the rock plain and simple looking clothes, Yan Xi Cheng casually asked.

An adult man washing his own clothes, originally wasn’t something to be proud of, however, in front of Yan Xi Cheng, Duan Shun Jie didn’t feel like telling any falsehoods, awkwardly he nodded his head while laughing sheepishly.

Yan Xi Cheng also didn’t say anything of the matter, he only cared to lower his head to untie his belt, slowly and deliberately he took off his clothing.

“Ahem ahem… Xi Cheng, is your house nearby? I see that you go out by yourself in such late of night, you must have been familiar with the mountain’s pa.s.sage.” Obviously he was a man, yet Duan Shun Jie had difficulty facing the scene of the undressing Yan Xi Cheng, he pretended to resume the washing activity then turned his body to face another side, while still trying to hold a trivial conversation to alleviate his nervous feeling.

“My house is actually on the foot of this mountain. Now this mountain is being used as a battle ground, the mountain bandit who resided on the mountain had run away since long ago.” After taking off his clothing, Yan Xi Cheng didn’t get into the water, instead, he sat on a lump of big rocks by the pond’s side. Loosened up his coiled hair to be washed.

Upon the sight of the fascinating scene of unrolled long and beautiful hair, Duan Shun Jie was fascinated to the point that he didn’t continue to wash his clothes anymore, taking off his upper garment, he jumped to the water, swam to the lump of rocks under Yan Xi Cheng’s feet and leaned forward, just like that, he watched Yan Xi Cheng washing his hair.

“Xi Cheng, since your house is nearby, may I go to play3?” After watching for a while, Duan Shun Jie conveniently found a subject to converse, when the words had already escaped his mouth was the time he realized that he had been impulsive.

“Okay.” Yan Xi Cheng seemingly didn’t mind the least bit, he also answered indifferently. “These several months, there was only me that lived in my house, how about you come to accompany me?”

Duan Shun Jie hurriedly nodded his head, his mood became excited at once. Embarra.s.sing for showing his too excessive excitement, he leaped into the water pretending to resume his bath --- as a matter of fact he was turning away to secretly smile.

“So, tomorrow you’ll come here again to wait for me, I will take you to my house.” Yan Xi Cheng pretended that he didn’t see Duan Shun Jie’s whole face look exactly like a mouse-that-had-s.n.a.t.c.hed-away-cheese amusing expression, while still talking in his casual manner.

“Xi Cheng, you are such a nice person!” Duan Shun Jie swam back, with his fawned expression, he laughed while looking at Yan Xi Cheng.

Yan Xi Cheng’s eyes remained with the same indifference, casually sweeping his gaze on Duan Shun Jie’s excited face, indifferently falling to sweep his strong and healthy back, lightly he lingered his line of sight on his right shoulder --- Ouyang Fa De’s Pingnan troops’ Generals and Commanders carried the mark of Ouyang Fa De’s family on their right shoulder. The body in front of his eyes were bright and clean, completely without any trace of whatever tattoo or printed mark.

Yan Xi Cheng, actually was Xuan Yuan Xi Cheng, although his nature was fierce and ruthless, nicknamed “The Cruel Prince”, however, in this world there wasn’t a person who would actually hate a person who liked one’s self, he was the same.

Even though the Duan Shun Jie who was showing his obvious favorable impression of himself more or less made him feel like laughing, but it also made him generate a kind of strange intimate feeling. He as the Honorable Seventh Prince, had constantly suffered either the dreadful looks or the detested looks of his surroundings, there was never one who approached him in the same manner as Duan Shun Jie, purely filled with a joyful and excited mindset.

After confirming that Duan Shun Jie was not an enemy, Yan Xi Cheng decided to regard him as an adorable harmless plaything.

It shouldn’t be so bad to use him as a means to divert himself from boredom, ---Yan Xi Cheng, with an unknown implication and careful action darted a look at Duan Shun Jie while slightly smiling. Duan Shun Jie regarded the smiling face as an expression of friendliness, making him all the more eager to ingratiate himself with Yan Xi Cheng.

“Xi Cheng. Your hair seems to be so hard to wash, do you want my help to wash it?”

“Then, I will thank you in advance.” To say the truth, Yan Xi Cheng has truly never washed his hair by himself, even if he stroked his hair for half a day, he still wouldn’t be able to wash it properly. Now that Duan Shun Jie on his own accord suggested helping him out, it was exactly what he wished for.

Upon getting the approval, Duan Shun Jie was getting more enthusiastic. He abruptly climbed to the sh.o.r.e in a rush, hastily walked to Yan Xi Cheng’s side and knelt down to quickly begin his helping out of washing the long hair --- the long black hair which he held in his hands was beautiful to the greatest extent, though it was damp, he still could feel the light and graceful soft to the touch strands. Duan Shun Jie was seemingly devoted to sincerely helping him wash his hair with all of his heart.

“This position is not really comfortable...” Yan Xi Cheng complained and looked as if he was a little bit unsatisfied.      

He sat on the rock by the sh.o.r.e, Duan Shun Jie could only spill the water in his cupped hands on his head, the flow of the dripping water made him feel the uncomfortable coldness.

“So, what should I do…”Duan Shun Jie halted his hands’ movement, looking at him in a daze.

Yan Xi Cheng had stood up, without waiting for Duan Shun Jie’s response he conveniently reclined on Duan Shun Jie’s thigh, let his long hair fall into the water. Yan Xi Cheng comfortably stretched his legs, and squeezed the white towel into Duan Shun Jie’s hand, signaling that he could start to wash his hair.

Unconsciously, Duan Shun Jie received the towel. He lowered his head dumbfounded and blankly stared at Yan Xi Cheng ---the said person was shutting his eyes, in an extremely comfortable manner. Each and every outline of that perfect and unusual soft face was plainly visible before his eyes.

Yan Xi Cheng possessed rarely seen thick eyelashes, it was like the wings of b.u.t.terflies, forming a bow like shadow on the sparkling and translucent skin; pointed nose on a plump and smooth skin with exquisite red lips… Duan Shun Jie did not dare to stop his gaze to linger on those lips, disorderly he shifted his gaze, he was met with the sight of a pole-like white and soft neck…

The big thigh muscle that was being made as a pillow by Yan Xi Cheng uncontrollably began to generate an incurable heat, Duan Shun Jie desperately tried to steady down his beating in a frenzied rhythm heart, however, the enthusiastically surging up heat seemed like it was unceasing and continuously rose up, to the point even his forehead had begun to ooze out a bead sized sweat…

“What’s wrong? Quick wash it!” Yan Xi Cheng waited until he was a bit impatient, when he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of the whole face reddened Duan Shun Jie to the extent of pathetic. Instantly, the corner of his lips rose up into a hard to detect silk threadlike smile.

Feigning his awareness, he absent-mindedly flipped his body, changed his posture from lying on his back to lying on his side on Duan Shun Jie’s thigh. While on it, he stretched out his hand to seize his waist…

The seemingly unaware movements of Yan Xi Cheng made Duan Shun Jie feel that his body was burning and about to explode. All of his senses were filled with the faint delicate sweet scent from Yan Xi Cheng’s body, a kind of impulse to longingly embrace this body tightly on his bosom involuntarily rose up --- but his rationality promptly held him back in time, allowing Duan Shun Jie to pull himself away from Yan Xi Cheng’s hand that had encircled on his waist. Standing up, he spoke with his muddle-headed words “wash by yourself!”, abruptly he turned his body and leaped into the water, he did everything in his power to distance himself and swim away into another direction.

The burning hot body was not really cooled off by the pond’s water temperature, he could clearly feel his own l.u.s.tful desire. For a moment, Duan Shun Jie was having this wanted to cry as well as wanted to laugh feeling, the sadness as well as happiness simultaneously surged and gushed out from his heart, he was totally at a lost and couldn’t ponder over the matter…

He could only desperately a.s.sign his arms to move faster, he only wanted to further himself, further and away from that man, away from that man who possessed the ability to s.n.a.t.c.h away all of his strength as well as his rationality…

Yan Xi Cheng held the white towel which Duan Shun Jie threw back at him, the corner of his mouth remained the same contained with a gentle smile. He acted like nothing had happened and sat back on the sh.o.r.e.

What an interesting guy!! Yan Xi Cheng started to feel that this time the trouble he went through to go out to the battlefield was not completely pointless.

Duan Shun Jie swam with all his might for quite some time before he could feel that he had slightly calmed down. He stopped to observe his surroundings, then realized that he had swum to the other side of the pond, the water temperature also obviously had become colder.

He turned his head to gaze at Yan Xi Cheng. From a far, his face didn’t have any particular expression --- perhaps he actually didn’t realize Duan Shun Jie’s feeling? He was so beautiful, highly privileged status…Duan Shun Jie began to bitterly loathe his own self.

For him to actually have this filthy l.u.s.tful desire towards a man he just met for the second time…

Or, could it be that his just now unfathomable att.i.tude had hurt him? He decided to go to this newly acquainted friend’s whereabouts to apologize. While turning his body, his right leg suddenly sent through a fit of severe pain, then soon after that it began to spasm in convulsion.

Heaven! He helplessly complained inwardly, why should he pull a muscle now of all time!!

What happen to that guy --- Yan Xi Cheng narrowed his eyes when he saw the man in the center of the pond who was desperately waving his hands in random movements, he was having a feeling of puzzlement.

Eventually he realized that something was not quite right; Duan Shun Jie’s movement however he looked at it was like having his final struggle, this person also gradually sunk deeper and deeper… The amused smile on Yan Xi Cheng’s face changed into a bitter smile.

What a troublesome man!!

Without caring, he leaped into the pond, swam towards the already couldn’t be seen even the crown of his head Duan Shun Jie, pulled his head and dragged him back to the sh.o.r.e.

“Hack hack hack… hack hack hack…” Choked by no little amount of water, Duan Shun Jie was miserably coughing. Yan Xi Cheng only stood by his side with his like a smile yet not a smile expression while looking at him, once in a while he would lightly pat his back.

“d.a.m.n it! I am truly embarra.s.sed!!” With great difficulty he caught up on his breathing, Duan Shun Jie was unable to restrain himself from cursing his own bad luck. To go so far as to let Yan Xi Cheng rescue him, to be in debt upon other’s favor!!

“Shun Jie, this is nothing much to be embarra.s.sed on, don’t take it to heart, moreover, I will not tell other people about this!” Yan Xi Cheng laughed inwardly, but his face was still the same cultured and refined expression.

“Xi Cheng, you didn’t blame me?” Duan Shun Jie lifted his head, looking at Yan Xi Cheng with his face filled with a miserable expression.

“Why should I blame you?”

Staring at Yan Xi Cheng’s indifferent without rhyme face, Duan Shun Jie finally could relax his heart --- looks like he wasn’t aware of Duan Shun Jie’s feeling.

“Blame me for earlier since I treated you terribly…”

“Yes, right! You were suddenly angry, you really gave me a start! Also I didn’t know which part of me that had offended you.” Living in the treacherous Imperial Palace, telling a lie and being pretentious naturally was Xuan Yuan Xi Cheng’s special ability.

“Forgive me! Forgive me! Xi Cheng, you can punish me, I will surely accept your punishment obediently.” Duan Shun Jie apologized in a haste, whole heartedly only wanted forgiveness.

“Here, give you this.” Upon lifting his head, he saw the stretched out white towel in front of his face. He was staring at Yan Xi Cheng while failing to understand the meaning. After realizing the intention, his whole face was beaming with laughter.

“I punish you to properly, whole-heartedly help me wash my hair!” Saying that out loud, Yan Xi Cheng once again reclined on Duan Shun Jie’s thighs, closing both of his eyes.

A difficult to explain kind of unstoppable happiness was pouring and filling all parts of Duan Shun Jie’s heart. He stretched out his hand to hold Yan Xi Cheng’s neck in his palm, beginning to use a sincere, close to a worshipping manner, slowly he washed his hair for him...

The pitch black long hair was swaying like seaweed in the limpid clear water of the pond. The faint lamp light on Yan Xi Cheng’s fair and clear face made his face have the kind of unworldly beauty ---Duan Shun Jie gently attended to him, little by little he understood the sweet happiness feeling he experienced for the first time in his life…

The feeling of merely having this person by his side, the satisfaction of merely being able to do whatever simplest thing for him, filled up and took up all the s.p.a.ce in his heart, it was as if foretelling their not so distant predestination…

Today, after bidding his farewell to Yan Xi Cheng, Duan Shun Jie rode his horse into the pitch dark mountain’s forest and wandered around for a long while before he returned to his tent.

Entering the tent, the leaning to sleep on the table Chang Er opened his drowsy eyes, looking at him with his all still foggy with sleep eyes, then leaned over to continue to doze off. If this was the usual Duan Shun Jie, he would already be scolded in jest and be told to wake up. However the Duan Shun Jie today was facing whatever matters with gentle manner full of consideration --- taking the sleeping boy and brought him to his bed, Duan Shun Jie also didn’t forget to cover him with a quilt before he went to his own room.

Lying on his bed, he was not like how he used to be, falling asleep the moment he reclined his body. In front of his eyes, Yan Xi Cheng’s smiling face constantly appeared. That beauty which exceeded the border of gender allowed him to nearly forget that his feelings were originally deemed as a sinful action in the eyes of ordinary people.

Even if Duan Shun Jie’s heart still possessed a shred of dread to be in love with the same s.e.x, this kind of fear had been already erased by his naturally optimistic and open-minded disposition. In his innocent mind, he thought that if he firmly buried this feeling of love in the deepest part of his heart, then it wouldn’t be a problem.

If he didn’t say it out loud forever, then for all eternity, he would never be hurt; If he never made any demands forever, he still could see him like this, then it would be his greatest happiness, he still could do the smallest things for him, then it would be his supreme joy… Duan Shun Jie diligently tried to ignore the desires and yearning in his heart to touch and to possess that beautiful man. Secretly, he decided his determination.

The so called pa.s.sionate love, basically couldn’t be reasoned with, couldn’t be as one aspired it to be --- the first sprouting seed of romantic love in all his life, made Duan Shun Jie taste the flavor of bitter agony above all.

Struggling between the sweetness and the anguish sentiment, he spent the sleepless night just like that…

End of Chapter 2