Lu Yunsheng

Mo Lu, however, showed no expression.

He would not make the same mistake twice.

Since he could not resist Weisheng Tou's pheromones through willpower alone, he could only strengthen the Curse Technique's suppressive effect.

"All done. Get up."

After drawing the Curse Seal, Mo Lu also suppressed Weisheng Tou's madness, then gave his abs a pat.

Watching Mo Lu's movements, Weisheng Tou felt as though he were having an examination at a military hospital.

It felt as if Mo Lu saw him as nothing more than a slab of raw meat.

That irritated him immensely.

"Young master." Weisheng Tou suddenly sat up.

"Mm." Mo Lu picked up the paper covered in sigils and examined it. "When you come next Saturday, we won't have to go through all this trouble. I've already drawn the Curse Seal, so I can suppress it directly then."

"Young master." Weisheng Tou leaned closer to Mo Lu. "I don't mind the trouble."

"I do."

Mo Lu kept his eyes fixed on the sigils in his hand, then opened the thick, vine-entwined ancient book beside him.

Weisheng Tou said nothing more. He reclined sideways on the couch, propping his head on one hand as he watched Mo Lu concentrate. His obsidian earring swayed gently beside his face.

The small, faint black Curse Seal between his brows made his already handsome face look even more wickedly alluring.

Mo Lu had not noticed at all how close they were.

He was sitting right in front of Weisheng Tou, bent over the little table as he leafed through the Ancient Text.

Gentle, rose-liquor-scented pheromones enveloped him, just like the scent that had lulled him to sleep these past few days.

Mo Lu sensed nothing amiss.

Watching him, Weisheng Tou's lips curved slightly.

Did this mean the young master had grown used to having him close?

Weisheng Tou could not help releasing a little more of his pheromones, gently soothing Mo Lu's nerves.

Mo Lu simply felt inexplicably comfortable. Even his frustration at being unable to find the Curse Seal's origins had eased considerably.

He had searched the entire ancient volume of "Federation Witchcraft" in his hands without finding a Curse Technique that matched Weisheng Tou's Curse Seal.

Why wasn't it in here either...?

Mo Lu rubbed the space between his brows.

When he saw Mo Runyan, he had suddenly remembered that the Federation had witch families too. That was why he had sought out the Mo Family's only copy of "Federation Witchcraft," hoping to find a spell resembling the Curse Seal on Weisheng Tou's lower abdomen.

He had thought he might get lucky.

As far as he knew, though, no one in the Mo Family practiced Federation Witchcraft, himself included.

They were two entirely different systems of magic.

The Mo Family communed with heaven and earth, while the witches of the Federation communed with the dead.

But he still found nothing.

Mo Lu sighed softly, though he was not particularly discouraged.

He had expected that he might not find it.

Watching Mo Lu sigh, Weisheng Tou sat up slightly and covered Mo Lu's hand on the couch with his own large hand.

"Young master, I'm in no hurry to break this curse."

Mo Lu withdrew his hand.

Only now did he realize that the quiet chamber, where agarwood incense had been burning, was completely filled with the gentle scent of rose liquor.

Looking at Weisheng Tou so close to him, Mo Lu felt a little helpless.

No wonder his reading had gone so smoothly today. Weisheng Tou had been soothing him with his pheromones.

Roses already had mood-lifting properties, let alone the soothing effect of Weisheng Tou's pheromones.

A complicated look entered Mo Lu's eyes.

For an instant, he felt that having Weisheng Tou beside him was rather nice.

"Young master... what are you thinking?"

Weisheng Tou looked at Mo Lu and asked softly.

"Nothing."

Mo Lu's reply was flat.

But perhaps it was not Weisheng Tou he needed, only his pheromones.

He merely wanted Rose Liquor pheromones to keep him company while he worked and lull him to sleep.

Anyone would do, as long as they had those pheromones.

Weisheng Tou himself was nothing special to him.

Thinking this to himself, Mo Lu picked up the Curse Seal diagram and rose.

"Young master." Weisheng Tou reached out and caught Mo Lu's arm.

Mo Lu had not expected Weisheng Tou to grab him. Caught off guard, he fell straight onto Weisheng Tou's bare body.

"What are you doing?!"

Mo Lu immediately pushed himself up, anger on his face.

"Young master, I need you very much." Weisheng Tou tilted his head back slightly to look at him. "So... could you need me a little too...?"

Mo Lu looked at Weisheng Tou, momentarily at a loss for words.

After a long silence, he slowly said, "I need to study your Curse Seal."

In truth, now that he had a traced copy, he hardly needed Weisheng Tou anymore.

But faced with Weisheng Tou's earnest, pitiful expression, he could not bring himself to say, "I don't need you."

Nor did he particularly want to send him away.

The realization irritated Mo Lu.

He had never imagined that an outsider would one day keep testing his boundaries, or that he would still not have punished him.

No one else could get so close to him or speak to him like this.

Perhaps there was nothing wrong with letting Weisheng Tou handle his heats and stay beside him releasing pheromones when he was in a bad mood?

Just as he himself had said, he could truly turn their relationship into one where Weisheng Tou satisfied his physical needs.

There was nothing wrong with that, was there?

After all, such arrangements were common among the great families. He had merely waited until twenty-three to start considering it.

Mo Lu was staring at Weisheng Tou in thought when Ye Liang's voice suddenly interrupted him from outside.

"Young master, someone from the Lu Family is here."

Weisheng Tou raised a brow at that, a flicker of puzzlement crossing his eyes-

Why would someone from the Lu Family come?

He had covered his tracks perfectly.

Mo Lu glanced at the culprit, set down the Curse Seal diagram in his hand, and walked out.

Weisheng Tou immediately got up, dressed, and followed.

In the front hall, the visitors from the Lu Family were already seated.

When Mo Lu arrived, he saw Lu Yunsheng, the current head of the Lu Family, his face full of fury.

Mo Lu still felt irritated, but he looked perfectly composed.

He took the seat of honor and leisurely sipped his tea before asking indifferently,

"What brings the head of the Lu Family here today?"

"Was it you who killed my son again, Mo Lu?!"

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Lu Yunsheng slammed a hand on the table and sprang to his feet.

Looking at Lu Yunsheng's ugly, red-faced appearance, Mo Lu grew even more irritated.

Even the tea in his hand tasted bland.

He set down his cup and frowned at Ye Liang.

"Brew a fresh pot."

Only then did he look back at Lu Yunsheng. "Which son?"

Lu Yunsheng was so furious that his lips trembled. "Mo Lu! Don't play dumb! Someone from your Mo Family killed my son, Lu Sa!"

"Lu Sa?"

Mo Lu tilted his head, his green agate earring gleaming softly.

"Was he worth my killing?"

"You!"

Lu Yunsheng pointed at Mo Lu, his lips quivering, yet for a long while he dared do nothing else.

"Mo Lu, no matter how powerful your Mo Family is, you still live within the Empire and must obey its laws. After what your people did to my son, I won't let this go!"

"What they did?"

Mo Lu glanced at Weisheng Tou beside him.

Lu Yunsheng immediately said, "Don't play dumb!"

A shadow flashed through Weisheng Tou's eyes as he listened to Lu Yunsheng.

He had always been confident in his methods of killing and had never imagined he would be discovered.

Yet Lu Yunsheng had come straight to them and said such things in front of the young master.

If the young master discovered how he had killed Lu Sa, what would he think?

Weisheng Tou clenched his fists tightly, his expression dark.

Where exactly had he slipped up?