The night was desolate, and the moonlight was just right for ghosts and demons to appear. They would latch onto passersby who stayed out all night, until they got what they wanted.
The carriage swayed as Zhang Lanhe stared at Xie Huizhou's reddened ears with his emerald eyes, awaiting his answer.
"Take a guess. You're not allowed to get it wrong. There'll be a punishment if you do."
Zhang Lanhe did not want to hear anyone else's name from Xie Huizhou's lips yet. If Xie Huizhou said someone else's name, he would stop his mouth.
After all this time, he only remembered how delicious Xie Huizhou was, and wanted another taste.
"You're that anonymous pervert. Not only do you write filthy letters, now you're kidnapping a prince right off the street. I can report you to the authorities. This is a crime that could get nine generations of your family executed. I suggest you think before you act."
With Zhang Lanhe's reminder, Xie Huizhou quickly thought of the pervert who had been sending him strange letters and gifts lately, and felt utterly unwell.
"You know my movements so well. Are you someone I know? Who exactly are you?"
While the man was still there, Xie Huizhou took the opportunity to ask directly who the person behind him was.
Not many people knew his secret identity so well, but judging by the character of his few friends, they would not do such a thing.
He went through everyone he knew, but could not find anyone who fit.
At least, none of them were brazen enough to abduct someone in the street, so brazen that they disregarded the law entirely.
"I've given you such a clear hint, and you still can't guess?" Zhang Lanhe feigned disappointment. "I've been watching you all along, yet you pay me no mind at all. It truly breaks my heart. Still, since you haven't mentioned anyone else, I'll let you pass for now."
Xie Huizhou listened to his words with great wariness.
Why does that sound so wrong, like he's after my body?
Surely not. Just because this is a danmei novel, that can't mean everyone lusts after men's bodies, can it?
"You can report me to the authorities, too. I've yet to meet anyone who could arrest me." Unmoved by Xie Huizhou's threat, Zhang Lanhe continued shattering his illusions. "No one can catch me, no matter what I do."
Zhang Lanhe merely wanted to frighten Xie Huizhou out of a mischievous sense of amusement. He had no intention of touching him.
Ever since that time, Xie Huizhou's body had never fully recovered, and he had been carefully recuperating all along. Zhang Lanhe could not bear to hurt him yet.
His face flushed with pent-up anger, Xie Huizhou cursed him. "You pervert, I'm a man. You like my paintings? You've had an ulterior motive all along."
Zhang Lanhe did indeed like Xie Huizhou's paintings, but he liked the man as well.
"You've been drinking. Look at yourself now. Who could look at you like this and restrain themselves? You can't blame me."
Xie Huizhou's face was flushed, his hair crown had fallen off, and his hair was disheveled. The night wind slipped into his clothes, making his already frail body shiver. The tears at the corners of his eyes only made him more tempting to bully.
Taking in the lovely sight before him, Zhang Lanhe praised him sincerely. "You're beautiful. By the time the authorities find us, you'll already be mine."
Zhang Lanhe had never been stingy with praise for someone he liked. He truly wanted to hide him away in his lair just like this.
But this place had already trapped him for so many years. Why should a place that had tormented him for so long imprison someone who was free?
Hearing the implication in his words, Xie Huizhou's vision went dark.
This pervert, whoever he is, really is after my body!
"You pervert, stay away!" In his agitation, anger overwhelmed Xie Huizhou and he spat out a mouthful of blood, spraying it all over Zhang Lanhe. "I'd die before I let you have your way. Cough, cough, cough, cough."
In this world where love between men was so prevalent, he could become someone's target just by going out for a drink with friends.
Blood stained Xie Huizhou's lips red, making his face look as pale as a silk doll that had collapsed helplessly to the ground, exquisite and broken.
The sight of him coughing and vomiting blood was truly horrifying, and Zhang Lanhe was startled.
Xie Huizhou was like fragile glass, as though he might vanish and die before his eyes at any moment.
Zhang Lanhe had seen one acquaintance after another pass away. The familiar scene made his heart pound like thunder. He could not imagine Xie Huizhou dying in his arms.
Living alone in the human world was boring enough already. Someone interesting had finally come along. How could he die?
Seeing that his health had worsened again, Zhang Lanhe sighed and pulled him back to take his pulse himself.
"Let me check your pulse."
Without allowing any argument, Zhang Lanhe took Xie Huizhou's wrist and checked his pulse. What he found sent shock waves through his heart, and he stared at him in disbelief.
"Why are you so severely poisoned? Has not a single imperial physician noticed all these years?"
Xie Huizhou had not been born sickly. Someone had been poisoning him all along. The poison had seeped into his marrow, causing a man like a towering tree to wither rapidly.
As it accumulated day after day, he would die without a sound once the poison took effect.
If he died suddenly, others would simply think it was because of his poor health. No one would notice anything wrong.
Zhang Lanhe's amorous thoughts instantly vanished, leaving only the thought of Xie Huizhou silently slipping away.
"I've been poisoned?"
Xie Huizhou, who had been struggling, felt his heart sink. He had never taken part in any power struggles, yet someone had still been poisoning him all along.
"It looks like I'm destined to die."
Even if he did not die at Zhang Lanhe's hands as he did in the original story, he would die from the deadly poison in his body.
His path to survival was about to become immensely difficult again.
"What nonsense are you saying? I can't see your future. There are still endless possibilities." He suddenly heard the other man speak solemnly. "I won't let you die. I have a way to save you."
Xie Huizhou asked, "What way?"
Something warm and soft covered Xie Huizhou's lips without warning, and his eyes beneath the black cloth instantly flew wide open!
He's forcing a kiss on me!
Xie Huizhou was kissing a perverted stalker fan. The realization stunned him, and he turned his head to try to avoid it, only for a slender hand to hold the back of his head, leaving him unable to escape.
"Don't move. I don't want you to die. I'm helping suck out the poison."
Just then, a nimble tongue pried his lips apart and slipped inside, searching for something, as though a snake's tongue were sweeping through his mouth.
At the same time, something coiled around his waist, its cold scales rubbing against his skin.
It was a huge snake's tail restraining him!
Xie Huizhou's scalp instantly prickled, and his whole body recoiled!
No, humans don't have tails, much less wrap scaly tails around me.
This isn't a human at all.
Oh no, the legends are true. A snake demon has latched onto me.
There really is a snake demon in Capital City!
The poison that had seeped deep into Xie Huizhou's marrow passed from his body into Zhang Lanhe's. Though it was only a small portion, it was enough to give Xie Huizhou some respite.
Zhang Lanhe already bore this dynasty's karmic retribution and was beyond redemption. If this body of his could share some of his beloved's suffering, he was willing.
The deadly poison flowed through Zhang Lanhe, corroding his body. Sharing the same pain filled him with delight.
At least Xie Huizhou had gained another chance at survival.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough. Now we're both severely poisoned. If your poison takes effect, I'll die along with you. You can rest easy."
Xie Huizhou had been kissed numb. "Never mind that for now. There's no enmity between us, and thank you for your help. It's getting late. Could you let me go first?"
His body did indeed feel better, though. The snake demon was saving him.
He wanted to go back and investigate who had poisoned him.
He heard the man say, "We're already here."
Before Xie Huizhou could react, his hands were untied and he was set down at the entrance to the Detached Palace.
The carriage sped away, and a final farewell came from inside. "Mr. Chunzhai, beware of everyone around you. Don't trust any of them."
Xie Huizhou had been returned to the entrance of the Detached Palace. Once his hands were free, he removed the black cloth over his eyes, but there was no sign of the person who had abducted him.
The moon shone brightly, and the street was deserted. Eunuch Li's delighted voice drew closer from the distance.
"Your Highness! You're finally back!"
Before you continue