| The Paternity Guard (PATERNITY) |
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In the quiet room, only occasional sounds of water could be heard, followed by long periods of silence. Ying Qi sat in the tub with his usually gentle face showing a hint of confusion and a touch of pain because his exposed shoulders and collarbones above the water were covered in scattered marks, some deep purple and extending down to his chest. The marks continued downwards and were obscured by the water but it wasn’t hard to imagine how terrible they must have looked.
“Are you planning to sit in the tub until tomorrow morning?” a lazy voice came from outside, belonging to Ke Weiqing. Ying Qi slightly relaxed his tense nerves but at this moment, he didn’t want to see anyone.
“No need to rush, I’m leaving right away. The medicine on the table was given by Master Gu. Your internal energy has been restricted for too long and this medicine will help you recover quickly.” Ke Weiqing said as he stood up and walked away.
“Thank Master Gu for me.” Ying Qi’s body remained tense while waiting for Ke Weiqing to leave and close the door.
“You should thank him yourself. Master Gu lives next to Xing Beiming’s place.” Ke Weiqing refused bluntly while looking at the figure behind the screen and resolutely taking a few steps forward. “I say, Ying Qi, before meeting Yin Ji, you never had any intimate encounters with anyone, right?”
“Master Ke!” Whether it was the mention of Yin Ji’s name causing turmoil or the irritation of prying into his privacy, Ying Qi shot out a water arrow, blocking Ke Weiqing’s steps forward. “This has nothing to do with you. Thank you for delivering the medicine. Please leave.”
Dodging this fierce water arrow, Ke Weiqing didn’t move forward anymore, but words had to be finished. “Ying Qi, in this life, one always has various relationships with others. It’s either with women or men. If it’s love, it’s mutual affection and joy; if not, then it’s just satisfying the desires. At worst, it’s like being bitten by a dog! As men, we can’t let ourselves be trapped in these matters, don’t you think so?”
Without saying more, Ke Weiqing shook his head, sighed inwardly and left.
The room regained its quietness but it was unknown if someone’s heart was as calm as a stream.
———
Outside the corner of the wall, two figures crouched and surprisingly it was Lord Xing and his little Shadow Guard!
On a night with a dark moon and high winds with shadows of trees outside, the sound of water inside was splashing.
The chill intensified and Xing Beiming couldn’t resist hugging someone’s slender waist.
“Now you should be at ease. Ying Qi is resilient and will soon adjust himself. Besides, A’Chun is also there. If you’re still worried then wait until you’re sure that Yin Ji has left Yueming City before checking on him.” Indulging his little Shadow Guard, Xing Beiming was still afraid that Yin Ji would come and harass his Shadow Guard again before leaving, so the reluctant Young Master Ke became the attendant of the Ying Qi.
“Thank you, Master. I’m just worried that Yin Ji won’t give up easily and when that happens, Brother Qi…”
“Do you not trust me? Do you think I’ll lose to Yin Ji?” His tone was ominously dark while staring at Shi Qi as if he wanted to devour him.
“No, Master. I trust you. I’m just worried that Yin Ji won’t keep his promise!” Shi Qi hurriedly explained but met Xing Beiming’s fiercely burning eyes. “Master?”
“You think that if he loses to me, I’ll let him take away my people from this Fortress? It seems necessary to let you understand more deeply about the authority of this Lord.” The sound of clothes being torn followed his words.
Why tear them?
That was because Lord Xing’s self-proclaimed live clasp had turned into a dead knot and required violence to untie it.
After violent struggles with all the clothing, what followed was gentle actions. A body that had tasted desire easily reddened and heated up under the touch and Shi Qi was gasping heavily but was still taken advantage of by the person on top of him.
Warning: Mature Content Inside!
The areas that were explored were easily accepted by Shi Qi’s body and the friction brought about by the deep insertion made them press their abdomens.
“Don’t touch.” Grabbing the hand that tried to take matters into its own hands and press it onto the pillow. Xing Beiming continued the tormenting thrusts while watching his own shaft move in and out of the deep redness. It even occasionally squeezes out lubricating fluids and flows down the tight buttocks to unseen places. He felt like his shaft had swollen a bit more.
“… Master… It’s uncomfortable, please…” Shi Qi’s cheeks were red with his eyes watery. He was clearly not comfortable because he begged but suddenly a forceful thrust hit an unknown spot, causing Shi Qi’s body to tremble and an unintentional moan escaped his lips, making Xing Beiming also felt a tingling sensation all over and thrusting even harder.
.......
As the water sounds subsided, Shi Qi finished bathing and was currently kneeling on the bed to let the person behind him insert the jade object.
It hadn’t been used for the past few days, so he felt uncomfortable again.
Suppressing the urge to pull it out, Shi Qi turned over and lay on the bed and just focused all his attention on Xing Beiming who was drying his hair with inner energy.
Love-making, post-coitus cleaning and inserting the jade object. Sometimes even dressing had to be done by Xing Beiming, himself. Being taken care of like this by Xing Beiming made Shi Qi feel it might be too luxurious for a mere Shadow Guard like him.
Xing Beiming finished grooming his hair and also tied his belt before he turned around to find his Shadow Guard staring at him with a dazed expression. Without interrupting him, he simply got into bed and pulled him into his arms, first touching his abdomen to feel a slight movement then contentedly pulled up the covers, “Go to sleep.”
In the darkness, Shi Qi watched Xing Beiming’s face until a warm hand grabbed his restless one and pressed it against Xing Beiming’s face. Shi Qi anxiously listened to the Master say, “Didn’t I say if you want to touch, just touch.”
Shi Qi obediently touched for a long time until his fingers were cold then they were forcefully pushed into the quilt.
————
On this rare sunny day, Shi Qi was ordered to sunbathe in the courtyard, on a recliner with thick blankets while wearing thick cotton clothes with his favorite snacks of hawthorn cakes and red hawthorn biscuits placed on a small stool beside him. He had never been treated so leisurely before, especially when seeing Shi Er on the roof waving at him.
“Xiao Qi, give me a hawthorn cake,” Shi Er grinned mischievously.
Xing Beiming had gone out this morning, otherwise he wouldn’t have been so bold to get close.
Shi Qi’s eyes revealed a smile. Since that time at Qian’s Inn, Shi Er had often appeared to chat with him, and sometimes Shi Yi joined in. Even though Xing Beiming knew about it, he tacitly approved. Whenever Shi Qi was not around, someone had to keep him company to pass the time. Thus, the boredom-relief messenger, Shi Er, was born.
With a swift movement, Shi Er skillfully caught something and tossed it to Shi Yi, while eating and saying, “Ah, life is getting corrupt! If Second Brother finds out, he’ll surely lecture me endlessly! He’s always going on about rules and regulations, such an old-fashioned man!”
Ying Ér [1] was just overly responsible, which was why their Master and Ying Yi [2] trusted him to manage the Shadow Guards. However, Shi Er’s words… “With Second Brother’s keen senses, he probably already knows everything you’ve been up to these days. If he wants to settle scores with you, he would have already. But if you talk about him today, well, he might come looking for you later to settle the score.”
[1] Shadow Two
[2] Shadow One
Shi Er froze for a moment, probably thinking about Ying Ér’s methods of tormenting people. But soon, he regained his composure, thinking that he would deal with it when the time came.
Someone approached, and Shi Qi straightened up slightly. Shi Er glanced over and was instantly curious, he even waved mischievously, “Xiao Qi, don’t lose to a woman. I’m rooting for you!”
Shi Qi was puzzled.
What woman?
As he wondered, a woman rushed in from outside, her delicate figure showing distress while tears were staining her face and her eyes were swollen. Shi Qi recognized her as one of Master’s Concubines, but what was happening now?
Because of Shi Qi, the guards outside the courtyard had withdrawn, leaving only the Shadow Guards. Xing Beiming had also ordered that no one was allowed to enter the Main House without permission, otherwise, they would face expulsion as punishment for violators.
Even though he was unsure on why this woman was so bold as to barge in, Shi Qi still stood up and blocked her path. Despite his warning, the woman, named Shui Qian with swollen eyes, ignored him and tried to rush into the house.
Shi Qi blocked her again and whispered, “Master has ordered that no one is allowed to enter without permission. Please leave.”
Shui Qian was the first woman to enter the fortress to serve Xing Beiming. Because of her long tenure, she considered herself like an elder sister to some women, who would often seek her advice. She thought that although Xing Beiming might not favor her exclusively, at least she could stay in the fortress for a long time without worrying about her livelihood. However, today Xing Beiming unexpectedly ordered the dissolution of the Lake Heart Pavilion, where the concubines resided and sent everyone away with silver coins, even making arrangements for those with no place to go. This decree caused chaos in the pavilion; some left after receiving their coins, while others like Shui Qian, who knew that crying and causing a scene wouldn’t help, ran to the Main House.
The guard in front of her was still remembered by Shui Qian. On that day, news spread throughout the fortress that Xing Beiming had brought back a woman from his travels. She and a few other sisters had sneaked over but only saw him.
This time… it was said that when their Master arrived, indeed it was a man who got off the carriage and their relationship seemed intimate. Could it be…
With her eyes red and staring at Shi Qi, who had an expressionless face and blocked her way, Shui Qian noticed his luxurious and rare white fox fur-lined heavy clothing, indicating that he was not an ordinary guard. She trembled as she spoke, “I want to see Zhuren [3]. Get out of my way!”
[3] "Owner" or "Master of the house".
“Master is currently not available. You can seek an audience later. If it’s urgent, I can relay your message.” If it was extremely urgent, Shi Qi could immediately report to the Master or ask for help from Shi Yi and Shi Er.
“On what grounds?” Shui Qian’s eyes flashed with resentment. “Why should we leave, while you’re here leisurely enjoying the sun? And you’re a man… How ridiculous! Is there a new lover inside? I want to see her!”
“A new lover? Where would that be?” Shi Qi maintained a calm demeanor. “There’s no one else inside. Please leave. If you insist on barging in, you should know the consequences.” His indifferent tone only further infuriated the woman.
“Just because we were driven out of the fortress? Everyone in our Lake Heart Pavilion! Everyone was expelled! You say there’s no new lover inside, then why? Why did Zhuren want us out? When Zhuren returned, everyone saw that scene and you’re actually the so-called new lover, right? You’re disguised as a man, right? Zhuren is protecting you and not letting us know. But now, I should see the truth!”
Shi Qi was shocked by the news of the concubines being driven out of the fortress but he was then startled by a pair of hands reaching out towards him that he quickly dodge.
What was happening? Was this woman trying to tear his clothes? Absurd!
Shui Qian reached out to attack Shi Qi’s chest and tried to confirm if he was disguised as a man but was swiftly avoided. She was initially confused, but seeing him dodge, she acted impulsively and was more determined to tear his clothes while shouting in her mind that he must be a woman!
Shi Er, who was secretly observing from the roof, widened his eyes. “Heavens, what’s going on? Shi Yi, does the Shadow Guard Code say anything about what we should do in such situations?”