Chapter 18: Heartbeat

Beigong Juechen put away the medicine bottle in his hand and laughed, “It’s not as if you’re inexperienced—what’s there to be shy about?”

Beigong Qiyi merely gave a soft snort and lowered his head, saying nothing more. Amused by his reaction, Beigong Juechen gave him a light tap on the head, raised an eyebrow, and reached out to grasp “little Qiyi.” Beigong Qiyi started in surprise and looked up, calling softly, “Brother…”

Beigong Juechen felt the thing in his hand swell again and laughed, scolding lightly, “This is more spirited than you are.”

Beigong Qiyi parted his lips as if to speak, but the words died in his throat. He stared at the man’s slightly upturned eyes, the faint curve of those dark red lips, and could not help but swallow. “Brother... what are you going to do…”

Beigong Juechen kneaded the half-hardened length in his hand. At the sound of the boy’s low gasp, he smirked, “What do you think I’m going to do?”

Beigong Qiyi’s hands gripped the silk bedding beneath him, his head tilting back slightly. His already striking eyes grew more vivid, colored with a feverish flush. The one helping him now was his elder brother—the man he both loved and feared. He was the master of Lishan Manor, the most revered and dreaded figure in all the martial world. As these thoughts swirled in Beigong Qiyi’s mind, he felt a painful tightness below.

Beigong Juechen watched the thing in his hand swell further, his brows knitting as he began to move his hand with idle strokes. Beigong Qiyi’s grip on the sturdy satin beneath him tightened so much that he tore the fabric. His shoulders trembled; the delicate line of his throat arched, revealing a small, pronounced Adam’s apple. His lips parted, and the faintest glimpse of a pink tongue could be seen. A flush rose over the pure, jade-like skin of his body, setting off the cinnabar mark at his brow in the most intoxicating way.

The boy’s soft, hoarse breaths sounded near his ear. Beigong Juechen glanced up by chance and saw those narrow, beautiful phoenix eyes squeezed shut, long lashes trembling, making him look strangely fragile. His hand sped up, and at that, the boy suddenly opened his eyes.

Beigong Qiyi’s black eyes were misted, gazing fixedly at Beigong Juechen’s pale neck. Suddenly, he reached forward and tore open the man’s robe. Beigong Juechen frowned, but saw the boy’s gaze was wild and hungry, like a beast over its prey. Something stirred in Beigong Juechen’s heart, and his grip tightened. Beigong Qiyi let out an uncontrollable moan, barely restraining the urge to tear at the man’s throat, and instead bit hard into Beigong Juechen’s bare shoulder.

At that moment, the length in Beigong Juechen’s hand jerked, and thick, white fluid spilled over his palm.

Beigong Juechen rose, found a square of cloth, and calmly wiped the liquid from his hand. He looked back at the boy, who sat with his head bowed, uneasy, and smiled faintly, almost carelessly remarking, “You certainly held a lot back.”

Beigong Qiyi’s lips trembled. He spoke softly, “Thank you, brother.” Then, noticing the small, bloody bite mark visible where the man’s robe hung open, he added apologetically, “Brother, your shoulder…”

Beigong Juechen pulled his robe aside, revealing a neat circle of teeth marks on his rounded shoulder. He glanced at it, then closed his robe again, saying quietly, “It’s nothing.”

Beigong Qiyi nodded, picked up the trousers beside him, and wiped away the drying evidence between his legs. With a smile he said, “It’s late now. Why not sleep here tonight, brother?”

Beigong Juechen considered a moment and nodded. Beigong Qiyi’s smile deepened. “Then I’ll clean up first.”

Beigong Juechen had already bathed before coming, but after what had just transpired, he felt a bit sticky himself. “Let’s go together,” he said.

Whether from embarrassment or something else, Beigong Qiyi washed quickly and left the bath, a towel draped over his shoulders. Looking at Beigong Juechen, who was still reclining in the water with his eyes closed, he announced, “Brother, I’ll go out first.”

Beigong Juechen opened his eyes, glanced at the boy, and raised a slanted brow, asking, “Is that towel still the size you wore as a child?”

Beigong Qiyi paused, looked down, and saw the white towel barely reached his knees. His expression unchanging, he replied with a light laugh, “I didn’t have new ones made after returning, so I’m using the old ones for now.”

Beigong Juechen nodded and closed his eyes again. Beigong Qiyi, eyes half narrowed, looked at him quietly for a moment, then turned and left.

Inside, the candlelight glimmered softly, incense curling in the air. The boy reclined on his side on the bed, seemingly already asleep. Beigong Juechen sat down, but as he did, the boy’s eyes suddenly opened, black and shining as they fixed on him. Beigong Juechen was reminded of the first time he met the boy as a child—he had been asleep, but just as Juechen was about to leave, the infant had opened his eyes, black and bright as now, and had even giggled at him.

A rare tenderness flickered in Beigong Juechen’s usually cold, dark green eyes. He reached out, ruffled the boy’s long black hair, and teased with a smile, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Beigong Qiyi seemed surprised by this sudden gentleness and stared at him blankly for a while before murmuring, “Waiting for you…”

The boy’s dazed expression made Beigong Juechen smile more deeply. He lay down, pulled the boy into his arms, and poked at his slightly flushed cheek, teasing, “Are you hot? Your face is red.”

Seated in his brother’s arms, Beigong Qiyi blinked unconsciously. After a moment, he suddenly buried his face in the man’s chest.

He felt oddly strange, his heart pounding as though he were on a roller coaster in a previous life, racing wildly.

Beigong Juechen, seeing the boy nestling into his arms, felt an odd sensation stir within him—was this the famed bond of blood? As he mused, he slowly wrapped his arms tighter around the boy’s back. Beigong Qiyi felt that rollercoaster sensation intensify and buried his face deeper into the man’s chest, inhaling deeply. There was a faint, unique fragrance on the man, the same scent that had lingered on him since youth. Unable to stop himself, he mumbled, “Brother, what fragrance do you use? It smells so good.”

Beigong Juechen toyed with a lock of the boy’s long black hair and replied carelessly, “I never use fragrance.”

Beigong Qiyi blinked, thinking to himself that it must be his natural scent. Then, realizing he was still sitting in the man’s lap, he pushed at the man’s solid shoulder. “Let me go.”

Beigong Juechen released him, and the boy turned and lay down on the bed. His black hair scattered messily over his face in the motion. He brushed it aside and asked softly, “Aren’t you going to sleep, brother?”

Beigong Juechen raised an eyebrow, pulled the apricot-red quilt over them both, and said casually, “Let’s sleep.”