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In the small, blood-soaked cave, Xie Lian slowly backed away from the now dead woman. He had already shouted to the young soldier to not breathe in the fragrance of the Land of the Tender. Xie Lian knew the fragrance was already in his system, but he wanted to spare the boy from any ill effects of the flower.
Thinking quickly, Xie Lian and the young soldier started to leave the area, only to turn back into another nearby cave. With no other choice but to wait, Xie Lian placed two barriers at the entrance of the cave. Xie Lian mixed the boy’s blood with his own, only because he was too slow to stop him from injuring himself needlessly.
After placing the barriers, Xie Lian directed the boy to stand between them. As the fruits of the flower approached the cave, they spoke sweet words trying to tempt the crown prince and young soldier out of the cave and into their arms. The moment they were within striking distance, the boy swung his worn blade to cut them down.
Sitting cross legged in the middle of the cave, Xie Lian was distantly aware of the womanly fruits crying out. However, he was more focused on his own status. He could tell that the numbness was fading, which meant the mania would set in soon. With a brief moment of clarity, Xie Lian realized the act of spilling his blood had alleviated some of the Tender Fragrance’s effects. Before he could injure himself further, he needed a way to guarantee the boy’s safety. With few alternatives, Xie Lian planned to use a lock of his hair as a protective shield.
Xie Lian called out to the young soldier, “You...come in.”
After a few moments of hesitation, the boy approached Xie Lian.
Xie Lian requested, “Cut off a lock of my hair. I have need for it.”
Xie Lian uncrossed his legs and shifted onto his knees to give the boy easier access to his hair. The boy reached forward in the darkness and accidentally touched Xie Lian’s chest instead. Unable to stop himself, a soft moan slipped out of Xie Lian’s lips. Startled, the young boy jerked his hands away.
Hearing the sound of Xie Lian’s moan, the fruits of the Land of the Tender cried out scandalously.
In an attempt to reassure the boy, Xie Lian spoke, “Don’t panic, continue. Don’t mind them.”
The fruits whispered, “Continue he says. Touch him more, didi.”
The boy debated whether he should try to grab Xie Lian’s hair or if he should touch his chest again. Nervously, he reached forward, unsure of where his hand would land. Upon meeting Xie Lian’s sweat-slicked chest again, Xie Lian let out another moan, slightly louder this time. When the boy heard another moan, he decided this must be the right choice. Rather than pulling away this time, his hands started to roam about awkwardly.
Soon, the young soldier’s fingers brushed against a nipple. Xie Lian cried out at the sensation. To the boy, however, this was only more encouragement to continue. Experimentally, he began to tease the nipple between his finger tips. A gentle squeeze, a light press, a firmer touch, each method brought more and more moans from Xie Lian.
Xie Lian’s mind was feeling hazy from the young soldier’s touch. He was horrified at the moans that were endlessly spilling from his own mouth, but it was impossible to silence them. He knew he needed to put a stop to this before it could escalate any further.
“Sto-haahh...whaaaAAHH!”
Xie Lian was trying to tell the boy to stop, but as he started to speak, he felt the boy start to play with his other nipple, and his words turned into more wretched moans. Xie Lian would be ashamed to admit this, but as the boy continued to toy with his chest, he could feel his pants becoming tighter.
Xie Lian tried to speak again. He needed to refocus the boy on his original task and told him, “My hair...you need...to take my hair.”
The flower demons giggled again, “Ohh, his royal highness wishes for his hair to be pulled? We had no idea you were so depraved.”
Xie Lian felt the boy’s hands moving up his chest and tracing along his neck before grasping his hair. Xie Lian felt a moment of relief, thinking the boy had not fallen for the flower demons’ tricks. That relief vanished the moment he felt the boy tug his hair gently, as though he was fearful of causing him pain. Xie Lian tried desperately to stay silent, not wanting to encourage the boy any more, but it was no use. A soft moan escaped.
Xie Lian felt his awareness and sense of reasoning were becoming more and more overtaken by mania and pleasure. With the little sense he has left, he fell down from his knees and tried to back away from the young boy. As he fumbled about in the darkness, his hand landed on the forgotten sword.
‘That’s right, the sword. If I can cut myself quickly, some of this mania will clear.’
With his body betraying him and the darkness hindering his perception, Xie Lian was afraid he would accidentally injure the young soldier if he picked up the sword. This ruled out the option of stabbing himself with the blade. Desperate for some relief, he pressed his palm to the edge of the blade and slid it across, slicing his flesh open. He let out a small hiss of pain. Such little pain would normally be insignificant to him, but it seemed the Tender Fragrance was affecting his pain perception as well.
“Your highness, what happened? Did I do something wrong?” the boy quickly became frantic.
Thankfully, the boy’s touches had stopped for the moment. Xie Lian was able to tell him that he had cut his hand on the sword. Before he could explain that it was intentional, Xie Lian heard the clang of metal meeting rock some distance away. Xie Lian could only assume that the boy had thrown the sword to get it away from him.
“I’m sorry, please forgive me, your royal highness. I foolishly left my weapon somewhere dangerous to you,” the boy cried out. He had clearly forgotten that Xie Lian had asked him to cut a lock of his hair.
“No, no, it’s fine, I meant-” Xie Lian tried to explain.
“I will do my best to make you feel even better, your highness. Please let me help,” the boy interrupted and then talked over him.
The young soldier gently moved one hand through Xie Lian’s hair while the other hand trailed along his chest. Xie Lian tried to speak, wanting to tell him it’s not necessary, but words failed him. He hoped the cut on his hand would bring him another moment of clarity soon. He could explain then. Xie Lian could wait out this torture for a few moments. Except for some reason, Xie Lian started to feel as though the mania was increasing.
‘Why hasn’t it started working? Was the cut not deep enough? Oh no…’
Xie Lian felt like a fool when he realized it. The sword was used to cut down the plants and slash at the fruits. It must have been covered in sap, which was now his bloodstream. His breathing became more ragged as he felt his sanity slipping further away.
Unaware of Xie Lian’s inner turmoil, the young boy was trying to think of how else he could please his highness. It seemed like Xie Lian enjoyed it when he touched his chest. The boy knew that couples usually touched down there too. With this in mind, the boy’s hand started sliding down from Xie Lian’s chest. Still keeping his hand over his clothes, the boy lightly traced his fingers over Xie Lian’s arousal.
Xie Lian wanted to be repulsed by this new touch. He wanted to shrink away, but his body betrayed him. His hips thrusted up desperately seeking more friction.
Before he could stop himself, he cried out, “More ahhh...plea-” he cut himself off by slapping his uninjured hand over his mouth. Muffled by his own fingers, he tried to tell the young soldier not to listen to him.
Outside the cave, the fruits of the Land of the Tender listened eagerly. They whispered more sweet words, “More, didi, more! Don’t stop, he says.”
Xie Lian wanted to scream in frustration as he felt the boy start to grasp at his clothes. He kept his mouth covered, fearing that he would make more inappropriate requests. After a few moments of awkward struggling, Xie Lian inhaled sharply when felt the warm, damp air of the cave against his bare skin.
“I’ve heard that you’re su-supposed to use your mouth umm...down here. If it would please his royal highness to use one such as me…” the boy trailed off nervously.
Even if Xie Lian hadn’t kept his hand over his mouth, he was stunned into silence.
‘How on earth does this child know something like that?’
Too afraid that the wrong words would slip out, Xie Lian quickly shook his head. But in the darkness, there was no way for the boy to see his refusal.
“He didn’t say no, did he? No, he didn’t say no.” the womanly shaped fruits continued to giggle amongst themselves.
Upon hearing those whispered words, Xie Lian moved his hand to speak.
“Nn-ahhh!” but he was too late.
Xie Lian’s mind went blank as he felt the boy’s wet tongue give a tentative first lick to the tip. The boy must have chosen to interpret his earlier silence as permission.
Xie Lian felt as the boy parted his lips wider, slowly descending down his length. Xie Lian panicked. He needed to escape this situation immediately. He tried to pull away, but he was too consumed by the mania. Rather than shifting and backing away like he intended, his hips thrusted up violently into the boy’s mouth.
Distantly, Xie Lian could hear the boy choking around his dick. He found it difficult to focus on the sound. He was far too distracted by the feeling of the boy’s throat spasming around him.
The boy backed away, coughing louder now and desperate for air. Yet after only an inhale or two, he lowered his mouth onto Xie Lian again. With his uninjured hand covering his mouth again, Xie Lian reached for the boy with his bleeding hand. He wanted to pull him off before he could lose himself to the sensation again. But the moment he grasped the boy by his hair, the boy moaned, sending little vibrations across his shaft. The hand that was meant to pull him away suddenly forced the boy’s head down.
The boy gagged around his cock helplessly. Tears leaked from his eyes. Xie Lian wanted to stop so badly, but his body refused to obey him. His blood mixed with the boy’s dark hair as he held the boy’s head down with one hand. His hips thrusted up and his moans were becoming too wild to smother completely. Within minutes, Xie Lian cried out as he came down the boy’s throat.
Despite the tears flowing from his eyes, the boy couldn’t feel happier. Xie Lian losing control and fucking into his mouth so roughly had to mean that he enjoyed it. When Xie Lian came, he swallowed it like it was a divine offering, not wanting even a single drop to go to waste. His quick finish reassured him further. Xie Lian couldn’t have came so quickly if he hated this.
The boy’s warm feelings started to chill a moment later. With Xie Lian’s hand still gripping his hair, he couldn’t back away, so his cock was still in his mouth. It was still just as erect as it was before he had came. If he had done a good enough job, surely it would have gone down, right?
Sensing that their plan was finally coming to it’s conclusion, the flower demons began giggling even louder. “You may have offered him your mouth, didi, but we have something you don’t! Come crown prince, now that you’ve had a taste of pleasure, you can have your wicked way with us.”
This entire time, Xie Lian had been actively trying to ignore the words the flower demons were saying. If he had paid more attention, he might have realized what they were planning with each of their whispers to the young soldier. The demons twisted his words and used the boy’s confusion to manipulate them both. They had hoped that the boy’s actions would break the last of Xie Lian’s resistance, causing him to leave the cave and seek them out for more pleasure.
Alarmed, Xie Lian suddenly realized he was still gripping the boy’s head. He removed his hand, allowing the boy to move again.
After hearing the words of the flower demons, the boy started to think. He knew they were right; he didn’t have the same parts that they did. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he realized there was one other way. He was unsure if he would be suitable, so he reached one of his own fingers down and inserted it into himself to test the feeling. Immediately, he noticed how his finger dragged against his skin unpleasantly. He wasn’t concerned about his own comfort. Rather, he wanted to be certain that it would feel pleasurable to his royal highness. With no other easily available fluids, he stuffed his fingers in his own mouth to coat them with his saliva.
“One moment, your highness,” the boy whispered before slipping his now wet fingers into himself.
Xie Lian suddenly heard a wet, squelching sound coming from the boy before him. The boy began to sigh and let out soft little moans.
“Wha-what are you doing?” Xie Lian found it a bit easier to talk after climaxing once and now that the boy was no longer touching him.
“I’m trying to make it wet for his highness. I want to make it feel as good as possible for you.” the boy explained rather earnestly.
Xie Lian felt a bit confused after hearing that. He wasn’t entirely sure what ‘it’ was or why it needed to be wet to feel good.
A moment later, the boy must have decided ‘it’ felt wet enough and said, “If it would please your royal highness, you may use me like a man would use a woman. It would be a great honor if one as lowly as myself could bring you satisfaction.” The words were spoken in such a rush, it was easy to imagine the boy’s face was flushed with embarrassment.
“No, no, no,” Xie Lian kept repeating the word as he tried to back away from the boy. Despite his efforts, he could feel the boy crawling forward on his hands and knees after him.
“This isn’t right. You don’t understa-huh?” his sentence cut off abruptly as he felt his back meet the wall of the cave.
“Please u-use me. I-I want to! I want to help his royal highness to feel good,” the boy began to plead desperately.
Outside the cave, the womanly fruits continued to whisper debauched words of encouragement to the boy. Even if they couldn’t have a taste yet, they could still enjoy the show.
Xie Lian was unable to back up any further as he felt the boy crawl up his legs to straddle his hips. Once again, he was too stunned to speak.
Unaware that Xie Lian had run out of room to flee, the boy believed he was accepting his advances. He coated his fingers with saliva once more before grasping Xie Lian’s shaft. Xie Lian groaned, half in pleasure, half in frustration. To the boy, though, it seemed as though he was only urging him to continue. Once properly lined up with his opening, the boy started to slowly rock his body down Xie Lian’s length.
Xie Lian didn’t know whether he should scream or cry. His body felt like it was in agony. It felt too wrong, too good, too sinful, too wonderful. The last threads of sanity that he had been desperately clinging to suddenly snapped. His hands lashed out, tightly gripping the boy’s hips, leaving bruises that would likely last for days. His injured palm stained the boy’s skin with his blood. He thrusted up into him wildly, consumed by the need to feel more and more pleasure.
The boy in his lap was crying, tears flowing from the pain, and moans of pleasure pouring from his lips. He could barely move with Xie Lian firm grip on his hips. All he could do was hold onto him as Xie Lian lifted and dropped him over his throbbing cock again and again. He tried to ask if his royal highness was feeling good, but his stutters and near constant moans made it too difficult to understand him.
Suddenly, Xie Lian felt the boy’s muscles clenching around his cock. The boy’s neglected dick squirted white fluid, painting both of their chests. This new sensation quickly sent Xie Lian over the edge, come filling the boy’s insides.
Despite this being his second orgasm, the mania still didn’t clear from Xie Lian’s mind. Instead of pulling out and regaining his senses, Xie Lian lunged forward, pushing the boy onto his back. He continued to relentlessly pound into him.
The boy, feeling overstimulated with no rest after his climax, began to scream, writhing helplessly beneath Xie Lian.
Though clearly overwhelmed, the boy cried out, “More! More! Please, your highness, use me as much as you want!”
Shortly after changing positions, Xie Lian could feel another orgasm rapidly approaching. Still buried deep within the boy, Xie Lian groaned as he came again.
The boy was thrilled to feel Xie Lian empty himself within him again. He reasoned that he must not be completely worthless if he was able to offer Xie Lian this much pleasure. He wished that he could offer his body to his highness forever.
Meanwhile, Xie Lian’s own mind was spinning. He knew without a doubt that the cultivation he’d spent his life on was now ruined. He knew his spiritual energy would be significantly weakened as a result.
‘How can I save everyone now? Can I even hope to save anyone anymore? ’
He tried to look at the face of the young soldier beneath him, but it was too dark to make out any details. Still, Xie Lian suspected his face was streaked with tears. He felt disgusted with himself. He couldn’t even spare this child from himself. Just how weak was his self control to break over something like this?
‘I don’t deserve to be a god. I don’t even deserve to be alive.’
Filled with shame and self-hatred, Xie Lian was still thrusting into the young boy. Due to the effects of the Tender Fragrance, Xie Lian’s body was forced to stay at peak arousal, despite having orgasmed three times already and despite how greatly he wished to stop. He feared that he would keep assaulting this poor young boy until the last of the effects were out of his system or until he was incapacitated. But with no one else around, the latter option seemed impossible.
---
Far outside the cave, various shouts and curses could be heard. The womanly fruits tried to tempt the two approaching men, but they were quickly subdued.
A faint sense of relief filled Xie Lian as he realized that Mu Qing and Feng Xin must have finally arrived. That relief was washed away by dread as he realized he was still fucking the young soldier. Even more concerning, Xie Lian noticed it had been some time since he heard any noises from the boy.
‘He must have passed out. I didn’t even realize…’
Xie Lian felt his self-hatred grow and grow.
“Your highness! Are you in there?” Xie Lian couldn’t tell which one had called out to him, but he managed to call out some sort of response without moaning.
The light from a palm torch came closer, revealing Xie Lian’s shameful state.
“What the fuck happened?” Mu Qing cursed.
“Please…” Xie Lian groaned, “kill me.”
Mu Qing was closest to Xie Lian. Without hesitation, he chopped his hand against the back of Xie Lian's neck, rendering him unconscious.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Why the hell would you do that?” Feng Xin glared at Mu Qing.
“It’s not like I actually killed him! Did YOU want to carry him back in that state?” Mu Qing argued back.
Xie Lian awakened several days later in his palace bedchambers. He had a vague memory of Mu Qing and Feng Xin rescuing him from the Land of the Tender. He almost wanted to ask about the young soldier, wanting to know if he was okay. In the end, he decided it may be better not to ask.
The three of them spoke briefly about what had occurred. Mu Qing and Feng Xin vowed never to speak of it again, and urged Xie Lian to push it out of his mind. They even tried to reassure him, telling him there was nothing he could do, and that he was not at fault.
Xie Lian kept his disagreements to himself, fearful of upsetting them.
---
Xie Lian knew he possessed only a fraction of the power he had before, so it came as no surprise when Xianle fell.
With his form hidden, Xie Lian walked through his broken kingdom one last time. Within the Royal Holy Pavilion, he saw a group of delinquents circled around something, kicking and taunting it. Xie Lian froze as he recognized that ‘something’ was the young soldier from the cave.
Though he knew he shouldn’t intervene, he couldn’t just stand there and watch the boy suffer any more. With a wave of his hand, he diverted a blow meant for the boy back onto the group of attackers. Once they fled, Xie Lian started to leave as well.
“Wait!” the boy cried out, “Is it really you? Are you here?”
The boy appeared to be looking around frantically, searching for someone who could not be seen. Surely the boy must have wanted to curse his name and shout his hatred at him. Xie Lian knew he deserved to hear such words, so he stayed. Though he stayed, he could not bear to turn around, too afraid to look at the young child after everything he had done.
“No matter what others believe, I could never hate you!” the boy shouted to the sky. He vowed to build grander temples in his name and worship him alone as the one true god.
Xie Lian whirled around in disbelief, staring at the boy. His movements stirred the air around him, making the slightest breeze. The boy jerked his head in the direction Xie Lian was standing then rushed before him, though he still could not see him. He gazed at the air with an expression of complete adoration. Xie Lian couldn’t identify it exactly, but there was something about his expression that seemed just a little off, and that something made his gaze deeply unsettling.
Xie Lian felt tears start to form in his eyes as he continued to look down at this small dirty child. He was undeserving of such words and reverence. He had corrupted this child and twisted his devotion into obsession.
He didn’t dare to speak. Instead he turned and walked away, praying this young boy would soon forget his promises of temples and allow Xie Lian to be forgotten.
‘I don’t even know his name.’
The boy gazed at the empty air, waiting, hoping to hear the voice of his highness. Just for a moment, even just a single whisper would be enough. The sun sank and the moon rose, and still he waited. Tears welled in his unbandaged eye as he vowed to wait forever to meet Xie Lian again.