∘―o―∘

When Qinghe woke up, a familiar ceiling greeted him. He knew without a doubt that this was his room. His body felt warm and comfortable, albeit a bit weak. He sensed rich spiritual power flowing through him, repairing damages to his muscles and eradicating soreness. As he s.h.i.+fted, his pa.s.sage gave out a strange and uncomfortable ache due to the newly regenerated tissue stretching inside.

All in all, Qinghe decided that his condition was much better than expected.

Sensing Wei Xiang's presence by the bedside, Qinghe turned his head to greet him, only to be met with the sight of his beloved kneeling on the floor with an expression of remorse, fear, and consternation.

Guessing what his silly Xiang must be worrying about, Qinghe sighed. He lifted an aching hand and rested it on Wei Xiang's head before stroking it soothingly. His voice was husky and thick as he spoke, "Xiang, it's okay. I don't hate you and I'm not afraid of you. Going into heat is a natural biological function for you, so I definitely don't blame you for it."

Wei Xiang's expression looked reluctant as if he didn't believe it. "Love, I hurt you so much this time. How can you forgive me for it?"

Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "Forgive you? There's nothing to forgive. You didn't force me to do this. I had to beg and plead and lecture you with logic just to get you to agree to let me accompany you. So why would you feel like you're responsible for this? Plus…this isn't actually that bad. I certainly expected much worse. In truth, I thought your beast would tear off a few limbs or crush my organs while in the midst of overly pa.s.sionate lovemaking, but it looks like it went easy on me. So, Xiang, I don't understand. What are you even blaming yourself for? These few piddly scratches and bruises? They'll all be gone in no time, so why worry?"

Wei Xiang opened his mouth, then closed it again. Once again, he wasn't met with the reaction he expected. He really didn't know how to respond.

Wanting to feel his beloved's warmth around him, Qinghe sat up and slowly placed his feet on the floor one at a time. But as he tried to stand and take a step towards Wei Xiang, his knees buckled.

Wei Xiang quickly caught him and brought him close. "Qinghe, be careful. Your injuries are still healing. What if you'd fallen and worsened them?"

Qinghe stuck his tongue out. "Yes, yes, I know. I just had faith that even if I fell, you'd be here to catch me. Really, Xiang, you're worrying too much today."

Wei Xiang struggled with what to say to refute him, then sighed in defeat. "Yes, I'm sorry. Both for hurting you during my heat period and making you worry over me even though you're the one wounded."

Qinghe smiled and s.h.i.+fted in Wei Xiang's lap so that his legs wrapped around his lover's waist. Sitting face to face, Qinghe reached up to cup Wei Xiang's face and pulled it down for a small kiss. "It's alright. We're both fine. I'll heal in a day or two and everything will be as usual again."

Wei Xiang let out and shuddering breath and nodded. Yes as much as he had feared it, it seemed that his heat period hadn't pried him away from the people he cared. It hadn't been able to damage their bonds despite his worries. This more than anything made him feel just how truly lucky he was to have such a wonderful lover and such a dependable family.

Qinghe suddenly remembered something and asked, "Ah, Xiang, how is father? I'm guessing that he was the one who lent me his spiritual energy. Will the reduction in his power level inconvenience him?"

Wei Xiang shook away his thoughts and smiled amusedly. "Master will be fine. He always has an overabundance of spiritual energy anyway. And however much he gave to you, he must be replenis.h.i.+ng that much right now even as we speak."

"Eh? How?!" Qinghe asked surprised.

Wei Xiang paused. Could his little lover really not guess? "I'm sure Mother-in-law will help him with it."

Qinghe tilted his head and asked cluelessly, "But doesn't Mother have wood-based spiritual energy? She can't possibly transfer it to someone with wind-based energy like Father, can she? The risk of a rejection reaction or rebound is too great."

Wei Xiang looked at him blankly, then struggled to suppress his laughter. "Love, that's not what I meant."

Pouting and puffing out his cheeks at the humor he saw in his beloved's gaze, Qinghe bounced impatiently on Wei Xiang's lap, purposefully ignoring the twinge in his backside. "Then Xiang, what did you mean?"

With a grin, Wei Xiang spoke two words: "Dual cultivation."

Qinghe halted his bouncing as realization struck him.

His eyes twinkling with hilarity, Wei Xiang went on, "If you don't understand even after me saying this much, then shall I elucidate even more? Do you want to hear the exact details of all it entails and all the things they must be doing to each other right no―"

With cheeks blazing, Qinghe clamped a hand over his lover's smirking lips and glared at him. "No need. I really don't want to have such an image stuck inside my head again, thank you very much."

Wei Xiang's eyes danced with laughter and merriment at being able to tease his little lover. Qinghe felt himself softening in the face of such a lively expression on his Xiang's face. Lowering his hand, Qinghe leaned forward and snuggled into his warmth. In a spoiled voice, he suddenly said, "Xiang~ My entrance feels a bit uncomfortable. Will you apply medicine for me, please?"

Wei Xiang's eyes grew gentle. "Alright. Do you want me to carry you up to the bed?"

Qinghe happily nodded and clung to Wei Xiang with his arms and legs. Wei Xiang chuffed out a laugh and slowly got up. Due to Feng Huixin's medicine, almost all of the aches and pains in his muscles had melted away already. After laying Qinghe down on the bed carefully, Wei Xiang smoothed down his robe with tender touches. Qinghe smiled softly and let himself luxuriate in the sensation of being cared for by his lover.

Upon Wei Xiang's instruction, Qinghe turned to lay on his side and pulled up his legs before lifting up the hem of his robe, granting access to his opening. Though it looked a bit red and puffy, it was nowhere near its previous horribly mutilated appearance.

Wei Xiang settled himself on the bed and got out a bottle of ointment. First, he carefully smeared the medicine onto the edges of the inflamed hole. After he'd ripped them out, his fingernails had not yet grown to the point of being harmful to Qinghe, so Wei Xiang slathered up his fingers with more medicine and carefully pushed them into his little lover's pa.s.sage. Meanwhile, he studied Qinghe's scent for any fluctuations and tried to read his beloved's expression to see if he really wasn't averse to him after everything Wei Xiang did. Thankfully, he didn't find any signs of fear or distress caused by his touch, making Wei Xiang finally let go of his worries completely.

However, as Wei Xiang continued to tenderly ma.s.sage the medicine into Qinghe's inner walls, he noticed the rising tang of pain in his beloved's scent. But Qinghe's face showed no signs, his body lying relaxed on the bed.

Wei Xiang immediately stopped with a concerned frown. "Love, does it hurt?"

Qinghe smiled at him. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Pressing his lips together, Wei Xiang gently admonished, "Qinghe, don't lie to me. If you are in pain, then say you are in pain. Please don't bear it in silence."

Qinghe froze, then slumped into the bed with a sigh. "I forgot about your ability to scent my emotions. That's unfair, Xiang."

Wei Xiang showed a helpless smile. "I know, love. But still, don't lie to me about this, alright?"

Pouting, Qinghe buried his cheek further into the pillow and said sullenly, "But I don't want you to blame yourself like before. Xiang, I don't like seeing you unhappy. If I say it hurts, will you become worried again?"

Wei Xiang pressed his lips together. After some thought, he finally proposed, "How about this: I'll promise not to start blaming myself for hurting you these past seven days if you can promise that you will tell me when it hurts, alright?"

Qinghe quickly nodded. "Yes, I agree."

"Then tell me, does it hurt now?" Wei Xiang asked, his fingers continuing their motions of rubbing the ointment into Qinghe's pa.s.sage.

After a moment of hesitation, Qinghe said slowly, "…Yes. It mostly just aches though. But in some places, the pain is very sharp like needles."

Wei Xiang smiled at him. "Thank you for telling me. Can you point it out when it hurts you sharply?"

Qinghe nodded. "Okay.

"Good," Wei Xiang praised him, his voice warm. As he kept on applying the medicine, Qinghe cooperatively informed him whenever it hurt sharply by exclaiming "Needle!" Wei Xiang couldn't help but smile even as his fingers slowed their motions and gentled even further.

However, Wei Xiang's smile didn't last long. When he finished applying the ointment and took out his fingers, he saw lines of dark blood on them. Wei Xiang's expression turned dejected. He remembered how much blood had been crusted around Qinghe's entrance before. He remembered Qinghe's slightly distended stomach and all the fluid that had gushed out with streaks of blood in it. He supposed it was unreasonable of him to expect that all that damage would have healed so quickly.

Wei Xiang's voice was thick with emotions as he said, "Qinghe, I'm truly sorry. I promise I will never again put you through thi―"

Qinghe suddenly got up and placed a finger over Wei Xiang's mouth. "There you go with that self-blame again. You promised you wouldn't do that if I told you when it hurt."

Wei Xiang was momentarily pushed off-stride. "I only promised to not blame myself for hurting you these past few days. I never said anything about me promising not to do this again the next time I go into heat."

Qinghe felt like grumbling about his beloved finding loopholes in inconvenient places. Lying back down on the bed, he settled himself on his side again and pulled up his legs to put minimal strain on his sore entrance. "Xiang, your statement has been duly rejected. I want to be here for you again when you go into heat. I want to do this for you in the future as well. I was caught unprepared this time, but it will be better next time, you'll see."

Wei Xiang let out a breath tiredly and ma.s.saged his forehead. "I don't want you to have to go through all this again. I don't think I can live with myself if, even after I saw the toll this took on you this time, I still decided on a repeat performance next time. All of this is my fault. Qinghe, I can't bear to make you a victim of my heat again."

"A victim?" Qinghe asked incredulously while raising an eyebrow. "Xiang, if anyone is a victim here, it's you. I at least made the conscious decision to stay with you throughout all this. But you had no choice. You had to do this. Your heat did not give you a way to escape. You could either choose a bad outcome or a worse one. You are the one who suffered the most. I got off easy with just a few easily healable injuries and a dose of spiritual energy transfer. So, Xiang, stop feeling bad for me. I'm fine. Don't worry anymore, okay?"

Wei Xiang considered his words seriously. He wanted to believe him so badly, and he also wanted to stop worrying about the future. But… "Qinghe, even if I forgive myself for what happened this time, I just see no conceivable way to make this any better for you the next time I go into heat. No matter what you do, it doesn't change the fact that your inner tissue will definitely tear after seven days of continuous, intense mating. There's no way to deal with this."

Qinghe gave a light laugh. "Xiang, such pessimism doesn't suit you. Of course there's a way through this. In fact, there are many ways, and there are sure to be many more if we keep looking."

Wei Xiang looked at him with tentative hope. "Are you sure? Is there really a way?"

Qinghe shrugged. "Why not? Surely I can't be the only one who has a mate who can go into long periods of heat? I'll just have to find others like me and figure out how they deal with it. If that doesn't work, I'll just search for some pills or techniques that'll help strengthen my bowels and viscera and increase my endurance for the duration of your mating period. And from what I understand, the next time this happens will be several thousand years later. I would have grown a lot stronger by then, and my body will also have become more durable. At the rate Mother is training me, I'm sure it will be enough to withstand most of your beast's enthusiasm. With some extra preparations, dealing with another heat period should be simple enough.

"That's why, Xiang, the next time you think your heat is about to come, please tell me in advance and it'll be easy to get through. Unlike this time, the choice doesn't have to be just between either you or me bearing the brunt of this. We can reach a compromise where you will inform me of your heat beforehand and I will try my best to reduce the amount of pain and injury I take. As long as we work together, sating your heat every time it appears will become just another easily-manageable part of our lives."

Wei Xiang didn't know what to say. He felt so warm inside that his beloved had accepted even this troublesome aspect of him so naturally, treating it as an obvious part of him and not shunning or avoiding it. Qinghe was even going as far as to making it sound like a casual part of their lives and not something strange or inconvenient. This natural acceptance was something We Xiang never even thought to hope for.

Wei Xiang finally realized that for Qinghe, and maybe even for his mother-in-law and master, the trouble caused due to his heat period wasn't a big issue at all. It was just another little problem that they could work together to fix.

But what it really so easy? Wei Xiang couldn't help but feel uneasy and untrustworthy of himself. His beloved was too trusting, so he should be responsible and keep himself in even stricter control.

"Xiang?" Qinghe prodded.

Wei Xiang sighed and let his doubts go for the moment. For now, this was enough. He could deal with the rest later. His lover and his family had accepted him as he was. It was more than enough.

Lying down beside Qinghe, Wei Xiang looped an arm around his beloved's waist and leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead. Looking into Qinghe's puzzled gaze, Wei Xiang smiled. "Thank you."

Though Qinghe didn't understand what he was being thanked for, he still smiled happily and snuggled closer into his Xiang. Nestled together, the pair of lovers let the troubles of the past week go and finally slept peacefully.

...

After that, their days were relatively uneventful…except for one thing―Wei Xiang refused to sleep with Qinghe.

And so, it seemed that ultimately, Qinghe ended up being the one to suffer the most consequences due to the heat period after all, since it caused his own lover to refuse to romp in the sheets with him for weeks to let him recover from the ordeal. Needless to say, after all his advances were thwarted for this reason, Qinghe was not pleased.

Meanwhile, Wei Xiang struggled with trusting his self-control again. He had nightmares about the day he went berserk and killed the entire clan of heavenly wyverns. And sometimes, the faces of the dead clan members would morph to his master's, mother-in-law's, Kong Min's, and other people he cared about. It only served to feed into his distrust of himself and the fear that one day, his beast would go berserk again and he'd end up killing the people he loved.

But even worse than that were the dreams where he saw himself hurting Qinghe, not when he was in heat but when he was his usual self. More than anything, it was those dreams that kept Wei Xiang away from Qinghe. The fear that he would hurt his beloved, and that his beloved would let him, haunted Wei Xiang. If he were confident in his self-control, he could just dismiss these thoughts. But right now, Wei Xiang really couldn't trust even himself.

After another day of being plagued by these worries, Wei Xiang once again dreamt this night.

In his dream, he saw himself open his mouth and ask, "Qinghe, let's sleep together."

But the Qinghe in his dream shook his head. "No, Xiang. Not now."

Standing at the side, Wei Xiang saw his dream self suddenly clamp his fingers around Qinghe's jaw and forcefully jerk his face up. Sneering, he said, "Aren't you my lover? Shouldn't you always keep yourself available to me? Who gave you the right to refuse? Are you going to withhold yourself from doing your duty and satisfying my desire?"

Watching all this from the side, Wei Xiang wanted to punch his dream self in that smug mouth and ask him to get the h.e.l.l away from his precious little lover. He would never say such vile words or try to force his Qinghe to agree when he clearly didn't feel like having s.e.x! He would never behave so hatefully with his Qinghe!

But try as he might, Wei Xiang couldn't move at all.

He could only stay there as an observer and helplessly look on as the Qinghe in his dream nodded with a reluctant expression. His dream self's lips twisted in a sharp smile, his eyes glinting even sharper with l.u.s.t and malevolence.

Wei Xiang could only watch as his detestable dream self tore away Qinghe's clothes and pushed him down onto a nearby table, brusquely bending him over the edge. With budding horror, Wei Xiang witnessed Qinghe being entered without preparation, his dream self's touches without the slightest affection or care. His heart tore into pieces as Wei Xiang saw Qinghe biting his lip, the look in his little lover's eyes showing his obvious pain and confusion as if not understanding why his Xiang was hurting him. And yet, the Qinghe in the dream still laid there obediently, trying to repress his pained cries. However, Wei Xiang's dream self remained uncaring, gripping Qinghe's hair and roughly thrusting in and out. Blood trickled down from Qinghe's entrance, making Wei Xiang feel like it was his own heart that was bleeding. And when his dream self finally climaxed, white liquid mixed into the blood, trailing down Qinghe's trembling thighs.

At the side, unable to do anything but stand motionless and watch this, Wei Xiang wanted to tear his own dream self apart for hurting his beloved. But seeing the vision of red liquid mixed in white, his mind was suddenly filled with the image of a similar scene right after he woke him from his heat. Qinghe's condition had been much worse than this, thick white fluid gus.h.i.+ng out along with bright streaks of blood as his bloated stomach slowly flattened…

Wei Xiang felt sick with self-loathing.

His attention was suddenly wrenched towards the dream again. As if to make him hate himself even more, his dream self bent down and whispered cruelly into a fearful-looking Qinghe's ear, "You belong to me. I can do anything I want with you and I know you won't defy me. Even if I hurt you like this, you will still be the one trying to console me, won't you? How loyal. But if I use this devotion against you, I can force you, control you…and even break you."

Wei Xiang recoiled with horror. The feeling was so strong that he broke out of the dream.

He woke up.

When Wei Xiang's eyes opened, the sight that greeted him was Qinghe's peacefully sleeping face. His little lover's body was relaxed and warm as it laid along his. But as Wei Xiang heard his beloved's soft snoring, he felt it overlap with the choked whimpers he'd heard him let out in his dream. Even though he knew that it was just a nightmare, a faint fear still bloomed in Wei Xiang's mind.

Not wanting to stay here while being afraid of what he might end up doing to his little lover, Wei Xiang got up and left the room. He wandered the house that was silent with the hush of night and ended up on the back porch, looking out at the empty practice field and the line of trees far beyond.

Turning, Wei Xiang leapt up and landed on the house's roof.

He settled himself on the central beam from where the two halves of the tiled roof sloped down and crouched atop it. He flexed his fingers and used his now-regenerated claws on his fingers along with the talons on his toes to grip the beam to stabilize himself. The effects from his heat would take a while more to recede. Until then, his beast aspects, like the sharp claws and slitted golden eyes, where here to stay.

Wei Xiang remained motionless on his high perch, his eyes flicking around vigilantly to see if there was anything he could do to a.s.suage his restlessness. Maybe if he found something to hunt and let out his beast to play for a bit, he'd feel better.

Wind stirred behind Wei Xiang, announcing someone's silent arrival. He turned to see his mother-in-law standing poised precisely on one of the curved tips of the roof. Feng Chunyi smiled at him. "Son-in-law, were you unable to sleep?"

Wei Xiang nodded. "Yes."

Feng Chunyi lightly jumped and landed beside Wei Xiang. In a curious voice, she prodded, "Why? Did you have a nightmare of some sort?"

Wei Xiang stilled, then nodded again.

Tilting her head, Feng Chunyi asked, "What sort of a nightmare was it? Endless paperwork?"

Wei Xiang cracked a smile and shook his head. His expression growing serious again, he replied, "I saw myself forcing Qinghe and hurting him. Not my beast, not while I was in heat, but me as I am now. I felt very angry at first at how the me in the dream treated my mate, but aren't I the same? I hurt him too."

Feng Chunyi sighed. "I thought we already decided it wasn't your fault. You weren't in control during your heat."

Wei Xiang nodded. "Exactly. I lost the self-control I pride myself in. If I could lose it then, what stops me from losing it now? After all, the reason I ended up killing everyone in my clan back then was for the same reason―because I lost control. I'm just afraid that it will happen again. What if I…hurt you all? What if I killed you and master and everyone else?"

Feng Chunyi raised an eyebrow. "Son-in-law, you're still a cute little newly hatched chick compared to the grown-up chickens that are me and my Ah-Xin. You don't have to worry about hurting us. We won't let you. No matter how out of control you get, you will never be able to kill us. And we won't let you kill anyone you consciously don't want to either. Just like Ah-Xin promised to keep an eye on me, we both will keep an eye on you too if that's what you want."

Wei Xiang turned to look at her. For a moment, he felt a connection between them. He realized for the first time that his mother-in-law worried too. She feared losing her self-control and going on a rampage, hurting those she loved. But for all her fears, she had never once done that, and Wei Xiang knew that she wouldn't in the future as well. Despite her worries, Feng Chunyi was still in perfect control of herself. As long as nothing happened to her husband or children, she would never lose her grip over herself.

Wei Xiang's shoulders relaxed. "Thank you. Then I will leave it to you and master to keep me in check."

Feng Chunyi nodded and thumped her chest. "Yes, just leave it to us, your parents!"

Wei Xiang chuckled, his mood lightening.

"Now that that's decided, Son-in-law, what else is bothering you?" Feng Chunyi suddenly asked.

His good cheer lessening, Wei Xiang sighed.

Feng Chunyi cast him a glance and went on, "From how much that brat Qinghe has been moping around because you won't sleep with him, I'm guessing you're having some other problems too. What happened? Did your heat wring you out so much that you can't get it up now?"

Wei Xiang's lips twitched. "No, that's not… I'm fine. I just… Even if I don't feel afraid that I'll lose control and kill everyone anymore, I still can't trust myself around Qinghe, especially in bed."

Feng Chunyi blinked. "Oh? Then you better talk it out with that brat and figure it out together. I'm no good with s.e.xual therapy."

Wei Xiang rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. But I also know that Qinghe tends to neglect himself. Talking probably won't help in this matter. I'm afraid that even if I do something he doesn't like, he'll still bear it just to make me happy."

"Are you boasting about how much you're loved, you brat?" Feng Chunyi grumbled to herself. Then shaking her head, she observed, "While I will admit that that's how that son of mine seemed in the beginning, he's started to become a lot more willful since then. He has already started asking for what he wants with more confidence, and every day, I see him stating his preferences more and more. Son-in-law, maybe you are still stuck thinking about him as he was before. If you scrutinize everything more carefully, I'm sure that even you will notice that he's been telling you what he wants and doesn't want with more clarity these days. Haven't you noticed?"

Wei Xiang blinked. Was his Qinghe…really learning to say no? He thought back to that time recently when he played with Qinghe in the cavern using his strings. He remembered Qinghe indeed telling him to stop when he didn't like something and making it known whenever his string went in too deep and caused him discomfort. As he thought back even further, Wei Xiang began to realize that there were several more instances, even in their daily life.

Before, Qinghe used to eat whatever was placed in his bowl even if he did not like it. But he soon began sneakily taking the dishes or vegetables he disliked to place on Wei Xiang's or his parents' plate while grinning cheekily. Wei Xiang also noticed that when sparring with Feng Chunyi, Qinghe had started to ask her to teach him more defensive moves since he wanted to protect himself better. He also rarely went out to face dangerous things alone, always taking people as back up and using it as an opportunity to teach his juniors as well.

Recalling other such instances and putting them all together, Wei Xiang felt stunned. It seemed that Qinghe had indeed begun taking care of himself better while not forcing himself to needlessly suffer like before. But without consciously thinking about it, Wei Xiang hadn't recognized it till now.

Seeing Wei Xiang's eyes slowly widen as he understood, Feng Chunyi chuckled. "Sometimes, the closer you are to someone, the less you notice them changing. But the change you brought about is the good sort, so congratulations, Son-in-law!" She happily thumped Wei Xiang on the back, making him hold on more tightly to the beam below to maintain balance.

Wei Xiang opened his mouth and got out with difficulty, "I…see. I really didn't notice…"

Feng Chunyi shot him a smug and pleased look at having realized it before him.

Suddenly, Qinghe's voice called out from below, sounding dazed and childish, "Xiang… Come down, I'm sleepy…"

Wei Xiang froze, his eyes displaying his hesitation.

Not wanting to see him dilly-dallying, Feng Chunyi showed her support for her son-in-law talking things out with her son by lifting up a leg and kicking Wei Xing off the roof. Wei Xiang reacted quickly by flipping himself in the air and landing stably on the ground. Looking up, he glared and flashed a fang at his smirking mother-in-law. Feng Chunyi simply laughed and turned away, disappearing from sight.

Meanwhile, his bleary eyes half-open with thick drowsiness, Qinghe spotted Wei Xiang and staggered towards him with his arms outstretched like an adorable ghoul. Wei Xiang walked up to him and let Qinghe snuggle into his arms. In a complaining tone, Qinghe said, "Xiang, it's cold…without you…"

His voice faded into soft snores as Qinghe fell asleep in the comfort of his lover's embrace right then and there.

Wei Xiang smiled at him with affectionate amus.e.m.e.nt and carefully gathered him into his arms. With silent steps, he carried Qinghe back into their room and placed him onto the bed. Rather than lying down beside him, Wei Xiang crouched by the bedside, watching his beloved's serenely sleeping face with complex emotions.

Wei Xiang reached up with a finger to touch Qinghe's cheek, then stopped. Hesitation swirled in his gaze. But as if sensing his finger hovering nearby even in his sleep, Qinghe reached out and grabbed it, then brought it close to his face. Rubbing his cheek over the finger, he let out a soft sound in pleasure. "Xiang…smells tasty…"

Laughter and helplessness shone in Wei Xiang's eyes along with other conflicting emotions. His Qinghe was so soft, adorable, and trusting. Wei Xiang wondered if he could really have faith himself to take care of his little lover without wronging him. Seeing how much he and his beast loved Qinghe, the thought of that love one day turning into something fanatical that might hurt his beloved was not very farfetched after all. But he also trusted that both his little lover and his parents would step up to stop him before he ever got to that point. Besides, the danger of love turning obsessive applied to Qinghe too. But Wei Xiang knew that Qinghe didn't have the same worry as him about it. He was much more confident and self-a.s.sured in this aspect. Maybe he should learn from his little lover.

As Wei Xiang's mind was filled with contemplations like this, he suddenly sensed someone's presence and whipped his head towards the window. For a shocked moment, Wei Xiang wondered if he was seeing some apparition before realizing who it was.

Her face appearing upside-down on the other side of the window, her long black hair hanging down while her figure was backlit by the moonlight, was Feng Chunyi.

"You still seem troubled, Son-in-law," she observed, her clear voice seeming eerie in this situation.

Wei Xiang's lips twitched. "I'll work through it, so Mother-in-law doesn't have to worry."

Feng Chunyi narrowed her eyes. "You should discuss whatever is still bothering you with that snoring brat of mine. Why don't you wake him up and resolve everything once and for all?"

Wei Xiang looked at her uncomprehendingly. "Qinghe is still sleeping. Whatever I need to say can wait till he wakes up."

Feng Chunyi showed a disapproving expression and muttered to herself, "Tch. And this lovestruck fool of all people is actually worrying about hurting his lover."

"…" Wei Xiang wanted to express that he could hear her sarcastic remark plain and clear, but chose to stay silent.

Leaping down from above the window, Feng Chunyi swung into the room and came to stand by the bed. Poking Qinghe's waist with a finger, she called, "Oi, brat, wake up."

Qinghe frowned in his sleep and scooted away from her touch. "…Noisy…"

Wei Xiang was just about to ask Feng Chunyi to stop bothering his beloved when she unceremoniously swatted Qinghe's b.u.t.t and scolded loudly, "Wake up, you brat! I did not give birth to you just so you can lie on the bed like a lazy slug and snore away the night when your lover needs you!"

Qinghe immediately shot up at that shout and looked around disorientedly, "Slug? What?" Spotting Wei Xiang beside the bed, he quickly brightened. "Xiang!"

Feng Chunyi snorted. "Your lover is troubled by something. Talk to him," she commanded.

Qinghe turned and blinked up at her. "Mother?" Then focusing on his lover again, he rubbed his eyes to drive away the remnants of sleep and asked worriedly, "Xiang, what happened?"

Her work done, Feng Chunyi started striding towards the door. On the way, she patted Wei Xiang's head and said, "You better fix your issues properly, brat." Then she continued on her way out.

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As she walked through the corridor and headed back to the master bedroom, Feng Chunyi hoped that her two sons would resolve this quickly and focus on more wonderful things they could do together. Like hatching all those wyvern eggs, for example! Then they would have a lot of children running around and making mischief in their house to the point where every day would become a delightful, chaotic mess. She could then train her host of grandchildren into an elite baby army and sic it onto unsuspecting deities! He-he, she could almost hear their screams of despair at having to confront the battle prowess of a force of screeching, wailing, tantrum-throwing, hair-pulling infants!

Her head thus filled with the blissful scene of her fellow deities shouting and fleeing from a host of babies with ferocious expressions, Feng Chunyi reached the bedroom with a smile and pushed open the door. Inside the room, Feng Huixin got up on an elbow on the bed and asked sleepily, "Chunyi? Did something happen?"

Feng Chunyi's thoughts screeched to a halt at the sudden interruption of her fantasies. In a wide-eyed fl.u.s.ter, she laughed nervously and declared, "No, I wasn't thinking of any baby armies at all!"

"…" Ignoring his wife's weirdness habitually, Feng Huixin moved to the other side of the bed and patted the s.p.a.ce he had just occupied. "Come, sleep here. It's warmer."

Suppressing a gleeful smile at how flawlessly her subterfuge and misdirection had worked on her unsuspecting Ah-Xin, Feng Chunyi went to lie down on the warmer side of the bed, snuggling lovingly into the warmth of her caring husband.

...

Meanwhile back in their bedroom, Qinghe had finished listening to Wei Xiang recounting his dream and all his recent fears, along with the words Feng Chunyi had said to a.s.suage most of them.

Wei Xiang and Qinghe were currently sitting on the bed, shoulder to shoulder, and leaning back against the headboard. His head resting on Wei Xiang's shoulder, Qinghe looked thoughtful. After he'd finished telling everything, Wei Xiang lapsed into silence, waiting for his beloved's response.

Qinghe sighed. "Xiang, that's how dreams are. Sometimes they make us go through our worst fears and force us to face them." Qinghe thought back to the nightmare of Wei Xiang dying he'd had just before finding out about his lover's heat period. It had also been one such dream that had forced him to face his deepest, darkest fears. If not for it, he wouldn't have searched for his Xiang so frantically or insisted so strongly on sharing his beloved's heat period with him. Shaking off the thought, Qinghe continued, "But though those drams show us our fears, it hardly means that those fears are reasonable or that they'll really come true. Unless, of course, you are capable of having prophetic dreams?"

Wei Xiang shook his head. "Of course I don't. And yes, I do realize that it may not happen. But just the possibility that I might really lose control with you someday is…frightening."

Qinghe sunk into deep thought again, his hand absently twisting and untwisting a lock of Wei Xiang's hair. Wei Xiang looked at his beloved's fair finger playing with his dark hair with an intrigued expression. "Love, what are you plotting?"

Qinghe came out of his thoughts with a light laugh. "Why do you always a.s.sume that I'm plotting something?"

After telling his little lover everything, Wei Xiang felt freed. His lips tilted up in a smile as he replied, "I don't think that always, only when you show small signs that point to your sly little brain coming up with some scheme."

Qinghe chuckled. "My Xiang knows me so well. And yes, I really was plotting something. And I quite like the plan I came up with too." Qinghe reached up to leisurely trace a fingertip over his Xiang's face, along his arching eyebrows, his straight nose, his high cheekbones, the smooth curve of his jaw…

Wei Xiang looked at him with a question in his eyes.

His tone unhurried, Qinghe answered, "Xiang, I want you to lie down and let me ride you. We will have s.e.x, but there's a catch. You can't use your hands. However, they will also not be restrained in any way, so whether you are able to keep them still purely depends on your self-control. You can call it a test if you will. If you are able to keep your hands down on the bed without reaching up to touch me the whole time, then it will be proven beyond doubt that you really do possess enough self-control and that you don't have to worry about doing something bad to me in the heat of the moment. Agreed?"

Wei Xiang looked at his little lover incredulously. "Qinghe…you're just using this as a plan because you want to sleep with me, aren't you?"

Qinghe unabashedly laughed and nodded. "Of course I want to sleep with you. When have I ever hidden that? If you still don't feel like doing it, then you don't have to agree. But if you do agree to have s.e.x, we can make this into a fun little test you can use to confirm whether or not you can trust yourself with me."

Wei Xiang pondered for a moment. "What if I fail?"

Qinghe lifted up his chin haughtily. "I know without a doubt that you will not fail. I know my Xiang well, hmph."

A smile warmed Wei Xiang's face. He knew that Qinghe wasn't just placating him, but truly believed that he was worth trusting in such a way. In an affectionate voice, Wei Xiang spoke, "Then I will try my best not to let down my adorable little lover's expectations."

Nodding regally, Qinghe said, "Yes, you better not."

Chuckling, Wei Xiang got up and sat straight, his fingers reaching down to undo his belt and pull away his robe. Seeing that Wei Xiang was finally agreeing to have s.e.x, Qinghe quickly removed his own clothes and stuck his hands on Wei Xiang's bare skin. With amus.e.m.e.nt, Wei Xiang laid down on the bed, arms stretched out obediently by his side, and let his beloved have his way.

With a gleeful expression, Qinghe sat beside Wei Xiang and ran his palms all over his beloved's warm and muscled body. He greedily explored the smooth expanse of his lover's chest, the rippling abdomen packed with muscles, the straight lines making up his sides, the arching collarbones, the small brown nubbins beginning to stand up on his chest… And seeing that his Xiang's twin shafts had already returned to being singular, Qinghe lavished some attention on it too, running his fingertips over its length and its blunt head.

After being stimulated like this, Wei Xiang's slumbering organ inevitably began to awaken as well. Wei Xiang had to suppress a surge of panic. No, he could still maintain his control. His l.u.s.t was not yet strong enough to overpower his reason. But still… Lifting his head to look down at his stiff member, Wei Xiang shot a glare at it. This dratted thing! After hurting his lover so badly the last time, how dare it raise up its head so eagerly again!

Seeing Wei Xiang scowling furiously at his own erect shaft, Qinghe had to force down his laughter. But as his gaze traveled to land on Wei Xiang's stiff length, Qinghe's eyes darkened as his need increased. He didn't want to wait anymore. Deciding to get started, Qinghe got up and sat astride Wei Xiang's hips.

Wei Xiang's gaze moved up from his member to his little lover's face. His lips quirking up, he asked, "So eager?"

Qinghe shot him a look. "After the way you left me hanging for so many days, of course I'm eager!"

Wei Xiang chuckled and s.h.i.+fted. He let his fingers curl into the bed to hold on to something solid so that he wouldn't be tempted to reach out. Instead, he devoured his beloved's lovely body with his gaze alone.

Qinghe suppressed a s.h.i.+ver of excitement at how hungry his Xiang's eyes looked. He could almost feel heat trailing behind his lover's piercing gaze. Bending down slowly until they were face to face, Qinghe let his lips hover over Wei Xiang's. His hair shushed down over his shoulders and slid over Wei Xiang's skin, their ends tickling him. Qinghe could feel Wei Xiang's antic.i.p.ation thrumming under his skin. Licking his lips, Qinghe bore down, and their lips finally met.

Wei Xiang's fingers dug into the bed to vent his need to touch Qinghe, to pull him closer, to press him tighter against his own body. He instead channeled all his attention into expressing his desire to his little lover through his lips and tongue.

Qinghe lapped and licked and sucked at Wei Xiang's mouth with equal fervor and ravenousness. His hands slid down Wei Xiang's shoulders and dragged back up, finding their way over his nape, then slipping between the pillows and the back of his head to hold Wei Xiang steady while they kissed.

After a few minutes of enjoying his lover's mouth, Qinghe finally came up for air and stared at Wei Xiang, panting. His cheeks were flushed and eyes glazed with arousal. Qinghe licked his lips again, tasting his Xiang on them this time. Smiling with satisfaction, Qinghe moved his body back until he straddled Wei Xiang's waist once more. In a pleasant and husky voice, he asked, "Xiang, shall I begin?"

Wei Xiang's golden eyes had gone dark by now, while the kiss had made his lips grow redder and slick. Hearing Qinghe's question, he gave a short nod. "Yes."

Qinghe suppressed his bursting eagerness and retrieved a bottle of oil. He quickly slickened up his fingers and began preparing himself. Once he was done, he reached down to position his beloved's member under him before lowering his hips. In front of Wei Xiang's burning gaze, Qinghe slowly, deliberately, sank down fully onto his lover's shaft, sheathing it to its hilt. Feeling it pressing in deep inside him, the blunt head pushed in as far into him as it could go, Qinghe let out a drawn-out moan in pleasure.

He realized he liked this a lot. He liked it when his Xiang stretched him to his utmost limit, either with his thick member or his gentle hands. He liked it when his beloved dug in deep into his body, filling him to the brim until he felt like he would burst. Strangely enough, any discomfort he felt only seemed to add to his pleasure, heightening his arousal and deepening his need.

On the bed, Wei Xiang's breathing deepened as he intently took in the sight of Qinghe's body swallowing his member whole. Qinghe currently sat upright on him, his body arched back slightly as if trying to savor the sensation of being filled with his hot length. Qinghe's eyes were closed and his head slightly tilted back while his slender neck stretched taut with strain. Wei Xiang could see that defined Adam's apple bobbing up and down as Qinghe swallowed, the rising and falling of his beloved's chest as his breaths turned agitated, his hands clenching and relaxing again and again where they were placed on his thighs. He knew that his little lover was trying to process the sudden tide of new sensations and felt all the more aroused.

After he was done adjusting, Qinghe slowly opened his eyes and bowed forward, his hands coming to rest on Wei Xing's abdomen. His gaze lifted to meet Wei Xiang's and Qinghe gave him a small, sultry smile. Wei Xiang had to clench his hands into fists to keep them on the bed. His beloved was too tempting.

His gaze remaining locked on Wei Xing's, Qinghe slowly rose up. Simultaneously, his inner muscles squeezed Wei Xing's shaft strongly, his tightened inner walls pressing and dragging upward over his lover's rigid length as if trying to suck him along until the thick tip was on the verge of sliding out. Then loosening his pa.s.sage, Qinghe slowly bore down again, letting the st.u.r.dy organ sink back into his soft depths. The liquid heat wrapped around Wei Xiang, enfolding his member completely and drawing a low, rumbling groan out of him. Qinghe continued to move up and down like this over Wei Xiang's throbbing member, his movements maddeningly slow and sensual.

Meanwhile, Qinghe's slender fingers began wandering on Wei Xiang's skin restlessly, absentmindedly ma.s.saging and caressing Wei Xiang's taut body even as Qinghe panted and moaned softly, his expression unrestrainedly showing his desire. As the pleasure lapped over him in liquid pulses, Qinghe fervently drank it in.

His body awash with sensations, Wei Xiang's head arched back into the pillow, the veins in his neck standing out. With effort, he kept his gaze fixed on the enchanting figure working on top of him, swaying up and down in hypnotic and rhythmic motions. The corded muscles in Wei Xiang's hands and thighs bulged while the ones in his chest and abdomen flexed and rolled under his taut skin. Wei Xiang gritted his teeth and struggled to control himself in the face of such exquisite torment.

Finally getting to savor his Xiang after all these days, Qinghe was determined to enjoy this thoroughly, leisurely, pus.h.i.+ng his lover to the very edge and keeping him hovering there. As his slick and hot channel ma.s.saged and dragged over Wei Xiang's shaft while his hungry hands mapped over his lover's rippling skin, Qinghe's mouth wasn't idle. It sucked and slid over Wei Xiang's throat, gliding over his chest and settling over one of the small buds standing erect. Qinghe nipped and licked it before blowing onto it. He was rewarded with Wei Xiang shuddering under him. Qinghe fondled and caressed and played with Wei Xiang's body, mercilessly taking advantage of his beloved's strong self-control that helped him determinedly keep his hands on the bed.

Wei Xiang let himself get teased and tempted until his need was a burning hot river gus.h.i.+ng through him. Just as he began to wonder just how much longer his beloved wanted to torment him, Qinghe suddenly quickened the pace of his hips, slamming them down again and again on Wei Xiang's stiff organ. Wei Xiang's body jerked at the sudden intensification of stimulation. The climax that had been hovering at the edge rushed over him, drowning him in blistering ecstasy. Wei Xiang's chest vibrated as he groaned loudly through clenched jaws. His member twitched and spasmed inside Qinghe, shooting out thick streams of release into the soft and tight channel.

At the sensation of his Xiang's release flowing up into his pa.s.sage, Qinghe's breaths came fast and ragged, his body filled with urgent need. He moved with desperation, seeking to reach his own o.r.g.a.s.m. The heat drenching his insides made him let out a breathy moan as the jets of fluid continued to batter his channel. He furiously pumped his hips up and down, his movements growing more and more frenzied until the tight ball of need gathering at the base of his spine finally exploded, was.h.i.+ng his body with a deluge of intense pleasure.

Qinghe gave out a hoa.r.s.e shout and slumped down onto Wei Xiang's body, riding the waves of his climax. Slippery release spurted out of his shaft, pouring between their bodies. Qinghe whimpered softly and trembled. As the pulses of pleasure finally began to withdraw, he let out a long sigh and laid fully on top of Wei Xiang.

Now that it was over, Wei Xiang finally lifted his arms and wrapped them around Qinghe, tenderly stroking his back. He felt Qinghe's quick breaths slowly evening out, his fluttering heartbeat steadying again as he regained his bearing. The couple rested together and basked in the afterglow. The heated pa.s.sion filling the room just seconds before gave way to still tranquility.

After a few minutes of silence, Qinghe lifted his head from Wei Xiang's chest and pressed a soft kiss on his lover's jaw. In a slightly rough voice, he said, "See? No matter what I did, you were still able to maintain control till the very end. Xiang, you shouldn't doubt yourself."

Wei Xiang smiled, his golden eyes deep with emotions. In a quiet voice, he readily admitted, "Yes, you are right."

Qinghe's expression melted into one of affection and relief.

Wei Xiang unwound his hands from around Qinghe's waist and let his palms move up his little lover's back, sliding over his nape and cupping the back of his head. Qinghe felt himself being pulled down and gladly acquiesced, his lips landing on Wei Xiang's. The kiss was light and sweet, filled with warm emotions and pure indulgence. Separating after a few blissful moments, Qinghe got off from atop Wei Xiang and lay down next to him to continue cuddling. The atmosphere was subtle and intimate.

In the calm silence, Wei Xiang contemplated about various things. The shadow of doubt that he had felt covering his thoughts since the first night of his heat seemed to have slowly dissipated. It had dissolved under the combined care he had received from his master, his mother-in-law, and most of all, his dependable little lover. He had never before felt so grateful to have such a compa.s.sionate and considerate family. They had helped him up when he had let himself fall down, and they had done so without judging him for his mistakes. Even though he hadn't been able to put any faith in himself, they had trusted him and helped him find trust in himself again.

Looking back now on how helpless he had felt and how much self-loathing he had entertained, Wei Xiang could only shake his head. Why had he held on to those emotions so stubbornly? Was it because in some small corner of his mind, he had subconsciously been expecting his current family to abandon and betray him just like how his old family, the wyvern clan, had? Had he been thinking that at the first sign of him being imperfect, they would turn cold towards them like the wyverns back then had?

Wei Xiang smiled. It all sounded so implausible now. All he had to do was spend a few moments considering those thoughts to come to the conclusion that his family wouldn't do that. They were not the heavenly wyverns, and he was not just a valuable tool they were raising. Value-wise, each person in his family was worth as much or even more than him. They had no need or any particular use for him. The only reason he was currently here was because they wholeheartedly accepted him. They truly loved him just like he loved them.

Lost in such thoughts, Wei Xiang felt light and warm. The weight in his mind had long since vanished.

Sensing his lover's good mood, Qinghe poked his cheek. "Xiang, what are you thinking?"

Wei Xiang opened his eyes and smiled at his beloved. "I was thinking about the past few days. Love, I'm sorry for causing you so much worry. Thank you for comforting me again and again. I know that it must've been frustrating, so thank you for putting up with it. Thanks to you, master, and mother-in-law, I'm fine now."

Qinghe beamed at him happily and snuggled closer. "As your lover, isn't that what I should do? And Xiang, in the beginning after we just became lovers, it was the same for me too, wasn't it? You kept trying to pull me up from the cycle of self-harm I was stuck in. At first, it felt so difficult for me to see past the wall of misery I'd build for myself. But it was only with your constant encouragement and support that I was able to finally understand how to take care of myself.

"I'm sure that seeing my slow progress back then must have been frustrating for you too. But you still stuck with me. I will do the same for you now. No matter how many times you doubt yourself or feel afraid of losing your self-control, I will always be here each time to help you up and show you that you have nothing to worry about. Xiang, I will always be here for you just like you are always here for me."

Wei Xiang's turned and hugged his lover. Burying his face in his shoulder, he breathed, "Qinghe, thank you. And you're right, I will always be here for you. And I…I want to be here for you for the rest of your life as well, if you will let me."

Qinghe blinked. As the meaning behind those words sank in, his eyes slowly widened. "X-Xiang…are you asking me to…?" After that day years ago, before the battle at the Castle of Echoes when they exchanged parts of themselves as tokens to bind themselves together in the way of spiritual beasts, neither of them had seriously brought up the subject of marriage again. Now, Qinghe felt overwhelmed at the suddenness of broaching the subject.

"Yes," Wei Xiang confirmed. Leaning back, he cupped the side of Qinghe's face as he looked into his beloved's eyes with a smile. "Qinghe, will you marry me?"

Qinghe looked back at him with a stunned expression for a moment. Then his face split into a grin, his eyes s.h.i.+ning brightly with insuppressible excitement. Qinghe turned and propped his body over Wei Xiang's and let out a laugh full of joy and satisfaction. "Finally! And here I was thinking you would make me wait until the egg hatched."

Wei Xiang raised his brows as he continued to peer up at his little lover's happy face. "Oh? Were you waiting for me? I'd have expected you to take the initiative."

Qinghe huffed. "Well, I could clearly sense that you were keeping some secret from me and were waiting for something bad to pa.s.s us by, so I waited until whatever problem you were dreading was over. But even after your heat period came and went, you still hadn't recovered from its influence, so I once again waited for that to clear up. If you hadn't asked me today, I would have asked you to marry me tomorrow anyway."

Wei Xiang laughed, the sound full of cheer. "Is that so? Now that I should have expected."

Qinghe nodded. "I'll go tomorrow and speak to the Heavenly Emperor about him officiating at our marriage. I'm guessing we will need some time to decide on how to do it and prepare everything. Since this is a once-in-lifetime event for us both, let's make it big! Even though a small ceremony would be nice too, I want everyone to see us getting married and know that we unquestionably belong to each other."

Wei Xiang's expression went soft. "Yes, we'll do it that way then. So I take it that your answer to my proposal is a yes?"

Qinghe leaned down, his body pressing against Wei Xiang's and their noses almost touching. Their eyes peered into each other's from up close as Qinghe gave out a loud and enthusiastic reply, "Yes, it's a yes! Xiang, we're marrying!"

Wei Xiang grinned with satisfaction and twisted, flipping their positions. Qinghe chuckled happily and went along. In a playful voice, Wei Xiang said, "Good. We can leave the planning for later. For now, we should focus on practicing."

Qinghe tilted his head. "Practicing what?"

Smirking mischievously, Wei Xiang said, "Our wedding night."

His body shaking with laughter, Qinghe clamped his legs around Wei Xiang's waist and nodded. "Yes, it's very, very important that we practice. We can't get it wrong on the big day, now can we?"

Wei Xiang swooped down to capture those smiling lips and Qinghe's fingers started tracing patterns on his beloved's skin again. The two lovers were soon lost in another whirl of pa.s.sion, their hunger for each other as insatiable as ever.