Extra six

"Your Highness, using your heart's blood to make elixirs is like feeding your body to a Gu. It will harm your soul, and I'm afraid you will suffer from it for generations to come."

Yuan Heng never believed in ghosts and gods, and had no interest in understanding these twists and turns, so he asked directly: "Can people die?"

"That won't happen," Dugui said, "but if the soul is incomplete, at the very least, you'll have frequent headaches and be weak, or at the worst, you'll be confused and irritable."

Yuan Heng suddenly fell silent.

The prince is a noble being, and he has done the most he can by going to so much trouble to find a doctor and medicine for an insignificant servant of the king. Du Gui shook his head secretly. He just wanted to tell His Highness about the solution so that he could give up the idea as soon as possible and stop making trouble.

As a result, Yuan Heng spoke again and expressed his doubts: "Is there any way to get this heart blood out?"

Du Gui suddenly opened his eyes wide and knelt down immediately: "I have something that may save the heart and drain the blood from it, but the process is extremely painful..."

"What is that?" Yuan Heng interrupted him, "Let me see."

Dugui trembled as he untied his tattered cloth bag and took out a pitch-black knife from it.

Yuan Heng closed his eyes, but could still feel the stinging pain of the knife entering his flesh.

I guess Dugui is not a serious monk, so he can't find this secret method. He already had a scar on his chest left by Xiao Ziyu, and it was even more sensitive and uncomfortable to have the scar cut open and blood drawn.

The tip of the knife was cold when it touched the skin, and before one could feel it carefully, a stinging pain exploded in the mind. Yuan Heng bit down a cry of pain, and his veins tensed up. Then he felt a chill in his heart, and warm liquid slowly flowed out along the catheter of the knife.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, but a thought popped into his mind: Xiao Ziyu probably felt the same way as the poisonous insect sucked his blood every day.

Fortunately, Du Gui's technique was quick and efficient, and it was over in just a few breaths. The wound left behind was only the size of a little finger, and the bleeding stopped the moment the tip of the knife was pulled out.

The dragon's blood was poured into a medicine jar, and it swirled around without any wind. Du Gui said, "Dragon blood is very potent. The person who takes it may have strange thoughts about Your Highness. Just comfort him a little."

What he said was vague, so Yuan Heng didn't think about it too deeply. Only when he saw Xiao Ziyu's expression did he suddenly react.

Xiao Ziyu had been with the poisonous insect for many years. As soon as he took the pill, he felt that the orchid lid seemed to have really disappeared. The pain that had been following me like a shadow disappeared briefly, and a long-lost sense of refreshment spread throughout my body.

However, at the same time, the heat and emotion also overwhelmed his reason. It was as if an impulse was rising slowly from the lower abdomen, making one feel hot and cold. One was so agitated that one wanted to take off all the clothes, but at the same time, as if afraid of the cold, one wanted to curl up and be hugged and comforted by someone.

He mostly needs Yuan Heng's guidance in love affairs. The times when he feels desire spontaneously are rare, and when the desire arises, he actually feels a strange sense of helplessness.

Tears flowed uncontrollably, blurring his vision. Xiao Ziyu subconsciously looked in the direction of Yuan Heng, only to find that he was standing still without any intention of moving forward.

The posture of a female beast seeking sex seemed to severely humiliate his self-esteem. It was as if a string in his heart was suddenly torn apart. Xiao Ziyu hummed without caring: "Yuan, Yuan Heng..."

Yuan Heng took a deep breath, and almost instantly his heart was aroused. But the new wound on his chest overlapped with the old scar, and Xiao Ziyu would definitely find out. While the two were struggling, his legs and feet spontaneously stood in front of the bed.

Xiao Ziyu grasped his lapels impatiently and pulled him close to him, their breaths intertwined and their lips only inches apart. His eyes were blurred with tears and his vision was no longer able to focus. He seemed as if his soul had been taken away by someone. He looked at Yuan Heng briefly, then opened his mouth and kissed him on the lips.

Xiao Ziyu's kiss was completely disorganized, and his panic made it even more of a mess. They just stick them together and rub them gently, but they don't get the point at all.

Yuan Heng was annoyed by his licking. He exhaled hot breath heavily, raised his hand and grabbed the back of Xiao Ziyu's head mercilessly.

He took the initiative and bit Xiao Ziyu's lips. When the man opened his lips in pain, he inserted his tongue without hesitation.

The sharp pain seemed to make Xiao Ziyu a little more sober. He subconsciously wanted to push away, but someone grabbed his wrist tightly and pressed him hard on the bed.

Yuan Heng grabbed his long hair and pulled him back. During the brief separation, he said in a rough voice, "This is how you kiss. Have you learned it?"

Xiao Ziyu's eyes had turned red from crying and his lip was cut. The feeling of being out of control made him feel embarrassed and ashamed, and he kept shaking his head. Yuan Heng didn't wait for anyone to answer and kissed her again.

As their lips and tongues intertwined, the desire in their bodies was not extinguished, but instead burned even more fiercely. Xiao Ziyu was unable to escape from the overwhelming force, so he took the initiative to loosen his belt and unbuttoned his chest.

When his fingertips touched the smooth and soft skin, Yuan Heng paused and began to demand more frantically. As he was sinking into despair, he felt a pair of slender arms climbing up around his neck. Xiao Ziyu actually thought his black clothes were too heavy and wanted to take them off for him.

The wound on the chest must not be noticed by anyone, so Yuan Heng ruthlessly grabbed his hands, turned him over, and pressed him tightly into the quilt.

Xiao Ziyu never liked being entered from behind, as he always felt it was a humiliation, and the moment he was turned over he began to struggle violently.

The tug of war affected the wound on his chest. Yuan Heng finally ran out of patience and raised his hand: "Behave yourself!"

Following a crisp sound of "pa", Xiao Ziyu suddenly became quiet, as if he couldn't believe it. Only later did he let out a long cry.

On the contrary, it was the woman behind him who was unable to control her lust and took the initiative to invite him to have fun against his will.

Yuan Heng just sneered, put his hand on his back, and rode on Xiao Ziyu in a galloping posture, just like he taught those unruly wild horses a lesson when he was in the military camp.

Xiao Ziyu groped in the darkness and found that he was being held tightly by the horns. He didn't know how to vent the surging pain, so he gritted his teeth and cried silently.

Fortunately, the lights were not turned on, so Yuan Heng would not see his miserable appearance. The darkness in front of his eyes rose and fell. Xiao Ziyu closed his eyes and his mind spontaneously outlined Yuan Heng's expression, but he couldn't help thinking about the past events.

When he was teaching in Guanwa Palace, he was really busy for a while.

When he first came to Daliang, he had not yet matured. Although he was known as a tutor, his height was not much taller than those dancers.

He taught seriously and strictly, but the girls were not afraid of him. They saw that he had a stern face all day long, and when he had nothing to do, he would tease the tutor.

"Mr. Xiao, I forgot the moves I taught you yesterday. Could you please demonstrate them again?"

Most of the dancers were selected from theatrical troupes outside the palace. Unlike the women in the palace, they were not as quiet and virtuous. Instead, they were impetuous and had a gangster style, which was exactly the style that Xiao Ziyu was familiar with. Therefore, when he was in Guanwa Palace, he never became impatient. Even if the dancers teased him intentionally, he would still teach them the movements again completely.

As time went on, the dancers discovered that he had a cold and serious appearance, but was actually very soft-hearted, so they became even more unscrupulous, and the term "Mr. Xiao" gradually became "Mr. Xiao."

Yuan Heng heard this name when he came to watch the dance, and when there was no one around, he began to call Xiao Ziyu "little hostage".

This name always carries a certain element of joking, and Xiao Ziyu was looking for an opportunity to get close to him, so he did not refute it.

One day after school, Xiao Ziyu saw Yuan Heng strolling outside Guanwa Palace again. The dancers were reluctant to leave the class as the prince had been here for more than a day or two, and they were all curious about who Yuan Heng had taken a fancy to.

Xiao Ziyu went out to greet him and asked, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, are you free again?"

Yuan Heng did not tease him, and remained serious as usual, but he was rarely hesitant when he spoke: "Master Xiao, is there anything going on tonight?"

Xiao Ziyu's priority was to get close to Prince Liang at all costs, so how could he not see Yuan Heng's intentions? He took three and put them away and said, "They are all unimportant matters, but what do you want, Your Highness?"

Yuan Heng pursed his lips, and the corners of his mouth almost formed a straight line. After a long while, he said, "Then follow me out of the palace... I have something to do."

Late in the evening, an inconspicuous carriage stopped in front of Guanwa Palace.

That was the first time Xiao Ziyu left the palace after coming to Daliang, and it was also the first time he saw Yuan Heng wearing ordinary casual clothes.

He took off his heavy crown and robes, and looked more youthful and clear, but his face was still subconsciously frowning, and when Xiao Ziyu looked at him, he looked away awkwardly.

Prince Liang was cautious by nature, and the palace was heavily guarded. Two miles out of the moat, the streets were bustling with people, and the world had completely changed.

Most of those traveling are young men and women, playing, laughing, singing and dancing. Some of them wore masks and walked by the water, or dipped willow branches in stream water and threw them at each other, as if they were celebrating some festival.

As if seeing Xiao Ziyu's confusion, Yuan Heng took the initiative to say, "Shangsi Festival."

"Get rid of evil spirits, enjoy the spring and the sun," he pulled open the curtain a crack, more laughter and joy filled in, "bathe in the Yi River, enjoy the breeze in the Wu Yu Temple, and sing on your way home. This is the Shangsi Day."

Xiao Ziyu poked his head out curiously. It was a damp and cold time in Southern Shu at that time, with continuous rain and long periods of no sunlight, let alone going out for an outing. But he also did not forget his mission. Yuan Heng did not bring many secret guards on this trip. Except for the coachman who drove the car, there were no other guards. If he found the opportunity, this Shangsi Day would be the day of Prince Liang's death.

Xiao Ziyu's heartbeat gradually quickened, and he no longer had the heart to appreciate the scenery. He calmed himself down, softened his voice, and looked out of the car with longing eyes: "It's so lively outside, I've never seen it in Shu..."

Yuan Heng really stopped the carriage, with a smug look on his face: "Then go down and take a look."

The streets were crowded with people, and there was also a parade of opera troupes performing. The two gradually walked away, and Xiao Ziyu stared at the lanterns on the street and was distracted. Yuan Heng was dressed lightly, so he probably had no place to wear his sword ornaments. However, he had never experienced Yuan Heng's kung fu, so he might not be able to gain the upper hand with his bare hands. What should he do...

Before he could come to his senses, he felt a flash before his eyes. Yuan Heng actually bought the lantern he was looking at and handed the lamp pole to him: "Do you like it?"

Xiao Ziyu clutched the lantern, and when he looked up he happened to look into his eyes. He always felt that there was a hint of meaning in his eyes reflected by the candlelight.

He was shocked and his tongue almost got tied. After a long while, he said, "It looks great. Thank you, Your Highness... Thank you, Master Yuan."

Yuan Heng curled the corners of his lips, as if the hidden meaning just now was all Xiao Ziyu's illusion.

The two men walked slowly with lanterns in hand, leaving the carriage behind. Xiao Ziyu was so nervous and calculating that he didn't notice a drunk woman bumping into him.

Yuan Heng grabbed his arm and pulled him into his arms, and held the woman with his other hand. Her husband hurriedly ran after her and took her away, apologetically saying, "I'm sorry, my wife drank too much and is a little drunk, so she ran out of the inn."

"Nothing," Yuan Heng was magnanimous, but he did not let go of Xiao Ziyu's waist.

"Nanzhu, let's go to the inn and rest too," he said.

The inn allows one to avoid gossip and a fight wouldn't cause much commotion. Xiao Ziyu nodded with his tongue stiff.

It is true that the Shangsi Festival is for getting rid of evil spirits, but Yuan Heng was reserved about it. The Shangsi day is a time for men and women to gather together, and many people take this as a chance to find their loved ones.

The inn was already full, and rooms were in short supply, but seeing that they were two men traveling, the innkeeper still asked, "How many rooms do you want?"

Yuan Heng looked at Xiao Ziyu beside him, as if to ask for his opinion. Xiao Ziyu said softly: "One room will be enough."

Even when they went upstairs, Yuan Heng's raised mouth corners had not lowered. After entering the room, he finally asked: "Nanzhu is going to save money for me?"

Xiao Ziyu lowered his head: "Daliang is your highness, let alone a small inn."

The same compliment could be heard eight hundred times a day in the palace, and there was nothing new about it. But when it came from Xiao Ziyu's mouth, it still made Yuan Heng feel comfortable both physically and mentally.

He took off his outer robe and changed his clothes in front of the candlelight. Xiao Ziyu stood behind him, pulled out the hairpin on his head and held it in his palm, approaching step by step.

Yuan Heng was in a very good mood and hummed a little tune, exposing his entire back.

Xiao Ziyu's heart was beating like a drum. He had been lurking beside Yuan Heng for more than a year just for this moment. After tonight, he can escape back to Nanshu and reunite with his senior brothers.

Yuan Heng rarely changed his clothes on weekdays. At this moment, he was still fiddling with the collar of his shirt. Xiao Ziyu stopped one step behind him and suddenly heard him ask, "Is there no Shangsi Festival in Shu?"

Xiao Ziyu's throat tightened, and he tried to keep his voice steady: "No, it's spring in southern Shu, and most people stay indoors."

"From now on, I can spend every Shangsi Festival with you." Yuan Heng said.

The candlelight was still flickering, but in Xiao Ziyu's eyes, there were many more shapes, like the lantern with the jade rabbit holding a laurel, the shadow shining through the window lattice of Guanwa Palace, and earlier, when Yuan Heng took him to the East Palace for the first time and handed the jade hairpin to him personally.

That was his memory of Yuan Heng.

Perhaps tonight is not the right time to take action. Such a thought suddenly popped up in Xiao Ziyu's mind.

He was shocked by his own thoughts. Liyuan was still under the control of the King of Shu. If they stayed for another day, their lives would be in danger. Xiao Ziyu stabbed the jade hairpin hard into his palm, and the sharp pain awakened him to his senses.

Regardless of whether he can succeed or not, he will give it a try.

At this moment, Yuan Heng suddenly turned around, as if he was not surprised that Xiao Ziyu was so close to him.

The front of his shirt was completely open, revealing the snow-white shirt underneath. Under the warm yellow light, something flashed before Xiao Ziyu's eyes.

It was a soft sword.

Yuan Heng was not completely unprepared on this trip. He was cautious enough to hide a weapon around his waist.

If he had taken action just now, he might have been beheaded by now.

It felt like a huge rock fell on his heart and he could hardly hold the hairpin in his hand. Xiao Ziyu didn't know whether to be thankful or sad. He just felt cold sweat on his back.

Yuan Heng stared at him for a while, then suddenly laughed and asked, "Why is Nanzhu's hair untied?"

It is widely rumored that Prince Heng of Liang is suspicious by nature, and this is not without basis. If the stalemate continues, Yuan Heng might notice something. Xiao Ziyu put the jade hairpin into his sleeve and said slowly, "There is no one to serve you in the inn. Ziyu will help you change your clothes."

"Okay," Yuan Heng opened his hands, and the emotions hidden in his eyes flashed under the candlelight.

The delicate buttons were unbuttoned one by one, revealing the honey-colored chest underneath. Most people in Beiliang are tall. Even before he was crowned, Yuan Heng was already more than a head taller than Xiao Ziyu.

He raised his hand, held Xiao Ziyu in his arms, and untied the belt around his waist for him: "Nanzhu, don't be afraid."

Xiao Ziyu didn't know what he was talking about. He felt full and sad in his heart, and the feeling was hard to describe. If they were any ordinary couple on the street on Shangsi Day, would he be able to let himself lean on that chest and get a moment of comfort?

Xiao Ziyu raised his hand, took the initiative to put his arm around Yuan Heng's shoulders, and awkwardly touched his chin.

The first time they did it, he was the one who agreed first.

In the flickering candlelight, Xiao Ziyu felt ashamed and cut out the candles, and the whole room fell into darkness.

Just like now.

When Xiao Ziyu came to his senses, he felt completely exhausted. Yuan Heng's low voice came from above his head: "What are you thinking about?"

Xiao Ziyu refused to speak. His clothes had long disappeared, but Yuan Heng was left with only his outer robe, and even the buttons of his inner clothes were intact. The burning desire in the body finally subsided, replaced by an unbearable soreness and numbness.

But Yuan Heng refused to let him go and bent down to his ear. Xiao Ziyu couldn't help but raise his neck, and he pinched his small Adam's apple: "Nanzhu, I'm asking you, what are you thinking about?"

Under the dual torture of pleasure and suffocation, Xiao Ziyu finally collapsed. He opened his mouth in vain and uttered a few vague syllables: "Shangsi, Shangsi day..."

The person behind him was slightly stunned and let him go, and even the fatal force was reduced. Yuan Heng separated from him, his tone unable to tell whether he was happy or angry: "Are you going to kill me on the Shangsi Day?"

They had celebrated several Shangsi Festivals together, but they both knew exactly which one Yuan Heng was talking about.

Xiao Ziyu was pressed and squeezed by him, and nodded: "Yes..."

"Then why didn't you do it again?" Yuan Heng asked.

The answer was as he expected. Xiao Ziyu said softly, "Because you were carrying a sword..."

He continued, "And the Jade Rabbit Lantern you gave me is very beautiful."

Yuan Heng pursed his lips in the dark, not knowing whether it was a trap set by Xiao Ziyu to beg for mercy or if he had some true feelings for her at that time.

But before he could interrogate him, Xiao Ziyu's breathing gradually weakened and he finally fainted.

Before the middle of the night, Yuan Heng asked the servants to fetch some warm water and cleaned the man himself. Xiao Ziyu had an excellent physique, with flexible muscles and bones, and was the most outstanding among all the protons back then.

Ever since Daliang annexed several surrounding countries, the old King of Liang established the rule of sending hostages to Liang. Yuan Heng was a cautious person by nature. Although he threw the hostage into Yongxiang and left him alone, he still sent people to investigate secretly.

Sure enough, within a few days, the secret guards came to report that most of the hostages had settled down in Yongxiang, except for one who had an erratic whereabouts and often wandered around the palace walls. In just a few days, he became friends with the servants in Yongxiang.

Yuan Heng had little impression of the hostages and only asked about his native country, which showed that he was from Southern Shu.

However, before he could take any action, Xiao Ziyu came to him at the imperial banquet a few days later.

The moment he fell from the imperial platform did not seem fake, and the look of him begging for mercy with red eyes was extremely pitiful, like a little fox whose mane had not yet fully grown, who wanted to deceive people with a timid courage.

Yuan Heng has been in the palace for many years and is very good at disguise. Even the old emperor was fooled by him and it was easy for him to see through his tricks. But he did not expose it in public. I guess I still saw some of my own past through him.

The next time we met was at Guanwa Palace. He went to see Xiao Ziyu attending class. He was only a boy of fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a moon-white robe, with a face as white as fresh snow and a bright and clear face. He did not get angry even when the dancers teased him. His serious look was completely different from the pitiful little fox he had been on the day of the banquet.

It was probably from this time that Yuan Heng discovered that he seemed to have developed some interest in this little proton.

He invited people to go out on the Shangsi Day, which gave Xiao Ziyu enough opportunities to take action. If this little southern barbarian made any unusual move, he would make him bleed to death on the spot.

But the moment Xiao Ziyu approached, he suddenly changed his mind. He was afraid that he could not see Xiao Ziyu's intentions clearly, and he was also afraid that if he saw them too clearly, it would lose the fun.

The feeling is like taming a wild beast. You want to pull out its claws and fangs, but you also want to see it leaning on you willingly for protection.

Countless men and women have been sent to Yuan Heng over the years. If it were up to him, Xiao Ziyu would be like those people, trying his best to curry favor and seduce them, first begging for his pity and then for his sincerity.

It was not until much later that Yuan Heng realized that he was wrong. The Imperial Banquet was just an impromptu play performed by Xiao Ziyu. There was no conspiracy or foreshadowing, but he was pulled into the play unexpectedly.

On the day when the blood from the heart was taken, Du Gui once said: "Your Highness's love calamity begins with a single thought."

He was extremely impatient, but still asked, "Is there any way to crack it?"

Dugui just shook his head: "There is no way to solve it in this lifetime."

"Your Highness's relationship with the King should have ended here, but Your Highness forcibly took the blood, which is against the will of Heaven. Even if you are reincarnated, your soul and the King's soul will not be too far apart."

What sounded absurd at the time now seems to have some basis in reality. Yuan Heng looked at Xiao Ziyu's blurry silhouette in the darkness, but if there was no hatred between life and death, would this little fox still run towards him without hesitation?

——End of extra chapter——