Chapter 57 Victory Celebration Banquet Part Two
Those around who knew the burly man well knew he had always despised eunuchs, and they immediately saw through his true intentions. Seeing Shinju tilting his head and looking up at the newcomer with a blank expression, the group, though unsteady on their feet, still stumbled forward and grabbed the burly man's arm. "Brother, brother! Don't make things difficult for him. Our Jade Ice Burner isn't something young people can handle! Haven't you seen General Yu, with his enormous capacity, already throwing people around like that?"
These words made Shinju look toward a corner of the camp, where a dozen or so men lay sprawled on the ground. A dashing white figure stood among them, still relentlessly hoisting people onto his shoulder and throwing them into the crowd, where the drunken men, acting as human cushions, let out muffled groans of pain.
"Hey, I didn't make Eunuch Qing drink too much, just a taste, okay? I've already given you so much face, so please don't refuse anymore!" The big man was quite senior in the army, and even several lieutenant generals had been made quite drunk by him. At this moment, no one could stop him.
The big man sat cross-legged in front of Masaki's desk, raised the bottom of the wine pot, and filled Masaki's large bowl with clear, slightly yellow wine.
The rich aroma of lipstick mixed with the scent of wine wafted over, and Shinjuku's golden eyes reflected the shimmering light of the wine. Suddenly, his fingers gripped the rim of the bowl tightly, lifting the bottom off the table. The onlookers were alarmed and urged him not to be so reckless, saying that someone who couldn't hold his liquor could really get into trouble.
Unexpectedly, Masakuni did not bring the bowl to his lips to drink. Instead, he pushed the bowl down with a "thud" in front of the big man, splashing the wine onto the man's beard.
The burly man's face contorted into a grimace, and his large, fan-like hand swiftly rose. The surrounding crowd's expressions changed drastically upon seeing this, and they hurriedly tried to pull him away and stop him.
Even more astonishingly, Shinjuku picked up the huge wine jar on the table with one hand, tilted his head back, and drank heartily from the jar.
Amidst the stunned silence of the entire tent, the burly man withdrew his hand, which he had intended to use to wipe his face, and clapped his hands, laughing loudly, "The younger generation is truly formidable! The younger generation is truly formidable! Eunuch Qing is indeed a straightforward man! I, Wu Tao, will punish myself with a bowl of wine as an apology for underestimating you, sir!" He then picked up the bowl of wine that the monk had offered him, drank it all in one gulp, and a genuine smile spread across his fleshy face.
The wine gushed down his throat with a series of "glug" sounds, and soon the wine jar was empty.
Mayuki's face was slightly flushed, but his eyes remained clear and bright, showing no sign of drunkenness. He asked, "Is there any more wine?"
The burly man cheered and indeed brought over two even larger wine jars.
A look of satisfaction flashed across Zhen Su's eyes. What Physician Zhao said was true; drinking too much wine could indeed cause poisoning. He internally examined himself and instantly refined the quarter of a finger's worth of toxins accumulated after drinking, then stored them in his dantian to nourish his newly repaired dantian with the poison. After neutralizing the wine poisoning, he took the wine jar from the big man's hand and drank it down in large gulps.
"Good, good, good! Lord Jing, you're a real man!" The big man clapped his hands until they were almost raw, and he started to imitate Shinju and sing to the altar.
"Stop drinking! Stop drinking! You two, please stop drinking! General Yu! Please come and persuade them!" Someone couldn't bear to watch any longer and had to seek outside help.
General Yu, who was still throwing people around like sandbags not far away, turned around and glanced at him suspiciously, saying, "You want to wrestle too? Then come over here!"
"..."
If General Yan were still conscious, he would probably faint from shock upon seeing this scene. However, he was nestled perfectly in the crowd, snoring softly, like a baby in a deep sleep, and no one could wake him.
The isolated and helpless general continued to plead, "Lord Qing, please don't get carried away. It's alright if you don't drink. Brother Wu, you're adding fuel to the fire! That's His Majesty's favorite, how dare you! Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble by drinking too much! Wait until His Majesty returns..."
Upon hearing the words "Your Majesty," Shinju's hand holding the wine jar paused slightly, but he immediately continued drinking. He figured that since it could detoxify, there shouldn't be any major problems.
However, after downing the third jar of sake, Shinju blinked, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching the jar. His last sight before closing his eyes was a jumble of distorted, dazzling lines, swirling and swirling, like a dream.
.
Soon after, the camp was filled with people lying on the ground, some fast asleep, others drunk and disorderly. If they hadn't occasionally twitched, one might have mistaken it for a murder scene.
When the King of Zhen lifted the curtain and entered, this was the scene that greeted him.
The King of Poison quickly looked around, and finally his gaze fell on the person who was fast asleep on top of a group of drunkards. The veins on his forehead throbbed.
Just how much did this group drink...? Zhenwang saw that there were only a few particularly large empty wine jars lying around Shinjuku, but he didn't connect these wine jars with Shinjuku, simply assuming that he had only taken a sip or two and was already unable to hold his liquor.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Masakatsu was indeed drunk, reeking of alcohol, whether from others or otherwise, it was unclear. His cheeks were as pink as peaches, and his lips glistened with moisture, highlighting the barely noticeable curve of his lip, as if inviting one to taste it. Yet, this demeanor also exuded an inviolable sanctity, as if even a glance would be a transgression against divine law, an unforgivable sin.
The King of Poison's Adam's apple bobbed incessantly as he struggled to look away from Shinju's face, then bent down and scooped the person up in his arms.
Unexpectedly, upon smelling the familiar scent, Shinju suddenly leaned back and stretched out in a big yawn. The King of the Poisonous King stumbled and almost lost his grip, but he quickly changed to supporting him with one hand, grabbing Shinju's raised arm and placing it around his neck, letting Shinju loosely wrap his arms around his neck.
This time, Shinju put his arm around the neck of the King of Blades and didn't move at all.
The generals who had previously feigned drunkenness to avoid being urged to drink, upon seeing this scene, all kept their eyes down or simply closed them and pretended to be asleep. However, there was one oblivious one who, fearing that the King of Zhen would get tired, got up and said solicitously, "Your Majesty, let me carry you."
The King of Poison glanced at the man and said coldly, "You can't carry him."
The man was speechless, and the others also fell silent, thinking that His Majesty's excuse was far too perfunctory.
King Zhen vaguely sensed his subordinates' grumbling, but he couldn't explain it, so he simply carried the person back to his royal tent.
.
The temporary bed in the royal tent was not spacious enough to accommodate the King of Zhen alone, but at this moment, two figures were sitting close together on the bed.
King Zhen intended to wipe Masakatsu's face before placing him on the bed, but the copper basin brought by the night guard was still steaming on the stool, and he was held tightly by Masakatsu's iron-like arms, unable to move. After a moment of stalemate, King Zhen simply shifted slightly, lying on his side on the edge of the bed, letting Masakatsu hold him as he slept inside.
About an incense stick's time later, Shinjuku seemed uncomfortable holding him and suddenly pulled his arm away. Logically, he could have moved to the small tatami mat next to him now, but immersed in the scent of alcohol mixed with the fragrance of agarwood emanating from Shinjuku, he seemed to have become a little tipsy as well, and was dazed and didn't know how to move. He just stared at Shinjuku's sweet sleeping face so close to his, felt the warm breath of Shinjuku nestled in the crook of his neck, and felt the burning heat of Shinjuku's body through his clothes.
Even though they'd been together day and night, he should have long since grown accustomed to Shinju's appearance, and this wasn't the first time they'd been this close. Yet, he found himself never tiring of looking at him or being with him. Before long, he was completely captivated, his brows relaxed, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
Then I lay on my side and drifted off to sleep.
However, not long after falling asleep, the King of Zhen was suddenly awakened by the heavy weight. Opening his eyes, he saw that all the candles in the tent had burned out, and now it was pitch black all around.
Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the King of Zhen noticed that their positions had somehow reversed. He was now lying flat on his back, while Shinju was half-lying on top of him, his face buried in the crook of his neck. Shinju's straight nose poked at his collarbone, and the fluffy wisps of hair tickled him.
The King of Poison sighed silently, but ultimately couldn't bear to move the person away.
He lay there for a while, but unfortunately, his chest felt suffocated and he could hardly breathe. It was as if the King of Poison was challenging some kind of limit. He persisted for a long time until he could no longer hold his breath, and then he moved the man from him and returned to his side-lying position.
However, it is unclear what Shinjuku's habit is, but he seems to like to sleep with his face buried in his chest. Before Zhenwang could fall asleep again, he was pressed down by Shinjuku again, his head still rubbing into the crook of his neck, his face buried down.
"..." Just as the King of Poison was about to use the same trick to get the person down, this time, when Shinju's soft hand moved around, it almost swept to a certain place, which immediately made the King of Poison freeze.
Shinjuku let out a muttered hum, as if something on his clothes was poking him and he was uncomfortable. He then tried to remove the obstruction.
The King of Poison grabbed Masaya's wrist alertly, rubbed his earlobe, and tried to coax him into calming down. But Masaya, though still asleep, became temperamental and started to resist, his hand flaring up.
Finally enraged, the King of Poison rolled over and pinned the man beneath him, biting down hard on Shinju's Adam's apple in a fit of rage. He regretted it afterward, intending to lick the wound, only to find it left no mark. A mix of emotions welled up within him.
The King of Poison was terrified of being tormented, but thankfully, when it was his turn to subdue Shinju, the other finally calmed down. He was exhausted and quickly fell asleep again.
Shinju was fast asleep, so he didn't even notice that his newly repaired dantian was drawing a wisp of crimson dragon energy from the King of Poison. The thread that had been impossible to reconnect with him before was now finally connected to his intact dantian, drawing in the refined dragon energy belonging to the King of Poison like a worm devouring a whale.
The moon sets and the sun rises, the morning light shines brightly, the clear chirping of birds is melodious, the morning breeze sweeps across the grassland, and the camp regains its vibrant atmosphere. The early risers, having shaken off the smell of alcohol, begin to devote themselves to their respective tasks.
Inside the camp.
Sunlight streamed through the curtains, illuminating the interior and clearly revealing the features of the two people sleeping on the bed.
Having slept most of the night, the weariness between the Prince's brows hadn't diminished much. As he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fell upon a sliver of jade-colored collarbone peeking out from the loose collar. Moving his gaze upwards, he saw a long, slender, white neck, and then, a face that was both strangely familiar and utterly unfamiliar—
His facial contours were somewhat sharp, while his features, conversely, leaned towards softness, but the richness of his bone structure was more prominent than before. If before he possessed a somewhat androgynous, boyish charm, now he transcended the boundaries of masculinity, embodying only the core word "beauty." He had shed his youthful innocence, replaced by the refined elegance of a young man. And when those incomparably beautiful golden eyes opened, the King of Zhen felt his very soul tremble. In those eyes, still slightly drowsy from just waking up, a hint of divinity appeared, causing the King of Zhen to hold his breath.
Shinjuku slowly regained his focus and realized that he was holding someone in his arms, and the person in his arms was looking up at him with a shocked expression. Shinjuku subconsciously bent his knees to get up, but his toes kicked the sandalwood box at the foot of the bed.
"?" His legs are that long?
Masaki sensed something was wrong and decisively opened his divine sense. He glanced around and was stunned to see that his body had become taller and more mature.
Then he lowered his eyes and met the gaze of the Poison King who was nestled in his arms.
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Author's Note: Mayu: What happened??
Prince Zhen: Who are you? Where did you take my Qing'er?
Dantian:
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