I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country - Chap 53

Chapter 53

Even after being bitten, he could calmly sigh, taking a deep breath. Gu Yuanbai was truly impressed by him.

The emperor’s face was composed as he brought Xue Yuan to the riverside and tore his sleeve, revealing two sharp tooth marks that had pierced his skin. Gu Yuanbai took Xue Yuan’s dagger and tore a long strip of cloth from his robe, using it to bandage the wound not far above it.

The young emperor had probably never encountered such a situation before, but he remained calm, skillfully treating the wound with a blank expression. Xue Yuan was even somewhat fascinated by this composure.

He lifted his other hand, intending to touch Gu Yuanbai’s cheek, but halfway there, he noticed bloodstains on his fingers and quickly withdrew his hand.

“Your Majesty,” he spoke, “I am deeply honored.”

To receive such treatment from the emperor for his wound, he must be enjoying a higher privilege than Zhang Xu, right?

Gu Yuanbai furrowed his brow, in a bad mood, he said, “Silence.”

While Xue Yuan was speaking, Gu Yuanbai had already used the dagger to reopen the snake bite wound. He asked, “Do you recognize that snake?”

“I do,” Xue Yuan replied calmly, only because he recognized it. “It’s venomous, but not too potent. At most, it will cause numbness for a few days.”

Gu Yuanbai nodded, then took a sip from the water pouch. After confirming he had no wounds in his mouth, he spat out the water, lowered his head, and raised Xue Yuan’s arm, leaning down to suck out the venomous blood.

As soon as Xue Yuan felt the warmth of Gu Yuanbai’s lips on his arm, he instantly froze in place, feeling somewhat dizzy and disoriented.

Gu Yuanbai spat out the blood in his mouth, rinsed with some water, and then lowered his head again to suck the fresh blood from Xue Yuan’s arm.

After repeating this several times, once the color of the fresh blood had turned vibrant red again, Gu Yuanbai stopped. He rinsed his mouth a few more times to ensure he hadn’t ingested any blood and showed no signs of dizziness. Then, he closed the water pouch, turned around, and looked at Xue Yuan’s complexion. Upon seeing that Xue Yuan’s face was flushed, his eyes were vacant, as if deeply poisoned.

Gu Yuanbai furrowed his brows, glanced around, and plucked some pine needles to cover his wound before wrapping it with a strip of cloth. Xue Yuan’s mind was in chaos, but when he saw the emperor picking up the scabbard and the sharp dagger scraping against it, emitting sparks and a harsh friction sound, he was startled awake. As he raised his head, his gaze met Gu Yuanbai’s.

Gu Yuanbai sheathed the dagger. “How do you feel?”

Xue Yuan checked himself briefly. “Your Majesty, I am completely fine.”

Gu Yuanbai found it strange. “If everything is fine, why is your face flushed?”

In his heart, Xue Yuan thought, If I am kissed by my beloved, shouldn’t I blush to show respect?

Afraid of revealing his feelings, he pretended to be impatient, turned his head away, and clenched his jaw. “Your Majesty, let’s not talk about that. I will take the wild fruits we just picked. It’s getting dark, and we should rearrange the cave to prevent snakes and ants from getting in.”

However, no matter how they arranged it, the cave remained quite rudimentary in the presence of the ruler of the nation.

If it were just Xue Yuan alone, he wouldn’t care much about these things. But when he looked at Gu Yuanbai, he felt that nothing was worthy of the young emperor.

He took off his outer garment and turned the cleaner side over to spread it on the grass mat. “Your Majesty, make do with it for tonight.”

Xu Yuan was busy tending to his own bite wound, Gu Yuanbai calmly and rationally reminded him, “You’re aggravating the wound by moving around like this, accelerating the spread of the remaining snake venom.”

Xue Yuan casually replied, “I’m quite resilient, I’ll be fine.”

But by midnight, the seemingly fine Xue Yuan started running a high fever.

Gu Yuanbai sat by the bedside, almost speechless, observing the person leaning against the cave wall, in a dazed and heavy state.

Xue Yuan was far away from Gu Yuanbai. His body was soaked in sweat, his face slightly wrinkled, and he seemed to be in pain and struggling. His white undershirt, stained with blood, was also covered in dirt and dust. He looked extremely disheveled.

Finally, Gu Yuanbai sighed and got off the bed, walking towards Xue Yuan.

He never expected to experience such a plot that only happened in novels. However, the one injured, sick, and running a fever was not him, the frail individual, but Xue Yuan, the strong and robust protagonist.

Gu Yuanbai rubbed his forehead, dispelling drowsiness and fatigue. “Xue Yuan?”

Xue Yuan’s lips were dry, his face flushed. Gu Yuanbai squatted beside him and placed a hand on him, confirming that he indeed had a fever. He called out again, “Xue Yuan, can you hear me?”

In his hazy state, Xue Yuan heard the voice of his beloved. He exerted effort to open his heavy eyelids and looked at Gu Yuanbai with a foolish grin. “Your Majesty?”

The smile on his face was so silly that Gu Yuanbai chuckled. “Don’t sleep. Stay alert.”

Xue Yuan saw only Gu Yuanbai’s lips moving. He swallowed some saliva, his throat hurting, and his furrowed eyebrows indicating discomfort.

Gu Yuanbai said, “Don’t speak.”

Xue Yuan nodded, and Gu Yuanbai got up to fetch a water pouch. After giving Xue Yuan some water and seeing him regain some clarity, he asked, “Are you feeling cold?”

“Hot,” Xue Yuan replied hoarsely. “Your Majesty, I’m burning up.”

After speaking, he moved his hand and dove into the embrace of the young emperor. The fragrance of palace incense wafted over, and the cold sensation from Gu Yuanbai’s body transferred to him. Xue Yuan sighed contentedly. In his unclear mind, he would momentarily forget the emperor’s threat to his descendants.

That was why he was afraid of him, precisely because he was his beloved.

In the midst of their idling, the emperor was right in front of him. Following his instincts, Xue Yuan leaned closer and lightly bit him.

Gu Yuanbai let out a muffled groan.

That sound completely shattered Xue Yuan’s rationality. He closed his eyes and, like a mad dog, sniffed and nuzzled against Gu Yuanbai’s body, ignoring his words. Gu Yuanbai couldn’t push him away. Suddenly, the mad dog grasped the emperor’s lifeline.

The emperor trembled all over and became still.

Xue Yuan smiled and stuck out his tongue to taste the place he had nuzzled. His fingers moved, and the delightful sound of the emperor resounded again.

Unable to resist, Gu Yuanbai grabbed Xue Yuan’s hair.

The feeling of doing it oneself and having someone else do it were completely different.

As an adult male, it was a natural physiological instinct and reaction.

Gu Yuanbai felt an electrifying sensation, and his adrenaline surged. Men are creatures that think with their lower body. After experiencing pleasure, Gu Yuanbai’s rationality was stimulated repeatedly.

In the dark night, with no one around and only the constant sounds of birds and insects, a gentle breeze blowing, in this environment, people’s desires were amplified.

Xue Yuan lifted his head forcefully and their eyes met.

Xue Yuan’s voice was husky, and his eyes seemed to contain sparks. “Your Majesty.”

Gu Yuanbai looked down at him from a higher position and saw himself in his eyes. After a moment, the emperor held Xue Yuan’s chin, and then fiercely kissed him.

Their lips and tongues intertwined passionately, and Gu Yuanbai took the dominant position. He teased Xue Yuan’s tongue, sucking and entwining, consumed by instinctual impulses.

Xue Yuan’s breath was scorching hot as he held onto Gu Yuanbai, doubting if this was a dream.

When they finally separated, their lips were already burning.

Gu Yuanbai pinched Xue Yuan’s chin, lightly parting his own lips from his. He smiled and coaxed, “Guard Xue, serve me. Understand? Go ahead.”

If he served him well, there would be ample rewards.

Xue Yuan did as told, serving him perfectly.

After experiencing pleasure, Gu Yuanbai regained his composure. He calmly got up and walked towards the grass bed. Xue Yuan chuckled softly from behind, “Your Majesty, why are you so heartless?”

Gu Yuanbai also laughed, “Both Guard Xue and I are men, so how is that heartless? Isn’t it just letting Guard Xue serve me? Does Guard Xue want to be my palace concubine?”

Xue Yuan paused for a moment, then his expression darkened as he looked at him ominously.

Gu Yuanbai, behaving like an irresponsible playboy, found it amusing himself. “Guard Xue, I remember you once said that you would be willing to serve me even as a servant.”

Xue Yuan remained silent, his face still gloomy.

Gu Yuanbai touched his nose and licked his lips.

To be honest, entangling with Xue Yuan felt quite pleasurable—clashing of strength against strength, collision of desire against desire. Gu Yuanbai was certain that he didn’t like men, but the intense kiss he forcibly planted on Xue Yuan, stimulated by his lower body, actually felt good.

It was more like biting than kissing.

He could even taste the metallic tang of blood on their lips.

Gu Yuanbai casually sat at the edge of the grass bed, looking rather relaxed and his clothes slightly disheveled. He gazed at Xue Yuan, smiled again, and reassured him, “Guard Xue, it was just a momentary excitement. Surely you wouldn’t mind. You’re not a woman, and I’m not a woman either. But this time, I was reckless, and it was my mistake.”

He casually added, “What does Guard Xue want?”

After a long pause, Xue Yuan sneered, “Your Majesty is truly merciful.”

Gu Yuanbai still had patience towards Xue Yuan at this point, pretending not to hear the sarcasm in his words. He smiled and said, “Guard Xue, just speak directly after you’ve thought it through.”

He wanted to change the subject, but Xue Yuan didn’t allow him to. His tone was icy, as if he held a knife and arrows, “Doesn’t Your Majesty ever think for yourself?”

Gu Yuanbai wondered, “What should I think for myself?”

Xue Yuan’s hand clenched instantly, almost gritting his teeth as he said, “—I touched you!”

Gu Yuanbai gave an objective evaluation, “Guard Xue, your hands are a bit rough, but the pressure was just right. It felt comfortable when you touched me.”

In simple terms, he just gave himself a hand job.

However, that kiss was indeed impulsive. Testosterone surged within him, and in his impulsiveness, Gu Yuanbai grabbed and kissed him.

—But people tend to do things under impulse without even realizing it themselves. Gu Yuanbai himself enjoyed it, so he didn’t mind. However, it was inevitable for the person he forcibly kissed to mind.

His expression was candid, but it deeply troubled Xue Yuan.

So could anyone do it? As long as it pleasured the young emperor?

Xue Yuan’s expression was unpleasant. He grabbed a piece of rock, squeezing it with force. The sharp edges pierced his palm, and blood flowed, bringing an intense sense of sobriety through the pain.

He kissed him? He touched him?

What did that mean?

Early the next morning, with Hongyuan carrying the two of them, they raced through the forest at a fast pace.

Following the direction of the warm morning sun in the east, Xue Yuan rode behind Gu Yuanbai. His expression was still grim, filled with a deep killing intent and darkness in his eyes.

Gu Yuanbai slightly closed his eyes, appearing as if he were asleep.

Xue Yuan spoke to him in a low voice, his tone heavy, “Your Majesty, am I to be ignored like this?”

Gu Yuanbai made a nasal sound in response, lazily saying, “Guard Xue, you’ve repeated that sentence several times this morning already.”

Xue Yuan’s expression grew even darker as he coldly sneered, “Your Majesty, my heart has grown cold.”

After hearing Xue Yuan’s remark, Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but laugh.

But he chuckled twice and felt it wasn’t appropriate. Last night was clearly a mutual entanglement between the two of them. When Gu Yuanbai forcibly kissed Xue Yuan, Xue Yuan responded as well. But whenever Gu Yuanbai recalled the four words Xue Yuan had mentioned earlier, “loyal to the Emperor,” he felt that the current situation was somewhat strange. “Is it the loyalty to me that has grown cold?”

It was the heart of the man who loved him!

He swallowed the words that were about to come out, and Xue Yuan responded in an unclear, muffled voice.

That’s good, that’s good. Gu Yuanbai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue Yuan didn’t like him, wasn’t interested in him, he only felt that his loyalty to the sovereign had been tarnished, perhaps feeling uncomfortable because he had become entangled with the emperor in a moment of confusion. But as long as Xue Yuan didn’t like Gu Yuanbai, Gu Yuanbai didn’t have that heartless scumbag feeling of a heartbreaker.

He said with some relief, “Last night was my recklessness, but Xue Yuan, rest assured, I absolutely don’t have any dirty thoughts towards you.”

Xue Yuan was almost amused by anger. His dark eyes flickered up and down, “Your Majesty’s words are indeed true. I’ve taken note of it.”

Damn it.

Frustration overwhelmed him.