Chapter 117: Mutual Exchange
After a few more days of morning conferences, one by one, all the preparations were completed and everything was finally declared ready.
Tomorrow, everyone who was willing to take part in the battle against the demonic deity Xie Xingye would set off on an expedition to cross the Forest of Echoes and head to the castle where he and his black dragon had made their base.
But for now, as if to compensate for the direness of whatever might happen later, Qinghe and Wei Xiang were engaged in nighttime activities that were even more passionate than usual.
The bed in their room creaked and groaned loudly as two sweaty bodies moved together. The sound of loud breathing and short pants mixed with deep groans and helpless moans.
Qinghe buried his head into the pillows, his eyes squeezed tightly closed as tears dripped down to mingle with sweat. His hands fisted into the sheets while his toes curled, his body trembling as it bowed upward with overwhelming pleasure.
"A-Ah…Xiang…f-faster…please…" he pleaded in a strained voice.
"As you wish," Wei Xiang murmured huskily, then obediently increased the tempo of his thrusts as per his little lover's request.
His hand that was holding onto the smooth hip of his beloved increased its grip slightly as he drove his member in and out of the slickened channel in powerful motions. As the tight heat of his lover gripped and rubbed over his shaft, Wei Xiang aimed his hard member to hit the same sensitive spot hidden deep inside the soft passage, exerting exactly the right amount of pressure each time.
"Ah! X-Xiang!" Qinghe's voice sounded strangled as he desperately called out.
"Yes, I'm here," Wei Xiang reassured softly, his voice slightly hoarse.
Then looping an arm around his beloved's waist, he pulled his little lover towards him even as he thrust upward, causing Qinghe to gasp sharply as he was forced to straighten in the face of this sudden and swift penetration that echoed deep in his gut.
Not waiting for his beloved to recover, Wei Xiang reached the other hand over to his lover's front and lightly kneaded the already swollen and tender pink nubs, making Qinghe twist restlessly, his chest heaving harder. His sweaty brows drew down over closed eyes as his reddened lips parted to gulp in air desperately.
Gathering his scrambled senses by sheer will, Qinghe lifted a quivering hand and pulled at Wei Xiang's wrist, redirecting his beloved's skilled fingers down from his chest, past his belly, and further below to a certain stiff and dripping organ.
He then demanded in a strained whisper, "Xiang…touch me…here."
Hearing this, a sly and playful light flashed in Wei Xiang's eyes. He abruptly stopped his thrusts and shifted back to sit on the bed, pulling a startled Qinghe along so that he suddenly felt his lover's thick member pushing in further as he fell back onto Wei Xiang's lap.
"Ah―!"
Qinghe let out a choked scream, his body twisting at the queer sensation of something forcing itself this deep into him. One of Wei Xiang's arms wrapped around his abdomen to hold him firmly in place as the warm and strong fingers of another hand encircled his shaft and began sliding up and down steadily to fulfill his beloved's request.
Unused to this series of sudden changes, Qinghe tried to close his legs instinctively, but felt Wei Xiang lightly nip his ear as he ordered, "No, keep them open."
Qinghe froze, then slowly parted his knees again, allowing his beloved easier access.
"Good," Wei Xiang praised in his low voice, then rewarded him by increasing the pace of his hand.
More thick fluid dripped down from the slit at the head of Qinghe shaft as he drowned in the pleasure brought on by the friction. His body loosened and relaxed back against his lover's well-toned one, his hands lifting to rest on Wei Xiang's arms.
Qinghe felt his breathing growing increasingly harsher as a heavy heat flowed through him, thickening and deepening, feeling like it was sinking into his bones. As if sensing this, the hand moving over his member also quickened as it squeezed him with slightly more pressure to increase the friction.
His head falling back, Qinghe uninhibitedly let sounds of pleasure slip through from his gasping lips. The fingers he'd placed on his lover's arms clenched as he felt the heat winding tighter, gathering at the base of his spine.
And then the climax crashed through him suddenly, pulling a thin scream out of him as his spine snapped straight, his muscles growing taut. White liquid gushed out of his shaft, pearly and translucent as it flowed over his beloved's honey-toned hand.
Wei Xiang held the stiff and trembling body of his lover tightly in his arms as his hand kept on with its ministrations, milking his beloved's member dry and drawing out everything he had to give. He could feel Qinghe's passage squeeze and release his own shaft tightly where it was still enclosed within those warm inner walls.
After a few more moments, the orgasm slowly receded and Qinghe finally slumped down, his body exhausted even as his mind floated on a cloud of bliss.
"Love, are you alright?" Wei Xiang's concerned voice sounded right by his ear.
After taking a few more breaths to find his voice and clear his mind, Qinghe nodded and spoke, "Xiang, you…you still haven't…"
Wei Xiang's arms around Qinghe tightened. "Yes, but can you go on?"
Qinghe slowly nodded.
Disentangling himself from Wei Xiang's arms and lifting his languid body off of his lover's still hard member, Qinghe lied down on the bed on his back, bending his knees upward and parting his legs to expose his dusky pink entrance that was still glistening faintly with moisture.
His eyes gleaming with unconcealed invitation, Qinghe lifted up the corners of his moistened lips in a tempting smile. In a voice gone hoarse from the sounds he'd let out before, he enticed playfully, "Don't worry about me, I can still take it. So why don't we continue like this?"
And how could Wei Xiang resist such a tempting offer?
Wei Xiang thus unhesitatingly pounced on his little lover again and the two bodies entangled once more as deep groans mixed with the creaking of the swaying bed.
Fingers slid over slick skin and mouths sucked at each other with ravenous hunger. The room was filled with the sound of flesh slapping against flesh, of something thick and hard slamming in and out of something moist and soft, the rhythm growing increasingly more frantic as a pair of voices called out to each other with deepening and heightening frenzy.
Soon, Wei Xiang let out a gruff shout and emptied himself into his welcoming little lover as the couple wrapped their arms around each other, their bodies pressed tightly together as if trying to meld into one.
A few moments after he was done, Wei Xiang slowly slid out of Qinghe, then dropped down onto the bed beside his beloved to regain his breath. After resting for a while, the couple began the familiar cleaning ritual as Wei Xiang carefully took care of the release he'd left inside his lover's body.
But unlike how it had been till now, Wei Xiang noticed that Qinghe's opening was even more painful-looking than usual, the edges swollen thickly into a reddish hue.
Pressing his lips together in distress, Wei Xiang deduced that it was the effect of the strengthening of Qinghe body slowly wearing off due to the lack of spiritual circulation these past few days. If this went on, within a few years, Qinghe would turn mortal and start to age, eventually dying.
Wei Xiang decisively pushed out these thoughts and got to work.
After he carefully cleaned his little lover up with tender fingers and the both of them comfortably settled back on the bed, Wei Xiang flipped Qinghe over onto his stomach and studied the damage to the reddened entrance more closely.
Brushing his thumb ever so gently on the swollen and slightly expanded ring of flesh, Wei Xiang asked softly, "Love, does it hurt a lot?"
Qinghe turned his head back to look at his worried lover and replied, "Only a little. Xiang, I don't mind it, so don't worry too much."
But Wei Xiang's concern didn't abate one bit, his gaze holding distress and remorse at his own unrestrained actions that had ended up causing his lover to be hurt like this.
Seeing that his beloved still looked troubled over even this much discomfort to him, Qinghe sighed and bashfully compromised. With blushing cheeks, he suggested in a timid whisper, "Xiang, if it bothers you, t-then you can…h-heal it with your mouth."
Surprised, Wei Xiang looked up with raised eyebrows at this unexpected permission, his eyes darkening at the sight of such an enticingly shy Qinghe.
Putting away his melancholy, Wei Xiang's expression melted into a smirk as he teased, "Since my little lover is so generously allowing it, I naturally shouldn't waste this opportunity."
Qinghe's mouth twitched. But just when he was about to reply to this smug comment, he felt a pair of strong hands settling on each of his buttocks and pulling them apart. Without warning, warm breath fanned over his sensitive entrance before a hot mouth settled over it.
A soft shudder rippled up along Qinghe's spine at the strange and pleasurable sensations this evoked. With a sigh, he settled down into the bed comfortably as the little bit of unease stirred up by the unfamiliarity of this act soon subsided into a gentle heat.
Wei Xiang carefully placed a full mouthed kiss on his little lover's puckered entrance, complete with sucking lips and an invading tongue. His hands lightly kneaded the two elastic mounds on either side and felt the muscles under his palms bunching and flexing.
As he forced his slippery tongue into the tightly pursed opening and skillfully pressed onward, he felt his beloved's taut inner walls clamping down as if stubbornly resisting the invasion. Pushing in deeper unrelentingly, Wei Xiang steered his flexible tongue to slip in between the wrinkles and folds of the twitching passage, leaving no nook or cranny unexplored.
Qinghe felt his body soften and arch backward. His face flushed with renewed desire as he unconsciously parted his legs to lie down more stably and give his lover's mouth better access. His hands clenched fistfuls of the sheets under him as he shifted restlessly.
The flexible tongue moving inside his over-sensitized passage was smooth and slick as it spread healing warmth wherever it went. This warmth combining with his own arousal made Qinghe feel helpless as he rode the gentle waves of pleasure washing through him.
Even though his body tried to twist and writhe to express the feelings evoked by this tender sort of torment, Wei Xiang's hands on his buttocks remained firm and unyielding, not allowing his hips any movement.
The intense heat and the urgency of his need slowly climbed higher and higher with each expert swipe of that moist tongue, until these unbearable sensations finally reached the peak, exploding within him to send a wave of ecstasy spreading throughout his body in heavy pulses.
Qinghe moaned and shuddered, white liquid spurting over his belly and the sheets once again. His body clenched tight as his fingers and toes dug into the bed as if trying to desperately hold on to his senses. And yet, the bold and slippery tongue still continued to play inside him, pushing him on and on with its firm pressure against his inner walls, sliding and stroking his spasming passage relentlessly.
It was only after the trembling of Qinghe's body stopped that Wei Xiang finally lifted his head. His hands still massaging the round globes of flesh, Wei Xiang inquired concernedly, "Love, how is it?"
Qinghe was slumped bonelessly on the bed, not a shred of strength remaining in his wrung out body. In a rough voice, he replied, "It was surprisingly nice. I really didn't expect your tongue to feel so good there."
Wei Xiang let out a satisfied chuckle before saying, "I was actually asking if you still felt any of the pain or discomfort from before, but I guess your words are answer enough."
Qinghe merely let out a hum in response. Then, after struggling with his heavy body for a bit, Qinghe finally managed to flip himself over onto his back with a bit of concentrated effort. But looking down at his release-stained belly that was in need of cleaning, he sighed desolately. His arms felt too heavy to lift, his freshly sated body felt too relaxed and languid to be disturbed.
And so, Qinghe sent his beloved a beseeching look, hoping he could take on this monumental task instead.
Letting out a chuff of laughter, Wei Xiang wordlessly obliged, cleaning everything up again.
Soon, the pair of lovers were once more cuddling happily on the now neat and clean bed. But though both of them were tired, neither of them slept, their eyes staying open as they silently studied each other's faces.
In this content silence, Wei Xiang spoke softly, "Qinghe, do you know how two spiritual beasts finally accept each other as mates?"
Qinghe blinked lazily and answered with smiling eyes. "By mating?"
Wei Xiang chuckled and tapped his little lover on the nose. "It's not quite that simple, love. Sex is something that's done casually, but accepting each other as mates is more similar to the bond of human marriage."
Shifting closer to his beloved, Qinghe laughed quietly. "I might not know a lot of things that are specific to wyverns or dragons, but I did make sure to study the general customs and habits of half- and full-blooded beasts. After all, I needed to know them so that I could raise the twins properly. So I do in fact know about this."
Wei Xiang felt wry. Of course his little lover would have studied such basics.
His expression turning grave, Wei Xiang asked, "Then I suppose you know how accepting each other as mates works?"
Qinghe nodded. "They exchange parts of themselves with each other. At first, I actually thought it meant they would cut off a finger or pop out an eye to present to their mate or something. But apparently it only means that the beasts exchange things like hair, scales, or even fangs with each other to symbolize their mating."
Wei Xiang's mouth twitched at Qinghe's gruesome expectations of self-mutilation, but he was almost used to it by now.
Letting out a breath, Wei Xiang nodded. "Yes, exchanging a part of their bodies like that signifies trust, since in ancient times, such body parts could be used to cast very specific and powerful curses if one were so inclined."
After all, there were no laws against things like that back then. And unlike now, there were no law-enforcing agencies like the Order of Sentinels either.
A thoughtful silence gently descended on the room and they pondered over those times long past and how much better the world had grown to become now.
In this comfortable silence, Wei Xiang extended an arm and gently took Qinghe's hand in his own, his voice solemn as he asked, "Qinghe, I want to accept you as my mate. Will you accept me as yours?"
Qinghe's eyes widened. Not only was his Xiang suddenly proposing the spiritual beast equivalent of marriage to him, but he was also doing it while they were both lying on the bed stark naked.
And yet…Qinghe couldn't help the flutter of wild joy that burst in his chest.
His lips curving up into a smile, Qinghe nodded with bright eyes. "Yes, of course I will."
Wei Xiang's face softened, his hand pulling on Qinghe's and bringing him closer, their lips heading towards each other and melding together without a word spoken.
After a few minutes, the couple finally separated, their faces flushed and eyes remaining locked.
In a husky voice, Wei Xiang asked, "Qinghe, if I give you a part of me, will you accept it?"
Qinghe blinked and spoke confusedly, "But Xiang, I already received a part of you. We've already exchanged parts of each other."
Without thinking, Wei Xiang frowned and asked, "When? What did we exchange?"
"Every night, don't we exchange a lot of fluids?" Qinghe spoke as if it was obvious.
"…"
Wei Xiang didn't know how to respond to that.
Letting out a sigh, he finally spoke, "In a very literal sense, I suppose that is true, but the fluids don't stay with us, do they?"
Qinghe thought it over and nodded. "I suppose you're right. So are you going to give me something that I can keep?"
Excitement glowed in Qinghe's gaze at the thought of always having a part of his beloved to remember him by even when they had to be apart, like when they were working, for example.
Wei Xiang smiled at his little lover's obvious enthusiasm. "Yes, though it's something you've already seen many times before. But I also think that it is the most appropriate thing to give you."
Saying so, Wei Xiang sat up on the bed, with Qinghe also curiously following suit.
Standing up to position himself by the bedside, Wei Xiang crooked a finger at his little lover. "Qinghe, come here to the edge of the bed."
Qinghe easily obliged, sitting at the bed's edge and leaving his legs hanging over the side.
Wei Xiang immediately knelt, his fingers holding a fair ankle and lifting it up.
Automatically adjusting his balance, Qinghe called out, "Xiang, what are you doing?"
But Wei Xiang only smiled.
From under the skin of his bare arm, a thin, golden string pushed out, the skin around the extending string hardening with a delicate layer of translucent scales over it. The string slowly reached Qinghe's left leg and wrapped itself around the smooth ankle several times.
Qinghe looked on puzzled. "Xiang…this, is this the part of you that you wanted to give me?"
Wei Xiang nodded. "These golden strings that I usually use are not my spiritual artifact, and neither are they weapons made of metal. They are instead made of different parts of me. I forged them with a mixture of my blood, bones, talons, fangs, even pieces of my eggshell. They were bound together using my condensed spiritual force and the scales I shed, which is where they derive their color from. I smelted them into these strings by using my whitefire. It took me a lot of years to perfect them into their current form."
Looking up, Wei Xiang declared with a warm smile and gentle eyes, "They contain almost every part of me, and so I want to give them to you as well. Apart from loving you with my body and binding my soul to yours, this is the best way I can share myself with you."
Qinghe felt his eyes grow hot, his throat feeling strangely dry.
Wei Xiang looked down and touched the string he'd just wound around Qinghe's ankle into several loops, the end of the golden thread still connected to his arm. At Wei Xiang's touch, the strings on Qinghe's ankle slowly seemed to meld together, fusing into a single band of bright gold.
Once he was satisfied with his work, Wei Xiang clenched his jaw and finally cut the link. The string extending from his arm disconnected from the anklet and was absorbed back under his skin, leaving behind only a seamlessly smooth band on Qinghe's ankle. The patch of hardened skin and scales on Wei Xiang's arm also returned to normal.
Wei Xiang's face slowly tightened into a grimace, the corners of his eyes pinching at the resultant pain. Letting out a deep, shuddering breath, he bowed his head as if trying to recover from some great blow.
As Wei Xiang struggled thus to deal with the consequences of the disconnection, a pair of warm palms suddenly cupped his face from above and lifted his head, soft lips pressing into his forehead in silent comfort.
Wei Xiang closed his eyes and drew support from his little lover's touch, the sting of severing and giving away a part of himself slowly fading away.
Looking at how his beloved's expression was slowly relaxing, Qinghe's worry also subsided.
"Xiang, thank you," he said with deep sincerity and affection in his voice.
He had seen his lover extending out those strings many times, but he had never seen him completely cutting them off from him like this. And it was no wonder, since they were after all a part of him. Severing them was bound to be very painful, like hacking off one's own limb, but with a much deeper effect.
And yet, Wei Xiang had done it for him, to let him know that he wanted to spend forever with him. Even though they were already bound soul to soul, having a physical representation of their bond like this was also very meaningful and satisfying. It fulfilled some deep need in him and offered irrefutable proof that he was claimed as his beloved's mate.
After gathering his bearings, Wei Xiang slowly got up and straightened. His voice and posture seeming to have returned to usual, he spoke teasingly, "Well, now that I gave you a part of me, when are you going to reciprocate?"
His eyes still shining with happiness and warmth, Qinghe raised an eyebrow and said easily, "If you want to, I can do it right now."
Wei Xiang blinked in surprise at this prompt response as Qinghe stood up to stride up to a cabinet at the side.
As Qinghe walked, the presence of the band on his ankle felt smooth and warm. Its edges were completely rounded and the anklet did not impede the flexing of his calf muscles at all. It was also flat and thin enough that it would easily fit into his boots without getting stuck.
Feeling exceedingly conscious of this new accessory, Qinghe reached the cupboard and opened it, searching around for a while before closing the cabinet again. With a proud smile, he approached his lover with something held in his hand behind him.
Wei Xiang peered at him curiously. "Love, what do you have for me? And when did you prepare it?"
Qinghe's smile widened as he said, "Well, since I already knew how spiritual beasts accepted their mates, I naturally prepared in advance a while ago. I was just waiting for the right moment to give it to you, but you ended up bringing up the subject first. Oh well, at least we both have similar lines of thought in this regard."
With that, Qinghe pulled Wei Xiang's left arm towards him and slipped his beloved's hand through what looked like a transparent bangle with a line of delicate red and silver details encased inside.
Wei Xiang lifted an eyebrow, but decided to patiently wait for his little lover to finish whatever he was doing.
Qinghe slid the 'bangle' all the way up until it was fixed high on Wei Xiang's upper arm. Then taking a step back, he admired his handiwork happily.
"Is this…an armband?" Wei Xiang asked with hints of puzzlement.
At a glance, it was obvious that this band was crafted exquisitely, though the materials it was made of remained a mystery. From the place where it was pressed against his skin, Wei Xiang could sense the armband exuding faint waves of soothing coolness and a barely discernible scent of mint, both refreshing and calming.
Nodding, Qinghe explained, "It's made of crystallized spiritual force I harvested directly from my core back when it was still undamaged. The dark red designs inside are drawn with my blood, and the silver ones are formed from my life force. Making it exhausted me for a few weeks, you know?"
Wei Xiang blinked uncomprehendingly. "Qinghe, you…you actually used your life force? You could have harmed your soul or reduced your lifespan!"
Qinghe only smiled. "I know, but even that much risk is not enough for me to express how precious you are to me, but I hope you'll make do with this."
Wei Xiang didn't know how to reply to this.
Even if Qinghe had never given him anything in return, Wei Xiang would still have been content enough that his beloved had at least accepted the part of him that he had presented. But Wei Xiang had never expected that his little lover would already have his share of this mutual exchange prepared, ready to claim him as his mate like this in return. And the thing Qinghe had prepared for him was such a valuable thing too.
Though Wei Xiang had never wanted his beloved to risk himself like this, seeing that his Qinghe had tried so hard to show him his devotion, how could he not feel deeply touched? How could his heart not melt at this sign of deep affection from his lover?
"So, Xiang," Qinghe suddenly called, his eyes glinting with expectation. "Does this mean we're married now?"
Shaking his head to regain his equilibrium, Wei Xiang let out a low laugh, his voice slightly hoarse with suppressed emotions. "Not yet. We've completed the spiritual beast's version of marriage vows, but we've yet to complete the human version. Let's wait until your mother can also join us before we do it, alright?"
Qinghe tilted his head in thought, then nodded. "Okay, we'll wait till then. But for now…"
His eyes sparkling, Qinghe jumped onto his lover's still naked body and rubbed his own bare skin against him.
"…Why don't we go for another round with our pair of new accessories?"
And so, his gaze turning warm as his mouth curved up, Wei Xiang lifted his laughing little lover and made for the bed once more.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
crimson_carnation
crimson_carnation Fun fact: Throughout this entire chapter, Qinghe and Wei Xiang wore not even a single stitch of clothing~
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Next chapter, Qinghe finally gets dressed to go to the ball– er, I mean battle. ( ⁀ ヮ ⁀ ;)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone