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8.4% Rest in a Demon's Embrace [BL] / Chapter 20: Capital

Chapter 20: Capital

Having arrived at the Chengzi Empire, they didn’t head straight for a remote meadow or ravine to find the Moon Anise. Instead, they ventured towards the center of the empire where the capital was located.

They flew the entire way until they reached the outskirts of the city, then Jiang Yao and Ling Mo descended from the skies and walked on the dusty roads.

Luo Xiao was relieved. When they walked, they moved at a speed he could follow, but even so, Jiang Yao was reluctant to release Xiaoxiao from his arms.

“Come now, I can’t really stay in your arms forever,” Luo Xiao argued. But, Jiang Yao just snickered, “Who says you can’t?” he asked as he tightened his hold on the young man in his embrace.

“But you have things you need to do!” Luo Xiao said. But despite this, Jiang Yao was rather adamant about not letting go.

The groups of people that they passed looked at them with curiosity as they heard the bickering that went on between Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao. Ling Mo’s expression was dark while his mind was filled with murderous thoughts.

To him, it didn’t sound like bickering but like flirting, and he couldn’t handle it much longer.

“Set me down this instant or I won’t sleep in your arms anymore!” Luo Xiao said, finally having decided to threaten Jiang Yao. He glanced at Ling Mo and saw that the man’s expression was pale, and his fists were gripped so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.

The only reason Luo Xiao dared use this argument as a threat was because Ling Mo thought they were lovers, but he was surprised to see that Jiang Yao was seriously considering it.

“Well, honestly, whether you want to sleep in my arms or not makes no difference,” Jiang Yao said slowly with a lazy, husky voice as he leaned forward and looked at Luo Xiao with a mischievous gleam in his beautiful eyes.

Seeing this, Luo Xiao felt his pulse quicken. His face turned red like a ripe persimmon, and he felt Jiang Yao’s breath tickle his skin.

“Even if you refuse to sleep in my arms, are you really able to avoid it?” he asked, “I’m much stronger than you, so I just have to grab you, and you will have no way to escape.”

Seeing Luo Xiao’s eyes widen, Jiang Yao chuckled as he continued forward, but then he stopped and let Luo Xiao down from his arms. “Although I could do that, I prefer you willingly climb into my embrace every night,” he continued as he rubbed Luo Xiao’s hair intimately.

Many people stared at Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao. Jiang Yao was so alluringly handsome that everyone who saw him felt their face go red, and they couldn’t help but gaze at him. He was so attractive that both men and women threw themselves at his feet wherever he went. But, recently, since acting like Luo Xiao was his lover, people had stopped doing such things because their relationship was obvious.

Were it anyone else, then people wouldn't have cared, but Luo Xiao was so delicate and beautiful that he resembled a fairy which had descended into this mundane world.

Even if there were many who wanted to throw themselves at Jiang Yao, they would all subconsciously compare themselves to Luo Xiao, and only then would they realize that they were in fact not his match.

Since they couldn’t match up to this handsome and alluring man’s current lover, why step forward just to embarrass themselves?

Ling Mo and Jiang Yao both noticed this, but what Ling Mo was furious about was that this affirmed that Luo Xiao was indeed beautiful beyond words. This caused Jiang Yao to feel relieved and relaxed. He liked being fawned upon, but he was tired of not being able to move without someone coming up to flirt.

Although Luo Xiao was released from Jiang Yao’s embrace, the older man didn’t let him go, instead, he reached out his hand.

Luo Xiao glared at Jiang Yao and his outstretched hand, but he knew he couldn’t refuse if he wanted to avoid seeing a sulking and annoyed Jiang Yao. For this reason, he reached out his hand and grasped Jiang Yao’s.

There had been a few times where his thin-skinned nature caused him not to take Jiang Yao’s hand, and he still shivered whenever he thought about Jiang Yao’s attitude afterwards.

Luo Xiao realized that Jiang Yao could be incredibly petty and hold grudges for the smallest things. If he didn't do a good job acting like his lover, then he would start pouting and completely ignore him.

If he was ignored, then he wouldn’t get any assistance with his cultivation. If he didn't get help with his cultivation, then it would be hard for him to advance and get revenge for his village.

Accepting his fate, Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao moved towards the inner-regions of the city. They both completely ignored Ling Mo, but this was something he had become used to. After his attempt to kill Luo Xiao, Jiang Yao had ignored him completely, and although it was uncomfortable for Luo Xiao, he too tried to ignore the other man.

“Where are we going?” Luo Xiao finally asked after he felt like they had ventured through the entire city. He was tired and exhausted. Although it was required they walk, he hadn’t expected that they would be walking so much.

For someone who had spent all his life in bed, and the last couple of days in the arms of a handsome man, his legs weren’t ready for so much exercise. His feet were sore, and his legs trembled, but he refused to admit it and continued forward.

Jiang Yao had long since noticed his condition but said nothing. He just waited for Luo Xiao to give up on his own.

In fact, Jiang Yao was walking in circles to get Luo Xiao to admit that he couldn't walk any further on his own. However, the young boy was as stubborn as a mule; he simply refused to give up.

Finally, Jiang Yao could do nothing about it. He just smiled and shook his head before heading towards his destination.

They aimed to speak with an information dealer. Every kingdom had one, and they were revered as everyone needed assistance from them when it came to knowing what was going on in the world.

Jiang Yao had purchased all the information about the Moon Anise, and he also bought it out so that no one else could obtain any of the information.

Normally, such a feat would be unthinkable, but Jiang Yao’s status was special, and his finances could easily handle what others would consider impossible.

It was also because of this that Jiang Yao wasn’t in a hurry. The only way someone could take the Moon Anise from him was if someone came across it and realized what they were looking at.

But the Moon Anise was a shapeshifting herb. It would look like natural grass at one point or a big tree at another. It could even take the shape of a stone. Therefore, only a soul cultivator who was explicitly searching for it would be able to see through its disguise.

Luo Xiao was unaware of these facts; he just knew that they were looking for a Moon Anise and that it was important for Jiang Yao to get it.

In the previous town, the information dealer was located in the most rundown section of the city, the beggars’ region, but this dealer was in the most upscale district.

When they reached the front gates of the information center, Luo Xiao wanted to hide behind Jiang Yao. The guards seemed to be strong Qi cultivators, and he sensed strong fluctuations of spiritual energy from within the house. It was clear that many Qi and soul cultivators were inside.

Suddenly, he felt an encouraging squeeze on his hand causing him to look up and see Jiang Yao looking at him with tender eyes and a small smile on his handsome face.

He said nothing but this squeeze already made Luo Xiao feel calmer and relaxed.

The guards glanced at Jiang Yao and the two others, but they didn't stop them from entering.

“Your Highness!” someone called out when he saw Jiang Yao. Hearing this, Jiang Yao frowned slightly but said nothing. When it came down to it, Luo Xiao was already aware that Ling Mo had called him his Highness, so it was only a question of time before another would do the same.

“We’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” the one who called out continued to speak, as he glanced at Luo Xiao by his side with curiosity.

It was clear he had heard about Luo Xiao, most likely from the other information center in the former city, but he also knew better than to ask any questions.

Instead, he turned to Ling Mo, “Greetings Marquis Ling. It is our honor to have two esteemed experts such as yourself and his Highness within our premises. Please follow me so that we can share the information you have come to get,” he said.

Jiang Yao nodded and followed behind the one speaking. Ling Mo felt better now that he was called out and treated so respectfully while Luo Xiao was ignored entirely, but little did he know that Luo Xiao was actually somewhat relieved. He didn’t want to be compared with these two undoubtedly important people.

The four experts moved together to a small room that was surrounded by formations.

As they entered, Luo Xiao felt an energy which suddenly tried to enter his body, but before it could, Jiang Yao sent a strand of energy to Luo Xiao. This energy shrouded his entire body and protected him against the foreign energy.

The invading energy was from the information center was a method to probe one’s strength and inner secrets. However, Jiang Yao protected Luo Xiao so that all his secrets were kept from them.

The man frowned when he saw this. It wasn’t an easy feat to release energy to shroud another person from their senses, and if he was willing to do so, then it meant that this young man was incredibly crucial to him, or that he had some sort of shocking secret that he didn't want known.

Even Ling Mo was incapable of hiding beneath the inquiring rays of the information center, but Jiang Yao did nothing to help him. All this time, his hand had not let go of Luo Xiao’s either, causing Luo Xiao to feel much calmer.

As they entered the room, the door closed behind them, and the one leading them nodded his head. “You are looking for the Moon Anise right?” he asked, and Jiang Yao nodded.

“The Moon Anise is in a small ravine close to the borders between the Chengzi Empire and the Heping Kingdom.”

“The ravine is known as Sword Scar ravine, and it’s filled with sword energy. For this reason, not many enter it. It’s dangerous, and many primitive, savage beasts live within.”

“If you set out, you should be able to reach the ravine in a week, in the case you need to rest every night and travel at a moderate speed,” said the man.

He glanced at Luo Xiao, his eyes glistening with curiosity. Who was this child that could make his Highness change his original plans, and what were the secrets on his body that made Jiang Yao shroud him from the search of their information center?


Chapter 21: Frozen Solid

Jiang Yao nodded at the information center's attendant. He then reached out his hand and a few gold bars appeared within. These bars were handed to the clerk who had spoken before, and in return, he received a small map.

Luo Xiao looked curiously at the map. He had read many books, and some of them had details on geography, but none of them were as detailed or beautiful as this map in front of him.

Seeing the curiosity on Luo Xiao's face, Jiang Yao chuckled and handed the map over to the younger boy.

Accepting the map, Luo Xiao opened it up with reverence. Looking over it, he was brimming with curiosity, unable to contain his excitement.

Jiang Yao had never seen such genuine excitement and interest on Luo Xiao's face before, so he was very entertained by the sight.

“Your Highness! This map is very valuable!” the clerk exclaimed with shock when he saw that Jiang Yao had just handed it over to Luo Xiao as if it was some sort of toy, but Jiang Yao just shrugged his shoulders.

“I have already memorized it,” he said after glancing at it for a moment, “might as well let my dear Xiaoxiao have some fun with it instead.”

“Your dear Xiaoxiao?” The attendant almost choked when he heard how Jiang Yao referred to Luo Xiao, however the moment he said the words, his blood froze. His heart beat rapidly, and at that moment, it was as if death loomed above him.

“Who said you could talk?” Jiang Yao asked, his face displaying the ferocity he was so famous for. One could see the recklessness and evil that this prince from the Tiansong Kingdom was so notorious for present in his eyes.

“For-forgive this lowly one!!” The clerk sputtered in fear, truly shocked to the core. He had heard many things about this Seventh Prince of the Tiansong Kingdom, but he had forgotten the rumours when he saw the friendly and gentle demeanor he had shown since he arrived.

That was until he misspoke. Now he felt as if he had been submerged in a frozen lake. He could not help but shiver uncontrollably, and his eyes were wide open in fear.

“He is my Xiaoxiao,” Jiang Yao said in a low voice, “don’t you ever mention his name or call him dear. If you do, your life with have a tragic end.”

While they talked, Luo Xiao had paid no attention to them, in fact, he hadn’t heard anything because Jiang Yao shielded him with a barrier. He hadn’t even noticed anything because he was so busy looking at the map. Although he couldn’t hear anything, if he had lifted his head, he would’ve seen that something was going on, but he didn’t.

The attendant from the information center was fearful all the way to his bones. He looked at Luo Xiao with incredulity. Who was this young boy to make the Seventh Prince behave in such a way?

“I hope you will hold your tongue concerning what happened just now,” Jiang Yao said as he retracted the barrier around Luo Xiao and reached out his hand.

He took the map from the younger boy who pouted slightly, an expression which caused Jiang Yao to snicker. Seeing Luo Xiao’s reactions he couldn’t help but ruffle the younger boy’s hair. “You can look at it later,” he said, and Luo Xiao nodded as a smile sprang to life on his face.

Like usual, Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao’s hands found each other as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Luo Xiao’s face flushed slightly because he realized that he too had reached out to take Jiang Yao’s hand and that he didn’t oppose the feeling of holding hands with the older man.

The red hue that had spread across his face made him look adorable. Seeing this, Jiang Yao felt his heart quiver as he fought against the urge to take him into his embrace and hug him tightly right then and there.

Although he could actually do so if he wished, he knew that it would embarrass Luo Xiao so much that he would be grumbling about it for a while. It might even cause him to oppose their lovers act because he was too embarrassed, so he held back.

But the attendant within the information center was used to observing people and things. He noticed even the slightest change in a person so, when he saw the gleam in Jiang Yao’s eyes and the gentle smile on his face, he was shocked.

He was even more shocked when he saw how Ling Mo behaved as if this were natural. From this, it seemed as if they had been behaving like this for a long time.

The attendant cleared his throat and looked at Jiang Yao with apologetic eyes. “Your Highness, I need to converse with Marquis Ling for a moment,” he said.

“That’s fine,” Jiang Yao said as he dragged Luo Xiao out of the room. After he left, his voice drifted inside, “But if I hear you talking about me or my relationships or hear you conspiring to spread such things, then I won’t give your organization any face and will personally level this branch to the ground.”

Jiang Yao’s last words frightened the attendant so much that he started trembling again. He had indeed planned on getting some information from Ling Mo about this young man by their side, but now he seriously doubted it was worth the risk.

Ling Mo looked at the attendant with undisguised dissatisfaction when he saw that he dared not say a thing. Instead, he found a small scroll from his robes and placed it in the hands of the attendant.

“Deliver this to the Fourth Prince. Do not open the scroll and do not attempt to read what it says. Make sure he knows that the scroll is from me!”

Although Ling Mo was far from as frightening as Jiang Yao, he still had some fame. Therefore, the information center accepted the task.

As they left the room, Jiang Yao looked at the two of them with a slight smile on his face. His smile was anything but friendly and seeing this, Ling Mo felt his heart tighten.

They had been in a secure room that was protected with inscriptions and formations that blocked one’s senses from the outside, yet Jiang Yao seemed to know exactly what had been said inside.

Luo Xiao had turned his attention back to the intricately detailed map with brilliantly shining eyes. He was filled with excitement, as he saw how vast the world was. This was a simple map covering the Chengzi Empire, but it was very detailed and made with beautiful colors.

Mountain ranges were depicted on the map as well as rivers and lakes which were drawn beautifully. Even creatures were meticulously depicted on every part of the map and the forests were drawn with thousands of small trees.

The characters were written with golden letters, and the quality of the map was truly very exquisite. The information center dared not give Jiang Yao a low-quality map.

In fact, they had not expected that Jiang Yao would actually take the map with him, they thought he would scan it and then give it back, but who would have thought that he would gift it to his companion?

The map was incredibly expensive. Such a detailed map was only obtainable by the highest ranking powers in the Chengzi Empire, so gifting it away was enough to make their hearts ache.

However, the attendant dared not say anything about it. He already understood Jiang Yao's ruthless nature and he knew that if he brought it up, then he was just asking for a beating.

“Let’s go,” Jiang Yao said with a long glance at Ling Mo and the attendant from the information center. His glance seemed to peer into the depths of their soul, and it was clear that he was going to do something before he shook his head and smirked.

Luo Xiao just nodded his head obediently. He gently wrapped up the map and gave it back to Jiang Yao who waved his hand, causing it to vanish.

Luo Xiao was not surprised. He knew that the embroidered bag that Jiang Yao carried around was a treasure that could hold much more than what seemed possible.

Having his hand held by Jiang Yao, the two of them left the information center, followed by Ling Mo. Walking out, Ling Mo’s eyes glistened and he was very excited. If the letter he sent reached the Fourth Prince, then he would finally get revenge. Best of all, he would not even have to lift a hand. The Fourth Prince would personally take care of Luo Xiao as a way of weakening Jiang Yao.

“Say Xiaoxiao, if someone wished to harm me and you knew about it, would you stop it before they could hurt me, or leave them for a bit and play with them given you had the strength to do so?” Jiang Yao suddenly asked causing Ling Mo’s expression to freeze when he heard the question.

“I’m weak,” Luo Xiao said with a shrug of his shoulders, “so such a situation won’t happen. But if I did have the strength, why not take care of things right away? Although you might enjoy toying with people, that’s just not my style.”

“So you suggest that I uproot the weeds and get rid of them completely?” Jiang Yao asked with a smile, and Luo Xiao frowned. Why did it sound like that was what he wanted him to say?

“Okay, don't forget that this is your choice,” he said. Right after, he grabbed Luo Xiao by the waist and shot back towards the information center.

With Luo Xiao in his arms, he charged into the place they had visited before and waved his sleeves. The temperature in the establishment instantly dropped to such a degree that everyone became sluggish and weak.

As Jiang Yao shot forward, heads rolled one after another as people lost their lives.

“Your Highness! What is the meaning behind this?!” a fat man said as he came rushing down the stairs, his body making flapping sounds as his fat slapped against itself. Sweat beaded his forehead as this extremely short burst of exercise had sapped all his strength.

“You want to know?” Jiang Yao said with a sneer, “Then ask the one who is sending a message to the Fourth Prince the moment I left the building! I said no one was to inform anyone about my companion, and yet, he dares to do so the moment I walk away! Is this how you treat me?!”

Luo Xiao’s face was filled with discomfort as he saw people turn into ice sculptures in front of him, but when he heard Jiang Yao’s voice, he understood that this fearful demon was actually acting on his behalf.

Although Luo Xiao was unaware of who the Fourth Prince was, Jiang Yao was completely aware of the problems that would arise, should news of Luo Xiao be brought to his ears.

The words Jiang Yao spoke caused the fat man to pale and he looked around the room. “Why not just punish the one man in question? Why destroy our whole information center branch in the Chengzi Empire? Are you declaring war with our continent-wide establishment!?” he said.

“Don’t try to threaten me with your information gathering center’s prestige,” Jiang Yao said with a snicker, “Even if those old goats at the head of your center came to meet me, they would bow their heads. I am here to take revenge because he didn’t listen! So, I will eradicate the entire branch here in the Chengzi Empire!”

Having said this, he waved his sleeve, and in the entire center, every living being within a hundred meters of where he stood were turned into ice sculptures. This was done with a single wave of his hand.

Luo Xiao held his breath. This was ruthless on an entirely different level! The power to do what he did was in no way simple!

“Are you scared?” Jiang Yao asked with a tender voice as he looked at the stunned Luo Xiao who he held with a tight arm wrapped around his waist.


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