CH 2

Xie Changan’s impulse came incredibly quickly. In no time, he was already panting uncontrollably, as he wondered whether this bold beauty was from the Western regions. Fu Wangzhi slipped his hand into Xie Changan’s inner clothes, finding it unsatisfactory how flat this beauty was. Despite this, he still pinched a tender tip with two of his fingers. Xie Changan’s whole body went soft in an instant, not entirely understanding the situation. When he felt a standing, hot thing poking stiffly between his legs, Xie Changan was shocked and sobered up completely. He straightened his body immediately and finally took a good look at Fu Wangzhi’s face in the dim moonlight. Unexpectedly, he found a handsome man with a majestic appearance. The man had very proper facial features, giving off an impression of someone with much control, and yet, there was a more intense desire buried in those seemingly bottomless dark eyes. The gears in Xie Changan’s then-empty brain turned quickly. He opened and closed his lips repeatedly as they stared at each other; not a single word could come out of that usually skilful mouth. Seeing that Fu Wangzhi wanted to keep going anyway, he bent his knees and used all his strength to kick Fu Wangzhi before picking up his shoes and running away in embarrassment. What shocked Xie Changan the most was how that piece of meat between his legs grew so erect that it hurt from merely a kiss. He was unable to curb his desires even after a long while. In truth, Fu Wangzhi saw Xie Changan’s face as well, finding him a pretty interesting person. That was why he used similar techniques and took back his broken bracelet from Xie Changan without a sound. With this, Xie Changan would owe him something. They would definitely meet again. Xie Changan was not an unreasonable person either. He had heard that mortals were highly respectful towards their ancestors. He was indeed regretful that he had lost Fu Wangzhi’s jade bracelet that had been passed down to him from his ancestors, and yet, Fu Wangzhi did not mention a single word about how Xie Changan should compensate. Xie Changan could only wait. And just like that, the two became close. They were two old spirits who had just left the mountains, and it just so happened that they were both fond of new experiences and excitement. They often met up to amuse themselves in the mortal world. Neither knew that the other party was also a spirit who had never left the mountains before. They merely took it as a fortunate encounter between two intimate friends. One day, they went to the street together, wanting to find a good bar in one of those deep alleys and have a good time. Instead, they heard suonas* being blown loudly, accompanied by the rumbles of drums. (T/N*: A traditional Chinese musical instrument used in festivals and processions.) Out of curiosity, the two decided to step out of the alley to join in the excitement. They could only see the long, red trail and a squarish marriage sedan moving across in front of them as it swayed side to side. The tall horses cloaked in red cloth pulled the heavy mahogany boxes laboriously behind them. The faces of the surrounding crowd were full of smiles and joy. Xie Changan found it novel: what was that ceremony? He could not help but squat down and tap the shoulder of a beggar sitting on the side of the road and ask as he pointed at the red marriage sedan, “What are they doing?” The beggar rolled his eyes, “How can someone your age not know a marriage when you see one?” Xie Changan looked ashamed and slightly embarrassed. He extended his neck and raised his chin. He looked like a little ruffian as he responded, seemingly justified, “I’m from the countryside and haven’t seen a ceremony of such scale. What are you gonna do about it?” The beggar rolled his eyes at Xie Changan again. The beggar called him a bumpkin under his breath before he continued, “Marriage in the city is always of a large scale. Take a good look!” Xie Changan glanced at the trail of red filling up the street. As his curiosity got the better of him, he asked again, “What are marriages for?” Hearing that, the beggar could not help but scan Xie Changan head to toe. Finding it unbelievable, the beggar asked, “Don’t country bumpkins like you even get married?” Xie Changan spoke nonsense, “We don’t get married back home. We only eat chickens.” The beggar began speaking as if he was telling a story, “When two persons fall in love, they get married. One party will give a betrothal gift, while the other will contribute a dowry. The two will then enter the bridal room after a red and joyous ceremony. After that, the two will become married, never doubting their love for each other and spending the rest of their lives happily ever after.” Xie Changan was surprised that there was such a thing in the mortal world. He then asked shortly after, “What is the bridal room? Does the whole group need to walk into a cave*?” (T/N*: The bridal room, or the act of having the first night between the couple after marriage, is known as 洞房 in Chinese, which means “cave room” when directly translated. This is why Changan, who did not know about mortal customs, thought it as a literal cave.)