Chapter 68
The ger spoke, his tender lips curving into a pleasing arc. His outstanding appearance was already dazzling enough to make it hard to look away, but now, brimming with confidence, he shone like a blazing sun, inspiring admiration in others.
The shrewdness in his eyes would have made anyone else seem cunning, but his gaze was clear and bright. The occasional glint of cleverness only added to his liveliness, not making him the least bit unlikable.
Mu ger seemed infected by his mood, his lips also curving into a smile.
It seemed the ger already had a plan.
That day, Wang Jin asked Mu ger to sew a few more small blankets for him and, as a gesture of gratitude, gifted them to the gers who had spoken up for him.
The next day, those gers all discovered how exceptionally warm the blankets were. Out of curiosity, someone took one apart and found inside a layer of soft, fluffy down—white feathers that were remarkably insulating. The blanket’s warmth came entirely from these fine white down feathers. Not knowing what they were, they went to Wang Jin to ask.
Wang Jin told them but made them promise not to spread the information. They agreed.
Afterward, they went back and had their own beastmen gather the same down, then followed Mu ger’s example to make a few garments stuffed with it.
Before long, the entire tribe learned of a new kind of clothing - light yet incredibly warm, made by sewing two layers of fabric together and stuffing them with some mysterious insulating material. No one knew what it was except Wang Jin, who had discovered this new resource…
With winter approaching, warm clothing was undoubtedly the most sought-after commodity. Wang Jin’s discovery of something even warmer than animal pelts once again benefited the entire tribe.
The negative rumors about Wang Jin naturally died down over the next few days. Many gers came to visit, hoping to ask him about the material. Wang Jin refused to answer them all and set a rule: if they wanted information from him, they had to trade for it.
The gers scowled, calling Wang Jin unfair.
Wang Jin threw their own hypocrisy back at them, citing the harsh words they had spread behind his back.
Guilt-ridden, they slunk away, only to return later with valuable goods from their homes to exchange for Wang Jin’s knowledge.
As for the few gers who had originally spread the rumors, even when they brought offerings, Wang Jin refused them. In the end, they never got the information from him and had to learn it from others.
But the material was bird down. With winter approaching, birds were already scarce. As the entire tribe sought their feathers, their numbers dwindled rapidly. By the time those gers finally learned the truth and went to gather some, the birds had nearly been hunted to extinction, leaving them with no chance to obtain the new resource.
In the end, while the rest of the tribe wore thick down garments, those few gers could only layer thin clothes beneath their animal pelts.
After this incident, the tribe began to reconsider their stance. Those who had never spoken ill of Wang Jin received the warm material and the knowledge freely, while those who had gossiped had to trade many valuable goods just for the information - without receiving any of the material itself.
Everyone understood that Wang Jin was indirectly expressing his displeasure. He made it clear through his actions: if they spoke poorly of him again, they shouldn’t expect to benefit from his future discoveries.
From then on, for the sake of their own interests, the tribe refrained from spreading rumors.
Mu ger and Yu ger witnessed the entire affair, silently admiring Wang Jin’s tactics.
When Yuan Heng returned, he saw the two gers looking at his little ger with the same reverence they usually reserved for beastmen, as if Wang Jin were a dependable protector in their eyes.
Yuan Heng’s brow furrowed. He strode forward, subtly positioning himself between them.
Startled, the two gers realized night was falling and the beastmen had returned from the hunt. They hastily bid farewell and left.
When Wang Jin saw Yuan Heng, his lips parted in delight, about to rush forward—until he suddenly remembered the object he had been fiddling with earlier. He quickly tucked it into his sleeve before looking up at the man.
At that moment, Yuan Heng had just watched the two gers leave and turned his gaze to his little ger.
The ger’s bright eyes and white teeth glowed under the warm sunlight, his cheeks tinged pink like fine rouge brushed over jade.
His clear eyes reflected Yuan Heng’s image perfectly, his whole heart and soul seemingly poured into that gaze, as if Yuan Heng were his entire world.
Yuan Heng’s fingers twitched, his heart pounding. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the ger’s forehead.
Wang Jin’s face warmed, his fingers trembling slightly—yet his hands naturally looped around Yuan Heng’s neck.
"Brother Heng…"
His soft call, paired with his long lashes lowering to half-cover his damp, alluring gaze, only made him even more enchanting.
Yuan Heng’s eyes darkened. He closed the distance, pecking the ger’s lips several times before taking the delicate hands around his neck and enveloping them in his own palms, as if cradling the ger himself.
Then, he noticed several bright red marks on the ger’s fair hands. His heart clenched, fingers tightening reflexively as he pulled the ger’s hands closer for inspection.
"What happened?"
His voice carried unprecedented distress. Wang Jin’s heart skipped. Seeing that Yuan Heng had noticed the marks, he tried to pull his hands back.
But the man held firm. "Did you get these while teaching those gers again?"
"...Mhm." Wang Jin’s vague response carried a hint of guilt, though inwardly, his heart felt as warm as a heated stove.
"What’s wrong with you?" Yuan Heng’s tone turned childish, his face stern like an angered lion baring its teeth, as if ready to tear apart whoever had hurt his ger.
Yet despite his fearsome expression, his hands were gentle as he applied ointment to the wounds, treating the ger like the most precious treasure in the world.
The stark contrast made Wang Jin’s heart flutter, as if a feather had landed on it, tickling him until he longed to bury himself in the man’s arms and cling to him.
The ger suddenly nuzzled into Yuan Heng’s chest, rubbing against him like a misbehaving pet trying to appease its master. Yuan Heng’s heart softened—until the ger cooed in a sticky-sweet voice:
"Brother Heng…"
The honeyed tone dissolved all of Yuan Heng’s frustration, replacing it with a familiar heat. His body stiffened, fingers gripping the fabric beneath them. Yet the ger remained oblivious, continuing to squirm and coax in his arms, stoking the fire in Yuan Heng’s veins.
Yuan Heng’s ears burned. Trembling slightly, he seized the ger’s wrists, pinning them above his head as he leaned in—
The movement caused the ger’s sleeve to slip, revealing the hidden object Wang Jin had tucked away earlier. A flicker of clarity returned to the ger’s dazed eyes.
He struggled, but the more he resisted, the tighter Yuan Heng’s grip became, his expression growing more restrained, his gaze darker.
Wang Jin’s heart raced. He quickly stilled, whispering shakily, "...Brother Heng… I… I’m hungry…"
His pitiful, soft voice, paired with his flushed cheeks, disheveled hair clinging to his face, and teary eyes, made him look thoroughly ravished.
Yuan Heng’s heart melted. His grip loosened, and the ger’s hands slipped free like eels, the ger himself darting three steps away.
"......" Yuan Heng frowned, about to speak—
"I want sweet-and-sour ribs, grilled bones, and leafy greens!" Wang Jin blurted.
"......" Yuan Heng paused. In the end, he couldn’t bear to let his ger go hungry and turned toward the kitchen.
But before leaving, he cast one last glance at the ger. Normally, the ger would follow him into the kitchen like a little shadow—yet today, he showed no intention of moving. Instead, as soon as Yuan Heng left, the ger turned his back and pulled something from his robes, studying it intently…
The ger was hiding something.
"......" Yuan Heng watched silently before turning away, unaware how desolate his expression and posture appeared.
After dinner, remembering the ger’s secret, Yuan Heng didn’t initiate closeness. Wang Jin, preoccupied with his own thoughts, didn’t notice Yuan Heng’s unusual distance.
It was their first night without intimacy.
The next morning, a visitor arrived at Wang Jin’s home.
No comments:
Post a Comment