Chapter 86

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Splash, splash... Roar...

The sound of water flowing roughly awakened Cheong-ra. It was a sound he had grown tired of hearing throughout their journey on the merchant ship.

When Cheong-ra opened his eyes, waking from a rare deep and heavy sleep, he saw the brightly risen moon. The not-yet-full moon appeared on his retina. Blink, blink... As he slowly blinked his eyes, Cheong-ra belatedly realized.

Why could he see the night sky with the moon when he opened his eyes?

A moment later, he found the reason. He was lying not in the cabin, but on the highest roof of the ship. And right next to him, Dang Ran-yeong was sitting askew, quietly drinking alcohol. Though Cheong-ra had only opened his eyes, the man noticed his presence with ghostly perception and glanced at him. There was not a trace of guilt on his handsome face.

For a long time, Cheong-ra lay still as if dead, just staring at the bright moon.

Dang Ran-yeong's condition of "until you learn to obey completely" had been truly cruel. No matter how much he had begged and pleaded, the other didn't listen and kept wringing him out, only stopping when he was completely exhausted, limp no matter what was done to him, with nothing left but trembling.

Only when the other showed mercy could Cheong-ra fall asleep as if fainting. It was the sweetest and deepest sleep he had ever experienced, and that alone was good. It had been a very long time since he had felt sleep clinging so heavily to his eyelids.

He just breathed until Dang Ran-yeong finished a bottle of alcohol, then finally found the energy to move. Now he noticed that his body was wrapped in a thin blanket. Had he been carried up here in this state... Cheong-ra carefully peeked inside the blanket, worried he might still be naked from the waist down, but fortunately, he was properly clothed.

He threw off the blanket and stood up, glaring at Dang Ran-yeong with resentment-filled eyes. Dang Ran-yeong raised the corner of his mouth.

"What?"

"How can a person be so..."

Unable to finish his sentence, Cheong-ra trembled and clenched his fist. Far from apologizing, Dang Ran-yeong arrogantly said,

"But you forgot about your seasickness the whole time, didn't you?"

Thinking about it, that was true, but Cheong-ra felt that anyone would forget about seasickness when tormented to the point of their soul nearly leaving their body. It would have been far better to endure the seasickness. As Cheong-ra tensed, wondering if the seasickness would return now that he was awake, Dang Ran-yeong nodded and said,

"To avoid seasickness, either close your eyes or look at the river."

At Dang Ran-yeong's words, Cheong-ra turned his gaze to the Yellow River. The yellow waves were calmer than yesterday. The waves sparkled in the moonlight.

"Try to feel the flow of the river well. If you know which way the ship is rocking, you won't get seasick."

Feel the flow of the river well? Heeding Dang Ran-yeong's advice, Cheong-ra quietly stared at the Yellow River. The ship swayed slowly from side to side with the waves, and when the river curved, it tilted more to one side before returning to its original position. His finely furrowed brows gradually smoothed out.

Ordinary people might have responded with "So what if the river flows and the ship rocks?" However, both Dang Ran-yeong and Cheong-ra were well-trained martial artists. By focusing on the flow of the river rather than the rocking ship, the dizzying sensation indeed gradually stabilized. Cheong-ra took a fresh look at the flow of the Yellow River.

'The flow of the river...'

All of Moon Lake Sect's martial arts were created by drawing their principles from natural phenomena.

The Falling Flower Illusory Footwork, which imitated the appearance of flower petals falling aimlessly in the spring wind; the Rain Path Form Five Swords, which expressed five forms of falling rain; the Thrusting Kingfisher Sword, a swift sword that struck like a diving kingfisher; the Misty Soft Sword Art that was like damp, soft fog, and so on.

The river was also part of nature, so the Yellow River must also hold some principle that humans could understand and accept. Thinking this, Cheong-ra took long, slow, deep breaths repeatedly. As his body gradually adapted to the ship's rocking, that terrible seasickness slowly disappeared.

Seeing a hint of color return to his pale white cheeks, Dang Ran-yeong offered the bottle of alcohol he had been drinking. Thinking the other must really like alcohol, Cheong-ra accepted without refusing.

"Mmm..."

Though he wasn't particularly fond of alcohol, he couldn't help but exclaim as the mellow aroma filled his esophagus and solar plexus. The alcohol went down smoothly as he gazed at the vast Yellow River. It was probably good alcohol, but more than that, the majestic atmosphere of the Yellow River that seemed to open up his chest played a part.

"It's as if we're riding on a yellow dragon."

Since the yellow dragon symbolized the emperor, this could be considered a disrespectful remark towards the emperor, but since Dang Ran-yeong was the only one listening, Cheong-ra spoke freely. Above their heads, the bright moon and stars seemed about to pour down, and the alcohol was mellow... It was a once-in-a-lifetime excursion.

Suddenly, Cheong-ra's gaze turned to the side.

Every time Dang Ran-yeong tilted the bottle to drink, his straight jawline gleamed white in the moonlight. A few drops of alcohol that had spilled from the corner of his mouth flowed down from his chin along his Adam's apple. Though the person himself didn't seem to care at all about a few drops of spilled alcohol, Cheong-ra was very conscious of it.

Had he always been attracted to men? Or was it just that Dang Ran-yeong's charm was particularly intense, regardless of gender? The mood of the moonlit night and the rough flow of the Yellow River swirled together, stirring his heart.

Suddenly, an unbearably intense feeling welled up. Now, his entire body and mind boiled with desire for the other, to the point where he couldn't tell if it was physical or mental attraction. He wanted to steal the bottle of alcohol the man was drinking, coveted the gaze directed at the Yellow River, desired his firm grip, his body, and his attention.

He wished the other would completely dominate and take responsibility for him, as he had done earlier today and before. He wanted to willingly submit completely to the other, offering even his most vulnerable aspects.

It was truly an absurd, dangerous, and nonsensical longing.

But this longing was so difficult to suppress that a storm brewed in Cheong-ra's eyes. Not wanting to be caught, he turned his head to look elsewhere, but soon found himself looking back. Suddenly aware of the endlessly flowing time, knowing when their deal would end, he felt it was too precious to waste.

He had intended to steal just one more glance, but this time their eyes met. Looking into those deep, deep black eyes with a hint of blue-green, his mind went blank for a moment.

...He wanted to touch this man.

Gradually, Cheong-ra's body leaned forward. Dang Ran-yeong said nothing and just watched. Unable to resist the powerful temptation, Cheong-ra's body drew closer to the other. His hand reached forward, crossing a line that would never be allowed between ordinary martial artists or men.

However, at the last moment, he suppressed his desire. Instead, he snatched the bottle of alcohol Dang Ran-yeong had been drinking. He took a sip, then grinned playfully as if to cover up his actions.

As if he had only wanted the alcohol.

Cheong-ra turned his gaze forward again nonchalantly, but inside he was burning up and let out a deep sigh. What on earth had he been about to do? Recalling how he had tried to do something to the other without even being drunk, Cheong-ra was about to give a bitter smile.

As he was about to take another sip of alcohol, a rough hand suddenly grabbed his head.

Before he could react, Dang Ran-yeong pulled him close and kissed him. He pressed his lips against Cheong-ra's surprised, open mouth and explored roughly. He stole the alcohol Cheong-ra had been holding in his mouth and drank it, deeply entwining their frozen tongues. It was truly a messy and lewd kiss.

It was also a form of contact they had never had before.

A spark flashed deep in Dang Ran-yeong's eyes. Cheong-ra could see the emotions swirling in the other's pupils up close. Meeting that powerful and persistent gaze made his heart race. He couldn't think of anything at all...

As the other's tongue delved deep into his mouth, Cheong-ra finally raised his hand. Just as he placed his hand on the other's chest, unsure whether to push away or pull closer, the hand gripping the back of his head let go. The corner of Dang Ran-yeong's mouth curved up smoothly.

"Is this enough?"

Those words were like a splash of cold water, instantly sobering him. Cheong-ra stared at Dang Ran-yeong with trembling eyes.

He had thought he had seen something in the other's eyes too.

But now Dang Ran-yeong's gaze was infinitely cold and indifferent. His expression suggested that he had merely noticed Cheong-ra's feelings and briefly indulged him out of generosity. The heat that had been building in Cheong-ra's chest cooled. His ears turned red with shame. Thankfully, it was dark all around.

"It would be troublesome if you got greedy here. Don't you think?"

Did I misinterpret things because of my hopeful heart...

Cheong-ra closed his eyes for a long moment, then opened them and set down the bottle of alcohol he had been holding. He spoke in a calm tone.

"I don't know what you mean by getting greedy. Thank you for the alcohol. And for the advice about seasickness."

He stood up and leapt down from the roof. After landing lightly on the ground, he felt the gaze following him but didn't look back as he opened the cabin door and entered. Back in his cabin, Cheong-ra leaned against the wall and sighed, then noticed something glittering.

It was the jade that Dang Ran-yeong had thrown away earlier that day when Cheong-ra had been holding it in his mouth. As he approached, he saw it had broken into two pieces from the impact of the fall. Though it had lost its value and was now just broken pieces, it still emitted a clear light, so he carefully picked it up. Suddenly, his chest ached.

What had he expected from that cold-hearted man...

Wasn't it just something proposed as a deal from the beginning? He should finish the job cleanly and leave. Even as he thought this, Cheong-ra felt deeply ashamed for acting in a way that let Dang Ran-yeong notice his feelings. A long sigh escaped from between his red lips.

Though the seasickness was gone now, his disappointed heart was more turbulent than ever before.