Feeling bashful, Chi Cheng mentally scolded himself for the provocative remark he made to Feng Yuxian. He felt the incessant heat flare in his cheeks, making him press his lips together awkwardly.
Was Han Xuelian around them? If he was aware, he would never have dared to utter such words.
The question was, did Han Xuelian know the ambiguous meaning behind his words or not?
'Of course, he knows what I meant…' Chi Cheng recalled the bold gesture he made along with that remark.
There was no other way to interpret it other than being a perverted response.
"Well…" Chi Cheng trailed off, laughing nervously while his fingers remained entangled in the Grandmaster's hair.
"Did I perhaps hear incorrectly?" Han Xuelian teased, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes when he opened them. "You do not like long swords that can thrust well?"
"I don't have a preferred blade…" Chi Cheng looked away.
Technically, he was still well-versed with various blade types. Armed with the knowledge and physical prowess of his past life, he spent many of his years honing his skills with different weapons and combining their techniques with martial arts movements.
"Then, when you've recovered well enough, will you let me choose a weapon for you to display your skills with?"
"My skills fall short of the Han clan's swordsmanship," Chi Cheng humbly remarked. "You will quickly see that when the time comes."
"That will be for me to decide." Han Xuelian winked charmingly at Chi Cheng. He found his hand eagerly twitching, like a predator ready to pounce, wanting to caress the younger male's cheek from that distance. However, he swallowed those foolish urges.
'Why do you have to look so pretty…' Han Xuelian internally groaned, fighting against his better judgment. The light dusting of pink that stained Chi Cheng's cheeks was a pretty colour against his fair skin. 'Or rather am I just pitying you too much because of how unfortunate you are?'
Chi Cheng recalled the night Han Xuelian rescued him from Han Yijun's assaults. In that moment, the Grandmaster exerted a fierce aura that demanded his youngest nephew to kneel before him. It was like witnessing a weary beast return from its hunt to discipline its subordinate.
Yet, the man with his head in Chi Cheng's lap seemed quite the opposite of that weary beast. There was no hostility or intimidating aura from him. If anything, he behaved more mischievously and kindly.
Those were contrary traits compared to his renowned brute nature.
'But sometimes, that predatory nature slips out…' Chi Cheng shook his head, cautioning himself to not be swayed by Han Xuelian's humble gestures.
'How and when should I drink his blood?' Chi Cheng remembered the seriousness of his mother's words. Getting even a taste of a droplet of the Grandmaster's blood was no trifling matter.
The man was an iron fortress by nature. Impenetrable and invulnerable, he was an almost impossible target to strike without alerting his attention.
'I need to find an opportunity…' Chi Cheng closed his eyes, inhaling a deep breath to steady his nerves. 'Perhaps mother was exaggerating and I don't need his blood after all. I can heal by myself.'
Being snapped out of his tangled thoughts, Chi Cheng's hand which focused on massaging out the tension from Han Xuelian's forehead was stopped by the older male's hand. The Grandmaster grasped his hand tenderly, removing his head from the younger male's lap while he sat up beside him.
"You're very skilled with your fingers, Chi Cheng." Han Xuelian threaded his fingers through Chi Chengs', soaking up the traces and grease of the oil that was left on the younger male's palm. "I haven't had anyone do this for me in many years and I feel much more relaxed."
"Lord Han Zhimin never did this for you?" Chi Cheng cocked his head to the side, naturally assuming that every older brother doted on their younger brother in the same way he did.
"Please don't mention that old man's name," the Grandmaster said through clenched teeth; a twitching smile on his face.
Chi Cheng nodded, not pressing on the matter any further.
'This is a good opportunity for me to assess his meridians…' The Grandmaster considered.
"Chi Cheng," Han Xuelian started, retracting his hand from the younger male. "When that old man was healing you, I noticed something odd about your body but I want to confirm it for myself. Will you cooperate?"
'If I refuse him now… whatever it is that he found out, I'll only seem suspicious.' Chi Cheng grew anxious, concerned that he might have been too careless around the Grandmaster.
Again, the younger male complied with a nod. The Grandmaster gestured for him to shift his position, angling himself so that his back faced the older male.
"May I?" Han Xuelian referred to Chi Cheng's robe, seeking permission before he received another fear-filled reaction from the younger male.
Reluctantly half-glancing over his shoulder at the Grandmaster, Chi Cheng's expression didn't suggest whether he approved or whether it made him uncomfortable.
"I won't hurt you, Chi Cheng." The Grandmaster reassured him, a tender and gentle tone in his words. Those same assuring words that he uttered the first night they met seemed to allay the anxiety coursing through the younger male. "That's a promise and a pledge from me."
Turning his head away, Chi Cheng nodded obediently without a word.
The Grandmaster moved closer until his chest was pressed against Chi Cheng's back, reaching around from behind to undo the upper half of the younger male's robes. The familiar actions and movements reminded Chi Cheng of that first night again, recalling the precise and smooth way the Grandmaster bandaged his wounds.
Slipping the two layers of the robe off Chi Cheng's shoulders, the Grandmaster was considerate and careful of his injured shoulder. He slowed his movements, avoiding excessive strain and finally removed the upper half completely.
Han Xuelian wrapped an arm around Chi Cheng's bare torso, urging the younger male to rest and lean back against him. Chi Cheng's body quivered under the Grandmaster's gelid touch, spots of pink and red quickly flushing his body from being exposed to the cold air.
Concentrating, Han Xuelian closed his eyes. Gliding his oil-coated hands over Chi Cheng's torso, he channelled a thin stream of Qi into the younger male's body. Attempting to form a connection, Han Xuelian regulated his breathing.
Chi Cheng's body tensed, stiffening from embarrassment because of the Grandmaster's intimate movements. Despite being aware that he was merely being assessed, he couldn't help but press his lips together to suppress himself from verbally reacting.
It didn't help that Han Xuelian's face was dangerously close to his ear, making his neck tingle with goosebumps from the soft, calm breaths the Grandmaster exhaled. The younger male's back arched slightly when Han Xuelian began moving his hand upwards.
Chi Cheng felt a subtle coldness internally, coursing through his body as the Grandmaster's Qi entered and fought to invade his meridians. It was a strange sensation, cold yet soft and endearing without any harm.
Han Xuelian's brows drew together tightly. He visualised the energy pathways within Chi Cheng's body, searching for the obstacle that was impeding his path. However, each time he directed his Qi, it was as if the energy rebounded against an invisible barrier, returning back to him.
Chi Cheng's meridians completely rejected his Qi, not even allowing him to reach the younger male's supposedly empty core.
'What kind of anomaly is this?' The Grandmaster closed his eyes tighter to focus, but his efforts were in vain. 'You have the potential and body for cultivation but it rejects Qi? I can't get much further so I need to find another way to reach deeper."
Breaking out of his concentration, Han Xuelian popped his head against Chi Cheng's shoulder. Whatever the anomaly he encountered was, it fought relentlessly against his invasion. It took a mental toll, but it was worth the effort since he had a starting clue about the younger male's strange body.
'From what his father said in the letter, there was an accident that happened when they were on a hunting trip seventeen years ago… I need to find out what they encountered and what effects it had on him.'
"Are you…done?" Chi Cheng mumbled, afraid to face the Grandmaster because of how heated and visibly red his face must have been.
"Did Yijun touch you like this before?" The Grandmaster asked curiously, his earlier temptations and thoughts began to resurface when he noted how reddened Chi Cheng's ears became.