The night wind whipped across the open plateau, cold and sharp, echoing the emotional storm that had just broken. Wang Changming stood amidst the suddenly hushed workers, his chest tight, watching Mu Jiao Long sprint off into the oppressive darkness alone, swallowed by the black canvas of the night. No one dared to chase him.
Panic seized Wang Changming. He rushed back to the wooden cart, frantically grabbed his medicine box, and set off in pursuit. But when he reached the direction where Mu Jiao Long had vanished, the young master was already gone. The darkness was absolute and silent, thick with the scent of pine and impending disaster.
For an anxious, grueling hour, Wang Changming walked around aimlessly, his frustration mounting with every fruitless step. Finally, his search led him to a grassy slope overlooking a small, scattered village. There, he spotted the solitary, hunched figure of Mu Jiao Long, sitting quietly on the damp ground, staring out over the distant lights. The powerful rage had dissolved, leaving only the profound, silent exhaustion of a deep disagreement.
Wang Changming watched as Mu Jiao Long buried his face in his knees. Wang Changming sat quietly beside him, saying nothing, simply staring at the tormented young man.
Mu Jiao Long finally muttered, his voice muffled, "What the hell are you doing here?"
Wang Changming spoke softly. "Let me see your back."
Mu Jiao Long still didn't look up. "It's fine."
Under the moonlight, Wang Changming saw dark stains on his torn robe. "Jiao Long, your back is bleeding. Let me see."
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine, you can go."
Wang Changming shook his head, a final note of resolve in his tone. "Are you willing to take off your robe, or should we fight again?"
Mu Jiao Long raised his head and pushed Wang Changming away. "If you get closer, I will beat you up!"
Wang Changming met his outburst with genuine anger. "How dare you say you're going to hit me? You have no shame!"
Mu Jiao Long shouted back, defeated and self-loathing, "Don't get close to this shameless person, or you will be infected!"
Wang Changming angrily picked up his medicine box and walked away. After walking far enough to prove his point, and seeing Mu Jiao Long still sitting where he was, he sighed and walked back. He threw the medicine box on the ground behind Mu Jiao Long and reached to untie Mu Jiao Long's robe.
Mu Jiao Long spun around instantly, pressing Wang Changming to the ground. "What do you want to do?"
"You refused to remove your robe when asked nicely," Wang Changming said, his face inches from Mu Jiao Long's. "I decided to rob you."
Mu Jiao Long let out a tired breath. "Why bother?"
"Because we are friends," Wang Changming insisted, his eyes warm and sincere. "I know you didn't break off your friendship with me on purpose."
Mu Jiao Long suddenly let go of Wang Changming's hand and dropped his full weight onto Wang Changming's chest. He muttered sternly, his breath warm against Wang Changming's ear, "Changming... Changming... Why are you surnamed Wang? Can I buy you to be my servant and change your surname to Mu?"
Wang Changming chuckled softly. "My price is high, you may not be able to afford it."
Mu Jiao Long frowned playfully again. "Changming... if you were a guniang, how wonderful that would be."
Wang Changming smiled. "Why? If I were a guniang, would you propose to me?"
Mu Jiao Long considered this. "Hmm..."
Wang Changming pushed him up. "Stop talking nonsense. Let me see your back."
Mu Jiao Long took off his robe, and Wang Changming began to clean the wound and apply medicine.
Mu Jiao Long spoke then, his voice serious. "Changming, what I just said is true."
Wang Changming focused on the wound. "You've said a lot. I don't know which sentence you're referring to."
Mu Jiao Long turned to look directly at Wang Changming. "If you were a guniang, I'd want to marry you. But even if you're not a guniang, I'm willing to accompany you for the rest of my life."
Wang Changming felt his heart pound. "Why?"
Mu Jiao Long explained, his voice sincere, "I'm happy to be close to you. Tao tangge can humiliate me in front of those workers—I don't mind at all—but I lose it when he hits you. I don't know. This is hard to explain. I have never felt this way for anyone before."
Wang Changming shook his head gently. "You're older than me, but more childish than me."
Mu Jiao Long lay back on the grass, hands behind his head. "I've tried my best to avoid him. I don't know why he always regards me as a thorn in his eyes. Maybe it's because I don't have parents."
Wang Changming was taken aback. "Master Jian isn't your father?"
"He raised me. I call him father out of respect," Mu Jiao Long clarified. "I always thought he was my father. I only knew when I grew up that my father was the black sheep in the family."
Wang Changming lay down beside him. "What do you mean?"
Mu Jiao Long's voice was low. "My father already had a lover, so he was forcibly married to my mother. After giving birth to me, she left the Mu Family and gave me to my father to take care of. When my grandfather learned about my father's love affair, my father and his lover decided to end their lives."
Wang Changming asked, surprised, "One person can marry multiple wives. Why didn't your father just marry his lover as his second wife?"
"Great-Grandfather De and my uncle wouldn't let him do that."
"Why?"
Mu Jiao Long looked away slightly. "My father's lover is a man."
Wang Changming's eyes widened. "A man?"
"I didn't know that until not long ago... when my father warned me to keep a distance from you."
Wang Changming understood. "Master Jian is afraid that you will follow in your father's footsteps."
"Mm..."
Wang Changming sat up, a professional distance returning to his voice. "You can reassure him that will never happen, because we are just friends. Once I learn the Mu acupuncture needle technique, I will leave immediately."
Mu Jiao Long murmured, his voice soft with hurt. "Changming, if I like you, would you like me back?"
Wang Changming pretended not to hear the question. He sat up and changed the subject. "The moon is so big tonight. Why are there no stars?"
Mu Jiao Long knew Wang Changming heard him. He sat up. "Do you want to see stars?"
"Unfortunately, there are no stars."
Mu Jiao Long smiled at Wang Changming. "If you want, I will give you one million stars."
"The stars are so far in the dark sky. How do you get them for me?"
Mu Jiao Long grabbed a handful of small stones and threw them onto the hillside. As the stones hit the tall grass, hundreds of fireflies flew up over the hillside overgrown with trees.
Mu Jiao Long smiled, triumphant. "Your million stars."
Wang Changming chuckled. "It's more like a thousand."
"It doesn't matter," Mu Jiao Long insisted. "Just say one million."
Wang Changming's eyes shone with the light of the fireflies. "Okay, one million."
Mu Jiao Long looked at him, searching his expression. "Do you like it?"
Wang Changming was taken aback by the sincere request. He smiled, his guard dropping. "It's beautiful... I like it. Thank you."
Mu Jiao Long saw the genuine smile and his heart quickened. He leaned closer. "Changming..."
Wang Changming turned his head to face him, his voice suddenly breathless. "Mu gongzi... you are too close."
Mu Jiao Long murmured, his gaze fixed on Wang Changming's lips. "Can I kiss you?"
Wang Changming's eyes widened. "Jiao... eh..."
Mu Jiao Long suddenly lunged forward, his movement swift and desperate, sealing his lips to Wang Changming's. The fierce, powerful force of the kiss drove Wang Changming back onto the damp grass, startling him. Mu Jiao Long instantly moved to straddle him, deepening the kiss with a raw, consuming intensity, desperate to translate his apology and his turmoil into physical feeling.
Breaking away momentarily, Mu Jiao Long moved his mouth to Wang Changming's neck, sucking hard—a mark of both possession and need—all while his free hand slid down, his touch hot with uncontrolled desire, to grasp Wang Changming's manhood.
When Mu Jiao Long touched him, Wang Changming felt a sudden, wholly unexpected shock of pleasure, and a soft moan escaped his lips, fueled by a mixture of surprise and yearning. Not wanting to be easily dominated, his own pride and rising desire surged. He instinctively mirrored the action, his breath ragged, seizing Mu Jiao Long's manhood and stroking him with an answering, urgent intensity.
They continued to kiss and touch. Wang Changming suddenly let out a loud moan and climaxed into Mu Jiao Long's hand. Wanting to reciprocate, he quickly stroked Mu Jiao Long, who also released.
Mu Jiao Long rested on Wang Changming's chest and whispered, "Changming, if I like you, would you like me too?"
"If you like me, I will like you back," Wang Changming replied simply.
Mu Jiao Long raised his head quickly, looking into Wang Changming's eyes. "Then do you mind if this firefly kisses you again?"
Wang Changming smiled, his face flushed. "I don't mind being kissed by this firefly."
Mu Jiao Long lowered his head and kissed Wang Changming again.
Their intense embrace continued, the sudden passion consuming them both. Mu Jiao Long's hand roamed all over Wang Changming, mapping his body with frantic, searching urgency as their lips remained fiercely locked.
They completely lost track of time and the world around them, until the sensual bubble was abruptly shattered by the sound of several distant voices calling their names from the direction of the shacks.
Wang Changming gasped. "Jiao Long... um... Jiao Long... stop..."
Mu Jiao Long quickly stood up and reached out a hand. Wang Changming took it, and Mu Jiao Long pulled him up. They quickly dressed.
Mu Jiao Long shouted loudly, "Lao He, I'm here!" He turned back to Wang Changming. Under the moonlight, he could see Wang Changming's bright red cheeks. He approached him. "Changming, don't blush too much, you look suspicious."
That night, Mu Jiao Long insisted Wang Changming sleep by the wall. Wang Changming turned and requested, "Jiao Long, can we switch places? You sleep by the wall. It's too cold."
Mu Jiao Long whispered in his ear, his voice possessive, "No. I don't want other men to approach you." He covered Wang Changming with a blanket and wrapped his arms around him.
Wang Changming elbowed him gently in the abdomen. "What are you doing?"
Mu Jiao Long stated innocently, "You are cold. I'm only covering you with my blanket."
Mu He offered reassurance from nearby. "Wang gongzi, this is normal. Sometimes it's too cold; the workers will sleep under one blanket."
Another worker chimed in, "Lao He is right. It is cold tonight, so we should get close to each other to keep warm."
A third worker added, "Don't think too much, we are all men."
Mu Jiao Long chuckled. "Did you hear them? Don't think too much, we are all men."
Wang Changming muttered under his breath, "The person behind me is a hungry beast."
Mu Jiao Long kissed the back of Wang Changming's neck and whispered softly, "But he is only hungry for you."