Silent Lover

c009. a dance to the ballad of lanling disturbs deities

The difficulty of the Ballad of Lanling is extremely high; even more than it demands a gentle elegance of the limbs and body, the dance requires an aura of intent ruthlessness. Ordinary entertainers specializing in dance are women and their feminine allure is over the top, causing performances to feel tasteless and gaudy.

But Shen Yu is different. His body is delicate and flexible enough to carry out movements with a tremendously high level of difficulty, just as it is able to thoroughly and vividly display the heroic spirit of a man. Everyone watching in the audience gives the impression of being intoxicated or stupefied while they repeatedly cheer and applaud.

At the conclusion of the dance and song are waves and waves of voices, once again fawning on the Northern Garrison Prince. Shen Yu is not concerned in the slightest about those people who are praising him; he only cares about whether the Northern Garrison Prince is satisfied or dissatisfied.

Unfortunately, the Northern Garrison Prince's expression and gaze are solemn and dignified, so Shen Yu cannot tell if the bottomless depth to his eyes demonstrates that he is pleased or displeased.

"You go back first." The Northern Garrison Prince gives a dismissive gesture with his hand.

Shen Yu lowers his eyes in disappointment; it appears that he has once again let the Northern Garrison Prince down and caused him to lose face.

When he returns to his courtyard, Shen Yu deliberately slows the pace of his footsteps. Funnily enough, as he has gone from one vast and enclosed courtyard to another vast and enclosed courtyard, he is still yet to take a good look at the immense and open world outside—there is more than just the lattices of windows in every direction.

Before, he had locked himself up in order to avoid inciting any trouble for his mother. Nowadays, he is the prisoner of the Northern Garrison Prince; his life, death, smiles, and tears are all used for the single purpose of trying to satisfy one person.

"Do you wish to take a stroll around the prince's residence?" Song Qing sees through and recognizes his longing.

Does he wish to? Of course he wishes to, but that would be improper; he has already disappointed the Northern Garrison Prince, so he must not recklessly walk around and risk infuriating the prince.

Shen Yu waves his hand and, with his head lowered, takes quick steps to return to his own courtyard.

Deep into the night, the banquet disperses and the Northern Garrison Prince arrives despite not having made prior arrangements.

At the moment the door is pushed open, Shen Yu is so frightened that he shrinks back.

"Hmph," comes the Northern Garrison Prince's clear and frigid voice. "Why are you kneeled here—is it to implore forgiveness in advance? You sure know how to win the favor of others."

Shen Yu does not even consider the possibility that the Northern Garrison Prince might forgive him; the prince's penalty is undoubtedly impossible to escape from. If slaves are to blunder or err, then they ought to kneel in front of their masters and receive punishment of their own accord.

When the Northern Garrison Prince sees Shen Yu's obedient and discerning manner, he is enraged further. It was exactly this appearance, as cold as ice and frost but also seductive, that had captured the hearts of who knows how many men at the banquet. The Northern Garrison Prince is profoundly aware of what kind of repulsive filth is hidden in the hearts and thoughts of those men.

Shen Yu is seized by the neck, his throat pinched in a tight hold.

'The Northern Garrison Prince . . . is he intending to kill me? This is fine too . . . I am finally freed.'

It is difficult for Shen Yu to endure the painful suffering, the space between his eyebrows creasing slightly, but he does not struggle and even relaxes; everything about him belongs to the Northern Garrison Prince, so his life being taken away is also to be expected as a matter of course.

What results from Shen Yu's wait turns out to be a deep kiss, crazed and uninhibited. The Northern Garrison Prince presses against his lips, plundering violently and wildly, sucking the other's tongue into his own mouth and covering Shen Yu's lips completely with warmth.

Just as Shen Yu is on the verge of losing consciousness, his throat is released by the Northern Garrison Prince. Ice-cold air pours from his mouth into his throat, and teardrops seep out of Shen Yu's eyes as he chokes.

"Do you wish to beg for death?" The Northern Garrison Prince somberly and coldly stares at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu wishes to say that that is not the case; he is simply complying with the desires of his master and doing whatever is wanted of him.

"Very good. Very proud and unyielding. Is it that you have been wishing to break away from me since very early on? Because I've tormented you and shamed you, you would rather die, is that it?"

No; if a person has the option to live, who would choose to turn into an ice-cold corpse?

However, Shen Yu is incapable of explaining himself and he is also not an expert at utilizing facial expressions to convey his feelings. From the perspective of the Northern Garrison Prince, Shen Yu's anxiety and alarm come across as apathetic detachment, as dauntlessness.

"Good; you do not fear death, so I will just fulfill your wish."

As he speaks, the Northern Garrison Prince pulls down his own waist sash, and—carrying Shen Yu by the neck—draws him closer . . .