Yan Ling was suddenly struck by a force as heavy as Mount Tai, collapsing onto the bed like a felled bamboo stalk. The mattress sunk under his weight dramatically,
This is bad! This is truly the calamity of ten thousand years! Stand up, you useless piece of trash!
Yan Ling's inner voice screamed with the frantic energy of a headless chicken running from the butcher's cleaver.
He attempted to spring upward, but alas, his mortal coil refused to obey. He was as frozen as a carp in the dead of winter, his limbs unresponsive, breath stuttering and eyes wide like an owl.
Why...am I unable to move?
Why am I not moving?!
Long Yan Tao's dark heavy mystic presence completly overshadowed him, one knee resting upon the mattress with the casual elegance of a leopard surveying a particularly scrawny rabbit. He did not press down, yet his aura was so suppressive it felt as if the vault of heaven itself had descended upon Yan Ling's chest.
Yan Ling's mind wailed.
THIS IS TRULY THE END! This is the part where the protagonist regrets his ancestors' every decision for eighteen generations!
"How predictable," Long Yan Tao murmured, his voice smooth, "Your thoughts are quite loud and chaotic. Now, mind telling me who exactly are you and where did you come from?" His sharp phoenix eyes were pinned over Yan Ling, daring him to lie.
He... doesn't not? What a relief!
"Y-you! First of all, stop abusing your powers over me! And secondly, w-what kind of sorcery is this? Why does my body feel so stiff?! For God sake, I'm not a corpse in a coffin!" Yan Ling squeezed out, his panic rising like a summer tide.
"Avoiding my questions? I see..." A slow smile curved beneath the veil—a look of pure, unadulterated evil that could even make a ghost weep with envy. Long Yan Tao did not deign to answer. Instead, he raised his right hand, his multi-layered sleeves falling back like cascading clouds to reveal a wrist as pale as a jade, etched with golden sigils that stretched to his elbow like coiling dragons.
But what caught Yan Ling's attention was the pulsating petal between his fingers, a single crimson petal with edges glowing faintly,
N-Now what is this? An demonic parasite? Is he going to force this into my humble self to turn me into a puppet?!
Yan Ling's heart nearly shattered into ten thousand pieces.
"No," he croaked, "Wait—this harmless general has a frail constitution! Don't come any closer, I'm w-warning you!"
"Oh? Then, I would like to see what this harmless general will do to me, If I didn't heed to his warning."
Long Yan Tao smirked, watching the look of terror in those dark stormy orbs with pure entertainment. But that died quickly as he straightened himself, placing the cursed petal between his own lips, deepening Yan Ling's already confused state.
What kind of drama is this...wait!!
Even before Yan Ling's thoughts could find their voice, Long Yan Tao was there, hovering dangerously close to his now, deathly pale face. The little space between them vanished once their breaths started mingling. Yan Tao, surely, took his precious time. His calm gaze tracing the frantic movement of Yan Ling's lips as they succumbed to a visible, helpless tremor under his stare.
A panicking Yan Ling saw the advancement and turned his head sharply, seeking escape with the desperation of a mouse in a trap.
"I d-do not c-consent! This is not—umph! Mmmphh!"
It was too late. A pressure as soft as peach blossoms brushed his lips—neither gentle nor lingering, but completely inevitable like the changing of seasons.
Yan Ling's eyes flew open, wide enough to resemble full moons, as Long Yan Tao tried to force the petal past his teeth but Yan Ling refused to yield. In the frantic push and pull, the smaller man found himself at a great disadvantage. He was getting kissed and was out of breath yet was utterly unaware of how to end the assault.
With no way to stop this absurdity, Yan Ling did one thing which he was good at. He bit down on the invading tongue with the fury of a cornered dog, hoping to make the tyrant retreat.
Just like he expected, a hiss sounded above him. Yan Ling's mouth instantly flooded with the metallic taste of dark crimson blood.
For a heartbeat, he thought he had achieved a milestone, a small victory against the demon. But Long Yan Tao merely let out a low, demonic chuckle. He appeared completely unfazed, as if enjoying a light snack before exerting more pressure, ensuring every drop of his blood and the petal itself disappeared down Yan Ling's throat.
Yan Ling choked, swallowing reflexively as a burning sensation ignited within him—as if he had swallowed a molten sun
No—this is truly the bitterness of a thousand gourds! Wait...my first little kiss! It just got stolen by the bastard demon...I WILL DEFINITELY KILL YOU!
It burned more intensely than he could have imagined, the warmth flooding his veins like raging dragon-fire.
When Long Yan Tao finally withdrew, Yan Ling lay frozen, his eyes glassy and the corners red as crushed cherries. He looked like a flower batteredbyastorm, his chest heaving as the weight of the humiliation settled upon him.
When the spell lifted, Yan Ling scrambled upright, jumping to the other end of the bed while clutching the bedding as if it was the only life-saving straw in a vast ocean, pointing his trembling finger to his molester,
"Y-YOUBASTARD! I'M GONNA K-KILL YOU!!"
Compared to him, Long Yan Tao stood with the grace of a soaringcrane, turning away as if he had done nothing more significant than plucking a mere weed.
With a flick of his sleeve, he moved to the couch and poured a drink from a porcelain flask that had appeared as if by celestialmagic, chugging it slowly.
Deliberately, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand—a gesture of infuriatingarrogance.Yan Ling surged to his feet, his legs shaking, his trembling finger still pointed at the man.
"What in the yellow springs was that?!" he bellowed, his voice cracking like dryparchment. "You—you cannot simply do that! Have you got no shame? Do you have no respect for boundaries?!"
Long Yan Tao raised an eyebrow, the picture of casual indifference. "Boundaries?"
"Yes! Even a lowly beggar has boundaries!"
Long Yan Tao let out a dry, humorless huff. "A beggar? You choose a poor analogy, little bird. A beggar is a man who has already traded his dignity for a copper coin. He doesn't have self-esteem to protect but a worth. He kneels because he'd rather be humiliated and full than dignified and a corpse."
He stepped closer, his shadow swallowing Yan Ling whole. "Also, boundaries are for equals but I, the great Dragon Lord, is far from being just equal. If I wish, I can rule this whole Mortal Realm without a single objection. Do you think, such a being needs to follow boundaries?"
Yan Ling let out a bitter, watery laugh, "Without consent, without boundaries... you aren't a ruler. You're just a glorified thief with a title. If you violate every life you touch just because you have the strength to do it, then tell me—where is the honor in that? Where is the morale? If you strip away everyone's dignity to feed your own ego, then what is the purpose of your life? To rule over a graveyard of broken spirits?"
Yan Ling stepped forward, closing the gap himself, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "You might own the land, and you might have forced that petal down my throat, but you haven't won. You've just proven that for all your 'greatness,' you're too small to understand what it actually means to be human."
Go on, tell him off. Even if it makes zero difference to this psychopath!
"Oh, is it because... I'm not a human to begin with?" He smiled lazily. "But snatching your dignity wasn't my intention, truly. It's just that you expressed a desire to remain among the living."
Yan Ling froze, his anger catching in his throat like a fishbone. This sudden urge to scratch his face with his long nails was getting stronger.
Shit, I don't even have long nails!
"I merely fulfilled your wish," Yan Tao continued. "The antidote requires my fresh blood and a dragon flower petal, mixed together without the touch of any other substance. Not a bowl, not a spoon, not even the air if it can be helped." He replied coyly.
Wait for it, Yan Ling thought, his eyes narrowing. Here comes the 'I had no choice' gaslighting. I can practically hear the tiny violins.
Yan Tao's voice dropped, rich with vibration, "And unfortunately for your sense of 'humanity,' my body is currently a vessel of rot."
He pulled back his sleeve slightly, revealing veins that pulsed with a sickly, obsidian hue.
"This...a curse is surging through me, a poison that has claimed everything from my toes to my arms. I've suppressed it with a seal, keeping it away from my heart, but it has tainted every drop of blood in my limbs. Only here," he tapped his own chin, "at the entry of my breath, is the blood still pure enough to serve as a cure. To use any other part would have been to feed you a swifter death."
Okay, the veins are gross. But that doesn't excuse the method, you bastard!
Yan Tao's eyes glittered with a dark, mocking amusement. "I had intended to merely bite my own lip and let the drops fall into your mouth. But you," he leaned in, his gaze lingering on the blood still staining Yan Ling's teeth, "you chose to bite down on my tongue instead. I simply adapted to the circumstances you provided. If there was a violation of boundaries, little bird, you were the one who drew the blood first."
"W-what else was I supposed to do? You could have just told me all this before being a h-hooligan."
Yan Ling was so embarassed that he wanted to basically dig his own grave and die but then there was Yan Tao. His shameless replies seemed to have no logic or bound.
"You wouldn't believe me even if I had told you. You were already running from that petal like it was a carrier pigeon delivering my control commands. So, why waste my breath."
ARGHH!!! I WANT TO KILL THIS MAN RIGHT NOW!
"Still, there was no need to use your l-lips for feeding. Your hands would have done the same thing better."
The man being questioned just shrugged his shoulder, then replied with feigning innocence, "I was scared you would bite my finger down with the instinct of a dog, and my cursed blood would end up killing you anyway."
THIS BASTARD...control. Control Yan Ling. We will kill him definitely but some other day!
Yan Ling barely could control his anger which was surging in high flames, ready to wrap around the menacing man and burn him to ash.
The logic was a suffocating weight. Even if it was a lie, the sight of those blackened, cursed veins made his stomach churn with a different kind of dread. He wanted to scream that there were a thousand other ways, that consent still mattered—but the metallic taste of the 'cure' was already warming his chest, dulling the pain of his own injuries.
He couldn't believe him. He wouldn't. But the crushing reality of his situation—the fact that his life had just been bought with the blood of a monster—extinguished his fiery monologue.
With trembling hands, Yan Ling scrambled backward, putting as much distance between them as the small space allowed. He wiped his mouth aggressively, his eyes wide and wary, like a hunted animal realizing the trap was actually a cage.
He forced his voice to remain steady, though his soul felt fractured. "Then we're even," he rasped, though he knew it was a lie. "You saved my life because you still need me to bring that book. But don't expect me to thank you."
"As long as you're alive, that's all I care." Yan Tao smiled sweetly, enraging Yan Ling whose hands balled into fists secretly.
This bitch!!!!!
Before Yan Ling could even barred his fangs, Long Yan Tao's expressions became serious. He glanced meaningfully at Yan Ling's chest, "The fire in your meridians should be extinguished by now."
Yan Ling swallowed hard. The burning… had indeed vanished.
"…For sixty days," Long Yan Tao added lightly, as if discussing the price of cabbage. "Not a breath longer."
His form began to blur like mist in the wind, "Remember, that your life is as fragile as a cicada's wing." His eyes gleamed with a cold light. "Bring me the book as early as possible."
The air shifted, and his voice echoed from the void. "And perhaps, I shall remain... kind and cure you before I still can."
Then, he vanished, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.Yan Ling stood alone, his rage boiling like a cauldron of soup. "COME BACK HERE!" he screamed into the empty air.
"YOU PSYCHOTIC LIZARD—EXPLAIN YOURSELF PROPERLY !"
Only silence answered, as heavy as a mountain of lead. Yan Ling collapsed back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling in dull despair.
"…I truly hate this mortal realm. I hate this trashy plot. I want to go back..." And somewhere far above, the celestial bells chimed softly, mocking his plight.
.
.
.
To be continued...