The Winner’s Reward

The first thing Qinghe felt upon entering the room was the oppressive weight of his cultivation being blocked by the spirit suppressing-material in the walls. Only, he had never felt this particular sensation this heavily before.

As expected of high-grade spirit suppressing-material, it was really very suffocating.

Pushing aside these thoughts, Qinghe took in the room with a quick glance.

Unsurprisingly, Yuan Sheng's bedroom was large and very well-appointed, all the furniture obviously of high quality and made from the same amber-colored wood as the door. Taking up a large portion of the room was a wide and extremely plush-looking bed, with elaborately carved thick wooden posts on four sides supporting a sturdy wooden frame situated above that was embedded with hooks and clasps along with ropes and chains dangling from it.

Currently, Yuan Sheng was sitting on a throne-like chair very similar to the one in the viewing tower while perusing a few papers that were on a nearby small desk.

Looking up at Qinghe's entrance, he smiled with an indecipherable emotion. "Ah-Feng, you're finally here."

Qinghe made a show of blushing and gulping in nervousness. "Y-Yes, my lord, I'm here."

He then acted as if wanting to raise his fan to hide behind it, only to realize that he didn't have it with him anymore. Qinghe blushed deeper, looking away in apparent embarrassment as Yuan Sheng began chuckling.

"Are you nervous, my beauty? Don't be," Yuan Sheng soothed. "From now onwards, you are going to protect me as my guard, aren't you?"

Qinghe jerkily nodded. "Yes, I am."

Yuan Sheng smiled. "And since you are always going to be by my side, you should get used to my presence already. Or am I really that scary?"

Hearing the teasing question, Qinghe's eyelashes fluttered gently, his shoulders curving inwards as if he were attempting to hide himself without trying to be too obvious about it.

Seeing this coy appearance that only ever seemed to be shown to him, the gaze Yuan Sheng was directing towards Qinghe darkened with desire.

"Ah-Feng, come here," he suddenly called, his voice deep and alluring.

Licking his lips anxiously, Qinghe carefully stepped forward and stood in front of Yuan Sheng. Flicking his gaze up once before lowering it again, he greeted softly, "My lord."

With deep eyes and an expectant smile, Yuan Sheng ordered, "Undress for me."

Qinghe's head shot up, meeting Yuan Sheng's gaze with incredulousness and uncertainty. "M-My lord?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Yuan Sheng's voice remained unchanged except for the unmistakable thread of command underlying it.

Qinghe's body trembled delicately, his face openly showing his confusion. "I-I don't understand."

Even as his lips retained their smile, Yuan Sheng's gaze grew dangerous. Standing up, he extended a hand and grabbed ahold of Qinghe collar before brusquely pulling it open.

Qinghe's trembling only increased, fear slowly beginning to seep into his expression as panic made his voice quiver, "W-What are y-you…doing…?"

Seeing this beauty in such a state, Yuan Sheng felt very satisfied. In a smug tone, he elucidated, "Ah-Feng, didn't you know? The real reason behind me holding this competition is not just to gain another talented guard. I already have plenty of those after all."

Looking up with a layer of unshed tears in his limpid eyes, Qinghe asked, "T-Then why…?"

"I wanted to choose a lover that suits my taste the best. All the competitors are simply there for me to pick from. How lucky for you that you ended up being chosen! Aren't you glad?"

Slowly shaking his head as if in disbelief, Qinghe tried to step back, but due to his collar still being gripped in Yuan Sheng's hand, he was unable to take even a single step more.

Yuan Sheng's smile widened. "Now, now, Ah-Feng. Don't look at me like that, you'll hurt my feelings. Is the thought of having to sleep with me really so terrible?"

"I-I don't…" Qinghe trailed off as if feeling choked, his shock too great to express or put into words.

But though that's what he showed outwardly, on the inside, Qinghe was really itching to give this smug bastard a beating.

All this drama that he was acting out was for one purpose only―buying time.

Qinghe knew that even now, Wei Xiang was using the shadows to lead the other Sentinels at tenth realm into this room. Since none of the others except for Wei Xiang knew of the exact location of Yuan Sheng's bedroom, it was necessary for him to take the lead.

As for the rest of the Sentinels, they must have already been in place for a while now, waiting for the telepathic signal indicating Yuan Sheng's capture so that they could flood the Black Fang's headquarters and round them all up without leaving a single one out.

To that effect, the Sentinels had not only surrounded this building on all sides while still staying in the shadows to avoid prematurely alarming the enemy, but they had also infiltrated the headquarters using the incomplete map from before to get in using the hidden passageways. When they eventually received the signal, the entire building was sure to be completely filled and thoroughly blockaded by the Sentinels both inside and outside, not leaving a single gap to escape through as every Black Fang member was apprehended quickly.

However, there was still some time left before all that would become possible.

The most important thing right now was for Qinghe to wait until the spell formation he had already cast finished sinking into Yuan Sheng so that the Thousand Transportations array could be easily disabled by the Sentinels as soon as they arrived. And so, Qinghe tried to buy as much time with his acting as possible.

But not knowing this, Yuan Sheng smiled with smugness and satisfaction, not realizing that he was already caught in Qinghe's trap, just waiting for the final piece to be set in place for his capture.

"Ah-Feng, be a good boy and submit to me. I promise that I won't make it too painful for you," Yuan Sheng spoke with eyes gleaming with lust, then added, "But do feel free to struggle and scream how much ever you want. I do enjoy some challenge in bed."

Qinghe barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Did this bastard really think he would just do as he was told? He'd rather aim a roundhouse kick at the other man's head and crack open his skull like a coconut. But sadly, Qinghe knew that he couldn't just do what he wanted or show his true emotions outside.

He just needed to buy a little more time, just a little more…

And so he continued his pretense.

"M-My lord, y-you shouldn't do this!" Qinghe acted like he was trying to persuade him with a pleading expression.

Yuan Sheng grinned, feeling charmed by the desperate look on that devastatingly beautiful face. But rather than letting go, he used his grip on Qinghe's collar to pull him closer, his other hand reaching up and holding the younger man's jaw in place as Yuan Sheng lowered his head, aiming to meet Qinghe's lips with his own.

Not expecting this sudden turn of events, Qinghe's mind turned blank as his body reacted instinctively. His hand shot up as he drove the heel of his palm up at Yuan Sheng's nose, crunching his nose cartilage right into his skull.

As soon as Yuan Sheng's grip on him slackened, Qinghe immediately leapt back to put some distance between them.

Meanwhile, Yuan Sheng let out an involuntary shout at the sudden blast of pain on his face. The sharp agony was like an ice pick stabbing right through the middle of his face, bringing reflexive tears to his eyes.

Yuan Sheng used his trembling fingers to carefully straighten the damaged nose bridge and reset his nose, the intense pain making him gasp out again. Almost instantaneously, his cultivation healed the damage to his nose, leaving behind nothing but two wet lines of red that had dripped down from his nostrils. Yuan Sheng wiped the back of his hand under his nose and held it up. Seeing the smudge of blood on it, his expression turned sharper, with hints of brutality swirling in his gaze.

Until now, Qinghe had only used his fan and spiritual force while battling, which was very much in line with the character he was playing. But the move he had used just now was clearly that of a martial artist, and it had been performed with such familiar ease too.

After he considered this, it only took Yuan Sheng a second to piece the truth together and understand that Qinghe had been pretending all along to win the competition and get close to him.

In the meantime, although he knew that he'd given himself away, Qinghe felt no regrets at all. After all, he had been reassured countless times by his lover, his father, and all the other Sentinels that if Yuan Sheng really tried to get handsy and do anything to him, then Qinghe needn't worry about ruining the plan, he should just focus on protecting himself and getting away from the situation.

And so, for once, Qinghe decided to prioritize himself over his task and stopped pretending.

"I really did want to continue the act, but I guess it couldn't be helped," Qinghe murmured to himself regretfully.

Hearing this calmly uttered statement, Yuan Sheng looked at him with surprise.

The current Qinghe was nothing like the person before. His face was expressionless and his eyes aloof and cold. He stood with his back straight, his bearing naturally confident and self-assured without a hint of pretension or doubt. An aura of regal tranquility shrouded him, making him seem distant and untouchable.

Yuan Sheng narrowed his eyes. For such a person to be able to act such a role without giving himself away till now, he must truly be very talented in pretending.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Yuan Sheng asked in an inflectionless tone.

Qinghe blinked. "Didn't I tell you before? I am surnamed Feng. As for what I want…you don't need to know that yet."

Yuan Sheng barked out a small laugh in fury. "Such arrogance! Do you understand the predicament you are currently in? I can clearly sense that you are only in eighth realm, so your cultivation must definitely be suppressed by the spirit-suppressing material in these walls. All your tools and weapons have also been confiscated. However, on the other hand, I can still use my cultivation and do whatever I want with you. Shouldn't you be afraid in this situation? Because no matter what schemes you've come up with, you still can't do anything to me right now!"

This was also why Yuan Sheng hadn't used the Thousand Transportations array despite finding out Qinghe's true colors. It was because he felt no threat from the young man at all. He might be cautious by nature, but he was no coward to resort to using the array when he felt so certain of his safety.

But Qinghe merely smiled. "I don't need to be able to do anything to you. That is not my job."

"Then what is your job?" Yuan Sheng asked cautiously.

Seeing Qinghe's lack of fear, he began to feel a premonition of dread weighing in his chest, warning him that he was in danger. And so, Yuan Sheng slowly curled the fingers of his left hand inwards, pressing them against his palm to begin transferring spiritual energy to the array etched on it.

But just as he was about to start activating the Thousand Transportations array, he felt a slight sting on his wrist, followed by him immediately losing all sensation in his hand.

Yuan Sheng startled, then tried to lift up his arm to see what was wrong with his hand. But his arm remained unmoving, feeling as if it was being tied to his body by something strong and invisible.

Qinghe's light chuckle interrupted the thoughts of panic beginning to form in Yuan Sheng's mind.

"My job was just to buy some time, but it seems like there is no more need for that," Qinghe said, then reached up to remove the inconspicuous black ribbon tying his hair.

In a way, it truly was as Yuan Sheng had said. Once a person below tenth realm stepped into this room, they really couldn't do anything to him.

That was why Qinghe had cast a pre-activation type formation talisman right before he entered the room.

A while ago, when all his possessions had been taken away and the guards were finished testing him to see if he was carrying anything, Qinghe had finally been able to take out the talisman Wu Xiao had made without fear of it being confiscated or the formation on it detected. This talisman was in the form of a black ribbon, the symbols and characters having been meticulously stitched into the slender ribbon with black thread that perfectly blended in with the color and texture of the ribbon itself.

When Qinghe had so nonchalantly tied up his hair using the ribbon, he had injected a trace amount of spiritual energy to activate it. Once the formation had been cast in this way, Wei Xiang had silently slipped away to bring the other tenth realm Sentinels while Qinghe had entered Yuan Sheng's bedroom.

True to its nature, the pre-activation type talisman kept functioning despite the high-grade spirit-suppressing material in the room. And the formation talisman's true function was to cast an illusion targeted specifically at Yuan Sheng.

The illusion had to be very subtle and undetectable, otherwise Yuan Sheng would grow alarmed and immediately escape using the Thousand Transportations array in his palm. This was also the reason why Qinghe didn't choose to use an attack or restraining type formation, choosing instead to use an imperceptible illusion to gradually distort Yuan Sheng's senses instead.

This illusion formation was based on a special type of spell called the Mirage Domain. In this spell, a specific area was claimed as the caster's domain, with the caster then being able to show any type of illusions within this space without arousing the suspicion of the domain's inhabitants. But the biggest precondition was that the caster had to be a very talented light element wielder.

And so, Qinghe had asked Rue Xu's help in understanding the theory and details behind how Mirage Domain worked, then took that information to Wu Xiao and had him craft a formation talisman with a similar result, but one whose effects were directed solely at Yuan Sheng. In this way, Qinghe could cast the spell later despite not being able to wield the light element himself by using the talisman.

Afterward, for the formation's spell to slowly integrate the illusion into Yuan Sheng's senses and take full effect, Qinghe had needed to distract Yuan Sheng and buy some time, which he managed to accomplish using his dramatic acting.

But now that there was no more need for the illusion itself, Qinghe unconcernedly untied the black ribbon, and gripping it in his hands, tore it into two.

And along with it, the illusion in the room was torn apart as well.

Yuan Sheng's eyes widened in abject disbelief.

The bedroom that had seemed empty except for Qinghe and Yuan Sheng was now revealed to be full of Sentinels.

Then, looking down frantically at his only avenue of escape, Yuan Sheng saw that his hand with the Thousand Transportations array etched into it had been sliced off cleanly at the wrist, leaving behind only a stump. The sting he had felt before must have been when his hand had been removed.

Staring coldly at Yuan Sheng from the side and from among the neat line of Sentinels was Wei Xiang. A thin golden string hung from Wei Xiang's wrist guard, still slick with blood from when it had sliced through Yuan Sheng's wrist. More of the golden strings had already wrapped around Yuan Sheng completely from neck to ankles, leaving only the stump of his wrist, and capturing him completely in a gleaming gold cocoon.

Standing beside Wei Xiang was Hou Yu, a small pile of black ash by his feet. The second Wei Xiang had removed Yuan Sheng's hand and pulled it over, Hou Yu had immediately incinerated it using his fire ability so that Yuan Sheng wouldn't try to somehow activate the array from afar.

And so, in this way, while Yuan Sheng was under the effect of the illusion spell, everything had already been taken care of neatly.

Unable to reconcile himself with this utter and easy defeat, Yuan Sheng gaped dazedly even as the veins in his face bulged. But just when he wanted to use his cultivation, he found that the pressure purposefully emitted by these Sentinels with similar or stronger levels than him rendered his own power useless, restraining it just like his physical body was being restrained.

Just then, the door to the room opened and Feng Huixin strode in, dashing the last glimmer of hope in Yuan Sheng's heart. With a deity in the mix, he definitely wouldn't be able to get out of this!

From the open door, it could be seen that outside, the group of Black Fang members who had been standing guard over the room were already trussed up and being taken into custody by a group of Sentinels. Orderly footsteps and barked commands rang out in the headquarters as a massive horde of black-clad officers sorted the entire place out.

No matter how much Yuan Sheng wracked his brain to find a way out of this, he couldn't come up with anything at all.

The Black Fang had truly reached its end so abruptly.

Finally realizing this, helpless bitterness welled in Yuan Sheng's heart, but he already knew that he could do nothing to overturn this thorough defeat. Within a few years, all traces of Black Fang would be cleaned up by the Order of Sentinels, the entire organization meticulously uprooted.

Not caring about the captured Yuan Sheng anymore, Qinghe casually walked behind him and towards the bed. He unceremoniously took off the clothes he was wearing, before carefully folding the set of elaborate robes and placing it neatly on the bed.

"Xiang, can you get me one of my sect robes?" Qinghe casually asked.

Wei Xiang searched around and quickly produced a set of white robes and handed it over. "Here you are, love."

Qinghe wordlessly accepted it and began to put it on with a sigh of relief. All the Sentinels except Wei Xiang looked away courteously, while Wei Xiang carefully studied his little lover's exposed body to see whether he was hurt anywhere.

After changing, Qinghe nodded once to his father in a familiar greeting, then began striding towards the open door to leave. After all, his work was now done. He didn't want to end up being a hindrance to the Sentinels.

But as Qinghe passed by him, Yuan Sheng suddenly caught sight of the sect emblem on the lower end of Qinghe's robe, stitched with distinctive indigo thread.

Yuan Sheng's mind quickly put together the pieces as realization struck him. By process of elimination, there was only one person who this could be.

In an incredulous voice, he called out, "Ah-Feng, don't tell me… Is your full name Feng Qinghe?!"

Qinghe stopped and nodded. There was no need for him to hide his name after all.

Meanwhile, Yuan Sheng was remembering about how he had just recently heard of a disciple from Heavenly Peak Sect who had not only become lovers with that dreadful Sentinel Wei, but had also exploded one of their bases, leading to all the Black Fang members within being taken into custody by the Order.

The more Yuan Sheng had investigated, the more interesting things he had kept discovering about this Feng Qinghe. It made him want to capture that person badly and torture him for a few rounds as punishment, then forcefully make him join his organization. After all, such talented people were rare and could be a very valuable asset to him.

But to think that all this time, that person had been right here in front of his eyes while thoroughly playing him for a fool…

Yuan Sheng could only laugh bitterly.

First that Zhuo Ye and now this Feng Qinghe—it seemed that he truly had a good eye to pick out the most talented beauties to be his lovers! It was just too bad that they refused to stay within his grasp.

With his laughter abruptly stopping as another thought occurred to him, Yuan Sheng asked, "Say, this seems unlikely but…Ah-Feng, are you also somehow related to this despica― ehem, I mean the Grandmaster?"

Yuan Sheng suddenly felt himself becoming the center of countless fierce gazes even as Feng Huixin stayed silent as if not hearing the aborted insult.

Qinghe looked into Yuan Sheng's eyes expressionlessly for a moment before smiling. "Yes, I am his son. What of it?"

Though he had guessed at some connection between them, Yuan Sheng hadn't expected their relation to be this close.

Chuckling humorlessly, Yuan Sheng turned to Feng Huixin. "Is this why you kept your name hidden all this time? Because you didn't want your connection to your son to be known to me? It seems that the father is truly as cunning as his son!"

But Feng Huixin only sighed as he answered honestly, "I didn't know he was my son until recently. As for my name…I wasn't hiding it."

Yuan Sheng scoffed disbelievingly. "Then how come no one knows it? I've investigated you quite thoroughly, and I know for a fact that you never told your name to anyone!"

Feng Huixin shrugged helplessly and said, "That's because no one ever asked me before."

Everyone: "…"

With his frozen face making him look so strict along with his title as the most powerful being in this world, who would dare to just walk up to him and ask his name?!

This sudden and unbelieving silence was broken when a Sentinel walked through the door, and after respectfully greeting Feng Huixin, he informed, "Grandmaster, the preparations for taking in the leader of Black Fang into the special holding cell has been completed and all appropriate measures have been taken. The arrangements to begin the casting of the Soul Sealing spell have also been finished."

Feng Huixin nodded in acknowledgment and personally escorted an unwilling looking Yuan Sheng, with a few extra Sentinels tagging along just in case. Using the shadows, the group soon disappeared, presumably to the room in the Sentinel headquarters through which the underground prison could be accessed.

As soon as Yuan Sheng was removed from the room, the severe and grave-looking Sentinels lost their stiffness and began chatting relaxedly. The atmosphere quickly turned lively and cheerful now that their biggest enemy was finally and successfully taken care of without a hitch.

But before Wei Xiang could even start walking towards his little lover, he was intercepted by Zhou Lang to discuss a few things, since in Feng Huixin's absence, Wei Xiang was now the highest authority present. And so, Wei Xiang had to divert his attention to give out orders on how to deal with the captured headquarters and the Black Fang members within.

Meanwhile, Qian Ming and Hou Yu, with the latter dragging along his younger brother Rue Xu, surrounded Qinghe and began conversing.

The first to talk was Qian Ming. With a wide grin, he loudly praised, "Little Brother, your idea really worked out so well! I am very impressed!"

Shaking his head, Qinghe said modestly, "Sentinel Rue and Sect Master Wu did the most crucial work. Without their cooperation, skill, and effort, the formation talisman would not have been created, and without the talisman, I could not have achieved this."

Hearing this, Rue Xu frowned, and with his gaze averted from everyone's as usual, he spoke in a mildly chiding tone, "You give us too much credit. You were the one who came up with the idea of melding our skills like that in the first place. Little Brother, you've certainly worked the hardest."

Not giving him a chance to refute, Hou Yu earnestly began with his light-colored staring intently at Qinghe, "Yes. Even if that Sect Master Wu were sitting right by Rue Xu's side in the conference room back then while we were planning, the both of them could not have come up with this idea on their own. You were the one who put it all together, so you should accept that you deserve the most praise."

At the side, Rue Xu also made a sound of agreement.

Qinghe blinked at this fervent and sincerely spoken statement, then smiled at Hou Yu before finally nodding. "Thank you, then I will humbly accept your words."

Hou Yu's gaze intensified as his hands clenched into fists by his side.

How could this person be so cute?! He needed to hug him right now!

After hesitating for a bit, Hou Yu finally gathered his courage and blurted, "I want to hug you!"

Qian Ming and Rue Xu turned to look at Hou Yu with wide eyes at this open proclamation. They'd never thought he could muster up the resolve to say it out loud like this.

Qinghe at first felt startled at this sudden declaration, then his expression turned confused. But having been given the chance to prepare himself mentally, he nevertheless opened his arms and invited with a smile, "Then by all means, Sentinel Hou is free to have a hug."

Unexpectedly having received his permission, Hou Yu immediately dashed into Qinghe's embrace, one hand reaching up to stroke that head of soft, silky hair while the other looped behind a slender waist to hold that cute person close. With vigor, Hou Yu went up on his toes to squish his cheek against Qinghe's and rubbed them together enthusiastically. His joy was a palpable thing, gushing out of Hou Yu in delighted waves.

With a face gone blank from surprise, Qinghe looked over Hou Yu's shoulder at the other Sentinels with a helpless look, only to be met with their warm smiles and affectionate gazes at their fellow brother finally fulfilling his dream of 'cuddling with that cute person', as he had constantly called it.

Seeing their expressions, Qinghe felt his own heart growing warm as his eyes turned soft.

Ah well, in a way, it was nice that he could make another person happy with such a simple thing like this.

And thus, the offensive against Black Fang finally came to an end.