Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a tiring day for the trio who made their way through the forest terrain. The shorter one who was bound by ropes complained and whined while the two taller ones walked on in shared silence.

The two cultivators spent years together tracking down the criminal and now they have finally caught Xue Yang. The youth was like an eel, always slipping out of their grasp even when they caught up to him. He was a sly one and it frustrated them to no end. When they finally bound him in ropes, they shared a sigh of relief, their search finally bearing fruit.

The bound man cried pitifully “DaoZhanggggg. I’m tired. Let’s rest for a bit.”

Song Lan looked back with a steady gaze. “We need to hurry to LanLing.”

“It’s fine for you two with your spiritual powers! But I’m bound and have no spiritual powers! Obviously my stamina wouldn’t be on par with you shits.” Xue Yang complained and pouted.

Xiao XingChen pondered, “Hmmm he does have a point. Let’s find a spot and rest for a bit ZiChen. He is still young after all.”

Song Lan looked at his friend and inclined his head. “Alright. How about near that large tree? We can hang that brat up while we rest.”

Xue Yang exclaimed in all dramatics “What?! Are you really that heartless?! You’re a DaoZhang! Where’s your mercy?”

Xiao XingChen snorted from his place. “He was joking”

Xue Yang groaned and gets tugged again. The three made their way over and then sat down to rest with Xue Yang propped up against the tree and the other two facing him. Song Lan offered some water to Xiao XingChen and he accepted it with a smile, fingers brushing his hands as he took the flask. Song Lan blinked softly, staring a little at his friend with fondness in his eyes before reaching into his robes for snacks. He pulled out a block of Sachima and XingChen’s eyes sparkled as soon as he sees it.

“You still had some?” He exclaimed.

Song Lan nodded but pulled the block out of Xiao Xing Chen’s reach as soon as he reached for it.

“Eh? ZiChen?” Xiao XingChen blinked in puzzlement.

“Your hands will be dirty. Here, open your mouth.” Song Lan hummed and broke off a piece, holding it in front of Xiao XingChen. The cultivator opened his mouth obediently and he fed him the piece.

Xiao XingChen munched happily on the snack. “I love these. We need to get more when we reach the next village.” he murmured as if drunk.

Song Lan chuckled and broke off a piece for himself. He started to break off another for their...prisoner (he really doesn’t want to but they can’t starve him either). However when he looked up from the snack, the youth was not propped up by the tree.

He was not anywhere near the tree.

Dread filled him and he stuttered out,“XingChen. Where is he?”

“Hm? Who…? !!!”

They both jumped up in alarm, swords in their hands. How had Xue Yang escaped when he was in front of both of them? They couldn’t sense any resentful energy either so it couldn’t have been the work of the supernatural. They spared each other a glance and was ready to search separately when a muffled noise above their heads alerted them.

They looked up and froze in shock.

Xue Yang was held up by vines that twisted around his body. Where the vines touched, there seemed to be wisps of smoke drifting around and to the mild embarrassment of the two cultivators, they realized that it was from the melting fabric on the small body being suspended in the air.

They were speechless at the shameful display but soon got over their initial shock and unsheathed their swords while attaching at the same time.

Xue Yang screams but his voice was dampened by the vine over his mouth. No matter how much he wriggled and tossed his head, he couldn’t dislodge the disgusting appendages around him. He hated having other people “save” him but as a commoner who was restrained by ropes, he couldn’t run or fight back when these things took and restrained him. He was quite literally helpless.

As if sensing danger the vines pulled Xue Yang away and thicker, more agile ones streaked to the front to meet the twin strikes. The two danced in a lethal battle, swords glinting and slicing at the vegetation in sync with each other. They tried to be careful to avoid the vines. After all they didn’t want to have their robes melted.

Even so, there were too many appendages and it was impossible to avoid all of them. The appendages seems to have a mind of their own, purposefully touching and ripping the seams of their belt and robes instead of wildly whacking them around. Their clothing loosened, some outer layers falling somewhere on the forest floor.

“Vine spirit. We need to find its core!” Song Lan shouts over the sound of battle.

“It took Xue Yang inside. Perhaps that’s where the core is?”

“Let’s find out.”

The cultivators started to attack more ferociously, increasing their speed. The thick appendages were slowly but gradually getting pushed back after having their arms chopped in segments and tips whittled down.

As if by some unknown signal, the wriggling mass retreated, the globs of liquid dripping from the severed ends. With a giant groan the appendages shrunk into itself.

Xing Chen warned aloud “Be careful. Something’s coming.”

Song Lan nodded in agreement, his sword in front of him defensively.

Then a wave of liquid spurted from the chopped ends all in one go. Unfortunately, the wave itself was aimed at them. The two kicked off the ground flying backwards to avoid the deluge but it came to them in large volumes and they still ended up covered in transparent slime.

Song Lan growled in annoyance, distaste and disgust apparent on his handsome face. He even looked ready to spew out curses and Xiao XingChen sympathized with him. He may not have his friend’s intense love for cleanliness but he too silently agreed with him after being unpleasantly covered with the sticky substance.

They faced the vine spirit again, their swords at the ready. To their surprise and bafflement, the vines were no longer attacking after spitting out waves of sludge. Instead, they seemed to be quite relaxed now and only twitched a little from their positions.

Song Lan’s brows jumped, “What the…”

Xiao Xing Chen shakes his head. “I am as lost as you are. But we still need to get the child back. We can’t leave him in there.”

“I wish we could though.” He mutters under his breath but follows behind his partner all the same.

They jumped up the trunk and branches lightly and reached the heavy mass where the vines were densely coiled together. Xiao XingChen gave it a nudge with ShuangHua’s tip. The writhing masses shivered but otherwise remained unresponsive. He tried to push them aside but the vines were hard and stubborn, refusing to budge. Xiao XingChen sighed and brings his sword down to hack away the appendages that were blocking them while Song Lan stands behind to guard his back.

The more they slashed their way through, the thicker and harder the vines. They still persevered in their rescue until the last pieces gave way to a concave hole in the middle. The walls of the hole were covered in slick and there was a strange stench covering the area. Xiao XingChen’s eyes landed on a naked bundle in the middle and sucked in a breath in shock.

The naked bundle was obviously Xue Yang but he was wrapped in those troublesome vines. These ones were thinner and still sliding around him like a snake, but that wasn’t all. There were slightly thicker ones that penetrated his… private area and even thinner tendrils wriggling around his manhood. Another stayed lodged in his mouth except it wasn’t going across his mouth like earlier. It was going inside him.

The lewd image burned into his mind and Xiao XingChen almost wished he was blind so he didn’t have to see this debauchery.

“Is he dead?” Song Lan asked from the lack of response from Xiao XingChen.

“Uhhh...he’s still breathing so no. Just...seems like he’s unconscious, probably.”

Xue Yang moaned loudly the moment Xiao XingChen finished speaking, startling the two cultivators. Song Lan whipped his head around and was greeted by the very same sight.

“This is…” Song Lan tried to say something but the visual shock was too great.

“We should… take him… first. Yes. I’ll, uhhh. Do that.”

Xiao XingChen sheathed his sword and crawled into the hole. He reached for the vines and almost retracted his hand immediately from the grotesque thing. It felt as repulsive as it looked: fleshy and bendy, and covered in slime. He swallowed and gritted his teeth, then strained his arms to pull away the ones wrapping around the youth’s body.

The vines were unwilling to let go and pressed closer to the body causing it to ripple with movement while Xue Yang groans heatedly in response to it.

Xiao XingChen blushes and closed his eyes, mentally counting to three and willing himself to stay composed. It takes a while but he finally managed to pull off the vines and upon closer inspection, he found that there were little suckers along the appendage.

No wonder they were so difficult to remove!

He reached for the thickest one, the one in Xue Yang’s… backside… and tugs at it. The movement jostled the unconscious man and he whimpered. Xiao XingChen was now panting slightly from the effort and he tries to yank the appendage again. It wriggled more, going even deeper into the body. The body jerked and twisted on the appendage, and Xiao XingChen saw Xue Yang knitting his brows into a frown but he remained asleep.

The vine was stuck fast to the youth. Xiao XingChen was running out of ideas. He whispered a quick apology under his breath and placed a hand on Xue Yang’s body, holding him down. Then with the other he grasped the offending thing tightly and heaved.

It dislodged by an inch.

Xiao XingChen breathes and prepared to pull it again but he suddenly lost his footing and slipped. No, it wasn’t that he lost his footing. A small vine had wrapped itself around his ankle and jerked him, causing him to lose balance!

Song Lan heard his surprised cry and immediately turned around. He growled and rushed forward, using his sword FuXue to slice through the wriggling appendage. Then he reached out a hand to Xiao XingChen who takes it gratefully.

As soon as their hands touched, a bolt of electricity ran through the both of them and they both pulled their hands back. They looked at their hand, then at each other and asked each other the same question: what was that?

Song Lan sighed, “Lets just hurry up and get the brat out. This spirit is sickening.”

Xiao Xing Chen turns towards the unconscious Xue Yang once again only to find that the vines he so painstakingly pulled off the other’s body was back on him, even denser than before. He couldn't help making a frustrated groan.

“I just pulled them off and now they’re back. Just what in the world is with this spirit?” he wondered.

“Mmmppff!” came a muffled reply.

Shivers ran down Xiao XingChen’s spine and his eyes widened. He twisted around to find a furious Song Lan fighting against the vines which wrapped around his legs and body, lifting him off the floor of the hole. There was one across his mouth, blocking him from crying out loud and another around his neck which he was currently trying to pull off.

“ZiChen!”

Xiao XingChen dashed towards his friend and grabbed at the vines. The fluid covering it made it difficult for him to get a firm hold but he still tried, panic starting to seep into his actions. With the fabric being melted off his body, it wasn’t strange for him to accidentally brush over the small bits of exposed skin. However, he was too focused on getting the vines off to notice Song Lan thrashing harder and the sounds he emits getting more urgent.

Too late.

Xiao XingChen made a very undignified noise as he was yanked away by his middle, the breath punched out from his lungs. His body tossed and turned and he would’ve been dizzy if it wasn’t for his martial arts training. It was still a little disorientating though and he had to shake his head a few times to get back into focus.

He wriggled around and finds that the vines had him thoroughly restrained, even going as far as tossing away his sword. He flicks his eyes to Song Lan and thankfully he remains unharmed. The vines around his neck seemed to have loosened and even the one covering his mouth was lowered. With most of his clothes melted off, the only thing sparing his dignity was the pants that was still on his hips but the smoking told him that it wouldn’t remain for long.

Now the big question was, how were they going to escape?

Both DaoZhangs breathed steadily as they turned over the same question, racking their brains for something no matter how impossible it could be. But the longer they thought the dizzier they seemed to get. It was as if a fog started to settle in their minds, preventing them from coming up with escape plans.

“Mmmnnn” A moan brought them out of their thinking and two pairs of eyes searched for the source.

“Fuuu..”

The breath was actually quite quiet but their sharp senses picked it up all the same and it was coming from… Xue Yang?

The body rippled with strength as if it were waking up. But his eyes stayed closed. As if excited by the movement, the vines wriggled more vigorously and the body shudders. The thick vine in Xue Yang’s mouth retracted and the two cultivators fought the bile rising to their throat as a disturbing amount of length left his mouth.

It was horrible seeing it come out and even more so when the tip went to stroke the unconscious man’s cheek almost tenderly. With the vine out of his mouth, the noises Xue Yang makes were no longer muffled. The large vine lodged in his behind quivered and then began thrusting in mimicry of human intercourse to the horror of the righteous cultivators.

Each thrust prompted a small sound from Xue Yang and the two can’t help the heat that flares up in their cheeks at the obscene sight. Xue Yang maybe shameless and witty but even he had never made such...soft sounds. Worse, the tendrils on his manhood was also stroking him and they watched as his manhood rose with the stimulation.

The youth… didn’t deserve this even if he was a murderer.

This was too humiliating.

Too much.

Song Lan averted his gaze even as his ears burned. Xing Chen closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying to block the soft moans. But their efforts were futile. Each huff of breath, each slick slide was loud in the hole and there was still that strangely sweet smell that kept invading their lungs…

Song Lan finally has a clear thought as he pieced the puzzle together: wasn’t there talk of a prostitute who was murdered near a big tree during intercourse and the big tree absorbed the blood that had seeped into the soil? The corpse was long gone but the tree was still very much alive. Although she had died and did not harbour any particular resentment, her love for sex may have been very present in her blood, and thus when the tree cultivated a spirit, the spirit took on the prostitute’s sexual appetite!

The revelation just made him groan internally because the implications were now apparent. He knew exactly what would happen to the three of them and he did not like it one bit. Despite the sounds of sex ringing in the air, Song Lan still musters the energy to shout the information to Xiao XingChen who blushed profusely at the story.

“Ah..in that case, I-I think it will let us go once it has fulfilled its needs. So our lives are most likely not in danger.”

“Our lives are not in danger, but I fear there’s worse...” Song Lan says.

“As long as we are alive, that’s fine, no?” Xing Chen asks with a wry smile.

“Xing Chen…” was the pleading in Song Lan’s voice just a figment of his imagination?

The sliding sounds were getting louder at this point and Xue Yang’s body was bucking quickly on its own. His quick breaths were increasing in volume until he paused, gave out a strangled groan and tensed his body.

The two cultivators wished they could erase this memory forever but it was freshly ingrained into their minds. Even behind their eyelids they could see the body arching while being violated by this spirit. Xiao XingChen shudders, unused to this sort of...vision. Hell, he barely knew about these things and now he was made to witness such a thing.

He heard a muffled groan.

A much deeper groan.

He dared to look at the body on the floor, still twitching as the vines slithered here and there albeit slower now that the body is drifting in bliss. The groan did not come from this body.

It happened again and his heart thunders loudly. His face would’ve paled too except it just got hotter, no doubt a dark blush appearing on his skin.

“ZiChen?” he called carefully, but he received nothing except for a muffled sound.

He looked up and now there were two images he wanted to scrape away from his mind. Only, a small part of him was reluctant to scrape away this one.

Song Lan had shut his eyes tightly while the vines were now working all over his lean body, a few tendrils seemingly very interested in his dusky nipples. He was blushing too which a new sight for Xiao XingChen. He was sure his face matched his friend’s as his eyes eventually fell lower to his…

...Had ZiChen always been this..large?

The vines were rippling up and down the proud length, sometimes flickering against it and sometimes just sliding around it. He tries to tear his gaze away, but the movement of ZiChen’s body trying to resist everything that’s being done to it kept drawing his eyes back. Not to mention the way he pants softly now…

Xiao XingChen sucked in a breath.

At the same time, the vines covering his own body became alive as well. It started with a light shake. Then it vibrated where it touched his skin, and then it started sliding over him too, tightening and relaxing, encouraging even. The low noises being drawn out of ZiChen was inexplicably doing something strange to his heart by the way it flutters wildly in his ribcage.

He felt warm, and it seemed like the temperature kept increasing when another voice joined ZiChen’s guttural groans.

“Ahhh…”

Shlick, Shlick.

“DaoZhang…” Xue Yang moaned and two pairs of eyes snapped open and flew straight to the perpetrator.

His eyes were still closed but the person in question was huffing feverishly, his body undulating amongst the twitching mass. They could’ve misheard it but what were the chances of both of them mishearing the same thing?

They weren’t wrong when Xue Yang moaned again, his lips forming a distinct “Dao” and “Zhang”. Shame filled them as a fire lit in their loins at having their titles called in such a lewd manner. It didn’t help that the limbs on Song Lan was invigorated with the moans and each vine trembled even more around him, adding to his unwanted desire.

Xiao XingChen’s vines on the other hand, stilled their quaking and instead lowered him and brought him closer to the smaller body. With this distance, Xiao XingChen could see the beads of liquid on the young body, and even feel the heat emitting from it. He could block his sight but the smell of sweat and something muskier could not be blocked. Likewise, the sound of writhing vines along the body continued to caress his ears and the heat from his body kissed his larger one soothingly, temptingly. Xiao XingChen breathes out shakily even as a stab of arousal laces through him.

He choked back a strangled noise as the vines lay the top half of his body on the smaller one and started to attack his manhood. With his face pressed onto the shaking body below he could hear the way the other’s heart raced, pulsing strong and hard. He opened his eyes and sees a pink nub in front of him. He swallows as his focus was diverted between the tugging on his arousal and the stiff peak in front of him.

The cultivator doesn’t know what possessed him to press his tongue on it. It could be the effects from the odour of the plant clouding his judgement or it could be curiosity, but as soon as his tongue touched the perky flesh, the body beneath breaks out into a full body shivers underneath him. He couldn’t resist a second firmer lick and soon he was lapping at it hungrily in a daze as the salty taste tingled on his taste buds.

His own panting was loud in his own ears, the blood gushing through his veins giving him an addictive rush of excitement as he flattened his tongue over the nub. Even the vines were cooperative, giving him space as he nosed his way to the other nub to lavish it with more attention.

The heated body undulates under him, endless moans of “DaoZhang”s spilling from the other’s mouth. His own hips jerked in need, wanting nothing more than to spill himself too. As if understanding his desire, the vines lifted Xue Yang’s slim legs and spread them apart to make way for his body. The thick one that was lodged firmly inside the other quivered and then pulled out with a wet squelch. The amount length that was inside him should’ve been alarming but right now, Xiao XingChen was too driven by his need to release that he couldn’t spare any attention to it.

The vines helpfully repositioned him on his knees but still refused to let go of his limbs. The smaller ones on his member stopped their maddening strokes and instead held him to the puffy loosened bud between shapely globes.

His eyes grew hazy as he watched the vines guide him inside and he lets out a long drawn out moan as he was encased in delicious heat and velvety walls.

This was immoral but he’s never felt anything this exquisite in his life. The vines were manipulating his hips to push and pull slowly, each drag of wet flesh along his own hardness pushed him further into a lust filled daze.

The sweet voice that used to be so sharp and dangerous was now whining, almost begging him and soon he was driving his hips in faster on his own. The rest of the vines wriggled around him excitedly, clearly happy with the development and each movement further fueled the burning desire in him. He even felt the ones around his arm loosen a bit and they moved to the front, over the unconscious body. They gently placed his hands close to Xue Yang’s hips and Xiao XingChen gulps at the implication.

He hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was alright to just grab the other man. But his hips shifted and slammed in and the sound Xue Yang makes was absolutely sinful, blowing away whatever doubts he had.

Xiao XingChen latched onto the hips and drills into the same spot, harder and faster. Xue Yang jerked his hips too with desperation.

Within minutes, they were coming together, orgasm ripping through them harshly, leaving them boneless and dizzy.

Xiao XingChen cants his hips lazily, riding out the last waves of his orgasm. As if losing his strength he slowed down and then laid next to Xue Yang, boneless and spent. He swung an arm over the smaller body and pulls it closer, not wanting to leave any space between them.

Xue Yang was mumbling something but Xiao XingChen was too relaxed and happy to think about it. He continues to rest atop the smaller body, breathing in the scent of sex and the sweetness that clung in the air.

“Xiao XingChen!”

The use of his full name forced his consciousness to return from the happy bubble. He searches around for the voice and then noticed that it was very close.

Too close.

His eyes moved from the shoulder to the face of the man he had just defiled.

Xue Yang’s eyes were open. His pupils were blown out and he was staring at him intently. But there was a film over his gaze, softening it and giving an illusion of tenderness.

For a moment, Xiao Xing Chen felt his stomach drop, the weight of what he did settling on his shoulders. He moved and Xue Yang moans softly gripping him tight and causing his member to twitch.

“Ah,it was DaoZhang inside me.” he said dreamily without the sharp edge that he always had.

“Mmmnn don’t leave.” he continued, his legs curling around Xiao XingChen’s making his breath hitch.

“I still want more. DaoZhang, please give me more.” He whispers and squeezes around him.

It was uncharacteristic of Xue Yang to say such things no matter how shameless he is. Coupled with that soft look and pleading eyes, Xiao XingChen almost doubts his own eyes for a second, unable to come to terms with the dissonance. But it only lasted a second, because the squeezing and stroking was once again getting him turned on and that was all he could focus on along with the minute roll of the other’s hips.

Xiao XingChen closed his eyes and lets the movement guide his hips, already thrusting lightly again. He propped himself up to give himself more space and leverage. Then, his rhythm was disturbed by a muffled grunt and mewls so he opened his eyes.

…

Song Lan looked back at him, a little woefully but otherwise he looked desperate for something. The vines around his friend brought him there so they had to want something. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for him to appear when all his movements were restricted by the interlocking vines.

Song Lan opened his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. He tried several times and finally manages to croak out an apology.

Xiao XingChen cocked his head in confusion. “Why are you sorry?”

“I-I...I was…” Song Lan stuttered and flushed a shade darker. He looked away as if ashamed or embarrassed.

Xiao XingChen straightens up and reaches out with his hand to touch Song Lan’s cheek, “Hey, ZiChen what’s wrong?”

Song Lan just hung his head and stifled a groan in his throat.

Xiao XingChen follows him and drifts his eyes down the other’s shapely body to…

...well, he knew Song Lan was not a bad size but damn it was a little intimidating seeing his when it was stiff. It was also red and angry looking like it was ready to burst and he was even…

There’s quite a bit of liquid dripping from the tip.

Unable to resist, XiaoXingChen touches the hard member and the little vines shrunk away from it. Song Lan positively whimpers at the touch, dick jumping as soon as the fingers wrap around him.

Xiao XingChen says drunkenly with half lidded eyes, “This looks painful. Let me help you ZiChen.” and starts tugging it.

Song Lan makes a strangled noise and then pulls Xiao XingChen into a tight hug. The vines actually let him, slacking a little to allow the movement, but didn’t disentangle themselves. Song Lan takes a deep breath and whispers into his hair with a trembling voice, “please forgive me.”

In the next second, they were locking their lips together, Song Lan holding his head with a hand and pressing him closer. They licked into each other’s mouth, letting instinct guide their actions. Song Lan’s hands started wandering after capturing his lips. Everywhere they drifted, the vines would shy away, as if making way for him. The feather light touches were fleeting as if he was afraid Xiao XingChen would disappear. However Xiao XingChen was quite horny and this only made him growl into their kiss.

He grabbed his wrist with his free hand and pressed the larger hand firmly to his chest.
Xiao XingChen growled heatedly and assuredly, “ZiChen. Touch. Me.”

The order broke the dam and Song Lan doesn’t just touch. He grabbed, kneaded, forgoes all the careful self-control he has and Xiao XingChen loved every second of it.

A painful sob came from beneath the two cultivators and they paused momentarily, remembering the third person in this mess.

“Song DaoZhang, Please pleaseplease, I want you too.”

Xue Yang was trying to mouth at the member that was being serviced by Xiao XingChen’s fingers.

Xiao XingChen chuckled lightly and whispered into Song Lan’s ear with a wet lick, “Did you hear that? He needs you too. You’ll let him right?”

Song Lan nodded, Xiao XingChen’s arousal thickened voice proving to be too seductive for him to handle. He reached down to stroke the delinquent’s head, and the three promptly realizes one problem: the cultivator’s legs were too long, and Xue Yang couldn’t reach him on his back.

With a mutual agreement, the three disentangled themselves quickly. The cultivators knelt down while the vines flip Xue Yang around bodily. Song Lan propped him up on his thighs while Xiao XingChen lifted his hips and nudged apart his legs.

Xue Yang surged forward to capture the bouncing dick in front of his face while he was breached from the back. He worked his mouth enthusiastically over the thickness, tongue swiping off the salty liquid around it. It felt just as heavy as it looked. His eyes closed as he sucked with both of his mouths, relishing in the sounds leaking from the men above him, vaguely he could hear them making out over him but everything was in a blur, his senses only focusing on how the cock tasted in his mouth, how the pubes tickled his face every time he swallowed it to the root, how the one behind him spreads him apart every time it plunges in....

He makes some sort of sound again, a needy whine.

Surprisingly, it was Xiao XingChen who finished first. Apparently the sight of Song Lan dishevelled and out of control and a submissive Xue Yang made him slip into bliss. His fingers tightened bruisingly on Xue Yang, and pounds in hard a few times before emptying into the cavern.

Xue Yang moaned lowly as he felt the wet splashes inside him. Simultaneously, Song Lan snapped his hips too in a growl, choking the man on his thighs. The brutish movement made him reach his peak, eyes rolling, body spasming and inciting another spurt from Xiao XingChen.

Song Lan groaned seeing the other two blissed out and grips the head between his thighs. He thrusted into the tight throat, the vibrations a wonderful addition to the slickness of the pathway. If he were sane, he would be questioning many things. But he was just as affected as the other two and in this moment he just really wants his release too after being teased for so long by the pesky plant.

He threw away his gentleness, his mindfulness and blatantly abuses the mouth on him, fucking in without care. With a grunt, he spilled himself down his throat, fingers tightening in his hair.

The three heaved in silence, each in their own paradise. The only thing grounding them was the vines wriggling all around them. In contrast to the beginning, there were only a few of them left and most of them content with just loosely wrapping around the bodies. It could’ve been the end but for some strange reason they didn’t quite want it to end.

It was as if they were addicted to the pleasure they were thrown into. The first one to move was Xue Yang. He pulled off the half softened dick to crawl up the larger man’s body. He the the man’s face in his hands and planted a kiss on his lips.

He breathed against him softly, “Song DaoZhang, one more. Give me one more.”

Xue Yang gyrated against him, slow and sensual. Song Lan, unfortunately felt his blood rushing back to his manhood, the movements encouraging heat to flare up once again.
He pulls down the other man relishing in the high-pitched whimper from the other as their cocks rubbed against each other. The two rutted with Xue Yang digging his nails into the cultivator’s shoulders and in return, he receives light scratches down his back, along his sides and more bruises on his ass.

When they were getting closer and closer to the edge,Song Lan encased the both of them in his hands, stroking them hard and making them release over themselves, cum from two different bodies mixing as one. Xue Yang collapsed against the man, thoroughly spent and battered. Song Lan stroked the other’s head and back, finally feeling the cloudiness in his mind lift as he breathed heavily and tried to catch his breath.

He blinked, coming back to his senses and the first thing he realizes is that he was no longer wrapped with vines. Likewise, the body draped on him was free of those lewd things. He turned his head, eyes automatically searching for Xiao XingChen.

His friend was nowhere to be found. Alarm settles in and he grabbed the smaller body roughly. He wanted to throw off the delinquent, but several emotions rushed through him at the same time and in the end, he settled with laying him down on the side before getting up to search around the hole.

For some reason the area seemed to be larger than before, like it became more spacious just to accommodate all three of them. Song Lan shivered, unwilling to think about the events that had just transpired. His search didn’t last long as he soon found Xiao XingChen standing all graceful and straight backed, facing a dispersing light with ShuangHua in his hands. The sight was would’ve been more stunning if he wasn’t currently naked. Nonetheless he was still beautiful and Song Lan had to fight a rising blush as his mind supplied a series of memories of how his skin was pale like the moon and soft to touch.

He padded forward, noting how the floor was starting to harden underneath his feet compared to the spongy texture it was previously. Xiao XingChen heard his approaching footsteps and turned around with a little smile. “ZiChen, you are here.”

Song Lan nodded, keeping his eyes on Xiao XingChen’s face. “Yes. The fog in my head finally cleared up a bit. This spirit is quite depraved, putting all of us under its spell.”

Xiao XingChen huffed wryly, “Well, it was just lonely. I spoke to it and it said that the prostitute died before...getting her fill so it wanted to fulfill her desires so she could rest. Unfortunately, the villagers just didn’t satisfy it and it needed cultivators so it was particularly...excited when we stopped by. We actually satisfied it just now so it shouldn’t cause any more problems.”

Song Lan sighed a little guiltily, “XingChen… please forgive me for whatever happened back there.”

Xiao XingChen looked at him and replied. “There’s no need to ask for forgiveness. We were all spellbound and…” He averts his gaze, the tips of his ears flushing, “...well to be honest. It wasn’t as unpleasant as I thought these...activities would be.”

“I guess it wasn’t… bad... But to do it like that… and with a criminal no less...”

The two widened their eyes. They completely left Xue Yang alone, unguarded and free! They rushed back to see Xue Yang wide awake, his face dark and serious. However he did not move from his spot where Song Lan had left him. As soon as the delinquent saw them, he gives a large unapologetic groan.

“UGH. You’re back.”

“...” The two cultivators stared at the motionless body.

Song Lan stated, “You didn't escape.”

Xue Yang screeched angrily with a red face, “Shitty DaoZhang, did you forget what you did to me? WHO THE FUCK would be able to move after ALL THAT?!”

Xiao XingChen snorted with a light blush and Song Lan hid his laugh with a cough.

Xiao XingChen grins with mirth dancing in his eyes, “Well that’s lucky for us then~”

Xue Yang made a frustrated noise but other than that, there was nothing else he could do.

The cultivators went around and picked up the items that had fallen off or forcibly taken when the vines held them captive. They collected their swords, found their qiankun pouch and pulled out a spare set of robes from within it. After redressing, Xiao XingChen takes out another set to wrap around Xue Yang. The delinquent grumbled and complained but they let him since his mouth was the only thing he could use at the moment. It was still too big for the youth but it was slightly better than Song Lan’s as he was even taller than Xiao XingChen. Once they were done making themselves presentable, Song Lan threw Xue Yang over his shoulder and the trio made their way down the tree trunk.

They made a few necessary stops on their way to LanLing. Song Lan may not have said anything but his face twitched and became darker the longer they trudged on until they finally found a river to clean themselves off. Usually, one of them would help Xue Yang clean up and suffer from his sharp tongue while the other stands guard in case he tried to run away. This time he was quiet and it felt strangely awkward for them without him spewing curses or his trademark taunts.

They also stopped by a village to get Xue Yang robes that actually fit him. While seeing him in oversized robes made him quite comical and cute, they can’t hand him over to the Jin Sect like that either. Finally looking more socially acceptable, they continued their journey to LanLing but no one mentioned the incident again.

After leaving Xue Yang at the hands of the Jin Sect, the two friends travelled on together. When night came, they found an inn and shared a room as usual. Only on that night, just before they dozed off, Xiao XingChen couldn’t keep the questions in any longer.

“ZiChen? Are you still awake?”

Song Lan grunted an affirmation.

Xiao XingChen took a deep breath and asked, “Am I disgusting?”

Song Lan turned to him and propped himself up with an arm. “Definitely not. Why would you think that?”

Xiao XingChen sighed guiltily, “That vine spirit we encountered…I said that it wasn’t unpleasant. Doesn’t that make me...disgusting?”

Song Lan blinked and said with assurance, “No. You can never be disgusting XingChen.”

“But you never wanted to do those things! Yet I…” Xiao XingChen trails off and a light dusting of pink started appearing on his cheeks.

Song Lan tried to piece things together but it was the first time Xiao XingChen was being so cryptic instead of straightforward.

Seeing his friend getting distressed, he admits, “It’s not that I never wanted to do those things. It’s just that it has never crossed my mind. I’m still slightly upset that it was forced upon me to do it with a criminal. I wouldn’t have minded so much if it were my lover.”

Xiao XingChen exhaled shakily. “Of course. Such intimacies should be between lovers.”

Song Lan frowns and finally asked his upset friend, “XingChen, you’re being strange today. Why bring it up again?”

The other tried to turn away to avoid the question but Song Lan pulled him back and pressed against him.

Xiao XingChen flushed even more, making a noise of mortification in his throat. Song Lan’s breath hitched but his heart started beating faster.

Xiao XingChen whispered “I’m so sorry, ZiChen. I can...leave…”

Song Lan just hugged him even tighter. “I’m not letting you leave. “

“But I, towards you...it is inappropriate and yet,” his voice grew quieter and quieter, scared to say more.

“Will it still be inappropriate if I said I accept?”

Xiao XingChen blinked away the tears gathering in his eyes. “Wh-what?”

Song Lan tilts his head up with a kind expression and a large smile on his face. “Your feelings are accepted. Will you accept mine too?”

Xiao XingChen’s expression morphed from disbelief, to acceptance, and finally to pure happiness. He choked back a relieved sob again and hugged his partner back. He nodded, babbled out multiple “yes” and nuzzled into his shoulder. He pressed against the taller man bodily, happy that his love was returned...and felt hardness similar to his poking him.

ZiChen coughed softly, a little awkwardly, “Ah… my apologies XingChen, I too...seemed to have gotten a little...excited.”

“Heheh…the night is still young.” Xiao Xing Chen smiled playfully and brought his face closer to the other, their breaths ghosting over each other

“Let me take care of you?”

Their lips met each other briefly, sweetly.

“Mn.”

Chapter Text

Back in the dungeons of LanLing’s JinLinTai, little groans floated through the cold air. Xue Yang was twisting this way and that, body feverish and sweaty. He had thought it was over but the creeping heat and sensation of things crawling in his veins told him otherwise. 

It had been a few weeks since the DaoZhangs dropped him off to the Jins. His body seemed to be just fine on their journey but now it kept making him dizzy and weak and Xue Yang absolutely hated that. He couldn’t even find peace in his sleep as it was always filled with all sorts of annoying dreams that just lead to soiled robes every morning.  

He couldn’t think clearly at all. All he could feel was a burning sensation of being ripped apart and filled to the brim. His breathing was laboured, and he couldn't breathe properly. The only thing that was clear was the sickening perfumed scent that coiled in his lungs making him choke and the slick sounds of flesh (?) on flesh.

Again, his dreams were filled with the vine spirit but he couldn’t shake himself awake.

***

There were little vines wrapping and sliding around him, forming a tight cocoon that refused to let him move, let alone retaliate against the disgusting things. His robes have long been melted off by their slime, but that was a trivial matter at this point. He was already exposed for so long that being naked was no longer a big issue because his main concern was the vines that were playing with his body like it was a little toy.

A sound was ripped out from the depths of his throat at a particularly harsh suck on his nipples. How was it possible for these little fuckers to have suckers? What in the world were they anyway?! Still, He couldn’t deny the streak of pain-pleasure that lances through his body no matter how hard he tried. As if pleased with the sound he made, the vines sucked on his nubs again and this time it actually hurt more than it feels good and he lets out a painful keen. 

His voice was all he had and he couldn’t even control it. 

The vines loosened at the sound and Xue Yang half hoped that maybe they would let go. But the torture was far from over when a thicker appendage made itself known, swaying in front of him like a venomous snake. He didn’t know what it wanted but it was certainly nothing good by the way he was being teated.

It inches closer and closer to his face and Xue Yang growls and snapped his teeth at the thing. It flinched away, out of reach of his bared teeth but soon stretched toward the side of his face. He turns his head away and it chased after him, poking his cheek and twirling on it. Xue Yang shakes his head and tries to bite it again to teach it a lesson. 

Who knew that the moment he opened his mouth, the vine would dive straight into it without warning? The thick length went straight to the back of his throat choking him, but he couldn’t dislodge the thing no matter how he thrashed. His jaw was forced to stretch wider and wider as the appendage expanded inside his mouth.

The rough surface slid against the soft insides of his mouth and it feels like his mouth would be cut open by the intrusive thing. The vine in his mouth was all he could pay attention to even as the other vines around him wriggled happily. The vine in his mouth pulled out to let him gasp for air hungrily and as soon as he relaxes, it pushed for the back of his throat again. It kept repeating the movement in a sick imitation of oral sex.

Absently, Xue Yang laughs to himself in his mind. It would probably feel better if it was an actual dick that was pushing into him instead of these monstrous things. 

As if sensing his thoughts, he felt the vines around his hips burst into energetic swipes. They had left his cock alone but now the little creeps were winding around him and they were even stroking him. Liquid pleasure coursed through his body as the vines worked on his erection. He moans around the length going into his mouth and the rest of the vines twisted even more rigorously than before.

With all the stimulation around him, it wasn't long before Xue Yang was coming in the many arms that held him, eyes shut in denial and choking on the thing in his mouth. 

Everything stills as he regains his bearings from the orgasm. The vines held him as he pants, unmoving but firm. He was tired from the release...but the pesky things started moving again.

From the thrusting in his mouth, down to the suction on his nipples and even lower to the stroking of his cock, all the vines moved chaotically but somehow still keeping a steady rhythm. Xue Yang groans around the length in his mouth, feeling his body heat up again with the slick caresses. 

He tried to think of something, anything to keep him grounded but his mind was unguarded from the orgasm and only getting hazier the more he was touched. The only thing coherent thought bouncing around in his head was that this felt good and he wanted more.

The vine in his mouth started to jab in even deeper and he feels the thing sliding down down down, all the way into his stomach. The ridges brushed the walls of his oesophagus and he couldn't breathe at all. His mind started to blur, the sounds started to fade, and he closes his eyes, feeling nothing but the pain of being forcefully invaded so deeply.

Amidst his fading consciousness, there was a feeling of warm liquid being squirted into his stomach. It pools together and settles inside him and distantly, it reminded him of the cold winter days where he could only get soup by paying with the money that he stole or slurping it and then running or threatening the stall owners.

Life outside was harsh… why go back?

It was an absurd thought that made absolutely no sense.

It was stupid, pathetic and all sorts of wrong if he were still sane. But the warmth here feels so good. The tentacles that were around him were caring, giving him feelings of pleasure, of love , more than anyone else ever did. 

Xue Yang feels himself losing grasp of reality, knows that he was losing grasp of himself, but he was helpless to stop it, the temptation of falling for this comfort was too great. 

Vaguely, the thing in his mouth no longer felt intrusive. It has heavy and hard, but it was strong that way. Strong and protective. 

A little tentacle stroked the side of his cheek and Xue Yang realized there were tears flowing down his cheeks. He wasn’t sure if it was from the pain or if it was from his internal unrestrained emotions, but the answer was not important. It wasn’t like anyone would see him anyway.

Just like that, he nuzzled back into the tiny tentacle.

The vine pulls out of his mouth to let him breathe and the rest responds softly, swiping over him in comforting waves. The appendages seem to soften to match his thoughts, wrapping around him gently like a blanket while giving him pleasure that he had never experienced until now. 

Even when one started to poke around his backhole, Xue Yang didn’t fight back, not because he was unable to, but because he didn’t want to. With the caresses and encouragement, he gradually relaxes his mind and body, release the remains of his reasoning and control, and hands himself over to the vines or whatever this thing was to do the rest.

He gasped as the little one pushed into his asshole, already slick with liquid. It felt strange as it wriggles around, flicking against his inner walls looking for something. It was strange but it wasn’t bad. Still, Xue Yang clenches on the appendage reflexively as it pushed a little deeper and deeper. When it pressed against a spot inside him, his entire body jolted against the secure harness of vines.

Oh.

That felt nice.

The tentacles pressed into that bundle of nerves again and this time he moans heatedly around the length in his mouth. In no time at all, the tentacles started attacking this little spot, sending Xue Yang into a frenzy and his body temperature raising once again He was vaguely aware that copious amount of slick was leaking from his hole, dirtying his thighs, and it was a good thing because more little vines inches into him alongside the first, each a different thickness and moving at various speeds.

Then they were expanding inside his ass, putting delectable pressure against him and he feels full full full .

Heavy.

Complete.

The feeling of fullness becomes even more solid when he feels a slim tendril massage the head of his cock and then plunge into the slit right on the tip. He thrusts his hips forward wanting to come but the little tendril just worms its way even deeper, plugging up the only escape route. 

He wants to come. 

He wants to feel the scorching heat of pleasure raze through him again and forcing his mind blank like a slate wiped clean.

He needs to come.

He surrendered himself but as his impatience grew, he could no longer stay passive and he twists against the hold on him. It was a desperate move but that was all he was at that moment, a desperate needy mess driven insane by a bunch of vines.

All the vines became alive with energy, tussling and sucking on every expense of skin exposed to them. A thick vine curls around his neck again, winding restrictively. At the same time the vine in his mouth shot down his loosened throat again, cutting off his precious oxygen supply. 

He was stuffed from top to bottom, filled to the brim with these things that he convulses to this thought, pleasure wrecking through him and this time so strong that his eyes rolled back into his head and he couldn’t even give sound to his voice.

In his lust addled daze he could only think of one thought.

Ah, I came again.

His cheeks flares, a tinge of humiliation bubbling beneath the onslaught of pleasure but damn it was so hot that he was still aroused even with all the orgasms. 

Warm liquid spurted into him, wringing out another weak wave of pleasure. He was spent and tired but was conscious enough to feel a glob of something pass through the vine into his mouth. He felt its bump pressing insistently into his open mouth, unbearably large, and down his tight throat where it was deposited into his stomach with splash and a plop.  

He wonders briefly if it was only an illusion but more round blobs followed the first, stretching him open and filling the space inside him.

Eggs.

He was being bred by a monster.

He was being used.

He doesn’t know what to think of it, but there was no denying the lurch of his heart and flame that ignited in his navel as more spheres passed into his shaking frame.

Just when he thought he couldn’t get any fuller, he felt the pressure in his ass ease as the vines slunk out. However, they were replaced by a much thicker and larger one that pushed in. There was so much vine going inside that he could swear he felt it press against his seemingly bloated stomach. Just like the one in his mouth, eggs passed through that vine pushing through the already stretched ring of muscles of his ass.

Blob, blob.

The eggs were squeezed out of the vine into his ass. They sat inside his body miraculously securely but in his hazy mind, he really couldn’t care for the mechanics of it at all. 

The little tendril in his urethra wriggled and move out, just to trace along the thick vein on the underside of his cock. Feeling a sense of release, he opened his eyes blearily...just in time to see another ball roll through the vine into his gaping mouth. His heart pounded harder with desire and his eyes moved down to see yet another glob roll through the vine that pierced his ass between his spread legs. 

The visual was too much for him to bear and he saw himself spurting over his vine covered body, viscous liquid shooting out from his reddened dick.   

Once he stopped, his eyes slipped shut again, the vision replaying behind his eyelids, making his body heat up and ready to go for another round of monstrous fucking.  

To his relief, the vines didn’t immediately resume their activities. Instead, the vines seemed to need their rest too, twitching aimlessly around him after depositing the eggs. Even the thick appendages shrunk from their engorged form, easing the pressure on both of his holes.

In his blurry mind, he heard a distant voice nearby. 

The voice seemed familiar yet also unfamiliar at the same time, like he had heard it before but didn’t recognize it. 

The voice was soothing to the ears and it sounded kind and pleasant.

It was as if the voice was caressing his sensitive ears and he moans unconsciously.

Another voice joins the first and this one was a little deeper but just as pleasing.  

Both were muffled but before he could dwell further on how good the voices were, he feels the vines come to life again.

In his hazy mind, he feels the vines on his body being tugged this way and that and it only made them suck harder on his sensitized skin. He groans, already feeling the heat rushing down again as he was tumbled.

Then there was a sharp tug on the one in his ass and he feels his entire body skid down with the tug. The vine was not happy with the tug and it burrowed even deeper into him, forcing out a whimper around the suffocating limb in his mouth. He twisted on it, feels the eggs implanted in him rolling around too and this time he frowned with discomfort. He wanted to rest but he was pinned down by something large and warm by his shoulders.

This feeling was different.

It was slick but it was most definitely not a vine.  

It may just be an illusion, but it felt like a human hand was on him

It was warm and firm and this time, when the vine in his ass was tugged once more, he feels it slip out of him a little, easing the pressure and to his disappointment, making him less full.

He hears voices again, a surprised cry, and the hand was torn away from him.  

It was a very audible surprised cry and Xue Yang feels that maybe he wasn’t really hallucinating after all and that there were other people here too.

There were other people seeing him like this.  

There were other people looking, staring at his lewd figure wrapped in tiny little limbs that played and caressed his dirty body.  

He moans, breathes out unsteadily as his heartbeat picked up speed. His body shifts instinctively, and the vines wriggled around him excitedly.

He felt the eyes on him, following his every movement, every little undulation under intense scrutiny and he gave a full body shudder.

The vine mercifully retracts from his mouth and he could finally breathe. He takes gulps of fresh air into his starved lungs while the vine stroked his cheek, encouraging and comforting. Once he has enough air to rejuvenate himself, the vine in his ass starts moving in and out, in and out…

The renewed stimulation prompted soft sounds to leave his throat with each careful thrust.

They could hear him.

They could hear all his wanton moans.

He feels his cock harden even more as the tendrils down there started to stroke him too. 

He was spent. 

He was sure he had nothing more to offer.

But the rising arousal told him otherwise  

He was so tired, but the vines kept on working over him eagerly that he was bucking again with the hope that the vines would let him rest after this one.

Xue Yang panted harder, desperately drawing breath into his burning lungs and comes with a strangled groan and smoothly arched body.  

With the fading sexual tension, his head cleared up for a single moment and he remembered where he heard those voices.  

“I won't let you go this time, Xue Yang!”

DaoZhang.

The voices belonged to those pesky cultivators.

He wanted to mock himself, but another thought overshadowed his sneering self. So what if they saw him? Would they be even more disgusted? Would they be blushing? Would they be... aroused from his indecency? 

He whined in his throat as he imagined the prim and proper gentlemen staring at his body, unable to look away with a faint splash of pink on their faces. He imagined their minds halting and focused on nothing but his lewd body and the unrestrained desire lighting up in their lingering gazes.   

“DaoZhang” he moaned pleadingly and maybe… just maybe they would destroy their own purity to touch and have a taste of this filthy body of his.  

***

Xue Yang startles himself awake with a churning stomach. He feels something rise and he quickly flips himself around and hurled out the contents on the side of the dungeons.

He feels absolutely terrible. Tired and sick and he groans loudly to himself as he sees the wet patch in his robes yet again. 

He wishes these dreams would just go away. It was disgusting, filthy and that’s saying a lot from a delinquent who lived through all the challenges life has thrown at him since he was a baby. Speaking of babies, he recalls the part where the vine spirit and deposited something round into his body, both in his stomach and ass. He absently touches his stomach, smirking at his own impossible imagination and trying to reassure himself that it was all an illusion.

His hand glides over a tiny lump.

The hand pauses and his face turned stony and cold.   

He runs his hand over his stomach again just to be sure and he feels the little lump again, so small that it would escape the human eye, but the touch told him it was very much in existence.

He screams.

***

Xiao XingChen and Song Lan were travelling near QingHe when they were met with a messenger from LanLing. 

“Your immediate presence is requested at Jin Lin Tai by Lian Fang Zun.”  

Xiao XingChen raised his eyebrows. “Hm? I thought I had turned down the offer to be a guest cultivator in the Jin sect.”

The messenger ducked his head, his expression troubled. “Oh no, this is another matter involving Xue Yang. Lian Fang Zun says that it is quite urgent.”

“He wants both of us?” Xiao XingChen asks in trepidation.

“Yes”

The two cultivators exchanged a glance with each other.

“We’ll be there.” Song Lan assured and they both pulled out their swords.

They group travelled to LanLing on their swords for a few days. When they arrived, the two friends were welcomed into the waiting halls. Jin GuangYao soon appeared to greet them.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice. This matter is really difficult to deal with.”  

They greeted each other and Xiao XingChen starts. “What happened for you to have asked for us specifically?”

“Did Xue Yang escape?” Song Lan adds, getting straight to the point.  

Jin GuangYao sighs with a rueful smile. “He did not escape. But something did happen to him and we needed DaoZhangs to be present for some clarification.”

Song Lan remains unmoved. “Clarification?”

“He told us that all three of you were assaulted by a vine spirit?”

The two tensed minutely. They had pushed the incident out of their heads, deciding to just focus on each other in the present. The memories came waltzing back as soon as the incident was brought up to their dismay.

Xiao XingChen blushes faintly but managed to stay composed. “It was...an unfortunate incident that has already been taken care of. Did a similar spirit appear again?”

Jin GuangYao shakes his head. “No. However, this situation… if my guess is correct, it has something to do with the vine spirit that you have encountered. Can you tell me more about the incident just to confirm something?

Xiao XingChen was about to reply but Song Lan taps him on the shoulder. Xiao XingChen gave a questioning glance at Song Lan but didn’t proceed further.

“We don’t mind providing you with more details, but you still haven’t explained exactly what the situation is yet.” Song Lan replies in Xiao XingChen’s stead.

Jin GuangYao pauses in contemplation as if he didn’t know what to say. It was rare for him to be vague and hesitant when words were his best weapon. He opens his mouth but was cut off by a loud. brazen voice.  

 “I SAID HANDS OFF! DO YOU WANT ME TO CUT THEM OFF FOR YOU?!”

The two cultivator’s expression turned cold and they shot a glare at Jin GuangYao.

“It’s not what you think!” Jin GuangYao said quickly.

“I thought he was locked up in the dungeons?” Xiao XingChen asks, tone still polite but his eyes were fiery and fixed in the direction of the voice.  

“He was locked up, but I brought him out-”

“To do what?” Song Lan interrupts. His demeanour was just as frosty as his title as he too, turned his attention to the direction the brazen voice was coming from.  

“He’s-”

“Jin GuangYao you bastard! Can’t you find someone who is not completely useless to pamper a pregnant man like me?!

“...”

“...?”

Jin GuangYao closes his eyes and breathes out slowly as the “situation” stomps into the room in an angry ball of energy.

Xue Yang stops, looks at the two guests, then at Jin GuangYao and back at the guests.

“What the fuck are they doing here?!” he screeches while rapidly backing away to the door. 

Unfortunately, the door slams shut behind him and one glance told Xue Yang that it was sealed by a talisman. He glared daggers at Jin GuangYao who raised his eyebrows to give him a warning look.

“I’ve called these gentlemen to LanLing to help you.”

“I don't need help! Shoo! Go away! Byeeee!”

“Cheng Mei.”

“Excuse me but I think… I think I heard you say...that you’re pregnant?” Xiao XingChen tries, still unable to believe his ears.  

“So, what if I am?!”  Xue Yang snaps fiercely.

Xiao XingChen blinks in confusion, clearly still befuddled. “But how… wait you said that this has something to do with the vine spirit incident.”  

“Cheng Mei, sit down for a minute won't you.” It took a few persuasive words from Jin GuangYao to calm the ruffled Xue Yang who was still glaring at the cultivators from the other side of the room.

Once everyone got over the initial shock, Jin GuangYao took a breath and spoke again. “Now, allow me to restart.”

Jin GuangYao told the pair that the vine spirit may have done something to Xue Yang to make it possible for him to get pregnant.

“We have made tests and found that certain parts of his body seem to have been modified.”

Xiao XingChen looks down, brows furrowed. “But I don't understand. When we were dealing with the spirit, nothing suspicious happened. If it did, then all three of us would be affected. Why was it only Xue Yang?”

“That is what I need you to help me understand. And of course, how to… handle this.”

“Ughh can I go now?” Xue Yang groans unapologetically.

Everyone ignored his complaint and Song Lan mummers. “What did the vine spirit do that was different from us…”  

The two pondered, trying to go through the embarrassing episode in their heads for clues.

Xiao XingChen sucks in a breath. “W-When I found him within the spirit… there were vines going in-”

“Ahhhhh. DaoZhang have you no shame? Speaking of things like that so freely.” Xue Yang says loudly, suddenly sitting up straight.  

Jin GuangYao elbowed the other discreetly but continued to smile for his guests.

“Oh really? Cheng Mei has never told me about that .”

“If I recall correctly, the vine spirit has never...entered... ZiChen and I.” Xiao XingChen continues.  

“XingChen is right. I only recall that as the only difference between how we were treated by the spirit.” Song Lan confirms with a curt nod.

Jin Guang Yao drums his fingers on the spot and turns to the man in question. “In that case the possibility of the spirit planting something into ChengMei is a lot higher. Do you have anything to say to this? And be truthful.”

Xue Yang huffs and stands haughtily. “Oh yeah I definitely have something to say. It’s true that that vine spirit breached me but if I recall correctly,” he eyes Xiao XingChen mockingly and continues with heated words, “the vine spirit wasn’t the only one who entered me.”

The two cultivators shifts uncomfortably, a light blush dusting their cheeks.

Jin GuangYao looks at Xue Yang in disbelief, thinking that he said it just to desecrate their good names but observing the soft coughs and reaction from his guests… the suggestion wasn’t looking that farfetched after all.

He was a tactful person. He tried to save the poor cultivators from drowning into further embarrassment with carefully selected words

“So are you trying to say that… the esteemed daozhangs shoul-”

“They fucked me like they were possessed by some sex god and I couldn’t walk for days!” Xue Yang yells loudly, pointing an accusing finger at the pair. “Now they got me pregnant, so I SAY, TAKE FUCKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR ME YOU SHITTY DAOZHANGS.”

He tried. He really did. But the stray cat he picked up off the streets completely ruined his efforts.

Jin GuangYao finally couldn’t resist rubbing his temples, the closest thing he could do instead of a facepalm.

The words were still ringing in everyone's ears and Xue Yang stands fiercely with his chest puffed out, arms crossed and still glaring at the two.

There was a moment of silence while his words sink in.

Xiao XingChen speaks steadily but still with traces of doubt in his tone. “Are you really..?”

“I HAVE A BUMP ON MY BELLY. A. BABY. BUMP. It’s been growing for days and it's not disappearing!” Xue Yang narrows his eyes but for some reason, it didn’t seem to be as intimidating and dangerous as it once was.   

Song Lan decides to get up and starts walking over.

“What are you doing?” Xue Yang demands from the approaching cultivator.

“Trying to see the baby bump.”

“Song DaoZhang, I never thought you were this kind of guy. Trying to strip me in front of so many people?! Have you no shame?”

Song Lan says nothing and keeps advancing on Xue Yang until he was looming over him. Xue Yang looks up defiantly, refusing to budge despite his intimidating height.

Song Lan slaps his hand over Xue Yang’s belly gently and froze.  

He retracts his hand and turns to XingChen, nodding gravely. The two friends looked at each other in silent communication then hardened their expressions with determination.  

Xiao XingChen turns to Jin GuangYao, defeat heavy in his voice. “ZiChen and I… will take responsibility for...Xue Yang. Please allow us to take him with us on our journey.”

Jin GuangYao sighed. “My father is unwilling to let go of Cheng Mei. He is a criminal as you said and having him run around may be unsettling to the hearts of all. Why don’t the both of you stay with us instead?”

Song Lan makes his way back to XingChen’s side. “Please tell him not to worry. We will make sure to keep him well-behaved. XingChen is unfamiliar with the world and still wishes to explore the world. I too, wish to travel more with him. Staying at JinLinTai is a gracious offer but we will have to turn it down this time as well.”

Xue Yang humphs with irritation. “Can you not talk like I’m not in the room? And I’m not some sort of pet for you to pass around!”

Jin GuangYao replies steadily, “Travelling may be an inconvenience for a pregnant person. How about staying just for a short while, until the uhh, baby… is born? We do have healers and midwives, to help with this.”

Xue Yang pipes up. “Yeah, the useless bitches that I dismissed earlier were really helpful. Can’t even get me the right candy that I asked for.”

Jin GuangYao faced him with incredulousness and Xue Yang looks back innocently, shrugging casually.

Song Lan proposes while the two Jin sect members engaged in their staring contest. “It is true that travelling is inconvenient. But judging from the situation, he should still be able to travel for a short while. I will bring them both to Bai Xue Temple and consult my seniors. Since XingChen and I will take responsibility for him, it is only appropriate to… bring him back.”

Jin GuangYao seems to be pondering even more but in the end, agrees to let Xue Yang go back with the cultivators. He will have to think of a way to report back to that irresponsible father of his without arousing even more contempt. Since Cheng Mei was technically under their care, perhaps a wedding could seal the two talented DaoZhangs to the JinSect?

Jin GuangYao sighs as he watched the two tall figures retreat down the famed steps of JinLinTai with a yowling Xue Yang wedged firmly between the two with no chance of escaping.