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Xie Wang didn’t particularly like working with the ghosts.
A plus: No version of his plan involved keeping them. Eventually he would reveal their identities to the entire jianghu and hopefully someone would kill them off for him; otherwise, he’d get at least a little satisfaction out of doing it himself.
Everything else was a minus.
He liked working with his Scorpions. They knew him and he knew them. They weren’t always well behaved but at least they were predictable, and they had established some mutual respect. This would never be possible between Xie Wang and the ghosts he was working with. For one thing, they all took pride in being chaotic and unpredictable and evil, often to the detriment of any actual organized plan.
And they weren’t even the best ghosts!
Okay, he did have some of the Ten Evil Ghosts. He had Impermanence Ghost, Lustful Ghost, some others. But he’d always been curious about the Master of the Annals of the Scorned, and he hadn’t gotten even a glimpse of her since he started working with the traitors of Ghost Valley. Probably because the main thing these traitors all had in common was that they were hungry for power, had no loyalty, and were not strong enough to defeat Wen Kexing and take over Ghost Valley on their own. It made them annoying, but at least this motivation was something he could work with. At least their broiling fear and jealousy and impotence towards Wen Kexing was something he could predict.
Until now.
Xie Wang stared at the man lying on his parlor floor.
Wen Kexing, Ghost Valley Master, stared furiously back.
He was looking more like a Ghost Valley Master than when he and Xie Wang had first met. This time he was actually wearing the classic red, and even had a hint of red kohl lining his eyes, sharp-cornered at the edges. His expression was much more Ghost Valley Master too. The Wen Kexing that Xie Wang had first met was protective but reserved, playing the gentleman for his traveling companion and Young Master Zhang. Today he looked not only fierce but rabid; given the chance, Xie Wang thought he would probably bite.
Currently he was bound and gagged, though, so there was little chance of that. Probably.
Xie Wang cleared his throat. “This was not the assignment I gave you.”
Impermanence Ghost said, “My friends and I are at an impasse.”
Xie Wang raised his eyebrows.
“We have managed to subdue the Ghost Valley Master, Lunatic Wen Kexing. However, disposing of him… has brought up some questions.”
“Whoever kills Wen Kexing will become the Ghost Valley Master,” the Lustful Ghost said. “We cannot decide between us who deserves that honor, as we all played a part in taking him down.”
Xie Wang looked from one ghost to the next to the next. He hadn’t paid it much mind when they first came in, but they all seemed to be injured in some way, bruised or scraped or limping, blood staining their clothes. Probably a lot of that came from fighting Wen Kexing, but he would have bet they’d also had something of a brawl with each other over who would do the honors, before deciding to dump the question on him.
“Surely I should not be deciding Ghost Valley’s internal affairs,” he said. Though if any of this group became Ghost Valley Master and took charge of the others, making him superfluous, it would be inconvenient. There was no real good choice here.
Damn Wen Kexing. Wasn’t he supposed to be invincible? At least among the ghosts, right?
The ghosts hemmed and hawed while Xie Wang wracked his brains. The real problem wasn’t assigning someone to kill Wen Kexing. The real problem was that Wen Kexing wasn’t supposed to be killed to begin with. Wen Kexing was supposed to remain the phantom threat that the jianghu could unite against—unite under Zhao Jing, to be specific. Technically few knew the Ghost Valley Master’s true identity. Technically it didn’t matter much if that identity changed. Technically, Xie Wang could set up any kind of puppet in Wen Kexing’s place to continue the game he and Zhao Jing were playing. But no one else would have quite Wen Kexing’s… flair.
Xie Wang was usually practical about his plans, but he did have a certain appreciation for aesthetics. Besides, he didn’t know that any other Ghost Valley Master would terrify the jianghu quite as much as Wen Kexing. Given the title, any of these louts would probably go show off their new power and get themselves killed in a week.
Xie Wang raised a hand, and the bickering between the ghosts abruptly broke off. Except they were all glancing nervously at the bound and furious Wen Kexing now instead of really paying attention to him. Xie Wang remembered stories—they’d complained about Lunatic Wen a lot, when they first came to him—of Wen Kexing ending arguments by killing whoever was talking the loudest because he said it gave him a headache. Or just picking a ghost to kill at random.
Xie Wang didn’t have that habit, and Wen Kexing was in no position to discipline anyone. But old trauma died hard.
Xie Wang said, “Since all of you participated in capturing Wen Kexing, it is not fitting that any one of you should be the one to kill him, if it would mean taking the mantle of Ghost Valley Master. The issue of succession you will have to decide for yourselves. Though I must admit I had the impression none of you really wanted to return to Ghost Valley anyway.”
Reluctant muttering at that. Maybe none of them did. At least they talked big about wandering free throughout the human world, living as humans again. But power. Domination. That was something else.
And, Xie Wang thought scornfully, it was not something any of these graspers would know how to properly wield. People like his yifu, who truly deserved to rule, were few and far between.
Though Wen Kexing seemed to carry it well enough. Or always had, until now.
Seeing him brought low and humiliated like this wasn’t something Xie Wang had expected, or something he enjoyed.
Xie Wang continued, “However, I am willing to dispose of Wen Kexing for you. Will that settle your disagreement?”
He expected to face a lot of objections. If none of the ghosts here could decide who should be Ghost Valley Master, at least it should be one of them, and even if Xie Wang would never claim the position for himself, how could they tolerate an outsider killing their chief?
Unexpectedly, everyone agreed. “We’ll be indebted to Xie Wang, then,” the Impermanence Ghost said.
And they waited.
If they wanted to see Xie Wang slice his neck open, they were going to be disappointed. Xie Wang said, “I’d like to take my time with it. It’s my first time meeting such a distinguished person as the Ghost Valley Master. Why say hello and then goodbye so quickly?” He smiled. “Gentlemen, I’ll show you his body by morning. In the meantime, I’d prefer to be left to my own devices.”
More dissent at this. Not that anyone wanted to challenge Xie Wang’s right to slowly torture a man to death. They were all ghosts here (Xie Wang aside) and they could all appreciate a little fun. But this was the Ghost Valley Master, Lunatic Wen! He was not a good person to have fun with! If you tried to have fun with him, you were liable to end up with a broken neck and a Ghost Valley Master once again on the loose and out to seek vengeance on a bunch of poor helpless ghosts—and while the ghosts weren’t much worried about Xie Wang’s wellbeing, they did care a lot about the latter. They all hemmed and hawed a while longer, but finally they were persuaded that Xie Wang was a man with a good (fearsome) reputation and could be counted on to kill someone, and they would all leave for the night as long as he really did produce Wen Kexing’s thoroughly slaughtered body tomorrow.
Xie Wang watched them leave.
He did not think they were likely to go far, for all their promises. At least a few, if not all, were bound to be hiding in the shadows outside the house. But as long as they weren’t leering over his shoulder, he could keep the curtains closed and do whatever he liked.
The first thing he did was haul Wen Kexing up from the floor, out of his parlor, and into his bedroom, where he felt more confident in his privacy.
He dropped Wen Kexing on the bed without thinking much about it. A man tied hand and foot couldn’t be expected to stand or sit upright, and he was getting tired of looking down at his guest at an angle. Sitting next to him on the bed, he didn’t have to get his neck sore, and he felt they could talk more easily.
Did he intend to talk to Wen Kexing? Yes. Maybe. He wasn’t sure he wanted to. No, he did want to—he had always found the man intriguing, even before they met—but he was very sure it wasn’t wise. Only he didn’t think he had much of a choice. He had to deal with Wen Kexing somehow, and the “somehow” couldn’t actually be torturing him to death, because he still wanted Wen Kexing alive.
For the purpose of playing devil’s advocate (or maybe more a straight up demon) to the jianghu, of course. No other reason, really.
After a long moment of contemplation, he removed Wen Kexing’s gag.
Wen Kexing did not immediately bite him, as he’d half expected. His lips pressed together hard, and his throat worked. He seemed to have too much pride to allow himself to cough or wet his lips.
“Don’t blame me too much, Ghost Valley Master,” Xie Wang said. “I didn’t set out to catch you, anyway. That was all your subordinates’ doing.” He shook his head. “It’s a pity a man like yourself must be followed by such weaselly traitors.”
“Traitors are to be expected,” Wen Kexing said, and his voice was almost calm. “It’s only disgusting to me what cowards I’ve raised in my valley. In front of Xie Wang, I’ve been this badly embarrassed.”
He didn’t seem to be talking about the embarrassment of being bound, beaten, or thrown at his enemy’s mercy. Xie Wang raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“It turns out the top ten ghosts of Ghost Valley don’t even dare to kill me.”
Xie Wang laughed.
He couldn’t help but agree with Wen Kexing’s assessment. Although the ghosts had been arguing about who deserved the honor of killing Wen Kexing, none willing to let another do it, none of them had seemed all that eager to kill Wen Kexing themselves either. If any of them had had the conviction to kill Wen Kexing and seize his position, who knew how many of the ghosts would have survived the fight that might break out… but certainly Wen Kexing would not have made it to Xie Wang’s doorstep alive.
Wen Kexing’s eyes glittered at him challengingly. He gently put a finger on Wen Kexing’s jaw, tilting his head. He still didn’t bite.
“Do you think I’m afraid to kill you too?”
“Xie Wang might be brave enough,” Wen Kexing said, “to kill me with my hands tied.”
“I might.” Xie Wang let go with a light tap. “And if I did, it wouldn’t help you to appeal to my pride. I’m more practical than a ghost. There are things I have to achieve.” He shrugged. “Well, your being dead isn’t necessarily one of them.”
“Is that so?”
Careful, Xie Wang cautioned himself. If he told Wen Kexing his plans required a live Ghost Valley Master, who knew what Wen Kexing might figure out? And if he knew what Xie Wang’s yifu had planned, who knew what he might do to thwart him?
It was better to play it like he didn’t care much either way. “Chief Wen is so strong and handsome,” he said, gazing through his eyelashes. A little mockingly. “Wouldn’t it be a pity to end such an interesting life? I could be persuaded to let you go. If you were to put in a little effort.”
“Effort?” Wen Kexing’s tone had changed from curious to warning.
“Well,” Xie Wang said, “they say among the ghosts of Ghost Valley, the Master of the Annals of the Scorned is the greatest romantic. And they say the Lustful Ghost has the greatest appetite for women. But the most skilled lover, they say, is Ghost Valley Master Wen.”
It was true. Some people did say this. But it depended on where you had your ear to the ground. Most stories of the Ghost Valley Master had more to do with him skinning his previous master, or the iron grip he had on the other ghosts of the valley. Only whispers and not-very-reliable rumors spoke of a man in red who visited the brothels near the valley, paid well and made the night more pleasant for his companion than for himself. The rumors were unsubstantiated by any hard evidence, but there were a lot of them, and they were consistent.
Lustful Ghost had also once told Xie Wang, trying and failing at contempt, that Lunatic Wen had seduced the old Ghost Valley Master before killing him, had been his lover for years. But given how the previous master had ended up, Xie Wang suspected even hinting at that story would be poking Wen Kexing harder than he intended.
Wen Kexing’s face was hard and smooth as marble. “Do they say that? I’m flattered.”
“Sleep with me tonight,” Xie Wang said, “and I will release you. You can go deal with those traitor ghosts of yours however you want, even. I don’t particularly care.”
Wen Kexing’s eyes traveled over Xie Wang’s body. “You’re not so bad looking. Since it’s come down to this, very well. I accept your bargain.”
Xie Wang smiled.
He cut the ropes on Wen Kexing, and made some excuses about needing “supplies”, and hurried out of the room.
It had been quick thinking on his part, and he was really proud of it. Wen Kexing was indeed rumored to be a skilled lover, but he would have far too much pride, not to mention self preservation, to let himself be taken advantage of. Untied and left alone for a few minutes, it would be easy for him to slip out the window, or even right on out the door, as Xie Wang was more than a room away. Xie Wang politely lingered down the hall for several long minutes. He would have allowed a whole shichen, if he hadn’t been sure there were still ghosts watching the area. Unless Wen Kexing, after sneaking out, had killed any onlookers already.
Still grinning to himself, he practically skipped back to the bedroom and flung the door open.
To discover Wen Kexing still lying on his bed, now naked except for one inner robe.
“Well?” Wen Kexing raised his eyebrows. “I don’t see any supplies.”
Xie Wang stuttered. “Ah. Well. You see…”
In a flash, Wen Kexing was standing next to him, lips almost brushing his cheek. “I see. You’ve decided you don’t need any after all, hm? A bold choice on your part. Don’t worry—I’m very good. I won’t make it hurt at all, unless you want me to.”
Xie Wang struck at him, but Wen Kexing dodged. He grabbed Xie Wang by the back of the neck and flung him onto the bed, much harder than Xie Wang had dropped him there earlier. Then he was on top of Xie Wang, pulling his robes open.
Xie Wang said, “Wait—Wen Kexing—” He struck out again. This time Wen Kexing blocked him, and proceeded to hit an acupoint that blocked his internal energy. Fuck. It had been a long time since an opponent had gotten the better of him like this. It wasn’t even that Wen Kexing was ungodly fast (though he was, way too damn fast for someone who had been tied up and awkwardly immobile for the past several hours). Xie Wang was off kilter, and had been ever since first seeing Wen Kexing this evening.
“Now, baby,” Wen Kexing said with a leering smile. “I like it rough, but I don’t like it that rough.” He shoved Xie Wang’s robes open layer by layer. His belt was thrown to the side, his chest bared, and then his legs. Xie Wang kicked, and Wen Kexing caught his leg, then grabbed his hips and twisted him over on his stomach.
Xie Wang tried to push him off, but Wen Kexing was strong and heavy on his back. “Wen Kexing, you bastard! Get off me!”
Wen Kexing paused, looming over Xie Wang. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Isn’t this what you asked for? Or didn’t those rumors tell you? I always top. And I do well by my lovers—but they have to take it my way. That doesn’t appeal to you? Then why did you make the bargain in the first place?”
“I…” If Xie Wang admitted he’d just wanted Wen Kexing to get the hell out, he was going to have to explain a lot more than that.
Wen Kexing chuckled. “Bit off more than you can chew?” He ran a hand over Xie Wang’s cock, and Xie Wang realized belatedly that he was in fact aroused.
Well, that was normal, after all. This was Ghost Valley Master Wen, and he did have a reputation. And he was beautiful, and very strong, and barely clothed, pressing against Xie Wang’s back. And maybe when he hit Xie Wang’s accupoints, he did something. Who knew?
Of course, Xie Wang was loyal to his godfather. No one else interested him. But his godfather was too pure minded to like him that way—never would like him that way, even if he loved him dearly in a fatherly fashion. So… if Xie Wang were to get aroused by someone else, even if he were to do something, his godfather would never blame him.
And this was all for his godfather’s plans, after all. He had to prevent Wen Kexing from getting suspicious. Wasn’t it less suspicious if he really did lust for Wen Kexing? Surely much less suspicious. Surely.
“I was just surprised,” he said. “Chief Wen is really so forceful.”
“Do you like your lovers gentler?” Wen Kexing’s voice was very understanding. “Well, I can try…”
“No,” Xie Wang said. “Like this is fine.”
In truth, he had no real experience with what he liked in lovers. He’d never taken any.
But Wen Kexing clearly knew what he was doing.
A bite landed on his shoulder. His rumpled robes were tugged off him and tossed aside. Strong hands pushed him down on the bed, one pinning his shoulder and the other groping his ass, prying between the cheeks in places Xie Wang had never really thought about before. So intrusive—and yet, Xie Wang got the sense that Wen Kexing was just as interested in feeling up his shoulder as he was in his ass. He kept on biting there and squeezing, while the hand on his ass, even as it worked him open, was lazy, almost perfunctory. Strong, though, and not lenient when Xie Wang instinctively tried to squirm away.
Then, abruptly, Wen Kexing shoved in. Xie Wang let out a high noise. A squeal, really. Fuck, it was so undignified, but after all that, Wen Kexing had entered him with no real warning. It hurt, burned, stretched him way more than he’d been stretched so far. He squirmed again, but Wen Kexing pushed, and he felt a sharp pinpoint of pleasure. He hissed.
“There you go,” Wen Kexing said. “Now be good. Stop fighting me.”
He began to fuck Xie Wang in earnest, pounding in and out. Xie Wang moaned. He had great aim, that much could be said. He always hit that same place, always just right. But this was really too much. He almost came, and Wen Kexing grabbed his dick, slowed his pace, and stopped him.
“Not yet. After all, you have to make the most of our bargain,” Wen Kexing said. “The night is young, Xie Wang. Take it slow.”
Wen Kexing himself was clearly in no hurry.
Wen Kexing finally left around dawn. Xie Wang was left on the bed, a sore, bruised, and bitten mess. He had barely washed himself when the Impermanence Ghost came bursting in the door.
“You! Get out! What are you doing here?” Xie Wang was still pulling his robes on. He was tempted to also grab the Iron Hook and kill this asshole.
The Impermanence Ghost looked distressed. “Wen Kexing—he escaped?”
“You think you can storm in and demand answers from me?”
“That Lunatic Wen. Of course mere ropes couldn’t hold him. He must have been playing along to begin with.” The Impermanence Ghost’s eyes were wide. “You, he only bothered to play with. If it had been one of us, he would have killed us in an instant!”
Xie Wang probably should have argued against this version of events. The idea that Wen Kexing could forcibly take advantage of him, break free, fuck him all night against his will and then escape without Xie Wang stopping him—of course it was offensive. But on the other hand, if he said he’d bargained to release Wen Kexing, or, worse, that he’d wanted to free him to begin with, none of the ghosts were going to be too happy with him.
As it was… He stood up, wincing, and crossed his arms. “I took the risk of disposing of the Ghost Valley Master for you, and you didn’t even bother to secure him properly. Thanks to you, I could have died. Tell me, is there any reason I should have mercy on you?”
“Xie Wang, we are all very sorry. The others—when we realized he’d gotten loose, we were all very worried about you. We appreciate what you suffered for us, and we will do anything to make it up to you. We will certainly catch Wen Kexing again!”
“I think,” Xie Wang said, “you’d better not bother targeting Wen Kexing. Not until you actually know what to do with him. For now, let him go.” He winced again. Ahh… the Ghost Valley Master’s reputation did involve stamina, come to think of it. Maybe he should have asked Wen Kexing to be gentle after all, though that too was a bit frightening to imagine. His cock stirred limply at the thought, too exhausted to harden and yet intrigued by the idea.
He cleared his throat. “We’ll focus on our other plans for now.”
“Yes, sir. Although, it must be said, it is commendable that you dealt with Wen Kexing and are still alive. Even if he escaped, you still are more a match for him than any of us.”
“We’re done talking about this. Get out!”
The Impermanence Ghost scuttled out. And yet Xie Wang was left with the feeling that he might still call upon Xie Wang the next time he had a Wen Kexing problem. He could only hope that wouldn’t happen any time soon.