Fanfiction: Mo Yuan and Shao Wan - Chapter 48 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)

Chapter 48

written by MiniOrchid
edited by kakashi and Panda

NSFW

It was one of those rare nights when deep darkness engulfed Kunlun Mountains, with no visible moonlight finding its way through the thick blanket of clouds. The sound of thunder could be heard from afar, bringing with it the sweet promise of thunderstorms, to ease the heat of the summer night. The pleasant cool breeze and the refreshing, life-giving rain would soon bathe the surface, a reminder that even during difficult times, change could arrive at the most unexpected moments.



Deep within the west corner of Kunlun Mountain lay the wine cellar, hidden away behind a door reachable only through a small narrow path flanked by stone walls. She had never been here before and it was not a place she would ever have ventured to on her own. Cautiously, she climbed down the stone stairs into the low lit hall. The tunnel extended deeper into the cavern, with many individual caves appearing at both sides. Restlessly, she strolled further into the unknown depth. It was not the darkness of the night that bothered her - no, her uneasiness stemmed from the Phantom who hid himself away here. They had said he might be here, but they weren’t sure. She however could no longer wait - time was not on their side, it never had been.

Finally, she saw the moving flicker of yellow light at the end of the hall. She could feel a cool breeze as she approached. This room was marginally brighter than the rest with rows of large wine shelves in the center and with high open windows at the other end. This must be the wine tasting room - given away by the large amount of half opened bottles on the table, still fresh by the look of it. But where was he?

Her Phantom must had heard her approach because she soon found herself seized and pinned against the stone wall. She gasped as he pressed his hard steel body against hers. The smell of intoxicating wine filled her senses. She sputtered in protest as he bent his head and put his lips against her neck. His hot breath made her shudder and squirm and he began to trace his lips over her throbbing, delicate neck. Suddenly, the tip of his electrifying tongue tingled her burning flesh, and her body jolted in response as little tremors ran through her body, inflamed by the intimate contact. She soon struggled against the solid unrelenting body, but it only made him groan, and he held her even tighter.

“I can’t breathe…,” she gasped, just as the first flash of lightning filled the room.

Zi Lan stiffened at the sound of her voice, his grip loosened, but he did not let her go. He lifted his head away from her neck and rested his forehead against hers.

“Yan Zhi…” he said, breathing heavily.

“Let go...go…” she tried to disentangle herself.

“Don’t move!” he ordered. A flash of lightning brightened up the room once again. Fierce eyes captured hers, commanding words held her frozen. His breath was heavy, his body tense as he maintained control. Held hostage by his ominous, unspoken threats, she held back, but more for his sake than her own.

“Not yet...wait…,” his harsh demand was more like a request, a plea. She could see much clearer now, because the candlelight shone brighter: his dark pupils were surrounded by a golden glow. Her tiger...he was on his last thread.

Swallowing hard, his expression turned to confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” she replied.

“Why?”

“You...you’ve been avoiding me,” she answered unsteadily.

His dark eyes couldn’t refute her statement. She felt his breath quicken. The sound of summer rain arrived outside the windows, easing the tension in the air - but not theirs. He slid his hand around her neck and his fingers delved into her hair. The atmosphere vibrated with countless emotions: desperation, doubt...passion. But most of all, desire...she could almost taste it. She wanted to purr against his exquisite touch as her eyes caught his lips. They were within reach, she could almost taste the nectar she had continued to refuse as his scent filled her nostrils, wine, sweat and a hint of mint. But instead, they stood frozen and stillness took hold of their bodies as their lurid desires slowly subsided.

Suddenly, he released her and the room felt cold, empty...detached. Silence soon arrived and the room grew thick with unbearable tension. Only the sound of the heavy rain reverberated outside, as the cool breeze enveloped the cavern.

When he spoke, his voice was controlled and deliberate. “You have to leave,” he demanded hoarsely.

“I don’t want to.”

His expression darkened. “I’m not giving you a choice,” he growled angrily. His wrath was so strong, she almost took a step back.

But no...she couldn’t...Yan Zhi had never seen him angry before. Zi Lan had never shown her this side of him, his flaws, his weaknesses, his fears. Intrigued by the discovery, she took a step towards him and his body tensed at her approach. She was undeterred, moving closer still because the need to heal, to soothe, it overwhelmed her judgement. The predator acted instinctively, swiftly like before, his large imposing body moving towards her like a tiger. She was forced to retreat until her back hit the stone wall behind her. Zi Lan braced his hands on both sides, imprisoning her with his powerful masculine form, his threatening eyes locked onto hers.

“Aren’t you afraid?” he whispered, his voice gentle, seductive, but carrying a warning nonetheless. The sound of the thunder and heavy rain resonated with their breaths, quickened by the awareness of their stirring passion, still unappeased to this day.

Her head shook. “No,” she answered stubbornly.

“You should be afraid,” came his ragged growl - before he crushed her lips with his own. Startled, she jerked. It was not gentle, but harsh, even forceful as he laid claim to her. She instinctively fought against his grip, but to no avail. His furious lips continued to devour hers, demanding...forcing her lips apart as he drove his tongue in. Turning away in an attempt to escape his brutal assault brought no relief, he moved with her, angling his head, and, more intimately than before, ravished her like he was going to consume her. She whimpered as her heart hammered so loudly it was a deafening roar. Her body trembled and she got light-headed because she forgot to breathe from his aggressive attack, but he caught her as her knees gave way. When Zi Lan pulled back, she saw the raw emotions in his eyes: regret, longing, anguish, and his silent plea.

Yan Zhi understood, but she couldn’t do what he asked. “You can’t scare me.”

“I’m not going to stop,” he warned with a husky ragged voice as the brightness of lightning filled the room again.

Her hands gently held his face, to ease the pain within him. His yearning, his need, his hunger, how much had he suffered in silence.

“Then don’t stop,” she told him.

Startled by her words, Zi Lan tried to pull back, but she wouldn’t let him. Her hand gripped his neck as she forced his head down to hers, capturing his lips. He told her before, only she could vanquish his demons with her touch. She would not let him hide from her, nor would she allow him to escape, not tonight, no matter how selfish her actions might be.

****

Zi Lan tried, desperately, to maintain his sanity...his honor, but he had lost the battle as soon as she captured his lips. He struggled against her hold, but she wouldn’t let him go, relentless, persistent…and forever constant in her determination. Escape was no longer feasible when his Queen put her mind to it. Though intoxicated, he was not drunk. His mind demanded him to pull back, but how could he when she pressed her body against him, invitingly…willingly? His rationale slipped away. Excitement took hold as his pulse quickened and adrenaline rushed through his body. He had wanted this...no...needed this. He had craved her from the moment they met. But he had been patient, waiting and longing for the day she would desire him again. Was this reality? Or was he dreaming again?

No, this was real. He knew from her reassuring touch as she turned aggressive and began to pull at his clothes. He was so enthralled by her caresses and kisses, he hadn’t even realized she had already taken his outer garment off. Again, he had let his Queen do all the work, callous rogue that he was. The thought made him laugh against her passionate lips, when she had stripped away his second robe. He captured her wrists and held them over her head as he smiled at her confused look.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He chuckled at her expression. “I thought I’ll be the one to ravish you, but you’re already ahead of me.”

“Because you’re too slow,” she scowled.

His smiling lips moved to her ears, he could feel her pulse quicken. “Yan Zhi….I want to savor you slowly. You already won the battle. Let me please you...”

“No.”

“Why?” he turned his head to face her.

Her expression was authoritative. “If you want to please, then put more effort into it,” came the teasing yet wicked answer.

His initial intention was to be gentle, but his Queen’s command awoke his primal instincts. Shocked but excited by her taunt, Zi Lan impulsively smothered her lips, devouring, tasting, and consuming her until she was out of breath. He removed her belt and began to strip her quickly, with her clawing at his clothes and skin simultaneously. Layer by layer, the garments fell to their feet. His mouth went dry at the sight of her exposed, glowing skin that he couldn’t wait to ravish. Their bodies met in a full length caress, melting together in fiery passion. He thrust his legs between hers, intimately locked, teasing her, but she squeezed her thighs against his in return. Smiling at her invitation, without pausing from his kiss, he lifted her up, with her legs wrapped around his waist.

Zi Lan gently placed her on the heavy shelf that held the large wine containers as she continued to feast on him, like he was a sacrifice to be devoured. One of his hands glided from her waist to her breast, his thumb caressed the hardened nub, making her quiver. She retaliated by biting his neck, his excitement further increasing when she traced her tongue over his burning flesh. She was on fire, and so was he. But he wanted more, more of her softness, her passion, her desire. But most importantly, he wanted to please her. Effort, she had said?

Abruptly, he stopped his embrace, her eyes narrowing at his action. Yes...the fierce blue fiery gems that continued to entice him. Smiling as he kneeled before her, he lifted her delicate thighs over his shoulders. Her body tensed, not because of shyness, but because she knew a challenge when it appeared. His Queen accepted it gracefully...like she had planned it all along, her eyes continued to command him. But it didn't matter because pleasing her was his goal. Battle or not, he would bring her pleasure.

Zi Lan breathed in her scent, absorbing the fragrance that was as life serving as mortal air itself. He began to nibble and lick on her inner thigh, tempting the exquisite flesh, which begged for his touch. When his mouth nudged the swollen folds of her sex, her body shuddered and quivered, her hands holding the shelf as her body arched in response. His tongue teasingly stroked the aching nub, making her clench, her moans music to his ears. Her folds moved against his mouth as her hips partially slipped off the shelf. She hung on, hands still holding the edge, while his hand slipped underneath her, guiding her rhythmically against his mouth as his tongue flirted with her swollen core. Her gasps and moans set his blood on fire. Wicked as he was, he did not allow her even a moment to pause. He was relentless with his assault as he continued to stroke and torment her twitching wet folds and her sensitive peak, until she cried out, her body shuddering with rapture. His mouth continued to draw every ripple of ecstasy from her body, until her weary flesh was emptied from the waves of sensation.

Pushing her hips back onto the shelf, he stood up and pulled her into a wet succulent kiss. He was ready, and so was she as they quivered from what was about to come. Her hand stroked and played with the tip of his shaft and it moistened with her touch. He gasped as she encircled her fingers over the sensitive head and his member became painfully engorged in her hands. Impatiently, he caught her wrists and placed them on the shelf above her head.

Their warring eyes locked, both refused to surrender, to submit, though the inevitable was what they both desired. He pulled her hips to the edge of the shelf, moving between her thighs. “Yan Zhi…,” he told her raspily. “Don’t let go.”

He pressed into her entrance with one swift move, pushing through her tightness towards her core. She cried out, her muscles instinctively grasped at the invasive but relentless intrusion to accommodate him. She was tight, too tight...but she did not release her grip. Her gaze was unrelenting, unyielding as primal craving took over their sanity. He withdrew momentarily, but plunged deeper, and he relished the sound of her incoherent gasp. He kissed her again, their lips mated. Hot... heavy...with the flexing of his hips, he entered swiftly and fully into her, catching her startled moan against his lips. He held her close. He told himself he was giving her time to adjust to him, but that was a lie. He didn’t want to to wait, he wanted to take her fast and hard. He wanted her to moan his name repeatedly until she couldn’t cry it anymore.

Yan Zhi still held the edge of the shelf above her, her thighs against his hips. Their gaze locked passionately, he slid into her slowly and withdrew with the same slow pace, then he slammed into her core making her gasp and withdrew quickly. He then slipped into her entrance again, with the same slow, exquisite pace as before, withdrew slowly...and slowly entered...slowly pulled out, making her body shudder. Without warning, he thrust into her with two quick moves next, making her jump and cry in surprise.

Eyes still locked, he paced himself as he entered with three steady patient thrusts, then slammed into her with three quick strokes. Her body trembled from the force, her hands clenched the shelf above her. When dazed eyes narrowed at him, he gave her his devilish smile, earning a threatening expression in return. But it wasn’t just threats, it was mad yearning, vexation, and the realization that he had taken her challenge, and he didn’t take it lightly. He entered her body again, with leisurely patience as before, until the fourth count. He could hear her heart pounding, and he knew the moment she became aware of his torturous intentions. He must be a cruel man, he thought, because he smiled wickedly at her frustration and distress. Ruthlessly, he thrust hard into her entrance four straight consecutive times, her body shook, her breath caught, but she held on. His Queen wouldn’t beg, and he relished her perseverance.

Her unfaltering eyes further inflamed his passion….again, he repeated the cycle. Slow followed by quick thrusts, again and again, increasing upon each count. The tortuous pattern he had created not only made her tremble and shudder in ecstasy, but his own body began to lose control. The slow pace made them both quiver, their bodies begging for more, while his continuous fast thrusts shook her tight slippery core, clouding both their senses.

He lost counts of the number of cycles he had concluded, but at some point, her body continued to shudder, and she took him with her when her muscles grasped his shaft. As waves of ecstasy refused to subside, he thrust into her as many times as it took. As rapture of surging bliss consumed her body, she could no longer held onto the shelf above. He caught her before she fell backward, capturing her cries against his moan. Pressing her against his chest, her nails dug into his back as their bodies trembled, tensed, and shook and he spilled his warm essence deeply inside her.

A mixture of emotions overwhelmed, engulfed….nearly suffocated their vulnerable spirits. Their sweaty, trembling bodies clung to each other in a protective embrace as they caught their breaths. Zi Lan pulled back and brushed her wet loose hair away from her flushed face. Her warm smile once again captured his soul. Tenderly, he carried her off the shelf, her arms draped over his shoulders intimately. He gently placed her on the soft seating area. He was about to lay her down, but her delicate but strong thighs tightened around his hip, and with one swift move, she changed their position, with her pinning him down.

“Yan Zhi…” came his ragged heavy voice. Surprised but enthralled, he could only look on, enjoying her irresistible body glowing above him in the flickering candle light.

She smiled brightly and he saw a hint of the mischievous side he had missed so much. He wanted to capture her expression that very moment, so he tried to sit up to embrace her again, but her hand grabbed his neck and forced him back down. He couldn’t rise without her tightening her hold on his throat. Yan Zhi leaned forward to captured his lips and his mouth welcomed hers. She was his whole world, strong, unyielding, even when she teasingly bit him. He loved that, he wanted to be devoured if she should choose to mark him. But she rewarded him instead, the tip of her tongue licking his wounded flesh. He moaned against her lips, his hand raising to touch her, but she grabbed his wrist, and pressed it down on the mat.

Playfully, she nipped on his chin, her other hand still tight on his neck. Her firm gaze continued to dance with merriment. “Don’t move,” she ordered. Understanding dawned and he lay still at her command.

A triumphant gleam entered her eyes. Releasing her hold on his throat when she saw his compliance, she moved to his neck and inhaled his scent. Her breath made him shiver as Yan Zhi continued to trail feather-like kisses on his body. He knew her tender touch was just a ploy. She would punish him soon enough. As if on cue, he grunted when her teeth clenched down on his shoulder, with her tongue laving soothingly over his sensitive flesh shortly after. He wondered how much she would mark him until she was satisfied. When she ground her pelvis against him, the drive to take back control nearly overpowered his senses.

But he couldn’t...he wouldn’t. His Queen’s need, her desire, her command would not be thwarted. It was time for him to pay the price, though his punishment may be more than he deserved.

****

Flashback with 4th Disciple

“After Shifu’s return, Zi Lan exiled himself to the Sea of Innocence,” 4th Disciple paused, followed by a sigh before he continued, “as self punishment for creating the forbidden elixir.”

“Exiled…but I don’t understand,” her head shook at the knowledge, “he was here when I came with Qiao Er 3 years later.”

“3 years?” He asked, perplexed by her statement, but his eyes widened in understanding shortly after. “Then you must have caught him when he came back informing Shifu of the Crown Prince’s awakening. He stayed a short period before his return to the Sea of Innocence.”

But he’s back now…

“How long was he at the Sea of Innocence?”

“Until Si Yin’s wedding with the Crown Prince 200 years later. Shifu found out the reason behind 16th’s self-exile and pardoned his actions.”

200 years…

“His cultivation…how much did Zi Lan lose?” she asked unevenly.

“He never disclosed it to us, but from what we could tell, 16th must have used at least half for the elixir.”

“Half?” she whispered as her throat clenched.

“Yes...half. But Zi Lan has been cultivating extensively in order to recover it,” 4th disciple said reassuringly.

“He fought the assassins with just half?!”

“Princess, please don’t be distressed. Zi Lan has regained much more since his return. Shifu trained 16th himself. The God of War did not let cultivation play a role in his rigorous training and Zi Lan is persistent and headstrong. His efforts paid off because of his tenacity, his martial arts may have already surpassed ours, his seniors’.”

Her eyes closed as she reflected upon the secrets he had kept. “He never told me…” came the hoarse whisper.

“No, he wouldn’t.” 4th Disciple shook his head, he gave a wary smiled. “When Shifu and 17th went missing, he alone took on the responsibility of searching for them. As his seniors, we have failed to watch over him. But, that’s our 16th, who will carry the weight and burden of those he cares for on his own. Silently...even to this day.”

****

Present time…

Sitting up against the stone wall, lightly clothed in her undergarments, Yan Zhi gazed at the dark sky outside. The thunderstorm had passed as quickly as it had arrived. The sky had cleared, with only a half crescent moon lighting the dark cellar. The candles had burnt out, allowing darkness to descend upon them. The only sound now was the breeze of Kunlun Mountain and the whispering of waterfalls in the distance. Zi Lan was asleep peacefully with his head on her lap, her hand tenderly stroking the side of his neck, as if to chase away any nightmares that may appear.

She pulled up the blanket to cover his shoulders, the one he had conjured for them, moments before he pulled her close. With her wrapped gently in his arms, he soon fell asleep, as though all his worries had slipped away.

She didn’t want this night to end. She was selfish once again.

As she continued to sooth and caress him with her touch, her thoughts turned to their past and their uncertain future.

I understand now. That day...you had to let me go. You didn’t want me to know about your return to the Sea of Innocence. For hundreds of years you have punished yourself...for opening your heart to the daughter of your enemy.

Pausing in mid-caress, she smiled through her unshed tears. “As much as you tried to pretend, you have never changed.”

My hero, my rogue…my foolish noble love.

“How much have you suffered because of me?”

Gently, yet determined, she eased Zi Lan off her lap, her body still aching and sore from their intimacy. Quietly and unwavering, she dressed herself, ignoring the lump in her throat. Once done, she kneeled next to Zi Lan, who was still soundly asleep. With the back of her hand she gently caressed his face, extremely startled when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

“Yan Zhi…” he murmured in his sleep, unconsciously tightening his hold. Her breath caught at his action.

Gathering her courage as her heart continued to ache, she slid off the jasmine hairpin from her braids and slipped it into the hand that held hers.

“Don’t come for me,” she whispered into his ears before slipping away, into the darkness of the night.

Chapter 49