Raising Wolves CHAPTER 15

 

 Raising wolves  

 Chapter 15

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

   Chapter 15

Another rain shower extinguished the lingering燥闷 (stifling heat), enveloping the entire capital in a misty drizzle.

Raindrops pattered on the eaves, and the air carried the damp scent of earth. The streets were nearly empty.

Summer had arrived unusually early in the capital this year. The gatekeeper yawned, figuring no one would come at this hour, and retreated inside for a nap.

The moment he lay down, three unhurried knocks sounded at the door.

Grumbling, the gatekeeper hauled himself up and opened the door—only to freeze.

Outside stood a tall, slender youth, with someone beside him holding up an umbrella on tiptoe. Several saber-bearing guards followed behind.

Despite the heavy rain, the young man appeared utterly unruffled, his black robes immaculate as he glanced down coolly.

His face was strikingly handsome, with finely sculpted lips pressed into a thin line. His deep, cold eyes exuded an air of aloof nobility.

Recognizing that face, the gatekeeper’s legs gave way: "Your Majes—"

"Negligent in duty. Expel him from the Lu residence."

Without sparing another glance, the youth took the umbrella and strode inside. Servants along the way bowed, but he waved them off, signaling silence as he navigated the moon gates and垂花门 (ornamental gates) with practiced ease, entering the inner courtyard.

Approaching the western chamber, his footsteps softened further. He pushed the door open gently.

Rainwater cascaded from the eaves, forming a translucent curtain. Inside, a figure in pale blue robes lounged lazily beneath the overhang, a book in hand, his gaze fixed on the pages. A plate of grapes sat beside him, their juice staining his pale fingers as he toyed with one before finally bringing it to his lips.

Hearing the door, he didn’t look up: "Leave lunch for later. I’m not hungry."

Ning Juan smiled.

Stepping forward silently, he bent down and abruptly scooped the man into his arms, whispering in his ear: "Huai Xue."

As expected, he didn’t startle him.

Lu Qingze merely paused briefly, not even missing a breath, and popped another grape into his mouth. He raised an eyebrow: "Little rascal, daring to call your teacher by his courtesy name now?"

Lu Qingze had no elders, so Grand Secretary Feng had given him his courtesy name upon his capping ceremony.

Ning Juan carried him steadily to the daybed by the window, ignoring the question: "The floor is cold. Does Chen Xiaodao just let you lie there like that?"

His tone was icy.

Lu Qingze wanted to spit out the grape skin before replying, but Ning Juan held out his hand, offering to take it.

The exalted emperor didn’t seem to find this the least bit beneath him—his eyes even sparkled like an eager puppy wagging its tail.

Lu Qingze: "..."

Such filial piety wasn’t necessary.

After a brief standoff, Lu Qingze chewed and swallowed the skin, then nodded at the floor: "There’s a mat."

Ning Juan’s expression remained stern.

Over the past few years, he had tried every possible way to carefully nurture Lu Qingze's health—rare tonics, medicinal soups, and dietary supplements—finally achieving some results, no longer as frail as before.

But he was still like a delicate, fragile paper lantern, liable to break at the slightest exposure to wind or rain.

Ning Juan sidled up to Lu Qingze and sat down, resting his chin familiarly on his shoulder. "If you're feeling hot, Teacher, I’ll have Changshun bring more ice."

The boy was no longer the tiny little thing he used to be, small enough to curl up in his arms and be completely enveloped.

Over the years, Ning Guoguo had grown splendidly and was now as tall as him.

In a few more years, Lu Qingze would probably have to look up at him.

Such a little bean sprout, growing so fast.

Lu Qingze sighed inwardly, shooting him a glance. "Aren’t you embarrassed, clinging to me like this at your age?"

Though his words said one thing, he didn’t push him away.

It was now the fifth year of the Shengyuan era. He had watched the once scrawny child grow into this handsome, graceful young man.

A solitary wanderer in a foreign world, his heart adrift like duckweed, Lu Qingze had come to regard Ning Juan as half son and half younger brother.

The little brat was clingy, but it gave him a sense of accomplishment—successfully raising a child.

Of course, Ning Juan wasn’t embarrassed. He lowered his eyelids and pulled Lu Qingze even closer into his embrace.

The cool fragrance of plum blossoms mixed with the bitter scent of medicine wafted past his nose—a familiar and comforting aroma.

Ning Juan buried his face in the crook of Lu Qingze’s neck, inhaling deeply with relish. A deep, tangled attachment flickered in his eyes, and he almost wanted to fall asleep just like this when an untimely interruption came from outside: "Young Master, I heard from the servants that His Majesty is here. Should lunch be brought here, or will you move to the dining hall?"

Chen Xiaodao peeked out from behind the screen. Though he was used to how clingy Ning Juan could be, the sight of the young emperor almost enveloping Lu Qingze still made his scalp tingle.

Lu Qingze thought for a moment. "Bring it here."

Chen Xiaodao mused to himself that His Majesty really was like a little wife… No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than he met Ning Juan’s gaze as the latter silently raised his head.

Those eyes were dark and profound, cold as frost and snow.

The moment their eyes met, Chen Xiaodao shuddered and quickly averted his gaze, scurrying away like a rat.

Lu Qingze didn’t notice anything amiss and casually patted Ning Juan’s head. "What brings you here today?"

Ning Juan looked up mournfully. "Teacher refuses to visit me in the palace, so I had to come see you instead—and now you’re disliking me like this..."

That handsome face wore an expression of grievance, his eyelashes even seeming to glisten with moisture, making anyone who saw it feel terribly guilty.

The older the little brat got, the more his skill at acting spoiled and pitiful grew.

Lu Qingze felt a headache coming on. "Who’s disliking you? Don’t I go to the palace every few days to lecture you?"

Over the years, while lying low and biding his time, his health simply couldn’t withstand much strain. He had taken on a nominal official post to recuperate, spending most of his time accompanying the child.

Ning Juan was dissatisfied. "But I want to see you every day."

"Aren’t you tired of it? I am." Lu Qingze lazily flicked his forehead. "Move aside, it’s time to eat."

Ning Juan couldn’t bear to hear such words and glared indignantly at Lu Qingze’s back.

After sitting there for a while and realizing Lu Qingze had no intention of turning around to coax him, he picked up his shattered heart, tearfully trailing after him.

Lately, the weather had been unbearably hot, so the kitchen prepared light, refreshing dishes that were easy to eat—the chefs at Lu Residence had been poached by Ning Juan’s orders from renowned restaurants, skilled in making medicinal cuisine.

The two sat across from each other, and Lu Qingze didn’t adhere to the rule of silence during meals. "You still haven’t said—why the sudden visit? Did something happen in the palace?"

At the mention of this, Ning Juan’s expression darkened, a cold smile playing at his lips. "Grand Tutor Xu finished his lecture today and urged me to quickly select an empress. He might as well have written ‘I have a granddaughter of marriageable age’ on his forehead."

He paused, then looked at Lu Qingze, his voice lowering. "Will you urge me too, Teacher?"

Ning Juan’s seventeenth birthday was approaching. For past emperors, the latest they married was at sixteen, so the ministers were pressing him hard.

Lu Qingze’s face showed clear disapproval. "Of course not."

The corners of Ning Juan’s lips lifted, a cheerful light just beginning to shine in his eyes, when Lu Qingze added seriously, "You’re still young, your growth isn’t complete. We’ll talk about it in a few years."

In modern terms, Ning Juan would still be a high school sophomore—just a kid.

Others might be beyond his control, but as his student, Lu Qingze couldn’t accept him marrying and having children so early.

He was still a child himself.

Ning Juan: "..."

What did he mean by "growth isn’t complete"?

He was perfectly complete!

Last night… he’d even had a dream.

A sticky, humid, chaotic dream.

The face of the person in the dream was blurry, but he remembered they were very pale, lying on the bed, looking exceptionally beautiful. The strange sensation had seeped from his body into his soul, and even now, the memory made his ears burn.

But this wasn’t something Ning Juan felt comfortable discussing with Lu Qingze.

Lu Qingze was like a celestial being under the moonlight—gentle yet aloof, standing apart from the mundane world, calmly observing the mortal realm without being tainted by its dust.

Those unspeakable things felt like a profanity in his presence.

Especially after the incident with Prince Ning Cong of Shu, it seemed that merely mentioning such things would be a defilement to Lu Qingze.

Ning Juan swallowed his words, his gaze inadvertently falling on the collar of the person across from him.

Perhaps because of the heat, the collar was loosely open, revealing a snow-white, slender neck with a distinct Adam’s apple that bobbed with each swallow.

For some reason, it was hard to look away.

Ning Juan’s ears burned, and he suddenly couldn’t bear to look any longer, lowering his head to shovel rice into his mouth.

The young man’s reaction wasn’t lost on Lu Qingze, who stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Was his kid really that innocent?

Just a comment about growth had made him blush.

Could it be that the reason the original tyrant kept away from women wasn’t because he was emotionless, but because he was too shy?

Tsk tsk, so he was a pure-hearted tyrant.

Since it didn’t concern him, Lu Qingze cheerfully added food to Ning Juan’s bowl. "Here, eat more."

After the meal, Lu Qingze wanted to take Ning Juan to the study to review his lessons, but Ning Juan stood up and suddenly hissed in pain, furrowing his brows.

Lu Qingze paused. "What’s wrong?"

Ning Juan glanced at his knees and said softly, "It hurts."

It didn’t actually hurt much—when he fell off a horse during archery practice with Zheng Yao, he wouldn’t even blink.

But in front of Lu Qingze, it had to hurt a lot.

Lu Qingze crouched down and rubbed his knees. "Growing pains, right? Didn’t I tell you to summon the imperial physician to massage them for you?"

Ning Juan showed a hint of distaste. "I don’t want them touching me."

This child was getting more and more stubborn as he grew.

Lu Qingze sighed and pointed to the daybed. "Sit up there."

Then he stood and walked to the door.

Chen Xiaodao was probably off eating. Outside stood a few tall servants who bowed respectfully at Lu Qingze’s approach. "What does the elder need?"

Because of Lu Qingze’s Schrödinger's scar, other servants at Lu Residence only worked in the outer courtyard. Apart from Chen Xiaodao, the inner courtyard was staffed by people Ning Juan had sent.

These men were exceptionally agile and efficient—likely handpicked from the imperial guards.

Lu Qingze said politely, "Could you fetch a basin of hot water and two towels, please?"

Ning Juan obediently sat on the daybed, craning his neck to see what Lu Qingze was doing beyond the screen. When he saw him return with a basin of hot water, he was about to speak when Lu Qingze’s lips—pale red, top and bottom—parted: "Take off your pants."

The young emperor’s pupils trembled violently. He clutched the waistband of his pants, his lips quivering. "T-Teacher?"

Lu Qingze raised an eyebrow. "If you don’t take them off, should I do it for you? I won’t be gentle."

With that, he reached for the hem of his robe, only to notice that the lower part of his clothes was slightly damp—probably from rushing over in the rain.

Worried he might catch a cold, Lu Qingze turned back to the door and instructed the servants to fetch a change of clothes and prepare some ginger tea.

Ning Juan’s ears turned so red they seemed to drip blood. After much hesitation, he quietly took off his pants while Lu Qingze was gone.

When Lu Qingze returned, he knelt and lifted the hem of Ning Juan’s robe, revealing two slender, well-defined legs. He patted them approvingly. "You’ve been training well."

Ning Juan stiffened, gripping the small blanket on the daybed. "..."

Lu Qingze stopped at the knees.

Then he rolled up his sleeves, wrung out two hot towels, and placed them on Ning Juan’s legs.

The warmth drove away the chill, seeping through his skin into his bones, then into his blood vessels, flowing all the way to his heart until his whole body felt warm and cozy.

Only then did Ning Juan’s frantic heart settle. He stared blankly at Lu Qingze’s lowered, beautiful eyes.

Those familiar, slender fingers pressed down, massaging the sore spots through the towels. "If you don’t want the imperial physician touching you, have Changshun massage them like this occasionally. It’ll help."

When no response came after a while, Lu Qingze glanced up, his amber eyes warm and steady. "What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

Ning Juan was silent for a moment before murmuring, "Teacher, you’re so good to me."

Lu Qingze chuckled softly. "Obviously."

Then he lifted the now-cooling towels and placed his hands directly on the young man’s legs.

His cool fingertips touched Ning Juan’s skin, but to Ning Juan, those hands felt scalding hot, so much so that he instinctively flinched.

Lu Qingze held his leg in place, puzzled. "What, am I pressing too hard?"

Ning Juan didn’t understand what was happening to him. His heart pounded wildly, and he averted his eyes in panic. "N-No."

Author’s Note:

Ning Guoguo: I’m perfectly developed, everyone knows that a high school boy’s [ ] is harder than diamonds!

Lu Qingze: ?

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