ICAWZ Chapter 124

Returning to this place once again, everything still appeared familiar as it did at first.

Xu Cenfeng ascended to the second floor, slowly pushing open the door. The lingering smell of blood in the air had not yet dissipated. The balcony’s heavy curtains were partly drawn, allowing sunlight to compete through the remaining gaps. A slanted beam of light fell across the foot of the bed, while the remaining corners were greedily consumed by shadows.

Faeus had already fallen into a deep slumber, his once flesh-and-blood wrist hanging quietly over the edge of the bed. The fresh blood had long dried up, forming a shocking scab that caught the eye.

He had always been formidable, especially as a northern female zerg. Now, however, he appeared weak as if a gust of wind could dissipate him into nothingness—a stark contrast to the spirited and prickly figure in memory.

Xu Cenfeng was taken aback at the sight. He seemed afraid of disturbing something, so he approached the bed with light steps, slowly crouching down to gaze at Faeus’ gaunt face. Then, he gently took hold of Faeus’ injured hand.

The touch was cold, roughened by years of holding guns, and carried a faint sweet scent of blood,

but it was a hundred times more real than in his dreams.

Xu Cenfeng bowed his head silently, tears welling up slowly in his eyes. He closed his eyes and pressed Faeus’ hand against his own face, then gripped it tightly, hot tears streaming through his fingers, leaving damp traces behind.

He didn’t understand why he was crying.

He only knew that the sour sensation spread from his nostrils to his chest, pulling at a dense cluster of stabs that couldn’t be suppressed.

After Xu Cenfeng jumped off the cliff in the snowstorm, he opened his eyes again deep in the Solitiam Forest. He didn’t know the years, the direction, or even if Faeus was still alive. Like a wandering soul, he walked for a long, long time, finally returning to Hossburgh.

The gods finally heard his prayers and brought him back.

Faeus’ mental strength was damaged to the point that he didn’t even notice a human man tightly gripping his hand. In a daze, he caught a familiar pheromone scent, and the mental calm he had just managed to achieve was suddenly agitated again, like boiling water.

“Ugh…”

Faeus unconsciously furrowed his brow, emitting a painful grunt. He felt a dense, needle-like prickling sensation in his brain once again, as if a sharp knife were stirring inside, causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead.

He writhed in pain, his consciousness clouded, curling up in discomfort, and began murmuring softly that name: “Xu Cenfeng…”

Xu Cenfeng was taken aback.

Faeus’ forehead veins bulged, and he began to thrash violently on the bed. His voice was hoarse and fragmented, filled with intense pain, and when he shouted those two words, there was even a hint of delusional resentment:

“Xu Cenfeng…”

“Xu Cenfeng…”

Through gritted teeth, tears streaming down his face, Faeus seemed torn between agony and hatred.

Xu Cenfeng belatedly realized these were Faeus’ murmurs in his sleep. He pulled the northern female zerg close from behind, silently emitting pheromones to calm the restless spirit. His voice was low and reassuring: “Shh, I’m here.”

Xu Cenfeng gently traced Faeus’ abdomen through a thin layer of shirt, noticing an unexpected softness and resilience. Whether he realized something or not, his eyes softened momentarily like gentle water. He then laid Faeus flat on the bed and kissed down along Faeus’ lips, finally settling on his abdomen.

Faeus was overwhelmed by the intensity of pheromones, leaving him dizzy and entranced. His body seemed more sensitive and eager than before, unconsciously clutching Xu Cenfeng’s shoulders, his breathing growing heavier.

The pheromones filled the room like a clear spring flowing through a deep mountain valley, slowly nourishing the parched and cracked soil, bringing a long-awaited comfort.

Faeus blinked groggily, struggling to focus and see clearly who was pressing against him. However, he couldn’t manage to focus, only making out the dark strands of hair and fair skin of the zerg above him.

Is it Xu Cenfeng?

But how could Xu Cenfeng be here…

It must be a dream…

Faeus had almost forgotten how long it had been since he last dreamt of Xu Cenfeng. The male zerg had departed so cleanly, leaving no trace behind, never appearing in Faeus’ dreams.

Yet the sensation of marking was so vivid, so real that Faeus could feel Xu Cenfeng’s gentle kisses, every inch of skin’s warmth, even the tickle of hair brushing against his ear was unmistakable.

Faeus’ shirt buttons were already halfway undone, revealing his robust, bronzed chest fluctuating in the shadows. He had already conceived Xu Cenfeng’s bloodline, and perhaps in a while, his body would undergo more noticeable changes—swelling, becoming more uncomfortable.

Stimulated by pheromones, Faeus’ jaw trembled. Xu Cenfeng, fearing he might bite his tongue, used his fingertips to pry open Faeus’ lips, only to be fiercely bitten the next moment. The sharp pain made him involuntarily draw in a breath, his brow furrowing slightly, yet he made no move to stop.

Xu Cenfeng waited patiently, letting Faeus bite as much as he needed. Slowly withdrawing his fingertips, he then leaned down and kissed Faeus, their lips and tongues intertwining in a mix of rusty sweetness.

Faeus, perhaps due to the illusion of the “dream”, completely abandoned resistance. He tightly wrapped his arms around Xu Cenfeng’s neck and kissed back passionately, though with a hint of awkwardness and youthfulness.

“Xu Cenfeng…”

Hot, salty tears streamed down Faeus’ cheeks. His voice trembled, choked with emotion, rendering him momentarily speechless. Xu Cenfeng leaned closer to listen, faintly making out a few fragmented words:

“I’ve been…”

“I’ve been waiting for you to come back…”

The simple words pierced deep into their hearts.

Upon hearing this, Xu Cenfeng closed his eyes, his throat tightening with emotion, unable to speak for a long while. He held Faeus tightly, kissing away the tears at the corner of his eyes, and whispered, “I’m back, and I’m not leaving again.”

Never leaving again.

But Faeus murmured softly, “No, you’re lying to me…”

He knew Xu Cenfeng had always wanted to escape. How could he possibly come back?

Little did Faeus know, Xu Cenfeng had been waiting for him to learn to let go. Only when Faeus learned to let go could this relationship escape the lingering thorn of “coercion” in their hearts.

“Shh, I’m not lying to you. I won’t lie to you again in the future.”

Xu Cenfeng held Faeus’ waist tightly, using all his lingering techniques on him. They had never kissed like this before, never embraced like this. Faeus became increasingly convinced that this was a dream.

Don’t wake up…

Let it be like this…

Faeus even wished to die in this dream, rather than on some distant, icy battlefield. He clung tightly to Xu Cenfeng’s neck, burying his face in his shoulder. The more he cherished this embrace, the less willing he was to let go.

Xu Cenfeng took a long time to finish marking. He leaned down and gently kissed the zerg markings on Faeus’ nape, whispering softly, “Be good, let go.”

He wanted to tend to Faeus’ wounds.

Faeus frowned at his words, tightening his grip even more instead of letting go.

Xu Cenfeng had no choice but to hold Faeus close in his arms. Maintaining that position, he freed one hand to open the bedside drawer, skillfully retrieving a small medical kit. With some effort, he gently pulled Faeus’ hand towards him, lowering his gaze to tend to the wounds.

For a female zerg, psychic turmoil was a lifelong adversary. The higher their mental level, the more painful the episodes, especially during pregnancy, when they tended to be more volatile.

Faeus had many old scars on his wrists. He refused to erase the marks Xu Cenfeng left on him, so each time, Faeus had to use shackles to secure his limbs. The old wounds didn’t heal, and new ones were added.

Xu Cenfeng wiped away the blood around the wounds with a disinfectant cotton pad, applied some ointment, and then covered them with gauze and waterproof film to prevent them from getting wet during baths.

After finishing everything, Xu Cenfeng lifted Faeus from the bed and walked him to the bathroom.

Both of them were sweaty, sticky, and ambiguous. Finally finding some relief soaking together in the hot tub, their chaotic minds slowly began to clear up.

Faeus struggled to open his eyes and found himself lying in Xu Cenfeng’s arms. Xu Cenfeng was earnestly searching for shower gel amidst a haze of steam, diligently lathering foam to wash Faeus’ body.

“…”

Faeus was momentarily stunned. He instinctively released his grip from around Xu Cenfeng’s neck, recoiling in shock from the water, briefly questioning if he was experiencing a hallucination.

How could Xu Cenfeng be here?! Wasn’t he long gone from the Solitiam Forest ages ago?!

Xu Cenfeng had been earnestly lathering foam, but he suddenly noticed Faeus retreating to the other side of the bath, staring at him with uncertainty. He subconsciously lifted his gaze and stopped his hand mid-motion.

His hand gently sank into the water, the white foam floating on the surface before quickly dissolving and dispersing in the opposite direction.

He appeared so vividly and real before him.

Faeus, seeing this, clenched his fists silently, the force turning his knuckles pale with strain. Trembling, he reached up to touch the back of his neck and discovered, unsurprisingly, that the burning zerg markings were gradually returning to normal. His eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth, demanding, “Who allowed you to come back?!”

He had finally mustered the resolve to let Xu Cenfeng go, watching him cunningly shake him off and disappear into the depths of the forest, never once looking back… Never once looking back…

He wanted freedom, and Faeus had cruelly given him that freedom. Why did he suddenly come back?

Faeus’ eyes were red as if they might bleed, but instead, scalding tears rolled down his cheeks one after another. He glared fiercely at Xu Cenfeng, his expression filled with animosity, as if confronting an enemy. “Who allowed you to come back?!”

Xu Cenfeng remained silent.

Faeus stepped back, his face dark and intense, but it was unclear whom he was directing his anger towards.

“Get out!”

“Hurry up and leave!”

He seemed to be driving Xu Cenfeng away, but in the end, it was Faeus himself who left in a panic. Faeus stumbled and grasped the edge of the bath, trying to escape, but due to his injured limbs, he ended up awkwardly falling back into the water with a splash.

“Plunk—!”

Splashes of water scattered around.

Faeus fell into a warm and familiar embrace, as Xu Cenfeng tightly wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing him against the edge of the bath, and initiated a long, deep kiss that almost took his breath away.

“I’m not leaving,”

Xu Cenfeng, always gentle, spoke these words with a hint of piercing meaning. He cradled Faeus’ face, passionately kissing his lips and intertwining their tongues, pressed against the edge of the bath, marking him once again.

“I’m never leaving again…”

Faeus looked at him with red eyes, wanting to speak but only managing disjointed words. Xu Cenfeng, always calm, gently coaxed him near, whispering softly in Faeus’ ear, “Hold onto me.”

Faeus remained still.

So Xu Cenfeng repeated softly again, “Come here, hold onto me.”

Faeus’ fingertips trembled slightly, unable to resist the longing in his heart any longer. Silently gritting his teeth, eyes red, he reached out and hugged Xu Cenfeng, his grip almost strong enough to crush the other’s waist.

Xu Cenfeng smiled gently. He held onto this stubborn yet tender female zerg, then slowly sank into the water, placing a gentle kiss on Faeus’ abdomen.

There was their shared bloodline.

Faeus trembled for a moment, unsure how Xu Cenfeng had discovered. Acting on primal instinct, he subconsciously covered his abdomen to protect the area, but Xu Cenfeng gently pried open his fingertips in the end.

“Don’t be afraid…”

Xu Cenfeng held Faeus tightly in the water, habitually grasping his fingertips and bringing them to his lips for a kiss. Suddenly feeling a sense of emptiness, he fell silent for a moment before speaking up, “Faeus, let’s get married next spring.”

For the first time in his life, Faeus felt that reality was more surreal than any dream. Subconsciously, he looked at Xu Cenfeng, his deep green eyes locked onto him. He regained some of his former sharpness and asked in a hoarse, broken voice, “Why?”

Just because he was carrying a cub?

But Xu Cenfeng replied, “Because I love you.”

Faeus was taken aback.

Yet Xu Cenfeng earnestly repeated once more, “I love you.”

That was all…

 

 

 

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