Zan Yu, a servant in the emperor's palace, embarks on a secret royal mission with witty navigator Jingfei and gorgeous brooding Tai Shi, evading danger along the way. As they travel, bonds deepen and secrets are revealed.
The smell of the ocean hit him first, then the ache of his entire body engulfed him. Zan Yu took in a couple of deep breaths, the pain lessening with each one. His eyes opened to Tai Shi's face in front of the afternoon sun, a halo around his head. Tai Shi's look of concern melted away into a heartwarming smile. Zan Yu smiled back at him.
"Am I in heaven?" Zan Yu asked groggily. A familiar cackle came from his left.
"Definitely not. I'm right here and I sure as hell know I'm never going to that place." Jingfei was beaming after laughing at herself. She looked radiant. "I'm glad you're back with us." She held her breath and squealed.
Before Zan Yu could process that reaction, Tai Shi planted a kiss on his cheek. His black hair tickled Zan Yu's ear. "I missed you." Tai Shi pulled back to let Zan Yu sit up. He placed a hand on his back to steady him. "And you." He pointedly glared at Jingfei. "I think today is a great day to cash in on the bet."
"Why yes, master. I will dote on Zan Yu all day." That was the bet? Pfft. Zan Yu couldn't help but smile at Tai Shi for thinking of that. "But I doubt I would have to do anything since you've basically got it covered." She snickered.
Zan Yu stretched his arms and legs out, letting the blood flow freely through them again. He twisted his torso to try and crack his back, but the pain near his stomach wouldn't let him.
"Careful, you don't want your stitches to come undone." A new face. Who was this? She was shorter than the rest of them and wore heeled boots, but she looked strong and agile enough to pummel anyone if she chose to do so. He looked to Tai Shi for help. The woman must have noticed, her full lips opening to talk. "Ah, I guess we haven't properly met. I'm Bi, a healer from the Hangshai palace."
"I guess I have you to thank for saving me." Zan Yu smiled at her. She shook her head and fluttered her almond-shaped eyes.
"Oh, no no no." She waved her small hands. "I did nothing much. You can thank your boo over there." She winked at Tai Shi. Zan Yu felt heat rushing to his ears. "His blood literally flows through you." Zan Yu was rendered speechless. He noticed the bandage on Tai Shi's arm.
"What did you do?" Zan Yu asked. Tai Shi explained that he had insisted on giving Zan Yu his own blood. Nobody could convince him otherwise, so he had sat next to Zan Yu, a needle in his arm drawing his blood and transferring it through a pipe to Zan Yu. Luckily, though they would never know it, Zan Yu was AB+ and Tai Shi was A+.
"Ah, uh... thank you, Tai Shi."
"Of course." Tai Shi stood and went below deck.
Snapping out of his daze, he looked around the deck. Behind him was another new face steering the ship. Her hair was shorter than Zan Yu's, and she looked just as tall as Bi. She gave a small salute and introduced herself as Din. Liling was talking to another man, facing the outside of the boat. His sky blue hair swung to and fro as he strummed an erhu to serenade her. Zan Yu assumed this was the 'Yan' she mentioned earlier. He scanned the rest of the boat and was met with familiar faces. Wait... His eyes shot towards the girl talking to Qiu.
"YOU! Why is she here?! SHE'S THE ONE WHO TRIED TO KILL ME!" Meili was wide eyed and did not say anything, that same dagger necklace gloating at Zan Yu. Tai Shi resurfaced with a glass of water. He handed it to Zan Yu. "What's going on?"
"First, drink. Then I'll explain everything to you." Zan Yu let the cool water wet his parched lips before it glided down his throat, cooling his chest. He didn't even realize he was so thirsty. "I'm sorry for leaving you that night. I regret it more than you could imagine. That night Meili was forcibly tasked with my assassination." Tai Shi looked pained to just say this. Meili shifted her weight, mouthing 'I'm so sorry'. "She, however, intentionally avoided your vital organs in her attack and played a valuable role in our escape with this ship." This time, Tai Shi looked away from Zan Yu's eyes. "Kuo betrayed us and was killed as a result." The others on the ship fell silent as Tai Shi continued, looking at Zan Yu again. "Our current plan is to regroup in the land of one of the empire's allies. We'll gather information on my sister's plan of attack, then we will go from there."
Zan Yu placed his palm on Tai Shi's shoulder. "Is your sister going to attack the main palace?" Jian, Qi, and Ru. What about them? Zan Yu couldn't just desert them like this. They could be in danger.
"She most likely will." Tai Shi must have noticed the terror in Zan Yu's expression. "Don't worry about your siblings. I made sure a trusted guard took them to a safe house out in the farmlands before we left." Zan Yu released a sigh of relief.
"Did I ever tell you I love you, Tai Shi?" Zan Yu laughed, feeling dense for not realizing it sooner. "I don't even know your full name."
"Dewei Tai Shi Kangxi." Oh yes, the name of a true heir. "But you can call me Tai Shi." A coy smile played across Tai Shi's lips as his face shifted closer to Zan Yu's.
"As you wish, master Tai Shi." Zan Yu smirked before his lips collided with Tai Shi's. Zan Yu didn't remember how long it lasted, but it felt like utter bliss as everything else in the world disappeared from his mind.
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Zan Yu still felt a little awkward around Meili. She did stab him and all, but this was for Fei. They were below deck and had found a piece of bread and stuck a candle in it. Liling pulled out a new book from behind a crate. It had the typical title of a book Fei would read. Meili and Liling giggled with each other. They ascended the ladder onto the deck. Tai Shi had Fei distracted, arguing about some obscure topic. Zan Yu lit the candle.
"...and let me say it louder for the people in the back. Ketchup is a natural partner for eggs if you want a delicious meal." Unsurprisingly, Fei was bickering about her eggs.
"SURPRISE!!! Happy Birthday Jingfei!" The boat shook a little from the unison yell. Fei turned around, a huge smile on her face.
Liling handed her the book while she blew out the candle on the bread in Meili's hands. "We took turns writing for over a month to finally come up with this." Fei took the book. "A carefully crafted novel for the new 19-year-old."
"You know what," Meili added, "I think Tai Shi and Zan Yu would suit the characters pretty well." Meili winked at Fei. Zan Yu frowned.
Fei grinned. "Since it's my birthdayyy, would you two do the honors of acting out—"
"Nope." Tai Shi cut her off and stuffed bread in her mouth. Zan Yu laughed.
"OooO, kinky." She talked through her stuffed cheeks.
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As the ship drifted closer to the land, Zan Yu leaned on the wall. When he left his home at the palace, he did not expect to arrive in another country. He missed his siblings like crazy, but he was having fun spending time with his new friends. Two hands wrapped around him from behind, and he felt a chin rest on his shoulder. And Tai Shi. Zan Yu smiled, dimples framing his cheeks.
Tai Shi's voice was a bird's hum floating in the breeze. "We have a lot to do. The journey ahead will be long and hard."
"Like Zan Yu's d*ck." Zan Yu turned and saw Jingfei resting her head in her hands, elbows on the railing. Ha ha. "But in all seriousness, it is what it is."
"And we have each other." Zan Yu felt confident that they could overcome any obstacle set in front of them. They would defeat Tai Shi's evil sister and help Tai Shi take his rightful place at the throne. Together.
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