I Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, Only to be Desired by the Dragon King - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Look Closely! I Am Not Him! — Chu Heng’s heart hammered “thump-thump-thump”…

Shen Youqing collapsed weakly onto the stone bed, his cheeks flushed so red they could drip blood, his breathing as heavy as if he had run three hundred miles.

Chu Heng was startled by this sudden turn of events. The empty medicine bowl fell to the ground with a clatter. He hurriedly took a half-step back, desperate to clear his name: “Hey! I really didn’t poison you this time! Don’t you dare slander me!”

Shen Youqing gasped, his eyes full of disdain even through the haze, as he followed the lead to complain: “Does that mean… you actually did poison people before? Who? Don’t tell me it was Feng Xiuyan?”

Chu Heng’s eyes immediately darted toward the stalactites on the cave ceiling. He stiffened his neck guiltily. “Stop talking nonsense! I’m asking what’s wrong with you! You were fine a second ago, why the sudden state?”

Just as he finished speaking, Shen Youqing felt a certain “little brother” downstairs starting to stir uncontrollably.

“Crap.” He instinctively squeezed his legs together, frantically pulling his clothes to cover his lap. His face was hot enough to fry an egg; he was so humiliated he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Chu Heng was sharp-eyed. He caught that suspicious, secretive movement instantly. His brows knitted into a knot as he followed the motion, glancing toward the boy’s lap.

Though the area was hidden by the hem of the robe, that panicked look—like a thief hiding stolen goods—instantly reminded Chu Heng of the spicy secrets he’d heard the old servants gossiping about back in the Dragon Palace.

His pupils shrank. He stared at Shen Youqing in disbelief, his voice pitching an octave higher: “You—you haven’t been hit by one of those… low-class aphrodisiacs, have you?!”

“None of your business!” Shen Youqing was both ashamed and angry. His breathing was as heavy as a bellows. He tried to push him away, but he was as limp as a boneless fish; the push against Chu Heng’s arm felt like a mere tickle.

“I became like this all because of you! Last time after the cliff fell, Feng Xiuyan had to… in order to save me…” His voice trailed off into a tiny mumble, his ears burning too hot to finish the sentence.

It took Chu Heng two seconds to realize what was going on, but his focus immediately veered off track. He stared at Shen Youqing’s feverish face, his tone laced with a strange bitterness: “Feng Xiuyan… he actually did that kind of thing to you?!”

“You, get out! Now! I need to handle this myself!” The heat was burning through Shen Youqing’s sanity. His voice trembled as he tried to drive the other out.

“How can you handle it yourself?” Chu Heng raised an eyebrow, leaning against the stone wall with a hint of mocking amusement. “As far as I know, the Dragon Saliva ‘Lust Gu’ cannot be suppressed by oneself—you have to dual-cultivate with your mate to fully clear the poison.”

Shen Youqing’s mind went BONG. Dual-cultivated?!

Wait, did dual-cultivate mean what I think it means?

Feng Xiuyan had only said that “intimate contact” would alleviate it; he never mentioned anything about dual-cultivation!

He suddenly realized—Holy crap! No wonder Feng Xiuyan said he was the antidote and that the Gu would take a month to fade. It turns out this stupid poison can be cured in one go, but you have to sleep with the person?!

“Damn it! Is it that simple and crude?!” Shen Youqing couldn’t help but curse. His face went from red to white to red again like a kaleidoscope.

…

The Bloodline Resonance

The power of the Lust Gu grew more intense, like a wildfire consuming Shen Youqing’s internal organs. Every inch of his skin was terrifyingly hot. He no longer had the strength to deal with Chu Heng. His consciousness was swallowed by burning desire and pain.

Chu Heng frowned, considering his options. He knew the dominance of the Lust Gu—it was a unique parasite of the pure-blood Dragon Race, designed to foster extreme possessiveness and make a mate completely dependent on them.

Chu Heng was half-dragon, half-python. While he didn’t have the Lust Gu, he had inherited the python tribe’s venom—one was a lethal poison, and the other was an “Enchantment Venom” that made people lose their minds. He was the product of such a venom used on his mother, which was why she loathed him as a stain on her life.

His dark memories were interrupted by a sudden force.

Chu Heng was caught off guard as Shen Youqing lunged at him, pinning him against the stone wall. The boy was as hot as a piece of glowing iron. His hands fumbled messily at Chu Heng’s collar, his fingertips searing the skin and causing Chu Heng to shudder.

He looked down into Shen Youqing’s tear-streaked eyes. Usually bright and lively, they were now clouded with mist, filled with helplessness and agony. He looked like a vulnerable cub abandoned in the scorching sun.

Chu Heng’s heartbeat skipped a beat. A strange palpitation spread through his blood, making his chest feel tight. He had never seen Shen Youqing like this—vulnerable, stripped of his sharp edges. It triggered a pang of heartache and a flicker of attraction he hadn’t even noticed.

“Don’t,” Chu Heng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He grabbed the boy’s wandering wrists, his own ears turning a soft pink.

He watched the youth struggle unconsciously, tears dripping onto Chu Heng’s hand. “I can help you. Do you want me to help you?”

Shen Youqing tilted his head, his vision too blurred to see who was in front of him. The Gu had completely hijacked his senses. He could only instinctively rely on the cool body before him.

Mate… Dual-cultivate…

In the burning fog of his mind, one shadow emerged clearly—his mate, Feng Xiuyan.

But as he buried his nose into Chu Heng’s neck, he didn’t smell the familiar scent. However, the Lust Gu inside him suddenly became restless.

Chu Heng and Feng Xiuyan were half-brothers, but they shared the same maternal bloodline. That faint, hidden resonance was caught by the Lust Gu, which was extremely sensitive to Dragon blood.

Without Shen Youqing even realizing it, the Gu misidentified this bloodline echo as Feng Xiuyan’s presence. It drove his instincts wild. He began tugging at Chu Heng’s clothes even more urgently, his hot body pressing tightly against the other like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood.

“Feng Xiuyan…” Shen Youqing murmured, his voice broken and pleading. “Where are you… it hurts so much…”

“Please save me…” “Don’t leave me…”

He cried while rubbing his cheek against Chu Heng’s neck, his breath hot against the skin. His hands were stubbornly trying to untie Chu Heng’s belt with frantic, messy strength.

Chu Heng froze. Hearing the name of the brother he hated coming from the boy’s lips made his chest feel blocked and suffocated. But seeing the tears and the trembling shoulders, the denial he was about to shout died in his throat.

He loosened his grip on Shen Youqing’s wrists. His ears were beet red, his heart a mess of confusion and a secret, hidden expectation he didn’t want to admit.

“I can help you… do you want me to?” He awkwardly wiped a tear from the boy’s cheek.

Shen Youqing looked up, his misty eyes meeting Chu Heng’s like they were his last lifeline. He leaned further into the embrace, his voice thick with a whiny, sweet tone: “Please help me, okay?…”

…

“Look closely!”

Chu Heng’s heart went thump-thump-thump against his ribs. His tongue instinctively licked his back teeth, and the word “Okay” was about to roll off his tongue—but in the next second, Shen Youqing murmured “Feng Xiuyan…” again.

The budding tenderness was instantly punctured. Chu Heng’s face dropped. He cursed under his breath, grabbed Shen Youqing’s chin, and pushed him back slightly—not hard, but with a frustrated pout.

“Look closely! I am not him!”

The boy remained dazed, his pupils unable to focus. Scared by the harsh tone, more tears welled up and splashed onto Chu Heng’s hand.

Shen Youqing wrinkled his red nose, sobbing: “If you won’t help, then don’t… why are you being mean to me, waaaah…”

Chu Heng’s heart, which he thought was hardened, was turned into a puddle by the crying. He frantically tried to wipe the tears, but he was stuck between wanting to help and being annoyed that the boy was calling someone else’s name.

“I’m not being mean,” he coughed as an excuse. “Since you didn’t say no, I’ll take that as a yes?”

As the words left his mouth, he became inexplicably nervous. His hand paused in the air before slowly reaching for Shen Youqing’s collar. His python instincts were acting up; his sharp canines felt a familiar itch, as if anticipating the warmth to come.