Chapter Text
It was late when Wangji finally stopped. He'd been flying for hours; ever since he finished liberating the ghost that was causing problems for the people in the little town on the border of Gusu.
Technically, this night hunt was beneath a cultivator of Wangji's calibre. It had been such a minor issue – not something that required the attention of more than a single ordinary junior disciple to deal with. There hadn't been a single death – only some inconvenience, and a small loss of livelihood.
Most likely, it wouldn't have been brought to the attention of the Lan Sect for several more weeks; perhaps months.
But there was a relatively well-off merchant who preferred to travel through that area when transporting goods, as it provided him with something of a shortcut when retrieving things from one of his suppliers. Having been inconvenienced by the trouble-making child ghost who had taken up residence in a bridge he needed to cross just outside the town; as well as losing a portion of his merchandise to the young spirit’s mischief, he had requested the aid of Gusu Lan in ensuring that particular problem would not reoccur.
As a resident of the Gusu area, he was within his rights to make such a request; despite the overall rather harmless nature of this particular haunting. As a moderately wealthy man, the amount he paid in taxes was sufficient that it would be quite impolitic to leave the request for too long.
Though the spirit was only bored and looking to play pranks to entertain himself rather than being malicious or intentionally causing harm, leaving the issue unaddressed for a while could cause the man further inconvenience; possibly even result in the loss of additional supplies. Which would negatively impact the Lan Sect's reputation. Otherwise, this case probably would have been left until there was another hunt in the area; at which point it would be taken care of along the way.
Overall, it had been such a simple thing to resolve that even the weakest and least skilled of the Lan Sect juniors could have handled it with ease.
Yet Wangji had begged to be allowed to go himself.
To take a short trip outside the Cloud Recesses; to leave for the three days it would take to go there, take care of the spirit, and return. To get away and clear his head. Clear his mind of the thoughts which plagued him and deprived him of rest.
Something that was not possible right now within his sect – not with the cause of his inner turmoil so near at hand.
Landing gracefully at the edge of a wood, he prepared to spend the night outside.
While staying at an inn would perhaps have been a wiser – or at least safer – choice, right now Wangji craved solitude and silence.
Out here alone in the quiet and the dark, far away from any other people; he could simply breathe in the fresh, green scent of the foliage; the earth, still damp from the morning's rain; the fresh and cool night air. Take his time to relax and stare at the stars; to empty his mind and center himself once more. Just enjoying the soft breeze that moved through the summer night – sufficiently warm that the cool of the evening was mild enough to be pleasant rather than nippy.
Spend some time sitting still and meditating in these peaceful, empty surroundings; miles from any sign of habitation. To simply be; long enough to regain the internal balance he'd once kept so easily. Balance which had been so utterly shaken by meeting Yunmeng Jiang's wild, unruly Head Disciple.
While his core was strong enough that he could have easily flown through the night and returned home by the time the gates opened in the morning; breaking for the night allowed him the time and space away from Wei Ying's distracting; maddening, fascinating presence, which he had left to find. He was not bothered by sleeping outdoors. Wangji was a cultivator, after all – night hunting did not always allow for comfortable conditions.
Much as he usually preferred to shelter indoors when possible, however, this time he found himself wishing to be out under the open sky.
The only possible complication with this choice was that he was alone on the hunt.
It was generally considered inadvisable to sleep outdoors without a partner to guard your back. All manner of things might come upon you while you lay slumbering in the open air; exposed to the elements, with no one there to aid you should you be caught unawares.
Perimeter talismans were useful, of course; but they were not infallible.
Even if there were no evil creatures around to disturb your rest, there were always the more mundane sort to consider.
A lone cultivator sleeping outside would be easy prey for a wolf, or other predator.
Spiritual energy and cultivator strength could scarcely be effective if one was not conscious to use them.
So in the interest of safety, Wangji prepared to pass the night in a tree. Which was why he had chosen to stop here; at the edge of the woods. The trees inside this forest were large and sturdy; many with smooth bark and thick branches. It should not be too difficult to find a place high up enough to be out of reach of nighttime hunters; while also providing a comfortable enough place to rest. A place where it would be simple to keep his balance; remaining safe and secure as he dozed. His first order of business was therefore to track down such a location, before settling in to meditate.
Within half a shichen, he had indeed found a satisfactory spot to pass the night.
Easily, he ascended the large tree; seating himself securely on a large branch about a third of the way up. It protruded from a much larger fork in the tree, spreading out from its trunk. Sitting cradled in the center of the fork with the trunk at his back and massive branches rising up on either side, it was as secure a spot as he could wish for. That the branch stretching outwards from the edge of the fork was just wide enough for him to lay his legs out on either side would provide an extra form of security in keeping himself in place as he slept.
As he hoisted himself into the small hollow where he intended to sit, however, he found himself straddling the outmost branch.
All he needed to do was slide himself backwards, and his hips would slip right into the space he intended to occupy.
It should have been a simple, uncomplicated thing.
Yet as he slid back, his cloth-covered cock brushed against the hard, smooth surface of the branch. His breath hitched; a spark of arousal lit in him, and his hips jerked forward involuntarily. Grinding his manhood down against the thick branch between his legs.
For the first time, he became aware of one of the problems with his new bedtime routine.
By this point, Wangji's body was accustomed to falling asleep only after reaching his peak. His thoughts had been in such turmoil lately, however, that he had not taken care of his physical urges for a few days. The recent dearth of orgasms left him overly-sensitive and far more easily aroused than usual.
Which, apparently, led to situations like the one he currently found himself in – halfway up a tree and helplessly rutting against the branch between his legs. Feet automatically bracing themselves against the trunk of the tree that served as his perch; hands gripping the smooth wood below his fingers tightly. The sensation of the soft linen of his undergarments against the length tucked inside his pants, combined with the fantastic pressure his rocking motions placed on his cock, was bringing him to the edge unexpectedly quick.
Only a few days without release; yet he had already become like this.
Being outdoors should have been a deterrent; remote location or not, the fact that he was doing this out in the open, where he could potentially been seen…
…was shockingly exhilarating.
‘Shameless!’ he chastised himself.
But the rebuke only brought to mind thoughts of Wei Ying, and that.
Well. That did not help Wangji regain his misplaced restraint. At all.
He let out a choked gasp, as his mind replaced the branch beneath him with one of Wei Ying's legs. Rather than jerking his hips forward and rutting against a tree, he saw himself chasing his pleasure by riding one of Wei Ying's thighs.
Wei Ying's thighs.
Firm and strong and muscular; smooth, creamy skin usually hidden beneath his robes; spread open and littered with dark bruises from Wangji's own mouth. The treasure lying nestled at their apex; already spent from Wangji's thorough, ruthless attentions. Barely able to twitch in interest anymore, even as his lover sought his own finish.
Gasps and whimpers and shameless encouragement spilling from the boy's lips as Wangji continued to grind against him.
The sounds his Wei Ying would make as Wangji used his thigh for his own pleasure-!
Faster than he ever would have thought possible, his stomach clenched and pleasure spiked as he felt himself spiral upwards; no longer bothering to try to stop himself, as he rushed towards completion at an embarrassingly quick pace.
To be fair, it was a very titillating image.
Lights flashed behind his eyelids, as Wangji arched with a cry and came.
As he sank back, barely able to co-ordinate himself well enough to move into the fork of the tree to rest, he was barely conscious of the sticky dampness in the front of his undergarments, soaking into his robes. He felt dazed and slightly shocky in the aftermath. Distantly, he was aware that staying like this would soon become uncomfortable; as soon as he had his bearings. But he needed a moment to wait out the aftershocks before he could climb down and change his robes. He could barely process what had just happened. It didn't really seem real.
Somehow, the thrill of doing such a thing outdoors; of possibly being caught, had made this his strongest, most intense orgasm to date.
I have to do this again.