Phoenix in the Moonlight
Chapter 11: Thoughts of Punishment *

"Kiss me," he said, his eyes blazing with need. She quickly covered his eyes and in an instant, he felt her hot breath hovering over his parted lips. He felt the softness and the moisture as her tongue pried out and asked for attention.

No, he didn't like to kiss. He didn't even like the touch of others, but this woman… yes.

He moved her hand away, needing to see her face, but was met with the veil. She was a fast one, and he almost admired her stealth begrudgingly. Suddenly, he wanted to punish her for not giving him the pleasure of seeing her fully. He lay bare in front of her, not a shred of shame in sight, and she was still holding onto that veil.

He twisted their bodies over, pressing her into the ground and thrusting into her forcefully. He cursed as he heard her moan, all thoughts of punishing her gone.

'She is enjoying it!' he thought helplessly.

Their foreheads touched as they both looked down to where they were joined. What a sight. In and out of her he moved, so good that he almost wanted to explode.

He was unable to pull out of her in time as he exploded. She followed soon after as he continued to thrust into her, trying to give her the same pleasure she had brought him. She cried out, pulling herself closer to him and they embraced until they came down from their high.

He left shortly after, leaving her dazed. She doesn't expect him to come back for another taste and she was somewhat bewildered that she had given her first time to this unknown man. But all she could reason was that such pleasure could not be wrong. She pushed her hair out of her face and tied it back neatly. She gave one last glance to the room and left it with a cold expression.

- - -

Wang Yigeng nodded at Li Jie and ordered the two men to kneel.

"Come, tell me the truth, who ordered you to enter this city?" he sneered. He placed a foot on one of the men's shoulders and pressed down. The man remained unmoved, hardened from his training. He was slightly impressed. These two had been tied and tortured for the past couple of days and had yet to utter a single word.

"Cut off their tongues if they don't speak. They will still have hands to write their confessions."

In reality, he knew who was behind all of this and it had taken him three weeks to catch these two men. They had tried to escape twice, but he had followed their trail and found the mastermind. This was just the tip of the iceberg, there was a lot he still needed to do there.

He laughed to himself. He wasn't in a hurry to go back to the capital, he liked the south quite a bit. These men might not have been born here, but this would be their resting place.

They wailed as Wang Yifeng neared them with a knife, ready to cut off his tongue.

Some people did know that the Qinwang didn't joke and he wasn't as nice as they made him out to be. And knowing this was a crime in itself. They could only cry and hope that their master would come to rescue them before they were killed.

But there was little hope. They were small fries in the vast world, just pawns that could be discarded when their needs were finished.

"Please don't!" one begged, sobbing. The other tried to hold him off. "Stop it. I don't want to die..."

"Speak."

"We are just mercenaries who get paid to do the dirty work. We are from the city of Han and our master received money to carry out this mission. Please spare us." Wang Yifeng scratched his chin and looked at Li Jie.

"What do you think?" he asked a young servant who he had newly taken in. He was the bastard son of one of the lowly officials and had offered his services. He thought himself special because of his lineage, but Wang Yifeng had met many such people like him. He was a lot younger, maybe fifteen or sixteen, and still unaware of how the world worked.

The wide-eyed boy wiped off the sweat on his brow after all the digging. This was just the beginning of his training. This boy needed to learn how to be humble and take orders. In this world, there was always someone better than you. Knowing that was the only way to survive. Wang Yifeng could have asked one of the others to do the task, but he couldn't pass up on the opportunity. Simply put, he didn't like this boy.

"As your highness wishes," he said, trying his hand at flattery. Living away from the capital and being a bastard had stopped him from learning the wiles of flattery. Wang Yifeng didn't bother and was somewhat irritated.

He pulled his eyes back to the men who would soon be dead. This country was not one to be trifled with. They had tried to weasel their way inside, knowing that the royal family would be harmed. The dynasty's rule was indisputable, so they had to pay for their mistakes.

"Some people should know their place," he told them, unsheathing his sword. The sharp noise brought on a bout of sobs from the men, especially the one who confessed. "Firstly, you will serve as an example. No one who wants to harm Zhou will survive. And secondly, you should never tattle. I would have respected you more had you not given in."

For mercenaries, they were weak.