Noisy Rain Magazine Issue LXX

ADDITIONAL ART BY E. HIRANO
BASED ON THE WORK OF WOJCIECH JACHYRA, MODEL DAMIAN LUKA.
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E D I T I O N
J U L Y · I · 2 O 2 2
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© NOISY RAIN MAGAZINE 2022

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@wojciechjachyra
© Wojciech Jachyra
Models in order of appearance.
Rafal · Saurabh · Michał Baryza · Michał Gnatek · Piotr · Michał · Adam Nied · Bartek Muzeum · Damian Luka

Hua Long · Tian Heixi
New Moon Wages War

New Moon Wages War
Excerpt: Bleeding Heart Forest III
by Tian Heixi

He hadn’t noticed how loud he was sobbing nor the laughing Ru Shi and her buzzing
pests dancing with Qing Shan’s lust-driven ghosts. His tears mixed with his waterfalls of
sweat, hair curling even more on his face and the other’s chest while he listened for any
sign of breathing. Wang Shu’s delicate fingers weakly wiped his wet eyelashes, and Nian
Zhen’s head shot up. Wang Shu had his eyes closed, lips slightly parted as he tried to
gather air through shallow breaths. The dry climate made it difficult, so Nian Zhen decided
to place the drenched talisman on the other’s forehead instead. Wang Shu immediately
coughed and gripped the young Lord’s black robes, wheezing and gagging before he
turned to the side and vomited his dinner and a small pile of dirt and insects. Nian Zhen
patted his hip with urgency, yanking off the sack of water he had from dinnertime and
nursing Wang Shu with it until he stopped coughing and gasping.
“Wang Shu-shu. Wang Shu-shu…” Nian Zhen nuzzled the side of the other’s wet face,
and was met with weak petting. He had also begun to chuckle before his open chest was
riddled with coughs. The young Lord shushed him and squeezed Wang Shu up to his body,
almost sobbing again if it weren’t for the sudden gust of ice-cold wind almost knocking
both of them out.
She had finally arrived. The Great Ghost, Ru Shi, with her hair tied up intricately with
expensive pins, a rope trailing behind her that covered the necklace on her neck, and layers
of beautiful, red wedding robes billowing in the sharp, cool breeze she brought about
herself. Slowly trudging behind was an emaciated man with long, inky hair sticking to his
face and body, night robes torn in too many areas, and purple veins crawling all the way
up to his neck. Both of the entities had bright, indigo eyes, and they bore directly into the
two cultivating Juniors’ own eyes. They tried to distract themselves from the presence of
the Higher Ghosts by pressing their foreheads together and closing their eyes, but Ru Shi
screamed. Qing Shan snapped his attention to the yinyu bagui floating about. He raised a
clawed, varicose hand, flicking it towards Wang Shu and Nian Zhen. They seemed ready
to face the uneven battle, already standing at their feet, the young Lord gripping Wang Shu
by the waist while the latter held out his white fan.
Ru Shi began reciting her final lines to the dying Qing Shan, taking another step towards
the two. Nian Zhen growled and kicked at the ghosts emerging from the ground and
swiped his sword at the ones that riddled the sky. Wang Shu cosigned with his moves,
stirring up a tornado from the dry climate, whisking as many gui away as he could, also
looking out for Ru Shi’s next move. Her feminine brow seemed to twitch every time Nian
Zhen moved, never letting Wang Shu go from his grasp of sudden strength from who
knows where. The young Lord lunged right past her to go for her dead husband. She
couldn’t let that happen. Her long-nailed hand grabbed the white-robed junior and pushed
herself away. Nian Zhen got one kick in before he turned, almost snapping his ankle to
grab his comrade.

Qing Shan gripped the young Lord, who growled and hissed almost more viciously than
the ghosts themselves. Wang Shu was holding his own the best he could, not wanting to
rely on Nian Zhen to save him even with his heavy injuries. His adrenaline was kicking
in, and his pain was leaving him for the moment, even his migraine dissipating due to the
whiplash he experienced in his unconscious state when tumbling down the hill. Wang Shu
sliced at Ru Shi’s neck after he kicked himself away from her grasp. His fan almost
snapped from how hard the rope that tied around it was. It appeared that truly was her
physical weak point, since this was obviously a protective barrier. He tried to rack his
brain with ways to go about attacking her to buy time.
Nian Zhen was ducking and dodging, kicking and punching at the pervert bastard Qing
Shan with his unique martial techniques. It caused the ghost a great deal of confusion, but
he was still able to dodge a significant number of hits due to the pesky lust-driven ghosts
and buzzing insects that were still a problem. By this time, the two were wearing out under
their adrenaline-filled moves, and because they were so young, though more experienced
than their peers, they were eventually going to surrender to the Higher Ghosts one way or
another. Luckily, the meeting between LiLing-mei and Masters Shen and Gui had long
since finished, and there were two Juniors obviously missing from the head count taken at
lights out. The Masters were hoping the youngins’ fear would hold them back from their
curiosity, but it should have been expected that the young Lord would do something so
impulsive. They didn’t think he’d go as far as breaking their seals, but before Wang Shu
caught up with him in the last lie, that’s just what Nian Zhen did.
Masters Shen and Gui had already seen the ruckus wafting from the forest even without
the local wu wang gui moaning and stirring up the atmosphere with a wave of apathy and
exhaustion. The other Juniors ran closely behind at first. Their dress of night robes and
boots was comical, but they paid it no mind. Some of the villagers crooned and curiously
moved like sloths to check out the noise if they weren’t dead asleep. The Masters
prompted the Juniors to stay behind and protect the villagers as well as the injured
cultivators that had climbed the hill when the trouble began. The Juniors thought they had
a lot of nerve to show their lazy faces even in recognizing that they were victims too.
By the time the Masters followed the energy directly to the losing battle, young Lord Nian
ShiRong and Wang Shu dizi were still going at. The two had already been tainted by the
looks of it, and their adrenaline had worn off, so they fought off because of sheer
willpower. The superiors had no time to marvel at all since they were in significant danger,
and they immediately landed on the murky ground with power, kicking off their flying
swords, catching the hilts, and Master Shen used his to attack Qing Shan while Master Gui
PeiZhi sheathed his weapon and rolled out his changdi dizi and began to play the first of
three possible melodies from the Heat of Passion scrolls, the Melody of the
Star-Crossed Lovers. He nodded calmly to Master Shen, who then loudly recited the
scripture that was paired with the song, stopping midway with his cultivating partner when
it wasn’t working, and like clockwork, they moved onto the second melody. Nian Zhen
took the opportunity to stop fighting and grab Wang Shu just as he fell. He smiled
awkwardly, gripping the young Lord’s black robes soaked in perspiration.

Still performing on his flute, Master Gui skillfully flicked his outer robe onto Wang Shu
to cover his chest and other wounds, protecting the skin with its cooled inside from the
slowly dying heat and insects still hungry for live flesh. Nian Zhen wanted to drop to his
knees as the pre-shock settled in, but he stood tall and held the immensely weakened Wang
Shu at his side once again, his fingers digging into the robe, and the muscles in his already
defined hand popping. It didn’t take too much longer for the ill-fated couple to be knocked
onto their knees with surrender when the third and final melody caused the surrounding
insects to begin to buzz along with the minor scaled music. It was eerie and biting to the
ears of the two Juniors, and Nian Zhen even covered Wang Shu’s. The latter relaxed into
his body and allowed him to do so, only wanting this entire debacle to be over and
through.
Master Shen stayed behind with the back up, cultivating Lords from the main parts of
Yun Gu to take care of whatever was left, while Master Gui PeiZhi guided the young Lord
and Junior Shu down the hill. He was quiet on his sword while Nian Zhen flew on his own
with Wang Shu in his arms like a princess. The Master shook his head and exhaled.
Halfway flying through the five li, the other Juniors were waving their arms on the ground
with the villagers and other help from the main city. The closer they got, the more the three
could hear the weeping villagers that were finally being released from the wu wang
weeping and shouting with joy as the weight on their shoulders was expelled. The Juniors
almost wept, themselves seeing the state of their two peers, surrounding Nian Zhen who
refused to let go of the barely conscious Wang Shu with their concern and cheers. Master
Gui relayed the events known to the other cultivators before sending some of them off to
help his partner further and clicking his tongue with a chi. This was to part the Juniors and
call for the young Lord to follow him back to the village for medical attention and a tongue
lashing.
Wang Shu did take an involuntary nap as he was tended to so as to replenish his energy
before the group travelled back to their respective sects. Nian Zhen and the former were
heading further to face Lord Nian in the XiaoLi Nian sect. Nian Zhen furrowed his arched,
deep red brows while the usually gentle and cat-like Master Gui PeiZhi ripped a new hole
in the side of his neck with his harsh words of reprimand. He wrapped and rewrapped a
wound on his hand from the desolate tumble which was equal to him nervously twiddling
his thumbs. However, Master Gui had stopped his berating when he saw that tears were
wetting the bandages Nian Zhen was becoming frustrated with.
“I know I was wrong. I’m ready to be punished by you and Father, but I can’t even lift
my head at the thought that I let him get so hurt…” It wasn’t unusual to see young Lord
Nian expel his emotions through tears, since the spunky young man was always filled to
the brim with passionate waves of feeling, but it was rare to see him break down in such
a way. Master Gui sat next to him on the cot and flicked his chin up gently with a nimble
finger. Nian Zhen sniffled. “Shizun, he could have died because of me. Did you know that
the whole time, he wanted us to go back? It’s my fault. It’s really my fault…”

“Listen to me, dizi. It’s your strength, as it is your weakness, to be so curious and push
yourself to the edge with it, but remember, your recklessness should never come at the
expense of others.”
“E-en,” Nian Zhen stuttered. Even with his coming-of-age ceremony earning him his
new courtesy name two autumns ago, the young Lord was still but a child in this Master’s
eyes. Master Gui sighed and wrapped the youngster’s hand and wrist properly, sealed it
with healing energy, and pressed his nose against Nian Zhen’s now dry, wavy hair. This
was a gesture from Master to disciple to display care and claim.
“Lord Nian will probably upbraid you by the scalp, won’t he?” Nian Zhen shivered and
whined.
“Gui Shizun, don’t say things that scare me right now. That old bat was really
traumatising, alright?” The mentioned chuckled and patted his disciple’s head.
“I’ll speak to you when you awaken later on. I suppose Shen QiQiao would like to sleep
in, so...you disciples may do the same if not 一 help the villagers out.” Nian Zhen nodded.
Master Gui smiled and stood to make his leave with those last words, stretching and
yawning when he was out of the door. He also possibly cursed under his breath, but Nian
Zhen only laughed and wiped his tears, not paying it any mind.
The young Lord tried to lie down to sleep, but he only tossed and turned, yanking his
cover off, tugging it back over his body, and almost rolling out of his cot. He hadn’t even
half delved into slumber when he felt excruciating sparks trickle up and down his body.
Nian Zhen tried opening his robe, fairly used to sleeping in the buff when he was in his
own personal chambers, thinking it would calm him. With ragged breaths, he cursed and
sat up, wiping his forehead and patting his chest. When did he become drenched in sweat
again? At first, he thought he was in a nightmare, but there were no indications after some
subtle observation. Nian Zhen tried retying his white night dress when he felt cold again,
only to be taken over by an unbearable, inexplicable heat yet again.
Ripping his robes off, Nian Zhen heaved. He had started to notice the welts on his arms
from the yinyu gui attack that burned Wang Shu even worse. Wang Shu. The young Lord
felt depressed at the thought of his comrade. His pretty comrade. Always adorned in robes
as milky as his skin under the typical XiaoLi Nian blue outer dress and belt with an indigo
tie. His ebony hair shone with spruce highlights when the light hit the river during the
golden hour. It matched his solemn, cobalt irises that glistened with warmth and mimicked
a nostalgic, blue storm every time he seemed to do a favour to the young Lord. Nian Zhen
sighed. It didn’t take a second for his usual thoughts to take over. He sometimes dared to
think of pressing his own full, rosewood lips against the other’s down-turned, perfectly
proportioned ones. It was just to see how he’d react in the heat of the moment. Knowing
his personality, Wang Shu would probably reach to hit him before running away, but he’d
always come back.

The events of the night and early morning had Nian Zhen thinking about the future. He
had already decided that definitely, he’d want Wang Shu and only Wang Shu to become
his partner like Master Gui was to Shen QiQiao, but the young Lord didn’t want to wed a
wife like those two had. He wanted his Shu-shu to be his wife and cultivating partner.
Even better, it’d be a treat to reach immortality and live with fickle, snow-fur cat Wang
Shu for eternity. Of course, he didn’t really know what these feelings actually meant, but
he gathered that it made him want to grace the other’s lips every chance he got. He had
settled for silly words and jokes that always made his fair nose blush instead, because
that’s what he knew Wang Shu tolerated.
Nian Zhen sighed. Usually, when he thought of his beloved friend, he could fall sound
asleep with a smile on his face, but this time, his heart quickened, and soon, he shot out of
bed with a yelp. The sharpest pain surged through the blood-pumping organ, and he
gripped his chest feeling as dizzy as ever. The young Lord huffed and tried to use the
nearby wall for balance, almost vomiting from the sudden onset of vertigo he was
experiencing. The more he thought of dearest Wang Shu, the more he seemed to fall ill.
Was this a curse? Surely, Nian Zhen had to be dreaming 一 What was actually happening
to him?
His thoughts began to only be consumed by Wang Shu. His smile, his pine-scented
breath, his powdery-scented clothes and flesh, his pink nose, his hands preparing his food,
his hands entertaining 一 woah. Nian Zhen swallowed the hardest lump in his throat. His
cheeks were wine-coloured on his dark skin, and he almost fell backwards at what his
mind had fallen into. The young Lord was but a young man who had just officially become
of age, but he had never paid any mind to the girls he knew locally or out of the sect that
he would sometimes venture off to who knows where with. The only person he ever
thought of was Wang Shu. In this way? Impossible… He had touched himself before from
the scuffle he had with him during the Lunar Conference last year, their bodies rubbing
together too closely, but he convinced himself this reaction was only natural.
It was only natural, okay! Nian Zhen tried to steady his breathing and focus on what
could possibly be causing the odd sensations and scandalous thoughts wracking his brain.
It wasn’t that he was cursed, was it? There were burns and welts on his arms and chest,
not open wounds.
Fuck.
But there was a huge scar trailing down his right ribcage from an attack he hadn’t
noticed really cut him. That bastard Qing Shan had reached for him during a countermove,
and the adrenaline he was feeling at the time prevented Nian Zhen from noticing he was
clawed right open. Or was it a delayed
reaction from his flesh to open now? Wouldn’t the medics have noticed this wound and
given him immediate special attention since it was an injury from a ghost like Qing Shan?
The young Lord swallowed. He made up his mind that he had to find Wang Shu. He really
wanted to see him anyhow, since he couldn’t sleep and felt guilty about how injured the
other was.

Trying his best to conceal his reaction to the sudden thoughts that were invading his
entire being, Nian Zhen closed his robes tight and made his way out of the room he resided
in and down the hall to Wang Shu. He looked back and forth to make sure there was no
one around to stop him before slipping in and sliding the door shut as quietly as possible.
In the far right corner of the room, opposite the area with a shallow tub, there was a white
lump comfortably tucked into nice bedding that was about seven chi by eight. This made
the young Lord visibly smile as he found the mat was comfortable enough for him to slip
in and keep Wang Shu company. Before making a move towards him, he thought of Old
Sewer’s Tale* and immediately felt limp enough to go lie next to the other.
Wang Shu was sound asleep. His long, charcoal lashes brushed his ivory cheeks and
framed that pink nose while his mouth puckered and his brows furrowed occasionally. It
seemed his dream was a little aggravating. Nian Zhen chuckled and brushed loose strands
from his fair forehead, adjusting the cool, wet cloth that rested there. He could stare at
such a handsome face for the longest time, and it really made him wonder who could
create such a masterpiece only to leave him behind in a basket of laundry. The young Lord
leaned in, allowing himself to inhale the never-fading pine scent of Wang Shu’s breathing.
It would have whisked him to sleep if it weren’t for the sharp pain that kicked him in the
groin when he saw the other’s lips pursed again and contemplated kissing him awake since
he had already leaned into his breath. The yelp he made through his porcelain teeth caused
Wang Shu to wake up instead.
Nian Zhen rolled around briefly, wincing from the itchy and tickling pain that caused
his flag to raise again. The other Junior squinted and held up the dull candle next to his bed
to confirm his suspicion. Seeing that it really was Nian Zhen, Wang Shu decided that he
wouldn’t waste any energy on chopping the culprit in his throat 一 especially seeing that he
was in pain. Was he in pain? Wang Shu frowned.
“Nian ShiRong, are you okay?” His voice was raspy and light from his slumber and
injury. Nian Zhen abruptly stopped rolling around in pain and turned to smile at the
awakened jade statue. “Never better.” Wang Shu raised his thin, straight brows. He
reached out his slender hand, but his comrade rejected it by nudging it away with his
forehead. “Really, I’m fine. I should be asking you how you are, you know?”
“Hum. I am only sleepy.”
* This is the tale of an old maiden who had “hundreds of layers” of wrinkles. It is used to scare children into not venturing
into the woods on their own or they’ll see an old shed belonging to the seamstress with these many flaps of skin, making a
quilt out of them, but Nian Zhen here is using it to try and get rid of his...happy sword.

“Definitely get back to rest then!” Nian Zhen exclaimed. Wang Shu’s droopy eyes were
laced with suspicion, but he nodded quietly. After setting the candle back down in its
protective cage in the corner, the two laid on their backs in silence. The only thing that
could be heard was the sound of Wang Shu’s soft yet shallow breathing and Nian Zhen’s
controlled breaths that occasionally released in heavy exhales. The former was going to
close his eyes again as he had become more relaxed in the presence of his friend, but
again- Augh-! This time, Wang Shu sat up the best he could and held the candle over Nian
Zhen’s face and body. It appeared that the young Lord had actually fallen asleep but was
awakened by pain. His eyes were still closed with a clench, and his breathing had become
rapid. Calmly, Wang Shu had gone to press his free hand on Nian Zhen’s chest, but he saw
something violet peeking from the side of the young Lord’s open robes. Taking no time to
tug his clothing down to his waist, Wang Shu frowned when he saw the opening scratch
wound on the other’s ribs.
“Ru Shi got you?” He asked, remembering how sharp her nails were. They could be
categorised as talons, really. Nian Zhen shook his head rapidly and gripped Wang Shu’s
wrist. “No,” he wheezed. His cheeks were becoming more and more colored with rose
wine and sweat dripped down his face and neck as well as perspired on his bare upper
body. Wang Shu looked to the side at the bath he had taken to replenish his energy and seal
his wounds in the distance and tried to help Nian Zhen up.
“What do you mean ‘no’? I’m going to help you out.” The young Master violently
shook his head, trying to push the other way as he writhed in pain.
“No Ru Shi,” he whined.
“Eh? Where did you get such a gash from then?” Wang Shu was trying not to panic,
but his weakened state and vulnerable display of Nian Zhen called for some of his walls
to crack. Young Lord Nian ShiRong was borderline hyperventilating, and it was making
him lose his usual senses. “Shu-shu~” He cooed while he was helped to sit upright.
“Yes? Yes, it’s me. Hello? ShiRong, where did this wound come from?” Nian Zhen
wasn’t listening. He was playing in Wang Shu’s hair, breathing against his pinkening ears,
and giggling. “My Shu-shu is very beautiful tonight as always.” The mentioned ignored
the tip of his ear becoming moist from the young Lord’s breath, flushing and trying to use
whatever strength he had to nearly drown Nian Zhen in the healing tub. Should he start it
first? Perhaps that would be easier. He was going to let go so as to do just that, but he half
tripped, half was yanked by the other and landed partially on top of him, his cheek burning
from the inhumane heat wafting off of ShiRong. If it weren’t for their experience just
hours ago, Wang Shu would have thought he was dying from a terrible fever. Ah, the heat.
It was from the yinyu-gui wasn’t it? But not once did they invade Nian Zhen’s vessel, and
they did not have the means to claw him like that. Absolutely, Wang Shu remembered one
of the first features he had seen on the croaking, purple-veined creep Great Ghost Qing
Shan: violet claws. He was playing jigsaw with his head when his entire face blushed and
he tried to escape Nian Zhen’s grasp as just when he completed the puzzle, he got his
answer in full from the protrusion stabbing his inner thigh. The young Lord whined and
cooed another ‘Shu-shu’. “Nian ShiRong. Nian ShiRong. I know it was Qing Shan now.”
The growl that cut through the air almost caused the vulnerable Wang Shu to shriek or
whimper.

“Don’t say that pervert’s name. He’s so fucking weird.” The white cat gulped and was
still taken aback by the growl prior to such the demanding tone of Nian Zhen’s words. The
puppy had become a wolf somehow. Wang Shu’s spine almost trembled out of his skin
when this behaviour was accompanied by the sharp stone stabbing at his leg and the
candle he urgently set down next to where the other’s face flickered until it was finally out.
Not too long after, there was a teasing chuckle coming from the throat of a man. There
were words spoken right in front of his face or far into the distance that made his face
blush profusely while Nian Zhen growled more. He gripped Wang Shu with one arm, and
the other seemed to be reaching for his sword, which he didn’t have. “This time, I’ll really
kill you, bastard!” He shouted and tossed a night slipper into the distance. He was greeted
by another teasing titter.
Qing Shan seemed to have unfinished business and somehow trapped the two in the
room Wang Shu was resting in, separating them from their current dimension. Dark smog
filled the corners of the vicinity, and the young Lord’s body heat was picking up the more
angry he got. There was just too much going on for the black-haired, stoic one. His fever
hadn’t fully subsided, and the energy engulfing the room was making him want to vomit
again, while he became frustrated with Nian Zhen’s sword that he had brought with him.
The blood in Wang Shu’s face and chest wasn’t healthy, and he thought he would faint
again.
Nian Zhen’s choice of words meant nothing to the persistent ghost, but he was satisfied
when he was out of his sight. Feeling the light weight that Wang Shu was gripped by his
side, he felt at ease for the moment until he caught onto what felt like trembling coming
from his left. He couldn’t believe it. The handsome cat was crying and gripping onto his
robes, breathing too fast in and out. Nian Zhen slightly snapped back to his senses, barely
remembering when he first entered the room, but as he began to comfort his counterpart,
that was breaking down by the second. Quietly, the young Lord hushed him and wrapped
the thinner body in the comforter as well as his heated dressings, knowing that weight and
warmth at least comforted him whenever his mother consoled him. Wang Shu sobbed,
trying yet failing to steady his breath like he usually could. If this mission were fated to
allow him to ascend to a new rank down the Steadied Heart path, he was so thoroughly
disappointed in himself.
“I have never been so scared…” Wang Shu whimpered.
“I know, I know, Shu-shu.”
“What am I to do when facing these things? I feel so weak now.” Nian Zhen shook his
head against Wang Shu’s ebony river of locks.
“This is all my fault, Shu-ge. I really should have been patient and listened to you.”
“En, you’re an idiot.” Nian Zhen laughed at the sudden break from character. “Yes…I
truly am. Shu-shu, I promise I will never put you in a situation like this again. I want to-”

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot!” The young Lord laughed at this outburst until he realised that Wang Shu
had begun sobbing again. He remained silent and simply caressed the other’s back, inhaling
his powdery scent from his hair and allowing the cat to soak up his body heat. It suddenly
spiked again when he was gripped harder, and this time, he shoved Wang Shu away. The pain
was more than he could ever bear as, instead of sending the usual spikes up and down his
nerves, causing his mini to twitch, he had grown to a length he never thought he was capable
of, and it was excruciating. Young Lord Nian was rutting. He was at the very last hair of the
edge. Wang Shu blinked and wiped his tears immediately and sat up on his knees to call out
to him, but he had suddenly slammed back down when his heart constricted and sent a
stabbing pain down his back.
“Shu-sh..u?” Nian Zhen turned to his side the best he could, and a painful palpitation
occured because the sight reminded him too much of the trauma that happened earlier. It was
obviously still fresh in his mind. He took no time in swallowing some of his own turmoil to
reach out to Wang Shu who winced and dodged his hand. Gripping his abdomen by hugging
himself, the other held his hand in front of him.
“No...pain…” He wheezed. Nian Zhen’s breath hitched. Usually, the other’s skin was
perfectly fair, but his fingertips were overtaken by a colour that did not belong on the flesh
unless it was bruised: violet. He looked down at his open wound, then back to Wang Shu’s
quivering hand, cursing under his breath. There must have been active poison that seeped
under the other’s fingernails. Of course, that bastard Qing Shan’s essence was potent by the
singular drop. With how weakened Wang Shu already was, he was even more susceptible to
its effects at a much faster pace. What was the young Lord to do? The two were in so much
pain, they couldn’t move to get help, and it wasn’t as though they could lie there and scream
for help since, for the moment, they were trapped in an expansion. But not forever.
Ridiculous!? Who had any idea that two men could fall into the yinyu poisoning in regards
to one another? He was a disgusting mortal and undead, but Nian Zhen figured Qing Shan
couldn’t have been so stupid as to mistake Wang Shu for a maiden?! He was pretty like a
flower, but he still had the handsome essence of a dragon. Or could it be that his energy wasn’t
so? Did ghosts smell that rather than a tiger, Wang Shu was a rabbit? Did that make him the
shou?! Nian Zhen’s quickening breaths weren’t helping to center him with his paths of
thought. The one in question’s head was absolutely empty as he was consumed by unsatiated
and newly experienced lust, a dizzying fever, and resurfacing trauma. Young Lord Nian was
able to swallow, and he bit his bottom lip until it bruised. He didn’t know at all what to do at
that point, but he began making suggestions to rid both of them of their hardening problems.
“Wang Shu-shu. It’s that we’re trapped by Qing Shan’s poison, right?” The mentioned
huffed and turned over with a stifled moan. Nian Zhen twitched and reached his hand out,
stopping a few millimeters away from the soft skin exposed on the other’s back due to his
undergarments riding up his back and his underpants shifting downward. His fingertips were
burning. Wang Shu whimpered. “Shu-shu, would it work if we just finished ourselves?” Nian
Zhen thought to himself about what was happening and how to get out of it as he fought the
pain and frustration fueling his urge to attack Wang Shu somehow.
He never thought about it because he didn’t think it was possible. Making love to the guy
he at first wanted to be his cultivating partner, simply. Then, he thought that he didn’t want to
marry anyone but Wang Shu. But he really didn’t think as far as how it would be to
consummate this feat. Maybe he had dreamed of using his hands, but what was there other
than gripping swords? Nian Zhen licked his already moist lips.

“Shu-shu, I’m going to try. Excuse me…” Wang Shu winced when the young Lord
huffed and gripped his painfully hard member behind his back. He could hear how wet the
fleshy rod was from sweat and sticky fluid from his excitement. To his virgin knowledge,
there was no written say so as to how it could work between men, and it would have been
even more tricky if it were two women, wouldn’t it? Because, at least, men could...release
themselves. It’s not like the two had any idea of what a female counterpart could do, but
it seemed impractical if they could do the same. Wang Shu was trying to sort his thoughts
on this all while his mind trailed into nothing but fuzz from the deep sounds of the young
Lord groaning into his hand and stroking himself with the other.
“I hope you’re okay with me looking at you still...Shu-shu…” There was no response,
but Wang Shu couldn’t even think to be displeased. His face and neck went from a soft
pink to bright crimson, hearing all of the soapy and honey words flowing from the other’s
mouth as his ears pricked with more squelching and slimy commotion happening between
his tan, red-tipped meat tower and his strong hands, his foreskin pulling farther and farther
back with how hard Nian Zhen was getting. Wang Shu’s backside felt hot from the other’s
heat but also the poison playing off of his desires.
“Shu-shu, I think you’re really good...you’re so good…”
“En…” Wang Shu whimpered as a response. This caused the other, who had already
relaxed and let loose by fondling himself for some relief, to groan and spew more simple
syrup. It oozed onto the sheets and his brown fingers as he stroked harder and faster.
“I think you’re...so beautiful. Shu-shu, can I look...can I look at you?” Wang Shu shook
his head, chewing on the neck of his upper undergarments while his fingertips nervously
hovered over his modest, hardened length. It was fair and milky but a colour like mián huā
táng gradated from his foreskinned tip to the middle of such a hilt. The round, satchel of
twitching flesh under his member matched in shade. They bounced and glistened when he
finally gently gripped himself and circled his fingertip on his second head. The dirty secret
was that his steadied emotions came from his lack of purity. To his virgin knowledge, there
was no written say so as to how it could work between men—this was a lie. Wang Shu
knew just what he liked about pleasuring himself, since he relieved his body quite often
from pent-up feelings in order to continue his path and was already immensely successful
in his own right from using such methods 一 and he had thought about how it could be with
Nian Zhen when he discovered motivation in forbidden books on cut-sleeves.
Since he hadn’t agreed to turn and show his face, Nian Zhen didn’t assess his thoughts
and grabbed the loose, ebony knot tied at the back of the other’s head. He began to edge
from the sound of Wang Shu moaning aloud at the action. So the young Lord decided to
grip it a bit harder, groaning and stroking at a faster pace. Wang Shu waited for a
continuation of the other’s sweet words, and a crescendo of quiet cat-like moans poured
into the air when he earned them.

“Shu-shu…” That’s really all he needed to hear. Even though he had started later, Wang
Shu was already at his limit. “Wang Shu-shu, your hair is so soft…” With a slightly louder
Ahn~! the mentioned shot his nectar onto the bed dressings and the nearby wall, almost
curling up into a ball. He gasped when his hair was yanked harder while the young Lord
bucked his hips against his own fist, letting go right after him. Wang Shu panted and
shivered at the feeling of the back of his undershirt being weighed down by the nobleman's
liquid. It seeped onto his back, mixing with the milk that had painted the flesh just above
his nearly exposed backside from his undergarments riding up and down, every direction.
Nian Zhen groaned his frustration when his sword perked back up immediately, as did
Wang Shu’s humble length. He didn’t have to stroke himself to climax three more times,
did he? If he could read his thoughts. Wang Shu would blush and feel ashamed
considering he had no problem with letting go of his own hand ten more times if he really
wanted to with his experience. “Wang Shu-ge,” the young Lord breathed.
“En?” He inhaled sharply when his back had become hot with the presence of the
other’s bare skin pressing against him. His rear and the small of his back were being
stabbed with no mercy, and he almost whimpered from how mighty Nian Zhen’s member
felt this way. He shivered and allowed himself to lean onto the other male, whining and
panting.
“Let me use this here this time…” The darker-skinned disciple placed himself in
between Wang Shu’s supple, milky thighs. They were soft, but Nian Zhen could feel their
slight muscles when the one he was invading in an intercrural manner twitched around his
limbs. Seeing as Wang Shu hadn’t made any protests, Nian Zhen whispered an ‘excuse
me’ and began humping against the other’s body, penetrating the area in between his
thighs. It didn’t take long for the flesh to become hot and moist with how wet the sword
was. Wang Shu melted at the feeling of deep moans vibrating around his neck since the
other’s mouth rested in the crook, occasionally kissing and nibbling the skin there. From
the friction on his pink sack, Wang Shu didn’t even have to touch himself to spurt onto the
wall again with more force than the first release. Nian Zhen’s honey soon followed,
attacking the wall as well, also sticking to his beloved Shu-shu’s short undergarments and
dancing, peachy member.
“It really does look like candy…” The young Lord drooled onto the other’s bruised
shoulder that had somehow become covered in marks of love and claim. Wang Shu
blushed and whined.
Young Lord Nian ShiRong was losing his noble mind. He hadn’t noticed that he
commented out loud at first. But he didn’t care. He felt too good, and having Wang Shu in
his arms like this...he genuinely never thought this could happen. He almost lost the rest
of his wits and mumbled thanks to Qing Shan for making this possible. The disciple
growled and sent a trail of kisses down the other’s hot, fair-skinned neck to his shoulder,
tearing his undershirt right from his flesh, licking and biting down his slender back all the
way to the curious, blushed, plump peach that bounced at how brutally Nian Zhen tore
away the rest of the white undergarments.

“Sh~iRong…” Wang Shu whimpered helplessly. Nian Zhen said nothing. Instead, he
initiated the third release by turning his beauty over by the hip after biting into his ripened
apple and taking a deep breath.
“Candy...it really does look like candy…” He whispered to himself. His hot, sweaty
breath engulfed Wang Shu’s member, and it twitched right against rosewood lips that
tenderly kissed the treat. A string of saliva dripped from his canines as Nian Zhen opened
his mouth and put the modest pillar into his orifice without a second thought. It really was
so modest, and the young Lord’s mouth was so roomy, his throat loose with spit. Wang
Shu’s entire sword fit in its new home completely with ease. He hadn’t the slightest idea
of what to do, but he groaned when the pleasure took over the other’s bare hips, forcing it
to stab the inside of his cheeks and hot throat due to white hips slamming against his lips
shamelessly. Wang Shu cooed and completely melted against that mouth that hummed and
vibrated his sword from the groans of pleasure and satisfaction from the taste. Nian Zhen
stroked his own member as he slowly learned to bob his head up and down comfortably,
allowing the other to occasionally rest his hips.
In the process of how hard he worked, the rest of his own robes were ripped off, and
Wang Shu gasped at how gorgeous the young noble’s body was in its full glory. Broad
shoulders decorated with defined, flexing muscles draped in dark carob red waves of
sweaty hair all the way down to his equally detailed back, a slender, flat nose twitching in
between two droopy-lidded, golden eyes lined with chocolate lashes, and that rosewood
mouth, sucking attentively. It was so full and plump, swelling as it sucked even harder. It
was true that the young Lord really was the most beautiful man in all of their world
entirely. Even with the XiaoLi Nian sect known and filled with similar brown and darkskinned
dragons, who could top these looks? In Nian Zhen’s heart, it was Wang Shu. With
furrowed brows, he stared up at the beauty melting from his actions. Seeing the usually
calm, even-tempered young man like this was enough to get him addicted even without
the yinyu poisoning. Wang Shu’s thin, black eyebrows lifted like inverted crescents, one
of his blue eyes was shut tight, wispy lashes pressing against those high, pinkened cheeks.
The other iris was clouded with lust and almost filled with tears. His thin, triangular nose
with its button tip that always blushed was something Nian Zhen wanted to kiss for an
eternity, and those lips that matched his hardened nipples and cock… he wanted to suck
them right off of that breathtaking face. The persistent feasting on his member and the
young Lord stroking himself again, paired with the two admiring each other’s almost
unbelievable looks, pushed for the third release. Milk and honey poured down Nian
Zhen’s throat, and he could have sworn he heard the other moan his name into the air.
Reluctantly, he let go of Wang Shu as though his mouth were a suction cup. A loud pop of
a pah! resounded, and the latter bit down on his bottom lip, bruising it immediately.
Though still obviously frustrated, the two had calmed down to a reasonable state of lust
for one another. That didn’t stop Wang Shu from finally speaking up and recommending
the journey to their final climax that was needed to break their poisoning. He placed his
sylphlike hands onto Nian Zhen’s broad, tan chest and almost lost his breath in doing so.
It was as though the young man was clinging wrapped in matte bronze. He was a golden
statue. Wang Shu licked his swollen lips. Before he had spoken, the puppy-turned-wolf
growled and took his mouth with his own, tasting raw saliva and sweet pine while the
other moaned and licked his tongue with the musky taste of something similar to
eucalyptus. The two were an entire forest of pleasure and evergreens.

“Want...you. Nian ShiRong…” Wang Shu whimpered. The mentioned continued to
attack his lips and grind against him shamelessly, gripping milky thighs and growling.
“You have me, Shu-shu… you have me.” The fair disciple shook his head and trapped
his hips in between his legs, Wang Shu couldn’t stop repeating the same words, dizzying
Nian Zhen’s mind.
“Here...I want you here...it burns.” The young Lord’s wine-coloured cheeks had
returned. It was easy to catch onto how to properly taste Wang Shu, but to invade his
walls? Such a place? Nian Zhen was almost wishing for the other to suddenly sprout a
flower. His cleanliness wasn’t a worry considering the two hour-long soak he had taken
before he was laid to rest. He didn’t want to break Wang Shu in half! The noble disciple
leaned back on his calves right in between the former’s legs, rubbing the back of his head
and looking down. His entire shadow covered Wang Shu’s delicious body. His eyes were
hungry for it, and he licked his lips at the sight of his slightly defined chest, flat stomach,
and straight tuft of hair which matched the strands on his head 一 its beard texture brushed
against his nose and upper lip when he had sucked Wang Shu off, and Nian Zhen scolded
himself for not licking the cute patch when he was done. His own was deep brown and
red, curly and soft in texture. Wang Shu’s thoughts were at first filled with the urge to run
his fingertips through it if it weren’t for his eye bulging at the surprise raised in between
his legs. Young Lord Nian ShiRong’s sword length and girth...had to be immoral! What
man, let alone one that had only come of age two autumns ago, could tote around such a
weapon?! Thick and unrelenting, the brown, veiny pillar bounced and bobbed, its head
wrapped like a present in an even darker, red-tinted foreskin.
Wang Shu swallowed what felt like a gallon of saliva and poked it with his toes, not
thinking. He audibly gasped when it 一 it grew?! He looked into the other’s twinkling eyes.
Nian Zhen coughed and wiped his blush.
“ Everything about Shu-shu...seems exciting, I think…” This Shu-shu bit his lip and
hugged his knees to his chest. It was the young Lord’s turn to almost lose his eyes from
their bulging. A fully exposed, mauve, twitching hole glistening with secretion greeted his
astounded gaze. Seeing Wang Shu in this unimaginable state…
The mentioned moaned in his chest, gasping for air and grasping for Nian Zhen, when
a foreign object suddenly invaded his opening. He couldn’t stop the flood of songs
vibrating in his throat that came as a response from the other’s monster tower slowly
making its way to whatever limit Wang Shu had. The slickness of the former three loads
along with Nian Zhen’s saliva made it easy for his big boy to enter, but that didn’t stop
pale hips and peach from going numb as a response to pain and inexplicable pleasure. His
breathing had no pattern at all, and he gripped everything around him. Hair, sheets,
comforter, flesh. Nian Zhen himself was taken aback by how good it felt to be one with
Wang Shu. Those swollen walls were squeezing him, clenching his sword, pushing it
away,sucking it back in. The young Lord could have mirrored the tears that were riddling
the other’s eyes from how wondrous even his sack felt.

“Like this…? You want me...like this?” He groaned and whispered right next to the
other’s ear, licking it inside and around when he bent down. The noble couldn’t help but
buck his hips, slipping deeper and deeper with every uneven stroke. With the tightening
of Wang Shu’s legs grasping him, his pace had gathered a pleasing rhythm for the both of
them, but the pale shou was surprised occasionally when Nian Zhen lost his mind and
mercilessly ran over the other, plowing him into the bedding hard and quickly. All Wang
Shu could do either way was moan his content and decorate the young Lord with new
scars as the purple one on his rib cage was almost completely faded.
It appeared that their ways of release were working, but even after the expansion
vanished, and the fourth release invaded Wang Shu’s organs, the two didn’t stop. At that
point, it was their own, pure desire that had taken over. Nian Zhen had been taken
missionary from behind, and he even sat the fair beauty onto his lap and hugged him
during their scuffle. He filled Wang Shu more and more, causing his honey to spurt out
with every stroke and every new pouring of milk. The former melted into a puddle,
becoming nothing but a flute that never stopped singing and whimpering. They hadn’t
stopped until Wang Shu fainted, and Nian Zhen blacked out in between his legs decorated
with marks of claim. And so, upon Master Shen and Master Gui awakening, they found
that Qing Shan was fully tamed, sealed away in the proper box. Their brows were raised
with surprise but relief until they heard a shriek from LiLing-mei coming from the
premises in which young Lord Nian and Wang Shu were placed in the infirmary.
They were hoping the two young men weren’t injured further, and their imagination
hadn’t expanded to what they found LiLing pointing at and clasping her hand over her
berry mouth for. Master Gui was vomiting blood while Master Shen slapped the lady’s
arm down, looking around to see if anyone else was near.
“Keep quiet!” He hissed through his teeth. The woman nodded and leaned against a
nearby wall to steady herself.
“I was going to change A-Shu’s towel...I wanted to check his fever…” Master Shen
waved his hand and coughed as though he inhaled dust. What the three had come across
in the current room was the sight of messy sheets and comforter riddled with spots of
blood from the love wounds on Nian Zhen’s back and the trampled chrysanthemum under
the sheets that weren’t on the floor. Wang Shu was sleeping soundly under the young
Lord’s broad body, breathing quietly while the other snored. Their hair was a river mixed
with ink and chocolate, flowing around their faces almost angelically. But it wasn’t!
Master Gui quietly but powerfully slammed the sliding door closed after pushing the other
two out, wheezing for air. The two Masters then knew why the Great Ghost was so
cooperative. They nodded in unison, and Gui PeiZhi fanned his face, hiding his full
expression, while Master Shen smiled awkwardly.

“I remember when I was so young and energetic!” He chuckled. Nuo LiLing slowly
nodded, her eyes not focused on anything in particular. Master Gui swatted the back of his
counterpart’s head, motioning for him to leave the building. And so he did, gesturing for
LiLing-mei to follow. She was too embarrassed to look the two young cultivators in the
eye when they had finally come out for a late lunch. In the presence of the other Juniors
and the locals, Wang Shu had retained his usual solemn aura and expression while Nian
Zhen was still spunky and challenging. He enjoyed some tussles and games with their
peers to entertain the local children, while Wang Shu stayed back and helped some of the
elderly women as usual.
The centre village and Yun Gu city as a whole had finally begun to ascend back into its
previous state of tourism and trade, and to the pedestrians, it was all just a funk that needed
extra help to be shaken off. To the Juniors, Masters Shen and Gui, the local cultivators,
and the minor nobles, they were well aware of the trauma that truly occurred. The Masters
thought it would be best not to reveal any of what had happened to any pedestrians. What
was known that had become gossip amongst those of higher status was just how Ru Shi
was awakened in the first place. Valley Lord Yun PeiYang had an affair with a foreign
woman, and she ended up going missing. While the investigation was being handled by
the Second Lord and his followers, Lord Yun was imprisoned and pending punishment for
this type of crime based on how their culture handled adulterers. Considering the Second
Lord was made fully aware by his own cultivators of the situation that had occurred, the
punishment might have been great. On the other hand, compensation was paid in respect
to Wang Shu who had been heavily injured and to Lord Nian for his son who always found
trouble, Nian Zhen. His own punishment wasn’t cast, since Wang Shu along with Masters
Shen and
Gui vouched for him as usual. Considering how the mission turned out and the success
of at least Qing Shan being tamed, this is why he faced few repercussions.
New Moon Wages War Excerpt: Bleeding Heart Forest III by Tian Heixi

Wei SiLong (he/they), also known as Tian Heixi Fan Lian, is an agender
Chinese-oriented artist who specialises in Chinese and Japanese BL, wuxia,
xianxia, and western fantasy-themed art and writing. He has been writing and
making art inspired by homoerotic and homoromantic love through their own
lens through experience and desire. It is Si Long’s goal to spread love and
warmth with every piece he creates that is charged by their own dreams, funny
stories, and his partner. The 《 New Moon Wages War》traditionally drawn
series and excerpt depict the life of Nian ShiRong, General and Peak Lord of the
XiaoLi Nian sect and Wang Shu, former scholar of the latter sect and
Grandmaster of YinHun cultivation. Through war and loss, their story shows
that true love can and will transcend any hardship, even death. In Bleeding
Heart Forest, the two, as young adults, encounter an infamous ghost feared by
the world who is driven by lust and revenge. Due to the ghost pulling strings and
poisoning the two angsty lovers, the night ends with the releasing of all strings
attached and their own original desires to connect with each other—”dually
cultivate”, in other words.

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0110__hualong
Twitter (NSFW)
hualong_wei
© Wei SiLong

Revisiting childhood through a queer eye.
The Big Boys Book of the Nursery
Superhero
and other stories

The Big Boys Book of the Nursery

Daddy Bought a Donkey

From an early age, maybe 5 years old, I
was captivated by the heroes in childhood
fiction and nursery rhymes. Not for me, Snow
White or Cinderella, but the Handsome
Princes that came to the rescue. I was always
hoping one was coming for me! Similarly, the
male heroes in Nursery Rhymes were the ones
that captured my attention.
All The Way Home

Little Jack Horner Sat in the Corner

He Put in His Thumb and Pulled Out a Plum

I recently decided to revisit my childhood
and look again at those apparently innocent
stories, but this time from a queer perspective.
The tale of the five little piggies was a
particular curiosity when viewed by a queer
eye. The Little Piggy that went to market - the
hustler parading his ample wares on street
corners, his jeans barely containing his goods
on offer. The Little Piggy that cried
wee,wee,wee - the watersports enthusiast
enjoying his golden shower. Roast beef - hot
cock, None - the trans guy.
This Little Piggy Went to Market
This Little Piggy Had None

This Little Piggy Stayed at Home

This Little Piggy Cried Wee,Wee,Wee

This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

To Market, To Market, To Buy a Fat Pig

Little Boy Blue blowing his horn and
falling asleep under a haystack. The thought
of Little Jack Horner sticking his 'thumb' into
a pie and pulling out a 'plum'. Just exactly
was little about Jack? - or was it just a
tongue in cheek nickname given to the biggest
boy in class, the boy that could fill his pants
better than anyone else.
Little Boy Blue, Come Blow Your Horn

Superhero

Robin

As I grew older, the sight of superheroes in their sprayed on
costumes sent my young teenage mind into overdrive. Their super
powers oozing out of every crevice of their muscular bodies.

Raven
Jackdaw

Other stories

Matelot

Luke

Bussy

Throughout this exploration of the
recesses of my mind, I find my work has
developed a new look, one that I am
eager to continue further as I go deeper
into the re-imagining of popular culture
from a queer outlook.
Dazz
Jesus is a Preston Boy

Throughout this exploration of the
recesses of my mind, I find my work has
developed a new look, one that I am
eager to continue further as I go deeper
into the re-imagining of popular culture
from a queer outlook.
Dazz
Jesus is a Preston Boy

The Big Boys Book of the Nursery
Superhero
and other stories
instagram
@waynehowarthillustration
©Wayne Howarth

WWW.NOISYRAIN.COM