Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting dappled patterns on the golden wolf fur. The young wolf-beastman, Cheng Yu, uneasily turned over, waking from his sleep. His amber eyes scanned the dimly lit room, then he went outside to check again, making sure no one was around before tiptoeing back to his room. Barefoot, Cheng Yu silently walked to his backpack and pulled a small cloth bag, no bigger than his palm. He carefully opened the bag and took out a blank photograph.

The room was quiet, save for Ryan's soft breathing and the occasional chirping of insects outside the window. By the dim moonlight, Cheng Yu deftly folded the photograph, as if performing magic. His fingers were long and nimble, each fold precise and swift. Soon, a flat photograph transformed in his hands into a lifelike little bird. The paper bird was pure white, its wings slightly open, as if it might take flight at any moment.

Cheng Yu gently blew on the paper bird and murmured, "Go find Kurosawa and tell him I miss him." With that, he tossed the paper bird into the air. The paper bird circled once, then miraculously transformed into a real bird, flapping its wings and flying out the window. Cheng Yu walked to the window, watching the bird disappear into the night, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

Several kilometers away, a magnificent mansion stood serenely in the night. The black dragon beastman, Kurosawa, reclined on his bed reading, his black scales shimmering with an eerie glow under the lamplight. Suddenly, he sensed a faint fluctuation of magical energy. Looking up, he saw a small white bird flying towards his window. Kurosawa put down his book and smiled with interest. He got up and opened the window; the bird gracefully flew in and landed on his desk.

Just as the bird landed, a golden light suddenly appeared in the room. When the light faded, Cheng Yu appeared before Hei Yao. He scratched his head somewhat shyly and looked at Hei Ze, saying, "Hello, I'm sorry I came to your room so suddenly. I hope you don't mind that I saw you naked." Hei Ze smiled gently and stepped forward to embrace Ryan. "It's alright, it's just that I was seen naked, it's nothing serious."

"But what brings you here?"

Cheng Yu stood somewhat awkwardly in Hei Ze's room, unsure how to begin. He had come with many questions in his mind, yet didn't know where to start. In the end, he chose a relatively light topic to begin with. "I heard from your brother Hei Yao that you're planning to change your name to Bai Ze? He doesn't seem happy about it."

Upon hearing this, Kurosawa smiled faintly and nodded affirmatively. "This plan has been in place for hundreds of years."

"Huh?" Cheng Yu's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?"

"Why can't it be changed to Bai Ze?" Kurosawa asked instead of answering, a sly glint in his deep black eyes.

Cheng Yu was speechless for a moment, and after thinking for a while, he slowly said, "Bai Ze... isn't it suitable to be a black dragon?"

"Oh? Mr. Chen Yu has met Bai Ze?" Hei Ze raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile.

Cheng Yu blushed slightly and shook his head. "Never seen it before..."

"Has Mr. Chen Yu ever seen a Qilin?" Kurosawa continued to press.

Cheng Yu shook his head again. He couldn't very well say that he saw it on his phone in his previous life, because it would have been even more absurd back then.

Seeing this, Kurosawa smiled indifferently, turned to look out the window, and sighed softly. "Everyone knows the legend of Bai Ze, but where did this legend originate? I've searched through countless historical records, but I've never found any mention of Bai Ze. Who spread this legend?" He shook his head, no longer dwelling on the question, and turned to Cheng Yu, "You came to see me, surely not just to ask why I changed my name to Bai Ze?"

Cheng Yu nodded, mustering his courage to ask the question that had been on his mind the most. "Why did things turn out this way between the Black Dragon and the White Dragon? Why was the White Dragon... enslaved by your brother?" He paused, then cautiously asked, "Do you... hate the White Dragon like your brother?"

Kurosawa was silent for a moment, then gently shook his head. "I don't hate him, nor do I like him. As for my brother... perhaps it's related to some experiences he had in his childhood, but I don't know the specifics." He walked to the window, gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. "During that period, I only saw him once. After he taught my mother, he left for a long time. Hundreds of years later, his original dragon body disappeared, and he returned to me as a strange dragon-man. He rarely mentioned that experience, and I never asked him about it."

Cheng Yu listened quietly, his heart filled with doubt and curiosity. What exactly had Heize's brother gone through? And what was the reason that made him hate Bailong so much? He looked at Heize's lonely figure, feeling a vague unease in his heart.

"Actually..." Cheng Yu hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell Kurosawa about another purpose of his trip, "I came here this time to ask you for a favor."

Kurosawa turned around and looked at him quietly. "What kind of help?"

Cheng Yu took a deep breath and slowly said, "I would like to ask you... to help me find this thing. I feel that this thing is very special. There should be many more like this white scale in this place, right?"

"White scales, the scales from the white dragon? Let me see them." Kurosawa frowned slightly. "If I know, perhaps I can help you."

"Thank you so much. Here it is." Cheng Yu then carefully took out a white scale from his pocket and handed it to Hei Ze.

Kurosawa held the white scales in his palm, sensing them for a moment, as if he had thought of something. Then he turned to look at Cheng Yucheng.

"How did you obtain this? This thing is extremely precious to the White Dragon. Without it, the White Dragon will die immediately."

Kurosawa's gaze made Cheng Yu uneasy; he hadn't expected this scale to be so important. "I...I met him on the street. I was with your brother when a white dragon slave suddenly went berserk and charged at me, then your brother killed him. Before he died, he placed this scale in my hand..." Cheng Yu recalled the scene, still shaken. The despair and resolve in that white dragon's eyes were still deeply etched in his mind. And what did those white dragons mean by chanting "Dream Weaver"? Cheng Yu couldn't understand any of it.

Kurosawa listened quietly, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes. "I see." He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you know the history of the White Dragon?"

Cheng Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and shook his head. "I know some things... but I heard them from different people, and they all contradict each other. I don't know which one is true."

"Oh? Who told you all this?" Kurosawa asked with great interest.

“A white dragon…and the leader of the werewolf tribe, Kaimen Richie,” Cheng Yu answered truthfully.

Kurosawa nodded slightly upon hearing the name "Kaimen Richie." "Kaimen Richie... he's an ancient monster who's lived for over a thousand years, a friend of my brother's." He paused, then asked, "So, which parts of this history do you think are true?"

Cheng Yu shook his head. "I feel... it's all a bit unreal." He didn't know why, but he had a strong intuition that these so-called "historical" events were fabricated lies to cover up some deeper truth.

Kurosawa didn't refute, but simply smiled meaningfully. "Then do you know the history of the werewolf tribe?"

“I know. When Kaimen Richie was telling me about the history of the White Dragon, he also mentioned the history of the werewolf tribe,” Cheng Yu replied.

"So do you think the history of the werewolf tribe is true?" Kurosawa continued to press.

Cheng Yu shook his head without hesitation. "I think it's fake." He recalled the expression on Kaimen Richie's face when he recounted the history of the werewolf tribe, and always felt that the other party was making up stories rather than telling real history.

Kurosawa smiled and didn't press further. "Since you think it's all fake, what do you think the real history is like?" He walked to the table, picked up an exquisite wooden box, and opened it. Inside was a white dragon scale, emitting a faint magical aura. "This scale was left to me by my mother. She said it's the true history."

Cheng Yu curiously leaned forward, carefully examining the white dragon scale. It was different from the scale he had just taken out; it seemed older and more mysterious. "Is there anything special about this scale?"

"It records the forgotten past of our White Dragon clan." Kurosawa closed the wooden box again, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. "Would you like to hear it?"

Cheng Yu nodded hurriedly, his heart filled with anticipation. He had a vague feeling that this black dragon scale might be able to unravel many of his doubts and reveal the truth hidden behind history.

Kurosawa smiled faintly and gently closed the wooden box in his hand. "The secrets on this box are not even fully understood by me. I cannot decipher the history it records at present."

Cheng Yu's initial anticipation plummeted. His eyes widened as he stared at Hei Ze in disbelief. "You...you tricked me?" He felt as if he had been made a fool of, and a nameless anger rose within him.

Seeing this, Kurosawa quickly reached out and pressed Cheng Yu's head down, pulling him into his arms. "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Although I don't know the history of the White Dragon, I lived in the werewolf tribe for a long time, so I do know a little about the history of werewolves."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu immediately became interested and quickly lifted his head from Hei Ze's arms, excitedly saying, "Then tell me quickly!"

Kurosawa deliberately put on a serious face and said mysteriously, "But... my brother won't let me tell you these things."

Cheng Yu felt like he was about to explode with anger. He pounced on Hei Ze, slamming him down onto the large white bed behind him. "Will you talk or not?!"

The sudden physical contact stunned them both, and an ambiguous atmosphere filled the air. Cheng Yu then realized what he had done, quickly scrambling off Hei Ze, his face flushed as he explained, "I...I didn't mean to..."

Kurosawa grabbed his hand and pulled him back into his arms. "Since things have come to this, stay and sleep with me for one night, and I'll tell you."

Cheng Yu hesitated. He desperately wanted to know the secrets of the werewolf tribe and also desperately wanted to possess the black dragon before him, because the dragon perfectly matched his fantasies. But he was also worried about being discovered by Hei Yao, which would be disastrous. "But... I sneaked out, what if I'm discovered..."

Kurosawa gently stroked Cheng Yu's hair and softly comforted him, "Don't worry, I'll help you solve it."

Hearing Kurosawa's assurance, Cheng Yu's worries finally dissipated. He leaned into Kurosawa's arms, feeling the warmth of the other's embrace, and a sweet and reassuring feeling welled up in his heart.

The two slept in each other's arms, the moonlight streaming through the window onto the bed, intertwining their shadows and creating a beautiful picture.

In the early morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains. Cheng Yu slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying in Kurosawa's arms. He quietly raised his head, looking at Kurosawa's sleeping face, a surge of indescribable emotion welling up inside him. He gently reached out and stroked Kurosawa's cheek, feeling the warmth and smoothness of the other's skin.

Kurosawa seemed to sense Cheng Yu's touch, slowly opened his eyes, and smiled gently at Cheng Yu. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Cheng Yu replied with a smile.

The two embraced quietly for a while, then Kurosawa suddenly spoke up: "Do you want to know the secret of the werewolf tribe?"

Cheng Yu nodded quickly, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Kurosawa smiled gently and began to recount the long-forgotten history of the werewolf tribe...

Kurosawa's narration was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples. "The history of the werewolf tribe... is all false." His tone was calm, but every word was chilling. "The historians who recorded history lost their lineage a thousand years ago. They were all slaughtered, and all the documents that recorded history were burned."

Cheng Yu was stunned; he could hardly believe his ears. "Then...then the current history..."

"It was all fabricated by one person," Kurosawa added calmly, but a barely perceptible chill flashed in his eyes.

Cheng Yu felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. He instinctively snuggled closer to Heize, seeking warmth and security. The history of the werewolf tribe was fake? Did that mean everything Kaimen Richie said was a lie? This filled him with panic and confusion. Who was it, and why did they want to distort history like this?

Kurosawa seemed oblivious to Cheng Yu's odd behavior, continuing his narration. "The bloodline of the werewolf tribe now all originates from the same person. This is no longer a tribe, but a family." He paused, his tone becoming somewhat heavy. "For thousands of years, they have been practicing inbreeding. The reason there are no deformed children is because they possess a special divine substance within them."

Kurosawa paused here, looking down at Cheng Yu in his arms, his slender fingers gently stroking Cheng Yu's soft golden wolf fur. "It feels so good to touch," he murmured softly, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes.

"And then?" Cheng Yu looked up, eagerly asking. He couldn't wait to know more about the werewolf tribe, about the truth of this world.

Kurosawa shook his head, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "You'd better find the answer yourself." He handed Cheng Yu the wooden box containing the white scale. "The secret on this scale can only be unlocked by a specific person. Perhaps, you are that person."

Cheng Yu took the wooden box and held it tightly in his hand. He felt a powerful force emanating from the scales, as if guiding him to explore the buried truth.

“Remember,” Kurosawa’s voice rang out again, carrying a hint of warning, “the more you know, the greater the danger. Some things are better left unsaid.”

Cheng Yu fell silent; he understood Kurosawa's meaning. This world was full of unknowns and dangers, and the more you knew, the easier it was to get caught up in them. However, the thirst for knowledge within him was irrepressible. He wanted to know the truth, even if it meant facing danger.

Looking into Cheng Yu's resolute eyes, Kurosawa sighed softly. "Since you've made your choice, then go. Remember, no matter what happens, protect yourself."

Cheng Yu nodded solemnly, got up, and left Hei Ze's room. He didn't know what would happen next, but he knew he had to find the truth, for himself and for the truth of everything. Only in this way could he perhaps help Ao Lian. He glanced back at Hei Ze, his heart filled with gratitude and reluctance.

Stepping out of Kurosawa's mansion, Cheng Yu looked up at the sky, the morning sunlight warm and bright on his face. He took a deep breath and strode confidently into the unknown future. He knew it would be a journey full of challenges and dangers, but he was prepared. He was determined to find the truth and uncover all the secrets hidden behind history.