May 5, 2026
Chapter 86 — Bathing With the Wolf Cubs • A Different Mandarin Duck Bath
With the new house just completed, Ling Jingxuan was wary of drawing suspicion. He had several wells dug in both the front and back courtyards, and into each he mixed a small amount of the Crescent Moon Spring water to dilute it. After more than a month of careful observation, he had more or less grasped the effects of the spring.
Simply put, the water was not only irresistibly beneficial to plants and animals, but also held great advantages for the human body. The most direct proof lay in their own condition—though it had only been a short time, everyone’s health had improved remarkably. Even with daily labor, their skin remained smooth, radiant, and increasingly refined. Of course, their improved diet played a part, but the true cause was the Crescent Moon Spring.
After much deliberation, Ling Jingxuan decided to stop letting his family drink large quantities of the spring water. Some things were better safe than sorry. Their bodies were recovering far too quickly; if this continued, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. Once diluted through the well water, the effects might not be as potent, but it would still steadily nourish their health—and that was more than enough.
Speaking of the Crescent Moon Spring, what troubled Ling Jingxuan most were the two wolf cubs. In just a single month, their bodies had lengthened at an alarming rate, already beginning to take on the powerful form of wolves. Worse still, they seemed to sense that he had tampered with the water. Ever since he switched them to well water, they refused to drink it no matter what, howling endlessly day after day. It wasn’t until Ling Jingxuan lost his temper and, taking advantage of a moment when no one was around, summoned the Crescent Moon Spring to fill the bathing pool in their kennel that the two cubs charged in, splashing and playing with wild delight—almost as if they had grown spirits of their own.
From then on, Ling Jingxuan found himself with an extra nightly task. Whenever the house fell silent and deep into the night, he would slip into the kennel, summon the Crescent Moon Spring, and fill the pool for them to romp about.
“Awoo! Awoo!”
Once night fell, the countryside held little in the way of nightlife. Lamp oil was costly, and most people simply went to sleep after dark. Ling Jingxuan’s household was no different.
After a brief bout of liveliness over their homemade wine, the sky gradually deepened into night. The couple bathed the children, washed their hair, and coaxed them to sleep. Claiming he wasn’t tired yet, Ling Jingxuan slipped into the workshop he had specially set up within their suite. By the faint glow of a lamp, he busied himself for a long while concocting various poisons. Only after he was certain everyone had fallen asleep did he quietly make his way to the kennel.
As always, the moment he stepped inside, the two black wolf cubs—already nearly two chi in length—pounced on him from either side.
“You little ingrates. You only act obedient at times like this. Why don’t I ever see you wagging your tails at me during the day?”
Amused, Ling Jingxuan caught them and crouched down, lightly knocking on their heads. The cubs circled him, yipping and spinning in excitement, nothing like their usual daytime selves when they would bare their teeth and growl at him.
“Alright, alright, you’re making me dizzy. Go on, sit properly. I’ll fill the pool for you first.”
They weren’t human—reasoning with them was pointless. Shaking his head helplessly, he rose and walked toward the corner, where a specially built bathing pool awaited them—two meters long, one meter wide, and half a meter deep.
Though called a kennel, the structure was anything but ordinary. It had been built like a human dwelling, complete with a bathing pool, a wooden bed resembling a tatami platform, and large bowls for food and water. The two wolf cubs lived better than most farming families.
From this alone, it was clear that although Ling Jingxuan often complained about them, he actually treated them exceptionally well—already regarding them as part of the family.
Splash—
Whine…!
“You two brats! You’ve soaked my clothes again!”
The Crescent Moon Spring appeared out of thin air, and as cool water poured into the pool, the cubs couldn’t wait any longer. They leapt in at once, sending splashes all over Ling Jingxuan. Annoyed, he withdrew the spring and lunged forward, giving each of them a couple of swats. The cubs, however, seemed unfazed, paddling about happily and even splashing water back at him with their paws. Under the faint moonlight, the man and the two wolves soon fell into another round of lively chaos.
“I didn’t know you had a habit of bathing with wolves, Jingxuan. So late at night and not asleep—what exactly are you doing?”
Yan Shengrui’s voice suddenly fell from above. Startled, Ling Jingxuan turned his head. The door, which had been closed earlier, was now open at some unknown point. Leaning casually against the doorframe stood Yan Shengrui, clad only in thin inner garments, arms crossed, posture lazy and roguish. With the backlight behind him, Ling Jingxuan couldn’t make out his expression—but he was certain of one thing: the man was smiling, and not innocently.
“What else could I be doing? Didn’t you see? Bathing with wolves.”
Figuring he must have just arrived and hadn’t witnessed him filling the pool with the Crescent Moon Spring, Ling Jingxuan relaxed after a brief pause, leaning back into the water. The wolf cubs stared warily at Yan Shengrui with their green eyes for a moment before recognizing him, then resumed splashing and drinking.
“In that case, you won’t mind if I join you.”
With that, Yan Shengrui pushed himself off the doorframe and walked toward them step by step. By the time he reached the edge of the pool, his upper garments had already disappeared, revealing a well-defined chest and firm, sculpted abdomen.
Ling Jingxuan swallowed hard.
Damn this man—clothed, he looked lean; unclothed, he was all muscle. A physique so perfect it could make one’s nose bleed. Wasn’t he deliberately tempting him?
“Hehe… satisfied with what you see?”
Noticing that Ling Jingxuan had gone momentarily blank staring at his half-naked body, Yan Shengrui’s mood visibly improved. He crouched down, reaching out to tuck Ling Jingxuan’s damp hair behind his ear, his fingers lingering deliberately at the sensitive curve of his neck, brushing it with slow, suggestive strokes.
“As if I could say I’m not?”
Snapping back to himself, Ling Jingxuan awkwardly looked away, muttering under his breath. Compared to Yan Shengrui’s healthy wheat-toned skin, his own complexion—after more than a month of nourishment—had finally shed its former sallow thinness, turning pale and smooth, something rarely seen in men. But that was all. As for muscles—he didn’t even dare to think about it. No longer looking frail was already a luxury.
Both were men, yet Yan Shengrui was the very pinnacle of one—whether in looks, physique, or ability, he was top-tier in every regard. If he weren’t his man, Ling Jingxuan would have been consumed by jealousy. Heaven had favored him far too much.
And yet, thinking that such a perfect man belonged to him, Ling Jingxuan couldn’t help but feel a trace of smug satisfaction. Let others envy him all they wanted—this man would always be his.
“Hey, I say—what’s a grown man like you doing, sneaking into the kennel in the middle of the night to squeeze in with a couple of wolf cubs instead of sleeping?”
Seeing that he actually stepped into the pool, Ling Jingxuan rolled his eyes in exasperation, completely forgetting that he himself had done the exact same thing.
“Hehe… your husband is here to keep you company. Move over a bit—unless you’d rather sit on my lap.”
Completely unbothered by the jab, Yan Shengrui shamelessly squeezed into the pool. Before Ling Jingxuan could react, his hands clamped onto his waist and lifted him up. Settling himself down in the water, he spread Ling Jingxuan’s legs and drew him onto his lap. In an instant, the atmosphere thickened with intimacy. Forced into his embrace, Ling Jingxuan felt his strength ebb away, his hands instinctively coming to rest against the man’s burning chest.
“Stop fooling around—I’m bathing Da Hei and Xiao Hei.”
A familiar yet strangely unfamiliar heat stirred quietly within him. Weakly, Ling Jingxuan pushed against the firm chest before him, making as if to stand. But his slender, supple waist was held fast in an unyielding grip. Ignoring his resistance, Yan Shengrui leaned close, his voice hoarse as he murmured against his ear, “Don’t move. If you keep that up, I can’t promise what will happen.”
His voice, tinged with desire, was low and dangerously alluring. His scorching breath spilled across Ling Jingxuan’s sensitive neck, sending a tremor through him like a current of electricity. Ling Jingxuan shuddered involuntarily. Beneath his thoroughly soaked clothes, his skin flushed with a spreading warmth. Under the faint moonlight, the fabric clinging to his body seemed almost like a translucent robe, accentuating every line in a way that was both subtle and enticing.
“Jingxuan, I regret agreeing to wait until my memories return before we marry. You have no idea—you’re like the finest aphrodisiac to me, tempting me openly at every moment.”
Pulling his collar slightly aside, Yan Shengrui lowered his head and bit gently at his smooth, pale shoulder, his tongue tracing teasingly over the mark. A soft moan slipped out before Ling Jingxuan could stop it. Equally overcome, he narrowed his eyes, desire evident across his face. His hands rested weakly on Yan Shengrui’s shoulders—he had even forgotten to push him away.
Awoo!
Whine…
Suddenly, the wolf cubs’ cries shattered the moment, crashing rudely into their ears. The two, lost in rising desire, stiffened at once, dark lines practically forming across their foreheads. Annoyed, they turned in unison to glare fiercely at the two thoroughly ill-timed offenders.
Whine…
Yet the cubs seemed utterly unaware of the disaster they had just caused. Wagging their tails at the pair, they paddled their paws in the water, splashing toward them as if saying, Come play with us, come play with us!
“Damn it… one day I’m going to stew the two of you into soup.”
The spark that had been on the verge of igniting was completely extinguished. Yan Shengrui ground his teeth in frustration. Was it easy for him? Every time things just began to heat up, something would interrupt. At this rate, when would he ever get his chance?
Fine—he hadn’t intended for their first time to happen in a place like this. But if he couldn’t have the “meat,” at least let him have a taste of the “broth,” or he might just lose his mind holding it in.
“Hehe… for once, I agree with you. How about we slaughter one of them tomorrow?”
A faintly bloodthirsty smile crept onto Ling Jingxuan’s lips as his gaze turned cold, fixing on the two cubs. He was a man too—he had his needs. Rarely did the mood align so perfectly, only for it to be ruined by these two little nuisances.
Whine…
As if understanding their words, the cubs whimpered and backed away, their green eyes watching them warily, as though genuinely afraid they might be killed the next moment.
“Haha—alright, I can’t keep it up anymore. These two are practically spirits already—smarter than people.”
Seeing their reaction, Ling Jingxuan burst out laughing, collapsing against Yan Shengrui, his clothes in disarray. He couldn’t help but feel that, perhaps because of the Crescent Moon Spring, the cubs were becoming more and more clever—though, admittedly, they could still be rather foolish at times.
“Beasts raised deep in the mountains often possess a certain spiritual awareness. Judging by them, they’re likely no ordinary wolves—perhaps even descendants of a wolf king. It’s only natural they’d be sharp… just terribly lacking in tact.”
Wrapping an arm around him, Yan Shengrui couldn’t help but add a note of grievance at the end. Silently, he swore to himself—next time, he would find somewhere utterly secluded. No matter what, he wouldn’t allow anyone—or anything—to interrupt again. If this kept happening, even if his little Shengrui didn’t protest, he himself would collapse first.
“Haha—”
Whine…
“Hey—cut it out! Damn it, don’t jump over—!”
Hearing the resentment in his voice, Ling Jingxuan laughed even harder. But he seemed to have forgotten—joy often invites misfortune.
Seeing their smiles, the cubs assumed they were being invited to play. With a powerful kick of their hind legs, they leapt forward one after the other. In an instant, the two men and two wolves were tangled together in the pool, splashing wildly.
Laughter and soft wolfish whines rose and fell in broken bursts, filling the entire kennel with a lively, carefree warmth.
If you enjoy reading Poisonous Peasant ‘Concubine’, consider buying me a coffee! A little coffee goes a long way!
Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal wondering in the void and falling into the translation abyss.
