Burning Through the Night

[Male-male romance + two powerful leads + age gap]

In the old southern part of the city, along the banks of Shihua River, there was a stretch of streets lined with plane trees.

Duchun Lane in District Nineteen of Wutong Street was an alley overgrown with wisteria.

There was a shop here that sold incense, called Man Tang Hua Zui.

The incense sold here could summon spirits, guide souls, and form domains.

One day, a young man came to Man Tang Hua Zui and left a few sticks of incense for consignment. They looked ordinary but were exorbitantly priced, and for a long time nobody wanted them. Then one day, an incense master who was nearing the end of his life stopped by, as he often did, to pick out incense on a whim. Among his choices was one of those ordinary-looking sticks.

Later, a rumor spread among their fellow incense makers.

Man Tang Hua Zui had released a new incense that could prolong life.

“Where is this?”

“The Bridge to the Afterlife.”

“Where will we go after we cross it?”

“Back the way we came.”

He struggled to look up, but he could never make out the man's face, hidden in the mist. He let the other man lead him through the endless fog.

--Taking you on this journey will inevitably harm you somewhat. But don't worry, I'll protect you until you're able to protect yourself.

--With the blood and bones you've inherited, you're destined to walk this road. Since you can't avoid it, all you can do is keep moving forward.

--Don't be afraid. I'll stay with you.

Later, he showed his full force in public:

“I'm Lin Xu. Xu, as in ‘order.’ On my turf, I am the order.”

“I belong to no sect and do as I please. Some people thank me, others hate me. I don't care about gratitude or grudges. Once you're in my domain, each goes their own way. If you don't want to leave, you'll leave anyway.”

In private, he hesitated and questioned himself:

“You've lived for so long, seen countless wonders of the world, and traveled over thousands of mountains and rivers. What do you like about me?”

“Do you think I'm old?”

“Huh?”