“I love you!” At this moment, her words were almost like sleep-talking. “The whole world may say this isn’t love, but I won’t. The whole world may treat this as just a night of passion, but I won’t! They say a man loves many women in his lifetime, they say a woman can be devoted to countless men, but I, Huang Beishuang, disdain such experiences. In this life, I love only Qingyun.”
Her words were slow and simple, but like him, every word was sincere, each striking Qingyun’s heart, urging his wildly beating heart. His hands, propped on either side of her, trembled with effort. His breathing was so chaotic, so heavy, heavy as if saying, I love you too…
Qingyun’s throat kept swallowing, and his slightly parted lips, beaded with inexplicable sweat, inched closer to hers. The paper-thin distance made him thirst to death. Seeing him freeze like this, Huang Beishuang smiled. In truth, she was also very nervous. Who knew that joining with one’s beloved could be such a nerve-wracking affair…
But feeling his sweat dripping onto her chest, she suddenly found him so adorable, adorable like a child, adorable like that lonely fifteen-year-old Qingyun.
“I am yours… forever!”
Hearing this, Qingyun took a deep breath, no longer hesitating. He kissed her deeply, his hands impatiently untying her undergarment, his addictive kisses spreading like a fishnet. His caressing hands were full of urgency, the intense intertwining of their bodies made Huang Beishuang unable to suppress the moans rising in her throat. Just a light, brief sound, yet it elicited Qingyun’s irrevocable possession. “You…” But in that instant, he was suddenly dumbfounded, “How can this be?”
Huang Beishuang frowned, enduring the pain, unable to speak for a long time.
Such a beautiful virgin queen, there probably wouldn’t be a second one in this world. Given Zhan’s and Ruowen’s temperaments, he found it hard to imagine that Huang Beishuang was still a virgin. He had hurt her, with desire, hurting her with her silent consent.
“Silly woman, why didn’t you say earlier!” Qingyun held her tightly, not moving an inch. “Are you feeling better?” he asked simply. Huang Beishuang was stunned, her forehead covered in sweat, but she replied, “I’m fine…”
Qingyun was deeply moved. His hands once again gently caressed her. Under the thick dark green bed curtains, he truly and thoroughly plucked this unparalleled lotus flower!
Memory is a legend carried by the wind, twisting and turning…
Love is an eternal riddle, passed down through generations…
Has anyone ever known that entwining with a lover is another form of eternity in this world? Even when the passion fades, that indescribable happiness and sweetness of that moment will forever remain in one’s heart, unchanging until death.
Only in that moment does loneliness become insignificant!
Miaojing and the Imperial Physician lingered at the door for a long time. After a while, a maid came out and nodded to Miaojing, “His Majesty said that Doctor Shi can go in alone.”
Miaojing stole a glance inside, then smiled and said, “Uh… Ping’er, take good care of the meals, don’t let His Majesty go hungry!” Then he turned to the other physicians behind him and said, “Doctor Shi, go in! Remember, don’t look around, just do the follow-up examination and come out quickly!”
Doctor Shi nodded hurriedly and walked in with faltering steps.
This was the third day, and it had been like this every day.
Standing guard at the door, Miaojing thought that His Majesty seemed truly out of character this time. However, he felt a sense of relief, inexplicable, as if he should thank the heavens for finally favoring this King of Jingtian who had always gone against the current and stood aloof from the world. His Majesty had never trusted anyone, let alone favored any woman to such a degree. This way, Tiandou and Yunpei would probably never be on good terms, at the very least, His Majesty shouldn’t forget that Huang Beishuang was still Prince Zhan’s queen.
Once the thirty-day truce ended, who knew how the situation in the desert would develop? But even if it was only thirty days, it would allow this heaven-made match to indulge in their passion! In this regard, Miaojing truly felt a sense of relief.
The majestic Guanghan Palace had been without its mistress for a full month. Now, only Prince Zhan sat alone in the Huaiyue Pavilion. On the table was a cup of clear wine and a chess set—a game he always lost to the same person!
The scouts reported that the King of Jingtian had indeed taken Huang Beishuang from Ruowen without losing a single soldier. Now, he must be embracing his beauty, how delightful that must be. Thinking of this, Prince Zhan lowered his head and took a sip of cold wine. His wife, his chess opponent, the woman he had never touched, at this moment, was she indulging in passion with that handsome man? Without any resistance and any coldness? So different from how she was in Guanghan Palace!
Prince Zhan stood up and walked to the pavilion pillar, overlooking Guanying Palace. In the back garden, that patch of snow-white Jiema trees was still in full bloom, striking to the eye. He remembered Shaman once telling him about the origin of the Jiema trees…
Long ago, there was a mute girl who fell in love with a general. But the general always rode on horseback and couldn’t see the girl standing by the roadside, gazing at him longingly. Day after day, this unspeakable love made the girl cry herself to sleep every night. Finally one day, her tears fell into the soil and sprouted into tender shoots. These lovely tree sprouts comforted the girl’s lonely heart, so she began to carefully nurture them, rain or shine. After an unknown time, these small trees grew to be just under half a meter taller than an average adult man and stopped growing. One day, the general passed by the road where the girl had been waiting. Suddenly, the grayish-yellow tree buds in front of him all bloomed, with beautiful white petals. The general saw that these trees were too short; if he rode on horseback, he would be blocked by the flower clusters. But seeing how beautiful these flowers were, he couldn’t bear to cut them down, so he had to dismount and walk along this small path. When he reached the end, he saw a girl as beautiful as these flowers. Although she had no voice, her eyes were carved with deep love. The general walked over and held the girl tightly, spending a night of passion with her under these white flowers. Later, the general went to the battlefield and never returned. All the girl got was that one night of intimacy, but she was satisfied. She spent the rest of her life with those white flower trees that had kept her lover for her. She named those trees Jiema trees!
Prince Zhan looked at the five-petaled white circles below and took another sip of cold wine.
Of course, he wouldn’t believe such an absurd thing as tears growing trees. What truly unsettled him was the reason Huang Beishuang planted Jiema trees. Who did she hope would dismount for her? She had never taken him seriously!
Looking at the still-bright moon in the sky, Prince Zhan sneered. Since he had never chosen love, this time, he would not concede either. If the King of Jingtian could retreat for a chess piece in his hand, then in the next chess game, he would surely lose. For him, Prince Zhan, dedicated his entire life, only to Yunpei as the sole persistence, never changing!
Cold snow dyes the mortal world, frost passes yet the green pine stands;
Not yet understanding the hatred within the pass, wishing to ascend Guanghan to hear the flute’s wind;
Not seeing Chang’e truly weary, but thinking of the hero throwing away the wine cup;
Several times heroic spirit faces the city’s troops, speaking of no regrets in the next life’s merit.
Chapter Fourteen: The Netherworld’s Brocade Flag
People are divided into nine ranks, from the most noble to the most humble; emotions are of three kinds, kinship is hard to sever, and love is hard to relinquish.
Life is just this complex. Don’t ask why. When you’re in the midst of it, speaking these few short sentences will be met with the same calmness and helplessness.
However, in this desolate desert, there is still such a person who has stepped out of this small circle of fate.
He is most noble, yet most humble; he discards kinship and is without love.
Who is he?