Huang Bei Shuang suddenly felt his cold hand grasp her calf, causing her to shudder. She sneered, “Dao Qiu once told me you’ve played many women to death?”
Ruo Wen’s hand continued to caress her leg as he replied nonchalantly, “Don’t worry! I won’t kill you until I’m bored of you!” His voice sounded hoarse and emotionless.
Huang Bei Shuang retracted her leg, barely shaking off his hand, and laughed with forced composure, “Seeing how relentlessly you pursue me, even missing the perfect opportunity to attack Yun Pei, I thought you might have fallen in love with me!”
Hearing this, Ruo Wen withdrew his hand and burst into laughter. “Me, love you? What a joke! Huang Bei Shuang, I didn’t realize you were also a woman who loves to dream!” He gripped her shoulders, staring into her eyes with utter mockery, and chuckled softly, “In this world, there’s no love, only ‘want’ and ‘don’t want.’ If I want it, I take it. If I don’t want it, I toss it away. Love is bullshit. Those who speak of it die quickly!”
Hearing his undeniably cruel words, Huang Bei Shuang completely calmed down. Ruo Wen was a simple man; all he wanted was submission. Realizing this, she steeled herself and looked up with a smile, “So what do you want now?”
Ruo Wen looked at her – that gaze, so proud, so confident, as if seeing through everything in the world. “I’ve already undressed. What do you think I want?” Ruo Wen was unexpectedly in the mood to tease her, eager to see that momentary panic once more.
“I’m injured! Can’t you wait until I’ve healed?” Huang Bei Shuang looked at him. She wasn’t hoping for someone to rescue her, nor was she foolish enough to think she could escape Ruo Wen’s grasp alone. She said this simply because her body was too weak, and neither her spirit nor her body could endure Ruo Wen’s torment.
“What benefit is there for me in waiting for you to heal?” Ruo Wen looked at the wound on her chest. Undeniably, for a woman, it was a severe injury.
Huang Bei Shuang smiled, “At least when you’re seeking pleasure, I won’t die and ruin your mood!”
Hearing this, Ruo Wen did worry about that possibility. After pondering for a moment, he said, “I don’t know what trick you’re planning, but it’s best not to think about escaping. If following me costs you your life, it’ll be after you’ve satisfied me! I’ll let it go today, but tomorrow night, spare me such nonsense!” With that, he stood up, put on his clothes that had fallen by the wooden tub, and left without looking back.
Huang Bei Shuang clutched her clothes tightly at her chest, curling up in the blanket like an abandoned child. Why was it so cold? Having come to this point, she truly had no strength left. Whether it was E Na Yi or Yun Pei, could she just distance herself from it all? No longer worry about those unclear responsibilities and endless principles? As she thought this, she lay down against the edge of the bed. Why was it so bone-chillingly cold?
The night was long, unnaturally long.
That night, Ruo Wen sat in his room, repeatedly polishing the spear that Qing Yun had once broken, unable to sleep. This strange insomnia made him suddenly regret letting that beautiful woman go tonight. The feeling was indescribable – part resentment, part pity, yet not entirely regretful. Such a vague matter, he couldn’t comprehend.
Desire is hard to bear, desire is love, rare is loneliness, and rare is confusion.
In one’s life, how many feelings will remain unclear even until death?
And those feelings often illuminate the sky in an instant.
In the end, they still captivate you, never to be forgotten!
The fire spread quickly. Qing Yun’s army unexpectedly pressed hard on Fen Tian’s eastern border, soon drawing out Fen Tian’s main force that had just taken a brief rest. Under the city walls burning red, countless torches rivaling the stars in brightness highlighted the imposing presence of Tian Du’s army. However, Fen Tian’s people didn’t know that in fact, the Tian Du forces before them numbered less than 50,000. Qing Yun had each soldier carry two torches to make their numbers seem greater, which was hard to discern in the dark sky. He stood at the front of the formation, ordering Liao Zhen to feign an attack, finally drawing out the sleepless Wild Blood King Ruo Wen.
Now standing atop the city wall, Ruo Wen looked down at Qing Yun, “You again!” he roared, not hiding his killing intent. He could never forget this face – the only man who dared to hold a sword to his throat.
“We meet again!” Qing Yun stood below, speaking with a smile, “Did I disturb your sweet dreams?”
Ruo Wen’s eyes turned cold. He waved his hand, and the entire city wall waved the Yellow Sky Wild Troops’ banner, with soldiers roaring like a tidal wave. Qing Yun, sitting on Fei Ta, watched and thought to himself: Although this man is a bandit, in terms of fighting strength, even Zhan might not be his match.
Despite his inner admiration, Qing Yun maintained a faint smile and shouted, “Don’t get excited, I had no choice! I was originally tangling with That Zhan in the south, but for some reason, he suddenly called for a ceasefire, offering twelve border cities in exchange for me to lead troops to Fen Tian. You’d accept such a good deal too, right? Why not cooperate? It’s not like we’re fighting!” He waved at Ruo Wen jokingly.
Hearing this, Ruo Wen suddenly felt something was amiss. He turned to look at Luo Ying, who quickly nodded and said, “According to our scouts, Yun Pei and Tian Du indeed had peace talks. The details are unclear, but it seems to be related to that woman!”
Ruo Wen turned back, coldly eyeing Qing Yun, “What do you mean? Speak clearly!”
Qing Yun smiled, “It means nothing. You just need to play along with me for a while. The one with real intentions is That Zhan.”
Ruo Wen stomped on the city wall, roaring, “Stop beating around the bush, speak clearly!”
Qing Yun laughed heartily, signaling the commanders behind him to lower their bows and arrows before saying, “You stole someone’s wife, of course, they won’t take it lying down. Do I need to spell it out?”
Hearing this, Ruo Wen felt a chill in his heart, as if sensing something ominous. At this moment, Cheng Xiang rushed over, “Leader! There’s also a large army pressing on our eastern border, and many spies have already infiltrated and are setting fires everywhere.”
“Whose troops?” Ruo Wen asked.
“They look like That Zhan’s Red Robe Cavalry. Though they’re not flying banners, it’s obvious at a glance!” Cheng Xiang replied.
Ruo Wen finally understood. He figured That Zhan was coming to rescue someone, offering twelve cities as a condition to get Tian Du’s cooperation. Tian Du would hold him up at the front while That Zhan sneaked in from behind to find the person and leave.
Thinking this, Ruo Wen quickly ordered, “Luo Ying, go to the inner compound now and bring Huang Bei Shuang here. Don’t let her escape!”
Luo Ying nodded.
Ruo Wen looked at Qing Yun standing below, showing no intention of attacking, and said calmly, “Don’t you want to test your skills against mine?”