"Youthful words, how can they be taken seriously?!"
Chi Yan was startled, her hands involuntarily turned pale and trembled.
Xu Qing pushed her away and said calmly, "Past events have scattered. Let go of the past, do not cling to it any longer."
After speaking, he pushed open the door and slowly left.
The cold wind swept in.
Chi Yan stared blankly at the departing figure, her eyes vacant, with a hint of despair.
Main Courtyard.
Ye Luan sat before the vanity. Hearing the sound of the door opening, she turned her head.
"Why has Your Majesty come in the middle of the night?"
Xie Beihan approached with a jade jar, smiling at her, "Come here."
Ye Luan frowned, turned, and walked into the inner chamber.
Xie Beihan tutted and reached out to pull her.
"This is called the Twin Life Gu. We live and die together, isn't that good?"
Ye Luan ignored his words, allowing him to pull her. After a moment, Xie Beihan began to feel something was wrong, his palm unbearably hot.
He forcefully suppressed the toxicity with his internal energy, a faint smile appearing on his brows.
"You picked the flowers in the courtyard to make poison, to deal with me."
Ye Luan raised an eyebrow, "I've smeared myself with it all over. Your Majesty had best not touch me."
Dragon City was no more than a hundred li from the Southern Border Holy Pagoda. The area was planted with poisonous flowers everywhere. She had observed for several days and finally managed to concoct it.
Xie Beihan chuckled, "This is the first time someone has dealt with me like this."
With that, he didn't loosen his grip but pulled tighter, embracing her completely.
"I want to see if you can bear to let me die."
Ye Luan gritted her teeth in anger, struggling, "Are you not afraid of dying?!"
"I am not. Even if I die, I will die by your hand."
"---"
Ye Luan was utterly speechless.
Angrily, she stomped hard on his foot, "Let go."
He remained silent, his expression阴鸷 (yin zhi – sinister/gloomy), hugging her fiercely, squeezing her bones until they ached.
Ye Luan gasped in pain.
"They are all dead, and the one I love also wants me dead. What is the point of me being alive?"
His voice clearly carried a hint of petulance, but the ruthlessness in his eyes was extremely chilling.
Ye Luan felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. "I didn't want to kill you. As long as you don't lay a hand on me, we can coexist peacefully."
Xie Beihan sneered, "How can I not touch you? I want to sleep with you."
"Then go die."
Ye Luan struggled in anger.
Xie Beihan forcefully suppressed the toxicity radiating from her, veins bulging on his hands.
Ye Luan noticed his discomfort and reminded him, "The poison is acting up."
"Mm, it hurts."
His head felt heavy, his chest constricted, his face was pale without a trace of color, and his lips gradually turned a dark purple. Yet, he refused to let go, resting his head on her shoulder and holding her tightly.
Ye Luan couldn't break free and felt a sense of helplessness, almost wanting to laugh.
"You schemed for years to ascend to the throne. Wouldn't it be a pity to die like this?!"
He didn't speak, his eyes tightly shut, blood slowly seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Ye Luan smelled the coppery scent of blood, sighed inwardly, took a pill from her pouch, and fed it to him.
"Stop pretending. This poison won't kill you."
With his profound internal energy, a mere flower poison couldn't kill him.
She only intended to scare him, never expecting him to be so stubborn.
"Get up."
Ye Luan pushed him impatiently, but he remained unmoved.
"Xie Beihan, get up. I'll draw your blood."
"Are you unwilling to see me die?"
He suddenly looked up, his dark pupils fixed on her.
Ye Luan said coldly, "If you die, I won't be able to live either."
Dragon City was filled with his soldiers. If she killed him, she wouldn't be able to escape alive.
"Oh, then die with me."
"---"
He's crazy.
Ye Luan closed her eyes, suppressing the turmoil in her heart.
She opened her eyes, her tone softening.
"No matter what, you saved my life. I didn't intend to kill you."
Xie Beihan murmured, "Just saving my life?"
Ye Luan knew what he wanted to hear and said, "It's that I can't bear to see you die."
He chuckled lightly, greedily inhaling her scent near her ear.
Even knowing it was a lie, a deception, it still sounded so sweet and pleasing.
"Hurry and get up, let out the poisoned blood."
Xie Beihan nestled unhappily on her shoulder and said, "I don't want to move."
"Xie Beihan!"
Ye Luan yelled in annoyance.
"Don't make a fuss in the middle of the night."
Seeing that she was truly angry, Xie Beihan snorted and sat down on a nearby soft couch.
Ye Luan took out a set of tools from the cabinet, drew the poisoned blood for him, and then told him to leave.
"Go back and rest."
"Not leaving."
He lingered on the soft couch, his beautiful phoenix eyes staring directly at her.
Ye Luan forcibly suppressed the surge of aggression within her.
She looked at him seriously and said, "Your Majesty is now the Son of Heaven, with three palaces and six courtyards, and three thousand beauties. There is truly no need for you to entangle yourself with me, someone who has a fiancé."
Xie Beihan chuckled, "I like it."
Ye Luan, "---"
"I want Xiao Chi Zhan to personally witness you put on the phoenix robe and marry me!"
Dream on!
Ye Luan didn't want to continue the conversation and directly got into bed, pulling the curtains shut to block the outside view.
Xie Beihan didn't provoke her further. His tall frame curled up on the soft couch outside, his eyes closed. Perhaps feeling truly uncomfortable, he flung his legs outwards and lazily turned over.
Ye Luan dared not sleep, leaning cautiously against the corner of the bed. Only when she heard the sounds of him falling asleep outside did she close her eyes.
However, her guard remained up, and she didn't sleep well all night.
When she woke up the next day, she heard two unfamiliar voices from the outer room.
She was startled, paused for a moment, and quietly tiptoed to the door to listen.
"You mean she's fallen for Liu Rongruo and won't leave."
It was Xie Beihan's voice.
Ye Luan had no internal energy, and they were far away, so she couldn't hear clearly. But she heard Liu Rongruo's name, her expression sharpened, and she strained with all her might to listen at the door.
"Huo Dao sent word that he scouted at night and saw the Saintess. The Saintess said that the Toad King Gu in her body had acted up, and her consciousness mistook Liu Rongruo for Your Majesty. Her personalities were clashing, and she refused to leave."
"Moreover, during the day, the Saintess was tricked by Liu Rongruo into taking the Blood-Eating Silkworm. It acts up at night, causing her immense pain, and she must drink his blood."
Xie Beihan sneered, "It seems Liu Rongruo knows her identity and is deliberately toying with her."
The Blood-Eating Silkworm, produced in Flame Cave, was as fine as silk threads and fed on blood, eroding both body and mind.
"Then this Great Liang border defense map might be fake."
The guard said, "Furthermore, according to people from Aba Huan, the Saintess is in grave danger. Due to her physical condition, she trusts Liu Rongruo implicitly. If we don't forcefully bring her back, she might be tortured to death by him in Shangjing."
Hearing this, Xie Beihan merely gave a faint smile. "All previous Saintesses have had to endure this trial. If she cannot overcome it, no one can help her."
The guard was startled and lowered his head, daring not to say more.
The Saintess's admiration for His Majesty was known to everyone in the Southern Border royal family.
But His Majesty...
In the inner chamber, Ye Luan listened to these words in shock, covering her mouth, not daring to make a sound.
"There's one more thing. Batu failed. In two days, Tantai Ye will be marrying. At that time, he will surely come to Xiguan."
Xie Beihan smiled sinisterly, "Then on the wedding day, let him die."
"Go tell Xuan Qing to assist Batu. Tantai Ye must die!"
"Yes."