In the study.
Li Qiongyu and Tantai Ye had just returned from the military camp. Before they could exchange a few words, they saw Xiao Chizhan, his face contorted with rage, striding in.
"Oh, what a surprise, you have time? Aren't you supposed to be with your beloved?"
Seeing his expression, Li Qiongyu couldn't help but ask, "Were you kicked out?"
A wine jar hurtled towards them.
He immediately dodged it and scoffed, "Look at your foul demeanor."
"Xue Ren, come in."
"Your Highness."
Xiao Chizhan, radiating murderous intent, sat down on the hard couch, his eyes as dark as the abyss. "Pass down the order to find a medicinal herb called Han Dan Zhu."
"Yes."
Tantai Ye, sipping his wine, mocked, "You're not looking for medicine for that Lu Feibai, are you?"
"Exactly, don't you wish he would die?"
Xiao Chizhan gave a sinister smile, "I want his life. Even if he survives, he will die."
"Fine, you're just putting on a show for Ye Luan," Li Qiongyu said exasperatedly. "Can't you be more sincere?"
Sincere?
He grumbled, "What have I done wrong? She faked her death and tortured me, and when I found her, she threatened me by jumping off the city wall."
Now, she wouldn't let him touch her, kiss her, and even insisted on sleeping in separate rooms.
The ferocity in Xiao Chizhan's eyes seemed as if he could devour people, and the aura around him was chillingly terrifying.
Tantai Ye chuckled, "If you had given her the love flower earlier, she wouldn't have been able to torment you like this. You're completely in her grip now, you've fallen."
"Do you still have any of that Buddha Heart Powder you found in Southern Xinjiang before?"
"Tsk, you've come to the right person. I brought back several bottles from Southern Xinjiang before. This stuff is priceless, I've been reluctant to even use it myself."
Li Qiongyu scoffed, "Stop pretending. It's just that you don't need it anymore."
Xiao Chizhan asked, "Are you sure that stuff has no side effects?"
"Do you think I would use anything with flaws on my woman? Of course, it's the best." Tantai Ye sat up straight, smiling rebelliously, "Buddha Heart Powder is colorless, odorless, and traceless. It will never be discovered."
"Hmm, give me two bottles."
----
That night.
A full moon hung diagonally in the night sky, and a cold wind blew through the corridors.
Xiao Chizhan, clad in white robes, emerged from the other end of the covered walkway. He strode up the stone steps and pushed open the firmly closed door.
On the couch.
Someone was sleeping soundly.
He couldn't help but lighten his steps, slowly approaching. With his clean, long fingers, he gently lifted the bed curtain and sat by the couch.
The girl's bright and radiant face, bathed in moonlight, held a unique charm.
He lifted the quilt, gazing with greedy adoration, his eyes tracing down inch by inch.
Her cheeks were as lovely as flowers, her swan-like neck slender, her flat abdomen delicate as water, and her fair, straight legs slightly bent, unfolding like peach blossoms, astonishingly beautiful.
After watching for a while, Xiao Chizhan suppressed his urge, got up, took off his robes, and got onto the couch.
He lay beside her, caressing her cheek with infatuation. After a moment, he leaned down and embraced her, his warm breath fanning her ear.
"My darling, I miss you so much."
He missed her.
He missed her to the point of madness.
His days had been like years without her.
How could she be so cruel, faking her death to deceive him, and then threatening him by jumping off the city wall?
Xiao Chizhan couldn't help but tighten his embrace, pressing her desperately into his arms.
"You are mine, and you can only be mine."
This obsessive, pathological whisper echoed in the silent room, carrying a chilling coldness.
After a moment, he suddenly raised his head and began kissing her ear, her cheek, her eyebrows, and finally her crimson lips, fiercely capturing those soft, red lips.
"You don't like someone like me, but I can learn to be like him, I can pretend my whole life, but you must be mine."
His kisses were intense, and his hands roamed wantonly over her skin.
She couldn't wake up, so he could do as he pleased.
Within the dim and intimate canopy,
Confused breaths rose and fell.
The cold wind outside, mixed with the fragrance of flowers, permeated the courtyard. The fish in the lotus pond leaped and bounded, stirring up splashes of snow-white water under the moonlight, sending ripples outward.
As the night outside the window gradually receded and the first ray of sunlight spilled into the sky, there was movement within the room.
Xiao Chizhan lifted the curtain and looked at the sky outside, rubbing his forehead.
So soon?!
He quickly leaned down and placed a light kiss on the girl's face, then put on his clothes and got out of bed.
As he was leaving, he saw the marks on her body. He immediately went out to get medicine and returned to clean up the traces.
After confirming that no medicinal scent remained, he reluctantly departed.
When Ye Luan woke up about fifteen minutes later, the sunlight was already filtering through the gauze windows.
As she sat up to dress, she suddenly felt her body go limp, a wave of weakness washing over her.
Strange.
"Luan Luan, are you awake?"
Xiao Chizhan's voice called from outside. Ye Luan came back to her senses, ignored him, dressed, and got out of bed.
After washing up, she emerged from the inner chamber and saw Xiao Chizhan waiting outside the door.
"Let's go to breakfast."
He reached out to pull her.
Ye Luan dodged him and walked to the dining table, sitting down. "I'm going to pack my bags and head to Wuhui Gate later. You're busy, you don't need to follow me."
Xiao Chizhan's eyes darkened, his expression unreadable.
"Han Dan Zhu hasn't been found yet. There's no point in you going. Can't you go after I've found the medicine?"
Ye Luan ate her meal, remaining silent.
She didn't know if what Xiao Chizhan said was true.
She wanted to personally search for the medicinal herbs in the snowy mountains bordering the thirteen states of Mobei. If she couldn't find it in one place, she would go to another.
She didn't want to waste any more time.
"Besides, you've only been back for two days. Can't you spend some time with me?"
His slightly aggrieved voice made Ye Luan look up. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept well.
His bloodthirsty and fierce gaze was also filled with tenderness, as if light had been cast deep into his eyes.
What was he doing?
Ye Luan felt a sense of daze, and in her mind, she couldn't help but recall his previous capricious and cruel demeanor.
Scenes of being whipped, stabbed, imprisoned, threatened, and nearly killed flashed through her mind. The hand holding the soup spoon paused, and a hint of self-mockery flickered in her eyes.
"Luan Luan."
Called by him, Ye Luan returned to her senses and said coldly, "I'm not just going to Wuhui Gate. I also want to go to other places and see this vast sky."
"It's all war out there, very chaotic. Can I accompany you?"
"You have busy official duties. Don't waste your time with me."
Although her tone was calm, it carried a firm resolve.
Xiao Chizhan's eyes concealed a deep gloom, and he forcefully suppressed his anger.
Fearing that he might do something in secret, Ye Luan explained, "I want to find the medicine first, not see Lu Feibai. Don't think too much."
He said, "Then I'll send some hidden guards to follow you. If there's any news about Han Dan Zhu, I can notify you in time."
"Mm."
The meal was eaten in extreme silence. Ye Luan had no appetite for conversation, while Xiao Chizhan was suffocating with suppressed resentment and impatience.
The thought of her going to see Lu Feibai made him want to kill!
"Your Highness, Lu Feibai's time is likely limited. Don't dirty your hands."
Was her implication that she was afraid he would kill Lu Feibai?
Hah!