Chapter 220 Starry Night "Xiao Hai, I think I heard her..."

"Auntie, sob sob... I don't want you to leave..."

"Take me with you too, I don't want to be separated from you, sob sob... Auntie..."

Before Jia Yue even stepped into the main hall, she heard a series of coquettish cries coming from inside.

"Alright, alright, stop crying, your face is all stained... It's not like your aunt isn't coming back, she'll come back to see you often." Another woman's voice gently comforted her.

"...Such a large palace has many things to handle. Xiao Jing needs to learn how to manage the palace from Master Zhou first, so that she can govern the world later. If she leaves with her aunt, she won't learn anything..."

Ji Yujing threw herself into Jiang Yuhuo's waist, no longer saying she wanted to leave together, but still whimpering and clinging to him, her head steaming from crying, her sweat, snot, and tears all smearing Jiang Yuhuo's clothes.

Upon seeing the person entering through the door, she angrily turned her face to the other side.

This is the person who's trying to steal her aunt away!

She disliked this person at all; the gentle demeanor on his face was clearly an act. But her aunt didn't believe her and would pat her head, defending him, "He's actually a very nice person."

Hmph! Brother Yizhan is clearly a better person.

Although she didn't want to admit it at all, her aunt was actually very happy when she was with him.

"Auntie really should go."

Ji Yujing's lips trembled, and the tears she had just stopped welled up again. "Auntie, you must come to see me soon... I'll take good care of this place and wait for you here. I... I'll save the best palace for you..."

"You absolutely must come back to see me."

A warm hand stroked her head. "Okay, Auntie promises you."

In the setting sun, Ji Yujing stood outside the palace gate, watching two figures, one in black and one in white, leave hand in hand, silently counting down the days.

She trusted her aunt, who was always a woman of her word and would do so again this time.

Maybe in less than six months... no, maybe a month will be enough.

She needed to hurry and get the palace ready so she could welcome her aunt.

Ji Yujing firmly believed that they would meet again soon.

On the city gate tower.

Ji Qiu'an put a pile of confiscated blue stone weapons into the treasury. During his patrol, he hadn't gone far when he saw two figures leaving from under the city wall. The woman was dressed in black, with a tall and straight figure. When she occasionally turned her head, her bright black eyes shone brightly.

He suddenly stopped and asked the person next to him, "Uncle, who is that woman?"

Ji Qiu'an's gaze followed the departing person, oblivious to the disbelief in Zhou Sidao's eyes. Looking at the person below the city wall, he sighed inwardly. Such a person—it was a pity he only met her when she left; he wondered if he would ever have the chance to see her again.

"Qiu An, you can't drink anymore." Zhou Sidao frowned as he looked at him and shook his head. "If you keep drinking like this, you'll ruin your brain."

Ji Qiu'an scratched his head sheepishly, a slight blush rising on his fair face.

At the victory celebration banquet a few days ago, he seemed to have drunk a lot of alcohol and was so drunk that he was unconscious. He slept for three days and three nights in the grass outside the camp. In the end, his uncle had to find him and bring him back, which delayed a lot of important matters.

He felt somewhat ashamed when his uncle mentioned alcohol.

But he had a vague feeling that he was waiting for someone that day. Who was he waiting for? Did he finally meet him?

He has no memory of it at all.

As dusk fell, the city gate behind them was slowly closing. Jiang Yuhuo stood watching for a while, somewhat lost in thought.

Although she knew that Xiao Jing was not as naive and weak as she appeared in front of her, she still felt a little worried. After all, she was still so young, and the situation in Zhaoming City could not be considered completely settled.

"We should go."

Jia Yue held her hand, gently tickled her palm with her fingertips, and whispered a reminder.

Jiang Yuhuo suddenly released his hand. "Jiayue, you should go back to the Sea Kingdom first. I'm a little worried about her, so perhaps I should stay a few more days..."

The smile in the merman's blue eyes vanished instantly, like a receding tide. She neither agreed nor disagreed, but calmly asked, "If you're worried about the one in the city, what about the one here?"

"Are you feeling unwell?" Jiang Yuhu asked instinctively.

"No, go find someone else."

Just as Jiang Yuhuo was about to nod in agreement, he suddenly heard Jia Yue continue.

“I will return to the Sea Kingdom with my child and give birth to her safely. If she asks me where her mother is in the future, I will tell her that her mother is thinking of someone else... She can only wait until she grows up and goes to the land to find you... I wonder if you will still be able to spare time to be with her then?”

wrong……

This doesn't seem to mean it's done willingly.

Jiang Yuhuo vaguely sensed a hint of resentment, while Jia Yue simply lowered her eyes, her hand resting on her lower abdomen, and did not look at her.

Her gaze followed his hand.

His robes were always loose, and although his figure looked no different from before, perhaps because she now knew what was underneath, she felt that there seemed to be a bulge there.

Are you feeling unwell?

Jiang Yuhuo reached out and carefully stroked his abdomen.

The warmth of her palm seeped through the fabric and reached me; with just a simple question, that warmth instantly softened my cold, hard heart.

He looked helplessly at the person who had bent down and pressed her ear to his stomach, and still reached out to touch her hair. He felt more than just uncomfortable; his heart was being crumpled by her, so crumpled that it could be squeezed out of it.

She just abandoned him so decisively... When will she realize that what he least wants is to be separated from her?

Jiang Yuhuo didn't think much of it, focusing intently on the condition inside his abdomen. Suddenly, she heard a soft "thump," an extremely faint sound that she would have missed if not for her keen hearing. Then came another sound, a rhythmic one…

"Xiaohai, I think I heard her..."

Jiang Yuhuo raised her head in disbelief, her voice dazed.

Jia Yue was startled for a moment, and immediately felt the faint heartbeat in her abdomen.

It's their child, their child was successfully conceived...

He happily scooped up Jiang Yuhuo and flew away on the wind, saying, "Yuhuo, we're really going to have a child."

With a smile and a sigh, "That's wonderful..."

His child was very sensible; in order to keep her mother, she managed to make her heartbeat the first time when Jiang Yuhuo was about to abandon them.

The wind swirled and rose in the air, and Jia Yue pressed down urgently to kiss her.

"Watch out!" Jiang Yuhuo hugged him back and turned him around to avoid hitting the treetops.

"Fishing Light, I'm so happy." Between kisses, Jia Yue gazed at her intently, her eyes filled with a rare joy.

Jiang Yuhuo quickly summoned the Peng bird, fearing that its carefree and reckless flight might harm the child and herself. Only after she was seated on the bird's back did she feel at ease enough to return his kiss.

"I'm very happy too."

The roc flew swiftly and steadily, while Jia Yue became increasingly unrestrained, focusing entirely on kissing the person in front of her, their necks intertwined, reluctant to part.

People are in the air, their minds are all dizzy, and they can only hold on to each other even tighter.

"Stop thinking about others, okay... Fishing Light, these are your true family."

...

Jiang Yuhuo lay on her back on the reef, her body tense. She looked at the shattered moon in the night sky, biting the back of her hand tightly, not understanding how things had come to this.

In the distance, you can hear the sounds of fishermen tapping on the rocks to harvest oysters. They work at night, harvest enough oysters, and sell them at dawn when they are freshest.

Jiang Yuhuo, having grown up deep in the mountains, was naturally unaware of these things; in fact, this was the first time she had ever learned that such a thing could be eaten raw.

At first, she was simply intrigued. So when Jia Yue peeled an oyster and held it to her lips, she naturally ate it from his hand. She never imagined that Jia Yue would make her pay for it.

In a secluded corner far from the crowds and hidden by giant rocks, the sounds of the waves and the fishermen at work are returned to the mermaids time and time again.

She only ate one.

Isn't he being too greedy...?

The moon cast many shadows, and Jiang Yuhuo took deep, rapid breaths, barely suppressing the urge to kick the mermaid into the water.

No, he's pregnant; we can't harm the baby...

She endured it so hard...

After a long while, the other party in this unfair deal finally got out of the sea and came to her side with a satisfied look on his face. He freed her hand from his mouth and licked the blood seeping from the bite mark.

"Bite so deep, do you consider yourself an enemy?"

The person lying down did not respond; her eyes were glazed with weariness, a moment of drowsiness after the tide had receded.

Jia Yue pulled her into her arms and lowered her head to kiss her lips.

Even though he was so tired, the person in his arms still frowned slightly and avoided him.

They're disgusted with him now...

The mermaid chuckled, placing a kiss on her blushing cheek, gently caressing it, the kiss lingering on her ear.

"Don't you want to try it?" His tongue rubbed against the rounded earlobe as he breathed softly in her ear, so low it was almost blown away by the damp sea breeze.

"Very sweet..."

Even though she had already been thoroughly taken advantage of, Jiang Yuhuo still felt her face burn and her whole body start to feel hot again upon hearing such words.

"I just wanted to kiss you, Fishing Light..."

The sounds of water, breaths, and whispered sweet nothings filled her ears... She was so disturbed that she couldn't fall asleep, so she snuggled closer to him and buried her head in his chest to show her rejection.

"Fishing Light, open your eyes and look at me..."

Jiang Yuhuo's drowsiness had long been dispelled by him, and she was already slightly annoyed. Now, she was even more rebellious and determined to pretend to be asleep to the very end.

But she heard a soft laugh; someone was determined not to let her have her way.

"Hmm!" Jiang Yuhuo suddenly opened her eyes, meeting the mermaid's deep blue eyes, which clearly held a mocking smile.

He did it on purpose.

Jia Yue supported the back of her neck with one hand and gently soothed her with the other, explaining as she kissed her lips and tongue, "I've already rinsed it underwater..."

What's the point of saying all this now?

Jiang Yuhuo was silenced by his mouth, and sobs escaped her throat. Her consciousness seemed to be submerged in boiling water, yet she vaguely heard a sentence.

"...Hands too."

Completely disoriented, Jiang Yuhuo tightly gripped his long, drooping hair.

The moon in the sky gathered and dispersed, dispersed and gathered again, but the eyes of the person before her were an unfathomable blue, like two whirlpools, firmly holding her in, as if trying to swallow her whole.

"Fishing Light...do you like me?" The cool, slippery fish tail wrapped around his legs, slowly tightening. The merman whispered in his lover's ear, his clear voice like a song carried on the sea breeze, "The moment you saw me...did you like me?"

Jiang Yuhuo opened her slightly narrowed eyes, and after seeing the person in front of her clearly, her gaze lingered for a long time.

Under the moonlight, the mermaid's deep blue eyes were flushed with desire, revealing tiny, shimmering scales beneath her eyes. Her lips glistened with moisture, the blue becoming bluer and the red redder as the light shifted... Her long, grey-blue hair cascaded down, the bright moonlight reflecting off her shimmering tail, a mesmerizing sight.

It's beautiful beyond reason.

For a moment, Jiang Yuhuo forgot to breathe.

The next moment, she hooked her arms around his neck, leaned forward and kissed him, pressing her whole body tightly against his, "I like it."

"I've always liked it..."

The flame in her heart was ignited little by little by him, and she kissed him passionately, rubbing against his waist.

His waist suddenly tensed, and the merman's breath became heavy, but he did not make any further moves. He simply held her waist and slowly rubbed it with his palm.

"Phew...don't rush."

The rocks were jagged and would inevitably hurt her body, so it wasn't a suitable place.

Jiang Yuhuo was lifted up by him and sank into the water together.

"thump--"

The oyster harvesters heard a noise and guessed it must be a big fish.

The moment he entered, Jia Yue kissed her lips, sending a cool breath as he swallowed all her sounds...

Only a tiny fish tail flashed across the surface of the sea, and there was no sign of any movement.

The night was deep, and a huge, white seashell boat drifted on the sea.

This place is far from the coast, and even the moon has hidden behind the clouds. All that remains in the world is the boundless water and the people on the shell boats.

"Fishing lights, we're all left here..." The merman whispered in her ear, steering the sea-shell boat deeper into the ocean.

"Hmm..."

Jiang Yuhuo's consciousness wavered for a moment.

The sea was pitch black... It was just too deep here...

"In the future... will you still abandon me for someone else?" The merman stirred, causing ripples to spread across the boat. "How could you be so heartless... to let me leave alone?"

Jiang Yuhuo released her grip on his collarbone and kissed her way down to his chest, taking a light bite at his heart. "Such a big heart, how can you be so petty?"

The boat rocked more and more violently, and Jiang Yuhuo could no longer hold on. For a moment, she thought she was going to fall, and her heart tightened.

"Hiss... Fishing lights..." The merman let out a heavy breath, his eyes glazed over, "I'm holding you, you won't fall... Relax..."

It was meant to be a condemnation of her, but it almost made him lose control.

Jiang Yuhuo couldn't relax; she felt like she was about to press against his stomach, so she tried to pull back.

They were already close to the edge; such a move was tantamount to desertion. Sensing her intention, the merman abruptly pulled her back to sit down, gritting his teeth in her ear, "How could you be so wicked? Hmm?"

Jiang Yuhuo felt extremely wronged. "I'm not bad... um... I was afraid... afraid of crushing the child..."

"Hmm... I see..." The merman sighed in her ear, embracing her limp body with his arms, kissing and rubbing against her tenderly, but refusing to leave. After a while, he coaxed her again, "Since you're worried about crushing the baby, why don't you stay on top..."

That makes sense.

Jiang Yuhuo originally possessed considerable strength, but it seemed to have been squandered early on, and she collapsed shortly afterward. When Jia Yue climbed back on top of her, she was filled with regret, believing that if she had been on top from the beginning, she certainly wouldn't have been defeated so quickly.

"I'll be gentle, so I won't hurt the child," he chuckled softly. "And it won't tire you out either..."

Whom do you look down on?

Jiang Yuhuo was panting heavily and was about to defend himself when the merman swallowed his voice completely.

The gentle night unfolds on the water, ripples spread across the calm sea, and the sound of the water mingles with the whispers of lovers, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, swaying endlessly, until the clouds that shrouded the night sky disperse, and the starlight and moonlight shine upon the sea once more.

This is the moment we've been waiting for.

The swaying seashell boat paused slightly.

The merman gasped for breath, forcing himself to hold it in, and whispered in Jiang Yuhuo's ear, "Yuhuo... open your eyes..."

Jiang Yuhuo arched his back backward, his heart pounding like a drum.

Just a little more... just a little more...

She shifted unhappily, silently urging him on.

Jia Yue also stopped at the edge of the cliff, but patted her back reassuringly.

Jiang Yuhuo relaxed her furrowed brows and opened her eyes, looking up at the sky.

The night sky was filled with stars, and the bright moon shone through. The Milky Way was reflected in the sea, and the surface of the water was dotted with starlight, making it hard to tell whether one was floating in the sky or on the water.

Like a dream, it is intoxicating.

At the same time, the mind is artificially controlled to enter a blank state at this moment, and can only focus on engraving all of this into the mind.

"Remember this moment...this is a beautiful memory for us..."

Between them, there were too many painful memories. The pain of the past couldn't be erased, but they could create new memories—beautiful, sweet ones. As long as they were together, the beauty would eventually overshadow the pain. Jia Yue firmly believed this.

"Promise me you'll never leave me again... We'll be happy forever, and nothing will ever be able to separate us..."

Jiang Yuhuo's gaze remained unfocused for a long time, longer than ever before.

After a long pause, she blinked.

At that moment, she thought, she would never forget it.

The night is still long, and so are their days.

-----------------------

Author's note: Sorry, I didn't expect this chapter to be so long.

Hehe, there really aren't many chapters left. If you don't like angst, you can consider this the ending. [Okay]