Chapter 131 Fingers Intertwined, Hearts Forever United

A dangerous glint flashed in Yan Jue's eyes. If this were to actually happen...

Even though he and Emperor Anqing were sworn brothers, and he now "felt" that Emperor Anqing wouldn't make a move against him, he still couldn't help but tremble at the mere thought of such a possibility.

He won't let that happen.

A dark glint flashed in his eyes. If that happened, he wouldn't mind overthrowing the imperial power!

_

Yangzhou is a major city in Jiangnan with a very prosperous economy. Yan Jue led Shen Pingjin out of the bustling market and headed towards another less crowded road.

Shen Pingjin couldn't help but wonder. She glanced at Yan Jue beside her, and when she saw his firm expression and serious gaze, she kept her mouth shut and didn't voice her doubts.

Yangzhou is located in the south, where the temperature varies greatly throughout the four seasons. Summers are hot and rainy, while winters are cold and dry. The simultaneous occurrence of rain and heat is very conducive to the cultivation of crops.

Sure enough, Shen Pingjin followed Yan Jue to a small hillside. The area was deserted, with only a dense distribution of crops around it.

The mountain road is winding and tortuous. The plum rain season in Yangzhou has not yet arrived, and the land has shown signs of cracking.

As the sun rises, the water molecules in the air are slowly evaporated, leaving a dry smell that has no hint of spring.

Her embroidered shoes crunched on the mud, the toes accumulating dust. Shen Pingjin noticed this, and for the first time, she felt a surge of relief that she had come out in casual clothes.

Because the hem of the casual clothes was shorter than the long skirts of the fine clothes she usually wore, Chen Pingjin thought that it wouldn't be a big deal if the casual clothes got dirty.

The surrounding area was densely wooded, but the higher they climbed up the hillside, the sparser the trees became. Finally, a series of staircases appeared before them.

Seeing this, Shen Pingjin was somewhat puzzled. She looked at Yan Jue and asked, "Yan Jue, this is..."

Yan Jue said, "Let's go, climb up."

Wait, wait a minute?!

Shen Pingjin was somewhat taken aback. Yan Jue had just said he would climb up himself?

"No way, no way, such a long staircase." Shen Pingjin looked at the staircase in front of her and subconsciously swallowed.

"Yan, Yan Jue. You're joking, right..."

Yan Jue glanced at Chen Pingjin, his expression not one of joking: "I didn't."

At some point, Yan Jue changed his self-reference from "this king" to "I".

Shen Pingjin hesitated for a moment: "Where exactly are you taking me?"

Yan Jue made a shushing gesture, which made Shen Pingjin think he was being mysterious. "It's a secret."

Chen Pingjin: "..."

Okay, she'll endure it.

Yan Jue tugged at Shen Pingjin's sleeve and continued walking up the steps, but when they reached the third step, just as Shen Pingjin was about to lift her leg to go up, Yan Jue stopped her.

Chen Pingjin asked, puzzled, "Yan Jue, what are you doing?"

Yan Jue stared intently at the seemingly endless steps, his gaze deep as he looked towards the distant green mountains and misty clouds. "Have you ever heard of worshipping a mountain god?"

"Worship the mountain god?" Shen Pingjin frowned.

Chen Pingjin seemed to have heard of this in her previous life.

Suddenly, as if she had just realized something, she looked at Yan Jue in surprise: "Yan Jue, you didn't bring me here to worship the mountain god, did you?!"

Unexpectedly, Yan Jue actually gave a low "hmm".

Shen Pingjin felt like she was going crazy. "Why are we going to worship the mountain god? Could it be... you're hiding something from me?"

Shen Pingjin looked at the man in front of her suspiciously, staring at his face, as if trying to find something wrong.

Yan Jue glanced helplessly at Shen Pingjin and said, "What are you thinking? Even if I were hiding something from you, I wouldn't be here praying to gods and Buddhas."

"What I want to say is..." Yan Jue's expression suddenly became serious, and he even changed his self-reference back to "this king".

Shen Pingjin stared at Yan Jue in astonishment, her gaze filled with surprise.

Yan Jue suddenly laughed.

“Chen Pingjin, at the top of Lingwu Mountain, there is a temple dedicated to the God of Marriage. I have heard that as long as newlyweds hold hands tightly and walk all the way to the temple at the top of the mountain, they will be forever united and stay together until old age.”

"Whoosh—"

A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, making a soft, swishing sound.

The world was silent; only the sound of the wind could be heard. At least, that was the case for Shen Pingjin.

She... had actually heard this story before.

This was also a regret from her previous life.

Looking at Yan Jue's serious expression, she suddenly felt an urge to question him.

She wanted to ask the man in front of her why he liked her and when he started liking her.

But she knew it wasn't the right time to ask.

Shen Pingjin took a deep breath, looked at the man in front of her, said nothing, but walked to Yan Jue's side and took his hand directly.

The interplay of warm and cool sensations allowed Chen Pingjin to secure her fingers to the man's, inserting them precisely between his fingers.

Yan Jue stared blankly at Shen Pingjin's actions, his heart filled with disbelief at first, followed by a surge of immense joy.

She...actually took his hand on her own initiative.

He looked down and met Shen Pingjin's eyes. The latter seemed to see the burning passion and disbelief in the man's eyes, and immediately embraced him.

“Yan Jue.” Shen Pingjin looked up at Yan Jue, her throat seemingly filled with a thousand words, but in the end, she only uttered three words, “Don’t lie to me.”

"Don't...lie to me?" Yan Jue was initially overjoyed, but upon hearing these words, his joy subsided like a receding tide.

Yan Jue grabbed Shen Pingjin's shoulder with his free hand. "Shen Pingjin, what do you mean by this?"

Shen Pingjin still said, "Yan Jue, I believe you. Will you lie to me in the future?"

The woman's eyes were bright and sparkling, as if they were glistening with water.

However, Yan Jue thought he would never lie to Shen Pingjin no matter what, so he said, "I would never lie to you."

If you could have my life, I would give it to you without hesitation.

Looking at the sincerity in Yan Jue's eyes, Shen Pingjin suddenly felt a sense of urgency.

She was eager to know just how far Yan Jue would go for her.

But she also knew that now was not the time.

Shen Pingjin lowered her eyes, looking into the man's serious gaze, and gripped his hand even tighter, their fingers intertwined.

"Our fingers are intertwined, and we will never be apart."

"Okay." Yan Jue looked at the woman beside him, smelling the sweet fragrance of a young woman lingering around his nose, took a deep breath, and walked upstairs.

The surrounding mountains are as green as ink, and from a distance they seem to be interspersed with a kind of green mist.

Lingwu Mountain is named so because it is rich in spiritual energy. Many people who are skilled in martial arts come here to meditate and absorb this spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

Yan Jue was a martial artist. When he walked up the steps, he deliberately opened his dantian to absorb the spiritual energy of the surrounding world.