Chapter 102

Well... it can't really disappear.

After hesitating for a long time, Sa's father coughed lightly, somewhat awkwardly, as if to remind the two that he was still there.

The two then realized what had happened, and shyly let go of each other, leaving the air momentarily silent.

To ease the awkwardness, Zhou Yanqing introduced the two to each other.

Of course, even without him saying it, Sa's father could tell that Si Yanmo was the famous Princess Consort of Qin.

Previously, he and his wife had been imprisoned by Wu Zhao in Sak and knew nothing about the outside world.

Along the way, the most common thing I heard upon entering the Qin region was about the King of Qin and his queen, which had all been embellished into "myths" by storytellers.

What impressed him most was the story of how the two of them abolished human sacrifice and even overthrew the Imperial Temple. This terrified him greatly; it was the first time he had ever heard of someone daring to defy the gods in this way.

"How come this story is getting more and more outrageous?"

When Si Yanmo heard him say that, she was both amused and exasperated, and quickly tried to explain to him.

Sa's father did not agree with abolishing human sacrifice, but he said that he was now too old to interfere in anything.

If the people all say it's good, then it must be good.

He and his family had suffered a lot this time, and what saved him was not a god, but these children in front of him.

He couldn't tell what was right or wrong; he just hoped his family would be safe and sound.

He thanked the two for taking care of Sano and for their help to his family.

"Your Highness and the Princess have shown me such great kindness that I will never forget it. I am willing to go through fire and water for you in the future."

Zhou Yanqing quickly had someone help him up, knowing that if they continued talking, it would probably turn into a thank-you ceremony, so he chatted casually for a few minutes and then hurriedly left with Si Yanmo.

Once seated in the carriage, he glanced at the person who had been staring at him and smirked, "You...missed me?"

Si Yanmo didn't answer, but instead blurted out, "My sister just gave birth to a baby girl."

Zhou Yanqing was stunned. He had only been gone for half a day, and the baby was already born? Wasn't it supposed to be another month?

Before he could speak, Si Yanmo leaned on his shoulder and said, "According to her destiny, my sister is supposed to give birth to a baby boy. I also looked at her destiny chart and it says she will die within six months."

As she spoke, her voice began to tremble, "Zhou Yanqing, I'm scared."

Zhou Yanqing quickly hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead, trying to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, we haven't arrived yet, have we? We can handle it."

His attempts to comfort her were ineffective, and Si Yanmo burst into tears, "Did I do something wrong? I haven't even saved you yet, and now my sister is going to..."

"It's alright, it's alright..." Zhou Yanqing patted her back tenderly. "How can this be your fault? Since things are different now than in the past, it's normal for fate to change. If it can be changed once, it can be changed a second time. We'll always find a way. Do you see why?"

Si Yanmo nodded, "I saw it, but I don't understand it. The fate chart says 'Indecisiveness leads to death,' and I don't know what that means."

Hearing this, he also fell into deep thought, "Is there anything that your sister is easily troubled by?"

Si Yanmo thought for a moment, then shook her head. "My sister is more decisive than me in everything she does. I'm the one who's more indecisive in the family."

That's strange.

Zhou Yanqing couldn't figure out what was going on for a moment. The person in his arms was unusually dependent on him, and he naturally wanted to help her, but unfortunately, he couldn't find a way.

This judgment is too vague and ethereal.

The person in his arms was still holding him tightly, drawing comfort from him; he didn't want to disappoint her.

"How about I send more people to their residence later?"

Unable to think of a good solution for the moment, Si Yanmo could only nod. She couldn't help but reveal her true feelings, "If my sister gets into trouble because of me changing all of this, then I'd rather it be me who dies."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhou Yanqing's breath hitched, her voice filled with panic. "What about me? Don't you want me anymore?"

"But I couldn't save you either." Tears streamed down Si Yanmo's face, falling onto his clothes and feeling like sharp blades piercing his heart.

"Fool, we still have time, don't we? I believe you."

The two returned to the Prince of Qin's residence. Knowing she was frightened, Zhou Yanqing held her and comforted her all night until the first rays of sunlight appeared, at which point they both fell into a deep sleep.

Fearing that she would be in a bad mood, Si Yanmo was supposed to visit her sister the next day, but he dragged her to a valley in the suburbs instead.

"It's so cold outside, why did you decide to come here?"

This valley is cooler than other places, and most people come here to escape the summer heat. Zhou Yanqing dragged her here in the dead of winter, which puzzled him.

The man smiled mysteriously and told her to close her eyes, saying she would know soon enough.

She glanced at the man suspiciously, then obediently closed her eyes as he looked at her expectantly. He helped her take a few steps, and it grew darker and darker.

"You're not going to find a cave and abandon me, are you?" she teased.

Zhou Yanqing chuckled, "Why are you thinking so much? Shouldn't I be the one who's afraid of being abandoned?"

"When did I say I was going to abandon you?" she muttered softly, just as she finished speaking when she heard Zhou Yanqing tell her to open her eyes.

What comes into view are lanterns made of flowers from different seasons, illuminating the cave with a dazzling array of colors. Even the ice beneath the lanterns is carved with different patterns.

Of course, the most common is jasmine.

"You...you don't tell me you did all this?" Si Yanmo's heart felt like it had been scratched by a cat's claw, a ticklish feeling of being touched.

Zhou Yanqing wrapped her arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Yes, the lady didn't even look at the lanterns I made before. I guess she didn't like them. I originally wanted to make a bigger one, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough time."

Hearing this, Si Yanmo felt even more guilty. She turned around and cupped the man's face in her hands. "I'm sorry, I was wrong before..."

She squatted down, took a deep breath, and explained, "Before I recovered, my sister always told me that when she had children, she would let their children play with me. In my past life, I didn't see my sister get married, and I wasn't with her when she gave birth. I want to make up for it, so these past few days my mind has been on my sister, and I've neglected you."

Although Zhou Yanqing felt a little wronged, all her other thoughts disappeared after hearing her words. She held her hand and rubbed her cheek against her palm. "Then look at me more often, okay?"

"good."

The young couple nestled together, the dimness of the cave illuminated by the lanterns.

"So you were also worried about this yesterday?"

Zhou Yanqing knew she was asking about Zhou Junsong, and it seemed this silly girl hadn't quite grasped it yet. Perhaps he was really overthinking it; this idiot simply didn't understand.

He was too embarrassed to explain his unfounded jealousy, so he simply went along with her words, "Yes, you have to make it up to me."

"Then... how do you want me to make it up to you?" Si Yanmo hooked her arms around his neck, her eyes smiling.

The puppy immediately raised its chin, looking expectant, "How about... a kiss?"

Si Yanmo blushed, but still forced a smile and teased back, "One kiss is enough?"

"Yes, I'm easy to coax." He deliberately leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against the skin beside her ear, making her tremble. "Are you shy?"

"I...I didn't."

As she spoke, she quickly touched the corner of his lips and then turned her head away.

Luckily, there was no one else around, otherwise she would have wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.

Zhou Yanqing, however, was somewhat dissatisfied and domineeringly put his arm around her waist, preventing her from escaping. "This is not a kiss."

"Isn't this what you call it?" Si Yanmo knew exactly what he was talking about, but it was still too much...

It's fine once or twice, but if it happens every day from now on, she'll probably die of embarrassment.

Zhou Yanqing wasn't about to let her off the hook, "I just won't call out."

As he spoke, he decided to demonstrate by leaning down and kissing her lips, gently yet aggressively rubbing them together.

She tried to escape, but he held the back of her head, his breath ragged and hot, and he mumbled her name, "Amo..."

Their breaths mingled, and Si Yanmo involuntarily responded to him. Her kissing skills were rather clumsy, but it was precisely this unskilled response that excited Zhou Yanqing even more, and his advances became even more intense.

In the very end, Si Yanmo almost collapsed into his arms, and Ye Shengge, who hadn't acted up for so long, was finally aroused...

Both of them felt hot, and their coats felt cumbersome.

Zhou Yanqing subconsciously unfastened his cloak, hugged Si Yanmo tightly in his arms, and sat down on the stone bench next to him.

He had been setting things up here, and would occasionally sit on the stone bench to rest. The stone bench had long been covered with thick cushions, so it wasn't cold to sit on; on the contrary, it was quite comfortable.

They kissed passionately, almost losing themselves in the moment.

Si Yanmo also wanted to take off her coat, but he stopped her.

He hadn't completely lost his mind. He knew they were still outside, and even if Si Yanmo was willing, he was afraid she would catch a cold.

"It's too cold, sweetie." He turned to the side and buried his head in her neck, unable to resist gently rubbing his lips against hers again and again. His increasingly hot breath made Si Yanmo's eyes become hazy.

She scolded playfully, "You should keep these in the Prince's mansion."

Zhou Yanqing chuckled, "Yes, I regret it."

Despite saying that, neither of them stopped what they were doing.

Si Yanmo's hand first slipped inside his collar, and when she touched the hardness of his chest, her fingertips also felt a slight undulation that was different from that of an ordinary person.

Zhou Yanqing's breath hitched. He grabbed her hand and teased, "Is Madam making a fuss about me?"

Si Yanmo didn't follow up on his words, but instead asked with concern, "Is there... an injury here?"

The two had met frankly before, but Si Yanmo didn't care much even if she had seen it.

Although she can't see the scar now, as she touches it with her fingertips, she seems to be able to recall a part of it.

This must have been a rather large scar, located a few centimeters to the right of her heart. Based on her knowledge of witchcraft and medicine that she had learned at the divination institute, it must have been a deep wound. Perhaps if it had been a few centimeters to the left, she would never have seen this person again.

Thinking this, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache; the lust ignited by the night's revelry transformed into heartache for her husband.

Zhou Yanqing didn't care much, but when he saw the handsome brows of the person in his arms furrow, a sense of pleasure welled up in his heart.

"Feeling sorry for her?" he asked, his joy growing even stronger when he saw her nod. He gently kissed her lips again. "Silly girl, it's okay, it's all over now."

Knowing he wouldn't tell her, Si Yanmo didn't ask.

After all... it was too easy for her to see his past.

She secretly counted on her fingers, a movement that Zhou Yanqing caught.

He wanted to stop her, but then stopped. A slightly malicious but kind voice inside him told him: Let her know, let her feel sorry for you, that way she won't leave you.