Chapter 210: The Crown Prince's Original Wish (Part 3)
The palace master has a condition that makes him furious whenever he sees Xie Huailing.
At this moment, she was firmly bound to the chair. The tragic scene of yesteryear was repeating itself, causing her face to flush red. She wished she could stretch her neck and bite the nonchalant guy opposite her who was still fanning himself. Feeling angry at Xie Huailing was effortless; without even recalling it, the Palace Master could grit her teeth and say, "Get out of here! Get out of here!"
Xie Huailing calmly took a sip of tea, looking quite pleased with himself. He readily built his happiness on the suffering of others, saying, "Aren't you practicing bone-shrinking kung fu? What's wrong with having another audience member? I can even cheer you on."
The Palace Master is really going to bite her. If she had known that she would run into Xie Huailing while practicing the Bone Shrinking Technique today, she would rather die than practice it. She would rather go out immediately and do something else than face Xie Huailing and be laughed at.
Furious, the Palace Master took a breath and tried her best to maintain her dignity and not look too embarrassed in front of Xie Huailing: "I told you to get out of here, aren't you annoying? I scolded you and you're still here. You have such a thick skin."
"It's not a matter of being shameless, but I'll take it as a compliment." Xie Huailing, who was looking for fun, wasn't someone who could be driven away by a few words of insults. She said, "As for insulting me, you can only insult me."
Provoked by her, the Palace Mistress's feigned composure quickly crumbled. She was eager to break free of the ropes binding her. Although she couldn't fight Xie Huailing, she wanted to turn around and leave, determined not to share a room with this person. However, the ropes that Gong Jiu had tied were so tightly, and the ropes were made of top-quality material. Moreover, she wasn't skilled in brute force, and she couldn't break free for a while.
Seeing her expression, Xie Huailing said considerately, "If you're itchy, you can take a shower. Or are you hungry? Oh, I know."
She gently brought over a plate of pastries, picked up a piece with her chopsticks, and fed it to the palace mistress, coaxing her, "Come on, open your mouth, ah—"
Enraged and unable to bear such humiliation, the Palace Master forcefully threw the chair towards Xie Huailing, intending to crush her to death. However, the chair was nailed to the ground and remained unmoved. She had truly blocked Xie Huailing's path.
Completely helpless against Xie Huailing, the Palace Master could only take a vicious bite of the pastry: "I don't want to eat this... chew chew chew... change it, I want the one next to it!"
"Alright, alright." Xie Huailing was extremely gentle and actually listened to her. "Come on, open your mouth again, ah—"
When Gong Jiu arrived, this bizarre scene unfolded before her: two people who were practically incompatible were living peacefully together. Xie Huailing had already fed the Palace Master half a plate of snacks and was even resting his chin on his hand, showing concern for her. The golden sunlight shone on half of her face, making her look like a beauty from a painting gracefully descending to earth. Everything she did was infinitely beautiful, and people should be infinitely tolerant of her.
But is that really the case? Gong Jiu walked over and asked, "What are you doing?"
Xie Huailing was carefully wiping the crumbs from the corner of the palace master's mouth. Without even looking at him, she replied, "Taking care of her, playing with her."
Gong Jiu looked at the Palace Master, who cast a pleading glance her way, hoping her Ninth Brother would save her from her dire straits. However, sometimes you just can't count on Gong Jiu for anything; his thought process might not work in sync with yours. If it did, you'd probably need to see a doctor.
Gong Jiu said enviously, "I see. You guys seem to be having a lot of fun. How about it is my turn?"
The palace master's eyes widened, and he shook violently as if someone had thrown a small insect at him. He said indignantly, "Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother, look at her! She's not playing around; she's clearly bullying me!"
"Yeah?"
"Yes, Ninth Brother, hurry up and teach her a lesson, I still need to practice my skills!"
"Alright. Can I switch places?" The second half of the sentence was addressed to Xie Huailing.
Even if she had a thousand words to say, the Palace Master couldn't utter a single one. She remained with her mouth open, whether out of anger or on the verge of tears, it was unclear. Xie Huailing swiftly stuffed another piece of pastry into her mouth, and only then did she seem to be restarted, continuing to glare at her.
Staring was useless. Xie Huailing stuffed the remaining two pieces in, so much so that the Palace Master couldn't speak and could only make "uh-uh" sounds. Only then did she stop, feeling happy that although she hadn't eaten much today, she hadn't wasted any food. She stood up, patted her sleeves, and continued Gong Jiu's words: "No, let's go upstairs to talk."
Gong Jiu sighed regretfully, but quickly reverted to her aloof demeanor and followed Xie Huailing upstairs.
Regardless, at least Xie Huailing was gone. The Palace Master struggled to finish all the pastries in her mouth, burying her head in resentment. Then, after a while, she suddenly realized something, remembering that there was nothing that needed to be discussed upstairs, and that Gong Jiu's study wasn't even here. Mei Kai began to struggle violently for the second time.
.
After climbing one flight of stairs, they could still hear some noise. Xie Huailing praised the Palace Master's stamina, saying it was perfect for pulling a millstone. Thinking, "I've played with her for a while, so I should at least have some conscience," he asked, "She doesn't seem to want to continue practicing. Should you go and check on her?"
"No need." Gong Jiu was surprisingly strict when it came to martial arts training. He simply said, "She has enough talent. What she lacks is effort. Once she comprehends the Bone Shrinking Technique, she will be able to get out on her own."
Since he had already said that, Xie Huailing didn't care anymore and continued walking forward. After turning a corner, he asked again, finally getting to the point: "When do you plan to hand over your private soldiers?"
She didn't ask him if he was willing or not; it was unnecessary. For Gong Jiu, even if he squandered the world, it wouldn't be strange. In this world, some people will do anything to gain power, so it's only natural that some people will abandon power in exchange for beautiful women.
It's okay to have a bad reputation or negative opinions; being able to take it all in stride is another kind of integrity.
“Anytime is fine,” Gong Jiu said. “It should have been handed over to Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou anyway.”
These words made Xie Huailing look at him a few more times. He continued, "I didn't use my private army to make a deal with you to get you to come. We agreed to cooperate, and that's what we mean. I always keep my promises. Now that you're here, the only thing I need you to do is set a time."
“I know,” Xie Huailing said. “I know that even if I hadn’t come, you would have been handed over to me anyway.”
This man's demeanor is truly strange; filth and arrogance coexist within him. In moments of depravity, his jade-like outer shell peels away layer by layer, yet the truth is as complex as a clasp, making it seem impossible to look at him beyond the outer shell. If that's the case, what is real and what is fake? Or is it that from beginning to end, every aspect is one-sided, and every aspect is indispensable?
As they spoke, the guest room prepared for Xie Huailing was already in sight, just a few steps away. They walked side by side, and then it was Gong Jiu's turn to ask, "So you still came, is that what I wanted?"
Xie Huailing doesn't do unnecessary things and never wastes his time.
The person stood in front of the door, still silent.
She slightly raised her hand, and the door was gently pushed open. The furnishings inside were exquisite, not overly luxurious, but Xie Huailing didn't look at them closely. Her mind wasn't on that, and there was no need to dwell on it today. She simply walked straight to the window and closed it.
Everything inside the room froze instantly, so still that only the sounds of breathing and heartbeats could be heard. The outside world became irrelevant to those inside. Gong Jiu closed the door and then locked it.
So no matter what happens next, there will only be two people left here.
Gong Jiu waited quietly for a while. In his field of vision, Xie Huailing stood motionless in front of the window, like a jade statue, without the slightest reaction. He waited a few more breaths before speaking, "You still haven't answered me."
"Does the answer matter?" She turned her head slightly, and he saw the contours of her face, smooth and beautiful. "Don't you already know even if I don't answer you?"
Xie Huailing tapped her fingers lightly on the table by the window. The sound was off, and she seemed to be distracted again. She opened the drawer and said, "Haven't things come to this point just as you wished?"
The drawer was full of items. At first, she couldn't tell what they were. She picked through them and observed them, then she realized what they were. She glanced at Gong Jiu again and closed the drawer.
Gong Jiu said with a hint of regret, "It was something I prepared with great effort; who knows, it might come in handy?"
Xie Huailing didn't speak, she just looked at him.
The dimly lit room cast an impenetrable shadow over her. A deity's image shouldn't be displayed in such a setting. The jade statue placed in the pitch black always evokes unpleasant memories and unpleasant past events.
But not everyone is afraid. Some people waited a long time and finally got their wish. They were so eager to kneel down and kowtow three times and nine times.
In fact, he did just that, after Xie Huailing had completely turned around.
This cannot be called a transaction, nor is it cooperation. Inside the house, the two were already connected by a thread, and he was simply overwhelmed and forced to kneel down along that thread. For Gong Jiu, this was something he was simply meant to do.
The waves surged and receded, the sea was calm and still. He lowered his head, his gaze etched into the earth. The pain that should have torn him apart was slow to arrive; the one that should have dominated him remained on the other side.
But he knew he would get it; tonight was different, and that made it all the more unbearable.
He seemed to have started counting his heartbeats, but stopped several times due to his agitation, his breathing becoming uneven and shattering the silence of the room. Blood surged through his body, thick and hot, and he longed for an outlet, to drown himself in it.
He no longer cared about anything else in the world; he only cared about one person: her indifference, her approach, the sound of her rising footsteps, and the shadow she cast upon him.
Gong Jiu's panting stopped as he was roughly pressed down.
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