Chapter 63
***
As dusk deepened, countless rays of the setting sun converged into a single beam, illuminating the spacious yet dark hall. The afterglow of the sunset was like brocade, spreading across the sky.
A man sat silently in the hall, looking up at the slowly setting sun.
At this moment, an uninvited guest, who made no attempt to conceal his steps, dragged a large sword and walked step by step to the front of the hall.
The woman, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, had her face obscured. Her slender frame carried a massive sword as tall as a man, making one wonder if she might be crushed by the sword at any moment.
Unfortunately, the man showed no reaction; his gaze remained fixed on the horizon, unmoving.
The radiant sunset draped him over himself, and the extravagance of the entire room could not overshadow the man's stunningly beautiful face, as if all the treasures in the room could not compare to him in the slightest.
A bleak autumn wind rose, swirling in a few withered leaves. The woman's eyes were indifferent as she spoke, "The new leader of the martial arts alliance, Xiang Family Saber, Mo Xin, has come to offer his guidance."
Her voice echoed in the spacious room, and another autumn breeze brushed her hair, but failed to blur her vision.
The new emperor is extravagant and pleasure-seeking, his court is in disarray, and he dislikes anyone who disobeys him. The man before him is the sharpest blade in the new emperor's hand, who will resolve all dissent for him.
The eldest princess died, the previous martial arts alliance leader died tragically, the master was killed, and masters from various sects perished one after another... all at the hands of men.
She didn't know whether she came here seeking a resolution or an answer.
He raised his broadsword, which gleamed like a full moon, its dazzling light actually slashing his face.
The crimson blood flowing from the wound only added a touch of decadence to the stunningly beautiful woman.
Jiang Xi stiffly turned her head, which hadn't moved for a long time. In the silent standoff, Mo Xin seemed to hear the sound of bones rubbing against bones.
She was able to hurt him not because of her superior martial arts skills, but because he did not retaliate and simply took her blow.
Gripping his broadsword tightly, Mo Xin dared not relax and charged straight forward.
Upon getting closer, Mo Xinfang could see clearly that beneath the man's torn flesh, there was an abnormal, surging mass, as if something was crawling inside his flesh.
A tiny black dot crawled out of the wound—it was a blood-stained… Gu worm!
"bite--"
The broadsword was blocked by a bone flute. Jiang Xiqu used the bone flute as a weapon to block the broadsword many times. What was terrifying was that he remained seated in the same place from beginning to end, without ever moving.
More and more worms crawled out of his skin, and Mo Xin felt a strange palpitation. Her intuition told her that these worms were definitely not to be trifled with.
We need to finish this quickly...
She pressed her attack, but Jiang Xi moved. With a light leap, she flew out of the area illuminated by the setting sun and disappeared into the darkness of the palace, making her difficult to find.
A clear, crisp flute sound rang out.
not good--
Before Mo Xin could seal her ears, the long sword, taller than her, whirled rapidly in her hand, the wind from the blade forming a circle that enveloped her, preventing the ubiquitous Gu worms from getting in.
Undeterred by death, the Gu charged straight at the blade, but the impact produced a metallic clang.
...The Gu worm's outer shell was unexpectedly sturdy.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing flute melody made her lose her grip on the broadsword. Several Gu worms rushed towards her, and even though she reacted quickly enough, a few still managed to escape and bite her.
A slight stinging pain, insignificant among the injuries from the fight, but Mo Xin dared not ignore it.
The poison struck fiercely, and Mo Xin's arm trembled. With a clang, she was no longer able to grip the broadsword.
The person who had been hiding in the shadows revealed himself, and the still-moving Gu worms went to him again, flying or crawling. They crawled to the wound, used their tentacles and shells to peel back the flesh, and then burrowed back in, just as they had come.
As the poison spread, Mo Xin's legs went weak, and she knelt straight on the ground. In a hoarse voice, she asked, "Why...why did you kill them?"
Jiang Xi slowly sat back down, remaining silent for a long time. Just when Mo Xin thought he wouldn't answer, his hoarse voice rang out: "Mission......"
As if knowing her life was already as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind, tears that she had held back for years finally welled up in her eyes, and she said sadly, "I hate you."
Jiang Xi did not respond.
He had heard too much hatred from people and remained unmoved.
"Hehe..." In her fleeting memories, Mo Xin laughed out loud while lying on the ground, "You are much more pitiful than me... Heh, Mother loves me... Master loves me, my best friend... loves me..."
“You’re just… a… pitiful… worm that nobody… loves…”
I'm sorry, she still couldn't hold on.
She misses everyone...
This sunset isn't warm at all.
The moment her consciousness faded, the last ray of light disappeared from the sky.
The night was so dark that even the moonlight was stingy, hidden in the clouds and nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Xiqu blinked slowly as the Gu worms crawled into his body. His fingertips twitched, and soon he was like a lifeless doll, falling into a deathly silence.
He... is... an... bug... that nobody... loves...
But... what... is... love...?
The night was long and desolate, with only silence remaining in the palace.
.
The suffocating, drowning dragged her endlessly downwards. Finally, as dawn broke, she abruptly opened her eyes.
Shang Yuji sat up, reached out and touched her eyes, finding them wet.
Her shallow, rapid breathing still hinted at the absurd dream she had just had.
Following the arm tightly wrapped around her waist, she saw a familiar, furry head nestled against her as she fell asleep.
Having just woken from her dream, she felt an emptiness in her chest, and even after a moment, she was unable to shake off the sorrow in her heart.
Perhaps her movements woke Jiang Xi, for he familiarly nuzzled her waist and abdomen before opening his sleepy eyes. But what he saw upon opening them was Shang Yuji's reddened eyes.
He suddenly felt a dull pain in his chest, his drowsiness vanished instantly, and he anxiously sat up, trying helplessly to wipe away her tears: "Aji...Aji...what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? You, you don't have to cry..."
His hands, warmed by the long rain, gently brushed her cheeks, but failed to wipe away the increasingly heavy rain. Jiang Xi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He thought of getting up to get a handkerchief to wipe away his tears, but as soon as he stood up, Shang Yuji grabbed his clothes.
He stopped, and Shang Yuji opened her arms and nestled herself into his embrace, her voice choked with sobs: "Just stay with me like this..."
The lonely figure of the person in her dream made her reluctant to let him leave alone.
Jiang Xi stopped moving at first, then worried that the morning chill would make her catch a cold, so he supported her lower back with one hand and lifted the quilt with the other, wrapping them both in the quilt.
The quilt was still warm, and Jiang Xi gently patted her back, softly humming a melodious Yangzhou folk song, trying to erase her sorrow.
The soft sobs of the person in his arms made his heart shatter into pieces.
“The stream has flowed away…”
"Ah Ji, I'm here."
She lifted her head from his embrace, looked at his tear-streaked face, and smiled through her tears. The smile was tinged with bitterness, yet also with relief.
Shang Yuji stretched out her arms and crossed them behind his neck, then tilted her head back and gently pressed them together until their soft skin touched.
It was a light kiss, devoid of any romantic undertones, like a dragonfly skimming the water, yet it sent ripples through my heart.
The distance between them when they parted was only a finger's width, so close that he could smell the reassuring pear scent on her body and clearly see the distinct long eyelashes under her dark eyes, which tickled his cheek as they blinked.
"If you don't breathe again, you'll suffocate." Shang Yuji lowered her eyes, her gaze vaguely falling on the increasingly red mole.
As if foreshadowing something, a faint and delicate fragrance of the night-blooming cereus filled the air.
Those who had been holding their breath in shock finally came to their senses and began to breathe again. Tears streamed down Jiang Xi's face, like sparkling pearls, streaking across the mole on her extremely red cheek.
Shang Yuji chuckled and pressed down on his shoulder. Jiang Xi, who offered no resistance, fell down with the force of the fall, and Shang Yuji held her waist to steady her body.
The blankets that the two of them used to keep warm came undone as they fell down. Jiang Xi wanted to pull them back to cover them up, but then stopped as she moved.
A weight pressed down on her chest, and Shang Yuji rested her head against him.
Her long, unbound hair was loose, and a few strands brushed against his neck, shoulders, and hands... but he could no longer feel the itch. A burning heat rose from within him, scalding and muddying his senses.
Jiang Xi gently stroked her back with warm fingertips and said in a soft voice, "Aji, don't be sad..."
When she cries, his heart aches terribly.
Gradually, Shang Yuji stopped crying, stood up and lowered her head. Through her blurry vision, she saw the woman beneath her, her body lush and vibrant, as if she were blooming in full glory.
His breath came in short gasps, his face flushed with heat, his fox-like eyes, like glass, were misty and glistening with tears. He hesitantly lifted his eyelids, gazing at her with a thousand emotions swirling in his eyes.
The fragrance of the night-blooming cereus is becoming increasingly intense.
The heat was scorching her, but when their eyes met, she softly comforted her, "I'll stay with Aji, don't be sad."
The Tongxin Gu was stimulated, and the Gu that had been suppressed for many years suddenly brought about a huge backlash.
The united front is afflicted.
Fortunately, while the effects of the Gu poison are painful, there are ways to cure it.
Shang Yuji gathered her long hair behind her neck, lowered her body, and approached Jiang Xi, who was forced to bury herself in the bedding.
She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Jiang Xi, tell me, do you like me?"
His increasingly hot fingertips trembled, yet he persisted in his duty to comfort Aji, carefully listening to her words and concentrating to respond: "I like... I like Aji the most!"
"Do you want to know my answer?"
Jiang Xi turned her head to the side, blinking slowly. Clear, round tears fell from her long eyelashes. He reached out his other hand and gently wiped away the tear stains left on her cheeks after she cried.
"It's okay, as long as I like Aji..."
"So don't cry, Ah Ji is crying, and my heart is crying too..."
Shang Yuji paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed, closed her eyes, and lightly touched the deep red mole on his left cheek: "Unfortunately, it seems I also have feelings for you."
"It seems we're really destined to be entangled forever..."
At this moment, her words were nothing short of the most beautiful heavenly sounds in the world.
"Ah Ji... Ah Ji... Waaah, Ah Ji, don't be so good to me..."
The tears that had subsided surged again. Jiang Xi tried to steady and comfort her by holding her back, but she was defeated by her words and could only put her hands behind her back and hug her tightly.
The burning heat from the Tongxin Gu and the sour feeling in his heart were mixed together and pulled at each other, leaving him at a loss.
A warm, soft touch covered the corner of his lips, their breaths mingling. The inexperienced man received her offering, accepting her indulgent permission. Jiang Xi awkwardly imitated her, pressing intimately against her.
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