Chapter 65 Returning to the Palace
A strong arm encircled his waist, and Shinju couldn't help but turn around, only to meet the gaze of the King of Venom, who was propped up beside his ear. His eyes barely touched the sharp jawline before the other leaned in, licking Shinju's beautifully curved lips briefly before using his tongue to pry them open, conquering Shinju's breath like a siege.
Shinju turned his head back, slightly raising his chin, while resting his hand on the edge of the couch. Because he was wary of the King of Poison's injured chest and abdomen, he did not lean back. With no other way to exert his strength, he could only use it to respond with his lips and tongue.
This kiss was different from the previous ones. There was less of a competitive spirit, and more of a different kind of feeling, hazy and ambiguous, as if everyone knew what was going on, yet no one dared to say it. The way someone kissed Shinju's lips was like savoring some exquisite delicacy; it appeared elegant, but the bobbing Adam's apple betrayed that the King of Poison wasn't as at ease as he seemed, but rather rather impatient.
Although Shinjuku lacked formal training, he possessed a natural talent for it. While he had many undesirable romantic entanglements in the past, none had progressed to the point of exchanging saliva. Without any formal instruction, Shinjuku instinctively sought out the point where he could disrupt his opponent's aura and then launched his attack there.
However, what Shinjuku was unaware of was that the disordered aura of the King of Poison was caused by the layers of joy from being responded to. Just being responded to by Shinjuku was enough to make the King of Poison lose his armor and become unable to extricate himself from it.
Before the imperial carriage had even started moving, the bronze bells on the yoke rang out.
Yan Shang, who happened to be passing by at that moment, couldn't help but glance at the emperor's carriage. The thick curtains completely blocked out the interior, and a wild guess suddenly popped into his mind. He immediately felt guilty and quickly looked away.
Before long, all the luggage and people had been inventoried, but after reporting to the emperor, no orders came from the imperial carriage. General Yan had no choice but to dismount, walk to the imperial carriage, kneel on one knee, and ask with trepidation, "Your Majesty, everything is ready. Shall we depart for the capital?"
At this moment, the ambiguous sound of water inside the imperial carriage stopped abruptly, and both people in the carriage froze.
The King of Poison was the first to regain his senses, his voice becoming hoarse as he simply said, "Let's set off."
"Yes!" Yan Shang accepted the order and returned to his horse, directing the caravan to slowly leave the villa and head back to the capital.
Shinjuku then realized that his neck was almost sore. Just as he was about to turn his head back, the King of Poison grabbed his chin and forced him to turn to the side.
Shinju lifted his eyelashes, a hint of allure flickering in his golden eyes that shone in contrast to his earrings. The King of Poison looked down at his lips, which were ravaged to an unusually red and slightly protruding color. He turned his head and kissed him again, gently pressing his lips against his lips until they were flattened before separating.
Shinjuku, unable to see his own lips, was unaware of Zashiki's intentions. However, feeling the tender, cherished kisses, he gently gathered his strength in his hand resting on the edge of the couch, but ultimately did not push her away. Even after they parted, he did not question Zashiki's sudden "attack."
King Zhen was also surprised that Zhen Su didn't ask anything, and his eyes unconsciously darkened. Originally, he was just testing the limits that Zi Fu could bear, but it was clear that the moment their lips touched, his reason was suppressed by desire.
Fortunately, there was no sign of the Purple Mansion collapsing. At most, it trembled for a while, but the foundation was not shaken.
The dull pain in the king's chest suddenly became clear again, so he loosened his arms around Shinju's waist and slowly lay back down.
Both windows of the carriage were draped with curtains, and the light inside was a grayish-blue, a stark contrast to the bright white light outside illuminated by the blazing sun. However, as the carriage swayed, a few glaring rays of sunlight peeked through the swaying curtains, suddenly allowing the King of the Poison to see clearly the red tips of Shinju's ears.
The King of Poison's eyes darkened, but he restrained himself and said, "I saw you were tidying up all night. If you're tired, take a break."
But then he saw that Shinjuku had his back to him, shook his head, and said in a clear voice, "I want to go and see the scenery outside."
This return journey was much slower than the journey there, due to concerns for the Dragon King's health. Previously, he hadn't had much time to appreciate the scenery and culture of the frontier, and now, although he had lost his last wisp of true energy and was trapped in this realm, this departure from the frontier back to the capital was very likely a true departure, with no possibility of ever going back to the frontier again.
Therefore, he genuinely wanted to see the scenery of the frontier.
However, the King of Zhen did not let him go to the carriage, fearing he would catch a headache, but instead drew back the curtain of one of the windows for him. Shinju then took off his woolen boots, knelt on the couch, and looked out the window.
The route was mostly through sparsely populated wilderness, with only occasional patches of paddy fields where people could be seen working in the fields. Apart from that, there were only continuous mountain ranges, with golden and red sycamore leaves fluttering down their slopes. As they entered the official road, the houses with chimneys belching gray smoke gradually became more densely packed. The donkeys and sheep kept under the eaves were startled by the passing caravan and ran around in a panic, causing a small disturbance as the villagers chased after them.
Shinju smiled knowingly. It wasn't easy to have such peaceful days. If they hadn't driven the Maple people back, these border towns would probably have become ruins under the iron hooves, and the roads would certainly not be so wide, mostly crowded with refugees fleeing their homes.
In the world of cultivation, the outer sects of sects were just as bustling with life, but he rarely paid attention to them, nor did he indulge in worldly affairs. He cultivated the Ultimate Martial Path, a martial arts path that did not rely on external things, pursuing the preservation of truth and unity, returning to simplicity and authenticity, eliminating all superficiality, in order to hone an extremely pure and singular Dao heart. Therefore, in the past, he often stayed in the inner sect, or went into seclusion, rarely contacting people and things outside of cultivation, burying himself in cultivation day after day to improve the Ultimate Martial Path.
It was precisely because of this pure Dao heart, unaffected by the outside world, that he never developed inner demons and ascended to immortality. But perhaps it was also because of this purity that he never underwent true trials, never understood human nature, and never opened his eyes to see the myriad phenomena of the world. Therefore, the Heavenly Dao sent him back to the world, even to the mortal realm, to start his trials anew.
This time, he truly witnessed things he had never encountered or paid attention to before.
Especially that person...
Masaki gazed absentmindedly at the scenery outside the carriage for a long time. Then, when he casually turned his gaze back to the carriage, he met the eyes of the King of the Dragon King. Instantly, he had the intuition that the other party might have been watching him all along.
Shinjuku was somewhat stunned. Seeing his dazed expression, the King of Poison couldn't help but ask, "Want to keep watching?"
While Masakatsu was in a daze, he subconsciously shook his head.
The Prince of Zhen's lips curled into a faint smile. "Then lie down with me for a while."
This time, Masakatsu did not refuse.
The King of Zhen lifted a corner of the brocade quilt covering him.
Zhen Su shuffled along on his knees, about to crawl inside, but the King of Zhen reached out and stopped him, pointing at his body, "Take off your outer clothes before you sleep."
“…Oh.” Shinju obediently took off his newly made rabbit-fur-trimmed hooded cloak and lining, placing them aside. Considering that the King of Zhen was still injured, he also took off his embroidered lower garment, leaving only his soft undergarment and trousers. He wasn't even wearing a belly protector underneath, as his previous clothes no longer fit due to his previous “abortion” overnight, and the King of Zhen had only prepared an outer garment for him, so his undergarment was currently empty.
As soon as he took off his outer clothes, the cold air seeped into his collar and cuffs. This kind of cold air was no problem for Zhen Su's immortal body, but looking at the empty space in Zhen Wang's arms, he felt that it would be very warm, so he silently fell asleep.
After Shinju settled down, King Zhen tucked the blanket around him and was about to pull him closer when Shinju suddenly grabbed a soft pillow and placed it between them, smiling sweetly as he said, "Just in case it presses on Your Majesty's wound."
King Zhen closed his eyes briefly, then couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh. He gently brushed aside Masukuni's slightly disheveled hair, his eyes filled with a tenderness like a deep pool that could drown a person.
"Go to sleep," the Poison King whispered.
Shinju glanced at him sideways, then obediently closed his eyes.
.
The return journey was slow and stop-and-go, taking a full seven days to reach the capital. All told, they had been away from the capital for a month.
When the convoy passed through the city gate smoothly, the surrounding people who recognized the imperial carriage spontaneously followed the convoy, scattering flowers and banging gongs to celebrate the great victory of the year's army. Only then did the soldiers and guards of the convoy have a real sense of returning home, and their faces were all filled with smiles.
The two people in the imperial carriage slept soundly the whole way, just like on their first day back to the capital, until they were awakened by the commotion outside.
The King of Zhen, holding Masakatsu in his arms, reluctantly woke up. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the blanket on Masakatsu had been kicked off somewhere, and his undergarments were rolled up, revealing his smooth, milky-white abs.
After admiring him for a moment, the King of Zhen noticed that Shinju's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if he were about to wake up. He then abruptly withdrew his gaze and naturally pulled down Shinju's robes to straighten them.
"Get up and get dressed, we're almost at the palace."
"...Hmm." Shinju stretched out a big yawn, closed his eyes, and fell asleep again.
Helpless, the King of Poison had no choice but to get up and slowly help him get dressed.
Meanwhile, within the palace walls, the group that had just received the urgent report was immediately in an uproar. Having lost track of the Emperor and his entourage for several days, the entire court and harem were frantic with worry, and ministers were even considering sending troops to the frontier. But then, they finally learned of the Emperor's whereabouts—he was already on his way back to the palace!
The entire palace was thrown into a state of panic.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!!! Go and greet them!!" The ministers were about to set off with the ceremonial guard, while the concubines in the palace couldn't sit still any longer. They completely disregarded etiquette and rules, and rushed to the palace gate with their servants and maids.
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