Chapter 83 Serving the Emperor
An eerie silence spread between them.
Tang Quan kept in mind the Poison King's instructions to bring the person to the destination, so she spoke up again to remind him.
This time, Shinjuku only paused for a moment before setting off to follow.
The Zhengren Hall was not as brightly lit as usual. Only a few lamps were visible, and you might not encounter a single one even after walking ten or more steps. The corridors, halls, and courtyards were dimly lit, and finally, the sleeping quarters were dimly lit by snake lamps.
Tonight, the moonlight was completely obscured by thick fog and clouds, not a single ray of moonlight could penetrate. But as soon as Zhen Su entered the hall, he saw the tall figure dressed in a moon-colored robe. Although there was not much light illuminating him, the dragon embroidery on the robe reflected a faint silver light, and the dark eyes of the King of Zhen, who was looking at him from the side, were even more astonishingly bright.
But King Zhen only glanced at Shinjuku before putting down the dossier in his hand, walking to a chair, sitting down, crossing his legs, and sipping his tea, saying, "You've arrived?"
Thinking about the purpose of his summons, Shinju felt unsure where to look, so he nodded and lowered his eyes, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."
After leading Masakatsu to the entrance of the sleeping quarters, Tang Quan announced his arrival and immediately turned to leave, his steps so swift that it seemed as if someone was chasing after him.
Therefore, only Shinju and King Juzu are currently in the sleeping quarters.
"Do you know why I summoned you, my dear minister?" The Prince of Zhen's deep voice subtly rose at the end, carrying a hint of provocation.
“…I know.” Shinjuku fiddled with the python pattern on the fabric of his robe, his gold earrings reflecting a dim red light in the faint glow. Perhaps still disbelieving that the King of Zhen had summoned him to his bedchamber, Shinjuku tentatively asked, “Which lady should I summon?”
Upon hearing this, King Zhen's narrow phoenix eyes narrowed instantly, his anger almost piercing towards Zhen Su. But King Zhen ultimately restrained himself and said, "Even a simple message from Tang Quan can be delivered in such a way. It seems that the title of Grand Palace Maid is not quite fitting for her."
Shinju's heart skipped a beat, realizing that he had implicated someone, and he quickly said, "It was my misunderstanding, not Sister Tang's fault in conveying the message. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Sister Tang. These words were silently chewed over by the Poison King, and the cup in his hand almost turned to dust.
The Poison King sneered and commanded, "Go to bed."
Shinju was not used to being bossed around by the King of Poison. He was not really there to serve the emperor, but he could not disobey the emperor's orders, so Shinju was still thinking of a solution.
Even though she hadn't forced herself when she rejected him the day before yesterday, Masaya didn't understand why things had come to this.
But before he could even think of a solution and speak, he had unknowingly walked to the dragon bed.
Seeing that Shinju had submitted, the ferocity in the eyes of the King of Poison lessened slightly, and instead, his body quickly burst into flames as if lit by fire.
King Zhen walked up behind Shinju and urged in a low voice, "Why don't you go up?"
Shinju's fist, hidden in his sleeve, clenched and unclenched repeatedly. A lump formed in his throat: "Does Your Majesty truly intend to force me?"
The King of Zhen's dark eyelashes trembled violently, and he thought to himself: What do you want me to do?
If you don't want to be together, why put on such a show when we're apart? Why are you unhappy, my darling? If you're unhappy, I'm unhappy too; if others covet you, I'm unhappy; if you don't care about me, I'm unhappy too.
Letting you leave would undoubtedly drive me mad. However, I would never allow you to leave me in this lifetime, not even for the slightest possibility.
On the day he was rejected by Shinju, his already precarious Purple Mansion quickly collapsed. However, his pride prevented him from forcibly binding Shinju to his side. Instead, he had to focus on his own divided spirit.
While in the Nascent Soul stage, half of his consciousness had separated from his body, and his Purple Mansion had weakened along with the separation. Therefore, despite the Heavenly Dao's restrictions and the lightning strikes, the Poison King summoned his already formed scorpion-like avatar to his side and swallowed it whole. His cultivation level immediately dropped by a major realm, returning to the Nascent Soul stage before the Nascent Soul stage. All of this was merely to reverse the decline of his Purple Mansion and stabilize it.
Although the Purple Palace was stable, a century of accumulation was destroyed in an instant. The Poison King suddenly realized something.
Confined to this broken world for centuries, they've established an imperial faith, drawing upon the dragon energy of others to nourish themselves, and diligently cultivating step by step, yet they've yet to find a way out. Now, having regressed, the path to perfection seems ever more distant. Having become so pathetic, how can they still speak of the way of an emperor? The way of an emperor should be one of absolute supremacy, ruling the world with absolute power!
The desire in the King of Zhen's eyes clearly stated: I have come this far, there is no turning back. From the moment you rejected me, I have given everything.
Shinju could feel the intense heat emanating from the body of the King of Venom as he approached, along with his venomous, sticky gaze, which carried a strong sense of aggression.
It's not that a complete break is impossible; in terms of force, the Poison King would likely be powerless against him, but he also seems powerless against the other party, simply because he himself cannot be so resolute...
Or perhaps it will make the other party back down?
After a moment's thought, Shinju's golden eyes flickered slightly, and he parted his lips to say, "Your Majesty, would you dare to make a bet with me?"
King Zhen raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt in his expression, and then waited for Master Zhen to continue.
Shinjuku pursed his lips and continued, "If my manhood surpasses Your Majesty's in size, may I be permitted to ascend?"
As an emperor who values dignity so highly, he would certainly not accept being subservient to someone else. Shinju thought that there was no way that the King of Poison would agree to this bet.
Unexpectedly, King Zhen chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Masakatsu's lower body, and readily agreed, "Fine, I'll bet with you."
"..." This time it was Masaya's turn to be speechless. He opened his cat-like golden eyes slightly and was unexpectedly pushed onto the dragon bed by the King of Poison.
"If Qing'er doesn't take it off, how can I know... who is more important and who is less important?"
Seeing that the King of Zhen's large hand was about to touch his belt, Zhen Su suddenly stopped being stunned and did not back down. His golden eyes even showed a rare hint of sternness as he said solemnly, "Your Majesty must not go back on your word."
With a flick of his wrist, the King of Zhen tore down the heavy dragon and phoenix curtains. A slight smile played on his lips, but his voice trembled slightly: "A word from a wise ruler is as good as gold."
The palace, and indeed the entire capital, was shrouded in darkness at night, not a single ray of light able to penetrate. However, as the night deepened, a large mass of dark clouds gathered directly above a certain palace, churning and swirling. Then, flashes of golden and mysterious light appeared, and countless bolts of lightning intertwined and rose from the glazed tiles of the roof, shooting upwards into the sky, a dazzling display of flashes of light among the clouds. Without close inspection, one might mistake it for ordinary lightning, yet its behavior was entirely the opposite. Only at cockcrow, when the sky brightened considerably, did the "rising lightning" completely disappear.
The person inside the hall awoke before he could fall into a deep sleep, as the activity outside the window gradually intensified.
When Shinjuku opened his eyes, what came into view was a head of loose black hair, intertwined with his own messy sideburns, indistinguishable from one another. The bridge of his nose, as high and steep as a solitary peak, rested on his collarbone, and a cool breath sprayed on it, making Shinjuku's neck itch.
His phoenix eyes, which usually glared at people with disdain, were now peacefully closed, showing less of the emperor's majesty and more of an approachable tranquility.
His back, a shade darker than his own, was clearly exposed outside the blankets. Shinjuku was pinned down by the King of the Abyss, and although he wasn't having trouble breathing, his hands were also pinned down by the other's body. He was afraid of touching the other's aroused parts again in the morning, so he tried to pull his hands away.
Unexpectedly, with this slight movement, the King of Poison immediately lifted his eyelids, grabbed him, and tightly gripped the throat of the man with his tiger's mouth, his dark eyes filled with undiminished obsession and vigilance.
Masakatsu was forced to raise his beautiful, jade-like neck, his mind not yet fully clear, which made his half-closed golden eyes reveal an emotionless indifference.
When Zhenwang met Zhensu's gaze, he was startled, and his mind immediately cleared.
He glanced down and saw Masaki's fair skin with its well-defined muscles. Touching it, he felt the stickiness of sweat. He couldn't help but recall the alluring image of Masaki lying on top of him that night, his body dripping with sweat and panting softly.
The King of Poison wanted to withdraw his hand, but when he thought of how things had gone mad in the opposite direction like a wild horse last night, he felt a tightness in his chest. He stroked Shinju's cheek with his large hand, caressed it for a while, and then suddenly pinched it hard.
Shinju felt a sharp pain in his cheek, and his eyes drooped instantly, looking utterly innocent, which made King Ju feel a little sorry for him.
But last night, someone was not innocent at all.
The saying goes, "You have to accept the consequences of your bet," and heaven knows how much resolve it took for him to accept this fact. Unexpectedly, Shinjuku was being dismissive. He had never truly considered subservience, for he was accustomed to control. However, Shinjuku's hesitant action, and his frighteningly calm demeanor, so unlike his own, deeply stung the King of Poison.
Only when he himself was caught up in desire did the King of Poison doubt whether he was not charming enough, so he immediately confronted Shinju and took the initiative to step forward.
Both were strikingly handsome and dashing, seemingly no novice, yet the truth was quite the opposite; though their expressions appeared calm, they were both secretly incredibly nervous. Soon, the King of the Poisonous King discovered the turbulent emotions hidden beneath the calm surface of the True Monk, and the True Monk also saw through the other's pretense of sincerity and tenderness.
Later, whether it was because Shinju couldn't resist or simply because he was too soft-hearted to bear seeing it, he stopped being passive. The barrier between their hearts couldn't stop their passion from merging. The tense atmosphere between the two of them quickly transformed into an intimate atmosphere of intimacy.
At this moment, Zhenwang got up from Zhenju's body, took a long stride, and the bruises on his knees were clearly visible.
Mayu's gaze darkened, and an image of someone's back muscles taut like a bowstring flashed through his mind. Mayu's cheeks flushed slightly, and he quickly suppressed the inappropriate thought.
"Your Majesty, I will go and fetch the medicine later. Please remember to apply it." Shinju gently supported the King of Zhen's arm and said carefully, his voice sweet and cloying.
The King of Zhen only hummed in response, but his voice was noticeably hoarse. He swept his long hair behind his head, and with this large movement, a dampness trickled down his inner thighs.
The King of Poison froze completely.
Masakuni noticed that something was wrong with his expression, and when he looked down, he also froze.
"..."
"..."
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Author's Note: Ugh, can I finally post this? I wrote this the day before the rankings changed, I'm going crazy! But the pace is slow enough, I can't delay any longer, this is the only way. Whatever happens, happens. [Hands clasped in prayer][Hands clasped in prayer]
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