Immortal Art "My wife is very beautiful."
The queen and princess wanted to watch the sacrificial ceremony, but Ying Zheng sent back a man who was completely powerless, escorted by three strong men. These three men were probably people he secretly used, each highly skilled in martial arts.
The man's limbs seemed unsteady, whether due to poor health or something else was unclear.
“This man’s name is Zhaoyuan. The king is unable to leave, so he sent him back to take the queen and princess to watch the sacrificial ceremony.”
“Zhao is one of the three households in the State of Chu.” Banban was curious and looked at the man.
Zhao Yuan suddenly raised her head and glanced at her, then quickly lowered her face again.
Banban and Yingyue had dinner together, and Banban asked someone to remind Yingzheng to eat dinner and not to forget the time.
As night fell, the streets became less crowded. Banban and Yingyue, adapting to local customs, dressed in Chu-style clothing, and didn't attract much attention for the time being.
A bonfire rose into the air beside the bamboo altar, its orange flames igniting the dark blue night sky.
Qin law forbade fires at night, suggesting that the Chu region was not yet fully unified.
"This sacrificial ceremony is to commemorate the end of the life of the Chu Kingdom. This is the last night of the Chu Kingdom."
After being brought here, Zhao Yuan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse and inscrutable, with a distinctive flavor of the Chu region.
This peculiar accent... Banban was stunned for a second before she came to her senses.
“No wonder my brother didn’t forbid it,” Ying Yue said. “When the flames burn until dawn, it is a new beginning.”
Zhao Yuan twitched the corners of her lips, but did not respond to this so-called 'new life'.
"What's that smell?" Ying Yue covered her nose and frowned. The strange aroma and spiciness were extremely pungent. "What's burning in the campfire?"
“Vanilla, cinnamon, and peppermint,” Zhao Yuan said coldly.
As soon as she finished speaking, a woman dressed in a dark black robe with a wide crimson belt slowly emerged from the shadows. She poured wine onto the ground, her robe fluttering in the wind: "O soul, return! Do not descend to this netherworld!"
This prayer means: May the souls of those who died in the war return quickly, and not go to the underworld.
Banban looked around, and the crowd echoed his words. Their solemn voices, like gentle waves, slowly and weakly lapped against the rocks.
It certainly resembled a funeral procession.
The musicians began to strike the chime bells and beat the drums, the sound gradually increasing in speed.
The woman was not wearing her usual quju (a type of traditional Chinese dress), but a wide vermilion robe. The cuffs and hem were decorated with dragon and snake patterns in gold thread, and the cloud patterns on the skirt rose into the air. Her hair was loose, with a white flower tucked into her temple. She wore a mask that covered half of her face, revealing her vermilion lips.
Seeing her gaze linger on the shrine maiden, Zhaoyuan said, "The hairpin she wears in her ear is angelica, and her mask is a jade swan-kiss mask, which is used to communicate with the gods and guide the souls of the dead back home."
“This is the first stage of the welcoming dance. This kind of dance step, which is not a straight line, is called the Yu Step. The body moves softly and rotates left and right. It symbolizes a solemn invitation,” Zhao Yuan said, then paused for a moment and said quietly, “It is not used to please mortals or kings.”
Banban discerned a subtle meaning in those words, glanced at him, and then turned back to search through the crowd.
Sure enough, at the very back of the crowd, Ying Zheng was leading a large group of people toward them.
She frowned slightly. "What is the purpose of this sacrifice?" Could it be another assassination attempt, like what happened in Zhao a couple of years ago?
Zhao Yuan's pupils were extremely pale, especially under the firelight, reflecting an intense orange hue. When the crowd in front of her slightly obscured them, they appeared as a faint, pale gray, like the fading glow of a curtain falling.
“Naturally, she is a goddess descended from heaven, tailor-made for the King of Qin.” He even revealed a faint smile, looking straight into the eyes of the Queen of Qin, “Everyone makes a last-ditch effort before their demise; who would truly accept their fate?”
This man contradicted himself. He had just said that the welcoming dance was not to please mortals or kings, but now he said it was tailor-made for the King of Qin. "You want to kill him?!"
Zhao Yuan looked at her, his gaze sweeping over her aura before finally settling on her face. "Why is Your Majesty so nervous? Whether or not we can kill the King of Qin, the price will be the common people of the entire nation. We cannot afford to gamble that." He said slowly, "Besides, killing one King of Qin is of no use. It would be useful if we could kill all the Qin soldiers."
"I have seen the unstoppable Qin army and the sharp, indestructible weapons. The bronze stones that were thrown by the catapults would even explode."
Initially, Li Xin led an army of 200,000, but this type of weapon had never been used before. Later, the people of Chu realized that the subsequent war of annihilation was only because the King of Qin was enraged by the King of Chu, Mi Qi.
Banban's expression remained unchanged, even showing some impatience. "What exactly do you want to say?"
“I heard that such a weapon was the Queen’s idea.” Zhao Yuan stood quietly, glancing at the princess beside him. She stood warily to the side in front of the Queen, her brows furrowed. He wanted to laugh, and indeed laughed with puzzlement. “The Queen’s reputation for treating her people kindly and benevolently has spread throughout the kingdoms. How could she have come up with such a cruel and terrifying weapon?”
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Ying Yue snapped coldly.
Banban stopped her, and for the first time straightened his expression. "Cruelty and leniency are always relative. Being leniency towards the enemy is being cruel to yourself. I don't believe you don't understand this principle."
"If the Qin state suffers repeated defeats in this war, and even falls apart, the victor will be the Chu state. Would you, the people of Chu, let the Qin people go? Just as you fear the unstoppable and indestructible force of the Qin army, so too do the Qin army. War is like this, it is a fight to the death."
"Only those who possess cruel and terrifying weapons have the capital to be merciful; otherwise, they are weak and easy to bully!" As he spoke, Banban took two steps closer to him, raising a provocative smile. "Those weapons are very powerful. How about it, do you want to learn?"
It's as if the next line is, "Let me teach you."
Zhao Yuan unconsciously held his breath, his pupils reflecting the Queen of Qin's face. His face suddenly relaxed, like a cracked piece of porcelain being pried open, revealing his inner stunned silence.
“You chose such a ‘goddess’ to attract the king’s attention, hoping to bring her into the Qin palace. You are all incompetent, daring to place the hopes of the entire nation on a woman. You want to use my body to avenge the country’s humiliation, but where will you find the Chu troops?”
Zhao Yuan's expression changed slightly.
Yingyue silently said, "Colorful."
On the high platform, the welcoming dance to the gods has ended, and the sacrificial ceremony has entered its second stage, which is to communicate with the spirits.
Since the goal is to create a goddess, everyone can understand these dances.
The woman's dance was sometimes intense and sometimes gentle. Her hands were raised high, as if to receive the rain from the sky. After a moment, she bent down and nestled against the earth, cupping the soil in her hands, as if listening to the heartbeat of Mother Earth.
She treated her body as a conduit, a vessel, with the surrounding firelight casting dancing shadows on her, as if spirits were dancing with her, seeking opportunities to enter her body.
Finally, the sounds of the chimes and drums abruptly ceased, her body froze, her arms outstretched, her head tilted back, and a strange, hoarse sound emanated from her throat.
The campfire crackled and popped, filling the air with a pungent aroma. Flames clung to her body, creating a scene reminiscent of a divine descent.
The priest approached the woman and asked her the name, age, and blessings of the deity who bore her body. The woman uttered strange, distorted, and intermittent sounds, as if conveying a divine message.
Everyone got goosebumps, including Ying Yue, whose complexion wasn't good.
After asking the questions, the priest turned to the audience and said, "The deity said that she has come to find her lost child. Her husband is also a celestial deity who has descended to the mortal realm to be reborn as a human. They need to remarry in order to welcome back their child, who is the incarnation of the Xuanwu Divine Bird."
"..." Banban pressed her eyebrows slightly. To be honest, this argument was really aimed at hitting Ying Zheng's sore spot.
No normal man could resist being praised as a mortal being who is a god; for a feudal old man, this would be fatal.
Although he's not old...
She pulled her wide sleeves to cover her face and searched through the crowd, finally fixing her gaze on Ying Zheng.
In the darkness of the night, his expression was obscured, but he was indeed staring intently at the priestess on the high platform.
He didn't speak, and the people around him remained silent as well.
Look, look, look! If you like it, look more!
My interest in watching the play vanished completely.
Banban glared at him fiercely, then turned and left, saying, "Let's go, there's nothing to see here."
Ying Yue gave a signal, and the three burly men immediately seized Zhao Yuan.
Banban grew angrier the more she thought about it. She didn't care about the hypotheticals Zhaoyuan mentioned, but she couldn't stand Yingzheng looking at another woman. Jealousy almost consumed her.
Upon returning home, she smashed the flower arrangement on the table, startling the servants.
Ying Zheng returned under the cover of night and found someone sweeping up the ceramic shards. He frowned slightly and asked, "What happened?"
The man was timid and hesitant. "When the Queen returned, she was furious and smashed many things. Even Aunt Yun dared not approach her easily."
Ying Zheng pondered for a moment and understood the reason. He waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
After everyone had left, he pushed the door open, but found it wouldn't budge, so he knocked patiently, "Banban, are you resting?"
There was no response, so he knocked again.
A sinister voice rang out, "Why has Your Majesty returned? Isn't your wife performing a sacrifice on the altar? A deity has descended to earth; go and find your child with her!"
"..." Ying Zheng rubbed his forehead slightly. "These are just other people's words, yet you're getting angry with me? That's not fair to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door was suddenly opened from the inside, and Banban's face came into view. He had to look down slightly to see her expression clearly.
"Then why are you staring at her?" she demanded angrily, almost jumping up and down, her face flushed red, her fists clenched as if she were about to burst out and hit him at any moment.
"I..." He stared at her and suddenly laughed out loud. Perhaps realizing he shouldn't laugh, he couldn't help but ask teasingly, "You know I'm looking at her?"
"Do you know what you're saying?!" Banban was furious, her fists raining down on him. "Laughing, you're still laughing!"
Ying Zheng accepted her mild beatings without resisting, letting her vent her anger to her heart's content. "Alright, alright, it was my fault."
She hadn't suffered such injustice in years, and like a young child, she burst into tears, crying loudly, "You did it on purpose! You did it on purpose! You just did it on purpose!"
"Ugh—!"
His mouth was covered, and he made a shushing gesture, but before he could speak, she bit his palm hard.
"Hiss." Ying Zheng leaned in and embraced her. The two went inside together, and the door closed again.
Unwilling to be controlled by him, she struggled and thrashed in his arms, tears streaming down her face. Before she could even speak, he forcefully pressed her against the door, leaving her feet unable to touch the ground. She was utterly disheveled, frantically searching for the ground with her toes.
"Cousin! Let me go! I hate you!"
"Why are you hugging me so tightly? I hate it!"
Her noisy behavior gradually subsided, but she was still sobbing. She turned her head away in a huff, unwilling to talk to him.
"I stared at her, pondering whether, if gods truly exist, they possess any magical arts?"
"No." Banban grabbed his face tightly. "It was all a lie, a trap I set specifically for you!"
"I don't think it's all a lie."
"?"
"That deity in mortal form is you."
"..."
These words silenced everyone, and the fire in their hearts suddenly died down.
"...No, not really."
"Isn't she describing you and me?"
Banban asked suspiciously, "You're not just saying this to appease me so I won't be angry, are you?"
Ying Zheng: "I have hundreds of ways to coax you out of your anger."
"???" Banban opened her mouth and bit his cheek.
"I was just about to go look for you when you turned around and left. I never knew your two legs could move so fast."
"Are you alright?"
Banban pouted, clearly resentful, "My cousin always bullies me."
"Still crying?" He bent his fingers to wipe away the water droplets from her cheeks.
"It wasn't my choice." Unable to resist, she shook his head. "Then kiss me."
He hooked her legs around his waist, lifted her into the air, and pressed his breath against hers. After kissing for a while, she wriggled and urged him, "I want it, I want it."
He cupped her face in his hands, placed her on the bed, and admired her appearance for a moment. "My wife is very beautiful."
"You have to say it..." she muttered, touching her clothes. Annoyed by his dawdling, she grabbed his collar and pressed him down on her.
As he kissed her, he removed all the hairpins from her hair, instantly revealing her cascading black hair, which contrasted sharply with her snow-white skin, making one's blood boil.
"These clothes are a bit too easy to peel off." He was somewhat surprised.
Banban was focused on undressing him and had no interest in listening to what he was saying. She was only satisfied when the clothes were completely off and she could touch his skin with her fingertips.
Especially those uneven areas, with bulging muscles, feel chewy when poked, making you want to suck on them.
After a long, enthusiastic gathering, they finally got down to business.
She hummed softly, nuzzled her cheek against his neck, and occasionally gave him instructions to please her.
He usually complies, but occasionally he will maliciously contradict him.
However, almost everyone eventually wants to push his abdomen open.
He pulled her wrist away again and pressed it tightly against his.
After their passionate encounter, and a good shower, he whispered in her ear, "Want more?"
She mumbled and couldn't say anything coherent, so since she didn't deny it, he took it as a yes.
Waking up in the morning, Banban let out a long sigh and gently rubbed her back shoulder. Sure enough, it was a little sore. Yesterday, his face had been pressed against this spot, his chin resting on the back of her neck.
Only after asking did he learn that the priests and sorceresses who held the sacrificial ceremony last night had all been arrested. Ying Zheng forced them to reveal how they performed magic and how they communicated with spirits. If they failed, they would be accused of deceiving the emperor and would be killed immediately.
Those people were so frightened that they trembled with fear and wanted to cry but had no tears.
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Author's note: Here we go.
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