Is it cold?
Black armor and clothes were scattered messily by the bed. Xiao Chengyan held Gu Jinghong captive in a small space. His kisses were urgent, fearful and intense, lingering from her lips to her neck, leaving a burning mark.
Gu Jinghong ran her fingers through his dark hair, his breathing became disordered, and his usually cool eyes became misty with tears.
All misunderstandings were cleared up, the great enemy was eliminated, and all obstacles between them seemed to have vanished, leaving only the most primal desires and love burning brightly.
Gu Jinghong did not answer, but responded with a soft sob and a tighter hug.
The atmosphere inside the tent was both enchanting and passionate. The two of them had been waiting for this moment for far too long, and the surging energy within them was about to erupt.
“Ah Hong…” His hoarse voice was indistinct, and his words were illogical yet fatally seductive, “Call me by my name.”
At this moment of confusion and suspense—
"Report—!"
A sudden, urgent, loud shout came from outside the tent, accompanied by the sound of armor rubbing together, and a personal guard had obviously rushed out of the tent.
"Urgent military situation! Reporting to Your Highness!"
The two people on the couch froze instantly.
Xiao Chengyan braced himself above her, his chest heaving violently, veins throbbing on his forehead. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the flames that were about to consume his reason.
The terrifyingly low pressure emanating from him made the temperature inside the tent seem to drop several degrees.
Gu Jinghong was taken aback at first, but then she saw his expression of unsatisfied desire, gritting his teeth and having to force himself to restrain himself, and a very faint smile flashed in her eyes.
She deliberately ran her fingertips lightly across his tense back.
Xiao Chengyan's body trembled involuntarily.
"Your Highness," Gu Jinghong felt a tremor and addressed him in a slightly hoarse voice, mimicking the way others addressed him, "It's an urgent military situation."
This woman is really...
Xiao Chengyan pressed his eyes open again and again, finally managing to open them. He met her eyes, which had regained some clarity, and felt both extreme love and hatred.
He suddenly lowered his head, with a hint of punishment in his eyes, and bit her collarbone lightly, leaving a clear tooth mark.
"Wait." His voice was hoarse and barely audible, and the lingering lust and absolute domineering aura filled the tent.
He grabbed a side robe and put it on, forgetting even to tie the sash, revealing a large expanse of his muscular chest. He walked to the tent flap, suddenly opening a crack to block out all the glimpses of spring inside.
"Speak!" His voice was filled with undisguised murderous intent.
The guards outside the tent trembled at their lord's murderous tone and quickly reported, "Your Highness, the scouts at the front report that the remnants of the Northern Di tribe have all surrendered, and the captured weapons and supplies are being inventoried!"
"..." Xiao Chengyan was silent for a moment, then squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, "Is that all?"
The guards, bewildered, only felt that the prince's imposing presence was even greater today, and stammered, "Yes, yes! A great victory!"
"Understood. Get out of here and keep watch. Even if the sky falls, you are not allowed to come within a hundred paces of the main tent again! If there is a next time, you will be punished according to military law!" After Xiao Chengyan finished speaking, he slammed down the tent flap without any politeness.
He turned around and looked at the person on the bed again.
Gu Jinghong had already lazily pulled the brocade quilt over herself, watching him leisurely with a smile of amusement on her lips: "'A great victory'? Congratulations, Your Highness."
Xiao Chengyan walked back to the bedside step by step, like a cheetah that had been interrupted from its meal and was becoming increasingly dangerous. He leaned down, placed his hands on either side of her, and once again enveloped her in his shadow.
“Yes,” he said, his eyes unfathomable, the dark fire burning within them even more intensely than before, “but this ‘battle’ of mine must also be won completely.”
The red candles and warm curtains—everything was just right.
The wind and snow outside the tent gradually subsided, and the outlines of the distant mountains slowly became clear in the morning light.
A tattered banner bearing the character "翟" was trampled into the mud, while a dark banner bearing the character "雍" fluttered in the first rays of dawn over the northern border.
...
Under the cover of night, the hustle and bustle of the day fades away, and the lights of thousands of homes intertwine with the starry sky, creating a serene and magnificent scene.
On the rooftop of Zhuoyue Tower, the night breeze ruffled Gu Jinghong's clothes. She opened her palm, where three tokens, each gleaming with a different luster, lay quietly, once symbolizing the power and past she had refused to be tainted by.
"for you."
She reached out her hand to Xie Yan, the figure in sky blue beside her.
Xie Yan was slightly taken aback and looked at her, only to see a relieved calm. "Jinghong, what does this mean?"
“I’ve said it before, I have no interest in the Hidden Abyss Pavilion, I only want to know about my origins.” Her voice was carried away by the night wind, clear and firm. “Now that Jinghong Dock is closely related to the people of Nanfeng, I should devote myself to it wholeheartedly.”
She turned her head, her eyes reflecting the myriad lights of the city, shining brightly. "I can only entrust this Qianyuan Pavilion to my senior brother."
Xie Yan remained silent for a moment, a complex smile playing on his lips—a smile of understanding, and also of responsibility. He reached out and took the three cold tokens.
"Very well..." He gazed at the boundless night and finally sighed softly, "If anything happens, your senior brother will always be your support."
Gu Jinghong's lips curled up slightly, and a faint yet genuine smile quietly bloomed.
"Who is she relying on?" A deep, chuckled voice sounded from behind. "Xie Yan, you can't just say such things anymore."
The person who came was Xiao Chengyan, accompanied by Xuan Ru, who had just finished administering acupuncture to him.
Seeing Xuan Ru skip and hop to his side, Xie Yan felt a little embarrassed and looked at Xiao Chengyan with a rather provocative expression: "What, did I say something wrong? How many times have you been absent when Jinghong needed help? How many things has she shouldered all by herself? As her senior brother, I said let her rely on me, what's wrong with that?"
Xiao Chengyan ignored his questioning and kept his gaze fixed on Gu Jinghong the whole time.
He walked straight toward her, his steps steady.
The night breeze lifted the hem of his dark robe, and the moment his gaze fell upon her, it softened naturally, the tenderness and focus within him silencing everything around him.
He didn't respond to Xie Yan immediately. Instead, he reached out and naturally brushed away a strand of hair that had been blown to her cheek by the wind. His fingertips gently brushed against her earlobe, bringing a slightly itchy warmth.
"Are you cold?" he asked in a low voice, his concern almost overflowing.
Gu Jinghong looked up at him, shook her head, and a hint of dependence, which she herself did not notice, appeared in her eyes.
Only then did Xiao Chengyan seem to remember Xie Yan's existence.
He wrapped his arm around Gu Jinghong and gently pulled her into his embrace, the movement practiced and familiar.
When his chin was almost touching the top of her head, he looked up at Xie Yan with a matter-of-fact, gentle disdain in his eyes.
“I have no complaints,” he said, a faint, pleased smile curving his lips, more alluring than the night itself. “But now, does Pavilion Master Xie think… perhaps it’s time to change her reliance? Or perhaps, a dedicated, one-person job would be more appropriate?”
He paused, looked down at the peaceful Gu Jinghong in his arms, and when he looked up again, his eyebrows and eyes were filled with pride and satisfaction.
Xie Yan and Xuan Ru leaned against each other, clearly seeing that there was no hostility in Xiao Chengyan's tone. Instead, it carried a kind of boastful teasing unique to people immersed in happiness.
Gu Jinghong, however, was amused by his words and her ears burned slightly. She couldn't help but nudge him lightly with her elbow and whisper, "You're talking nonsense again."
Xiao Chengyan immediately hissed in response, pretending to be in pain, but tightened his grip on her arm and whispered in her ear with a smile, "My lady, have mercy. I know I was wrong."
Xie Yan and Xuan Ru: "..."
"Alright, alright," Xie Yan waved his hand, put away the token, and followed Xiao Chengyan's example by pulling Xuan Ru into his arms. "It seems I was meddling."
Xuan Ru didn't mind at all and snuggled into Xie Yan's arms.
Gu Jinghong looked helplessly at the increasingly glib-tongued prince beside her, and then at her senior brother opposite her who seemed more composed.
These two... could they be people with swapped souls?
But in any case, she clearly felt that the embrace that held her was warm and solid, a harbor she was willing to dock in.
"How is the recovery?" She reached out and touched Xiao Chengyan's arm, which was afflicted by the Gu poison.
He smiled and said, "I already said it's fine."
Across from him, Xuan Ru shook her head and explained with a smile, "Ah Hong, if he had known you were Princess Nanfeng, he wouldn't have had to suffer from this Gu poison for so long. Nanfeng Gu poison is strong and long-lasting, and it just happens to suit his taste. No matter what, the Gu worms can't be drawn out. Fortunately, he has your bloodline from the Nanfeng royal family... But, it's also his own fault."
this……
Xiao Chengyan smiled helplessly; he had encountered a troublesome pair today.
...
Dayong, a prefecture in Jiangnan
The warm spring sunshine bathed the bluestone streets.
Today is the opening day of "Jinghongwu" here. There are no deafening firecrackers, only a simple ebony plaque hanging above the door with three large, rugged characters written on it.
However, the area in front of the store was already packed with people.
Curious onlookers craned their necks, and upon seeing the shop's interior, they couldn't help but let out a low gasp of amazement.
Jinghongwu is famous for manufacturing military machinery, but this shop contains a variety of exquisitely crafted, warm-toned wooden objects.
Occupying prominent positions are no longer the crossbows and swords that take lives, but the sleek and ingeniously structured spinning machines, the perfectly curved plows with their gleaming black heads, and the scaled-down models of improved waterwheels. Next to them are piles of farm tools and household items whose names I don't know, but which are obviously very useful.
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting a soft golden rim on these objects.
"Look, everyone," a clear and melodious voice rang out, instantly capturing everyone's attention.
The crowd spontaneously parted to make way.
A woman dressed in white stood in the middle, her face bare, her hair simply tied up, with only a cinnabar mole at the end of her eyebrow adding a breathtaking touch.
She held a light spinning machine in her hands, and with a light touch of her fingertips at a few key tenons and mortises, the mechanism moved in response, making a pleasant, soft sound.
"The core of this machine is here, which links three sets of spindles. It can reduce the force of foot pedal by two-thirds, while the yarn output speed can be more than doubled."
Her voice was not loud, but her explanations were simple and clear, so that even ordinary women and children could understand them.
She would sometimes bend down to demonstrate to an old farmer how to adjust the angle of the plow; at other times she would raise her hand to point out the key to force transmission on a waterwheel model.
The gazes of the surrounding crowd gradually shifted from initial curiosity to focus, and finally to conviction and fervor.
“Mr. Gu,” a bold craftsman couldn’t help but ask loudly, “the blades of this waterwheel are so curved, can they really draw 30% more water?”
She looked up at the questioner and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "If you don't believe me, there are real examples in the backyard. You'll know once you try them."
"Mr. Gu"...
The title quietly spread among the crowd. No one called her "Pavilion Master" anymore, and no one knew what kind of dark power she had once wielded.
Here, she is simply "Mr. Gu," a man with skillful hands and a clever mind who can create magical objects that make their lives better.
Just then, a slight commotion arose on the outskirts of the crowd.
A figure in black appeared there at some unknown time, silently watching the white figure surrounded by the crowd in the center.
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