The news of the queen’s imminent arrival in the Chu Kingdom spread like wildfire, instantly filling the streets and alleys with chatter. Everyone was surprised that the once obscure youth, brought out from the Feng Yue Tower by His Majesty, had come this far. People were increasingly curious about the kind of person who could capture the heart of the “Ling Guang Pearl and Jade.” Some said, “He should be on par with Madam Han Yue, right?”
When Xia Qing heard this in the palace, he almost broke the bone flute, his mouth twitched, and he was speechless.
“I really don’t think there’s a need for a grand ceremony for the queen.” Xia Qing sighed softly, reasoning with Lou Guan Xue.
Lou Guan Xue replied, “If you don’t like being watched by others, I can…”
Xia Qing feared he might say, “I’ll gouge out their eyes,” so he quickly interjected, “No, no, it’s just that I feel being a queen is not free.”
Lou Guan Xue heard this and burst into laughter, “No worries. Wherever you want to go afterward, I’ll accompany you.”
“Really?” Xia Qing was shocked, then thought for a moment and said, “Then I want to go to Dongzhou.”
“Okay,” Lou Guan Xue agreed.
“I want to go see that wall,” Xia Qing added.
“Okay,” Lou Guan Xue replied.
“And I also want to see the Abyss of Myriad Tombs—will you accompany me for that too?” Xia Qing asked.
“I’ll accompany you,” Lou Guan Xue confirmed.
Xia Qing paused for a moment, then smiled, “Lou Guan Xue, when I first met you, I never thought you would be so gentle.”
Lou Guan Xue, still reading with his chin resting on his hand, smiled faintly at the comment, “Is that so?”
“Yes, I really thought you were just crazy back then.”
“Crazy?” Lou Guan Xue softly repeated the word, then smiled and took him back to the Zhai Xing Tower.
Xia Qing: “???”
The bamboo forest in front of the Zhai Xing Tower remained unchanged, with the wind rustling through the trees like waves. The Zhai Xing Tower, facing the floating pagoda in the distance, was still adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, with its steps shining like mirrors, and the bronze bells on the eaves ringing incessantly.
Xia Qing revisited the familiar place and felt quite intrigued. Pointing to a section of the house beam, he said, “That was my favorite spot to sit back then.”
Lou Guan Xue replied, “I remember.”
Xia Qing’s light brown eyes were filled with amusement. “I have to admit, being an emperor was quite enjoyable. The singers Yan Lan Yu sent never repeated, so I had new entertainment every day. Oh, by the way, I remember the first night you summoned so many birds. What kind of sorcery was that?”
Lou Guan Xue said, “It wasn’t sorcery. The birds in the bamboo grove were all raised by me.”
Xia Qing asked, “Ah? When did you start raising birds?”
Lou Guan Xue answered, “At six years old.”
Xia Qing fell silent for a moment before softly saying, “Oh.”
This was the first time Lou Guan Xue had mentioned his childhood.
The Zhai Xing Tower was cold and silent. Lou Guan Xue led him to the terrace on the top floor.
The bloodstains of the dancers had long been wiped away. There was no railing on the terrace, only the vast expanse of the moonlit sky.
After standing for a while, Xia Qing simply sat down, perched on the edge, with a ten-foot drop below him.
Xia Qing asked, “Why raise birds, for fun?”
Lou Guan Xue replied, “To guard against assassins sent by Yan Lan Yu.”
“Ah?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Obe Xejc Wef rwlifv rboais jcv rjlv delfais, “Djmx atfc, P vlvc’a xcbk jcsatlcu.”
Wlj Hlcu kjr raeccfv.
Pcvffv, ja rlz sfjgr biv, Obe Xejc Wef xcfk cbatlcu.
Lf vlvc’a xcbk atja atf qjubvj tberfv lwqglrbcfv rbeir.
Lf vlvc’a xcbk atja Tjc Ojc Te vlvc’a jmaejiis vjgf ab ifa tlw vlf.
He didn’t know any of the secrets about himself.
Cold and aloof, he only wanted to survive.
Suddenly, Lou Guan Xue said, “Since I was five years old, I’ve had many memories and emotions that don’t belong to me.”
Lou Guan Xue pulled out a flute from his sleeve and said, “I have never been to Sea of Heaven, but I know every corner of the Divine Palace. In front of the Divine Hall is the Source of Forgetfulness, and behind the Divine Hall is the Abyss of Myriad Tombs.”
“You’ve been inside my body, so you should have felt that pain.”
“Since I was five, I’ve been experiencing this torment, as if cold, damp seawater seeping into my bones. I could feel it, replacing my blood, remaking my bones.”
“Yao Ke said the god would revive in me.”
Lou Guan Xue continued, “I’ve always felt that It’s inside my body, watching me indifferently. First subtly replacing my body, then my memories, and finally becoming me completely.”
“A hundred years ago, It was betrayed, framed, soul torn, bones shattered, and power seized. So when I used to wake up from dreams in pain, feeling like I was being torn apart and falling into an abyss, it was the memories of the god.”
Lou Guan Xue paused, his eyes calm and serene, but he chuckled lightly, “Now, even my hatred isn’t my own. His hatred is too heavy, suppressed for a hundred years. He hates the merfolk, he hates humans. He wants to see the world shattered, the sixteen provinces, the Sea of Heaven, all sent to hell.”
Xia Qing lowered his head quietly and held his hand.
In the instant their fingers intertwined, the ferocity and bloodthirstiness in Lou Guan Xue’s eyes subsided.
Birds chirped in the bamboo grove, the sound of waves echoed like the sea. With the moon shining faintly and the bronze bells tinkling above their heads.
Xia Qing couldn’t express his current feelings, he just felt his heart ache with each beat.
So this is what empathy feels like.
Because he loved him, he pitied his hatred, he pitied his suffering.
He had witnessed countless partings of love and hatred, but it was the first time he had been immersed in someone else’s joy and sorrow. The terrace of the Zhai Xing Tower seemed to overlap with the high walls of the former cold palace. On that night when fireflies danced, he had held the weeping boy in sadness, telling him that he would still be himself when he grew up. But now, could he still be certain? Even Lou Guan Xue himself was unsure..
Lou Guan Xue noticed Xia Qing’s subdued mood, he looked down, not knowing what he was thinking, then casually said, “Song Guichen wants to annihilate the Divine Soul. In fact, my goal is the same as his.”
“Now that I have the Divine Bones, I have all of Its power. When the Divine Soul is released, let’s see who ultimately replaces whom between me and It.”
“Are you still in pain now?” Xia Qing asked quietly after hearing this.
Lou Guan Xue was taken aback, surprised that Xia Qing cared about this particular aspect.
He gazed at him, then lifted the corner of his lips, seemingly teasingly saying, “Yes, it hurts a lot.”
Xia Qing frowned.
Lou Guan Xue ambiguously stroked his face, “If you kiss me, the pain might go away.”
Xia Qing hesitated, then held his hand and bit his lip, almost as if making a sacrifice, and kissed him.
Lou Guan Xue let go of his hand, allowing the bone flute to fall onto the terrace, and embraced Xia Qing.
The bamboo stretched for miles, and the moon and lanterns remained.
Xia Qing saw Wei Liu Guang again in the Imperial Garden.
Wei Liu Guang accompanied Wei Nian Sheng into the palace.
Yan Lan Yu couldn’t stop Lou Guan Xue from marrying a male consort, thinking that since there was now a queen, the harem couldn’t be empty, so she began to look for suitable noble girls in Ling Guang City.
Lady sixteenth of the Wei family caught her attention.
Wei Nian Sheng was pale with fright and tears in her eyes. In her panic, she dragged Wei Liu Guang into the palace to give herself courage. However, Wei Liu Guang had just had a high fever a few days ago and was annoyed. All along the way, he was in a bad mood and not only failed to give her courage but also kept making all sorts of sarcastic threats to scare her, turning Wei Nian Sheng’s fear into anger.
When Xia Qing saw Wei Liu Guang in the Imperial Garden, Wei Liu Guang seemed momentarily confused, frowned, but quickly dismissed the strange emotion, opened his folding fan to fan himself, and said with a smirk, “Oh, greetings to the queen.”
Xia Qing knew about their past life’s bond, but he had no intention of acknowledging it. He believed that even if Wei Liu Guang did remember their past life, he would probably just sigh and say, “Queen, huh?”
Xia Qing rolled his eyes, “Get lost.”
Wei Liu Guang’s golden crown always gleamed, and he chuckled as he closed his folding fan, “So you’re really going to be the queen. Well done, little Xia Qing. You’ll soon have the favor of the six palaces.”
Xia Qing retorted, “Wei Liu Guang, are you asking for a beating?”
Wei Liu said, “Aren’t we good brothers? What’s wrong with a good brother showing concern?”
Xia Qing couldn’t take it anymore, wanting to turn and leave, but thinking of Zhu Ji’s words, he turned back coldly, glanced at Wei Liu Guang, and then asked, “How’s your health now?”
“Ah?” Wei Liu Guang thought for a moment, quite shocked, “How did you know I had a high fever a few days ago? Are you secretly keeping tabs on me?—Damn, Xia Qing, you wouldn’t be fond of me, would you? No, I’ll be killed by His Majesty.”
Seeing Xia Qing’s expression as if he already wanted to strike him, Wei Liu Guang immediately dropped the playful demeanor, pretending to be weak and pale, “I… I’m not doing well now, not just physically, but also in my heart.”
Xia Qing chuckled, “Your heart? Wasn’t it already shattered and scattered all over Ling Guang long ago?”
Wei Liu Guang nodded slightly, then immediately shook his head, “This time it’s different. This time, my infatuation and determination, it’s like a sudden spring tide with rain, coming and going quickly, from start to finish, it’s all about one person.” After a moment of contemplation, he nodded in agreement with himself, “Is this what they call unrequited love?”
Seems like the fool is fine now.
Xia Qing didn’t bother saying anything more to him and turned to leave.
But unexpectedly, Wei Liu Guang quickly stepped forward, grabbed his sleeve, and asked rapidly, “Did you spend time living outside the palace with His Majesty among ordinary citizens? And it’s been so long since we last met, why haven’t you caught up with me?”
Xia Qing replied coolly, “What’s there to catch up with you about?”
Wei Liu Guang was quite annoyed, “When you’re old and forgotten, banished to the cold palace, don’t regret what you said today.”
Xia Qing responded calmly, “Believe it or not, I’ll make you regret saying that today.”
Wei Liu Guang fell silent.
His gaze fell complicatedly on Xia Qing, as he said, “I never imagined, you would become the queen.”
Xia Qing sighed, “Don’t talk about you.” He himself had never imagined it either.
Wei Liu Guang continued, “The first time I saw you, I always felt like you should be someone who would sever ties with love and lead a solitary life forever. You shouldn’t have been trapped in the palace.”
Xia Qing pondered for a moment and replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t be trapped in the palace.”
Wei Liu Guang’s eyes lit up instantly, filled with childish excitement. “What? What? Are you planning to elope? Do you need my help?”
Xia Qing: “…Get lost.”
After leaving Wei Liu Guang, Xia Qing saw Song Guichen under a blooming pomegranate tree in the corner of the palace walls. The young high priest of Chu Kingdom gazed quietly in their direction, dressed in purple, with a wooden hairpin, smiling like a spring breeze, his demeanor as clear as mother-of-pearl
Xia Qing still couldn’t be indifferent towards him, especially after vaguely guessing the truth from a hundred years ago.
This time, Song Guichen spoke quite normally, “Congratulations.”
Xia Qing pursed his lips, remaining silent.
A pomegranate blossom fell onto Song Guichen’s robe, which he gently brushed away. “Did you use the Ananda Sword?”
Xia Qing looked at him strangely, feeling guarded.
Song Guichen smiled and winked, with a hint of teasing in his refined and easy-going manner. “Don’t worry, I haven’t been following you. Your senior sister’s leaf has been with me for so many days and nights. If it shattered, I would definitely have sensed it.”
Xia Qing looked away, saying nothing.
Song Guichen often acted like an older brother who enjoyed teasing him. He said slowly, “Actually, I don’t agree with this marriage. But what you’ve decided, no one can persuade you otherwise.”
Xia Qing smirked and quickened his pace to leave.
Song Guichen said, “Why are you in such a hurry? I haven’t finished speaking yet. Xia Qing, do you want to know about the Blood Array?”
The Blood Array. Xia Qing immediately tensed up and looked up at him.
Song Guichen chuckled at his remark, seemingly sighing, “Do you really think I would pretend to see nothing if the divine bone slipped back from my grasp? There’s something strange about this Emperor. I’ve examined the Divination Stone in the Jingshi Hall and found some clues.”
Song Guichen said, “I never expected that Yao Ke would be in the Chu Kingdom’s palace.” He thought of something and lightly mocked, “Using her own child as a vessel for divine resurrection, she and Zhu Ji are quite similar in a sense, but Zhu Ji is even more selfish. Was the destruction of Chunshang Cave related to you? Did you also kill Zhu Ji? Were you the one who pulled out the Ananda Sword from inside? ”
Xia Qing only asked him, “What exactly is the Blood Array?”
Song Guichen replied, “An ancient witchcraft for summoning gods.”
Xia Qing’s fingers tightened slightly. “How can it be broken?”
Song Guichen said, “It cannot be broken. But rest assured, this witchcraft has never succeeded.” He paused, then casually commented, “Yao Ke was also foolish, never considering how a mortal body could possibly gain the favor of a god, how it could become divine, especially since he is from the Lou family.”
Xia Qing frowned.
Seeing his reaction, Song Guichen continued, “The reason I came to the palace today was actually to tell you about saving Lou Guan Xue.”
Xia Qing looked at him as if seeing a ghost.
Song Guichen raised his chin and looked towards the direction of the pagoda, smiling, “To exterminate the divine soul, it must first be released. And when the divine soul comes out of the pagoda, Lou Guan Xue will inevitably die. I don’t want my little junior to be separated from his lover on the day of the ceremony.”
In truth, Xia Qing didn’t want to chat with Song Guichen. Song Guichen was kind to him, like a refreshing breeze, with neither ulterior motives nor malice. He looked into his eyes indifferently, but all he saw was a warm and smiling spring scene.
Yet, Xia Qing felt a strong resistance towards him, a deep-rooted resistance that stemmed from sadness. Perhaps there had been anger and resentment in the past, but with the passage of a hundred years, they had all turned into memories.
Xia Qing heard himself ask.
“Song Guichen, was the destruction of Peng Lai a hundred years ago related to you?”
When Song Guichen heard the words “Peng Lai,” the smile on his face faded slightly, and his expression became complex and melancholic. But he quickly shook his head and said calmly, “No, after becoming the High Priest of Chu, I was expelled from my sect by my master and never returned to Peng Lai.”
“Alright.”
Xia Qing got his answer, leaving only a single word without saying anything more, then turned and walked away.
Song Guichen watched his retreating figure and said, “However, I was the last one to see you.”
“When the Divine Palace collapsed, you broke in holding the Ananda Sword. I guess Master wanted you to come and stop me, but it was too late at that time.”
“Your senior sister once asked me, do I regret it? What’s there to regret.”
Song Guichen shook his head, with a slight curve of a smile.
“Relying on the existence of the gods, the merfolk committed countless sins. I know the god is innocent, but if there must be a sinner to end this endless slaughter, I feel that I am quite suitable for it.”
Awwww, this fluff is so cute my teeth might just gain cavities < 3!! However, I still dont entirely trust SG either, he gives off bad vibes…
Thanks for the chapters!!! ❤️