Chapter 28: The Kiss |
[May 5th, 2019] . . .
“How long does Immortal High God wish to remain in the Demon realm?” Shěn Lí asked Xíng Zhǐ on their way back to her residence. She carried Parrot in his cage in one hand as she walked. “I can arrange things better if I have a general idea.”
Xíng Zhǐ was silent as he thought about it for a moment. “Mm . . . that . . . I will return to the Immortal realm with Lord Fú Róng when His Lordship leaves.”
Hearing the name made Shěn Lí’s head ache. She muttered under her breath, “Tomorrow would be great.”
She barely finished speaking when a figure rushed out as they neared the residence. “You Highness! Your Highness! Lord Fú Róng is in trouble!”
Though she was unaware what the trouble was, it was aggravating hearing the name Shěn Lí said, “He left to conduct his own affairs! What happens to him is none of my concern!”
“Ah! Your Highness, it’s no good! Lord Fú Róng went to the tavern on the east side of town and made the bar girls accompany him in drink. He drank all their wine then refused to pay! He was disrespectful to the bar girls too! He smelled like someone from the Immortal realm, so everyone knew he was connected with Your Highness. Just now even, someone came by the residence asking us to get Lord Fú Róng.”
Shěn Lí ground her teeth. Fú Róng having a lousy reputation in the Immortal realm she could overlook, but now he was in the Demon realm dragging her down with him.
Shěn Lí mentally cursed him out. She tossed Parrot’s cage at Ròu Yā as she said, “Hold this while I go and get that scumbag. I will tear him to pieces!”
“Do not fret. I will stop your master.” Xíng Zhǐ smiled as he spoke.
Ròu Yā had never met anyone in the Demon realm with such a beautiful smile; she was dumbstruck and stared at his back as he left. When she came to her senses she yelled, “Your Highness!” after their receding figures, but they were already out of earshot. “Ah! I forgot to tell Her Highness that General Mò Fāng was at the residence when that person came by about Lord Fú Róng. He already left to see to it.”
Naturally Shěn Lí, as fired up as she was, didn’t hear Ròu Yā, and so had no idea Mò Fāng would be there as well.
. . .When Mò Fāng got to the tavern he saw Fú Róng dead drunk at one of the tables. The barmaid wasn’t intimidated by Mò Fāng despite the sword at his waist and the armor on his body. She said, “I am a woman working in a tavern that serves alcohol, yes, but even as such I do not deserve to be disrespected! This guest’s demands are over the line! To be so salacious in broad daylight at someone’s workplace . . . it’s outrageous!”
Fú Róng lifted his head up and yelled out, “Miss with the tender soft pale skin! Another cup!”
Shěn Lí’s faced darkened and she clenched her fists. She was about to yell at Fú Róng for his behavior when another voice interrupted her.
“Enough!” Mò Fāng exploded as he dragged Fú Róng by the collar. His eyes were ice cold as he said, “What you do and how you ruin your reputation is none of my concern, however when your actions sully Her Highness’s reputation, that’s another matter altogether!”
The force of the words startled Shěn Lí so much she could only stare on at the scene blankly while her fisted hands loosened. A sense of powerlessness rose in her heart. She had already corrected Mò Fāng on this matter . . .
Shěn Lí wasn’t the only one shocked. Everyone else in the tavern was just as surprised by Mò Fāng’s outburst.
Fú Róng suddenly looked up and smiled at Mò Fāng. He raised his hand and laid it against Mò Fāng’s neck flirtatiously. “Mm . . . you are also very pleasing to look at. Such passionate eyes.” He pursed his lips after he finished speaking and suddenly pressed them against Mò Fāng’s, making a soft ‘mwuah’ sound.
The silence that followed the kiss was deafening. It lasted only a moment though, before audible gasps erupted from those witnessing the scene.
Shěn Lí was stunned. Her mouth hung open as she stared. She turned her neck stiffly to look at Xíng Zhǐ. “Lord Fú Róng doesn’t just defile ladies, he defiles men too!” She pointed a finger at her fiancé. “How does a place as pristine as the Immortal realm raise such a worthless scumbag predator as that?”
Xíng Zhǐ was also surprised. He only replied after sizing Fú Róng up for a time. “Your Highness asks me this question, but I also do not know the answer.”
Mò Fāng had a foolish blank expression on his face for the longest time. When he came to his senses, he gave the back of Fú Róng’s neck a hard hand chop, knocking the other man out. Then he calmly and firmly wiped his lips. He swept his eyes around the room and spoke. “Anyone who dares speak of this, I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the pigs.” As he finished speaking, he caught sight of Shěn Lí and Xíng Zhǐ standing just outside the tavern. He stiffened as rigid as a board when their eyes met.
Shěn Lí couldn’t pretend to not see no matter how much she wanted to. The best she could do was act naturally as she walked forward and acknowledged the scene. “Apologies for the trouble. I will take him back now.”
Mò Fāng kept his head down as he spoke. “No trouble. I only did what should have been done. Your Highness . . .” Though he looked calm, his heart was beating wildly in his chest. He wasn’t sure how to continue after having said so much. All he could do was turn his head away as he handed Fú Róng over to Shěn Lí. That done, he immediately left.
People started whispering the moment he was out of earshot. Shěn Lí’s face dropped at this. She looked around the tavern and spoke clearly one word. “Silence.” Her imposing aura was enough to make everyone obey. “No one is to gossip about what happened just now.”
People calmed down at the sound of her voice. As the Azure Sky king, Shěn Lí was well-known and highly respected in the Demon realm. She walked over to the barmaid. “You have suffered. Come, tell me your grievance.”
“No . . .” The barmaid shook her head. “Everything’s gone . . .”
“Don’t be afraid.” Shěn Lí reached for a stool to sit down on. “About that drunk, he addressed you inappropriately a moment ago. Tell me in detail everything that happened before that. I will seek justice for you.”
Fú Róng had humiliated her people and rampaged through the district. Word of it would reach news outlets in the Immortal realm, so even if she couldn’t strangle him herself, someone else would.
Shěn Lí folded the letter the barmaid had written and handed it to Xíng Zhǐ as they left the tavern. “How long is that ridiculously spoiled Lord Fú Róng going to stay? I really want him to leave already. I don’t want to report this to the Demon emperor but . . . if I don’t, more people could get hurt.”
The Immortal emperor was beyond her reach, so she couldn’t personally tell him of Fú Róng’s shameful behavior. Even if she could somehow get the Immortal emperor to visit, mhe knew the Demon emperor would just conceal Fú Róng’s matter.
“Therefore, I will have to inconvenient Immortal High God Xíng Zhǐ to bring this letter in my place.”
Xíng Zhǐ silently accepted the letter. After a moment he spoke up. “Even if this letter is delivered to the Immortal emperor, it is improbable that Your Highness’s engagement will be cancelled. The marriage is inevitable. Why not let what happened go and accept the marriage instead?”
That made Shěn Lí laugh. “Cancel the engagement? Immortal High God thinks too much of it. I stopped having any delusions of canceling it the day the Demon emperor brought me back from the Mortal realm.” Shěn Lí turned away from him as they continued walking side by side. He couldn’t see her face as she spoke. “No, I simply wished to bring attention to the fact that Lord Fú Róng is not happy here.”
She didn’t like Fú Róng and didn’t think living together with him would be pleasant. The odds of them having a happy married life were nonexistent. At this point she just wanted to live an easy life and do as she pleased.
“Besides,” Shěn Lí stopped walking, and although her voice remained respectful, she refused to turn and look at him, “the Immortal emperor won’t cancel the engagement because he can’t.” She leaned her head towards Xíng Zhǐ finally looking at him. “Immortal High God, why won’t you release me?”
Xíng Zhǐ refused to reply to her question.
. . .That night Shěn Lí slept poorly because of a reaction to the bead. Her body was hot and her throat parched. Even the four pots of water Ròu Yā brought couldn’t sate her thirst.
Shěn Lí woke up the next morning clear-headed but still incredibly thirsty. Eventually a dull ache started in her head.
Ròu Yā was worried. “Your Highness, are you sick?”
“Have you ever seen me sick?”
This was true. Ròu Yā returned to waiting on Shěn Lí with a clear and unworried mind. She helped her master bathe and dress.
Once done, Shěn Lí opened the door to the courtyard. The sight that greeted her made her furrow her brow and frown in displeasure.
Fear shot through Fú Róng’s heart. He stood for some time in the courtyard building his courage to ask a question. “Your Highness . . . I was wondering . . . I was wondering if you knew who brought me back last night.”
The thought of yesterday made Shěn Lí’s heart nearly explode. “What?”
“Ah . . . he left this behind yesterday. I wanted to return it.”
Shěn Lí looked at the fair jade pendant Fú Róng held out, recognizing it immediately. It was the jade pendant Mò Fāng often wore around his waist. Why would Fú Róng have it? Yesterday . . .
Shěn Lí could feel her headache worsen. She kneaded her temples as she tried to figure out a reply. Ròu Yā, being a gossip, answered before she could.
“Oh! That belongs to General Mò Fāng. He lives three streets over. But the general is probably not at home. He normally does his morning exercise around the outskirts of camp . . .”
“Shut up!”
Shěn Lí’s abrupt shout scared Ròu Yā into silence. She was so startled she could only stare at Shěn Lí with grievance in her eyes. Pointing to herself Ròu Yā said, “Did this servant do something wrong . . .?”
Shěn Lí held her forehead in her hands while Fú Róng repeated the name ‘Mò Fāng’ to himself a few times.
“Clever girl!” Fú Róng winked at her. “This lord will be going out for a walk.”
“Hold it!” Now What? Shěn Lí wasn’t sure what to do after yelling for Fú Róng to stop. How was she supposed to warn Mò Fāng? Mò Fāng was absolutely not going to stand it. The only thing Shěn Lí could come up with after a moment of silence was, “The army camp is a secured location. Non-military personnel are not allowed access. If you give it to me, I’ll return the jade pendant to General Mò Fāng.”
Fú Róng glanced away from Shěn Lí, then back again. He suddenly screamed and pointed at something behind them. Both Shěn Lí and Ròu Yā turned around to look, but there was nothing there. By the time they turned back, Fú Róng had already made his escape.
Shěn Lí’s face paled as she stood rooted to the spot, her fists clenched. She actually fell for such a dumb trick! What a juvenile scamster!
“This Lord Fú Róng is so childish. Can he really take care of Your Highness?” Ròu Yā wondered aloud.
Him? Take care of me? The thought made Shěn Lí grit her teeth. She wanted to haul Fú Róng back, but her headache was too distracting. The only thing she wanted to do now was go back inside and play with Parrot. Mò Fāng was just going to have to fend for himself.
Unexpectedly, Parrot was not accommodating. He was energetic and jumped around in his cage but he didn’t make a peep. He was no fun at all. Disappointed, Shěn Lí reclined on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest.
She woke up from her nap around noon and called out to Ròu Yā for something to drink. A moment later she felt a cup of tea held near her. Shěn Lí didn’t feel like moving. She didn’t bother to open her eyes, but opened her lips instead and waited for the cup to come closer. When it did, she took one sip after another.
Something didn’t feel right after her nap, so she finally opened her eyes. Xíng Zhǐ was by her side, the cup on the table. When their eyes met, he asked, “More?”
The ambient light gave his face a slight glow. Mesmerized Shěn Lí could only nod and say a clipped, “More,” in reply.
Xíng Zhǐ picked up the cup and pressed it against her lips tilting it slightly for her to sip from again. All kinds of emotions swirled inside Shěn Lí. She reached for the cup. “I can hold it myself. Immortal High God does not need to bother.”
“Are you unwell?”
Shěn Lí shook her head. “No. It’s just all the rushing about these past few days caught up with me. Some rest is all I need.” She turned her head to the window and was surprised at how high the moon was in the sky. “Oh dinner! I’ll have Ròu Yā prepare something.”
“No need.” Xíng Zhǐ shook his head. “It’s fine to skip dinner.”
“Oh.” Xíng Zhǐ’s brightness in the moon’s glow had distracted her, making her mix Immortal High God Xíng Zhǐ up with that wonderful mortal master cook.
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