Die Kampfsportwelt ist ein Sumpf

Kapitel 138

“I miss you, every single moment. I wonder what will happen to her if one day she doesn’t have you. I think my world will be desolate. What can I do without you?” He Lu cupped her face in his hands and looked at her. “It wasn’t until the day you fell into a coma that I realized that my whole life was just for you, for you I lived, and for you I will die…”

Such immense affection enveloped her, making it hard for her to breathe. A heavy pain welled up in her heart, as if the whole world was being submerged by such emotion.

He Lu lowered his head and captured her lips in his mouth, kissing her passionately and lingeringly, as if he wanted to make this kiss last a lifetime, filled with endless emotion and longing.

"Wind—remember me, remember me for a lifetime."

His mind raced with thoughts of her, consumed by longing. He paced back and forth in the snow, gazing intently at the yellow light shining through the window. He hesitated, knowing that she was in that warm glow, yet he dared not step inside.

All that came to mind were the details of their time together. He had hurt her so deeply with his misunderstandings, yet she had endured it time and again, never offering a word of explanation, only to be hurt even more cruelly by him. From the moment she was abducted, from the moment he abandoned her, he threw such an innocent girl into danger, and she endured it. He hated her, called her shameful, said she was promiscuous, and she endured it all, because she had no way to explain herself. And yet he still forced charges upon her, publicly flogging her. No wonder her cries were so helpless; she was a woman, yet he had pulled down her pants. Thinking of all this, his heart bled. And what pained him even more was that she, a woman, had to support her frail body, sword in hand, riding a horse, amidst a vast army, facing bloodshed and slaughter. And what inconveniences had she endured alongside those men?

At that moment, he wanted to rush in and embrace her, but responsibility held him back. He paced back and forth countless times, made countless decisions, and finally, following his heart, he was drawn to the warm glow of the light. He stopped Fu Li from announcing his arrival and strode inside.

After searching for Wei Zijun twice without finding her, Li Tianqi asked the maidservant who served her, "Where is the Wind King?"

"Your Majesty, the Khan has just gone out." They were more used to calling her Khan.

Li Tianqi walked outside and looked around. Inadvertently, his gaze fell upon the two white figures embracing and kissing. His mind went blank, his blood rushed to his head, and the flames of jealousy instantly ignited.

He rushed forward uncontrollably, but as he got closer, he took a deep breath and slowly lowered his clenched fist.

"It's a dark and windy night, the perfect time for thieves to appear. You two are in such high spirits." Seeing the two quickly separate because of the sudden sound of someone approaching, Li Tianqi looked at Wei Zijun with a hint of sarcasm, "While you two are indulging in yourselves, don't forget to guard your belongings, lest they be stolen by thieves."

Wei Zijun glanced at him, took two steps back, and coughed awkwardly.

"I wonder what the reaction would be if our army saw this? Maybe it would even improve our combat effectiveness." Li Tianqi stared at Wei Zijun's slightly flushed cheeks. "Zijun is really bisexual. She made my sister bedridden and coughing up blood for you, and she's acting all high and mighty. Yet here she is, flirting and being affectionate with men. She's really quite the ladies' man."

Wei Zijun remained silent, enduring his humiliation without uttering a sound.

He Lu sneered from the side, "So what? No matter how promiscuous she is, I still love her. This won't break the laws of Dayu, will it?"

At that moment, a sharp pang of jealousy pierced his heart. How dare he say he loved her! The next instant, his iron fist clenched and swung towards He Lu's face.

The two men started fighting again.

"Stop it—why are you still hitting me? How many times have you hit me already? Are you trying to drive me crazy?" Wei Zijun said angrily to the two of them.

Seeing that the two were still not giving in to each other, Wei Zijun angrily strode forward and kicked Li Tianqi hard in the backside. The latter was immediately knocked to the ground in the snow. Wei Zijun then grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Li Tianqi, saying, "As a king, do you have no reason? Do you not use your brain to think? You resort to violence at the drop of a hat. What is the difference between such behavior and that of a brute?"

Li Tianqi lay there in the snow, stunned for a moment, then burst into angry laughter. He was such a pathetic emperor, getting beaten, scolded, and even kicked in the butt. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Wei Zijun. Only she had the audacity to disregard his status as a ruler and even kick him in the butt. He was determined to make her pay double.

He may not be qualified to face her in this contest, but she must confront him as a woman.

She presented herself as a woman when facing that person, but when facing him, she kept claiming to be a man. This was unfair, so unfair! He wanted to expose her!

On a cold and lonely winter morning, just as dawn broke, a Western Turkic escort team carrying provisions entered the city gate. Judging from the batches of provisions being brought to Qiepantuo, Li Tianqi was indeed preparing to launch a campaign against Tibet.

Walking slowly on the snow-covered road, the crunching sound carried far. Fu Li, standing beside Wei Zijun's bedchamber, was puzzled. Why was this young emperor of such great power up so early? Last night, they rushed over after hearing the fighting and witnessed their Khan kicking him in the backside. They were all shocked, but he got up, dusted himself off, and leaned against the Khan, insisting the Khan help him back. Coming here so early in the morning—could it be for revenge?

As the others were muttering to themselves, Li Tianqi was about to step into the palace.

"Your Majesty, please wait." Several lackeys blocked Li Tianqi's path. "The Khan is still resting. Please wait until the Khan wakes up before proceeding, Your Majesty."

"How dare you—you actually dare to obstruct me?" Li Tianqi roared. "Do you even know that your Khan must obey my every command?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive us. We are the Khan's servants, existing only for the Khan's safety, and will only obey the Khan's orders." The servants said this, but in their hearts they thought: I'm afraid that's not the case. They saw him get kicked in the buttocks with their own eyes, and they didn't dare to utter a sound. Their Khan is the greatest Khan in the world, and he is their pride.

Li Tianqi raised his long eyebrows and asked, "Do you know what a capital offense is?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive us. We only serve the Khan." The vassals said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Alright." Li Tianqi suddenly stopped being angry. Ziju's ability to use people was indeed good. However, they were too much of a nuisance. He suddenly swayed, and a gust of wind rose from the ground. His body was like a flowing light and a phantom, rapidly spinning between several people. With a light tap of his fingertip, those people had no time to react and were instantly frozen in place.

Li Tianqi clapped his hands and walked into the palace gate.

The maids inside, lacking the imposing presence of the men outside, were inexplicably swayed by the power of the emperor and the allure of Li Tianqi's handsome face, allowing him to smoothly reach Wei Zijun's bedside.

The person on the couch was fast asleep. Without her usual arrogance, she was as pure and beautiful as a child, with a refined charm. Her long, silky black hair spread out, making her handsome face even more radiant.

She didn't sleep as soundly as usual. After a while, her delicate face furrowed, and she murmured, "Mother..." There seemed to be glistening tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

He sat by the bed, gazing at her, and tenderly wiped away the tears from her eyes. It turned out that she had been keeping her pain hidden deep inside, only finding a brief release in her dreams.

Perhaps it was some kind of premonition, or perhaps it was the intense gaze that made the sleeping person feel uneasy, but Wei Zijun suddenly opened her eyes.

When Wei Zijun saw the handsome face in front of her, she was startled. Her first reaction was to reach out and touch that face.

When Li Tianqi saw her reaction, he couldn't help but grin.

When she touched a real body, Wei Zijun gasped in astonishment. Her next action was to look down at her own body, and seeing the blanket comfortably covering her shoulders, she breathed a sigh of relief and instinctively gripped the corners of the blanket tightly with both hands.

Li Tianqi watched her series of actions with a smile, his eyes full of amusement. It was as if his good mood had returned, as if the years they spent together in Lucheng had returned, when he could never help but want to tease her.

"Why doesn't Ziju get up when she sees her second brother?" Li Tianqi asked jokingly.

"Second Brother, please excuse me for a moment, Ziju will get up now." Wei Ziju pulled the blanket up further to cover her mouth.

"Zijun, just wear it like this," Li Tianqi said nonchalantly as he slumped onto the couch.

"Second Brother, this... changing clothes in front of others is against etiquette," Wei Zijun murmured, gently wiping the corner of her eye. The crying in her dream made her throat tight.

"It's alright, Second Brother doesn't mind."

“This, Second Brother is the Emperor. Changing clothes in front of the Emperor is not only a matter of etiquette, but also a disrespect to the monarch.” She offered a seemingly respectable reason.

"Hmm?" Li Tianqi frowned, staring at Wei Zijun's two gleaming eyes peeking out from under the covers. "When you kicked my butt yesterday, why weren't you worried about disrespecting the emperor?"

"This...this..."

"Alright, you don't need to get up either. I'm a little tired too. Let's sleep for a while together." Li Tianqi said as he went to lift Wei Zijun's blanket.

Wei Zijun grabbed the corner of the blanket, her face turning bright red.

Li Tianqi ignored Wei Zijun's flushed face, but picked up the white silk that Wei Zijun had placed by her pillow to bind her chest. "Zijun, what is this?"

Wei Zijun's face flushed red to her neck, overwhelmed with embarrassment. She quickly snatched the white silk and stuffed it into the quilt. "The belt, it's Zijun's belt. Second brother, you should leave for a moment. Zijun will get up now."

Li Tianqi ignored her completely and instead stared at Wei Zijun's face. "Huh? Zijun's face is so red. Did you get a fever?" he said, touching Wei Zijun's face.

Wei Zijun was so ashamed that she wanted to die. She wondered what Li Tianqi's intentions were. Had he figured out something? But he didn't seem like it usually did. So why was he so persistent?

Looking at Wei Zijun's expression, Li Tianqi figured that if he teased her any longer, she might really become the first person in the world to die of shame.

"Zijun, get dressed. Your second brother will wait outside."

Wei Zijun sat up and put on her clothes one by one, recalling the dream she had just had. She dreamt not only of her parents, but also of He Lu. She dreamt of his passionate, lingering kiss, a kiss that left her breathless, a kiss that filled her heart with sorrow, a sorrow so profound she couldn't bear to push him away, and then he said those words: Remember me, remember my heart for a lifetime.

A bad feeling rose in my chest. Was He Lu going to do something stupid?

Throughout the day, whenever she had a spare moment, she would search for He Lu's shadow, afraid that he might disappear from her sight without her noticing.

Fortunately, He Lu behaved himself throughout the day, which put her mind at ease.

As the sun set as expected, twilight arrived as promised. The clear night sky was as clear as water, and the cool moonlight emanated a gentle, flowing glow.

The person's light was like the cold moon in the sky, faint and aloof. She leaned against the couch, quiet, her eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight.

She blinked her long hair, cast aside all emotions, and then resolutely stood up.

For the first time, Wei Zijun carefully packed a bundle. She, who always traveled light and never wanted to carry anything extra, even refusing to wear armor on the battlefield, prepared a bundle for the first time. Inside were some silver coins, a few pieces of clothing that He Lu had bought for her, and the soft sword that Nangong Que had given her.

After tidying everything up, she took off her clothes and immersed herself in the large, steaming tub. The rising steam slowly moistened her eyes, and she closed them wearily. Instantly, tiny water droplets formed on her eyelashes.

She longed to lead troops into Tibet, but from a public standpoint, dying at an inopportune time while fighting for her country was unwise; from a private standpoint, she couldn't send warriors with their own families to their deaths because of a personal vendetta. To burden others with her own personal grudges was not her style. She would avenge herself.

After planning for several days, with everything in mind, fatigue set in, and my thoughts began to wander, and I gradually fell asleep.

Li Tianqi arrived as scheduled and entered Wei Zijun's bedroom. The room was empty, but two maids who served her stood in the side corridor. The two maids knelt down and bowed when they saw Li Tianqi, saying, "Your Majesty, the Khan is taking a bath." They knew, of course, who he had come to see.

Taking a bath? Taking a bath? Finally, he thought of how she always tried to avoid him while bathing, and a smile crept onto Li Tianqi's lips.

Let him catch her red-handed and see how she continues to lie through her teeth.

But he hesitated. What would happen to her if he caught her like this?

She's so concerned about saving face!

After hesitating for a while, he strode inside.

"Your Majesty, the Khan has decreed that no one is allowed to enter while she is bathing, or my head will be forfeit," a maidservant trembled as she spoke. No one would dare utter such a bold statement, but for the sake of her Khan, she bravely spoke it.

Li Tianqi raised his long eyebrows and said, "If you obstruct us, your heads will be in danger too. All of you, step back."

Li Tianqi pushed open the door and entered. When that snow-white body shrouded in mist came into his view, even though he had prepared himself, he was still stunned.

A soft sigh escaped his lips. Then a wave of heartache washed over him. Such a beautiful body, yet hidden beneath loose robes all day long—how pitiful she must be. He approached her step by step, gazing intently at her. He saw her disheveled, wet hair, her vibrant red lips, her graceful shoulders, her alluring collarbone, her full breasts, her flat stomach. He looked down, his gaze lingering on her body submerged in the water, scrutinizing every detail, etching every inch of her skin into his heart…

Wei Zijun, who was taking a nap, suddenly felt uneasy, as if a blazing light was burning her body. Never one to be alert while sleeping, she abruptly opened her eyes. When she saw the scene before her, she was so shocked and stunned that she forgot to react.

Wei Zijun stared blankly at Li Tianqi standing in front of her, her heart pounding wildly, her eyes filled with panic and disbelief, as if she had seen the demon king of hell.

Instinctively, he covered his chest with his hands, and as if trying to hide something, he quickly slid into the water. Not wanting to exert too much force, he ended up completely submerged, his head and face instantly filling his mouth and nose.

Seeing this, Li Tianqi hurriedly bent down and pulled Wei Zijun out of the water.

Wei Zijun coughed incessantly, and even in such a wretched state, she still grabbed all the clothes next to her and piled them into the bucket in an attempt to cover her body.

Watching her frantically pull at her clothes, desperately clutching a pile of garments, Li Tianqi couldn't help but chuckle. He gently patted her back with a mixture of affection and tenderness, the warm, smooth touch making his hand tremble slightly.

She's so cute.

The coughing finally stopped, and Wei Zijun didn't know how to face Li Tianqi. Her heart was pounding, and she didn't dare to look at him. They remained in an awkward and unbearable silence.

Finally, Li Tianqi spoke. "I'll go outside. You put on your clothes first. The water's getting cold." If he weren't worried about the cold water harming her, he really wanted to wait there and see what shocking things she could say in this awkward situation, and how she could still so confidently claim she was a man.

Li Tianqi walked out, and Wei Zijun suddenly collapsed in the water. What to do? What to do? He must have seen it, right? What would he do? Would he be angry? Angry that she concealed it? For the crime of deceiving the emperor? Given their brotherly relationship, he probably wouldn't punish her, so he would help her cover it up? That was the most likely possibility. But what bothered her most was that he had seen everything. Just a few days ago, she had been spouting nonsense about how they were both men. She was so humiliated; she felt she couldn't face him anymore. She really wanted to crawl into a crack in the tub and never come out again.

But how did he just walk in like that? Where are those two maids at the door? Those damned girls, it's all because of them! "Guards!" Wei Zijun roared.

The maidservant Yue rushed in from the doorway, "Khan, what do you need me for?"

"Why did you call people in!" he continued to yell.

The two maids, who had served her all these days, had never seen their Khan so angry. Terrified, they knelt down with a thud: "It was His Majesty who forbade us to speak. We, your servants, would never dare to disobey His Majesty! Waaah..." they cried as they spoke.

Seeing their tearful faces, Wei Zijun immediately softened. "Alright, alright, stop crying," she waved her hand.

Upon hearing her words, the two maids cried even harder. This handsome Khan had always been the man they admired, and being scolded by the man they loved was bound to cause them great distress.

Hearing their shrill cries, Wei Zijun groaned helplessly, "Alright! What's wrong? Wow, such big tears, if you shed two more, you'll flood the entire Qiepantuo City. Cry, cry, you've soaked my clothes. Go get me some clean clothes."

Hearing Wei Zijun's teasing, the two maids stopped crying and started laughing, turning around to wipe their tears and fetch their clothes.

When Li Tianqi saw the two maids running out, he quickly put his hands under his nose to hide the smile on his lips.

He stood by the door after coming out, and when he heard Wei Zijun's angry roar, he started to chuckle. It had been a long time since he had laughed.