Mu Yuchengs Abkommen

Kapitel 72

I whispered in his ear, "Thank you. But let me be the master of my own destiny."

After I finished speaking, as he turned around and looked on in astonishment, I gently jumped off his back, which I was somewhat reluctant to leave. Step by step, though I was a little limping, I walked towards Yuwen Ruojian without looking back.

Seeing that I walked over, Yuwen Ruojian's cold expression eased somewhat, but his gaze toward the ugly slave was still full of murderous intent.

Yuwen Ruojian suddenly approached me, and I felt dizzy. He swung his long arm and picked me up.

As Yuwen Ruojian carried me out, he ordered, "Someone, take him away. My newly planted peony needs fertilizer."

What? Fertilizer? Does he mean he's going to chop him into mincemeat and use him as fertilizer?

"Wait," before I could even react, I blurted out, "I asked him to take me out. I'm the one who should be punished, not him." For some reason, I had a strange feeling; I just didn't want anything to happen to him.

"Are you blaming me for being unfair in my punishment?" He smiled, and looking at his smile, which was more alluring than any woman's, I had a bad feeling. He continued, "Very well, banish him from the manor. I don't want to see him again. As for you," he looked at me, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, and whispered in my ear, "I will punish you properly." As he spoke, he leaned down and, unexpectedly, quickly kissed my lips.

Suddenly, a groan like that of a trapped beast rang out behind me. It was the ugly slave struggling against several guards, trying to rush forward and fight Yuwen Ruojian to the death. I didn't turn around because my mind was blank at that moment.

His kiss was hot and alluring; his burning tongue, like a snake, darted into my mouth, entwining with mine. I was somewhat stunned, neither responding nor refusing. Perhaps I had forgotten how to refuse.

Through the haze, I saw his face, which had a strange, rosy blush, like a flower gradually blooming.

This shy and harmless Yuwen Ruojian felt somewhat unfamiliar to me.

He ended the passionate kiss, then held me again and walked outside.

As I reached the door, for some reason, I couldn't help but turn back.

I saw the ugly slave standing there, silently watching us.

His thin lips were pressed tightly together, his face was pale and dejected, and his eyes were filled with endless sorrow.

His expression gave me a fleeting illusion, as if he had been standing there waiting for me for a lifetime.

And I, too, have traveled through a thousand years to wait for something.

I looked at him, my gaze indifferent, but in my heart I was thinking: When you sleep in the vast wilderness at dusk, who are you waiting for to arrive at the edge of the sky?

Chapter 150 Playing with the Feudal Lords (Part 1)

July's heat was intense. High on the city wall, the gathering place for the multi-nation coalition's campaign against the Jin Kingdom was held.

A gentle breeze swept by, and suddenly, as if riding on clouds, a red and a white figure appeared together, enveloped in a pristine white mist, seemingly otherworldly. Their beauty was eerily alluring and captivating.

The man in red wore a strange, wicked smile. His phoenix eyes, like crystal, shimmered with a thousand thoughts and ten thousand charms. Beside him, the girl had a calm, indifferent expression, exuding an otherworldly aura and standing out from the crowd.

The crowd eagerly awaited her return. She stood in the wind, her white dress fluttering, a gentle smile on her face, her beauty captivating, and she sang a magnificent song to the heavens.

It is as if the peacock's tail is a canopy, the kingfisher's feathers are a banner; the fish scales are a hue, and the phoenix's wings are a flight.

As if ascending to the heavens, as if not of this world, holding a comet, with long hair like black silk.

He raised his long sword, embracing the youthful spirit.

Everyone present wore complex and strange expressions as they sized up the unfamiliar young woman, speculating about her identity and wondering what Yuwen Ruojian, the true master of Later Qin, meant by bringing her to this gathering. For a moment, the room fell silent.

A man who was about to sit down in the seat slightly to the left of the head of the table suddenly stopped when he saw them approaching. He stood there quietly, gazing at the people who seemed to have lazily descended from the horizon.

He was still the same stunningly handsome young man he was back then. An Jin, unparalleled and unmatched in the world.

Even if he becomes her, he is still just as unattainable.

Why is there such a woman in the world?

One glance was enough to make me fall for it.

Like a poppy seed, a woman as poisonous as poison.

Sima Rui gazed at her from afar, his expression filled with sorrow but no regret.

He found her, and when he saw her again, he remained expressionless, said nothing, and showed not even a hint of excitement.

But actually, he was so excited that his heart ached slightly. Tears welled up in his eyes.

He thought he would never see her again in this lifetime. But she was not dead; she was still alive.

His little brocade.

But she didn't remember him. She didn't remember him.

He opened his mouth, but the effects of the drug still lingered in his throat, and he couldn't utter a sound. He remembered seeing that woman holding a child on the street not long ago. Although he was disguised, she still seemed very familiar, which fueled his suspicion.

He had guessed a thousand times in his heart, come up with a thousand reasons why she might still be alive, but soon a thousand more reasons would refute it. He saw with his own eyes that she had stopped breathing, and he watched with his own eyes as she was placed on a bamboo raft and drifted away with the current. His eyes told him that she was dead.

But his heart, his thoughts, and everything about him kept reminding him that she was not dead, that she was still alive, and that she was waiting for him somewhere.

So when that strange, talking white lump of flesh came to him and led him to her, he believed it.

They went without hesitation.

When he first stepped into that cell, his heart was pounding. He wondered if she would recognize him. But he was disappointed. Her eyes were expressionless, showing only the indifferent curiosity one would have when seeing a stranger.

He thought she was just pretending not to know him, that she couldn't recognize him because he was disguised. But he was wrong. The moment she said thank you and resolutely jumped off his back, Sima Rui understood the cruelest thing in the world: the person you love is right in front of you, but she has forgotten you, completely forgotten you.

You are no longer in her world.

She has no memory of you whatsoever.

It's like your heart has been suddenly ripped out. Like you're no longer alive. Like you're dead.

He still remembered the animal named Xiaobai, who called itself Xiaojin's pet, looking at him with great pity and saying with a complicated expression, "You should be prepared, the current owner of Jin is no longer the same as before."

"Master, isn't that Empress Jinze?" Chen Wen exclaimed in astonishment as he looked at the stunning woman in her alluring white dress.

"Could it be—" Chen Wen stared in horror at his master, whose eyes were filled with extreme sorrow. Could it be that his master had poisoned himself to make him mute, disappeared for a period of time, and then returned covered in wounds... all for her?

Thinking of this, Chen Wen was somewhat shocked. What kind of love was there between them... so intense, so... that it was despair-inducing?

Sima Rui looked at An Jin, who was walking beside the Ninth Prince Yuwen Ruojian with a faint smile, and unconsciously a charming smile also appeared on his lips.

She's still alive. Isn't that the happiest thing in the world?

So, even if she is there, what does it matter?

Looking at his master's serene smile, Chen Wen suddenly felt a surge of emotion, his eyes welling up with tears and his heart aching. His master, for four years, had never forgotten her. But between them…

No, it can't end like this, Chen Wen made up his mind, clenching his fists.

Even if his master made mistakes back then, he had seen all her love over the years. If punishment was necessary, it should have ended long ago. If things continued like this, the punishment from heaven would be too severe for his master. His master's heart... was suffering too much.

Unbeknownst to Chen Wen, tears suddenly streamed down his face. He touched his slightly damp cheeks in astonishment. As a member of the Dark Gate, he was not supposed to have any emotions; he never expected that he could also shed tears.

“Let’s go,” Sima Rui said softly, “We should also see what kind of games the hosts have prepared for us.”

Chapter 151 Playing with the Lords (Part Two)

I let out a few cold laughs and said sarcastically, "What, is this what you wanted?"

Swaying gently in the flowing water, I am graceful and tender.

He whispered, "No, that's far from enough. I want more."

Yuwen Ruojian gazed at the stunning woman beside him, noticing her white robes and faint smile. For some reason, he suddenly thought of the "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River."

Graceful as a startled swan, lithe as a swimming dragon. Radiant as autumn chrysanthemums, flourishing as spring pines. Seemingly like light clouds veiling the moon, drifting like swirling snow in a gentle breeze. From afar, she shines like the rising sun at dawn; up close, she glows like a lotus emerging from the waves. Her figure is perfectly proportioned, neither too slender nor too thick, neither too long nor too short. Her shoulders are like those of a sculpted figure, her waist slender and graceful. Her neck is long and elegant, her skin fair and radiant. She needs no adornment, no makeup. Her hair is piled high like clouds, her eyebrows long and delicate. Her lips are bright red, her teeth white and gleaming. Her eyes are bright and expressive, her dimples charming. Her beauty is exquisite, her demeanor serene and composed. Her gentle charm is captivating, her words alluring. Her attire is unique and unparalleled, her features perfectly suited to the portrait. She wears a shimmering silk robe, adorned with precious stones and jade. She wears a headdress of gold and kingfisher feathers, her body adorned with pearls. She wears embroidered shoes for her travels, her light skirt trailing like mist. A faint fragrance of orchids wafts through the air as I stroll hesitantly at the mountain's corner. Suddenly, I leap up, to roam and play. To my left, a colorful banner hangs; to my right, a cassia flag provides shade. I dip my fair wrists into the sacred riverbank, gathering dark fungus from the rushing rapids.

She truly deserves such an unparalleled title.

I wonder if the concubine Mi, who was deeply loved by the emperor, was like her? Like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without artifice. She didn't need to do anything to be captivating.

Completely ignoring the strange looks I received, I calmly walked with him to the head seat. He sat down and then had me lie down on the thick Persian carpet beside him. I looked at the hibiscus flowers on it, somewhat surprised that he would like such vibrant colors. But seeing him in his crimson robes, his long hair flying in the wind, he was incredibly alluring. Such a man, seemingly one with the devil.

I remember he told me before he came that Yi Jun had traveled to the southwest to learn from a genius sorcerer who lived in seclusion in the mountains. That man was unwilling to teach him, but when Yi Jun kept pestering him for a long time, he became impatient and put a simple curse on him, threatening him that he would only help him undo the curse if he left, otherwise he would have to wait to bleed from his seven orifices and die.

After saying that, the sorcerer went up the mountain to find poisonous insects.

Unexpectedly, when he returned a month later, he found Yuwen Ruojian lying on the verge of death beside his house, stubbornly refusing to leave. His near-death state resembled that of a trapped but still wild beast, which slightly moved the sorcerer. So, he kept him, teaching him sorcery but not becoming his master.

Unexpectedly, Yuwen Ruojian possessed an extraordinary physique, making him a rare genius in this world. Overjoyed, the sorcerer imparted all his knowledge to him. In the end, Yuwen Ruojian's talent allowed him to surpass even the most renowned sorcerer.

When Yuwen Ruojian left, the first curse he ever cast was tested on the person who had personally taught him and trained him to become the greatest sorcerer in the world—the person who should have been his master.

I was somewhat shocked by his cruelty.

When asked why, he simply said, "That was his expectation. He wanted to die by my hand. That was his greatest pride."

Indeed, thoughts that are not those of a normal person cannot be easily understood.

I sat down. I obediently rested my head on his lap, playing the role of a submissive woman.

I glanced sideways and saw Lian staring at me with some surprise, and Qingci standing to the side. Qingci saw me and smiled faintly.

He then looked at a man beside him, his expression somewhat surprised and stiff. I was a little puzzled and followed his gaze. It turned out to be the man I'd met briefly on the street before, who was now staring intently at me.

It was him. Aside from that one meeting, I don't know why, but I always feel like I've seen him somewhere before.

My mind was perfectly clear; Qingci had already arrived. Then, the others must have arrived as well.

Sure enough, a short while later, I suddenly saw Xiao Qi casually appear at the end of the banquet, surrounded by many silent people. They were probably just his bodyguards.

I didn't see Ge Kong anywhere. I smiled inwardly, hoping these guys wouldn't bring the entire Jin Kingdom with them.

Otherwise, this drama will continue to reach new climaxes. Or perhaps, these countries that have provoked Jin Kingdom are incapable of ending the situation.

I do not want to be forced to change history. Everything I have done is to ensure that the Jin Kingdom can prosper and flourish without altering history. However, that does not mean that the Jin Kingdom can be bullied by others.

If I wanted, all these countries here would vanish from this continent in an instant.

I narrowed my eyes, a hint of murderous intent flashing within them. If I say I will do it, I will do it.

I glanced at Xiao Qi, and he nodded at me. I smiled knowingly; they were all ready, their movements were good.

Next, it's my turn to perform.

Yuwen Ruojian, do you really think I'll let myself be slaughtered?

Do you really think I didn't know that you were the one who stared blankly at me that day, asking Brother Gu for a painting?

Do you really think I'll obediently do as you say and truly submit to you?

Do you really think I don't know that to undo the curse on Yi Jun, it requires one of your eyes—the golden silkworm raised in your eye—as a catalyst, along with the Wuxie flower from the Prince's mansion, to completely remove it?

Do you really think I don't know you've fallen in love with me? Xiao Bai saw through your heart long ago and told me. That's why I was so certain you would save Yi Jun, and that's why I recklessly played along with you.