Eternal Night - Chapter 63
"Eternal Night!" The princess gently patted her back and brought her water.
Yongye waved his hand and said softly, "I want to sleep for a while."
Seeing that she was alright, the princess said gently, "It's alright now. I had the guards stand watch outside the room. The thief has been captured. Don't be afraid this night." Seeing that she looked tired, she didn't want to disturb her, so she closed the door and went out.
After everyone in the room left, Yongye flicked her tongue and spat out a pill. She picked it up and looked at it, thinking disdainfully, "Even if I stuff a few more in my mouth, I can still speak freely."
Yuqing Pill, a pill carefully crafted by Huihun, is said to be highly nourishing for some, while others have been poisoned by it. Regardless of whether it can cure the bewitching powder, she dares not take it.
Moon Spirit, in the end you still couldn't help but remind me?
Yongye disliked herself a little. Hadn't she thought about how to deal with being discovered? Her heart trembled when she smelled the sleeping potion. She had witnessed the scene that Yuepo didn't want her to see, sitting by the window.
She couldn't move. She couldn't let anyone discover her relationship with Yuepo. She couldn't save him, and she wouldn't do something so foolish as to sacrifice herself, but Yuepo did.
He could have taken her hostage and left, just like he did at Prince You's residence. Instead, he walked out.
"I wonder if we'll still be able to see stars on nights from now on..."
Moon Soul knew she couldn't escape when she walked out.
Yongye pulled the blanket over her head; the darkness made her feel safe, even if it was darkness born of self-deception.
Yuepo knew the ending and guessed it, so... she turned over, peered under the bed, and tears suddenly fell.
The black gold armor lay neatly under the bed, with Princess Yuxiu's jade pendant and Feng Yangxi's token on top. He truly knew he couldn't leave; he hadn't taken any of these with him.
Yongye crawled under the bed, lay down, and tears streamed down her face.
Why did she still hold back, unable to fully trust him? Why did she still obediently pretend to be bewitched? She watched expressionlessly as he was discarded like trash after his spirit returned. She quietly watched as Prince Duan knocked him unconscious with a single blow. Why couldn't she believe that brotherhood truly existed in this world?
He was the Moon Spirit who domineeringly protected her in the valley; he was no one else, he was always him.
Through teary eyes, Yongye's fingers gently traced the marks left by Yuepo on the bed. A crescent moon hung like a hook, and the little star lay upon it. "Yuepo..."
She gripped Feng Yangxi's wooden plaque tightly in her hand, until a deep red mark appeared on her palm.
Prince Duan is jealous
The poplar catkins, like light snowflakes, drifted across the Kyoto sky. In the warm spring of March, when the grass grows and the orioles sing, people shed their heavy winter clothes and feel lighter and more carefree.
Yongye stood in her flower grove. The cherry blossoms had long since faded, but the pink peach blossoms had ignited a new cloud of red. The afternoon sun shone brightly, illuminating a scene of prosperity and vitality.
She picked up a twig, threaded an earthworm she dug out of the ground onto the twig, and put it into the water.
Fish swarmed in, and she watched the earthworm struggle in the water. Just as a fish opened its mouth to spit its prey, she swiftly moved her hand, saving the earthworm from being devoured. Yongye smiled and did it again. After several attempts, the fish seemed to lose interest, and the earthworm lay motionless, barely alive. Yongye sighed; she too had lost interest.
Moon Soul is now like this earthworm, and Prince Duan, Prince You, and Youli Valley are like these fish. After all the fuss, they can't get any useful information from him, and he's no longer of any use to them, so the fish don't want to eat him anymore.
What am I? The one who digs earthworms out of the soil. Yongye disliked this answer. She took the earthworm off the soil and buried it again, muttering, "You're different from Xiaoxing. You can survive even when cut into pieces. Don't blame me, I let you go back. Maybe one can turn into several. It's a good deal."
She patted the dirt off her hands, feeling hungry. Looking at the sky, she realized it was almost noon. Yongye ordered the guards a few feet away, "Tell the princess that I've had enough sleep, and I'm going to her place for lunch."
Princess Duan was pleased to see that Yongye had a particularly good appetite and ate a lot today. She reached out and patted Yongye's head, asking, "Are you alright?"
Yongye put down her chopsticks and said, "Hmm, it's alright now."
"Hmm, I'm full too. I have something to do. I want to punch someone!" Prince Duan slammed down his chopsticks, interrupting the princess, and glanced at Yongye indifferently, saying, "Want to go see?"
Yongye felt a pang of sadness, but stood up with a beaming smile: "Of course!"
Seeing the murderous aura emanating from Prince Duan, the princess couldn't help but recall the refined and delicate appearance of the young man in white. She muttered worriedly, "Why did you send Yongye to see that?"
"It's better to see than to think," Prince Duan snorted and turned away.
The princess was stunned for a long time, not understanding what Prince Duan meant. She turned to look at Yongye, whose face also seemed to darken. She then followed Prince Duan out.
Yongye followed Prince Duan towards the dungeon, her nerves taut. What did Prince Duan's meaningful words mean? Did he want her to see him? Did he suspect her identity? And how should she deal with it?
Descending the long stone steps, oil lamps flickered on the stone walls. At this moment, Yongye seemed to return to the scene of following her master in green into the stone chamber. With just a glance, she memorized the terrain.
At the end of the stone steps was another spacious stone chamber, but this one was divided into several smaller rooms. As soon as Yongye stepped off the steps, he saw the figure in the moon-white robe locked in one of the rooms.
She looked around; there was no one else in the stone chamber. A single room for one person—that was quite a treat.
"Do you want to make a move?" Prince Duan gestured for the guards to bring Yue Po out.
"I've never done this before, Father, please demonstrate first."
Suspended, Yuepo didn't even glance at Yongye, and smiled at Prince Duan, saying, "Your Highness doesn't intend to give Yuepo a quick death?!"
Prince Duan removed his outer robe, revealing a narrow-sleeved silk shirt underneath. His fingernails traced the glossy knot of his whip, producing a series of crisp sounds. Looking at Yue Po's handsome face, a surge of anger welled up within him: "Exhilarating? Have you ever heard of that kind of person?" As he spoke, he raised his hand and lashed out with the whip.
Yuepo didn't even utter a sound before she convulsed and fainted. At first, there wasn't a single mark on her white robe. Slowly, a bloody welt appeared on her back, running from her left shoulder down to her lower back—a gruesome sight.
"Father, he can't withstand your beatings. One lash and he's unconscious. Should we splash some water to wake him up?" Yongye said slowly. Did he want to know if she was colluding with Yuepo? Did he suspect she was an assassin from Youli Valley? Yongye thought, if she revealed who she had killed, it would probably scare her father to death. What did a few lashes to Yuepo matter?
Prince Duan was furious and stared at her, saying, "Fine!"
Yongye casually picked up the bucket of water beside him and poured it on her. Yuepo shuddered in pain and woke up. She glanced at Prince Duan, then turned back to sit up and smiled, "Father, please continue."
Prince Duan glanced at her, then flicked his wrist and lashed out with the whip again.
This lash seemed less severe than before, and Yue Po couldn't help but sway in pain, the iron chains clanging as she trembled. She gritted her teeth to keep from crying out, but she didn't faint.
"Father's strength is less than before. He hasn't fainted yet." Yongye tilted his head, watching the blood gushing from Yuepo's body and staining his robes red, but he was relieved. If there hadn't been any blood, internal injuries would have been a real problem. He wouldn't have died from a few lashes like this.
Prince Duan cracked his whip and sat down, saying, "If I use my full strength, he won't even be able to withstand one lash from me. I'm not interested anymore. Prince You will come to take him away tomorrow; let's hand him over."