Eternal Night - Chapter 64
Yongye looked back and saw that the guards had already retreated outside. She sighed and tentatively asked, "I'm not strong, but I can still hurt him. Why don't you keep him around so I can whip him every day?"
Prince Duan stood up, took out a jade bottle and placed it in her hand: "I heard that if you eat this, you will lose the ability to feel pain, and you might be able to endure torture for a little longer and live a little longer. This seems to be some kind of Gu, which likes to grow in a person's body. When it grows big, the person's thoughts become its thoughts."
Alien? Mutant? These words immediately flashed through Yongye's mind. A worm possessing Yuepo's body? She glanced at Yuepo, then at the bottle in her hand. She tossed it to Duan Wang like a hot potato: "Terrible, I don't want it."
"I'll do it!" Prince Duan slowly approached Yuepo, holding the bottle.
Yongye saw fear and despair in Yuepo's eyes, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his lips bitten until they bled, yet he remained silent. She instinctively cried out, "Don't hurt him, Father."
Prince Duan turned around, his face filled with anger and pain. He took two steps forward, picked up the whip, and lashed it down at Yongye. A pressure surged through Yongye's chest, followed by a burning pain. It wasn't that she couldn't dodge, but rather that she hadn't expected Prince Duan to hit her. She stumbled and fell to the ground. Shock, doubt, anger... her emotions overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
"No..." Yuepo was shocked and managed to utter a single word.
"Shut up!" Prince Duan turned around and lashed out with his whip again. This time, he used force and injured her internal organs. Yue Po opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, hanging limply in the air.
Prince Duan threw down his whip, walked up to Yongye and reached out to pull her, but Yongye slapped him away.
“Eternal Night…” Seeing the look in her eyes, Prince Duan couldn’t help but feel a little regretful.
"What do you want to know? What are you trying to test? I know him in the Valley of Wandering Souls, of course I know him! Is that all you want to know?!" Yongye roared, she didn't know why she was so angry, what more did he want? She wished he would whip Yuepo a few more times. She only felt a soreness churning in her heart, inexplicably sad.
Prince Duan glanced at Yuepo, and mumbled a vague remark: "This lad is quite handsome..."
"What's it to me!" Yongye blurted out.
You're clearly worried about him!
"He always protected me in the Valley of Wandering. Do you think it's easy to survive there?! This time, I was taken hostage because of Li Tianyou, and he didn't even hurt me. Why would I let some kind of worm grow inside him!"
Prince Duan's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sternly, "Does he know you're a woman?"
"He treats me like a brother!" Yongye's barbs stood on end, and his roar was no quieter than Duan Wang's.
Prince Duan looked at Yongye's flushed face, the anger flashing in his eyes slowly softening, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He smiled and said, "You should have told your father earlier. This gratitude... isn't wrong, but... when Tianyou comes to take the person tomorrow, your father will still have to hand him over. Hmm, hand him over, lest Tianyou be dissatisfied and attempt to assassinate a prince, which is a capital offense. Hmm... let your father see if he's injured?"
His hand had just touched Yongye's clothes when he turned back to look at the unconscious Yuepo, then withdrew his hand and murmured, "Go and see your mother later, hmm?"
Yongye was still in a daze for a long time when Prince Duan had already walked out leisurely with his hands behind his back.
Without thinking, she quickly put Yuepo down. She saw three frighteningly red welts. She lifted Yuepo's clothes, took out some medicine from her bosom, and applied it to his wounds, slowly channeling her inner energy into his palm. She shoved all the useful medicine into his mouth, but Yuepo clenched his teeth tightly. Yongye then picked up a bucket of water and poured it over him again.
"Cough—" Yuepo woke up in pain. Seeing Yongye standing in front of him with a stern face, he smiled weakly, "You're really ruthless. And stupid! Anyway, I still have the Gu poison from Youli Valley in my body, what difference does one more make? Does it hurt?"
Yongye shook his head: "He couldn't bear to hit him too hard."
“Prince Duan seems to know that you recognize me,” Yuepo said in a low voice.
"Hmm." Yongye treated his wounds, his mind replaying Duan Wang's words. It meant that Li Tianyou wanted people, and he had to hand them over, but once they were handed over, he would be done with them.
A look of surprise appeared in Yongye's eyes, and his expression relaxed. He chuckled and said, "I'll find a way to get you out of here." With that, he tossed the medicine to Yuepo and went to find Prince Duan.
bargain
After dismissing everyone else, Princess Duan reached out to unbutton Yongye's robe, but Yongye immediately pressed her hand down, closing her eyes as her face burned. She whispered, "I'll do it."
"You silly child..." Princess Duan covered her mouth and chuckled.
"What are you laughing at!" Yongye was furious. She ripped open her clothes, revealing a purple satin bra wrapped around her chest. She was furious. How could someone so thin have such a peach-like chest!
Princess Duan gasped in shock and said angrily, "Outrageous! He actually hit you so hard! And he even dared to tell me that he accidentally threw the whip at you."
Yongye looked down and sure enough, there was a red mark the size of a finger on her chest. It stood out against her snow-white skin. Seeing that Princess Duan was angry, she felt a little guilty. She untied her bodice, lay on her back, and said, "Father seems to be afraid that I have something to do with Youli Valley. He suspects me."
Princess Duan couldn't help but laugh again. She carefully rubbed the medicinal wine into the wound and said softly, "When those thieves kidnapped you, not long after, I heard about the Youli Valley. It was all very mysterious, some kind of assassin organization that takes money to solve problems. I suspected it was them. But your father only tested them once or twice, and the information they gave seemed to be true. I wonder how much money they extorted from your father. Even the Peony Garden in the capital was opened by your father secretly, just so he could get you back. Spending a little money isn't a big deal. You know he hates Youli Valley, but I'm afraid you've fallen for that person..."
Hearing this, Yongye's mouth dropped open. She'd fallen for Yuepo? She could fall for Yuepo? Was her father's unusual behavior today because he feared she'd fallen for Yuepo? She chuckled, "That boy… well, he's really good to me."
“That’s right. I hadn’t thought about this before, but as soon as Huihun appeared, your father thought, since you know Huihun from Youli Valley, there’s no reason you wouldn’t know that person. How could this kid have kidnapped you? He should be as far away from you as possible. Besides, he should hate Prince You. The more your father thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Didn’t you see that even after he caught the person, your father didn’t even enter your room? He’s sulking alone in his study.” Princess Duan gently rubbed the medicine until it was dissolved, glanced at the purple silk satin, and sighed, “I really don’t know when Yongye will be able to change back into women’s clothing.”
Yongye sat up, looked down at the two peaches on her chest, and suddenly mischievously pressed them down. It felt quite nice, so she chuckled and stretched out her arms for Princess Duan to help her wrap her breasts.
Falling in love with someone? In her past life, falling in love meant always wanting to tease her and always looking for opportunities to be with her. What about this life? She wasn't quite sure how she felt.
If she were still Li Lin, she would definitely like Qiangwei's liveliness, enjoy the battles of wits with Yuxiu, and feel the urge to seduce Mr. Beauty and Princess Duan. However, after eighteen years, apart from the meticulousness, ruthlessness, and caution that had developed over time, Li Lin had become increasingly blurred, and sometimes she couldn't even remember what it felt like to be Li Lin.
Yongye raised her face and asked Princess Duan, "What does it feel like to like a man? I mean, what does it feel like for a girl to like a man?"
Princess Duan carefully wrapped her arms around her chest, lost in memories: "I want to be with him. Seeing him makes me happy every day. Time always flies when I'm with him. Knowing he cares about you always makes me happy, and I always want to get his attention..."
"Like Rose liking me? Always sticking to me like my tail?" Yongye slowly recalled Rose's expression.
"Yes, but sometimes I like to tease him and win, and that makes me happy. I can think about a single action or word for a long time. I try to guess what he's thinking, what he's thinking about. If he compliments another girl, I feel bad, oh..."
"And also, I like it when he compliments you on your beauty, and..." Princess Duan rambled on and on, and Yongye seemed to understand, but did he really understand?
She sighed; it seemed there was really no way to explain it.
"Anyway, you'll know when you fall in love." Princess Duan sighed, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. "Yongye is already eighteen. This matter can't be delayed any longer. Men's matters should be resolved by men. I've told your father many times. He always says that national affairs are the priority and that he will find you a good match in the future. If anyone dares to complain that you are too old, he will not be polite."
Yongye laughed. Eighteen years old, a high school graduate, still young.
"You...you haven't really fallen for that Moon Spirit, have you? Sigh, if you really do, I have no objection, but I'm worried about your father..."
“What nonsense are you talking about? He treated me like a brother and took care of me in the valley. Thinking back to the past, I never want him to die.” Yongye interrupted Princess Duan.
She was touched by Yuepo's kindness and felt she could reciprocate. However, she felt a strange sense of unease about that sudden, overwhelming feeling. Yongye didn't want to think about it anymore; her only concern now was how to destroy Youli Valley. She didn't want to be an assassin again, nor did she want to be a star spirit belonging to the night.
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