Impératrices transmigrantes (hommes et femmes)

Chapitre 32

"I have come at your invitation. I beg you, Ninth Young Master, to be lenient and release them!"

After a long pause, he looked back and nodded, then stepped out the door. Silence returned to the room…

Xingge glanced at the setting sun, then suddenly chuckled and said gently, "The sunset at 'Cloud Cliff and Red Peak' is beautiful. Would Ninth Prince be interested in going with me?"

A glint of light flashed in Jiu Ru's eyes, "Good!"

Seeing the two of them fly out of the window, Ruyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. 'Yunya Danfeng' is Xiaoge'er's territory, hmph!

Mo had already dismissed the officials guarding the gate when he suddenly saw two riders galloping away. He quickly turned and spurred his horse to give chase.

They sped along, and by the time the three reached the summit, the crimson sun was setting, accompanied by colorful clouds, the sky ablaze with light. Jiu Ru gently took Xing Ge's hand, and they silently watched the sunset side by side. Mo had stopped in the distance, watching their shadows bathed in the orange light, and couldn't help but sigh!

As the last ray of crimson light disappeared into the sea of clouds, Xingge gently withdrew her hand and placed it on the sword.

"Your Majesty has already achieved your wish, why force me to do this? I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish as well!"

Jiu Ru slowly drew his longsword. "Let's have another match, without any rules. The winner will speak!"

Xingge stared at that resolute gaze for a moment, then smiled faintly and drew his sword.

With a swift movement and a falling sword, rocks and pebbles flew from the cliff. The two figures pressed each other step by step, their deadly moves leaving the onlooker, Mo, utterly astonished. Was such ruthlessness really necessary to probe someone's intentions?!

Xingge realized that Jiuru had already given it his all today, and felt a sense of relief mixed with inexplicable sorrow. After hundreds of exchanges, neither had gained the upper hand, and the two figures paused for a moment. Dusk had fallen, and Xingge couldn't see the expression on his opponent's face. He only knew that if they continued fighting like this, he would be defeated due to his weakened state. He decided to go all out! He swung his sword horizontally and attacked again. Jiuru raised his sword to counter, and after a dozen or so exchanges, Jiuru launched a fierce thrust, but Xingge didn't dodge, instead leaning forward to meet it. Jiuru was startled and hastily withdrew his sword, his movements becoming chaotic. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his leg, and his foot trembled. With a cry of alarm, a sword was already at his neck, and the 'Chaodan' sword instantly shone with crimson light.

Jiu Ru raised her hand to stop Mo Yi, who was about to pounce, stared at the night eyes opposite her, and spoke with a sorrowful and cold tone.

"You knew I wouldn't have the heart to hurt you!"

Xingge wanted to return a smile, but her eyes became slightly moist. "Don't force me!"

Jiu Ru laughed bitterly, "What, you dare not kill me! Are you afraid the court will exterminate the entire Yuezhi clan?" Feeling the sword tremble slightly at her neck, she felt a pang of pain in her heart and whispered, "Why did you lie to me!"

The surroundings were cold and silent. A strong wind swept across the cliff, drying the moisture in Xingge's eyes. He said fiercely.

"I still owe you a life from the Heavenly Gorge of Kucha. Now I return it to you. From now on, we will have nothing to do with each other, whether we live or die!" After saying this, he turned and leaped off the cliff.

Before Jiu Ru could react to this sudden turn of events, Mo leaped forward and shouted, "Young Master has abdicated!"

Xingge was stunned. Helpless, he had already flown off the cliff and could only fall into the darkness with a look of astonishment on his face.

Jiu Ru suddenly snapped out of her daze and leaped off the cliff as well. Mo, stunned by the scene, lunged to the edge; below, darkness reigned, and her heart was filled with unbearable grief. She closed her eyes and jumped…

In the darkness, the bare rock face shone faintly white in the moonlight, and three figures seemed to hang from it, like three grasshoppers strung on a rope. Mo only remembered falling rapidly, the sound of the wind in his ears, when suddenly his collar tightened and he was swaying in the air. Before he could recover, a roar came from above!

"You troublemaker! Trying to fake your death and escape again!"

Laughter came from higher up, "You knew it and still jumped! Luckily we got a new rope, or you two would have really killed us!"

Mo Yi then realized that it was the young master who had grabbed him by the collar, leaving the three of them hanging in mid-air. He hurriedly grabbed the ropes, then suddenly felt a wet, fishy smell on his face.

"Young Master, how is your leg injury?"

The ropes trembled as the three climbed to the top of the cliff one by one. Mo had already buried his head in bandaging Jiu Ru's leg injury, while Xing Ge sat quietly to the side, smiling like a flower, staring at the annoyed Miao Yan. Jiu Ru felt uncomfortable being stared at and angrily turned her face away, but a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

"Mo Yi, go and fetch Zijuan and the other two. You!" Jiu Ru pointed at Xing Ge, "Carry me home!" Mo Yi got up, smiled, and turned to go down the mountain.

On the cliff path, two shadows overlapped. Xingge felt a warm breath on the back of her neck and asked softly with a laugh, "..."

"How could you bear to do that?"

After a moment of silence, a slightly annoyed whisper came from behind.

"Fine, I'll give it up! Stop arguing!"

Xingge's eyes welled up with tears of joy, but she still teased, "You should have said so earlier! You've kept everyone busy for so many years!"

Suddenly, a tight grip on her neck and a soft voice whispered in her ear, "Now you owe me another wish. Rumor has it that a new martial arts alliance leader will be chosen in two months. Let's go and see!"

Xingge chuckled inwardly, "Heh heh, looks like your leg won't be healed for at least two months!" Suddenly, a hand reached into his clothes and started groping around. Xingge was startled. This was too, too, too impatient!

"I knew you'd still keep this junk!" a low growl rang out.

"Don't throw it away! It's very valuable!"

Whoosh—, a pair of jade pendants and a silk handkerchief were tossed into the night.

The hand slammed into his robes again. "Tch! Hua Lian's jade token!"

"This is worth fifty thousand taels, don't—"

whoosh—

"Where is Xiao Ran's jade pendant?!"

Xingge giggled as the hand in her arms tickled her.

"Where did they hide it?!"

...

...

Two figures tumbled to the ground under the moonlight, their laughter and roars echoing through the valley. Their journey to the ends of the earth had only just begun...

Extra two nights red

My name is Xiao Hei, and I am not good-looking. People insist on calling me "Ye Chi." When I was born, I dreamed of being able to perform eighteen transformations with my sword and one day bewitching many beauties. Hundreds of years have passed, and I am heartbroken! I can only drink blood to relieve my sorrow, because after drinking blood, not only will my power increase, but I will also become more beautiful. Alas! I have a younger brother, Xiao Bai, who is only fairer than me and has no other merits. But that pretty boy always wins the favor of handsome young swordsmen. I don't admit it, but I am really envious! As for me, I have been mastered by several masters. No matter what my appearance is like, they are all cold and ruthless men. These kinds of people eventually rise to high positions and power, and in the end, they have no use for me. As a result, I rarely have the opportunity to relieve my sorrow. I can only occasionally lick my master's blood to relieve my boredom. I rarely see that little white dog. Whenever we meet, we compare whose master has the better swordsmanship, is more beautiful, or has better blood to drink... He roams the martial world for many years, while I spend most of my time squatting from one wall to another. This time, it's been more than twenty years since we last met.

That day, I woke up groggily against the wall in the study and saw Jiu'er sitting at his desk, brows furrowed in thought. Jiu'er is my current master, and right before my eyes, he has grown from a handsome boy into a dashing young master. Apart from always making me face the wall, I am very satisfied with him. It's very difficult for Xiaobai to find a master like him! Seeing his furrowed brows, I felt a little excited. Is something about to happen? Hurry up, I'm so bored!

Less than half an hour later, and this was incredibly exciting! I could smell Xiaobai's scent! He was getting closer and closer, then suddenly stopped outside the door.

"Pretty boy, come in here!" I shouted!

"Hmph, you stinking charcoal head, your royal family is so noble!" Ah! Mo stopped me! I was furious! Then I heard someone outside shouting again, "Come and see my little Ge'er, isn't she beautiful?"

I snapped out of my daze and sized up the brightly dressed young man who had just entered the room, my anger rising even higher. "You've taken another girl with you! Let me tell you, where is my talented Jiu'er!"

A disgruntled snort came from outside. I chuckled and asked, "Hey, have you been having a good time these past few years?" Unexpectedly, I heard Xiaobai sobbing outside.

"It's so bitter! I've been wrapped in a tattered cloth by Dead Ze'er for over twenty years, barely seeing the light of day! Let alone having any taste of blood! His lousy skills are no match for breaking the blood vow. My youth..."

Xiao Bai cried and sobbed, telling me his woes. I listened with a mixture of amusement and schadenfreude. He was even more miserable than me! Just then, Mo Yi suddenly brought him into the room. I quickly wiped the smile off my face. The laughter was stuck in my chest, almost shattering my insides!

He gave me a disapproving look, then stared at Jiu'er for a long time before sighing, "It really does look like her!"

Suddenly, Jiu'er picked him up and fed him a few drops of blood. I asked anxiously, "How is it? My Jiu'er is delicious, isn't he?!"

Xiao Bai feigned disdain, but his mouth kept smacking, and his whole body was flushed with excitement. "I never thought that Wan'er's blood and your bastard master's blood would taste like this!"

I was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Wan'er is long gone!"

"I know," he said casually, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. We have witnessed countless joys and sorrows in human life, but Xiaobai still harbors resentment towards Lan'er.

Seeing his gloomy expression, I didn't say anything more and could only silently observe his little Ge'er. She was a tomboy who loved to laugh, a smile almost always on her face. Her dark eyes seemed as warm as spring, but their depths were icy, which startled me. Little Bai, lying on the table, suddenly burst out laughing.

"Carbonhead, I bet you, your Jiu'er will fall in love with my Ge'er!"

I snapped back to reality. "Tch! Have you cried yourself silly? There are tons of girls who like Jiu'er! And you, this androgynous little Ge'er! Humph!"

"Hehe!" A strange smile appeared on Xiaobai's face. "You'll know once you taste Xiaoge'er's blood!"

I was both delighted and surprised that Jiu'er had actually let them stay in the South Courtyard! The South Courtyard was a bit far from the study, so we had to shout to chat. Amidst Xiaobai's rambling complaints, I gradually fell asleep, still dreaming about what Ge'er's blood tasted like.

The waiting felt like an eternity. Then one day, Jiu'er and Ge'er were sitting in the study talking about "Heavenly Delicacies Hibiscus Chicken." Suddenly, Ge'er pulled me down from the wall. I was so excited I opened my mouth wide, blood dripping down my throat, and a surge of pleasure washed over me—it was so delicious! Even after I squatted back down on the wall, I was still savoring the memory…

Jiu'er's flavor is similar to Lan'er's, and somewhat like Wan'er's—mostly cool and calm, yet with a free and gentle taste. Xiao Ge'er's flavor, on the other hand, is vibrant and fresh, unrestrained and free, yet upon closer inspection, it reveals a ruthless decisiveness! Heh, so deep down, they're fundamentally the same! I suddenly remembered the pretty boy's words: "Hmph, if Jiu'er falls for Ge'er, how could Ge'er not like Jiu'er?"

After that, they often had sword fights on the waterside pavilion outside the study, but they set a ridiculous rule that the swords should not be stained, which left me with no way to relieve my sorrow, so I could only hug the pretty boy and kiss each other wildly.

With Xiaobai's company, life was no longer boring, but then he suddenly disappeared. Jiu'er, however, often carried me to the waterside pavilion and gestured to me alone, and would suddenly burst into laughter. Jiu'er's smile was beautiful, but she rarely smiled before, which reminded me of Lan'er when she was the crown prince, and I couldn't help but sigh.

Xiao Bai finally returned, telling me all about his experiences in Fanzhou. While I was filled with envy, I cautiously probed about Ge'er's feelings for Jiu'er. The chubby-faced boy pretended not to hear me. Annoyed by my questioning, he yelled, "I don't know! See for yourself!" I stared intently for a long time, but couldn't discern anything! Actually, I just hoped to spend a few more years with Xiao Bai…

That day at Tian Gou, Jiu'er made me drink my fill of blood, even more than during the Southern Frontier Campaign more than twenty years ago. Xiao Bai drank even more than me, almost vomiting. In the end, he wept bitterly on the South Cliff. I was heartbroken, but I didn't cry. I didn't want to cry in front of him! That night, Jiu'er drank a lot of wine alone in the camp. I knew he wanted to watch over Ge'er until she woke up, and I wanted to watch over Xiao Bai, but in the end, I held back!

After descending from 'Cloud Cliff Red Peak', I excitedly reported to Xiaobai, "Ge'er likes Jiu'er! She invited him to travel the world together!"

Xiao Bai simply raised an eyebrow. "What did your Jiu'er say?" I didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Hmph, all your scoundrel masters are blinded by greed! They even want Ge'er to die of depression in the palace?! And you call yourself a wandering swordsman!"

I was so embarrassed by what they said that I could only mutter, "Jiu'er is not Lan'er, they are different!"

"Oh, don't worry, Ge'er is not Wan'er. I'd rather be wrapped in rags again than stand foolishly in the palace with you for decades!"

I couldn't contain my anger. "Do you know Jiu'er's suffering?! Do you know why he wanted that position?! Do you think I wanted to stay in the palace for decades?!"

Xiao Bai suddenly burst into tears, "Don't be mean to me. I also want to be like when I was first born, together every day, living a carefree life..."

I was at a loss for words when a lazy voice came from the side, “Brother Chaodan, don’t cry. People say a fine zither is paired with a precious sword. Let’s travel the world with Xiaoge’er and ignore that charcoal brute!”

I glared! I used my gaze to kill that violin! Kill it!

After a long silence in the study, he murmured softly, "What should I do? I need to make sure she doesn't leave, what should I do..."

Under the candlelight, Jiu'er looked so lonely. I wondered if it was that spot or the little song that could ease his loneliness and fear. I seemed to see again that sorrowful child who secretly ran to the 'Xiao'an Palace' to gaze at Wan'er's portrait, that reclusive boy who practiced swordsmanship on the bluestone every day…

The Emperor decreed the establishment of a Crown Prince and bestowed a marriage upon him. Jiu'er and Ge'er embraced silently in the study. I sensed Ge'er was lying, and Jiu'er knew it too. His eyes overflowed with anger, pain, and helplessness. Was he angry at Ge'er's deception and heartlessness? Perhaps, on 'Cloud Cliff Peak,' he should have promised Ge'er, perhaps…

On the day Jiu'er ascended the throne, Ge'er finally left with her gigolo! I sadly squatted back on the wall of 'Xiao'an Palace'. I had looked at Wan'er's portrait here for many years, and now there are also portraits of Ge'er. Facing the two beauties, my heart is as cold as ice!

Jiu'er would get drunk every night at his desk, sometimes grabbing me and swinging me around wildly, until he finally collapsed beside the statue, just like Lan'er had when Wan'er had just passed away. I was used to it, watching him coldly. Clearly, that position made him even more lonely and isolated; he would age quickly!

Day after day, Jiu'er continued to get drunk frequently, but when he gazed at Ge'er's portrait, a strange light would occasionally flash in his eyes, as if he were pondering something, which I couldn't fathom. He drank less and less, and on the last two days, he didn't touch a drop, only staring intently at Ge'er's portrait with a complex smile. I was chilled to the bone; had he gone hysterical?!

That night, Lan'er came to Xiao'an Palace and sat down with Jiu'er at the table to talk. At first, I didn't want to pay attention to them and closed my eyes to rest! Later, they started arguing, so I had to pull myself together.

"I will not spend my whole life like you, sitting in this Xiao'an Palace looking at portraits!"

"Outrageous! Is this the kind of talk a ruler should give?!"

"Therefore, your son will return the throne to your father, please grant him his request!"

What! What! I quickly pricked up my ears to listen.

"You fought for the throne for so many years, and you just give it all up for a mere woman!"

"You are worthy of the throne because you are willing to abandon even your own mother. I am weak and have wronged you, Father!"

Are you resenting your father?

Jiu'er rose and knelt, "Please grant my request, Father! If Mother were here, I believe she would also support me!"