Huang Bei Shuang pulled the blanket tightly around herself, glaring at him defensively. “I wouldn’t be foolish enough to do the same thing twice!”
Ruo Wen laughed. “Good to know!” Then he reached out, his hand sliding under the blanket toward her.
Huang Bei Shuang suddenly felt his cold hand grasp her calf, causing her whole body to tremble. With a mocking tone, she sneered, “Dao Qiu once told me that you've played many women to death, didn’t he?”
Ruo Wen's hand continued to caress her leg without a care, and he replied in a hoarse, indifferent voice, “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you until I’m tired of you.”
Huang Bei Shuang jerked her leg away, managing to shake off his hand. She forced a calm smile and said, “Seeing how relentlessly you’ve chased me, even giving up the perfect opportunity to attack Yunpei, I almost thought you’d fallen in love with me!”
Hearing this, Ruo Wen withdrew his hand and laughed heartily. “Love you? What a joke! Huang Bei Shuang, so you’re the kind of woman who dreams like that?” He grabbed her shoulder, his eyes filled with mockery as he leaned in closer and laughed quietly, “There’s no such thing as love in this world—only wanting and not wanting. If I want something, I take it. If I don’t want it, I throw it away. Love is nothing but rubbish, and anyone who talks about it dies quickly!”
His cold, undeniable words made Huang Bei Shuang fall completely silent. She realized then that Ruo Wen was a simple man—he only desired obedience. Her heart hardened as she forced herself to smile. “So what do you want now?”
Ruo Wen looked at her, his eyes reflecting that familiar pride and confidence, as if he saw through everything in the world. “You’re already undressed. What do you think I want?” He seemed to be in an unexpectedly playful mood, eager to see that fleeting moment of panic in her eyes again.
“I’m injured. Can’t you wait until I’ve healed?” Huang Bei Shuang looked at him, not because she expected anyone to come and save her, and certainly not because she foolishly believed she could escape Ruo Wen’s grasp. She said this only because her body was too weak—both physically and mentally—to endure the torment he was about to inflict.
“What benefit do I get from waiting for you to heal?” Ruo Wen glanced at the wound on her chest. He couldn’t deny it—such an injury was severe for any woman.
Huang Bei Shuang smiled faintly. “At the very least, I won’t die while you’re having your fun, ruining the mood, right?”
Ruo Wen considered this and, after a moment, did seem concerned that such a scenario might occur. After pondering for a while, he said, “I don’t know what kind of trick you’re trying to pull, but it had better not involve escaping. If being with me means losing your life, it will be after I’ve had my fill. I’ll let you off tonight, but tomorrow, keep your nonsense to a minimum!” He stood up, dressed in the clothes that had been left by the wooden tub, and left without looking back.
Huang Bei Shuang clutched her clothes tightly to her chest, curling up under the blanket like an abandoned child. Why was it so cold? How had things come to this point? She felt utterly drained—of strength, of hope. Ernaqi, Yunpei—it didn’t matter anymore. Could she just walk away from all the tangled responsibilities and endless debates? As these thoughts ran through her mind, she lay down against the edge of the bed. Why was it so cold? Cold to the bone.
The night was long, so long that it felt eerie.
Ruo Wen spent the night sitting in his own quarters, repeatedly cleaning the long spear that Qing Yun had once broken, unable to sleep. This strange insomnia filled him with a sudden regret for letting that beautiful woman go tonight. It was an odd feeling—part anger, part pity, yet also a sense of not fully regretting it. Such blurry emotions were beyond his comprehension.
Desire is hard to bear. Desire is love. Loneliness is rare, and being lost in confusion is even rarer.
How many emotions in one’s life remain unsolved, even in death?
Often, in a fleeting moment, that feeling lights up the sky.
And in the end, it keeps you captive, unable to let go.
* * *
Fire spread rapidly as Qing Yun’s army unexpectedly overpowered Fentian’s eastern border, forcing Fentian’s main army, which had barely rested, to respond. Under the crimson glow of the burning walls and the countless torches shining against the night sky, the army of Tiandu exuded dominance. However, what Fentian’s forces didn’t know was that Qing Yun had fewer than 50,000 soldiers on the battlefield. He had instructed each man to carry two torches, making it impossible to tell in the darkness how large the army truly was. Qing Yun, sitting atop Feita, ordered Liao Zhen to feign an attack, finally drawing out the bloodthirsty Ruo Wen, who had been sleepless for hours.
Now standing atop the city walls, Ruo Wen looked down at Qing Yun and roared, “It’s you again!” His voice was filled with murderous rage—he would never forget the face of the man who had dared to press a sword to his throat.
“We meet again!” Qing Yun stood below, speaking with a smile. “Did I disturb your sweet dreams?”
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