Skipping over the next part where someone from our two leads’ past comes to assassinate Qiangu. This particular assassin is different because he is a mortal that Qiangu and Zihua had saved while they were on an outing to the mortal realm. This scene was very meaningful because the time in the mortal realm with Zihua was one of Qiangu’s precious memories so seeing the man they rescued twenty years earlier reminded her again the once happy life she spent as Zihua’s obedient pupil…and how things are so drastically different now. Qiangu had raised her arm to do something to the assassin but before we could find out what she intended, Zihua calls out her name to stop her. With a laugh that made everyone uncomfortable (even Zhu Ran), Qiangu reminds Zihua again that she would let the man go as long as he spends the night with her.

Time will blur a person’s memory but it can never erase a person’s agony. It has been a long time since she remembered the past she had believed was long forgotten. But Zihua’s presence is like someone is repeatedly stabbing her heart with a dull knife. The heart is long dead and can not feel pain any longer, but she could still feel like a well of sadness seeping out like ocean water drowning her again and again.

Sitting on the bed, Qiangu smiles as she slowly extends her hand towards Zihua.

In the past, she thought her face was like a cold marble that no matter how she tried she could not squeeze out an expression. But since Zihua’s arrival, some bizarre expression would unexpectedly appear on her face. However, she knows that this face and body is no longer hers. Like a broken butterfly, she had shut herself in a clear jar named the demon goddess, waiting in the silent isolation until the day she will die of suffocation. But when she sees Bai Zihua again, the broken butterfly can’t help itself but wave its wings attempting to break out of the jar until its body is bloody and torn. It finally figures out that there is no way to break free so now it wants to bring Bai Zihua into the glass jar with it.

Not taking Qiangu’s extended hand, Zihua simply lays down on the bed fully clothed. The room is vast and empty. Zihua’s heart has long been used to this kind of coldness but his mortal body is not and is frozen stiff.

Staring at Zihua for a long moment, Qiangu could hardly believe that there is really a day he would be lying beside her. With his eyes closed and a tranquil expression like he has been sleeping forever, Qiangu wonders if she has the heart to wake him or soil his pureness with her touch.

Plunging the room into total darkness with a flick of her hand, Qiangu asks “Are you cold?”

When no answer came from a seemingly asleep Zihua, Qiangu makes a blanket appear and gently covers him with it. Unable to stop herself, Qiangu’s hand touches Zihua’s face softly in the dark. She actually likes the Zihua that is so pale and fragile. At least this way, she can touch him and protect him like she had always dreamed instead of just looking at him from afar. Frowning slightly when he felt the cold and smooth finger tracing his face, Zihua hears a forlong sigh as Qiangu lays down beside him and wraps an arm across his chest. Zihua could tell by the light fragrance in the air that Qiangu is actually in a good mood right now, the flower scent becomes concentrated and mysterious when she gets angry. Feeling the soft body pressed even closer, Zihua is somewhat thankful for the darkness to hide his burning face as he realizes the childish flat body of the past has become all curves.
Zihua didn’t feel offended or ashamed, and of course there was no lust to speak of since Qiangu in his eyes is still a child. She is throwing a tantrum but she won’t hurt him. Still, they are master and pupil after all so they really shouldn’t be sleeping on the same bad, an embarrassed Zihua chastises himself.

Startled when the wondering hand started to disrobe him, Zihua grabs the disobedient hand and calls sternly “Xia Gu!”

With a laughter in her voice, Qiangu asks “Weren’t you pretending to be asleep?” as her other hand starts to dance across his body and is promptly captured tightly by him. Not bothering to free her hands from his, Qiangu nestles her face against Zihua’s shoulder. Back in the days when he was still an immortal, he was the one that was always cold, but now that he is mortal, she is the one that is completely cold.

Seemingly belatedly realizing the impropriety of him holding her hands, Zihua awkwardly frees Qiangu’s hands only to have those hands immediately pull open his front lapel. Before the cold air could rush in and Zihua could give a response, the person beside him had flipped on top of him. The flower fragrance in the air is thick and intoxicating. A bit annoyed yet resigned when Qiangu playfully asks “How can one sleep without disrobing?”, Zihua is flustered by the huskiness and the unbridled desire in her voice.
Feeling the ticklish wet sensation around his neck as Qiangu usual cold breath turns hot as she presses her face against his chest like a small animal, Zihua wonders how a grown up Qiangu is seemingly just as light and little as she was back when she was a small child.
Feeling the boiling lust rolling in her body, Qiangu shifts against Zihua restlessly and finally takes a deep breath before she opens her mouth to bit down. The familiar feeling of his skin being pierced made Zihua tremble but then he quickly stilled and calmly lets Qiangu drink her fill. There were no resentment nor any attempt to struggle because he knew this is what he owes her so he must pay his debt, blood for blood.
The sound of slurping in the complete darkness was a bit salacious but that doesn’t stop Zihua from feeling the exquisite ecstasy that accompanied the rapid loss of blood. Wrapping her arms around Zihua so tightly, seemingly want to mold his body into her own, a small part of Qiangu’s reasoning finally forces her to stop before Zihua’s body faints from the loss of blood. Letting out a long sigh as Qiangu raises her head, Zihua’s body immediately becomes tense again when a still not satisfied Qiangu greedily licks the wayward droplets of blood from his neck.
Discomforted by the suggestive position they are in, Zihua unconsciously turns his head away but could only stop mid-movement when Qiangu bites him as punishment. Feeling the slight trembling in his heart as Qiangu’s long eyelashes brush against him, sending feathery tingling sensation through his body, Zihua lays still until the calm even breathing tells him that the woman on top of him has fallen asleep. His eyes wide open in the darkness, Zihua’s heart ached with the knowledge that it has been way too long the woman in his arms has been able to rest peacefully without being startled awake by seemingly inescapable nightmares. Zihua thought about carefully moving Qiangu off himself but finally gives up for fear of waking her up. Tired and weak from the loss of blood, Zihua fell asleep soon after.

———————————————————————5/2/2018—————————————————————-

Bai Zihua couldn’t help but be amazed at the power of creation that only a god could possess. But Xiao Gu doesn’t understand that the whole world hangs on her single thought. If a creator treats everything carelessly or even thinks of them as toys then she doesn’t deserve to be a god.

“Hungry?”

Holding out a pair of chopsticks out to Zihua as the table is suddenly filled with his favorite dishes, Qiangu felt a mixed feeling of sadness and gladness at the thought that in the past, he was the one that kept her company while she ate but now is her turn to keep him company. (He was immortal before so he didn’t need to eat but learned to have meals for the sake of keeping Qiangu company while she ate.)

Silence falls and her pretense shatters when Qiangu sees the peach on the table. It was no use fooling herself. Tangbo is not here anymore. What used to be a table of three now only two of them are left.

“I am done eating, you can take your time. Go out and walk around. It should be good for your health. If you need anything…” Qiangu was going to say that he could tell the servants but then realized that there is no one around Cloud Palace and since he couldn’t fly to another palace he is all but imprisoned here.

By the time Zihua looked up, the person sitting across from him is already gone.

Skipping over the next bit where we learned that all the maids and servants have been gossipping with wild speculations of what must be happening every night while the once great Bai Zihua is squeezed dry by their great goddess. It doesn’t help that Qiangu purposefully leaves her teeth marks on Zihua’s neck for all to see so that just fuels the wild speculations.

The tension between Zihua and Qiangu has eased quite a bit. Of course that was probably due to quite a lot of self delusion on both parties but at least now they can spend time in the same room without ending up in an argument.

At first Qiangu felt that she has hurt too many people with her obsession so that she should not stubbornly keep Zihua by her side even though she can now do whatever she wants. However, in the end, she still couldn’t resist the urge to fall asleep while holding him. For once, she finally feels that maybe her being alive is not such a bad thing.

His blood is the miracle medicine to help her sleep at night. She is so careful to not hurt him but then she couldn’t resist from using another way to satisfy her yearning. She purposefully chose not to heal the puncture wounds on his neck as if  the marks left by her could somehow prove something.

Every night, the moment their blood meld together something sensual seems to pass between them…or maybe not. What’s certain is that neither him nor her could really understand what’s wrong…or right.

Bai Zihua doesn’t talk very much. When he does say something, it is either trying to get her to “reform” or asking her to let the prisoners go.

Bai Zihua knows perfectly well what the outside worlds is saying about the two of them, especially the wild and scandalous rumors about him. He doesn’t care about any of that. What he can’t get used to is the fact that Qiangu has to ingest his blood then fall asleep while holding him. The thing he REALLY can’t accept is that he has slowly come to get used to sleeping with her in the same bed every night.

Night after night, he becomes more tense and increasingly sensitive. He can’t let things keep go on like this without any improvements.

His patience finally paid off, Zihua jumped on the rare opportunity when neither Qiangu and Zhu Ran is around to head for the direction of the dungeon. Even without his immortal body, Zihua’s fighting skill is still quite good…not that he needed to fight anyway since everyone knows his identity and no one had the courage to try to stop him.

Easily executing his rescue plan, Zihua frees the leaders from the various sects Zhu Ran had imprisoned. Walking out to see all the guards kneeling on the ground, too scared to stop him but also afraid what would be waiting for them if they lost the prisoners, Zihua assures them “Don’t worry. I will take all the responsibility.”

Puzzled how a now mortal Zihua could rescue them seemingly without any difficulty and is choosing to stay behind, the newly freed prisoners ask “Why don’t you leave with us?”

“There are still some things I need to finish. Don’t worry, she won’t hurt me.”

Understanding perfectly who “she” is, the prisoners stop trying to convince Zihua and quickly make their escape.

As expected, when Qiangu returned she didn’t show any interest in the prisoners’ escape. In truth, all of that never had anything to do with her, she only allowed it because it was part of Zhu Ran’s game. What was more bizarre was that Zhu Ran didn’t say anything either. For him, the escaped prisoners can easily be recaptured again. What he is more interested in, is the progress between Hua Qiangu and Bai Zihua.

“You are angry?” Qiangu asks as she is carefully embroidering a bed sheet. She has never been good at stuff like this but when there is absolutely nothing to do, embroidering at least pass the time and helps to keep her calm.

“Of course not. It’s not like we didn’t know his intention from the start. Moreover, as your servant, my little hobby is nothing compare to Bai Zihua’s wish.”

Raising her head to look at Zhu Ran, Qiangu doesn’t say anything.

“But, he will destroy both of us one day. Aren’t you afraid that I will secretly kill him?” Zhu Ran allows himself a moment to imagine what if Bai Zihua died…

“You won’t dare to kill him. Because I will kill you.”

“Ha…you are mistaken. It’s true I won’t kill him but it’s not because I don’t dare to. If he died then so would the fun.”

On some level, she and Zhu Ran is the same. They have both lost interest in living. The difference is that she has no idea what she should do but Zhu Ran knows.

 

All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com

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