Chapter 37: Ancient Palace BL (X)

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Chapter 37: Ancient Palace BL (X)

Miao Lichen did not immediately push open the doors of the Imperial Study when he arrived. After a brief pause, he pushed the doors open, and the familiar scent of blood wafted toward him. Xuanyuan Ziying was diligently painting something, his brush never stopping as he smiled arrogantly.

“You’re here. Take a seat.” Hearing Miao Lichen’s footsteps, Xuanyuan Ziying did not stop writing until the painting was complete. He picked up the jade seal beside him and stamped it onto the paper, then added his personal seal before finally setting the brush down.

“Miao Lichen, take a look at this painting.” Xuanyuan Ziying wiped his perfectly clean fingers with a handkerchief as he beckoned him over. He narrowed his eyes at Miao Lichen’s sleepy appearance with a hint of worry.

“Mhm.” Miao Lichen’s voice carried a slight nasal tone, but his clear and focused eyes made it hard to tell if it was his imagination.

Xuanyuan Ziying stared at the incredibly close face. Miao Lichen had always taken the tasks he was given very seriously. Even if all he was asked to do was appreciate a painting, he devoted his full attention to it. He had a feeling that if he attacked Miao Lichen now, he wouldn’t react at all and could be easily killed. His eyelids lowered, casting a shadow over his eyes as his hand on the painting tightened. He pulled the painting off the table and crumbled it into a ball, then tossed it into the trashcan by his desk.

“Your Majesty, this is…?” Miao Lichen placed a hand on Xuanyuan Ziying’s shoulder, a sliver of worry in his eyes. His cool aura remained unchanged, as if asking was just following some kind of procedure.

A strand of white hair brushed against Xuanyuan Ziying’s face, calming his fury. A complex feeling went through him, ultimately tinged with a hint of relief. “It’s nothing. What did you see in the painting?”

“Are you planning to attack the Vermillion Bird Empire, Your Majesty?” Miao Lichen withdrew his hand as he glanced at the trashcan. The painting he had just seen depicted a bird with red feathers. The red was as vibrant as the blazing sun, but one could sense the fluidity of the red. The dazzlingly bright red was not one uniform hue. What Xuanyuan Ziying had painted was a bird covered in wounds. Although he had deliberately softened the imagery, its meaning was more than obvious.

“It’s time to make a move. Hasn’t my beloved brother, Xuanyuan Zihao volunteered for battle? As the War God of Xuanyuan Empire, this task of expanding territory is naturally his. Moreover, the battlefield is ever-changing…” Xuanyuan Ziying’s eyes held a hint of bloodlust. “Miao Lichen, you will follow the army on this expedition.”

“Your Majesty, letting him die so easily doesn’t match your expectations. If Your Majesty really wanted Prince Ming to die, he wouldn’t be alive till now. You…” Miao Lichen squinted his eyes and asked with mild confusion.

“As expected of you, still so perceptive.” Xuanyuan Ziying’s expression softened as he embraced Miao Lichen from behind, his finger tracing over his Adam’s apple. Miao Lichen had no reaction, his body didn’t stiffen, nor did his breathing change.

“There are countless ways to dispose of him, but they are all too boring. This time, my dear brother isn’t planning to expand his territory but to form an alliance with the Vermillion Bird Empire. The Consort you are so close to is his bargaining chip.” Xuanyuan Ziying’s eyes slowly closed as their breaths mingled. “Death is the greatest relief, and what I want him to suffer is a fate worse than death.”

“Yes, I understand.” Miao Lichen rested a hand on the arm wrapped around his waist and felt the embrace tighten even further. He laid his hand over Xuanyuan Ziying’s and leaned back slightly, closing his eyes.

Xuanyuan Ziying supported the weight of them both and had his inner energy circulate through Miao Lichen’s body. His face suddenly turned pale, but he quickly hid it. “It’s another full moon tonight, so take this.”

Miao Lichen glanced at the blood-red porcelain bottle in Xuanyuan Ziying’s hand. The bloody scent he’d noticed earlier came from it. But there wasn’t just one bottle this time, but three. A slight smile played on his lips. “Is Your Majesty worried that I won’t return in time? I don’t believe this task with Prince Ming will keep me on the front lines for three months.”

“If something happens to Prince Ming, the front lines will need a capable general. Although Xuanyuan Zihao is not loyal to me, he is a rare talent. The front lines will be in chaos if he dies.” Xuanyuan Ziying placed the three bottles in Miao Lichen’s palm and patted the back of his hand. “It would be a waste of your martial arts and talents if you remained merely a musician, and that would be my failure.”

“My martial arts were bestowed by Your Majesty. As for so-called talent… What talent does Miao Lichen possess besides his excellent guqin skills? The front line doesn’t need a reckless warrior, but a general. Surely Your Majesty has a better candidate. Which member of your secret guard isn’t exceptionally talented?” Miao Lichen subtly freed himself from Xuanyuan Ziying and stored the three porcelain bottles in his bosom. His smile remained as enigmatic as ever.

“Since I dare to appoint you, it’s because I believe you can do well. Do you really doubt my judgment?” Xuanyuan Ziying stared sharply and lost his smile. “Since I don’t want you to live in the shadows, then you must stand in the light.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Miao Lichen smiled in return, but a blank look flashed through his eyes. He wanted to say something else, but ultimately stopped himself.

“Miao Lichen, remember to come back alive.” Xuanyuan Ziying flicked his sleeve to hide his slightly flushed cheeks and pushed open the Imperial Study door. “You don’t need to go back today. Follow me, consider this my farewell gift to you.”

“Okay.” Miao Lichen paused at the entrance to the Imperial Study before turning to close the door behind him. Stepping back, he took out one of the porcelain bottles Xuanyuan Ziying had just given him. As soon as he uncorked it, the scent of blood grew even stronger. It was the antidote to Moonlit Heartbreak. He gently swirled the liquid inside. For a brief moment, it seemed to turn transparent, but when he looked again, it was still as red as fresh blood.

He closed the lid and quickly caught up to Xuanyuan Ziying. As he approached, the other quickly grabbed his fingers. Xuanyuan Ziying’s warmth was almost scorching. But unfortunately, Miao Lichen had never been a source of warmth. Whether it was this body or his previous one, both had always been cool to the touch.

This wasn’t the first time he visited the Emperor’s bedchamber, but it was the only time no one else was present, not even the secret guards who were always by Xuanyuan Ziying. This seemingly unguarded bedchamber seemed to confirm the Emperor’s trust in him.

The dark gold room retained an imperial feel. Though no banquet was held, its aroma wafted through the air. Following Xuanyuan Ziying to the bedroom, Miao Lichen watched him press a button by the bed to reveal a completely different room. Priceless luminous pearls served as lighting inside an extremely simple room furnished with a bed, a bookcase, and a table with a prepared meal.

They stepped into the room, and there was no sense of confinement or stuffiness. The room was clearly connected to the Emperor’s bedchamber, allowing air to circulate freely. Rather than being a secret chamber, it felt more like Xuanyuan Ziying’s true bedroom—simple yet undeniably comfortable. The scent of wine and food could easily drift outside, showing that this place was never meant to be hidden.

“Sit. Now it’s just us here, so don’t worry about hierarchy. Speaking of which, I really miss the way you were when you first started practicing Heartbreak Sword. You were so arrogant and didn’t take me, the Emperor, seriously at all. Now you’re becoming more and more like those courtiers. It’s boring.” Xuanyuan Ziying poured himself a full cup of wine and poured one for Miao Lichen. The liquid reflected the light of the luminous pearls, making everything look exceptionally hazy.

“I did not care about my life back then, so naturally things were different.” Miao Lichen faintly smiled and drank his wine. It wasn’t a strong liquor but a surprisingly mellow wine, but the alcohol content definitely wasn’t low.

“From my point of view, you still don’t value your life.” Xuanyuan Ziying’s smile faded as he spoke with extreme seriousness. “Miao Lichen, since you are mine, you are not allowed to die before my permission.”

“I will do my best.”

“What I want is not your best, but to do so at all costs.”

Miao Lichen raised his cup to Xuanyuan Ziying. “Drink and enjoy a moment of drunkenness, Your Majesty. Why bring up such unpleasant things now?”

“Drunkenness? It has been a long time since I’ve been drunk. Let’s see if you can drink me to that point.” Xuanyuan Ziying tilted his head back and drained his cup. Because he hadn’t drunk so heartily in a long time, some wine spilled past his lip and onto his clothes.

Miao Lichen very naturally wiped the wine from his lips, oblivious to Xuanyuan Ziying’s shock and continued drinking and eating. With each cup of wine he drank, his vision became hazier, but he wasn’t drunk. “Your Majesty, why go to all the trouble of finding Drunken Dream? Just tell me what you would like me to do.”

“That’s certainly true, but what I want to do is what you don’t want to accept.” Xuanyuan Ziying’s voice was almost a whisper as he moved closer to Miao Lichen, letting him lean against him as he drank the wine laced with Drunken Dream in one shot. Drunken Dream was a potent sedative that only worked when mixed with strong alcohol.

He lifted Miao Lichen by the waist and placed him on the bed. His fingers brushed against Miao Lichen’s lip, a hint of self-reproach fleeting through his eyes. He placed a hand on Miao Lichen’s belt, untied and slipped it free. The bright red robe looked exceptionally festive spread out on the bed, and the white underrobe already faintly revealed the skin beneath.

∇ Capture Target Xuanyuan Ziying Favorability: 70.

He loosened the last layer of clothing between them and placed a hand on Miao Lichen’s chest. Then, Xuanyuan Ziying closed his eyes and rested his head on Miao Lichen’s neck. Their breaths mingled as his inner energy flowed into Miao Lichen’s body through his palm, intertwining with his internal energy. As Miao Lichen laid there, his skin gradually regained a rosy tinge while Xuanyuan Ziying became increasingly pale.

There has never been another person who has successfully learned Heartbreak Sword aside from its creator. And rumors say the creator of Heartbreak Sword also vanished without a trace after a period of great fame. Now… he probably knows why…

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