Qixue pinched the front of his robe and discovered it was no illusion—the pale blue fabric was indeed soaked with two faint wet spots. He brought his fingers to his nose and sniffed, catching a faint milky fragrance.
This was… breast milk?
Qixue froze for a moment before yanking open the front of his robe, revealing soft pink buds.
Two ruby nipple piercings gleamed with vibrant brilliance. Looking up further, a single drop of snowy white milk had just seeped out, precariously hanging from the tender tip.
“…”
Helan Ji looked down and saw the milk, immediately freezing in place. Qixue’s face flushed crimson as he pressed his robe closed. “Your Majesty, don’t look!”
He tried to scramble to the other side of the carriage, hiding bashfully, but Helan Ji pulled him back. With gentle yet irresistible force, he brushed Qixue’s hands aside. “Didn’t you say it hurt? Why won’t you let me see?”
“No need, Your Majesty. It doesn’t hurt anymore…”
Qixue dodged with flushed cheeks and ears, tears of shame welling up. Though he knew he would produce milk, he hadn’t expected it so soon. He wasn’t prepared at all, and now His Majesty had seen it. How could he bear it…?
“It’s fine, Yuan Yuan. We’re spouses—you don’t need to be shy. Let me check for you.” Helan Ji coaxed him softly.
Qixue refused utterly and transformed into Rabbit Tuan with a “whoosh,” burrowing into the open food box. He even poked out a plump little paw to pull the lid shut.
The fluffy Rabbit Tuan squeezed in among the pastries, pretending to be one himself. The milky scent blended with the sweets, but Rabbit Tuan keenly noticed his rabbit fur was wet—milk was steadily leaking from his belly…
Stop flowing already! Why did he have so much milk!
Mortified, Rabbit Tuan curled into a ball. But he hadn’t hidden long before a “pat” sounded—the food box lid cracked open slightly, revealing a narrow gap.
He knew Helan Ji had opened it. Ashamed, he scooted his rabbit rear deeper inside, not wanting to be seen. Unexpectedly, though, Helan Ji didn’t reach in with his hand. Instead, several slender black tentacles extended inside.
Rabbit Tuan: “!”
He flailed his little paws in panic, piling pastries in front of himself to block the tentacles. But the cold, slick appendages climbed inexorably over the pastry wall, gently wrapping around his paws and belly, lifting him softly from the box.
His snow-white fur was dusted with sweet pastry crumbs. Rabbit Tuan lay on his back, belly exposed, too embarrassed to do anything but squeeze his eyes shut and pretend to sleep. But his twitching pink nose and trembling ears betrayed him.
The small tentacles parted the damp fur, exposing the cute pink tip. Helan Ji leaned down, sniffed Rabbit Tuan’s belly, and planted a gentle kiss. “Very fragrant.”
Then, he licked the fur lightly, lapping up some milk.
“…”
Rabbit Tuan turned visibly pink. His little paws awkwardly clawed at the air. The tentacles, as if parched like hungry kits, “glug-glug” drank the rabbit milk.
“Y-Your Majesty—”
Rabbit Tuan trembled all over, no longer daring to feign sleep. He opened his dark round eyes and gazed pitifully at Helan Ji, his voice pitching high. “Your Majesty, I-I don’t… It tickles! Waa…”
Only when every drop of rabbit milk was drained did the tentacles contentedly withdraw.
Helan Ji cradled the limp Rabbit Tuan and rubbed his little head. “Does it still hurt?”
“Not anymore…”
The milked-dry Rabbit Tuan replied listlessly. He rolled over, presenting his rear to Helan Ji, tail tip quivering. He resolutely refused to show his belly again.
It truly didn’t hurt anymore, but he didn’t want to live…
His dignity was utterly gone. Why did he produce so much rabbit milk? And why had His Majesty drunk it all…
The shock to Rabbit Tuan was too great—especially being suckled simultaneously by those dark tentacles. Toward the end, they even pressed his belly to check if it was empty. It was absurd beyond dreams.
Seeing Rabbit Tuan unwilling to face him, Helan Ji stroked his fur with a finger and apologized. “Sorry. I only wanted to ease your discomfort and forgot to consider your feelings.”
Rabbit Tuan huffed and wriggled, his round white body bouncing slightly like crystal soft cake.
He muttered softly, “Your Majesty, are you really doing this all for me? You said my milk was fragrant… Weren’t you just thirsty yourself?”
Helan Ji fell silent for a moment. “Yuan Yuan, you must know I’m your husband. To me, every smile and frown of yours is temptation enough—not to mention your…”
“Stop…”
Rabbit Tuan leaped from Helan Ji’s palm, reverting to human form. His stunning face was awash in blush as he clutched his sopping front.
“Your Majesty is too wicked, bullying me like this.”
Qixue coquettishly burrowed into Helan Ji’s arms and nipped lightly at his Adam’s apple. “You know I’m shy, yet you tease me so.”
Helan Ji kissed his forehead and cupped his chest with one hand, voice husky. “It’s gone soft here.”
Qixue’s ears turned red instantly. “Of course, with all that milk…”
He wrapped his arms around Helan Ji’s neck and straddled his lap, deepening their kiss. Helan Ji gripped his waist, breathing ragged. “Not now—you’re pregnant.”
“I asked Xuan Yang Daoist. He said it’s fine. I’m not human, after all…”
Qixue clung to Helan Ji, pecking his thin lips and chin.
After the milking, he felt much better—no more dizziness, no nausea. Naturally, he had to take a bite of His Majesty first.
His Majesty’s destiny aura wasn’t as profound as Ji Yuheng’s, but that imperial purple qi was still delectable. As the child’s father, he bore responsibility too.
…
The golden bells at the Jade Chariot’s corners jingled merrily. Wei Huai, riding his White Tiger nearby on guard, vaguely sensed something. His expression darkened instantly.
He patted the tiger’s back. The White Tiger leaped to the chariot’s side in sync. He rapped on the body, suppressing seething jealousy. “Your Majesty, Noble Consort—This one’s noticed the chariot’s bells ringing fiercely. Is the chariot faulty, shaking unsteadily? Shall this one enter to check?”
“No need.”
Helan Ji replied coldly, then stifled a grunt, murmuring huskily, “Yuan Yuan…”
Wei Huai’s face changed drastically. His fingers dug into the window frame, knuckles whitening with force, creaking the edge.
But the chariot was surrounded by a grand retinue. No matter his hatred or anger, he had to endure—lest he repeat the fiasco at the Noble Consort’s investiture, chasing the procession like a madman before all.
He bit the inside of his cheek hard, blood flooding his mouth. Amid the pain, his handsome face twisted into a wry smile. “Your Majesty needn’t refuse. Easing Your Majesty and the Noble Consort’s burdens is this one’s duty. This one will enter at once.”
Before Helan Ji could speak, Wei Huai vaulted aboard, shoved the door open, and shut it swiftly behind him.
Upon entering, a thick milky fragrance enveloped him. A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but he ignored it, fixing his gaze on Helan Ji and Qixue.
Qixue lay in Helan Ji’s arms, utterly bare. Helan Ji had hastily draped his outer robe over him, but shoulders and half his back remained exposed—snowy skin marked with fresh red love bites, quivering faintly.
They hadn’t even separated. Wei Huai’s vision blackened with rage. He lunged forward, only for Nightmare Demons to block him, mercilessly pinning his arms to hurl him out.
Wei Huai kicked one aside and smashed two more with his scabbard. Laughing in fury at Helan Ji, he said, “Your Majesty, have you forgotten it’s daytime? There are people outside the carriage. Indulging with the Noble Consort here—aren’t you afraid of discovery?”
Helan Ji shot him a chilling glance. “Who besides you dares board my Jade Chariot without leave? If you don’t want punishment, get out now.”
“As long as you stop, I’ll leave at once.”
Blood dripped from Wei Huai’s jealous heart as he pressed aggressively. “Your Majesty, look at yourself. The Noble Consort heads to Cloud Moon Temple to pray for the realm—but what for you?”
“To don Daoist robes in the temple, impersonate a priest, and tumble with her beneath the god statues? Or have her kneel at the altar chanting sutras, spanking her if she errs with the whisk? Or perhaps—”
Qixue glanced lazily back at Wei Huai, tone mocking. “Great General, are these His Majesty’s desires… or yours?”
“…” Wei Huai fell silent.
Qixue: “Spare us the sanctimonious accusations. Haven’t you done it with me in this carriage too? Back then, you even…”
He trailed off abruptly, feeling Helan Ji’s grip tighten on his waist.
Seeing him silent, Helan Ji asked, “What then?”
“Nothing much…”
Qixue averted his gaze carefully, dodging Helan Ji’s stare. Wei Huai smirked.
“Does Your Majesty wish to know how this one and the Noble Consort got along?”
Wei Huai said, “Too many times to count. Shall we start with the first? Our debut was in the bath barrel. The Noble Consort was so innocent and tender then, clueless to my intent, gazing at me trustingly—it only excited me more.”
“She was delicate, afraid of pain. I coaxed and deceived for ages before she yielded.”
“Has Your Majesty seen her so green? I doubt it. Only I beheld her purest, most naive side. What you see now is all my handiwork in tra—”
Qixue couldn’t bear it and snapped sharply at Wei Huai, “Enough!”
Wei Huai obeyed, falling silent, but his challenging gaze at Helan Ji persisted. Helan Ji held Qixue quietly for a long while before saying, “I don’t care.”
Wei Huai smiled. Though he’d heeded Qixue and stopped, his eyes clearly asked: Do you truly not?
Helan Ji replied, “The one who cares is you. Since it bothers you, I can tell you too.”
“The first time I met Yuan Yuan, he was gravely wounded, blood staining his pristine fur. He was dying. I personally applied medicine, bandaged him, fed him water and food—he lived because of me.”
“My mother and brothers are gone. I’m the only one who’s seen Yuan Yuan at his most pitiable and frail. But I’ll never let anyone see him like that again. As long as I’m here, he’ll never be frail or pitiable.”
“Your Majesty…”
Qixue’s beautiful eyes shimmered with emotion, brimming with love as he kissed Helan Ji deeply. Helan Ji embraced and returned it, sparing Wei Huai not another glance. This utter indifference struck deepest, draining color from Wei Huai’s face.
Wei Huai fled the Jade Chariot in disarray. For once, his agile form nearly tumbled on dismount—saved only by the White Tiger lunging to catch him.
“Woo…”
The White Tiger patted his leg worriedly with a paw. Wei Huai leaned on it, drenched in cold sweat, forcing a bitter smile. “What a joke I am.”
He knew he couldn’t match Helan Ji, yet jealousy and unwillingness gnawed at him. He envied Helan Ji’s claim on Qixue’s present and future, so he’d dredged up their past—his sole possession.
But even memories crumbled before Helan Ji. Those few words left him utterly ashamed. His love for Qixue always seemed so fragile and impotent beside Helan Ji’s.
Why could Helan Ji do it, but not him? His every act was still selfish, never truly benefiting Qixue. No wonder he couldn’t touch Qixue’s heart.
What must he do to be of use to A Xue?
After a moment, Wei Huai drew a deep breath, mounted the White Tiger, and rode to the procession’s fore, clearing the path.
They had left the capital, entering the suburban wilds. In the distance, Cang Mountain’s undulating ridges rose, its highest peak Ask Dao Peak—where Cloud Moon Temple perched at the summit.
At the foot of Cang Mountain, countless believers gathered. Fortunately, the ferocious White Tiger cleared the path ahead, and the believers parted to make way for the Emperor’s procession, prostrating themselves on both sides of the road.
The Jade Chariot halted before the mountain path. Eunuch Xue stood beside the carriage and helped Helan Ji and Qixue down. Even as the Emperor and his Noble Consort, the two had to follow Cloud Moon Temple’s rules and climb Ask Dao Peak step by step.
A faint wisp of black mist drifted from Qixue’s mouth. He blinked in surprise, and Helan Ji did not hide it from him. “This is part of the Nightmare Demon. One Nightmare Demon resides in your body, allowing me to sense your emotions.”
The Nightmare Demons originated from the pills that palace servants swallowed upon entering the palace. Not only Qixue, but Eunuch Xue as well—all the Nightmare Demons within the palace servants flew out and dissolved into wisps of green smoke in the air.
The witchcraft Helan Ji wielded was a filthy, profane art, and Cloud Moon Temple was a pure Daoist sanctuary that could not tolerate such defilement. Thus, the moment they stepped into Cang Mountain’s array, his witchcraft immediately failed. Here, he could not use any witchcraft at all.
Even Helan Ji himself should have been shredded by the array, but years earlier, Xie Shu had drawn a talisman for him, exempting him from the array’s attacks. That was how Helan Ji managed to enter Cloud Moon Temple’s grounds.
Qixue felt no anger at Helan Ji for peering into his heart. Instead, he was deeply curious. “So, because part of the Nightmare Demon is in my body, Your Majesty can tell when I’m lying?”
“Yes.”
Helan Ji nodded. “I can also sense your love for me. From the moment we reunited, I knew you loved me deeply. I can trust you completely, adore you, without fear of being hurt by you.”
Qixue broke into a sweet smile and proudly looped his arm through Helan Ji’s. “Of course. I love Your Majesty so much. I’m not afraid of Your Majesty knowing my feelings.”
Helan Ji: “Oh? Even when Wei Huai brought up your past, you weren’t afraid?”
Qixue: “……”
Realizing Helan Ji had held back from exploding but was still fiercely jealous, Qixue quickly rubbed his cheek against Helan Ji’s shoulder. “Aiya… You’re about to become a father, so let’s not talk about that. If you’re really upset, just punish Wei Huai by making him wash the baby’s diapers, okay, Brother A’Man…”
He shook Helan Ji’s hand pleadingly. Helan Ji let out a soft sigh. “As you wish.”
As the two exchanged intimate words between husband and wife, a mild voice suddenly called from above. “Welcome, Your Majesty. Welcome, Noble Consort.”
Xuan Yang descended the stone steps in a pristine Daoist robe, untainted by a speck of dust. He gazed at Qixue with a faint smile. “Your Ladyship, it’s been a while. I’ve been awaiting your arrival for some time.”
