Wei Huai stood in place for a long time without speaking.
He neither left nor told the two young eunuchs to rise. The eunuchs kept their heads bowed low while kneeling on the ground, their hearts pounding with anxiety as they worried whether they would be punished for gossiping about the Noble Consort.
“Crack…”
Suddenly, they heard the sound of wood breaking. Fine wooden splinters fell before their eyes—it turned out that Wei Huai had snapped off a piece of the doorframe with his bare hands.
His slender fingers clenched tightly, deforming the wood strip in his grasp. The two young eunuchs saw this and collapsed onto the ground in terror, feeling as if Wei Huai had snapped not wood, but their own spines.
“Great General, spare us! Please spare these slaves, Great General!”
The eunuchs thought their lives were forfeit and kowtowed desperately in plea for mercy. Yet after kowtowing for a long time with no response from Wei Huai, they raised their reddened foreheads to steal a glance. They discovered that Wei Huai’s gaze wasn’t on them at all—he didn’t care about the two of them in the slightest.
The pair froze, exchanged a glance, then tacitly rose and slipped away stealthily with hunched backs. Sure enough, Wei Huai paid them no mind.
Only after fleeing far away did they stop, panting for breath. As the tension eased, one couldn’t hold back and poked the other’s waist: “Did you see the Great General’s face? It was pale as a ghost, like he’d suffered some massive blow. What does it matter to him if the Noble Consort is pregnant?”
They had just escaped punishment, yet like fools who never learned, they huddled together and gossiped again.
“Yeah, why’s he getting so worked up?”
The other eunuch was puzzled too. Suddenly, he shivered and widened his eyes: “You don’t think those rumors are true, do you? That the Great General has feelings for the Noble Consort…”
They both recalled certain rumors that had circulated in the palace for a long time.
Some said that His Majesty and the Great General had a fierce argument, all stemming from the Noble Consort.
Others claimed the Noble Consort had once graced the banquet of the Qing County Princess, and the Great General attended to rendezvous with her. He had been openly intimate with her at the banquet and driven away the aristocratic young masters by her side out of jealousy.
Now that the Noble Consort was pregnant, it was already odd for the Great General to ask whose child it was. And upon hearing it was His Majesty’s imperial heir, he took such a huge hit—could it be that the Great General and the Noble Consort…
The more they thought, the more they believed the rumors were true. In their minds, they wove countless steamy, romantic tales about Qixue and Wei Huai. Even the cause of Helan Ji’s grave illness took on a different shade of meaning.
…
Wei Huai had no memory of how he left Chang Le Palace.
When he came back to himself, he found he was already standing at the entrance of the grand hall.
The midsummer sun blazed fiercely, the air scorching hot as heat waves rose from the ground, distorting everything in his vision. Yet Wei Huai’s limbs felt ice-cold and rigid, like a walking corpse.
A Xue was pregnant, which was why he had gone to Cloud Moon Temple to nurture the fetus.
Everyone in Chang Le Palace knew, but he alone had been kept in the dark all this time.
He could guess why he had been deceived: A Xue had always adored His Majesty and was willing to bear His Majesty’s child. A Xue probably didn’t even want to see him jealous or stirring trouble for His Majesty, so he hid the news of his pregnancy.
Wei Huai’s heart felt like it was frying in a boiling pot of oil. How could he not be furious? How could he not grieve? The mere thought of his A Xue carrying another man’s child filled him with jealousy so intense he wanted to kill Helan Ji.
A Xue had clearly promised him the same—he was willing to bear his child.
That promise rang false for him but true for Helan Ji. Though he had long grown accustomed to A Xue’s favoritism toward Helan Ji, habit didn’t mean acceptance. Each time, the pain left him breathless.
What he couldn’t accept most was that A Xue had hidden this from him. Did that mean, in A Xue’s heart, he couldn’t be his pillar of support?
Wei Huai’s legs gave out. He collapsed onto the jade steps, covering his face in utter agony.
Though he was disappointed by Qixue’s bias and deception, what truly pierced his heart wasn’t that—it was his failure to protect Qixue fully.
No wonder… no wonder His Majesty had suffered so much that his hair turned white overnight. A Xue was so fragile; how hard must it have been for him to survive alone with a child after disappearing? What could he have done to make it through?
Just imagining it nearly broke Wei Huai instantly.
Too many fears gripped him. His A Xue was just a delicate little rabbit—could he even eat his fill and stay warm? Would A Xue protect the child at the cost of his own life? Might some villain, dazzled by A Xue’s stunning beauty, force himself on him?
Could A Xue and the child… really return?
Overwhelming terror assailed Wei Huai, and he collapsed onto the jade steps.
For days, he had barely slept. Even with his robust body, he couldn’t withstand such depletion.
Moreover, Wei Huai never spared his health. In the past half year, he had endured lashes and the water dungeon, vomiting blood and falling into comas, bedridden with severe illness—none of it properly recovered. Now, with this intense shock, he truly couldn’t hold on.
Yet he didn’t faint right away. Strange buzzing filled his ears, the light before his eyes flickering. In his daze, he saw terrifying visions.
He saw Qixue holding the child, covered in blood, standing before him and weeping as he gazed at him.
He reached desperately for Qixue, but Qixue said nothing, tears streaming as he turned with the child and vanished at the end of the palace path.
No… A Xue… A Xue, don’t go…
Wei Huai tumbled from the jade steps and fell unconscious.
The guards rushed him to the Imperial Hospital, but before the physicians could administer medicine, Wei Huai awoke from his coma through sheer force of will.
His obsession ran too deep. Even in unconsciousness, a voice repeated endlessly: he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t collapse.
If he fell too, who could A Xue rely on? He had already disappointed A Xue once—must he repeat the mistake?
Ignoring the physicians’ pleas, Wei Huai dragged himself from the Imperial Hospital and endured day after day, shuttling between Cloud Moon Temple and the Imperial Palace.
He slept only one or two hours daily, haunted by nightmares of Qixue’s horrors. Only the calming draughts from the Imperial Hospital prevented further dreams and total breakdown.
But he felt no longer alive. Qixue’s disappearance had taken his soul, leaving only a withered, decaying shell.
Days earlier, his subordinates reported: they had scoured every inch within a hundred li of Cang Mountain but found no trace of the Noble Consort. Thus, she must still be in Cloud Moon Temple, trapped in the Ancient Mirror.
His taut nerves finally snapped. He resolved to lead his iron cavalry and raze Cloud Moon Temple. It was then that State Preceptor Xie Shu emerged, telling Wei Huai that Qixue had returned to the palace.
Everyone knew Xie Shu never lied. Wei Huai had never felt such near-mad joy; in an instant, this walking corpse came alive again.
Wei Huai raced back to the Imperial Palace without pause, yet didn’t see Qixue. Soon, a Dao attendant reported: Qixue had returned to Cloud Moon Temple to beg State Preceptor Xie Shu for medicine for Helan Ji.
For some reason, Xie Shu agreed to leave seclusion and refine a life-saving elixir for Helan Ji, on condition that Qixue stay in Cloud Moon Temple for the five days of refining and not leave until it was done.
Wei Huai said without hesitation: “I’ll enter the temple to see the Noble Consort at once.”
The Dao attendant shook his head: “No. The Palace Lord and the Noble Consort are in seclusion refining the medicine. They won’t emerge or see anyone during this time.”
Wei Huai frowned: “Why?”
“I don’t know,” the Dao attendant said. “How could we juniors speculate on the Palace Lord’s affairs?”
In the end, Wei Huai held back. Though he desperately wanted to see Qixue and even considered forcing his way in, if the elixir failed because of him, Qixue would hate him forever. He couldn’t bear that.
Not long after, Xuan Yang entered the palace on Xie Shu’s orders, delivering the life-preserving elixir to ensure Helan Ji wouldn’t die in those five days.
Because Xuan Yang had hidden the Ancient Mirror and refused to let Wei Huai and others study ways to rescue Qixue, Wei Huai loathed and even hated him. He distrusted the elixir Xuan Yang brought, personally scraping off a bit of powder to taste and confirm it was non-toxic before allowing Eunuch Xue to feed it to the comatose Helan Ji.
Throughout, Xuan Yang kept smiling, showing no anger at Wei Huai’s suspicion. His gaze remained compassionate and merciful, pitying all things in the world.
Yet Wei Huai didn’t see him as genuinely benevolent. Instead, he sensed something rotten and sinister beneath.
Earlier on Cang Mountain, Wei Huai had captured several Cloud Moon Temple disciples, using their lives to force Xuan Yang to hand over the Ancient Mirror. Xuan Yang hadn’t cared about them at all.
Even when Wei Huai severed a death row prisoner’s hand, disguised it as a disciple’s, and tossed it at the temple gate—threatening to send their heads if Xuan Yang didn’t appear—he still didn’t show, not even sending a word.
Xuan Yang was no good person. After delivering the elixir, he inexplicably stayed in the Imperial Palace.
His excuse was to treat Helan Ji, but Wei Huai believed none of it. Thus, he stayed in the palace too, guarding against any tricks Xuan Yang might play on Helan Ji.
The elixir only kept Helan Ji alive; his condition fluctuated, sometimes with vomiting blood.
Wei Huai watched with a heavy heart and often stepped out for air.
He frequently sat on the jade steps, counting the days until Qixue’s return or lost in thoughts of him.
When he spotted Qixue in the Jade Carriage, he froze at first, thinking it another hallucination—his injuries weren’t fully healed, and he sometimes saw visions.
But seeing the Zhu Yan Guards stationed at Chang Le Palace kneel and salute the Jade Carriage exclusive to State Preceptor Xie Shu, Wei Huai realized it wasn’t a hallucination. His A Xue had truly returned.
Thump, thump-thump-thump…
In that instant, he seemed to hear his deafening heartbeat and the rush of blood surging through his limbs, making his whole body tremble with excitement.
Wei Huai first strode swiftly down the jade steps, then broke into leaps, bounding several steps at a time to the Jade Carriage window.
Qixue in the carriage felt as if he had merely blinked, and Wei Huai appeared like a whirlwind, gazing up through the window. Intense, blazing joy surged within him, turning into a near-sob—
“…A Xue.”
“A Xue.”
“I’ve finally seen you…”
Wei Huai pressed tightly against the carriage body, nearly kneeling to Qixue. His hands shook violently as he fumbled to touch him. Qixue obligingly extended his hand, placing it atop Wei Huai’s.
At such close range, Qixue could clearly see Wei Huai’s face. He remained as handsome as ever but had grown much thinner. His flirtatious peach-blossom eyes were threaded with red veins, looking somewhat frightening. Yet Qixue felt a surge of reluctance and heartache.
He knew Wei Huai must have become so haggard because of him.
“Seventh Brother…”
He gently caressed Wei Huai’s cheek and said softly: “Come up quickly. I want you to hold me.”
Seeing that Qixue still had the same rosy complexion and plump skin as before, Wei Huai’s heart finally settled completely. He couldn’t care about anything else as he kissed Qixue’s lips heavily, venting his mad longing through the intense kiss.
“Mm… um…”
Wet, sticky sounds rang out. Qixue submissively endured Wei Huai’s fervent kiss. Those strong arms propped up a narrow world of their own, melting him into Wei Huai’s thick, profound affection. His own heart swelled with equal joy and sweetness.
Suddenly, Xie Shu’s icy voice interrupted their kiss. “Enough.”
Bang!!
The next moment, an invisible force shoved Wei Huai fiercely to the other end of the Jade Carriage. He smashed heavily against the carriage door, nearly tumbling off.
The force weighed as much as a thousand jun, leaving Wei Huai unable to rise for the moment. Dull pain spread across his back in waves, briefly numbing his body.
Xie Shu had already donned his veiled hat, hiding his face from view. From beneath the white gauze, his cold voice emerged. “Do not be presumptuous.”
Wei Huai grinned. Seeing Qixue filled him with such joy that he didn’t even want to argue with Xie Shu. “What do you mean by presumptuous? A Xue was once my wife. We’ve been parted only briefly—like newlyweds—so a little intimacy is presumptuous?”
He scooted back over and scooped Qixue into his arms. “Come on, let’s get out of the carriage. Stay away from Xie Shu.”
As Wei Huai lifted him, Qixue suddenly remembered that Helan Ji’s Life-Saving Spiritual Medicine was still with Xie Shu. He reached out. “The medicine…”
Xie Shu pulled out the medicine bottle and glanced at Wei Huai before placing it in Qixue’s hand—but he didn’t let go right away.
He gripped Qixue’s hand gently. With his other hand, he lifted the edge of his veil, revealing his high nose bridge and thin lips. Right in front of Wei Huai, he kissed the back of Qixue’s hand. He even extended the tip of his tongue, slowly licking over Qixue’s fingers.
Wei Huai’s smile froze instantly.
