Rabbit Tuan’s soft tongue landed on Ji Yuheng’s finger, causing his heart to tremble instantly. His fingers curled slightly as he held his breath and called out in a low voice, “Mother Concubine…”
The person he had missed day and night was being so intimate with him, and Ji Yuheng found it hard to control his surging emotions.
He truly liked Qixue too much. If not for the heavy guilt still weighing on his heart, he might have forgotten himself and kissed Qixue, even with Helan Ji right there beside them.
But he couldn’t.
It was he who had lost Qixue back then; he had no right to take the initiative to get close to him.
So Ji Yuheng didn’t move. He simply lowered his eyes, his gaze tender yet sorrowful, as he quietly watched Rabbit Tuan nuzzling its little rabbit rear in his palm while eating the lotus seeds.
He had no idea that the affection in his heart was so intense it couldn’t be hidden at all. Not only did Rabbit Tuan sense his love, but Helan Ji felt it too.
“Yuan Yuan.”
Helan Ji spoke in a slightly deep voice as he extended a hand toward Rabbit Tuan. “Come here. Return to my side.”
His tone was calm, but Rabbit Tuan, who had spent so much time with him, could still detect his displeasure and jealousy. Rabbit Tuan’s paws, clutching the lotus seeds, stiffened. Only then did it realize, belatedly, that it had forgotten its place and gotten too close to Ji Yuheng.
In the end, it was all Xie Shu’s fault. Over the past month or so, they had been tangled up together without needing to hide anything, which made him so lax in front of His Majesty that His Majesty might have already noticed something…
Rabbit Tuan rarely felt guilty.
From the demon clan’s perspective, it didn’t think it had done anything wrong. But His Majesty wasn’t from the demon clan; he was human. Human ideals celebrated love as lifelong monogamy. If His Majesty learned he had a lover, he would surely be furious and heartbroken.
His Majesty wasn’t like Wei Huai or Xie Shu, who were tough and could withstand such blows. He loved His Majesty so much—how could he bear to make him sad and suffer? So he absolutely couldn’t let His Majesty know about his lover, or else…
Rabbit Tuan suddenly kicked Ji Yuheng’s palm with a rabbit foot and jumped out, still holding two lotus seeds.
Pretending to look fierce, it said to Ji Yuheng, “Don’t think a few lotus seeds can win me over. I’m just thirsty, and considering you’ve been working hard lately, I’m accepting this favor on His Majesty’s account. Got it?”
Ji Yuheng was momentarily stunned. He lowered his eyes and replied meekly, “Yes, Mother Concubine. This son understands.”
He showed no disappointment or anger, as if Rabbit Tuan treating him this way was only natural. This only made Rabbit Tuan feel more guilty. But to appease Helan Ji, Rabbit Tuan couldn’t worry about it now. It figured it could arrange a private meeting with Ji Yuheng later—he surely wouldn’t refuse.
Rabbit Tuan shifted back to human form and sat on Helan Ji’s lap. He fed a lotus seed to Helan Ji’s lips and said coquettishly, “Your Majesty, try the lotus seed too. They’re very sweet.”
His brows and eyes brimmed with affection as he gazed at Helan Ji, his beautiful eyes soft as autumn water. Seeing that Helan Ji’s heart and eyes were filled only with him, Helan Ji leaned down, took the lotus seed into his mouth, and gently nipped Qixue’s fingertip. “Very sweet.”
Qixue played by the lake all afternoon. Later, he turned into Rabbit Tuan and hopped onto the old turtle’s back to play in the lake’s center. Only as dusk fell and dinnertime approached did he return with Helan Ji to Cuiwei Palace to dine with Xu Taifei.
After dinner, Xu Taifei was reluctant to let Qixue leave and kept him to chat. Qixue secretly instructed Dong Yuan to send a message to Ji Yuheng, telling him that he would visit the East Palace later that night.
Xu Taifei was in high spirits that evening and stayed up late. Only in the dead of night did she finally fall asleep, still reluctantly holding Qixue’s hand. Qixue stayed with her a while longer before quietly getting up to leave. He planned to show his face to Helan Ji first, then sneak off to find Ji Yuheng.
Unexpectedly, Dong Yuan then delivered a message from Luxiangqiu, urging Qixue to hurry back to Chenglu Palace for some urgent matter.
“Xiangxiang has something urgent for me?”
This was rare, so despite his puzzlement, Qixue didn’t dare delay and rushed back to Chenglu Palace.
As soon as he entered, Luxiangqiu flew over and chattered excitedly, “The Holy Monarch wants to see you! He’ll be here soon!”
Qixue’s heart skipped a beat, and he grew tense. “Did the Holy Monarch say why he wants to see me?”
He wouldn’t try to take him back to Dali Mountain now, would he?
Luxiangqiu shook her head. “The Holy Monarch didn’t say. He just sent a note via paper bird. Here it is.”
She fetched Xuan Yang’s note for Qixue. Sure enough, it said nothing specific, only that he would come to Chenglu Palace at midnight to meet Qixue.
There was still some time until midnight. Qixue sat in his bedroom, anxiously awaiting his meeting with Xuan Yang. The less he knew about the reason, the more uneasy he felt.
Though he hated to admit it, ever since leaving the ancient mirror, Qixue had grown a bit afraid of Xuan Yang. He could no longer feel the same boundless admiration and reverence as before.
He still respected and loved Xuan Yang, of course, but it was different now—like a smooth mirror cracked, his love for Xuan Yang had fractured too. He couldn’t forget what Xuan Yang had done to him—
Out of jealousy, the Holy Monarch had deceived him into thinking he was pregnant with His Majesty’s child and prepared to imprison him, forcibly taking him back to Dali Mountain. If Xie Shu hadn’t intervened back then, he might never have seen His Majesty again.
What if the Holy Monarch planned to take him away tonight…
Lost in thought, Qixue heard Luxiangqiu land on the table and hop around. “A Xue, A Xue, do me a favor. Don’t you have that jade token that can store things? Can you put my pure gold birdcage inside it? I want to take it back to the mountain to trade for seeds.”
Luxiangqiu had already begun packing for the return to the mountain, which struck Qixue like another blow. He showed a sad expression and said softly to Luxiangqiu, “Xiangxiang… actually, I don’t want to go back to the mountain.”
“Why?”
Luxiangqiu was surprised but quickly guessed. “Are you reluctant to leave Helan Ji?”
“Mm…”
Qixue nodded. That was undoubtedly the main reason. He knew he would have to part from His Majesty and the others someday, but it had come too soon. He wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to leave them.
Or rather, he had come down the mountain only to repay a debt and fulfill the Holy Monarch’s mission, but his heart wouldn’t obey. He had invested too many feelings in His Majesty and the others. Shangjing had become like a second home; he couldn’t bear to abandon his family and lovers.
He told Luxiangqiu, “Besides, His Majesty’s health hasn’t fully recovered. No matter what, I need to see him completely better with my own eyes. I can’t leave tonight, no matter what.”
“You’re right… You came down the mountain for Helan Ji in the first place. How could you give up halfway?”
Luxiangqiu thought for a moment and offered advice. “If you’re really that reluctant, why not beg the Holy Monarch for more time? He’s an immortal god who neither lives nor dies. You’ll become his wife eventually anyway. A few more years shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“I don’t know if the Holy Monarch will agree to my request…”
Qixue murmured pessimistically, knowing Xuan Yang disliked him staying by Helan Ji’s side.
Luxiangqiu persuaded him, “How will you know if you don’t try? If you don’t ask, it’s definitely no. But if you do, maybe the Holy Monarch will agree.”
“Yes, I’ll beg the Holy Monarch.”
Qixue nodded and sighed softly. He rose and walked to the pure gold bird perch. “Just in case, I’ll store your bird perch first. Do you have anything else you want to take?”
“My gold and silver!”
Luxiangqiu flew into the room and dragged out a heavy little bundle, so weighed down she sank. “A Xue, pack your things too. See what you want to take back to the mountain…”
Of course Qixue had things he wanted to take to Dali Mountain—the most important being the rabbit sculptures personally carved by Helan Ji. He had to take every one.
After helping Luxiangqiu pack, he went to the treasure shelf and lovingly caressed the lively, adorable rabbit sculptures. He instructed Dong Yuan to fetch silk cloth, carefully wrapped each one, placed them securely in the treasure casket, and stored it in the jade token.
Dong Yuan knew Qixue adored these little trinkets but didn’t understand why he was suddenly putting them away. “What is this, Your Ladyship?”
Qixue told a little white lie. “In a few days, I’ll be accompanying His Majesty to the Summer Palace to escape the heat. I’ll be away from the palace for at least a month or two, so it’s better to keep them with me.”
Dong Yuan suspected nothing and smiled. “Yes, Your Ladyship thinks of everything.”
As for clothes and jewelry, Qixue couldn’t secretly store those away. The palace servants inventoried the valuables every few days. If too much went missing, it would draw attention and invite suspicion, especially after his fake death.
Qixue took stock of the items in his jade token and realized he had unconsciously collected so many gifts: Helan Ji’s sculptures, the jade bracelet passed down in Ji Yuheng’s family, Xie Shu’s reverse scale, Wei Huai’s pearl crown and wedding dress… All tokens of their affection for him.
Before leaving, should he return gifts to them as mementos of his feelings?
Lost in thought, Qixue suddenly heard a gentle male voice behind him. “A Xue.”
He turned around and met Xuan Yang’s eyes.
The candlelight flickered. Xuan Yang held a whisk, clad in plain white robes, his refined brows and eyes gentle and serene.
But the compassionate aura that once pitied all beings was gone. Once a god was tainted by the seven emotions and six desires, burned in the sea of karmic fire, how could it speak of mercy for the masses?
Qixue’s heart clenched. He lowered his eyes and greeted Xuan Yang. “A Xue pays respects to the Holy Monarch.”
“…”
Xuan Yang gazed at him quietly for a moment before slowly approaching. He lifted a hand to stroke Qixue’s cheek. “You’re afraid of me, A Xue. Why are you afraid of me?”
