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章 31: The Aftermath

After watching them walk from view, the Emperor let out a heavy breath. All that hard work, all that careful planning, was shot by the wayside. It was extremely vexing.

Generally, A'Ling would make a show of fighting back, but in the end, would relinquish his things. Liu Hui Huang had thought that this would end like all of those other times. It was a slap in the face to find it not turning out like his expectations. Not only did A'Ling fight back, but fought back so fiercely, leaving no room to make a turnaround.

General Bai was dead. The plan had fallen apart. All that could be done was to give in and accept the loss. He no longer cared how the loose ends were tied and so said. "Take Minister Li and his family into custody. Bring the case and all the evidence to the yamen stationed at Mencheng to be investigated and then tried. Tell the magistrate to sentence Minister Li accordingly."

An extreme exhaustion swept through his body. Standing from his seat, he said. "I will be retiring early, however, the rest of you continue to enjoy the festivities. The heir apparent shall take over and stand in on my behalf." With that, he quickly retreated.

The minute he was within his rooms, he swept the objects from his desk in a fit of temper. 'Damn him!' He thought viciously as he then kicked the desk over. 'He already had father's attention, father's consideration, and father's thoughts so what was one measly demon! He rules over the gates, he could grab another if he so desired to!'

Why fight back so fiercely!?

All throughout growing up, their father never paid him any mind. He was always locked in his study when he wasn't required for things concerning the country, looking over missives from the secret guard that watched over A'Ling. There was a whole room dedicated to housing the reports of the son he truly cared for.

A'Ling had their father, has the position of Elemental Spirit Master, has a youth that never fades where even he began to question if his brother would die should he stab him. He was the younger, yet he looked like the elder brother of the two. Their father had even planned to gift him the throne. If Liu Hui Huang had not taken matters into his own hands, this power he managed to obtain would also be in his brother's hands.

'A'Ling,' he chuckled lightly as he clenched his fists angrily, 'you have everything... so what gives you the right to fight back for things with me?'

---------------------------

Although they were well beyond the dining hall and were currently on their way to the carriage parked outside the palace, Paoxiao was still angry. He felt that his kick to the chest was hardly enough to vent this anger burning his veins.

For someone to dare try and kill the one he decided to protect, such a thing was absolutely intolerable. Honestly, he wanted to march back into the dining hall to slap that General Bai's corpse a couple more times. Better yet, if it were possible, he wanted to revive the man just so he could have the pleasure of killing him a couple more times.

As he was immersed in these violent thoughts, he subconsciously followed closely behind Li Yu Rong who still held Nastasia in his arms. As the pair entered the carriage, the door slammed shut behind them, and thus Paoxiao had the unfortunate fate of slamming into it.

Catching himself that he did not fall back on his rear, Paoxiao rubbed at his smarting nose. Hui Se Ying made no efforts to hold back his amusement after witnessing the demon's bad luck.

Hui Se Ying had been charged with the boring duty of guarding the carriage, so he was extremely bored. So, upon seeing Paoxiao, he patted the seat beside him. "Hurry up here and quickly tell me everything I missed."

Inside the carriage, Li Yu Rong sat in a chair, bringing Asya with him. Still upset over her attempted assassination, he wanted to keep her close. Unfortunately, the girl did not feel the same.

Struggling from his arms, Nastasia quickly gathered up papers and a brush. Though an attempt had been made on her life she felt numb to it. Perhaps, due to it not being the first time someone attempted to kill her, she was hardly phased by the second.

While witnessing a person killed right in front of her had made her feel a bit squeamish, she had served two years as a trauma nurse for the military to be there for her brother during wartime. As she was no stranger to death she was able to bounce back from the shock rather quickly.

Now, as Li Yu Rong peered over her shoulder, Nastasia gave her full concentration over to the image of that man in her memory. The brush dipped in ink glided across the page as she diligently tried to recreate his appearance on the paper in front of her.

A few failed attempts later the man's complete portrait was in front of her, right down to the darkness emanating from his pitch black eyes. Picking up the paper, she handed it over to Li Yu Rong. His dual colored eyes glanced over the page without an ounce of recognition flashing in their depths. It was only an inquiry toward her intent with the drawing and curiosity over who the drawing had been drawn after.

"Man, saw him there." Nastasia pointed in the direction she believed the palace to lie in. "Man talks me." To help illustrate her point she said a few words in English before repeating, "man talks me."

After first Li Yu Rong had thought that Asya was trying to say that this man had spoken with her. After listening to her repeat this sentence a few times and then speak her own language, he realized that not to be quite what she meant. An uneasiness crept into him as it dawned upon him that perhaps this man had spoken with her in her mother tongue.

He wanted to crinkle the portrait in his hands and have her to forget ever having met such a man. Refraining from the want, he forced himself to nod. "En," he agreed, "I'll help you find him." To himself, however, he added. 'I'll slowly help you find him, but in the meantime, I'll help you to lose such thoughts in your head.'

After all, he wanted to keep this girl by his side so how could he help her easily find her way out of his arms.

-------------------------------

Upon his back, head comfortingly laid upon a woman's soft thighs, a man that felt as if he swam in darkness hummed a happy tune to himself. In his hand, he played with a few strands of red hair that had been pulled from the girl who had been called the "Red Demon." After a moment, he chuckled to himself.

"As soon as I heard 'Red Demon,' I should have known that it might not actually be a demon."

Reaching out, he caressed the pale as death cheek of the woman, whose legs he used as a pillow. Her crimson eyes kept a sightless stare off into the distance. The way her lilac hair framed her delicate face gave off an innocent feminine air. It allowed for one to forget that she was merely a well-preserved corpse.

"Ah, it's been awhile since I've heard that term. What would you say, my dear? More than a hundred years?" He nodded to himself. "Yes, it's probably been about that long."

His fingers slid down to her chin where he grasped her in a bruising hold. "Xianmei," he hissed viciously, "you've gone and done something unnecessary, haven't you? You couldn't just stay a corpse now, could you? You just had to try and save your bastard offspring!" He raged.

He let her go and began laughing, once again; joyous. "Sorry, my dear, I almost broke your jaw." He patted her face lightly before slipping back into his happy humming while he played with the red strands of hair in his hands.

Although she wasn't a demon, it didn't mean that everything he had attempted for her capture was a complete loss. This girl that came from the threshold of another world might just hold the key to unlocking the secrets he was trying to unravel.

As Tongchu entered the secret underground chamber, he heard the other man's happy humming. Assuming him to be jovial over his success, Tongchu said as he set down his newly acquired supplies. "You got the demon, then, did you?"

"Hardly."

"Then what are you cheerfully humming for? If I don't have fresh demon blood, the experiments can no longer go forward." Tongchu huffed, annoyed.

"We might not need demon blood hereafter." The man said, vague in his retort.

After unloading all of the supplies in his arms, Tongchu made his way over to the alcove of the demon woman where his master liked to rest. Upon seeing his master resting upon the woman's thighs, he drew to a pause. Not because his master was laying upon a corpse, but that his master had shed his disguise for his true image.

The braid he wore that was usually a deep charcoal was now a vibrant red and his black as pitch eyes were shed for the color of the skies. It was a testament to the truly good mood his master had found himself in. For a good eighty percent of the time, his master loathed this appearance.

The man's hand reached out toward his subordinate. "Take these hairs and test the energy in them. If viable, we might have another route we can take in our experiments."

Tongchu quickly snatched them up and swiftly went to work. There was nothing that he loved more than something new to fiddle with.


クリエイターの想い
Saoirse Saoirse

I hope you all enjoy Thursday's chapter! o(^^)o

Sorry that it's a bit late, I accidentally fell asleep after getting home. Being that I was still pretty sleepy while editing, I apologize if there are any really bad errors. T-T

Thank you for all the reviews, comments, and power stones in support of ISAW. You wonderful readers are the best!

♡〜٩( ˃́▿˂̀ )۶〜♡

https://www.patreon.com/saoirse24

章 32: Hui Se Ying's First Plot

It's been two months since she fell into this world. It's been one month since returning to Li Yu Rong's home after facing that debacle at the palace. During this time one thing after another began to pile up in front of her, screaming that this was not her world.

Perhaps she had been a bit in denial, but until she left Li Yu Rong's large home and saw that huge ancient city with its large Palace at its back, she was a bit skeptical about the thought of another world. For most, perhaps the mythical creatures would have been the clue in, but for Nastasia it was the many ancient-looking locations that finally convinced her. That Li Yu Rong and Paoxiao could kill without the other's raising protest or for a group like the police to come knocking also helped in this regard.

Growing up with tales of Irish folklore, mythology, and a mother that wholeheartedly swore to the existence of faeries, it was easy to accept the strange creatures that ran about as fact. Nastasia -the childish part of her- always felt that, "the Good Neighbors," or "the Little Darlings," as her mother would call them could very well exist but had yet to be found.

There were also the Russian mythical creatures that her father and grandfather would speak tale of whenever her mother fell into one of her storytelling moods; to make sure their Russian lore was also heard.

So, having all the facts before her, she could no longer turn her eyes from this truth. Getting home was probably going to be a rather difficult effort. None-the-less, Nastasia was determined. Remembering that man who spoke English, she had painted several copies of his likeness, storing them away carefully. This past month, all her free time was dedicated to picking up on the language spoken here; the Chinese she still kicked herself for not learning.

Forcing herself to speak even though her sentences were dreadful while having others to correct the errors in her speech along with pointing to things and drawings to learn more words that could not be easily explained. Nastasia was able to finally make good progress. Although she was still rough and still had to be corrected, she could both carry on a conversation as well as understand most of what was being said around her.

Satisfied with her level of understanding, when Nastasia woke that morning she was prepared to speak with Li Yu Rong to trade information about how she got to this town and where to go from here.

Too excited to finally have a better understanding of the world around her, she left in search of Li Yu Rong without changing from her bedclothes. Were this a normal place she would have received odd stares from the few she would pass occasionally, however those of the Spirit Realm were quite liberal in how they dressed.

So they took her choice as her choice and thought nothing of it.

Hmm... Nastasia, though still quite excited, felt herself cool down about it after her reckless running about produced no signs of Li Yu Rong. All the places she usually found him had been checked with no signs of his presence. Drawing to a paused, she considered all the places she knew about in this large house of his, but after coming up empty she decided that he must have left.

Though it was rare for him to leave, he did so occasionally.

Just as she was about to give in for the moment one of his subordinates suddenly appeared at her side. "What are you running about for?"

"Hui Se Ying!" The abrupt sound and appearance gave her a start that she yelped his name upon recognizing his face. As this was someone that was usually around Li Yu Rong, she asked. "Did Li Yu Rong leave? I can't trick him."

"I can't find him." He corrected her on reflex. She had the right idea but pronounced the zhǎo as zhāo. A peculiar light, going unnoticed, entered his eyes as he answered her without giving away anything unusual. "Hmm... well it's a place you haven't gone yet, so I'll lead the way partially. At a certain point, I'm not allowed to enter."

Hui Se Ying lead her along a path she had not seen before that lead all the way to the back of the estate. It was a place even more overgrown than the gardens at the front of the estate. As they walked deeper in it became rather silent, as if they were the only two upon the path. Being that since quite a bit back she had not seen another creature or servant, the thought was probably true.

Pointing at the path, Hui Se Ying said. "This is as far as I go. Keep on this path and don't wander. You'll come across him soon." That done, he quickly fled with a large grin splitting his face. He couldn't help but wonder if his master would be happy or angry with his meddling.

Nodding, she turned down the pointed way, the dark atmosphere causing her to be a bit cautious. The further she went, the warmer the temperature became. Soon, there was a bit of steam rising that could be seen through the gaps in the overgrown plants that blocked off the path ahead.

As she pressed through the foliage she almost slipped and fell into the spring laid out before her. After righting herself, Nastasia looked up only to find a sight that paralyzed her. Throat running dry as she tried to swallow, her brain ceased to function as her mouth could only form an unintelligible squeak.

Li Yu Rong stood in the middle of the hot spring and although his lower half was hidden in the unclear water, his well-defined chest was quite open to her eyes. At first, he seemed stunned to see her, but quickly his eyes began to laugh at her as a teasing and seductive grin spread across his lips.

"I wonder what my pet has come here to do, dressed like this?" He always called her "chong'er," and as of yet, she hadn't found anyone who could tell her what the term meant. After he spoke, he began to move toward her. Every step revealed more and more to her eyes.

Face changing between three shades of red, Nastasia began to panic. It's not like this was the first time she had seen a naked man; she was from a more modern world after all. However, the atmosphere around him caused a strange feeling to rise in her chest as her heart beat a painfully speedy melody the closer he got and the more he revealed.

Unable to handle any more she tried to retreat back the way she came. If she had known he was bathing here she never would have come to interrupt it! That Hui Se Ying, once she found him she was going to-

Her foot slipped, sending her to ungracefully tumble into the hot spring.

Rushing forward, Li Yu Rong caught her before she fell into the water head first. Bringing her up against his naked flesh, he brought wet fingertips down her check that was speckled with water droplets. "Are you trying to tempt me, pet?" He asked as he brought his forehead against hers.

She didn't know the word "gōuyǐn(tempt/seduce)," but none-the-less she quickly shook her head as her mind worked quickly to find an escape route. The robe she was wearing was quite thin and now that it was wet, it was practically nonexistent. It was almost like they were pasted together flesh against flesh.

"I-I-I..." she wanted to say that she had only come looking for him that they might be able to discuss things now that she understood the language well enough, but the words stuttered and fizzled out as she tried to say them. It didn't help that as she tried to speak, Li Yu Rong drew his fingers down her cheek, down her chin and then down her neck intimately.

"When someone is making you uncomfortable, do it back to them ten times worse so they'll stop." The words her elder sister had once said crossed her mind and though she knew it was terrible advice to give, her flailing thoughts clutched onto it. If she weren't so panicked, she would recall that these words were also told to the eight-year-old her. In this heated situation between men and women, such actions would be like adding oil to fire.

Taking her hands to trail down his abs, she pressed in slightly, hoping the action would unsettle him enough to let her go. Instead, his other hand caught hers up in a grip, as he brushed his lips against her cheek to whisper in her ear. "Are you inviting me to have my way with you, my pet?"

As he pulled back and caught her expression that was like a hunted rabbit, he chuckled lightly. Drawing his fingers down her cheek one last time he let her go. Pointing to the shore, he said. "Take my robe and return. You had something you wanted to speak about, right? Wait, I'll be there soon."

Nodding, she snatched up the robe as soon as she climbed out of the hot spring and fled the area as fast as her legs would carry her. Her cheeks were flushed and as he held her close, he could feel her heart pounding. She was a mixture of both innocent sweetness and womanly seduction that it was quite the effort to let her go.

Finishing up his bath, he soon followed after her.

Hui Se Ying who had been watching in a distant, undetectable, corner felt extremely disappointed. Men and women, when shoved together in such a steamy situation should have thrown moral cares aside and had at it.

He pondered a moment and decided that perhaps he should focus his first few plots at prodding her attraction for his master to grow before attempting such a direct situation again. Then, after her thoughts only had his master, he'd try again. Once she pounced on him from an attraction that could not be suppressed, and the deed was done, she would then fully belong to his master.

It was a brilliant plan and with him behind it, nothing could go wrong.

-----------

A/N:

So, I thought it over -adding up the time it takes to write a chapter to the free time I have to write- and I can't guarantee that I'll be able to keep a steady release rate if I increase the chapters. I don't want to say I can do something and end up being unable to do it, so instead, I'm going to try writing a bit more than normal each chance I get to write.

Since I've been in the top rankings 4 weeks in a row I'm gonna try to work really hard at it so that I can release some extra chapters next weekend in celebration of it. I'm gonna try my best for five, but it might end up being 3 or 4 chapters. It depends on how much extra free time I can grab for myself.


クリエイターの想い
Saoirse Saoirse

I hope you all enjoy Friday's chapter! o(^^)o

Thank you for all the comments, reviews, and power stones in support of ISAW. You wonderful readers are super great!

⁽⁽٩(๑˃̶͈̀ ᗨ ˂̶͈́)۶⁾⁾

https://www.patreon.com/saoirse24

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  • テキストの品質
  • アップデートの安定性
  • ストーリー展開
  • キャラクターデザイン
  • 世界の背景

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