Chương 34: 3.5 Star Flute Player
When Bing Wen saw that her eyes returned to normal, no longer looking at him with such affection anymore, his heart couldn't help but feel a bit bitter. Although she must have looked at him like that due to thinking about someone else because he saw her cry earlier, he at least wanted to have the slightest of hope that her affectionate eyes were directed at him, but now looking at how she adjusted it so quickly, he knew it couldn't possibly be because of him.
However, it looked like she didn't dislike him anymore since she apologized for her earlier coldness towards him and took the initiative to kiss him, even if it was to 'test' something of hers, it was still their first kiss together, and he couldn't be any happier of this first step between themselves.
Tian He had been looking at her husband and managed to catch the hint of disappointment within his eyes. She suddenly grew confused, what is he disappointed about? Was it because she cried, and they stopped kissing? Although she realized that this husband of hers was a bit on the passionate side when it came to lovemaking, judging by how many concubines he'd taken in to help treat his insomnia and even bedding them too, she still didn't want to make love with him until their love was mutual, well, at least in this life, too.
Besides, even if he didn't have his memories from the previous life, having so many women in his harem and making her share him with her was a fact that she was beginning to have a hard time accepting. So, as a slight punishment, she won't let him touch her and satisfy his desires until he confesses his love for her, only then would she be assured that he only belonged to her.
Since she made up her mind, she'll start out with a small punishment right now, this could be her venting out for how he bullied her earlier with his overbearing aura, even now she didn't forget the aching pain it caused on her body.
She couldn't help but be a bit petty, hmph, this is what you get for treating me like that and taking in so many concubines, you really only have yourself to blame.
"Lord Husband, Ming Yue is tired. Let us go to slumber." She moves a bit closer to him so that her head was near his firm chest and placed her hands on his front shirt, while 'accidentally' hitting against his private parts with her knee.
Bing Wen felt the slight touch of her leg on his still taut private parts from the earlier kiss with her, and his body incidentally jolted a bit in pleasure, he was about to ask her to move a bit, but when he saw her close her eyes to sleep, he couldn't bring himself to bother her for this accident. However, he really regretted not doing so after a while of feeling the constant small touches her knee was doing to his private parts, he was even starting to have trouble controlling himself.
In the end, he reined in his desires since he didn't want to force himself on her and have her hate him. He could only wrap his arms tighter around her to comfort the painful pleasure her accidental touches to his private parts was causing.
Tian He felt how her husband's body became a bit stiff from all her 'accidental' touches and snickered inside before deciding that this small punishment was over. She knew that he was considerate of her feelings since he stopped his advances on her after seeing her cry, so it was safe for her to tease him without having to worry that he'll make a move on her. Although she did have a few uncertainties but now seeing how well-behaved he is, she put her mind at rest and snuggled against his chest a bit more before truly letting slumber take her.
When Bing Wen was finally relieved of the painful yet pleasurable feeling she was giving him, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. Although it felt good, it was a bit tortuous on him since he couldn't act out on his desires, which left his body feeling stiff and unrelieved. However, after sensing how she came a bit closer to him while snuggling her head on his chest, the thoughts of his earlier torture was thrown away and he just buried his head near her neck while enjoying the sweet honey scent she emitted before he too let slumber take him.
…..
Tian He was starting to get use to this scene, all around her were dark flames, spread out in a circle that encased her within, except this time's setting was her elder brother's bedroom. Since she figured out that the 2nd Imperial Prince and her elder brother shared the same soul, she felt a bit expectation for the appearance of her elder brother.
She didn't need to wait long, and a familiar figure appeared in front of her.
"Cheng Da elder brother!" Without waiting for him to approach her, she ran towards his embrace.
Cheng Da helplessly hugs her while slowly patting her back and enjoying the warmth she brought to his heart. Although he had fused with his other soul part after leaving that world and knew that he could be reunited with his Xiu Ying, he was still a bit emotional when she appeared here in this dream world.
After Tian He felt contented with feeling her elder brother's warm embrace, she moved a bit to make some room for herself to look up at his profile, he still had the same dark brown mysterious eyes and gentle smile on his face, she guessed she really missed him since there were some tears that were starting to escape her eyes.
Cheng Da naturally wiped away her tears and softly patted her head to soothe her.
"Xiu Ying, elder brother has missed you. How have you been?" His yearning yet affectionate voice filled her ears.
Although he wanted to tell her so much, he knew that she would probably forget most of this dream's content once she wakes up and since he only took a bit of her soul energy this time to help increase his dark flames' powers, this dream will be a short one.
Tian He really wanted to tell him about how much she missed him and complain about her loneliness to him, but she had important questions to ask him. She needed to know how his soul was able to appear in these different worlds, although she had a hunch about it, she needed to be sure.
"Elder brother, please tell me what exactly is going on. Why do you know I'm doing these missions? Why are your souls in the worlds that I've visited? Since the current you don't have any memories of our time together, does that mean you've reincarnated somehow, but then, you are still able to appear in my dreams, so it looks like your memories aren't wiped out. Who exactly are you, elder brother?"
Even now she was having a hard time believing that her elder brother could travel into these worlds she's in, even if the current him doesn't have memories of their previous life together, he still had those mysterious yet powerful dark flames within his eyes. Though she was only able to witness a bit of its powers, she was sure that there was more to it than that.
She always had the feeling that these dark flames serve some other purpose, or else how could such powerful powers appear. She knew that her elder brother had all the answers, so even if she was going to forget most of the details after she woke up, she still had the slight hope in her that maybe she'll remember something.
Cheng Da heard her questions but still did not reply to her. Since she asked him this, he knew that she had figured out that the person who she kissed was his other soul part. He always knew that she was smarter than she looks and this finding of hers just serve to further enhance this fact.
"Xiu Ying, I'm sorry I won't be able to tell you my identity. However, you don't have to worry, me and my other soul parts will never harm you. You can be assured of this fact." He gently glided his fingers on her soft cheeks while seriously looking at her.
Although he did feel a bit guilty for taking her soul energy, he also knew that without restoring his dark flames' powers, they could never truly be together, and that was something he couldn't accept. However, since he knew that the soul part she was currently with has shared a kiss with her, and she has accepted him because they shared the same soul, it wouldn't be long until he could take some more of her soul energy. Even if it was miniscule, his dark flames' powers were increasing, and soon, the seal that was placed on his soul would be broken, by then, nothing could stand in the way of them being together.
Tian He was a bit disappointed that her elder brother didn't tell her about his true self, but since he was adamant about it, she knew that it must have something to do with her safety, or else he would tell her everything she wanted to know.
Sighing a bit at their circumstances, she comforted herself that she should be contented since she was lucky enough to have him accompany her in these worlds she had to do tasks in, it was enough for her to know that she could see him and love him again.
She raised her hand and touched his that was on her cheeks while gently looking at him, "Elder brother, don't apologize, since you don't want to tell me, I know it must be because it could affect my safety and it would be bad of me to put you in that spot."
Cheng Da heard her heartfelt words and cherished the warmth on his hand while pulling her to his embrace again.
"Xiu Ying, thank you for understanding and for not giving up on our love." Even if them loving each other didn't have a certain ending, or it might cause them distress, he was glad that she shared his feelings of seeing this to the end.
Tian He didn't say anything else but cuddled against her elder brother's embrace, enjoying his warmth for a brief moment before she felt her consciousness gave way and she didn't feel his touch anymore.
…..
Bing Wen had long woken up and was now currently staring at his beloved concubine while she slept peacefully within his arms. He didn't want to get up just yet since he really enjoyed their touch together, his heart couldn't be more at peace with her presence besides him. Suddenly, he felt her stir and immediately closed his eyes while placing his hand behind her back again.
Tian He felt like something warm was encasing her but she didn't move away from it because she felt a bit comfortable in it, so naturally, she moved a bit closer to this warmness, increasing the comfort and peace she felt in her heart. Suddenly, she could hear the loud sounds of a heartbeat near her ears and she immediately sobered.
She blinked her eyes open a few times, so it could adjust to the morning sunlight that spilled out through the paper windows in front of her and finally, she saw the sleeping face of her husband besides her. Since it was dark yesterday, she didn't get to take a good look at his facial features.
She realized that his skin was slightly tanned, and he had sharp eyebrows that outlined his already handsome yet cold face. However, what she found most endearing was probably the small beauty mark beneath his right eye, she was skeptical at first by this tiny resemblance he shared with her elder brother, but now she guessed that this physical trait of his followed her elder brother's soul into this world.
All of a sudden, she realized an embarrassing fact, maybe she could have used this physical trait to identify her lover instead of forcefully kissing him yesterday.
Oh god, either she was silly because of wanting to kiss him, or her mind just had to take that moment to stop working, no matter what, she swore that it wasn't on purpose, she just wanted to find out if it was really his soul, that's all. There was no way she was going to admit that she craved his kiss, it would be too embarrassing.
But nevertheless, she realized that even though her lover looked different in this world, he still was pretty decent looking, his cold yet powerful features had a charm of its own. Observing it for a while, she couldn't help herself from obeying her urges and lifted her hand towards his face to softly touch that small beauty mark beneath his right eye. She smiled contently at the warmness beneath her fingers and felt that by touching him like this, her heart became even more comfortable and reliant for his presence.
After all, it was still kind of surreal to know that her lover could accompany her in these worlds and this fact was only further enhanced when she dreamt of her elder brother last night. Although she didn't remember anything except enjoying his warmth within his arms, she was still happy that she could meet her elder brother again, it was enough to know that he still remembered her and that his soul was here with her now.
Bing Wen felt the smoothness of her fingers on his face and was too afraid to open his eyes just in case she pulled away. Even though he didn't know what caused her to touch him, he still wanted to keep still so that he could enjoy the warmness of it a bit longer. For some reason, he felt that the longer she touched him like this, the more content and excited his heart felt. Although it was just a small touch, he still relished the pleasant feeling it brought to his heart.
Suddenly, he felt the absence of it all too soon and immediately opened his eyes while instinctively reaching out his hand to grab hers that was fleeing. After noticing her shocked eyes stare back at him, he cursed himself for acting without thinking and was about to say something while removing his hold on her hand but was immediately caught off guard with what she did next.
Although Tian He was a bit shocked that he was awake this whole time, she still returned his actions with her own by holding onto his hand without letting go while softly smiling at him. Then, after acknowledging his almost shocked expression, she guided his hand near her mouth and gently kissed it for a brief moment before letting go.
She looked up in time to catch his frozen expression and couldn't help but giggle inside for his silly expression. She guessed that he at least was starting to have feelings for her.
"Lord Husband, since we're awake, it wouldn't be too good to stay in bed any longer since we still have to pay respects to mother-in-law before the morning is over." She didn't want to give a bad impression to her husband's mother, especially since this is going to be the first time she will meet with one of her lover's family members.
She immediately ignored her husband's still frozen facial expression and moved away from his embrace before getting off the large bed.
Bing Wen was too shocked and didn't mange to catch the slight playfulness in her eyes, but after registering her words, he followed her off the bed to freshen up. His movements were slow since he was still stuck in the surprise by her kiss on his hand, even now he still felt the slight tingling feeling it brought him, almost making his heart pound out of his chest due to the joyful excitement it felt.
After he was done dressing and freshening up, he looked at his concubine besides him that was also finished with her morning preparations, but finding that her expression looked tranquil, he couldn't bring himself to confront her on that sudden kiss on his hand she did.
He was a bit bewildered, was she forcing herself to touch him because he was her husband now? Although he wanted her to accept him, his heart couldn't help but feel a bit hurt that it wasn't out of her own feelings for him that made her touch him, instead it looked like it was out of obligation.
Tian He turned to her husband that was sort of lost in his thoughts and immediately walked towards him.
"Lord Husband, shall we visit mother-in-law now?" She looked up at him while softly smiling at him.
Bing Wen snapped out of his thoughts and nodded in agreement with her but before they could take a few steps, he thought of something and held her back from exiting the room. He didn't answer her questioning gaze and rapidly walked over to one of drawers to pull out a white silk handkerchief, then he took a small knife near the drawers to quickly slash his arm and immediately brought the handkerchief over to soak his blood in it.
"Beloved concubine, since we did not formally have our wedding night, this will need to serve as proof for the loss of your virginity. Because my father is no longer in this world to accompany my mother and I took over the family as its head, she already has enough on her mind and I don't want her to increase the worries she has over me. If she found out that you still have your virginity, it would cause her great distress." After there was an adequate amount of blood in the white handkerchief, he walked over and handed it to her to hold.
Tian He woodenly took it with her hand and only responded to his words by nodding once with her head. She was just too caught off guard with his sudden actions, but she quickly snapped out of it when she saw him try to bandage his wound with only one hand. She immediately reached out and took the bandages from him.
Looking up at him with a bit of affection, she spoke to him, "Lord Husband, let me help you." She didn't wait for his reply and immediately began to wrap the bandage around his knife wound.
Bing Wen watched her clear bright eyes stare attentively at his wound area and felt her smooth fingers over his arm as she bandaged it, although he knew that she was just helping him because she felt obligated since the wound was because of her, he still wanted to indulge in the fantasy that she was doing this out of care of not wanting him to struggle with bandaging it himself. He knew that he was a bit selfish thinking this, but since he realized how important she was to him yesterday, he couldn't help himself from wanting it to be real.
Tian He finished bandaging the wound and lightly smiled at him.
"Lord Husband, Ming Yue is done. Does it feel alright?" Since she had never bandaged any wounds except her own, she didn't know if it was too loose or too tight.
Bing Wen mildly nodded while taking her hand and squeezed it lightly before exiting his bedroom whilst still holding onto her hand. After walking a distance, he still didn't feel her struggle against his hold and relaxed his heart a bit, he was now certain that she didn't dislike his touch anymore. He couldn't be more thrilled by this fact and tighten his hold on her small delicate hand while walking a bit slower so that he could enjoy more of the nice feeling their connected hands gave him.
Tian He hid her blushing face and let her husband hold her hand while they slowly passed by a few small buildings. Although it felt a bit rough against her smooth skin, she still liked the warm and comfortable feeling it brought to her heart. It made her feel assured and safe that he was by her side, she couldn't be anymore blissful by this fact.
When they finally reached a grand courtyard with many beautiful colorful peonies, she composed herself a bit and braced herself to meet this mother-in-law of hers. Although her blushing had already faded due to her good control, she still didn't let go of her husband's hand while they made their way through the courtyard and into a grand hall.
After mounting the steps, her vision immediately landed on a middle-aged woman dressed neatly in emerald green clothing sitting on the main seat at the back of the hall. Her attention was on the cup of tea she was holding, and it looked like she was neutral after hearing their arrival.
Around her were a few servant girls that politely curtsied to them to welcome their entrance. On the right and left sides of the main seat, sat many gorgeously dressed women around her age and counting them, she realized that there were eight of them in total. Some of them looked up to see her face, while the others just skimmed through her before looking at her husband.
Although with her perceptiveness, she could feel their unfriendliness and a bit of hatred, she still chose to ignore them and tightly squeezed onto her husband's hand a bit before reluctantly letting go to politely curtsy towards this new mother-in-law of hers.
"Ming Yue greets respected mother-in-law." In order to make a good impression, she chose to do a decent curtsy that would surely not lose out to these concubines.
After he felt the loss of her touch, he clenched his hands a bit in frustration before turning his attention to his mother and greeted her, "Good morning, mother."
Madam Yang finally turned her attention towards the new couple after hearing her son's morning greeting.
"Wen'er, come a bit closer so I could get a better look at you." She's been always worried about this son of hers' illness, but she couldn't do anything about it except follow the doctor's orders to have him find good instrumentalists to help treat it.
Even though these concubines have been with this son of hers for a few years now, she never acknowledged them because they were useless in not being able to treat her son after such a long time. At first, she didn't mind it since they still had the ability to give birth to her grandchildren, however; even after all this time, not one of them succeeded. Her hopes were constantly crushed and although he took in a new concubine yesterday, she wasn't particularly thrilled since her expectations have been smashed so many times.
Bing Wen obeyed his mother and without letting his new concubine respond, he grasped her hand while pulling her over to let his mother see her. He hoped that his mother would acknowledge Ming Yue and make her feel more welcomed.
Tian He was caught off guard with his sudden pull but didn't struggle while she hastily kept up with him and was soon greeted with the sight of her slightly surprised new mother-in-law. She noticed that although her mother-in-law had a few wrinkles around her face, she still looked well-kept and nice. With one look, she knew that her mother-in-law was definitely a beauty in her younger years, it was a no wonder her husband could still look so charming even with that cold face of his, it was probably thanks to this mother-in-law of hers.
Bing Wen looked with a bit of expectation at his mother before pulling Ming Yue closer to him.
"Mother, let me introduce you. This is Ming Yue, my new concubine." And his last, he softly pledged to himself.
Tian He didn't refuse her husband's introduction of her and softly smiled before speaking, "Hello respected mother-in-law, how are you this morning? Ming Yue is glad to be part of this family and hopes that mother-in-law will take care of me from now on."
Madam Yang only took a moment to get over her surprise before looking at her son who was obviously donning a gentle and affectionate expression when he looked at this new concubine of his. Although this new concubine hid it well, she still caught the subtle excitement and care when she saw him pull her earlier.
All of a sudden, it donned on her that this cold and emotionless son of hers might have fell in love and although it looked like this clueless son of hers hadn't realized it yet, she trusted her instincts and believed that their love was mutual. She was excited by this fact, but quickly regained her composure before gently responding to this new daughter-in-law of hers.
"Yue'er, no need to be so polite. Since we are a family, you can just call me mother instead. From now on, I'll be counting on you to take good care of my son, if he troubles you, just come to mother and I'll make sure to set him straight for you." She affectionately held her new daughter-in-law's hand while gently patting it to assure her.
Although Tian He was surprised by her enthusiasm, she nevertheless responded in kind and thanked her for her kind promise. She had to admit that she was a bit nervous on how this new mother-in-law would see her but thanks to her husband's initiative to introduce her, it looked like she gained the favor of her and couldn't be happier to be accepted.
After she gave her new mother-in-law the proof of her losing her virginity, they left the grand hall and she said goodbye to her husband who had to go to the Hall of Fire Element that was stationed nearby for his duties because apparently, this husband of hers with its Hallmaster, and although the position was pretty laxed most of the time, he said that he was needed so she could only reluctantly smile a bit at his departure.
When she returned to the mansion and was about to head to her husband's bedroom since her new mother-in-law deemed that her courtyard wasn't ready yet, she found herself faced with a few familiar faces, all of them had on expensive cosmetics that paired decently with their gorgeous clothing and hairpins that went with their elaborate hairstyles, but contrary to the lovely materials they wore, their faces could be said to be neutral at best.
Oh right, she forgot about these concubines, really, what an impatient bunch of people they are, their husband had just left, and they already couldn't hold themselves back from confronting her. Looking at their semi-cramped faces while they stared at her, she really wanted to chuckle loudly because of the obvious looks of dislike on their faces but since she didn't want to break decorum with them, she'll endure it and see how long they'll last before erupting.
After all, if their taunts don't work, she wondered what kind of interesting ideas they'll come up with to put her in place. In any case, since she had pledged to stay as long as she could in this world, she'll improve her flute playing skills as slow as she could and wouldn't mind accompanying these concubines for fun along the way.
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