Chapter 291: Shifted? The Dragon’s Instincts
Beneath the abyss, it looked serene, but a soul-devouring darkness lurked within.
Ji Qingwu looked closer and discovered she was growing above the Xuanlong’s bedchamber.
The Xuanlong was submerged, and with a casual swish of its tail, it churned the water into a chaotic, upward surge.
Even Ji Qingwu’s disc-like lotus leaves, floating above, could not escape. They filled with water from the pool, nearly collapsing under the weight.
...
Once the water’s surface finally calmed, Ji Qingwu suddenly recalled something. It was said that dragons were libidinous by nature.
This Xuanlong had even touched her with whiskers slick with its saliva...
’How despicable.’
’One day, when I’ve recovered my strength, I will have my revenge!’
*
「As night fell.」
The warm glow of the lamps in Zhaoyang Hall illuminated the vast, tranquil space, making it as bright as day.
When Ji Qingwu awoke again, a bone-deep soreness still lingered throughout her body.
It felt as if millions of fine, electrified needles were gently pricking her beneath the skin.
She slowly opened her eyes. The slightest movement caused a delicate moan to escape her lips. Her throat was dry and itchy.
Even swallowing was painful.
Worse, her entire body ached as if she had been dragged to a training hall to spar with a grandmaster for a full day.
Thankfully, however, her body was dry and clean, free of any sticky sweat.
She glanced down to see she had been changed into a fresh, pea-green nightgown, with matching undergarments neatly in place beneath it.
A thin blanket covered her, carrying the faint, pleasant scent of fresh herbs.
Ji Qingwu lifted it to peek and, just as she suspected, felt nothing constricting her legs—only a strange, drafty coolness.
’Emperor Wu Su dressed me in a top, so why couldn’t he have just pulled on my silk trousers while he was at it?’
Ji Qingwu bit her lip, then immediately released it. They were too swollen and sore.
A faint noise echoed in the hall.
She groggily looked toward the source of the sound, only to realize she wasn’t on the spacious Dragon Bed, but had been placed on a soft couch to the side.
Four Palace Attendants were carefully tidying the bedding and pillows on the Dragon Bed, their movements light and methodical.
The moment Ji Qingwu saw the jade pillow, she quickly averted her gaze. Memories woven from humiliation and shame flooded her mind, jolting her fully awake.
Li Yuzong stood to the side, directing them. His old face was beaded with sweat, but he wore a joyful expression.
He then went to the door to call in several eunuchs, who began gesturing and making measurements around the dark, purple-lacquered Dragon Bed.
The sound of steady footsteps approached.
Emperor Wu Su emerged leisurely from the bathing chamber in the side hall, his damp black hair half-draped down his back, looking utterly refreshed.
Ji Qingwu glanced at him before quickly looking away, her eyes falling on the Ruyi Pattern of the blanket. ’He must have cleaned me up from our... mess... before seeing to himself.’
’So he does have a conscience. A small one, but it’s there.’
Seeing that Ji Qingwu was awake, Zhao Mingyan walked straight to the couch. He carried a rich, mellow scent of cool pine mixed with Agarwood.
Ji Qingwu’s nose twitched. She sniffed carefully and detected another faint scent, one that was neither floral nor fruity.
’The scent clinging to him, the one even a bath couldn’t wash away... it was hers.’
Zhao Mingyan sat down, his side pressing against her thigh. Ji Qingwu tried to shift away, but hissed in pain the moment she tried to lift her hips.
The Emperor’s voice had returned to its usual deep, cool timbre, but his eyes were full of gentleness as he asked, "Does it still hurt?"
For some reason, Ji Qingwu was reminded of the saying that once you were on the Dragon Bed, several lives wouldn’t be enough to survive it.
Her expression serene, she answered coolly, "It doesn’t hurt."
Zhao Mingyan raised an eyebrow. "I seem to recall someone begging me to be a little gentler."
’His words just made her teeth itch with indignation. She had begged, but it had been useless. In fact, he had only become more relentless in tormenting her.’
Ji Qingwu feigned an air of breezy indifference, as if it were all water under the bridge.
"Perhaps Your Majesty misheard."
Little did she know, if she were to look in a mirror, she would see her own pitiful state—the very picture of a woman who had been thoroughly ravaged.
Her eyes, clear as autumn pools, shimmered with a light that was equal parts vexation and pleasure.
But her eyes were rimmed with red and her eyelids were slightly swollen, giving her an air of innocent, broken beauty.
Zhao Mingyan simply gazed at her, his eyes warm, a smile playing on his lips as he remained silent.
From the far side of the bedchamber, where Li Yuzong was, came the sound of a bed frame scraping against stone floor tiles as it was moved.
Ji Qingwu looked over, wondering why on earth they were moving the Dragon Bed.
She asked, "Your Majesty, what are Eunuch Li and the others doing?"
Emperor Wu Su glanced over before his gaze returned to her face.
"The bed’s placement is very particular. It needs to be adjusted."
Growing more confused, Ji Qingwu asked, "Was the Dragon Bed’s previous position incorrect? Was it affecting Your Majesty’s health?"
’She had heard that there was a great deal of esoteric knowledge surrounding the placement of a bed, but she never thought Emperor Wu Su would be one to believe that feng shui alone could nourish his imperial aura.’
Zhao Mingyan said flatly, "No."
When he refused to elaborate, Ji Qingwu gently placed her hand on his wrist.
"Your Majesty."
Her fingers tapped against his wrist bone, a silent urging.
Zhao Mingyan’s eyes deepened as he said slowly, with great significance, "The bed was... displaced."
Displaced.
The bed.
Ji Qingwu pieced the words together. Her eyelashes fluttered, and the light in her eyes flickered.
The solid wood bed weighed over a thousand pounds.
Now, there was not only a gap between it and the wall, but a closer look revealed scrape marks on the floor tiles.
’If the bed was knocked out of place, what did that say about her, a creature of mere flesh and blood...?’
Ji Qingwu glared at Emperor Wu Su, but the man before her showed not the slightest hint of remorse.
Instead, his brow lifted in a faintly smug expression, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with relaxed contentment.
’In the end, Ji Qingwu admitted defeat. When it came to shamelessness, she was truly no match for him.’
Before her face could burn any hotter, she pulled the blanket up high, hiding her small face. The pale, delicate fingertips gripping the blanket’s edge looked like freshly bloomed pear blossoms.
Li Yuzong quickly finished tidying the bedchamber and led his subordinates in a silent retreat.
Once they were gone, Emperor Wu Su amusedly tugged the blanket away, revealing her glistening eyes.
He then wrapped her snugly in the blanket and swept her up into his arms.
The Emperor’s embrace was both reassuring and terrifying.
Ji Qingwu’s eyes flew open in alarm as the ground grew more and more distant.
Zhao Mingyan walked with steady steps toward the far side of the bedchamber, promising her emphatically, "Relax. I’m not going to do anything to you."
However, Ji Qingwu’s furrowed brow and wide eyes told him plainly.
She didn’t believe him one bit.
He had said the same thing before, only to teach her a harsh lesson the moment her body went soft and her guard was down—
a man’s words between the sheets can never be trusted.
Zhao Mingyan recalled that moment as well. A faint smile touched his lips, and he offered no further explanation.
He placed her back on the Dragon Bed, which was enclosed on three sides. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Ji Qingwu rolled toward the far side, determined to keep her distance.
But he effortlessly scooped her back with a single arm.
His voice dropped. "Don’t move."