Chapter 155: This Madman

"The King has given the order! Advance with all forces to attack Zezhou. We shall take the city of Zezhou in a single stroke, and there must be no failure!"

As the words fell, the officers and soldiers were already mounted on their warhorses, brandishing the long spears in their hands and sweeping towards Zezhou with the irresistible force of a shattered bamboo.

This move naturally caused the rumors that Queen Ji had been abducted by the Wu State to collapse of their own accord. It was only a pity that the Wu State had actually resorted to such base means, vainly attempting to blacken the reputations of their King and Queen. Naturally, such practices filled the soldiers of the Ji State with a sense of injustice, thereby greatly boosting their morale.

In contrast, the soldiers of the Wu State stationed atop the city walls of Zezhou were naturally at a disadvantage when faced with the fierce offensive of the Ji State.

Standing upon a carriage draped in dark robes, Ji Wuqing looked at the scene of Zezhou falling apart without even needing a full siege. "Capture Gongshen Ling'er. This monarch shall make her taste what it is like to be a captive."

The grand army advanced with majestic momentum, as if it were about to swallow this tiny city whole.

It was the afternoon hour, and the sunlight in the mountain forests was warm, with a expanse of secluded green swaying in the wind. The ancient trees in the distance and the dwellings close by were all immersed in a tranquil stillness.

She stood before a dwelling, surrounded by absolute emptiness, with not a soul in sight.

Only her own shadow swayed upon the ground, and her garments fluttered in the breeze...

"Where is this place?" she asked herself, looking around with a hint of confusion.

"Does this young lady wish to dine or lodge here?" Suddenly, a steady woman's voice reached her ears. She turned her head, but no one was to be seen.

"Pardon me, where is this place?" She looked around carefully; indeed, there was not half a shadow of a person. Could she be inside the house?

With this thought, she moved her steps. However, the moment she had barely moved half a step, that voice spoke, "Do not move, I am right behind you." The voice was very gentle, seemingly belonging to an elder woman.

She was right behind her...

Yet there was no one behind her...

A crisp breeze swept past, and the surroundings were completely quiet, save for the sound of distant birdsong. That birdsong was somewhat peculiar, shrill and desolate. It was precisely the cry of a crow, sounding like a sudden thunderclap piercing through the sky, growing closer and closer.

Her gaze fixed upon the ground. Right beside her, a tall shadow stood quietly next to her own shadow.

Was the shadow speaking?

"Little girl, it is me." The shadow seemed to sense her gaze. It shifted its footing slightly, slowly moving closer to her until their shadows merged into one.

She stood in place without moving, feeling a chilly gloom slowly approach from behind.

"As for me, I am a vengeful ghost, unable to find release after death, harboring much grief and indignation within my heart..." The shadow swayed its body, resembling erratic brushstrokes painted haphazardly upon the ground. Its hand seemed to touch her cheek. "Here in our realm, there are still many ghosts who cannot find release..."

With that, layer upon layer of dark shadows slowly covered the surroundings, accumulating gradually like gathering storm clouds in the sky.

They emitted strange sounds, cold and shrill, like muffled noises emerging from the throats of crows.

Xue Xue shifted her gaze to take in the scene before her. She seemed to be surrounded by these shadows, the biting cold creeping close from all sides, seeping into her bones from the outside in.

Was this real, or was it her dream...

She stroked her own brow, feeling nothing at all.

This was a dream—a dream both real and bizarre.

"Xue'er..."

Whose voice was it?

She raised her head in a daze.

"Xue'er..." The voice was right beside her ear, and that person seemed to be right beside her. She could not help turning her head, and a familiar face entered her vision.

He looked at her with a smile, an aura as refined and elegant as bamboo revealing itself between his brows. That pair of deep eyes was gazing fixedly at her, filled with warmth and tenderness, as if she were once again enveloped by the warm sunlight, and the surrounding chill slowly dissipated.

"Why do you only look at me? Have you forgotten who I am?" He drew closer, breathing a warm mist from his lips.

"Because I am afraid you might suddenly vanish." She blinked unblinkingly at him, reluctant to let go of this present beauty.

"Silly Xue'er, dreams must eventually wake... Only when the dream wakes can I find you..." A gentle smile curled at the corners of his mouth—a smile that made her willingly drown within it. Yet his face slowly blurred, resembling a reflection in water that would scatter at the slightest touch.

"Ziqing..." she murmured involuntarily, pouring out all her longing and reluctance to part.

Ziqing?

A slight stiffness crossed Liuqiu Liye's expression. He propped himself up to look at the person sleeping uneasily on the couch. Fine beads of sweat still beaded her forehead, as if she were having a nightmare. Her delicate and somewhat heroic brows were furrowed lightly, at this moment revealing a trace of lingering attachment and distress.

He had constantly worried about her, yet her heart was all along yearning for Ji Wuqing?

This was undoubtedly a supreme irony.

With this thought, his hand reached toward the nape of her neck. Her neck was indeed slender; a single hand of his could snap it. It was a pity there was only one Xue Xue in this world, and should she die, there would no longer be such a person.

Xue Xue in her slumber only felt her breathing become somewhat uncomfortable, though not entirely unbearable. She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Liuqiu Liye, close enough to touch.

She narrowed her eyes, only then realizing she was sleeping on a couch, while Liuqiu Liye's hand was still resting on the back of her neck.

"You're finally awake." He stroked her neck, then shifted to tuck the quilt around her, as if his previous action had been done quite casually.

Xue Xue looked at him. She remembered now; she seemed to have fainted outside. At that time, her body had suddenly experienced some abnormality, both aching with a headache and lacking all strength. Now that she had awakened, she no longer felt that sensation.

"This lord knows, you must hate me even more now, right?" He could sense her incomprehension and disbelief regarding his actions, even though she had ultimately compromised and said nothing at all.

Where did this notion of "hating him even more" come from?

"I never liked you in the first place..." End of story.

"Is that so? That's just as well, for this lord has no wish to be liked by you either..." His fingers drifted gently to her cheek, rubbing it lightly. Because she was so pristine, he could not bear to stain her dark. "However, being so blunt really makes this lord quite furious..."

He spoke softly, his fox-like eyes slowly fixing upon those rosy lips. Her lips were pressed together lightly, resembling a flower in the morning dew...

Detecting his gaze, Xue Xue felt a degree of incomprehension. That bizarre Liuqiu Liye had appeared once more...

Suddenly, however, his gaze intersected with hers, the malice in his eyes colliding with her confusion.

In a flash, his palm cupped her cheek, lifting it slightly as his lips pressed squarely down upon hers.

"Mph..." she gasped in startled exclamation, and the next moment she had already reached out to push him away forcefully.

Liuqiu Liye firmly clasped her wrists, pinning her hands aside onto the soft pillow.

Xue Xue was left with no remaining strength to resist, even her legs being completely suppressed by him.

This madman!

Anger flared in her heart. With her free hand, she grabbed blindly at his cascading long hair and pulled backward with all her might.

Regrettably, this had no effect whatsoever on Liuqiu Liye; instead, a trace of amusement flashed across his eyes.

Xue Xue, on the contrary, calmed down. She bit down hard onto his lips, and the taste of blood instantly spread through the air.

"Hiss..." Liuqiu Liye finally raised his head. The sight of blood seeping from his lips made him appear all the more enchanting and alluring.

He raised his eyes to gaze at Xue Xue, whose watery eyes glared at him in furious anger. Instead of growing enraged at being bitten, he laughed despite himself. "You look so much better when you're angry."

He licked the tooth mark on his lips, a half-smile apparent on his face that seemed to convey a hint of delight.

"Liuqiu Liye, you are too insolent!" Her cold gaze fixed upon him.

"Little Xue, you forget, I am not Ji Wuqing. I will not bend to your will in everything. Since you already hate me... you might as well hate me a little more." The corners of his mouth curved into a malicious arc, which, matched with the scratch on his cheek, made him appear incomparably wicked.

What did this have to do with Ziqing? Furthermore—

"You are thinking too much, Liuqiu Liye. I merely dislike you; it doesn't quite amount to hatred. Besides, hating someone is a troublesome affair, and I cannot be bothered to waste the time." Regarding Liuqiu Liye as a whole, she truly...

"Oh? So I don't even qualify to be hated by you?" Was that how it was?

Neither liking him nor hating him, perhaps in her eyes he was simply an insignificant person of no consequence.

"Do you know what you are saying?" Xue Xue quietly stared at him, never expecting that Liuqiu Liye would also begin to obsess over such a question.

"Little Xue, you actually regard me as nothing. How audacious." He lowered his torso, bending his arms to rest them upon the pillow, enveloping her within his aura.

Xue Xue remained silent, simply meeting his gaze directly without the slightest evasion. Her eyes were pure, resembling a spring of cool water—cold and profound, making anyone who looked into them feel as though they were about to sink within.

Liuqiu Liye looked into her eyes, feeling a strange sensation stir within his heart for reasons unknown.

"Liuqiu Liye, remember the pact between us." She had followed him here solely for the sacred medicine of the Wu State.

"Hah." Liuqiu Liye let out a cold laugh. He straightened his body and stepped down from the couch. "Rest assured, the promise this lord made to you will not change."

With those words, he strode out of the door, his expression instantly sweeping away the half-smile from moments before to become incomparably gloomy. This caused Yunwu, who had been guarding outside the door, to step forward with immediate caution and care. "Lord Sovereign, news has come from Zezhou. Zezhou is likely untenable."

Hearing this, Liuqiu Liye halted in his steps, his face devoid of any surprise. "Is there more?"

"There is also news concerning the Young Lord..." After Yunwu recounted Gongshen Ling'er's actions within Zezhou, he immediately sensed that the Sovereign's expression had turned markedly wrong. Such heavy pressure caused him to lower his head involuntarily.

In the current situation, it would be best for them to unite with Elder Yue and the others sooner rather than later; otherwise, the mountains and rivers of this Wu State...

Yet these words were not something he dared to voice aloud at present, for the Sovereign's expression right now was simply too terrifying.

"Gongshen Ling'er, that absolute fool."