Chapter 176: Whoever Loves Deepest, Suffers Most

The night sky was dotted with countless stars, shining with extraordinary brilliance.

She sat outside the carriage, looking up at the sky with a hint of melancholy in her heart. Why on earth had she followed Qiuqiu Liyie all the way to the capital of the Wu Kingdom? Although she had come with a purpose, she had gained absolutely nothing.

It seemed that this entire trip was destined to be a wasted effort.

Why had Qiuqiu Liyie developed such romantic feelings for her?

And why had Ji Wuqing given up the sacred medicine that was already within his grasp just for her?

Everything seemed to trace back to its origin, and it was all because of her...

Not only was the war between the two nations fought on her account, but the thousand-insect poison in Ji Wuqing's body was also because of her, and even Qiuqiu Liyie's internal injuries seemed to stem from her. She had never imagined that she would become the starting point of all these upheavals.

She hugged her knees, lost in deep thought.

Ever since the destruction of the Yu Kingdom, all she desired was a simple and peaceful life. Yet, with her current state of mind, she could no longer relate to those thoughts from the past. Now, she no longer wanted to be the cause of any more turmoil; she just wanted to return to the Ji Kingdom with Ziqing and let everything here become a thing of the past.

Some things seemed impossible to figure out, much like unraveling silk from a cocoon only to find that the original shape could never be recovered.

However, she was still Xue Xue—the rational and clear-headed Xue Xue.

"My lord has matters on her mind." Liyin appeared beside her at some point, his eyes gazing at her quietly.

"When you died, what were you thinking about?" Without looking at him, she simply gazed up at the starry sky and asked.

"Perhaps I was repenting, perhaps I was regretting, but ultimately, I didn't want to die." Back then, he had harbored an intense obsession in his heart, and even after death, it remained.

"If repentance and regret were useful, wouldn't the person you loved still be alive? I remember you asking me once if you could figure something out, you would tell me. Now, I can give you the answer. No, actually, the answer has always been there; you just failed to see through it." Xue Xue said, "If we must name the murderer of Yuan Xue, that murderer is you."

She withdrew her gaze from the starry sky and looked steadily at Liyin.

She caught the subtle change on his face—a mixture of shock and expected realization.

"No one forced her; she drank the poison of her own free will." If Yuan Xue had not wanted to die, with her cleverness and intelligence, she would not have sat back and waited for her doom.

Not to mention having General Yuan to back her up, even though General Yuan merely viewed her as a convenient pawn.

"I know. She no longer had any expectations of me. And I, perhaps, was just looking for a reason to go on living." Liyin smiled unexpectedly. "My lord, isn't it rather ridiculous? The moment I was reborn, I thought I had been granted a chance at redemption. I even thought about keeping you to myself, believing we could start over. But those absurd notions were nothing more than a facade to comfort myself. I knew I had no qualification. She died, leaving only her body behind, while I appeared to be alive, yet had already been dead for a long time."

His words were remarkably penetrating; a single word—death—was enough to see through everything.

"She has always lived in your heart." Xue Xue glanced at him, then turned her head away, staring blankly at the starlit sky without speaking further.

Inside the carriage, Ji Wuqing listened to the conversation between the two outside.

He did not feel any displeasure; he merely leaned against the carriage and pondered quietly.

When the outside fell silent and Liyin had departed, he lifted the curtain and sat down beside Xue Xue.

"It feels as though everything has turned chaotic, reducing all these events to something simple and naive." She leaned against the carriage, gazing distantly at the starry sky, her voice tinged with bewilderment. "Did you all take the wrong path from the very beginning? Or was it me who was wrong..."

"Hmm? Where do you think you went wrong?" Ji Wuqing asked with a feigned look of confusion.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have appeared in this era at all. I don't belong here." Xue Xue said.

"But you belong to me; that was destined." He draped his outer robe over her, letting her lean against his shoulder. "Though my Xue'er is quite capable of attracting the attention of others, these matters are not something you can control. Besides, this is a struggle between men; it's not as simple as you think."

The struggle for power and the battle for the realm were not things that happened overnight.

"I'm starting to feel puzzled. Every single one of these occurrences is inextricably linked to me. I am neither cowardly nor plagued by guilt; it's just that for a moment, I can't quite make sense of it all. I consider myself someone who doesn't go looking for trouble, so why can't things ever remain calm? Could it be that 'the trees desire silence, but the wind refuses to stop'?" She gazed at the stars, tilting her head to rest naturally against his shoulder, feeling both lost and perplexed.

"Trust me, all of this will be over soon."

"That's not right." Suddenly, Xue Xue raised her head and looked at Ji Wuqing sitting beside her. "Given our current relationship... I should probably still be angry with you."

"Let's talk about that later. Don't you think the atmosphere just now was simply perfect?" The Prince raised an eyebrow, his handsome face carrying the undeniable suspicion of employing a "beauty trap."

"That's your specialty—changing the subject." Xue Xue suddenly chuckled.

"Ah, you're finally smiling." He reached out and gently brushed her cheek, appearing to let out a sigh of relief.

"Actually, it's nothing; I was just feeling a bit melancholy all of a sudden. So many things happened today that caught me off guard. It feels as though nothing else matters, as long as... as long as you keep watch by my side... or I keep watch by yours." She smiled, and in just an instant, it seemed as though she had figured everything out rather than stubbornly trapping herself in a dead end.

The world was ever-changing; although she did not know what would happen to Ziqing without the sacred medicine, cherishing the present moment was her best choice. No matter what happened to him, she would stay by his side. What did it matter if she was the one guarding him?

Listening to her gentle, tender words, it felt almost like a promise made to him.

"Silly Xue'er." He couldn't help but ruffle her hair, the corners of his lips curving upward. Then, he leaned in and kissed her forehead, feeling the skin and warmth of her brow even through her bangs. "Actually, the medicine Luohua prescribed for me is still effective. At worst, your husband will simply give up fighting and killing from now on and become a scholarly, gentle emperor."

Xue Xue was stunned for a moment before suddenly realizing what he meant.

"Then you can abandon martial arts for literature. No matter what kind of person you are, I like you."

"You must be deeply, hopelessly in love with me then."

"..." She leaned against his shoulder and let out a soft laugh. "In your dreams."

"Then your husband will just dream on, because that proves Xue'er loves me deeply and hopelessly." He had plenty of twisted logic, yet by his own reasoning, it sounded rather persuasive.

"Then I suppose I'll reluctantly love you deeply and hopelessly." The corners of her lips curved upward.

"Is it really just reluctantly? Won't that make you look far too stingy?" The Prince persisted, refusing to let the matter drop.

Xue Xue couldn't help but burst into laughter. Who else would bargain over such a thing?

As she laughed, Ji Wuqing looked at her with a smile, watching her genuine delight. Gradually, her laughter subsided, and her gaze drifted into the depths of his eyes. With their eyes locked, something happened quite naturally—

"Someone's watching..." Xue Xue let out a low, startled gasp. After all, their traveling guards were all around!

"Shh, they wouldn't dare." Despite his words, the Prince promptly lifted the carriage curtain and scooped her up into the carriage.

Carried inside, Xue Xue was swiftly pressed down onto the small couch, followed immediately by a dense, lingering series of kisses. The eager and domineering nature of his kisses stripped away her previous lucidity, leaving her lying on the couch entirely at his mercy.

Having been separated for nearly a month, their reunion naturally lacked a bit of restraint.

Dizzy from his kisses and feeling her senses slip away, Xue Xue still vaguely remembered that they were still inside a carriage...

By then, however, the Prince had already untied her outer garments, one hand hooking around her waist as he lowered his head to pepper her with kisses, his lips pressing against the half-unbuttoned clothing at her waist and abdomen...

Startled by his movements, Xue Xue almost let out a gasp.

How could he possibly...

Yet the Prince showed no intention of stopping, his lips lingering along her waist and abdomen, even using his mouth to gently pull open the clothes covering her midsection, pressing his bare lips directly against the skin of her waist.

The skin beneath his lips was smooth as jade, prompting him to mischievously graze it with his teeth.

"Ji Wuqing..." Unable to care about anything else, Xue Xue finally mustered some strength, blindly reaching up to grab his hair and pull him back up.

"What is it..." The Prince looked at her with a mix of confusion and grievance, his handsome face flushed with an unnatural red, his deep eyes resembling bottomless pools that made it impossible to pull oneself away, sinking deeper and deeper.

"If you keep messing around, I'm going to throw you out of the carriage." Though her own face was flushed, her words carried considerable momentum—she meant every word.

Sensing that as delectable as Xue'er was, being tossed out of the carriage would completely ruin his dignity, the Prince decided to compromise—though only a partial compromise.

"If Xue'er doesn't like it, your husband will be obedient." With that, he propped himself up on his hands, lifting his head while his gaze remained fixed firmly on her.

Suddenly, he lowered his head again, pressing close to the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent with slightly hurried breaths. "Xue'er smells so good..."

A moment later, Xue Xue felt a warm, damp sensation against her neck.

The Prince flicked his tongue lightly against her skin, as if savoring a delicious delicacy.

"Did you not eat your fill tonight, or something?" Xue Xue asked, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Mmm, that's why I'm having a midnight snack..."

"..." Xue Xue decisively took action, once again grabbing a handful of his hair.

"You're cheating; you just used that trick." The Prince immediately protested.

He was her husband, after all; being manhandled by her like this completely threatened his dignity. Though he didn't need any dignity in front of his Xue'er, he still desired a bit of tender affection with a soft beauty in his arms.

"Who told you to be so mischievous?" Xue Xue looked at him, a trace of amusement dancing in her eyes.

There she went—not only had she developed a habit of grabbing his hair, but she was now laughing at him for losing his dignity in front of her.

"Well, in that case, your husband doesn't need to hold back anymore. I'll just have to satisfy Xue'er right now..." He smiled mischievously, speaking with supreme justification.

With that, he immediately lowered his head and captured her lips, swallowing the laughter at the corners of her mouth.

After several rounds, Xue Xue was left breathless and utterly weak, completely devoid of the energy to trade barbs with him anymore.

"Behaves nicely now, doesn't she?" The Prince said with playful triumph. Xue Xue turned her face away and lay on the small couch, ignoring him completely.

He rolled over to lie beside her, wrapping them both tightly in a blanket. The lingering, enchanting atmosphere inside the carriage slowly faded away.

"Sleep." He held her tightly, closing his eyes.

"Mmm." Xue Xue snuggled closer into his embrace.