Tan Hua - Chapter 114: The Star of Stardust, the Warmth of the Sun

Chapter 114: The Star of Stardust, the Warmth of the Sun

Pei Xingxu leaned weakly against the bars of the prison, exhausted from crying. He opened his mouth, struggling to breathe.

“Li Qing, am I useless?” Pei Xingxu said blankly. “Loulan fell in my hands, I failed to live up to Father’s expectations. I couldn’t be a wise king or a dutiful son. Even when it comes to love, I love but cannot have. I’m such a failure.”

Song Liqing reached out and gently smoothed the stray hair on his forehead.

Pei Xingxu was in poor condition. His hair was dry and straw-colored, as if he had reached the end of his strength.

Finally, he couldn’t hold on anymore and coughed up a small mouthful of blood.

But the blood was thick and dark.

Song Liqing panicked and turned to Jun Qiyu for help.

“Jun Qiyu, can you save him? Brother Qi Miao is just outside the city. With his medical skills, he’ll surely have a way. Please help me.”

Although Jun Qiyu wasn’t skilled in medicine, he could tell from the clotted blood that Pei Xingxu’s internal organs were damaged and bleeding. Combined with the terminal illness of blood exhaustion, Pei Xingxu’s time was running out.

“Liqing, his fate is sealed.”

“We haven’t tried yet; how do you know? At least let’s wait for Imperial Physician Qi…”

Song Liqing clung to a faint glimmer of hope, but Pei Xingxu grabbed his hand.

“Liqing, what will come, must come.” Pei Xingxu forced a smile. “Take me outside to feel the sun. It’s so cold here in this dark dungeon. I just want to feel the sunlight outside.”

“Alright.”

Song Liqing helped him up, but Pei Xingxu’s legs trembled, unable to support himself. Seeing this, Jun Qiyu stepped forward.

“Let me.”

As Jun Qiyu carried Pei Xingxu out of the prison, night had already fallen. There was no sunlight, but outside, a red glow illuminated everything, and waves of heat surged forward.

Song Liqing was stunned. His eyes fell on the distant scene, which was already engulfed in flames, spreading toward the royal palace and the dungeon.

The west wind fanned the flames into roaring dragons, consuming everything in their path.

Jun Qiyu put Pei Xingxu down and nodded to Song Liqing. Song Liqing understood he was going to find a way out; otherwise, they would all perish in the fire.

“It’s so warm…”

Pei Xingxu leaned against the wall, tilting his head to feel the distant heat.

“Today’s sunlight must be beautiful.”

Song Liqing couldn’t bear to shatter the illusion. He sat beside him and said, “The weather is clear.”

Pei Xingxu reached out to hold Song Liqing’s hand, though he was too weak to grasp tightly. Song Liqing responded with a bit more strength.

Pei Xingxu’s lips moved slightly. “I know you have feelings for me, but they’re the feelings of a younger brother for his elder brother, aren’t they?”

Song Liqing couldn’t answer clearly. The feelings he had for Jun Qiyu and Pei Xingxu were indeed different, something he had only come to understand recently.

Pei Xingxu exhaled shakily. “I’ve known all along, but I just couldn’t accept it. I shouldn’t have been so greedy. I tried so hard to win your love, to prove that you loved me, but love isn’t something you can force. I kept wondering what I lacked compared to Jun Qiyu. Now I finally understand.”

“Xingxu, don’t say that. You’re no less than anyone else. You have talents and warmth that Jun Qiyu doesn’t. Why compare yourself to him? If not for me, you could have had a happy love, a good life.”

“Yes.” Pei Xingxu’s voice was weak. “But I don’t regret it at all. I was just a little late… If I had met you before Jun Qiyu, things would have been different.”

Song Liqing felt a bitterness rise in his throat and swallowed hard.

Fate’s arrangements were the most helpless things in the world.

Pei Xingxu’s smile was faint. “If only I’d appeared earlier. That’s all. So I blame no one, only the heavens for their cruel design, putting me second. If I had come first, the ending… might have been different.”

Song Liqing stared at the burning city, his eyes reflecting the blazing red.

“I never meant to hurt you. I did it so Jun Qiyu would cherish you more. He’s changed now. He’ll treat you well. But… don’t forget me. Someone in this world once loved you deeply—his name was Pei Xingxu. Ha, how contradictory I am, wishing you’d forget me yet fearing you’ll truly forget me.”

Jun Qiyu returned with a horse.

“It’s time to go,” Jun Qiyu said softly.

Song Liqing nodded. The fire had already consumed half the palace.

“Xingxu, Imperial Physician Qi is just outside the city. You know his skills. He can work miracles. Let’s go together.”

Song Liqing tried to help him up, but Pei Xingxu let go of his hand.

“Liqing, you go.”

Song Liqing opened his mouth to persuade him, but Pei Xingxu shook his head.

“The Loulan royal city must be nearly gone by now, right?” Pei Xingxu said. “Though I’ve lost my sight, I can still hear it. The sound of such a great fire—how could it be sunlight? Thank you for trying to make me happy. I’m content, Liqing.”

Song Liqing felt utterly powerless.

Pei Xingxu had abandoned all will to live.

As he said, he had lost everything.

Even the sunlight he longed for came at the cruel cost of his kingdom and his home burning.

Such a small wish required such a brutal price.

Jun Qiyu couldn’t help but speak. “Pei Xingxu, why torment yourself like this? Back then, you clung to the faintest hope for Liqing. Now, when it’s your own life, how can you give up so easily?”

“It’s the end. It’s already the end.” Pei Xingxu’s dry lips moved. “All things have their time. Loulan has lasted for centuries. It’s grown old. Since I couldn’t protect it, I’ll fade with it.”

Jun Qiyu looked at the approaching flames. The heat waves were almost scorching their faces. There was no time to waste.

“Liqing, we must go.”

Song Liqing didn’t move.

“Liqing, there’s no time.”

It was Jun Qiyu who pulled Song Liqing onto the horse. Everything around them receded rapidly, including Pei Xingxu.

All around were collapsing beams and the crackle of sparks. The roaring flames drowned out Song Liqing’s cries.

He kept looking back, seeing Pei Xingxu sitting quietly by the bars, his face calm as if admiring the sunset. He watched as Pei Xingxu and Loulan turned to ashes together.

Song Liqing suddenly remembered their first meeting. Back then, Pei Xingxu’s eyes were as clear as emeralds. He was full of vigor and nobility, yet so approachable it felt like spring sunlight. He had introduced himself with a smile.

“I’ll remember. Your name is Pei Xingxu… Xing as in stardust, Xu as in the warmth of the sun.”

Song Liqing murmured the words, and a tear rolled down his chin, vanishing into the flames.