Tan Hua - Chapter 84: Get Out!

Chapter 84: Get Out!

 

“You misheard,” Pei Xingxu said firmly.

 

“Uh… really?” Song Liqing was still a bit doubtful.

 

“Liqing, don’t overthink. Didn’t we agree to forget him? From now on, he’s someone from a completely different world.”

 

Song Liqing nodded and walked into the hall with Pei Xingxu.

 

“I just feel like the Demon Lord is secretly hiding near me. I can always sense his presence, hear his voice, smell his scent, and even… even think that little cousin’s behavior, speech, and tone are just like his.”

 

Pei Xingxu noticed something and asked, “Have you had much contact with him in private?”

 

Realizing he had slipped, Song Liqing immediately cupped his hands over his lips.

 

“N-No contact.”

 

Song Liqing wasn’t good at hiding things, and guilt was written all over his face.

 

“Liqing, are you hiding things from me now?” Pei Xingxu’s tone darkened.

 

“I’m not…”

 

Song Liqing was startled by his stern tone, so different from his usual gentle and elegant demeanor, even carrying a touch of intimidating hostility.

 

“Tell me,” Pei Xingxu enunciated each word slowly.

 

Song Liqing trembled, his eyes welling up as he froze in fear.

 

“Brother Xingxu, please… don’t be so fierce.”

 

Pei Xingxu was consumed by an inexplicable jealousy.

 

Jun Qiyu, with his false identity, had easily intertwined himself with Song Liqing.

 

“Why would you have private dealings with an outsider and hide it from me? Aren’t I the closest person to you?”

 

Song Liqing hastily waved his hands, “I didn’t hide anything… I went to the kitchen late at night to sneak some snacks and milk wine, and he caught me… I didn’t dare tell you because I was afraid you’d scold me…”

 

Pei Xingxu asked in a deep voice, “Just secretly drinking?”

 

“Yes!” Song Liqing nodded vigorously, his unfocused eyes brimming with mist.

 

Pei Xingxu looked into his eyes, softened his tone, and wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes.

 

“Brother Xingxu…” Song Liqing said, still shaken.

 

“Hm, don’t do that again.”

 

Pei Xingxu’s tone softened a lot. He kissed Song Liqing on the lips. Song Liqing, still in shock, remained motionless.

 

Pei Xingxu leaned in more, attempting to part his lips, but Song Liqing came to his senses and shrank back.

 

Pei Xingxu let go of his lips, the despair in his eyes giving way to numbness.

 

Even though he was so close to Song Liqing, they were worlds apart.

 

No matter what he did, there was always an abyss separating them—a chasm called Jun Qiyu.

 

“Summon Prince Su Zhao of the Illy Kingdom to my palace,” Pei Xingxu ordered a servant.

 

When Su Zhao entered the golden hall, his face was full of smug delight.

 

“Changed your mind?” Su Zhao asked.

 

“I wouldn’t have called you otherwise,” Pei Xingxu replied coldly.

 

Su Zhao laughed. “Now that’s the way. We’re both men, and desires are natural. Why act like those virtuous sages from the Central Plains? If you’d realized this earlier, you might already be inseparable with Song Liqing.”

 

“I need an honest answer from you,” Pei Xingxu asked solemnly. “Does your sorcery harm him?”

 

Su Zhao clicked his tongue. “I’ve already told you, this isn’t harmful sorcery. It’s just to make him willingly devote himself to you…”

 

…

 

Jun Qiyu rode his horse around the city of the Loulan Kingdom twice. The northwestern wind aged him quickly. If he went a day without trimming his beard, it would grow wild, and his sunken eyes made him look deep-set, with all the former brilliance gone.

 

He glanced back at the royal palace, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.

 

Joy because he had finally heard news that Song Liqing was alive. Sorrow because he had completely lost him.

 

From now on, Song Liqing belonged to someone else and had nothing to do with him.

 

Jun Qiyu dared not look back on how many mistakes he had made. He only wondered if, on the day Song Liqing proposed their separation, he had just softened a little, compromised a bit, instead of confronting him head-on, whether things might have ended differently.

 

“Your Highness, let’s go,” Elder Qi urged. “If we delay further, it will be dark before we reach the post station.”

 

Jun Qiyu gripped the reins tightly. Once he left, he would truly be giving Song Liqing away.

 

But they had just married—what right did he have to continue entangling himself in their lives?

 

“Your Highness, no matter how reluctant you are, you must preserve the dignity of the Crown Prince of Jing Kingdom!” Elder Qi reminded him.

 

“Understood.” Jun Qiyu nodded numbly, then suddenly pulled the reins, turning his horse around and dragging Elder Qi’s horse with him.

 

“My dignity has long been worthless!”

 

Elder Qi, unskilled in riding, almost fell backward when his horse bolted, barely steadying himself by grabbing the saddle.

 

The two horses galloped straight back to the Loulan Palace.

 

Jun Qiyu went directly to Pei Xingxu’s palace.

 

“Liqing!”

 

The guards at the door drew their swords to stop him, but he grabbed the blade and twisted it aside.

 

“Liqing!”

 

Jun Qiyu barged in. The maids inside, terrified of this ferocious man, hurriedly scattered.

 

“Liqing…”

 

Jun Qiyu stopped outside the bedroom, stunned by the scene inside.

 

Through the jeweled curtain, he saw two figures embracing closely. One had their arm over the other’s shoulder, the other held their waist, and the two were pressed tightly together.

 

They gazed at each other affectionately, then kissed.

 

“Mmm—”

 

A low, immersed moan came from inside.

 

“Liqing…”

 

Jun Qiyu stood outside, his feet nailed to the ground.

 

His eyes widened to their limit. The sight inside was a heavy blow.

 

A storm of emotions surged within him: jealousy, rage, unwillingness, heartbreak… each like a bitter medicine, mixed into a painful concoction that numbed his heart and constricted his throat, leaving him speechless.

 

He even forgot to breathe. Everything in the air seemed frozen.

 

Only the scene inside remained, replaying endlessly and cruelly carving into his heart.

 

When the people inside began undressing, revealing a slender back, Jun Qiyu’s knees nearly gave out. He grabbed a nearby porcelain vase for support, but it toppled and shattered into countless shards.

 

The noise startled the people inside.

 

Song Liqing’s dazed eyes refocused as he realized Pei Xingxu was pressing down on him, breathing heavily, and his smooth, delicate shoulder was being gripped.

 

“I already bathed, Brother Xingxu… Why are you taking off my clothes?” Song Liqing tilted his head and asked.

 

Pei Xingxu frowned, his eyelids twitching.

 

It had taken all his resolve to get this far. Just one more step, and he and Song Liqing could consummate their relationship.

 

After that, Song Liqing would belong to him entirely, body and soul.

 

Pei Xingxu refused to believe that Song Liqing would ever hold a grudge against him after giving himself to him. Once he gave himself to him, there would be no turning back to the unforgettable Jun Qiyu.

 

But fate stopped him at the final step.

 

Pei Xingxu, consumed by anger, stepped away from Song Liqing.

 

“Jun! Qi! Yu!”

 

Pei Xingxu gritted out the name through clenched teeth.

 

“How long are you going to keep this up?!”

 

Jun Qiyu stood up from the shards, disheveled, and walked straight in.

 

“Liqing! I…”

 

Pei Xingxu raised a hand to block him.

 

“He doesn’t want to see you,” Pei Xingxu coldly interrupted.

 

“If he says that when he can see me, I’ll never come again.”

 

Jun Qiyu stubbornly pushed forward.

 

“He doesn’t want to see you!”

 

Pei Xingxu, furious, pulled a sword from the wall and pointed it at Jun Qiyu’s chest.

 

Jun Qiyu glanced down at the blade aimed at his heart.

 

“You’re going to fight me?” Jun Qiyu asked incredulously.

 

“And if I am?”

 

Pei Xingxu showed no signs of backing down.

 

“You won’t win,” Jun Qiyu said calmly. “Step aside; I have something important to tell him.”

 

“I told you, you have no right to see him again! If you force your way in, we’re mortal enemies!”

 

Jun Qiyu’s eyes flickered slightly.

 

In his view, Pei Xingxu was a rational and gentle man, not someone who would act so extreme.

 

“Mortal enemies? You’re not qualified to be my mortal enemy,” Jun Qiyu said steadily. “Put your sword away.”

 

Pei Xingxu didn’t move, as if there was no room for negotiation.

 

Jun Qiyu took a deep breath. “Are you planning to take the Loulan Kingdom and its millions of citizens to the grave with you?”

 

Pei Xingxu suddenly burst into laughter.

 

“Hahaha! Do you think you’re someone important?! Jun Qiyu, without the Jing Kingdom, without your emperor father, what are you?! Go ahead, lead your Northwest Army and storm Loulan’s gates! Don’t hold back—come and try!”

 

Pei Xingxu’s eyes were red as he shouted hysterically.

 

“Crazy.”

 

Jun Qiyu looked at him coldly.

 

“I’m crazy! You drove me crazy!” Pei Xingxu glared at Jun Qiyu with hatred. “I’m so jealous of you. You just had the luck of being born into a good family! What’s so lovable about you to Liqing? The one who deserves to die the most… is you, Jun Qiyu!”

 

“I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense.” Jun Qiyu glanced inside. “I want to see Liqing.”

 

“See him? Fine.”

 

Pei Xingxu sneered inexplicably, threw the knife at Jun Qiyu’s feet, and turned back inside.

 

Song Liqing came out with him, looking somewhat timid. Pei Xingxu patted Song Liqing’s back gently, slowly pushing him forward.

 

“Come, Liqing, Jun Qiyu wants to see you. Tell him yourself—do you want to see him?”

 

“No…”

 

Song Liqing only dared to mutter softly.

 

But Jun Qiyu still felt bitterness in his heart, even though this wasn’t the first time Song Liqing had rejected him.

 

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” Pei Xingxu coaxed, “Say it loudly, tell him to leave.”

 

Song Liqing didn’t want to, but with Pei Xingxu pushing him forward, he mustered a bit of courage.

 

“Jun… Jun Qiyu! I don’t want to see you! Get… get out! Leave!”