Taxian-Jun turned his head and saw Song Qiutong, who was dressed in gorgeous robes and looked very charming, approaching with a group of maids.

     He stopped his hand, which had been about to lift the curtain. He put the bamboo curtain back in place and asked, “What is it?”

     “This maid has nothing to do and may as well take a walk to refresh myself.” Song Qiutong curtsied and looked at the carriage with a soft gaze. “A-Ran, are you going out?”

     “Going to Wuchang Town to visit the night market.”

     She smiled brightly, her expression respectful but intimate. “It’s such a short distance to ride in a carriage. You’re not alone, right?”

     He wasn’t too impatient with her back then, so he returned her smile. “Not alone.”

     Song Qiutong’s gaze moved, her eyes falling on the yellow rosewood footstool. The woman’s thoughts were very sharp, and she only needed a moment to think of the answer. Her expression was slightly stiff at first, but then she said with delight, “Ah, could it be Little Sister Consort Chu?”

     “...”

     One could imagine Chu Wanning’s expression in the carriage after hearing this term of address. Taxian-Jun held back his laughter and said, “Yes. It is.”

     The expression on the woman’s face became even more charming and beautiful, almost eclipsing the clouds in the sky. “This is wonderful. After being in the palace for three years, I’ve only seen Little Sister Consort Chu on the day of the wedding, and she was still wearing her veil. What a good day it is today that I can meet her.”

     She smiled and said, “A-Ran, are you willing to invite us two sisters together?”

     Taxian-Jun shook his head. “He has an aloof personality and doesn’t feel comfortable seeing strangers. He is also mute. There’s no need to meet.”

     Song Qiutong had always obeyed Mo Ran, but she really felt that this was unbearable. Moreover, she had long since held a grudge against Consort Chu, since the day she’d been humiliated when her husband abandoned her for no apparent reason on their wedding day.

     Later, she'd heard a lot of gossip from the palace servants that the emperor had stayed in Consort Chu’s room on their wedding night until nearly dusk of the following day.

     “It didn’t stop the whole night. The movements could truly take a person’s life!”

     “I heard from the night watchmen that they counted on their fingers that they had gone seven or eight rounds. His Majesty is really capable.”

     A young palace maid even said with a smile, “Isn’t it Consort Chu who's the capable one? Seven or eight times a night? I’m afraid she’ll even have a little prince soon.”

     But what embarrassed Song Qiutong the most were whispers such as, “The empress is so beautiful. I didn’t expect her to lose favor on her wedding night,” or “This is entirely against etiquette. His Majesty really didn’t give any face to the empress.”

     She felt as if she had been slapped harshly in the face by Treasured Consort Chu, whose face she had never even seen, and the burning pain only intensified throughout the past three years.

     In the end, even her trusted servant girl began to feel resentful, complaining fiercely through clenched teeth, “I don’t know which mountain this fox spirit cultivated from to bewitch His Majesty.”

     She then advised her, “Empress, don’t be too sad. You see, His Majesty spends almost every night with her, but she doesn’t seem to be pregnant. I think her health probably isn’t too good, and she will never have children in this life. His Majesty is just playing with her. He’ll get tired of her sooner or later.”

     Song Qiutong forced a smile. How could she have the face to say anything?

     On the few occasions he shared pleasures with her, he had been extremely cautious not to allow her to become pregnant. The only time he had lost his mind was not long ago, when he got drunk and came to her in the middle of the night after a major argument with Consort Chu.

     She was already fast asleep at the time, and when the curtain was suddenly lifted, she was met with a pair of scarlet eyes that had lost all rationality. She didn’t even have time to react before he turned her over to rip off her undergarment and crudely thrust into her. Amidst the reckless and crazy torment, her hair bun was grabbed fiercely, and she heard him pant in her ear: “Who are you secretly writing to behind my back? Do you care about him so much?”

     When their intercourse grew more frenzied, she was so aroused that her entire body went soft. But she heard him lean behind her and mutter, “You can’t see anyone… You can’t go anywhere… You can only be This Venerable One’s Chu Fei… no matter how unwilling you are.”

     Song Qiutong recovered from the humiliating memory, adjusting her expression, curving her beautiful eyes, and smiling. “Although Your Majesty doesn’t mind courtesy, we are at least sisters after all. I have always wanted to meet her and give her some small gifts.”

     Taxian-Jun’s hand rested on the bamboo curtain but didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go. “He has everything. Nothing is lacking.”

     Now that things had come to this, there was nothing else Song Qiutong could do. She could only say a few warm words to the emperor before watching him board the carriage and leave with the vixen.

     Deep within the bamboo curtain, atop the soft seats, Taxian-Jun laughed so hard that his ribs ached. Then he said with a serious tone, “As the emperor, This Venerable One is afraid it’s inappropriate to favor you too much.”

     “...”

     Chu Wanning’s face was sullen, and he looked to the side, outside the window, without saying a word.

     The golden rays of sunlight shone through the thin bamboo curtains, casting layers of light and shadow on his thin, unobscured face. Taxian-Jun stared at him for a while, then leaned over and simply lay on his lap.

     Chu Wanning’s back tensed, not looking at him, but he asked, “Aren’t you hot?”

     “My beloved consort’s voice is so cold that it can cool one down.”

     “...” Chu Wanning finally lowered his head and looked at him, his gaze colder than his voice.

     He truly felt angry. No man would be willing to be another man’s consort. Song Qiutong’s call of “Little Sister Consort Chu” made him feel choked. Even the corners of his eyes were red from the shame.

     When Taxian-Jun first conferred him the title of imperial consort, it was to give him a taste of what it felt like to be less than a woman. Song Qiutong was his wife, and he, the dignified Beidou Immortal, had been reduced to a lowly consort of his junior.

     “Are you angry?”

     “...”

     “This Venerable One didn’t let her see you, so what are you feeling wronged about?”

     At first, Taxian-Jun wanted to tease the man, but as dusk fell, the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the bamboo curtains, illuminating Chu Wanning’s face. Taxian-Jun realized how cold and distant those eyes were, so his lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.

     He suddenly felt quite disinterested.

     Neither of them spoke again.

     When they arrived at Wuchang Town, he bought many things: sugar paintings, flower pastries, candied fruits, lanterns—everything he could buy—and filled the carriage. However, Chu Wanning only watched the lively bustle outside the bamboo curtain and didn’t care about the dazzling assortment of things within.

     Taxian-Jun saw that Chu Wanning wasn’t happy and couldn’t help but feel a little irritated.

     “Forget it. We won’t go back tonight.” He suddenly said, “We’ll just stay in town.”

     He ordered the coachman to find an inn and went inside with Chu Wanning, who had put on a hooded cloak.

     The waiter was yawning, but when he saw the guests, he smiled in the middle of his yawn and asked, “Esteemed guests, would you like to stay at the inn?”

     “Yes, a room upstairs.”

     Although Chu Wanning’s face was hidden under his hood, his posture and demeanor were clearly those of a man. The waiter looked at him curiously.

     Chu Wanning said, “...Two rooms.”

     Hearing him say this, the anger Taxian-Jun had been suppressing couldn’t help but burst forth. “What is your relationship with me? Is there a need to get two rooms to pull the wool over people’s eyes?”

     If the waiter’s gaze was still doubtful before, it was now filled with sudden enlightenment.

     Taxian-Jun was quite pleased by the waiter’s gaze and even felt a malicious sense of satisfaction. After opening the door to the room, he pulled Chu Wanning up by the arm, and before the door was even closed tightly behind him, he kissed him tightly, his lips and tongue entangling urgently and fiercely.

     Outside the window with grape vine patterns, thousands of lights were still on, but these lights had nothing to do with them. He pressed Chu Wanning down onto the large bed, and amidst the ambiguous creaking sounds, he heard Chu Wanning sigh softly.

     “Mo Ran, what is the purpose of you doing this?”

     “...”

     “What is the purpose of us doing this?”

     The words were so sharp that even after all this time, his heart still ached when he looked back on it.

     Taxian-Jun opened his eyes.

     He was still standing in the Red Lotus Pavilion, and the memories of the past were all gone.

     But for some reason, there always seemed to be a vision flickering before his eyes and the sound of pouring rain in his ears. It was as if he were a ghost in the dark night, peeking inside the grape vine patterned windows of the inn.

     He saw the same room and the same two people, but it was clearly different, with heavy rain outside the window and a loving atmosphere on the bed.

     He saw himself and Chu Wanning entwined together on the bed. The room was very dark, but he was sure that he saw Chu Wanning’s face clearly—dazed with desire, his eyes half-lidded as he entangled with him, shameful and impassioned.

     In this vision, he himself gazed at the man beneath him with deep affection, earnest and resolute. “Tonight, I just want to make you feel good.”

     He lowered his head, kissing and sucking at the vulnerable part of Chu Wanning’s body, and heard the man’s gasps as Chu Wanning’s fingers sank into his black hair. “Ah…”

     Taxian-Jun suddenly leaned over and held his forehead. He felt as if his head were about to split open.

     These two memories intertwined and tore at each other in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Which fragment was real? Which fragment was a nightmare? He didn’t know and didn’t dare to think about it anymore.

     He calmed his heart with great difficulty, then rushed away, leaving the Red Lotus Pavilion.

     He came to Sword Dancing Field and stood in front of the white jade railings, gazing at the shadows of the distant mountains, his chest rising and falling slightly.  What was that alluring memory just now?

     Could this be the life the Mo Ran of the other world had experienced…?

     He couldn’t help but recall Chu Wanning’s moist, gentle eyes as he lay on the bed with his head tilted back, panting heavily.

     Taxian-Jun’s grip suddenly tightened on the railing.

     Could it be that Chu Wanning willingly went to bed with that evil spirit, Mo-zongshi?!

     For some reason, even though they were the same person, Taxian-Jun’s rage suddenly flared and burned, his eyes going bloodshot.

     If this was truly a memory of his other self, then he suddenly felt incomparably hateful and unresigned.

     Why? Why?

     After being resurrected by Hua Binan, he returned to this world as a walking corpse, left in Wushan Palace only with scenes of devastation wherever he looked and a sickeningly chaotic state of affairs.

     When he ran to the Red Lotus Pavilion in a panic, what did he see? Once the spiritual energy dissipated, what was left behind were only withered lotus flowers, haitang flowers falling to the ground, an empty house.

     And the lotus pond, where the deceased was no more.

     He was dragged back from hell by Hua Binan, but Chu Wanning’s body had already turned to ashes, and there was nothing left. He couldn’t find it anymore.

     He remembered walking slowly to the edge of the lotus pond and looking down at it expressionlessly for a moment before leaning over and dipping his fingers into the pond, scooping up a handful of water. The pond was deep and serene, but bone-chillingly cold.

     He shivered involuntarily, water trickling from between his fingers as he crumpled to the ground.

     So, what was left for him after returning to this mortal world?

     He hated living in this world more and more every day, but he had no control over himself and had no choice but to obey Hua Binan’s orders.

     Later, Hua Binan found a gap of the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death but refused to tell him who left it there. That man himself was delighted to go to another mortal world and leave him to do arduous work here. The only consolation was that, in order to have him handle matters according to his plans, Hua Binan would send him news every now and then.

    Thus, he learned that a portion of his own soul had been reborn into that era. He heard news of Shi Mei, news of Xue Meng, and news of Ye Wangxi and Nangong Si, these people who had long since died.

     He also learned details about Chu Wanning.

     Hua Binan’s letters to him were always short and concise. He also really hated Hua Binan’s handwriting; the brush tip seemed as sharp as a scorpion’s pincers.

     However, those letters became the greatest hope for a living-dead person like him, as if they were a breath of fresh air for a person drowning in the depths of the sea. He kept every letter, and when there were no new letters, he would reread those words that disgusted him hundreds of times over.

     He thought he must be crazy.

     At nightfall, the servants were having dinner, and he loved the liveliness, so, as he'd always done since his rebirth, he ordered the people to gather in the front hall. He languidly reclined on the soft seat and watched them eat, occasionally asking how the food tasted.

     In the past, Taxian-Jun hated reading, but in recent years, with no one around, he had nothing else to do during the long nights, so he could only flip through bamboo scrolls to pass the time. As he read, he found some amusement in paying excessive attention to wording.

     For example, when he wanted someone to have some crispy rice, he would say, “Come, This Venerable One wants you to have a taste of thunder.” If he wanted someone to eat some spinach, he would say, “You try the red-beaked green parrot in the bowl.”

     It was already difficult to get an illiterate person to read. If that illiterate person still found it enjoyable, there was probably only one thing to be said: he had no other pleasure in his life.

     When the feast was in full swing, someone came to report, “Your Majesty, Senior Sacred Hand has returned as well.”

     “Is he alone?”

     “He brought Tianyin Pavilion Master Mu with him. They said they want to arrange the sacrificial ceremony first, then come meet His Majesty after everything is done.”

     Taxian-Jun pinched the purple grapes on the silver plate, his expression dull. “Then let them take their time. This Venerable One is happy to be idle.”

     The person added, “Also, Senior Sacred Hand said he has something to tell His Majesty.”

     “What?”

     “You must be careful in the near future. The mortal world is in chaos. ‘He’ will definitely come.”

     Of course he knew he would come.

     The two mortal worlds intertwined, millions of disaster victims were displaced, Mo-zongshi died, and Sisheng Peak fell—Chu Wanning, like himself, had nothing left. He would probably come looking for him with the intention of dying.

     Taxian-Jun wasn’t afraid and even had some hidden expectations.

     In the late hours of the night, the palace was lit with candlelight. In Wushan Hall alone, there were 9,999 lamps, illuminating the darkness until it was as bright as day.

     Taxian-Jun called Liu-gong over and said, “You go tell people to extinguish half of the candles.”

     The lights were too bright, and he was afraid Chu Wanning would find it too difficult to sneak in, so he lowered his own guard.

     Liu-gong did as he was told. He stood there and waited until Liu-gong came over and reported to him, “Your Majesty, half of the lights are out.”

     He looked at the dim yellow light in the courtyard, still dissatisfied, and after thinking for a while, he said, “We may as well put them all out.”

     Liu-gong: “...”

     The candles in Wushan Hall went out one by one, but Taxian-Jun’s heart brightened little by little. He vaguely felt that Chu Wanning would come soon. That person was probably still dressed in white, his face full of resentment, and his words filled with righteousness for the common people that would make one bored. He would likely want to avenge Mo-zongshi.

     He felt thrilled just thinking about it and licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. He only left one last bronze floor lamp in the depths of the gauze curtains. This was the fire he left for Chu Wanning, the desperate moth to the flame, telling him that he was here, waiting for him to swoop in to his death.

     Late at night, a light rain began to fall outside the window.

     Taxian-Jun changed into his most dignified black robe with golden threads, tidied up the bed, quilt, and pillows himself, then walked around the room, still feeling that something was missing. Finally, he ordered someone to bring a jar of aged Pear Blossom White to be warmed in water.

     This man warmed up good wine, dressed in fine clothing, and stood by the window, watching the rain grow heavier outside. From beginning to end, he didn’t even summon a shadow of Bu’gui.

     But he was still deceiving himself. While keeping watch over the fine wine, he viciously thought to himself, Hmph, when Chu Wanning comes, I’ll show him what it means to be merciless with a sword!