Love & Redemption
Chapter 217: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms - 24 Blooming Panorama (4)

Chapter 217: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms Chapter 24 Blooming Panorama (4)

Xuanji first felt hot, unbearably hot, but then gradually cooled down as if a breeze was blowing on her bare skin, with gentle kisses landing on her body. Half-asleep, half-awake, she raised her hand to grab, but caught a handful of long hair instead.

Someone on top of her let out a low hiss, then chuckled softly, "Awake?" She moved slightly and murmured something as she turned her head away, continuing to sink into a deep sleep. The person wasn’t planning to let her go, tenderly kissing her smooth neck, his powerful fingertips brushed over her skin, lighting fires wherever they touched.

Xuanji moaned, suddenly feeling enveloped tightly in someone’s embrace, their naked skins pressed together, radiating an astonishing heat. The man whispered in her ear, murmuring her name, urging her to wake up. Startled slightly, clarity flashed for a moment, and she opened her eyes to meet Yu Sifeng’s deep, dark eyes.

He looked intensely at her, reflecting two small versions of herself in his eyes. His long hair was messy on the pillow, brushing against her cheeks, cool and itchy. Unable to resist, she grabbed his hair and brought it to her lips for a kiss, calling out to him, "Si Feng..." He hummed in response as he cradled her face, kissing her passionately and fervently.

She seemed intoxicated once more, from her body to her soul, utterly boneless, giving everything to him, trusting him with it all. In the world, he alone was entitled. It wasn’t just their bodies intertwined but her heart and soul as well, tightly knitted together, never wanting to part.

If it weren’t for that terrible pain, she would think she was dreaming. Xuanji was drenched in cold sweat from the agony, abruptly coming to her senses, and pushed him away with her hand, but to her astonishment, she couldn’t muster any strength, her voice sultry to her surprise, "It hurts—has the wound reopened?" She thought it was the burn wound reopening by accident, but soon realized it was not the case. With his movements, the pain intensified, piercing sharply as if into the depths of her soul.

Helplessly, she tore at the bed covers, unable to hold back her tears. He was invading her soul, seeking to uncover her deepest secrets; the panic and helplessness were terrifying. It felt as though she was about to lose something forever, never to be retrieved.

All she could do was clutch his shoulders, sobbing quietly, frantically calling his name. It was as if she couldn’t find him anymore, the person before her could be someone else, not him, because the pain was so unbearable and secret, like nothing she had experienced before. Yu Sifeng tenderly consoled her, "Shh... don’t cry... it’s okay, I’m here, Xuanji... right here." His hand on her face trembled slightly as it slid down to scoop under her rib, holding her slender body tightly against him.

Everything was so novel, so mysterious, like a chasing game. She was running; he was following. They ran toward the glittering night sky, fireworks booming overhead, sparkling like rain, cascading down, and they seemed to transform into thousands of shimmering points, rippling and floating in the wind, expanding with an unknown rhythm; they saw into each other’s deepest souls, soothing and embracing each other.

Who was it that said, never leave, share life and death. Those simple eight words, Xuanji felt like she suddenly understood their true meaning in an instant. There was only one person in the world to whom you would willingly give everything, without any reservation. It was indeed him, truly him, she realized as if waking from a dream.

After an unknown period, she woke from her deep sleep, hearing someone whispering softly beside her, their words unclear and strangely articulated. She moved slightly only to discover she was being held in someone’s arms, the person gently stroking her hair. Xuanji didn’t mind the warmth, leaning even closer to him, face-to-face on the pillow. Across from her, Yu Sifeng’s gaze was tender, his smile beaming as he looked at her, his hair as disheveled as hers in the bedding.

"What are you saying?" she asked, picking up a strand of his long hair, starting to weave it.

Yu Sifeng thought for a moment and smiled, "I was saying, even if you know many things, doing them in reality is not quite the same."

What did he mean? Xuanji looked at him, puzzled as he smiled somewhat mischievously. After a while, he added, "You were drunk, I suppose I might be accused of taking advantage of someone." Having said that, he gave a rueful smile; if Sect Leader Chu and the others knew, he’d probably be torn to pieces, the thought gave him a chill.

Xuanji narrowed her eyes and also smiled, like a naughty cat, slowly saying, "If I weren’t drunk, would you dare?"

Yu Sifeng paused slightly, then surprisingly laughed out loud, wiping his face with his hand as he chuckled, "You mischievous girl... doing that on purpose... you really have some nerve!" Pretending to be angry, he flicked her forehead strongly and before Xuanji could even cry out in pain, his lips covered the sore spot.

"It’s me who didn’t dare to leave, because I was afraid you would chop me with the Bengyu," he said solemnly.

"Do you really think I would chop you with the Bengyu?" she asked solemnly in return.

Yu Sifeng was momentarily stunned, but she laughed, "I would knock you out, then tie you up."

Yu Sifeng clicked his tongue, grasped her chin gently, and asked softly, "Tie me up... and then what do you plan to do?" Xuanji whispered, "That would naturally be... to do whatever I want..."

Actually, she was just bluffing, but when he leaned in once more, she suddenly regretted it, barely managing to say under his fervent kisses, "No... I, I was lying to you..." He seemed not to hear her, and she was soon unable to speak at all, her whole body burning up.

*******

It was uncertain whether the moon was too beautiful tonight or if it was the joy in their hearts, but a long, long time passed, and neither of them felt sleepy. Fortunately, Yu Sifeng had bought not only cooked meals but also two new jars of liquor from the town in the afternoon, originally intended for Tengshe, who ended up leaving.

The two unabashedly enjoyed the feast on the bed. The liquor from the town obviously wasn’t as sweet as the osmanthus brew, bitter with a hint of astringency. Xuanji took one sip and frowned, grimacing as she said, "That Tengshe really picks the good ones! He didn’t drink this, but he finished all the osmanthus brew!" However, mentioning this name made her angry yet sad at the same time, and she suddenly fell silent, biting her lip.

Yu Sifeng took a sip of the liquor, didn’t find it unpleasant, and merely said, "This afternoon... when he came back, you were still asleep. He said he wanted to talk to me about something important that couldn’t be explained briefly. I thought he just wanted to eat meat and drink liquor, so I bought all these. Unexpectedly, he really did have something important."

"What is it?" Xuanji asked, suddenly remembering the snippets of conversation she had overheard from the window, incomprehensible yet suspicious.

Yu Sifeng shook his head, saying, "Actually, I’m not sure either. He was very vague, but it was roughly that there’s some trouble in Heaven, and it involves him, so he had no choice but to go back... That’s why I say, don’t blame him. Although his words were hurtful, it might not have been intentional. How much do you and I really know about his matters in Heaven?"

Xuanji remained silent, indeed not knowing what Tengshe was like in Heaven. From his previous words, she could tell he greatly admired Emperor Bai and seemed to also have a good relationship with Ying Long, and he appeared quite favored there. There probably isn’t anything wrong... she thought, maybe he will come back after some time.

She poured another glass of liquor and was about to down it, but Yu Sifeng stopped her, saying softly, "Don’t rush to drink like this, you’ll get drunk quickly. This liquor isn’t like the osmanthus brew; it’ll make you sick.

Xuanji laughed, "I’m used to it. Over this past year, I’ve had to drink daily to fall asleep; otherwise, I always feel like there’s something on my mind."

She was once definitely a person who could sleep anywhere, even while walking, but to her surprise, she had reached the age of experiencing insomnia, and both of them were very clear about the reason why. Yu Sifeng sighed and didn’t persuade her any further, also downing the liquor in his glass. After a long while, he said softly, "Xuanji, I went to the Netherworld."

She suddenly startled, her eyes wide, "What are you doing in the Netherworld? Who did you see?"

Yu Sifeng smiled gently, "Someone you also know, but I didn’t expect that you had a history with him."

"Wuzhiqi?" she almost jumped up, suddenly feeling something was off, she asked hurriedly, "Why would you go to the Netherworld if you are fine? Ah... you are from Li Ze Palace! Did you go to save him? Was he saved?"

Yu Sifeng spoke softly, "Why I went to the Netherworld... I really don’t want to talk much about the specific reason, but indeed, there was the intention to save him, unfortunately, both he and Zi Hu didn’t want to owe this favor. I already unlocked the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain on his body, he could leave whenever he wanted. But to be honest, this earth-shattering Great Demon was completely different from what I imagined... "

He had thought that he must be someone reckless and full of ambition, or a demon of great passion, after all, he had once caused a cataclysmic flood that almost drowned the Heavenly Court, doing such defiant acts of heaven, he surely wasn’t an ordinary one. But after meeting him, he realized how much the world had maligned him; the real Wuzhiqi was just like that.

When he declared his identity, Wuzhiqi didn’t say a word, just coldly looked at him. It wasn’t until he unlocked the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain that this hero spoke, "Has the Golden Winged Bird Clan fallen so much? To think that a milk-nosed youngster and a Golden Winged Bird deprived of demon power have come to rescue me."

Liu Yihuan was instantly furious, grabbing him and about to walk away, she dropped a phrase: "Like it or leave!"

Zi Hu, thinking of Xuanji, had to come over and smooth things over, explaining the relationship between these two and Xuanji. After listening, Wuzhiqi looked at Yu Sifeng with interest, sizing him up and down, and burst out laughing, "This kid? Hmm, I can’t see it! Hahaha! That girl actually fancied him!"

Yu Sifeng knew his words were full of sarcasm, so he said, "I have no interest in knowing the grievances between Li Ze Palace and you. My mission was only to rescue you from the Netherworld and retrieve the Juntian Ring. It didn’t include humiliating you."

He thought Wuzhiqi would get angry, or his face would darken, but instead he just paused, then repeatedly nodded, "Right! You said it very well! I didn’t expect someone like you in the Golden Winged Bird Clan; that girl really has good taste. But, based on your light comment, do you expect me to hand over the Juntian Ring to you? Isn’t that too easy?"

Yu Sifeng said, "Then what do you want?"

Wuzhiqi just smiled, and after a long while, he said, "Do you know what the Juntian Ring is used for?" Yu Sifeng was stopped by his question; he truly didn’t know, although he had been ordered to retrieve the Juntian Ring, his mind wasn’t really on it, nor did he want to understand.

"Let me put it like this, the Juntian Ring is of no use to me, but for you, it’s an extremely helpful treasure. Your Golden Winged Bird Clan was quite arrogant a millennium ago, thanks to the Juntian Ring at your side, enhancing your demon power to terrifying levels. That’s why you looked down on everything, felt ruling on earth wasn’t enough, and absurdly dreamed of ascending to Heaven. Your clan had an ancestor, called Yuan something, whose name I now forget. Back then, I was actually good friends with him, but just for a noble title in Heaven, he betrayed me. Hehe, Wuzhiqi’s weakness is actually known to the whole world, I’ve never hidden it, much less did I fall because of it. He betrayed me, and naturally, I wouldn’t let him have good days either, forcibly took the Juntian Ring from him. That really created a huge problem, and you lost most of your demon power overnight, plus the immortals of the Heavenly Court went back on their word and refused to grant you titles, causing you a lot of trouble in Central Earth, eventually forcing you to hide on a solitary island in the west. Well, I didn’t expect that a millennium later, you have made a comeback, got involved with the Cultivation Sect, and even took the name Li Ze Palace, that’s really funny! All this elaborate scheming to rescue me, eagerly trying to please me, isn’t it just for the Juntian Ring? Still dreaming of ascending to Heaven and becoming immortals? Save it! They couldn’t care less about you little ants."

Yu Sifeng fell silent for a moment and then said, "You’ve said all this, and it’s my first time hearing it. But I also don’t want to know these past events, I just want to ask you, how can the Juntian Ring be returned to Li Ze Palace?"

Wuzhiqi hee-heed with a laugh, suddenly stood up and grabbed his wrist. The grip was so strong that it caused him pain and he gave a startled tremor, he laughed sternly, "Very well! Consider this a favor for the War God General! The Juntian Ring will be returned to you, but the thousand-year grudge between me and the Golden Winged Bird, we must definitely settle that!"

Next, he didn’t bring out the Juntian Ring, just mentioning that whenever he wanted to leave in the future, he would go to Li Ze Palace himself and return the ring to them. Whether this task was considered successful or not, Yu Sifeng still didn’t know to this day.

It turned out there was such a past between him and Wuzhiqi. Xuanji was almost stunned as she listened, wanting to ask about the Juntian Ring, but fearing it might involve the secrets of his sect, and since Yu Sifeng was no longer from Li Ze Palace, she simply shut her mouth and didn’t ask.

"Later, Brother Liu and I left the Netherworld, and he asked me to stay with him in Qingyang, but I refused. I wandered around and then came to West Valley. Originally, I had the same intention as you, wanting to go out to sea, to see the overseas, to look for the scattered Golden Winged Bird Clan. But deep down, I couldn’t bear to leave because once I left Central Earth, it might be for a lifetime. Perhaps, in my heart, I was also hoping that you would come at last."

Yu Sifeng laughed at himself mockingly. Xuanji couldn’t help but hold his hand and said softly, "Now that I’m here, why did you still say those things that hurt me?"

His face turned suspiciously red, and he stammered without knowing why. Perhaps it was because of his damnable male pride? Or because he hated her so much that he wanted to give her a taste of bitterness? Anyway, it definitely wasn’t any good intention.

Xuanji couldn’t help but bite him, "You bad guy! What if you really made me leave?"

Yu Sifeng hooked her with his hands, his hands clasping her bare back, and said softly, "If you really ran, I probably would still chase after you. Truly a pitiful man."

Xuanji snuggled into his arms and suddenly asked, "Why did I go to Qingyang so many times and never encountered Brother Liu?"

He laughed, "Don’t forget, he has the Heavenly Eye. I told him not to tell you where I was. He definitely knew if you saw him, he wouldn’t be able to hide it, so every time you went to Qingyang, he would quickly leave, only returning after you left. Although I lived in West Valley, I often went to Qingyang to see him, and he never hid your searching from me."

Only then did Xuanji understand why he was so calm when he saw her in West Valley; he had known all along that she was looking for him! This man, really deserves condemnation, utterly detestable! She was completely fooled! Just as she was about to push him away in anger, he suddenly lifted the blanket, pressing her and the blanket down together, and everything went dark all at once.

She would settle accounts with him later. Xuanji thought fuzzily.

*************

Embarrassing...

Well, it’s been a long time since I wrote a bed scene, I’m a bit out of practice, so that’s it for now...

Someday when I feel inspired, I’ll write something a bit more intense... Embarrassingly scurrying away...(To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)