Dingxi City was occupied by Northern Qi overnight, causing unrest in Ruoqiang and widespread panic throughout the nation.
However, after occupying Dingxi City, Northern Qi strategically surrounded the surrounding areas but did not advance further down the Imperial River. Ruoqiang, unaware of their intentions and hesitant to dispatch troops to reclaim the city, waited for further developments.
Ye Luan awoke to find their inn completely surrounded.
She was not surprised, standing quietly by the window, twirling a flower petal between her fingers and chewing it.
The wind outside brushed against her face, the spring sunshine was bright, and fallen blossoms danced in the air.
She did not wait long before the door was pushed open, and a figure slowly walked in against the light.
Ye Luan glanced at him indifferently, her expression calm and unchanged.
His face was illuminated by the lamplight, and a hint of a mocking smile played at the corner of his eyes.
A gentle breeze rustled, carrying a hint of early spring chill.
He reached out with a broad hand, pinning her against the window frame, embracing her from behind.
"Ye Luan, we meet again."
He was smiling, a triumphant smile.
Ye Luan rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the deserted street, then turned back to him.
"What about the city's residents?"
His hand brushed past the stray hairs near her ear, twirling them around his fingertips.
They were close enough that he could see the fine down on her face and inhale the cool, ethereal fragrance of her person.
"Perhaps they are dead."
He leaned in to kiss her.
"Xie Beihan!"
Ye Luan immediately produced a knife, holding it against his chest, her eyes fixed on his bright, luminous gaze.
Xie Beihan offered no resistance, his hands braced on the windowsill, his eyes locked on her sparkling eyes, a faint smile on his lips.
"Your eyes are beautiful."
As beautiful as the bright moon in the sky on the day he massacred the city. He longed to pluck them down.
Hearing this, Ye Luan suddenly smiled, the corners of her lips curling upwards, her striking, almost aggressive beauty becoming even more captivating and alluring.
"Your Majesty fancies my appearance?"
Xie Beihan hummed in agreement. "I fancy all of you."
She studied him for a moment, then said softly, "You like that I belong to Xiao Chizhan, that I was once close to him?"
"----"
Xie Beihan let out a loud laugh. "I'm not that twisted."
"But you are despicable."
She looked at him coldly, pushing the knife in a fraction deeper.
Blood trickled from the corner of Xie Beihan's mouth, yet he made no move, raising an eyebrow in a smile.
"I wasn't born despicable. I was once as upright as Jing Zhi, but if I had remained so, I would have been buried in the cold palace forever, unable to protect anyone."
As he spoke, he lowered his head, inhaling the subtle fragrance from her person.
"And I wouldn't have met you. I might have died in a barren grave, my bones gnawed by dogs."
Ye Luan watched him, unmoving.
He leaned in, suddenly close to her, his eyes softening with a tenderness like the still waters of a moonlit autumn river.
"You are like Jing Zhi. He is dead, wouldn't it be good for you to be with me?"
Only when he was with her did he feel alive, his blood coursing, hot and fiery.
Ye Luan stepped back, the knife in her hand pressing deeper into his chest. He seemed indifferent, tilting his head to rest on her shoulder.
"You want to kill me? I offer you this life."
Ye Luan's fingers tightened on the hilt, turning white, her fingertips trembling slightly, unable to go through with it.
Xie Beihan looked into her bright eyes and smiled faintly.
"Xie Beihan, the knife is poisoned."
She lowered her gaze and pushed him away.
Xie Beihan stumbled, leaning against the nearby windowsill.
He picked a flower from outside and offered it to her, his smile carrying an unsettling chill.
"The flowers are poisonous, and the beauty even more so."
The white light from outside flowed across his face, but his expression was sinister and devoid of warmth.
Ye Luan closed her eyes in weariness, throwing all the flowers from his hand.
"You have gone mad."
Xie Beihan pursed his lips and smiled. "I listened to you, listened to Jing Zhi, and had no intention of starting a war, but Xiao Chizhan wouldn't let me go."
Ye Luan remained silent, her eyes fixed on the bloody street below.
Seeing her indifference, Xie Beihan casually pulled the knife from his chest, bandaged the wound perfunctorily with a pale face.
She paid no attention to his actions.
Xie Beihan watched her, a faint smile on his lips, and asked, "If Xiao Chizhan were injured, would you be so indifferent?"
"No."
She turned her head, looking at him indifferently.
Xie Beihan suddenly grabbed her, his knuckles turning white with the force of his grip.
Ye Luan remained still, meeting his gaze with icy defiance.
"Ye Luan, Ye Luan—"
He called her name repeatedly in a cold tone, his eyes, filled with venom, seeming to bore holes into her, wanting to melt her into his very bones and blood.
Ye Luan looked at him silently. Suddenly, she felt an inexplicable discomfort in her chest and reflexively bent down to vomit.
Xie Beihan reached out to steady her.
"What's wrong?"
Ye Luan's face turned ashen, and she surreptitiously felt her pulse with disbelief.
"Huo Dao, go find a doctor in the city."
"No—no need!"
Ye Luan immediately called out to stop him.
Xie Beihan turned back, narrowing his eyes as he glanced at her. He suddenly recalled her knowledge of medicine, and a flicker of killing intent passed through his eyes, almost imperceptibly.
He tested her, "Did you eat something bad?"
Ye Luan pushed him away and stood up, steadying herself against the windowsill.
"Yes."
She suppressed the urge to vomit with all her might, inwardly cursing Xiao Chizhan a thousand times.
It must have been that day in the carriage; she was too tired afterward and forgot to take her medicine.
Damn it, one time was all it took.
How could it be so accurate?
To get pregnant now, wouldn't that just cause her trouble?
Xie Beihan suddenly chuckled softly. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"
Ye Luan's hand gripped the windowsill in front of her tightly. "No."
Xie Beihan leaned against her, looking at her. The hazy light outside bathed her face, making her eyes seem to shimmer with a flowing radiance, delicate and alluring.
He tugged at his lips, then suddenly leaned down, closing in on her face.
Ye Luan immediately dodged, shifting away.
Xie Beihan watched her quietly, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
"Someone."
A guard entered from the doorway. "Your Majesty."
"Go find a doctor and have them brew a bowl of abortion medicine."
"Yes."
The door closed. Ye Luan's fingertips turned cold, and she remained silent.
Xie Beihan chuckled lightly, reached out to embrace her, his voice calm.
"Ye Luan, we will have children too. This one, we won't keep."
Her face, in the diffused light, was transparently pale, even her lips having lost some of their color.
He raised an eyebrow, reaching out to touch her face. It was cold, fragile.
Ye Luan felt a wave of discomfort at his touch, and a faint ache also began in her abdomen.
She desperately suppressed the sudden shock and panic, calmly pushed his hand away, and turned her head.
"Unless you kill me."
"Kill you?" Xie Beihan laughed, his voice, despite the smile, as gloomy and sinister as a demon from hell. "How could I bear to?"
He abruptly closed the window, a gust of wind extinguishing the lamps in the room.
Darkness enveloped them.
He reached out to embrace her, his hands gripping her waist, pulling her into him with a force that seemed intended to crush her and merge her into his very being.
Ye Luan turned her head to avoid his kiss. During the struggle, she grabbed a glass lamp from the table and swung it at his head.
But he was like a madman, completely unfazed. He lifted her up and threw her onto the bed.