Transmigrated as the Emperor, but Slacking Off - Chapter 33

Outside the doors, the fire raged with increasing ferocity. A cascade of flames rushed backward into the hall, where the floor had been thoroughly drenched in a thick, viscous black oil. Snaking lines of fire ignited along the oil trails, forming an encircling wall of flames that rapidly surged upward along the supporting pillars.

Ning Wujie lifted his arm to shield his face, preparing to leap across the wall of fire and make his escape.

Yet right at that moment, three dark silhouettes suddenly broke through the blazing inferno. A flash of blade light sliced through the dense smoke, thrusting directly toward his face.

Ning Wujie’s gaze turned razor-sharp. Executing a rapid backward retreat, the tips of his feet lightly skimmed the floor.

Just as one of the black-clothed assassins leaped up to deliver a downward cleave, Ning Wujie spun his frame to evade the strike, smoothly drawing a blade from a weapon rack in a single, fluid motion.

CLANG—

The edges of their blades collided, the massive force sending the assassin stumbling back several paces.

Ning Wujie tilted his blade diagonally toward the floor, casting a cold eye over the three men as they formed a shifting triangle around him.

He truly hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager to be harboring secret death warriors.

The three men advanced simultaneously in a tightly coordinated pincer movement, weaving an airtight web of lethal blade strikes.

Ning Wujie’s eyes narrowed. With a burst of speed, he delivered a fierce kick directly against the base of a nearby supporting pillar.

BOOM—

The burning pillar was already severely compromised. Under the immense force of the kick, the charred wood instantly splintered apart. The entire length of the column collapsed like a roaring fire dragon, crashing heavily toward the advancing assassins.

Two of the black-clothed men hastily leaped backward to evade the impact. By the time they attempted to press forward again, they discovered their path entirely blocked by the fallen, burning pillar.

Ning Wujie immediately executed a spinning advance, his blade light ruthlessly slicing into the defensive opening of the assassin remaining behind him.

A flash of light as swift as a lightning bolt flared across the room. The edge of his blade cut cleanly through the assassin’s throat, releasing a muffled sound of splitting flesh.

SLASH—

Blood sprayed violently from the assassin’s neck. The scalding liquid poured into the flames, instantly vaporizing into a thick crimson mist as the silhouette collapsed heavily to the floor, completely lifeless.

The remaining two black-clothed men exchanged a rapid glance. Splitting up, they sprinted up the charred pillars on the left and right, simultaneously launching a synchronized downward counter-strike—

By the time Wen Xing arrived on the scene, the Qinzheng Hall was already engulfed in a towering inferno.

The glazed roof tiles were cracking under the extreme heat, the gold lacquer curling and peeling away. The main palace doors crashed down in ruins, and the structural crossbeams groaned under the crushing weight, teetering on the edge of total collapse.

The fire burned ferociously, sending wave after wave of intense heat rolling over them, making every single breath feel scalding and suffocating.

Grabbing a patrolling soldier by the collar, Wen Xing demanded frantically, “Where are the people inside?! Have they come out yet?!”

The soldier shuddered in terror, stammering out, “N-No… no one has come out.”

Wen Xing’s pupils contracted violently. Shoving the man away, he roared in pure fury, “Then why aren’t you saving them?!”

“Put out the fire!”

The soldier responded hastily, “Your Majesty, there is Fierce Fire Oil in this blaze! Water cannot extinguish it; it will not stop until the entire palace complex is burned to the absolute ground.”

Hearing the words “Fierce Fire Oil,” Wen Xing instantly realized that in this ancient setting devoid of dry ice, the fire was completely impossible to put out. A deep, penetrating chill rushed straight to his heart, making him feel as though he had been plunged into an absolute abyss of ice.

Roof tiles wrapped in roaring flames continuously plummeted to the ground, shattering with loud snaps and sending sparks flying in every direction, forcing everyone to stop in their tracks, too terrified to move closer.

Someone screamed out, “The beams are collapsing!”

The moment those words left their mouth, the crowd gathered around the perimeter of the fire field scrambled backward in absolute panic.

Li Dequan rushed over to plead, “Your Majesty, the fire is far too massive and the crossbeams are about to collapse! Please move further back, Your Majesty!”

The roaring, brilliant flames reflected vividly within Wen Xing’s eyes. He let out a desperate, echoing roar: “Ning Wujie—! Get the hell out here!”

Seeing the soldiers hesitation and refusal to move forward, he prepared to charge into the flames himself, only to be abruptly caught around the waist by a flying silhouette. It was Xing He, locking him in place. “Master, you cannot go!”

Wen Xing thrashed violently, attempting to tear Xing He’s arms away. “Release This Emperor!”

Xing He screamed at the top of his lungs, “I won’t! If you go in there, you will die, Master!”

Li Dequan joined in the frantic dissuasion: “The danger is absolute, Your Majesty! You must not do this!”

Wen Xing’s eyes looked ready to split with rage. He spat out a furious rebuke: “Presumptuous! You refuse to save him, yet you dare obstruct This Emperor? You shall all be flogged to death!”

Xing He was on the verge of tears. “Even if Master beats me to death, I will absolutely not let go!”

“Your Majesty!” The old eunuch dropped heavily to his knees, weeping and begging desperately, “Your Majesty must absolutely not go over there! The beams are collapsing going in means definitive death!”

As if to validate the old eunuch’s terrifying words, a massive BOOM echoed across the courtyard.

The central dome of the main hall suddenly caved in completely.

Wen Xing’s pupils shook with violent shock, his entire frame freezing completely rigid. Tracking the sound, his gaze locked onto hundreds of rafter beams wrapped in roaring flames cascading down like a literal waterfall of flowing fire. The burning heat scorched the very air, making every single breath feel as though it were actively searing his lungs.

“Ning Wujie—!”

He screamed until his voice tore apart, his heartbeat coming to a near-total standstill.

The main crossbeam snapped, leaving the entire grand hall teetering on the brink of total collapse. The wooden structure emitted ear-piercing, scraping groans as the flames transformed into an all-consuming wall of fire, completely swallowing the entire palace building.

Even if someone were still inside at this point, under the absolute siege of those flames, walking out alive was completely impossible.

Wen Xing could barely maintain his footing, the terror and despair rising from his chest threatening to submerge him like a bottomless, black ocean.

He’ll be fine, he desperately comforted himself. Isn’t Ning Wujie’s martial arts prowess exceptionally superb? Even Xing He is no match for him, he absolutely won’t die.

Yet the raging fire seemed to actively defy his hopes, suddenly burning even more aggressively, continuously releasing the splintering, breaking snaps of a wooden structure completely pushed beyond its structural limit.

He ground his teeth together with immense force, a trickle of blood seeping from the gaps.

His heart seemed to actively defy him as well, executing a violent, agonizing spasm that sent wave after wave of sharp, dense pain drilling straight into his chest.

Clutching his chest with one hand, he pressed his other hand firmly against Xing He’s shoulder to stabilize his frame, forcing himself to stand tall.

Ning Wujie hadn’t come out yet; he absolutely could not collapse. He had to wait.

If he was alive, he would see the man; if he was dead, he would claim the corpse.

Sensing his physical anomaly, Xing He panicked instantly: “Master!”

Enduring the agonizing pain drilling into his chest, Wen Xing forced out a syllable in a raspy, whispery register: “Medicine.”

Xing He nodded rapidly. Reaching into the specially modified hem of his sleeve, he quickly pulled out a medicinal pill and slipped it beneath Wen Xing’s tongue, subsequently tracking his reaction with extreme anxiety.

Before long, the intense pain began to gradually dissipate.

Wen Xing finally managed to exhale a long, heavy breath.

Yet right at that moment, a silhouette suddenly crashed straight through the ruined, burning walls, bursting through the wall of flames and flying directly toward them.

Xing He moved with extreme speed, flashing forward to shield Wen Xing’s frame. The silhouette crashed heavily onto the dirt, completely motionless as flames licked across his body. He was already thoroughly, definitively dead.

Wen Xing’s pupils contracted to tiny pinpricks, his heart leaping straight into his throat.

Time seemed to freeze entirely in that singular fraction of a second. He almost lacked the courage to look at that fallen form.

The attendants had explicitly stated that Ning Wujie was the only individual inside the Qinzheng Hall.

Then the person before his eyes…

A sudden wave of absolute chill wrapped around him, freezing him from the crown of his head straight down to his toes.

What should he do? Was he truly dead?

However, in the very absolute depth of his despair, another silhouette suddenly flashed out like a bolt of lightning, utilizing the brief gap ripped through the wall of fire by the previous body.

By using the companion’s body as a brief shield wall, that person had managed to entirely evade the searing burn of the flames, landing perfectly safely on the ground.

Wen Xing’s breathing came to a sudden halt. Within a single instant, he recognized the newcomer with absolute certainty.

As if returning to the realm of the living straight from the depths of hell, he forced away Xing He, who was guarding his front, propping up his own frame as he rasped, “Ning Wujie?”

His voice was trembling violently.

He witnessed the semi-kneeling youth using his blade to support his frame against the dirt, slowly pulling his body upright.

The youth’s back was pulled completely straight. His official embroidered robes had been burned to absolute tatters by the flames, exposing sections of his neck and the backs of his hands, which were heavily blackened with charcoal soot. Slowly lifting his head, his extraordinarily beautiful face was completely covered in streaks of blood and the mottled, jagged scars left behind by the searing heat, resembling a piece of cracked, fired imperial porcelain.

A pair of eyes looked as though they had been burned blood-red by the raging inferno, his gaze freezing and sharp, radiating a lingering, raw murderous intent.

A sense of broken fragility and overwhelming intimidation existed simultaneously across his entire being.

“Your Majesty.”

Wen Xing’s heart trembled violently, finally remembering how to breathe.

Almost entirely out of pure instinct, he took a massive stride forward, completely ignoring the terrifying murderous intent rolling off the youth. Reaching out, he rigidly grasped the other’s wrist. The exact moment his fingers confirmed the steady, thumping heartbeat pulsing beneath the skin, he finally let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

Thank heaven. He was still alive.

His gaze swept down to track the blood continuously dripping from the cuff of Ning Wujie’s sleeve, tracing a dark line along his wrist all the way down to the edge of the blade. He had clearly sustained an injury somewhere. Wen Xing clenched his fists with immense force, roaring in pure fury: “Who did this?!”

Having just escaped from the jaws of death, in that singular moment suspended between life and absolute death, there had been only one silhouette floating within Ning Wujie’s mind.

He had thought to himself: If I truly die just like this, what will that foolish tyrant do? Will his heart ache even a tiny fraction for me?

Or will he immediately turn around, find another beautiful youth with a fine face, and bestow his imperial favor upon them instead?

The mere thought of it had filled his chest with a raging fury, leaving him with only a single, absolute conviction: I must make it out alive. I will never give that foolish tyrant the opportunity to abandon me!

I must walk out alive to stand right before his face, and tell him: for the rest of your life, you only have me.

Yet the exact instant he broke through the sea of fire and caught sight of this individual, every single one of those dark thoughts suddenly dissolved into nothingness.

Witnessing that Wen Xing’s eyes were completely filled with pure terror and deep anxiety for his sake, the very tip of his heart trembled, his heart racing at a frantic, chaotic speed.

His throat felt dry and parched. Locking his dark gaze onto the man, it took a long moment before he remembered to respond: “It was the Empress Dowager.”

BOOM—

Right at that moment, the grand hall behind them completely caved in with a deafening crash.

Ning Wujie reacted with lightning speed, lunging forward to pull Wen Xing securely into his chest. The wind kicked up by the massive heat wave carried fine, swirling sparks, blowing the hems of his tattered robes wide.

“Protect the Emperor!”

Xing He commanded loudly, and the imperial guards instantly swarmed forward to form a protective wall in front of Wen Xing.

Peering over Ning Wujie’s shoulder, Wen Xing stared at the roaring sea of fire completely consuming the ruins before his eyes. He dared not imagine what the definitive consequence would have been if the other had been even a single step later in making his exit.

The flames reflected within his pupils burned brighter and hotter.

This was the third time.

Wen Xing thought to himself.

Three separate times, they had come within a hair’s breadth of taking Ning Wujie’s life.

The Wang clan truly didn’t place him, the Emperor, in their eyes even a single tiny fraction.

His eyelids lowered subtly, a dangerous glimmer flashing deep within his gaze.

His slender, well-defined fingers reached out to firmly grip the handle of Ning Wujie’s blade.

Ning Wujie frowned in deep alertness: “Your Majesty?”

With a freezing expression, Wen Xing violently shoved him away, ripping the blade straight from his grasp as he strode away.

Ning Wujie froze for a fraction of a second, immediately giving chase. “Where is Your Majesty going?”

Wen Xing maintained his rapid, wind-like strides, never turning his head back even a single millimeter, his register dark and heavy: “You are forbidden from following me.”

Sensing the dark, suffocating rage radiating from Wen Xing’s entire being, a profound sense of foreboding rose within Ning Wujie’s chest. Pausing for a mere second, he hurriedly pressed forward to follow. Tracking the direction Wen Xing was heading, he suddenly snapped to a realization, shouting urgently: “Your Majesty!”

Li Dequan also sensed that something catastrophically terrible was brewing, hurriedly rushing to keep pace alongside Xing He.

Wen Xing marched directly into the Empress Dowager’s personal sleeping quarters.

Seeing the Emperor arriving with a bare blade gripped in his hand, the guards lining the entrance swarmed forward. The leading Captain of the Guard stepped out, declaring, “We were unaware of Your Majesty’s arrival and have failed to announce you. We must ask Your Majesty to disarm before entering the palace.”

Wen Xing’s voice turned heavy and dark: “Get the hell out of my way!”

The Captain of the Guard was startled by that rage-filled roar, yet he dared not retreat even a single half-step, maintaining his bowed posture: “Your Majesty, carrying weapons into the Empress Dowager’s sleeping quarters is strictly prohibited. Even if you are the Emperor…”

“I told you to get the hell out of my way!” Wen Xing delivered a brutal kick straight to the shoulder of the guard captain, sending him crashing flat onto the dirt.

The surrounding guards were thoroughly horrified. Witnessing the Emperor preparing to march straight into the Empress Dowager’s chambers with a drawn blade, yet bound by their absolute duty, they had no choice but to draw their own weapons.

However, the person standing before them was the supreme ruler of the nation; none of them actually possessed the courage to execute a strike. Consequently, the crowd merely hovered in absolute hesitation, daring not press forward.

Xing He and Ning Wujie instantly stepped in front of Wen Xing, forming a rigid standoff against the palace guards.

“Presumptuous!” Ning Wujie barked in fury, “You dare brandish weapons to threaten the Emperor?!”

The Captain of the Guard responded hastily, “We would never dare! It is merely that we bear the absolute responsibility of protecting the Empress Dowager no individual is permitted to enter the palace armed.”

Gripping the blade, Wen Xing took a step forward for every step the guards retreated.

Within a few breaths, he had already marched straight to the outer doors of the sleeping quarters.

Wen Xing stated in a cuttingly cold register: “Anyone who dares obstruct This Emperor further shall be executed on the spot.”

Hearing those words, the guards were thoroughly terrified. Exchanging panicked glances with one another, they began to hesitantly lower their weapons.

Witnessing this, the Captain of the Guard roared, “Block the Emperor for me!”

Inside the imperial bedchamber at that very moment.

Wang Fuwei was leaning back against a low couch, her eyes tightly sealed as she massaged her temples. Her sharp, ornate fingernail guards brushed through her dark hair.

Beside her, a eunuch stood with a deeply bowed frame, reporting: “The Empress Dowager is profoundly wise. That Wang Jiang is indeed utterly incompetent; by the time this servant led our people over, he was still hovering outside the window in absolute hesitation. Only after witnessing this servant’s arrival did he frantically deploy the knockout incense.”

Wang Fuwei let out a scornful sneer. “Is the person down?”

The eunuch nodded. “This servant witnessed it with his own eyes. Furthermore, we deployed Fierce Fire Oil—the tiniest spark was enough to ignite a massive inferno. He was heavily drugged; escaping is completely impossible.”

“This servant cast a glance back at the Qinzheng Hall a moment ago; it has already transformed into a total sea of fire.”

Wang Fuwei nodded in absolute satisfaction, letting out a cold snort: “Magnificent. Even if Ning Wujie possesses a body of solid iron, this time he is definitively dead without a doubt.”

Yet right at that moment, a roaring shout echoed from outside the doors: “Wang Fuwei! Get out here!”

Abruptly hearing her own birth name shouted aloud, Wang Fuwei rose from the couch in a towering rage. However, recognizing the exact owner of the voice, a smirk crawled onto the corner of her lips as she pieced the puzzle together.

Could it be that Ning Wujie’s death had driven the Emperor so wild with fury that he had rushed over to settle scores with her?

At that thought, she let out a triumphant, self-satisfied smile, smoothly stepping out toward the doors.

Yet the exact instant she crossed the threshold, an incredibly sharp, tangible wave of murderous intent slammed directly face-first toward her.

WHOOSH—

The edge of a blade sliced through the night sky, a flash of freezing light erupting before her eyes.

Wen Xing swung the blade, pointing the tip squarely between her eyebrows.

Despite the thick wall of guards standing between them, Wang Fuwei could still clearly feel a localized, razor-sharp edge locking onto her entire being, causing her to freeze with shock.

However, catching sight of the burning fury blazing within Wen Xing’s eyes, a wave of immense satisfaction washed over her. Suppressing the tremor in her chest, she prepared to utter a few mocking remarks—only for her gaze to suddenly lock onto the silhouette standing directly beside Wen Xing. The smile instantly froze solid on her lips.

“You… how are you…”

Ning Wujie directed a deathly cold gaze toward her.

“This servant is not dead. Is the Empress Dowager exceptionally surprised?”

Wang Fuwei rapidly reassembled her composure, letting out a cold snort: “Whether you live or die, what on earth does it have to do with this Dowager?”

Finished speaking, she feigned a towering rage, directing her voice toward Wen Xing: “Emperor! Rushing into this Dowager’s palace with a bare blade, are you planning to commit matricide?!”

Wen Xing stated with absolute chill: “And what if I am?”

Wang Fuwei stared at him in utter disbelief. “Emperor! You have gone completely mad!”

Yet she witnessed Wen Xing delivering a cuttingly cold warning: “Wang Fuwei, This Emperor is warning you: do not dare make another single move against Ning Wujie. Otherwise, even if you are the Empress Dowager, This Emperor shall slaughter you without a second thought.”

Hearing those words, Ning Wujie’s pupils shook with violent shock.

Wang Fuwei roared in fury, “Emperor, do you even comprehend what you are saying?!”

“You dare commit matricide? Do you still want this imperial throne?!”

Yet Wen Xing merely let out a cold sneer, “Even if This Emperor discards this throne, what can you possibly do about it?”

Ning Wujie’s heart violently skipped a beat.

The Emperor… for his sake, had actually…

Realizing what an absolute, terrifyingly crazy stunt Wen Xing had pulled purely for his sake, his heart began to race at a frantic, uncontrollable speed.

Even though he knew with absolute certainty that this was merely the unbridled behavior of a foolish tyrant, he still couldn’t control the intense, trembling palpitations rippling through his chest.

Could this truly be just a superficial infatuation with his physical appearance?

Was there a possibility…

He dared not pursue the thought further, as if the mere notion were an entirely unrealistic, self-deluding luxury.

He was terrified that the moment he allowed a thread of wishful thinking to take root, he would be shattered to absolute pieces by reality, plunging into a state of total madness.

He closed his eyes tightly, forcing himself to stop overthinking, desperately trying to suppress his chaotic heartbeat, yet it was entirely futile.

Wang Fuwei was pushed to the absolute edge of fury: “And what of your own life? Do you no longer want your life either?! Executing the Mother of the Nation without cause a foolish tyrant of this caliber is an entity the entire world possesses the absolute right to execute!”

“Without cause?” Wen Xing’s piercing gaze sliced over Wang Fuwei. “You target Ning Wujie time and time again—are you completely devoid of fear regarding the Ning Expeditionary Army launching a massive military campaign southward?!”

“Then that would make them literal rebels!” Wang Fuwei stated icily, “Every single faction across the nation would possess the absolute right to crush them.”

Hearing that sentence, Ning Wujie’s fists instantly clenched with immense force, his freezing gaze locking onto the woman as if he wanted to tear her into a million pieces right then and there.

Pointing a finger at Ning Wujie, she roared, “Furthermore, what practical evidence do you possess to prove this Dowager sought to murder him?”

“This Dowager is the Empress Dowager! How can I allow others to casually slander my name?!”

The knuckles of Wen Xing’s hand gripping the handle tightened once more, turning a stark, bloodless white. His voice erupted into a dark, heavy roar: “This Emperor knows it was you. I have zero need for evidence.”

Wen Xing’s gaze was so cuttingly cold that Wang Fuwei felt a profound chill run through her entire body.

“Emperor!”

Yet she witnessed Wen Xing suddenly hurling the blade away. The long blade flew from his hand, transforming into a flash of lethal light that shot straight toward her face, causing her to lose her wits with pure terror.

CLANG—!

In the absolute nick of time, a guard captain executed a rapid thrust with his long spear, barely managing to deflect the flying blade! The long blade buzzed past Wang Fuwei’s temple, embedding itself deeply into the vermilion pillar behind her frame, the handle vibrating with a heavy whine.

Wang Fuwei’s soul had barely returned to her body. Stumbling a step backward, her back slammed heavily against the doorframe, her ornate phoenix crown tilting askew.

Wen Xing… had genuinely intended to take her life!

Her rage burning hot, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “You are mad! You absolute lunatic!”

Yet she witnessed a pair of eyes resembling ancient glaciers locking squarely onto her. The absolute murderous intent and heavy warning contained within those eyes caused Wang Fuwei to shiver involuntarily out of pure, instinctual dread.

“Since Imperial Mother loves the Tangquan Palace this profoundly, you shall reside here permanently moving forward. There is zero need for you to return to the Imperial City.”

With a sharp wave of Wen Xing’s hand, a large contingent of Imperial Inspectors instantly swarmed forward, disarming the Empress Dowager’s personal guards and completely sealing the entire palace complex.

Wang Fuwei’s pupils contracted violently. Her eyes looking ready to split, she roared in fury, “Emperor! You dare place this Dowager under house arrest?!”

Wen Xing turned his frame and marched away, turning a completely deaf ear to her screams.

“You cannot trap this Dowager! Without the Wang clan, you will never sit securely on that imperial throne!”

Ning Wujie paused his footsteps, casting a final glance back at the hysterical Wang Fuwei standing outside the palace doors.

Deep within the absolute recesses of his eyes, a flash of cold, unmasked murderous intent flickered past before vanishing entirely.

Wen Xing maintained an absolute, heavy silence all the way back to his sleeping quarters. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, his suppressed fury boiled over once more. Without turning his head, he barked a cold command: “Who was the Commander of the Jinwu Guard responsible for the patrol shifts today? Failing to properly secure the Qinzheng Hall strip him of his rank and launch an official investigation!”

As the words cleared his mouth, he turned his head around, only to discover Ning Wujie standing there in absolute silence, locking a deep, heavy gaze onto him.

Beneath those dark eyes resembling a deep pool, some unknown emotion seemed to be rigidly suppressed, buried deep within the shadows, making it completely impossible to decipher.

The streaks of blood and charcoal ash on the youth’s face remained unwashed, and his embroidered official robes were in absolute tatters. Yet, precisely because of those deep, bottomless eyes and that rigidly straight spine, he radiated a unique aura of stubborn fragility.

Originally, Wen Xing had been thoroughly furious regarding Ning Wujie’s aggressive actions toward him earlier today. However, during the burning of the Qinzheng Hall, the exact moment his eyes had landed on that lifeless corpse, his entire frame had gone completely numb with a profound chill, as if he had been plunged into an absolute abyss of ice.

Thank heaven the one who died was an assassin.

If it had been Ning Wujie…

Wen Xing dared not pursue the thought even a single fraction.

He had zero mental capacity to analyze exactly why on earth he was this profoundly terrified of Ning Wujie dying. Perhaps it was merely the fear of losing a highly competent asset who managed state affairs on his behalf, or perhaps he was terrified of history being drastically rewritten by his own hands.

In short, no matter the underlying reason, the definitive consequence was something he absolutely lacked the capacity to endure.

Consequently, seeing the youth standing before him in this state, his rage evaporated completely.

Letting out a soft sigh, Wen Xing turned his head to command toward the doors: “Li Dequan, call Zhai Yuanqing over.”

The old eunuch accepted the imperial decree and withdrew immediately.

When Wen Xing turned his head back around, he suddenly found himself falling straight into a embrace that still carried the distinct, smoky scent of charcoal fire.

Utterly baffled, Wen Xing asked, “Ning Wujie?”

The other offered zero verbal response, merely reaching out a hand to silently pinch his jaw, dropping down to deliver a deep, profound kiss.

Wen Xing’s pupils contracted sharply.

There was zero enforcement from an imperial command, and the youth didn’t bite him even a single fraction. Instead, it was an exceptionally tender, lingering, and profoundly gentle kiss.

Wen Xing was thoroughly shocked.

This kid was actually initiating a kiss with him on his own accord?

What on earth had transpired? Where did the beast who had been fiercely ripping and tearing at his clothes a moment ago go?

Where did the individual who had delivered a lethal warning stating that if he backed out there would never be a second chance go?

Opening his eyes to peer closer, he caught sight of Ning Wujie’s long eyelashes sweeping downward, trembling slightly as if driven by extreme nervousness or intense emotion.

Beneath his partially closed eyelids, the fine reflections of the candle flame danced softly.

The gentle play of their lips and tongues ignited wave after wave of electric, trembling sensations that rapidly rippled across his entire being. Finding the experience exceptionally pleasurable, Wen Xing smoothly wrapped his arms around the back of the youth’s neck.

Forget it…

He thought to himself, who cares what the underlying reason is.

This kid’s lips… were truly entirely too good to kiss.

He was going to kiss him to his absolute heart’s content.