Благословение Небожителей. Том 6 (ЛП) - Мосян Тунсю

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I won’t kill those two useless pieces of trash—for now,” Hua Cheng said in a low voice, perhaps attempting to reassure Xie Lian. “Even though I’d really like to murder them.”

There was a layer of thick, soft, fresh hay on the stone bed. It didn’t jab Xie Lian at all as he lay there limply, but he was so anxious that his insides were smoking—he couldn’t understand why Hua Cheng wouldn’t release him from the spell. Just as he was trying desperately to struggle his way out of its control, Hua Cheng reached for the sash around Xie Lian’s waist and begin to untie it.

In an unfortunate coincidence, that was the moment when the Command Talisman on Xie Lian’s back started to fade; he kicked out hard with one leg as an “Ah!” escaped his lips. His spasm looked like nothing more than the jerk of a dying fish twitching in its last attempt at life and objecting with no real power. Still, Hua Cheng froze instantly and withdrew his hand.

“I won’t!”

At that point, Hua Cheng seemed to decide that his tone was too harsh and that his actions might be scaring or repulsing Xie Lian. He backed away a few steps and softened his voice. His expression was cautious and resigned but otherwise unreadable.

“Your Highness, I won’t do anything to you,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t…don’t be scared.”

Xie Lian finally understood.

Hua Cheng still wasn’t sure what kind of response he would receive from Xie Lian upon releasing the spell, so he was refusing to hear it altogether.

Hua Cheng seemed to be holding back some sort of urge, and he once again assured him in a quiet tone that sounded like a vow, “Your Highness, trust me.”

He’d said that exact phrase before, but this time, all his normal confidence was gone.

Xie Lian wanted to answer him but couldn’t, and he didn’t dare struggle anymore lest Hua Cheng’s misunderstanding deepen. He could only lie there, flat and motionless, waiting patiently for the power of the Command Talisman to fade entirely.

Seeing that Xie Lian had stopped “resisting,” Hua Cheng approached again, reached out, and gingerly finished untying Xie Lian’s belt.

San Lang?! Xie Lian called out in his mind.

Xie Lian wholeheartedly believed that Hua Cheng would never take advantage of a helpless person, but this new development was completely unexpected—he couldn’t help his eyes widening. Hua Cheng set about loosening Xie Lian’s clothes, but he seemed to be avoiding touching Xie Lian’s body, which slowed him down. It was a long while before Xie Lian’s outer robes were removed and the inner robe followed. A wraith butterfly perched on the curve of Xie Lian’s shoulder, and a warm, tingling feeling crawled over his skin.

It was only then that Xie Lian realized the state he was in—his skin was red and slightly swollen, even cracked in some areas. But when the silver butterfly perched on him, his injuries had started to heal.

This was frostbite he’d gotten from tumbling all over the frozen mountain, but Xie Lian hadn’t noticed it since he was fairly used to pain at this point. If he had frostbite, then he had frostbite; even if he had noticed the injuries earlier, he probably would have left them to heal on their own. But Hua Cheng knew even better than Xie Lian himself where he was hurt, and he wouldn’t let it go. He would address Xie Lian’s injuries no matter what.

Xie Lian’s thoughts were interrupted when Hua Cheng took his arm and raised it. There were even more patches of frostbite on his hands and feet, and many of the spots were bleeding due to all the frantic running and pulling he’d been subjected to recently. Xie Lian wasn’t afraid of pain, but he was ticklish—and in spite of himself, fragmented memories from years past surfaced in his mind. The trembling, heated hands of a boy in a dark cave, random panicked touches, irregular breathing, and racing hearts…

At first, these memories were hazy and incredibly faint; Xie Lian had packed them away and tossed them into a corner of his mind long ago. But as the memories began to resurface, they had a surprisingly different taste, and it made Xie Lian want to hold his head and scream—especially with Hua Cheng right in front of him, doing very nearly the same things he’d done once upon a time. Xie Lian’s face and mind were burning. He was afraid Hua Cheng would see his distress, but Hua Cheng didn’t look at him at all; he fulfilled his promise completely and never crossed the line. He kept his head slightly turned away, averting his gaze from Xie Lian’s half-exposed white shoulder.

Suddenly, a jeering voice rang out from behind Hua Cheng.

“Hua Cheng! You madman, what do you think you’re doing to His Highness?! You’re disgusting!”

Hua Cheng whipped his head toward the voice. Xie Lian looked past him to see who had reached the entrance of the cavern chamber.

The speaker was Mu Qing, with Feng Xin beside him. Despite being so recently wrapped in giant chrysalises, they had somehow broken free and found this place. Their faces had gone pale at the scene inside the cavern, and Xie Lian’s face paled in turn.

What an awful sight!

Feng Xin pointed at Hua Cheng, then pointed at Xie Lian with his clothes peeled halfway off. It was a long moment before he could squeeze out, “You… You… Let him go right now!”

Hua Cheng quickly pulled Xie Lian’s clothes back in place. “You useless trash dare hunt us down,” he said coldly. “I think you’re tired of living.”

“Keep your filthy hands off him. Does the ugly toad want a taste of swan meat?”4 Mu Qing sneered. “Never mind dreaming of it for eight hundred years—you can hope for a thousand more, but don’t even think of touching a single one of His Highness’s fingers!”

Xie Lian’s heart dropped. But while the comments annoyed him, he could sense that something was amiss.

What was wrong with those two? They shouldn’t have spewed such malicious words, even if Hua Cheng had beaten them to a pulp earlier—it was especially uncharacteristic of Mu Qing. It seemed like they were purposely trying to provoke Hua Cheng. But there was no reason for that; they knew they couldn’t beat him, so what did they want? Moreover, their tone subtly pointed the spear in Xie Lian’s direction. It was like they wanted to stir up confusion—as though they wanted Hua Cheng to do something to Xie Lian in a fit of anger.

Sure enough, darkness flashed over Hua Cheng’s blanched face, and he threatened softly, “Since you both came seeking death—”

Xie Lian could see the naked murderous intent in his eyes, and horror filled him

“Don’t!” he cried.

Too late. Hua Cheng unsheathed his scimitar, and Eming flashed cold.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both startled by the strike, and they reflexively looked down at themselves, but they saw no visible injuries on their bodies. Just a moment later, before they had the chance to breathe in relief or retaliate, the upper halves of their bodies split from their lower halves and fell to the floor with a thud.

Blood spurted and gushed, spilling over and flooding the ground.

Xie Lian had never expected things to go like this. He lay limply on the stone bed, completely dumbstruck.

Hua Cheng had actually sliced Feng Xin and Mu Qing in half!

They weren’t dead yet. They tumbled to the ground, one gritting his teeth, the other yelling furiously—it was a sight too tragic to witness. Hua Cheng’s expression was frigid as he sheathed his scimitar. His face was dotted with only a few drops of blood, but the tinge of red complemented the aura of evil surrounding him and made him look even more striking.

Hua Cheng stood in the pool of blood for a moment, then turned to walk toward Xie Lian. Xie Lian stared with wide eyes at Hua Cheng’s grim approach.

By the time Xie Lian snapped out of his stupor, Hua Cheng had already reached his side. He clutched one of Xie Lian’s hands and pulled him up into an intense embrace.