thefictionvixens Page 85
Page 85
The sound of the door hinges turning was particularly clear on the battlefield.
All the demons' eyes were drawn to the door, and even the rebels holding weapons subconsciously stopped what they were doing.
Shi Kuan's body stiffened for a moment, then he slowly raised his head. In his cloudy vision, he saw a bright red figure behind the door.
Wearing a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, her face was covered by a red veil, but the brilliance of her wedding dress could not be concealed.
That was the wedding dress he had always dreamed of, but ultimately could not put on her by his own hands.
The next second, a soft, trembling voice came from behind the door, like a feather, landing on Shi Kuan's heart, and also on Butai's heart.
Just two words, yet they seemed to have exhausted all their strength.
The voice was soft, yet carried immense power, instantly shattering all of Shi Kuan's pretense.
He suddenly lowered his head, his shoulders trembling violently. The tears he had been holding back finally burst from his eyes, falling to the ground and mingling with the bloodstains.
"Ah Kuan... I'm here..."
Chapter 103 Embrace and Kiss
"Cough...cough cough...Ah Kuan...don't cry..."
The princess leaned against Shi Kuan's chest, each breath carrying fragments of blood, staining his shirt a deep crimson.
She raised her hand, her fingertips gently brushing against Shi Kuan's tear-streaked cheek. Her hand was pale, and even the strength to lift it was slowly slipping away.
Shi Kuan held her tightly, his trembling hands desperately trying to cover her pierced chest.
But warm blood still gushed out from between his fingers, flowing like a spring over his palm, down his arm, and pooling on the ground in a glaring red stain.
The temperature of that blood was so hot it made his heart clench.
This is the princess he has protected in the palm of his hand since she was a child, the princess he couldn't bear to let shed a single tear for, the one he would rather give his life to protect.
At this moment, she was covered in blood, lying weakly in his arms, her life slipping away little by little with the gushing blood.
"Princess...Princess!" he cried hoarsely, his voice broken, "Why did you come back?! Why didn't you run away?! Why were you so foolish—!"
He never retreated a single step when facing a massive army.
Even when his demonic power was exhausted and he was covered in wounds, he never uttered a sound.
But at this moment, holding the person in his arms who was gradually getting colder, this demon who was not even afraid of death cried like a lost child, his shoulders trembling violently, tears mixed with the bloodstains on his face, covering his entire face.
The princess looked at his devastated state, but a faint smile slowly appeared on her lips.
That smile held a hint of relief, but also a touch of cunning.
Ah-Kuan finally... hugged me again...
Just like when I was a child...
She deliberately made herself feverish, just to see how anxiously he would hold her and pace around in circles.
"If I... leave... what will happen to Ah Kuan?"
Her voice grew softer and softer, almost a whisper, "If I... leave... how will Ah Kuan get there? How can I bear... leaving you here alone..."
She had already told him how she felt.
When I was little, I secretly slipped him a sachet embroidered with the character "宽" (kuān).
She took him to Tushan, where they made a contract under the Bitter Love Tree to continue their love through reincarnation.
Every time we went out, I would secretly hold his hand.
But he just couldn't take that step. He always kept the identity of "guardian" in his bones and hid his love in every silent protection, but never dared to say it out loud.
What a pity...
In this life, we still can't be together properly.
But... to die in his arms, to watch him lose his composure for me, to witness him transform from a lowly guard into a king revered by all demons, it seems... not so bad.
Suddenly, the princess mustered her last bit of strength, raised her hand to hook around Shi Kuan's neck, tilted her head slightly, and gently pressed her blood-stained lips against his.
The kiss was light, yet it carried immense force.
It was as if all the love, regrets, and unspoken words of this life were being poured into this one kiss.
A faint smell of blood lingered between their lips and teeth. Shi Kuan froze, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at the face so close to his.
This was the first time she had ever kissed him, but it happened at such a moment of life and death.
The moment the kiss landed, the princess's voice brushed against his lips, whispering softly, each word as if uttered with all her might.
"From this day forward... you are... the Demon Emperor of Northern Mountain, nicknamed—the Lord of Destruction..."
As soon as she finished speaking, her hand, which was wrapped around his neck, suddenly loosened and fell limply to her side.
The last tear slid down her cheek, colliding with a tear on Shi Kuan's cheek, and shattered into a cold fragment on their overlapping clothes.
The person in my arms was completely lifeless.
Shi Kuan remained frozen in the embrace, forgetting even to breathe.
Just then, the surrounding rebels suddenly erupted in a deafening roar. At first, it was just a few scattered shouts, but it quickly turned into a surging wave.
"Make Shi Kuan emperor!"
"Make Shi Kuan emperor!"
"Destruction Lord! Shi Kuan! Shi Kuan!"
The cries of all demons paying homage resounded through the valley. The former little guard had truly become the king of all demons in the North Mountain at this moment.
But Shi Kuan seemed not to hear, slowly kneeling on the ground, holding the person in his arms even tighter, burying his head in her cold shoulder, and finally letting out a heart-wrenching cry.
"Ahhhh——!"
In that cry, there was the despair of losing a beloved, the regret that could not be spoken, and the loneliness that no one could understand after becoming the Demon Emperor.
He became the Demon Emperor, the King of All Demons, but he lost forever the princess to whom he was willing to be her bodyguard for the rest of his life.
"Princess…"
Shi Kuan's voice was still hoarse. He slowly opened his eyes, his vision going from blurry to clear, finally landing on Butai's face opposite him.
She was already in tears, her eyes were red, and tears slid down her cheeks, hitting her clothes.
His heart tightened suddenly, and he panicked instantly.
He instinctively reached out to wipe away her tears, but his fingers stopped abruptly halfway up, his fingertips trembling slightly.
He was afraid that his touch would displease her.
"You...you don't cry, I..."
He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Her usually eloquent tongue was now incredibly clumsy, leaving only helpless panic.
Butai called out softly, her voice still trembling with tears, but she slowly raised her head, tilted it slightly, and her lips gradually lifted, revealing a smile mixed with tears.
That smile, like the sunshine after rain, instantly dispelled the confusion and unease in Shi Kuan's eyes.
Before she could finish speaking, she could no longer hold back and lunged at Shi Kuan, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
She tiptoed, tilted her head back, and leaned in with her tear-streaked cheeks.
Her soft lips pressed heavily against his.
Shi Kuan froze, standing there dumbfounded, his pupils slightly dilated.
The next second, her eyes instantly reddened. The longing and regret accumulated over hundreds of years turned into hot tears the moment the kiss landed, sliding down her cheeks.
His voice was choked with emotion as he carefully raised his hand and gently embraced Butai, lifting her up as if she were a rare treasure.
Just like a hundred years ago, he held the princess with gentle movements.
Not far away, Tu Shan Ya Ya blinked, watching the two embracing and kissing, her brows furrowing slightly.
Although she didn't quite understand what had happened, seeing the two of them kissing, she figured... it must have been a success, right?
She subconsciously turned her head to look at Mu Qinghan beside her.
He was leaning against a green bamboo, arms crossed, a gentle smile on his lips.
He looked at Shi Kuan and Butai with great interest, his eyes full of understanding.
Noticing Tu Shan Ya Ya's gaze, Mu Qing Han lowered his head and looked at her, his smile deepening.
He reached out and gently pinched her slightly cool cheek, his tone tinged with amusement.
"What are you looking at?"
After saying that, he withdrew his hand and turned to look at the commotion over there.
What's so interesting about it? Humph!
Tu Shan Ya Ya pouted, a strange sense of irritation rising in her heart.
The cheeks he had just pinched felt like they were on fire, and my head felt hot too.
Her gaze involuntarily fell on Mu Qinghan's lips.
Her lips were thin, a pale pink, and curved into a beautiful arc when she smiled. Right now, they were slightly pursed, giving off a gentle and warm feeling…
The more I looked, the hotter my head became, and the more restless I felt grew like weeds.
Without almost a second thought, Tu Shan Ya Ya tiptoed and lunged at Mu Qing Han.
Mu Qinghan only felt a blur before his eyes, and a slender figure bumped into his arms.
The next second, soft lips pressed against his, carrying the sweet scent unique to young girls.
His pupils contracted sharply, and his eyes widened as he stared at the girl so close to him.
Her eyes were tightly closed, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly like the wings of a startled butterfly.
Tu Shan Ya Ya closed her eyes, her heart pounding as if it were about to explode, the soft touch on her lips making her panic.
She peeked through her eyes and met Mu Qinghan's shocked gaze. The astonishment in his eyes instantly overwhelmed her with shyness.
In her panic, she instinctively opened her mouth and pried open Mu Qinghan's lips as well.