EWRN - Chapter 54
Chapter 54: Autumn Hunt (IX)
In a haze of passion, Huo Jinyu finally pressed her lips against Yan Xi's soft, pink ones.
Yan Xi seemed not to have expected the kiss, sitting perfectly still as Huo Jinyu’s lips gently, cautiously, met hers.
Huo Jinyu’s lips explored tentatively. In her two lifetimes, she had never been so intimate with anyone. Now, driven by instinct, she wanted nothing more than to devour the woman before her. Yet she didn’t want to frighten the beauty, so she proceeded with caution. The soft touch of their lips sent her mind into a blank haze, with only a single voice repeating, “Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”
The woman before her sat quietly, quite docile, seemingly unfazed by Huo Jinyu’s sudden action. Huo Jinyu’s hand tightened on the railing, her gaze darkening. A gentle breeze lifted a strand of Yan Xi’s hair, brushing it against Huo Jinyu’s cheek.
Huo Jinyu pulled back slightly. She saw that the woman’s cheeks were flushed a charming, lovely red, all her usual pride gone. Yan Xi pursed her lips, and even this minuscule gesture stirred an unquenchable fire within Huo Jinyu.
Huo Jinyu leaned in again, this time gently suckling Yan Xi’s lips. She lingered, her own lips moving languidly, and she could almost hear the soft sounds their mouths were making.
Huo Jinyu swallowed secretly. This wasn't enough. She wanted more.
Suddenly, Yan Xi leaned forward, her lips parting slightly as she began to return the kiss.
Huo Jinyu tilted her head, her tongue gently darting out to lick Yan Xi’s lips. So sweet, she thought with an inward sigh, wondering if she was imagining the faint sweetness she tasted.
A simple lick was still not enough for Huo Jinyu. Suddenly, something small, warm, and soft touched her tongue. The delicate contact was like fireworks exploding in her mind. A tingling numbness shot through her entire body. It was the first time Huo Jinyu had ever felt anything like it, and her hands nearly gave way, almost sending Yan Xi tumbling to the ground. Fortunately, her years of martial arts training allowed her to remain steady.
Huo Jinyu’s kiss sent a tickle through Yan Xi’s heart, and she wanted to kiss back. Imitating Huo Jinyu, she gently extended her own tongue, only to have it bump right into Huo Jinyu’s. The unexpected touch of a man’s tongue—so soft, so boneless, so warm—felt just like love.
A tingling sensation washed over her from head to toe, almost robbing her of all strength. She had practiced martial arts since she was a child and had a strong constitution, but she had never felt so weak and helpless. Yan Xi had no choice but to wrap her arms around Huo Jinyu’s neck to steady her limp body.
As a pair of warm arms wrapped around her neck, Huo Jinyu tilted her head, Yan Xi’s sweet breath inches away. Feeling the position was too restrictive, Huo Jinyu withdrew one hand, slipped it under Yan Xi’s arm, and took a small step back. With a surge of strength from her right arm, she lifted the light Yan Xi to her feet, pressing her against a pavilion pillar with one hand cupping the back of her head, and deepened the kiss.
Dizzy, Yan Xi found herself lifted and pressed against the pillar. Huo Jinyu’s hand was behind her, shielding her from the cold stone. Even through the layers of clothing, Yan Xi could feel the warmth radiating from that hand. In her daze, her beautiful face flushed an even deeper shade of red.
So close, Huo Jinyu could see Yan Xi’s eyes misting over. Soft gasps escaped from between her lips, stirring Huo Jinyu’s wildly pounding heart.
Time seemed to stand still. Heaven and earth, and all living things, ceased to move. The wind died, the grass fell silent. It was a moment of ancient eternity.
After a long moment, Huo Jinyu finally stepped back and straightened up. Both of them were flushed, their hearts pounding. Yan Xi’s lips were slightly swollen. They looked at each other, and in the other’s eyes, they each saw the stirrings of affection.
Huo Jinyu’s mind was still in a fog, but she felt that a single kiss from this beauty had made the entire Autumn Hunt worthwhile.
The wind began to pick up. The two stood in silence. Huo Jinyu stepped forward and gently tugged on Yan Xi’s sleeve. “Let me walk you back,” she said softly.
Yan Xi nodded, and Huo Jinyu escorted her back to her quarters.
After a few parting words, Huo Jinyu turned to leave.
“Jinyu,” Yan Xi called out quickly as she watched her turn to go.
“Is there anything else, Xi’er?” Huo Jinyu asked, turning back in confusion.
“...It’s nothing.” Yan Xi hesitated. Once again, she couldn’t bring herself to ask her to stay.
Why was this person so strange? Just moments ago, he... he did that to her. Why was he so unwilling to share a bed? Before she married, the old women all said that men think with their lower bodies. How could her husband be so peculiar and refined?
Huo Jinyu nodded, finding it a bit strange. After another word or two, she pushed open the door, left, and closed it gently behind her.
Yan Xi sat dejectedly on the edge of her bed. Ever since their wedding night, they had never performed the rites of husband and wife. In all these months, they had shared only this one kiss. She gently touched her lips with her index finger; the fiery passion and soft touch from moments ago seemed to still linger there.
Outside the door, Huo Jinyu hadn’t gone far. She stood dazedly in front of Yan Xi’s room, having just closed the door. She pursed her lips, her tongue darting out to lick them. The soft touch and tingling sensation of the kiss had been too wonderful. So wonderful she had forgotten all propriety. So wonderful she had almost stayed. So wonderful she wanted to do it again.
Suddenly, a cold gust of wind struck her face, snapping her back to her senses. She abruptly remembered her identity, her secret that could not yet be told. Her heart instantly went cold. When she recalled the look of expectation in Xi’er’s eyes, the last bit of warmth vanished completely. She was, after all, a woman. She could not give Yan Xi the things she desired—things that were, for Huo Jinyu, utterly unattainable.
Feeling as though a basin of cold water had been dumped over her head, Huo Jinyu walked dejectedly back to the main hall of the East Palace.
Tonight, it was destined that the three residents of the East Palace would not be able to sleep.
The next day.
Huo Jinyu rose early. After washing up and changing her clothes, she stepped out of the hall. It was the third day of the Autumn Hunt, the final day of the competition. All the hunting grounds were now open, which meant that everyone could move between the different zones. It also meant they had the chance to hunt larger prey. Of course, with opportunity came danger. And on this day, it meant that the Fourth Prince of the Northern Kingdom was about to meet his misfortune.
Yan Xi also rose early. Today, she had changed into a red and black riding habit, forgoing the restrictive gowns befitting her status as a noble consort.
When she pushed open her door, she saw Huo Jinyu already standing in the garden, dressed in robes as white as snow.
“Good morning, Jinyu,” Yan Xi said with a wave.
“Morning, Xi’er. Why the change of clothes today?” Huo Jinyu asked, looking with some surprise at Yan Xi’s different attire. Though she asked the question, she already had a good idea of the answer. She could guess what Yan Xi planned to do.
“It has been some time since I’ve ridden, and today I wish to gallop across the fields alone. I hope Jinyu won’t mind,” Yan Xi replied politely. It was a simple excuse; her real meaning was that she wanted to be alone and that Huo Jinyu should not follow her.
Huo Jinyu pretended not to understand the subtext. “In that case, you must enjoy yourself to the fullest today, Xi’er.” Her own hidden message was for Yan Xi to do as she pleased; she would take care of the rest.
Whether Yan Xi understood or not was unclear. In any case, a short while later, she mounted her horse and rode out alone through the west gate.
One by one, the young noblemen also rose. After washing and dressing, they mounted their fine steeds and galloped off toward the various hunting grounds. Everyone was thrilled that they could switch zones today, determined to bring back some large game.
Huo Jinyu set out with a few guards as well, following Yan Xi from a distance. Soon, Yan Xi entered the woods, and they were forced to track her by following the trail of trampled leaves on the forest floor.
Yan Xi rode through the western hunting ground for half the morning, carefully avoiding everyone else. It was an arduous journey. Finally, in the distance, she spotted the Fourth Prince of the Northern Kingdom. He seemed to be chasing some prey and had ridden ahead of his party into the western woods alone. The two of them locked eyes from horseback, both momentarily stunned.
The Fourth Prince of the Northern Kingdom seemed to be in a good mood; apparently, he had already put the matter of his crippled Ferghana horse behind him. Seeing Yan Xi living well in the Great Yuan Kingdom, a roguish smile spread across his face as he taunted her, “Well, if it isn’t our Princess Yan. How does it feel? Being the Great Yuan Emperor’s concubine? Hahaha! That emperor of yours looks so soft and delicate. Can he even satisfy you? Hahahaha!” The Fourth Prince cackled, his hoarse voice spewing filth. Every word was a dagger in Yan Xi’s heart. She would never forget that the deaths of her imperial brother and sister, and the disappearance of her younger brother, were all thanks to the man before her. The fall of the Yan clan’s imperial power was also his doing.
She had heard that on the day of her imperial brother’s execution, it was this very same damned Fourth Prince who had personally overseen it.
She let the Fourth Prince laugh his arrogant laugh. He could only get his kicks from running his mouth; on Great Yuan territory, he didn’t have the guts to lay a hand on one of its noble consorts. But while he didn’t dare, Yan Xi most certainly did.
Before he could spout any more nonsense, Yan Xi drew her bow and nocked an arrow. In an instant, it flew, striking the Fourth Prince squarely in the left shoulder. It all happened in a flash. Before the prince could even react, the arrow was buried deep in his shoulder, its tip mere inches from his heart.
“Aaaah!” The force of the impact knocked the Fourth Prince from his horse. He lay on the ground, clutching his shoulder and wailing. Though he was from a steppe clan and had practiced martial arts since childhood, he had been coddled his entire life and was terrified of pain. Having never suffered such a grievous wound, he naturally cried out.
Yan Xi dismounted. Sword in hand, she walked over to the fallen prince.
“You fucking bitch! You dare shoot me! Just see if I don’t kill you for this!” the Fourth Prince howled, trying to sound tough through his filthy curses.
Yan Xi viciously slashed him three times with her sword. “This is for my imperial brother! This is for my poor imperial sister! And this is for my missing imperial brother!”
She paused, pulling back her blood-drenched sword. “I will spare you for today. But the debt the Wu clan owes the Yan clan—this princess will one day collect it from you in full!”
With that, Yan Xi flicked her sword to shake off the filthy blood, then turned and mounted her horse. Ignoring the prince wailing on the ground, she spurred her mount and rode away.
After Yan Xi was gone, the Fourth Prince struggled to his feet. To his shock, a tall figure with an ashen face emerged from the trees.
The newcomer was none other than Huo Jinyu.
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