Phoenix's Requiem

“Of course, Aunt. I’ll immediately chase away the officials,” Li Qianhan replied.

With the Slaughtering King and the emperor himself driving away the crowds, Yun Moxiao finally found himself in blessed solitude. “Thank you, Sister.” Yun Moxiao sidled to her side, barely restraining himself from bowing to her in relief.

“Alright, Brother, go have a look at your new wife.” Yun Ruoyan patted him on the back. “If she gets mad, she won’t let you into her room.”

Li Luo had been waiting alone in the nuptial chambers for quite some time. She could hear a cacophony from the yard outside, but Yun Moxiao still hadn’t yet shown up. She was just about to remove her veil when the door creaked open.

From his footsteps alone, Li Luo immediately ascertained that the man who had stepped in was her new husband, Yun Moxiao. As he walked closer and closer to her, Li Luo suddenly felt her nerves strike.

Yun Moxiao parted her veil to uncover Li Luo’s face, pink with rouge and flushed from embarrassment. Her eyes were wet and lustrous, and he couldn’t help recalling the first time he had seen her: she had been veiled, but her eyes were shockingly bright. From that first glance at her, Yun Moxiao’s heart had been stolen.

His pursuit of Li Luo hadn’t gone very smoothly, but he had persisted—and ultimately succeeded!—in his efforts. 𝒇𝑟e𝙚𝑤𝙚𝐛𝗻𝐨ν𝚎𝘭.c𝐨m

“Li Luo.” Yun Moxiao sat down by her side, clasping her hands. “I’m so blessed to have met you. Our encounter was the greatest gift the heavens could have given me.”

Li Luo also looked toward Yun Moxiao. “Husband, that’s what I wanted to say. How lucky I am to have found a man like you.”

They looked at each other. From her pellucid eyes, he could clearly see his own reflection. Yun Moxiao suddenly wished that time would stop, that they could forever look into each other’s eyes, basking in each other’s hope and fortune for eternity.

“Husband, what’s the matter?” Li Luo was shocked at the tears that suddenly fell from Yun Moxiao’s eyes. “Why are you crying?” She hurriedly began wiping at his tears. He was a general who had led a hundred thousand troops to quash a rebellion, and he had suffered wounds too numerous to count with gritted teeth and hardly a sound, let alone any tears.

“Li Luo, I’m so sorry.” Yun Moxiao clutched Li Luo’s hands.

“Husband, what do you mean?”

“Li Luo.” Yun Moxiao placed Li Luo’s palm tightly against his heart. “I’ve decided to accompany Ruoyan and Li Mo to the Jiyuan continent. I can’t watch my own sister risk her life to save our mother while I stayed here, but I’ve let you down instead.”

Li Luo stilled. The light in her eyes dimmed a little, and Yun Moxiao’s heart clenched.

“Li Luo, can you forgive my selfishness? I know I’m about to leave on a dangerous trip, but I still married you,” Yun Moxiao confessed. “I love you so much that I’ve wanted to marry you even in my dreams, but if you’re unwilling, I can petition the emperor...”

Before Yun Moxiao could finish speaking, Li Luo had clamped his mouth shut. “I predicted you would accompany Ruoyan and His Highness there.” She sighed. “I was just waiting for you to tell me. I’m upset that you won’t be with me, but I’m very proud. If you had been unwilling to risk your life for someone as important as your mother, I would have looked down on you.”

“Thank you, Li Luo.” Yun Moxiao kissed her forehead deeply.

“Husband.” Li Luo caressed his face, dignified and handsome, wishing she could continue looking at it for days on end.

“Yes?”

“Before you leave, could you promise me something?”

“What is it? Anything for you, Li Luo,” Yun Moxiao replied.

Li Luo smiled and whispered into Yun Moxiao’s ear, “Let’s make a baby together.” Her gentle touch and heavenly scent were sufficient to make Yun Moxiao’s blood throb.

“Li Luo,” he called out hoarsely, pushing her down onto the bedsheets.

After sending off the last group of guests and dealing with any remaining issues pertaining to the wedding, Yun Ruoyan was so tired that she flopped down on a chair and refused to move. Li Mo carried her into their carriage. Ever since Yun Moxiao’s return, Yun Ruoyan had returned to living in the Slaughtering King’s manor. Now that Yun Moxiao was married and the Yun household had a new female head again, there was absolutely no need for Yun Ruoyan to remain.

“Do you know if Li Yan’s asleep?” Yun Ruoyan asked. Because there were so many guests at the Yun manor and it was far too noisy, Yun Ruoyan had had Li Yan brought back to the Slaughtering King’s manor.

“Given the time, he must have slept long ago.” Li Mo ran his fingers through her hair. “You’ve worked hard today, Ruoyan.”

“I only have one brother, and making sure his wedding is memorable is certainly worth the effort.” Yun Ruoyan was so tired that she didn’t even want to open her eyes, but a blissful smile hung on her face. It had been quite some time before she last recalled her tragic fate in her past life—until now. Compared to then, her life now was already far better than before. And when she returned from the Jiyuan continent with holy water to save Lin Yuemei—and ideally having rescued her father, Long Yin—Yun Ruoyan’s life would be without any regrets.

By the time the carriage arrived at the Slaughtering King’s manor, Yun Ruoyan was sound asleep. Li Mo carried her into the manor toward their room. The moment he stepped into the yard, however, a black shadow suddenly darted out of Li Yan’s rooms.

“Who is it?” Li Mo shouted, startling Yun Ruoyan awake.

“What’s the matter, Li Mo? Did something happen?”

“Someone snatched Li Yan away!” Li Mo soared into the skies on his sword, bringing Yun Ruoyan with him as he chased the black shadow. Li Mo’s sword was far quicker than the shadow’s, but for some reason, the shadow’s speed suddenly increased dramatically whenever Li Mo got close. It took four whole hours before Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan finally caught up.

Yun Ruoyan was on her Scarlet Eye, and they were on either side of the black shadow. “Who are you? Return our son to us!” Yun Ruoyan shouted.

“Don’t get close, or I’ll kill him.” The black-clad person’s hand was on Li Yan’s neck.

“Hold it!” Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo shouted immediately.

“If you don’t want me to strangle your dear son to death, make way.”

“Where are you bringing him?” Yun Ruoyan pressed.

“Yun Ruoyan, do you think I’ll answer your question? What a joke.”

Yun Ruoyan frowned. “Rong Yueshan, I’m your enemy. How despicable do you have to be to focus on my son?!”

Rong Yueshan hesitated, then removed her hood. She smiled at Yun Ruoyan. “How did you know it was me?”

Yun Ruoyan chuckled bitterly. “We’ve been rivals for a while, and I understand you just as much as you do me. You might have hidden your face and changed your voice, but just from the way you called my name, I knew it was you.”

“Yun Ruoyan, your son is in my hands. A moment’s effort would be all it took to make your life hell, and you don’t know how happy I am just thinking about it.”

“You dare!” Li Mo shouted from behind her.

Rong Yueshan turned back to look at Li Mo. “Don’t try to frighten me, Slaughtering King. What if my hand trembles and twists your dear son’s head off?”

“Rong Yueshan, what will make you give up our child? How about me?” Yun Ruoyan asked.

“Yan’er, don’t be rash,” Li Mo said urgently.

“The Slaughtering King would hardly let me go if I did that,” Rong Yueshan replied. “Furthermore, a baby’s far easier to control than you. Now, make way or else.”

“Rong Yueshan, the person you hate is me! You surely want something from us, or you wouldn’t have kidnapped our child. What is it?” Yun Ruoyan pressed.

“I said, make way!” Rong Yueshan was about to lose her patience.

Yun Ruoyan stared at Rong Yueshan’s hands. Initially, she had been too anxious to notice the discrepancy, but she suddenly relaxed. Although Rong Yueshan had made as if to squeeze his neck, that was only a feint, and she didn’t dare touch him at all. Given her hatred for her, if she didn’t want something from her or Li Mo, then she would have killed Li Yan on the spot.

So why was she trying to bring him away? Unless... Yun Ruoyan opened her eyes wide. “Rong Yueshan, you’re working for the silver dragon elder! You’re nothing but his lackey!”

“Don’t call me a lackey,” Rong Yueshan spat. “Or do you think that you’re the only one who can find a draconic clan as a backer?”

“I don’t care who your backer is. You won’t escape with our son!” Yun Ruoyan was absolutely certain that the silver dragon elder had instigated Rong Yueshan into kidnapping her baby. In that case, she wouldn’t dare hurt Li Yan.

When Rong Yueshan saw that Yun Ruoyan had no intention of making way, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of anxiety. The kidnapping today had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. According to the silver dragon elder’s plan, she was supposed to strike only after Yun Ruoyan and the others had left the Chenyuan continent, but Rong Yueshan had just found out from Dong Tiehe that Rong Tianling had died during his imprisonment in the palace, unable to bear the torture inflicted on his body.

In her anger, and knowing that Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan would be busy with Yun Moxiao’s wedding, she had thought this a perfect opportunity to strike...