The General’s Genius Daughter

Hua Qiyue was conquered by Yun Shimo’s crazy kiss. In the cave, there was only the sound of their frantic breathings.

Luckily, the hare was nowhere to be found. Otherwise, it would cover its mouth, pretending to vomit blood…

A mistiness was in Hua Qiyue’s eyes. She felt that her soul had been abducted. The eyes of the jade phoenix hairpin in her right hand suddenly glowed with a resplendent light. Unfortunately, Yun Shimo and Hua Qiyue could not detect it.

When Yun Shimo’s mouth departed from Hua Qiyue’s lips, there was a trickle of blood by its corner. He wiped away that trickle of blood and started to gently caress Hua Qiyue’s flushing face.

“Qiyue, no matter what I do, you are the only one… in my heart. Princess Qianyang is an extremely dangerous person. Don’t get too close to her. That’s all I have to say.”

Tenderness and solemnity were interlocked in Yun Shimo’s eyes.

Hua Qiyue gave a start. She watched Yun Shimo’s serious face and was touched.

He did not seem to be a lascivous man. If he was, he would long have a harem of wives and concubines.

After all, Prince Nan was world famous. Which woman in the capital would not want to be his wife?

If he was so lascivious, would he need to wait for Princess Qianyang? Princess Qianyang was indeed pretty, but there were many young ladies in the capital better and prettier than her.

Yun Shimo was so gentle and serious to Hua Qiyue. He didn’t seem to be feigning.

He was a man. If he really did not like her, he need not humor her. He did not care for her divine herbs. After all, if the medicine saint needed to refine a divine pill, he could do it using other herbs.

Hua Qiyue sat silently there, Yun Shimo’s arm still around her waist.

As she was feeling perplexed, Yun Shimo rubbed against her beautiful hair with his face gently. “Qiyue… one day, you will surely forgive me.”

Then, he lightly parted her lovely hair and gently kissed her earlobe, lustrous as jade.

Hua Qiyue’s whole body trembled and she felt powerless to resist. Neither did she want to. Her entire person fell into Yun Shimo’s arms.

Suddenly, Hua Qiyue sensed in her right arm a stream of warmth entering into her finger. Greatly surprised, she lifted her right arm, suddenly recollecting that she had the jade phoenix hairpin in her hand.

The phoenix’s eyes were emanating a gentle luster of jade. It gave Hua Qiyue an extremely familiar feeling. She seemed to recall Yun Shimo and Princess Qianyang standing together. Her heart seemed to be torn asunder and her eyes instantly misted over with tears.

“Don’t, Qiyue… ”

When he saw Hua Qiyue acting thus, Yun Shimo panicked. He immediately lifted up her face and planted on it a kiss. But Hua Qiyue’s tears had fallen. Yun Shimo kissed them and detected a brackish taste.

Their lingering kiss began again. Time seemed almost to have stopped. Hua Qiyue’s tears kept falling madly. As she wept, her tears soon dried and the grievances in her heart seemed to have dissipated.

Perhaps Yun Shimo was right. He once said that Princess Qianyang’s body held a pearl. The danger must lie in this pearl!

Hua Qiyue suddenly seemed to have understood. Was he close to the Princess to prevent the latter from opposing her?

“Enough, no more tears. After I settle this thorny business, I will make up to Tianci and you.” Yun Shimo gave a light sigh. He really wished to remain in this cave with Hua Qiyue for their entire life, cut off from the rest of humanity.

But…

Countless reasons made it impossible for him to stay.

Yun Shimo carefully wiped the tears from Hua Qiyue’s eyes, then rubbed against her face again gently.

Yun Shimo had rarely performed such intimate actions. This time, Hua Qiyue’s heart was tender and plaint like water.

For some reason, the jade hairpin in her hand gradually calmed her down.

“Let me help you put this in.”

Yun Shimo said, taking the jade hairpin from Hua Qiyue’s hand. Then, he gingerly and clumsily slipped the hairpin into her coiffure.

Hua Qiyue caught the tenderness in Yun Shimo’s eyes. Her heart became soft and pliable like cotton wool.

Forget it, forget it!

Yun Shimo was her destined lover and arch-enemy, rolled into one. He might have his reasons. One day, she would surely know.

If she felt aggrieved and did not wish to forgive Yun Shimo, she would suffer. Nightmares would visit her in the night, making her wake in cold sweat.

Now and then, she would see Yun Shimo and Princess Qianyang in her dream together, saying sweet nothings to each other. And she would feel the chill in the Princess’s eyes each time she saw her.

That sort of chill would stab her heart, causing her pain.

Then, she would dream about Zhou Zhicheng and Princess Huizhen again, torturing Tianci together. The nightmare had scared the wits out of her.

Sometimes, when she awoke, she would think that it was still in her previous life—that her present life was merely a dream. When she completely came to herself, she discovered that her last life was already over and that it had been a dream. Only then did she heaved a sigh of relief.

If she could not exorcise the demon in her heart, she could not rest.

Now, what she most needed was to quietly cultivate, to deal with the Venerated Supreme Devil to come.

Yun Shimo had already put on that jade phoenix hairpin for Hua Qiyue. A light golden jade phoenix hairpin, its phoenix eyes glistening with a warm luster. Hua Qiyue’s inky hair seemed to be reflected in it, adding a radiance to complement her beauty.

“It looks lovely.” Yun Shimo smiled sincerely.

Yun Shimo very rarely smiled. His smile made everything resplendent and dazzling. Hua Qiyue lifted her eyes a little, looking into the man’s handsome face and suave demeanor, slowly shutting her eyes.

The two of them embraced and sat up, savoring this precious moment together.

When they left this place, Yun Shimo would be with Princess Qianyang again. Then, he would distance himself from her. Until he settled the thorny issue of Princess Qianyang…

What kind of a person was Princess Qianyang?

She could make Yun Shimo force himself and leave her. She must be someone more powerful than even the hare? It might be because of that pearl in her body…

Hua Qiyue gave a pause and inhaled a deep breath. She no longer wished to think about this thorny problem again. She would leave everything to Yun Shimo.

At this moment, footsteps resounded from the outside. Hua Qiyue immediately got up in a struggle. She heard Huangfu Xuan’s voice in the front. “They should be inside here?”

“Yes, they’re inside!” The hare replied.

The hare had gone out from the cave for a walk and met Huangfu Xuan and Ouyang Youche accidentally.

When the two of them walked in, they saw Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo standing by the stone couch and were startled. Hua Qiyue’s eyes were slightly red, her face flushed crimson. She was intoxicatingly beautiful and caused one’s imagination to run wild.

Even Yun Shimo’s countenance was florid. Their expressions and facial color made one imagine an earlier intimate scene.

The hare came in and saw this scene. It started to cough lightly. “Well, talk about a bad timing.”

Huangfu Xuan started and stared at Hua Qiyue’s intoxicated and flushing face. Rage flared up on his face and he gave a cold snort. He flung his sleeve and stalked off.

This handsome youth had unhesitatingly followed Yun Shimo down. Wasn’t it because of Hua Qiyue?

“Brother Huangfu… ” Seeing Huangfu Xuan fling his sleeve and depart, Ouyang Youche shook his head helplessly at Hua Qiyue and Yu Shimo. “It’s good that you’re both fine. We shall leave first!”

Hua Qiyue watched his departing back and felt some consolation. Ouyang Youche had treated her as a good friend but had not fallen for her. Yet, he had followed them down without hesitation as well.

In other words, all of them had her in their hearts.

With friends like these, her present life would not count as a big failure!

Hua Qiyue came to herself again after Yun Shimo’s light cough. The man gave a cold snort. “Why look? They’re gone.”

Tsk, tsk, there was a faint trace of jealousy in his tone.

Hua Qiyue smiled and turned to gaze at Yun Shimo who was pulling a long face. She was feeling bright and enlightened.

From this moment on, Hua Qiyue would choose to believe in him without any condition.

“Let’s go. Let’s follow the way and see what adventures we’ll meet with,” Hua Qiyue said in a quiet voice.

“Err… don’t you want the treasures in here?” The hare suddenly shouted. Hua Qiyue glanced at those rare treasures and jewels and shook her head.

“I’m not interested in them.”

She had enough money. Hauling these treasures back would be a waste of her time and energy.

“But… ” The hare hesitated and, gazing at the hairpin in Hua Qiyue’s hair, suddenly started. For a brief moment, he could not recover.

“Lass, you like this hairpin, don’t you?” The little hare asked in a low voice.

“Yes. What’s wrong?” Hua Qiyue was a little baffled. Didn’t the hare tell her that it had affinity with her? Then why ask?

The little hare shook its head, an unfathomable light flashing across its eyes. “Let’s go. They are waiting for us at the opposite woods.”

Hua Qiyue followed Yun Shimo, walking to the other side. They were about to exit the cave entrance when, quite strangely and suddenly, an odd, inexplicable mournfulness welled up in her heart. She had to turn back and look, staring at the ice coffin amid all the rare treasures.

She saw nothing, but Hua Qiyue felt that this place… she seemed to have visited this place before.

Forget it. She would think no more. Hua Qiyue frowned. What’s wrong with her these days? She felt she was not quite herself lately.

She seemed to have forgotten some important people, or had lost some important memories.

The scene outside the cave was bright. At the other side, at the foot of the mountains, they saw Ji Feng leading the company up the mountain. This way was the path they had trodden on earlier before.

Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo were delighted and surprised. Luckily, they had not wasted much time, or they would have felt guilty.

“Let’s walk quickly and catch up with them!” Yun Shimo was pulling Hua Qiyue’s hand resolutely. They were not in the capital and did not need to fear Princess Qianyang.

Hua Qiyue, too, did not fuss. She raised her head and quickened her steps. Soon, the two of them caught up with the group. The company saw that Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo were unharmed and were delighted.

Among the group were Huangfu Xuan and Ouyang Youche. They had met up with the company slightly before Hua Qiyue.

Zhen Ruyi walked in Hua Qiyue’s front, turning back to give her a glance. Then, she glanced at Yun Shimo as well and started to gasp in admiration. “What a golden couple—a perfect pair!”

Hua Qiyue heard her and gave a slight smile. The expression in Yun Shimo’s eyes were much more tender now.

But within the alliance, many female disciples were looking at Yun Shimo, puzzled. Wasn’t he Princess Qianyang’s lover? Why had Hua Qiyue suddenly forgiven him and was with him again? If they had returned to the capital and Princess Qianyang seen this scene, her lungs would explode from rage, wouldn’t she?

The little hare whizzed and leaped up onto Yun Shimo’s shoulder, narrowing its eyes. It stared at the jade hairpin in Hua Qiyue’s hair bun, scintillating in the sunlight.

Memories from long ago floated into his mind. In his memory, the lovely countenance of that girl was like the third month’s spring flowers. So delicate, tender and alluring…