Chapter 680
Night View of Renxue
Chapter 680 Night View of Qian Renxue
Standing by the window, the night breeze stirred Bibi Dong's loose purple hair.
She gazed at the quietly closing hidden door, her eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions.
There was the lingering feeling of her earlier entanglement with Dai Chengfeng, the shock of almost being caught by her daughter, and a sense of helplessness towards that bastard that she herself was unwilling to delve into.
"What a... nemesis."
She muttered a curse under her breath, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the barely visible pale red mark on the side of her neck.
The mark was not conspicuous in the candlelight, but it was like a fine thorn, measuring her majesty as pope and her secret as a woman.
Dai Chengfeng is clearly audacious and reckless, yet he always manages to strike at the most unpredictable points in her heart, making her oscillate between anger and some indescribable throbbing.
In the end, Bibi Dong simply shook her head slightly, closed the window, and shut out the night.
The palace returned to silence, leaving her alone with the lingering scent of a certain man.
Exhaustion finally overwhelmed her, and she turned to walk to the bed, intending to tidy up the mess she had just made in solitude before going to sleep.
At this moment, behind the hidden door, Dai Chengfeng was walking slowly along the dimly lit passage that could only accommodate one person at a time.
A faint smile played on his lips as he reminisced about his time in the Pope's chambers.
Bibi Dong's embarrassment and anger, her feigned composure, and finally, that look in her eyes that was both slightly angry and indulgent, all intrigued him.
This is like a dangerous gamble, dancing on a tightrope of the mother-daughter relationship, thrilling and exhilarating.
He moved swiftly, and soon passed through the secret passage, appearing in another, more elegant and secluded courtyard deep within the Spirit Hall—the area belonging to the Angel Clan, now inhabited by Qian Renxue.
He knew the paths here as well as his own backyard, and with a few quick movements in the shadows, he silently evaded the night patrol guards.
It approached the outer wall of Qian Renxue's residence like a ghost.
Inside the room, Qian Renxue had just finished taking a bath.
The warm water washed away the dust and weariness of days of travel and also slightly eased the complex emotions that had accumulated in her mother's bedroom.
She was wearing an elegant silk nightgown, her long hair wet and draped over her shoulders. She was sitting in front of the dressing table, absentmindedly drying her hair with a towel.
The girl in the mirror was stunningly beautiful, yet her brows carried a lingering weariness and confusion.
Mother...is she really just having a headache?
That thought keeps popping up every now and then.
Reason told her that as the Pope, her mother was extremely busy and stressed, so it was normal for her to be unwell.
But a certain intuition, or rather, her long-held, elusive and unpredictable perception of her mother, made her feel that things were not so simple.
Especially the mother's last sentence, "I'm not lying to you," seemed less like an explanation and more like a way of... disclaiming responsibility?
She shook her head, suppressing those unfounded speculations.
Perhaps I'm just overthinking things.
There was already a vast distance between her and her mother; she shouldn't, and couldn't, ask for more.
Maintaining a semblance of peace and respect is already the limit.
She got up, walked to the window, but didn't open it. She just stood there quietly, gazing at the deep night outside.
The nights at the Spirit Hall are always exceptionally quiet, and also exceptionally... cold.
Unlike the opulent and extravagant imperial palace of the Heavenly Dou Empire, everything here exudes a solemn and chilling atmosphere. Even the moonlight shining on the white stone-paved square appears exceptionally clear and sharp.
She sighed softly, preparing to turn off the light and go to bed...
Suddenly, a very faint sound came from behind her, almost blending into the wind. Qian Renxue froze, her martial spirit about to be released, her soul power subconsciously gathering in her palm—whoever could sneak into her bedroom deep within the Martial Spirit Hall without her noticing was no good!
However, just as she was about to turn and launch her attack, a familiar voice, tinged with a lazy laugh, rang in her ear, and warm breath brushed against her sensitive earlobe:
"Don't be nervous, it's me."
As she spoke, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her slender waist from behind, gently pulling her into a broad and sturdy embrace.
Qian Renxue's tense body suddenly relaxed, and the angelic martial spirit light that was about to burst out of her body also instantly disappeared.
It is Dai Chengfeng.
After the initial shock, an indescribable feeling of shyness and nervousness welled up inside her, quickly flushing her fair cheeks with a rosy hue.
"You...how did you get here?"
Her voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly. She instinctively wanted to break free from his embrace, yet she craved that moment of warmth and security, making her movements seem both reluctant and welcoming.
Dai Chengfeng gently rested his chin on her still damp hair, the delicate fragrance of her post-bath scent lingering around his nose, a stark contrast to the rich and alluring incense in the Pope's bedroom earlier.
He chuckled softly, his voice deep and resonant: "Hearing that you were back, I missed you, so naturally I came."
"What, you're not welcome?"
He tightened his arms around her, pressing her entire back against his chest, so she could clearly feel the rise and fall of his chest and the warmth of his body through her clothes.
"no……"
Qian Renxue's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, her cheeks flushed even redder, and even the roots of her ears felt burning hot.
She turned her head slightly to avoid his hot breath, "It's just... too sudden."
"Moreover, this is the Spirit Hall, how dare you..."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Dai Chengfeng spoke casually, with his usual nonchalance, "The people I want to see, nothing can stop me from seeing them, no matter where they are."
"Besides, this isn't the first time I've come and gone freely from the Spirit Hall."
He spoke casually, but it made Qian Renxue's heart skip a beat.
Of course she knew he was incredibly powerful and audacious, but this was the core area of the Spirit Hall, with the Hall of Offerings nearby, and her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, was also stationed here… What if they were discovered…
"Aren't you afraid of Grandpa finding out?" she couldn't help but ask, her tone filled with worry.
Dai Chengfeng chuckled, his lips brushing lightly against her earlobe: "So what if they found out? At worst, I'll get a beating."
"Besides..."
He paused, his tone tinged with a hint of ambiguous teasing, "I came to see you. As long as my little Xue'er doesn't say anything, who will know?"
"Who is yours..."
Qian Renxue scolded him in embarrassment and annoyance, but he held her tightly with his arms around her waist, so she could only let him hold her.
She could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong, striking her heart again and again through their skin, strangely calming her previously chaotic emotions.
Instead, she felt a more unsettling and fluttering sensation.
Dai Chengfeng laughed and said, "My hair is still wet, I'm not afraid of catching a cold."
As he spoke, Dai Chengfeng released one arm and took the towel she was holding with remarkable ease, gently wiping her wet blonde hair.
(End of this chapter)