novelAbuy Chapter 351 The thought of Qin Mu consummating his marriage with his white moonlight made Xu Longxia
Chapter 351 The thought of Qin Mu consummating his marriage with his white moonlight made Xu Longxia
The door to the inn slowly closed behind the last person.
A soft "bang" cut off the sunlight outside, and also blocked out the man's light yet dagger-like words.
Xu Longxiang lay motionless on the bed.
Moonlight seeped in through the cracks in the window, spreading a thin layer of silver frost on the ground.
The words Qin Mu had just said kept echoing in his mind.
Every word was like a knife, cutting into his heart piece by piece.
But those words weren't on his mind at that moment.
It's another idea.
tonight.
Qin Mu and Zhao Qingxue will be celebrating their wedding night tonight.
This thought, like a venomous snake, crawled out from the deepest part of his heart, bit his heart, and its venom flowed into his blood vessels, spreading to his limbs and bones.
He froze, the image involuntarily flashing through his mind.
The bridal chamber was filled with flickering candlelight, bright red wedding candles, bright red curtains, and bright red brocade quilts.
Zhao Qingxue, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, sat on the edge of the bed with her head down, the pearls on her phoenix crown hanging down and swaying gently in front of her face.
Qin Mu stood in front of her, looked down at her, reached out and gently lifted her chin, making her raise her head to meet his gaze.
Xu Longxiang suddenly closed his eyes.
The image is still there, and even clearer now.
He opened his eyes, and the image was still there.
He closed his eyes, but the image remained.
Whether his eyes were open or closed, the image remained.
It's like it's engraved in his mind; he can't shake it off no matter what.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
Is she already in his arms right now?
Will she struggle?
Will they resist?
Would she—close her eyes and let him do as he pleased?
Thinking of this, Xu Longxiang felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest, thrown to the ground, and crushed underfoot.
It was shattered to pieces, shattered into a bloody mess, shattered so badly that not even a trace remained.
He opened his mouth and gasped for breath, but he couldn't get any air in. His chest felt like it was blocked by something, full and swollen, as if it might burst at any moment.
Xu Longxiang could only console himself.
Zhao Qingxue wasn't sincere.
She was forced into it.
She was just using Qin Mu.
She was just waiting for an opportunity.
When the time is right, she will leave him and come back to me.
As long as I am patient, as long as I wait, as long as I don't act impulsively, as long as I don't lose my composure, one day she will come back.
She will.
She definitely will.
He frantically repeated these words in his mind, like a drowning man desperately grasping at the last piece of driftwood.
He dared not let go, for he feared that if he did, he would sink into that boundless, cold, and dark abyss, never to rise again.
Mo Ya stood by the bed.
Looking at Xu Longxiang's deathly pale face, devoid of any color,
Looking at the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and at his hands gripping the corner of the blanket tightly.
His brows were furrowed tightly, a deep knot forming between them.
His lips parted slightly, then closed, then opened again, then closed again, the words rolling back and forth in his throat countless times before finally being squeezed out.
"Your Highness, let's return to the Northern Territory as soon as possible."
His voice was very low, like an echo from underground, carrying an overwhelming, deep worry.
He was afraid that His Highness would be further agitated here, afraid that he would lose control when he saw that man and that woman together, and afraid that he would do something irreversible if he lost control.
This is the imperial city of Qin, that man's territory, not the northern border.
Your Highness has no advantage here.
Fan Li stood beside Mo Ya without saying a word.
His gaze fell on Xu Longxiang's face, and an indescribable sorrow welled up in his heart.
As one of Xu Longxiang's most trusted advisors, he knew more or less about Xu Longxiang's feelings for Zhao Qingxue.
But now Zhao Qingxue is going to marry Qin Mu, how can Xu Longxiang accept that?
Fan Li's eyes stung a little.
He took a deep breath and suppressed the sour feeling.
He cannot be weak at this time; His Highness still needs him, and the Northern Frontier still needs him.
"Your Highness," he began, his voice steady, carrying the calmness and restraint characteristic of a scholar, "I have some news to tell you."
Xu Longxiang slowly turned his head and looked at him.
Those deep brown eyes were now devoid of any light, completely empty.
Like two old wells that have been drained, leaving only a dark, bottomless abyss.
His lips parted slightly, and the sound was squeezed out from his throat.
"What is it?"
Fan Li felt a pang of pain in her heart when she saw him like this.
Your Highness, you have suffered too much injustice and torment during this time.
From giving her childhood sweetheart to Qin Mu, to her sister entering the palace as a concubine, and her beloved being married off to Qin Mu.
The pain in Xu Longxiang's heart was self-evident.
But as an advisor, he could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything.
He lowered his eyes, his voice becoming even deeper.
"I have learned that a new sect called the Moon Goddess Cult has recently emerged in the southwestern border region."
This religion uses the belief that those who believe in the Moon God will gain eternal life to bewitch the people. It has more than 10,000 followers and has established branch altars in 16 counties across three prefectures in the southwest. It also colludes with local chieftains and officials.
The Vice Minister of Rites, Chen Yanjing, has already reported this matter in court. His Majesty—" He paused, "said that arrangements would be made after the wedding."
Xu Longxiang's eyes flickered slightly.
Fan Li stepped forward, lowering his voice even further.
"Your Highness, I think—"
He paused, then said slowly and deliberately, "This matter may have some merit."
To do something.
These three words were like three pebbles thrown into the still, frozen lake in Xu Longxiang's heart.
Something was surging beneath the ice, like a snake that had been hibernating for too long, awakened by the first thunder of spring, slowly and deliberately wriggling.
Luna Cult.
Southwestern border region.
The number of believers exceeds ten thousand.
They colluded with local chieftains and officials.
After the wedding, there will be other arrangements.
These fragments spun, collided, and pieced together rapidly in his mind, creating a blurry picture that made his heart race.
The southwestern border region is far from the northern border, separated by more than half of the Qin Dynasty.
But it is precisely because it is far away that it is safe.
Because it was far away, the man's hand couldn't reach that far.
The fact that the Moon Goddess Cult could grow to over ten thousand followers and sixteen branch altars right under the nose of the Qin Dynasty, and that it could also collude with local chieftains and officials, indicates that there must be someone behind it.
The fact that this person could orchestrate such a large-scale operation on that man's turf shows that he must be no ordinary person.
If he could join forces with that person—
Xu Longxiang's heart was beating faster and faster, almost as if it would jump out of his chest.
He recalled what Liu Hongyan had said—that Liu Bai, the sword fanatic, was under Qin Mu's command.
A half-step terrestrial immortal realm.
He can't beat them, he can't beat the Northern Border, and he can't beat Li Yang either.
Just because he can't beat them doesn't mean others can't.
If someone could restrain the half-step immortal beside Qin Mu, if someone could create an opening in the southwestern border to divert that man's attention from the northern frontier.
He will then have a chance.
He didn't need to win; he just needed an opportunity, a chance for that man to be distracted, a chance for him to take advantage of the situation.
Xu Longxiang suddenly sat up in bed.
The movement was too violent and too fast, and the wound in his chest was aggravated, causing a tearing pain to surge up from his chest cavity.
His face turned deathly pale instantly, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead and slid down his temples.
But he gritted his teeth and didn't fall down.
He turned his head and looked at Fan Li, the light in his deep brown eyes gradually brightening.
The light wasn't dazzling, but it sent chills down your spine.
"Let's go." He said, his voice hoarse, yet carrying an undeniable resolve.
"Return to the North. We'll discuss this further."
He got out of bed and stepped barefoot onto the cold gold bricks.
The chill seeped up from the soles of his feet, making him shiver.
He didn't stop, walked to the clothes rack, took down the dark black python robe, and put it on.
His movements were slow, and with each lift of his arm, the wound on his chest would tear open, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.
But he gritted his teeth, put on the python robe, fastened the belt, and tightened the jade belt.
Mo Ya stepped forward, wanting to help him up.
Xu Longxiang raised his hand to stop him.
"I can do it myself." His voice was soft and steady, like a sword that had been repeatedly tempered and finally found its sheath.
He turned around and faced the doorway.
Moonlight streamed in through the cracks in the window, illuminating him and giving his dark python robe a cool, silvery edge.
His back was straight and upright, like the flag on the northern city wall that had been blown by the wind for too long—torn and old, yet still stuck there, still fluttering.
He stepped forward and walked towards the door.
After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped without looking back.
"Fan Li".
Fan Li was slightly taken aback and took a step forward.
"Your subordinate is here."
"Regarding the Moon Goddess Cult," Xu Longxiang's voice drifted from the front, very soft and faint, as if seen through a thin veil, indistinct, "Continue your investigation."
Investigate their background, their leader, and the people behind them. The more detailed the better.
Fan Li bowed deeply.
"Yes."