Xi Chen's name was barely a whisper on Ye An's lips. Her feet dipped into the water on their own accord, drenching her boots in the process. But the sensation of the lake water pooling around her feet barely registered. Ye An could only feel the claws of some unnamed emotion gripping her heart, almost suffocating the organ that it nearly stopped pumping.
"Miss!" The head monk called out, surprised by Ye An's unexpected behavior. His voice ricocheting off the hard surfaces of the cave.
Ye An didn't turn to the head monk. It wasn't because she didn't hear him. But his voice was muffled by the loud rushing in her ears. And as if in a trance, her eyes were only trained on the man lying in the waters, losing the ability to process anything else. Her feet only stepped deeper and deeper into the lake, never stopping.
Further and further she ventured until the water was at her waist. Ye An's robes blossomed behind her as she inched closer to the center of the lake.
The water had come up to her chest when Ye An could finally make out the features on Xi Chen's face. He was still at least three steps away but Ye An stopped abruptly and hesitated, seemingly unable to take another step with the tumbling emotions in her chest that had anchored her feet to the moving sands at the bottom of the lake.
Ye An surveyed Xi Chen's floating body. He was dressed in white robes that billowed in the waters surrounding him. His long hair was untied and floated around his face freely. And his face.. Xi Chen's long lashes were like thin lines of ink that were delicately drawn on his pale skin that had lost all of its healthy golden tan. But he looked at peace like he was merely sleeping. It was a stark contrast to the warring within Ye An. The emotions that were threatening to overspill. The emotions that had stopped her in her tracks.
Ye An didn't know how long she stood there watching Xi Chen until she finally picked up her courage to take another step. One step turned into two and then three steps. Her hand reached out as if in reflex, her narrow fingers trembling as her skin made contact with Xi Chen's face. Ye An's breath hitched and a dry sob was ripped from the darkest depths of her lungs.
The lake water rippled from the movement of her chest, the ripples bouncing off Xi Chen's hair that waved around as if in greeting. As though Xi Chen could sense her presence, there was a quick movement behind his eyes. But the movement was lost in the blur of Ye An's vision. Ye An's hand cupped Xi Chen's cheek gently as if she was handling a fragile piece of glassware and caressed the skin there with her thumb. Another hand searched for the wound on his chest but she could only feel the thick bandage over it. When she felt Xi Chen's steady heartbeat through the thick bandages, Ye An sobbed harder. This time in relief. Relief that he was still alive. That he was really here with her.
Ye An stood there in the waters long after her tears ebbed. She could barely make out the sound of splashing water as another person joined her in the lake.
"Miss." It was the elderly woman. It was obvious that it took more effort for her to tread the lake water compared to Ye An as she hungrily gulped her breaths.
Ye An could barely perceive that someone was calling out to her until the elderly woman was right beside her. "Miss. You'll get a cold."
YOU ARE READING
THE DAY EMPEROR: 阳明王 【The Night Emperor Book 2】
Historical Fiction"There are enough bad things in life, hold on to whatever it is that gives you joy." In the months after Ye An had ascended to the throne, she has learned about all the secrets that were kept from her. Secrets that had spanned generations. But is th...
