"Xiang Er, I...!" Wei Xing felt as if his world came tumbling down. She already misunderstood his intention in letting Bai Qing stay. This had caused the two of them to not see each other for almost a month. Now she caught him in such a position with Bai Qing, how else was he supposed to explain himself?
Not knowing if he had done the deed with Bai Qing or not, he could only lower his head, unable to look Xiu Xiang in the eyes.
When Xiu Xiang saw the guilt ridden look on Wei Xing, she sighed deeply. With a wave of her arm, the flames surrounding Bai Qing disappeared. Every last inch of Bai Qing's skin was an alarming red filled with blisters. Bits of charred clothing stuck to her skin. She was a complete horror show.
Turning her head towards the exit, Xiu Xiang hollered, "Guards!"
Several guards came running into the room. They came to a sharp stop when they saw Bai Qing lying naked on the ground filled with blisters and burns. Their eyes slowly traveled from one person to another, quickly understanding the situation before them.
"My lord?" a guard asked as he turned his attention toward Xiu Xiang.
"Take Bai Qing back to her room and shove a life saving pill into her mouth. She must not die. Do not let her leave her room until I say so and toss the corpse at the door outside," she ordered.
The guards didn't dally as two guards went to pick up Bai Qing. They quickly fled the room. They didn't even forget to close the door behind them.
Silence filled the room that now only had Xiu Xiang and Wei Xing. Xiu Xiang was still standing in the spot while Wei Xing's head was still lowered.
"So? You aren't going to defend yourself?"
Wei Xing flinched at Xiu Xiang's voice. He still refused to look up at her. He didn't say anything either and simply shook his head. He knew that it was over between them. How could he had been stupid enough to fall for an illusion?
Seeing how dejected Wei Xing looked, Xiu Xiang couldn't stay mad at him. He had struggled to fight off the illusion which was something even he couldn't do in the novel. He clearly proved just how high of a position she held in his heart.
She finally sighed at the broken figure and lifted up her open palm. A small white jar appeared in her hand. It was a medicine jar meant for burns. When she burnt Bai Qing's arms with her flames, she also accidentally burnt Wei Xing's neck.
She went to sit down next to him only for him to quickly scoot off to the other end of the bed.
"What now? You won't even let me get close to you after this?"
Wei Xing flinched. His hands clenched tightly into fists on his lap. "I... I don't deserve to be near you. I... failed to keep myself for you. I'm... dirty."
Xiu Xiang's face turned black. He sounded like a rape victim. She seemed to be seeing different sides of him after waking up as a human again. He looked so vulnerable that she regretted not acting quicker to pull him out of the illusion. She originally wanted him to feel some bit of remorse for being dumb enough to fall for Bai Qing's trap, but now she no longer felt like it.
"You didn't sleep with Bai Qing. Now, will you let me put some medicine on your burns?"
Wei Xing didn't say anything. She took his silence as a sign of agreement. She slowly peeled off the partially burnt clothes to reveal the burns. It seemed that not only neck but also his back had been burned. There were no boils but his skin was a deep red. This only showed how powerful Wei Xing was. Her flames had caused such a devastating injury on Bai Qing, but Wei Xing's skin merely turned red like he had been under the sun for too long.
She gently spread a generous layer of cream on his neck and back. The two sat in silence during the entire process.
When she finished, she placed the cap back on the jar and stood up. Before she could even step forward, Wei Xing caught her hand. He seemed to be trembling as he gripped her hand tighter. She turned to look back at him and found that his head was still lowered. He finally spoke, "Please don't leave me... I'm sorry."
Did he think that she was going to leave him? Did he really not remember anything when he was in the illusion?
"Wei Xing, let me go," she said with a heavy sigh. He didn't reply. Only his grip became tighter like he feared that she would escape to the furthest part of the world where he would never be able to reach. She tugged at her own hand a little stronger but Wei Xing was intent on not letting go.
Right when she wondered why Wei Xing was being so clingy, she was answered by his shaking voice.
"When you left me the first time, my heart felt like it had shattered to pieces. When you left the second time, it felt as if my soul had withered to dust. If you're going to leave me again, you might as well kill me first," he pleaded.
Since he refused to let go, she finally sat back down. With her free hand, she softly cupped his cheek, forcing him to turn his head. His dark purple eyes refused to meet her gaze.
"Wei Xing, do you know what you did when you were under Bai Qing's illusion?"
Wei Xing didn't say nor did he want to know. He did not want to hear what horrible things he had done.
Smiling for the first time, Xiu Xiang said, "You stopped yourself. You knew that it wasn't me. You were fighting to break free."
He finally looked at her. His eyes slowly widen at her words.
"Does this not prove that you only have me in your heart?"
He still looked guilt ridden as he turned away again. "Even so... I still fell under her spell. I almost... I almost broke your faith in me... I can't forgive myself if I ever hurt you..."
Xiu Xiang suddenly realized something. Despite the man having turned into a demon, his heart was still extremely pure. No matter how cold blooded the man had become, he was still innocent at heart when it comes to romance. Why did she ever doubt him?
Xiu Xiang had never initiated a kiss before but she suddenly felt the urge to attack that pair of pouting lips. How could she let some woman try to covet the person she had fallen in love with? She wanted to possess him, body and soul.
Before she realized what she had done, she was already leaning in. Her lips pressed up against his, feeling embarrassed and awkward. She was a newbie at romance just like him.
Wei Xing seemed startled at the sudden attack of his lips. He quickly pulled away, a hint of pink appeared on his pale cheeks. His hand shot up to cover his lips, his eyes widen in surprised.
In the past, Xiu Xiang had always teased him but this was different. Her eyes were held a hint of possessiveness, like a hungry beast that had been starved for days. He knew exactly what that look meant for he held the same look every time his eyes fell on Xiu Xiang. However, at the moment, he really felt dirty. He didn't want to touch her before he had completely scrub himself clean from Bai Qing's scent.
Earlier, when he realized what he had done, he felt sick to his stomach. Even worse, he couldn't bear the way Xiu Xiang had looked at him. He saw that Xiu Xiang was about to misunderstand him and he quickly spoke up, "I-I want to clean myself up first. I... I smell like her... I don't want to stain you with her scent..."
Xiu Xiang had half the sense to laugh. Why did it feel like their roles had completely switched? She gave a heavy sigh and grabbed him gently by the head with both her hands.
"What scent? I'll just override her scent with mine. Besides, I'm willingly giving myself to you. Are you really going to reject me right now?" Xiu Xiang asked with a teasing grin. She moved in and pecked him on the lips. She was practically seducing him at this point. If any man were to see her alluring smile, they would not be able to refuse her, especially Wei Xing.
The next thing, Xiu Xiang knew, she was pushed down onto the bed with Wei Xing straddling over her. His hands pinned her down tightly to the bed. The blush on his face increased but his eyes gave off a sense of raging hunger. He seemed to be struggling with himself as he locked eyes with her.
"I won't stop even if you object later," he said seriously.
Xiu Xiang wanted to tell him that she would never, however, he was already pressed against her, ravaging her lips like a starved beast.
The two seemed to have forgotten the world around them as they spent days frolicking in bed. It was only after the third day when Hua Jian came knocking on the door that their lovemaking session finally ended.
"Let's stay in bed just a little bit longer," Wei Xing whined.
"No! Get off me, you beast! You're going to be the death of me if we keep this up!" Xiu Xiang retorted. It's true that she had initiated the whole thing but her back was killing her! The man before her wasn't human! Just how much stamina does this maniac have?!
No matter how much Wei Xing pouted, she refused to give in this time. Hua Jian had come knocking. This could only mean one thing. Something had happened outside.
She kicked him harshly out of bed then went to get cleaned up with the water in the bathtub that had long grown cold. She didn't have the leisure to bathe so she could only quickly scrub herself down. While she was pouring water over herself, she felt a pair of eyes leering at her. She subconsciously turned around and found Wei Xing leaning against the doorframe of the bathing area. His arms were folded in front of him while one leg crossed over the other. His mischievous smile grew wider by the second.
"What?" Xiu Xiang asked feeling a sense of danger.
"Nothing. Just admiring a beautiful view," he teased.
Over the course of three days, Xiu Xiang had long grow numb to being naked in front of Wei Xing, but that didn't mean that she had gotten used to his flirtatious teasing. She quickly turned away to keep him from seeing the blush creeping up her face.
"Idiot," she muttered. However, her face was smiling the entire time.