When she woke up again some hours later, Dongyue was asleep in the corner while curled in a ball. She didn’t know how torturous it was for a pampered young master like him to be subjected to such conditions of living like a servant since her life as a proprietress and a Muxue descendant was much of a struggle.
The people of Muxue were not spoiled or coddled by riches; each had a big mission to fulfil. She had her role in maintaining peace and safety in the island, although many feared her, except a few like the shaman A’Bu, of course.
She peeked at him from under her veil. The man had a dreamy smile plastered across his face, and without thinking, she leaned in to kiss him lightly on the lips. Xiyu had never expected she would encounter someone who would touch her heart, and neither would she have thought this person would have done so much to save her life.
No, no, Muxue Xiyu, she reminded herself. She couldn’t fall in love, because she did not want to repeat the mistake of trusting Hanshan that she would suffer from being left behind. As if understanding her feelings, the man uttered in his sleep, ‘Don’t worry, Xiyu. I won’t leave.’
Her tension relaxed, and she studied the sleeping man’s face carefully. There were a few creases in his handsome face between his thick eyebrows, and he was concerned. Was she continually on his mind? Though she could feel his emotions, she could not read his mind. He was often worried about something, although he was a rather calm young man.
What she was worried about was the ritual, now that they shared a bond. The ritual required the man to be a willing party. She could hold off as long as she could, but she was confident that by the last week of the fourteen days, she would notice adverse effects to her health.
She expected her health to be waning, and in the last three days, significantly weakened. There was hardly anything for her to do right now but only to strike a deal with the man so they could come to a consensus. But how could she break the news to him that if they did not perform the rites of coupling, she could die?
‘Young Master Zhan, I...need your body.’ She pronounced the words in her mind. That dialogue sounded lust-filled and indecent. She was unwilling for him to perceive her in such a manner. Besides, he had called her kisses inappropriate before. Neither did she want to reveal her feelings to the traveller. In the end, he would not stay in Muxue for long, and would soon be gone, since the gates were still open.
All of a sudden, she repeated the lines to herself. The gates of Muxue. Recalling the bright flashes of light abruptly, she questioned herself.
Had someone returned to Muxue, or entered Muxue?
But only a person who was worthy could enter Muxue. Still, anyone who entered Muxue could be an imminent danger. Apart from the ritual, she had no other means of enhancing her powers to the extent they were adequate for her to defend the island. Being eighteen, she had only ten years of cultivated abilities, and the fact she was born under a blood moon lunar eclipse meant she had much unawakened powers. The fastest method was to find a willing party to bond with him. As long the ritual-bonding happened, she would be able to achieve a higher level of cultivation.
The process was highly profound and arduous to fathom. Still, it depended on building an emotional relationship with a person of the opposite sex and channelling her energy and magic through the other party’s body while they merged. In return, the man would also have a share of her powers, and together they would be able to defend the island as a team. Hence she had to find a patriotic partner who was willing to become one with her. It was a difficult question to ask. In return, this partner would become her mate since they were emotionally bonded.
Apart from Dongyue and Hanshan, she hardly knew anyone on the island. It wasn’t an easy job to pick up a man randomly from the town and entice him into the ritual. Most people would be shocked and fearful for their lives: how would they even survive the ordeal, if their horoscope was not hellish enough? An exception was the shaman himself who loved dabbling in strange arts, but he was old enough to be her father, having passed forty years of age. It was disgusting for her to think of A’Bu in that way.
Thus, the only person she could think of was Dongyue. But would he be willing to stay and protect the island?
Dongyue cracked open an eye, realising that the beauty was looking at him gingerly.
“Xiyu,” he whispered, distracting her from her thoughts. She instantaneously turned away, blushing under her veil. What had she been thinking?
The kiss the night before had been satiating. Her body had yearned for more, but she managed to contain herself and use the excuse that she was tired. She vividly remembered how he had her immobilised against the icy wall of the room, with his large abdomen warming her through her thin silk. She could sense his arousal, but she remained silent and continued to kiss the man.
His last words before the kiss ended had been: “Xiyu, will you let me become your man someday?”
She didn’t know how to answer him, as she was thinking ‘he wants to leave, doesn’t he?’. Was there a reason for him to remain on the island?
….
“I know you’re blushing,” he said, while she was turned from him. He stood up and walked over to her, embracing her from behind. “Xiyu? Why won’t you say anything?”
What could she say? That she was dying in fourteen days and needed him to lay with her to do what married couples performed behind closed doors? How embarrassing and indecent it sounded. He was from a place where people still held traditional views and ideas. He would surely think she was lustful and dirty.
After some minutes had passed, she calmed herself and turned around to face him with a cold look in her eyes.
“Dongyue, to be honest with you, the gates of Muxue are still open. Don’t you want to go home?”
He stared into her stoic eyes. “I… want to be with you, Xiyu.”
“What about your companions? When the gates close, it will be a decade before they open again. They will only be open for a short time.”
He had been in Muxue for no more than a few weeks, and she estimated them to be open for a few months at most. The amount of time would vary from time to time. They remained open for just three months ten years ago, though she had problems remembering it clearly.
“They will support me no matter what,” he answered her.
“Zhan Dongyue, I need a favour from you,” she told him in a serious voice. “I don’t know if you will agree to it, but if I had anyone else to ask, I would have.”
“I will do anything for you, Xiyu,” he answered, his eyes filling with emotion. “I can’t explain how I feel it, but I know something is bothering you from the vibes I get from you.”
“Even if it means death?” she responded, feeling her eyes dampen as she sensed his emotion. Would he die for her?
“Yes, Xiyu. I choose my path. If endangering my life would mean saving you, I would.”
He had already risked himself once during the soul-bonding. She knew the ritual would be less of a risk, but was that just how much he loved her?
She surrounded him and standing on tiptoe, gazed into his eyes in search of her answer.
“Zhan Dongyue, how can I be sure you will stick to your word?”
“Xiyu, I will swear a blood oath and have it written in my blood, to put your mind at ease. I said before that I want to be your husband, Xiyu. I don’t mind taking your surname and enslaving myself to you as long as I can protect you. Xiyu, I swear upon my life-”
She silenced him with her fingers on his lips. She did not wish to hear him use his life as his oath, as she knew that they would be bonded for life. Neither did she want to think about the consequences of him breaking the bond, at the cost of his life or even both of them.
“You said before that you could present me with your companionship. Now, if I may ask, can this be lifelong?”
He was startled and gaped at her unbelievingly, but at the same time, he nodded.
For the first time in her life, Xiyu had shed a tear after a man touched her heart.