Reborn To Be The Imperial Consort [BL]-Chapter 115: Buds of A Marigold — X

A moment of deathly silence passed by, the suffocation of it washing over them as the surgeon stood behind Hu Lijing, his head bowing whilst the latter remained crouched on the ground.

Li Xinyuan exhaled softly as he clenched his hands on his sides and took a slight step towards Hu Lijing, the said nine-tailed fox’s back seemed so incomparably lonely at the moment.

Watching him, the surgeon could not help but wonder what he would do if he were to lose his lover and then be forced to all but steal the said lover’s corpse from the place that had once been his home.

Yeah, he would most likely go mad and do something he would end up regretting immensely.

Placing a tentative hand on the amber-haired man’s shoulder, he gave it a light squeeze and went on his knees behind the fox spirit. Pushing himself closer to Hu Lijing, he let out a quiet sigh and spoke.

"Hey," in a soft voice, the surgeon called out, though he was not exactly sure he wanted to say, he knew one thing and that was the fact that neither he nor Hu Lijing were safe in this place. "Lijing, I know that this is an extremely inconsiderate moment to say something like this but we must make haste."

Following his words Li Xinyuan could feel Hu Lijing under his touch, "... You are right."

In a place wholly unfamiliar to the surgeon and extremely dangerous for Hu Lijing himself, there was no telling what would possibly entail. Anything could happen, thus it would be in their best interest to not let their emotions get the better of them, cloud their judgement and most likely endanger their lives.

Taking a deep breath, the nine-tailed fox added, "Lingering around longer than necessary will serve no other purpose than to needlessly put our lives in mortal peril. This is not the is not the time to mourn the past that is long gone."

Li Xinyuan nodded his head in agreement. As absurdly cold as the statement itself sounded, it was nothing but the utmost truth. In the Spirit Realm where even their own safety was not a guarantee, how could the nine-tailed fox be afforded the luxury to mourn over the blood that had long since spilled, not to mention soaked up by the sand beneath their feet.

Whether they liked it or not, they were standing upon the bloody fruit of Long ZhenHai’s sacrifice and final struggles. The thought alone had Li Xinyuan internally grimacing in utter chagrin.

Closing his eyes the surgeon took a deep bracing breath and spoke again, though the tone of his voice remained decidedly even, it was not hard to discern the underlying tentative currents of it. "I... As far as I can see, there is nothing that so much as hints towards the whereabouts of Long ZhenHai’s body, Lijing. Do you have an inclination of where it might be?"

That question seemed to be mirthful in nature, or at least so was Hu Lijing’s opinion. Or else how would one explain the reason behind the nine-tailed fox’s sudden chuckle whilst shaking his head ever so slightly?

With a puzzled look painted on his handsome features, Li Xinyuan turned to look at his companion and asked to himself. Was what he said really that funny? If so, how come he did not see the humour in it?

Somewhat hesitantly, he spoke up tentatively voicing out the question that plagued his mind, albeit just now.

"Uh, why are you laughing? Did I say something funny?" In fact, more than being confused if he said something funny, he was afraid that he might have asked something hurtful unwittingly. After all, there was no greater poison than that of ignorance.

With a shake of his head, Hu Lijing replied, his voice sounding rather faint. "Yes, but also not quite."

Li Xinyuan let out a quiet noise at the back of his throat in an attempt to make the confusion he was feeling known. "I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand."

Hu Lijing bowed his head and looked at his feet for a brief moment before raising his head, ambe eyes staring into the distant blue expanse of the vast sea and its rolling waves that washed over each other swallowing the waves that were before and under them.

"It is nothing too profound, so to speak. I was laughing merely because your question caught me off-guard for a second." He paused and turned his head to return his gaze to Li Xinyuan’s face. "I have lived for so long I tend to forget that no one necessarily remembers or knows what it is like to share the half of your soul with someone, much less lose them."

At those words, Li Xinyuan blinked, having found himself momentarily caught off-guard by Hu Lijing’s statement. Frankly unsure of what to say, the surgeon simply nodded his head before bowing as he replied slowly. "Yes... Not everyone is so lucky..." He paused, letting the words sink in his own mind before adding in a low voice. "Or, well, unfortunate in this case."

In response Hu Lijing simply shook his head and let out a sigh. "Let us go."

Li Xinyuan nodded slightly, straightening his back as he took a deep bracing breath, readying himself to follow the nine-tailed fox spirit’s lead without complaining. They were simply too pressed for time to further dwell upon things like soulmates, fortune or misfortune. In another time, the surgeon would make sure to sit Hu Lijing down and have a lengthy discussion with him concerning this matter. For now it was better to file it away considering how much of a can of worm this truly was.

More of a festering, unaddressed and old wound than anything else, really. Not that he himself lacked those. But that was a different matter altogether.

Li Xinyuan shook his head, drinking back a heavy sigh as he felt the shadows of a splitting headache looming over him.

He had to follow him regardless of where this pursuit led them. For all that the surgeon cared, Hu

Lijing could not be left alone, neither here in the Spirit Realm nor for the time being; he simply did not feel reassured enough.

The fox spirit said nothing as they wandered towards the outskirts of the crimson dyed island. No words were spoken, no concerns expressed as one led the way and the other followed close after diligently. Though far from leisurely, the atmosphere between them was not nearly as tense as the surgeon would have expected considering they were present within an entirely different realm.

Sooner than later they left behind the place they had made their appearance in and drew closer to what seemed to be the coast of the nameless island that Li Xinyuan mentally named as ’Crimson Island’, mostly owing to the scarlett sand painted by the blood of sacrifice. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

The nearer they grew to the coast, closer to the seemingly infinite sea, the stronger the repugnant stench of death, decay, cadavers – buried and hidden away by the sand of time – and despair became.

The scent became so overwhelming that Li Xinyuan was forced to – once again – cover his nose, valiantly attempting to protect himself from the unbearable atrocities of the past he had no part in.

In speechless silence, the surgeon – who was but a transmigrated reborn individual – could not help but find himself flabbergasted by the past of a character who did not even have his name mentioned in the original cannon.

Who could have imagined Hu Lijing to have a past, much less a tragedy, of this unfortunate nature?