xymnovel Chapter 45 Xu Longxiang meets Jiang Qingxue again!
Chapter 45 Xu Longxiang meets Jiang Qingxue again!
then,
Xu Longxiang heard the voice; it was clear, gentle, and carried a hint of lazy laughter.
"Rise. Today is a grand event in the martial world; there's no need for formalities."
"Thank you, Your Majesty—"
Everyone stood up, but remained standing with their hands at their sides, not daring to make a sound.
Qin Mu's gaze swept across the martial arts arena, over the familiar and unfamiliar faces on the high platform, and finally... landed on Xu Longxiang.
He smiled.
His smile was gentle, like an elder seeing an outstanding junior.
"Minister Xu has arrived as well." Qin Mu walked slowly to Xu Longxiang. "Military affairs in the Northern Frontier have been busy; I thought you wouldn't be able to make it."
Xu Longxiang took a deep breath and bowed respectfully: "How could I not come when Your Majesty has come in person? Moreover, the Sword Sect has been kind to me in guiding me, and today, with the new sect leader taking the throne, it is only right that I come to offer my congratulations."
"That's right." Qin Mu nodded, but turned his gaze to behind him. "By the way, I also brought someone with me today. You should recognize him, my dear minister."
He turned to the side and stretched out his hand towards the imperial sedan chair.
A hand reached out from behind the sedan curtain and gently rested on his hand.
The hand was small and white, with a light touch of nail polish on the fingertips, and a jade bracelet on the wrist.
Xu Longxiang's heart clenched suddenly.
He recognized the bracelet.
That was something he specially bought from a merchant from the Western Regions and gave to Jiang Qingxue last year on her birthday.
There was a naturally formed cloud pattern in the jade, and he said at the time that the cloud pattern looked just like the clouds and mist of Qinglan Mountain.
Then, the sedan curtain was completely lifted.
A slender figure stepped out.
She wore a light green, wide-sleeved, flowing fairy dress with orchids embroidered in silver thread on the hem, and was covered with a moon-white gauze shawl.
Her long hair was styled into a flying bun, with only a single jade hairpin inserted—the very one he had given her.
That face was exceptionally aloof, with exquisitely beautiful features, but it was somewhat pale and the eyes were slightly red, as if the person hadn't slept well the night before.
Jiang Qingxue.
Xu Longxiang felt his breathing stop.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Thousands of people were in the training ground, dozens of sect leaders were on the high platform, and three hundred imperial guards were around... everything became blurry and distant.
In his eyes, there was only that woman.
The woman he had cherished since childhood and vowed to marry.
The woman he personally sent to the palace, who now stands beside another man.
She lowered her eyes slightly, not daring to look at him.
Her hand was held in Qin Mu's hand.
Qin Mu's arm was around her waist.
The two stood very close, almost touching.
Qin Mu whispered something in her ear, and a faint blush rose on her pale face. She nodded gently.
Their posture was so intimate, like that of a truly loving couple.
Xu Longxiang felt all the blood in his body rush to his head in an instant, only to freeze into ice in the next second.
He stared intently at the clasped hands, at Qin Mu's arm around Jiang Qingxue's waist, and at the glaring blush on Jiang Qingxue's face...
Many images uncontrollably surfaced in my mind.
Jiang Qingxue was practicing her sword under the plum tree at Tingxue Pavilion when she turned around and smiled at him.
Jiang Qingxue sat on the veranda embroidering, the sunlight shining on her, quiet and beautiful.
When Jiang Qingxue accepted the jade hairpin he gave her, her eyes sparkled.
And... on the eve of her entry into the palace, in the courtyard of Tingxuexuan, under the moonlight, she said with tears in her eyes, "Brother Longxiang, I'll wait for you."
Wait for you……
What we got in return was this scene?
Xu Longxiang felt as if his heart was being squeezed and rubbed tightly by an invisible hand, the pain almost making him bend over.
But he can't.
He is the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, a Celestial Realm expert, and the one destined to rule the world.
He had to stand up straight, he had to smile, he had to pretend nothing was wrong.
"Jiang Qingxue... no, she should be called Xue Cairen now."
Xu Longxiang heard his own voice, so calm it felt unfamiliar to him: "Long time no see, how have you been?"
Jiang Qingxue finally raised her eyes and looked at him.
Eyes facing each other.
Too many emotions flashed in her eyes.
Panic, guilt, pain, pleas... all eventually turned into a deathly silence.
She curtsied slightly, her voice barely audible: "Greetings, Your Highness."
Crown Prince.
It's not Brother Longxiang.
He is the heir apparent.
Xu Longxiang felt that those two words were like two knives, stabbing fiercely into his heart.
Qin Mu seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere between the two, and continued to smile:
"Speaking of which, Xue'er was able to enter the palace thanks to Minister Xu's recommendation. Such a beauty, Minister Xu was willing to offer her to me; I will remember this loyalty."
He spoke casually, as if it were just a simple thank you.
But to Xu Longxiang, every word sounded like a poisoned needle.
recommend?
loyalty?
Xu Longxiang could barely control the expression on his face.
He took a deep breath and forced a smile: "I'm glad Your Majesty is pleased. Qingxue... it is her blessing to serve Your Majesty."
He spoke with difficulty, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
Qin Mu seemed satisfied with his answer, nodded, and didn't continue the topic, instead turning his gaze towards the high platform:
"The ceremony is about to begin, isn't it? I can't steal the spotlight. Let's go, Xue'er."
He put his arm around Jiang Qingxue's waist and walked towards the high platform.
Jiang Qingxue followed passively, her steps faltering slightly.
As she passed by Xu Longxiang, the hem of her skirt gently brushed against the tips of his boots.
So light, so fast, as if it had never been touched.
But Xu Longxiang felt that what brushed past him was not the hem of a skirt, but a red-hot branding iron, leaving a permanent mark on his heart.
He stood there, watching the two figures walk away hand in hand.
Qin Mu stood tall and straight, his black dragon robe fluttering slightly in the wind.
Jiang Qingxue was slender, and her light green skirt spread out like a lotus leaf.
The two walked together, creating an eerie harmony.
Just like... a real emperor and his concubines.
Xu Longxiang's fists clenched so tightly in his sleeves that they cracked.
His fingernails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood, but he felt no pain.
The pain in my heart is a thousand times, ten thousand times more intense than this.
"Your Highness..." Sikong Xuan called to him softly, his eyes filled with worry.
Xu Longxiang slowly loosened his fist, revealing a bloody mess on his palm.
He turned away, no longer looking at the two figures, his voice hoarse like the grinding of sand: "I'm fine."
But everyone could see that he was trying his best to suppress something.
Those eyes, once sharp as an eagle's, were now bloodshot, and a flame burned deep within them.
It was the flame of hatred, the desire for destruction, and a near-mad obsession.
Fan Li and Liu Hongyan exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.
The young master... is probably about to lose control.
And at this moment, on the high platform.
Qin Mu took his seat in the main seat, and Jiang Qingxue was led by the hand to sit in the secondary seat next to him.
That spot was originally reserved for the Empress or a Noble Consort.
This move drew the attention of many people in the audience.
Su Wanqing and Lu Wanning sat a little further away, watching this scene with different expressions.
Su Wanqing's expression remained calm, but the fingers gripping the fan tightened slightly.
Lu Wanning looked somewhat bewildered, glancing at Qin Mu, then at Jiang Qingxue, before finally lowering her head and fiddling with the hem of her clothes.
Qin Mu seemed completely unconcerned about the gazes of the crowd.
He leaned back in the rosewood chair, still holding Jiang Qingxue's hand in one hand, and resting his chin on his other hand, his posture languid. His gaze swept over the dark mass of people below the stage, finally landing on Xu Longxiang.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
One is languidly smiling, the other is suppressing rage.
They stood in silent confrontation, separated by hundreds of steps and thousands of people.
Then, Qin Mu's lips curled into a very faint smile, one that only Xu Longxiang could understand.
In that arc, there was mockery, ridicule, and the victor's pity.
It's like a cat playing with a mouse under its paws.
Xu Longxiang felt all the blood rush to his head at that moment.
He almost lost control, wanting to draw his sword and rush forward to tear that man to pieces!
But at this very moment—
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Three heavy drumbeats came from the bronze cauldron in the center of the training ground.
The inauguration ceremony of the new sect leader of the Qinglan Sword Sect has officially begun.
The thunderous drumbeats broke the stagnant atmosphere and temporarily interrupted the silent standoff between the two.
Xu Longxiang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When I opened my eyes again, they had regained some clarity.
Don't act impulsively.
A small leak will sink a great ship.
The most important thing today is to help Li Wuhen ascend to the position of sect leader; everything else... can wait.
He sat back down, lowered his eyes, and stopped looking at the platform.
But his clenched fists, the bloodstains on his palms, and the madness hidden in his eyes all revealed his true state of mind at that moment.
On the high platform, Qin Mu withdrew his gaze, his smile deepening.
He gently stroked Jiang Qingxue's cold fingers, feeling the trembling at her fingertips, and whispered in her ear:
"My dear consort, look, Minister Xu doesn't look well. Is she... feeling unwell?"
Jiang Qingxue trembled and bit her lip hard to keep her tears from falling.
She knew that Qin Mu was doing it on purpose.
He deliberately brought her here, deliberately acted intimately with her in front of Xu Longxiang, and deliberately provoked and humiliated him.
But she was powerless to do anything about it.
He could only cooperate in performing this scene, a scene that was enough to drive Xu Longxiang mad.
She closed her eyes, tears seeping from between her eyelashes, sliding down her pale cheeks, and dripping onto the light green hem of her skirt, spreading out a small dark stain.
Qin Mu saw that tear.
But he didn't say anything, he just held her hand tighter.
Then, he looked up and gazed at the center of the training ground.
There, the seven elders of the Qinglan Sword Sect slowly walked onto the high platform.