xymnovel Chapter 536 The True Moon God and the False Moon God Meet Again
Chapter 536 The True Moon God and the False Moon God Meet Again
Upon hearing this, Chen Ruoyao's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Of course she knew who Xu Longxiang had in his heart.
That Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang.
She recalled the way Xu Longxiang looked at her. Sometimes, even though he was clearly looking at her, his gaze seemed to pass right through her and land on someone else she couldn't see.
A sudden surge of pity welled up in her heart.
It wasn't directed at Xu Longxiang, but at myself.
She had been the Moon Goddess's stand-in for so long that she had almost forgotten who she was.
Qin Mu looked at them without saying a word.
He simply leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, and gazed at the deep night outside the window.
The night breeze seeped in through the cracks in the window, causing the candlelight to flicker gently.
The shadows of the three people were cast on the wall, one sitting, one kneeling, and one standing.
Qin Mu leaned back in his chair, shifting his gaze from Yun Suxin to Chen Ruoyao's face.
His gaze was indifferent, as if he were looking at something he already owned and could use at any time.
But when that indifferent gaze fell on Chen Ruoyao, it sent a shiver down her spine, as if something had gently tickled her heart.
He reached out, his slender fingers gently landing on Chen Ruoyao's chin. The touch was warm and smooth, and his calloused fingertips slid from her chin to her cheek, and then from her cheek to her earlobe.
His movements were slow and gentle, as if he were caressing a piece of porcelain that he had treasured for a long time.
Chen Ruoyao's eyelashes trembled violently, her breathing became more and more rapid, and the blush on her cheeks spread from her cheeks to her ears, and then from her ears to her neck, burning deep into her collar.
She didn't dodge, nor dared to dodge. She simply knelt there, her head slightly tilted back, like a flower held in someone's palm, waiting for him to decide when to let go and when to pluck it.
Her gaze fell on his face, filled with an almost devout expectation, like a believer waiting for divine mercy.
Yun Suxin stood in the shadows, watching this scene unfold.
Her body was taut, like a fully drawn bow, ready to snap at any moment.
She didn't know why she cared, or why, when Qin Mu touched Chen Ruoyao's face, which was exactly the same as hers, she felt an indescribable, bittersweet emotion that almost suffocated her.
She tried to look away, but her eyes were fixed on her, and she couldn't look away no matter what she did.
She watched as Qin Mu's fingers slid from Chen Ruoyao's cheek down to her shoulder, hooking the edge of her moon-white dress and gently caressing the thin fabric.
Her breathing became more and more rapid, and her chest heaved more and more violently, as if something was blocking her chest, making it impossible for her to breathe.
Qin Mu's fingers paused on Chen Ruoyao's clothes for a moment, then stopped.
He turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Yun Suxin's face in the shadows, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Moon Goddess, you seem a little nervous."
His voice was soft, with a hint of nonchalant amusement.
Yun Suxin's body stiffened abruptly.
She gritted her teeth and suppressed her surging emotions little by little.
Her voice was hoarse, with a deliberate, detached calmness.
"No. Your Majesty is mistaken."
Qin Mu smiled and didn't expose her.
He withdrew his hand, leaned back in his chair, and his gaze returned to Chen Ruoyao's face.
"Stand up."
Chen Ruoyao quickly stood up, lowered her head, clasped her hands in front of her, and was still breathing rapidly.
Her face was still red, as if it had been rouged, burning from her cheeks all the way to her ears, and even her neck was tinged with a faint pink.
She didn't know what to do, so she could only stand there and wait for Qin Mu's next instructions.
Qin Mu turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Yun Suxin, his eyes filled with an undeniable certainty.
"Come here."
Yun Suxin's body stiffened again.
Her feet seemed nailed to the ground, and she couldn't lift them no matter what she did.
She wanted to refuse, to say "no," and to turn around and leave.
But her legs wouldn't obey her commands; her body seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, and she walked step by step toward Qin Mu.
Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge, each step carrying a sense of humiliation, resignation, and a submissiveness that even she herself was unwilling to admit.
She walked up to Qin Mu and stopped.
Qin Mu reached out his hand, but did not touch her; he simply used his fingers to gently hook her sash.
The movement was very light, as light as unwrapping a beautifully wrapped gift.
With a gentle tug of his fingers, the belt loosened, and the moon-white outer garment slipped off her shoulder.
Yun Suxin's body trembled violently, and almost instinctively she reached out to cover her slipping outer garment.
But as soon as she raised her hand, it was pressed down by another hand.
Chen Ruoyao's hand.
She wasn't very strong, but her strength was like an iron clamp, firmly pressing down on Yun Suxin's wrist.
Yun Suxin suddenly turned her head and looked at Chen Ruoyao.
Those eyes were filled with disbelief, shock, and anger.
Chen Ruoyao didn't look at her, but kept her head down, her gaze fixed on the ground, like a lifeless statue.
But her hand did not loosen; it was like a branding iron, firmly welded to Yun Suxin's wrist.
Qin Mu smiled, a faint smile that carried a composure that sent chills down Yun Suxin's spine.
"I told you to train her properly. But before you could even do it, she did it for you."
Yun Suxin's lips trembled violently; she wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.
She could only look at Qin Mu, at his deep, all-seeing eyes, at his smiling, ever-composed face, and feel the warmth of his fingers seeping into her shoulder.
Chen Ruoyao finally raised her head and looked at Yun Suxin.
Her gaze was calm, as calm as a stagnant pool.
"Moon Goddess, stop struggling. You can't escape."
Yun Suxin's pupils contracted sharply, her lips trembled violently, and she tried to say something, but her body was already out of her control.
Her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees with a thud, her knees hitting the gold bricks with a dull thud.
Her forehead touched the cold ground, her long hair slipped from her shoulders and spread out on the ground, making her look like a shattered porcelain statue.
As Qin Mu watched her kneeling figure, the smile on his lips deepened.
He slowly stood up, walked to her, and looked down at her.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating him and clearly outlining his pale figure.
He reached out, his slender fingers gently landing on Yun Suxin's hair, running through her long, flowing hair, slowly sliding from the top to the ends.
The movement was very light and gentle, like stroking a cat that had finally been tamed.
Ke Yun Suxin knelt on the ground, feeling that hand moving through her hair, and felt a chill spread from the top of her head all the way to the soles of her feet.
Her body was trembling, from her fingertips to her wrists, and from her wrists to her arms, but she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.
Qin Mu moved his hand away from her hair and onto her cheek.
His fingertips gently brushed across her cheekbone, the corner of her eye, and the corner of her slightly trembling mouth.
His voice was very soft, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.
"Raise your head."
Yun Suxin took a deep breath, slowly raised her head, and met his gaze.
Her eyes reddened, and tears welled up, but she held them back tightly.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, forming a line, like a gate that could never be opened.
Qin Mu looked at her and smiled.
He leaned down slightly, bringing his breath close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.
You'll get used to it eventually.
Yun Suxin's body trembled violently.
She didn't know whether she should hate him, fear him, or...
She dared not think any further.
Chen Ruoyao stood aside, watching this scene, a complex feeling welling up in her heart.
She didn't know whether she was sympathizing with Yun Suxin or feeling fortunate for herself.
All she knew was that from this night onward, the Moon Goddess could never return.
The person who was once high above her and controlled her life and death has now become a caged bird just like her.
The only difference is that she did it willingly, while the moon goddess was forced.
Moonlight streamed in through the cracks in the window, illuminating Yun Suxin's pale profile.
Her eyelashes trembled violently, like two feathers fluttering in the wind.
Her lips were slightly parted, revealing a sliver of pearly white teeth. Her lips were so pale they were almost transparent, like a flower battered by frost, trembling as if they might shatter at any moment.
Chen Ruoyao suddenly remembered what Yun Suxin looked like when she first met her many years ago.
At that time, Yun Suxin stood on the high platform of the Moon Goddess Sect's main hall, dressed in white like snow, with long hair like a waterfall, and her gaze behind the mask was as cold as two bottomless ancient wells.
She said to Chen Ruoyao, "From today onwards, you are mine. Your face, your identity, your life, all belong to me."
At that moment, Chen Ruoyao knelt on the ground, her forehead touching the cold stone slab, trembling all over, with only one thought in her mind.
She wants to live.
She's willing to do anything and give anything.
Even if that face, that identity, that life no longer belong to her.
But at this moment, the person kneeling on the ground was Yun Suxin.
She stood aside, watching the man who had once controlled everything about her kneel at Qin Mu's feet like a tamed cat.
Chen Ruoyao suddenly felt that fate was such an ironic thing that it made her want to laugh.
Qin Mu's hand slid down from the top of Yun Suxin's hair and landed on her shoulder.
The moon-white outer garment had slipped mostly off her shoulders, revealing a section of her rounded shoulders and delicate collarbone, which gleamed with a faint jade-like hue in the candlelight.
Her skin was very white, as white as the finest mutton fat jade. The thin layer of moonlight covering it was like a transparent silver veil.
Qin Mu's fingers gently pressed on her shoulder. The pressure was light, but it felt like a branding iron, making Yun Suxin tremble all over.
Her breathing suddenly became rapid, her chest heaving violently, and her half-undone outer garment trembled slightly with her breath, like a leaf swaying in the wind.
"Are you cold?" Qin Mu asked.
His voice was soft, with a hint of a smile, as if he were asking something perfectly ordinary.
Yun Suxin bit her lip and did not answer.
Her teeth left deep marks on her lower lip, and the color of her lips changed from pale to deep red, like a bitten cherry, oozing fine beads of blood.
Qin Mu looked down at the drop of blood, a deep meaning flashing in his eyes.
He reached out and gently pressed his thumb against her lower lip, wiping away the drop of blood.
His fingertips, calloused, brushed against her soft lips. The touch was like sandpaper scraping against flower petals, slightly painful, yet carrying a tingling, numbing sensation that made one's heart race.
Yun Suxin's body trembled again.
She neither dodged nor moved.
She simply knelt there, letting his thumb caress her lips, letting the tingling sensation spread from her lips to her heart.
Qin Mu withdrew his hand, his thumb stained with a drop of blood from her lips.
He didn't wipe it, he just glanced at it, then brought his thumb to his lips and gently licked it.
Qin Mu smiled, a smile that carried a composure that sent chills down Yun Suxin's spine.
"Salty. And a little sweet."
Yun Suxin's face flushed red, her heart pounded like a drum, and even her breathing became rapid.
She tried to turn her face away, but his gaze was like an invisible net, trapping her completely, leaving her nowhere to escape.
Qin Mu's hand slid off her shoulder and landed on her waist.
His fingers hooked onto the tie of her undergarment, which was moon-white and as thin as a silk thread, trembling gently at his fingertips.
He didn't rush to pull it open, but gently stroked the ribbon with his fingertips, as if playing with an interesting gift that he was reluctant to open.