"No, I'm just outside the Empress's Hall."
Zhao Xue gazed in the direction of the Empress's Hall. Even though she couldn't see Zhu Xu, her eyes remained as gentle as water, as if she had transformed into an entirely different person. This was a stark contrast to the Zhao Xue from moments ago, who had been as elusive as a phantom and filled with malevolent energy.
"Really? Zhao Xue, I miss you so much."
As Zhu Xu spoke, she brought a hand to her chest, her heart pounding rapidly.
"We will meet again," Zhao Xue said, looking towards the Empress's Hall, her gaze growing more deeply affectionate and obsessive.
"Of course, we can meet right now."
Zhu Xu didn't detect the hint of unhealthy obsession in Zhao Xue's words, or perhaps even if she did, her feelings for Zhao Xue remained full of love.
Saying this, Zhu Xu rose and walked to the window, peering outside.
However, Zhu Xu, lost in the throes of infatuation, seemed to have developed a love-addled mind. The moment Zhu Xu opened the window, before she could get a good look, the surrounding divine soldiers rushed forward.
"Your Highness, the wind and dew are heavy in the Nine Heavens these days. Your Highness should rest early."
Startled by the sudden appearance of the divine soldiers, Zhu Xu instinctively took a few steps back. Once Zhu Xu regained her composure and looked at the gleaming silver armor of the soldiers before her, she felt that it wasn't the wind or the dew that was making her cold, but the soldiers themselves.
*Click—*
Zhu Xu abruptly closed the window.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xue had been pondering for a long time what Zhu Xu's words, "we can meet right now," truly meant. Still unable to comprehend Zhu Xu's intent, Zhao Xue frowned and asked cautiously, "Xuxu, what do you mean?"
Zhu Xu, whose mood had been disturbed by the divine soldiers, couldn't help but swallow as she heard Zhao Xue's voice again. Blushing, she stammered out the embarrassing misunderstanding to Zhao Xue. She had been careless; trapped as she was, there was no way the window wouldn't be guarded.
Zhao Xue listened quietly as Zhu Xu spoke. Even ordinary words seemed to gain an added charm when spoken by Zhu Xu.
"Zhao Xue, let's think about what to do tonight. I'm worried that if we act rashly, we won't even have a chance to speak."
Zhu Xu's voice was soft and sweet when she spoke to Zhao Xue, instinctively making Zhao Xue want to agree to all her requests, and this time was no exception.
"Okay."
After Zhao Xue spoke, she suddenly realized what she had said. Immediately, the smile on Zhao Xue's face visibly faded, and her lips tightened. In truth, she wanted to go and snatch Zhu Xu away right now. Then she would find a place where only the two of them existed and hide Zhu Xu away. But she dared not, she dared not let Zhu Xu know her true intentions. Otherwise, when Zhao Xue realized Zhu Xu was trapped, she wouldn't have conjured fireflies; she would have broken in directly.
"Zhao Xue?"
Zhu Xu continued to share many trivial details of her daily life, but Zhao Xue's prolonged silence made Zhu Xu's heart flutter with anxiety. Was Zhao Xue growing impatient? Had some other goddess managed to charm Zhao Xue in her absence? Was it the Water God? The more Zhu Xu thought about it, the more anxious she became. She paced incessantly around the room, as if she intended to wear a hole in the floor.
"Zhao Xue, we will meet soon. Please don't look at other goddesses, alright?"
Before Zhao Xue could react, Zhu Xu continued, "Zhao Xue, you gave me a hairpin. Haven't I given you anything as a token of our love yet? I'll prepare one tonight. When we can meet, I'll give it to you, okay?" By then, she wanted to give something that would make it obvious to anyone that Zhao Xue belonged to her. As she spoke, Zhu Xu began to ponder what to give Zhao Xue.
"A token of our love?" Zhao Xue slowly caught on.
"Yes, Zhao Xue, what kind of token of love do you want?" Hearing Zhao Xue's response, Zhu Xu's tone immediately became cheerful. However, as soon as she asked, she regretted it. "Forget it, Zhao Xue, you don't need to choose a token of love." Zhu Xu thought, what if others couldn't tell that it was from her if Zhao Xue chose it? Determined to avoid such a possibility, Zhu Xu immediately withdrew her request for Zhao Xue to choose.
"Alright. Xuxu, anything you give me, I will like."
A smile returned to Zhao Xue's eyes, as if some beautiful and adorable little creature had made a nest in her heart. This made Zhao Xue's previously frozen heart become more lively and increasingly uncontrollable.
"Then will you like whatever I give you?" Zhu Xu, having been the Empress of the Nine Heavens for nearly a thousand years, was asking this question for the first time.
Zhao Xue replied softly, "Yes, Xuxu, I will like whatever you give me."
Hearing Zhao Xue say this, Zhu Xu walked to the bed, intending to roll around with joy. Fortunately, at the last moment, Zhu Xu remembered the firefly perched on her shoulder. Thus, Zhu Xu covered her face with her hands, attempting to cool herself down in this manner.
"Xuxu, rest well. It's best to prepare tomorrow. There's no rush."
Zhu Xu's voice was soft and sweet, "Mm."
"Xuxu, goodnight."
"Zhao Xue, goodnight."
...
Tonight, Zhao Xue, having heard Zhu Xu's voice, did not let her demonic energy overflow unchecked. Today, Zhu Xu, having heard Zhao Xue's voice, did not continue pacing restlessly, unable to eat or sleep.
The next morning, Zhu Xu woke up and began to ponder what kind of token of love she should give Zhao Xue, something that would make it obvious to everyone that Zhao Xue was hers. After consulting Bi Lian's advice, Zhu Xu decided to make a sachet for Zhao Xue. For nearly a thousand years, Zhu Xu had enjoyed fiddling with any novelty she encountered. This was Bi Lian's first time seeing Zhu Xu embroidering a sachet. Curious, Bi Lian often approached Zhu Xu to see how her embroidery was progressing.
On one of Bi Lian's frequent visits, she saw that the pattern Zhu Xu was embroidering was almost complete. Bi Lian couldn't help but guess, "Your Highness, I know what you are embroidering. It's a cashew, isn't it?" She knew that Her Highness loved to eat cashews. Bi Lian asked excitedly. Zhu Xu felt like slapping Bi Lian to the ground.
"It's a mandarin duck, a mandarin duck!" Zhu Xu exclaimed, jumping up with the sachet, emphasizing with shame and indignation. Seeing this, Bi Lian quickly changed her tune, "Yes, yes, it's a mandarin duck." Zhu Xu fell silent. After a moment of quiet, she asked again, "It really doesn't look like it?" Bi Lian's expression was troubled, "This..."
"Never mind, I'll re-embroider it." Saying this, Zhu Xu stretched her wrists and tossed the two cashew-like shapes aside. Seeing Zhu Xu about to start embroidering again, Bi Lian seized the opportunity, offering Zhu Xu some of her favorite sweet fruits. "Your Highness, why don't you eat something first?"