It was a wondrous feeling for her.
Dongyue’s gaze never left hers, deeply immersed in the mystery behind the galaxy of emotions within her dazzling supernovas. Like in the ritual chambers, she lost all sensation of pain, allowing him to wrap her intimately around his larger torso.
She remembered how the waiter Ma Qi had smelled of - no less than seven onions, from working too hard in the kitchen, the mayor Long Ra-ya, who stank of some kind of lotion she didn’t know of; and A’Bu, the shaman had carried some stench likened to ingredients of his mysterious concoctions.
Dongyue was unique from them. He gave her a hopeful aura and nevertheless, his odour was fresh and invigorating. Being a man, she had not expected him to give her such an amazing impression.
Albeit being connected for life and born with a curse, what did she have in common with the man? It appeared that they were indeed people from two different worlds. They did not even like the same foods, or share the same beliefs at all. Still, even after realising this, she fathomed she was attracted to him beyond her own will. She enjoyed every bit of their intimate action, indulging in his kisses and touches.
A man who had no experience, and yet was able to give her much satisfaction. She forgot herself, and released a few sounds that she had found embarrassing a short while ago.
Then arrived the sweet moment where they were lying together in bed, separated by only the silk of the sheets. She touched her face for a moment to realise he had taken off her veil during the encounter, feeling more naked without her veil than by the fact that she had nothing on under the sheets.
“Xiyu,” he whispered. “I lost control-”
She hated that he was acting like a mouse now, as if regretting their intimacy earlier, and kicked him off the bed abruptly.
“If you don’t plan to act like a man around me, you can scram out of the room.”
She put on her invisible cloak of iciness, an act that made her feel positive about herself, but in her heart she knew that with the presence of the bond, nothing on her mind would ever be oblivious to him. The bond was a few hundred times stronger than before, and their red threads would now be impossible to break. In Dongyue’s culture, the Old Man of the Moon, Yuelao was responsible for tying red threads around the ankles of mortals to connect fated ones to each other. These red threads of fate meant they were a match made in Heaven. Although, now Dongyue did not know who was in charge of their fates, since the Muxue people did not worship gods and goddesses like those in Yilong did.
He picked himself up calmly and slipped under the sheets to join her again. “Xiyu, don’t be unreasonable. You and I are bonded for life. How can I ever bring myself to do that?”
She scowled and crossed her arms in front of her chest, a gesture that told him she was on the defensive. Her eyes shone showing him how miffed she was by his words earlier.
“Zhan Dongyue, don’t forget that after all, I am the mistress of Muxue.” The tone she had picked for her cold words had once injured him deeply, but now, Dongyue had grown used to it and felt a lot closer to her.
“You may be the mistress of Muxue, but I will be your husband in time to come,” he said confidently. “I was about to tell you that I was apologetic about losing control, but I can tell you wanted the same, Xiyu.”
She swallowed hard, and raised her arm to strike him for the ludicrous words that had sprouted from his mouth. With one dexterous stroke, he evaded her strike and spun her around to land in his arms. Again, she felt compromised by his actions. For one lesser male, he sure was fast, a quality she both liked and hated. It would benefit them when the need arose during battles, but not when she was trying to teach him a lesson!
Dongyue sharply realised that he was bad at choosing his words. When he said he had ‘lost control’, she deemed him as weak and cowardly, and he only sought to take back his words.
“...I lost control, but I love you.”
Sometimes, such words, simple but used at the right time, had a different effect.
I love you. Those were the words that had the most effect on her right now, and probably the only words she heard. She was tired from a lot of things, unsure whether she would live, and now that he had performed the ritual with her, she just wanted some reassurance. And as much as she had wanted to admit her feelings for him, she couldn’t. Even if he would never leave her, she was fearful. She feared love. How long would such feelings last?
She didn’t want to relate to him how many people in the town had divorced at a young age. Sure, there were a minority in comparison with the couples that stayed together, but most stayed together not out of love, but for duty. Growing a family was more important than mutual feelings of love. She didn’t wish to think more about that. Also, she was mindful that where Dongyue came from, the men were free to take as many wives and concubines as they wished.
“I would never be a coward,” he told her. His gaze locked against hers as she lay back in his broad chest and stared upwards into the sharp and handsome-looking eyes. What did this man just have on her, to seduce her like this? She didn’t know what got into her as she raised her lips to his and bit him sensually on his lower lip. She absolutely loved the feeling of pain that rushed through her from their soul-bridge. Perhaps she was sadistic, but her authoritative nature brought a wave of desire at her joy of having her way.
The kisses that ensued from her were wild, and he only sought to provide her with the satisfaction and fervour she needed from his mouth, while his hands grasped her in the right places. She felt comfy and relaxed, forgetting the dismay she had earlier. She was still panting heavily when he removed his lips from hers. The passion could have lasted longer, but he needed her answer to his question.
“What would it take for you to trust me?” he enquired emotionally. She had trusted him once when they were swarmed by hordes of rioting minions, and now, she was treating him coldly albeit the fact he could sense her feelings.
She remained silent, but in her heart she knew she just needed time. He didn’t push her to answer his question, but caressed those silky black strands. In the serenity of the room, he started to hum a tune that came across as soothing to her, allowing her to drift into a deep sleep. He too was tired, that they lay together intimately for what felt like a long time.
They dreamed of each other, holding hands and walking across a long bridge, seeing some strangely-shaped buildings. The sky was a multitude of colours, and at the end of the bridge, was a rainbow.
A rainbow after the rain.
In her dreams, she was no longer distant. She smiled and laughed gaily, with no need to suppress her true self.
“You and I are bound by a strong red thread,” he joked.
“Who wants to be bound to you? I have desires of my own.” She pouted innocently.
“You have no choice about it,” he laughed and suddenly lifted her up in his arms without warning. She shrieked from his suddenness, and for a moment, they stared at each other, losing the fact that they were Zhan Dongyue and Muxue Xiyu.
“Xiyu, would you be willing to only have me for the rest of your life?” he asked, making her blush at the abruptness of his question.
“What about you, Zhan Dongyue?” she retorted straightforwardly. “Wouldn’t you be easily attracted by the beauties of the world?”
Though she had never said it to him in his face, she distrusted that he would be true to her only. As far as she was concerned, men would often change once they had a new woman, just like Hanshan.
He rephrased his question. “I want to marry you, Xiyu. Would you be willing to?”
It was just a dream, wasn’t it? It meant that even if she answered him yes, she wouldn’t be tied down to him. Her face increased in redness.
Marriage? What was that? An union that could be easily dissolved with a few words, and pen and paper?
“Xiyu, even in a dream, you shouldn’t be lying to yourself,” Dongyue played, nuzzling her with his nose.
“Fine,” she made a face, and taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and answered, “I do!”
Her answer was so loud that she jolted up in her sleep, to witness a snickering Dongyue beside her, watching her gingerly.
“You… weren’t asleep!”
“You just gave me your ‘yes’,” he tickled her under the chin. She snarled at him for fooling her.
“Well, that doesn’t count! It’s just like the ritual, it doesn’t count as actual...action!”
He chuckled. “It didn’t, but what happened after that… was the real action. You let me in, Xiyu. Whether it was your heart or your body, I know you want and need me.”
Dongyue leaned over and kissed Xiyu. His warm body stroked against her pearly white skin, causing her face to flush a deeper red. A part of her prayed for help and another part of her liked what he was doing and wanted him to continue. His skilful fingers trespassed mischievously into her territory, springing about bouts of excitement in her veins.
It turned out she liked arousal. Even she was encountering difficulties understanding her own sensuality. It was as if Dongyue had sent her into a state of neediness that she had not realised before. In the past, all she needed to do was wade into the cold waters. But now, he was making her want him more. His fingers explored deeper under the sheets, feeling her petite waist.
‘I want you to be mine, and mine only.’ The message was clear through their telepathy. He didn’t care; she had answered him with ‘yes’ and even if she thought it was a dream, yes means yes.
She opened her mouth to protest, but instead of words, a soft moan left her lips. Her heart raced at the fluster he sent her into. If this continued, she was better off offering herself as a sacrifice to the mighty Young Master Zhan.
“Xiyu…” he mouthed, but before he could continue his sentence, the sound of someone beating a drum blasted in the distance and distracted him from speaking his mind. Normally, such drums were used to announce a big event, but what could be the occasion?