Lord of the Desert

Chapter 590 foil
The rich, lingering scent of ambergris fills the air.

The newlyweds stayed in the Qilin Courtyard on the west side, with a huge crimson gauze made of silkworm silk hanging in the air, filtering the silver light through it into a warm color.

“A wedding is a union of two families, serving the ancestral temple above and continuing the lineage below; therefore, a gentleman values ​​it.”

Tang Xingqing sat idly on a wooden chair in the courtyard, resting her chin on her hand.

Outside the pavilion, large red tassel lanterns with the character "囍" (double happiness) hung in a zigzag pattern, floating in the dim light of the gas lamps.

"This ostentatious display today must have cost quite a bit, right?"

She recalled the long channels on both sides of the wedding hall, where bronze tortoises spouted water, and the lotus lanterns and wooden wine cups that flowed endlessly in the channels.

"Nearly eight thousand strings of cash, not bad."

Hong Fan replied.

"After all, the venue and manpower are readily available. The gold and silver jewelry purchased are already paid for and cannot be counted as an expense. The real expenses are only for decorations and banquets."

"Eight thousand strings of cash is only 'okay'?"

Tang Xingqing sighed softly.

"Your brother is making such a grand show, what about you?"

Hong Fan's breathing became slightly restrained.

The wind was still, yet she showed no shyness.

"If we get married, do you think I'll resemble Hong Sheng or Jiang Linglang more on that day?"

Tang Xingqing turned her head and looked back, her eyes gentle and tender.

Upon hearing this question, Hong Fan's mind suddenly flashed back to the night of the great battle against the Iron Demon—flames brushed against the golden threads of her clothes, and the female swordswoman gracefully descended, holding the hem of her skirt, landing on his shoulder with her flying sword that had returned to its place.

"Of course it's Jiang Linglang."

Tang Xingqing asked and answered herself, then turned around and calmly gazed at the star pool surrounding the pale moon.

“When people gather, there will be a hierarchy. Hong Sheng is known as the ‘Fire Phoenix’ and has been listed on the Heavenly Pride List. He is also your elder brother, so he must be the master today, and Jiang Linglang will be the second master.”

Her soft laugh trembled slightly.

Hong Fan had already guessed what Tang Xingqing wanted to say, because she was a girl who was so outspoken that she could hardly hide herself, and now she dared to think and act, and disdained to conceal anything.

A sense of emptiness and melancholy seeped into my heart like the chill of the night.

He instinctively tried to stop him, taking half a step forward, but ultimately hesitated to speak.

The two were nine feet apart.

"You always seem to know ten things from one, it's never interesting talking to you."

Tang Xingqing heard the sudden stop of the footsteps and gave them a disdainful look.

"But you, Chixing Hongfan, are not smart enough. If you were exceptionally intelligent, you would know that you should do something foolish now..."

She grew angrier as she spoke, glaring fiercely at Hong Fan's face, only to see helplessness and despair, and could no longer suppress her emotions.

He suddenly stood up and took several large steps.

Qiandianxing climbed the steps, determined to get close to his beloved.

"In this lifetime, I have only ever longed for you."

She looked up and spoke with the firmness of a drawn sword.

I love you, really!

Red-rimmed eyes, clenched fists, a stubborn yet aggrieved smile.

"But it's also true that I don't want to marry you like that!"

Words sharp as knives, cutting through two hearts, flowing out hot blood that drowns the flowers and leaves in the courtyard.

Tang Xingqing stood straight in the wind, her eyes unblinking, letting tears drip from the corners of her eyes.

This time, no one looked away.

Do you remember the way I came?

"I once knelt in the snow begging to be admitted to the clan school, I once forged my first flying sword from scrap iron, I spent countless days and nights cultivating under the cold stares... Tang Xingqing persevered on her knees, not to be a foil for others."

Do you understand me?

She grasped Hong Fan's hand and pressed it heavily against her chest.

"Can you understand?"

Thump, thump...

That was a powerful heartbeat that Hong Fan had never felt before.

How could he not understand such feelings?

Since ascending to the Heavenly Pride Ranking, Qian Dianxing has suffered many defeats, but he has yet to admit defeat.

Even if the opponent is the recognized strongest among all the geniuses of the past.

"I see."

Hong Fan responded readily.

At this moment, the woman's gaze was so direct and intense, like a flame burning on a sword blade. When Hong Fan's eyes met hers, that fire silently burned into his eyes.

"I love you, and I once thought of going to great lengths to be with you." Tang Xingqing was almost sobbing.

“But I am not just a daughter, I am also a martial artist, and now I am also the young lord of the elegant Tang family.”

She spoke with confidence and pride, because everything she mentioned was earned by herself.

"Do what you want to do, choose what you won't regret."

Hong Fan grasped her hand in return.

Tang Xingqing smiled upon hearing this, her tears shattering into star-like patterns on the back of their clasped hands.

"Before I came, I was so anxious that I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about seeing you, but I was also afraid of seeing you. After I saw you, I wondered if I should indulge in a few days of tender moments and then confess my feelings to you when we parted. But after seeing this wedding today, I am finally 100% sure that I do not want to be led by others, and I do not want to sit on a big red chair with a pearl veil and be manipulated by others."

She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her fingers.

"Mediocre people may feel sentimental and reluctant to part, but that shouldn't be us."

Both of them laughed upon hearing this, but their laughter was tinged with bitterness.

Xiao Chu and Shen Tiexin were born with silver spoons in their mouths, and there was no road ahead of them that they had to travel.

But she does.

"There is ample time."

Hong Fan mentioned these four words again, but with a completely different meaning than before.

Tang Xingqing tiptoed and suddenly threw herself into his arms, giving him a passionate, deep kiss.

She released her grip after a few breaths.

“Hong Fan, after I have possessed and enjoyed all the things that those born into nobility have, then allow me to come and find you.”

Tang Xingqing's gaze lingered, her tone filled with pride.

Then she suddenly turned around and walked away with a powerful stride, without looking back.

Moonlight falls to the ground and turns into bricks.

Hong Fan stood there, watching her slender figure disappear into the boundless night, feeling a pang of sadness, yet also a sense of relief.

······
Several days later, on May 14th.

Snow Man City.

Summer downpours gallop like horses through the streets, driving pedestrians under the eaves.

A flash of light appeared in the clouds.

In the main hall of the Central Guard General's Mansion, Kou Fei leaned against a white bear skin, silently watching the blazing white lightning flash and disappear amidst the countless raindrops outside the courtyard.

“In this day and age, Zhenbeiwei has no foundation to stand on.”

He suddenly spoke, uttering words that had been weighing on his heart for a long time.

Thunder rumbled and petals tumbled down, startling everyone who witnessed it.

Why are you suddenly saying such discouraging things, Brother?

Peng Guanqiang laughed.

"It's not sudden, nor is it a discouraging statement."

Kou Fei shook his head, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

"Actually, this could have been said when Kazama died, but it has been five years since then."

"Although Kazama is dead, the two saints are still alive."

Huo Zhan gripped his long beard.

"How much longer?"

Kou Fei glanced at him.

"Yi Zhen is 298 years old this year, which means he has lived for several days while sitting in his coffin. In a few years, Hou Zhiqiu will be left alone and unable to support the country. Facing Xiao Ding and Guan Qimai, who are in their prime, it is still uncertain whether he can protect the capital of Hejian. In the end, the court is incompetent, which is why it has the position of Zhenbeiwei. Now that the power of Shenjing is growing day by day, it is no longer satisfied with ruling the world from the south."

“These principles are obvious to anyone with eyes, Brother Kou, there’s no need for you to make a special trip to the north to hear our instruction.”

Huo Zhan said sarcastically with a straight face.

"Brother, please don't be angry. It's not just about these things."

Kou Fei grinned.

"I invited you here because there's something even worse."

Huo Zhan's face darkened further upon hearing this: "So what is it? The little emperor summons us to the capital to report on our duties?"

“Three days ago, Xiao Long came on the emperor’s orders, saying that the Ancestral Dragon and the Mountain God had agreed on a war treaty; starting next year, our clan and the Giant Spirit will fight a divinely ordained war.”

Kou Fei said seriously.

"What did you say?!"

Peng Guan and Huo Zhan were shocked.

In their memory, the last two divine wars of the human race were against the sea race and the snake people respectively—the former more than fifty years ago, and the latter more than one hundred and twenty years ago. Because the divine punishment failed to be directed during the war, the intensity and scale of the war were far greater than usual. It was common for Yuanci to die in battle, and even the celestial beings dared not say that everything was safe.

(End of this chapter)