Ink Burns

Chapter 230 Do It or Not
The night is deep.

Lin Shi didn't expect Cui Yulang to come. She had already closed the courtyard gate tightly, let her hair down, and lay on the bed watching the little maid play cat's cradle. But she heard two "ding-dong" sounds outside the window. Lin Shi hurriedly sent the little maid to the flower room outside the corridor, and slipped on her shoes and opened the side door of the back room.

Cui Yulang came in and dragged Lin Shi toward the Buddhist shrine in her inner room.

Cui Yulang pushed the Buddha niche, and with a "click," the candlestick next to the Buddha statue quickly moved backward, revealing a cramped and narrow little room.

Inside the small house, the walls were covered with paintings, one on top of another, layer upon layer, covering all four walls!
The two embraced and went inside. Cui Yulang pushed Lin against the wall and pinned her down. With one hand, he pulled Lin's clothes off her shoulder, and with the other hand, he reached under Lin's skirt and ripped off her underpants. Without the slightest hesitation, he went straight for her.

Cui Yulang's handsome face revealed a hint of ferocity. He leaned on a painting on the wall with one hand and covered Lin's eyes with the other. His eyes were bloodshot as he breathed heavily. His gaze slowly but intently swept over the paintings on the wall.

The paintings on the wall all depict the same thing—fire in various shapes!
A raging fire! Clusters of fire!
The fireballs were densely packed all around, as if the area was surrounded by scorching flames!

So many fires!
What a huge fire!

The rumbling sound still seems to be ringing in my ears!

"Crack!" That was the sound of a tree trunk breaking off from the fire and crashing to the ground!
Cui Yulang's breathing became increasingly rapid. In the blink of an eye, it was as if he had returned to that night ten years ago! That girl set fire to Fushou Mountain! In the desperate pursuit, that girl almost forced their entire army to be wiped out. That fool Fu Mingbo had his right arm broken by a falling tree, completely losing his eligibility for officialdom.
That girl, that girl
Cui Yulang, panting, thrust his body forward several times in a hurry.

Perhaps the force used today was too great, for as Lin groaned, she turned her head to the side in a daze, attempting to turn around and beg for mercy.

"Turn around—" Cui Yulang gritted his teeth and hissed, "I told you to turn around!"

Lin, with her slender, willow-like hands supporting her against the wall, turned her head.

Lin's right profile, illuminated by candlelight, was delicate and graceful. Her small, slender chin was slightly upturned, adding a touch of stubbornness to her cool and refined features. Her nose was pointed, and like her delicate earlobes, it was now tinged with the blush of desire.

"Don't get emotional!" Cui Yulang shouted in a low voice.

How could you fall in love?!
That girl, with a cold and aloof expression, looked down on them, who lived high above others and were content in their stables, as if they were a bunch of ants!
How could she possibly fall in love with him?!
When she blushes, she doesn't look like herself at all!
Lin tilted her head back slightly, her eyes half-open and half-closed, her gaze unfocused, and her hands clasped together.

Cui Yulang angrily reached out and covered Lin's eyes.

And eyes!

And eyes!

Her eyes were long and narrow, with deep brown pupils beneath thin eyelids that were cold and stubborn, like a calm lake with no waves. No one could guess how deep the water was beneath the tranquil surface, and no one could be sure whether the next moment would bring clear skies or raging storms!

She is powerful!
A strong person cannot be swayed by desires and reveal a vulnerable and blind look in their eyes!
Cui Yulang's neck veins bulged, and with a low growl of defeat, he unleashed his fury.

Cui Yulang tilted his head back, just like Fu Mingjiang had done earlier, slightly parted his lips, his chest heaving violently as he breathed rapidly and deeply, like a fish struggling to come ashore, flapping its cheeks and squeezing its spine, seeking a sliver of thin air.

Cui Yulang pushed Lin aside with a flick of his wrist and braced his hands against the flames in the mural.

Fushou Mountain was engulfed in flames overnight.

Fu Mingbo's future was left there, a waste of his talent.

His abilities as a man remained there as well.

Fu Mingjiang clung to him, day and night. He knew that marrying Fu Mingjiang would solidify his position in the Cui family. Even if Cui Bainian were to unleash his power and have another woman give birth to a son, it would not shake his position. The Marquis of Wuding could only be his, and the Cui family could only be his!
He married Fu Mingjiang.

Although he loathed her intensely and uncontrollably!
They despise her and assume that everyone in the world should love her!
I despise her bossy attitude, I despise her for pretending to be innocent while killing, setting fires, and drawing blood! I despise her for being a villain!
I loathe the blood of royalty and aristocracy that flows in her veins!

He had never loathed a woman so much that on their wedding night, no matter what, no matter how Fu Mingjiang undressed, no matter how alluringly she lay on the bed bewitching him, he could not bring himself to take her.

He was hurried, ashamed, anxious, and apprehensive.
He wore a bright red wedding robe, knowing that the elaborate and luxurious satin fabric with gold foil and cloisonné would make his appearance look incredibly gorgeous. On the surface, he was aloof, restrained, and proud, the object of Fu Mingjiang's pursuit. Only he knew that he was a dark rat in the sewer, hiding a secret about his origins, his hands stained with the blood of his "brothers," and he could only maintain his seemingly noble status by killing and abusing infants and fetuses.

He couldn't let Fu Mingjiang find out.

He can't.

He fixed his gaze on Mu Sheng.

Mu Sheng, a short, lame man with buck teeth.

A secret sense of pleasure suddenly welled up within him: he wanted to make this extremely ugly and lowly servant defile the "Princess," a precious figure in the empire who possessed both royal and aristocratic blood.

He can't.

He didn't believe he couldn't do it.

He had countless women.

He thought it was because of Fu Mingjiang. Because Fu Mingjiang was disgusting, he tried to find a trembling, young virgin, but that didn't work; a seasoned, still charming woman, that didn't work either; the open countryside, that didn't work; the secluded, narrow carriage, that didn't work either. He was like a child who was constantly trying and making mistakes, eagerly searching for a way out.

No, no, still no!

Until, at night, he saw Lin at a village in the suburbs of Beijing.

Lin walked along the narrow country road, carrying a bamboo basket full of tea stems in one hand and a torch in the other.

The firelight was very bright.

The blinding halo blocked Lin's eyes, revealing her delicate, aloof chin and tightly pursed thin lips.

His heart stirred, and he suddenly remembered the woman in the Fushou Mountain fire—or rather, the girl. She was very young, probably not yet of marriageable age. Although her features were still immature, she already exuded a cool, aloof yet stubborn and unrestrained temperament.

He was a master painter, so he could naturally use his imagination to magnify her features from his memory as she aged.

She bore a striking resemblance to the peasant girl in front of her.

"Light all the torches! All of them!"

He said.

He pointed at Madam Lin: "Bring her here."

He finally recovered.

(End of this chapter)