CALID Chapter 67

Promise

After the tumultuous wedding incident in Nandu finally subsided with nightfall, the guests had left the Duan residence. The Commander of the Imperial Guards specially dispatched a group of guards to patrol around the Duan residence, and they conducted searches around Nandu.

Duan Xu knew they wouldn’t find his “bride.”

So much the better.

The streets were still adorned with rows of red paper lanterns, and the Duan residence, along with the brightly lit lanterns, exuded a sense of joy, like a clown still happily celebrating after putting on makeup. Duan Xu stepped into his residence, the Haoyue Mansion, in his wedding attire. Everywhere in the Haoyue Mansion was adorned with the character for “happiness,” and several boxes of dowry sent by the Wang family were placed in the courtyard, their lids already opened.

A girl wearing a veil with pearls draped down, sitting on the edge of a box, legs crossed. A round moon hung high in the sky behind her, its light intermingling with the glow of the lanterns, casting her in an enchanting, ghostly light.

She was indeed enchanting, and indeed ghostly.

When He Simu met Duan Xu’s gaze, she smiled and said, “Madam’s dowry is quite generous. It would be a pity to return it to her family.”

“I won’t return it.”

“You won’t?”

“I have sworn to take her as my wife, so naturally, I can accept this dowry. Privately, Su Yi will live outside in the future, and I still want to give her this dowry.”

Duan Xu spoke frankly.

He Simu jumped off the edge of the box, crossed her arms, and walked up to Duan Xu, her red skirt swaying across the ground. She, in her rusty-red triple-layered dress, and Duan Xu, in his wedding attire, looked like a true couple in the courtyard adorned with lanterns and happiness characters.

He Simu looked into Duan Xu’s eyes, and he looked down at her, his eyes shining with darkness. She thought she had many questions to ask him, about his collaboration with Feng Yi, the plot he devised, and the deeper meaning behind his invitation to her. It seemed that from the day she met him, she was filled with questions about him.

Did she have so many questions for others?

It seemed not.

After a moment of eye contact between He Simu and Duan Xu, she suddenly shook her head with a light laugh. “Duan Xu, what would you have done if I hadn’t come to find you today? You lost this time. What will you use to gamble next time?”

Those questions didn’t really need to be asked anymore; she already knew the answers.

In the city of Yuzhou, she painted a beautiful future for him away from her, like handing him a delicate glass lamp and telling him to carry it to light the way to the life everyone desired. That was the happiness he deserved.

And then he simply and decisively threw the lamp away and smashed it, looking at her with a smile as if to say, “What next?”

“Do you have any more reasons? Whatever you have, I’ll destroy it in front of you. Are you willing?”

Just like what he said on the day they made their pact, he gambled that she wouldn’t be willing.

Duan Xu also smiled. “If I lose the gamble, then I lose. We’ll think of something else for the next time. But what’s important is that you came to find me.”

He seemed composed and casual, but his hand trembled involuntarily under his sleeve due to nervousness.

“I came to find you to bring a wedding gift. I’ve never attended a wedding, so I didn’t know what to give, and I’ve been struggling with it for a long time. So I decided to come and ask you directly: what do you want? What would make you happy?”

He Simu spoke calmly, appearing as poised as ever. In Duan Xu’s eyes, she was like a black tourmaline in the midst of black and white, beautiful yet profound, devoid of warmth.

Duan Xu pursed his lips and reached out, his index finger pausing on her garment. From his fingertips, she could feel the beating of her own heart, a heartbeat she sensed through his perception of colour.

“I want you.”

He Simu looked at him quietly.

After a moment, Duan Xu chuckled softly, as if joking, “I wonder if I have the honour to become the twenty-third tomb on the hill behind your Xusheng Mountain?”

He spoke lightly, but his voice was dry with tension.

He Simu grasped the finger he had pressed against her garment and asked, “Are you willing?”

She had asked him this question on Xusheng Mountain before, and at that time, he hadn’t answered.

This time, Duan Xu’s eyes were clear and transparent. Amidst the dazzling colours, he smiled with resignation, “I’m not willing. After thinking it over, I’m still not willing.”

“But after thinking it over, even though I’m not willing, I’m willing to do it.”

He Simu lowered her gaze and then lifted it again, grasping his slightly trembling hand in hers, their fingers intertwining. After a moment of profound silence, she spoke.

“Okay, I agree.”

Duan Xu was momentarily stunned.

He Simu smiled, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek, repeating, “I agree.”

“Since I said I agree, why are you still so nervous? Your fingers are stiff. Relax and take a deep breath. It’s not for nothing that you’re called Little Fox Duan. You actually dared to ask the Ghost King as a gift. I…”

Before she could finish, she was abruptly pulled closer by Duan Xu. He held her hand and pulled her into his embrace, tilting her head back by cupping the back of her neck, then kissed her lips. It was a kiss filled with urgency, like rain after a long drought, pouring forth restlessness, joy, fear, and love. He closed his eyes tightly, holding her tightly as their lips and tongues intertwined, as if through this kiss they could merge their souls.

He had gambled for too long, lost time and time again, yet he still pretended to be composed, as if he could easily come back from it all. In reality, he had no more room to manoeuvre.

And he didn’t leave himself any room to manoeuvre, giving his all every time.

He Simu’s wrist struggled in his hand, and for a moment, he thought she was going to be pushed away, so he anxiously opened his eyes.

He was met with He Simu’s eyes, beautiful phoenix eyes filled with a smile, reflecting his confusion. Her pale, delicate hand lifted and rested on his shoulder, wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer.

She stood on tiptoe, deepening the kiss, pressing her body against his, offering her lips and tongue, closing her eyes.

There was no need for anxiety, no need for worry.

If the Ghost King promised, then she promised. If you didn’t step back, then neither would she.

You hold her tightly, and she kisses you.

You love her for a lifetime, and in your lifetime, her eyes hold only you.

Duan Xu’s chest heaved rapidly. His kisses moved from her lips upward, kissing her eyes, then her forehead.

He Simu held onto his neck, looked up at him, and said, “Standing on tiptoe for so long is a bit tiring.”

Duan Xu chuckled softly, teasingly saying, “Do you want to go to the room? It’s… our wedding night.”

He Simu’s gaze roamed slowly down his face. She lifted her hand, loosened his red hairband, and then ran her fingers over the embroidered auspicious symbols on his wedding attire. Then she looked up at him and said, “Sure.”

Duan Xu was taken aback for a moment. He carefully deciphered the meaning behind her words and, between breaths, whispered, “Are you saying…”

He Simu pecked him on the lips, the answer obvious.

Duan Xu’s breath caught, and he lifted He Simu around the waist. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her towards the room. He kicked the door open, then closed it behind them, pinning her against it and kissing her. In the pauses between kisses, he said, “Simu, I still have a talisman… Feng Yi is really… generous.”

“Feng Yi is indeed… generous.”

“Take away my sense of touch too, Simu.”

He Simu opened her eyes and saw Duan Xu taking out the piece of turmeric paper inscribed with runes from his embrace. He laughed amidst the sea of red in the room, his smile dazzlingly vibrant. He said, “I will have many opportunities in the future, many, many chances, but this time, I want you to feel me.”

I hope you remember me.

He Simu looked at the talisman in his hand, turned her head, and smiled, “Alright, as you wish.”

In an instant, the talisman turned to ashes in Duan Xu’s hand.

In that moment, He Simu felt the warmth of the body pressed against her, the smoothness of the silk wedding attire, and the softness of his skin. He stared at her, then suddenly took her hand and kissed her fingertips.

He kissed each finger delicately, from the tip to the base, from the thumb to the pinkie, until finally he lightly chuckled and kissed the middle finger, the finger of the heart’s fire.

He Simu began to tremble slightly. This unfamiliar, moist sensation made her lose her composure, as if every limb was not her own, and what surged within her wasn’t blood, but perhaps lava.

Duan Xu lifted her and placed her on the wedding quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks. Once again, he kissed her deeply. This kiss felt different from before, it was sticky and lingering, warm and entwined, the scorching heat that transferred from one person’s body to hers, like a fire burning her, leaving her fingers restless.

He Simu’s fingers clasped tightly onto Duan Xu’s back, and she asked in a daze, “What is this?”

Duan Xu rested his forehead against hers and said, ” This is desire, longing, my highness”.

Your desire.

“You want me,” he said softly, his breath brushing against her face, teasingly tantalizing her. As he continued to kiss her, he said, “Just like how I want you.”

He Simu opened her eyes and saw the redness in his youthful eyes. He was enveloped in red, as if burning, his gaze hazy yet alluring. He seemed somewhat dazed, his eyes shining with a red light, reminiscent of the times when he was bathed in blood, but now deeply reflecting her.

Seeing her open her eyes, he took her hand and kissed her palm.

“Feels like a dream… Simu…” he murmured softly, “I’ve never had such a good dream before.”

He Simu’s eyes trembled as she lifted her head to kiss him deeply, sighing, “In this lifetime, you can have hundreds more dreams like this.”

His heartbeat was fast, rapid and intense, unlike the first time she felt it.

At this moment, this heart belonged to her, beating for her.

She held her favourite skull in the world, kissed her favourite eyes, and whispered in his ear, “Duan Xu, I’m real. I won’t leave. Please be gentle.”

The young man held her tightly, greedily breathing in her scent, his fair fingers tightening in her tousled black hair.

“Simu…” Duan Xu murmured softly.

This heart does not belong to me, Simu belongs to you.

Let you pick and choose, never to return.

*

When Duan Xu woke up, the night breeze rustled the curtains, and the moonlight was serene. The absurdity of what had just happened flashed through his mind, and for a moment he tensed, wondering if it was all a dream. But when he saw the girl lying on his chest, he relaxed again.

She slept as if she was going to hold onto something as she always did, and at this moment, she held onto his waist tightly, burying her face in his chest, revealing the delicate neck and the traces of kisses on her neck.

Duan Xu wrapped his arms around her shoulders, gently stroking her neck. She shrugged her shoulders and buried her head even deeper.

He had indeed been too impatient, and without the sense of touch, he couldn’t gauge his strength and ended up hurting her. But deep down, he also wished for a bit of pain, so that she would remember him more deeply and not easily forget him.

Duan Xu brushed aside her long hair covering her cheeks and noticed dark marks on her face that resembled blood. He was startled, reaching out to gently wipe them away, but found no wounds. Then he remembered, she had bitten him, drawing his blood.

Seemingly provoked by his bullying or perhaps overwhelmed by desire, she had just bitten his shoulder, biting hard enough to draw blood.

Seeing the blood seemed to excite her even more, and she didn’t ease her grip.

Duan Xu sighed softly, lightly rubbing her hair, messing up her silky strands.

Demons are born from desire, forever plagued by hunger, consuming humans to alleviate it.

He Simu was also a demon, born as one, not knowing what her desires truly were. Jiang Ai said that sometimes she felt that He Simu envied them because each demon in this world had a clear purpose, knowing why they lived and why they died.

Although most of those who are obsessed are not good things, at least they know.

He Simu doesn’t know, her path is shrouded in mist.

Duan Xu kissed her forehead and gently patted her back. If her hunger is because she has never lived in the world, if her greed is to perceive this world, then he will strive to help her achieve it.

“If you like to bite, then bite. If you want my five senses, I will give them to you.”

May I feed you with my flesh and blood, to spare you from hunger and comfort you from the cold.