Shuangluan City held phoenix firework displays every Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, but never on such a scale as this.
This was less like fireworks and more like an explosion.
Li Qing’s heart pounded with dread. Although the explosion had occurred at the foot of the mountain, it was still an unforeseen incident. Moreover, the flames shot skyward, accompanied by countless blood-red phoenixes dancing wildly, and it happened precisely during the spring night temple festival—the timing was so uncanny, it was terrifying!
Ying Qi and the others surged through the crowd and reached their side almost instantly.
The sparks scattered across the night sky, but the billowing smoke showed no sign of settling. Instead, it swelled even more horrifyingly vast, churning and spreading in all directions.
Amidst the murmurs of the surrounding crowd, they had no time to listen closely. Su Hui and the others were utterly stunned. They had feared chaos, and now chaos had indeed erupted! And judging by the direction of the flames, it seemed very much like the area around Ruyi Tower.
Could something have happened at Ruyi Tower?
The thought had barely surfaced when fear gripped them so fiercely they could hardly stand. They dared not dwell on it further!
Not daring to abandon the emperor recklessly, he only instructed his trusted subordinate, “Go down the mountain immediately and see what has happened!”
“Yes!”
The officials gathered together, clutching one another, trembling with fright.
Panic spread among the crowd, and many hurried down the mountain. Kuang Xuexian and his companions did not linger on the mountain either, quickly following the flow of people downhill.
Wang Baobao stared at the thick, fiery smoke rising from the city, swallowed hard, and finally couldn’t resist saying to Kuang Xuexian, “It seems to be coming from the direction of Ruyi Tower.”
Kuang Xuexian had realized it the moment he saw it. He observed the deputy officials and other authorities, all walking hurriedly with pale faces. One official even stumbled on the steps halfway down, his official hat falling off, and had to be helped up by his colleagues.
“If it truly is, then a major disaster is unfolding,” he said with a heavy heart.
A wind had picked up on the mountain, and it felt unexpectedly cold. Li Qing bit his lip all the way down, his tension mounting. Their people had naturally gone to investigate the situation immediately, but he had a bad feeling. If, as Kuang Xuexian and the others speculated, something had happened at Ruyi Tower, then it was undoubtedly targeting the emperor.
He glanced back at the emperor and saw Fu Miao’s expression dark and brooding. The emperor rarely showed such a sinister look in front of Kuang Xuexian. This only heightened the fear. Wang Baobao looked back at his brother-in-law, ran over, and considerately supported his arm.
His sister was also by his side, both husband and wife wearing grave expressions.
Wang Baobao asked, “Brother-in-law, is it Ruyi Tower?”
Su Hui’s lips were dry as he replied, “I pray it is not.”
Even Wang Baobao, a frivolous young man, sensed the gravity of the situation. Looking back at the city from halfway down the mountain, only a faint red glow of fire and smoke remained.
Countless soldiers and officials continued to ascend the mountain path, seemingly fearful of further incidents on the mountain, rushing up to maintain order. The revelry had ended in abrupt panic.
Once they reached the foot of the mountain, they immediately boarded carriages and horses to return. Li Qing rode on horseback behind them, looking back to see Ying Qi and others following on horseback as the group headed straight toward the western part of the city.
As they passed the Drum Tower, Fu Miao suddenly reined in his horse and halted. Looking south along the straight Jinwu Avenue, they indeed saw continuous flames near Ruyi Tower, with crowds of onlookers filling the entire street.
The hour had grown cold, and Kuang Xuexian exhaled into his hands to warm them, only to have them clasped by Fu Miao.
The slender fingers were pale and cold, and then he noticed Fu Li slightly lowering his head, his chin resting against the back of his own skull. Immediately after, Fu Li tightened his legs around the horse and rode into the side alley.
Once past the main street, only faint moonlight illuminated their surroundings. The streets on both sides were pitch black, with almost no light visible. They rode swiftly, and Li Qing grew even more nervous, constantly glancing left and right along the way.
Just as they were nearing Kuang Xuexian’s home, clouds suddenly rolled in, obscuring even the last glimmer of light. Everything around them turned pitch black, almost to the point where one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face. Only the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoed in the darkness. Li Qing couldn’t even make out how far Ying Qi and the others were. An inexplicable worry crept into his mind—what if assassins were lying in ambush nearby? His heart pounded so fiercely it felt ready to leap out of his chest.
Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. Once they entered the house and lit the lamps, his anxiety finally eased. But his back was already drenched in sweat.
“Master and the young master should rest at home. This servant will go out to investigate what happened,” he said, fearing Kuang Xuexian might suspect something, and added, “If it truly is the Ruyi Tower in trouble, the city is likely to fall into chaos.”
Kuang Xuexian forbade him from going. “It’s best not to go out at this time.”
After speaking, he turned his gaze to Fu Li.
Fu Li, now standing before Kuang Xuexian, seemed unable to maintain his gentle facade any longer. His tone carried clear displeasure as he said, “Don’t go. Didn’t we see everything on the way?”
It was clearly the Ruyi Tower—such coincidences didn’t exist in the world.
Kuang Xuexian said, “Not far behind the Ruyi Tower is Xijing’s Fireworks District. It’s possible an accident occurred there, not necessarily what we’re thinking.”
The Fireworks District had phoenix fireworks. The countless fiery phoenixes they had seen from the mountain were likely caused by the phoenix fireworks exploding together.
But what exactly had happened would probably become clear tomorrow. The only certainty was that this was no accident.
“The entire city will surely be placed under martial law soon,” Kuang Xuexian added.
Noticing Li Qing’s unusually tense expression, he comforted him, “Don’t be afraid. Even if someone did attempt to assassinate the emperor—which isn’t necessarily the case—and even if the emperor is as foolish and cruel as they say, he wouldn’t go so far as to arrest ordinary commoners like us.”
Li Qing forced an awkward smile. “Yes, yes,” he said, calming himself slightly. “His Majesty couldn’t possibly be that foolish.”
Seizing the opportunity, he felt it necessary to speak well of the emperor in front of Kuang Xuexian. “To be honest, this servant has always felt that people here exaggerate how terrifying the emperor is. Much of what’s said is hearsay and outright slander!”
Kuang Xuexian asked, “Is that so?”
Li Qing nodded eagerly, as if finally grasping a chance. “Yes! This servant was in the capital, so what I heard is far more reliable than the rumors circulating in Xijing.”
He fetched the hot water from the stove and opened the stove door. Just as he pushed the stove further inside, he saw Kuang Xuexian stand up and say to Fu Li, “Sit further inside.”
Fu Li looked up at him.
Kuang Xuexian said, “Your hands are so cold. Sit inside where it’s warmer.”
Li Qing watched as the emperor obediently moved to the innermost seat. The previously gloomy expression on his face seemed to soften, transforming once again into Kuang Langjun’s Zhang Ji.
Amitabha.
Li Qing began to speak well of the emperor, saying, “Some of the rumors about His Majesty among the people of Xijing are outright slander! For instance, the tragedy of the Guihai year during the Tianfu era—outsiders blame the current emperor for that massacre, but in truth, His Majesty had just ascended the throne back then. How much power could he have wielded? It’s just that everyone believes the tragedy occurred because of an assassination attempt by supporters of the former emperor, so they pinned it all on His Majesty. And then there’s the talk about His Majesty enjoying visiting his ministers’ homes and taking liberties with their wives and daughters—I swear that’s absolutely false. That was the doing of the deposed emperor. His Majesty… His Majesty has always been quite chaste in that regard! In fact, many ministers have sent countless beauties into the palace, all hoping to rise to prominence overnight.”
Kuang Xuexian took the hot water handed to him, cradling it in his hands as he asked, “And the emperor refused them all?”
Li Qing nodded. “Of course! His Majesty isn’t foolish. He knows exactly what intentions they harbor!”
Kuang Xuexian remarked, “Oh, so the emperor is still a virgin then?”
Li Qing was about to nod again but then realized the topic had ventured too far into impropriety. He swallowed his words and glanced at Kuang Xuexian, only to see him pursing his lips as if stifling a laugh. It dawned on Li Qing that Kuang Xuexian was teasing him.
He straightened up. “I swear everything I said is true!”
Kuang Xuexian had only intended to lighten the mood with a joke. Hearing this, he chuckled softly and took a small sip of the hot water.
His laughter was utterly captivating, especially on such a cold night—his breath forming white puffs in the air, his smile bright and clear, like shimmering pearls.
Li Qing found himself at a loss—neither able to explain further nor let it go. He could only glance awkwardly at the emperor, only to see him stretching his hands toward the fire to warm them.
After the nerve-wracking journey and the bone-chilling wind, the warmth from the small red clay stove and the bubbling hot water had now enveloped them entirely.
Then he saw the emperor suddenly take Kuang Xuexian’s hand and say, “Not cold anymore.”
Kuang Xuexian was taken aback, clearly a little embarrassed, and quietly replied, “Mm.”
Sensing the moment, Li Qing stood up and said, “Master and the young master must be hungry, right? I’ll go fetch some snacks.”
At that moment, Kuang Xuexian had almost forgotten about the emperor’s assassination attempt, his attention wholly focused on Fu Yi’s hand.
Fu Yi’s hand was beautiful—pale, slender fingers, their joints flushed red from gripping the reins for so long in the cold. Now, as he held Kuang Xuexian’s fingers, gently rubbing them, his phoenix eyes lowered in a gaze that seemed full of tenderness. Even the shadowy darkness of his pupils appeared to melt with an overwhelming depth of affection.
The explosion had infuriated Fu Yi. Responding to violence with violence had become his habit, and uncontrollable rage often gave him headaches. Yet all of it dissipated because of Kuang Xuexian’s simple request for him to sit inside.
He liked it when Kuang Xuexian treated him this way.
A slender, delicate figure shielding a tyrant. A devil fears neither provocation, attack, fear, nor hatred—only gentle compassion is its weakness. Every bone in his body cried out, pleading for more pity, more compassion, to embrace all his willfulness, wickedness, and cruelty.
He didn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, he clasped Kuang Xuexian’s hand and rested it on his knee. A faint, warm blush spread across Kuang Xuexian’s cheeks. Fu Yi recalled the scent behind his ears and along his neck, and so he tightened his grip even more, as if his violent temper had transformed into some other form of dark desire. The flames in the stove leaped upward, flickering and licking the air with crimson tongues.
He held Kuang Xuexian’s hand, gently stroking it with his thumb.
Kuang Xuexian vaguely felt that this behavior seemed different from the gentle Zhang Ji he remembered. The way the other lightly rubbed between his fingers seemed almost perversely meticulous. Fu Yi’s fingers had always been beautiful, with joints tinged red and calloused pads, making the act of rubbing between his fingers feel particularly sensual.
It was as if the spaces between his fingers had become another part of his body, treated with such excessive care. Yet the other’s movements were so gentle that he began to doubt whether he was simply unaccustomed to such tender intimacy.
In any case, he grew increasingly warm all over, feeling as though he had become a second small red clay stove. He wanted to withdraw his hand, but Fu Yi held it tightly. Eventually, the spaces between his fingers were rubbed red, and he bent slightly forward to hide his somewhat flustered reaction.
Who would have thought that Fu Yi would suddenly lift his hand and press a kiss to the reddened spaces between his fingers?
His lips were soft, and the kiss produced a faint, delicate sound. Before Kuang Xuexian could even consider whether this act was strange, his entire body flushed crimson in an instant.
Just then, Li Qing entered with some pastries. Only then did Fu Yi release his hand.
Kuang Xuexian felt as if electric currents were surging chaotically through his entire body. He leaned forward slightly, his face burning hot, overwhelmed by a wave of unprecedented confusion. His hands rested on his knees, curling slightly inward.
Whatever Li Qing said, he didn’t register a single word. His entire being felt light and ungrounded, as if a small part of his soul had been gently drawn away by Fu Yi.