Chapter 113: Chapter 113: "Tell Me What You Want

Emperor Wu Su raised an eyebrow. "How about I warm the bed for Ah Wu? Want to pick that option?"

Ji Qingwu’s face instantly burned hot at his words.

’This was certainly a solution she had never conceived of.’

’It wasn’t that she couldn’t think of it, but that she didn’t dare. Who in the entire world would dare to ask the Emperor to warm their bed? Was that not asking for the execution of your entire clan?’

’Still, it sounded far more tempting than the first two options.’

’No matter how warm a quilt was, it was still an inanimate object. It couldn’t generate its own heat, nor was its warmth comparable to a human body’s.’

’Most importantly, the Emperor was a martial artist, so his body ran much hotter than an ordinary man’s. She had felt significantly warmer just from his hand touching her earlier.’

Ji Qingwu’s eyes fluttered as she looked at him. She seemed torn between an eager desire to agree and the shyness to refuse. The words reached her lips, but she just bit them, utterly conflicted.

Emperor Wu Su’s gaze was warm and gentle. "Tell me what you want."

’Back on the steppes, Ji Qingwu had dared to utter those astonishing words asking for a kiss, but only because she was still heady from the thrill of galloping wildly across the vast, open land.’

’Their intimacy had given her the illusion that he was not the high and mighty Emperor, but merely a young lord from an ordinary noble family. Her head had been in the clouds, leading her to act so boldly.’

Entering the palace had not been Ji Qingwu’s wish, yet she couldn’t suppress the tangled emotions coiling in her heart. They always managed to escape and cloud her judgment.

Emperor Wu Su was not surprised by her reaction. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

His movements were decisive. He pulled away the blankets and other items in front of her, extricating her in a few swift motions.

In the process, Ji Qingwu hugged her arms and shivered from the cold.

She lifted her head and saw his face looking down at her, still carrying that same air of cool refinement and noble grace.

But the chill between his brows had long since vanished, and the corners of his eyes tilted upward with a gentle softness.

The moment his gaze met hers, Ji Qingwu quickly looked away, not daring to hold it. An unexpected blush crept onto her averted face, and her fingertips unconsciously fiddled with the cuffs of her sleeves.

Suddenly, Ji Qingwu felt herself being lifted into the air. Before a gasp could escape her, she was back on the daybed.

On the daybed, she was no longer a solitary figure, but one of two people in an intimate position.

Emperor Wu Su’s movements were as smooth as flowing water. He first swept her up into his arms, then lay down with her, his long arm cradling the back of her head as he pulled her close.

Ji Qingwu nestled in his embrace, her eyes showing a flicker of confusion.

Being lifted and repositioned so suddenly made her head even dizzier, but her nose, surprisingly, felt much less congested.

Emperor Wu Su tightened his arms, pulling her fully into his embrace, and then covered her with the thin blanket.

Before long, Ji Qingwu no longer felt cold.

Where she pressed against the man’s lean, strong torso, warmth seeped through the layers of their clothing. His firm chest even felt as if it were growing hotter.

Emperor Wu Su noticed a gap still remained below their waists. He hooked a long leg over hers, and Ji Qingwu found herself pressed completely against him. She could feel heat radiating from his entire body, so different from a woman’s cooler constitution.

’It suddenly occurred to her that it was no wonder legends spoke of female demons cultivating their divine powers by absorbing a man’s yang energy.’

’If Emperor Wu Su were to appear in a forest inhabited by such demons, he’d likely be surrounded.’

’Yang energy really is a wonderful thing. I’d like to absorb some...’

Her mind groggy, Ji Qingwu shifted in his arms to find a comfortable angle and sniffled softly.

She frowned. ’I really have caught a cold,’ she thought. ’My sense of smell is gone. I can’t even pick up the scent of agarwood on him. How am I supposed to absorb his yang energy like this?’

Emperor Wu Su assumed she was uncomfortable from her cold. Secretly channeling his Inner Strength into his palm, he placed it on her back and said gently, "Close your eyes. You’ll be better when you wake up."

The sensation on her back felt... different.

It was a surging heat that seemed to permeate her limbs and bones, a warmth that was both soothing and comfortable.

Ji Qingwu felt as if she were soaking in a warm, fragrant bath.

In just a short while, her eyelids grew too heavy to keep open, and she fell asleep.

Ji Qingwu had a dream.

There was no joy or pleasure in her dream, only a desperate flight for her life.

Throughout the night, she was chased by a giant beast that could breathe fireballs.

But in her dream, she was also sick. Her legs were weak and powerless. With every shuffling step she took, the beast drew relentlessly closer.

Yet the mighty beast didn’t eat her. It just toyed with her, using its scalding paws to poke here and knead there, as if it had discovered an amusing new object.

She was so hot that her whole body was covered in sweat. She tried to push the beast away, but her struggling limbs were pinned down.

This only provoked the beast into a frenzy, causing it to reveal its true face and transform completely into a ferocious, red-eyed monster.

The dreaming Ji Qingwu sensed the danger and arched her body, trying to flee.

But the wretched beast snatched her from the land and carried her out to sea, where she felt herself bobbing and sinking all night long.

...

When Ji Qingwu woke again, she was the only one on the daybed.

And two thick, soft quilts were piled on top of her. The person who had tucked her in had been very meticulous, sealing the quilts so tightly that not a draft could get in. Only her head was left exposed.

Her last memory from the night before was of hugging the Emperor’s waist, burying her face in his chest, and sinking into a peaceful sleep.

But her dream had been the complete opposite, Ji Qingwu recalled.

’Could it be that because I was frightened by the beast yesterday, and then pinned down by these heavy quilts, my daytime thoughts became a nighttime dream?’

She stared wide-eyed at the railing of the daybed. ’What a strange dream...’ she thought.

’The sensations felt so vivid.’ Suspicious, she held out her left hand. Its palm was still clean and flawless, showing nothing unusual.

’But that feeling... it seemed so real.’

Ji Qingwu stared down at her hand for a long time.

She pressed her lips together. After a moment, she raised her hand to her nose and sniffed with a frown. There was no strange scent left behind either.

’Then it really must have been a dream.’

In any case, Ji Qingwu had rested very well. She had broken out in a full-body sweat, and now she felt much more refreshed, her nose no longer stuffy.

She didn’t dwell on it any longer. After getting up and washing, she was back to her usual lively self.

A brand-new, sky-blue riding and archery outfit was laid out on the table. Ji Qingwu picked it up and unfolded it for a closer look. The material was expensive, but there were no intricate patterns.

Only after she put it on did she realize its style was very different from her previous dark-red one.

The waist was much looser, completely concealing her feminine curves and giving her a clean-cut, dashing appearance.

Ji Qingwu wasn’t picky about clothes and didn’t think anything of it. She changed quickly and walked to the entrance, when she suddenly remembered her "appointment" with the Eldest Princess.

She froze. ’I wonder if the Eldest Princess saw the Emperor when she came by last night while I was asleep.’

Ji Qingwu put on a calm expression, stepped out of the tent, and asked the guard at the entrance, "Did anyone come to the tent last night?"

The guard shook his head firmly. "No! Rest assured, I saw absolutely no one!"

Ji Qingwu: ...