17 Bathing in Healing Waters (Part 1)

They had soon bought all that they needed and more, and the midday sun has started to shine too brightly, making everyone's throat feel dry and parched.

"Where's that river?" The Emperor finally said impatiently.

"Ah, I got distracted by all the great goods lying around." Song Xiu said, waving goodbye to several Yins at a pleasure house. "This way, Ah-Ting."

Ren Jidian rolled his eyes in disgust. Empress Wei just chuckled, while Gou Zhongcheng remained quiet and contemplative the whole way.

He went over to her side, feeling guilty that they had pretty much neglected the whole trip. "What are you thinking about, Zhongcheng?"

"What do you think of this?" She showed him a hairpin.

It was a hibiscus flower with different colored petals. Instead of one color, it has red, green, blue, orange and yellow.

"Ugly, isn't it?" She chuckled. "The craftmanship is rather crude too. I bought it from a little girl, her mother made it herself."

"If you think it's ugly, why would you buy it?" Ren Jidian handed the hairpin back.

"Good point."

"You're giving it to her?" He asked.

"Maybe. Maybe I'll wear it myself. I happen to overhear you two about the matching clothes and felt a little envious."

Ren Jidian frowned. But.....

He knew Gou Zhongcheng was someone who would rather decide for herself what she feels than have others do that. He cannot convince her to change her mind, or to try again with Shu Zhanxing.

And so, he just said. "It's beautiful. It suits either you or her."

Gou Zhongcheng just chuckled.

She placed the colorful hibiscus flower on her messy hair. It can be barely seen because of the messiness, but the fact that it was there yet was not seen adds some charm to it.

He also smiled, and went back to the empress' side, where his smile faltered. Wei Wangyi patted his back with an understanding look.

Song Xiu had led them to a forest, and eventually reached a clearing. But even when they did reach said clearing, they can hear the sound of the gushing water hitting the rocks.

"The River of Wonders! Looks pleasing to the eye, isn't it? With all the lotus pads floating around." He plucked one of the nearest flowers from their side.

"The appearance doesn't matter. Only its healing abilities." Emperor Zau answered dryly.

Song Xiu just gave a carefree shrug at this stiff man, and went over to where Ren Jidian and Empress Wei were whispering with each other.

"This flower reminds me of you, Qing Guang." He smiled from ear to ear, offering the flower with a low bow. "Very beautiful, yet also very strong against the current, staying in place despite the raging waters."

Ren Jidian accepted the flower with a fake smile. "How very sweet of you, Lord Song."

Then, he dropped it to the ground, and walked over it.

"Whoops, the flower slipped from my hands." He just sneered, taking the Empress by the arm with him.

"The Empress will be getting ready to bathe, please leave us some privacy. You may all stay here while he bathes over there, there are far too many people here after all.."

He eyed the Emperor specifically, as he asked. "Does anyone object?"

The Emperor made a deep growl at the back of his throat, but knew that he has a point. After all, purity and decency for Yins are important, not just for Yins themselves, but for other Yangs too.

If another person had seen the body of your Yin.... Can you even say that you have a total claim over them? They'll be used goods.

Little did he know that his precious Yi-Yi had already been used by the very person holding his arm.

Since the Emperor gave them a nod, the medicine scholar led the Empress farther and farther away from the group, and behind a large boulder that can cover them. There was luckily such a thing, that they do not have to go back to the perilous woods to change.

Empress Wei grinned. "If he bothers you so much, you can always ask me to tell the Emperor to have him back off. After all, he's willing to do anything for my favor."

"No need, Your Majesty. I can put that disgusting Yang to his place by myself." Ren Jidian said. "You may now change, I'll wait on the other side of this rock to make sure nobody comes close and peek."

As he was about to go, the Empress pulled him by the collar and kissed him.

Ren Jidian was not as resistant as before. He even held the back of the Empress head, running his fingers up to his scalp and undoing his hair, letting it flutter down.

"Mmm... Hah..... How about you undress me like I offered last time?"

The loud, rushing water helped hide their heavy breaths as they kept kissing and kissing, before Ren Jidian softly answered: "Alright..."

He slowly undressed Empress Wei, his eyes never leaving his face, causing the Empress to chuckle. He gently grabbed Ren Jidian's chin and made him look down to his body.

"You've seen it before, why are you so afraid to see it again?"

Ren Jidian just answered honestly while looking at his beautiful figure:

"I don't know what I may do to you if I see it again. And there are too many people around."

Wei Wangyi grinned. "Doesn't that make it even more exciting?"

He somehow couldn't help but agree. The fact that they were doing this out in the open, with only a large boulder hiding them from the sight of this man's husband himself.....

It was very wrong in many ways, yet also felt so right.

He noticed the bite he made on his neck, and gently touched it. His teeth marks were very clear, and bright red even after these last few days. They've become wounds themselves.

Empress Wei shivered as he touched it, and he went closer to the scholar. "Just do what you want with me right now. Nobody can see us."

He covered his face, then gathered courage to say it.

"Can you...."