CH 54

"A'Po, you're getting more and more powerless, it's only been a short while and you're already going to sleep..." Yan Yuan discontentedly dragged Xuan Long's legs under him, the two of them instantly joined closely together. Xuan Long let out a low hum and opened his dazed eyes to look at Yan Yuan.

Yan Yuan bent down and kissed him on the lips, rubbing them gently, "Comfortable?"

"Mmm." Xuan Long subconsciously answered.

"Lying to me again." Yan Yuan raised his hand to wipe the sweat from the corner of Xuan Long's forehead, not knowing whether he was comfortable or in pain, but seeing him like this, he must not be having fun.

"Is performing conjugal acts with me so tasteless?" He asked in frustration.

It was as if an iron pestle had been thrust into his body, moving in and out brutally, without a pause, and it was uncomfortable. He had heard that it was very pleasurable for a couple to be united in spirit and flesh, but Xuan Long had never felt any pleasure, perhaps because they were not really a couple, so they could not be united in spirit and flesh.

Even if their bodies were forced together, it was like a coarse thread being threaded through a tiny needle hole; it could not be forced. Xuan Long did not understand why Yan Yuan was so keen to do this with him, but seeing that he seemed to feel comfortable, he did not say anything more, nor did he want to spoil his mood.

"No."

"Then are you comfortable?" Yan Yuan asked relentlessly, his warm breath spilling onto Xuan Long's face, the tips of their noses touching from time to time as they continually moved.

"Very comfortable." Xuan Long's fingertips clenched the bedding beneath him, his breathing became increasingly laboured by the other man's rampage, his pale lips opened, and the sound he made was almost faint.

Yan Yuan felt that he was being perfunctory and pushed hard up against him, "Then you're not allowed to sleep."

Xuan Long seemed to be in pain, his body shuddered fiercely, a hoarse cry of pain unconsciously emitted from his throat, and he curled up like a shrimp dropped into boiling water, yet he was pulled away from his arms and legs in the next breath.

"What's wrong with you?" Yan Yuan brushed the sweaty hair from the corner of his forehead with his fingers, vaguely feeling that something was wrong.

Xuan Long's ears were buzzing and he couldn't quite hear what Yan Yuan was saying. He half raised his eyes and replied back vaguely, "En... Won't sleep."

Halfway through, Xuan Long fell asleep, and Yan Yuan guessed that he was this weak because he was overworked and exhausted from running around to save his life.

Yan Yuan quickly lost interest, vented his excess desire, and got up to take a bath.

When Chen Yan saw Yan Yuan wake up, he wept with joy.

"This servant thought that day was goodbye forever, but fortunately you are back, otherwise this servant would have died and would not have had the face to explain to the late emperor, woo woo..."

Yan Yuan remembered the way Chen Yan stood in front of him without thinking when the poisoned arrows flew that day, and his heart warmed slightly.

"Don't cry, I am here in good condition."

Chen Yan raised his sleeve to wipe away his tears and said, "Thanks to Master Han, without him... fortunately he was there."

"En." Yan Yuan whispered, "I will treat him well."

When the palace staff filled the bath, Chen Yan retired, leaving Yan Yuan to bathe alone.

He wanted to go and see Ning Zhiyu after the bath, but now that Xuan Long had just returned to his side and was still warm, he was a bit reluctant to part ways, and since Ning Zhiyu had dragon scales, he should be fine. After bathing, Yan Yuan had some food brought to him and ate some of it before going to bed to sleep with Xuan Long.

Yan Yuan had slept for three days and was full of energy, so he couldn't sleep. He just quietly held Xuan Long and looked at his peaceful sleeping face, thinking about future matters.

Should he give Xuan Long a proper identity, or should he continue to hide him in Qiankun Palace as before?

Yan Yuan knew that Xuan Long himself did not care much for things such as a title, but he had to do what he had promised Xuan Long. He just didn't know how to speak to Ning Zhiyu.

He had also promised Ning Zhiyu that he would be with him for the rest of his life.

No matter what he did, it would be wrong.

He could not make a decision, so Yan Yuan stopped thinking about it and was prepared to wait until Xuan Long woke up. If he wanted to be his imperial concubine, he would discuss it with Ning Zhiyu.

Xuan Long had saved his life, which was a great favour.

A'Yu was so understanding that he should be able to understand.

As he was lost in thought, his thoughts were interrupted by the low whimpering of the man in his arms. Xuan Long's eyebrows were wrinkled and he was sleeping restlessly, mouthing something indistinctly.

"Good A'Yuan... don't cry..."

"After I… fall into reincarnation... come find me..."

Xuan Long seemed to be very sad, the inaudible words were tinged with a bit of crying. Yan Yuan could not quite hear what he was saying, and even if he tried to listen, he could only identify the words 'reincarnation', 'find me', and so on.

When he raised his hand to wipe away the clear liquid that had slipped out of the corner of Xuan Long's closed eyes, Yan Yuan's heart was struck by something and ached tightly.

Panicking, he tightened his grip on Xuan Long's waist and woke him up.

"What did you dream about?"

For a long time, Xuan Long seemed to be immersed in the kind of sadness that Yan Yuan could not understand, staring at him with a bewildered look.

"Have I treated you that badly?" Yan Yuan clearly misunderstood and said in a low voice, "Even in your dreams, you dream that I bully you."

"… No." Xuan Long said.

Not bullying, but some broken, sorrowful moments.

He dreamt that he was dying and Yan Yuan was hugging him and crying with great sadness. When he saw that Yan Yuan was sad, he was sad too and said something to coax the child in order to comfort the other.

The Yan Yuan in his dream wore a silver battle cannon and looked no different in age from the Yan Yuan in front of him, with the same stunning features, the same love of pampering him and crying and begging him not to die, which was so heartbreaking.

"So what did you dream about?" Yan Yuan propped one elbow up on the bed and looked at Xuan Long curiously.

"Dreaming of..." Xuan Long opened his mouth and swallowed the words back, "nothing."

He didn't really want to talk about life and death with Yan Yuan, it was too heavy.

"Why are you like this again, stopping mid-sentence and then hiding everything in your heart?" Yan Yuan was dissatisfied, "How do I know what you're thinking if you don't say anything."

Xuan Long pursed his lips and hesitated about how to tell the other party about the child, when he saw Yan Yuan let go and lie down.

"Forget it, I won't force you."

"......"

"By the way, how did I get saved?" Yan Yuan didn't get angry with him, twirling a strand of black hair on the side of Xuan Long's face and playing with it in his hands.

"Casting a spell." Xuan Long said lightly.

Yan Yuan's eyes glowed as he leaned closer to him and said, "If you can save me, can you also save A'Yu?"

Xuan Long paused and said in a low, sullen voice, "No."

Yan Yuan choked, "Why not?"

There was only one inner elixir, and now that it was gone, it was natural that he could not.

Unless his heart was cut out.

"......"

Seeing Xuan Long's silence, Yan Yuan tentatively asked, "Are you afraid that if A'Yu gets well, I won't like you anymore?"

"No." Xuan Long was sleepy eyed, and it was unclear as to what he was thinking.

Yan Yuan felt that he definitely wasn't telling the truth. Even a dead person like himself could be saved so easily. Would Ning Zhiyu, a living person, be even harder to heal than him?

Definitely not.

"Just be kind and save A'Yu... " Yan Yuan tugged at Xuan Long's sleeve and begged in a soft voice, "to avoid having to pluck dragon scales later, how painful. You are so highly skilled in magic, I think you should have a way, right?"

Xuan Long shook his head in silence, his icy turquoise eyes staring upwards in awe.

"A'Po..." Yan Yuan said, half his body over Xuan Long's, his sticky kiss landing on his eyelids, pestering him with undying affection.

Xuan Long closed his eyes and turned his face away to avoid it. The low tone of his voice was thick with weariness, "I can't help with this."

"I don't believe it." Yan Yuan frowned.

Xuan Long whispered, "There is a destiny for life and death, and no one can tamper with it."

"What about me? How can mine be changed?" Yan Yuan's heart was sulking. Once Xuan Long, who had always been submissive to him, disobeyed him, he became extraordinarily angry and unconsciously became aggressive.

"......" Xuan Long closed his eyes and did not say anything.

Yan Yuan's eyes were on fire: "You are obviously jealous of him."

Xuan Long slowly turned his back.

A moment later, Yan Yuan heard him say:

"Perhaps."

Silence erected a high wall between the two.

Yan Yuan's anger came and went quickly, and he realised that he had been unreasonable; Xuan Long had been kind enough to save him, so where was his obligation to save his empress?

It had been so hard to coax Xuan Long to stay, and if he was forced to leave again, there might not be a second chance.

Yan Yuan moved up and hugged Xuan Long from behind, whispering in his ear to admit his mistake: "I'm sorry, A'Po, I didn't control my temper for a moment."

"It's alright." His voice was as gentle and calm as ever.

When Xuan Long said nothing was wrong, he meant nothing was really wrong. Yan Yuan's heart relaxed and he thought about saying something to cheer him up when he heard Xuan Long speak as if he was talking to himself, "I know he is your soft spot. Whenever you touch him, it will always be different."

Yan Yuan's heart sank and he gathered his waist and belly between his hands a little tighter: "You are also my soft spot..."

"Really?" Xuan Long asked in return.

"En." Yan Yuan nodded vigorously, though Xuan Long couldn't see it.

"I don't want to be your weakness."

"Why?" Yan Yuan's heart was pulled tight for no reason.

Xuan Long indifferently said, "It's enough that you have him."

Yan Yuan frowned: "I don't like you saying such things, don't say that in the future..."

"En."

For the matter of Ning Zhiyu, Xuan Long could not do anything about it, and for the rest of the matters, he always obeyed him.

"A'Po, why do I feel that you are strange..." Yan Yuan couldn't say what was strange, it's just that he felt that Xuan Long had become different, but where exactly, he didn't know.

"It's you who's being paranoid." Xuan Long replied.

Yan Yuan thought about it and agreed, so he didn't dwell on the matter.

"A'Yuan." Xuan Long called to him.

"Hm?"

"I have something... I want to beg you."

The word 'beg' was a little too heavy, and Yan Yuan wondered, "What is it?..."

Since it was about the child, he hoped that Yan Yuan would raise the child after his death, for old time's sake, and not resent the fact that his biological father was a dragon.

It was a difficult thing to ask, for he was not sure if Yan Yuan could accept it, but the matter had come to this, and even if he could not accept it, he had to give it a try.

Under Yan Yuan's gaze, Xuan Long opened his mouth, "I..."

At this very moment, an urgent voice came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty... it's not good, the Empress has heard of your death from somewhere, he has refused to take his medicine for several days in a row, he is now unconscious in bed, bent on death, you should go and see..."

Yan Yuan’s complexion suddenly changed and he leapt up from the bed without thinking.