Reborn To Be The Imperial Consort [BL]

Chapter 190: Swaying Jasmine — XIV

Hearing his words, Cheon WuHui was rendered speechless for a moment. The Crown Prince had gone for the jugular. Turning his head slightly, the Heavenly Demon pressed his other hand — clenched into a fist — to his lips and coughed twice.

"That... Is an oversight We cannot deny," he admitted.

Somewhat stunned, Liu Mingyun stayed quiet, waiting for the older man to finish speaking. These months of working together and fighting in the war alongside him had lent a rather clear insight of the Heavenly Demon’s character to him.

Though astoundingly arrogant — which was not unfounded — he was someone who was not ashamed to admit when the fault lay in him; but that did not mean he would do so easily. Hence, the easy admission had given Liu Mingyun a minor start.

Seeing the Crown Prince’s silence, the Heavenly Demon gave him a sidelong glance and gazed down at the maps on the table before pulling the one he needed up and placing it atop all else. Slowly, almost mournfully, his carmine eyes glided along the dark lines crawling on the map. Picking up a brush, ink dried and discarded earlier, he tapped at a border twice with the bristled end.

Liu Mingyun silently followed his movements and leaned forward, half-lidded eyes fixing on the indicated spot and asked tonelessly. "What of it?"

Cheon WuHui let out a heavy sigh, face showing weariness for the briefest moment before it disappeared. "This is the place where it all began." He paused for a fraction of a moment and added slowly. "They invaded Our territory, it was a village on the outskirts of the Cult’s land. The Xia" —he spat the name out, expressionlessly but with no little amount of venom— "soldiers took advantage of the commoners, their naivete, and kindness."

Liu Mingyun frowned at the spot, something in his chest constricting. Teeth clamping on his lower lip, the youth made a sound of acknowledgement at the back of his throat. Simply imagining what must have transpired sent a chill into his bones.

"What did they do?" Sensing the matter to be sensitive, he asked, breaking the oppressive silence that descended upon the tent. Suddenly, the place felt much too small despite its size.

Cheon WuHui’s gaze dropped, darkness dawning on his scarlet eyes at the careful inquiry. "They arrived posing as men, stranded and needy. Disguising themselves as non-combatants who were lost and starving, they took advantage of the common folks’ kindness, infiltrated in their midst and held them hostage in their own land to occupy it." Drawing in a deep breath, he continued, undercurrents of rage simmering in his toneless words. "They starved and killed the people, branded them like cattle and— and..."

He did not need to say much else.

Liu Mingyun inhaled tightly, the air biting in his air passage. "..."

Cheon WuHui took a moment to compose himself before continuing, his eyes lifting from the map to gaze at nothing, his scarlet gaze unfocused. "It was an oversight on the Cult’s part. By the time We realised something had gone wrong, it was too late. The soldiers— cowards. The cowards had long taken over the land and enslaved Our people."

"So what began this war officially was your attack—one meant to reclaim your lost land and enslaved people?"

The Heavenly Demon nodded, his thoughts briefly adrift. Then, he returned to the moment and spoke, his voice low and audibly anguished. "Indeed."

Liu Mingyun pursed his lips into a tight, thin line, eyebrows knitting closely together. "In doing so you have become the transgressor."

"We care little of what others think of Our Cult," The Heavenly Demon replied evenly, "had We cared, ever, the Cult would not have the notoriety it does now. What We do care for is getting Our people back, and to avenge the lives lost." He knocked a fist on the table forcefully, lips twisted in a sneer. "We will repay them the suffering they inflicted on Our people tenfold."

"It is no easy task."

"Certainly, it is no easy feat to accomplish." The man’s scarlet eyes shone with a cold, dark light. "But a place as full as that of internal strife, it will not take much longer. This time," he paused, slashing a finger across the ’Xiajin’ on another map, "We will make sure of wiping this name and this bloodline off this land."

And with that, the scarlet-eyed man turned and left the tent in large strides.

Behind him, lingering in the tent, Liu Mingyun spared the map with Xiajin’s territory drawn on it a fleeting glance filled with ice. The map was slashed in half, the wood behind him, too, carrying a deep gash on it.

The Crown Prince looked down at the other map, studying it thoughtfully, leaning his weight on his hands planted on the table. After a long time, he picked up the brush — tossed aside carelessly — and dipped it in the ink, taking a blank sheet of paper from a pile in the corner. Carefully placing the blank sheet on the scarcely empty space left on the table, Liu Mingyun began drawing.

Now, he had a stronger reason to help the Heavenly Demon Cult. Now this task was no longer just something to be carried out under imperial command, or a matter of lost lives. It was now much more than that.

So much more.

...

As the flurry of snow became lighter in the afternoon, Liu Mingyun finally left the Heavenly Demon’s tent and made his way to fetch some food for Li Xinyuan. He wondered if the younger man had woken up yet. If he had taken any rest at all.

Fingers stained black in ink, the Crown Prince took the rations enough for one person and then some, and detoured towards his own designated tent, nodding at the fellow soldiers he passed by on the way, making sure to take note of those who appeared wounded.

The ceasefire had been kind thus far, initiated by XiajinYao’s side. The halt in the war had given the men and doctors some much needed time to recuperate, and swallow the traumatizing events whilst consolidating their morale.

Until now, the Crown Prince had visited the medical camp a handful of times, finding himself weak to the mortal suffering brought to life by the scene he was faced with each time. If even being in that place was so wholly agonising, he dared not imagine what working with it, stewing in it, and being shaped by it was like.

Liu Mingyun shook his head, trying to dispel the harrowing echoes of deafening noise of the medical camp from his mind. With long strides, he quickly reached his tent and stood before it motionless for a few seconds, the tray in one hand and ears trained for any sign of movements from inside.

Nothing.

Relieved, he pushed the flap aside and entered, making his way to the surgeon’s side—who lay asleep on the rickety bed. The sight of him, sleeping and unaware, was something so serene in this war. It provided his heart some solace, the image of Li Xinyuan slumbering peacefully, though with furrowed brows more often than not.

Just like now.

Shifting the tray from both hands to one, the Crown Prince stretched his free hand forward and smoothed his fingers over the surgeon’s furrowed brows gently.

"I wish you would not frown so much." He whispered softly, sitting down on the stool on the bedside. "I apologise for being the reason behind it."

He was sorry he made the surgeon worry so much the latter decided to follow him to this war. Even if the decision had been Li Xinyuan’s, the catalyst had still been him.

Liu Mingyun felt responsible, still.

Thus, found himself apologizing, knowing Li Xinyuan would be the last person to hold a grudge against him regarding this.