Chapter 414: The Temptations of the Yuhua Garden
There was something familiar about the gray-skinned Emperor Brother, but Zi Shang couldn’t remember when or where he had met him before. Yun Jiuge glanced at the approaching man again, but she had no such impression.
The Emperor Brother thought Yun Jiuge was shy, as he reached out to help her up, he said, “My Beloved Concubine, please rise.”
Yun Jiuge could not help herself but shuddered when she heard him uttered the greeting. She quickly got up before Emperor Brother could touch her.
Emperor Brother did not seem to mind. With a gentle smile on his handsome face, he said, “I have made my Beloved Concubine wait for too long. Let us have a meal together.”
“Yes!” Eunuch Li quickly responded. A table full of delicious dishes, exotic delicacies, and everything else was quickly set up by the palace maids under his supervision.
“Beloved Concubine, sit!” said the Emperor Brother. Yun Jiuge chose a seat that was farthest from the Emperor Brother.
Eunuch Li and the head palace maid waited beside them respectively.
“Beloved Concubine, this iced abalone is good, try it,” the Emperor Brother said to Yun Jiuge as he looked at her intently. She felt as if she was a piece of treasure that was being scrutinized.
“Thank you for the gifts, Your Majesty,” Yun Jiuge said as she pretended to be shy. She took a small bite and pretended to taste the dish that was pointed out by the Emperor Brother.
After they finished the torturous meal, Emperor Brother said to Yun Jiuge, “It is such a rare spring day, I shall accompany my Beloved Concubine to Yuhua Garden for a walk.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Yun Jiuge responded. She wanted to see what the Royal Palace looked like during the day.
The Emperor dismissed Long Nian but retained Eunuch Li and the head palace maid. They proceeded to Yuhua Garden.
The Royal Palace was lovely in the warm spring sunlight. Aromatic floral scents filled the air, and bright beautiful spiritual flowers were planted everywhere in the garden. There were even colorful b.u.t.terflies amongst the flowers.
The patrolling guards were attentive and alert. As soon as they saw the Emperor Brother approaching, they quickly stood aside and bowed their heads. Everything appeared to be normal.
Yun Jiuge stopped and stood in front of a cl.u.s.ter of red peonies, and looked eastward but she could not see the tower.
“The Royal Palace has been placed under the Fiendish Qi Formation. The living is present during the day while the dead will be active at night. The tower will appear only in the night,” explained Zi Shang.
“If what you said is true, then all the white-skinned women in the tower are presumably dead,” Yun Jiuge replied.
“That’s very likely,” Zi Shang said.
Yun Jiuge was thinking so hard that she absent-mindedly plucked the red peonies.
“What’s wrong my Beloved Concubine, don’t you like these flowers?” asked the Emperor Brother in his deep voice. He was right beside Yun Jiuge.
Yun Jiuge turned around but could not avoid his proximity. He was leaning over her with a s.e.xy smile on his face. He put his long slender palm gently over Yun Jiuge’s white and soft hands.
“He is holding your hand, how dare him?!” shouted Zi Shang. He was so angry that he almost manifested himself just so that he could kick the Emperor Brother away.
“Calm down, he touched only my hand,” said Yun Jiuge.
Yun Jiuge was his Beloved Concubine, a small touch of her small hand was acceptable.
“Calm down, are you serious? Why haven’t you drawn your hand back?” Zi Shang was seething with jealousy.
“Yes, yes, I’ll pull away now, ” answered Yun Jiuge as she rolled her eyes silently. She tried to pull her hands out of the Emperor Brother’s grip, but he held on to them without letting go.
“Beloved Concubine, I am very pleased with you. Do you not know?” said the Emperor Brother to Yun Jiuge as he looked at her affectionately.
Yun Jiuge looked at Emperor Brother’s green and slightly reddish pupils, she could see her beautiful white and delicate face reflected in his eyes.
If the beautiful Yun Jiuge was a real white-skinned n.o.bel, she and the handsome Emperor Brother would make an enchanting couple.
But Yun Jiuge was not a true white-skinned n.o.ble and she was not swayed by his sweet words.
Emperor Brother probably noticed that Yun Jiuge was unaffected by his attention. He suddenly wrapped his right arm around her waist, pulling her in tightly into his arms. His pair of dark green pupils began to turn slowly.
Yun Jiuge meant to struggle, but she was mesmerized by the glow from his eyes.
“Don’t be in a daze, focus on your state of mind!” warned Zi Shang, his voice was urgent in Yun Jiuge’s subconscious mind.
Yun Jiuge meant to focus and pull back, but Emperor Brother’s pupils were like magic, drawing her in.
She could see women sharing cheers and laughter inside those eyes. The beautiful white-skinned women were beckoning her, ‘Sister, come, come to us.’
Yun Jiuge was smiling and she wanted to join them in this happy place.
Suddenly, she felt the imprint on her arms burned, and her mind s.h.i.+fted back to reality.
Yun Jiuge’s forehead was covered in sweat.
Emperor Brother frowned. No woman could ever resist his Demonic pupils before. He began to wonder if Yun Jiuge possessed some kind of supernatural power.
Nevertheless, he felt that he had found a worthy Mother Seed. She must be taken down as soon as possible.
Emperor Brother was so excited that his pupils turned even faster, the demonic glow of black and red started to pierce into Yun Jiuge’s eyes.
Yun Jiuge trembled with a horrified look on her face.
The white-skinned women who were still chatting and laughing suddenly turned into terrifying corpses. They started to pull Yun Jiuge along.
Zi Shang was frantic, he was just about to pull Yun Jiuge back in desperation when a loud noise was heard.
“Your Royal Highness, Zhan w.a.n.g, please stop! Now is not the time for you to meet Emperor Brother. Please come back later,” Eunuch Li tried to stop Zhan w.a.n.g, His Majesty was just getting busy with the new concubine, whoever disturb him now will only court death.
“I have important matters to discuss with the Emperor Brother, you ought to be punished for causing the delay,” said Zhan w.a.n.g, his loud, angry voice rumbled like thunder.
Yun Jiuge woke up with the commotion and quickly pushed herself away from the Emperor Brother.
Emperor Brother’s hypnosis failed and his handsome face was shaking. But he quickly regained his composure, turned to Eunuch Li, and said, “Let my Royal brother come over!”
Eunuch Li quickly retreated with the rest to the side.
Zhan w.a.n.g walked into Yuhua Garden with big strides. His eyes swept the surroundings briefly. Yun Jiuge was standing aside, her face was very pale.
“My Beloved Concubine is unwell, she needs to rest. Eunuch Li, escort my Beloved Concubine back to the palace,” said the Emperor Brother.
Eunuch Li bowed to Yun Jiuge and said, “This way please.”
Yun Jiuge had recovered her senses. She gave a slight smile, curtsied before the Emperor Brother before returning to Chuxiu Palace.
Along the way, Eunuch Li and the head palace maid showered Yun Jiuge with praises. They said to her that His Majesty had never been so kind and meticulous with any of the women before Yun Jiuge.
But Yun Jiuge was not listening to their chatter.
She was still thinking about the skeletal corpses she saw in the Emperor’s eyes. His demonic magic was terrifying even though he was someone who did not cultivate. How could he possess such power?
“The Emperor Brother is at least in the Middle Stage of Golden Core Cultivation. We are in trouble this time,” said the worried Zi Shang to Yun Jiuge.