Chapter 76: Chapter 76: I’ve Waited a Long Time for This Moment...
Ji Qingwu tilted her head back to look at him. His jaw was chiseled, exuding a cold handsomeness.
Her expression changed as she realized that after her crying fit, she could see clearly again.
Emperor Wu Su’s gaze landed on the nearby tea table, a storm churning in his eyes. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.
Ji Qingwu felt she looked utterly wretched tonight and didn’t want him to see her in such a state.
So she pretended her eyes hadn’t recovered, fumbling as she tried to withdraw from his embrace.
Emperor Wu Su’s voice was cold and deep. "Don’t move. Let me hold you a while longer."
Only by holding her a little longer could he temporarily suppress the urge to slaughter that churned in his heart.
Having vented her feelings in his arms, Ji Qingwu’s mood improved. But then, a belated sense of shame washed over her. ’A grown woman like me, sobbing like this... it’s so unbecoming. I even soaked his robes.’
Thinking of her appearance, she glanced down at herself. Sure enough, her clothes were in disarray and her hair was a mess.
"Your Majesty." Her voice was muffled and heavily nasal.
The man hummed softly in response.
Ji Qingwu struggled gently, and Emperor Wu Su finally lowered his gaze to her.
The anger had vanished from his face, leaving it like the surface of the sea after a giant wave has subsided—calm but profound, with no telling when an even greater storm might be unleashed.
The corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose were red. Her lashes were soaked, and a mist still clouded her gaze. Clear tear tracks stained her delicate face.
Her tear-washed face, as delicate as a flower petal, held a liquid tenderness.
Emperor Wu Su’s eyes darkened slightly. "Are you uncomfortable?" he asked. Ignoring her faint struggles, he pulled her tighter. "Do you have any idea what kind of drug you’ve been given?"
Ji Qingwu nodded. "The physician Prince Yong brought over told me."
"You can no longer see?"
Ji Qingwu quickly lowered her head and rubbed her eyes, mumbling, "Ah, yes... I can’t see very clearly."
Stroking the back of her head, Emperor Wu Su said in a low voice, "This poison must be neutralized soon."
’The antidote?’
At the thought of how to administer the antidote...
A furious blush spread across Ji Qingwu’s face. She said in a slight panic, "Your Majesty, I’m not that uncomfortable. Perhaps it will get better on its own in a little while."
"This drug is aggressive," he said. "Do you know what the antidote is?"
Her face was already delicate, and her tears had brought a rosy flush to it. At his question, she turned a deep, vibrant crimson.
Ji Qingwu insisted, "Your Majesty, I’m really not uncomfortable anymore, truly. See? I can still speak, I can still hear, and I can move my body. I’ll be completely fine in a little while."
"This drug causes one to lose their five senses. Are your other sensations still as they should be?"
"They are," she said, her tone firm.
Emperor Wu Su studied her for a moment, worried she was just putting on a brave face to preserve her dignity. "I must check for myself," he said.
He knew she was capable, but the drug was aggressive. A single misstep could be fatal, and that was a risk he was not willing to take.
’Ji Qingwu was confused. Even the old physician just now hadn’t said anything about the extent to which she’d lost her senses. How was he going to check?’
Emperor Wu Su took her hand and placed it on his hip. A silver, dragon-and-phoenix-patterned sachet dangled there.
"First, we’ll test your sense of smell."
Beneath Ji Qingwu’s tender palm, she could feel the firm, powerful lines of his muscles.
He murmured, "Smell it. Then tell me what it is."
’Oh, so this is how he’s going to test me. This is a test I can accept.’
Ji Qingwu followed the downward pressure of his hand, leaning in close to his hip. Her nostrils flared slightly as she took a breath.
After a moment, she lifted her head from his hip and said confidently, "The primary scent is ambergris, but the fragrance is subtle and smooth, ethereal and elegant. I think there are also notes of seaweed, wood, and moss."
A heat that could set a prairie ablaze ignited in Emperor Wu Su’s eyes. He chuckled softly. "Correct. A perfect guess."
"Your sense of smell is fine. What about your sense of touch?"
His hand cupped her face, which was as radiant as a peach blossom. His fingertips trailed to the side of her neck before lingering on her collarbone, making her tremble.
He asked, "Can you feel this?"
Ji Qingwu nodded vigorously. "Yes, I can feel that." Then she added shyly, "Is the examination over now?"
"Ah Wu, you need to describe the sensation in detail. Otherwise, how will I know if you’re just putting on a brave face, lying to me that you’ve recovered?"
Ji Qingwu was too embarrassed to describe the sensation. "It’s... it’s a little itchy," she said. "And tingly."
Seeing the liquid shimmer in her eyes, Emperor Wu Su raised an eyebrow. "Nothing... special? That’s a very ordinary description."
Ji Qingwu didn’t know what she could say to satisfy him.
Emperor Wu Su’s profound gaze fell to her heaving chest.
Her robes had been loosened during her earlier struggles, and his hand now traced a path down from her collarbone.
When his warm fingers brushed the soft swells of her chest, Ji Qingwu let out a soft whimper, her features instantly suffused with a shy vulnerability.
"It seems you have feeling here."
Her reaction made an answer unnecessary. Emperor Wu Su had already answered for her.
His roving palm continued to press and knead against her skin, leaving no space untouched.
Ji Qingwu scrambled to grab his fingers, but she was powerless to stop his insistent downward exploration.
He continued his questioning, his voice as deep as the resonant hum of a zither.
"And here?"
Veins stood out on Emperor Wu Su’s arm as his powerful muscles tensed.
To his touch, her skin was as smooth and warm as the finest white jade, slicker than any fragrant balm.
Even as Ji Qingwu bit her lip, trying desperately to hold back, a soft moan escaped from between her teeth.
The man who had lit the fire withdrew his hand. "Mm," he said with a straight face. "Your sense of touch seems to be fine."
The familiar heat surged through her once more. She began to wonder if the poison hadn’t been neutralized at all. How could this feeling be even more unbearable than before? A moment ago, she had even wanted to hold his hand in place, to keep him from pulling away.
Emperor Wu Su lowered his gaze. "One sense remains," he asked quietly. "Ah Wu, do you remember which one?"
Her petal-soft lips pressed into a thin line.
Ji Qingwu’s intuition screamed that this would not be a proper test. "Why don’t we test it with tea?" she suggested hurriedly. "I can distinguish different flavors."
She scanned the room, her eyes lighting up when she spotted a white tea set on the table.
"I’ll go make some tea."
With that, she tried to slip nimbly off the bed and away from him.
She had just pushed herself up, her feet not yet touching the floor.
An arm snaked around Ji Qingwu’s slender waist, lifting her. The world spun, and in the next instant, she was pinned to the bed.
The soft bedding cushioned her back, so it didn’t hurt, but the position was overwhelmingly oppressive.
There was no escape, no breaking free.
Ji Qingwu tried to turn her head away, but he was ready for it. A large hand cupped her face, the pads of his fingers toying with her earlobe.
Those liquid eyes held not a trace of their earlier mistiness; they were now utterly clear and bright.
Emperor Wu Su took her wrist and gave it a light squeeze, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
"Little liar."
His gaze seemed to hold the glow of the moon, filled with a hidden tenderness.
She knew she was in the wrong; she shouldn’t have deceived him about this. "I didn’t mean to lie to Your Majesty," she began. "I just..."
"An apology is not what I want to hear from these lips."
Emperor Wu Su’s gaze was fixed on her face. Beneath the crimson silk of her gown, her skin gleamed like flawless ice.
The panic in her eyes was gone, replaced by a shy apprehension.
He had longed for this moment for a very long time.
Her unfinished words were drowned out as his presence descended upon her, overwhelming and inescapable, leaving her nowhere to hide.
At first, he was gentle.
There was a clear restraint in his actions, a sense of cherishing her.
But his gentleness soon gave way to devouring kisses and sharp bites, his actions turning wild.
Her mind reeled, and her long lashes trembled uncontrollably.
