BSI Chapter 474 Xu Longxiang and the Fake Moon Goddess's Online Romance!
Chapter 474 Xu Longxiang and the Fake Moon Goddess's Online Romance!
At this very moment, in the Northern Territory, at the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
Inside Zhenyue Hall, candlelight illuminated the entire room as bright as day. Several scrolls of maps and documents were spread out on the long table, and pens with ink still wet rested on brush holders.
Xu Longxiang sat behind a long table, holding a letter in his hand.
The letter paper was made of high-quality Xuan paper, light blue in color, with silver crescent moons printed on the edges, and exuding a faint, elegant ink fragrance.
He unfolded the letter, his gaze falling on the neat handwriting, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.
The letter read: "To Young Master Xu: I hope you are well. The reconstruction of the Moon Goddess Cult's headquarters is nearing completion. Everything is fine, so please don't worry."
Xu Longxiang read it softly, his eyes reflecting the candlelight, and his smile deepened.
"After this incident, the church is more united and is thriving."
His fingers gently caressed the letter paper, feeling the smoothness of the paper and the slight embossing of the ink, as if touching the fingertips of the writer.
"I have recruited a lot of soldiers again, and now I have nearly 200,000 troops under my command, of which 100,000 are elite, and the other 100,000 can be formed into an army with a little training."
Xu Longxiang's eyes suddenly lit up, and his pupils dilated.
"Recently, our sect has recruited many powerful individuals, greatly increasing our strength and boosting our morale."
His lips curled up higher and higher, and he couldn't suppress it no matter what.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He said "good" three times in a row, each time louder and more excited than the last, echoing in the empty Zhenyue Hall and making the candlelight flicker.
Xu Longxiang felt as if a fire was burning inside him, making his whole body hot and his chest heaving violently.
The confidence that Qin Mu had once suppressed was gradually being regained, like a blade of grass that had been bent over and was finally straightening its back.
Although he lost the Li Yang Dynasty as an ally, he gained the Moon Goddess Sect as an even stronger ally.
Although the Liyang Dynasty is powerful, it is ultimately too far away, and it is, after all, another country. People's hearts are unpredictable, and there are too many variables.
Who knows what will happen when he actually raises an army in rebellion?
But the Moon Goddess Cult is different.
The Moon Goddess Cult is located within the territory of the Great Qin Dynasty and has a grudge against the Great Qin royal family. They are the ones who most want to overthrow the Great Qin royal family.
When he raised his army, the Moon Goddess Cult could respond from the north and south at the fastest speed, thus completing a pincer attack!
Although the Moon Goddess Sect may not be as powerful as the Li Yang Dynasty, Xu Longxiang believes that the Moon Goddess Sect is equivalent to two Li Yang Dynasties!
Most importantly, the Moon Goddess, the leader of the Moon Goddess Cult, was in love with him.
Empress Li Yang, however, did not seem to have this intention.
For this reason alone, Xu Longxiang would prefer to choose the Moon Goddess Sect!
Although Empress Li Yang was his white moonlight, it's obvious which was more important: the unattainable white moonlight or the moon goddess who was within reach.
Xu Longxiang recalled the words the Moon Goddess had said to him when he left. Every move she made, every glance, every smile of hers had moved him deeply and he could never forget them.
He seemed to see her again standing in the morning light, dressed in white like snow, with long hair like a waterfall, a faint smile on her lips, and gentle eyes like water.
Xu Longxiang couldn't help but smile slightly, then continued reading.
The following are some greetings.
For example, "How's it going where you are? Is it cold in the North? Remember to wear warm clothes and take care of yourself."
Although there were no sweet words, Xu Longxiang felt his heart pounding, as if a little deer was running wildly in his chest.
He seemed to see the gentle look on the moon goddess's face as she wrote these words, her head bowed, her eyelashes drooping, a smile playing on her lips, as she wrote each stroke carefully.
Xu Longxiang's gaze fell on each character, he was so engrossed in looking at them that it was as if he wanted to engrave every stroke into his mind.
He felt an unprecedented sense of bliss, as if he were walking on clouds, light and airy.
Xu Longxiang pressed the letter to his face and gently sniffed it, as if he could smell the fragrance of the moon goddess writing the words between the lines.
He took a deep, blissful breath, as if he could truly smell a faint, delicate fragrance, like winter plum blossoms or osmanthus, refreshing and delightful.
After a while, Xu Longxiang slowly opened his eyes.
He carefully placed the letter on the table, as if it were a fragile piece of porcelain, afraid of even scratching it.
Then he took out a new sheet of Xuan paper, laid it on the table, ground the ink, and picked up his brush.
He wrote very slowly and carefully, scrutinizing every word, turning each character over in his mind several times before putting pen to paper.
He wrote:
"To Su Xin: It is as if I am seeing you in person. All is well in the North, please do not worry."
Xu Longxiang put down his pen, looked at it, and felt that the two characters "勿念" (do not worry) were too stiff, so he changed it to "莫要挂念" (do not worry).
"I am very pleased to learn that the Moon Goddess Cult is thriving and its strength has greatly increased."
He paused his writing, thought for a moment, and added "heard it" before "I am very pleased", making it "I am very pleased to hear it".
"With our forces coordinated from the north and south, a pincer attack is now in place, and great things are on the horizon."
His pen paused, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and then he continued writing.
"The martial arts tournament is being prepared, and we are looking for heroes from all over the world. If you are interested, you may send someone to watch."
He thought for a moment, then added, "They will be treated with the utmost respect."
"Though the wind and snow in the North are cold, your letter warms my heart."
As Xu Longxiang wrote these words, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly, and his eyes were full of tenderness.
"Take care of yourself too, and wait for me."
After he finished writing, he put down his pen and read it over from beginning to end again.
He changed two characters, read it again, and then changed one more word, changing "可遣人来观" to "可遣人前来一观".
He repeated this process three times before nodding in satisfaction, carefully folding the letter, stuffing it into the envelope, and sealing it with sealing wax.
Just then, Fan Li strode in from outside the door.
His footsteps were hurried and heavy, his face was solemn, his forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, and his voice was urgent.
"Your Highness, there's news!"
Xu Longxiang didn't even look up; his gaze remained fixed on the letter, his fingers gently stroking the envelope as he spoke in a slow, deliberate voice.
"Can't you see I'm busy? What news do you have? We'll talk about it later."
Fan Li was stunned for a moment, his steps faltered, and he stood frozen in place as if he had been struck by a pressure point.
He glanced at the envelope in Xu Longxiang's hand, noticing the pale blue paper and the silver crescent moon, and his lips twitched slightly.
He knew, of course, what kind of letter it was, and he also knew what His Highness was busy with—he was simply writing a reply to the Moon Goddess.
He didn't know what to say, so he could only stand respectfully to the side, hands at his sides, waiting.
The Zhenyue Hall fell silent, with only the faint crackling of the candlelight and the soft sound of Xu Longxiang's fingers gently stroking the envelope.
A full quarter of an hour passed before Xu Longxiang finally put the letter away, carefully placing it in his sleeve and pressing it down to make sure it wouldn't fall out.
He looked up at Fan Li, the smile still lingering on his lips, and the tenderness from before still lingering in his eyes.
"What news? Is it the news that Han Zhong has been executed?"
Fan Li nodded, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, his voice steady.
"Your Highness is wise; this is indeed the news."
Xu Longxiang nodded, his expression showing no surprise. He leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.
"Alright. In that case, we can both rest assured."
His voice carried a hint of relief, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
Fan Li did not relax; instead, his brows furrowed even more.
"Your Highness, but the people we sent... we've all lost contact with them."
Xu Longxiang frowned immediately, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"Did their operation fail?"
Fan Li nodded, his expression solemn, and his voice very low.
"That's probably true. But Your Highness need not worry, they are all suicide soldiers. If the mission fails, they will bite open the poison sacs in their mouths and leave no survivors for the enemy."
Xu Longxiang's brows relaxed, and he nodded.
"That's fine then."
He took the sealed letter from his sleeve and handed it to Fan Li with a solemn look in his eyes.
"Deliver this letter to the Moon Goddess. There must be absolutely no mistakes."
Fan Li took the letter, put it in his sleeve, and bowed with clasped hands.
"Yes."
Xu Longxiang leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside the window.
"How's the martial arts tournament going?"
Fan Li raised his head, his voice steady and clear.
"It's still in preparation. The treasures in the Northern Treasury are being inventoried, and the competition rules and prizes are being finalized. We'll be able to announce it soon."
Xu Longxiang nodded, his voice tinged with urgency.
"The sooner the better."
Fan Li bowed deeply and said:
"Then I shall take my leave."
Xu Longxiang waved his hand casually.
"Go."
Fan Li turned around and strode out of Zhenyue Hall. His footsteps gradually faded into the distance and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Xu Longxiang leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the smile on his lips remained.
The image of the Moon Goddess appeared in his mind, along with her delicate handwriting and the gentle way she looked as she wrote.
His heart skipped a few beats, as if he had returned to the moment when he first saw the moon goddess.
Xu Longxiang opened his eyes, gazing at the vast sky outside the window, his eyes gleaming with a determined light.
Soon, soon.
Once the martial arts tournament is over and all the heroes of the world are under our command, that will be the time to raise an army.
A cold smile slowly curved the corners of his lips.
.........
At this very moment, inside the Heavenly Prison.
Han Zhong stared blankly at his hands, his fingers opening and closing, his fingertips trembling slightly, the lines on his palm clearly visible.
Isn't he already dead?
Why did he find himself back in the prison when he regained consciousness and opened his eyes?
The cold stone walls, the damp straw, the rusty iron gate—everything was exactly the same as before.
Could what happened at noon today have just been a nightmare for him?
He hasn't reached the time for execution yet?
Han Zhong pinched his arm hard, and the pain was clear; it wasn't a dream.
Yet the experience was so real, so vivid in my mind: the moment the executioner raised the executioner's broadsword, the cold glint of the blade, the instant chill on my neck, and the despair of everything going black.
Every detail is etched in his mind, and he can't erase it no matter what.
The image of his wife and daughter crying, in particular, is incredibly clear and unforgettable.
The sound of Liu Ruolan kneeling on the ground, embracing the headless corpse and wailing, the sight of Han Xin'er silently weeping, and the image of Han Qin'er crying until her voice was hoarse, still calling out "Father, don't die," were like a knife, stabbing deeply into his heart.
Han Zhong sat on the stone bed, his back against the cold stone wall, his hands supporting him on straw, looking like a stone statue whose soul had been taken away.
Why is he still alive? Why didn't he die? What exactly happened?
Just then, footsteps were heard from inside the prison.
Han Zhong suddenly raised his head, his eyes fixed on the iron gate.
A pale white figure appeared outside the iron gate, the candlelight flickering behind him, casting a pale golden halo over his silhouette.
Qin Mu pushed open the door and walked in.
His gaze fell on Han Zhong's face, calm as still water.
Han Zhong's expression changed drastically, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he almost instinctively sprang up from the stone bed, kneeling on the ground with a thud, his forehead touching the ground, his voice trembling like a leaf.
"This humble subject...pays respects to Your Majesty."
Qin Mu looked at him, smiled, walked up to him, stopped, and stood with his hands behind his back.
"How was it? What's it like to have died once?"