Reborn To Be The Imperial Consort [BL]-Chapter 58: Zopyra — V

Not noticing the disbelief in Hu Lijing’s voice, Long ZhenHai smiled to himself, icy blue eyes peering at the shimmering headdress in his hands, seemingly pleased with him.

"Yes! It is for Jing’ge." Enthusiastically, the dragon nodded, head bobbing as his hair shook with his movements. "It is for you. Isn’t it beautiful?" He couldn’t help but ask, smiling widely with his canines clearly visible.

Hu Lijing stared at the headdress.

Indeed it was beautiful.

Hu Lijing’s breath fell short as he pursed his lips, eyes cast down as a shadow fell over his features and his eyelashes trembled, tremors wrecking through his body as he tried to compose himself.

Taking a step away from Long ZhenHai, Hu Lijing bowed his head, steeling himself, he willed for his voice to not tremble.

Clenching his fists on his sides, Hu Lijing raised his head, blinking away the moisture gathering in them as he frowned.

"I don’t want it."

He wanted it. He wanted it so desperately. He wanted to call himself Long ZhenHai’s lover, Long ZhenHai’s cultivation partener. He wanted to be his so badly.

But it was against their fate. And Hu Lijing didn’t mess with fate.

His breath stuttered, an imperceptible tremble in his mellow voice as his frown deepened. "I don’t want it." He repeated himself, taking another step backwards as he created distance between himself and Long ZhenHai as their eyes met. "Don’t be stupid. Give it to your lover in the future."

Long ZhenHai’s face fell, devastation so apparent, so raw on his features that Hu Lijing felt his breath catch in his throat, a painful squeeze in his chest.

Long ZhenHai took a step forward, smile curving downwards into a tight frown as he grimaced, seeing Hu Lijing’s reaction, he bit his lower lip.

"Why are you saying that?" He dared to whisper, not trusting his voice should he speak any louder. He was scared. Deathly afraid of breaking whatever fragility they had between them.

Even though he was already breaking it enough by trying to court Hu Lijing

Why couldn’t Jing’ge allow that? Why was he stepping back? Why was he hesitating when both of them wanted the same thing?

Hu Lijing didn’t answer. Stubborn as he was, he chose to remain silent. Not deigning Long ZhenHai with so much as a little sound.

Long ZhenHai stared, his heart cracking as he looked at the divine fox, unblinking—he was afraid of missing anything on the fox’s face which might give away his thoughts.

The silence was suffocating, it made Long ZhenHai feel like he was flailing in the dark, lungs filled with something he didn’t know of, making it hard to breath.

If at all.

The dragon swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth, Adam’s apple rolling as he chewed on his lower lip, intently waiting for Hu Lijing to answer.

He did not. Hu Lijing gave him no definite answer, not even a vague sound of acknowledgement no matter how much the dragon waited.

This time, Long ZhenHai’s heart shattered, breaking completely. His heart felt like a piece of fragile glass, coloured upon it were painted dreams that he had fostered the moment he laid his eyes on Hu Lijing.

The coloured glass shattered, piece by piece, it fell, spider web-like cracks spreading out from where Hu Lijing’s silence struck.

Long ZhenHai’s body tensed, his hands tightened on the headdress as he tossed it away, surging forward without warning, large steps carrying him closer to Hu Lijing instantly.

With his head bowed, and back bent like a bow, Long ZhenHai stared — glared — down at the mute fox, a glower painting itself on his features as his frustration boiled over, fear and hesitation getting overwhelmed by a blind wave of rage that struck him without preamble.

Hu Lijing took a startled step back, hair scattering as his shoulders were seized by Long ZhenHai, his body turned to press against the hard wall of the cave. His breath hitch as he looked up at the dragon who looked down at him, his breathtaking icy blue eyes glimmering.

Hu Lijing forgot to breathe. Or rather, it felt like he had been punched in the gut and had air cruelly torn out of his lungs, rendering him breathless.

Not in a good way.

This was the suffering he had wrought upon himself. He could complain to none but himself, he could rage to none but himself. Berate himself and beat himself up for what he was doing.

His heart fiercely opposed the idea of rejecting the dragon of the infinite sea. Cold words of reproof sat heavy on his tongue as he swallowed them back with great difficulty.

He didn’t want to do this.

His amber eyes met with Long ZhenHai’s beautiful ones, filled with tears the fox couldn’t bear to see, much less stomach the fact that he was the reason behind the dragon’s tears.

He closed his eyes, back pressed on the wall as he turned his head away, breathing shallowly as his chest rose and fell.

He dared not meet Long ZhenHai’s eyes.

He dared not look at the face of utter devastation and heartbreak in his eyes.

His heart squeezed, breath coming in stutters as he felt the coldness of Long ZhenHai’s aura draw closer to him.

The dragon squeezed his shoulders. A warning. A request and a desperate plea.

With a wounded noise at the back of his throat, Long ZhenHai bent forward, his face mere inches away from Hu Lijing’s as he tilted his neck, eyes hooded as he watched the older spirit hide away his beautiful eyes.

Hu Lijing’s heart thundered against his chest, jackhammering swiftly as the blood rushed against his ears. He could feel his body ache, he could feel his very flesh tingle with a phantom sensation of burning where Long ZhenHai’s palm met his shoulder.

How strange it was. Bitterly, Hu Lijing mused to himself, refusing to open his eyes. For the mere touch of the very spirit of water to burn his flesh and bones, set his soul on fire with the flames of agony that he could feel rolling off the dragon.

The agony he shared. Sordid as it was, he was the cause of this agony ailing both of them.

Swallowing a hiccup, Hu Lijing battled to keep his tears at bay as he felt Long ZhenHai’s hands tighten on his shoulder.

This was their destiny. Their fate. They were never meant to be.

So why did Long ZhenHai wish to fight it so much?

Hu Lijing could never understand. For he was a creature led by the path of stars and the direction given by his fate.

His lips quivered as he felt the dragon press against himself, he could feel Long ZhenHai’s cool breath ghosting against his skin as he heard the dragon’s words, his voice a mere whisper and his words quivering like weak leaves on a tree.

"... Why... Why are you like this, Hu Lijing?" Long ZhenHai dared to ask, trembling voice dissolving into a deep growl as he gazed at his face.

Hu Lijing froze, the baritone timbre of Long ZhenHai’s voice sending sparks down his spine as goosebumps broke out all over his body.

His heart turned cold. It was not the dragon’s growl that had him shocked, nor the cadence of his voice.

Rather...

Long ZhenHai had never once called Hu Lijing by his name, much less his full name from the moment he learnt to speak properly.

To the dragon, Hu Lijing had always been Jing’ge.

Apparently, not anymore.

A vicious hiss, a venomous whisper, dropped off Long ZhenHai’s tongue, voice filled with grievances as he shook Hu Lijing’s shoulder, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Why are you like this?!" He snarled, anger bursting out. Frustration overflowing at Hu Lijing’s silence. "Why? Why? Why?!"

Hu Lijing opened his mouth, wanting to say something to sooth him. But the moment he laid eyes on the dragon’s bloodshot eyes, he realised—

—Long ZhenHai was far too gone for reasoning. For truth or for Hu Lijing’s explanation, if at all.

It no longer mattered. Regardless of how much Hu Lijing tried to explain himself, Long ZhenHai would only see them as excuses.

No words of reason, no whispers of comfort would sooth his aching soul. The glaring hole in his heart, a void in the shape of Hu Lijing’s own.

And so, he closed his mouth, amber eyes lowering as he listened to Long ZhenHai’s righteous raging.

Let him rage. Let him speak. He deserved this much. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

And Hu Lijing deserved every last bit of his scorn. He was happy to have something from Long ZhenHai as long as it was not love.

As long as it was not love.

His body relaxed, slumping against the wall as his ears rang, Long ZhenHai’s every word piercing through his chest, lodging in his heart until it burned.

"Why are you like this?" Long ZhenHai was reduced to tears, soft sobs falling off his lips as he gritted his teeth. "Why are you so intent on being a slave to our fate?! Why can’t you fight?! Why can’t you rebel?!?" His voice cracked and so did Hu Lijing’s heart. "If you— if you lack the courage then I’ll be that courage! At least, at least fucking try!"

Hu Lijing’s heart burned, the fire in it flickering at his words. He continued to look at his feet.

"Hu Lijing. Hu Lijing, please." The dragon begged, unabashed. He dropped to his knees in front of the silent fox and grabbed his warm hands, the touch burned, their flesh hissing at the contact.

Long ZhenHai paid it no mind, grabbed Hu Lijing’s hands harder and continued to beg, whispering promises he was willing to fulfill with all his heart, tears streaming down his eyes.

Hu Lijing remained despondent.

The farce continued. For a while it continued, carried by the sheer stubbornness in Long ZhenHai.

Until finally, he too stopped, words dying in his throat as he looked up at his other half of the soul.

All he saw was cold, hard, indifference in his eyes.

Long ZhenHai closed his mouth, lips snapping shut as shadow loomed over his darkened features.

With a deep breath and all the nonchalance he could muster up, he dropped Hu Lijing’s hands.

"This is what you truly want, isn’t it?" He chuckled thickly, throat parched as he rose to his feet.

Hu Lijing let out a garbled noise, closer to a choke than anything else.

Long ZhenHai looked away, his heart colder than ashes as he nodded in assent. Slowly, he turned away.

"Very well. If that is what you want. Then so be it." He looked at his feet, hands shaking.

That day two hearts broke. Neither making a sound nor a hiss of pain.

The dragon raised a trembling hand and pointed at the entrance of the cave. His voice was thick as he spoke.

Never had Long ZhenHai imagined himself capable of such harshness towards his Jing’ge as the day he had uttered those words.

"Get out."

Hu Lijing flinched.

"Leave."