Chapter 37: Heart of the Moon Goddess

Xuan Jian was a man of few words and didn’t dare to say much; Wei Qianqian, who was equally insignificant in the proceedings, kept silent as well. Lin Shu turned his gaze to Shaoshao, the young girl who remained as reticent as ever.

Ah—her face turned pale, and Shaoshao quickly lowered her head. The king’s gaze made her extremely uneasy! That look of anticipation and adoration was so familiar, as if imprinted in her mind!

Hmph, lecher! Am I, the Moon Goddess, not beautiful? Does he prefer youth? But Sister Jingni is no longer young either!

Whenever they were together, the king would either stay close to Jingni or occasionally sneak glances at Shaoshao. Yet he always treated her as if she were invisible, which made the Moon Goddess feel like a failure. Of course, she wasn’t in love with the plump uncle; rather, she admired the king’s power and was unwilling, deep down, to lose to other women.

Especially after the beautiful Yanfei of the Eastern Lord failed to win him over, the Moon Goddess grew even more competitive.

Pretending to glance around at the four commanders, Lin Shu finally spoke.

“The Eastern Hu people across the river aren’t sixty or seventy thousand strong, only about forty thousand. To the east, the Baishan Division’s Captain Daha is one of our own, so tomorrow we’ll cross the river and confront them directly.”

One of our own! Xuan Jian secretly smiled bitterly, guessing the king had once again forced two thousand cavalry to surrender.

“Good, then the remnants of the Eastern Hu will find it even harder to escape.” The king’s methods remained astonishing, and the Moon Goddess, with her adoring gaze, wished she could lean right onto his shoulder.

Night quickly fell, and Xuan Jian and his wife retreated early to their own tent.

After holding Xiao Yan’er for a while, Shaoshao immediately returned to her own room inside the carriage. Though she disliked the owner of the carriage, she was quite fond of her small room surrounded by woods and grass.

As soon as Shaoshao returned, the Moon Goddess carried Xiao Yan’er back to the king’s master bedroom.

The sleepy Xiao Yan’er soon drifted off again, and the atmosphere in the master bedroom gradually changed.

Wanting to leave yet reluctant, the Moon Goddess felt awkward.

She rarely dared to look at him, but now, taking a closer look, she realized her beauty was no less than Jingni’s or Shaoshao’s. Especially after removing her eyelids, her deep, bewitching eyes made one want to study her more closely.

Faced with Lin Shu’s passionate gaze, the Moon Goddess’s heart raced. She wanted to leave, but also hoped to stay and let the king appreciate her beauty.

[Commander, the Moon Goddess and National Advisor has truly pledged her loyalty.]

Ah! Very well. Lin Shu sighed helplessly. Lately, he had sensed a change in the Moon Goddess’s attitude. He too desired her, but didn’t want to rush. After all, she had only been with Jingni for less than a year.

He gently stroked Xiao Yan’er’s little face, accidentally brushing against the Moon Goddess beside him.

Breathing in her unique maiden fragrance, Lin Shu finally couldn’t resist and gently embraced her slender waist beneath her robes.

“Ah—Your Majesty!” The Moon Goddess trembled, not daring to move further.

Holding the girl tightly, Lin Shu inhaled her subtle scent deeply and gazed intently into her eyes.

“Little Moon, why don’t you become my woman as well? From now on, you will belong to me alone. Will you?”

He could have forced her, but Lin Shu preferred not to make things difficult for the beauty.

Love should be mutual—a joy shared, not a source of resentment. If bitterness arose, the moment would lose its sweetness.

Jingni had given him satisfaction physically, but now he valued emotional connection more.

Love? The Moon Goddess didn’t know whether she loved him or not. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to refuse, knowing that once she did, the king would treat her merely as a subordinate and never look at her again.

She didn’t know what love was, but she longed to be close to the king like Sister Jingni. The king wasn’t tall, but not too short either. He wasn’t handsome, but his gentle, elegant features, tinged with joy, were pleasing to look at.

The honest anticipation in his eyes, and a hint of loneliness, made it hard for her to refuse.

“Brother-in-law… Your Majesty, Little Moon is willing, but what about Sister Jingni?” Knowing how much the king valued his queen, and with her own fondness for Jingni, the Moon Goddess worried most about how he would manage the relationship among the three of them.

“This…” Lin Shu was just as concerned.

He still cared deeply for Jingni, never favoring the new over the old.

“Your Majesty, how about this? I’ll talk to Sister Jingni when I get the chance.” Actually, the Moon Goddess sensed that lately, Jingni had intentionally encouraged her to become closer to the king, or she wouldn’t have dared approach him so boldly.

Lin Shu shook his head. “I’d better speak to her myself. If she’s unhappy, we’ll wait a while before being together officially. Once her mood improves, she’ll agree.”

For Xiao Yan’er and for gratitude, Lin Shu believed Jingni would consent. But that wasn’t what he wanted—he wanted Jingni’s genuine willingness, not her acquiescence for Xiao Yan’er’s sake.

Perhaps it was fate; if he hadn’t happened upon Jingni giving birth, Lin Shu wouldn’t have had the opportunity to take her in. Had he used force, he’d have ended up like Tian Meng.

The Moon Goddess smiled softly.

“All right.”

Both felt that Jingni probably wouldn’t mind too much. If she did, Lin Shu wouldn’t dare pursue the Moon Goddess so soon.

That night, they didn’t go all the way, but many other steps were taken repeatedly.

For Lin Shu, perhaps only the last step remained to truly claim the Moon Goddess.

For her, however, from this night on, her body and soul belonged entirely to King Linbei.

…

The moment when darkness and dawn intertwined was also the time when yin and yang converged.

Diligent Shaoshao climbed atop the carriage early to absorb and understand the densest energy of yin and yang.

As darkness shifted to dawn, the energies of yin and yang manifested between heaven and earth.

Exhaling slowly after a long breath, the Young Mistress frowned and looked around.

“Sister Little Moon didn’t cultivate, or perhaps she went out even earlier than I did! But isn’t the carriage roof the best place for cultivation?”

Puzzled, Shaoshao returned to her living quarters and gently knocked on the Moon Goddess’s door.

As expected, there was no response to her knock. Shaoshao didn’t dare make too much noise, lest she draw out the wolfish king.

[Moon Goddess and National Advisor, the Young Mistress is outside your room seeking you.] The Moon Goddess had already gained the approval of Mind’s Shadow, so the main brain began contacting her directly.

The carriage possessed a mysterious voice. The Moon Goddess wasn’t surprised, knowing even divine swords had their own spirits.

“I’m coming out now!” The carriage spirit was aloof; the Moon Goddess still didn’t know its name.

As the gentle presence faded, Lin Shu awoke.

[Commander, it is now five in the morning. You may rest for another hour.]

At this hour, even the cooks were only just preparing breakfast, and most soldiers in the camp still slept.

“No, I’m not sleepy after last night.” Lin Shu shook his head; since there was no overtime, he wasn’t tired.

The Moon Goddess didn’t notice Lin Shu had awoken. Glancing at the small bed where Xiao Yan’er lay, she opened the door and went out.

What? Turning around, the Young Mistress was startled!

So the Moon Goddess really was in the king’s master bedroom! No wonder she skipped cultivation at dawn!

Oh! The king didn’t force her, did he?

“Sister Little Moon, are you all right?”

Lin Shu slept soundly, but the Moon Goddess had pondered much the previous night and her spirit was slightly weary.

Knowing Shaoshao misunderstood, the Moon Goddess smiled and shook her head.

“Shaoshao, Sister Little Moon is fine. You don’t need to fear the king so much. He’s actually very kind. He likes you, but won’t force you.”

Disappointed, Shaoshao nodded quickly. It’s over! The Moon Goddess had been tricked by the bad uncle!

The king hadn’t troubled her further, but that day, he had nearly done everything! Fortunately, Shaoshao hadn’t thought deeply about romantic notions; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so calm.

She guessed, if given another chance, the bad uncle wouldn’t let her go so easily—at least not without repeating what happened last time!

After exchanging a few words, Shaoshao returned to her room.

Once she had tidied up, the Moon Goddess put her eyelids back on. Only in the carriage would she remove them, and even then, usually only in her own room.