Binding the Dragon for the Empress Chapter 67

Domineering

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"You bastard-"

Hu Le never thought Yan Yuan would say such a thing. With red eyes, he sprang up from the bench by the wall of the carriage, lunged forward and clutched Yan Yuan's clothing, and when he turned around, he punched him.

The fist hit him square in the nose and blood dripped from his nose. Yan Yuan's face was grim as he grabbed Hu Le by his collar and punched him in return.

Hu Le fell to the ground, his brow bruised and his already bloodstained shirt oozing more red from a wound that had opened up on him. Unable to get up, he curled up, but his icy blue eyes glared at Yan Yuan as if he wanted to gouge a hole in his face.

The carriage was not tall enough for a grown man to stand upright. Yan Yuan's body half bowed, gracefully and expressionlessly taking a few steps forward, his black satin dragon print boots crushing the pale hand on the ground and applying force.

"Ugh…” Sharp pain came from his finger bones and Hu Le bit his lower lip, grunting only a little before he stopped making a sound and he laughed, “A'Po... you see, the human race is the most disgusting species in the world, he is not worthy of your love at all."

Yan Yuan's face changed slightly, and his whole body gathered strength to step on the bottom of his feet.

The sound of bones cracking rang out from within the carriage.

Hu Le laughed and burst into tears, "You kill me..."

"Kill me..."

"Haven't you been looking down on me for a long time..."

All the violent elements in Yan Yuan's heart were awakened. His pupils faintly flushed red, a transparent ball of internal energy emerged from his palm and approached Hu Le's skull.

If this slap struck, death would be certain.

Yet at this moment, there was a voice inside calling out to him, telling him that this was someone Xuan Long cared about and that he could not be killed.

The sound of something heavy landing on the ground came from behind him, and Yan Yuan's inner strength dissipated from his hands as he turned back to see, as if awakened, that Xuan Long had fallen next to the bench and was lying on his back on the ground.

“A'Po!"

Yan Yuan hurried over and picked the man up from the floor and held him in his arms.

The lapels of his clothes were gently caught.

"... Don't hurt him."

Yan Yuan looked down to see that Xuan Long clearly couldn't even hold his eyelids up, yet he was still concerned about the fox demon. He put Xuan Long back on the bench, grabbed the cold hand and held it in his palm, enjoying the smell.

“A'Po… it's enough for you to have me, you don't need anyone else."

"Other than me, you are not allowed to look at anyone."

He was so domineering and authoritarian, clearly not in love with him, yet wanting Xuan Long to look at him alone.

When Xuan Long did not return his gaze, Yan Yuan was angry, shaking his hand and saying, "Say something. If you dare to look at anyone else, I will really kill him."

Xuan Long's eyes were closed, having fallen into unconsciousness again, and Yan Yuan's gaze fell on the small, slightly bulging belly beneath his blanket, and he frowned in a twisted way.

How could a man be pregnant?

Or a demon?

What would a child born from the union of a man and a demon be, a human body with a dragon's tail, or a dragon's body with human legs?...

Whichever it was, it was quite diabolical.

How could the world accept such a sinful child?

Even if he could accept it, how could he tolerate an heir born to someone other than Ning Zhiyu, and how sad he would be if Ning Zhiyu found out?

In short, he could not have this child.

The carriage drove into the Imperial City as the sun was rising, and as Yan Yuan carried Xuan Long into Qiankun Palace, he ordered Hu Le to be escorted into the outer hall.

At this time, he still had some conscience in his heart and at least allowed Hu Le to stay by Xuan Long's side, provided that Hu Le was cleansed in the same way as the eunuchs in the palace.

Hu Le was pressed to the ground by the imperial guards and stripped naked in public, he had lost all his strength and did not struggle much before his body was humiliatingly exposed to the world.

Yan Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw the wound on his lower body, “Tch. It's good that it's gone, you won't do anything bad. At least you'll still have a life."

Yan Yuan was worried that if he left Hu Le by Xuan Long's side, he would be fooled by Hu Le. Seeing that Hu Le's part was gone, he was relieved and waved away the guards in the hall, leaving Hu Le naked, and went to look for Ning Zhiyu in Luanfeng Hall.

Hu Le put his bloodstained robes back on and entered the inner hall silently, stopping a short distance away to look at the man on the bed.

The man was sleeping so deeply that he hadn't been awakened by all the commotion in the outer hall, but Hu Le was glad he hadn't seen that scene earlier.

Hu Le knelt down beside the bed, took Xuan Long's hand and pressed it to his brow, tears falling from his eyes.

“A'Po..."

"What should I do..."

To be able to protect you.

Xuan Long's days are becoming shorter and the longer they go on, the weaker he becomes.

He slept for five days this time, and when he woke up, it was five days later at dusk, with the sunlight streaming in through the window and the shadows of the trees swaying outside, and it was still somewhat warm.

When Xuan Long woke up, Hu Le was the happiest, running in and out to have food brought to him, and if no one brought food, he ran to the imperial kitchen to ask for it himself.

The other day, Ning Zhiyu was short of people, so Xiao Dezi was transferred to the Luanfeng Hall and a new eunuch was brought in. The eunuch didn't listen to Hu Le, and often tripped him, both explicitly and implicitly. Ridicule was a common occurrence, but Hu Le put up with it all, knowing that in this palace, unlike before, he couldn't cause trouble for Xuan Long.

Those people didn't know he was a demon, but when they saw his blue eyes, they thought he was of foreign blood, just a little prettier.

When Xuan Long woke up and saw Hu Le in his dark blue eunuch's clothes, he was a bit stunned.

"I have to have a status when I'm around you. Being a little eunuch is good."

Xuan Long leaned back against the bed and turned his head away in silence.

He didn't say anything, but in his heart he actually knew that it must be Yan Yuan who had made things difficult for Hu Le.

“A'Po, are you hungry?"

"You must be hungry after being in a coma for so many days."

"I have gone to the imperial kitchen to ask for fish, but there is no raw, only cooked... You should not hate it."

Hu Le rambled and got up to go to the table and brought over a braised fish, the colour of which was fresh and tempting. He handed the plate to Xuan Long along with chopsticks.

Xuan Long didn't take it, his icy turquoise eyes fixed on Hu Le's hand holding the chopsticks.

Hu Le's hand was as fair and beautiful as his face, with long, strong bones, yet now his middle and ring fingers on his right hand were uncharacteristically limp and clearly broken. The rest of the fingers were red, swollen and bruised.

Remembering what had happened to him that day in the carriage, during his semi-consciousness, Xuan Long raised his hand to hold Hu Le's hand, "Your hand..."

"It's okay, it will be fine in a few days.” Hu Le put the chopsticks on the plate and handed them over with his intact hand, while his injured hand retracted and hid behind him.

Xuan Long's heart was aching, "Show me."

"I told you it's all right.” Hu Le smiled at him.

Xuan Long was afraid he would get tired of holding it for a long time, so he just took the plate and chopsticks and lowered his head, hesitating to move.

Hu Le looked at his cold expression and whispered to him, “A'Po, eat quickly."

Only then did Xuan Long pick up a piece of fish and slowly put it into his mouth.

Before he could chew it, Hu Le asked him, "Is it good?"

"Mmm." Xuan Long whispered. "Yummy."

Hu Le smiled, "I'll make it for you next time. Make it steamed, okay?"

"Okay." Xuan Long's voice was a little muffled.

The fish wasn't very fresh because the people in the imperial kitchen hadn't given it to Hu Le. Fresh, hot, colourful and flavourful dishes were all sent to Luanfeng Hall.

The eunuch's clothes were of the lowest quality, and the imperial kitchen was reserved for the Emperor and Empress, so how could he, a lowly eunuch, get food?

He begged for two hard, cold steamed buns and stole a plate of fish from the stove when the people in the imperial kitchen weren't looking.

The fish was returned from Luanfeng Hall last night, and the Emperor and Empress hadn't taken a single bite. The chef in the imperial kitchen was going to keep it for himself, but he forgot that it was hard to eat after a night out, so he packed it up and prepared to dump it.

Hu Le had lost his Taoism and his sense of smell was not what it used to be. He did not bother to taste it, but gave it to Xuan Long to eat, so naturally he would not find out that the fish was not fresh.

Xuan Long was eating it when he suddenly heard Hu Le whimpering and crying at his side, “A'Po... let's go. We're not staying here anymore, okay?..."

Hu Le’s face was pale, and he looked beautiful in the eunuch's clothes, but he was crying like a child, and his big tears were falling down.

Xuan Long looked at him silently and breathlessly said, "Okay."

He had intended to send Hu Le away.

This deep palace with its high walls, they couldn't walk out with their legs.

For the sake of Ning Zhiyu, it was impossible for Yan Yuan to let him go, but if he just begged him, he should be willing to send Hu Le away for the sake of his former love.

"Really?...” Hu Le stopped crying, but tears were still falling from his eyes.

Xuan Long curved his thin lips and smiled at him, “Mmm. Really."

Hu Le didn't feel quite right; Xuan Long's promise seemed too easy, and Xuan Long had hardly ever smiled before. He raised his hand and held onto Xuan Long's wrist, saying:

“A'Po, don't lie to me..."

"You and I have both lost our Tao, how should we leave?"

Xuan Long was silent: "... You know."

Hu Le spoke in a trembling voice: "Well, when Hua Niang was healing you… she told me that you had lost your Tao and are pregnant with a child, you will live for less than three years at most. Is that true?..."

"Mhmm." Xuan Long lowered his eyes.

Hu Le choked back tears, the warmth in his hand belonging to Xuan Long was keeping him from breaking down, "Why… where is your inner elixir? Was it taken by that dog emperor to heal his empress?"

Xuan Long knew that Hu Le would surely get to the bottom of it, so he told the truth: "He was assassinated and lost his life."

"Why are you so stupid... Is he really that important, so important that you don't even want your own life...” Hu Le cried, trembling with tears, and understood without Xuan Long's explanation.

Xuan Long would never answer such a question. For those who treated him well, he was always willing to repay them a thousand times over. He should do his best to repay his saving grace. He never regretted coming to this point, he only hated himself for falling in love with that person.

“Hu Le... don't cry." Xuan Long clumsily lifted his hand to wipe Hu Le's tears for him.

Hu Le raised his hand against his face and sobbed, "He said he didn't want the child in your womb."

Xuan Long's body stiffened slightly, “Mhmm."

Hu Le knew he was sad and stopped talking about it, even crying very quietly, "How do we leave?… There's no way he's going to let us go..."

Xuan Long drew his hand back and stroked his head, "I have a way. Don't worry."

Hu Le seemed convinced and asked him expectantly, "So where would be a good place for us to go when we leave?"

Xuan Long cooperated with him and replied, "Where do you want to go?"

A longing look appeared in Hu Le's eyes, "How about going to Suzhou?..."

"I heard that the landscape is good there, the scenery is good. Me and you, and Shui Shui, we three demons live happily together. He doesn't want the baby... I want it.” Hu Le put his hand gently against Xuan Long's abdomen through the bedding and clothing.

Xuan Long looked at the smile at the corner of his eyes and smiled along with him, "Good."

Suddenly, the door was pushed open vigorously from the outside, the sound of heavy footsteps approaching revealed the anger of the visitor. Yan Yuan soon appeared in their line of sight, his lips brimming with mockery, "... Where do you want to go?"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: August 3, 2022