novelraw Chapter 655 - 585: Sweet Desire
Chapter 655 - 585: Sweet Desire
Shen Tang restrained the flutter in her heart, her gaze turning towards the pile of books and paintings beside her.
Among them, one rolled-up scroll stood out conspicuously, with its length and width exceeding other scrolls. If fully unfolded, it would be about the height of a person.
It lay quietly in the middle of the left side, where the late Empress’s remains should have been, now serenely resting as if sharing a bed with the Late Emperor.
Shen Tang carefully took out the scroll, and the moment it slowly unfurled, her breath caught slightly.
In the painting was an exceptionally beautiful red-haired female, dressed in splendid and regal attire, with enchanting and exquisite features. Her ruby-like eyes were soul-stirring, seemingly able to instantly draw one’s soul into them.
She resembled a mystical creature accidentally stepping into the painting, yet her gaze remained gentle and focused beyond the picture.
Shen Tang even felt in a trance that her gaze met with the figure in the painting at a certain moment, making her hold her breath.
Only three words remained in her mind:
Too beautiful.
Yes, too beautiful, and... too similar.
Shen Tang looked at the woman in the painting, then turned her head to Shen Li beside her, softly murmuring, "This must be the late Empress... You indeed look a lot like her."
To be honest, Shen Li’s facial contours more closely resembled the Late Emperor, handsome and outstanding, yet the charm and allure in the eyes were more inherited from his mother. Every smile and frown was enticingly seductive, like a bewitching fox spirit causing calamities!
Shen Li gently caressed the scroll, gazing at the figure in the painting, as if old memories were quietly awakened, the once-blurred figure gradually becoming clearer.
He murmured lost in thought, "So this is what Mother looked like... I am slowly remembering."
"My hair color and eyes... I inherited them from Mother."
"When I was very young, I knew I was different from other Fox Clan cubs. I had extremely unique red hair, being the first Red Nine-tailed Fox in the clan’s history."
"Some said it was due to a mutation of the Flame Power within me, a symbol of auspicious might, but others gossiped secretly that it was because my mysterious mother came from the mixed-blood Red Fox Clan, which is why I had such a distinctive hue."
"Those people slandered my mother, secretly discussing my disreputable lineage, saying I was the illegitimate child of the Emperor and a female servant in the palace, a blemish on the Emperor’s life, hence all traces of Mother’s existence were erased... The so-called late Empress was just a title to preserve the Royal Family’s dignity. After all, no one had ever seen her true appearance."
"Although these rumors were soon quelled by the Emperor’s orders, I had inadvertently overheard them several times and always kept them in my heart."
"Now it seems, it wasn’t like that."
The vividly depicted figure within the painting is testament to the late Emperor’s deep affection for the late Empress.
Those melancholic yet beautiful poems, like wine used to drown sorrows, now seemed to have a specific emotional projection.
Shen Tang shook her head, saying, "Your mother was not from the Red Fox Clan. Although the painting does not show her beast form, you can see that her ears exposed amid her hair are longer, more resembling those of the Blood Clan."
Shen Li scrutinized the painting and indeed noticed the clue, causing him to recall the deceased Necro.
"Was Mother truly a Blood Clan member?" Even though Shen Li had vaguely speculated, he still found it hard to believe, furrowing his brows, "The Nine-tailed Fox Clan has always married within the clan to ensure the birth of pure-blood Nine-tailed Foxes, yet I..."
Shen Tang gently explained, "From the Blood Clan’s inherited memories, I learned that the blood of the Blood Clan differs from other races; it can merge with the bloodlines of other major races. Even if they marry other races, they can still give birth to pure-blood offspring of another race."
"...So that’s how it is."
By now, there was nothing left unclear.
All truths have been revealed.
The secret the Late Emperor wished to take to the grave ultimately found by them.
In fact, over the years, Shen Li had repeatedly pondered many things. After all, his mother, being the female who birthed a Prince, even if she were merely an unknown female servant, couldn’t possibly have vanished without a trace, as if she never existed in the world.
The only possibility was that the Emperor himself had sealed the information back then, unwilling to let outsiders know about Mother.
This was not out of malicious erasure, but rather a profound protection born from deep affection.
He thought the Emperor had completely wiped away everything related to Mother, but unexpectedly, he ultimately left this piece, taking it into his burial chamber...
The two restored the tomb to its original state and quietly departed from the Imperial Mausoleum.
Shen Li and Shen Tang soon found themselves in a period of busyness.
They tirelessly translated ancient Blood Clan texts, working tirelessly day and night without a moment’s rest. Shen Tang was so exhausted her head swelled, and she could barely stand, but finally, within a few short days, they translated all the ancient texts!
At last, she could have a good night’s sleep!
It was already late at night when Shen Tang emerged from the bathroom, dressed in silk pajamas with her hair half-wet, only to find Shen Li leaning against the bedhead reading a book, one hand holding a pen sketching something.
She was so tired she couldn’t wait to fall asleep, but Shen Li still seemed energetic and focused.
Shen Tang sighed inwardly: Such great energy!
She snuggled into the man’s embrace, lying in his arms, lazily asking, "Still not finished reading?"
Shen Li’s collar was slightly open, revealing his cool, white, and sexy chest, glistening like pearl under the light. Shen Tang could smell his post-bath freshness mixed with his inherent seductive scent, compelling her to take a deep breath, then tilt her head to kiss his chin.
Shen Li put down the ancient book in his hand, his fingers lifting her still-damp long hair, a strand of red light swirling, instantly drying the dampness in her hair.
He smiled gently, "I’m trying to translate this Blood Clan prophecy book. Perhaps I can also restore the illustrations in the book along with the murals we saw in the forbidden area, completing the lost history of the Blood Clan."
"No rush, look at it tomorrow morning~" Shen Tang lazily yawned, snuggling her chin against his shoulder, "I’m going to sleep."
"Good, you sleep first, I’ll come shortly." Shen Li turned off the main light, leaving only a bedside lamp that cast a warm, intoxicating orange glow.
It was rare for Shen Tang to see him so earnest, so she pouted. Having a beauty in his arms yet focusing only on reading, he was pretending to be an unaffected gentleman.
She suddenly had a mischievous thought, her fingers tracing up his lean waist stealthily slipping under his robe.
Under her palm, his muscles rippled, defined and sexy. Her soft fingertips lightly traced across his chest, her voice coquettishly humming, "Hmm~ What are you drawing? Tell me too."
Shen Li initially managed to endure, but as that little hand became more restless, even daring to probe downwards... He couldn’t restrain himself, snatching her slender wrist, flipping over to claim her lips.
The female’s lips were soft and fragrant, like addictive poppies, once touched, impossible to resist.
The sweetness of past memories floated to the surface, a familiar longing rising within Shen Li.
He gently captured her lips, kissing softly, but soon, the tenderness couldn’t fill the void in his heart. He pried open her lips, deepening the kiss, entwining more passionately.
Only the sound of ambiguous water remained in the air.
Meanwhile, his hand slipped to her waist, quietly venturing in.
The man’s fingers were long and deft, capable of handling anything with ease.
Shen Tang soon let out soft hums, her arms weakly draping around his neck, her eyes misty as water, her voice fragmented and sticky, "Brother Li..."
She was slightly unsatisfied, gently twisting her waist, rubbing against him.
Which male could withstand such teasing?
Even if Shen Li were a true gentleman, he couldn’t resist.
Besides, he was not.
Clenching his teeth, Shen Li slightly withdrew, gazing at her full, rosy lips, his thumb gently caressing that moist hue, his voice low and alluring, "...Do you want me, dear Tangtang?"
In truth, there was no need to wait for the female’s answer.
His broad palm at her waist untied the belt.
The female’s snowy, silky body came into view, Shen Li’s breathing grew heavier. But the next second, he suddenly picked her up horizontally, heading towards the study.
"Ah~"
The sudden sensation of getting lifted made Shen Tang instinctively cling to his neck, her ears filled with the man’s hoarse, amused voice, "But Brother Li still has a painting unfinished..."
"Didn’t you want to know what I’m drawing? Let me explain it in detail to Xiao Tang’er, okay?"