Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 84 My First Time Too

Inn in the county.

Shen Tang stood by the window inside the room, quietly watching the smoke and dust rising from the direction of the Incense Burning Pavilion in the distance. It was the lingering smoke from the flames of war that had reduced the building to ruins.

At the other end of the city, the prefectural governor's mansion was also in ruins, and the people of Dongjiang County were filled with fear throughout the night.

As the instigators of the two events, they stood quietly overlooking the scene, their bags fully packed.

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Xingzhou also got off the wheelchair and hugged her from behind, standing with her by the window.

When he hugged her like that, Shen Tang's body stiffened slightly. She couldn't understand when their relationship had become so natural, that they could hug each other whenever they wanted.

But it was indeed she who invited him into the room for a "talk"... on this lonely night in the inn, where a man and a woman were alone.

"You..." Shen Tang said with some difficulty, "Why did you hug me like this..."

Lu Xingzhou's voice was right next to my ear: "Doesn't today's round deserve a reward?"

Shen Tang retorted, "That doesn't mean you can take something without asking!"

Despite saying that, the stiffness in my body did indeed soften, as if I had found an excuse to justify it.

Sensing the changes in her body, Lu Xingzhou continued to whisper in her ear, "For someone like me, a member of the demonic path, wouldn't I be taking it without even asking?"

"You..." Shen Tang bit her lower lip: "You weren't like this before... Now you think I'm easy to bully, right?"

"Before my leg was healed, I wasn't in the mood to think about anything else."

Shen Tang said angrily, "I shouldn't have helped you treat your leg!"

Lu Xingzhou stopped talking.

Shen Tang keenly realized that these words seemed to have a slightly different meaning for him, so his tone softened: "Actually, I didn't do much to help you... Breaking the secret realm was mainly up to you, and the bone refining was also entirely your own doing."

Lu Xingzhou ignored that topic and changed the subject, asking, "What did you want to talk about when you called me in?"

Shen Tang said, "I want to ask you... when you gave me the pills today so that I could show my gratitude to Zhang Shaoyou and the others, were you trying to avoid suspicion?"

“There’s nothing to avoid, but we need to emphasize you… after all, you are the sect leader.”

"And you will eventually leave?"

Lu Xingzhou did not answer.

Shen Tang pressed further: "Even if we're like this?"

"How is it?" Lu Xingzhou tilted his head slightly and kissed her cheek. "Like this?"

Shen Tang's breathing became heavy, and she exerted a little force in her body, as if trying to break free.

But Lu Xingzhou mumbled something indistinctly: "It's not because I want to leave, but because I feel I can't overshadow you. Some of my previous behavior... might not have been very good. It might have made others gossip, which would be detrimental to your authority. I'll pay more attention to this in the future."

Shen Tang's struggles vanished instantly, and she leaned limply against him, closing her eyes and letting him kiss her.

As a princess, she was well aware of such matters. She hadn't cared before because she spoiled him, but deep down she knew it wasn't right.

But you don't need to carefully bring these things up with him; he's already realized it and is intentionally restraining himself.

For this reason alone, Shen Tang wanted to reward him even more.

In a daze, I felt his chin being turned slightly, and then his lips moved from my cheek to the corner of my lips.

Shen Tang was startled, and before she could react, her red lips were sealed tightly.

Shen Tang's eyes widened, her mind went blank.

Little did he know that at that moment, Lu Xingzhou's mind was also quite blank, his heart was beating extremely fast, and he didn't even know what he was thinking.

This was also his first kiss in this life.

He was so nervous, like a complete novice with no experience whatsoever. He'd forgotten all the experience he'd had in his past life, and even the countless films he'd watched had almost completely erased his memory. All he could feel was how soft, comfortable, and sweet her lips were… he knew nothing else…

After an unknown amount of time, or perhaps just a moment, Shen Tang suddenly came to her senses. Almost instinctively, she arched her elbows backward and turned her body away from his embrace.

Lu Xingzhou also came to his senses. Shen Tang took a half step back, bracing herself against the windowsill with both hands, and nervously said to him, "You...you..."

Those red lips, freshly kissed, were luscious and tempting.

Lu Xingzhou raised his hand to indicate that he would not attack, and instead took a few steps back and sat back in his wheelchair.

Shen Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief, biting her lower lip as she looked at him for a long time, then whispered, "Satisfied now? Did you satisfy your lustful desires, you demonic fiend?"

Lu Xingzhou lowered his eyes, looking at the tips of his shoes: "This is... my first time too."

He didn't see the fleeting joy that shone in Shen Tang's eyes, as if light were shining through them.

Then the light dimmed slightly, and he whispered, "Xingzhou... I may... be unable to respond to you."

Lu Xingzhou looked up at her.

"Royal affairs are ultimately different from those of the martial world and the immortal sects. If I really want to pursue that goal, then there absolutely cannot be any scandals before marriage. Once people find out, half of the path will be cut off. In addition, with Father's attitude, the other half will also be gone, and it will also harm you."

Lu Xingzhou was stunned for a moment, his expression somewhat strange. To be honest, he hadn't really thought about sleeping together... His intimacy with Shen Tang was purely a matter of mutual attraction and involuntary action; he hadn't considered anything deeper, otherwise he wouldn't have been so well-behaved with his hands just now.

But it seems that Shen Tang was the one who had considered it... Yes, she felt that she was a demonic person from the demonic path, so she must be more indulgent in these things. She probably didn't know how many times she had done it, and she might even have suspected that the demonic person was intentionally playing with her.

Hey, woman.

Shen Tang had no idea what he was thinking. Seeing his dazed look, she assumed he was quite shocked.

She walked slowly over, leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, saying softly, "You said I once said we would stand up together, and you valued those words very much... So now I say, we will not only stand up together, but also stand shoulder to shoulder, at the pinnacle of the Great Qian Dynasty, okay?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed: "Okay."

These words were practically a declaration of love; from Lu Xingzhou's modern perspective, she could already be considered his girlfriend. Shen Tang's face flushed after speaking, and looking at Lu Xingzhou's smile made her heart race faster. She couldn't stay still any longer and turned to leave.

I had just turned around when my hand was grabbed.

With a slight exertion from Lu Xingzhou, Shen Tang, unwilling to resist, helplessly fell back and was pulled onto his lap to sit sideways.

Shen Tang pushed his shoulder with a hint of annoyance: "What are you doing now?"

Lu Xingzhou found it truly amusing: "Sect Master, this is your room, where are you going?"

Shen Tang: "...A room in the inn, you can stay anywhere. I'll give it to you."

Lu Xingzhou picked her up and stood up, then turned and walked to the bed, gently placing her down. He then leaned down and kissed her lips again: "Goodnight, my princess."

The second time their lips touched, neither of them felt the blank, dazed feeling from before; only a sweet taste lingered.

Shen Tang looked at him gently with eyes as clear as water and whispered, "Goodnight."

Watching Lu Xingzhou sit back in his wheelchair and leave, Shen Tang bit her lower lip, staring blankly. After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

Then he lay face down on the pillow and pulled the corner of the blanket over his head.

…………

The next morning, while the parties involved were still reminiscing about the passionate night, Dongjiang County was in an uproar.

After a night of discussion, Wan Cheng, Tu Yugui, and others finally reached a conclusion—

Prefect Mu Feng was a demon who had been lurking for a long time. Taking advantage of the prefect's banquet, he conspired with some traitors from the Incense Burning Pavilion to launch a rebellion, resulting in the deaths of more than ten officials in the prefecture, from the prefect down. Fortunately, the city lord of Xia Prefecture, Sheng Yuanyao, was present and led the people of Xia Prefecture to barely hold off the rebels until the arrival of the Prefectural Demon Suppression Division and the garrison, who then wiped out the rebels.

In fact, it was precisely because Lord Sheng was investigating the demon case in Xia Prefecture that he was able to find the Prefectural Magistrate Mu Feng and respond in time, which is a great achievement.

Unfortunately, Hao Jingchuan, the good prefect of Dongjiang, barely held on until the army arrived, but he did not survive the moment he was about to be rescued.

Unfortunately, there was no clear evidence of the Incense Pavilion's betrayal, and the prefecture still needed to investigate. However, this matter angered various immortal sects. That night, the Heavenly Sword Sect and the East River Gang, seeking revenge for the prefect, swiftly attacked the Incense Pavilion, slaughtering all its members and burning it to the ground.

The story is connected to the original Xia Prefecture demon case, with a complete beginning and end. In addition, the prefect's previous statement that "Fenxiang Tower has betrayed us" was heard for miles around, so many people heard it. This plot is plausible no matter how you look at it.

The news shocked Dongjiang and then quickly spread throughout the country.

Previously, it was one thing for the city lord of Xiazhou to raise demons, but now even the prefectural magistrate himself is a demon, truly making Dongjiang Prefecture infamous. The Demon Suppression Division and the army joined forces to launch a massive investigation in Dongjiang Prefecture, leaving no stone unturned in the subordinate counties, thoroughly investigating all the officials.

The reaction to the demonic matter was lukewarm, as if all regions were deliberately suppressing the fervor. The focus of attention from all sides was mainly on the fact that the Heavenly Sword Sect had destroyed the Incense Burning Pavilion.

When they first heard this news, many people thought the other party had it backwards. Shouldn't it be that the Incense Pavilion crushed the Heavenly Sword Sect?

The two sides are simply not even in the same league, okay? Even with the Dongjiang Gang included, there's no way they could have destroyed the Fenxiang Tower overnight...

After repeated confirmation, the news was indeed true, shocking everyone present. They simply couldn't imagine how it had been done. After much deduction, they could only conclude that the Demon Suppression Division and the army must have secretly intervened to help; otherwise, there was no other explanation. They couldn't find evidence of the Incense Burning Pavilion's betrayal, so they could only use the pretext of sectarian conflict to secretly assist the Heavenly Sword Sect, which made perfect sense.

No matter how much people tried to guess the credit of external forces, it did not prevent the Tianxing Sword Sect from rising overnight in Dongjiang and becoming one of the most powerful sects in the entire continent. No one dared to regard it as a dilapidated family anymore.

Gu Zhanting stood with his hands behind his back in the imperial study, looking at the report and sighing: "Yitang's temperament seems to have changed. She used to be very gentle and kind to people, and she wouldn't be so sharp and outspoken."

The eunuchs on either side smiled obsequiously: "Times have changed. The princess probably intends to intimidate everyone and avoid endless trouble."

“That’s true. Even the founding ceremony was challenged by someone… Now surely no one dares to challenge us, right?” Gu Zhanting smiled. “My phoenix is ​​indeed the most dazzling light wherever she goes.”

South, Miaoyin Mountain.

Yuan Muyu leaned back on the soft couch, holding a copy of "The Rising Stars List" in his hand, listening to his subordinate's report: "The Heavenly Sword Sect fled to Xia Prefecture like a stray dog, but rose rapidly and destroyed the third-grade sect Burning Incense Pavilion in just two months... It is truly shocking."

Yuan Muyu's gaze fell on two names on the rookie list.

The 30th rising star is Shen Tang, the sect leader of the Tianxing Sword Sect; the 38th rising star is Lu Xingzhou, a guest elder of the Tianxing Sword Sect.

Yuan Muyu closed his eyes and said calmly, "Since he is helping the Heavenly Sword Sect... then no matter how the Heavenly Sword Sect rises, I will not be surprised. There is nothing to be shocked about."

A subordinate whispered, "They say Shen Tang is quite the beauty, Judge, what is he doing..."

Yuan Muyu remained calm: "You're overthinking it. That's impossible. Liu Yan'er was considered a beauty by most people... How could Xingzhou possibly be interested in such ordinary women? His position as a guest elder proves everything. He has no intention of genuinely joining us. If I'm not mistaken, Xingzhou will be leaving Xiazhou soon after he finishes this."

The subordinate hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. He could tolerate a slanderous remark, but he dared not actually contradict the King of Hell, and could only retreat obediently.

Just as Yuan Muyu uttered those words, on the official road returning from Dongjiang to Xiazhou, Lu Xingzhou and Shen Tang were once again riding in the same carriage. This time, they sat side by side, Shen Tang nestled on Lu Xingzhou's shoulder, and Lu Xingzhou lowered his head to kiss her. Shen Tang responded tenderly, their fragrance filling the air.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: It'll be available at midnight today. Please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)