A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 426 I am most authentic when I'm with you.
The man's voice was very soft, like a fleeting sigh. But they were so close that she could hear it clearly.

Shen Tang's heart skipped a beat, her mind went blank, as if she had suddenly lost the ability to think. She could smell the cold, alluring fragrance emanating from the man, which stirred a long-lost, familiar longing deep within her heart.

After a long silence, she said softly, "You're so foolish. You gave me something so important, and almost lost your life in the process."

She turned to look at him, her voice slightly choked with emotion, "Even your tail... can't be saved."

Shen Li saw that her eyes were slightly moist, filled with guilt and resentment, but they were no longer the stagnant pool of water.

He chuckled and said, "I gave it to you voluntarily, and I will bear all the consequences myself. You don't need to blame yourself; you did nothing wrong."

Shen Tang shook her head and insisted, "You don't need to make excuses for me! I was wrong, and I was wrong! I shouldn't have been so impulsive that night. I... I didn't know your heart was already seriously injured. If something had really happened that day, I don't know how I would have been able to make amends."

Human emotions are always easily impulsive.

When people are emotionally charged, they sometimes say and do things that they can't even control themselves. This is true for both of them.

Afterwards, when you think things through, you always feel regret, but unfortunately, what's done can't be undone. Sometimes, you don't even have a chance to explain yourself.

Shen Tang placed her fingers on his chest, unable to remain calm any longer, her voice tinged with guilt, "I'm sorry, does it still hurt here?"

The man's chest skin was smooth as jade, without a single scar, but she knew it had been riddled with wounds.

As she spoke, she became even more distressed and murmured, "What were you thinking about that night after I left?"

Shen Li held her hand tightly against his chest, looked into her eyes, and his voice carried a long-lost smile, "You really want to know? Won't you be angry if I tell you?"

“I want to know!” she insisted.

Shen Li held her even tighter in his arms, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones. His thin lips gently brushed against her earlobe, his voice carrying a soft sigh, "...Do you even know how hurtful those words you uttered that night when you plunged the blade into my heart?"

"It hurts me far more than that knife wound."

"You hurt me first!" Shen Tang pushed him away, dissatisfied. "You should have explained things to me properly back then, but you were so cold, said such infuriating things, and did those things... If you hadn't angered me, why would I have hit you?"

"Little Tang'er, we must eventually part ways. I wanted you to let go when we parted at the volcano, but I never expected you to come back to me."

Shen Li's fingers landed on her waist, pressing down hard, his voice hoarse, "I can't help but feel love for you, but I can't get close to you. It's better to let you hate me, resent me, and stay away from me."

"And now?" she pressed. "You still think that way?"

Shen Li fell silent.

Shen Tang's expression gradually faded, and she regained her indifferent look.

She left him with the words, "You should rest well," and then got up from his embrace to leave.

Shen Li stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his arms again, his voice tinged with helplessness, "Didn't we agree not to be angry?"

"Since you've already planned this all along, what else do you want me to say or do?" Luckily, she had already drunk the potion of forgetfulness, otherwise she would have been driven crazy by him again today.

The potion of forgetfulness only clears away past emotional caches; it doesn't mean she'll sever all feelings and become a stone person.

Hearing Shen Li's words, her emotions still stirred slightly.

She felt angry, disappointed, and perhaps something else... but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

I didn't give him a friendly look at all!
Anyway, from the very beginning, he wanted to cut ties with her completely, so there's nothing to talk about now!
Seeing that she was truly angry, Shen Li quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "I really miss you, I'm not lying to you!"

"..." He took her hand and placed it on his chest, his voice becoming increasingly sore. "These days, whenever I think of you, this place aches. I can't even tell if it's the old wound you left me that's causing the pain, or if it's because of my longing for you and my guilt."

Shen Tang turned her face away, refusing to look into his affectionate eyes, fearing that she would be easily deceived by him again. "...Don't say these sweet words to me, I don't want to hear them."

"But I really feel terrible here," he said, his brow furrowing slightly and his face turning pale, as if he were having trouble breathing.

Ignoring everything else, Shen Tang used her healing ability to treat him again, asking, "Are you feeling better?"

Shen Li shook his head, "This alone won't cure it."

Shen Tang hurriedly asked, "Then how can I help you?"

Shen Li remained silent, simply holding her quietly, inhaling the familiar and cherished scent emanating from her body. After a long while, he finally spoke, "I need you to promise me one thing, and then my heart will feel better."

A hint of anger rose in Shen Tang's heart, thinking that she had expected this, and that he was waiting for her here! However, considering that he was a patient, she was willing to grant his requests as long as they were not too unreasonable.

She casually replied, "Tell me, and I'll do my best to fulfill your request, as long as it's within my power."

Shen Li looked at her serious little face and smiled slightly. "Then I want you to... not say those things again."

"What?" Shen Tang didn't react.

He said, "They hate me, they loathe me, they feel disgusted just looking at me."

"..."

"My heart aches whenever I think about it."

In reality, Shen Li didn't give Shen Tang a chance to speak. He flipped her over, pinned her down, and kissed her lips again.

His kiss was tentative and cautious, a light peck that seemed both close and distant.

Perhaps afraid of provoking her again, his movements were subtle, restrained, and gentle, just light touches and puppy-like sniffing and licking, gradually softening her somewhat stiff body.

Shen Tang didn't push him away again, but she didn't go along with him either.

She simply accepted his overtures in silence.

A bitter feeling flashed through Shen Li's heart, knowing that she had not truly resolved her inner conflict.

His kisses slowly moved to the corners of her lips, her chin, and her long, fair neck. His voice became deep and husky, "...Do you remember saying before that I became a stranger in the palace?"

Shen Tang finally reacted, turning her eyes slightly to look at him and giving a soft "hmm".

When she first met Ji Jiuli in the palace, he seemed like a completely different person, making her feel unfamiliar and afraid. She even suspected that he was her twin brother.

As he moved, Shen Li's voice grew lower and lower, revealing a rare hint of sadness, "...My mother and father both left very early. I ascended the throne at a young age and bore a great deal of pressure. In the palace, I had to learn to pretend."

"Little Tang'er, you are now the ruler of a country, you should understand that I have no choice in the matter."

"I can only survive in the palace by donning the coldest and most ruthless armor and concealing all my weaknesses."

As he spoke, Shen Li looked at her and gently stroked her eyebrows and eyes with his fingers. "You've always thought I lied to you, pretending to be a spy by your side. But actually, only during this time with you can I take off my mask, let go of everything, and be an ordinary Red Fox Shen Li, instead of Emperor Yi Yuan Ji Jiuli."

"The days I spent with you were the most carefree and happiest I've had in my twenty-odd years."

I'll probably get stuck on the next chapter, I'll check back tomorrow. (I'm getting sleepy, I'll stop writing now, I'll continue tomorrow. Goodnight.)