Chapter 411
Shen Wei knew that look all too well.
It was the gaze of a man consumed by conquest, like a leopard lurking in the woods, eyeing its prey.
Shen Wei took two steps back.
She was well aware of Li Yuanli’s possessiveness. This man was terrifying—unbeknownst to her, he had silently harbored feelings for her for years. Now that they were practically living under the same roof, his intentions were becoming harder to conceal.
"Would it be so bad to stay by my side?" Li Yuanli’s eyes bore into hers, as if posing a question.
Shen Wei answered, "Yes, it would."
The candlelight flickered brightly as Li Yuanli strode toward her. He was tall, his imposing frame draped in an inky black robe. Shen Wei stood before him, fragile as a songbird with no escape.
His fingers, bony and deliberate, reached for his collar.
He shed the dark outer garment.
Shen Wei frowned imperceptibly.
She retreated to the small desk beside the candlestick, her fingers slipping into the drawer where she kept a tiny dagger for self-defense.
Noticing her subtle movement, Li Yuanli suddenly let out a low chuckle. The discarded robe dangled from his grip. "If Li Yuanjing can have you, why can’t I? What’s the difference between him and me?"
Shen Wei’s expression darkened. "You’re drunk."
Li Yuanli closed the distance and snatched the dagger from her grasp.
Clatter—
The blade hit the floor with a sharp, metallic ring, its edge gleaming coldly under the light.
Li Yuanli was too close now, backing her into the corner. When Shen Wei lifted her gaze, she met the hard line of his jaw and the lingering scent of rich wine in the air.
"What’s wrong? Scared?" Li Yuanli bent slightly, leveling his eyes with hers.
Their gazes locked.
Shen Wei’s expression remained calm, betraying no fear. She was always like this—unshaken, unafraid, always thinking of a way out.
She had never cared for reputation or chastity.
Even if Li Yuanli forced himself on her tonight, Shen Wei would wake up the next morning as if nothing had happened, eating and drinking without a ripple of disturbance in her heart.
Li Yuanli sighed inwardly. What would it take to crack open Shen Wei’s heart?
He shook out the discarded robe and draped it over her shoulders. "It’s late. Get some rest."
The night was heavy as Li Yuanli turned and left.
Shen Wei bent to pick up the dagger and tossed it back into the drawer. She changed into sleeping robes and discarded the torn garment with its ripped sleeve.
Lying back on the bed, she contemplated her chances of escape—only to realize they were pitifully slim.
With a resigned sigh, Shen Wei closed her eyes.
She’d figure it out tomorrow. For now, sleep.
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The next morning.
Having torn Shen Wei’s clothes the night before, Li Yuanli sent her a brand-new dress as compensation.
The gown was made of Nanchu’s finest brocade, a soft blue like the sky after rain, shimmering faintly in the sunlight. When Shen Wei put it on, she found it fit her perfectly.
The dress was exquisite, but Shen Wei’s frail, weary face made even the most luxurious fabric seem like flowers adorning a stone—jarringly mismatched.
Moxun, stepping out in the morning, spotted Shen Wei’s new attire and remarked with a hint of envy, "That brat Li Yuanli never thinks to send his ancestors new clothes! Ah, well. Shen Wei, lend me yesterday’s dress."
Shen Wei replied, "It’s torn."
Moxun’s eyes widened.
"Torn?" She gaped at Shen Wei, then whispered, "Last night, I was sleeping downstairs and heard noises from the loft. Did you... sleep with him?"
Shen Wei shook her head. "No. Don’t overthink it."
Moxun patted her shoulder. "If you did, so what? Men can have three wives and four concubines—why can’t we have three husbands and four lovers? I support you."
Then, with a wistful sigh, she added, "Back when I was empress, I fancied quite a few pretty young men. If Zhang He'an hadn’t stopped me, I’d have had a harem by now."
They didn’t linger in the city for long. The carriage continued south.
Two days later, they reached the South Sea. In recent years, Li Yuanli had dispatched forces to eradicate pirates plaguing the waters, establishing a maritime bureau to oversee the transport of pearls and rubies. Gradually, life along the coast had improved, and peace had settled over the region.
They rested in a seaside villa.
The estate was vast, furnished with every luxury imaginable—its opulence rivaling that of a palace. Clearly, Li Yuanli had prepared this retreat long in advance.
The villa’s location was ideal. With a mere glance upward, one could see the towering stone statue of Guanyin.
A century of time had left the statue untouched. The benevolent Bodhisattva stood with closed eyes, her back to the endless expanse of blue sea.
In the courtyard, Shen Wei reclined in a wicker chair, admiring the majestic statue before turning to Moxun. "They say this was built by your imperial consort back in Nanchu?"
Moxun’s expression turned complicated.
Propping her chin on her hand, she reminisced. "Back then, I fought countless battles and bore the scars. By thirty, my body was failing. I’d made peace with death, but Zhang He'an refused to accept it. He commissioned this statue to pray for my health."
"Yet I still died. Ah, well."
Shen Wei asked, "If I die, will my soul return to the modern world? Or will I be trapped in an endless cycle here?"
Moxun shook her head, gazing at the towering figure. "The device was damaged. The neutrino technology was something only I could crack, and it was still incomplete. The energy is finite—death won’t trigger another cycle. Shen Wei, we can’t go back. Never."
Shen Wei’s heart sank.
That faint, secret hope scattered like dust in the sea breeze.
So it was true—there was no going back.
The wind tousled Shen Wei’s hair. She tucked the loose strands behind her ear and met Moxun’s curious gaze. "Aren’t you sad?" Moxun asked.
Shen Wei considered it. "A little."
But sadness solved nothing. There was no point mourning what was lost. She needed to focus on the future—on finding a way back to her original body.
She refused to live only half a year more.
Moxun exhaled heavily. "I wish I had your mindset. I miss home—my lab, my unfinished experiments, my cat. I had a cat named Snowball."
Waves crashed against the shore. The towering statue of Guanyin stood unwavering, the sea breeze whispering like fate’s quiet sigh.
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The South Sea was breathtakingly beautiful, and Shen Wei settled in for the time being. Li Yuanli accompanied her on leisurely strolls, feigning relaxation.
Shen Wei probed discreetly for information about the device, hoping to activate it and return to her original body.
But Li Yuanli was tight-lipped. He would give Shen Wei everything—except the one thing she truly wanted.
At nightfall, Shen Wei and Moxun grilled fish on the beach. Moonlight bathed the waves in silver, the shore pleasantly warm. The fire crackled, the aroma of roasting fish filling the air.
"Have you still not found the whereabouts of the instrument?" Moxun inquired.