Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 948 - 923: Nightmare

Xie Jue looked deeply at that bouquet of flowers. He stood on higher ground, Fang Chuning below him, holding a bouquet in her hands. The sunlight cast a soft glow on the seemingly ordinary bouquet, like the gentleness in a person’s eyes.

"Why give it to me?"

"Flowers for a beauty, you deserve it." Fang Chuning didn’t really know where the impulse came from, but it felt like she had to give this bouquet to Xie Jue.

Xie Jue chuckled lightly, reaching out to take it, as if accepting the fiery affection of young Fang Chuning. They had once climbed a mountain in Ningzhou, where Fang Chuning had picked a bouquet to give him. But back then, Xie Jue hadn’t accepted Fang Chuning’s gift, nor his passionate feelings.

Fang Chuning’s amnesia seemed to make up for Xie Jue’s past regrets, many of Fang Chuning’s old regrets, Xie Jue had time to make up for. He was willing to hold onto him like this, and start over!

No matter how many times they had to start over, he was willing to accompany him!

Seeing him accept the flowers, Fang Chuning felt a burst of joy, his steps grew lighter. He also began to be curious about the past - what kind of history did he share with Xie Jue?

What had he done for Xie Jue to make him so devoted?

But Xie Jue rarely spoke of the past, he wanted Fang Chuning to remember on his own. Fang Chuning’s initial insistence on not establishing emotional ties before regaining his memory was wavering.

Every day tested his self-control and patience.

On the mountain top, the view was beautiful and wide open; Xie Jue could clearly see the myriad lights of Pingnan County. Fang Chuning found an open space, gathered some dry grass, and laid a blanket over it. If it didn’t rain and the weather was hot, spending the night like this wouldn’t be uncomfortable. They could also enjoy the moon and the stars.

The sun slowly set, and distant cooking smoke curled up into the sky. Fang Chuning and Xie Jue gathered some firewood, lit a fire, and sat around it for warmth. A simple stove was built over the fire, roasting a rabbit. This was a wild rabbit Fang Chuning had caught before descending the mountain. The roasted rabbit emitted a mouth-watering aroma. Despite his memory loss, he hadn’t forgotten his survival skills. Xie Jue never went hungry in the wild when he was with Fang Chuning.

Once the rabbit was cooked, Fang Chuning used the Longsword to cut the juiciest legs and breast meat for Xie Jue, while he ate the scraps. Xie Jue couldn’t stand seeing this and pushed a rabbit leg back to him, "I’m not a lady, you don’t need to look after me in such meticulous detail."

"Your Highness, you’re much more demanding than a lady, hasn’t anyone told you that?"

"No!" Xie Jue replied confidently, who would dare to say he was demanding? Shadow Guards weren’t asking for trouble.

"Then the people around you are too used to you."

Xie Jue smiled, offering no further explanation.

At night, the two lay side by side on the mountain top, stargazing and enjoying the moon, feeling a different kind of romance. Fang Chuning rested his hands behind his head, humming a tune, and noticed that Xie Jue had fallen asleep. The summer mountain breeze was still warm; Xie Jue lay under a thin blanket, breathing lightly. Fang Chuning thought to himself, sleep well, I’ll watch over you.

After a day of travel, Xie Jue and Fang Chuning were also tired. Fang Chuning was actually quite sleepy, but in the wild mountaintop, he dared not fall deeply asleep. He feared both beast attacks and being pursued by officials. He had to stay alert; his body hadn’t fully healed, and his belongings were still at the inn in Pingnan County. Xie Jue didn’t force those bitter medicines on him anymore, and Fang Chuning found that he wasn’t quite used to it. In hindsight, the medicine wasn’t that bad.

Deep in the night, as he dozed off, he was suddenly awakened by Xie Jue’s voice. Fang Chuning vaguely thought Xie Jue was calling him. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he heard Xie Jue speaking in his sleep. Fang Chuning wondered if Xie Jue was talking in his sleep, but as he listened closely, it seemed unusual.

The moonlight was gentle as water, casting over Xie Jue, making his skin appear snow-white. A thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead. The expression on Xie Jue’s face was anxious, trapped in a nightmare, repeatedly murmuring, "Anning, run, Anning, run..."

His hands clutched his chest tightly, sweat pouring down, his voice growing increasingly urgent, and his tone filled with panic and fear, no one knew what he was dreaming about.

Fang Chuning recalled hearing somewhere that it’s harmful to roughly wake someone trapped in a nightmare, lest it harm their spirit. Heart aching for Xie Jue, he softly called his name.

"Xie Tingfeng, it’s not real, it’s just a dream, wake up, I’m right here, you’re safe." Fang Chuning spoke gently.

"Anning, run, Anning..."

In Xie Jue’s dream, fire raged, tongues of flame licking everything in its path, Suns Palace collapsing amidst the flames. Xie Jue saw Fang Chuning trapped in the fire, struggling. Desperately, he ran towards Fang Chuning, reaching out to pull him out of the inferno.

He could vividly feel the burning on his robes but strangely couldn’t move. The more he tried to save Fang Chuning, the more helpless he became. Furious and desperate, he watched the flames devour Fang Chuning, his expression turning wild.

"Anning..." Xie Jue cried out hoarsely, "Don’t leave me, Anning..."

He saw Fang Chuning, through the firelight, say goodbye to him, saying, "Tingfeng, I’m leaving. From now on I won’t force you to make choices. You chose power and wealth, chose Xie Xun, and gave up on me. I don’t blame you. You must live well, in the next life, I want to meet you again."

"No!" Xie Jue screamed frantically, the flames consuming Fang Chuning. Suns Palace in infernal ruins, there was no trace of Fang Chuning anymore. Xie Jue threw himself to the edge of the fire-ravaged area as if someone held him tightly by the waist, pulling him back. Xie Jue smelled a familiar medicinal scent, and heard birds chirping in the mountains.

Why would there be birds singing in Suns Palace? In his chaotic pain, Xie Jue found a brief moment of clarity. Once he regained consciousness, he realized he was being held tightly in Fang Chuning’s arms.

It should be said that he was the one clutching Fang Chuning, unwilling to let go. The horrors, the agony of the dream, vanished in an instant but remained deeply etched in memory.

Turns out, it was just a dream.

Anning was not dead; he was alive, right beside him.

Anning!

Instinctively, he held onto Fang Chuning, refused to let go, not knowing what nonsense he had muttered in his sleep. Fang Chuning only gently stroked his back, comforting him with warmth. In his embrace, Xie Jue found his most solid solace, able to let down all his guards.

"Tingfeng, you had a nightmare."

Only when Xie Jue’s breathing stabilized, no longer filled with fear, did Fang Chuning speak, soothing the still-scared Xie Jue. He had heard Xie Jue repeatedly calling his name, telling him not to go, pleading not to leave him. Even in his dream, he was so uneasy and scared; he had a nightmare.

Was it the fire in Sannan that he dreamt of?

Xie Jue never spoke of it, nor did Fang Chuning ask. He only heard rumors about that fire. Feigning death for several months, for Xie Jue, it was a real... nightmare.