Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Kiss That Collided Into Existence

Page 1/3

Understanding the upheaval at the General’s Mansion, the young leader suddenly changed his demeanor.

Kaiming lingered hesitantly as she stepped out of the mansion gate; no sooner had she set foot outside than the heavy doors slammed shut behind her with a clang. She stared at the firmly closed gates, stunned and unable to comprehend the situation. What was going on? It wasn’t even nightfall—why were the doors closed to visitors already?

What was Dayin up to?

As dusk approached, her thoughts drifted to the gold she had hidden beneath the floorboards. The mere thought of the gold brought to mind the chameleon-like Prince Beigong and his vivid, smiling face: “Remember to come early tonight.” A chill ran through her body; she nearly forgot she still had to deal with this dangerous man.

She quickly needed a plan to drive this chameleon away. Summoning a carriage at the gate, she half-lay inside, bouncing gently as she pondered her next move.

Upon reaching her courtyard, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open. As always, it was unlocked and opened with a simple push. She quickly closed the door behind her and tiptoed toward the inner chamber, peering through the crack in the door.

“Whoosh!” The door was flung open, and Huo, with his flaxen hair, stood at the entrance, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Commander, won’t you come in?”

She froze, hands still poised in a spying gesture, then hastily withdrew them and smiled awkwardly. “Prince, you’ve been here for quite a while! Cough, cough, yes, very early indeed.”

Huo smiled back. “You’re punctual today, Commander. Just in time—my medicine is ready. Would you like to try it?”

“Medicine?” At the thought of his concoctions, images of crawling insects filled her mind, twisting her stomach. She replied evasively, “Yes, yes, by the way, where’s the camp today?” Her eyes shifted left and right inside the room.

“The camp is at the post station today. We’ve been coming and going all day; sometimes we have to put on a show for the guards,” Huo explained, glancing at her. “Won’t you come in?”

“Yes, yes, come in,” she echoed quickly, feeling uneasy for some inexplicable reason. The absence of the camp only added to the awkwardness of facing Huo.

Inside, she sat properly on the floor, her eyes scanning the floorboards, searching for the exact spot where her gold was hidden. Her mind wandered to grand plans for the money once she had it.

“Commander… Commander…” Huo called several times before she snapped back to reality.

He looked at her curiously. “Commander, what’s wrong? Preoccupied with something?”

“No, no!” she waved her hands quickly, forcing a forced smile. “Training has been tough, so I got distracted.”

Huo studied her. She hurriedly changed the subject. “Where’s the antidote? Bring it to me quickly!”

Delicate fingers pushed a cup of pale green liquid toward her. Huo softly urged, “Commander, drink this calming tea first.”

Her mind still foggy, she raised the cup and took a large sip. Suddenly, a thought struck her. She fixed Huo with a steady gaze. “Is this really calming tea?”

Huo smiled gently, his light blue eyes curving beautifully as he revealed a hint of teeth. “Of course not.”

Kaiming’s hand trembled, the cup slipping and soaking a large patch of her clothing. Embarrassed and angry, she scolded, “You! Why do you always do this?”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Huo said as he took the cup off her dress and placed it aside with a smile. “You’ll need it later when you take the antidote.”

She glared at him, completely speechless.

Huo raised an eyebrow and suddenly asked, “Commander Kaiming, what kind of person do you think I am?”

Without hesitation, she replied, “A chameleon and a liar.”

Huo laughed heartily, shaking with mirth. “So that’s how you see me. But may I ask, what exactly is a chameleon?”

“A chameleon,” she said, eyeing his head and pupils mockingly, “is an insect that changes colors.”

Huo stroked his long tail and smiled slightly. “So, in your heart, I’m just that kind of color-changing insect?”

“More or less,” she said impatiently. “Stop wasting time and give me the antidote already!”

“No rush,” Huo waved his hand dismissively. “Wait for half an hour first.”

Her eyes widened. “Why wait?”

Huo’s lips curled into a faint smile. “I forgot to tell you, I didn’t actually place the insect curse on you this morning…” She gasped, eyes even wider. “But the one you just drank was the real insect curse.”

Before he finished, she cursed him fiercely and rushed to a corner, desperately trying to dig it out from her mouth.

Huo sighed. “Commander, after all the times you’ve taken the curse, don’t you understand? Unless your stomach is cut open, there’s no way to get it out.”

Page 2/3

She was too angry to respond and grabbed the nearest light object from the corner, throwing it at him. “You bastard! You always trick me!”

“Ouch!” Huo clutched his forehead. “That hurts!”

She ignored him, sulking as she sat in the corner, turning her head away.

Huo, fishing for conversation, asked, “Commander, are you from the central palace?”

“Obviously!” she snapped.

“Are all women from the central palace as approachable as you?”

Approachable? He knew flattery. Kaiming felt a slight easing of her frustration at his compliment.

“Actually, you’re a good person,” Huo said with a sigh. “But you just happened to meet someone like me…”

Huh? She was puzzled and looked at him.

A cold smile hovered on Huo’s lips. “Someone like a chameleon.”

She was slightly stunned. His expression turned odd and his tone icy. Did he object to being called a chameleon?

Suddenly, Huo’s smile vanished, and he spoke calmly. “It’s starting.”

No sooner had he said this than Kaiming felt a strange sensation in her body. Her abdomen burned as if on fire, her veins swelling outward as if about to burst through her skin, ready to erupt.

She involuntarily screamed out, clutching her belly, drenched in sweat. Why did meeting this man always mean enduring such pain and torment? Had she owed him something in a past life?

“Aaah!” She collapsed on the floor, unable to stand.

Huo anxiously observed her, gently touching her shoulder. “Commander, how are you feeling?”

“How am I feeling?!” She glared fiercely at him. “I’m dying! Happy now?”

Ignoring her sarcasm, Huo pressed on. “Does it feel like your whole body is on fire? Like your blood vessels are about to explode?”

“Why do you even ask if you know?”

“Strange. I already reduced the dosage, yet the reaction is still so strong.” Huo muttered to himself, then grabbed a box of multicolored pills from the table. He pushed a red pill into her mouth first. “Try this.”

Another experiment! She glared at him hatefully but had no choice but to swallow.

“Any relief?”

“No! Damn it! My stomach feels like it’s rotting!”

“No, it won’t rot for at least half an hour.”

“What did you say?!”

“Oh, nothing. Take this blue one.”

“You useless half-baked fool! Damn you, damn you!”

“Stop cursing; save your energy.”

“Yellow one.”

“Purple one.”

“…”

“What kind of pills are these? I’m getting hotter!”

“It will be fine soon.”

Page 3/3

Suddenly, her burning hand grasped Huo’s cold fingers, causing him to shiver slightly.

“What is this?”

“My… hand…” he said with difficulty.

“It’s cool.” Without a word, Kaiming pressed the back of his hand to her face. Huo’s fingers trembled as if her heat had transferred to him. His pale cheeks flushed pink.

“Let go of my hand!” He tried to pull away fiercely. “This is outrageous!” As he struggled, she suddenly lunged forward and clung to him, just like before.

Huo was both shocked and embarrassed. In her tight embrace, not only his face but his entire body blushed as red as a boiled shrimp.

“Kaiming!” He tried to pull her away, but she hugged him tighter, dazedly murmuring, “Ice pillow, ice pillow, ah, ah!”

“I’m not an ice pillow!” Huo’s voice was hoarse. She rubbed against him, and he dared not move.

Their pounding hearts seemed to beat through centuries.

“Kaiming? Commander Kaiming?”

“Mm.”

“Are you feeling better?” Huo hesitated before reaching out to touch her. He sighed with relief. “Looks like it’s working; you’re not as hot anymore.”

“Yeah…” she mumbled, still curled in his arms. “Half awake… the other half still foggy.”

“Oh?” He leaned over her gently. “Can you… let go first?”

She looked up at him, dazed. In that moment, their lips accidentally met.

Huo’s face instantly changed, eyes wide with horror as if he’d seen a ghost.

Kaiming’s mind drifted far away, unaware of what had happened, her red eyes staring blankly at him as she murmured, “So cold…”

Huo shook her off forcefully. She collapsed with a thud onto the floor, pain bringing her fully back to reality. “Ow! That hurt like hell!”

“What are you doing?” She sat up angrily, glaring at him. “If you can’t kill me with the curse, do you want to kill me by throwing me down?”

Huo scowled, pursing his lips. “Didn’t you just do this yourself? Forgotten already?”

“What?” She scratched her head. Seeing his serious face, she thought carefully. “I think I hugged something cold…”

Huo’s face darkened. “Is that all?”

“Anything else?” She glanced at him. His cheeks flushed as he looked away.

Kaiming studied him closely, unable to imagine what other terrible thing she might have done to make Huo so awkward. “Huo,” she muttered sullenly.

Huo glanced at her but said nothing.

“You’re too skinny.” Her words startled him almost into choking.

“But you don’t need to worry about that.” She looked at him earnestly. “Isn’t it popular these days—those delicate, pretty boys? Women adore your slender type! You don’t have to be self-conscious about your figure!”

Huo stared at her, half laughing, half crying. “Do you even know what you’re saying?” She thought she was self-conscious about her body?

(To be continued. For the next chapters and more, please support the author and the site.)