His Heart Was Beating Too
The man holding her smelled of wine and sandalwood.
It was as though some invisible rule had finally been broken.
In an instant, the clouds cleared from the sky.
Mu Wan remained against his chest beneath the clear moonlight.
A few strands of hair stirred beside her ear.
Then she heard it.
A steady, powerful heartbeat.
It struck against her eardrums.
And the heartbeat she heard was not hers alone.
She had heard what Liu Qianxiu had just said.
Mu Wan raised her face.
Her eyes were bright and misty.
Her cheeks flushed from the wine.
Her red lips slightly parted.
“Liu Qianxiu…”
Her voice trembled.
“Mm.”
His answer was quiet.
Perhaps everything was going far too smoothly.
Mu Wan’s thoughts had become hazy.
His voice still echoed beside her ears, and suddenly none of this seemed entirely real.
She remained motionless.
Liu Qianxiu took her hand.
Then placed it against his chest.
His heart beat beneath her palm.
Mu Wan’s throat went dry.
Liu Qianxiu held her hand there.
It was almost as though he were placing the Dao he had guarded within his heart directly into her grasp.
Something shifted across Mu Wan’s face.
Little by little, understanding entered her eyes.
Qingyuan Temple was silent.
Only the occasional chirping of insects disturbed the night.
Yet between the two of them, nothing was quiet anymore.
“Junior Brother.”
A sweet child’s voice, heavy with sleepy grievance, shattered the charged stillness beneath the moon.
Time, which had seemed suspended, suddenly rushed forward again.
Mu Wan froze.
Every trace of heat in her body surged into her face.
She pressed one hand against Liu Qianxiu’s chest and tried to get up.
The arm around her waist tightened slightly.
Her waist went soft.
Mu Wan dropped back against him.
Her burning cheek landed against his chest.
Liu Qianxiu placed one hand on the back of her head and held her there.
“What happened?”
He looked up.
The woman in his arms had stopped struggling.
Only her warm breath remained against him.
“I had a nightmare.”
Qingchan stood at the wooden entrance to the main hall, one small hand holding the doorframe.
His eyes drooped sleepily.
“Junior Brother, can you sleep with me?”
Qingchan was only seven.
No matter how composed he usually appeared, he was still a child.
Afraid of the dark.
Afraid of nightmares.
He might understand countless teachings during the day, but at night he still wanted his master beside him.
And when his master was away, he wanted his junior brother.
“All right,” Liu Qianxiu said.
He did not move immediately.
The woman in his arms did.
Mu Wan caught the edge of his robe and clenched it tightly between both hands.
Qingchan remained at the doorway waiting.
As he gradually woke up, the scene inside the main hall became clearer.
His junior brother was sitting upright.
Sister Mu Wan was curled against his chest.
Their bodies were very close.
Her narrow shoulders trembled faintly.
Long fingers clutched Liu Qianxiu’s robe.
Her small face was buried against him.
Only one delicate ear could be seen beneath her thick black hair.
It was red enough to bleed.
“What’s wrong with Sister?” Qingchan asked curiously.
At the question, Mu Wan’s ear seemed to turn even redder.
The woman in Liu Qianxiu’s arms was burning hot.
Even through their thin clothing, he could feel the heat of her body.
Something shifted faintly in his eyes.
He lowered his gaze toward her.
“She drank some wine and doesn’t feel well.”
His voice remained calm.
“So she’s being a little clingy.”
“Oh.”
Qingchan nodded, only half understanding.
Mu Wan felt as though her face might explode.
Her palms had grown damp.
Liu Qianxiu drew a slow breath.
His hand moved gently over the back of her head.
Like fingers brushing across duckweed on a still lake, leaving behind soft, silent ripples.
Then he lowered his head.
His lips stopped beside her ear.
His body still carried its usual coolness.
But the words he spoke were hot enough to burn.
“I’ll get him back to sleep first.”
His voice was low.
“When I come back, we’ll finish talking.”
His fingers stroked her hair twice more.
The strands slipped smoothly between them.
Then Liu Qianxiu carefully leaned her against the low table and stood.
“Come on.”
He reached out and took Qingchan’s hand.
From beginning to end, Mu Wan never lifted her head.
She buried her face against her folded arms.
Her cheeks were burning.
She no longer knew whether it was from the alcohol or embarrassment.
But she had to stay awake.
Liu Qianxiu had said they would finish talking.
Tonight, he had to explain himself properly.
What feelings did he have?
What desire?
And who were they for?
Beneath the dim temple light, Mu Wan’s slender figure curled over the table.
She looked like some little spirit who had only just discovered matters of the heart.
Flustered.
Inexperienced.
Yet secretly smiling.
Qingchan had woken from a nightmare.
After getting up and talking to Liu Qianxiu for a while, he became more alert.
Falling asleep again was not so easy.
It took Liu Qianxiu some time to settle him.
Only after Qingchan finally slept did he quietly close the door and return to the main hall.
The fragrance of bayberry wine had not yet dispersed.
Mu Wan lay sprawled over the low table.
Her face was turned to one side.
Her eyes were closed.
Her breathing was even.
She had fallen asleep.
Xuanqingzi drank year-round, so the wine he brewed was always strong.
Even one cup had left Liu Qianxiu warm.
Mu Wan had drunk three.
Cool night wind moved through the mountain temple.
Liu Qianxiu stood in the main hall and looked toward the three divine statues at its center.
He drew a slow breath.
Then he walked over and lifted Mu Wan into his arms.
She was slender and light.
Almost weightless, like a white feather.
Yet it was this feather that had stirred the heart he had buried beneath the dust of the mortal world.
He moved as carefully as possible.
Mu Wan slept so deeply that even when he placed her on the bed, she did not open her eyes.
The room was dark.
Only a little light from the main hall entered through the window, giving the room a faint outline.
Liu Qianxiu stood beside the bed.
He looked down at her pale, beautiful face.
His throat moved slightly.
After a long moment, he pulled the thin blanket over her.
Then he turned and left.
The bayberry wine had indeed been stronger than Mu Wan expected.
She had tried desperately to remain conscious.
In the end, the alcohol won.
Her mind was drunk.
But her obsession remained awake.
Even in her dreams, she kept clutching Liu Qianxiu’s clothes and demanding to know what his final words meant.
The Liu Qianxiu in her dream refused to answer.
Mu Wan became so frustrated that she woke herself up.
— To be continued in Part 2 —
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How can i read chapter 32 its locked and only a password shows up nothing else
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