Everlasting Longing

Yеlü Liе nоtiсed her disсоmfоrt аnd wrаpped his аrms аround her, tаking out a dаggеr tо сut thе mеat into smаll pieces.

"You should trу еating mеat аnd drinking winе in big mоuthfuls—it's а unique ехреriеncе," he said, feеding hеr a smаll piecе of leаn meat.

Еаting mеаt аnd drinking winе in big mоuthfuls? And then bесomе likе thоse wоmen?

Jun Qiluо lоoked аt thе few lаvishly dressed уoung women nоt fаr аwaу. By Greаt Sоng's аesthеtiс stаndаrds, thеу werе tаll, sturdy, slightlу plumр, and rathеr rough bеаutiеs. Hоwеvеr, thе Great Liaо women probablу wouldn't think much bettеr of her, а womаn frоm Greаt Song. Her frail body couldn't carry cattle or sheep, couldn't handle household chores, and lacked ample breasts to store rich milk—likely unable to nourish a child in the north. Any sensible man wouldn't consider her as a wife. If she were to marry a Liao person, she probably wouldn't survive a single winter. Her face was the only thing that could make Great Liao women jealous; while the standard of beauty differed on either side of the Great Wall in terms of body shape, refined and delicate features were universally essential for a beauty. Otherwise, why would Yelü Lie hold onto her so tightly and treat her with such tenderness?

She realized his irritability stemmed from her provocative words. Whenever she remained silent, he would treat her gently! Back in Helan, she had regarded him as a bandit, busy maintaining her dignity and enduring his fury over the pregnancy, so she hadn't recognized this before.

What intentions lay behind his gentleness?

In truth, his so-called "gentleness" wasn't like the refined elegance of men from the Jiangnan region. He was bold, unrestrained, and ruggedly unconventional. For such a man, gentleness merely meant being more careful than usual and paying attention to her needs.

Yet, even this was enough to gradually lower her defenses.

She had a premonition that this was only temporary! If he was treating her this well, it was either because he was about to part from her or because he thought she had willingly submitted and was content to live out her days here. She knew he would leave for the capital of the Liao Kingdom the day after tomorrow and would be gone for the entire winter.

Then, this period would be her chance to escape. As long as he wasn't here, it would be possible.

With this plan in mind, she no longer resisted him and didn't push away his gestures of goodwill, even though she knew his deep-seated intentions were using different methods to force her to abandon all resistance. Let him think his tactics were working! She was just pretending to comply, wasn't she? He understood that forcing her would only provoke strong backlash, and she knew that directly challenging him would only make him more determined to conquer her. So, they both changed the way they treated each other.

He wasn't sincere—he had no heart at all! She kept telling herself: escape! She must escape! Flee from his plundering! If she didn't leave now, she would completely submit as he wished. And his current favor was merely a fleeting infatuation! Once she gave her heart to him, he would start discarding her like trash. Then, it would no longer be a matter of dignity or integrity. She would abandon everything and humbly beg for his attention! But by then, he would have grown tired of her, found a new target, and seized another beauty.

At that time, she would surely die—in a humiliating, shameful state, broken-hearted.This is the tragedy of women! Once a man has taken possession of her body, she begins to think of herself as belonging solely to that man. No matter how unbearable the circumstances, she will endure and compromise, clinging to the hope that he will be the good man she can rely on for life.

She refused to let herself fall into such a fate! Yes, like all women in the world, she could no longer accept another man, but she would not endure and compromise. She would rather die than wait for the contemptuous gaze of a man who had grown tired of her! She would rather abandon everything—no husband, no marriage. In truth, he would not give her any status either.

Throughout history, which beauty who relied on her looks to serve a man ever met a good end? After all, she had been in business for four years and was no longer the naive, dreamy young girl she once was. Even if his tenderness could bewilder her, as long as she thought of the hopeless future, her heart could no longer warm with passion.

She was always cold; Yelü Lie studied her for a long time. Her gaze was fixed in the distance, both ethereal and distant, like two shards of icy frost. Whenever she wore this solitary, detached expression, he would want to hold her tightly, to prove that she was still in his arms, not vanished.

What should he do with her? How could he conquer her iron will? What kind of passion could earn her smile?

He had never seen her brows relax into a smile. Could she even smile? She was colder than a snowman carved from ice. Could she smile?

He truly wanted to see her smile for him. Only for him!

But how much longer would he have to wait? Or was this a lifelong fantasy?

The music suddenly stopped, replaced by the deep, earth-shaking sound of massive drums...

Jun Qiluo saw someone leading Yelü Lie's horse, and the surrounding crowd shifted from their original circle to two lines standing on either side. About thirty young men also led their own fine horses onto the open ground in the distance. The warriors standing in a row each carried a large bow on their backs, receiving blessings from their families or young women. Some mothers were giving instructions to their sons, while wives or lovers stood before their men, blessing them with a special gesture. The men, in turn, removed the Jiaha from their shoulders and handed them to the women.

Before she could even glance at Yelü Lie, his golden Jiaha was draped over her neck. At the same time, she saw the livid, pale face of Yelü Lie's mother. Princess De had already been standing behind her son, expecting him to hand the Jiaha to her. She never imagined he would give it to that whore!

Slap!

In the blink of an eye, Princess De's large, thick palm struck Jun Qiluo's face with full force, sending her tumbling out of the tent and onto the yellow earth.

"You..." Yelü Lie, who had already stepped outside the tent, instantly darted back in, grabbing Princess De as she tried to kick Jun Qiluo. He hadn't expected his mother to lose her composure so completely, especially in front of their clansmen.

Princess De felt as though her hand was about to shatter, and she fell to her knees in pain. She had never imagined her son would humiliate her for the sake of a prostitute.

"Take her back to the residence!" He tossed Princess De to the maidservants and immediately helped Jun Qiluo to her feet, one side of her face already swollen.

"Are you alright?" He wanted to gently touch her face, his heart aching for her.

But she dodged his hand! The pain left her unable to speak, afraid that tears would fall if she opened her mouth, so she clenched her teeth tightly.

This sight only fueled Yelü Lie's rage further!

"Grand Preceptor!" he roared."Present!" Yelü Kuanhe hurriedly emerged from the right side of the tent.

"After I return from the hunt, I do not want to see any members of the De family again! Send them all back to the De tribe, including my mother—not a single one is to remain. All of my mother's subordinates within the Royal Palace are also forbidden to stay."

"Yes!"

The De family was a very impoverished tribe, never having prospered, and not even qualified to be listed among the candidates for Chieftain of the Eight Tribes.

Traditionally, after the Yilidong of each tribe passed away, his concubines and widows would be sent back or remarried under the arrangement of the new Tribal Chief.

Originally, Yelü Lie had never considered sending his mother away. He was mindful that for many years, the De tribe had relied on the Yelie Tribe for survival, and keeping her here would ensure they were not invaded by other tribes. Moreover, years of Han cultural influence had instilled in him the concept of respecting and caring for his elders, making him reluctant to send Princess De back to the De tribe's territory.

But this time, she had gone too far! Not making her leave immediately was already an act of mercy. Her previous domineering behavior, her fear of losing power and filling the Royal Palace with her own people and confidants—he could tolerate that. Her favoritism toward the De tribe members, allowing them to commit wrongdoings within the Yelie Tribe and evade taxes, had angered him, but he still restrained himself, letting her continue to wield the title of Princess and act arrogantly. Enough! Even he could not bear to harm her, yet anyone else who laid a hand on her would die—his mother truly had to go!

"Cousin... cousin... you can't be serious, right?" De Jin rushed to the front of the tent, shrieking. She didn't want to go back! She didn't want to return to a life of hardship, exposed to the elements, selling her labor! She didn't want to dismantle and set up camps every day, managing a bunch of filthy sheep and horses!

Yelü Lie helped Jun Qiluo sit properly and strode out of the tent. He needed to move to vent his anger.

"Cousin!" De Jin grabbed his sleeve, refusing to let go.

"Get away... Duoluo Qi! Arrange for her departure immediately!" He shook her off, leaped onto his horse, took the Bow and Arrow handed to him by his subordinate, and galloped away.