Chapter 51

Qintian fidgeted in her borrowed finery. The silk cloth felt slippery on her skin. Even though she was wearing several layers of fabric, she felt naked without her customary armor. Tangyue had been insistent that she could not wear her amor underneath the dress.

"You'll never fool the guards that way" he had told her. "They will smell the leather." He regarded her with a worried expression. "I wish I was going with you" he said.

"So, come with me" Qintian replied with a shrug.

"I can't go to the Heavenly Realm!" exclaimed Tangyue in exasperation. "You know my parents have forbidden it."

"Well, then, I'm on my own" said Qintian matter-of-factly.

Then she asked him, "Do you think your Mother will notice this dress is missing? What if she comes to stop me?"

Tangyue replied, "No! She never wears this dress. She hates things that remind her of the Heavenly Realm." He handed her a length of gauzy white fabric.

"Ugh!" complained Qintian. "Another layer?"

"This is your veil" Tangyue told her impatiently. "Unless you want the guards to recognize you..."

Qintian slipped the veil over her head. "I can't see!" she whined.

"You only have to deal with it until you get him out of the gate" Tangyue tried to console her. "You can change clothes once you get out of the Heavenly Realm."

"Where can I put my whip" Qintian wondered. There weren't any pockets or a belt to speak of.

"Ohhhhhhh no!" Tangyue exclaimed. "The guards will definitely smell that. You are going to have to stash it with your armor."

"I have to go up there weaponless?" Qintian's jaw dropped.

Tangyue nodded emphatically.

Qintian did not like that idea. She was going into the heart of enemy territory, weaponless, practically blindfolded, and encumbered by an excessive amount of unfamiliar and useless clothing. Was Tangyue setting her up to fail? No, she decided he wouldn't do that. He was her oldest and dearest friend. This really must be the best way.

Tangyue bundled up her armor and bone whip and agreed to meet her at the Wangchuan River crossing. Qintian headed towards the Heavenly Realm's South Gate.

After she crossed through the gate, she stepped to the side, and took a moment to arrange the folds of her voluminous pink skirt. Then she adjusted her veil, waiting for a large group of people to come up the ladder of light. As they passed her, she slipped in to the tail end of their group, unnoticed.

She followed them circumspectly past the guards stationed at the gate, but soon the party headed in a direction that she did not wish to go. She waited until they passed another party going in the right direction to leave that group and attached herself to a new one. Eventually she made her way to Xuanji Palace.

The gates of the palace were open for the festivities, as people would be roaming in and out, hopping from party to party. The sun was setting on the horizon, and the lamps were just starting to be lit. The party hadn't really started yet.

Qintian hesitated outside the gate. She needed to wait until the festivities were at their peak before she could act. She wanted the cover of full darkness. Just then the woman she had seen in the Demon Realm emerged from the gate. Kuanglu? That's what Linyou had said her name was. She marched off in a hurry, evidently in a bad mood. Does she always look like that?

Qintian had decided to go invisible, but just before she enacted the spell that would do that, she was stopped by another person emerging from the gate.

"This way, my beauty!" called a man with two long tendrils of black hair framing his face. His topknot was crowned with a silver snake. He gestured gallantly towards her, motioning for her to come inside.

"Does he really mean me?" she wondered. She looked around, and didn't see another person that he could be talking to.

"Sir?" she asked. Her voice sounded muffled to her through the veil.

"All the pretty girls are invited to our place tonight!" The man said with a wink.

Qintian shrugged, this was going to be easier than she thought. She followed him inside. Tables and chairs were set up around the front garden, and servants wandered throughout making last minute adjustments.

"Come meet my Little Brother" said the man with the snake topknot.

He led her to a table in the corner. Seated there was Linyou! She looked at the snake topknot man again. This man must also be a Prince.

"Yanyou!" she heard Linyou say from the tble. "Who have you brought?"

"I found a beauty to decorate our party" said Yanyou slyly. He leaned in towards Linyou and said in a loud whisper, "and since I'm such a nice brother, I'm letting you have the first crack at her."

Linyou looked towards her in alarm, flushing. Yanyou laughed, walking away. Qintian almost laughed too, but caught herself in time, covering her mouth under the veil. Linyou must have thought that she was embarrassed, because he apologized for his brother's crudeness.

"I'm Linyou" he introduced himself, bowing.

"Qin..." she almost blew her cover! "Ummm, Qin Li" she said quietly, bowing in return.

Linyou looked at her oddly, like he was trying to pierce through her veil with his gaze. "Have we met before?" he asked her.

She shook her head no. He looked puzzled. Just then Yanyou came back holding a bottle of wine.

"Let's begin the New Year with a stiff drink!" he suggested.

He poured three cups of the wine, handing them around the table. He held his up in the air.

"Ganbei!" Yanyou exclaimed, and then downed the contents in one shot. Linyou followed suit.

Qintian maneuvered her cup under her veil, and then also downed her drink in one shot. Yanyou and Linyou both looked at her in amazement. Oops. The women here must not drink like that. She put her cup down on the table awkwardly. Linyou peered at her face.

"Are you sure we've never met before?" he asked her uncertainly.

"Oh ho ho, Linyou" Yanyou laughed. "That is the oldest line in the world!" he said mockingly. "Excuse me miss, but have we met before? I feel as if I know you" he exclaimed in a falsetto mimicry.

Linyou looked down, abashed. Qintian pouted. She didn't like seeing Linyou upset. She gestured at the door.

"Don't let me keep you from your other guests, Sir" she tried to excuse herself.

"Nonsense" replied Yanyou. "You stay here with my Little Brother." He got up and bowed to her. "I will go play host" he told Linyou. He walked away, leaving the bottle behind.

"My beauties!" she heard him exclaim at the door.

Qintian reached for the bottle and poured another round of drinks for Linyou and herself.

"Ganbei?" she offered Linyou his cup. He gave her a shy half-smile, taking his cup.

"Practice makes perfect" she heard him say under his breath, before swallowing his drink.

The festivities had reached a tumultuous level by the time the bottle was empty. This palace was apparently a popular destination. Many people came to greet Linyou. Qintian began to despair that she would not be able to get him alone.

When the fireworks started, she seized her chance. Everyone was looking up at the sky. "The Emperor has dragon fireworks over his palace this year!" she heard someone in the crowd exclaim. She tugged on Linyou's hand. He looked down at her, and she gestured with her head back towards the interior of the palace. He looked surprised, but he still followed her into an empty room.

She turned away to close the doors behind them, surreptitiously applying a lip paint from a small tube that had been hidden in her robe. She turned back around, leaning against the door. Linyou was looking at her with a puzzled expression, that turned to surprise when she launched herself at him. She clutched at him with all four limbs like a monkey, ripped off her veil, and planted a kiss on his lips. He pushed her off and she fell to the ground. She was on her feet again, like a cat, watching him warily. His face was angry. He moved towards her and then paused. He shook his head, trying to clear it. His expression became alarmed. He sank to his knees and then toppled over.

Qintian very carefully wiped the rest of the drugged paint off of her lips. She removed her shawl and unfolded it, opening one end. It was actually a large bag that she had folded to look like a shawl. She tied Linyou's wrists together, and then his ankles. She gagged his mouth with her veil. Then she stuffed him inside her sack. Lastly she grabbed the back of her skirt and tucked it between her legs, tying it in front of her. Now she had makeshift pants. She hefted Linyou onto her shoulder, and then cast the spell that would make them all invisible.

She hoped no one would notice the door opening and closing because they were all focused on the fireworks. She quickly made her way through the crowds to the gate, and jumped down into the ladder of light carrying her burden. Once on the other side of the gate she began to breathe a little easier. After reaching a safe distance, she teleported out in a streak of black smoke.

Tangyue met her at the Wangchuan River.

"Did you get him?" he asked her eagerly when he heard her footsteps.

She uncast the invisibility spell, and dropped her burden on the ground. "See for yourself" she replied.

Tangyue pulled the sack off of Linyou, and looked at him curiously. "Is that the Frog Spirit?" he asked, pointing to Linyou's topknot decoration.

"Yeah" said Qintian proudly. "Isn't he gorgeous?"

Tangyue looked at her with round eyes. "Uncle Runyu is going to lose his mind!" he exclaimed.

Qintian shrugged. "He won't come here" she said confidently.

Tangyue didn't look sure about that. "For this, he might!" he replied. "I have to tell Father. He'll know what to do" he muttered under his breath.

"No Tangyue! Don't tell your parents!" Qintian begged.

"You're going to start a WAR Qintian!" Tangyue protested.

"At least give me a head start" she bargained.

Tangyue looked like he was wrestling with himself. "Fine!" he shouted. "I'll give you 24 hours, but after that, I'm telling Father."

"Thanks Tangyue!" Qintian said. She finished changing into her familiar armor, and handed the silk dress back to Tangyue. Then she hefted Linyou onto her shoulder again and disappeared with a puff of black smoke.

She flew Linyou to a cave at the foot of Mount Chi Ren that only she knew about. She had prepped it in advance for this purpose. While Linyou was still unconscious, she removed the cloth ties she had put on his wrists and ankles. She brought him up to a sitting position, then attached his wrists to a pair of metal cuffs that were shackled to the wall.

Linyou started to regain consciousness, jerking his wrists against the chains, and then looked around in confusion when he couldn't move them. He saw Qintian kneeling in front of him, and his eyes grew wide in alarm.

"Qintian!" he tried to say around the gag.

"Shhhhh, it's okay Linyou" Qintian said in a soothing voice. "I'm not going to hurt you." He looked at her skeptically. "Really!" she exclaimed. "I've stolen you to make you my husband" she explained. The look in his eyes was one of extreme confusion.

Qintian leaned in, placing her hands on his chest. He flinched.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way" she said apologetically. "I wanted to woo you." Her hands traveled smoothly up to his shoulders, petting him. "I couldn't get in through the gates anymore" she pouted.

Her hands traveled back down his chest. She untied the sash that kept his robes closed, and peeled back the layers of clothing, exposing his bare chest. "You are so gorgeous" she told him, running her hands lightly over his bare skin.

She bit her bottom lip. She wanted to taste him.

She rose from a kneeling position, then straddled him, sitting down on his legs. She leaned forward and delicately kissed the hollow of his throat. Then she moved her lips over his neck, kissing and licking his skin, her hands massaging his chest. She heard his breathing hitch, and felt his heartbeat increase. She smiled to herself triumphantly.

Her hands strayed down to the drawstring of his pants. She ran her fingers along the inside of the waistband, feeling his stomach muscles clench at her touch.

Qintian looked back up to his face. She grabbed his head between both of her hands to force him to look at her.

"I think I've loved you since the first moment I laid eyes on you" she told him sincerely. "All those years ago, by the jasper pool in Kunlun." Linyou's eyes went round in shock. "I tried to find you again" she told him, "but I couldn't" she pouted. "Were you in the Heavenly Realm all this time?" she asked. Linyou shook his head no, a dazed look in his eyes.

Qintian skimmed her hands down his chest again. Linyou closed his eyes, his chest expanding with his breathing. Her right hand traveled even further down, to his waistband, her fingers insinuating themselves inside it, before her entire hand plunged down the front of his pants. He moaned, his voice distorted through the gag.

Her searching fingers closed down upon his hardening member, stroking it lightly at first, then more insistently. She ran her thumb over the tip, feeling a small drop of wetness, which she rolled around and around the tip of his now rock hard phallus. He gave a long moan of helpless anguish. She resumed the stroking, increasing the pace, keeping a firm pressure with her encircled fingers.

Linyou started to pant, his eyes closed tightly, his cheeks flushed to a delicious pink. She could feel his muscles bunching underneath her legs, as he twitched his pelvis upward, silently begging her to stroke faster. His member was so hard now it felt like it was bruising her hand. She increased the pace just a little bit more.

Linyou let out a cry through his gag, his whole body went rigid, and then shuddered, and her hand was soon covered in a hot mess of gelatinous liquid pumping out of his diminishing member. She waited for his breathing to slow before she carefully pulled her hand out of his pants. He opened his eyes again, and looked at her with a mixture of fear and wonder.

Qintian held his gaze, and then very deliberately brought her wet hand to the wall above his head. She used his sperm to mark the numeral 'one' on the wall.

"That's one" she whispered to him. "Let's count how many times it takes to make you love me" she proposed.

She then reached around behind his head and untied the gag, pulling it out of his mouth. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, reveling in the taste.

In the distance she suddenly heard booted feet running their way, and a clang of steel.

"No!" she exclaimed in dismay, "We've been found! Dammit Tangyue!"

She rose up to her feet as quick as a cat, grabbing her whip. All of the sudden her head felt very peculiar. She shook it, trying to clear her perception. Her knees buckled underneath her. She brought a hand to her lips in sudden understanding. The lip paint! There must have still been some left on Linyou.

She looked to him in concern, before her vision went black.