LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS 168 It's Not Your Faul

He forcefully hugged her tightly close to his heart and she tried to struggle out of his grasp punching and pinching him. She was like a wounded animal attacking everyone not understanding that they are here to help it but he only held her closer. He cannot let her suffer... not for a stupid reason like this.

"Xing....", he spoke softly in her ears, "My lovely Xing... My moon... ", he continued as his voice sweet and mellow and refres.h.i.+ng as a gentle breeze. He just repeated her name in her ears as her hostility reduced bit by bit, " Xing, I love you... Only you!", he kissed her cheek that was wet with all her tears.

As she calmed down, he wiped her face with his sleeves and kissed her forehead.

Both of them stayed quiet for a while when Shengli's voice broke her trance ,

"Xing answer me this... If the situation had reversed and I got hurt somehow and became impotent, would you leave me? Or would you marry me for namesake and go and have children with another man? I know how much you love kids" he asked holding her cheeks in his hands softly. He didn't want to talk to her this way but he didn't know how else he could explain his stance to her. Even though she stopped crying, her sobs haven't subsided yet and he wanted to clear everything once and for all.

Xing's eyes that were puffed up with all her crying, widened and she didn't know how he could say such things to her and her entire body cringed.

Leave him because of an accident? Have another man's child?

Shengli felt her body stiffening up and rubbed her back to calm her, "Why? Because I'm a man and you are a woman? So we have different rules or something? Why Xing?", he asked and seeing her tearing up again, he held her close to his heart and Xing could hear his rhythmic, strong heartbeat as he spoke his heart,

"Xing, I've never known family. I knew a little about mother's love because of your mother but I never had a father. I don't even know what a father is till now. I see your father going to extremes for you and Rijun and may be that's who a father is.. But I never had such person in my life. Said that, I was never confident being a father myself and I was not keen on becoming one too", he looked her in the eyes,

"But I don't know when that changed because I felt everything would be fine if you were the mother of my children. Having children just like you won't be bad, right? And you have a lot of people around you who'd help us raising children too. But....", he pecked slightly in her lips,

" It is fine this way too, right? We can be together with no one disturbing us. You for me and I for you... Together till we age... And get this.. ", his eyes perked up with his expression turning sinister and he gently rubbed her shoulders,

" If you really want children, let's steal some... My brother's children or your brother's or Haru's... Or any child you want...! You know what?", he patted the surprised Xing's back, " Didn't you want daughters? Let's steal a girl baby from each one of them! I can do that...It would be a little hard to steal a Princess... But I can! I swear! ", he crossed his heart.

Xing saw Shengli with his chest proudly sticking out and his eyes s.h.i.+ning and could not hold her laughter.

He is not kidding... And he is proud about it..?

" Are you serious? Stealing children? ", Xing laughed and there was still snot coming out of her nose which she was rubbing in her sleeves. Shengli saw her laughing like a little child and felt relieved.

"I am and I will", he replied patting her head. If she wants children to raise, he can bring her children . It doesn't necessarily have to be her kids, right?

"It's called adopting... Silly!", she hit his arms laughing and he just smirked back. It's not adopting if the parents didn't permit, right?

"And Xing, it is not your fault...", his words made Xing's smile freeze and he gently rubbed her ears and spoke in a gentle tone, "I should have protected you well. And who knows why the G.o.ds allowed this to happen to you? Maybe they thought that you must not have my children...", he paused.

"What?", Xing was confused.

" I was supposed to die when I was twelve right? And you had decided to have only my kids contrary to their expectations. So that's why maybe they let you suffer for that. 'You are not choosing the one we want so we won't allow you to have children with the one you want to'... They do have the power to do that! "

Xing looked at Shengli and she couldn't refuse his speculation. It is entirely possible with those G.o.ds who want everything to be done their way.

But joke's on them as they cannot separate them for his reason. And thinking about their fate made Xing remember her decision to stay in the palace and she leaned on Shengli's firm chest as he gently patted her back.

"About that.. Our fate ..."

" Was it bad?"

" It was the worst... Filled with wars and betrayals...My family ended the day I was born and there won't be Zhong family by this time and your brother..."

"He told me..."

""There is another thing about your brother", Xing got out from his embrace and sat up straight. Shengli realised she wants to tell him something important and he sat straight and focused on her.

"Till now, they wanted your brother to be the Emperor because you were the one who was supposed to be dead. But now, since they need me and when I got trapped in the Netherworld, you were the one who brought me back and so.."

Before she finished, Shengli interjected,

" Now, I've proven my worth to them and my brother has become someone expendable "

Xing drooped her eyes as she knew for it to be the truth, sadly. Shengli felt his heart go to mush hearing that too. His brother is the only blood related family he has left.

Shengli knew the G.o.ds hated him previously for distracting Xing from her said 'fate'. But she had not let him go and proved herself to be able to handle her fate and her love for him at the same time. Since they are bound together by the G.o.d of Marriage and he is of Lu Blood, the G.o.ds won't need his brother anymore.

How exasperating!