She could clearly feel that the patch of skin on the back of her hand where he had brushed it was still burning hot. That electric, tingling sensation traveled up her arm and spread all the way to the depths of her heart.
They sat for a little longer. In truth, Yue Buqun merely exchanged a few more pleasantries before finally rising to take his leave.
Ning Zhongze stood as well. She tried to calm herself, but still didn't dare look Lin Xuan directly in the eye.
When they reached the door, she couldn't help herself. Gathering her courage, she glanced quickly up at Lin Xuan.
"Young Master Lin," she said, her voice carrying a faint tremble, "Mount Hua is a long way from here. If you have some free time, perhaps one day... one day you might visit Mount Hua. My husband and I would be delighted to... welcome you and treat you well."
To Yue Buqun, her words sounded like the most ordinary courtesy.
But to Lin Xuan and Ning Zhongze, they carried another meaning entirely.
It was an invitation—a sincere, private invitation from the lady of the house, filled with anticipation.
A trace of amusement flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. He gave Ning Zhongze a solemn nod.
"Heroine Ning, I'll remember your kind invitation." His gaze lingered for a moment on her alluring red lips, which seemed almost to glisten. "If the opportunity arises, I'll be sure to visit and impose on you. I hope you won't mind the trouble then, Heroine Ning."
Ning Zhongze's heart gave another wild thump. She knew he had understood—and that he had accepted her invitation.
She didn't dare say anything more. Lowering her head, she almost fled after her husband, hurrying out of the study.
Lin Xuan stood at the doorway, watching the couple disappear at the end of the corridor.
He lifted the cup of tea, still faintly warm, and held it beneath his nose.
Along with the scent of tea, the air seemed to retain a trace of the intoxicating fragrance unique to the Huashan Jade Maiden.
Author's Note:
The next volume begins in a day or two. Lin Xuan will leave Xiangyang and start roaming the martial world. Feel free to discuss any ideas you have about the plot or characters.
Luo Bing's Affection: She Falls into His Arms
The battle outside Xiangyang City, a thrilling campaign that had wiped out the enemy, ended in a resounding victory. The Mongolian Wolf Riders were routed, and the reinforcements from the Central Plains Martial Arts World had played a vital role.
With the fighting over, the heroes from all quarters took their leave and began their journeys home. The Beggar Sect's leader, Huang Rong, and the great hero Guo Jing naturally stayed behind in Xiangyang to oversee its defenses and reconstruction.
Among the many wandering heroes who departed, however, one chose to stay: the spirited and dashing Luo Bing.
She was strikingly beautiful, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, and a lively gaze. Heroic spirit shone between her brows, making her a woman who could stand shoulder to shoulder with any man, yet she still had all the charm and sweetness of a young woman. Years of martial arts training had given her a healthy, vibrant beauty. Her skin was snow-white, firm, and lustrous, as if brimming with life.
She was the Red Flower Society's eleventh chief, a formidable martial artist with a forthright temperament, renowned throughout the martial world for her pair of Mandarin Duck Blades. By all rights, the battle was over, and she should have returned to the northwest at once.
Yet she had developed a keen interest in the defenses of the mighty city of Xiangyang. She hoped to stay a few more days to observe and learn, so she could put that knowledge to use in the future.
Huang Rong was busy with internal affairs, so the task of receiving Luo Bing fell to Lin Xuan.
"Since Heroine Luo is so eager to learn, I'll gladly share everything I know," Lin Xuan replied with a smile.
Over the next few days, Lin Xuan didn't treat Luo Bing like an ordinary guest. Every day, he invited her to join him as he inspected the city defenses and handled military and political affairs. Luo Bing saw firsthand how he could shift seamlessly from a strategist directing a campaign to a leader who cared deeply for the people.
Luo Bing was a woman who could hold her own against any man, and she admired precisely this sort of heroic, upright spirit. Compared with the other equally valiant brothers in the Red Flower Society, Lin Xuan had a greater reserve of shrewdness and an unfathomable depth of wisdom.
When handling military affairs, he was never hurried or flustered. He was methodical, and even when faced with the unexpected, he responded calmly, as if everything were already in the palm of his hand.
When dealing with the people's livelihoods, he never put on airs. He listened patiently to their troubles, and his proposed solutions always got to the heart of the matter, earning their sincere approval.
Over the past few days, she had found herself unable to stop looking at him. His every move, the slight furrow of his brow when deep in thought, and the faint smile at the corner of his mouth after solving a problem—all of it held an indescribable fascination for her.
It was unlike the respect she felt for her brothers, and unlike her love for her husband. It was a new, complicated feeling that left her curious. She was usually frank and easygoing, yet when she was around Lin Xuan, she would occasionally feel a hint of awkwardness.
That day, Lin Xuan had just finished handling a batch of military affairs.
The surge of excitement in Luo Bing's heart could no longer be contained.
She walked up to Lin Xuan, her eyes glinting with eagerness, like a dragon poised beneath the water. A healthy blush colored her pretty face, giving her the spirited look unique to a woman who had trained in martial arts for years.
She wore a neat, close-fitting outfit. The dark green fabric hugged her tall, powerful frame. Though she made no effort to show off, she still had a strong, athletic beauty that drew the eye. Her outfit outlined her lean waist and shapely hips, every inch of her figure brimming with pent-up strength.
"Young Master Lin," she said, cupping her fists. Her voice carried its usual crispness and unrestrained boldness. "I've watched you direct troops these past few days, and I'm impressed beyond words. But watching without practicing has left me itching for a fight. Would you be willing to spar with me?"
A trace of amusement flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes.
"How could I refuse such a gracious invitation from Heroine Luo? It would be a great opportunity for me to learn from a master of the blades like you." His tone was calm, though touched with just the right amount of praise. "Please, follow me to the training ground on the hill behind the city."
The training ground behind Xiangyang was quiet and deserted. The evening sun bathed the earth in its final rays, tinting the grounds gold and red.
Luo Bing loosened the ribbon that tied back her hair, then drew her pair of unique Mandarin Duck Blades. The light glinted off them, sending out two chilling flashes.
She moved with nimble grace, not at all frail as women were often thought to be, but as explosively powerful as a leopard. Every time she dodged or darted forward, her firm, supple body moved with fluid precision.
Beneath her fitted clothes, her muscles were sleek and powerful, yet not in the least coarse. Instead, they gave her a distinctive feminine athleticism. Her long legs looked straight and strong beneath her trousers, and each time she pushed off the ground, they unleashed an astonishing burst of power.
The pair of Mandarin Duck Blades swept through her hands in broad, forceful arcs, like two silver dragons surging from the sea or two fierce bolts of thunder crashing down.
Her blade work was powerful, her inner energy refined. Every strike carried the force to split mountains and shatter stone, as though it would tear the very air apart. Her footwork was steady yet nimble, stirring gusts of wind as she advanced and retreated.
Lin Xuan faced her sweeping blades unarmed, his expression calm and unruffled. His movements were as light as wind, his footwork ghostly. He slipped through the flashes of steel like a leaf drifting on the breeze, or a wavering phantom.
He didn't meet the blades head-on. Instead, he used skill to overcome strength and softness to counter hardness. Whenever the blades closed in, he avoided their edges by a hair's breadth, slipping away at the last possible instant with effortless ease.
Luo Bing attacked in an unrelenting rush, each blow narrowly brushing past Lin Xuan's clothes, yet never touching him.
The longer she fought, the more astonished she became. Among the masters she had faced, there had been no shortage of nimble fighters with deep reserves of inner energy. Yet no one had ever evaded her Mandarin Duck Blades so easily and effortlessly. Lin Xuan seemed able to predict the path of her strikes, always finding his next escape route before she even made her move.
"Fine footwork!" Luo Bing exclaimed, her fighting spirit burning brighter. She clenched her teeth and pushed her inner energy to its peak. The air around her seemed to ripple under the force of it. She turned her wrists and unleashed her ultimate technique, "Doves Flying Together."
Her twin blades became two streaks of light, one left and one right, one yin and one yang. Like a pair of great birds spreading their wings in flight—or twin bolts of lightning splitting the sky—they sealed off every escape route. The blades moved so quickly they blurred into a curtain of light, and their cutting wind shrieked through the air.
The technique was swift and fierce, but it demanded an exacting degree of inner energy and footwork. The slightest mistake could exhaust her energy or even injure her.
Seeing this, Lin Xuan moved forward instead of retreating, a flash of brilliance in his eyes. His energy flowed around him. He tilted his body slightly and twisted at the waist at an impossible angle, dodging the blade coming from his left.
Almost at the same instant, he lightly stepped forward with his right foot and swayed. Like a fish slipping through the water, he passed between the two blades through a gap that vanished in the blink of an eye, moving too quickly for the eye to follow.
Luo Bing had gone all out, certain that this move would force him into a desperate position. She hadn't expected him to break through with such exquisite footwork. Her mind jolted, and the inner energy she had pushed to its peak faltered for a moment.
That momentary lapse threw off her footwork. She had put too much force into her attack and couldn't check it in time. Inertia carried her forward, leaving her off balance. With a startled cry, she pitched straight toward him.
Lin Xuan had barely steadied himself when a soft, springy body, carried by a gust of wind, crashed directly into his arms.
He instinctively wrapped his arms around her and steadied Luo Bing, keeping her from falling to the ground.
The woman in his arms had a slender, shapely figure. She usually wore no makeup and had a fresh, unadorned look. Her martial outfit concealed nearly all her feminine softness.
But the unexpected collision brought her hidden curves unmistakably into Lin Xuan's awareness. Though she usually kept her astonishing figure discreetly concealed beneath her martial clothes, the taut fabric now traced her graceful contours all the more clearly.
It was a combination of strength and softness, every line perfectly formed. Her physique was powerful and lean, as befitted a martial artist, yet still retained a woman's suppleness and fullness.
Her waist was surprisingly slim, almost small enough to fit within Lin Xuan's hands. This stood in striking contrast to her usual bold, carefree manner, lending her an even more captivating charm. Yet beneath that slenderness lay astonishing resilience and strength, the athletic beauty that only years of martial arts training could forge.
Through the thin fabric, Lin Xuan could clearly feel her soft yet firm chest pressed tightly against his own. Its full curves, astonishingly supple, rose and fell with her breath as if straining to break free. Her heart, racing from exertion, hammered beside his ear.
Her long, powerful legs were pressed against his lower body by the force of her momentum. Even through the fabric, he could feel the explosive strength in their taut muscles.
A faint, delicate fragrance wafted from her. It wasn't the usual scent of a woman's cosmetics, but a subtle, vital aroma, distinctive to a mature woman. Mixed with the unique scent of sweat on her skin, it formed an intoxicating fragrance that slipped straight into Lin Xuan's nostrils.
Lin Xuan felt his heart stir. What a woman Luo Bing was! His gaze drifted over her graceful figure, made even more pronounced by the way she had pitched forward. Every curve beneath her taut clothes was alluring, like a flowing painting that held the eye. Her hips looked round and supple beneath her martial outfit, in perfect contrast with her slender waist.
His arms had only been loosely wrapped around her to steady her, but now his hands tightened unconsciously. He felt the startling suppleness of her waist beneath his palms. The warmth of a woman's body seeped into his hands, and a faint, hard-to-detect tremor stirred in his heart, as if a flame had brushed against it.
Luo Bing's face turned bright red in an instant, the flush spreading from her ears down her fair neck. Her usually spirited features were now stained with an alluring blush, making her look shy and lovely, like a ripe apple. She was a married woman. Other than her husband, she had never been so physically close to another man.
She could clearly feel Lin Xuan's solid, powerful chest, along with the large hand around her waist, burning against her skin. The forceful, unfamiliar scent of a man, crisp as pine and edged with restrained strength, made her heart race as if it might burst from her chest.
Her body stiffened at once. Her mind went blank, leaving only the thunder of her heartbeat.
Lin Xuan's breath seemed to brush her ear. She could even feel his chest rising and falling. This sudden intimacy left her flushed and dizzy with an indescribable heat. Deep within her, a strange, tingling sensation began to spread. Her whole body went weak, and she could barely stand, as if some invisible force had drained all her strength away.
She was only momentarily dazed. Then she snapped back to her senses, and reason and shame quickly overwhelmed the powerful shock and physical reaction. She hurriedly wrenched herself out of Lin Xuan's arms and stumbled back two large steps as if she'd been burned.
She was completely flustered. Her eyes darted about, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Her face burning red, she focused on retrieving the Mandarin Duck Blades from the ground, as if they could give her a sense of security.
"Heroine Luo, are you all right?" Lin Xuan's voice was as gentle as ever, as if the mishap had been nothing out of the ordinary. His expression was composed, his gaze clear, without a trace of flirtation—as if their touch had stirred nothing in him at all.
"Your 'Doves Flying Together' was truly exquisite, with tremendous power. It was almost without flaw, both in attack and defense. If I hadn't been lucky, I'd have lost just now."
His words gave Luo Bing a graceful way to recover her composure and affirmed her martial skill. He attributed her stumble to his "lucky" evasion, saying nothing about how awkwardly she had lost her balance.
Luo Bing picked up her blades and gripped them tightly. Their cold hilts helped settle her nerves. She looked up at Lin Xuan and saw how composed his expression was and how clear his gaze remained. At last, her embarrassment began to fade.
In its place came a deeper respect. Not only was he a powerful martial artist, but he was also a gentleman, considerate and mindful of propriety. Anyone else would probably have been crowing with pride by now, or even making flirtatious remarks.
He had shown no disrespect whatsoever. Instead, he had kindly preserved her dignity.
Luo Bing cupped her fists, but her voice was no longer as clear and bright as before. It had softened, with a faint, almost imperceptible tremor. "My skills are lacking, and I've made a fool of myself in front of you, Young Master Lin. Today's bout has shown me there's always someone better. Your martial arts are unfathomably profound. I'm thoroughly impressed. Thank you for your guidance."
Her admiration for Lin Xuan had taken root. It stemmed from her respect for his abilities and her appreciation of his manners. And after their accidental embrace, his tactful conduct as a gentleman had quietly deepened that admiration, blending it with an unsettling, unfamiliar feeling.
"You're too kind, Heroine Luo. Sparring helps us improve together. I've learned a great deal from your blade work as well," Lin Xuan replied with a smile. He didn't seem to notice the change in Luo Bing's tone—or at least, he concealed any sign that he did.
They chatted casually about a few martial arts techniques, and the mood gradually returned to normal. Only when the sun began to set and the chill crept in did Luo Bing take her leave.
"Young Master Lin, I've troubled you today." She still kept her head lowered, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"Not at all. If you'd like, you're welcome to come train here again tomorrow," Lin Xuan replied courteously.
Luo Bing hurried away, her figure darting off as if a beast were chasing her. She didn't dare meet Lin Xuan's eyes again, afraid he might see something in them that shouldn't be there.
Lin Xuan watched her retreating figure, the corner of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly.
It had been more than a simple physical touch. There had been a meeting of minds, a moment of mutual awareness. He could feel how Luo Bing had stiffened and trembled in his arms, and how quickly her heart had beaten.
He knew very well that with Luo Bing's skill, even a momentary lapse should have been enough for her to regain her balance. She wouldn't have had to fall straight into his arms. Her moment of panic and loss of control had come more from the shock in her heart than from a simple mistake in her footwork.
The effect of the Yin Yang Deficit Supplementation Technique was too powerful. It had given Lin Xuan a magnetic charm that stirred the soul; no woman could remain indifferent to it.
He closed his eyes slightly. Her slender waist, her heart-stirring softness, and the fragrance unique to her seemed to linger in his heart, refusing to fade.
"Thank you for your guidance..." Luo Bing's words, softened by a hint of shyness, echoed in his ears, carrying an indescribable charm.
Lin Xuan smiled.
When it came to Luo Bing—a remarkable woman, spirited and bold, yet occasionally revealing a young woman's shy charm—he did feel a desire to conquer her.
Night deepened, and Luo Bing returned to her lodgings. She paced back and forth in her room, her thoughts a tangled mess she couldn't unravel.
After their sparring that day, the familiar Lin Xuan—the Young Master Lin who planned with foresight and cared for his subordinates—seemed to have taken on a new appearance before her eyes, becoming more complex and more real.
The same instant replayed again and again in her mind: his solid chest, the strength in his arms, the warmth of his palms...and the embarrassment that had set her cheeks on fire.
She had thought her heart was calm, that nothing but thoughts of her husband could stir her. But that electric tingling, that burning, unfamiliar presence, had made her realize that something was quietly changing.
"Luo Bing! What are you thinking?" She shook her head sharply, trying to drive away thoughts that had no place in her mind.
She kept telling herself that Lin Xuan had simply behaved like a gentleman. He always treated people that way. He had only been protecting her dignity. The feeling of his embrace had been an accident, caused by her momentary lapse.
But the more she tried to reassure herself, the clearer that forbidden flutter of her heart became. She could still feel that her heartbeat was a little faster than usual.
A Moonlit Encounter
Luo Bing lay in bed beneath a soft brocade quilt, but it felt as if invisible coals were smoldering beneath it, leaving her restless and overheated as she tossed and turned.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess, like a ball of yarn mauled by a cat. All she could think about were the scenes from the training ground that day.
That embrace...
Solid as rock and hot as fire.
It had been filled with a powerful, unfamiliar masculine presence, an imposing forcefulness that gave her no choice but to acknowledge it.
She was a married woman, deeply devoted to her husband, Wen Tailai. For years, she had been as calm and untroubled as still water when it came to relations between men and women.
But that brief contact had been like a stone dropping into a tranquil lake, setting off ripples that would not fade.
"Luo Bing! What are you thinking?"
She scolded herself silently, her voice low and edged with a tremor she hadn't even noticed.
There was certainly shame and anger in the rebuke. But more than anything, there was astonishment, shock, and even a secret flutter of curiosity that she hadn't realized she felt.
Restless! She was unbearably restless!
She sat up abruptly, unable to lie there any longer.
The room and bed seemed to have become a prison, making it hard for her to breathe.
She decided to go outside and take a walk in the night breeze, hoping it would settle her tangled thoughts.
Throwing on an outer robe, she slipped out the door like a wisp of smoke and silently disappeared into the night at the Guo Mansion.
The moonlight flowed like water, its clear glow spilling over pavilions and towers and bathing the entire Guo Mansion in a silvery halo.
Before you continue