The Temptation of Lu Xueqi

"You're lying." Lu Xueqi huffed, lightly punching his chest with her small fist.

"I'm not lying to you." Lu Jiuyuan reached out and flicked her nose.

"Then why were you sitting so close to her?" Lu Xueqi pouted, her tone filled with dissatisfaction.

Lu Jiuyuan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh: "So, are you jealous?"

Lu Xueqi didn't answer, simply drinking another cup. As the alcohol rose to her head, her cheeks became increasingly flushed, and her breathing grew somewhat unsteady.

She set down her wine cup and suddenly shifted closer to him, her shoulder brushing against his, her arm pressed against his.

"Senior Brother."

"Hmm."

"Are you cold?"

"I'm not."

"I am."

Lu Jiuyuan chuckled, and just as he was about to take off his outer robe to drape it over her, her hand reached out.

It wasn't to take the robe, but to press directly against his chest.

That hand was very cool, her fingertips trembling slightly as they pressed against his heart through the fabric.

With her palm against his chest, she could feel the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Xueqi?"

"Your heart is beating so fast." Lu Xueqi looked up at him, her gaze hazy, a trace of mischievousness playing on her lips. "Senior Brother, are you nervous?"

Lu Jiuyuan's Adam's apple bobbed: "You've had too much to drink."

"I haven't." Lu Xueqi shook her head, her hair brushing against his chin, tickling him.

She didn't pull her hand back; instead, she moved it upward, her fingertips tracing his collarbone. "Senior Brother, your clothes are so thick."

"Xueqi!!!"

"Hmm?" Lu Xueqi tilted her head to look at him.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

Lu Jiuyuan looked at Lu Xueqi with burning eyes; she was flushed and radiating an alluring aura at every moment.

Lu Xueqi looked up, her hazy eyes fixed directly on him.

The moonlight fell upon her face, illuminating her stunning features. The blush had not yet faded, her lips were glistening, and as her gaze shifted, there was a youthful innocence mixed with an unconscious, bewitching charm.

"I know." Her voice was very soft, husky with the effects of the wine. "I'm taking advantage of you."

Lu Jiuyuan's breath hitched for a moment.

Her hand was still on his chest, her fingertips lightly drawing circles. The movement was slow and light, as if she were tracing a pattern. Through the fabric, he could feel the temperature of her fingertips—no longer cold, but growing hotter and hotter.

"Senior Brother."

"Hmm."

"Do you feel hot?"

He did.

He felt very hot.

Lu Jiuyuan took a deep breath and gripped her mischievous hand. Her hand was small, completely enveloped by his palm, feeling like a piece of warm jade.

"Xueqi, that's enough."

Lu Xueqi looked at him, a trace of grievance in her eyes: "Senior Brother, do you not like it?"

"It's not that I don't like it." He gritted his teeth. "It's just the wrong time and place."

Lu Xueqi blinked, seemingly processing these words. Then, she leaned closer to him again, her entire body nearly pressed against his.

Her other hand climbed onto his shoulder, her fingertips tracing the back of his neck, sending a wave of numbness through him.

"Then what would be the right time and place?" She leaned into his ear, her voice as light as a feather brushing against him. "After we return to the Qingyun Sect?"

Her warm breath brushed against his earlobe, carrying the sweet fragrance of osmanthus wine.

Lu Jiuyuan's reason nearly snapped at that moment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; when he opened them again, a dark fire smoldered in the depths of his eyes.

"Xueqi, if you do this again..."

"Do what?"

Lu Xueqi lifted her head from his shoulder, looking at him from mere inches away.

The moonlight shattered into starlight in her eyes, hazy and captivating.

Her lips were slightly parted, flushed with wine, as if waiting for something.

Lu Jiuyuan tightened his grip on her hand.

She couldn't drink any more.

If he kept drinking, he really couldn't guarantee he would be able to hold back any longer.

He reached out and took the wine cup away from in front of her.

"Don't drink anymore."

Lu Xueqi frowned. "I still want to drink."

Lu Xueqi frowned. "I still want to drink."

"You're already drunk."

"I'm not." She reached out to grab the wine cup, but was blocked by Lu Jiuyuan. She persisted, leaning forward to reach for it, her entire body almost draped over him, her long hair cascading down to cover both their shoulders.

"Give it to me!"

"No."

"Lu Jiuyuan!"

It was rare for her to call him by his full name, her tone laced with a petulant annoyance.

Lu Jiuyuan pressed one hand down on the wine cup while his other arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from sliding off the bluestone.

She struggled in his arms, but when she couldn't break free, she simply gave up.

She leaned against his chest, tilting her head back to look at him, her eyes hazy as if veiled by a layer of mist.

"Senior Brother..."

"Hmm." Lu Jiuyuan looked down at her.

"Do you know how angry I was when you were talking to Jin Ping'er today?"

Lu Xueqi's tone was sour, tinged with grievance.

Lu Jiuyuan's movements paused for a moment.

"I saw you sitting together, she was so close to you, and you were even smiling at her!" Lu Xueqi's voice grew lower, her fingers unconsciously clutching his lapels. "I was lying here, unable to sleep at all. My head was filled with the sound of your laughter!"

She looked up, her eyes slightly reddened.

"Senior Brother, are you this kind to everyone?"

Lu Jiuyuan looked at her reddened eyes, his heart suddenly softening into a complete mess.

This woman, who was usually as cold as frost and kept everyone at a distance, was now like a child afraid of losing something, clutching his lapels tightly, her eyes full of grievance and insecurity.

"No." Lu Jiuyuan raised his hand to gently wipe away the moisture at the corner of her eye. "Only to you."

Lu Xueqi's eyelashes trembled.

"Really?"

"Really."

She stared into his eyes for a long time, as if confirming whether he was lying.

Then she suddenly smiled, her expression filled with the charming, tipsy innocence of someone intoxicated, a stark contrast to her usual coldness.

"Then kiss me."

Lu Jiuyuan froze.

"Kiss me, and I'll believe you." She tilted her face up, her gaze hazy yet earnest, her tone as if she were stating something perfectly natural.

The night wind blew, the campfire was dying down, and the moonlight was like water.

Her face was right before him, so close he could see the tiny, starlit specks on her eyelashes and feel the warm, sweet scent of osmanthus on her breath.

Her lips were slightly parted, glistening with a shimmering, watery luster under the moonlight.

Lu Jiuyuan's reason told him he should help her back to sleep, that he should wait until she was sober to talk, that he should...

To hell with what he should do.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

Her lips, still lingering with the taste of wine, were as soft as petals and carried the sweet fragrance of osmanthus wine.

Lu Xueqi was stunned for the briefest moment, as if she hadn't realized what was happening, and then she slowly closed her eyes.

The fingers clutching his lapels slowly loosened, then slowly tightened again.

The moonlight spilled over them, merging their shadows together until it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

After a long while, Lu Jiuyuan gently released her.

Lu Xueqi leaned in his arms, her cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes even hazier than before.

Her breathing was still unsteady, and her lips were even more glistening than they had been moments ago.

"Husband!" Her voice was as soft as a cat's mew.

"Hmm."

"Is that enough?" Lu Xueqi teased coquettishly.

Lu Jiuyuan looked down at her, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "What about you?"