Lu Jiuyuan gently lifted Lu Xueqi's head from his shoulder and carefully laid it on the folded blanket.
She was fast asleep, breathing evenly, her lashes casting a faint shadow in the moonlight.
Lu Jiuyuan watched her for a moment, then took off his outer robe and draped it over her. He got up and walked to the door.
The night wind met him, carrying the humid heat and the earthy tang unique to the Southern Border.
The moon hid behind the clouds, and the village was shrouded in a murky darkness.
Lu Jiuyuan stood in the doorway and was just about to head for the village entrance when a figure in pale yellow emerged from around the corner.
Jin Ping'er.
She seemed to have just returned from outside. Her purple robes stood out in the night.
The moment Jin Ping'er saw Lu Jiuyuan, she stopped in her tracks, then broke into a smile.
In the moonlight, there was something hard to read in that smile—perhaps pleasant surprise, or perhaps the look of someone who had expected this all along.
"Mr. Lu." Jin Ping'er came over and naturally linked her arm through his, as though they were old friends. Her soft, delicate body pressed against him, and her voice carried a hint of languor and a strong note of flirtation. "Why are you out in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Lu Jiuyuan glanced down at the arm hooked around his. He didn't pull away. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk. What about you?"
"I couldn't sleep either." Jin Ping'er tilted her face up to look at him, her eyes glimmering. "The nights in the Southern Border are so noisy. Those demon beasts make me restless with all their howling."
As she spoke, she tightened her hold on his arm.
Through the fabric, Lu Jiuyuan could feel the softness and warmth of her arm. Her familiar, faint fragrance drifted into his nostrils, stronger than it had been the previous night by the bonfire.
"Mr. Lu, are you free? Come with me somewhere."
Lu Jiuyuan looked at her but didn't answer right away.
There was something in Jin Ping'er's eyes that made it hard to refuse. It wasn't a pleading, pitiful look, but a sure confidence that he wouldn't turn her down.
"Where?"
"You'll see when we get there." She smiled and tugged him along. "It's not far, just behind the village."
Her arm slipped from his to take his hand, her fingers threading between his. Her palm was warm.
Lu Jiuyuan let her lead him through the village ruins, around a few broken walls, and over the rubble and dead grass toward the back of the village.
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Jin Ping'er stopped.
Before them was a patch of low shrubs. As they went around it, a wave of warm steam hit them.
The hot spring was small, about two zhang across, hidden among a cluster of rocks.
The water was crystal clear. Moonlight shone on its surface as wisps of white steam rose into the air.
A few unfamiliar flower petals floated on the water, releasing a faint, sweet fragrance as the heat warmed them.
Jin Ping'er let go of his hand and crouched by the pool. She tested the water with one hand, then looked back at him with a smile.
"Mr. Lu, the water's just right. Want to join me?"
She said it casually, as though asking, "Want to have some tea?"
Lu Jiuyuan stayed where he was, watching her crouch by the pool.
Moonlight fell over her. Her pale-yellow dress shimmered faintly through the mist, and her breathtaking face was touched with a smile. Her eyes seemed to hold a bewitching charm.
"No." Lu Jiuyuan shook his head. "Go ahead. I'll keep watch outside."
Jin Ping'er glanced at him, the smile at the corners of her mouth deepening.
She didn't press him. Instead, she stood and rested her fingers on the sash at her waist.
"Then I'll have to trouble you to keep watch for me, Mr. Lu."
She untied her sash, and her pale-yellow dress slipped to the ground.
Jin Ping'er didn't look back at him. Her movements were as unhurried as if she were in her own room.
Her outer robe fell away, revealing a moon-white undergarment. Through the swirling mist, the thin fabric clung to her body, outlining her graceful curves.
The undergarment fell too, leaving only a pink bellyband.
In the moonlight, her back was dazzlingly white. Her shoulders were rounded, her waist slender, and the line of her spine ran down her back, disappearing beneath the ties of her bellyband.
She reached up and let down her hair. Her black tresses poured down like a waterfall, covering her bare back.
Lu Jiuyuan looked away and turned his back to the hot spring.
He heard the light splash of her entering the water, followed by the rippling of the pool.
The mist grew thicker, and that faint fragrance drifted over with the steam, more intense than before.
"Mr. Lu." Jin Ping'er's voice came through the mist, carrying a lazy smile. "Are you really not coming in? It feels wonderful."
"No need."
"Won't you get bored standing outside?"
"No."
Jin Ping'er gave a soft laugh and said nothing more.
The water continued to splash, again and again. Now and then, he heard her stir the surface, the sounds especially clear in the still night.
Lu Jiuyuan stood beside the rocks with his back to the hot spring, his gaze fixed on the darkness in the distance.
The night wind blew by, carrying the heat of the spring and that faint fragrance across his cheek.
The sound of splashing water continued behind him, unhurried.
He could picture it: Jin Ping'er leaning against the edge of the pool, her long hair floating on the water, droplets sliding down her collarbone and falling into the spring, sending ripples across the surface.
He swallowed.
Don't think about it.
Lu Jiuyuan took a deep breath and forced the images from his mind.
But that fragrance seeped in everywhere, as though it had sunk into his skin. He couldn't shake it off.
The water suddenly fell silent.
"Mr. Lu." Jin Ping'er's voice came from the mist, sounding a little strange. "C-could you come over for a moment?"
Lu Jiuyuan furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"
"I think I... stepped on something. My foot hurts a little."
Jin Ping'er's voice was a little lower than before, with a faint tremor that was hard to detect.
Lu Jiuyuan hesitated for a moment, then turned around.
The mist had grown thicker, making it hard to see the surface of the hot spring.
Jin Ping'er was leaning against the rocks at the edge of the pool, her wet hair clinging to her body. Only her face and rounded shoulders were visible.
Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her lips pursed. She did seem uncomfortable.
"What did you step on?" Lu Jiuyuan asked softly, concern in his voice.
"I don't know... It was slippery, and I think it had a thorn." Jin Ping'er glanced down at the water, then looked up at him. "Mr. Lu, could you come over and take a look? I'm afraid to move my foot."
Lu Jiuyuan went to the edge of the pool and crouched down. "Which foot?"
"My left."
He lowered his head and looked into the water.
The mist was too thick to see anything beneath the surface.
He was about to reach in when Jin Ping'er suddenly tilted to one side and toppled toward him.
"Careful!"
Lu Jiuyuan instinctively reached out to catch her, but she grabbed his wrist.
Her hand was wet, slick, and warm, but her grip was surprisingly strong.
Before he could react, a tremendous force yanked him forward.
His balance vanished in an instant.
He plunged into the hot spring.
Warm water surged in from all sides, soaking through his robes and drenching his skin.
Lu Jiuyuan struggled in the water for a moment and found the bottom with his foot. The pool wasn't deep; the water came up to about his chest.
He had just steadied himself and hadn't yet wiped the water from his face when a soft, warm body pressed against him.
Jin Ping'er wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him.
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