Lu Jiuyuan, You Cannot Escape!

"Young Master Lu, you've fallen for it!"

Jin Ping'er's voice was soft, carrying a lethal kind of tenderness.

Her fox-like eyes narrowed into two curved arcs under the moonlight, filled with laughter, triumph, and an unmasked sense of possessiveness.

The soft sensation pressed against him, felt clearly through their soaked clothing as if there were no barrier at all.

Her body clung to his, every inch fitting perfectly against him.

She stood on her tiptoes, leaning close to his ear, her voice as faint as a secret.

"I told you, there would be an opportunity sooner or later."

Lu Jiuyuan's breathing grew heavy.

The hot water soaked his body, a delicate fragrance entwined with his senses, and that soft body pressed against his chest like a ball of warm fire.

His reason told him he should push her away.

He should turn and leave.

Yet, his body refused to obey!

Jin Ping'er's arms tightened, and she lifted her head, looking at him from mere inches away.

Moonlight fell upon her face; that stunningly beautiful countenance had lost its usual laziness and nonchalance, replaced by an expression so earnest it was almost devout.

"Lu Jiuyuan." Jin Ping'er's alluring red lips parted to utter his name in a charming, soul-stirring voice.

"Do you know how long I have waited for this day?"

Jin Ping'er's scorching breath brushed against Lu Jiuyuan's neck.

Lu Jiuyuan's body tensed, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Three years." Jin Ping'er did not wait for his answer, continuing on her own, her voice as light as a sigh. "Three years.

Ever since that cave, I have been waiting.

Waiting for you to come out of seclusion, waiting for you to come to the Southern Border, waiting for the time when there was no one else by your side."

Her fingers wove through his soaked hair, her fingertips gently grazing his scalp.

"I know you have her in your heart. I don't care."

Her lips were almost touching his, her voice low enough that only he could hear.

"I only want you."

In that moment, all reason vanished.

Lu Jiuyuan reached out to clasp her waist, pinning her against the stone wall by the hot spring.

Water splashed everywhere, soaking the stones on the bank.

Jin Ping'er let out a muffled groan, but she did not dodge; instead, she tilted her head back, meeting his gaze.

In those eyes were triumph, anticipation, and a trace of deeply hidden nervousness.

Lu Jiuyuan leaned down and kissed her.

Jin Ping'er closed her eyes, her arms tightening as she pressed her entire body against him.

Her lips were soft and warm, carrying the dampness of the hot spring mist and a sweet scent that belonged uniquely to her.

Jin Ping'er responded without reservation, as if she had waited for this moment for too long and was unwilling to waste a single second.

Mist swirled around the two of them.

The sound of water was exceptionally clear in the quiet night; every movement sent out a ripple that lapped against the stones on the bank, creating a soft, rhythmic sound.

Her fingers wove through his hair, gently stroking his scalp with a near-greedy attachment.

Time lost all meaning in that moment.

I do not know how much time had passed when Jin Ping'er's arms slid down from his neck, her fingers resting on his soaked lapel, gently flicking open the first toggle button.

Lu Jiuyuan's breath hitched for a moment.

Just then, a faint, fragmented sound came from the distance.

It was not the chirping of insects, nor the sound of the wind, but human voices.

They were very soft and at some distance, but in such a quiet night, they were exceptionally clear. Jin Ping'er's movements froze; her fingers stopped on his lapel, neither continuing nor letting go.

She tilted her head, listening for a moment to confirm that it was indeed human voices, and more than one.

"Damn it." Jin Ping'er cursed under her breath, her voice filled with unmasked annoyance.

Lu Jiuyuan had already sobered from his infatuation.

He stepped back half a pace, lowering his head to quickly tidy his robes.

The robes were soaked through and could not be dried in a short time, so he had to make do by tying his belt and gathering his disheveled hair behind his head.

Jin Ping'er remained leaning against the stone wall, watching him without moving.

Under the moonlight, her face was filled with unwillingness.

Her rosy lips were slightly swollen from the kiss just moments ago, and her soaked long hair clung to her shoulders, water droplets dripping from the tips to create tiny ripples on the calm surface of the water.

That thin gauze undergarment was already ruined, soaked through by the water and crumpled by the recent embrace, hanging crookedly on her body and concealing nothing, leaving her charms fully exposed.

Lu Jiuyuan's gaze swept over her, then quickly shifted away.

He stepped out of the hot spring, his soaked robes hanging heavily on his frame, leaving a wet footprint with every step he took.

He retrieved a set of clean robes from the storage pouch at his waist, hesitated for a moment, and then held them out while keeping his back to the hot spring.

"Put these on first."

Jin Ping'er took the clothes, her fingers pausing when they touched the rough fabric.

She didn't say thank you, nor did she stand on ceremony; she turned directly and stepped onto the stones at the edge of the bank.

The soaked gauze undergarment clung tightly to her body, outlining every inch of her curves, and water droplets trickled down her calves, leaving a trail of wet marks on the stones.

She did not hide, and right in front of him, she slid that soaked gauze undergarment down from her shoulders.

Lu Jiuyuan turned away instantly. It was as fast as if he had been burned, yet his peripheral vision still caught a glimpse.

Her snow-white shoulder blades were like the wings of a butterfly, and the line of her spine traced all the way down, disappearing into the dimple of her lower back.

The moonlight fell upon her, illuminating that expanse of skin until it glowed like jade.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his blood turned scorching hot in that moment, burning from his chest all the way down to his lower abdomen.

"Lu Jiuyuan, why did you turn around? You already saw everything there was to see just now."

Lu Jiuyuan stood with his back to her, hearing the rustling of fabric from behind.

The sound was very slow, so slow that it didn't sound like she was getting dressed, but rather like she was... doing something else.

"Lu Jiuyuan." Jin Ping'er's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of a smile. "Are you really not going to turn around and look?"

He did not answer.

"I'm very slow at putting on clothes, you know; you're going to have to wait a long time." Jin Ping'er's seductive tone was filled with teasing and temptation.

Lu Jiuyuan took a deep breath and did not move.

A soft laugh came from behind, followed by the sound of fabric rubbing together, even slower than before.

He could imagine what she was doing: unfolding the robe, shaking out the wrinkles, leisurely sliding her arms into the sleeves, and fastening the buttons one by one, every movement deliberately slowed down as if waiting for something.

Lu Jiuyuan cursed under his breath: truly a tormenting little demon.

She knew he was watching.

That snow-white figure lingered in his peripheral vision for a moment, then slowly shifted.

She turned to the side, as if adjusting her collar, or perhaps adjusting her angle.

The moonlight fell upon her, and that ill-fitting robe hung loosely off her shoulders, the neckline wide open to reveal a large expanse of snow-white skin.

Her hand rested on the collar, pulling it together slowly, yet she didn't manage to close it for a long time.

Lu Jiuyuan felt his blood beginning to boil. His body became abnormally feverish, whether from the hot spring or something else entirely.

Finally, it grew quiet behind him.

The sound of fabric rubbing stopped, soft footsteps approached, and Jin Ping'er circled from behind him to stand in front.

Under the moonlight, she was wearing his grey-green robe; it was far too large, the shoulder seams drooping down to her arms, the cuffs covering her fingers, and the hem dragging to her ankles.

She stood in the moonlight, the oversized robe wrapping around her slender frame like a kitten bundled up in an adult's clothes.