Jin Ping'er pressed her lips against his ear, her voice as soft as a spell.
"Lu Jiuyuan, tonight, you're mine."
Lu Jiuyuan was just about to speak when he suddenly realized he couldn't control his body.
Jin Ping'er flipped on top of him and straddled his waist, bracing her hands against his chest as she looked down at him.
Moonlight shone from behind her, tracing her figure in a silvery-white glow.
"A little trick from the Hehuan Sect." Jin Ping'er's voice held a hint of amusement as her fingers brushed lightly over his collarbone. "Don't worry. It'll only last a little while. A little while is all I need."
Her fingertips slid down his chest. As they passed, his shirt fell open, revealing the skin beneath, pale from soaking in the hot spring.
"Lu Jiuyuan, you know? When you changed my bandages in the cave, I already wanted to do this."
Her voice was soft, tender with the warmth of a memory.
"You were so clumsy back then. You even worked up a sweat just trying to bandage a wound. But you were so careful, wrapping every injury so meticulously because you were afraid of hurting me."
Her fingers came to rest over his heart, feeling its strong, steady beat.
She bent down, her long hair falling over them and veiling their faces. Her lips pressed against his, her voice as soft as a secret.
"Eventually, I figured it out. If he wasn't by my side, then I'd go to him. If he wouldn't come looking for me, then I'd go looking for him. If he wouldn't tell me he liked me, then I'd tell him."
She kissed him.
It was gentle and tender, as if she were afraid of breaking something.
"Lu Jiuyuan!" Jin Ping'er moved her lips to his ear and breathed warmly against it. "I like you. I've liked you ever since you woke up in the cave and looked at me."
Lu Jiuyuan still couldn't move, but he could move his eyes.
He looked at the woman straddling him, at her face in the moonlight, and at the thin sheen of tears in her eyes.
She was Jin Ping'er.
The Miao Gongzi of the Hehuan Sect.
The Demon Sect enchantress who killed without batting an eye.
But now she looked at him as if he were the only light in the world.
"How long will the bewitching art last?" Lu Jiuyuan asked calmly.
Jin Ping'er froze for a moment, then smiled, lips pressed together.
"Getting impatient?"
"Jin Ping'er."
"Half an incense stick."
"Don't regret it when it wears off."
Jin Ping'er looked down at him, at his face, straining to act tough even though he couldn't move. Suddenly, she burst out laughing.
She bent down, pressing her whole body against his chest, and brought her lips to his ear.
"Regret it? I, Jin Ping'er, have never regretted anything in my life."
The moonlight retreated from the broken window, and clouds covered the moon. The room darkened.
In the darkness, there was only the sound of their breathing, growing faster and hotter.
An hour later.
"Husband, from now on, you're mine."
Jin Ping'er nestled in his arms.
"You're the one who's mine."
Lu Jiuyuan corrected her.
"What's the difference?" Jin Ping'er asked, her face flushed.
"Of course there's a difference. If you're mine, it means I get to boss you around. If I'm yours, it means you get to boss me around," Lu Jiuyuan explained.
"Then whose are you?"
"Yours."
Jin Ping'er smiled even more brightly and snuggled closer into his arms, like a cat that had stolen a fish.
"Husband."
"Mm?"
"Did it feel good just now?"
Lu Jiuyuan looked down at her. She gazed up at him, eyes sparkling as she waited for his answer, like a child hoping to be praised.
"It felt good."
"How good?"
"So good I almost died."
Jin Ping'er froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Where did you learn that expression?"
"I'm self-taught."
"Self-taught?" Jin Ping'er raised an eyebrow, tracing circles on his chest with her finger. "Then you should study more."
As soon as she finished speaking, a crisp notification chime rang in Lu Jiuyuan's mind.
[ Ding—Congratulations, Host. Your group leader level has increased to LV5! ] [ Mall function unlocked! ] [ More functions await your exploration... ]
Lu Jiuyuan froze for a moment.
LV5?
He remembered being only LV3 before. How had he suddenly jumped two levels?
He focused his consciousness and opened the group chat to see what had happened.
Messages were flooding the chat.
[ System Announcement: Congratulations to group member "Yan Lingji" for surpassing 200 hours of viewing time, contributing +5 to the group level ] [ System Announcement: Congratulations to group member "Feng Qing'er" for surpassing 200 hours of viewing time, contributing +5 to the group level ] [ System Announcement: Congratulations to group member "Yun Yun" for surpassing 180 hours of viewing time, contributing +4 to the group level ] [ System Announcement: Congratulations to group member "Zi Nu" for surpassing 200 hours of viewing time, contributing +5 to the group level ] [ System Announcement: Congratulations to group member "Bibi Dong" for surpassing 100 hours of viewing time, contributing +2 to the group level ] [ System Announcement: Congratulations to group member "Medusa" for surpassing 100 hours of viewing time, contributing +2 to the group level ]
Lu Jiuyuan looked at the string of system announcements, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Two hundred hours? Yan Lingji had watched for 200 hours? So had Feng Qing'er?
He opened the group member list and checked everyone's online hours.
Yan Lingji: 218 hours.
Feng Qing'er: 205 hours.
Zi Nu: 203 hours.
Yun Yun: 189 hours.
Bibi Dong: 127 hours.
Medusa: 115 hours.
The numbers flashed before his eyes. He fell silent.
What were they watching all day long?
No wonder the group level had risen so quickly. Those women had been grinding through the content like crazy.
The messages kept coming.
[Yan Lingji: Oh, the group leader's online! @Lu Jiuyuan] [Feng Qing'er: He really is! Long time no see, group leader~] [Zi Nu: The group leader's online at this hour? Could he be keeping a beauty company?] [Yun Yun: Can you stop asking that every time the group leader comes online?] [Yan Lingji: Then what should we ask? How many positions did he try tonight?] [Feng Qing'er: Hahahaha, that's a good one! Group leader, how many positions did you try tonight?]
Lu Jiuyuan looked at the screen, the corner of his mouth twitching even harder.
[Lu Jiuyuan: Can you all act a little more serious?] [Yan Lingji: We are being serious!] [Feng Qing'er: Exactly. We're concerned about the group leader's physical and mental well-being!]
Lu Jiuyuan: "..."
When Lu Jiuyuan didn't reply, someone immediately pressed him for an answer.
[Yan Lingji: Don't run, group leader! Come clean! Are you with a beauty?]
Lu Jiuyuan glanced down at Jin Ping'er in his arms, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
[Lu Jiuyuan: Yes.]
The group chat erupted.
[Yan Lingji: !!! I knew it!] [Feng Qing'er: Who?! What beauty?!] [Zi Nu: Congratulations, group leader!] [Yun Yun: The group leader really does have a beauty!] [Medusa: Tell us how it feels.] [Bibi Dong: I'm merely curious.]
Lu Jiuyuan looked at the messages. Jin Ping'er shifted in his arms, and he lowered his head to kiss the crown of her hair.
[Lu Jiuyuan: It feels great.] [Lu Jiuyuan: So good I almost died.]
The group fell silent for a moment.
[Yan Lingji: Aaaah! Group leader, you! How can you say something like that?!] [Feng Qing'er: Lu Jiuyuan! You've become wicked!] [Yun Yun: Group leader, you're so blunt!] [Zi Nu: Looks like the group leader is having a wonderful night!]
Before you continue