Lu Xueqi's Counter-Flirtation, Catching Everyone Off Guard

Jin Ping'er walked up from the base of the city wall, her moon-white and pale cyan dress standing out starkly amidst the smoke and dust.

She walked at a measured pace, her footsteps as light as a cat's, weaving through the cheering soldiers and busy Qingyun disciples until she stood directly before Lu Jiuyuan.

Then, she reached out to hook her arm through his, pressing her entire body against him with a natural ease, as if she had done it a thousand times before.

"Husband." Her voice was very low, carrying a deliberate, honeyed charm that felt like a cat's paw lightly scratching at the tip of his heart. "You are so amazing."

Her fingers traced circles on his arm, the sensation of tingling numbness palpable even through the fabric of his clothes.

"I find myself liking you more and more."

Her gaze shifted from his face to Lu Xueqi, who stood at his side; she paused for only a fleeting moment before pulling her eyes away.

The smile at the corners of her lips deepened, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible trace of provocation.

Lu Xueqi's expression remained unchanged, but her fingers tightened around the hilt of the Tianya Sword.

"Jin Ping'er." Lu Xueqi's voice was very calm.

"Hmm?" Jin Ping'er tilted her head to look at her, her smile innocent.

"Let go."

Jin Ping'er did not let go; instead, she hugged Lu Jiuyuan's arm even tighter.

"Miss Lu, I'm just saying a few words to him. There's no need to be so tense, is there?"

Lu Xueqi did not look at her again, her gaze fixed on Lu Jiuyuan's face. "Senior Brother, come here."

Jin Ping'er's fingers tightened on Lu Jiuyuan's arm.

Lu Jiuyuan looked down at the hand Jin Ping'er had hooked through his arm on the left, then at the cold, frost-like face of Lu Xueqi on his right, and fell silent for a moment.

"Ping'er, let go for a second."

Jin Ping'er stared at him for two seconds, the smile on her lips fading slightly, though it quickly returned to normal.

She released her grip, stepped back, and brushed some non-existent dust from her skirt.

"Fine, you two talk."

Lu Xueqi did not give Lu Jiuyuan time to react; she reached out and took his hand, her grip not forceful, yet carrying an undeniable sense of resolve.

"Come with me."

Lu Jiuyuan was led by her down the city wall and through several narrow alleys.

She stopped in front of a wall.

This was a dead end where no one passed by.

Lu Xueqi turned around to face him, her eyes burning as she looked at him.

After a moment of silence, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Lu Jiuyuan's eyes widened at that moment.

It was not out of surprise at the kiss itself—they had kissed many times before.

What surprised him was that this was the first time Lu Xueqi had taken the initiative to kiss him.

He had thought this was simply her nature: cold, reserved, and unaccustomed to being the one to initiate.

But at this moment, she was on her tiptoes, her hands cupping his face, her lips pressed against his, clumsy yet forceful, as if she were doing something she had prepared for a long time and had finally summoned the courage to perform.

Her lips were soft and carried a hint of chill, likely from the cold wind she had been standing in atop the city wall for so long.

Her eyelashes were trembling, her breathing was trembling, and even the fingers clutching his lapels were trembling.

She kissed him with great seriousness and focus, as if completing a ritual.

She did not close her eyes, and he kept his open as well; the two stared at each other from an extremely close distance, her eyes filled with shyness, nervousness, and a kind of desperate, burning resolve.

After a long while, she pulled away from his lips and stepped back half a pace.

Lu Xueqi was breathing rapidly, her cheeks flushed red, her fingers still clutching his lapels without letting go.

Lu Jiuyuan leaned against the wall, looking down at her with a faint curve to his lips.

"Xueqi, has the vinegar jar been overturned?" Lu Jiuyuan's voice held a hint of laughter, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet alley. "Why the sudden initiative to kiss me?"

Lu Xueqi's fingers tightened on his lapels for a moment. She raised her head, her eyes glaring coldly at him.

"Don't flatter yourself." Lu Xueqi's voice was cold, as cold as the frozen surface of the lake on Xiaozhu Peak in winter. "I just can't stand the sight of you being intimate with other women."

Having said that, she released his lapels and turned to leave.

Lu Jiuyuan's hand moved faster than his brain.

He reached out to press his hand against the wall beside her, his other hand hooking around her waist to pin her against the wall.

Lu Xueqi was trapped between his arms, with nowhere left to retreat.

She looked up to glare at him, her cold, clear eyes filled with surprise, annoyance, and a trace of deeply hidden panic.

"Lu Jiuyuan, you—!!!"

"Xueqi." Lu Jiuyuan's voice dropped, low enough that only she could hear it. His eyes were bright, like two small flames, burning so intensely that her heart skipped a beat.

"You get me all worked up, and now you want to just walk away like that?"

Lu Xueqi's face flushed crimson. She bit her lip and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

"Lu Jiuyuan, stop spouting nonsense." Lu Xueqi's voice remained cold, but beneath that chill, something was fracturing, like spring water surging beneath a layer of ice. "I did no such thing."

"No?" Lu Jiuyuan lowered his head, leaning close to her ear, his voice as soft as a secret. "Then why were your hands shaking when you kissed me just now?"

Lu Xueqi's breathing faltered for a moment. "That... that was because..."

"Because of what?"

In the end, Lu Xueqi could not go on.

Lu Jiuyuan raised his head, looking at her averted profile, at the curve of her neck blushing from her earlobes down, and reached out to pinch her chin, gently turning it so she had to face him.

"Xueqi." Lu Jiuyuan's voice was very light, his thumb gently stroking her chin. "The way you get jealous is truly adorable."

Lu Xueqi glared at him, her eyes filled with shame, annoyance, and a hint of coquettishness she didn't even realize was there.

His finger moved up from her chin, his pad lightly brushing over her lower lip. The lips he had just kissed were still slightly swollen and red, their texture as soft as flower petals.

Lu Xueqi's breathing became unsteady, her heavy chest rising and falling slightly as her fingers tightened against the fabric at her sides.

"You!!!!"

"Me what?" Lu Jiuyuan's voice was as ambiguous as the night breeze, brushing against her ear and sending a wave of numbness through her.

His finger moved away from her lips, sliding along her cheek to behind her ear, his fingertips gently stroking that small patch of smooth skin.

Lu Xueqi's body trembled slightly, and a very soft moan escaped her lips, like a cat's claw scratching at the tip of her heart.

She bit her lip, swallowing the rest of the sound, a thin mist of water rising in her eyes. No, she couldn't let him bully her like this.

Every time, he was the one teasing her, and she would respond with a blushing face, like a cat being toyed with.

Why?

She, Lu Xueqi, the head disciple of Xiaozhu Peak and the strongest female sword cultivator of the younger generation of the Qingyun Sect, why was she always completely at his mercy?

She would turn the tables.

Lu Xueqi reached out, pressed against his chest, and pushed with all her might.

Lu Jiuyuan was caught off guard and pushed back a step, his back hitting the earthen wall opposite with a dull thud.

Lu Xueqi stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.

"Come with me."

Lu Jiuyuan was pulled out of the alley by her, moving through several streets with footsteps as fast as the wind.

He looked at her straight back and at the hand that was tightly gripping his wrist, the curve of his lips growing wider and wider. He did not struggle, letting her lead the way.