Jin Ping'er came up from beneath the city wall, her pale moon-white and light blue dress standing out against the smoke and dust.
She walked at an unhurried pace, her steps as light as a cat's. Passing through the cheering soldiers and busy Qingyun Disciples, she went straight to Lu Jiuyuan.
Then she slipped her arm through his and pressed herself against him, the movement as natural as if she had done it a thousand times.
"Husband." Her voice was low, laced with deliberate, seductive sweetness. It was like a cat's paw gently scratching at his heart. "You're so amazing."
Her fingers traced little circles on his arm, and even through his clothes, he could feel the tingling sensation.
"I'm liking you more and more."
Her gaze shifted from his face to Lu Xueqi at his side, lingered for just a moment, then returned to him.
Her smile deepened, carrying the faintest hint of provocation.
Lu Xueqi's expression did not change, but her fingers tightened around the hilt of the Tianya Sword.
"Jin Ping'er." Lu Xueqi's voice was calm.
"Hmm?" Jin Ping'er tilted her head toward her, smiling innocently.
"Let go."
Jin Ping'er did not let go. Instead, she clung even more tightly to Lu Jiuyuan's arm.
"Miss Lu, I'm just having a few words with him. There's no need to be so nervous, is there?"
Lu Xueqi stopped looking at her and turned her gaze to Lu Jiuyuan. "Senior Brother, come here."
Jin Ping'er's fingers tightened around Lu Jiuyuan's arm.
Lu Jiuyuan glanced down at Jin Ping'er's hand around his arm on the left, then at Lu Xueqi's icy face on the right. He fell silent for a moment.
"Ping'er, let go for a bit."
Jin Ping'er stared at him for two seconds. Her smile faded slightly, but soon returned to normal.
She let go, stepped back, and brushed at dust that wasn't there on her skirt.
"Fine. You two talk."
Lu Xueqi gave Lu Jiuyuan no time to react. She simply took his hand. Her grip wasn't strong, but it carried an unshakable certainty that left no room for refusal.
"Come with me."
She led Lu Jiuyuan down from the city wall and through several narrow alleys.
She stopped in front of a wall.
It was a dead-end alley where no one ever passed.
Lu Xueqi turned to face him, her gaze burning as she looked at him.
After a moment of silence, she rose onto her toes and kissed him.
Lu Jiuyuan's eyes widened in that instant.
He wasn't surprised by the kiss itself. They had kissed many times before.
What surprised him was that this was the first time Lu Xueqi had kissed him of her own accord.
He had thought that was simply her nature: cool, reserved, and not one to make the first move.
But now she was on tiptoe, holding his face in both hands, her lips pressed against his. Her kiss was awkward but fervent, as if she were doing something she had prepared for a long time and finally mustered the courage to attempt.
Her lips were soft, touched with a hint of coolness from the cold wind she had stood in on the city wall.
Her lashes trembled, her breath quivered, and even the fingers clutching his lapels shook.
She kissed him with utmost seriousness and concentration, as if completing a ritual.
She kept her eyes open, and so did he. Their gazes met at close range. Her eyes held embarrassment, nervousness, and a desperate resolve, as if she were burning her bridges.
After a long while, she broke the kiss and stepped back half a pace.
Lu Xueqi was breathing hard, her cheeks flushed. Her fingers were still clutching his lapels.
Lu Jiuyuan leaned against the wall, looking down at her with the faintest curve to his lips.
"Xueqi, has the vinegar jar tipped over?" Lu Jiuyuan asked with a laugh, his voice especially clear in the quiet alley. "Why did you suddenly take the initiative and kiss me?"
Lu Xueqi's fingers tightened around his lapels for an instant. She raised her head and glared at him with cold eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself." Lu Xueqi's voice was as cold as the frozen lake on Xiaozhu Peak in winter. "I just can't stand seeing you act so intimately with other women."
With that, she let go of his lapels and turned to leave.
Lu Jiuyuan's hand moved faster than his brain.
He braced one hand against the wall beside her and caught her waist with the other, pinning her against the wall.
Trapped between his arms, Lu Xueqi had nowhere to retreat.
She looked up and glared at him. Her cool eyes held surprise and anger, along with a trace of panic buried deep within.
"Lu Jiuyuan, you—!!!"
"Xueqi." Lu Jiuyuan's voice dropped until only she could hear him. His eyes shone like two tiny flames, making her heart skip a beat.
"You've got me all worked up, and now you think you can just walk away?"
Lu Xueqi's face flushed scarlet. She bit her lip and turned away, refusing to look at him.
"Lu Jiuyuan, stop talking nonsense." Her voice was still cold, but something beneath that chill was breaking, like spring water surging beneath a layer of ice. "I didn't."
"You didn't?" Lu Jiuyuan lowered his head and leaned 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. "That was... that was because..."
"Because of what?"
In the end, Lu Xueqi could not bring herself to finish.
Lu Jiuyuan raised his head and looked at her turned profile, at the curve of skin blushing from her ear to her neck. He reached out, took her chin between his fingers, and gently turned her to face him.
"Xueqi." Lu Jiuyuan's voice was soft. His thumb gently caressed her chin. "You look really cute when you're jealous."
Lu Xueqi glared at him. Her look held embarrassment and anger, along with a hint of coyness she herself didn't even notice.
His fingers moved up from her chin, their pads brushing lightly across her lower lip. Her lips, still swollen and red from his kiss, felt as soft as flower petals.
Lu Xueqi's breathing grew unsteady. Her full chest rose and fell slightly, and her fingers clenched the fabric at her sides.
"You!!!!"
"What?" Lu Jiuyuan's voice was as suggestive as the night breeze, brushing her ear and sending a tingling sensation through her.
His fingers moved away from her lips and slid along her cheek to the spot behind her ear, gently stroking that small patch of smooth skin.
Lu Xueqi's body trembled slightly. A faint little moan escaped her lips, like a cat's paw gently scratching at her heart.
She bit her lip and swallowed the rest of the sound. A thin sheen of tears welled in her eyes. No, she couldn't let him bully her like this.
Every time, he was the one who teased her, and she would blush and respond, like a cat being toyed with.
Why should she?
She, Lu Xueqi, was the leading disciple of Xiaozhu Peak and the strongest young female sword cultivator in the Qingyun Sect. Why should he have her completely at his mercy every time?
She would take the lead for once.
Lu Xueqi raised a hand, pressed it against his chest, and shoved hard.
Lu Jiuyuan was unprepared. She pushed him back a step, and his back struck the earthen wall opposite with a dull thud.
Lu Xueqi stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.
"Come with me."
She pulled Lu Jiuyuan out of the alley and through several streets, moving as fast as the wind.
He watched her straight-backed figure and the hand tightly clasped around his wrist. The curve of his lips grew wider and wider. He didn't resist, letting her lead him along.
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