"Husband!!!"
"Do you like me like this?"
"Do you like me this way?"
Lu Jiuyuan's reason shattered completely in that instant!
He stopped trying to turn over, stopped trying to take back control!
He reached out, gripped her waist, and pulled her toward him!
Their bodies pressed together, so close there wasn't the slightest gap between them!
The sunlight shifted in through the back window, falling on them and casting their intertwined shadows onto the mottled wall!
It wasn't until late at night that the sounds in the room gradually died down!
Outside, the dusk over Black Stone City slowly turned deep blue, then faded from deep blue to inky black.
At last, when the final sound faded into the night, Lu Xueqi lay in his arms, looking like a thoroughly contented cat.
Lu Xueqi's long hair spilled over them like black silk brushed with ink. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips slightly swollen, and a satisfied smile played at the corners of her mouth.
Her hand still rested on his chest, her fingers absently tracing circles there.
Lu Jiuyuan leaned against the headboard, holding her close. Moonlight streamed through the window and fell on her bare shoulder, where a few faint red marks—his doing—were visible.
He looked at those marks, then guiltily turned his gaze away.
So that was what it meant to be driven to the brink of ecstasy!
Lu Jiuyuan felt utterly relaxed, as if he'd soaked in a hot spring, every muscle soothed and loosened.
But if he said that out loud, she'd probably bite him.
They looked at each other.
In the moonlight, her eyes were bright, as if filled with clear spring water.
He looked at her, she looked at him, and then they both smiled.
Their laughter was so soft that only the two of them could hear it, carrying a tacit understanding.
"What are you laughing at?" Lu Xueqi asked curiously.
"You," Lu Jiuyuan said, reaching out to pinch her cheek.
"What's so funny about me?"
"I'm laughing because you always act so cold, but it turns out..."
"Lu Jiuyuan!" Lu Xueqi clapped a hand over his mouth and fixed him with a dangerous stare. "Just try saying it."
He smiled and kissed her palm. She snatched her hand back as if burned and glared at him, but there was no coldness in her gaze, only playful reproach.
"Xueqi."
"Hmm?"
"You were different today."
Lu Xueqi raised an eyebrow, tracing circles on his chest with her finger. "How so?"
"By rights, I should've been on top."
Her finger paused for an instant, then continued tracing circles. "So what if I was on top today?"
"Nothing wrong with that." He smiled and pulled her closer. "You can be on top from now on, too."
"In your dreams." She snorted, but the corners of her mouth lifted. She buried her face in the hollow of his neck and murmured, "Today was a special case."
"What made it special?"
Lu Xueqi didn't answer.
It was a long while before her voice came from the hollow of his neck, soft and tinged with a hint of seduction. "I was afraid someone else would steal you away."
Lu Jiuyuan ran his fingers through her hair, gently stroking it. "That won't happen."
"Liar. Someone's already stolen half of you." Lu Xueqi gave a soft, teasing snort.
Lu Jiuyuan knew she meant Jin Ping'er. He fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head and kissed the crown of her hair. "I'll slowly win that half back."
Lu Xueqi said nothing, only held him a little tighter.
Outside, the moon emerged fully from behind the clouds, bathing the whole room in silvery light.
The night watchman's clapper sounded in the distance. It was the third watch.
The inn was quiet, as if no one lived there. Only this room held the faint sounds of their mingled breathing and the occasional hushed words, soft as murmurs in a dream.
"Senior Brother."
"Hmm?"
"Will you ever think I'm too forward?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Really. I like it when you take the initiative."
"Then do you like me?"
"I do."
"How much?"
"A lot."
"How much is 'a lot'?"
Lu Jiuyuan looked down at her. In the moonlight, her eyes sparkled like a child waiting for a piece of candy. He chuckled and pulled her closer.
"I can't put it into words. But every morning when I wake up, you're the first person I think of."
Lu Xueqi's lashes trembled. She buried her face against his chest and murmured, "Me too."
Lu Xueqi curled up in his arms, her breathing only just settling. Her hand still rested on his chest, her fingers absently tracing circles.
The moonlight shifted through the window, falling on her bare shoulder, where a few faint red marks from earlier remained.
Her lashes quivered slightly, and the flush on her cheeks had yet to fade. She looked like a flower dampened by rain, languid and soft.
Then she felt it.
Through the thin fabric, something pressed against her leg, hot and impossible to ignore.
Lu Xueqi's body gave a slight shiver, and her fingers stilled against his chest.
Her face flushed from the tips of her ears down to her neck, red as the sunset behind Xiaozhu Peak.
She bit her lip and looked up at him. In the moonlight, her bright, dewy eyes held both embarrassment and annoyance.
"Husband, why are you..." Lu Xueqi's voice was as faint as a mosquito's, its ending trembling slightly with a coy reproach she couldn't quite put into words.
Lu Jiuyuan looked down at her, the corners of his mouth curling in a lazy smile.
His fingers slid down her back and gently traced the most sensitive spot at her waist, feeling her soft body tremble in his arms.
"It's because you're too alluring, darling." Lu Jiuyuan's voice was low and husky, languid with satisfaction, like a cat that had basked in the sun. "I couldn't help myself."
Lu Xueqi's body was still tingling, every inch of her skin retaining the memory of what had just happened.
A deep, aching weakness seeped from her very bones. She could barely lift a hand, much less handle him demanding more.
She gave a little wriggle in his arms, but couldn't break free. His hand held her at the waist—not tightly, but just enough to keep her nestled against him.
"Husband, I really can't go on..." Lu Xueqi's voice was soft and pleading, nothing like that of the Xiaozhu Peak senior disciple who'd been so cold and distant during the day.
Lu Xueqi buried her face in the hollow of his neck and mumbled, "Let me rest for a while..."
Lu Jiuyuan's fingers lightly squeezed her waist. Feeling her body tremble, he chuckled. "You don't have to move."
Lu Xueqi lifted her head from the hollow of his neck. The flush still lingered on her face in the moonlight, her lips were slightly swollen, and a faint mist veiled her eyes.
"I'll take care of everything in a little while," he said with a smile, lowering his head to kiss her forehead. "You just lie there."
Lu Xueqi's lashes trembled as she bit her lip and glared at him.
Her gaze held embarrassment, annoyance, and the aggrieved look of someone thinking, "You're being so mean," along with a trace of anticipation buried so deeply that even she refused to acknowledge it.
She parted her lips, wanting to say "No," or "That's enough," or "Keep this up and I'll go back to Qingyun Mountain."
But the words turned into an indistinct syllable before they could leave her mouth, swallowed by his kiss.
The moonlight slipped away from the window, and clouds veiled the moon, darkening the room.
The bed began to creak again, and the coarse blankets bunched beneath them.
Outside, the night watchman's clapper sounded farther away, then closer, then farther away again.
The neighboring room had long since fallen silent. The entire inn was as quiet as an empty building, and only the sounds from this room continued, gradually subsiding in the latter half of the night.
Before you continue