In a Group of Three, There Must Be a Teacher for Me

Lu Xueqi tried to take a step.

Her legs felt weak.

From yesterday afternoon until late at night, and from late at night until the early hours of the morning, she had only rested for a few intermittent hours in between.

Having been pressed by him for another round this morning, her body felt as if it had been soaked in warm water for too long; every muscle had been softened, and a deep ache seeped into the very marrow of her bones.

As she took her second step, her knees buckled, and she pitched forward.

A hand reached out from behind, firmly gripping her waist and pulling her into a warm chest.

The arm of Lu Jiuyuan wrapped around her waist, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy, holding her securely in his embrace.

Lu Xueqi's back pressed against his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat, steady and powerful, thumping against her.

"Careful." Lu Jiuyuan's voice brushed against her earlobe, laced with amusement.

Lu Xueqi's face flushed. She struggled slightly in his arms, but she couldn't budge; his hand remained locked around her waist, unmoving.

She raised her hand and gave his waist a light pinch—not hard, like a cat batting at someone with its paws.

"It's all your fault," Lu Xueqi said, her voice muffled and tinged with coquettish reproach. "You almost made me fall."

Lu Jiuyuan lowered his head to look at her reddened earlobe and her slightly pouting lips, and he smiled.

The laughter was soft, the vibration of his chest traveling to her back, leaving her feeling tingly and numb.

"It is my fault," Lu Jiuyuan said, his voice low and amused, as if he were coaxing a ruffled kitten. "I will be sure to pay attention next time."

Lu Xueqi turned her head from his embrace and glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

His expression was earnest, his gaze clear, and a gentle smile played at the corners of his mouth.

She huffed and turned her face away, though the corners of her lips curled upward.

"There's a next time?"

"What do you think?"

Lu Xueqi didn't answer, but the curve of her lips deepened.

Lu Jiuyuan took a small porcelain bottle from the storage pouch at his waist and poured out a pale green pill.

It was a Huiqi Pill, personally refined by Master Shuiyue of Xiaozhu Peak, far more effective than anything sold on the market.

Lu Jiuyuan held the pill to her lips.

"Eat it."

Lu Xueqi opened her mouth and swallowed. As the pill slid down her throat, it transformed into a stream of warm spiritual energy that flowed into her limbs and bones.

The warmth spread from her dantian to her extremities, and the soreness slowly began to recede, though her legs remained weak.

She leaned against him, resting for another moment before slowly standing straight.

"Feeling better?"

"Mm."

"Then let's tidy up; it's time to go."

The two began to clean the room.

Lu Xueqi bent down to pick up the shredded pieces of clothing from the floor: fragments of her moon-white top, pieces of her pale green skirt, and that undergarment with the snapped shoulder strap. She folded them one by one and stacked them neatly by the bedside.

Lu Jiuyuan folded the bedding, straightened the pillows, poured out the untouched pot of cold tea on the table, and washed the teacups before putting them back in their place.

The room returned to the state it had been in when they arrived—clean and tidy, as if nothing had ever happened.

Only a lingering trace of intimacy remained in the air, mixed with the faint scent of soap and the warmth of their bodies, slowly dissipating in the morning light.

Lu Xueqi stood in the center of the room, taking one last look at the bed.

The sheets were fresh, the bedding was folded, and the pillows were aligned; there were no traces left behind.

But she knew what had happened there. Her face flushed again, and she turned, pushed the door open, and stepped out.

The two walked down the stairs side by side.

The innkeeper was behind the counter tallying accounts. When he looked up and saw the green-clad and white-clad figures descending, he quickly put on a smiling face. "Safe travels, honored guests. We hope to see you again."

Lu Xueqi's footsteps faltered for a moment before she quickened her pace out of the inn.

Jin Ping'er stood at the foot of the stone steps outside the inn. She was leaning against a hitching post, toying with a wild flower in her hand, plucking the petals off one by one and letting them fall at her feet.

Seeing them emerge, her eyes curved slightly, like two crescent moons.

Jin Ping'er tossed the flower, now stripped down to its stamen, aside, brushed the non-existent dust from her skirt, and walked toward them with a smile.

Her gaze landed on Lu Xueqi.

Lu Xueqi stood in the morning light, her moon-white dress glowing softly under the sun. Her long hair was still loose, not yet combed up, cascading over her shoulders.

Her cheeks were flushed with a faint rosy hue, and her lips were redder and slightly more swollen than usual.

Around her eyes and brows, there was something indescribable—not the awkwardness of a young girl, but something softer, more mellow, like an aura dampened by spring rain.

She was a woman now.

Jin Ping'er's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then shifted to her slightly swollen lips, and finally to the faint, barely visible red mark on the side of her neck.

That red mark was very light, almost impossible to see without a close look, but Jin Ping'er saw it very clearly. Jin Ping'er's smile did not change, but something flickered in the depths of her eyes, only to vanish as quickly as it had appeared.

She stepped forward, standing before Lu Xueqi, the distance between them less than two paces.

The morning light illuminated both figures in sharp detail: one cold as frost, the other bewitching as a flower.

"Miss Lu." Jin Ping'er's voice was soft, carrying a perfectly measured gentleness. "Congratulations."

The two words were light, like a breeze brushing across a lake, stirring a ripple before returning to stillness.

Lu Xueqi looked into her eyes; in those fox-like eyes, there was no mockery, no jealousy, only a calm, gentle blessing.

A thin flush rose to Lu Xueqi's face, not out of shyness, but a more complex emotion she herself could not name.

Lu Xueqi nodded slightly, her voice very soft. "Mm."

There were no extra words, nor was there any need for them.

In this moment, a tacit understanding was reached between the two women.

Jin Ping'er smiled, shifted her gaze, and let it fall upon Lu Jiuyuan.

Her eyes brightened, like a cat seeing a fish, like a flower meeting the light.

She took a step forward, reached out to hook her arm through his, and pressed her entire body against him, her movements as natural as if she had done it a thousand times before.

"Husband." Her voice carried a deliberate, seductive charm, the trailing note rising like a cat's claw lightly scratching at the tip of one's heart. "I'm hungry."

Lu Jiuyuan looked down at the hand hooked through his arm, then looked up at her face; he did not pull his arm away, but simply smiled.

"Alright, let's go eat."

Just as he finished speaking, another voice came from his side.

Lu Xueqi stood on his other side, watching the arm Jin Ping'er was holding, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.

"Me too."

The two words were very light, very faint, as if spoken in passing.

But Lu Jiuyuan heard the meaning beneath them—I am hungry too, I want you to take me as well, you cannot take her and leave me behind.

He turned his head to look at her; she was staring straight ahead, her expression calm, but the tips of her ears were red.

The corners of Lu Jiuyuan's mouth curled up slightly as he reached out his other hand and took hers.

Lu Xueqi's fingers curled within his palm; she did not pull away, but simply turned her face aside so he could not see the corners of her mouth curving upward.

The three of them walked down the streets of Black Stone City just like that.

Lu Jiuyuan walked in the middle, holding Lu Xueqi's hand with his left and being held by Jin Ping'er with his right.