Playing Along

Zu Hao let Bulu Du take off his clothes, and a flicker of excitement unexpectedly rose in his heart.

He narrowed his eyes and stole a glance. Bulu Du had already removed her outer garment, and her close-fitting rough cloth undershirt outlined her firm waist. Below that were clearly defined abdominal lines, like two neat blade marks carved into her healthy wheat-colored skin.

Yet a faint scent of mutton mixed with windblown sand drifted through the air, making Zu Hao raise an eyebrow to himself.

It was not unpleasant, though. If anything, it carried an untamed wildness that had never been polished away.

Bulu Du did not realize Zu Hao was only pretending to be unconscious. A sly smile curled her lips as she reached up and undid the last layer of clothing on herself.

The moment they faced each other bare, Bulu Du bent down over Zu Hao. Her lightly callused lips first brushed the corner of his mouth, then rubbed along his cheek to his earlobe. Her warm breath made the edge of his ear faintly burn.

But just as Zu Hao thought something more intimate would follow, Bulu Du suddenly stopped.

She shifted into a comfortable position and nestled against his side, resting her head on his arm with a thoroughly satisfied look on her face.

Damn! She took off all her clothes, and that was it?

Zu Hao rolled his eyes inwardly.

Other than getting saliva all over my face, what else can you do?

It was not entirely Bulu Du's fault.

Women of the grasslands had always been passionate and uninhibited, but when it came to men and women, most had only heard vague mentions from the elders of their tribes. No one had ever taught her the actual process.

In Bulu Du's understanding, as long as she slept while embracing a man, he became hers. She did not think there was anything improper about such a "ceremony."

"Tell me, you drugged me just so you could sleep with me?"

Zu Hao suddenly spoke, his voice especially clear in the silent room.

Bulu Du jolted awake and sat upright like a startled doe. In a panic, she snatched up the blanket beside her and wrapped herself in it, staring warily at Zu Hao. "You weren't drugged?"

She was both embarrassed and angry.

When she had offered Zu Hao the wine earlier, she had deliberately added a specially made sedative. The dose was enough to knock out an adult camel. How could this man possibly be unharmed?

But on second thought, whether he had been unconscious or not, she had already "slept" with him. She had not lost out, so she did not think of calling for the Tatar guards downstairs.

Bulu Du straightened her back and lifted her chin slightly, assuming the pose of a victor. "So what if you weren't unconscious? I've slept with you anyway. You're mine now. Come back to the grasslands with me in the future. I won't treat you badly."

Zu Hao did not respond. His mental power quietly spread outward.

The instant it reached beyond the window, he sensed a slender figure lying on the eaves, her breathing suppressed to an extreme faintness.

It was Ling Yanqiu.

He found it secretly amusing. Was this woman planning to take the chance to rescue someone, or did she simply want to eavesdrop?

Zu Hao was in a foul mood right then and had no time to bother with the person outside.

He stared directly at Bulu Du, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. "And then?"

"What then?"

Bulu Du blinked, her face full of confusion.

"You haven't finished the process yet."

Zu Hao curled his lips. "I'll teach you."

Before his words had even faded, he suddenly reached out and yanked at the blanket wrapped around Bulu Du.

Caught off balance, Bulu Du cried out and fell straight onto Zu Hao.

Zu Hao rolled over with the motion, wrapped an arm around her waist, and cleanly pinned her beneath him. He moved so quickly that Bulu Du had no time to react.

"What are you doing?!"

Bulu Du struggled on instinct, flailing her limbs as she pressed her palms against Zu Hao's chest, trying to push him away.

But Zu Hao's strength was far beyond Bulu Du's. No matter how hard she tried, his body did not move in the slightest. Instead, he pressed her even tighter.

What unsettled Bulu Du even more was that beneath Zu Hao's restraint, aside from her initial anger and humiliation, a strange feeling quietly began to stir within her heart.

(Thirty thousand words omitted here. Use your imagination.)

By the time the storm had passed, the sky outside had already turned dusky yellow.

Bulu Du's long hair was soaked with sweat and clung messily to her neck and cheeks. Her gaze, once as wild and unyielding as a hawk's, had become gentle and soft, like that of a beautiful leopard finally tamed. Her eyes held a trace of languid dependence.

Bulu Du extended a finger and lightly traced it across Zu Hao's chest, clearly feeling his powerful heartbeat beneath her fingertip.

"You're strong."

She spoke in Chinese. "Stronger than every grassland man I've ever seen. My name is Bulu Du. My Han name is Chang Xiaowen. What about you? What's your name?"

Zu Hao took out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes from his portable space, holding a cigarette between his fingers as he flicked the lighter on with a click.

The orange-red flame lit up, reflecting the calm in his eyes.

He took a deep drag, slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, and said casually, "Zu Hao. Just a passerby."

Watching him smoke, Bulu Du found him especially dashing.

At the same time, she grew interested in the cigarette and lighter.

She reached out and snatched the cigarette from between Zu Hao's fingers. Copying him, she brought it to her lips and took a drag. The instant the smoke entered her lungs, she broke into a violent coughing fit, nearly coughing out tears.

"Idiot."

Zu Hao laughed and reached out to pat her back.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the window and extended his mental power once more.

Ling Yanqiu was already gone from outside the window.

With a slight sweep of his senses, he discovered that Ling Yanqiu and Su Huirong were hiding in the underground caves of Dragon Gate Inn.

Ling Yanqiu had once been the proprietress of Dragon Gate Inn. Back then, she had gone by the nickname "Gold-inlaid Jade" and made quite a name for herself in the desert with her skill at "lighting lamps and trimming candles."

Naturally, she knew every secret passage in the inn like the back of her hand. Hiding in the underground space now allowed her to avoid the eyes of the West Depot and escape the coming black sandstorm. It was a clever choice.

After finishing a cigarette, Zu Hao got up and dressed.

Bulu Du sat up as well and slowly arranged her clothes. Her movements now carried a little more of a woman's shy delicacy.

After thinking it over, Bulu Du told Zu Hao about the Western Xia treasure at Dragon Gate and invited him to search for it with her.

Zu Hao had known about it all along, but he still put on a surprised expression. "I didn't expect there to be treasure here. But if an outsider like me suddenly joins, won't the others be upset?"