Love Beyond Restraint: Ning Rongrong's Gradual Fall

[Ning Rongrong agreed to teach you how to create an excellent Illustrated Storybook that readers could truly lose themselves in.]

[Over the next while, you discovered all sorts of unspeakable scenes and techniques tucked away in Ning Rongrong's head. The girl was shy at first, but as she saw how seriously you studied, she gradually let down her guard. She was delighted that you genuinely appreciated her niche hobby.]

[A month later, you gave Ning Rongrong a storybook you had written with the two of you as its models. After reading it, she gave you a stern critique. It was far too tame, she said. Once things reached that point, why waste words? He should cover her mouth and pin her hands.

The plot dragged, too, and you had done a poor job of depicting the characters' movements and inner thoughts. You were troubled. You weren't a woman—how were you supposed to know what went through a woman's mind? You had never had a girlfriend, either, or even visited a Red-Light District. How could you accurately describe a woman afterward?]

[Ning Rongrong immediately told you that every girl held striking contrasts. The gentlest asked for the most, the proudest begged most humbly, and the coolest clung tightest afterward. You revised the story according to her advice, but she still wasn't satisfied! The inner thoughts were there now, she said, but the body language and facial expressions were all wrong. Written like that, it didn't draw her in at all!]

[When you still failed to understand, Ning Rongrong simply lay down on the bed to demonstrate. She took off her outer clothes, revealing fair shoulders and a little pink undergarment. Then she rolled her eyes and panted as though she were utterly spent. Your eyes were opened, and inspiration flooded in!]

[A few days later, Ning Rongrong repeatedly nodded as she read your latest storybook. By the time she reached the later pages, she couldn't help crossing her legs, and her breathing had quickened. You asked what she thought this time. She took a sip of tea and waited a long while before she dared look at you. This version was excellent, she said: the characters' tangled thoughts, the fierce clash between them, the disarray afterward—everything was spot-on! But there were still a few flaws. You asked what they were.]

[Blushing, Ning Rongrong said that when the two characters embraced, for instance, they shouldn't do it lying down. Once they lay down, one person's body would inevitably press on an arm, making the position uncomfortable for both of them. They couldn't possibly stay that way. Some of the sleeping positions were scenes you had simply imagined, too. No girl would actually sleep like that.]

[The string of criticisms left you looking dejected. You said, "Oh," then suggested that if nothing else worked, you could go to a Red-Light District and experience it for yourself. Ning Rongrong's face tensed at once. She grabbed you and refused to let you leave, insisting that you should keep yourself respectable. You agreed, but she could tell you were only humoring her! To keep you from straying down the wrong path, she squirmed and said that she could help you experience it. You stared at her in disbelief.]

[Ning Rongrong suddenly punched you in the chest and said she meant with your clothes on. Don't get the wrong idea!]

[With that, Ning Rongrong pulled you onto the bed and sat in your lap. She was terribly embarrassed, but she still told you about many details you had never considered, such as how to avoid pinning someone's hair, and how to...]

[You felt the soft warmth of the girl in your arms, caught her fragrance, and watched her red lips move as she talked on and on. At last, you could no longer suppress the urge inside you. You cupped her face and said, "Let's kiss. A real kiss."]

[Ning Rongrong hesitated. A brother and sister kissing each other's cheeks was one thing, she said, but a kiss on the lips crossed a line. You murmured, "Oh, I understand," in disappointment, then moved to push her away and leave. Seeing your expression, she quickly pressed you down on the bed. She was afraid you might do something rash and seek out those bad women outside!]

[So she agreed. Then she closed her eyes, shy and ready to let you do as you pleased. You didn't hold back. This time, you finally tasted the girl's fragrant lips as you had wished. Only when she dimly felt a pair of large hands slide down her slender waist did she summon the last shred of her reason, plant her feet against your chest, and kick you away.]

[That night, you went no further than kissing.]

[After you left, Ning Rongrong frantically patted her cheeks and reassured herself that she had only done it to help Brother Gao Yang find inspiration for his writing. Just this once, just this once! Besides, they had kissed before. This time had only been a little more intense. It was nothing, nothing at all!]

[But once some things began, it was hard to put on the brakes. Over the next few days, Ning Rongrong deliberately kept her distance from you, only to be the first to find the longing unbearable.]

[Using the festive mood as an excuse, she took you into the city to admire the decorative lanterns. After a brief spell of awkwardness, you were close as ever again. You ate delicious food and bought accessories. Then you heard that a Theater Troupe from the Star Luo Empire had come to the city, and the girl's curiosity led you both to watch its performance.]

[Romance lay at the heart of the play. All around you, girls watched their sweethearts with shining eyes. Ning Rongrong was no exception. By unspoken agreement, the two of you walked to a secluded spot with beautiful scenery, then found yourselves holding hands, embracing, and kissing.]

[This time, the girl poured far, far more feeling into it than she had before!]

[Once it happened a first and second time, a third and fourth were bound to follow.]

[The third kiss came one day after you had trained Distraction Control to the level of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Heart. Thrilled, you hugged the girl in celebration, and before long, you were kissing again. This time, you held her with particular intensity. She no longer resisted at all. You kissed from the floor to the bed, where her little stocking-clad feet gave the Brocade Quilt a few token kicks before falling limp and still.]

[This time, you discovered many of the girl's secrets.]

[After that, kissing became as commonplace as drinking water. Nor was it confined to late-night moments alone. As long as no one was around during the day, you would secretly steal a taste of each other.]

[The turning point came three months later. Ning Fengzhi had heard a rumor from somewhere that consuming Whale Rubber could strengthen a Soul Master's body, allowing them to absorb older Soul Rings. Ning Rongrong heard this and, knowing you were close to a breakthrough, immediately spent a great deal of money on a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. The problem was that neither of you had ever heard of Whale Rubber before. Neither of you knew exactly how to eat it to strengthen the body.]

[You thought it over for a long time without getting anywhere. The girl's Witch nature surfaced once more. The stuff wasn't poisonous, she said, so you might as well eat it raw. As long as it worked, a weak effect wouldn't matter. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had plenty of money; you could always buy a few more pieces!]

[You nodded, thinking it a fine idea. So the two of you took turns taking bites until you had eaten the entire piece of Whale Rubber.]

[Afterward, you immediately sat down to cultivate. You could feel that your physical strength had improved slightly, but given the price of the Whale Rubber, it hardly seemed worth it. More troublingly, after eating it, you distinctly felt your Soul Power flowing downward beyond your control. The moment you realized something was wrong and opened your eyes, you saw Ning Rongrong staring fixedly at you with damp eyes.]