Shen Fei leaned down.
He braced one hand against the edge of the bench's backrest and rested the other on Xiao Ning'er's shoulder. He lowered his head toward her, stopping just short of her lips to look at her.
Xiao Ning'er's lashes fluttered, and she closed her eyes. Shen Fei kissed her.
The kiss lasted a long time. Long enough for Shen Fei to taste the herbs on Xiao Ning'er's lips-the lingering, delicate bitterness of the Body Tempering Pill, mingled with her warmth.
Long enough for the fingers braced against the backrest to slowly tighten, his knuckles turning white.
Long enough for Xiao Ning'er's breathing to settle from rapid to steady, then quicken again. At some point, her hands had risen to clutch the hem of Shen Fei's clothes hanging at his side.
The kiss was also very short. So short that when they parted, Shen Fei felt as though only a single breath had passed. The warm sensation still lingered on his lips, yet hers were already gone.
He drew back slightly and looked down at Xiao Ning'er.
Her eyes slowly opened, a veil of mist still lingering in them. Her lips were redder than before, and her breathing remained a little unsteady. The look she gave him was filled with tenderness.
At that look, the corner of Shen Fei's mouth twitched, as though he wanted to smile but did not know what to say.
He reached out to stroke her head, his fingers threading through her sweat-damp hair and gliding gently from her crown to the base of her ponytail.
"All right, circulate your energy and consolidate your gains," he said. His voice was a little deeper than before, but his tone was even, no different from the way he usually spoke.
Xiao Ning'er lay on the bench