"By rights, I should have sent a maid or eunuch to give you a Fragrant Medicine Sachet, and then you should have answered with a matching poem... Our circumstances are rather humble at present. You'll have to make do."
Seeing Wei Xun so embarrassed that he did not know what to do with his hands and feet, Baozhu simply put on an air of bold generosity. She loosened her hair bun and pointed to the inside of the bed. "You sleep there."
A treatment more deadly than pepper-and-ginseng soup descended upon him. Wei Xun's head buzzed. Unable to understand how matters had taken such a bizarre turn, he asked in despair, "Why?"
Baozhu frowned. "Do you think I'm stupid? If I let you sleep on the outside, you'll grease your soles and slip away the moment I close my eyes."
When Wei Xun remained planted there like a wooden post, refusing to move, her patience ran out. She seized the front of his robe with one hand and his belt with the other, then strained both arms, trying to wrestle him onto the bed. It was an opening move in Juedi Wrestling, executed with impeccable form. With arms strong enough to draw a heavy bow by sheer force, she could lift a lynx without difficulty.
Wei Xun felt numb all the way from the back of his neck to his lower back. Only one thought remained in his mind: She doesn't understand. Even if it kills me, I mustn't "fight back."
Baozhu shoved him twice, but his feet seemed rooted to the floor. He did not budge, and her expression turned cold. She had taken the initiative to invite him tonight solely because she believed the words "phoenix embryo" concealed a profound mystery, and that their meeting had been ordained