Moonlight spilled over the rutted surface of Dyeing Street. There were no lights or fires nearby, and summer insects could be heard chirping deep in the alleys:
"Chirp, chirp-"
A man and a woman returning late at night walked together along the path beside the street.
The woman wore green, her black hair gathered behind her head in a lovely bun. With her dignified, cold beauty, she resembled a celestial maiden from the moon palace walking beneath the moon.
The man had an arm draped over her shoulders. His sleeves were in tatters, and as they walked, he kept getting handsy, his eyes wandering as he tried to lean toward her cheek for a kiss.
"You little rogue, stop using the medicine as an excuse. Move your hands again, and don't blame me..."
"Heroine Luo, I really can't help it. I'm already behaving myself... Maybe I should go see Prince Jing after all. Someone could die..."
Her face flushed, Luo Ning supported Ye Jingtang with all her strength as she headed toward Twin Osmanthus Alley. Once she saw there was no one around, she took out the medicine box, picked up a pill, and moved to toss it into her mouth.
But just as she raised her hand, Ye Jingtang stopped her.
Luo Ning's delicate brows knitted slightly as she said coldly, "What? Afraid you'll be exposed, so you don't dare let me take it?"
Ye Jingtang held Heroine Luo's hand, looking earnestly at the cold, beautiful face inches from his own:
"You really can't withstand this medicine. Taking it would be handing yourself over for nothing. You don't have to believe me, but I have to make this clear. If you're unwilling and take it out of spite, and I don't stop you, wouldn't that really make me a