Afraid I'll Get the Wrong Idea, Heroine Luo?

Luo Ning blinked, clearly intrigued by his words, and raised her cup to take a small sip.

"Could it be that the lady prince has taken a fancy to you?"

"I'm just a poor lad from the Liangzhou frontier. I've got some talent and decent looks, so it's hardly surprising if she takes a fancy to me. If I had someone I loved, I could politely refuse by saying, 'A wife who shared my husks and chaff must never be cast out.' Otherwise, if the emperor's sister takes a fancy to me, what can I do?"

"..."

For some reason, Luo Ning's heart skipped at those words. She wanted to say Ye Jingtang was lying.

But Ye Jingtang's looks and talent both made him a dragon or phoenix among men. It was perfectly reasonable for the lady prince to take him into her harem, and he would have no way to resist.

If he became the lady prince's consort, he would have to serve her for the rest of his life and cut all ties with other women...

But this little scoundrel had kissed and touched her. What was she supposed to do afterward?

Although the thought was inappropriate, looking at it rationally, even if she didn't like this little scoundrel, he had taken liberties with her. He ought to give her some time to consider things.

How could he take his liberties and then run off to become the lady prince's consort...

Luo Ning drank several cups in succession before saying icily:

"How can a grown man stoop beneath a woman's knees to seek wealth and rank?"

"Did the people beheaded at the marketplace want the emperor or princes to execute them? Did all those consorts in the palace really want to marry the emperor?"

"..."

Unable to refute him, Luo Ning considered for a moment and drew a soft breath.

"You... you little scoundrel, you've already wronged me. I haven't decided how to make you repay me yet, so until then, you'd better watch yourself. Mm... if the lady prince really does have improper designs on you, you can say you already have someone you love..."

"And when Prince Jing asks, who do I name? I can't just point to someone at random, can I? If I reject the lady prince's advances, that's as good as cutting off my official career..."

Smack-

Luo Ning gave the table a light slap, her gaze turning chilly.

"You were the one who first harbored lustful intentions. Whether I let bygones be bygones or make you repay me, it's my decision. Until I've made up my mind, you have to behave yourself and wait. Only once I've forgiven you can you go curry favor with the lady prince. Just try saying no!"

The heroine was fierce.

Ye Jingtang poured her another cup. "I can wait, but you're already married, Heroine Luo. You're never going to give me a chance to turn over a new leaf..."

"So what if I'm married?"

After several cups, a tipsy flush had crept onto Luo Ning's cheeks. She looked angry, and with the alcohol bolstering her courage, she retorted:

"Can't I remarry just because I'm married? Couldn't I be a widow? Or perhaps my husband has peculiar tastes, likes men, and we're married in name only?"

"Cough, cough..."

Ye Jingtang nearly sprayed out a mouthful of wine, his eyes widening in astonishment. He glanced around, made sure no one was nearby, then leaned toward Heroine Luo and asked incredulously:

"Likes men?"

Luo Ning sounded utterly justified. "Yes, my husband likes men! And she's ravenous for them. When she sees a handsome man like you, she can't move another step. Do you know what will happen to you if my husband finds out you've been pestering me?"

??

A certain part of Ye Jingtang tightened, and his scalp prickled.

"What will happen?"

Seeing that she had frightened this lawless little scoundrel, Heroine Luo grew rather enthusiastic. She lifted her face, lovely as a snow lotus on an icy peak, and put on a threatening expression.

"Whatever you do to me, she'll do to you!"

"What?!"

"And she's domineering and forceful. She'll be far more ruthless than a little scoundrel like you. She'll pin you down, tie you up, and abuse you to her heart's content. You can't beat her. Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will save you. You'll have no choice but to endure her abuse day and night..."

These claims were utterly outrageous.

But more outrageous still, Ye Jingtang felt Luo Ning was telling the truth!

Goosebumps rose all over Ye Jingtang. He moved farther away and raised a hand.

"All right, all right, stop."

Luo Ning had always been the one getting bullied. Seeing Ye Jingtang finally lose his nerve naturally emboldened her.

After several cups of wine, Luo Ning seemed a little livelier than usual. In her ethereal, aloof voice, rich with a mature woman's poise, she mocked him:

"What? Scared? Where's all that courage you had when you pinned me down and bullied me? If you ever dare take liberties with me again, all I need to do is say a word when I get home, and that's what will happen to you..."

Ye Jingtang's scalp really was prickling. He drank two cups to steady his nerves before asking:

"Heroine Luo, how did you end up marrying a pervert like that? Were you forced into it?"

Luo Ning blinked, reined in her expression, and grew a little more serious.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you once we've rescued Qiu Tianhe. Until then, you mustn't go curry favor with the lady prince..."

"I'm afraid that won't work. Your husband's such a pervert-what if I get caught? I don't think there's anywhere in the world safer than Prince Jing's Manor."

??

Realizing she had overdone it and frightened the little scoundrel into preparing to cling to the lady prince's leg, Luo Ning explained:

"Mm... you needn't worry too much. I'm the one who calls the shots at home. As long as I don't say anything about what you've done to me, she won't do anything to you."

Ye Jingtang thought for a moment, dragged his stool over to Luo Ning, and asked:

"Your husband likes men, and there's no real affection between you. You only became a pretend couple to conceal your husband's perverted tastes?"

With a man suddenly sitting beside her, Luo Ning involuntarily tensed a little, but she maintained her commanding air.

"More or less. But I'm not as disgraceful as you're imagining. She has to do things for me before I'll help her hide the ways she differs from other men. It's merely a partnership."

"So you're actually unmarried and single, Heroine Luo, not a married woman?"

"..."

Luo Ning felt something was off-she seemed to have unwittingly laid all her cards on the table.

"As far as the martial world knows, I am indeed a married woman. If you dare take even the slightest liberty with me again, you know the consequences."

Ye Jingtang considered briefly. "I feel I'd still be better off seeking Prince Jing's protection..."

Smack-

Luo Ning was getting annoyed. She slapped the table lightly. "As long as I guarantee your safety, no one can touch you. What are you scared of? Are you that eager to bow beneath the lady prince's skirts? Where's that courage you used to have?"

"..."

Looking into Luo Ning's eyes, filled with exasperation that iron would not turn to steel, Ye Jingtang finally understood-she wanted him neither to curry favor with Prince Jing and become her consort nor to fear that pervert...

Ye Jingtang nodded slightly, said no more, and raised his cup.

"Let's drink, let's drink. Enough of that."

Seeing this, Luo Ning stopped using the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master to frighten the little scoundrel. She raised her cup, clinked it against his, and drained it.

They had spent so long talking nonsense that, before they knew it, three rounds of drinks had passed.

Luo Ning had never touched a drop before. That she had spouted such a long string of nonsense today clearly meant she had drunk too much. After several more cups in succession, she began to feel top-heavy and unsteady.

As she poured and drank by herself, she glanced sideways at the exceptionally handsome little scoundrel, who was drinking morosely on his own.

His expression remained strikingly cool, with a hint of refined gentleness hidden beneath it, but his eyes seemed distracted, as though he had a great deal on his mind and wasn't very happy.

The sight sobered Luo Ning a little. She briefly reviewed their conversation-if someone didn't know the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master was a woman, it did sound a little wrong.

A woman as beautiful as a heavenly immortal had entered a sham marriage with a perverted man to achieve certain aims, and everything she said suggested she depended heavily on that pervert...

If a man who saw her as a pure, unsullied fairy learned this, his favorable impression of her would probably plummet. No matter how much he liked her, all his affection might vanish, and he might even discard her like a worn-out shoe...

"..."

For some reason, a trace of nervousness appeared on Luo Ning's peerlessly beautiful, icy face.

Although she had no particular interest in this shameless little scoundrel, blackening her own name to stop his wishful thinking, destroying her spotless image, and making him misunderstand or even despise her seemed to cost more than it gained...

After stealing several glances at Ye Jingtang, Luo Ning thought for a moment and spoke again:

"You... don't let your imagination run wild. She and I merely help each other. In private, we're perfectly innocent; there's nothing between us. I'm not the sort of woman who doesn't even care about her chastity and reputation when pursuing her aims... The circumstances are complicated, and I can't tell you for now, but it's definitely nothing like what you're imagining. I'll explain once we've rescued Qiu Tianhe. Then you'll realize it's perfectly normal. It only sounds strange because you don't know the inside story..."

Ye Jingtang turned his gaze toward her. Seeing this older woman, beautiful as a heavenly immortal, explaining in a soft, drunken voice with her cheeks flushed, he curled his lips.

"Afraid I'll get the wrong idea, Heroine Luo?"