Chapter 109 Heart in Turmoil (Seventeen) My junior brother seems quite angry…

How is that possible?

How could the sorcerer Song be a woman?

Wan Hongling froze on the spot, her fingers still lingering on that soft flesh, forgetting to retract them.

The sensation under her hand was so real; a surging heartbeat emanated from beneath her skin, making her palms itch and her fingers curl slightly.

Even if... even if the sorcerer Song disliked her, he wouldn't fabricate such an absurd lie to deceive her...

so.

This is true.

It felt as if a taut string in my mind had suddenly snapped.

This realization swept through her like a tidal wave, instantly shattering all her preconceived notions and expectations.

The sorcerer Song was not a lecherous man who led people into the bedroom with ill intentions, but a woman who harbored a huge secret and was now revealing that secret to her in an almost cruel way.

She removed her outer garment, guiding her touch—was it not a seduction, but a desperate act of confession...?

“Song Lang…Song the sorcerer.” In the darkness, Wan Hongling’s voice trembled slightly, hoarse from the alcohol, “Why…why did you disguise yourself as a man?”

She belatedly withdrew her hand, lowered her eyelashes, and looked so embarrassed that she didn't know where to look. She wished she could find a crack in the rock and disappear so that Song Qiling would never find her again.

That's just...so embarrassing.

She had previously been extremely attentive to a woman and even said such... such explicit things. What should Master Song think of her?

They must think she's frivolous and reckless, a fool who can't even distinguish between men and women, right?

"I'm sorry." Song Qiling bent down to pick up her clothes scattered on the ground and put them back on. Amid the rustling sound, she spoke with difficulty, "I didn't mean to hide it from you, and I never thought I would be favored by you, young lady."

After retying the talisman and making sure nothing was missing, she stood up straight and looked at Wan Hongling again.

“I made some mistakes before, and I disguised myself as a man to escape the pursuit of the sect members.” After a pause, she added, “Because of the invisibility talisman, my appearance was no different from that of a man, which is how I managed to deceive everyone and no one noticed.”

“Now it seems that’s no longer necessary.” She smiled bitterly. “But one lie requires a thousand lies to cover it up, so much so that in the end, I… don’t know how to bring it up with you.”

“Miss Wan, you are a good girl with a bright future and marriage prospects. I don’t want you to give your heart to the wrong person and waste your youth.”

Wan Hongling was deeply shocked and couldn't recover for a long time. She opened her mouth, but felt that all words seemed utterly inadequate.

She remained silent, took a few steps forward, and as if possessed, reached out and grasped Song Qiling's fingers, holding them tightly in her palm.

Song Qiling: "..."

He froze for a moment, unable to figure out the girl's intentions, and could only let her do as she pleased.

She didn't use force, but only tentatively pressed against him. Song Qiling raised her eyebrows slightly, her fingers curled up subconsciously, and her wrist bones bulged slightly from the movement. She was clearly startled but tried to remain calm and ultimately did not pull away.

This is tacit consent.

As a result, Wan Hongling became bolder.

Her fingers followed the clear lines of the other person's hand bones, slowly, inch by inch, moving upwards.

First, I stroked the back of my hand; the skin was smoother than it looked, and I could feel the subtle undulations of the veins underneath. Then I stroked my fingers one by one, from the base to the tip.

Previously, these hands belonged to the man she had chosen in her heart, but now...

Wan Hongling pressed her thumb against Song Qiling's palm, where the skin was softer and warmer, and she could even feel a slight dampness.

Is it because of nervousness?

This thought flashed through Wan Hongling's mind, bringing a strange sense of excitement.

A strange sense of satisfaction, like warm spring water, slowly seeped into Wan Hongling's heart from where their skin touched.

How could I have dared to do that before?

The strict separation between men and women acted like an invisible barrier, suppressing all her subtle thoughts under the constraints of propriety.

But now, the barrier has disappeared.

It turns out that the sorcerer Song didn't dislike her.

She was just afraid of hitting a brick wall with her. This honest sorcerer Song was even more gentlemanly than a gentleman.

"Master Song," she asked boldly, "is your identity known only to me?"

Thinking of how cautious she was, deliberately avoiding Gu Gongzi, Wan Hongling couldn't help but feel a little smug. "Your junior brother... doesn't seem to know your identity."

“Yes.” Now that the matter was out in the open, Song Qiling felt there was no need to hide it. “He and I are not from the same clan or school; we met later in life, so he was unaware of this.”

"I see..." My heart seemed to come alive again, pounding in my chest. "So, this will be our little secret?"

A silent silence spread between the two.

As if an eternity had passed, Song Qiling finally found her voice amidst the confusion: "Miss Wan, aren't you angry?"

"Of course I'm angry." Wan Hongling glanced at the flustered sorcerer in front of her for a moment, only to find that the light was too dim to see her expression clearly, which was a real pity.

"But it is obviously more difficult for the sorcerer Song. Not only does he live in constant fear, but he is also admired by a woman like me. If I were in his shoes, this would be a suffering that no ordinary person could bear."

Later, she came to terms with it: "Women are nice too, I actually feel closer to them than before."

Suddenly recalling their earlier actions, Wan Hongling's face flushed, and she stammered, "Besides, you've been so sincere to me, I... I can certainly feel it."

Song Qiling silently lowered her eyes, looked at the hand covering the back of her hand, and slowly withdrew it.

"I'm so glad you can forgive me." She pulled her hands back into her sleeves with a sigh of relief. "I hope Miss Wan will keep this a secret and not let anyone else know."

The room was dimly lit, and a faint fragrance seemed to linger in it. Wan Hongling's nose twitched: "Of course, Master Song, rest assured, I won't tell anyone."

“In that case, I’ll take you back.” Song Qiling lifted her foot and walked to the door, reaching out to remove the latch. “Don’t go out alone in the future. It’s dark and the alleys are deep. If you encounter bad people, you won’t be able to protect yourself without your skills. I’ll be worried about you.”

The dormitory door suddenly opened, a gentle breeze caressed the face, dispelling the enchanting atmosphere of the room, but the room was empty; Gu Lianzhou was nowhere to be seen.

"By the way, Master Song." Wan Hongling stepped over the threshold, her face still flushed, her watery eyes looking straight at her, even more charming than before.

When Song Qiling turned around and saw her like this, she felt a sudden panic. "What's wrong?"

Could it be that he can't hold his liquor and is getting tipsy?

Wan Hongling's gaze fell on her face, and her heart trembled slightly.

Although the sorcerer Song was dressed as a man, he could not hide his refined and elegant demeanor. His appearance was many times more handsome than any ordinary person she had ever seen.

For a moment, I was filled with longing.

A slight smile played on her lips: "May I come to see you tomorrow or the day after?"

Song Qiling shook her head without hesitation: "No."

As soon as she finished speaking, the young lady frowned slightly and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Why? We've clearly already... um."

Before she could finish speaking, a palm suddenly covered her mouth. It was the sorcerer Song who quickly approached, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Miss, be careful what you say."

Wan Hongling blinked and made a soft "hmm" in response. Song Qiling then released her hand, took a step back, clasped her hands together, and bowed respectfully: "Miss Wan, I'll take you back."

Night had fallen, and the lantern in Song Qiling's hand swayed slightly, casting their shadows on the bluestone slabs in a dim yellow light.

As you approach the alley entrance, an elegantly decorated carriage has been waiting for some time. On the lanterns hanging under the eaves, you can vaguely see an intricate "万" (wan) character.

Wan Hongling stopped and turned to give Song Qiling a curtsy. She raised her eyes, and a playful smile curved her lips: "Sorcerer Song, see you next time."

After saying this, without waiting for her response, he was helped onto the carriage by Qiu'er, who was waiting nearby.

The carriage curtain fell, separating the inside from the outside.

With a soft shout from the driver, the whip cracked in the air, and the carriage started rolling, rolling over the stone road, gradually disappearing into the distance and merging into the night and lights.

Song Qiling stood there, the light from the lantern in her hand flickering on her blank face.

She gazed in the direction the carriage had disappeared, feeling only the silence at the alley entrance, with the sound of wheels seemingly still echoing in her ears.

Something's not right.

This thought, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, rippled across her heart.

Now that Wan Hongling knows her true identity as a woman disguised as a man, why does she not only show no resentment towards her, but instead become even more... clingy?

Is this girl really not drunk...?

-

As night deepened, Song Qiling returned to the courtyard, closed the wooden door behind her, and the latch clicked shut with a soft "click".

As I walked along the path in the courtyard, a vague unease gradually rose in my heart.

Since leaving the house, I haven't seen Gu Lianzhou at all.

"Did they go back inside?" she wondered. Just as she was about to turn around to look for them, she inexplicably felt a gaze pressing heavily on her.

She suddenly looked up.

But then they saw a figure sitting diagonally on the roof ridge, his body seemingly softened by the thick darkness of the night, almost melting into it.

If it weren't for the crescent moon hanging directly above his head, outlining his silver shoulders and long, drooping legs, she would almost have thought it was an illusion created by the night.

Gu Lianzhou held a wine pot in one hand, its body gleaming with a dim porcelain light under the moonlight. His gaze descended from above, as if carrying a weight, covering her precisely.

Seeing that she was looking over, he didn't flinch. He simply lazily raised his hand, brought the spout of the pot to his lips, tilted his head back, and took a sip.

The Adam's apple rolled clearly with each swallow, its shadow shifting inch by inch along the clean lines of the neck.

He remained silent, gazing at her in the darkness for an unknown period of time.

A night breeze swept by, carrying with it a faint scent of alcohol, as well as a unique, cool, and dangerous aura that belonged only to him.

This is bad.

This is bad.

This is bad.

Song Qiling suddenly gripped the hem of her clothes, alarm bells ringing in her mind.

When did he climb onto the roof?

How long did you stay there?

Did you hear her conversation with Miss Wan?

Why is he looking at me like that? Is he waiting to accuse me of something?

No, she was clearly very restrained in her speech just now; no one outside would have heard her conversation with Wan Hongling.

But why... did her junior brother look at her with such resentment, as if she had done something heinous?

As soon as this thought crossed Song Qiling's mind, she felt inexplicably uneasy.

Yes.

He's been drinking alone all night, seemingly oblivious to his own intoxication, one glass after another, without even eating a single bite of food...

My junior brother seems very angry.