Chapter 51 In the midst of their intertwined breaths, Ling Zhenli tasted him…

Ling Zhenli fiddled with her sleeve, as if seriously considering Fang Wenzhou's words. She suddenly scoffed, "Young Master Fang, are you going to take care of your friend's wife in bed with him?"

The night wind whipped up her loose hair and swept across Fang Wenzhou's hand, which had not yet retracted.

The man's eyes darkened as he approached Ling Zhenli. With nowhere to retreat, Ling Zhenli leaned against the wall, the rough texture of the bricks and stones emanating from her thin sleeves.

“Miss Ling, what you’re saying is…” Fang Wenzhou leaned down, his nose almost touching her cheek, “Didn’t His Highness the Crown Prince teach you what attitude you should have when asking for help?”

"What kind of attitude does Young Master Fang want?" Ling Zhenli deliberately tilted her head back, her red lips brushing against his tense jaw. "Like this?"

Fang Wenzhou's breathing became noticeably heavier, and the hand gripping her waist tightened suddenly, its heat palpable even through her clothes.

"It seems Miss Ling has learned quite a few skills at Zuixianlou."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over me.

A cold glint flashed in Ling Zhenli's eyes, and she slammed her knee into the man's groin. Fang Wenzhou was prepared, but in the instant he dodged to the side, she snatched the sword from his waist.

The hum of a bronze dagger being drawn pierced the night.

Ling Zhenli's sword tip was aimed directly at Fang Wenzhou's throat. Her movements were fluid and graceful. Having played Xue Yingyue for so many days, she was not without any skills.

“Young Master Fang, have you forgotten?” She flicked her wrist, the sword blade tracing a cold arc in the moonlight. “I am Xue Yingyue now.”

Seeing this, Fang Wenzhou neither dodged nor yielded, but instead stepped forward to meet the sword tip.

The sword pierced the skin, and a trickle of blood slid down the neck and into the collar.

"This is a fine sword."

Fang Wenzhou was actually laughing. "I had heard before that Miss Xue was skilled in sword dancing, and now it seems that her reputation is well-deserved."

He said that on purpose. The real Xue Yingyue might be skilled in sword dancing, but Ling Zhenli didn't have much time to prepare and didn't learn how to dance.

Ling Zhenli was momentarily lost in thought, her wrist trembling almost imperceptibly. Fang Wenzhou seized the opportunity to grab her sword-wielding hand, and with a swift turn, pinned her against the city wall crenellations.

The night breeze lifted the intertwined sleeves of their clothes, making them look like a pair of lovers entwined from a distance.

Fang Wenzhou threw the sword to the ground.

“How about we make a deal?” Fang Wenzhou whispered in her ear, his tongue lightly brushing against her earlobe. “If your identity is exposed, you will be sentenced to death. But if you have an affair with me, I will also be sentenced to death if it is exposed. If we are in the same boat, I will naturally help you keep the secret. Think it over.”

Ling Zhenli was already halfway over the city wall, and if she wasn't careful, she would end up like Pei Chanlian. She laughed and said, "Is Young Master Fang threatening me?"

She traced her fingertips on the man's Adam's apple, feeling the pulse throbbing beneath his skin. "Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person who... doesn't take threats from others the most."

Fang Wenzhou chuckled softly, put his arm around her waist, and turned her back to a safe area.

Ling Zhenli hadn't even stood up properly when she was pinned against the wall again.

The rough stone surface made her back ache, and Fang Wenzhou's knees had already forcefully squeezed between her legs.

"How about this?" Fang Wenzhou brushed his thumb heavily against Ling Zhenli's lower lip, loosening his grip on her. "Miss Ling didn't even blink when she killed Princess Roujia. Why should you care about something as trivial as love between men and women?"

"I don't want anything unclean."

Ling Zhenli squinted her eyes.

"I haven't touched a single hair on any other woman except you."

Under the moonlight, Fang Wenzhou looked like a ghost, handsome and with a good figure, but we only dabbled in him briefly.

"Then I'll have to see if it's true or not."

She tiptoed, pressed her red lips to his earlobe, and nimbly slipped her hand inside his shirt.

Fang Wenzhou's breath hitched. That soft, boneless hand was caressing his most vulnerable spot through the fabric. He grabbed her wrist tightly, trying to stop her, but saw that her eyes were full of seductive charm.

"What?" Ling Zhenli looked at him, her breath sweet as orchids. "Young Master Fang, are you having second thoughts?"

Sure enough, a man who has never been close to a woman is still inexperienced. No matter how experienced he pretends to be, he will be exposed once he gets close to her.

Fang Wenzhou grabbed her restless hand, lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her palm, panting, "Continue."

"It seems that Young Master Fang is determined to make this deal."

The moonlight was so bright that it could illuminate everything that shouldn't be visible.

"Be gentle."

Fang Wenzhou pinched her chin, pried open her teeth with his thumb, and Ling Zhenli obediently took his burning desire into her mouth...

It was inevitable that no one would come over from the city tower. Ling Zhenli and Fang Wenzhou both knew that it was not a good place to stay for long, but Ling Zhenli spoke first.

She softened her voice, her fingers slowly moving up his thigh, "I don't want to be here, I'm cold."

"I think you're afraid of being arrested as the murderer."

Fang Wenzhou smiled and obeyed Ling Zhenli, quickly taking her away from the city wall.

...

Ling Zhenli got into Fang Wenzhou's carriage. Fang Wenzhou seduced her step by step, and the two kissed passionately in the carriage. When the carriage stopped, Ling Zhenli was already dizzy. Fang Wenzhou took a white silk and blindfolded Ling Zhenli, leading her into the private room of Zuixianlou.

Upon arriving at the room, Fang Wenzhou removed the white blindfold from her eyes, and Ling Zhenli slowly opened her eyes, looking around.

Where is this?

"Drunken Immortal Pavilion".

Fang Wenzhou took off his coat and poured himself a glass of wine.

"How did you bring me here?" Ling Zhenli went to the window and looked at the bustling traffic below, feeling a sense of familiarity.

"I'll take you back to the old haunts." Fang Wenzhou hugged her from behind. "You're the woman who played the pipa at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion banquet, aren't you? I was too late, and Xue Haoting beat me to it. Otherwise, you would have been mine long ago."

"So you came here today because you want to start over and replace the person who had me that night with you?"

Ling Zhenli turned around, her slender fingers untying Fang Wenzhou's belt, and the last piece of clothing on his body slipped off like water.

The candlelight cast a soft golden glow on his skin, highlighting the meticulously sculpted lines of his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His muscular chest rose and fell slightly with his breath, revealing distinct abdominal muscles and a V-line that disappeared below his waist.

"Do you like me?" Fang Wenzhou smiled.

She didn't answer, but her fingertips accidentally touched his warm skin, causing him to tremble slightly.

Fang Wenzhou chuckled softly, took her hand and pressed it against his chest, letting her feel his strong, powerful heartbeat.

"who I am?"

Fang Wenzhou.

Sweat dripped down her collarbone, shimmering in the candlelight. To Ling Zhenli, Fang Wenzhou's aura was alluring and fatally attractive.

Ling Zhenli was enveloped by his powerful aura. Fang Wenzhou lowered his head and captured her lips, his burning kiss sweeping over her like a raging fire.

She was forced to tilt her head back, feeling his hot tongue pry open her teeth, conquering her with irresistible force.

"You...uh..."

Fang Wenzhou gave Ling Zhenli no chance to catch her breath. He ran his long fingers through her loose black hair, and with his other hand he gripped her lower back tightly, pressing her soft body against him.

As their breaths mingled, Ling Zhenli tasted the faint aroma of wine on his lips, which, mixed with their rapid panting, transformed into a scene of erotic bliss in the flickering candlelight.

The sound of clothes tearing was particularly jarring in the quiet night. She closed her eyes, letting the man's hands roam freely over her body.

Before she knew it, Ling Zhenli sank into the soft bed, and Fang Wenzhou's hot body immediately covered her.

Their clothes were removed, and their skin touched.

"Open your eyes and look at me."

His burning lips traced a path down her slender neck, leaving faint red marks on her snow-white skin.

Ling Zhenli tilted her head back, her fingers digging deep into his strong back muscles, and soft moans escaped from her red lips.

"Remember how I made you feel."

The next second, Ling Zhenli kissed him, and it wasn't just a kiss, but also a bite.

The sweet, metallic taste of blood lingered between their lips. Ling Zhenli bit his lip, preventing him from pulling away, and deepened the painful kiss.

Does it hurt?

Ling Zhenli asked breathlessly, her red lips stained with a hint of blood, looking alluring and captivating.

"Hmm, it hurts." Fang Wenzhou chuckled softly, wiping the blood from his lips.

It's normal for it to hurt.

"Remember how I made you feel."

After Ling Zhenli finished speaking, she slid her fingers along his tense jaw to his Adam's apple.

Fang Wenzhou covered her lips again, swallowing the taste of blood.

"Let me feel more pain, so I can remember it more deeply."

Pain and pleasure intertwined, the kiss grew ever more tender and passionate, each breath carrying the scent of the other, each heartbeat feeling as if it would burst from their chests.

"Do you remember the pain I caused you?"

"Unforgettable."

Moonlight seeped in, spreading across the brick floor like a silvery swamp. Shadows floated on the wall, where two vines intertwined, their branches and leaves rustling.

The panting sound was thick, like honey, stretching into long, thin threads in the silence.

The bed curtains moved without wind, each tremor shaking off dappled sunlight, and a low murmur escaped from his throat, soaked in the night and sinking into deeper darkness.

...

As dawn broke, Ling Zhenli rose from the messy bed.

She endured the pain as she picked up the scattered clothes, each one imbued with Fang Wenzhou's scent.

"Leaving already?" Fang Wenzhou leaned against the headboard, his strong upper body covered in scratches. He was playing with an object between his fingers, which gleamed with a faint blue light in the morning light.

Ling Zhenli ignored him and didn't see what he was holding; she just continued tying her sash.

Fang Wenzhou took Ling Zhenli's slender finger in his hand. A sapphire gold ring shimmered with a faint blue glow in the misty morning light. He slowly slipped it onto her middle finger.

"What are you doing?"

Ling Zhenli turned around, saw the ring on her hand, and looked puzzled.

“This is for you,” Fang Wenzhou kissed her fingertips, his voice still hoarse from their lovemaking, “As long as you wear it, I will not reveal your secret.”

Ling Zhenli lowered her eyes and stared intently: "I wear the same ring every day, people will definitely become suspicious."

Fang Wenzhou chuckled: "Then you can wear this one for now, and I'll give you a few more later so you can switch them up, okay?"

Ling Zhenli withdrew her hand, examining the sapphire: "Why did you give me a ring?"

"I think it's perfect for you."

"That doesn't sound like the truth."

I like you.

"oh."

"Persian merchants said that this sapphire could trap the soul."

“I don’t believe in these things.” Ling Zhenli looked at Fang Wenzhou with suspicion. “Our relationship was just a fleeting affair. It’s probably inappropriate for you to give me a ring.”

"I just told you I like you, but you weren't even listening to me."

"...Look, how beautiful the moon is outside! The sun is about to rise, it hasn't set yet."

Ling Zhenli couldn't respond to Fang Wenzhou's words. She didn't understand why a man she had just met would say he liked her; there was little credibility to his words.

Outside the window, the moon hangs in the dark blue sky, radiating a hazy softness. Unlike daytime, the moonlight carries a gentle warmth that seems to want to speak but cannot.

Looking at the still dark sky and the soft moonlight, Fang Wenzhou said softly, "I don't want you to leave. Please stay, I'm begging you."