Chapter 413 Red Mark
Jiang Huan and Liu Shuyao's eyes met briefly in the air. She did not speak, but simply put her hands together, nodded slightly to Jiang Huan, and performed a standard Buddhist greeting, her posture detached from worldly affairs.
She then turned around and continued sweeping the fallen leaves on the stone steps.
It was as if Jiang Huan's appearance was no different from the fallen leaves she swept, just an ordinary scene in this corner of the temple.
Jiang Huan looked at her slender back and was filled with mixed emotions.
The former daughter of the Prime Minister's family is now a Buddhist nun.
However, everyone has their own ambitions, as long as she's happy.
She stood silently for a moment, then sighed softly in her heart, turned around, and quietly left.
As they reached the foot of the mountain and were about to get into the sedan chair, a young novice monk quickly approached, clasped his hands together, and bowed to Jiang Huan.
"Please wait, female benefactor."
Jiang Huan stopped and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
The young novice monk put his hands together and conveyed in his childish voice: "Just now, the hermit Liu, who was practicing asceticism in the mountains, asked me to tell you, female benefactor, that if you ever feel troubled or unsure of the way forward, you can come here to find her."
Jiang Huan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
Perhaps her time in seclusion has given her some insights.
She nodded her thanks to the young novice monk, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, young master."
......
It was already afternoon when they returned to the palace.
Perhaps because she got up too early today and walked a bit, Jiang Huan felt her calves were a little sore and uncomfortable, so she leaned against the soft couch and gently rubbed them.
When Huo Lin finished dealing with official business, he immediately noticed her frowning and rubbing her legs. He quickly went over and sat down next to her.
"What's wrong? Does your leg hurt?"
[The massage techniques I specifically sought out can finally be put to good use.]
[Here it comes! It's time to showcase the fruits of my learning!]
"Hmm," Jiang Huan nodded in agreement, "It's a bit sore and uncomfortable."
Since he's already learned it, let's give him some room to prove himself.
Upon hearing this, Huo Lin didn't say a word and immediately reached out to lift her calf and place it on his knee.
A warm, dry palm immediately covered it and began to massage with just the right amount of pressure.
"Did you walk too much today?" he asked in a low voice as he pressed on her calf, his fingertips precisely pressing on the acupoints to try to relieve her discomfort.
His technique was skillful, and the pressure was just right. Jiang Huan sighed comfortably as her tense calf muscles gradually relaxed.
"I used to be able to climb up and down without even breaking a sweat, but now I get tired after just a few steps. Hmm... right here... yes, a little more effort..."
With her eyes closed, she gave commands unconsciously, her voice slightly nasal from the comfort of her words, like a cat being stroked.
As Huo Lin listened to her slightly coquettish humming and saw her relaxed and dependent appearance, his hands continued to move, but his eyes involuntarily deepened.
He forced himself to concentrate and continue focusing on the massage under his fingers, but the skin he touched was delicate and smooth, like the finest warm jade, making him linger.
Jiang Huan felt increasingly comfortable as he massaged her. The initial soreness was gradually replaced by a tingling heat, which spread down her calves, making her feel weak all over. She couldn't help but let out a few unconscious moans.
"Mmm, that feels so good... Huo Lin, your technique is amazing..."
These soft words, like feathers, gently brushed against Huo Lin's heart.
His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and his breathing became noticeably heavier. The kneading motion gradually changed without him realizing it.
[That voice...does she even realize how alluring her moaning is?]
"No, Huo Lin, calm down. You're giving her a massage; it's a serious matter!"
His fingertips slowly moved upwards from her calf, carrying a burning heat, lightly caressing the soft skin on the inside of her thigh.
Jiang Huan noticed his change, opened her eyes, and met his dark and burning gaze. Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she subconsciously wanted to pull her legs back.
"...Okay, it's not sour anymore...it's fine now..."
Huo Lin grabbed her ankle, preventing her from escaping.
He leaned closer to her, his eyes as dark as unyielding ink, his voice low and husky: "Why are you hiding? Didn't you just say it was comfortable?"
I couldn't resist anymore, oh my god, this is too much! Just one kiss... just one...
Before the thought even finished, he lowered his head and kissed her lips precisely, deeply and tenderly, with a long-suppressed desire.
When the kiss ended, both of them were a little unsteady on their feet.
Huo Lin did not stop. His burning lips traced down her slightly tilted, slender white neck, delicate collarbone, and so on, leaving behind warm, wet, crimson marks as if stamping them.
His hands were not idle either, roaming and sliding over her sensitive areas, igniting flames wherever they touched.
Jiang Huan was so overwhelmed by his intense onslaught that her body went limp and her consciousness became blurred. She could only cling weakly to his shoulder, breathing softly, a shiver running through her body.
"No... Huo Lin... the child... be careful of the child..."
Jiang Huan's remaining rationality allowed her to utter these words haltingly, like a warning bell that abruptly pulled Huo Lin back to his senses.
He immediately stopped all movement, buried his face deeply in Jiang Huan's neck, and breathed heavily.
Damn it! I forgot about that!
[Huo Lin, Huo Lin, you are truly... blinded by lust!]
He took several deep breaths before he could barely suppress the surging desire back into his heart, his voice hoarse from restraint.
"I understand." He paused, trying to make his voice steady. "I'll carry you to a bath first, let you soak in hot water to relax..."
With that, he scooped up the limp Jiang Huan and strode toward the bath.
The bath was filled with steam. Huo Lin placed Jiang Huan in the water, which was at a suitable temperature, but he did not leave. Instead, he sat by the pool, took a cloth, and carefully washed her.
The warm water enveloped Jiang Huan's body, effectively relieving her muscle fatigue and diluting some of the blush-inducing, ambiguous atmosphere from just moments before.
But Huo Lin's gaze remained uncontrollably fixed on her.
Looking at her cheeks, which were made even more delicate and flushed by the steam, and the ambiguous red marks left on her fair skin, his jawline tightened.
[…This is terrible, this is pure torture…]
He practically gritted his teeth and endured this sweet yet painful torment.
When Jiang Huan finished bathing and was helped out of the bath by palace servants, feeling refreshed and dressed in her nightgown, Huo Lin secretly breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if he had fought a tough battle.
The nanny in charge of serving her stepped forward to tidy up Jiang Huan's nightgown. While drying her wet hair, she noticed a red mark on Jiang Huan's neck and paused for a moment.
The old nanny was an old servant in the palace and had been specially assigned to take care of Jiang Huan. Upon seeing this, she couldn't help but frown slightly.
She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but lower her voice and gently remind Huo Lin, "Your Majesty, the Empress is currently heavily pregnant and is extremely delicate and sensitive. She cannot withstand any intense activity. Please be more considerate and bear with her for now."
Huo Lin: ...
Jiang Huan: !!!
Jiang Huan was instantly jolted awake from her post-bath languor, her cheeks flushed bright red, even her neck turning crimson. She wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Huo Lin's ears burned, but he forced himself to remain calm and maintain his imperial dignity, only giving a vague "hmm" in response.
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