Chapter 41 Chapter 41 The Despicable and Shameless Woman
The morning sun penetrated the eaves of Ci'en Temple, casting dappled shadows on the forest path. Tiny specks of light drifted quietly across the bluestone slabs, swaying with the swaying branches.
Two people walked together.
"Amitabha." The abbot, wearing a cassock, clasped his hands together. "Your Highness, please personally inquire about this. I am truly terrified."
"Master, there's no need to do this. Ci'en Temple has suffered such an unprovoked disaster. I've practiced in seclusion here for many years, and seeing the damage, it's only right that I lend a hand."
This is Ji Lian discussing the renovation of Ci'en Temple with the abbot. During the riot, many Buddha statues within the temple were destroyed, and even many of the eternal lamps offered by ordinary people in the temple were overturned.
After conversing with the abbot, Ji Lian returned to the task of comforting the frightened monks and pilgrims. After a busy morning, he hurriedly ate lunch, then picked up his pen and wrote a letter, sending it quickly back to the palace, hoping that someone would be sent to discuss the repairs as soon as possible.
After a short rest, around 3:30 PM, Ji Lian strolled back to the main hall. Just then, through the cracks in the bronze incense burner, he spotted two figures slowly approaching the stone steps of the mountain gate. A handsome man in a goose-yellow gown stood beside a familiar woman.
If this isn’t Xie Tingyu, then who else could it be?
Xie Tingyu met Wang Qiwu by chance on the mountain path leading to Ci'en Temple. Seeing his distraught look, she accompanied him up the mountain.
"What's going on?"
"I heard Ci'en Temple was also in trouble." Wang Qiwu looked at Xie Tingyu, unable to hide the sadness in his eyes. "I came to take a look."
Xie Tingyu looked him up and down for a moment, then suddenly asked, "That deceased lover you mentioned last time, could it be that he also has a perpetual lamp here?"
There is indeed a folk custom of offering eternal lamps, which is said to allow people with destiny to meet again in the next life.
Seeing the two approaching, Ji Lian turned and hid behind the pillars. He watched the scene quietly.
Yesterday I was with Yuan Lang, and today I'm with Wang Lang. I've been very busy. Xie Tingyu, you've been very good, very good. Your ability to maneuver between these gentlemen with such ease is truly astonishing.
The eternal lamps were enshrined in a side hall. The monks had tidied the interior, a stark contrast to the mess left during the previous looting. The thugs, wielding machetes, had vandalized the altar with abandon, smashing it to pieces and sending many of the eternal lamps toppling, their oil spilling. However, some of the surviving lamps remained intact and burning.
Wang Qiwu was extremely familiar with the furnishings in the hall and walked straight to the lamp stand behind the curtain.
Two eternally burning lamps leaned against each other. A sharp blade had shaved off a corner of the lampstand, leaving the once square frame tilted and threatening to fall. It was the extinguished lamp that had fallen through the gap that night, and now it sat cramped next to the other, still-lit lamp.
Wang Qiwu had been mentally prepared, but when he saw the lamp go out, he couldn't help but have tears in his eyes.
Xie Tingyu leaned over and saw names engraved on the lamp holders. On the lamp that was still lit, the three characters "Wang Zhuozhang" were engraved in elegant regular script.
When her eyes moved to the extinguished lamp next to her and she saw the three words "Wang Xuanji" clearly, Xie Tingyu felt as if three thunderbolts suddenly fell from the sky and struck her head, making her burnt on the outside and crispy on the inside.
...Not...this...
I recalled the conversation we had by the river that day. "This kind of river lantern is for the deceased." "I know. I bought it for my mother and my sweetheart."
"Qiwu..." Xie Tingyu looked at Wang Qiwu's pitiful expression, tears welling up before he could speak. After a few hesitations, he said cautiously, "Could this Wang Xuanji be the one you're attracted to?"
Wang Qiwu nodded with sobs.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Three more thunderbolts struck Xie Tingyu's head with lightning speed.
"...Ah...no...If that Wang Xuanji were still alive, I estimate she would be thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. You're only sixteen or seventeen now, so she might not let you marry her. You were born before I was born, and I was born when you were already old...Are you planning to elope with her? Ah, I won't say anymore. Don't cry, don't cry."
Xie Tingyu took out a handkerchief to wipe Wang Qiwu's tears.
Wang Qiwu took the handkerchief with one hand and sobbed, "But... the eternal lamp has gone out, and I will never be able to find her in my next life."
For the first time, Xie Tingyu felt his tongue stiffen, and although he was usually eloquent, he couldn't even utter a single word.
Wang Qiwu wet one handkerchief with tears, then took out a second one and continued crying.
Xie Tingyu patted his shoulder and comforted him from time to time, "Look, the lights are out. Maybe God thinks you two are not suitable, so..." Wang Qiwu cried even harder and threw himself into Xie Tingyu's arms, his shoulders shaking.
She didn't dare speak.
Although in her past life, there were often men who would inexplicably hand her love letters and handkerchiefs, saying they were attracted to her, but in all honesty, she just took Wang Qiwu to eat some sweets! Wang Zhuozhang, I really didn't mean that!
I was still crying when footsteps suddenly sounded behind me.
Wang Qiwu looked up from Xie Tingyu's arms and saw the person coming. Although he was a little surprised, it was also within his expectations. "Your Highness."
Many people know that Emperor Qing would come to Ci'en Temple for meditation every year.
Ji Lian spoke with concern, as if she hadn't noticed Xie Tingyu hugging Wang Qiwu. She asked gently, "I saw you looked so sad just now, so I couldn't help but come in to take a look. What happened?"
"Sister Tingyu bullied me." Wang Qiwu sobbed and wiped his tears with a handkerchief.
...The word "bullying" is used. It's really easy to be misunderstood!
Xie Tingyu groaned, not daring to say another word. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't. If she said, "Wang Lang is actually in love with me," she knew someone would be offended.
Ji Lian glanced coldly at Xie Tingyu, then reached out and pulled Wang Qiwu to her side, coaxing her gently, "Tell me how she bullied you. Don't cry, it must be her fault..." With a hint of temptation, she said, "She's so mean, so let's not talk to her or play with her anymore, okay?"
The two of them walked out of the hall while talking.
After finding out that the lamp was extinguished, Ji Lian personally led Wang Qiwu to get a new eternal lamp, and gently explained that if the wick was rekindled, they could rekindle their previous relationship. She summoned the monk in charge of reception and personally re-engraved the three words "Wang Xuanji" on the lamp holder.
Wang Qiwu was grateful to Ji Lian, but his subtle mind made him feel that Ji Lian seemed unhappy to see him and Sister Tingyu so close. There seemed to be an inexplicable hostility between them.
Without having time to think about it, Wang Qiwu put all these thoughts behind him when he received the eternal lamp in his hand. He placed it on the lamp stand with great care, as if it were a treasure in his hands.
Xie Tingyu looked at the light that had been lit again with a complicated expression. Seeing that it was getting dark outside, he took the initiative to send Wang Qiwu back.
When the two left, Ji Lian was discussing the repair matters with the envoy sent by the palace.
When the envoy first met Ji Lian, he immediately bowed respectfully. "The Holy Lord heard about the robbery at Ci'en Temple in the palace and was extremely angry. He sent us here today, just in time for the letter from His Highness to arrive."
Ji Lian raised his hand to support him. "It's alright. First, you should record the damage in detail and we can discuss repairs later."
"yes."
At a glance, the envoy with the pen in hand immediately produced paper and pens, carefully recording the damage. They also produced rulers and other tools to measure the dimensions and estimate the materials needed.
Ji Lian personally led them to inspect the main hall, which was the most severely damaged. By the time they had finished their inspection, it was already three quarters past midnight.
The envoy bowed and said, "It is already late at night. Your Highness should go to bed first. Someone will be sent from the palace to take you back tomorrow."
Ji Lian nodded in agreement. As he walked alone along a quiet path, he suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes beside him. Before he could react, a dark figure suddenly swooped in, grabbed his wrist, and said, "Your Highness, please excuse me for a moment." Without another word, he grabbed Ji Lian and ran off, leaving Jiangzhu alone, disheveled in the wind.
The night wind blew in his face. After turning a few corners, Xie Tingyu pulled Ji Lian into a small room.
The door opened and closed, and Xie Tingyu latched it. It wasn't too dark inside; moonlight slanted in through a small window high above, just enough to frame the two figures.
Ji Lian leaned against the door, trying to break free, but Xie Tingyu grabbed her waist. He was suddenly trapped in this small space, and the fragrance of her agarwood filled his face.
"Xie Tingyu!" Ji Lian lowered her voice and shouted, but the tips of her ears turned red in the dark. "What are you crazy about?!"
Xie Tingyu looked into Ji Lian's clear and clear eyes and chuckled twice, "Why have you been so mean to me these past two days? Last night you were still able to talk to me for a few words, but today you just ignored me."
"I didn't." Ji Lian turned his head and denied it.
Suddenly, a warm feeling touched my shoulder.
Ji Lian turned his head and saw Xie Tingyu resting his chin on his shoulder, blowing gently on his neck. The warm, yet slightly cool, air brushed against his neck, brushed against his earlobe, and slid down to his collarbone, stirring a subtle shudder.
The breath moved like a feather, causing numbing sensations on his neck, sparking sparks on the skin under his clothes, and tickling him.
"You... stop bragging." Ji Lian pushed her slightly, "Why are you like this... You don't even have any sense... You just think this way..."
I knew I'd provoke him like this...
He couldn't utter the last three words.
Xie Tingyu's grip on his waist tightened a little more, and he blinked, "Your Highness, why don't you continue? Speaking of which, I don't know why Your Highness has been so angry these past two days."
Ji Lian simply turned his head away, his fists clenched tightly under his wide sleeves, "It's really hard to explain to a scoundrel like you."
The rogue's hand began to wander around his waist, and the touch through his clothes could arouse waves of itchiness.
Ji Lian took a deep breath, bit her lower lip to prevent the breath from escaping her throat, and her chest heaved violently.
Xie Tingyu used her old trick again, leaning close to Ji Lian's ear and spraying her breath on him. She lowered her voice and asked seductively, "If Your Highness is still angry, will a kiss work?"
"You..." Ji Lian turned his head suddenly and glared at her, "What do you think of me? You tease me with such frivolous words?"
Xie Tingyu sighed, like a Chinese medicine practitioner giving advice, "Your Highness, you're always so angry. I'm afraid it's damaging your liver qi." Her free hand slowly moved up from his waist, finally stopping at his heart and circling it. "I heard from a good friend that kissing is good for your health and makes you happy. Do you want to try it?"
Ji Lian sneered, "The friend you are talking about is not you, right?"
"You really don't want to try it?" Xie Tingyu moved closer.
A faint blush crept up the corners of Ji Lian's eyes unconsciously. He pursed his lips and turned his head away, "I don't want to."
Xie Tingyu's eyes curved up, and her smile deepened. She really loved teasing Ji Lian. She loved seeing the reddened corners of his eyes when he was furious, loved seeing the tiny cinnabar mole that appeared and disappeared when he bit his lip, and even more loved seeing him get mad when he said one thing and meant another.
She first tentatively pecked the corner of his mouth, and seeing that Ji Lian's chest was just rising and falling without saying a word, she bit his lip lightly again, and when her tongue tip lightly swept across it, his eyelashes trembled.
"It's been a while since we last kissed." Xie Tingyu murmured softly, rubbing her chin against his shoulder again. "If Your Highness is also moved, then kiss me."
Ji Lian's breathing stagnated slightly. She turned her head and met Xie Tingyu's eyes.
The look she gave him was always so gentle and focused. Her eyes seemed to be filled with a deep affection that would make anyone fall in love with them at first sight, just like him at this moment.
The words are still ringing in my ears, "Lianlang, there are only zero times and countless times for this kind of thing." Perhaps on that night, Xie Tingyu predicted his future downfall.
She is really hateful and abominable!
After several struggles, Ji Lian sighed softly, put his arms around her waist, and touched her lips without moving.
As if he had received permission, Xie Tingyu began to attack cities and capture territories.
She deftly pried open Ji Lian's teeth, taking every inch of his breath as her own. Her left hand was still lingering on his waist, while her right hand climbed up to the back of his neck, her fingertips gently caressing the sensitive skin.
"Hmm... um... um..." Ji Lian closed her eyes and responded with her tongue.
The roots of their intertwined tongues were numb and trembling, and his heart was sinking step by step. He felt like he had fallen into a swamp called Xie Tingyu. The more he struggled, the faster he was swallowed up.
When a person closes his eyes and cannot see, his sense of touch becomes a thousand times more acute.
How Xie Tingyu's tongue swept across his palate, how he chased his soft tongue, how his fingertips drew circles on his waist, and the blushing saliva swallowing sounds and increasingly heavy breathing were all infinitely magnified in the darkness.
The two kissed deeply in ecstasy.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside.
"There's an order from above that every room in Ci'en Temple must be inspected. Has this one been checked?"
The door knocker clicked and the door was yanked open.
"Why can't it be opened? Why don't you try it?"
If the door is broken open, there will be no place to hide and no way to retreat, and the situation will be exposed.
Ji Lian's legs gave way, and he nearly fell, but Xie Tingyu held him tightly around her waist, preventing him from falling. She held the door latch with one hand, and no matter how hard someone pulled, it wouldn't budge.
"Strange! I really can't open it!"
Ji Lian tried to resist in panic, but Xie Tingyu held the back of her head and deepened the kiss.
Separated by a door, the two people outside were racking their brains to break the door, but inside the door was a whole other world of lingering sorrow.
With the tip of her tongue trembling and her Adam's apple rolling rapidly, Ji Lian tried her best to suppress her breathing, fearing that someone outside the door would hear anything wrong.
What on earth was he doing? Why did he allow her to be so presumptuous? But his mind had already been turned upside down by her, and he could no longer resist.
"What are you two doing!" a shout came from a distance.
"Sir, there seems to be something strange about this door..."
A few more hard thrusts followed, each one sending Ji Lian's heart pounding as he leaned against the door. In his panic, he unconsciously sucked hard on Xie Tingyu's tongue, his teeth tapping against hers. Xie Tingyu suddenly opened her eyes, and seeing his quivering eyelashes, a few muffled laughs escaped her throat, then closed her eyes again, deepening the kiss.
"If you can't open it, come back tomorrow! You two fools, this matter isn't urgent right now, so hurry back to the palace and report!"
The footsteps outside the door faded away and everything returned to calm.
At this moment, Xie Tingyu finally ended the deep kiss. She pulled away slightly, and stroked Ji Lian's red and swollen lips with her fingertips, gazing at his expression.
"You just bit me."
“Serves you right.”
Ji Lian was startled by the noise outside the door, and his back went cold, and cold sweat soaked his shirt. This moment of separation allowed him to catch his breath.
However, Xie Tingyu did not let go. Her calm eyes kept wandering over Ji Lian's face, like a patient hunter giving her prey time to recover.
"Your Highness." She rested her forehead against his, her breath soft as a sweet orchid. "Do you want to continue?"
"If I say no, will you let me go?"
"I will keep asking until Your Highness nods."
Ji Lian snorted softly and looked away, but the tips of her ears were red as if dripping with blood.
Xie Tingyu's voice was low and hoarse as he asked again, "Can I kiss and touch you?"
"You!" Ji Lian was furious, her voice trembling. "Just now, you said...what nonsense are you talking about now?"
"How can it count through the fabric?" Xie Tingyu's fingertips had hooked on the belt around his waist. "Is it okay? Actually, I touched it last time. Your Highness's waist is slender and delicate, I like it there."
Ji Lian's mind flashed through countless curse words, and in the end, he could only mumble, "You despicable and shameless womanizer..."
"I only touch the waist, never go below."
"Then I won't let you touch it... well..."
Xie Tingyu sealed his lips again. In such situations, saying "disagree" was actually another way of saying "agree," something she knew well.
The clever tongue pried open the teeth and stirred in the warm mouth. At the same time, the fingertips untied the waist belt, and a long thin belt fell to the ground.
Her palm slid under the loose collar of his shirt like a fish in water. Her fingertips first brushed across his smooth, firm abdomen, then drifted to his waist, lingering on his sides, finally finding the deep hollow at the back. As her index finger pressed down, she felt a palpable tremor in his palm.
Xie Tingyu buried her face in his delicate and white neck, held his Adam's apple in her mouth, outlined the undulating contours with the tip of her tongue, and slowly kneaded his waist with two fingers.
“Well…don’t press it…well…ah…don’t…ah…”
An unfamiliar tingling sensation erupted from the soles of his feet, sweeping through his body like wildfire. Ji Lian had never imagined this place could be so sensitive, and a moan escaped uncontrollably from his throat. He wrapped his arms tightly around Xie Tingyu's shoulders.
He wanted her to stop, but he didn't want her to stop.
Xie Tingyu seemed to have found some interesting toy. He rubbed the waist sometimes lightly and sometimes heavily, feeling Ji Lian's increasingly rapid breathing and trembling with relish.
"You...are really bad...hmm..."
Ji Lian raised her misty eyes, cupped her face with trembling fingertips, and took the initiative to press her lips against hers. Rather than hearing herself make those embarrassing sounds, it would be better to...block her lips.
After a long time, the two separated with unsteady breaths.
Xie Tingyu leaned over to pick up his belt and carefully fastened it for him. Ji Lian leaned against the door panel, her whole body limp, and lowered her eyes to watch her nimble fingers moving around her waist.
She held Ji Lian's cheeks with both hands and murmured, "Your Highness, can you still walk back?" She rubbed the corners of his red eyes with her index finger, "Lian Lian shouldn't have been ruined by me, right?"
In the end, Xie Tingyu half-held his waist and helped him back.
Half of his body was leaning limply against her, his steps light and airy, as if he were treading on clouds. The moonlight stretched their intertwined figures very long.
Jiangzhu had been waiting at the door for a long time. Seeing Ji Lian's eyes full of spring water, her face like a peach blossom, the bite mark on her Adam's apple that looked like a rouge mark, and the thin belt tied loosely around her waist, she didn't dare to ask any more questions. She just stepped forward silently to support her, remembering to check the toad's blood when she changed the clothes for the prince later.
Xie Tingyu stood quietly at the steps, watching the candlelight in the dormitory gradually go out, finally blending into the night, and then turned and left.
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The author has something to say: Shougongsha: hello, hello, I’m still here, really, I’m still here.
Ji Lian:?
Xie Tingyu: ^ ^ Lianlian, can I touch your legs next time?
Ji Lian:?
Xie Tingyu: Just touching the legs, nothing else.
Ji Lian:...! ! ! ! !
You were born before I was born, I was born when you were old - Untitled and Anonymous from the Tang Dynasty
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