Chapter 73: The Heart of Lust
The curfew drum had long since sounded, and the entire city was plunged into a dead silence. Deep in the alleys, the snoring of someone unknown pierced the night, echoing off the empty street corners. The night wind howled, and a stray cat flitted lightly across the rooftops before disappearing in the inky darkness.
As Luqi's figure turned the empty alley corner like a ghost, the peach charms hanging under the eaves of the shop in front swayed gently in the wind.
Whoosh——
A silver light pierced the air. Luqi spun swiftly, and with a clang, a silver spike had nailed the peach charm to the carved window lattice. She turned sharply and saw Yun Yuan standing ten steps away, holding a crossbow, the second silver arrow already loaded.
Luqi paused, a hint of sarcasm curling her red lips. "Oh, it's my fault for being so blind." Her fingertips gently stroked the silver thread at her waist. "She followed me for three blocks without making a sound. Her skill of 'walking without leaving a trace in the snow' is so impressive that even Master Feng would be impressed."
Yun Yuan silently pulled the trigger, and the second silver needle flew out of the air.
Luqi lifted her wide sleeves lightly, and the silver needle disappeared without a trace like a drop of water in the sea.
"Is that all you're capable of?" Luqi moved as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, her jade fingers like pincers grasped Yun Yuan's throat, and she whispered in her ear, "Master Feng, are you willing to let a little bird like you die alone?"
A cold light flashed in Yun Yuan's eyes: "You... are not worthy of the young master's attack..." Before she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a tightness in her throat.
Luqi suddenly stopped talking, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Interesting..." She pressed her fingertips a little harder, and her voice suddenly turned cold: "Tell me! Why did you chase me here?"
Yun Yuan felt a pain in her throat, her cheeks flushed red: "You... you dared to give me an aphrodisiac..."
Luqi was stunned, and her fingertips unconsciously loosened their grip. "So you... are jealous?" She suddenly burst into a sharp laugh, "I thought it was—"
The voice was cut off with a "swish" sound, and turned into a shrill scream: "Ah——!"
Luqi swung her slender jade arm like a whip, and Yunyuan flew backwards like a kite with a broken string.
Luqi's trembling fingertips touched her cheek, but what she touched was warm liquid. She looked at her bloody hands in disbelief, then raised her eyes to look at Yun Yuan, who was sitting on the ground in the distance. Only then did she realize that she was wearing a pair of black gold claws.
"My face...my face!" Luqi's voice suddenly rose, nearly breaking. She suddenly swung a silver thread from her sleeve. "Bitch! I want you to suffer a fate worse than death!"
Yun Yuan took advantage of the momentum to lean back, tapped the wall with her toes several times, and flew onto the roof as lightly as a sparrow.
A cold light flashed in Luqi's eyes: "Hmph, you escape so quickly!" Her ears suddenly moved slightly - the footsteps of the patrol guards were faintly heard in the distance - her body paused, and her fingertips lightly touched the blood-stained cheek. She gritted her teeth and thought to herself: That's all... He's just a jealous fool... The most important thing is to escape first.
The figure suddenly passed over the roof like a ghost and disappeared outside the city in a blink of an eye.
On the eaves, Yun Yuan calmly took a rest. The night wind blew by, and a dark shadow drifted down beside her like a falling leaf.
"Caught up?" Yun Yuan asked without turning her head.
"Yeah." Gu Yue nodded slightly, his eyes sweeping over the silver cone nailed on the peach charm.
When the needle pierced the peach charm, it alerted the hidden agent inside. He watched for a moment and realized Yun Yuan had deliberately intercepted Lu Qi there, deliberately exposing her whereabouts. Sure enough, the moment he appeared, Yun Yuan feigned defeat, taking advantage of the situation to escape. This behavior clearly indicated they were being secretly followed. Gu Yue calmly gestured, and the two roaming owls quietly followed Lu Qi's direction.
"Qin Se Shuangjiao has excellent hearing." Gu Yue smiled. "I actually followed her for such a long distance without her noticing. Xiao Ling's Qinggong skills are truly amazing."
"Being weak and frail does have some advantages." Seeing that Luqi had disappeared, she flew down from the eaves and picked up the crossbow.
Gu Yue pulled out the needle from the peach charm and handed it to Yun Yuan: "Why are you chasing Lu Qi?"
Yun Yuan took the silver cone and put it into his bag.
"She was also a secret agent planted in the Huainan Palace. Tonight, Wei Qianji's incident occurred. Perhaps she was worried about being suspected, so she took the opportunity to escape. Following her may help us find clues about Feng Xiaoming."
"You Xiao's Qinggong is excellent, but with Lu Qi's hearing... he may not be able to follow him very far."
"No need to chase her too closely." The girl said indifferently, "During the fight just now, I planted a green aphid mark on her. She can't run away."
"Qingfeihen?" Gu Yue frowned: "Luqi is good at using incense..."
"It's not ground into dust." Yun Yuan removed her eagle claw guards. Fluorescent green venom and dark red blood entwined in eerie patterns on the claw tips, flowing slowly like a living thing. She flipped the guards over, revealing the fine grooves on the inside. "I've put some live eggs inside. When they come into contact with warm blood, they'll give rise to poisonous insects. I can use the mother insect to track them down."
As she spoke, she handed over a sealed leather bag. The moment Gu Yue took it, he could clearly feel something moving inside. Thinking of the insect eggs that had burrowed into the wound, hatching and multiplying in the flesh and blood, his throat unconsciously rolled, and his fingers holding the bag stiffened slightly.
"Are you... sure she will go looking for Feng Xiaoming?"
"She will."
"Why?"
"For her face."
Yun Yuan slowly put away the black gold gloves, and checked the crossbow mechanism again. The crossbow mechanism made a crisp "click" sound.
"Tomorrow, if she wants this face, she must use the rejuvenation powder."
Gu Yue's eyes flashed: "It's the medicine for the disguise technique..."
Before he finished speaking, the girl tapped the green tiles with her toes and her figure flew several feet away like a startled wild goose. Only her cold voice remained in the night wind.
"I will be waiting for you in Xuanhe Hall tomorrow..."
As Yun Yuan turned out of the palace's main street, she saw a familiar white figure standing quietly in the hazy night. The night breeze ruffled his white robes, making him look like a banished immortal.
"Why are you here, sir?" Yun Yuan walked forward slowly.
"I didn't see you when I went back to Tingsong Pavilion." Feng Yanyuan turned his head, his eyes fell on the red mark on her neck, and gently stroked it with his slender fingers: "Was it caused by Luqi?" A trace of gloom flashed between his brows.
Yun Yuan touched her neck and said, "She noticed me halfway through the chase."
"Why act alone?"
"She didn't even bring her precious harp with her. I followed her all the way to the city gate to confirm that she was indeed trying to escape." Yun Yuan looked up at him, "If we spread the news in the mansion, she can just deny it and say that she was only targeting you." The girl said with a hint of sarcasm, "Your Highness, can you torture her..."
Feng Yanyuan suddenly pulled her into his arms, "I'm not blaming you." He rested his chin lightly on her hair, "It's just..." The unfinished words turned into a sigh, and he only hugged the person in his arms a little tighter.
Yun Yuan leaned against his chest, her heart trembling slightly.
"How did the prince deal with Wei Qianji?"
"Let him go."
"The King of Huainan is indeed worthy of his reputation."
"But this map my brother handed me... always makes me feel uneasy."
"You still have to ask Luqi."
Feng Yanyuan chuckled: "Do you have a good idea?"
"Yeah." Yun Yuan responded softly in his arms, her fingertips wrapped around his belt.
Feng Yanyuan suddenly laughed out loud, "I was wondering, with your Qinggong skills, how could you be discovered so easily—" The last syllable was drawn out, with a hint of teasing, "So it turns out that the little fox deliberately exposed its tail."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yuan tried to break free, but was locked tightly in his arms like an iron hoop.
"Where are you running to?"
"She's about to leave the city!" Yun Yuan pounded her fist against his chest, a muffled sound coming from beneath the brocade fabric. "If I follow her all the way out of the city, wouldn't you be even more suspicious—"
"I'm worried." These three words cut her off lightly.
Yun Yuan's heart suddenly trembled.
When she looked up, she was caught off guard by his starry gaze. It was so gentle that even her hand, pressed against his chest, unconsciously loosened its grip. The fabric beneath her fingertips still clung to the coolness of the night breeze, yet it inexplicably burned her palms.
Since when had he chosen not to ask about those unspeakable secrets, those past events he had deliberately avoided? All that remained was this heartfelt worry, blatantly laid out before her, burning her eyes.
She knew he was right within her reach, yet a wave of longing washed over her heart. The feeling was like a thousand tangled threads, pulling her closer.
The night wind suddenly stopped.
Yun Yuan stood on tiptoe, like a butterfly lingering among flowers, and gave his lips a fleeting touch.
Before she could move away, a large hand gripped the back of her head. Feng Yanyuan pressed forward, his thin lips precisely covering those two soft petals, first grinding them gently, then holding them between his lips and sucking hard. The hand supporting her waist was as hot as fire, pressing her tightly against his hard, burning body.
Her slender hands climbed up to the back of his tense neck, moved along the well-defined lines to the back of his ear and gently stroked it. When her nimble tongue tentatively brushed across the gap between his lips, a low, muffled groan suddenly escaped from the man's throat. His iron arms suddenly tightened, rubbing her in a little further.
A contented moan escaped her lips again, instantly igniting the fire in his eyes. His breathing quickened, and his attack suddenly became fierce, as if he wanted to swallow the person in front of him into his stomach. His tongue swept across her teeth, stealing every inch of her breath.
In the deep alley, only the mingled sounds of their breathing grew heavier, startling the copper bells on the eaves to tremble shyly. The gentle sway of the lantern stretched the intertwined figures, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter.
His kiss suddenly stopped at her ear, and his hot breath burned the tip of her ear. "You have learned bad things..." His low voice contained three parts of danger and seven parts of pampering, and his fingertips caressed the skin on the back of her neck.
Yun Yuan's lips brushed against his ear, her breath sweet as orchid, and she chuckled softly, "Didn't you say you wanted to try the method Tao Niang taught you?"
The man's Adam's apple rolled, and a deep laugh shook his chest. "Did she tell you that this would bring disaster upon yourself?"
"fire?"
Before he finished speaking, his body suddenly became lighter - he picked her up and carried her sideways, striding towards the palace.
Occasionally, servants on night duty and guards from the shadows passed by the palace corridor. Her struggles were futile; she only managed two weak punches, earning a low laugh from his throat. The vibrations of his chest numbed her fingertips. She could only bury her face in the crook of his neck, as if that would make her invisible.
Inside the Tingsong Pavilion, the flickering candlelight on the gilded candlesticks cast a dim light on the gauze curtains. As soon as her back touched the soft sandalwood couch, the man's hot lips came over her like raindrops.
His kisses were dense and dense - first he gently held her trembling lips, then moved to her rosy cheeks, and finally stopped at the small cinnabar mole on her earlobe and rubbed it carefully.
But when those hot lips and tongue slid down to her neck and lifted her clothes, she couldn't help but tense up.
The warm fragrance lingering on the bed made her heart tremble slightly, and a trace of panic suddenly spread.
She pressed her palm against his chest with a little pressure.
His lips lingered just within reach, his warm breath brushing against her nose, and he chuckled softly, "Are you scared now?"
“Afraid…what are you afraid of!”
Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she raised her fist only to be caught firmly by him. His fingertips gently caressed the red mark on her neck, and suddenly she sighed, "Wei Qianji said I was even scheming against the person next to me..." Suddenly she smiled bitterly, "Who on earth has been scheming against the person next to me?"
Yun Yuan turned her face away, but her ears turned red: "Who, who is the one sleeping next to you?"
Feng Yanyuan suddenly lay down on his side, his long black hair scattered beside her pillow, his brows smiling: "Now... isn't it?" As he spoke, his fingertips gently hooked a strand of her scattered hair.
Yun Yuan looked into those smiling eyes in panic. But he just stared at her quietly, without crossing the line.
Pillowman...
She had originally entered the Feng family as a maid, and serving him in the bedroom was her normal duty. Now, as she wandered the world with him, no one would believe they remained innocent. She had long been prepared—to avenge her blood, she would even sacrifice her life, so why would she care about this body?
But at this moment, she flinched.
She feared... this was no longer just a temporary solution, but... a betrayal of her people. But wasn't this throbbing heart of lust... also a betrayal?
Yun Yuan lowered her head and bit her lower lip lightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's.
"I haven't thought about it yet."
Feng Yanyuan suddenly smiled and lightly scratched the tip of her small nose with his finger: "What are you imagining again?"
When she raised her eyes, he had already turned over and sat up.
"where did you go?"
Although the Tingsong Pavilion is large, it only has this set of proper bedding - even the shark silk curtain given by the King of Huainan is allowed to be hung here, which clearly shows that she is regarded as Feng Yanyuan's pillow partner. Even the maids and old women serving in the pavilion, who doesn't treat her as half-master?
"There's a study couch next to the desk in the outer room." He said as he straightened his clothes. "I'll sleep there."
Yun Yuan hurriedly picked up the quilt: "It's cold at night..."
Before he finished speaking, he had already wrapped the quilt around her shoulders. He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"It's just right to be cooler."
The sound of the door closing startled the candlelight on the table. In the flickering light and shadow, Yun Yuan clutched the corner of the quilt, staring blankly at the carved door that separated him from her. The remaining warmth on his forehead burned her heart, even more disorienting than the passionate kiss just now.
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