Chapter 119 Killing the Grand Duke (Part 7) My legs went weak and I almost collapsed.
As Song Qiling carried her vegetable basket into Lake Stone Lane, she saw the figure standing in front of her own courtyard in the distance. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense for half a day, suddenly settled down, and even her steps became lighter.
Gu Lianzhou's gaze was already fixed on the alley entrance. When he saw her appear, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over to greet her.
"Senior brother." As he responded, his hand naturally took the basket of vegetables. His gaze swept over her face, finally settling on her slightly furrowed brows. "The market is crowded and chaotic. Senior brother looks a little pale. Are you tired?"
Song Qiling looked up to meet his gaze and shook her head: "It's nothing, maybe the sun was too bright and it dazzled my eyes."
She paused for a moment, then added, "On my way back, I passed by the newly opened Fu Gui Fang gambling den. The thugs were driving away a gambler who was in debt, beating and cursing him. The commotion was so loud that the neighbors all craned their necks to look, and I also took a few more glances."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou frowned almost imperceptibly and walked side by side with her into the courtyard: "That gambling den? There have been some bad rumors lately. I heard that the owner behind it is quite ruthless and makes money at an extremely high rate. Senior brother, it would be best to avoid that place in the future to avoid being offended for no reason."
"Yes, I understand." Song Qiling responded softly, the strange die suddenly flashing through her mind, along with the eerie question that sounded like a demon's voice.
Betting on sincerity... is utterly absurd.
Her lips parted and closed several times, but she ultimately remained silent.
Speaking of things without any evidence will only arouse suspicion and worry. Perhaps... it really is just a delusion that arises from a moment of confusion.
The two didn't mention it again and prepared lunch together as usual.
Today's meal was much more substantial than usual.
A few specks of oil floated on the golden chicken soup, which smelled delicious. There was also a plate of stir-fried vegetables and a plate of neatly cut braised meat.
Gu Lianzhou ladled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of her, occasionally recounting anecdotes from her transformation into a demon. Song Qiling listened quietly, nodding in agreement. The steam from the spoon wafted between her brows and eyes, and the unease she had felt earlier seemed to have temporarily disappeared in this warm and comforting atmosphere.
After finishing their meal and tidying up, Gu Lianzhou went to the courtyard, while Song Qiling returned to her room, closed the door, and prepared to take a short rest.
The room was quiet, with only the rustling of the wind outside the window.
She untied her belt, took off her slightly oversized outer garment, and was about to hang it up when her fingertips accidentally brushed against the inside of the belt and touched a small, hard object.
The movement suddenly stopped.
The texture was smooth yet abrupt, definitely not something that originally belonged to the garment.
Song Qiling's breath hitched, and her heart inexplicably jumped.
With trembling fingertips, she reached inside the belt, carefully pinched the object, slowly removed it, and opened her palm.
Sunlight streamed through the window paper, clearly illuminating what was in her hand.
Made of jujube wood, with smooth edges, the paint on one corner has peeled off, revealing the light white wood core, which even has a few dried mud stains on it.
It was that strange die that had fallen from the gambler's arms during the day.
Didn't I put it back?
How did this happen to her?
"Want to make a bet..." The cold voice rang out again, as if someone were whispering in your ear.
Song Qiling frowned, suddenly gripped the die tightly, and heard a sour "crunch" sound. The sound, like a ghost being choked, came to an abrupt end.
She strode to the window, lifted it, and scattered all the wood chips in her hand. Then, she brushed off the remaining chips and scoffed, "You're all broken into dust, what are you going to use to bet with me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that his behavior was not proper, so he suddenly stopped talking and looked at the open space behind the window. The quickness he had just felt dissipated, and instead, he felt like there was a stone pressing on his heart, making him feel uncomfortable.
These days, dice can even come to life?
It's likely that the man whose hand was severed at the entrance of the gambling den was also bewitched by it, but then again...
But the man had already lost everything, and yet he so brazenly went to find another player to play the dice, even trying to tempt her with her secrets. It was really hard to believe.
Besides, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
This dice-based manipulative rhetoric probably needs some more refinement.
After thinking it over, she simply took out the yellow talismans for warding off evil and pasted them in the four corners: east, west, south, and north.
Once everything was tidied up, she breathed a sigh of relief and went back to bed.
After a full meal, drowsiness gradually crept in. I felt my eyelids getting heavy and my whole body feeling lethargic, unable to move an inch.
In that half-asleep, half-awake state, I suddenly heard a series of light footsteps approaching from afar, as if I were stepping on a pile of pebbles.
"Click—"
The footsteps stopped abruptly.
Song Qiling struggled to move her eyes under her heavy eyelids, wondering where the footsteps were coming from. Could it be that her junior brother had returned and was looking for her?
Thinking this, the door knocked four times in a row. The next moment, Gu Lianzhou chuckled and said, "Senior brother, I've brewed a pot of good tea. Drink it before you go to sleep."
Song Qiling: "..."
What kind of logic is there in drinking tea before bed? Junior brother is clearly teasing her.
She desperately wanted to tell him "I don't want to drink," but her mouth seemed glued shut; she could only fret anxiously, unable to move an inch.
The person on the other side of the door, unable to hear anything, muttered to himself, "Why aren't you saying anything... then I'll come in."
Song Qiling hadn't locked the bedroom door before going to sleep, which made things convenient for Gu Lianzhou. With a creak, light footsteps rushed in, followed by a thud, as if a tea tray had been gently placed on the table.
"Senior brother, are you asleep?"
For some reason, her junior brother seemed to have no sense of propriety today, and just walked into her room without any regard for anything else.
Unfortunately, her body felt heavy and she couldn't move at all, so she could only let him do whatever he wanted.
She thought to herself that this person should leave now that she was asleep, and sure enough, a moment later, the sound of a door closing could be heard not far away.
Before Song Qiling could even catch her breath, the light footsteps sounded again, this time heading straight for her.
Suddenly, doubts surged up like a tide.
She struggled to open her eyelids, but could only see a limited light source.
The sound of tea being poured into teacups on the table could be clearly heard.
Could it be that Gu Lianzhou is deliberately trying to get her to drink tea today?
...It shouldn't be that bad, right?
Thinking of this, a breeze gently brushed her cheek, and suddenly, the bed beside her sank slightly, and someone sat down next to her.
What exactly is this person trying to do?
Song Qiling frowned slightly, and tried to clench her hands at her sides, but found that she couldn't get any strength in them.
ah.
This is a nightmare.
Before she could despair, a source of heat was slowly approaching her, forcing the voice in her heart to quiet down.
"Why don't you cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep? What if you catch a cold from the wind?" Gu Lianzhou sighed worriedly in her ear, stood up, knelt on the couch, bent down and stretched out his arm to pull up a corner of the blanket.
Song Qiling's breath hitched, and after a long while, she still didn't feel the blanket fall on her, which made her suspicious again.
What's wrong now?
Just as I was wondering, a large, warm hand suddenly landed on my cheek, gently caressing the soft flesh on the side of my cheek. The slender knuckles disappeared into the soft, black hair at my temples, pressed against my well-defined jawline, and slowly slid down to my neck.
She had wrapped herself up tightly before going to bed. Although she had taken off her outer garment, the collar of her inner garment was still tightly bound to her throat. At this moment, her fingertips gently hooked the edge of the collar, and a cool breeze took the opportunity to sneak in. Mixed with the ticklish sensation of her fingertips stroking her skin, it made her feel a fine shiver run down her spine from the back of her neck.
Song Qiling stood frozen in place, seemingly forgetting how to breathe.
What exactly is my junior brother doing?
She struggled to get up, but her head was so heavy and foggy, as if she were soaking in lees, and the stench made it impossible for her to open her eyes.
Before she could react, that hand had already deftly peeled open her clothes and reached down.
That's absolutely terrible.
But a strange numbness crept into my body, making even the thought of resistance dulled.
But this hand was long and nimble. When it encountered the tightly bound soft silk, it calmly moved to its side and slowly pulled it away.
The soft rustling of the silk ribbons against her skin was exceptionally clear in the quiet tent. The slight itch mixed with heat spread slowly throughout her body, making her involuntarily curl her toes and let out a barely audible groan.
Until there was nothing in front of him, nothing left to shield him.
A cool breeze swept over her, sending a shiver down her spine.
The next moment, a burning sensation surged up from my limbs.
Song Qiling felt as if she were sitting on a steamer, with someone adding firewood and fanning the flames below. The fire grew stronger and stronger, and the heat penetrated her body through her pores, causing fine beads of sweat to appear on her forehead and making her lips slightly part as she breathed softly.
Before she could even process this unfamiliar heat, a pair of cool, soft lips landed on her, perfectly covering her burning breath.
The touch, with its irresistible force, brought her to her lips, and all her futile protests, which she hadn't yet uttered, were swallowed under her tongue.
As their lips intertwined, even the last vestiges of their consciousness were gradually blurred, leaving only the burning heat in their hearts.
She wanted to push him away, but her arms were too weak to lift a single muscle, and she could only let her body rise and fall with the man's movements.
The skin on my chest brushed against the slightly cool fabric, but that coolness was instantly swallowed up by an even more intense heat, making my heart feel as if it were wrapped in scalding cotton, beating rapidly and heavily.
In a daze, she seemed to smell the cool, refreshing fragrance emanating from that person, mixed with the faint scent of her own sweat, weaving together in the small tent into an impenetrable net that trapped her firmly, making even her struggles futile and futile.
She shuddered violently when the man's fingertips lightly brushed against the most sensitive spot on her side, a soft gasp catching in her throat.
Her body became uncontrollably agitated, and every inch of her skin felt like it was being fried in a scalding hot oil pan, both itchy and burning, so uncomfortable that her eyes turned red.
The previous resistance had long since vanished without a trace, and reason, like melting wax, gradually dissolved, leaving only one thought swirling repeatedly in my mind.
I want a quick and painless experience, anything goes.
"Bang--"
A sharp, cracking sound suddenly rang in her ears, like a porcelain vase shattering on a brick wall. The sharp sound of shards flying everywhere pierced her eardrums, startling Song Qiling so much that she shuddered.
Song Qiling's eyelashes trembled, and she struggled to lift her heavy eyelids. All she could see was the blue gauze bed curtains hanging above her head. The plain gauze patterns were blurred in the dim light, but her heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest, making her fingertips tremble.
She took a deep breath, the icy air choking her throat, barely managing to suppress the tightness in her throat.
It's a nightmare, it's all fake, fake...
It's not true at all.
Sweat trickled down his temples and into his collar, sending a slight chill through him.
The absurd, burning sensation still lingered in my body, as if the warmth of my fingertips was still imprinted on my skin.
Song Qiling subconsciously licked her dry lips, hurriedly raised her hand to clench her clothes, and pulled the already tightly wrapped collar even tighter, as if she wanted to wrap up all the remaining heat in the fabric and hide it.
After lying in bed for a while, she finally managed to sit up. Just as she was about to get out of bed, her calves went so weak that she almost fell over, and the tips of her ears instantly turned bright red.
She turned her head to look at the window, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, and was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth.
Why did crushing those dice lead to this nightmare?
It was still that same unbearable dream.
It's probably... the evil spirit's deliberate revenge.
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