I'll always be the one who never learns from mistakes...
After taking a bath, Yan Huanyue wore a soft blue gauze nightgown, with only a crimson sash around her waist to hold the loose-fitting garment together.
She casually made a hand seal, and her wet hair immediately dried, becoming fluffy and smooth as it cascaded down her back.
She glanced at Pei Xuanzhi, who was sitting at the table, while tying her long hair up.
He ate his meal quietly, taking a bite, resting, sipping the soup which was probably almost cold, flipping through the book open beside him, slowly reading about the hardships.
She had never seen anyone who had a harder time eating than him. His dawdling was completely out of character for him, which was inexplicably infuriating.
She had said before that it wouldn't work; his habits, formed over so many years, really didn't need to be forced to change according to her wishes.
She simply turned her gaze away, walked past him, and was about to pass by the table to sit down on the bed for meditation.
Pei Xuanzhi turned to look at her and asked in a very ordinary manner, "Sister, you've just taken a bath. Are you thirsty? I'll keep some water warm for you."
As he spoke, he took a glass of warm water from the table and handed it to her sleeve, letting the soft sleeve gently caress his fingertips.
Yan Huanyue looked down at him, her gaze involuntarily drawn to his slightly open collar.
Seeing the half-hidden, half-concealed bluish-purple teeth marks on his fair neck and collarbone, extremely hidden yet exceptionally ferocious.
Where would a kind person waste such a beautiful and delicate body...
He didn't need to say anything more.
He only needed to sit beside her obliviously and meticulously prepare a glass of warm water at that moment, and the culprit Yan Huanyue would be speechless.
She abruptly looked away, her slender fingers tentatively peeking out from the wide sleeves of her gauze dress as she sat down beside him, holding a cup.
Her throat was dry with embarrassment. She took a sip of water, looked away from him, and asked, "Are you hot?"
Pei Xuanzhi glanced at her watery lips with his clear, cool eyes, then looked away, closed the book, and put it into his pocket pouch. "Hmm, it's so hot."
After saying that, his slender fingers fell to his waist, and he stood up, unfastened the jade belt buckle, and casually tossed it to the side of the table.
The jade belt clattered against the edge of a clean, empty plate, then fell onto the table. The long end of the jade belt slid down the edge of the table and fell onto her legs, suddenly pressing down on a cool sensation through the gauze.
Yan Huanyue's expression hardened, and she asked, "What are you doing?"
Pei Xuanzhi took off his outer robe and hung it on the back of the chair. He turned and went to the side room, saying casually, "It's hot. Take a bath."
Yan Huanyue, holding the jade belt, also stood up and said, "The water hasn't been changed yet, wait a moment..."
Pei Xuanzhi loosened his belt and said without turning his head, "No need."
Yan Huanyue hung the cool jade belt in her hand on the back of the chair, and then tidied up the bowls and plates on the table and put them into the food box.
I put on an overcoat and delivered it to the inn's front desk, telling them that someone from Wanghailou would come to pick it up later.
It was already dark when lanterns were lit on the street outside the inn. Most people on the street carried lanterns, and groups of pedestrians chatted and played as they slowly made their way to the main street.
Yan Huanyue had no interest in strolling around. After delivering the food box, she turned around and went upstairs.
The windows in the main room were wide open, and the side room was unusually quiet, almost silent, with only the occasional sound of water being stirred.
She lit the candles on the table and poured him a glass of water to cool. Afraid that he would come out and catch a cold, she turned around and closed the window. Then she went to the bed and circulated her spiritual energy throughout her body.
When he opened his eyes, the room was still empty; he had been bathing for so long and still hadn't come out.
She made a hand seal and listened carefully, and could hear faint breathing sounds coming from the side room.
A piece of paper lay under the chair next to the table, as if it had fallen out of his robe.
Yan Huanyue got up, walked to the table, and waved her hand. The paper floated into her hand; it was a brand-new fortune slip with an intricately printed text.
Intertwined lotus blossoms and mimosa branches circled a square blank space, upon which was written:
"Even when spring breezes meet autumn leaves, it is still a time of heavy snow and scorching heat."
A chill ran through her. Clutching the fortune slip, she reread the first line: "Spring breeze, autumn leaves... they shouldn't meet and coexist, but fate is unpredictable; the withered autumn leaves are carried into the spring breeze once more..."
She was so engrossed in reading that the fortune slip she was holding between her fingers was taken away. When she looked up at Pei Xuanzhi in front of her, she suddenly felt as if she had been in another world. It took her a while to come back to her senses.
Pei Xuanzhi held the fortune slip between his clean, slender fingers and waved it in front of her, his tone as cool and aloof as ever, "These are all for deceiving people; I forgot to burn them."
After saying that, he was about to hand the fortune slip to the candle to light it.
Yan Huanyue snatched the fortune slip back, glanced at it again to confirm, and then asked, "Did you draw this fortune slip? Where did you draw it from?"
Pei Xuanzhi's eyes were deep, his thin lips pressed tightly together. He endured for a moment, then his tone was somewhat unpleasant, "I told you, it's a lie. Why are you trying to steal this?"
Yan Huanyue clutched the fortune slip, tilting her head back to look at the sky, but could only see dark, heavy beams.
Her gaze gradually slid to the fortune slip in her hand, and she murmured involuntarily, "The one you drew... Spring breeze and autumn leaves do not return, snow falls heavily and summer heat is all in vain... all in vain... What is all in vain? Me...?"
Pei Xuanzhi gritted his teeth, leaned over and pinned her against the edge of the table, holding her hand as he sent the fortune slip into the candlelight.
Yan Huanyue easily broke free from his grasp. The divination slip floated from her fingertips, swirled in the air with a flame, and then turned into black ash and fell to the ground.
Two yellow talismans flew out from Pei Xuanzhi's sleeve and attached themselves to her back. She couldn't break free for a moment, so he picked her up and pressed her down on the table.
Her upper body lay on the hard wooden table, her legs dangling precariously in the air, without any support.
The pair of shoes she was wearing had fallen off her feet when he picked her up, leaving only one shoe dangling precariously from the toe of her right foot.
Pei Xuanzhi braced his hands on either side of her, leaning over and staring intently at her with his eyes wide open. His long eyelashes, illuminated by the dim candlelight, cast long shadows on his cheeks.
Yan Huanyue was now as if she were placed on a table, at the mercy of others.
A sense of crisis, feeling controlled by others, came over her along with a certain unease. Her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't tell whether it was from anxiety or something else.
He leaned down to look at her, his tall, black hair, tied with a gold ribbon, falling beside her cheeks.
His hair was rather stiff, and it fell unceremoniously next to her face, causing a slight pain mixed with a slight itch, which was extremely torturous.
Yan Huanyue frowned, looking at his dark and unclear eyes, and muttered, "Pei Xuanzhi, you dog... You're already injured, don't you remember the lesson?"
Pei Xuanzhi seemed to have been reminded of something, and tugged at his collar, revealing teeth marks and sucking marks on his neck.
He picked her up and leaned her against his clothes, stroking her long hair and whispering, "How could I forget? It still hurts. Then, sister, help me."
Yan Huanyue said, "Let me go, and I'll help you apply the medicine."
Pei Xuanzhi gently stroked the back of her neck, looking down into her misty eyes, and said softly, "If you also care about me, sister, a kiss on the wound is like applying medicine for me."
Yan Huanyue's eyes widened in surprise, unable to quite make sense of what he was saying.
Pei Xuanzhi raised his hand and stroked her smooth, soft cheek, his cool fingers then sliding to her lips and rubbing against them.
He sighed, his eyes fixed on her, and said with a half-smile, "You don't want to? Then bite me. Don't you want a child...?"
The cool fingertips slid into the corner of her lips, making her heart tremble. She subconsciously took a bite.
She distinctly heard Pei Xuanzhi's breathing pause for a moment. He stared at her blankly, as if he had just realized something rare, and a blush quickly spread from under his clothes to the corners of his eyes and the tips of his ears.
Yan Huanyue turned her face away from him, her breathing a little unsteady, "I was just talking nonsense, why are you taking it seriously?"
Pei Xuanzhi brushed aside the yellow talisman on her back, lowered his head, brushed aside her clothes, gently bit her shoulder, and whispered, "You read the fortune slip, why do you look so agreeable?"
Yan Huanyue was silent for a moment, then said, "No..."
"It's obvious... Since you have me, why bother trying to persuade Senior Brother Xue with kind words? Do you think this will make him give up? If it were me... If it were me..."
His belt slipped off silently, and he collapsed.
Yan Huanyue trembled, clutching his clothes tightly, and unconsciously let out a soft moan.
I never imagined he could be so rough when he wasn't in the throes of passion.
"You've never thought about a long-term relationship with me, have you? Yan Huanyue... Sister... You're mine..."
The candle on the table dripped tears, suddenly lost its balance, fell over, and rolled to the edge of the table before falling to the ground.
The room was suddenly plunged into darkness.
He kissed her lips desperately, like a person who had fallen into the sea grabbing onto a piece of driftwood, trying his best to cling to anything that could save him.
She was forced to swallow his breath, and it took a long time before he released her lips.
Yan Huanyue listened to the overlapping and intertwined breaths in the darkness.
She was also suddenly drained of all her strength, and collapsed onto the table, her breathing ragged.
A subtle fragrance lingered, and a burgeoning desire grew stronger in the darkness; she could even hear the restless heartbeats of the two of them.
“Xuan Zhi…”
Pei Xuanzhi took out another candle, lit it, and placed it on the candlestick.
By the flickering candlelight, I could see her rosy cheeks and dreamy eyes.
He gently stroked the layers of her skirt at her waist with one hand, and murmured in a hoarse voice, "Yes, it's me, it will always be me..."
.
A burst of fireworks illuminated the night sky outside the window.
Yan Huanyue opened her eyes, momentarily unsure whether it was just after nightfall or past midnight.
I feel heavy and have some difficulty breathing.
She nudged the person on top of her, and Pei Xuanzhi lay lazily on her chest with his eyes closed, snuggling comfortably against her before remaining motionless in the same spot and slowly letting out a shallow yawn.
Finally, he pulled the blanket from the side and wrapped them both up, then pulled her into his arms.
Yan Huanyue wearily raised her hand to wipe the sticky sweat from her forehead, took out a pill from her treasure pouch, and was about to swallow it.
Pei Xuanzhi took the medicine from her hand and threw it aside, his tone much gentler, "Don't eat things that are harmful to your health."
Yan Huanyue gritted her teeth and said, "Stop meddling. We didn't even have time to refine it this time..."
Pei Xuanzhi lowered his head and rubbed her hair, saying with a smile, "Don't be angry, I've already taken my medicine, you don't need to. Do you want a child?"
"In no mood."
Although Pei Xuanzhi had never thought of such a thing, hearing her say it without hesitation inevitably stirred something within him.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "Then there won't be any, don't worry."
He was clearly holding her before she went to sleep, but when Yan Huanyue woke up in the morning, she found him sleeping soundly in her arms.
She glanced at the sky and had no choice but to wake him up. After washing up, they first prepared some gifts and went to Wanghailou to visit Jiang Xusheng, who had hosted a banquet for the two of them the day before.
Jiang Xusheng was very curious about Pei Xuanzhi and talked to him for a long time. Pei Xuanzhi looked at the sky and said his goodbyes when the time was just right.
Jiang Xusheng couldn't insist that the two stay, so he could only see them out the door first.
After Pei Xuanzhi left, Jiang Xusheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Pei Xuanzhi did not attend the banquet yesterday, otherwise he would not have been able to quell the trouble.
When he was saying goodbye to Jiang Xusheng, he happened to run into Tan Guiyi walking out alone, and the two exchanged glances.
Tan Guiyi wanted to say something, but Yan Huanyue nodded slightly in greeting and then led Pei Xuanzhi out the door.
For some unknown reason, even though it was still within the deadline for the Qinghe Monthly Collection, the streets of Tianqing City changed overnight.
There were very few pedestrians on the street, but you could see people sent by the Zhou family patrolling the streets.
Yan Huanyue glanced at Pei Xuanzhi beside her.
Pei Xuanzhi coughed a few times and said with a smile, "I was with my sister all night. You don't know what happened, so naturally I don't know either. Why don't I go and ask?"
But he didn't need to ask; Yan Huanyue saw a notice posted on the city wall leading out of the city, with a picture of a very young and handsome man on it.
The notice roughly states that someone had seen the man in the portrait injuring someone. After confirmation by the Zhou family elders, an order was issued to search for this person. If anyone sees him, please leave as soon as possible and report it to the Zhou family immediately.
Yan Huanyue paused in front of the portrait to recognize the face, thinking that if she met him on the road, it would be easy to capture him.
Then he flew away from Tianqing City on his sword with Pei Xuanzhi.
Behind them, a man with a sallow complexion stopped near the city wall, looked at the portrait below the wall from afar, and then turned and went into the city.
Tan Guiyi was originally planning to go around Tianqing City to see if there were any hidden gems she could collect.
As they walked into a street, someone suddenly pulled them to a shady spot.
She instinctively launched a counterattack, but it was easily deflected by the other party, and she received a solid slap to the face.
"Why are there portraits of Father everywhere! How did the Zhou family know Father was still alive? Did you leak them to curry favor with the Zhou family?"
Tan Guiyi felt dizzy after being slapped. She recognized the voice, but it wasn't familiar to her anymore.
Her third brother, Yun Ruoliang.
The reason she didn't share the same surname was because she couldn't stay by her father's side and couldn't give people the opportunity to guess her origins, so she had to borrow a different one.
She was clearly shocked by Yun Ruoliang's sudden appearance.
Gradually, an overwhelming sense of annoyance welled up inside her. "What are you doing here? What if someone sees us...?"
Yun Ruoliang, still recovering from a serious illness, came out to check on Tian Qingcheng's condition. To his surprise, he saw his father's portrait hanging everywhere.
My father did nothing here and quickly disappeared, so it was impossible for anyone to find out. Yet now even the most recent portrait of him has been obtained by the Zhou family.
"Who else could it be but you?"
Tan Guiyi said, "Since everyone can guess it's me, is it really me? Why would I hand over my father's portrait? What good would it do me if this were discovered?"
Yun Ruoliang insisted that it was her, which was somewhat of an emotional outburst and an unwarranted accusation. Hearing her say this, he said, "How much do you have on you? Give it to me, and I need to treat my two brothers' injuries."
Tan Guiyi took a step back and said, "Don't even think about it. Even my father didn't want anything from me."
Yun Ruoliang sneered, "Sister, how long has it been since we last met? How can you be so heartless towards your brother? If I weren't barely recovering from my injuries, why would I need your things?"
Tan Guiyi gave him a deep look and said, "Third Brother's core essence has been repaired so quickly?"
Yun Ruoliang's words revealed undisguised reverence and pride: "Father spent a great deal of effort and precious artifacts to repair my dantian first."
Tan Guiyi inexplicably recalled how many times she had narrowly escaped from dire straits by relying on herself or others.
He endured the injury on his own, and his father didn't even notice the obvious wound on his face that day.
She looked around to make sure no one had noticed her and her third brother together, then whispered, "What are my things? If you're so capable, go and rob the Zhou family. I don't believe the Zhou family's treasury can't support you."
Yun Ruoliang looked at her disdainfully and said, "My dear General, I just saw Yu Zhao's fiancée. It was her heart's blood that caused Yu Zhao's skin to fester and ruin your face?"
Tan Guiyi raised her hand to touch the thin veil covering her face, her voice slightly cold, "So what if it is?"
"Is that the frail succubus with her?"
Tan Guiyi replied, "Yes."
Yun Ruoliang said, "That's good."
Tan Guiyi asked in confusion, "What's wrong with that? Her heart's blood can't be used..."
Yun Ruoliang looked at his sister and then laughed, "You can't use the Pure Spirit Body, but I can. Look at her husband, although he's sickly and thin, he's not as frail as the rumors say."
Tan Guiyi took a moment to react, then said in surprise, "Brother, you are so shameless."
Yun Ruoliang searched her treasure pouch hidden in her sleeve, took some items, and then threw the pouch back at her. "And what about you?"
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:40:20 and 21:37:42 on June 5, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmines: Van Helsing and 1 shower gel;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Gusu, Balabala 10 bottles; Pangpangbupan 6 bottles; Xiaoqi, 024 5 bottles; Yikouyunduo, Zuogexiaofupo 3 bottles; Zhaoye 2 bottles; Kuangbaodashiniu, kurosakiiji, momo, Linxiafeng, Xixi 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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