Chapter 128 Don't Stop, He Didn't Know How to Ask
Lou Cangyu reached out to touch the clump of glistening snowflakes, then hesitated, not daring to touch them. The steel was cold, the snow was chilling, and the snowflakes remained frozen. Wushuang looked up at the falling snowflakes, exhaling a hazy white mist. "Swordsmen must fight to win, but blacksmiths don't spar to compete. Improving skills and making the most of materials are the essence of blacksmithing. The Heavenly Furnace is an inanimate object; it is people who carry on the tradition. Guan Ye's existence is Xingguo Workshop's good fortune, and also my good fortune, Wushuang's."
“But you are peerless,” Lou Cangyu insisted. “Under the whole world, you are the only one of your kind.”
Wushuang gazed at Lou Cangyu with regret in his eyes. "A person without peer can look down on the world, but without peerless skills, one will neither advance nor retreat. Lou Cangyu, you have a shallow understanding; you don't understand."
Lou Cangyu wanted to argue a bit more, but seeing Wushuang's indifferent expression, he swallowed his words and dared not say anything more.
"I'm glad you've come to see me again." Wushuang lowered her sword-wielding hand. "Tomorrow, you'll present the sword to the Emperor. As the adopted son of the Pei family, you'll surely go to see him, won't you?"
Lou Cangyu nodded. “Not only me, but all the swordsmen in the brothel, as well as Guan Ye, will go to the palace together. Speaking of which…” Lou Cangyu chuckled self-deprecatingly, “Ajiu has a face just like the Crown Prince, and he has already met the Emperor many times with the fish-shaped tally. He has won the Emperor’s favor, and the brothel owner treats him like an honored guest. So what if I became the Pei family’s adopted son? I’m still just a small swordsman in the brothel.”
Wushuang chuckled, "At least you have a face that is unparalleled in the world, looking just like the Crown Prince... Do you think that's a good thing?" Wushuang gently brushed the snowflakes off her face, "Others see you, but they think of someone else. Lou Cangyu, do you want to be someone else's shadow for the rest of your life?"
"That depends on whose shadow you're playing." Lou Cangyu regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, glancing furtively at Wushuang's expression, afraid that she would anger him again.
Wushuang seemed unwilling to continue the conversation. "We will meet again before the Emperor tomorrow."
Lou Cangyu's expression changed drastically, and he stammered, "So many people will be at Xingguo Ward tomorrow... You're going to meet the Emperor too... Wushuang... you..."
"I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of?" Wushuang said with amusement. "Are you afraid that your secret will be discovered and that they will blame you?"
The snowy night concealed Lou Cangyu's pale face. "I'm not afraid, but I'm worried... you don't have a capable swordsman. If you want to test your sword skills, you alone might not be able to compete with Xingguofang."
Wushuang spread his arms wide, as if to gather the cold light of the sword formation into his embrace. "Tomorrow, you will all be my swordsmen."
Lou Cangyu didn't understand the meaning behind her words, and was afraid of being foolish to ask a question rashly. Wushuang said that everyone would be her swordsman tomorrow, and she would definitely be among them...
If possible, Lou Cangyu hoped that he would be the only unparalleled swordsman.
Xingguofang
It was nearly midnight, and the night, which should have been deep, was made bright by the heavy snow. Guan Ye lay on her back in bed, watching the windmill by the window being covered by snowflakes little by little. At first, it could still make a creaking sound as it turned in the wind, but as the snow piled up thicker and thicker, the windmill suddenly got stuck, frozen into a comical silhouette, which looked quite funny from a distance.
The dazzling snow made it hard to sleep. Guan Ye got up, pushed open the window, and looked out. The cold wind swirled with snowflakes and rushed towards her face. The icy snowflakes whistled into her mouth and nose, and the howling north wind felt like swords cutting through her bare skin. Guan Ye pulled her clothes tighter, and shivered from the cold wind and snow.
Snow fell on the courtyard, turning it into a vast expanse of white. Gazing at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene before her, Guan Ye pulled out the windmill that had been frozen in the snow. She carefully blew away the snowflakes, gently fiddling with it. The windmill spun round and round, but Guan Ye still couldn't fall asleep. Perhaps she was seeing things because of the windmill, for in the swirling snow, she saw someone walking towards her, step by step, their footsteps leaving deep and shallow marks on the snow.
—A-Jiu. Guan Ye leaned against the windowsill; she wasn't seeing things, it was A-Jiu.
In a daze, through the open window, Ajiu was already close at hand. One hand was on the window frame, and his broad body pressed heavily against Guan Ye. His warm breath enveloped Guan Ye, as if she had fallen into a deep dream.
Ajiu… Guan Ye called his name softly, reaching out to touch his bare neck. It was so cold outside, but Ajiu’s body was burning hot. Wherever Guan Ye touched, the skin began to tremble. When she pressed her fingertips against it, she could even feel the blood flowing, pulse throbbing incessantly.
Ajiu pulled Guan Ye close, holding her in his arms, and lowered his head to kiss her. Guan Ye felt as if she were being burned by flames, her fingers went numb, and the still-spinning windmill fell into the snow, its colorful blades stained with snowflakes, sparkling and glistening.
The door to the quiet room was right beside them. Their lips were entwined, and Ajiu clearly didn't want to let go for even a moment. He leaped into the window with a light step, his strong body pressing down on Guan Ye as he went deeper, not forgetting to close the window behind his back.
Their heavy breathing seemed to ignite the quiet room as they lingered in a passionate kiss, reluctant to part. Guan Ye stretched out her arms and clung to A Jiu's shoulders, pushing him away with difficulty, and said in a low, panting voice, "Slow down... I can't breathe."
Ajiu's rough fingers burrowed into her loose hair, his lips pressed firmly against hers, and he breathed into Guan Ye's mouth. "Is this better?" Ajiu pressed his hand against Guan Ye's burning forehead, his dark eyes blazing with fury.
The scorching breath entered her heart from her mouth. Before Guan Ye could respond, her red lips were covered by warmth again. The snow-white light shimmered in the dark night, and a heart-stopping lust flashed in A Jiu's dark eyes. This time, it was even more intense, as if he wanted to devour her whole. Hearing Guan Ye's disordered breathing, A Jiu suddenly swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed without any room for doubt.
Guan Ye was startled by A Jiu's sudden action and didn't know what he was going to do. She could only wrap her arms around his neck in a daze, pressing close to A Jiu's chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat, and her face suddenly turned red.
Ah Jiu gently placed Guan Ye on the soft bed. The young girl's quilt was warm and fragrant, and Ah Jiu greedily inhaled the scent, as if he had taken the strongest aphrodisiac.
“A-Jiu…” Guan Ye stroked his face, “What are you doing here?”
She actually asked her what she was doing here? Ajiu pressed herself against her and forcefully kissed her cheek again, "What do you think?"
"You won't be able to sleep tomorrow when the sword is presented to the Emperor?" Guan Ye responded to his gesture.
Ah Jiu kissed him softly, "I can't sleep when I think of you, you're all I see when I close my eyes, so I came to find you."
"We were just together during the day, weren't we?" Guan Ye let A Jiu's lips roam over her neck. "When it gets light, you'll be able to see me again."
"Foolish." Ajiu raised his head with difficulty, brushing away her stray hairs with his palm. "I want to see you day and night. I want you by my side when I close my eyes, and you to be the first thing I see when I open them... Guan Ye, do you know what I want?"
"You want me..." Guan Ye looked up in response to A Jiu's gesture, "You want me to be with you forever."
Ajiu gazed intently at Guan Ye's beautiful face. She was a master blacksmith with unparalleled skills, and also a pure and innocent woman. Her innocent words were more alluring than the most straightforward love confession: "Yes, I want you."
"Want?" Guan Ye vaguely knew the meaning of the word, but it seemed that she didn't understand it thoroughly enough.
Ajiu noticed the girl's confusion beneath him. He gently took Guan Ye's hand, lightly squeezed her soft, damp palm, and guided her closer to his body. He knew he wanted Guan Ye, but he didn't know... how to ask for her.
A-Jiu paused, struggling to control his surging emotions. Noticing his abrupt stop, Guan Ye sat up, their eyes met, and they embraced tightly. A-Jiu's rough palms pressed against Guan Ye's clean-cut back, sliding down her spine inch by inch, his kisses falling like raindrops. He vaguely knew that this first time shouldn't be too intense, but rather gentle and gradual. Thinking this, A-Jiu instinctively kissed and nibbled, his dry lips brushing Guan Ye's cheeks, then naturally sliding to kiss her collarbone…
Guan Ye couldn't sleep and turned over to admire the snow. She was wearing only her undergarments and a cover-up. She was entangled with A Jiu and had long since lost her cover-up. After some fussing, A Jiu's lips slowly slid down to her. She was so surprised by this sudden beauty that she gasped for breath, her breathing becoming heavier and heavier, and her body becoming increasingly difficult to control.
Guan Ye fumbled around for A Jiu's clothes, touching his firm muscles. A Jiu stopped abruptly. The bed was already a scene of passion, with the sunlight streaming through the window, casting shadows. A Jiu buried his head and felt it... Guan Ye tilted her head back slightly, her hands clinging to A Jiu's shoulders, but the two still restrained themselves from doing anything.
Even through the thin shirt, Ah Jiu already knew what to do next, but they still had a long life ahead of them, and there were many things they didn't need to do tonight.
Guan Ye seemed to have suddenly understood everything as well. She reached out and touched A Jiu's large muscles, pressing her soft face against them, and sighed, "Xiao Ma said you practice until late every night, and it really works..."
"Have you seen anything even sturdier than this?" A-Jiu ran her fingers through her hair, then couldn't resist touching her lips to hers again.
Guan Ye raised her face, her mind flashing back to that night at the Ji Fang family's house on Canglang Island. The young swordsmen took off their soaked brocade clothes and sat around the burning campfire. The firelight reflected their shiny muscles. Each of them had a strong and powerful chest and back, and they were all like swords waiting to be drawn, ready to shock the world.
"What are you thinking about?" Ajiu seemed a little dissatisfied, and gently bit Guan Ye's lip. "Thinking about someone older than me?"
Guan Ye frowned, pushed A Jiu away, and said, "You're so smart, can't you tell I'm lying to you?"
"Hahahaha." Ajiu chuckled and hugged her tighter. "You've lived in the Lou family for years, and you haven't even seen Lou Shitou's body?"
Guan Ye bit his flesh. Ajiu was also strong. Guan Ye used a lot of force, but he didn't groan or even move his body. He let Guan Ye leave two rows of deep teeth marks on his chest, and there was even a deep sense of satisfaction between his brows.
Guan Ye snorted, "According to you, I've lived with the Lou family for several years, and Lou Shitou has met me, right?"
"He wouldn't dare." Ajiu's voice was sinister, his dark eyes gleaming with anger. "Whoever dares, I'll kill him."
Guan Ye sat up, turned A Jiu's face towards her, and the two lay down on the bed together. A Jiu grabbed the blankets and wrapped them up, then snuggled up with Guan Ye face to face in the warm blankets, naked and pressed close to each other, pressing them tightly into each other's arms, but neither of them went any further... You can imagine for yourselves.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Guan Ye stroked A Jiu's body, feeling A Jiu's restrained clenching of her teeth, and she dared not continue.
Ajiu grabbed Guan Ye's wrist, and Guan Ye's knuckles trembled. She tried to escape, but Ajiu held her tightly and she couldn't pull herself out.
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