Chapter 16 Drawing a Circle on the Ground to Imprison the Moonlight (Part Six) She turned her head, trying to...
His voice carried the deep intonation characteristic of the Northern Di people, as well as a sense of certainty that came from long-held superiority.
Ye Yixiang's heart clenched, her blood seemingly freezing instantly! It was Ge Shulin! What was he doing here?! Where were the guards of the Nie residence?!
In her shock, she didn't stop moving. She quickly and haphazardly put on her plain white undergarment and skirt, her fingers trembling slightly with nervousness, and she couldn't tie the ties properly no matter how many times she tried.
She grabbed the fine linen towel she used to wipe her hair and held it tightly to her chest.
Her long, wet hair clung messily to her neck and cheeks, and the undried water trickled down her fair, slender neck, soaking her thin clothes and outlining her exquisite curves.
"To come so late at night," she said, trying to remain calm, but her voice was inevitably hoarse from suppressing her fear, "and to trespass into the inner chambers of officials' families is not the behavior of a gentleman. If word gets out, it will likely damage Hu Yu's reputation."
Behind the screen, the towering figure of Geshulin was projected onto the plain surface by the flickering candlelight. His blurry yet extremely imposing silhouette seemed almost within reach, and even his breathing could be faintly heard.
“A gentleman?” He chuckled softly, his laughter carrying an air of untamed arrogance. “Instead of worrying about how to remarry your deceased husband’s cousin and living a life of subservience and dependence under the command of your enemies in the Southern Dynasty, you should just do as I said before.”
He paused, his tone carrying a seductive yet undeniable power, "At most, Chu Huaili can give you the empty title of a Southern Dynasty general's wife, and you'll have to live in anonymity and be controlled at every turn."
"And I, the King."
"I can give you real power, wealth, troops, and even... the full strength of the Northern Di to help you restore the glory of your Ye clan and avenge the destruction of your country. What he can't give you, I can give you everything." His voice was deep and slow, each word striking a chord in Ye Yixiang's tense heartstrings.
Cold water droplets slid down her forehead and flowed over her slightly flushed cheeks: "I appreciate your kindness. But what I want, I will strive for with my own hands, and I will not... rely on anyone else."
"Oh? Is that so?" Ge Shulin's voice carried a hint of amusement, as if he had heard something interesting.
As soon as he finished speaking, the towering figure moved a few steps toward the edge of the screen. The candlelight stretched his shadow longer and more aggressively, almost completely crossing the fragile barrier.
Ye Yixiang was so frightened that she retreated repeatedly, her heel accidentally hitting the cold edge of the bathtub with a dull thud, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.
She clenched the handkerchief at her chest, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her gaze was fixed on the approaching shadow on the other side of the screen, like a deer cornered by a wild beast, barely maintaining her composure as she said repeatedly, "Has Hu Yu forgotten the teachings of the Grand Tutor when we were hostages in the Central Plains: 'Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper'? This is the teaching of the sages!"
“Princess, you seem to have forgotten,” Geshu Lin’s voice carried a hint of sarcasm as he appeared at the edge of the screen, revealing a corner of his dark fur coat. “I am a Northern Di, and the blood of the grassland wolf king flows in my veins.”
He finally emerged completely from behind the screen, his tall figure blocking out most of the light, casting the night's beauty into his shadow.
Geshulin approached step by step, his deep gaze like that of a snow wolf locking onto its prey, fixing on her pale face, which was damp with moisture. "We Northern Di people have always been straightforward. If we like something, we will fight for it ourselves and take it! Including the Chanyu's golden tent and the woman we like."
A wild smile curved his lips. "What do those outdated and cumbersome formalities of the Central Plains have to do with me?"
His gaze was intense as he continued, his tone even carrying an almost cruel tolerance: "Besides, most of you men from the Central Plains are narrow-minded and care about whether a woman is chaste and intact."
“We Northern Di are different. True grassland men value a woman’s wisdom and courage, and never care how many husbands she has married or how many children she has had.”
"Follow me, and you will not have to bear those heavy shackles."
Ye Yixiang was terrified by the undisguised ambition and possessiveness in his words. Taking advantage of the gap in his speech, she tried to sneak past him and rush towards the door.
However, she had only taken two steps when she felt a strong resistance from the hem of her skirt, which pulled her back sharply!
He turned around in surprise.
One corner of the plain white skirt was firmly planted under Geshulin's combat boots. The snow on the black boots was slowly melting, leaving dark watermarks on the light gauze fabric, like a beast marking its prey.
"You!" Ye Yixiang was both shocked and furious, her slender fingers turning slightly white from the force. The hem of her skirt, which she tried to pull away from, made a soft tearing sound under the unyielding pressure of the other party.
Geshu Lin leaned closer, a few strands of braided hair hanging down from his wolf-tooth forehead ornament, brushing against her tense jaw: "The men of the Northern Di are skilled in martial arts."
He ran his fingertips through her loose hair. "Whether on the battlefield or in bed, Princess, wouldn't you like to try?"
"Has the Left Wise King forgotten the principle of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'?"
A voice as cold as an ice blade came from outside the door without warning, breaking the tense atmosphere inside.
As the words were spoken, the door was pushed open with force, bringing with it the chill of the night. Chu Huaili, dressed in a dark green casual suit, stood in the doorway, his figure as upright as a lone pine tree on a cliff. His expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, except for his deep eyes, which, like arrows tempered with ice, pierced precisely at the uninvited guest inside. The chilling aura emanating from him instantly shattered the oppressive feeling brought by Ge Shulin.
"This is Liangzhou, not a royal court where you can act recklessly."
The next instant, Ye Yixiang felt a tightness around her waist, an irresistible force pulling her into a warm embrace that carried the chill of the night wind and a hint of the refreshing scent of alcohol.
Still shaken, she looked up and was met with Chu Huaili's face, which was very close to hers.
The flickering candlelight illuminated his sharply defined facial features: his sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards towards his temples, his nose was high and straight like a mountain, and his thin lips were pressed into a cold, hard straight line.
Those eyes, always deep and cold like a pool, were lowered, their thick, long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them. Their gaze fell on her face with a complex mix of emotions, seemingly churning with anger.
“General Chu?” Ge Shulin lifted his foot, releasing the hem of the plain white skirt he was stepping on. A genuine surprise flashed across his face, which quickly turned into amusement. “I didn’t expect that the general is not only a brilliant strategist, but also so caring towards this ‘eldest sister-in-law’…” He deliberately emphasized the words “eldest sister-in-law,” his tone carrying an ambiguous sarcasm.
"My family affairs are none of your concern." Chu Huaili's voice was indifferent as ice, yet it carried a resolute determination.
Ge Shulin's lips curled up, his gaze sweeping over Chu Huaili before settling again on Ye Yixiang's pale yet undeniably beautiful face: "Please give my suggestion more consideration, Princess."
"Whenever you come to your senses, the gates of the Northern Di royal court will be open for you at any time." After saying this, he stopped pressing the matter, gave the two of them a meaningful look, and turned to disappear into the night outside the door.
The oppressive feeling suddenly disappeared, and Ye Yixiang breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to break free from Chu Huaili's burning embrace, she felt a weight in front of her!
"Hmm!"
With a muffled thud, Chu Huaili's tall body seemed to lose all support in an instant, pulling her backward and crashing heavily onto the bed covered with soft brocade quilts behind them.
The bed curtains swayed, and the beaded curtains rustled softly.
"General!?" Ye Yixiang was both shocked and anxious, her heart pounding with horror! What was he going to do? Could it be that Geshu Lin's foul language had actually made him...?
The tall, slender body pressing against her was surprisingly warm; even through the thin fabric, the heat almost burned her skin. He buried his face in her neck, his breathing heavy and hot, his voice hoarse and indistinct, as if he were struggling to stay awake.
"I... took Chinese medicine..."
A buzzing sound filled Ye Yixiang's mind as shame, anger, and fear instantly overwhelmed her! What kind of drug had she been given?
Could it be...? She suddenly remembered that in her panic just now, she had just thrown on her clothes haphazardly without even tying the belt properly. Now, after all this commotion, the clothes had already come undone, revealing her lotus-colored undergarment and a large expanse of fair and delicate skin.
If he was given that kind of drug... the consequences would be unimaginable!
"General! Wake up!" She struggled again, pressing her hands against his solid chest, trying to push away this heavy and dangerous body.
However, the person on top of her seemed to be on the verge of losing control. Her act of pushing away seemed more like an unintentional provocation.
His burning lips landed unexpectedly on her smooth, sensitive neck. The scalding touch sent a jolt through her body like an electric current, making her tremble and her heart race wildly, almost bursting out of her chest.
"Don't worry..." His voice was muffled, filled with suppressed exhaustion, "It's just... foggy..."
Before he could finish speaking, the tension in his body seemed to vanish instantly. Chu Huaili tilted his head to the side, completely releasing his strength, and fell into a deep sleep. His hot breath sprayed on her ear, becoming even and long.
Ye Yixiang stood frozen in place, only reacting after a long while.
Fortunately, it was a sleeping potion and not some other kind of drug.
Her heart, which had been pounding in her chest, suddenly settled back down, followed by a wave of exhaustion and helplessness. Even so, the current situation was awkward and difficult enough.
His heat radiated through her clothes, making her feel uneasy.
She turned her head away, trying to avoid his hot, alcohol-scented breath that was so close to hers.
She tried to push him a few times, but the sleeping man's body was as heavy as a mountain, and her strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
Her fingertips accidentally touched the wound on his chest. Even through his clothes, she could feel the outline of the bandage. Her heart tightened, afraid that she might accidentally touch his wound and aggravate his pain. She had no choice but to give up the idea of pushing him away.
Forced into this extremely intimate position on the bed, Ye Yixiang thought she would have a sleepless night, her heart filled with confusion and unease.
However, perhaps it was because the days of running around, fright, and exhaustion had already drained her mind, or perhaps it was because of the reassuring scent of him, a mixture of herbs and a faint, cool aroma, or perhaps it was because of the sudden relaxation she felt after confirming that he had no intention of harming her...
Surrounded by this warm body, her tense nerves unconsciously relaxed.
Consciousness gradually faded, and I sank into darkness.
As dawn broke, the light streamed through the carved window lattice, filling the interior room.
Chu Huaili woke up with a severe headache like a hangover and a burning thirst in his throat.
Before I even opened my eyes, I felt an unusual warmth and softness in my arms.
Beneath his palm lay the curve of a woman's slender waist, so delicate it seemed impossible to encircle it with a single hand; her smooth skin radiated a heart-stopping warmth through the thin fabric.
He opened his eyes abruptly, his sharp gaze freezing as he saw the scene in his arms.
Ye Yixiang was curled up asleep on his chest, her long, dark hair spread across the pillow like seaweed, with a few strands tangled in the silver thread pattern of his dark green casual clothes.
She was fast asleep, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyes, her lips unconsciously brushing against his slightly open, muscular chest.
Her plain white undergarment had become loose and disheveled after a night of tossing and turning, revealing half of her smooth, glossy shoulder.
He gasped for breath, trying to pull his arm away from her waist, only to realize with a start that his fingers were deeply embedded in her loose sash.
What froze him even more was that her knees had somehow wrapped around his legs, and her delicate feet were pressing against the old scar on his calf.
"Mmm..." Startled by his movements, she let out a soft whimper like a kitten in her sleep, and snuggled even closer into his arms.
The moment her soft lips brushed against his Adam's apple, Chu Huaili clearly felt an uncontrollable change in a certain area.
He immediately looked away, his jawline tightening slightly.
A note from the author:
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If there's one thing I can't stop chasing, it's my beloved holiday. Holidays are so great, I want more! Please don't leave me, my dear babies and holidays alike!
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