Chapter 22 with Lu Xiaolu ahhhhhh
The wind and snow grew heavier, and a thick layer of snow accumulated on the roof of a horse-drawn carriage parked in front of a farmhouse.
The car windows were tightly closed, and the temperature was extremely low, yet that sinful, strange fragrance wafted out almost imperceptibly.
"General, I'll go take a look first." The city defense officer tried to dismount.
Tao Qingyang raised his hand to stop her, and stepped onto the ground first.
"I'll come myself." He approached quietly, his eyes filled with a long-suppressed excitement and anticipation, as if he had finally waited for the moment to ambush his prey.
The black brocade boots moved in an orderly fashion, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow. When they reached the car window, Tao Qingyang's smile suddenly vanished.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. Without hesitation, he raised his jade flute and smashed it through the wooden carriage window.
The awful aroma still lingered, but the car was completely empty.
Tao Qing raised his eyebrows in displeasure, and the captain immediately rushed over, "Nobody here?"
He was surprised for a moment, then immediately looked around again. "The horse is gone too! I see. The thieves must have chased us all the way here. Lord Lu had no choice but to abandon the carriage and ride away. But the snow is too heavy. The snow has covered the hoofprints. How can we find any trace of them?"
Tao Qing gazed up at the deserted, secluded path, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "Where does this path lead?"
The captain followed his gaze and said, "A villa with a hot spring."
·
The exhausted brown horse was tied up in the horse stable. Qin Song shivered from the cold and clung tightly to Lu Youchuan, not leaving his side for a moment.
In the simple house, the only two old servants burned the stove even brighter.
Lu and Qin's clothes were soaked by the wind and snow. The old servant, Granny Xu, took the cloak from them and asked worriedly, "What happened to you, young master? Why are you in such a sorry state?"
"It's a long story. First, prepare two sets of clean clothes."
After giving his instructions, Lu Youchuan led Qin Song to the hot spring room in the backyard.
The hot spring water was steaming, and Lu Youchuan had reached his limit. If it weren't for the relentless pursuit of the man in black, he might have committed a mistake he could never forgive himself for in that cramped and cold carriage.
A cold wind blew past, and he regained a sliver of his rationality: "This is the house my mother left behind. It's surrounded by traps, making it difficult for outsiders to enter. You clean it first, and I'll be there in a moment."
He didn't dare look at her for long. Without waiting for Qin Song's response, he quickly turned away and went to the cooler hot spring next door.
He plunged in headfirst, sinking to the bottom of the water. The feeling of suffocation brought him back to his senses a little, but he couldn't suppress the urge to seduce him no matter what.
"Miss, let this old servant help you change your clothes." Granny Xu brought clean clothes and went into the next room.
Qin Song's somewhat weary voice rang out, "Thank you, Granny. Where is Lord Lu?"
"She went to take a bath too." Granny Xu's tone was one of satisfaction. "Miss, you seem to care so much about the young master; is she the one he loves?"
“I’ll wait for him to marry me,” Qin Song replied immediately.
The bright, young girl spoke of marriage without a trace of shyness.
Lu Youchuan, soaking in the bathtub next door, heard the sound as if it were a divine revelation, which in turn stirred up his delusions.
Her voice continued, and he was tormented to the brink of collapse, gradually losing his reason. He leaned back against the edge of the hot spring pool, his hands, which were only used to hold knives and pens, reaching underwater...
The private hot spring was warm and spacious, and Qin Song's fatigue was relieved. Her face, which had been chilled by the cold wind, quickly turned rosy. While playing in the water, she asked about Lu Youchuan's whereabouts.
Xu Mama told her truthfully, "Young Master is in the hot spring next door. This old servant has prepared a meal. After you have bathed, you can have a meal together and then you will see him."
Qin Song pouted. "He's actually avoiding me."
Granny Xu didn't pay much attention to her words, assuming it was just the reluctance of young lovers to part. After helping her wash up, she noticed a patch of red on her inner thigh and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, why is your inner thigh so red? Are you injured?"
Xu Mama's anxious voice instantly reached the ears of the young man next door who was leaning against the pool with his eyes closed, trying to calm himself down. Lu Youchuan, who had just relaxed for a moment, suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of worry appearing in his pupils, and listened intently to the sounds from next door.
"It does hurt a bit." Qin Song touched his slightly swollen inner thigh and couldn't help but gasp.
"I'm going to get some medicine, wait a moment." Despite her age, Granny Xu was still very efficient, and she went out after saying that.
Injured? When was she injured? Could it be from those men in black during the chaos?
Lu Youchuan became increasingly frightened as he thought about it. Unable to suppress his inner worry, he immediately got up, not bothering to wipe the water droplets off his body, and loosely put on his undergarments before heading to the hot spring next door.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, he heard the distant, unsteady footsteps of Granny Xu approaching. He waited for a while.
“Young Master,” Xu Mama said with a worried look as she approached Lu Youchuan, “Miss Qin has a large red patch on her inner thigh for some reason.”
Lu Youchuan was even more anxious than her, and reached out his hand to her: "Give me the medicine."
After handing him the ointment, Granny Xu said, "Miss asked you several times. It would be good for you to go in and see her. I'll go and tidy up the bedroom first so Miss Qin can stay there."
After speaking, Granny Xu withdrew.
The hot spring room was filled with steam and mist.
The sound of the curtain being lifted came from the doorway. Qin Song stood by the bathtub, his back to the door, wearing only a mid-length cotton top that revealed a pair of long, straight, snow-white legs.
She bent down and dried her wet hair, her arms aching from the effort. Haircuts weren't allowed here, and there was no hairdryer. Qin Song hated drying her hair the most.
"Grandma, please help me dry my hair."
Qin Song was crisp and decisive, completely unprepared for anything.
Lu Youchuan's gaze gently slid over her smooth legs. His throat went dry, his fingers gripped the medicine bottle tightly, and his feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to move forward or backward.
"My hair is so wet, it's really uncomfortable." Qin Song started to feel irritated as he held up a towel to dry his hair.
Lu Youchuan was in a state of confusion. The restlessness he had just calmed resurfaced, making him feel even more uncomfortable.
He loathed his own actions, finding them utterly despicable, but he still silently stepped forward and took the crumpled handkerchief from her.
Her hair was jet black and smooth, and it smelled freshly of soap after being washed.
Perhaps it was the unusual fragrance filling the room that made even the common scent of soap intoxicating.
Lu Youchuan couldn't help but pick up a strand of her black hair and kiss it. If he could, he would kiss every single strand of her hair.
But he dared not indulge, so he gently kissed her and then picked up a handkerchief to gently wipe her damp black hair.
Qin Song lowered his hands and gently pounded his arms, completely unaware of the unusual situation behind him.
She could only sense that the person behind her was deliberately keeping a distance from her, and she could hear faint breathing sounds, which were more rapid and deep than the old man's earlier.
Just as she was thinking this, her slightly rough fingertips brushed across her hairline, and she suddenly got goosebumps all over.
Qin Song felt a chill run down his spine. How could this reaction occur when he was in contact with Granny Xu?!
She was stunned into thought when the person behind her parted her hair into two sections, stroking it from the back of her neck to her chest. His thumb brushed against her earlobe, tickling her so much that she shrank her neck and her body trembled uncontrollably.
It must be because she is not familiar with the nanny and is not used to her care that she is so sensitive.
Just as she was about to take the towel back herself, a light kiss suddenly landed on the back of her neck.
It feels soft and hot to the touch, and separates instantly upon contact.
Qin Song's eyes widened instantly, and his already empty body suddenly trembled. An unprecedented tingling sensation spread from the back of his neck along his spine.
She immediately wanted to turn around and look at the person behind her.
"Don't…"
She moved, and Lu Youchuan's short, hoarse voice stopped her from behind.
He held her hair with one hand and restrained her shoulder with the other. "Don't turn around."
Lu Youchuan overestimated his willpower and couldn't help but steal a kiss on her slightly reddened neck, but he didn't dare let her see his current sinful appearance.
Qin Song suddenly panicked, and his cheeks even felt hot.
So it was Lu Youchuan. No wonder she had a strange feeling.
"Lord Lu..." Qin Song turned slightly to the side, a little too much, feeling as if something that had been bothering her had passed over her waist.
Her eyes widened, her mind buzzing.
"I'm sorry... Ah Song."
Lu Youchuan's muffled, suppressed, and painful voice, like his panting, was addictive and Qin Song's favorite.
"No, I like you like this." Qin Song was used to being shameless, but tonight, not only did her cheeks flush from time to time, but her voice also became shy and coquettish.
It's really puzzling.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Youchuan's hand on her shoulder paused, and his breathing became heavier.
As if he had been praised, Lu Youchuan's fingers, which were holding her hair, trembled. He mustered up the courage to kiss her neck before reluctantly letting go and squatting down on his own.
The act of crouching down is like a criminal hiding a weapon in the shadows, deceiving himself into pretending nothing is wrong.
He let out a slight sigh, and after gathering his thoughts, he casually began to observe her injuries.
Large red patches appeared on the inside of his thigh, as if from friction. Lu Youchuan asked while opening the ointment, "What happened?"
"The saddle is too rough, I got scraped while riding—" As she spoke, the ointment touched her skin, making her shudder, and her heart seemed to skip a beat...
"Did I hurt you?" Lu Youchuan paused in applying the medicine, looking at the large area of injury with heartache. He took the medicine with his fingertips and applied it again, becoming even gentler.
He rode his horse from the city, speeding up to shake off the men in black. The rough saddle caused him to scrape his thigh.
His movements as he applied the medicine made her feel very itchy.
She no longer obeyed him, and suddenly turned around, looking down at the person in front of her with no attempt to hide her gaze.
His wide outer robe was not properly fastened, the collar was slightly open, and his well-defined chest muscles were faintly visible as he raised his head, his Adam's apple bobbing, making him even more alluring.
His eyes were red at the corners, his earlobes were red, and his gaze was both embarrassed and burning as he looked at her. How could she possibly resist him?
“Lord Lu…” She also squatted down and took his hand.
She looked at him, but didn't immediately say anything more.
Before Lu Youchuan could recover from the unbearable torture of her gaze, another thought flooded his mind—she had grabbed his hand!
His hand had just been... like that, and now she was holding it in hers...
"show me."
That same phrase again… Her cunning gaze shifted over, and Lu Youchuan was completely defeated. Like a hungry wolf, he grabbed her around the waist, pulled her firmly onto his lap, and stretched his neck to find her lips.
He lay half-reclined on the hard floor of the bathtub, relying entirely on the strength of his abdominal muscles to lift Qin Song.
They kissed for an unknown amount of time before he carried her back to the bedroom, their breaths mingling...
...
The wind and snow continued unabated, and the lights in the room remained on all night.
As dawn broke, Granny Xu knocked on the door. "Young master, someone is looking for you."
Lu Youchuan immediately opened his eyes and looked at Qin Song, who was sleeping soundly with her head tilted to one side and her head resting on his arm. He suddenly felt a little dazed, as if this tangible and tranquil happiness was very unreal.
Xu Mama's voice didn't stop. Lu Youchuan shifted his body slightly, and Qin Song frowned. He immediately stopped moving.
"I won't see you." He lowered his voice, trying not to disturb the person in his arms.
Granny Xu clenched her fists and pondered, "Young Master, it's Young Master Tao. He said he came for... for his fiancée, and he even brought soldiers to surround the courtyard."
She didn't say directly that his fiancée was Miss Qin, and she found it even harder to believe that Miss Qin was the daughter of the Prime Minister Qin.
Last night she was relieved that the young master had finally found a confidante, but she never expected it to be someone like this. What a tragic fate this is!
She stood at the door with a worried look on her face, refusing to leave. Lu Youchuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and had no choice but to face the problem at hand.
Taking her back to the villa was only a temporary measure. Besides, he had dragged her down last night, and he couldn't let her have a pretext for gossip. He had to send her back in a reasonable way and marry her as soon as possible.
"Understood." Lu Youchuan replied succinctly, and Xu Mama then fell silent and withdrew.
He helped Qin Song sit up, making her lie back on the pillow, then carefully withdrew his hand and quietly got up to change his clothes.
Before leaving, he tucked her in, kissed her eyebrows and eyes again, and then quietly went out.
"Young Master Tao, please don't be offended. Last night, you and Miss Qin acted impulsively. They, they..."
As we approached the living room, we heard Granny Xu's anxious and flustered explanation.
Tao Qingyang was still wearing the same red dress as yesterday, sitting proudly in the living room, without bringing any troops into the courtyard.
As Xu Mama struggled to manage the situation, he finished half a cup of tea, calmly put down the cup and dish, and said with a slow and unhurried sarcasm, "Foolish? Does Lord Lu like other people's things so much?"
The medicine was potent. Lu Youchuan had stayed up all night and his steps were unsteady, but his face showed no sign of it. He strode over and, before Xu Mama could speak, replied, "General Tao, there is no need to feel wronged. Soon it will no longer belong to you."
Tao Qingyang stood up as well. The two, who were of similar height, stared at each other, neither willing to give way.
Through the gaps in the silver mask, Tao Qingyang's eyes gleamed with hatred. His fingers, gripping the jade flute, tightened more and more, as if concealing a raging torrent of fury.
Granny Xu sensed something was wrong and quickly stepped between the two, shielding Lu Youchuan behind her with her aged body. Her deeply lined face was filled with anxiety: "Young Master Tao, please calm down. You and the young master are both officials in the same court, and you are both people of status. You were originally cousins, and you were so close when you were young. Why did you have to make such a fuss? Is it worth it for a woman?"
Tao Qingyang never looked at Xu Mama, but her gaze on Lu Youchuan's face was extremely sinister. "Get out of the way, I want to make him wish he were dead!"
His last four words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
Granny Xu hadn't expected him to have such deep feelings for Miss Qin. She paused for a moment before saying, "Young Master Tao, there are countless women in this world. Even if Miss Qin is wonderful in every way, she is in love with you. Why are you so persistent?"
"Does it matter who she likes?" The barely concealed obsession made Tao Qing's normally gentle peach blossom eyes appear exceptionally dark. "I insist on having her."
————
(Please be lenient, reviewers. They really did ride horses; they rode back from the city.)
-----------------------
Author's note: (Please, reviewers, have mercy! They really did ride horses and injured their thighs. [Roses][Roses][Roses])
———
Can anyone guess why Tao insisted on having a female lead? [Dog head with rose in hand]
There will still be random red envelopes dropping in the comments section!
P.S. This story will be published on the 15th. There will be no update tomorrow, but an update will be on the 15th, which is the day after tomorrow (the update time may be 4 PM, 9 PM, or 11 PM). After that, I will start updating daily. Thank you all for your support! [Please!]
Let me rave about my upcoming novel, "Two Husbands Day and Night," it's really amazing!
The husband went to sleep, while the wife dreamt of partying with someone else. Later, the person from her dream came to their door; it turned out their dreams were identical. A fight broke out! [Let me see...]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
