Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Li Yanci was much more sensible than Xie Yunji, though his behavior was a bit scandalous.
As soon as the front gate was locked, he pestered his way over. “Ah Qiao, are you cold? Do you need someone to help warm you up?”
Based on my experience, he was currently trying to seduce me, though he seemed very out of practice.
His words were flirtatious, but his ears were already flushed deep red. His fingers gripped the hem of his robe, and his eyes darted around, not daring to meet mine. One look and you could tell he was a novice at this, clumsy as could be.
I sighed and helped him pull his clothes together, covering up the vast expanse of skin he was showing. “Be careful not to catch a cold. Since I’ve agreed to let you stay, I won’t kick you out.”
I told him solemnly, “In my house, you don’t have to sell your body for a meal. Forget whatever your madam taught you in the past. Since you’ve escaped that place, from this day forward, we’ll live as decent, upright people.”
Li Yanci was bewildered, letting go of his clothes. “I don’t have a mother.”
I knew he was embarrassed. There was a Spring Breeze Pavilion in Qingwu Town that secretly supplied male favorites to the noblewomen of the capital. The madams there taught those young men to act exactly like this.
I had seen it before; that was how they seduced their guests.
Li Yanci faced the corner of the wall and sulked in silence for a long while.
I shook my head. Relying on beauty to serve others never lasts long. I hoped he would understand this soon and pick up a hoe to work the fields for me tomorrow.
After a long day, I arranged a room for him and lay down to sleep.
Just as Li Yanci finished locking up, a puff of green smoke drifted out.
A youth who looked eighty percent like him, dressed in red robes, followed eagerly behind.
Li Qingya asked impatiently, “Brother, is the Soul-Condensing Pearl in our hands yet?”
Li Yanci stopped in his tracks, gazing at the moonlight. “Qingya, has anyone ever cared if you were cold?”
Li Qingya let out a confused sound. “What’s wrong with you?”
Li Yanci snapped back to reality and said seriously, “Miss Shao is a good person. It’s not right to deceive her. We’ll look elsewhere.”
Li Qingya wouldn’t have it. “A failure is a failure, Brother, why are you making excuses? She’s just a village woman. Watch me. Once we get the Soul-Condensing Pearl tonight, we’re leaving.”
With that, he vanished. Li Yanci didn’t have time to grab him.
While I was drifting in a daze, a force lifted me from the bed.
I opened my eyes and saw Li Qingya. He wasn’t cold and aloof like his brother; he wore fiery red robes, and his features were vivid and intense, even more striking than Li Yanci’s.
I felt as if I were under a spell. My eyes were vacant, and my body was no longer under my control.
Li Qingya leaned closer, his voice carrying a hint of temptation. “Ah Qiao, did you save a fox in the snowy mountains years ago?”
I tilted my head, looking at him. After a long moment of confusion, I asked, “Are you that fox?”
He choked on his words and remained silent, his hands continuing a series of movements that made my head spin.
“Ah Qiao,” the low voice continued its enchantment, “where is the Soul-Condensing Pearl Xie Yunji gave you? Why don’t you give it to me?”
“Where did you put it? Tell me, as long as you tell me…”
I frowned. It was so noisy and I was so tired. In the past, whenever Xie Yunji annoyed me like this, I would shut him up.
The moment the thought occurred, I reached out and grabbed Li Qingya by the neck. Without a word, I leaned in and pressed my lips firmly against his.
The surrounding light died out instantly. His entire body froze, and his naturally alluring eyes widened in shock. The tips of his ears turned a scorching red in an instant.
The next second, as if he had been burned, he lunged back and jumped off the bed.
When the force supporting me vanished, I started to fall through the air, but a frantic energy quickly steadied me and tucked me back into bed.
I rolled over and fell back into a deep sleep.