Chapter 104
Chapter 104
As the saying went, practice made perfect. Now that Shen Qingyu had some experience, his performance this time was far superior to his clumsy first attempt.
Their bodies entwined until they were utterly spent and satisfied, yet still it did not seem like enough.
When he tried to feed her another mouthful of his essence, Qiao Ying hurriedly covered his mouth. “Enough!”
If they kept going, she would start worrying again that he might expend every last drop of his vitality and die!
Shen Qingyu’s muffled voice came from beneath her hand. “Yingying, I still want more.”
“Listen carefully, Shen Qingyu. Instead of chasing a moment’s pleasure, we should value pleasure that lasts. Do you understand sustainable development? We have to think about our future!” Qiao Ying said with perfect seriousness. “This is also a principle of being human.”
Since she had invoked a principle of being human, there was nothing else Shen Qingyu could do.
He gathered Qiao Ying into his arms, nuzzled the crown of her head, and said quietly, “All right.”
Qiao Ying breathed an inward sigh of relief. At last, she could close her eyes and get a peaceful night’s sleep.
Before long, however, something furry beneath the covers seemed to wind around her leg of its own accord, caressing her ankle again and again.
She could not be bothered to do anything about it. She merely burrowed deeper into his arms and fell peacefully asleep surrounded by his pleasant scent.
Shen Qingyu listened to the slow, steady breathing of the sleeping woman in his embrace. His fingers could not resist stroking the skin of her back. Suddenly, he felt there seemed to be nothing particularly good about being human.
At the very least, he disliked this so-called principle of sustainable development she had mentioned and had no wish to learn it.
Qiao Ying woke from hunger in the middle of the night. Since she was suffering, she saw no reason to let anyone else sleep peacefully. She kicked the man holding her awake and announced, “I’m hungry.”
She had skipped dinner and spent so long doing that with him. Unlike Shen Qingyu, she possessed no extraordinary natural gifts. Of course she was starving.
Still half asleep, Shen Qingyu tried to offer his hand for her to bite again, but Qiao Ying pushed it away.
“I want food.”
Shen Qingyu propped himself up and pressed over her. Cupping her face, he ground his lips against hers with an exceptionally forceful hunger. Only when she could barely breathe did he mercifully let her go.
The young man drew back and pressed his glistening red lips together. He obediently dressed, slowly climbed out of bed, and stroked her burning cheek.
“Wait for me.”
The door creaked open and shut. He left the room to buy her something to eat.
Qiao Ying lay sprawled across the bed for a while, looking for all the world like some poor soul whose vital essence had been drained dry by a seductive spirit.
This was alarming. Truly alarming! In such a short time, Shen Qingyu’s techniques had improved by leaps and bounds!
It was absolute torment, and yet… she rather liked it!
Hugging the blanket, Qiao Ying rolled back and forth across the bed. That single kiss had stirred her desire all over again. She poked her head out from the covers, her eyes shining.
Why not do it one more time when he came back?
Qiao Ying dressed and got out of bed, then drank a cup of water to soothe her throat. She waited for Shen Qingyu to return with her late-night snack. She would need to eat her fill before she had the strength to get to work.
A cat meowed outside the window.
Bored, Qiao Ying opened it and saw a little black cat perched on the sill, licking its paw. Its plump, lazy appearance was irresistibly adorable.
She had always loved furry animals and could not help reaching out to stroke its soft coat.
The little black cat’s nose twitched. It seemed to catch the scent of something terrifying. Every hair on its body stood on end, and with another yowl, it leaped away in frantic haste and soon vanished from sight.
Qiao Ying was speechless.
It was as if she had become some terrible beast, her entire body giving off an ominous air.
The kitten was gone. Qiao Ying began to close the window with mild regret, but wind suddenly stirred and a dark shadow swept toward her.
Qiao Ying raised her face. A cloud of white powder struck her head-on, and her consciousness instantly sank into darkness.
Shen Qingyu stood before a wonton stall with a smile. “My wife would like a bowl of wontons.”
The old man selling wontons could not help giving Shen Qingyu several more looks. He privately marveled that someone dressed so strangely had managed to find a wife. Business came first, however, so he quickly cooked a bowl and said with a smile, “You and your wife must be very loving.”
Shen Qingyu smiled. “Yes. We love each other very much.”
The red marks on the young man’s neck showed faintly now and then. Beneath his gentle bearing lingered a subtle air of disarray, left by someone’s passionate affection.
The old man could hardly bear to look. He packed the wontons and handed them over.
Shen Qingyu paid and even thanked him politely before turning to leave.
The old man looked again at the young man’s tall, slender figure and wondered, “Could he be a pleasure boy from a male brothel?”
In the blink of an eye, the blue-robed figure disappeared into the night. The old man was so frightened that he fell flat on his backside.
“A Ghost… a Ghost!”
The instant Shen Qingyu returned to the inn, his air changed. Like a Ghost, his figure appeared inside the empty guest room in a flash. Cold wind streamed endlessly through the open window.
Her scent had vanished into the wind.
Shen Qingyu’s expression darkened.
Candles burned throughout the night in Yunling City, making even nighttime as bright as day. Unlike the world outside, the city bustled at every hour.
Yet tonight, the heavily guarded City Lord’s Manor was far more lively than usual.
“We can’t let that petty thief escape! Search every corner, and hurry! Don’t let him disturb the City Lord!”
Guards shouted from every direction. From the sound of it, they were looking for someone.
Qiao Ying huddled in the corner of what appeared to be a storage room, her mind still foggy.
She had no idea how she had gone from the inn to the City Lord’s Manor. All she remembered was losing consciousness in an instant. When she opened her eyes again, her surroundings had completely changed.
Qiao Ying suspected that if she ran outside now, the guards would take her for the thief they were hunting and arrest her.
She had to find a way to save herself. If that fellow Shen Qingyu thought she had run away, there was no telling how much trouble he might cause.
Once she heard no further movement outside, Qiao Ying slipped carefully from the room and looked around. At the sight of a patrol, she quickly hid behind an ornamental rockery.
As soon as the patrol passed, she poked out her head. A young man and woman appeared, so she immediately ducked back again.
The young man said with concern, “Mianmian, you’re still ill. You should rest properly instead of worrying about other matters.”
The young woman shook her head. “Luo Xuan hasn’t returned. I’m worried something happened to him.”
The young man sighed. “He’s already grown. What could possibly happen to him?”
Guilt filled the young woman’s voice. “If I hadn’t scolded him, I wouldn’t have upset him and driven him to storm out in the middle of the night. This is Yunling City, and none of us knows the area. What if he encounters some villain?”
The young man grew slightly displeased. “Mianmian, he’s only your Sworn Younger Brother. I’m your betrothed. Don’t you think you worry about him too much?”
“Lingxiao, are you blaming me?” The young woman’s temper flared as well. “You said yourself that he’s my Sworn Younger Brother. As his elder sister, shouldn’t I care about him?”
“Mianmian, that isn’t what I meant.”
“I think it’s exactly what you meant. I don’t need your help. I’ll go find him myself!”
“Mianmian, don’t go!”
“Let go of me. Stop blocking my… mmph!”
The young man pinned her against the wall and bent his head to kiss her domineeringly.
Qiao Ying and someone else exclaimed in unison, “Wow.”
She turned her head and met the eyes of someone hiding on the other side of the rockery.
“Ming…”
“Shh.” He flashed to Qiao Ying’s side and covered her mouth, lowering his voice. “Don’t start shouting. If you draw the manor guards here, they’ll lock me up again!”
This handsome young man in flamboyant clothes was none other than Ming Caihua.