Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Yunling Prefecture was enormous. Night was approaching, and Shen Qingyu said his home was still some distance away, so Qiao Ying decided they would spend the night at an inn.

She counted their savings, then thought of the legs that had carried her for countless days and nights. In a rare burst of generosity, she entered the finest inn in the city.

The proprietor was a middle-aged man with a narrow mustache. At the sight of two such striking guests, he beamed with enthusiasm. “Will you be dining or staying the night?”

“Staying the night,” Qiao Ying said.

The proprietor glanced between the young man and woman, privately estimating their relationship. “And how many rooms will you require?”

Qiao Ying was about to say two when the young man threaded his fingers through hers. His grip was gentle but absolute, and no amount of struggling would have freed her.

Even if she reserved two rooms, he would probably sneak into hers in the middle of the night. Why waste the money?

Giving up, she said, “One of your best rooms.”

The proprietor accepted the deposit and immediately ordered a waiter to escort them upstairs.

When they reached the landing, excited female voices rose from the main hall.

“Look! It’s Gentleman Yanyu!”

“The last time I saw Gentleman Yanyu, I thought an immortal had descended to earth. Somehow he looks even more magnificent today.”

“I hear he still hasn’t married. I wonder which family’s daughter will be blessed enough to wed such a wonderful man.”

“Anyone hoping to marry Gentleman Yanyu must first win his younger sister’s approval.”

“That’s right. I heard Gentleman Yanyu dotes on her. Last time she broke every convention by visiting a brothel, people began gossiping. Gentleman Yanyu simply took every bit of business away from the families of those who wagged their tongues.”

“Not only that. Her fiancé indulges and spoils her too. I envy her so much. If only I had an elder brother and fiancé who cherished me like that.”

“As if! Have you looked in a mirror? Gentleman Yanyu’s sister is the First Beauty of Yunling Prefecture.”

“First Beauty? Is she truly that pretty? Prettier than the young woman upstairs?”

That remark made many people look up.

Qiao Ying, who had merely been watching the commotion with curiosity, inexplicably became the center of everyone’s attention.

At that same moment, the white-robed gentleman who had just entered the inn raised his gaze and met hers.

He had fine, handsome features and skin like jade. His white robes were purer than snow, their sleeves hanging lightly as though a breeze accompanied his every step. He looked like a figure who had walked out of a painting, so beautiful that it was difficult to look away.

Even Qiao Ying had to admit objectively that Gentleman Yanyu possessed a rare beauty. Anyone who saw him would be dazzled.

The young man beside her tightened their interlaced fingers and laughed softly.

A chill crawled down Qiao Ying’s back. She hurriedly withdrew her gaze and cleared her throat awkwardly. “Let’s go rest in our room.”

Shen Qingyu obediently let her lead him upstairs. Almost imperceptibly, he turned his face as if “glancing” at the gentleman being fawned over below.

The proprietor had already rushed forward. “Young Master, the account books are ready. Would you care to sit down, have some tea, and rest before reviewing them?”

The gentleman shook his head. “Those two guests do not appear to be from Yunling Prefecture.”

“They seem to be outsiders,” the proprietor replied. “Other than the young miss, I have never heard of a woman in the city with such beauty. Of course, I have never heard of such a young gentleman with a full head of white hair either.”
The gentleman had exchanged only a single glance with the people upstairs, but it had told him enough. “Those two, especially the young man in blue, are likely no ordinary travelers. See that every request of theirs is handled properly.”

The proprietor hurriedly agreed.

The waiter showed Qiao Ying and Shen Qingyu into their room, closed the door, and withdrew.

Shen Qingyu’s laugh on the stairs had already given Qiao Ying a sense of impending disaster. Sure enough, the instant the door shut and he sat down, his melodious voice drifted leisurely across the room.

“Was that man very handsome?”

Without the slightest sign of guilt, Qiao Ying poured a cup of tea. “He was ordinary. Certainly not what I’d call handsome.”

“Then why did you stare at him for so long?”

Qiao Ying placed the warm cup in his hand, her composure impeccable. “Did I stare? I don’t think so. You must have misunderstood. Men like him are far too ordinary to interest me.”

Shen Qingyu took a sip. “Then what extraordinary sort of man does interest you?”

She dragged her chair closer until their bodies touched. Resting her chin in both hands, she stared at him and blinked with perfect innocence.

“A pervert like you is precisely my type.”

The young man’s eyes were covered by a white silk blindfold, hiding his gaze, but nothing concealed the slow curve of his lips. Like willow branches stirring in the wind, his smile gradually unfurled into brilliant delight.

“Yingying, you’re so strange.”

Good. Since he had called her Yingying, she had probably placated him.

Qiao Ying secretly sighed in relief. But the vivid joy in his face possessed an irresistible magic, and she could not stop herself from rising and leaning closer.

This time, Shen Qingyu lowered his head willingly and offered his neck as though volunteering for torture.

When her breath fell against his skin again, the tingling returned. The unfamiliar sensation remained exceptionally strange.

“Do I still smell sour?” he asked softly.

Qiao Ying froze. Unable to help herself, she collapsed against his chest in laughter.

“Shen Qingyu, you’re adorable!”

He was utterly confused. His arms circled her waist as he felt her body shake, and something seemed to scratch lightly at his heart.

Qiao Ying raised her face and whispered beside his ear, “I called your name eleven times today. I said your name more than anyone else’s.”

The tips of his ears flushed scarlet of their own accord. The instant her fingers touched one, it grew hotter. His heartbeat and even the flow of blood through his body lost their usual rhythm.

She deliberately lowered her voice and asked despite knowing the answer, “Shen Qingyu, what’s wrong?”

After a brief silence, the young man followed her lead. “Yingying, I’m sick.”

“Shall I cure you?”

His voice turned inexplicably clingy. “Yes.”

Her kiss settled upon his lips. He parted them in cooperation, allowing her warmth to explore deeper.

They pressed and rubbed, sucked and tangled together, their breaths interweaving until everything was a glorious mess.

It was very strange.

During the half month they had repeated at the temple, they had “treated” each other countless times. Yet now, when she took the initiative, some unknown trick of hers threw him into chaos from the inside out.

The tingling that should have remained upon his skin spread through his entire body in an instant.

Shen Qingyu thought that Qiao Ying truly possessed an extraordinary talent for “settling accounts.”