...
"Oink."
Accompanied by the dissatisfied oink of the little pig, Yingshi opened her eyes from her deep sleep.
She was lying on a brocade quilt taken out from her storage bag, her clothes neat and her whole body refreshed.
As she rolled over, she felt a sense of satisfaction as if she had just finished an aromatherapy SPA. Her whole body, down to her bones, was soft and light. Although she had just woken up, she was accompanied by a comfort that made her feel like she could fall asleep at any moment.
This stone room was completely different from last night.
It seemed that thanks to a certain Snail Gentleman, it had evolved from a "dilapidated ruin" into a fairly normal boudoir. It wasn't exactly cozy, but it was clean and had everything one could need.
"..."
Yingshi narrowed her eyes.
The morning light shone through the window, cutting a few hazy and even sacred pillars of light through the floating dust.
And in the shadows behind the pillars of light, Shuangjian stood there, holding Xiangxiang and watching her quietly.
It seemed to be a state of "silent observation", but although Shuangjian looked very calm and his emotions were placid, Yingshi guessed that he must be waiting for her reaction.
And he must be very nervous.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have hugged Xiangxiang so tightly the moment he noticed her open her eyes that the little pig couldn't help but protest.
Yingshi could almost imagine that before she woke up, Shuangjian might have been standing like this for a long time.
He even deliberately kept a distance from her that allowed her to escape.
...How could this man be so innocent?
And how could he be so innocent while being so self-taught last night?
Yingshi's cheeks flushed red, and her heart warmed. She maintained her lying posture, lazily opened her arms and looked at Shuangjian, dragging out her slightly hoarse voice, dependent and righteous: "Hug—"
Sorry Xiangxiang, she was prepared to gladly accept this morning hug.
God knows she was already a skilled spoiled brat who knew how to push her luck!
She couldn't get out of bed, she had to be picked up.
"..."
Shuangjian was visibly stunned for a moment.
No matter how many possibilities he had presupposed beforehand, guessing that Yingshi would be shy, awkward, angry, forgetful, or pretend to forget the first time she saw him, he never expected that what would greet him would be an intimacy no different from last night.
Although he had asked for a promise, the sense of security it could provide was so limited. Compared to the apprehension in his heart, no matter how solemn it was, it would become vulnerable.
He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes. He tried his best to restrain himself in order not to expose his embarrassment, but his heartbeat was always uncontrollably out of control, making his hand tremble imperceptibly when he put Xiangxiang down.
Obviously, he had done even worse things. Cowardice afterwards is a manifestation of the weak, but when you value a matter or a person too much, it is difficult not to become weak because of it.
If it were the former Han Shuangjian, he would probably immediately have a voice of disdainful ridicule and questioning of himself in his heart. But at this moment, the "id" that was deliberately split out to observe his bizarre behavior also died down, or rather, that existence also, and even a step earlier, "rebelled", and was already urging him in reverse—to go to Yingshi as soon as possible, to hug her, and to satisfy the crazy delusions in his body that craved her.
He walked to Yingshi's side as if summoned.
Against the light, Shuangjian's slender figure was coated with a layer of soft pale gold by the morning light. His clothes fluttered slightly as he walked, and that thrilling handsomeness "in progress" made even the lazily lying Yingshi a little afraid to look directly at him.
Shuangjian was already very good-looking at night, allowing her to accumulate pleasure just by looking at him, but his handsomeness during the day was different from that at night, with a little inviolability of being "impeccably dressed", making people even more want to reach out their claws to him...
Amidst her "coveting", Shuangjian had leaned down, bringing a charmingly clear and fragrant breeze. A few strands of pitch-black hair fell accordingly, sliding past her cheek, and she caught them with her fingers to play with.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" Shuangjian asked her in a low voice.
His arms steadily passed behind her neck and under her knees, in a standard and gentle princess carry posture.
"..." Yingshi shook her head, looking straight at Shuangjian. Before he actually exerted force to pick her up, she couldn't wait to hook one arm around his neck and use the momentum to press her entire upper body against him.
She buried her head in his chest, rubbed and sniffed, then tilted her face up, smiling with a bit of deliberate "teasing": "Shuangjian smells so good..."
"..."
Shuangjian's movements stiffened slightly.
His arms were once again filled with such a soft and vibrant person, and her sincere yet malicious "praise" rang in his ears, proving that everything last night was not his completely frantic delusion.
He didn't mess everything up.
He successfully "pleased" Yingshi.
His tense body and heartstrings softened inch by inch in the warmth of her complete closeness, but being overwhelmed by a certain joy would also make people at a loss. He could only use his instinct to respond to all this.
"...What I'm stained with," Shuangjian paused, licked his lips, and said, "Isn't it Yingshi's scent?"
Tossing and turning last night, their breaths blending, there was no longer any distinction between them.
The fragrance of her hair, the slight sweat on her skin, and the sweetness that involuntarily overflowed during those moments of passion had deeply permeated him.
His breath enveloped Yingshi, and everything that belonged to Yingshi was also spreading and covering him.
"...Eh?" Yingshi blushed, feeling as if she had been counter-teased.
Shuangjian's words could be said to just point out the facts, but it always made people feel that this was a very slight counterattack he returned after being teased by her.
Yes, this is Shuangjian's true nature. He is gentle and obedient to her, but the underlying color of his soul is a bit cold. Just like during the service last night, he would occasionally show a little indescribable badness... Of course, overall, Yingshi also enjoyed that badness very much...
In the moment she quietly reminisced, Shuangjian had easily picked her up entirely from the brocade quilt while maintaining this tight embrace.
Yingshi subconsciously clamped her legs around his waist to maintain balance, and then found herself hanging on him like a koala, even more intimate than the princess carry just now.
Shuangjian steadily supported her buttocks and legs, turned his head and asked in her ear: "Is it okay... to hold you like this?"
He treated "hug" as an accurate command that needed to be satisfied. As he asked, he used one hand to gently tidy up a few strands of hair scattered on her shoulders.
Seeing Shuangjian's hand waving in front of her, the little bit of shyness in Yingshi's heart was suddenly activated intermittently, feeling... ah, the temperature is rising again.
...It's not that she wouldn't be completely shy, but compared to shyness, she was more willing to show that heavier greed.
When she praised Shuangjian's hands for being good-looking a long time ago, she couldn't have imagined that she would have such close contact with them.
It was these slender, cold-white, and well-knuckled hands that had stroked her skin with completely different strengths and methods last night, bringing her countless overloads... Ahhh help, why has my brain been recalling it since I woke up?
Was the fox poison in her body still not completely cleared? Was one night's "treatment"... still not enough?
"Shuangjian..." Yingshi grabbed Shuangjian's hand, stopping him from continuing to stroke her hair and sending those little sparks of tingling itchiness through her. She leaned her forehead heavily against his shoulder and, feeling guilty, asked in a muffled voice, "How... how long does a single episode of the fox poison last?"
"..."
A single episode of the fox poison could be resolved the moment pleasure was achieved.
He was certain Yingshi had experienced many such moments last night.
But Shuangjian remained silent, offering no explanation on this point. However, the hand supporting Yingshi's body tightened. His fingers pressed into her soft flesh, perhaps leaving shallow little dimples, and that force clearly stimulated Yingshi's senses.
Not only was the sensation of her flesh being pressed by his fingers clear, but she could also clearly feel something else...
Yet Shuangjian held her even more steadily, his expression calm, as if nothing had happened.
It had been like this last night too. In many moments, Yingshi could feel...
But its owner had remained entirely dedicated to helping her cure the fox poison, with absolutely no intention of troubling her for any mutual assistance.
"..."
Yingshi's reaction was hard to describe in detail. She didn't press for an answer, merely burying her head silently and letting her soft pants brush against Shuangjian's shoulder.
Gradually, she was no longer satisfied with just burying her head.
Her cheek would occasionally press against his ear, her ear would occasionally rub against the side of his neck, and her fingers tapped lightly on his back, touching him as if they were barely there.
It was as if she were exploring a new continent, and for her, it was something she thoroughly enjoyed.
Shuangjian silently tilted his head back slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing.
In the past, Yingshi would only rub her forehead against him; in her intimacy, there was a naive charm like a small animal. Now, however, she was rubbing her entire body—so distinctly different from his—against him, like a vine seeking support, softly expanding her territory.
This was, of course, agonizing, but it was an agony one didn't want to stop.
He unconsciously tightened his hold on Yingshi. His previous adjustments to his stance were no longer working.
He pursed his lips, wanting to shift into a safer posture to hold Yingshi, one without such opportunities for contact, but just as his hand was about to exert force, she gently pressed it down. Her fingertips even unconsciously traced a line across the back of his hand.
"...Cough."
Yingshi let out a weak, low cough.
She was both shy and felt a subtle urge.
She decided to attribute it all to a natural and normal thirst for knowledge—
Spring Day
After all, with her "help," Shuangjian had already successfully learned and mastered the section of physiology and hygiene class regarding the physical differences between men and women. Yet she still only possessed some shallow, theoretical knowledge. Wasn't it unfair for her to fall behind?
She still didn't raise her head. Only after doing enough mental preparation did she whisper into Shuangjian's ear with a breathy voice, "...Shuangjian, shut Xiangxiang out of the door."
Then, regardless of Shuangjian's reaction, she softly and swiftly kissed the shell of his ear.
And then... a curtain appeared over the previously bare window.
...
Xiangxiang was taking a nap in the desolate courtyard.
When its black bean-like eyes opened, it was right in the afternoon. It saw the figure of an uninvited guest approaching from afar.
Flapping its pig ears, Xiangxiang grunted and walked toward the stone house.
Just as Xiangxiang nudged the door open with its snout, Yingshi was taking small sips of water from Shuangjian's hand.
Her entire body was even more limp and weak than in the morning. Fortunately, someone was doing their utmost to "serve" her, ensuring she didn't have to lift a finger, and even feeding her water right to her lips when she was thirsty.
"Otherwise, let's not build the house today. I think it's quite nice here," she murmured. "Otherwise, let's not go to the city to see the lantern festival tonight either..."
Shuangjian's long eyelashes fluttered slightly. He didn't comment on Yingshi's decision, only saying, "Someone is coming."
"...Who would come to Demon Encounter Village?" Yingshi propped herself up in astonishment, quickly tossing aside the lingering romantic atmosphere. The first thing that came to her mind was that the Demon Lord, who was supposed to arrive nineteen days later, had clocked in early.
However, seeing that Xiangxiang and Shuangjian were both acting quite calm right now, and the sun was shining brightly outside the window—it was the most intense time of the afternoon, around three or four o'clock, adding a bit of warmth to the winter day—there was not the slightest sign of an impending storm before a major event.
"It's that fox demon again." Shuangjian took the water Yingshi hadn't finished and wiped the water stains from her lips with a handkerchief. "You stay in the room and rest. I will be back soon."
"Oh." Yingshi froze for a moment. "No, I want to go out too!"
This abominable fox demon actually dared to come back after poisoning her with fox poison?! He had lost a life here and still hadn't given up... But that was just as well; they wouldn't have to take the initiative to go catch him!
"..."
Shuangjian remained silent for a moment before agreeing.
Frankly speaking, he didn't really want idle people to see how Yingshi looked right now.
Even when the clearly mindless Xiangxiang walked in ignorantly, he had deliberately shielded Yingshi's figure.
But he also understood that his own ridiculous possessiveness could not become a restriction or distortion of Yingshi's wishes.
He reached out to help tidy up Yingshi's appearance.
At this time, the advantages of being a cultivator were fully displayed. Those marks that required water and time to wipe away could be accelerated in their disappearance with a simple mental spell.
—Unless the person involved didn't want to do so.
Before going out, this thought suddenly intruded into Yingshi's mind, and along with it surfaced the "disheveled" posture of Shuangjian she had seen in the Gate of Hiding.
"..."
Yingshi's expression suddenly stiffened a bit. Having experienced some things now, when she looked back at Shuangjian at that time, she almost immediately saw through his lies.
What bitten corner of the mouth? What injuries from the broken door? What scratch marks? They were obviously all fake; those were the marks left after intimacy!
After waking up, she had suspected that she had taken liberties with Shuangjian, but he had dispelled her doubts with a few words. However, the truth was very likely that after drinking the Dream of Drunkenness, she had essentially groped Shuangjian all over!
That was why there was that vague remark about being "unable to return to zero," and that was why Shuangjian possessed such astonishing proficiency in kissing...
Then why did Shuangjian hide it from her?
Was he afraid she wouldn't take responsibility, or did he actually feel that maintaining their "best friend" relationship was enough?
Yingshi's heart skipped a beat.
She really wanted to stop him right then and there to have a deep conversation, but the graceful yet limping figure heading straight for the stone house was getting closer and closer.
The woman came all the way up, looking at them in great surprise. Her gentle and melodious voice held not a hint of incongruity as she timidly spoke, "This humble girl accidentally lost her way and sprained her ankle. I never expected there to be a household in this wilderness..."
She lowered her head and softly added, "My surname is Hu, and my childhood name is Hu Xiaoli. My foot hurts terribly. I wonder if you two kind souls would allow me to rest here for a bit?"
Yingshi: "..."
Had she accidentally wandered onto the set of "Three Strikes on the White Bone Demon"?
Moreover, the name Hu Xiaoli was too worthy of ridicule. This stupid fox demon! Did he really think that the disguise of Hu Xiaoli wouldn't be seen through like Li Li was?
I have revised this so many times that I am feeling a bit burnt out. Please forgive me if there are any inconsistencies or disjointed parts.
