Faint morning light spilled in from outside the window, condensing into clusters of flowing shadows that wandered across the young man's long eyelashes.
They were as black as raven feathers, suddenly trembling as the light swayed over them.
Pei Du tried hard to keep his breathing steady, quietly waiting for Xie Jingci's answer.
At first glance, he was currently in an extremely passive position.
Miss Xie leaned over, hovering just above him. With only a short distance between them, they could seemingly feel each other's body heat. She rested one hand against the headboard and pressed the other into the mattress, very close to the side of his neck. When Pei Du held his breath, he could hear the faint rustle of the bedding being gripped.
The friction of the blankets created a thoroughly ambiguous and intimate sound.
Suppressing his shyness, he quietly lowered his gaze and saw his own hopelessly disheveled lapels.
Because of his body's suddenly rising temperature, even the skin below his neck had turned a faint pink. The continuous wrinkles in his clothing only seemed to make things more conspicuous in an attempt to hide them.
This sight made his cheeks burn, just like the words that had just left his own mouth.
He had been introverted since childhood and never had a naturally likable personality, let alone the ability to speak those commonplace flatteries. But when facing Miss Xie, everything became entirely different.
He wanted to make her happy.
In her words, from a long time ago, Pei Du had wanted to please her.
Before this, he did not know what was in Miss Xie's heart. He acted with utmost caution, not daring to disturb her in the slightest. But now, thinking of the scenes he had witnessed in the Langya Mystic Realm...
Pei Du thought that when it came to being intimate, he could not always let the girl take the initiative.
He did not know the conventions of how men and women interacted. He could only rely on his instincts to get closer, speaking his embarrassing innermost thoughts to Miss Xie, worried that if he did not do well enough, she would become bored or disappointed.
Or perhaps... would she feel that such actions were too rash and presumptuous?
Everything was an unknown.
Miss Xie hovered over him, her face very red, her eyes losing focus for a brief moment.
You.
Xie Jingci hesitated before speaking, I...
She did not know what she was saying either.
She could only blame the sight before her eyes for being too impactful. She was also so flustered by Pei Du's words that her mind turned to mush, unable to come up with any useful phrasing.
Pei Du steadied his breathing, his dark eyes meeting hers. Before he could gather his thoughts, he saw the girl, who was so close at hand, purse her red lips and suddenly lower her head, burying it into his half-open clothes.
His heart suddenly leaped into his throat.
This action was too intimate, already making Pei Du feel incredibly flustered. To make matters worse, Xie Jingci rubbed against his chest. When she spoke, the hot breath she exhaled lingered affectionately over his heart. ...This is totally cheating.
The one who was cheating was clearly Miss Xie. That hot breath could practically melt his heart.
Pei Du stiffened his body and remained motionless. Xie Jingci nuzzled him like a hamster for a long while. Only when the flush on her face finally dissipated a little did she look up again, revealing bright, willow-leaf-shaped eyes.
She freed one hand and poked Pei Du's cheek. Who taught you to say things like that?
Xie Jingci had certainly not forgotten that Meng Xiaoting had at some point shoved a large pile of storybooks into his hands. Although she had not seen the books with her own eyes, given Meng Xiaoting's personality, they were definitely not proper stories.
Compared to a kiss, poking a cheek was a different kind of intimacy. It was like being gently brushed by a cat's tail, secretly tantalizing.
Pei Du was not used to this action, and his breathing faltered. No one taught me.
He paused after speaking, slightly emphasizing his tone, seemingly a bit aggrieved. Those words are true, Miss Xie.
Perhaps recalling the words he had spoken not long ago, the young man's Adam's apple bobbed, and his face grew even hotter.
Although he could occasionally turn the tables, ultimately, when it came to matters of the heart, Pei Du was far more inexperienced than she was.
Xie Jingci had never been in a relationship, but she had at least read countless storybooks. Later, she traveled through various small worlds and experienced all sorts of bizarre trials and influences, making her much stronger than him in terms of theory.
As for Pei Du, if you peeled away his outer shell, on the inside he was still just a curled-up shrimp.
Realizing this, the nervousness in her heart mostly dissipated. Holding back a smile, she blinked, suddenly raised her hand, and pinched his earlobe.
Then what about this?
The young man's earlobes were originally as white and translucent as jade, but now they were flushed a deep, rich red, as if all his blood had rushed there. They felt soft and hot to the touch.
His pupils constricted sharply.
Xie Jingci could not stop laughing inwardly, but outwardly she maintained a curious expression. Did you figure out how to do things like this on your own too?
Pei Du did not respond immediately.
To his shame, this was a method he had secretly collected.
He knew his personality was a bit dull and might not win Miss Xie's favor. One day, while passing a bookstall, after buying a pile of recipe books, he accidentally saw the stall owner reading a storybook.
The owner was very enthusiastic, smiling with narrowed eyes. Customer, this is our shop's most sought-after book. The love story is incredibly moving; everyone who reads it says it's good. Do you want to buy a copy to take home and give to the girl you like?
Miss Xie presumably would not like reading this sort of thing.
Pei Du originally wanted to refuse, but suddenly he heard the owner lower his voice. Or, young master, you could buy it for yourself to read. Quite a few gentlemen have purchased a copy. The male lead in this book... has a lot of techniques.
Shamefully, he stopped in his tracks.
And not only did he buy a copy of the storybook, but even its prequel ended up in his storage bag.
Pei Du originally thought the matter would end there, never expecting that as soon as he turned around, he would actually see Meng Xiaoting standing not far away.
Meng Xiaoting wore a faint smile, and the moment she met his eyes, she finally could not hold back and burst into laughter. S-sorry, Young Master Pei. I originally wanted to greet you, but seeing that you were busy talking to the boss, I just waited over here.
She must have seen the moving love storybook in the young sword cultivator's hand and gave a light cough.
Pei Du's face had been so hot at the time that it felt like it was going to explode. Then he heard Meng Xiaoting suppressing a laugh as she said, Young Master Pei, actually, this book is nothing. I have many more useful techniques in my storage bag. Do you want to take a look?
Pei Du: ...
Once again, shamefully, he nodded, not forgetting to add in a low voice, ...Please don't tell Miss Xie.
Oh.
Meng Xiaoting laughed even more joyously. So, Young Master Pei is doing this for Cici.
Only then did Pei Du realize in hindsight that Meng Xiaoting had never asked him why he bought the storybook. In his panic, he had outed Miss Xie on his own.
The little figure in his heart stood dumbfounded for a long time before slamming its head against the ground, feeling as though he had nailed himself to a pillar of shame.
In short, although the process was too unbearable to recall, he had ultimately obtained quite a few storybooks from Meng Xiaoting.
Pei Du did things seriously. Holding onto the idea of learning from the experiences of his predecessors, he read while furiously taking notes at his desk. Although the stories in the books could not withstand logical scrutiny, many of the plots were completely unheard of to him. After reading, he could not help but think blankly: So the interactions between men and women could actually be like this?
In all fairness, when Pei Du was reading the storybooks, no romantic or inappropriate thoughts arose in his heart.
But when the pages were closed, looking at the pages filled with his handwriting, he suddenly realized with absolute clarity that he was studying.
That is to say... these methods would very likely be used on him and Miss Xie.
Thus, his unspeakable nervousness multiplied. That night, he had a strange dream and woke up blushing to the tips of his ears.
As for this very moment, pinching Miss Xie's ear was one of the methods mentioned in those books.
He heard that doing this would make her happy. Although Pei Du's technique was clumsy, he still gently caressed it.
But he couldn't possibly tell Miss Xie that he had read those bizarre storybooks. If she knew, she would definitely laugh at him mercilessly.
The spot on his ear that she was stroking grew unbearably itchy. Pei Du said hoarsely, "Mm."
That night when he got drunk at the Xie Manor, his memory was completely blurry upon waking up. He surely didn't remember that he had let it slip and confessed everything about Meng Xiaoting's storybooks.
"Really?" Xie Jingci smiled. "Then... what about like this?"
Before her voice faded, she leaned down.
Her lips landed lightly on his earlobe, which was so red it looked ready to bleed. A wet, fish-like touch slipped from between her lips and pressed down hard.
A dark surge of heat flowed through him, like an electric shock. Pei Du was almost driven mad by the torture. He hastily covered his eyes with his left arm. "Miss Xie...!"
Xie Jingci did not respond and continued upward.
Her offensive was dense and gentle, easily teasing him into a state of complete disarray. As scattered memories flooded back, Pei Du's heart stirred.
He had done this exact same action to Miss Xie before.
At that time, his mind was clouded by alcohol in the Xie Manor's peach grove...
Before his thoughts could fully gather, Pei Du suddenly gritted his teeth.
A rush of hot air shot straight from his ear into his sea of consciousness and exploded with a boom.
Xie Jingci had blown a breath into his ear.
It is never too late for a gentleman to take his revenge; fortunes rise and fall.
However passive she had been in the peach grove back then, that was how smug Xie Jingci was right now, watching his Adam's apple bob heavily and his breathing quicken.
She felt so guilty but also so happy. The facts proved that she could still counterattack!
Pei Du finally realized that this was a little revenge with ulterior motives.
That breath blasted his mind into a daze, and his chest felt like countless ants were crawling over it. Taking a deep breath, he finally surrendered and laid down his arms. "I didn't."
Xie Jingci's voice carried a smile. "What?"
"It's... a romance storybook."
He felt a little uncomfortable, yet he gladly endured her touch like sweet syrup. The end of his sentence trembled slightly. "I read some and memorized them."
She paused. "Where did the storybooks come from?"
"The bookstore."
He was quite loyal and didn't sell out Meng Xiaoting.
Only then did Xie Jingci lift her head and leave his ear.
Pei Du had an elegant and noble appearance, but right now it was covered by a deep crimson flush. Even his pupils were veiled in a layer of mist, dark and unclear. The room was quiet, and only his suppressed breathing could be heard.
Having done something bad, she was too embarrassed to meet his gaze directly, but she couldn't help continuing to ask, "Did you learn anything else?"
Pei Du saw through her wicked intention to deliberately tease him, and this time he refused to speak no matter what.
If Xie Jingci had teased him like this on a normal day, perhaps by this point, she would no longer be the one pressing down from above.
However, Pei Du was injured and ill, and he still hadn't recovered his strength. Even reaching out his hand was difficult, let alone firmly pinning her down and turning the tables.
He tried to move his fingers, his eyes growing darker and murkier. Even with severe pain all over his body, he still bred transgressive thoughts. Suddenly, he heard Miss Xie say again, "Pei Du, did the storybooks teach you to do this?"
Thus, the darkness faded, and Pei Du looked up in a daze.
She approached without a word, her thin lips brushing lightly against his Adam's apple before moving further down.
Brushing past the hollow of his neck and his delicate collarbones, Xie Jingci arrived at the bandages wrapped around his wounds.
Her kisses were like a dragonfly skimming the water, not daring to use too much force. From his chest, she moved down bit by bit, grazing over his scars through the bandages.
It was as gentle as a breeze, almost imperceptible, leaving only a faint itch.
He had never been cherished like this before. He subconsciously felt a lump in his throat and told her in a low voice, "Miss Xie... it's dirty there."
Coagulated scarlet blood stained some of the bandages, emitting the bitter smell of rust and medicine that lingered around her nose.
Xie Jingci didn't make a sound.
As her red lips moved down, his already loose lapels opened bit by bit, making him think of a peeled fruit.
Pei Du's sea of consciousness burned hot from this thought.
His inner robes slipped to the sides, revealing the young sword cultivator's neck, shoulders, and lean, muscular upper arms one by one.
She finally kissed his lower abdomen, stopping roughly above his navel, and planted a light peck on the bandage.
"I'm sorry."
Xie Jingci looked up and pinched his cheek, her touch still very light. "When I pressed my hand here earlier, you must have been very uncomfortable. Did I hurt you?"
She was apologizing for the previous task.
Whether during the task or the later kiss on his ear, she had always carefully kept her distance from Pei Du's body, trying her best not to touch his wounds.
A warm sensation lingered on his pinched cheek. Pei Du rarely experienced the feeling that he seemed to be... pampered by someone.
And that someone was the Miss Xie he had chased after for so long.
"Senior Lin Que's medicine is very effective. It won't be long before you can get out of bed. When that time comes, we will go find Pei Fengnan to demand an explanation and restore your reputation."
Her eyes and brows were full of smiles as she rubbed Pei Du's cheek again. "Our Little Du is the most talented sword cultivator in the entire cultivation world. No one is allowed to speak ill of you."
Our Little Du.
His heart quietly melted. He turned his head slightly, a smile spilling from the corners of his lips.
Miss Xie must have noticed this curve. Her smile deepened, and she leaned forward a little. "Wait, I remember you chose a form of address yourself. What was it again... 'Dudu Gege'?"
It was clearly supposed to be "Pei Du Gege", but with her changing it like this, it added a lot of inexplicable ambiguity.
The sweet syrup in his heart slowly surged outward. Pei Du couldn't stop the curve of his lips. He was about to speak when his whole body suddenly stiffened.
Xie Jingci also froze.
The sunlight made it impossible to hide anything.
In the dead silence that suddenly descended, Xie Jingci silently looked down, feeling a scorching heat against her.
The wealth of knowledge accumulated in her sea of consciousness surged up all at once. She belatedly realized that her previous actions had indeed crossed the line too much.
Pei Du: ...
Pei Du was mortified to death. He tried hard to pull the bedsheets up, his voice so low it was barely audible. "Miss Xie... I'm sorry."
Earlier, he only felt hot all over and his mind was a complete blank. Then, his entire attention was drawn to Miss Xie. He was so nervous that he didn't dare to be distracted in the slightest, so how could he pay attention to anything else?
It would have been fine if it were a dream at night, but how could it appear at a time like this? Now that Miss Xie knew he was so lecherous, how could he have the face to see her again?
He was doomed.
"Um," although Xie Jingci had received an abundance of educational knowledge, it was her first time encountering this kind of situation. Not daring to move recklessly again, she panicked and hurriedly asked, "Do you need my help?"
Pei Du's breathing grew even more chaotic. "No need."
"Then," Xie Jingci said carefully, "should I step out?"
Only then did he nod vigorously, his lips deathly pale.
"Actually, it's okay. You don't have to be too shy."
Pei Du's face exploded in a furious blush. Not wanting to embarrass him any further, she helped straighten the front of his robes while desperately putting on a serious expression to comfort him: "Well, I am bound to see it eventually anyway, so just treat today as—"
Xie Jingci: ...
Somebody save her, what on earth was she saying!!!
