Before Yuan Shu could stop him, Helan Zhao had already wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.
His tall, imposing figure looked down at her from above, a hint of smugness in his eyes—like a cat that had successfully stolen a bite of fish.
Yuan Shu glanced at the unsuspecting Helan Ying, then at Helan Zhao, and suddenly found it amusing.
Helan Zhao really was like a child guarding his food.
Was he taking advantage of Helan Ying’s ignorance of her presence to be openly affectionate with her right in front of him?
But what could he possibly gain by doing that?
As she pondered this, Helan Zhao suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips, just as he had in the forked cave.
This time, however, he moved gently so they would not make a sound.
His soft lips pried lightly between hers, tracing the curve of her mouth bit by bit and slowly drawing in the enticing scent of pear blossoms.
Yuan Shu tried to evade him several times, but each time he turned her face back toward him.
This man—weren’t they still fleeing for their lives?
How could he still have the mind to tease her?
Wait. Had he forgotten that he was impotent now?
Yuan Shu arched a brow, and the corners of her lips curled into a faint smile.
Since he wanted to play, she would not hold back either. She tilted her head up to meet him, and at the same time, her slender, pale hand boldly slipped beneath his collar.
Helan Zhao’s body tensed, and his breathing changed instantly.
Yet he clearly enjoyed Yuan Shu’s teasing. He made no attempt to stop her. Instead, he reached out to support the back of her neck and gently deepened the kiss.
Yuan Shu did not hold back either. She would treat it as a little entertainment during their escape!
Her nimble fingertips set fires all over Helan Zhao’s body, one spark at a time, until they threatened to blaze across the entire wilderness.
His heart stirred, his desire awakened, and he pulled Yuan Shu tightly against his waist.
Yuan Shu was more than willing to oblige him.
Nearby, Helan Ying seemed to hear something unusual carried on the wind. His handsome brows drew together slightly.
“Helan Zhao, what are you doing?”
It was still daytime, and Helan Zhao had him and a guard beside him. Helan Ying had not imagined anything improper.
It was just that Helan Zhao’s breathing sounded rather strange.
As though he were suppressing some kind of pain.
Could he have been injured while rescuing him?
“Ahem. Nothing. I was just bitten by a little thing. It hurts a bit.”
As he spoke, Helan Zhao glanced down at Yuan Shu, who had her teeth sunk into his flesh. He casually loosened his sash, exposing his broad, well-built chest.
He knew that Yuan Shu was utterly incapable of resisting an attractive physique!
Sure enough, a dazzled glint flashed through Yuan Shu’s lowered eyes, and her fingers immediately pressed against his chest.
Helan Zhao simply lay back on the grass, allowing Yuan Shu to run her hands over his firm chest and abdomen to her heart’s content.
Yuan Shu lowered her eyes to look at the man beneath her.
Helan Zhao was quite handsome, with features that bore some resemblance to Helan Ying’s. When aroused, the corners of his eyes turned red as well.
Whenever he looked up at her, he appeared just like a poor puppy who had been thoroughly bullied.
Yuan Shu was having such a good time that she caught his chin and kissed along the sharp line of his jaw, across his neck, and over his collarbone…
She gave him a small reward.
A muffled groan that Helan Zhao could not control immediately sounded above her.
“Helan Zhao?”
Helan Ying frowned and tilted his head, trying his best to make out what was happening.
But after that one sound escaped him, Helan Zhao clenched his teeth and refused to make another.
Helan Ying could not figure out what was going on.
Yuan Shu had had enough. Seeing Helan Zhao looking as though she had thoroughly played with him, she flashed an evil smile and suddenly reached for his waistband.
His hand shot out and seized hers.
When Yuan Shu met his puzzled gaze, Helan Zhao’s expression grew a little unnatural, but he did not release her hand.
He could not let Yuan Shu know that he was impotent.
He had only wanted to please her just now…
Helan Zhao offered no explanation. He merely jerked his chin toward Helan Ying.
So he was using Helan Ying as a brake and a convenient excuse?
Yuan Shu found it hilarious inside, but on the surface, she pretended to understand and obediently released her hold on his waistband.
Helan Zhao let out a sigh of relief. He immediately sat up and kissed the corner of Yuan Shu’s lips ingratiatingly.
That obedient, puppy-like look in his eyes made Yuan Shu laugh again. She reached out and pinched his fair cheek.
“Helan Zhao, what exactly are you doing?”
Helan Ying was getting angry.
As a man, there were certain sounds one simply could not mistake.
Had he just heard this fellow… doing that?
“It’s still dangerous here. We’re within the enemy’s search area. How could you do, do something like that?”
“Ahem…”
Helan Zhao coughed and glanced at Yuan Shu, who was nestled in his arms with one hand drawing circles over his chest and the other stroking the flesh at his waist. His face flushed slightly.
Nevertheless, he steadied himself and called out, “What? Have I delayed our escape? Or have the pursuers caught up with us?”
“No, but that still doesn’t mean you can… can…”
Helan Ying’s brows knitted together so tightly they looked capable of trapping a fly.
Wasn’t Helan Zhao in love with Yuan Shu? He had even treated Helan Ying as a rival in love several times before.
What was he doing now?
Was he with the guard who followed him, or was he doing it by himself?
No matter which it was, neither possibility was forgivable!
“If Yuan Shu knew that you liked her but were doing these things with someone else, do you think she would still like you?”
Helan Ying blurted out angrily.
Holding Yuan Shu in his arms, Helan Zhao was entirely unafraid. His voice was proud and resolute.
“Of course Yuan Shu would still like me. She doesn’t care about things like that!”
“You!”
Helan Ying, who knew nothing of the truth, was furious. He clenched his jaw so tightly that his handsome face twisted.
If he had not been blind, his gaze alone would have been enough to kill!
But when he thought of Yuan Shu, his body suddenly went limp, and all the anger drained away in an instant.
Yuan Shu… she was already dead.
She had died in his arms, reduced to ash and smoke. He had witnessed it with his own eyes.
What right did he have to criticize anyone now?
Helan Ying was filled with regret. If only he had been more alert and stopped Yuan Shu sooner, this tragedy would never have happened.
She had been forced into it. She had hated him. Yet at that moment, she had still been willing to throw herself in front of him.
Even when she was finally reduced to ash and smoke, she had not shown the slightest fear.
In that instant, Helan Ying’s heart had felt as though it were being slashed by a thousand blades. He had sat there in a daze for more than half a day.
It was only when his injuries flared up again because the treatment had been interrupted that he vomited blood and lost consciousness.
When he woke again, his whereabouts had already been discovered, and he was being pursued by people from the Luoxian Sect and the Earth Demon Fiend Clan.
At the time, he had not had the opportunity to grieve. He could only flee beneath their relentless pursuit.
Only now, as he thought back on it once more, did his heart seem to have been carved hollow, leaving behind a vast, empty ache.
The pain in his heart seemed to surge over him only at this moment.
Beneath the black satin ribbon, Helan Ying’s eyes widened. He clutched his chest and gasped for breath.
Helan Zhao, still holding Yuan Shu, took two steps back.
After a long while, when Helan Ying finally seemed to recover, Helan Zhao could not help asking, “Are you all right? Has one of your old ailments flared up?”
Helan Ying said nothing.
His face had lost all its color, leaving him pale and haggard. He looked as though the slightest breeze might knock him down.
