Lou Yue held Xiao Rangchen like that and fell asleep with him.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring straight into Xiao Rangchen’s unfathomably dark eyes.
Lou Yue instinctively knitted her brows.
Xiao Rangchen spoke before she could. “I was asleep. I just woke up.”
Suspicion flickered in Lou Yue’s gaze.
Xiao Rangchen added, “And I had a dream.”
“What kind of dream?”
He paused for a moment before slowly parting his lips. “A dream about a mirror.”
“…Are you worried about growing ugly even while you’re busy?” They said that what occupied one’s thoughts during the day would appear in one’s dreams at night, but how could drawing inscriptions possibly have anything to do with mirrors?
A faint smile touched Xiao Rangchen’s eyes. “But it did solve my problem.”
Lou Yue arched a brow.
“What do you want to do today?” Xiao Rangchen drew her into his arms, resting his chin against the crown of her head before pressing a warm kiss there.
Lou Yue gave a humph. “In this godforsaken place, what else is there to do besides kill ghost fiends? Nothing, that’s what.”
Bored, she picked at the patterns on Xiao Rangchen’s clothes as she pondered. “Do you think these ghost fiends might have a leader? They’ve been sealed away for thousands of years. Surely at least one powerful one managed to survive.”
A dark glimmer quietly passed through Xiao Rangchen’s eyes.
Lou Yue waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it. There’s no rush. We have plenty of time. We’ll wipe them all out sooner or later.”
Xiao Rangchen fell silent, the atmosphere around him growing heavier.
After a moment, he asked slowly, “Do you still have that astral stone we obtained from the ruins?”
Lou Yue sat up from his arms, took out the astral stone, and tossed it to him.
“I’ll refine the astral stone into your artifact.” Xiao Rangchen sat up after her and extended his right hand.
Lou Yue slipped the Yanxiang Fang from her wrist and placed it in his palm, the corner of her lips curling upward. “I won’t stand on ceremony.”
“Mm.”
Xiao Rangchen bent one leg, casually resting the right hand holding the Yanxiang Fang on his knee. With his left hand, he conjured a cluster of ghostly white flames that instantly enveloped the astral stone.
Even a cultivator’s power at the Deity Transformation stage would have struggled to crush the stone, yet under the white flames, its outer layer of gray material melted away in the blink of an eye, revealing a dark golden radiance within.
As the flames burned, the astral stone gradually liquefied. The molten substance flowed slowly from his fingertips and seeped into the Yanxiang Fang. The artifact, originally pitch-black, began to glow with fine, intricate strands of spiritual light.
Xiao Rangchen flicked a finger, suspending the Yanxiang Fang in midair beside the bed. The white flames enveloped it from a short distance away.
“It’ll take half a day.”
Lou Yue shifted her gaze from the white flames to Xiao Rangchen, a hint of amusement appearing in her eyes.
He had actually brought Yu Youchun out of Xuandu Que Yunsheng’s possession. Those flames were clearly the very spell Yu Youchun had passed on to Long Aotian in the book.
Xiao Rangchen’s fingers paused. “What is it?”
Lou Yue merely clicked her tongue a couple of times and shook her head without exposing him.
The Yanxiang Fang was unusable for now, but she still had to kill that day’s quota of ghost fiends.
While she was killing ghost fiends, Xiao Rangchen captured two of them and drew secret inscriptions on their bodies, as though experimenting with something.
By the time she was finished, he had finished as well.
The two of them returned home together once more.
After meditating and cultivating for a while, Lou Yue lifted the curtain and stepped outside, only to discover that Xiao Rangchen was drinking.
The blood moon suspended at the edge of the sky cast a faint, cold-red glow over his shoulders. Though he was a powerful cultivator at the Deity Transformation stage, at that moment he seemed to radiate an indescribable loneliness and fragility.
“Why are you drinking all of a sudden?” Lou Yue wrinkled her nose at the familiar scent of Yellow Springs wine.
She glanced at the two empty jars by his feet and nudged the tip of his shoe with hers. “Move over.”
Xiao Rangchen leaned lazily against the wall. His long lashes lifted slightly as he extended a well-defined hand toward her.
The meaning was obvious: he wanted her to sit on his lap. Remembering what had happened the night before, Lou Yue ground her back teeth and sharpened her tone. “Move over!”
Xiao Rangchen lowered his lashes.
“Don’t pretend to be pitiful,” Lou Yue said coldly. “Move over. Now.”
Xiao Rangchen slowly shifted to the side, making room for barely half a person. Lou Yue sat down boldly and deliberately bumped against him. Yet he remained as steady as a rock, not moving an inch. Instead, she ended up pressed even closer to him.
She leaned back and idly gazed up at the glaring, otherworldly blood moon in the sky, her thoughts drifting away.
Beside her, Xiao Rangchen raised his hand. The wine slid down his throat, his strong neck moving with each swallow—an effortless, seductive sight.
Lou Yue shot him a sidelong glance. “Big Brother Wei said this wine packs quite a punch. If you get drunk, I won’t be able to take care of you.”
Xiao Rangchen finished the last sip, set down the empty jar, and rested the back of his head against the wall. His deep black eyes quietly swept toward her.
“Three jars. I won’t get drunk.” His voice was low and husky, steeped in the scent of wine.
Those few brief words were like a soft feather, teasing the most tender place in her heart.
Lou Yue’s gaze unconsciously slid over his moist lips before she quickly pulled it away.
Xiao Rangchen leaned toward her and nestled against her, his head drooping softly against the side of her neck.
The rich fragrance of Yellow Springs wine spread over her skin, brushing against it in slow, uneven breaths. Lou Yue could not even tell whether the occasional soft touch against her neck was his breath or his lips.
She hesitated between pushing him away and letting him stay.
“Lou Yue…”
His magnetic voice had been softened by the wine, its lingering tone unbearably seductive.
Lou Yue gritted her teeth and forced herself to remain calm. “Didn’t you say you weren’t drunk?”
Xiao Rangchen offered no defense. He merely gave a low “Mm,” the final note heavy with meaning.
Lou Yue decided to treat him as though he were drunk after all. She caught hold of his arm. “I’ll help you inside.”
The instant she finished speaking, Xiao Rangchen seized her hand in return and pulled her back, refusing to let her stand. His nose brushed against the side of her neck. Closing his eyes, he touched his lips lightly to her delicate skin.
His warm breath wandered slowly across her neck. A tingling shiver traveled all the way up her spine.
“Xiao Rangchen,” Lou Yue said, her voice tightening as she raised it and used more force. “If you keep this up, I really will kick you.”
The body pressed against her stiffened at once and did not move another inch.
Lou Yue shook off the arm that had trapped her and unceremoniously planted her hand against his forehead, pushing him away in disgust. “If you’re not drunk, then stay here by yourself.”
With that, she stood and turned to leave.
But in the next instant, he seized her wrist. A force she could not resist abruptly yanked her back.
Lou Yue stumbled, losing her balance. With her back to him, she fell onto his lap.
A muffled, restrained groan escaped Xiao Rangchen’s throat.
Lou Yue froze. The next second, she immediately tried to get up.
But Xiao Rangchen’s arm clamped tightly around her waist, leaving her unable to move even a fraction.
Their bodies were pressed together. Some things simply could not be hidden.
Xiao Rangchen exhaled beside her ear, his breath scorching hot.
The tips of Lou Yue’s ears began to burn.
A kiss carrying the scent of wine first landed along the rim of her ear, then moved downward. He took her earlobe into his mouth, biting and sucking it slowly.
Lou Yue’s breathing instantly fell into disarray.
Xiao Rangchen raised a hand and hooked his fingers beneath her chin, gently turning her face toward him as he leaned in to kiss her lips.
Lou Yue turned her head away. She looked at him, her eyes revealing not the slightest trace of drunkenness. “You—”
The word had barely left her lips before it was abruptly swallowed.
Xiao Rangchen covered her lips, forcing his way between them.
Unlike before, this was a forceful, deep kiss. Every breath she possessed was swept up and devoured again and again.
His kissing had improved with every encounter. The Xiao Rangchen of today could leave her utterly defenseless with a single kiss.
A tingling sensation traveled from the tip of her tongue straight to her heart, while the taste of strong liquor made her feel drunk.
Lou Yue's hands, which had been pushing against his chest to fend him off, gradually shifted from a pushing posture to unconsciously tangling in his hair, then gliding over his sharp, firm neck, brushing back and forth and pressing gently along the line of his jaw.
The kiss was so deep and frantic that the glistening trail of saliva they had no time to swallow spilled over the corner of their lips, only to be all lapped up by him.
Lou Yue was breathing in ragged gasps, her chest rising and falling sharply.
Xiao Rangchen's arm around her waist slipped under her clothes, his palm gliding over her skin.
His palm was broad, the hard knuckles sinking in deep.
That slightly cool hand soon took on her body heat, growing scalding hot in no time.
Heavy, warm breaths fanned across her face.
The hand that had been resting on his jaw now hooked unconsciously around his neck, pulling him closer.
He pressed harder, as if with a hint of punishment.
They were locked in a silent standoff, yet drawing nearer with every clash.
Xiao Rangchen squeezed his eyes shut, his Adam's apple bobbing nonstop.
The next second, he pulled his hands away to twist Lou Yue's body to face him, lifted her up by supporting her under the hips, without ever breaking their kiss.
Xiao Rangchen carried her back into the cave, laid her down on the soft padded mat, and then covered her with his entire body. His burning kisses trailed down her jaw, searing marks onto her slender, sensitive neck.
The pale, cold-white flame in the cave was burning quietly. Its light was originally crisp and cool, yet it cast their two figures in a hazy, enchanting glow.
Lou Yue's hands climbed up his back, gliding over his sleek, robust, taut and powerful muscles.
Her hands drifted lower, tangling in his thick dark hair, and she couldn't help but tilt her neck back, the fragile line of her throat stretching into a beautiful arc, her trailing voice lingering long in the air.
Xiao Rangchen propped himself up on his elbows beside her, the gnarled blue veins bulging on the back of his hands, the muscles of his arms glimmering with a pale halo in the firelight.
His searing kisses landed on her trembling throat, moving slowly and pressing hard.
Lou Yue clung tightly to his neck, letting out soft little hums.
A low, suppressed groan rumbled in Xiao Rangchen's throat, and he slowly lifted his head.
The pale cold-white flame by their bedside flickered gently, casting a thin layer of frost-like glow over his hair and browbones, which only made the surging heat in his eyes burn even more intensely.
He looked down, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on Lou Yue's glistening, alluring eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing heavily as he called her name: "Lou Yue..."
Lou Yue was still breathless, and her trembling eyelashes lifted to meet the deep, burning desire in his eyes. A moment later, she raised her arms to wrap around him.
Xiao Rangchen's gaze darkened instantly.
Yet before long, fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and his back was tensed, every line of his sharp, defined muscles visible.
Lou Yue's brows drew tight.
Xiao Rangchen leaned down to kiss her fluttering eyelashes gently, stroking her tensed shoulders and back over and over, pressing soft kisses to her flushed jaw.
His low, hoarse voice, thick with the heat of strong liquor, called her name again and again, his hand stroking the top of her head.
Lou Yue's heart thudded wildly. She lifted her eyes, her lips parting and closing unsteadily, and glared at him breathlessly—who told him to train his body to be this tough!
Xiao Rangchen let out a soft sigh.
His bony, distinct palm settled on Lou Yue's slender, smooth waist, while the finger of his other hand pressed gently against her.
Lou Yue's whole body jolted.
The uneven, gentle stroking was like wind brushing over the strings of a zither, like rain seeping through sheer silk, every touch landing on the most delicate, vulnerable spot. The zither strings yearned to break free, the sheer silk longed to slip away, but in the end there was no escape, no hiding place. Until at last, they could only rise and fall with the wind and rain, drifting wherever it took them.
Lou Yue's toes curled uncontrollably.
"Xiao Rangchen..."
She called his name, her voice taking on a fine, trembling softness without her even noticing.
Xiao Rangchen slowly leaned down, covering her body with his.
Lou Yue's voice died away, her trembling tone cutting off abruptly.
Her mind went completely blank, nothing left but a dizzying, overwhelming sensation that filled every corner of her being.
Xiao Rangchen looked down, pressing a light kiss to her dazed, fluttering eyelashes, and wrapped his hand around her slightly spasming one to rest it on her abdomen.
His low, magnetic voice, thick with heavy, simmering desire, rumbled softly:
"Lou Yue, I am yours."
