Between the two of them, every encounter always stops short of going too far.
Even in the depth of their kisses, it never goes beyond a certain point. Huo Xian is a man, a genuine man. When a man is provoked to arousal, he reacts normally. But he is incredibly restrained.
Ji Yuluo realized that beneath his arrogant and presumptuous exterior, he is entirely cautious and restrained.
People often describe Huo Xian as brutal and unruly, forgetting that he was born into a prestigious family. Though he was born of a concubine, he was the eldest grandson’s companion. He received the finest education, which is the key to his ability to navigate between good and evil and remain unscathed.
He is truly a noble son raised by an aristocratic family.
These qualities of restraint, discipline, and goodness are absent in Ji Yuluo. She once thought Huo Xian was like her, believing she liked the bad things people said about him. But today, she discovered that those qualities she lacked were more alluring.
They made one want to explore them uncontrollably.
To explore his limits and boundaries, and then break them.
Breaking them brings pleasure.
Ji Yuluo was pushed aside, her entire back hitting the edge of the bathtub hard. Water splashed up, droplets landing on her face and then sliding from the tip of her nose to her chin, making a clear “plop” sound as they fell back into the tub.
She didn’t get angry or cry out in pain. She just looked up at him, with a hint of a smile in her eyes, filled with deliberate seduction.
Huo Xian’s eyes turned red. It was as if he could see through her thoughts. He grabbed her chin forcefully, making her tilt her head up, and whispered in her ear, “Ji Yuluo, you’re the real lunatic.”
He bit down on her soft earlobe, causing the person in front of him to tremble instinctively, but she didn’t retreat. Instead, she leaned closer, wanting to continue the unfinished battle from the day.
Huo Xian knelt between them, and they kissed for a long time until their lips and tongues went numb, and they were out of breath.
Ji Yuluo was about to slide into the water when Huo Xian pulled her back up. Her face flushed slightly. She looked up at him, and with her wet hand, pinched his chin just as he had done to her, her gaze condescending, silently telling him one word: continue.
Her thin clothing was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a simple white undergarment. The silk fabric was smooth, like a silver white jade plate from the sky, with red plum blossoms crisscrossing, appearing and disappearing on the water’s surface.
Huo Xian closed his eyes, feeling that this scene was more torturous than the parasites in his body, and it was torturous enough to drive him to death.
He didn’t want to stay rational anymore; he wanted to die here, he thought.
Huo Xian’s nose buried into the plum blossoms, inhaling their fragrance deeply, the veins on his forehead throbbing before he stilled.
It was as if he was silently chanting a calming spell, and gradually, his breathing steadied.
Ji Yuluo wasn’t much better. One hand clawed at the wooden tub, while the other traced circles with her fingertips. She said, “You’re already like this, and you can still hold back?”
Huo Xian grabbed her other hand that was reaching down and muttered with his head down, “Where did you learn these rogue ways? When you were at Cuixue Tower, did they hire a teacher for you?”
Ji Yuluo replied, “The teachers don’t teach these things.”
“Oh.” Huo Xian raised his head, his face indistinguishable between sweat and water. He looked at her and asked, “Then who taught you, that person?”
Ji Yuluo paused, almost failing to react. She stopped for a moment, then suddenly understood and said, “Does he look like someone who would teach these things? Do you think the women of your aristocratic families have secret bedroom arts passed down?”
Huo Xian let out a noncommittal snort and said, “Then what did he teach you?”
Quite a lot.
Ji Yuluo said, “Qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, and tea.”
Huo Xian raised an eyebrow and asked, “The teacher doesn’t teach these?”
Ji Yuluo replied, “They do, but not as well as he does. He likes to watch when the teacher is giving a lesson. Sometimes when the teacher makes a mistake, he can’t stand it and sternly corrects it. Over time, the hired teachers all ran away, and no one taught me anymore. So he taught me himself. He is… very patient but also very strict.”
Huo Xian responded with an “Mm” and then asked, “How strict?”
How strict…
At this point, Ji Yuluo couldn’t help but recall Xie Subai’s rules and regulations.
He did not allow anyone around him to make any wrong moves. Anyone who wanted to be in his presence for a long time had to follow his set of rules, such as standing properly, sitting properly, not being impatient, and not making noise, just like his properly disciplined maids.
Ji Yuluo, having followed Lou Panshun, a martial artist, inevitably picked up some so-called bad habits. When Xie Subai saw them, he would forcibly correct her.
But now she knew that these were Xie Subai’s ingrained habits as a member of the royal family.
Even though time had passed, some things were etched into his bones and hard to erase.
As she pondered, Ji Yuluo said, “It’s just… ow.”
Before she could finish, Huo Xian suddenly sealed her lips with a kiss, biting down with a certain fierceness. Even if she enjoyed it, she might not have tasted the meaning behind it.
Sheng Lanxin said that she carried traces of Xie Subai, and Huo Xian couldn’t deny it. It was true. When you looked at them together, you would find they were too similar. Even their speaking and breathing patterns were the same. This was a habit formed from seeing each other every day and being deeply dependent on each other.
He didn’t want to dwell on such matters, like a jealous woman, but when he heard her call out Xie Subai’s name in her sleep, Huo Xian had to admit that it bothered him.
And it bothered him even more because it was Xie Subai. He knew how good that person was.
At that moment, Huo Xian felt like he was back in his youth, when he had to compete in everything and wanted to surpass everyone. He channeled this competitiveness into the kiss, causing the previously calmed passion to surge again.
When their lips finally parted, he stared deeply at the dazed person in front of him.
At first, Ji Yuluo didn’t react, but then she started to get a hint of it. She raised her eyebrows while panting and said, “Did I, did I talk in my sleep just now? You heard it, didn’t you?”
She looked at the expression on the man’s face, her tone rising, “Oh, you heard it.”
The provocation was implicit.
As their eyes met, Huo Xian’s lips curved slightly, but a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. Ji Yuluo didn’t expect him to react so strongly to this tactic. Seizing the opportunity, she said, “Lord Huo, given your condition… do you truly have an ailment? If so, I won’t make it difficult for you, I—”
Suddenly, Huo Xian knelt up, splashing water everywhere. His towering shadow loomed over her from above. Ji Yuluo raised her eyes slowly, her gaze even carrying a hint of pleasure, watching as Huo Xian gripped her arm—
Then he turned her around, her back facing him.
He bit down on her, his trembling voice low, “Ji Yuluo…”
She froze for a moment, suddenly realizing what he intended to do.
“Huo Xian! You, let go.”
“You provoked me first,” he said with difficulty.
Ji Yuluo’s breath was unsteady as she replied, “Yes, but I— you, is this all you’ve got?”
Huo Xian said nothing, his breathing hot.
Whether from anger or being pressed by him, Ji Yuluo felt dizzy and lightheaded. She closed her eyes in frustration, wondering if she was poisoned, the kind that would kill upon contact.
After a long while, the storm calmed, and the waves settled.
Both of them collapsed into the water.
Silence wrapped around them like the rising steam, spreading through the air.
Ji Yuluo, her eyes red, glared coldly at Huo Xian.
Huo Xian brushed aside her wet hair, his fingertips gliding from the corner of her eye, his hoarse voice saying, “The water is dirty, wait a moment.”
He got up, dressed, and walked out.
Ji Yuluo stayed alone in the bathroom, hearing Huo Xian call for the maid to change the water. She exhaled a long breath expressionlessly, hearing his footsteps drawing closer again.
He stood by the door, behind the screen, and asked, just as she had earlier, “Are you alright?”
There was a hint of laughter in his voice, whether mocking her plight or something else.
Ji Yuluo grabbed the embroidered waistband token of the Jinyiwei nearby and threw it at him. With a “clang,” the token fell to the ground, sliding out the door a distance. The maids bringing the water were all startled, their eyes widening in shock when they saw what it was.
However, Huo Xian’s smile grew more apparent. He bent down, picked it up, and tossed it aside.
After the water was replaced, Ji Yuluo got up and walked to another tub. Though she was still clothed, her delicate skin was reddened from his rough treatment, with teeth marks on her ear and the back of her neck—she inhaled sharply, pausing for a moment, before suddenly slapping the water, splashing it around.
The one bringing the clothes was Biwu. She was on night watch tonight and hadn’t expected a call for water in the middle of the night. She was very surprised but didn’t show it on her face, because her mistress’s expression was quite unpleasant.
She neatly folded the clothes and placed a jar of ointment beside them, saying, “Miss, the master asked me to bring this medicine.”
Seeing the ointment for treating abrasions, Ji Yuluo responded perfunctorily and stayed until she was calm and collected before going out.
The lingering gloom from her nightmare had dissipated, but it reminded Ji Yuluo of an important matter.
She had almost delayed her main task.
After changing her clothes, she went out to find Huo Xian already fully dressed, with his waist token attached.
The sky was beginning to lighten; it was almost dawn.
Morning court sessions were not held daily due to Emperor Shun’an’s lax governance. Over the years, the number of court sessions had decreased, but with the recent ongoing battles and critical matters, Emperor Shun’an, closely watched by the ministers, dared not act recklessly, so the morning court proceeded as usual.
Ji Yuluo swallowed her words, seeing him tying up his hair and wearing his crown. She walked over and, without a word, helped him adjust his crown.
Her eyes still held a hint of reluctance to deal with him.
