This wasn’t the first time Lu Chengsha experienced this reaction. Whenever his body heated up, he would occasionally feel this way. He initially thought he was ill, but later he vaguely realized it wasn’t the case. He could only try his best to suppress it with his inner strength. However, it had become increasingly severe in the past two days—especially yesterday, when Lu Chengsha had to take a cold shower.
The cold water eventually dissipated some of the heat within him, but only temporarily.
At first, he didn’t know what he wanted to do, until last night—
Lu Chengsha briefly closed his eyes.
He had a dream.
In the dream, he grasped the girl’s fair wrist, raising it above her head and pressing her onto the bed. Heat surged through him, almost making him think he had succumbed to inner demons. Yet, she smiled at him, a bright and bewitching smile. He felt sweat dripping from his forehead, scorching hot, falling drop by drop onto her face. The beads of sweat rolled down her beautiful face, down to her chin, her collarbone, and then… her chest heaving, her neckline slightly open.
Lu Chengsha almost didn’t dare to look, but in the dream, his rationality was like a broken string. He leaned down slightly, his other hand wandering over her body.
What happened next became somewhat blurred in his memory. He only remembered moving quickly, feeling as if he was falling into a cloud. The girl initially made some intermittent sounds, then started sobbing, clinging to his back, crying like pear blossoms bathed in rain. Her face was pale, her body trembling uncontrollably—he should have felt heartache, but in the dream, not only did he not stop, he even felt a strange excitement, wanting to do more to make her cry harder, as if he had truly succumbed to inner demons.
Lu Chengsha was horrified when he woke up.
He couldn’t calm down for a long time.
He even started doubting himself because, in the dream, besides all that, there was also an indescribable joy, as if what he was doing was something immensely pleasurable—but making someone cry should never feel good.
Lu Chengsha knew he didn’t want to kill her, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do, which was indeed very dangerous.
So, he went to the rooftop to cool off in the wind. But now, it was happening again.
The girl in front of him had no idea how terrifying he was, and she even sat on his lap. Lu Chengsha was already trying his best to endure it. He didn’t know how long he could hold on, but he definitely didn’t want to hurt her.
He didn’t want to see her cry.
Hua Yan had no idea about all the thoughts running through Lu Chengsha’s mind. She wrapped her arms around his neck, continuing to ask obliviously, “Trembling, and what else?”
Wow, Great Hero Lu’s ears are so sensitive—cute!
Lu Chengsha lifted his eyes and glanced at her quickly.
Hua Yan realized that his gaze was fixed on her lips. Remembering last night, her face instantly flushed.
But she had always been the type to forget the pain once the wound healed. Her lips no longer felt numb, and she had forgotten the feeling of almost suffocating last night. She only remembered the joy of being close to him. Although they were outside now, the location on the rooftop of the small two-story building was quite secluded, making it difficult for anyone to see them.
So, Hua Yan asked him in a very soft voice, “…Do you want to kiss me again?”
Unexpectedly, Lu Chengsha remained silent.
Hua Yan immediately raised her voice a bit, “You don’t want to kiss me?”
Lu Chengsha was forced to respond, “…No, it’s not that.”
Hua Yan’s eyes sparkled. She tightened her arms around his neck and said generously, “Then what are you waiting for! No one can see us here!”
Lu Chengsha was about to say that this wasn’t proper. Even though she was naive, he knew that their intimacy had gone too far, especially with those frightening thoughts lingering in his mind. However, as his gaze once again swept over her lips, he couldn’t help but notice that they seemed even fuller and more inviting than yesterday, glistening with allure, slightly pouting as she spoke, making even the curve of her lips look enchanting.
He took a deep breath and finally couldn’t resist.
Thus, once again, he sealed her lips with his.
Their breathing became chaotic, and the soft sunlight fell gently, casting a warm glow on their brows and eyes. Perhaps mindful of being outside, Lu Chengsha was much gentler than yesterday, making it easier for Hua Yan to endure. Yet, it also made the atmosphere more ambiguously tantalizing.
They kissed intermittently, their lips parting and meeting again, more like playful affection. Their breaths mingled, and Hua Yan could feel a subtle, thrilling current transmitting a tingly sensation along their connected lips, extremely stirring to the heart.
Before long, Hua Yan’s eyes were filled with a drunken look.
She held onto Lu Chengsha’s arm more tightly, her nose occasionally brushing against his, feeling that no amount of kissing was enough.
It was far more exaggerated than any romance story she had read.
In the past, when reading those romantic tales, Hua Yan always thought they were exaggerated. Even though her parents watched over her, ensuring that she and Yu Ye had no intimate interactions before marriage, and Yu Ye always maintained a gentlemanly facade in front of her, they occasionally had some physical contact. Hua Yan never felt any flutter of excitement, thus believing those romantic tales were merely fanciful writings. She even felt a bit disgusted when she saw Yu Ye and Shui Se kissing. But with Lu Chengsha, she suddenly understood.
Kissing someone you like is a joyful thing.
She really liked him!
They didn’t know how long they had been kissing when Lu Chengsha finally let go of her. Hua Yan still felt a bit unsatisfied, and Lu Chengsha suddenly turned his head away awkwardly. Hua Yan reached out to pull him back, but he evaded her touch.
What was this?
How could he just ignore her after kissing?
What was even more off was that she noticed Lu Chengsha seemed to be frowning slightly, not looking as happy as she had expected.
Hua Yan couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Lu Chengsha’s expression grew even more awkward, and he said, “I need to cool off.”
As he spoke, he seemed ready to stand up.
Hua Yan was still sitting on his lap and immediately pressed him down, even leaning in closer to ask what was going on. However, as she got closer, Hua Yan suddenly felt a strange, very hot spot in front of her.
She froze for a moment and looked down.
Before she could see anything, Lu Chengsha’s hand suddenly covered her eyes. His voice was deep and strained, almost as if he were drunk, and he said, “Don’t look.”
With her eyes covered, her other senses became more acute.
Hua Yan could almost hear Lu Chengsha’s ragged breathing.
In a flash of realization, she understood.
Hua Yan’s face turned bright red in an instant. What was worse, all the images from those illustrated books she had seen flooded her mind, only now the people in them were replaced by her and Lu Chengsha. Although she could rationally understand that it was normal for a man like Great Hero Lu to have such a reaction, she panicked, trying to get off his lap. However, the more she panicked, the more her hands and feet seemed to touch places they shouldn’t. Lu Chengsha let out a muffled groan, and Hua Yan felt as if her palm had been scalded. Because of their overly intimate actions just now, the threads of her skirt had entangled with the ties of Lu Chengsha’s waistband. Hua Yan pulled and tugged, finally breaking free and running away.
She leaped off the roof, her face still red as she landed. Only then did she realize that she might have been a bit inconsiderate…
Great Hero Lu looked quite distressed.
She worried about whether a man might have any problems in such a situation… But Great Hero Lu wasn’t under the influence of any aphrodisiacs. While Hua Yan’s mind raced with jumbled thoughts, she couldn’t help but glance back, stepping stealthily on the branches. Unfortunately, Lu Chengsha was already nowhere to be seen.
Now she couldn’t even calmly read the erotic novel the shopkeeper sold her about a demoness and a righteous hero.
Hua Yan buried her face in the pile of ink-scented papers, feeling a surge of curiosity—because she had only ever seen drawings, and had never seen the real thing. She wondered what Great Hero Lu might look like down there—Stop! She mustn’t think about it anymore!
Thinking she should take a walk to calm down, Hua Yan didn’t expect to run into an uninvited guest shortly after stepping out.
Immediately, she became fully alert, watching him warily. However, Yu Ye’s gaze held a hint of grievance. It wasn’t nighttime, and any commotion would surely attract attention, so she couldn’t just start fighting him. Hua Yan decided to turn around and leave, but unexpectedly, Yu Ye followed her.
“You and he are already so intimate?” Yu Ye asked.
Hua Yan whirled around and said, “Who gave you permission to spy on us!”
Yu Ye smiled faintly, looking somewhat hurt. “I just happened to see it. I didn’t want to…” He paused and then continued, “I understand how you felt that day. I’m sorry, it was my fault, Yan’er.”
The last two words were spoken very softly and lingeringly.
Hua Yan only felt annoyed. She said, “Whatever happened in the past, let’s consider it never happened. I don’t hold a grudge against you, but can you please stop looking for me?”
Yu Ye was taken aback. “Do you really want to be so heartless?” He sounded sorrowful. “Even if I deceived you, we’ve had feelings for each other over the years, haven’t we?”
It was still the same face, but Hua Yan now found him strange and repulsive.
The gentle, soft-hearted, and considerate Right Guardian seemed to have been buried along with the memories in the past Zhengyi Sect.
Hua Yan said, “You knew Xie Yingxian for many years too. Why didn’t you spare him? And were you the one who killed those two farm women? Was it you who spread the rumors about Nian Yi and orchestrated the questioning that day?”
Yu Ye’s expression slowly grew indifferent, but he still smiled. “It’s a pity about Nian Yi, but it was his doing. How could you blame me?”
Hua Yan didn’t want to argue with him anymore and turned to leave again. “Stop following me! If you keep following, I’ll really hit you!”
Yu Ye sighed lightly, his tone regretful and sorrowful. “Since that day, every time we meet, you treat me like dirt. Don’t you think it hurts me? Can’t we ever go back to the way things were?”
His voice trembled, but his next words sent chills down Hua Yan’s spine.
“…But we can, you know. We once made a type of Gu, called Forgetfulness Gu. It can erode memories, bring you back, erase everything so you won’t remember anything. After Xie Yingxian dies, I’ll tell you he was killed by Lu Chengsha.”
Hua Yan felt a chill down her spine and immediately shouted, “You dare!”
Yu Ye smiled warmly, still maintaining a touch of gentleness. “What wouldn’t I dare to do?” Seeing Hua Yan’s eyes filled with a desire to devour him, Yu Ye continued, “Alright, I was just joking. How could I bear to do such a thing? But, Yan’er, keep some distance from him—after all, we’re both men. I know what he’s thinking. You two are destined to have no future together, so why give more of yourself?”
“None of your damn business!”
For the first time in her life, Hua Yan swore.
Her hand rested on her silk fan, a surge of killing intent rising within her. Her mind was filled with thoughts of silencing him forever, but she quickly calmed down. She wasn’t confident she could kill him with one strike. If Yu Ye called for help and attracted attention, it would be difficult to make a move.
Hua Yan immediately pushed the silk fan back and walked away.
Yu Ye did not follow.
As Hua Yan walked, she kept thinking about whether she could ask Xie Yingxian for help to secretly deal with Yu Ye or imprison him—one person like Qi Xiusi would be enough. Just thinking about what Yu Ye had suggested made her scalp tingle. If that really happened, she would rather die!
All her killing intent dissipated the moment she saw Lu Chengsha.
Hua Yan vaguely remembered that she was a good person and couldn’t spend all her time thinking about killing.
She rushed over to him. Lu Chengsha still seemed a bit uneasy seeing her, but Hua Yan was oblivious. She grabbed his arm and burrowed into his embrace. Lu Chengsha’s body was still damp, and his voice was hoarse, “You…”
Hua Yan looked up, her big eyes making Lu Chengsha feel a pang of guilt.
He almost wanted to push her away.
Hua Yan, still shaken and seeking comfort from him, had forgotten about what happened earlier. She clung to him and said, “Great Hero Lu, if one day I… Never mind, it won’t happen…” She comforted herself for a moment before noticing Lu Chengsha’s body was stiff. She finally remembered what had happened before and belatedly asked, “Uh… are you okay now?”
Lu Chengsha wanted to say that he was fine before, but now he wasn’t.
He hesitated, unsure if he should tell her that he might hurt her, but feared she would look at him differently if she knew.
Hua Yan, unable to contain her curiosity, glanced down at Lu Chengsha’s lower body, but he quickly covered her eyes.
Lu Chengsha instinctively knew he couldn’t let her look.
Hua Yan had been a bit embarrassed, but seeing his reaction, she found it amusing. She reached out and poked his waist and abdomen, saying, “Why are you so easily embarrassed?”
Lu Chengsha felt a tingling sensation from her poke but steadied himself and said, “I… don’t know.” After thinking for a moment, he added, “It’s a bit better…”
At least compared to the beginning, he could now slightly resist her touch—but not by much.
Hua Yan said, “No one has ever touched you like this before, right?” She poked Lu Chengsha again.
Lu Chengsha nodded honestly.
Hua Yan felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. She pulled his hand away from her face and said, “Then let’s do it more often so you can get used to it.”
Lu Chengsha’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and after a long pause, he turned his head and said, “…I can’t.”
Hua Yan asked, “Hm?”
Lu Chengsha finally sighed, as if he had built up a lot of mental fortitude, and said, “I’ll end up wanting to do bad things.”
Hua Yan instinctively asked, “What bad things?”
Lu Chengsha slowly closed his eyes, using a tone as if he were resigning himself to fate, “…Make you cry.”
Hua Yan: “…?”
Why would he want to make her cry?
Ah—
He…
There was no need for him to learn so quickly.
Hua Yan adjusted her slightly improper posture, her face betraying her as it flushed, and she felt as if her head was about to steam. She tried hard to calm herself down.
Lu Chengsha’s voice, clear and cold without any improper thoughts, floated above her head, “Sorry, did I scare you…” he pondered, “If you’re afraid, you can keep your distance from me… I don’t want to hurt you either.”
Hua Yan couldn’t help but clench both her hands. She squeezed them tightly for a moment before nervously saying, “I’m… not that scared.”