Although there were no spring flowers, autumn moon, gentle summer wind, or insects and birds chirping, there was a sky full of stars on this quiet night. There were also two young hearts that were slowly getting closer.
“Do you know that my Shifu often took us to practice martial arts under a waterfall? When the torrents landed on my body, it was painful and refreshing.” Shangguan LingRan thought of his shixiongs and Shifu and revealed a soft smile.
This was the first time that Zi You had heard about his life in Xuanyuan Sect. she couldn’t help but ask, “How old were you when you arrived at Mount Emei?”
“Two years old.” Shangguan LingRan thought about his childhood and his phoenix eyes dimmed. “I don’t remember, but Mufei had told me. When I was one and a half years old, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager gave the old man two cefeis. One is Su cefei and the other is Ning cefei. Su cefei was pregnant after being married for two months. From then on, disaster struck me.
“One time, I inexplicably fell into the palace’s lotus pond. Another time, Mufei took me to the temple and the horse was startled. If Mufei didn’t hold onto me tightly, I might have died. But Mufei was seriously injured and was bedridden for a full month and a half.
“Since then, my grandfather had sent people to protect me. But the people he sent were killed again and again. Finally, my grandfather saw that it wasn’t working. He took advantage of his birthday when Mufei brought me to the capital. This time, I was sent to Shifu by grandfather. I was only two years and four months old then. An orphan whom grandfather bought took my place to return to Pei City.
“When I was seven years old, my first substitute became a hostage and arrived at the capital. He stayed for only one year there. He was killed when he was eight years old. There was no other choice, so I came back. This time, I lived in the capital for three months and returned to Pei City for six months.
“I will never forget those six months. The old man treated me worse than an outsider. I, the Di son, am not even worth the two Shu sons born from cefeis. One time, Shangguan Liran, Su cefei’s son, wanted my seven-colored crystal ball that grandfather gave me. I didn’t give it to him. The result was that the old man locked me up and made me kneel in the dark ancestral hall for three days and nights.”
Zi You angrily scolded, “What? This is going overboard even if you favor the concubine and neglect the wife. You are also his son. Is his heart eaten by a dog to treat you like that? He’s a slag male in eight lifetimes! Oh, I’m so angry!”
She fiercely kicked a stone, as if the stone was An Wang.
Shangguan LingRan looked at how angry Zi You was. His originally cold and numb heart finally recovered. A stream of warm heat gradually spread.
He looked at her jade-like face. Her smooth skin exuded a faint halo more brilliant than a pearl.
This was the first time that he had liked someone so much. He didn’t want to be outside of her heart. Shangguan LingRan was originally not a restrained person. He had restrained and controlled himself for Zi You again and again. His control finally broke under the moonlight.
He took her in his arms and covered her lips with his own. Although his surging feelings rushed out, he was still careful as he kissed her. But when he touched those soft and sweet lips, his efforts at controlling himself stopped.
All of his senses were concentrated on the small lips. Nothing else existed. He only wanted to concentrate on those lips. After he boldly touched her lips, he was no longer satisfied with the shallow contact. As if someone guided him, his tongue inserted between her lips.
Under the pressure from Shangguan LingRan’s lips, Zi You’s whole body stiffened. Her eyes were fixated on his face. She felt his thin and red lips cover her lips. She felt a very strange feeling which came from her lips. She was dazed.
Her usual intelligence disappeared. She could only feel his warm breath, the heat from his skin, and the light bamboo scent that surrounded him. She suddenly came back to her senses when he slipped his soft tongue through her lips and teeth. It was absurd what he was doing. She reached out to push him away.
But Shangguan LingRan’s reaction was faster than hers. He moved almost as soon as she moved. He grabbed her hands with one hand. His other hand was placed behind her head. He slightly moved back from her. His lips moved about a centimeter away from hers. His magnificent eyes looked mesmerizingly at her. His breath when he spoke covered their lips. “Look, YouYou. You like me.”
His low voice sounded surprised. His phoenix eyes looked overbearingly at Zi You and didn’t allow her to escape again.
He was very eager to express his joy. He had been ready for everything. Perhaps she would push him away, slap him, or righteously reject him. But she didn’t do anything. He could even feel the slight tremor of her body when he kissed her.
He couldn’t wait to confirm his point. He was really afraid that the little woman would avoid him and distance him from her heart.
Zi You could feel his breath brush past her lips as he spoke. The minor distance between them was the same as none there. His eyes were serious, focused, and heated. She was afraid to look at him and wanted to escape elsewhere.