Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Sweet Fragrance
Across the street from the mansion, Qingxiao leaned against the carriage, holding a sword and gazing at the women gradually dispersing from the entrance.
Inside the carriage, an incense clock reached the designated mark, and a bronze ball fell, producing a crisp sound.
The third quarter of noon had arrived, but the young lady had not yet appeared. Qingxiao looked at the sky then frowned at his subordinates, "The young lady is overdue, there might be an accident. Both of you, go separately to look for the elder lady and the Prince of Nanyang. Hurry!"
In the mansion of Princess Deyang, in a quiet room.
Ning Tan and others waited anxiously, sipping tea and fanning themselves. Ning Tan asked, "What is making that noise?"
A young eunuch listened for a moment and bowed, "Replying to Your Highness, it seems to be a cat in heat."
"Annoying."
Ning Tan, losing patience, scolded, "Why hasn't the person been brought here yet?"
Just as he was getting irritated, the door opened, and a little eunuch brought in a bundled woman in haste.
"Your Highness, Miss Yu from the Yu family has been sent to you."
The woman was placed on the couch, and the eunuch wiped his sweat, flattering, "To prevent her from harming Your Highness, a bit of medicine was used. Please pay attention to the time, don't indulge too much. If she goes missing for too long and is noticed, it will be troublesome."
"I understand, I understand." Ning Tan adjusted her clothes impatiently and waved his hand to dismiss the eunuch.
When the room emptied, Ning Tan cleared his throat, reached out to uncover the brocade covering the woman, revealing a delicate face. With a pause, Ning Tan felt that something was not quite right as he touched her.
The woman's figure and appearance were excellent, a beauty indeed, but not as stunning as he had glimpsed before. Did he, who had seen countless people, make a mistake this time?
Nevertheless, since it was delivered to him, why not take advantage of it? Yu Yuan had been stubborn for so long, not willing to submit to him. Today, he would tease his precious daughter first and marry the elder one later.
Ning Tan revealed a frivolous and playful smile, impatiently unbuckling his belt.
...
Fuyun Temple was a secret and enchanting place, housing female courtesans who served in secret.
At this moment, two female courtesans, wearing translucent Daoist robes, leaned against the back door, chatting leisurely.
"Miao Zhen, what do you think about the man and woman in the warehouse?"
Miao Zhen, chewing melon seeds, spat and said, "The man is probably resentful due to unrequited love! Unable to obtain it, he wants to destroy it. Why else would he use the Extreme Bliss Incense on a virtuous woman?"
This aphrodisiac incense was originally used by them to retain clients in the Immortal City. Its strength lay in the fact that, after smelling it, a person would experience desire every ten days, intensifying with each occurrence. After three times, the effect would be so strong that it would last a month before naturally dissipating. This way, they could maintain long-term business with clients.
Thinking about it, a trace of disdain crossed Miao Zhen's vulgar face: truly, men are like beasts, and that young girl is probably ruined for life.
But what could be done? They themselves were controlled by others and had no choice.
In the backyard, the warehouse was cramped and without windows. Only a small iron window high above provided some fresh air, but it was still hot.
This time, the anomaly was different from the dizziness after the banquet. Yu Lingxi felt a fire burning inside her body. The figure of Ning Yin in front of her became blurred. She felt like a boneless vine seeking support uncontrollably.
"Wei Qi..."
Yu Lingxi's gaze was hazy, the corners of her eyes tinted with a red, and her breathing became rapid. "I feel like... something's not right..."
Steadily wrapping his arm around her sinking waist, Ning Yin raised his hand to disperse the lingering smoke. In the dimness, a pair of eyes carried a cold gleam.
"Because Miss took the medicine."
Seated while observing the girl in his embrace, who was warm and tender, Ning Yin lifted the corners of his mouth in a mocking smile. "A love-inducing fragrance."
Yu Lingxi bit her lip, feeling an urge to kill Zhao Xu.
The fluctuation of emotions intensified the heat within her, wave after wave surging, assaulting her fragile sanity. At this particular moment, there was also a young and vigorous man beside her.
Ning Yin, with his various tricks, was unforgettable for her entire life. She forced herself to maintain composure, shifting slightly on the couch to prevent herself from doing anything foolish in a haze of unclear consciousness.
The softness in his embrace left without mercy, and the smile disappeared from Ning Yin's lips.
He remained motionless, silently watching Yu Lingxi buried in his arms, her face flushed as if intoxicated.
After a moment, he stood up, and in Yu Lingxi's dazed gaze, he unfastened his belt and outer robe.
The reddish inner servant's attire fell along the edge of the couch, causing Yu Lingxi to tense involuntarily. She asked briefly, "What are you doing?"
"Miss is uncomfortable, and only I can help."
Ning Yin's voice was low and deep, but in Yu Lingxi's ears, it sounded like a thunderclap.
"Wei Qi..."
Yu Lingxi's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you know... what you're saying?"
"I know." Kneeling on one knee on the couch, eyes ink-black, the youth did not have any playful teasing or lustful desire. His voice was as calm as reporting what dishes were being served today.
"I have never been with a woman before, please forgive Miss for any inconvenience."
His slightly cool lips approached, blocking the scorching breath from Yu Lingxi.
There was a moment of blankness in Yu Lingxi's mind, breath held for a while, and then the pain in her lower jaw brought her back to her senses.
Ning Yin pinched her lower jaw, looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows, similar to the way he did in her past life. He asked softly, "Miss, are you planning to suffocate yourself to protect your reputation?"
Only then did Yu Lingxi exhale a long breath, recovering her breath, and her tense body softened again.
Reputation?
After experiencing the pain of the family's destruction, enduring the bitterness of being a caged bird, and living with a cruel and insane lunatic for two years...
One should know that reputation is just the shackles imposed by others. There is nothing more important than staying alive.
The handsome, familiar face was right in front of her, seemingly clear yet also blurry. Yu Lingxi looked at his deep eyes, hearing the sound of the broken jar from the depths of her soul.
It's not the first time, what's there to be afraid of?
Her consciousness was muddled, and she couldn't distinguish whether those absurd and frivolous thoughts were her true self or the result of the medicine.
"Wei Qi."
Yu Lingxi hesitated before reaching out to touch Ning Yin's cheek, cradling it. Then, suddenly, she smiled as if intoxicated and lightly said, "Your kissing skills are still so lacking."
Ning Yin furrowed his brow.
Before he could inquire about the origin of this "still," he saw the girl who had been shrinking just moments ago kneeling up, lowering her eyes, and lightly licking the tip of his nose.
The movement was skilled and caught him off guard.
The world fell into a silent stillness, and Ning Yin's breath paused for a moment. He slightly opened his eyes, gazing at the girl with peach-like charm and confusion just inches away. In the dark depths of his eyes, it seemed like molten lava was surging.
A touch of fragrance separated them, but it also stole away Ning Yin's proud self-control.
Despite being fed with poisonous incense since childhood, which should make him immune to this kind of incense, at this moment, he felt a subtle restlessness that couldn't be satisfied.
It was novel, but not repulsive.
He pursed his thin lips, squinted his eyes for a moment, and then reached to cup the back of Yu Lingxi's head, closing in once again. After all, beasts never care about morals or shame; they follow instincts.
A sudden pain on her lips brought Yu Lingxi back from the hazy entanglement, forcefully summoning a trace of reason.
"This is not right..." As if suddenly awakened, she pushed Ning Yin away.
After a moment of confusion, her gaze focused.
Yu Lingxi's lips were rosy, and she looked at the dark-eyed Ning Yin, breathing rapidly as she murmured, "It can't be like before."
It had nothing to do with reputation; without love, it was just a physical union.
Ning Yin didn't understand the five senses, didn't care about morals, but she understood.
In her past life, she and Ning Yin had already taken a wrong path, and this life shouldn't start the same way. Unsatisfied with her stopping, Ning Yin tilted his head slightly. "Miss?"
"You... stay away from me." Yu Lingxi hugged her knees, sitting on the couch, and spoke with difficulty.
Ning Yin's eyes darkened slightly.
After thinking for a while, he asked, "Does Miss dislike me?"
"This is not right, not right..." Yu Lingxi repeated this sentence, shaking her head and gradually regaining clarity in her muddled consciousness.
"What is right, then?" Ning Yin's figure enveloped her, his voice hoarse and deep. "Is it right for Miss to torture herself to death?"
As the effects of the drug subsided a bit, Yu Lingxi had the strength to glare at him.
Ning Yin looked displeased.
He raised his hand and touched the spot on his nose that had been kissed.
Tsk, how come he didn't see this kind of firmness when she took the initiative just now?
"People and beasts are different. Naturally, such things should be tried with the one you love," Yu Lingxi said, her cheeks blushing.
Love?
Ning Yin found it ridiculous: he didn't have such a thing.
"If affected by this fragrance, and without that..." The girl's voice, difficult to articulate, interrupted his thoughts. "Will I die?"
Ning Yin thought for a moment and said, "No."
Yu Lingxi visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Just living a fate worse than death," Ning Yin said.
Before she could fully relax, tension suddenly returned.
Ning Yin, wearing a snowy white inner garment, sat on the edge of the couch, coldly silent for a while, unable to bear it any longer. He said, "Miss, if you don't want to relieve the misery, endure through it, and it will be fine."
Yu Lingxi softly acknowledged, tightening her embrace.
Ning Yin raised an eyebrow, unexpectedly finding her so resolute. She'd rather endure the torture herself than let him touch her. For a long time, there was only the sound of rapid and slow breathing in the warehouse. The cold light from the skylight slanted down, illuminating the slender shoulders of the trembling girl.
Yu Lingxi's breath shook violently, half of her face buried in her arms. Ning Yin thought she might cry.
But she just bit her lip tightly, enduring the most difficult moment with pain. Her eyelashes fluttered, eyes filled with both struggle and determination.
A trace of blood congealed into a bead on her lips, then suddenly rolled down her pristine chin.
The vivid red color stabbed Ning Yin's eyes. He clenched his knuckles on his knee.
Damn it, he wanted to drag Zhao Xu's corpse from the bottom of the pool and feed it to the dogs.
He stood up, picking up the scattered reddish outer robe from the ground.
Yu Lingxi immediately stiffened, lifting her water-rippling apricot eyes and watching him vigilantly. Ning Yin's hand holding the robe hesitated for a moment, then casually brushed away the dust on it.
"The clothes were crumpled, a bit dirty," he said. "Miss, just make do with it."
The robe draped over Yu Lingxi's shoulders, covering the slightly disheveled straps of her bodice.
The robe was large and warm.
Yu Lingxi, who had experienced the most embarrassing and dangerous moment just now, did not shed a tear. However, wrapped in Ning Yin's outer robe, she felt a bit sour inexplicably.
While the drug effects had subsided significantly, they were still quite lingering.
Afraid that she couldn't hold on and lose her train of thought, Yu Lingxi trembled as she spoke, "Wei Qi, talk to me."
Ning Yin's voice, as calm as an ancient well with no ripples, responded, "What should I talk about?"
Yu Lingxi frowned, enduring the surging emptiness and desire, and adjusted her breath. "Anything, tell me a story."
Sitting in the dimness, Ning Yin's silhouette was just a side profile, making it impossible to see his expression. After a while, a flat and unemotional voice came, "Once upon a time, in the Wolf Kingdom, there were many little lambs."
Unexpectedly, Ning Yin actually started telling her a story.
Yu Lingxi, forgetting the discomfort in her body due to curiosity, asked, "Since it's the Wolf Kingdom, why are there little lambs?"
Ning Yin glanced at her, then coldly said, "In the Wolf Kingdom, only one wolf is allowed, and the rest must be docile and ignorant little lambs. If the big wolf discovers the presence of other wolves, it will mercilessly bite them to death."
"One day, the smallest lamb in the kingdom discovered that it had grown claws. Its claws were extremely sharp, even sharper than the big wolf's. It turns out the little lamb was also a wolf. The little wolf's mother was in panic, afraid of being attacked by the big wolf. Crying, she picked up iron tongs and gradually plucked out the claws that the little wolf had grown, confining it in a cage, thinking it could conceal everything."
A detached voice, a bloody story, made Yu Lingxi finally sense that something was wrong.
Intuition told her that Ning Yin's story was definitely related to his past.
"What happened next?"
"Afterwards, the little wolf grew bit by bit, and the nature of eating meat couldn't be hidden. One day, a piece of meat rolled into the cage. The little wolf was extremely hungry and grabbed the meat to eat. However, unexpectedly, the meat had been deliberately poisoned..."
This story was enough to make Yu Lingxi forget about the effects of the drug, sending shivers down her spine.
"Is the little wolf still alive?"
"Lucky to survive, but also exposed the fact that it was a wolf."
Ning Yin seemed to be just telling a story in a calm and indifferent tone. "The big wolf's subordinates caught the little wolf and its mother. Then a dagger was thrown in front of them. Those people told the little wolf's mother that only one of them, either her or her son, could live..."
"The big wolf is really despicable."
She tried to stabilize her voice, pretending not to know anything, and asked, "What happened next?"
Ning Yin did not continue.
A long silence, Yu Lingxi couldn't see his expression.
"Miss's breathing has stabilized a lot, presumably the drug effects have faded."
He suddenly laughed, no longer continuing the topic of wolves and lambs. He stood up and asked, "Can you walk?"
Yu Lingxi felt a bit resentful, not having heard the follow-up of the story. But if she were to inquire further now, Ning Yin would surely become suspicious.
She tried to move her hands and feet, then struggled to stand, supporting herself against the wall. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I can walk."
Ning Yin nodded in understanding, then walked to the tightly closed warehouse door and kicked it with his foot. His legs were long, and the kick was quick and fierce. The entire door, along with the lock, collapsed to the ground with a loud bang, raising a cloud of dust.
Harsh light flooded in.
Two female attendants outside the door heard the commotion and immediately ran over. "What's going on..."
Without seeing Ning Yin's actions clearly, both attendants widened their eyes and then fell limply to the ground.
Yu Lingxi, astonished, approached while leaning on the wall and said, "You..."
"Not dead," Ning Yin said confidently.
Yu Lingxi was taken aback and helplessly said, "I didn't mean that. I meant, since you could open the door, why didn't you take me with you earlier?"
Ning Yin smiled and said in a low voice, "Miss, you were still under the influence of the drug just now. Could you have walked? I don't mind carrying you around attracting attention, but I'm afraid Miss wouldn't want to lose face."
Forcing words and irrationality.
Yu Lingxi gave him an annoyed look, took a deep breath, and said more clearly, "Go call a carriage to take me back to Princess Deyang's Mansion."
Ning Yin looked at her, his eyes revealing a hint of depth.
This delicate young girl, having just experienced such danger, unexpectedly didn't first run home to complain, but dared to return to the princess's mansion to confront the conspiracy...
It was becoming more interesting.
Going back was good; it would catch up with a big show.
...
Princess Deyang's Mansion, on the path in front of the Buddha hall.
"That cat was a gift from the emperor. If it's lost, wouldn't it be a great crime?"
About a dozen female family members surrounded an anxious-looking woman in palace attire, seeming to be searching for something in the flower and tree clusters.
"Princess, don't worry. Maybe the cat found it too noisy and went to a quiet place to hide," someone comforted.
"Get more people to search!"
Princess Deyang, anxious, with a hint of crying in her voice, suddenly heard something. Holding her breath, she said, "Shh, did you hear the cat's meow?"
"It seems so."
"I heard it too."
"Seems to be coming from behind the Buddha hall. Let's go take a look."
"Shh, don't make any noise! Don't scare it away!"
Princess Deyang led the group urgently through the stone path toward the Buddha hall.
Just as they were about to climb the stone steps, they saw two dozing eunuchs jump up in a hurry. Anxiously, they said, "Oh, ladies, you can't enter here!"
Yu Xinyi and Prince Nanyang, who happened to hear the noise, arrived and saw a group of female family members arguing with two eunuchs.
Due to the uncertainty of her sister's safety, Yu Xinyi didn't dare to openly request a search for her sister. To maintain secrecy, she had sought protection and infiltrated Princess Deyang's residence with Ning Zizhuo, Nanyang's Junior Prince.
The palace maid said that the second Miss Yu and Miss Zhao were resting in the side hall, but when she arrived at the side hall, her sister and Zhao Yuming were not there. She only found her sister's red jade flower on the soft couch.
Worried even more, she was almost certain that her sister was in trouble. The entire mansion had been searched, and the only place left was the Buddha hall. Without hesitation, she walked quickly towards the Buddha hall.
"Miss Yu, you can't enter this place."
Ning Zizhuo's face showed a hint of anxiety, scratching his temple, "How about I go ask for permission from the princess?"
"No time." Yu Xinyi pushed Ning Zizhuo away and entered.
"Hey, miss! This place is not allowed to enter!"
Two eunuchs were blocking the way, both blocking the noble ladies looking for the cat and trying to stop Yu Xinyi. Sweating profusely, they said, "You can't enter here! Really can't!"
There must be something fishy under the cover!
Yu Xinyi couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense. With one hand, she pushed away one of the eunuchs, and the other one rushed over but was held back by Ning Zizhuo from behind.
"Hurry, go!" Ning Zizhuo, reversing his stance temporarily, held the eunuch tightly, his face turning red.
Yu Xinyi quickly climbed the stone steps and pushed open the door of the quiet room. The wind rushed in, lifting the hanging gauze, and the entangled figures on the bed were instantly reflected in everyone's eyes.
"Who..."
The man turned his head, and surprisingly, it was the current crown prince, Ning Tan!
And the woman under him, in a state of confusion, was unexpectedly...
"Zhao...Zhao Yuming." The daughter of the Minister of War, Yu Xinyi recognized her and took a step back in disbelief.
A dead silence followed, and then the girls began to cover their eyes and avoid looking, screaming in surprise.
"What's all this commotion for?"
From the corridor, the authoritative voice of Princess Deyang sounded steadily.
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