Rustling sounds echoed in the dim alley, interspersed with crude, vulgar remarks that made one blush.
Ji Yanqing had only wanted Su Ningyue to play along with a few cries, but her talent in this regard was extraordinary. Her sultry, bone-melting tone, with a trembling lilt, left ample room for imagination.
Her flushed cheeks pressed against the Heir’s chest, her suppressed, seductive moans escaping her luscious lips.
Su Ningyue’s eyes were silky, her delicate fingers grazing his python robe’s collar, occasionally brushing his neck.
Her alluring figure and enchanting voice contrasted with the pure, sweet smile on her lips.
Purity and seduction—two opposing qualities—harmonized perfectly in Su Ningyue’s form, like a white lotus blooming at the water’s edge, beautiful yet untouchable, yet inviting play.
[Feeling the warm jade in your arms, your sword hungers to be unsheathed. When it strikes, Su Ningyue will surely fall…]
At that moment, Ji Yanqing felt a stir, her ambrosial breath fanning his face, igniting a fire in his core.
‘Who could resist this?!’
The difficulty of restraint was nightmare-level.
“Let’s climb over the back wall,” Ji Yanqing suggested softly. Continuing this intimacy, he might truly draw his “sword.”
“Mmm!” Su Ningyue purred seductively, nodding slightly, her pale hands hooking around his neck as she pouted, “Ningyue… wants you to carry me.”
In her dazed passion, a tipsy haze spread. If Ji Yanqing wanted to “cloud and rain” with her now, she’d likely welcome it.
“Trying to become my consort?” Ji Yanqing teased, one arm around her waist, the other under her slender legs, chuckling wryly.
“Your words humble me, Your Highness. I know my low birth. Just… don’t cast me aside,” Su Ningyue murmured hazily, nuzzling him like a kitten, marking him with her scent, clutching the ginseng tightly.
“Don’t belittle yourself, Ningyue!” Ji Yanqing gently pinched her creamy thigh, so soft his fingers seemed to sink in.
The alley’s end had a low wall, barely five feet. Channeling spiritual energy, Ji Yanqing lightly tapped his foot, vaulting over effortlessly.
He wasn’t worried about his Night-Shining Jade Lion left behind—its intelligence ensured it would wander and return to the Wei King’s Mansion.
With Su Ningyue’s dazed state, Ji Yanqing couldn’t leave her alone on the streets. Taking her to the mansion with Xie waiting was unwise.
He hurried to a nearby Bronze Sparrow Chamber shop. Seeing the python-robed Heir, the staff knelt respectfully.
Without preamble, Ji Yanqing produced a gilded bronze token, etched with a lifelike sparrow.
The Bronze Sparrow Token, held only by the Chamber’s core members, numbered no more than seven.
“This lady’s tipsy. Sober her up, prepare me plain clothes, and clean this robe thoroughly—no trace of unusual fragrance, or…” Ji Yanqing paused strategically, “I’ll have Master Jing Huan fire you. Understood?”
Seeing the token, the staff were surprised but quickly understood.
Years ago, Master Jing Huan rose with the Bronze Sparrow, turning ideas into millions of silver taels, making it Yanxia’s third-largest merchant group.
Ye City, its origin, required alliances with local powers, none stronger than the Wei King’s Mansion, ruling Jizhou.
With their backing, the Chamber thrived in Jizhou and expanded across Yanxia and the Western Regions.
The Wei King’s Mansion reaped hefty profits, making Ji Yanqing’s token unsurprising.
As for Jing Huan, he was another of Ji Yanqing’s aliases, one of seven he kept prepared.
Shedding the python robe, Ji Yanqing changed into clean white garments in a private room, sans mask, holding an ivory fan.
When he emerged, Su Ningyue’s senses were returning. Her “intoxication” was emotional, not drunken.
After wiping her face with a damp cloth, she recovered.
Seeing his peach-blossom eyes, her face flushed, and she curtsied, murmuring, “I troubled Your Highness. Please punish me.”
Recalling her shameless words and intimate actions in his arms, she was mortified, wishing to vanish into a hole.
[Punish? Images of making her swoon flash through your mind. Considering her innocence, kind-hearted you skips the whip and candle, opting for a custom collar and a ‘Master’ call…]
Despite knowing the narrator’s depravity, the collar mention made Ji Yanqing feel pure by comparison.
Collars? He’d only considered them for Xie… the sinful thrill was intoxicating to imagine.
From her earlier performance, Su Ningyue was exceptional—his fingertips had felt a moist chill.
“Fine, your punishment is to shop with me,” Ji Yanqing said, fanning himself with a smile.
Su Ningyue hesitated, her lips parting. “May I first return to Weiyuan to brew medicine for my father? His condition’s worsened, and I must repay his care.”
“Allowed, on one condition,” he said.
“What condition?” she asked, curious.
“Simple. I go with you,” he replied softly. It was late; letting her walk alone lacked chivalry.