16: Chapter 16 First Time

The two lights intertwined, dyeing the inside of the tent half silver-white and half warm gold.

Shen Xun'er sat by the fire pit, her long, raven-black hair draped behind her shoulders like black satin.

The spirit stone light reflected on her skin, which was as smooth as congealed fat, like a coating of warm gold, while the moonlight sprinkled on her profile like a silver veil.

Her eyelashes drooped slightly, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with the fragmented light of the spirit stones and moonlight mingling together.

Her hands were unconsciously twisting the hem of her spirit-cloth dress, her fingertips turning slightly red from the effort.

The tent was so quiet that only the distant sound of the Lingxi River flowing and the occasional faint crackle of spirit stones in the fire pit remained.

"Xuner."

Wang Sheng sat beside her and turned his head to look at her.

There was only a fist's distance between them, close enough for him to smell the faint, fragrant scent on her body mixed with the herbal aroma of her spirit-cloth dress, and close enough for him to see the deep blue luster of the moonlight flowing over her raven-black hair.

Shen Xun'er raised her head.

Her almond-shaped eyes met his gaze, her moist pupils reflecting his face and the sky full of moonlight behind him.

She bit her lower lip, those two slightly reddened lips looking like early spring peach blossoms under the warm light of the spirit stones—soft, moist, and trembling with a hint of extreme nervousness.

"Hmm?"

This single word spilled from her lips, as light as the sound of moonlight falling on water, yet it carried an undeniable invitation.

It was not a deliberate seduction, but the most instinctive, unadorned longing of a girl who had waited four years and finally received a response.

Wang Sheng's hand covered hers as she twisted her hem.

Shen Xun'er's fingertips were ice-cold; she shrank slightly in his palm, then slowly released the hem and instead gripped his fingers.

Their fingers intertwined, his warmth and her coolness blending together like two converging rivers.

"You…" Shen Xun'er's voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, her raven-black hair hanging down on both sides of her cheeks, covering most of her face, revealing only her slightly reddened ear tips and those almond-shaped eyes filled with fragmented light. "You don't have to wait anymore."

Wang Sheng's heart skipped a beat.

He understood.

It wasn't just the "I won't make you wait anymore" after the confession; she was telling him that tonight, she was willing to give him everything.

Four years of unrequited love, life and death reliance after transmigrating, the confession under the moonlight—at this moment, all the waiting had found its most fervent answer.

He reached out to brush aside the long hair on both sides of her cheeks, his fingertips grazing past her ears, revealing her face—illuminated by both the moonlight and the spirit stone light—completely before his eyes.

With skin like congealed fat, a face like a peach blossom, almond-shaped eyes brimming with moisture, and slightly parted lips, Shen Xun'er's beauty at this moment was even more heart-stirring than when she confessed under the moonlight, for it carried not just love, but also shyness, anticipation, and unreserved trust.

He lowered his head.

His lips landed on the center of her forehead, as light as a piece of moonlight.

Then came the tip of her nose, the small tear mole at the corner of her eye, her slightly trembling eyelashes, and finally, her lips.

Shen Xun'er's body stiffened for a moment the instant their lips touched, like a plucked string suddenly pulled taut.

Her hands didn't know where to rest; they hung in mid-air, hesitating for a beat, and then slowly, slowly climbed onto his shoulders, her fingers gripping the fabric on his back.

Wang Sheng's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her gently into his embrace.

Her waist was unbelievably slender, and the sensation beneath her spirit-cloth dress was soft and warm; in his grasp, he could feel her waist and abdomen slightly tensed from nervousness.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing the contour of her lips, patient and gentle, like moonlight stroking the surface of the Lingxi River, melting away all her nervousness and unease bit by bit.

Shen Xun'er closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

She followed his rhythm, responding clumsily, her breathing gradually becoming rapid and chaotic, her fingers gripping the fabric on his back tightening, her knuckles turning white.

The Moonlight Priestess's perception made her exceptionally sensitive to external stimuli.

The warmth of his palm, separated by the spirit-cloth dress, pressed against her waist like a warm flame slowly spreading, causing her whole body to heat up slightly.

Inside the tent, the warm spirit stone light was like a flickering bean, and the moonlight was like gauze.

The tie of her spirit-cloth dress had come undone at some point, and the moon-white fabric slid off her fair shoulders, revealing a stretch of snow-like skin and delicate collarbones.

The moonlight and spirit stone light fell on that skin simultaneously, as if plating suet-white jade with a mixed luster of warm gold and silver gauze.

It was so beautiful that it didn't seem real, appearing more like a creation carved by the Moon Goddess herself, revealed only at this moment, in this place, for him alone.

Blushing, Shen Xun'er pressed her forehead into the crook of his shoulder, her raven-black hair cascading down like a waterfall, spreading across most of the animal-skin mattress.

She dared not look at him, but she did not retreat; her fingers gripping his collar trembled slightly, and her breathing was as rapid as a startled fawn, yet her body honestly pressed close to him.

Her slender, curvaceous figure fit against his frame without reservation—her slender waist, soft curves, and long legs—like a meticulously painted scroll slowly unfurled under the moonlight.

Wang Sheng's fingers brushed over her back, sliding from her shoulder blades all the way to her waist, feeling the fine tremors on her skin and her rapid heartbeat.

He could count the Moonlight Priestess's heartbeat; it was three times faster than usual, like a small drum beaten by a strong wind—rapid, powerful, and unadorned.

"Xuner." His voice was hoarse and low, brushing past her ear like a night breeze. "Don't be afraid."

Shen Xun'er raised her head from the crook of his shoulder, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with moonlight and mist.

Her cheeks were flushed as red as March peach blossoms, and her lips were slightly swollen from being kissed.

Her raven-black hair was scattered messily over her shoulders and the mattress, so beautiful that Wang Sheng felt the heart in his chest being fiercely gripped by something, then gently kneaded open.

"I'm not afraid." Her voice was light and soft, with a hint of nasal tone and a smile.

Her almond-shaped eyes looked straight at him, filled with shyness, determination, and the relief that four years of waiting could finally be surrendered. "I waited for four years… I'm not afraid of anything."

Moonlight poured down from the skylight, enveloping the two in a silver-white gauze curtain.

The warm spirit stone light flickered gently; outside the tent, the sound of the Lingxi River flowed like the gentlest melody, and the night breeze carried the clear sweetness of spirit flowers through the gaps in the tent curtain, mingling with the rising temperature inside.

Suppressed moans flowed out slowly, echoing one after another with delicate gasps, their naked, scorching love responding to each other continuously.

The moon set and the stars sank.

The light of the spirit stones inside the tent had dimmed significantly, and only the starlight penetrating through the skylight and the faint moonlight reflected from the surface of the Lingxi River still cast faint light spots on the ceiling of the tent.

The spirit stones in the fire pit emitted a final bit of warmth, shrouding the entire space in a dim, gentle afterglow.

On the animal-skin mattress, Shen Xun'er curled up in Wang Sheng's arms, her raven-black hair spread across his chest and half the pillow like a piece of black satin.

A thin spirit-cloth quilt rested on her shoulders, barely covering her fair neck and collarbones, but it could not hide the softness and satisfaction she radiated at this moment, like a flower soaked in moonlight all night long, every petal bearing the moisture and charm of morning dew.

Her cheek pressed against his heart, listening to his gradually calming heartbeat.

Her long hair was messy, her lips slightly red, and her almond-shaped eyes half-closed as if holding two pools of moonlight.

A smile hung at the corners of her mouth that she couldn't take back—a smile that only appeared after experiencing the most intimate union, tender with a hint of laziness, satisfied with a touch of shyness.

Wang Sheng's arm wrapped around her shoulders, while his other hand unconsciously toyed with the long hair scattered across his chest.

Her hair was as soft as silk, and as it slid through his fingers, it carried the fragrance of spirit flowers and the warm breath of their union.

"Xuner."

"Hmm?" Her voice was soft and sweet, as if she hadn't completely recovered from the afterglow, the tail of her voice slightly raised with a hint of lazy nasal tone.

Wang Sheng looked down at her.

Moonlight and starlight spilled through the skylight onto her curled-up figure.

The curves beneath the thin spirit-cloth quilt rose and fell distinctly—her slender waist, full curves, and long legs—faintly visible amidst the bedding.

Her skin glowed with a warm, moist luster like congealed fat in the dim light, and a few shallow red marks remained on her shoulders, traces he had left when he was moved by passion just moments ago.

Shen Xun'er seemed to sense his gaze and buried her face in his chest, her ears burning red, her voice muffled: "You're not allowed to look…"

"My wife, why can't I look?"

Shen Xun'er bit his chest lightly, the force as gentle as an act of coquetry.

Then she raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with fragmented light and a smile, her raven-black hair sliding off her shoulders like a waterfall.

Her face, like a peach blossom, was filled with sweetness and a little bit of shyness.

"Wang Sheng." She used her fingertips to draw circles on his chest, her voice as light as if she were telling a secret. "I always used to wonder… what it would feel like if one day I could be with you."

She paused, the blush on her cheeks deepening a few shades, her voice even softer: "It's better than I imagined… so much better."

Wang Sheng laughed out loud and pressed a kiss to her forehead.