507: warm room

Shang Wan Ning restrained the nimble fingers and brought them to her lips, giving them a light bite. "Tsk, it was more than just a scare."

She gritted her teeth. "I thought I was having hallucinations from drinking too much. Sister Meng, your 'Stealth' technique is truly impressive."

"But I still believe Little Four wanted to see an Asura Field, so they let you through."

Meng Jiang chuckled, allowing her fingertips to be held in the other's mouth while her other hand caressed Shang Wan Ning's cheek, her thumb gently rubbing the reddened corners of her eyes. "Was Your Majesty feeling guilty just now?"

"Who's feeling guilty?"

Shang Wan Ning released her fingers and wrapped her arm around Meng Jiang's waist, pulling her closer. "I was simply caught off guard."

"Oh? Caught off guard." Meng Jiang followed her lead and leaned down, their bodies pressing closely together. Through the thin fabric, they could feel each other's body heat and heartbeats.

She lowered her gaze, her eyes falling on Shang Wan Ning's newly done nails—a translucent smoky purple with shimmering shell fragments and gold leaf that sparkled brilliantly.

She took that hand and placed it on the slit of her Qipao. Beneath the smooth, cool touch of the silk was warm, firm skin... "This color suits Your Majesty well when you cry~" Meng Jiang guided Shang Wan Ning's hand, slowly moving it up along the slit. "I just wonder... if it can withstand being rubbed and squeezed."

Shang Wan Ning's breath hitched slightly.

【(!! ˃ θ ˂̥̥ ) So spicy and stimulating~】

Meng Jiang's breath brushed against the side of her neck, carrying a familiar faint fragrance mixed with a hint of the crisp, clear coldness from her long seclusion. Her Older Sister Type aura mostly vanished, leaving behind nothing but blunt and ambiguous aggression.

"Is Sister Meng..." Shang Wan Ning's throat bobbed as she touched the delicate, warm skin. "Planning to commit insubordination the moment you come out of seclusion?"

"Insubordination?"

Meng Jiang lifted her face, her peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly, reflecting Shang Wan Ning's passion. "When Your Majesty asked someone to sit on the edge of the couch just now, why didn't you think about 'hierarchy and status'?"

As she spoke, she twisted her waist and flipped over, pressing Shang Wan Ning down onto the soft couch instead.

The hem of the moon-white Qipao spread out completely, her long, straight legs kneeling on either side of Shang Wan Ning's body. The hidden patterns embroidered with silver thread flowed with fragments of 'spring light' in the warm pavilion's glow.

Her long hair slid from her shoulders, a few silken strands dangling beside Shang Wan Ning's cheeks.

Meng Jiang propped her hands on either side of Shang Wan Ning's head and looked down at her, the curve of her lips carrying a sense of absolute control. "Now, who is the one committing insubordination, hmm?"

Lying beneath her, Shang Wan Ning looked up at the face so close to hers—a face so beautiful it was almost aggressive—and her heart skipped a beat. Refusing to be outdone, she reached up and hooked her arms around Meng Jiang's neck, pulling her down until their noses touched.

"Sister Meng, your temper has certainly grown after being in seclusion for so long!" Shang Wan Ning's voice was low and filled with moisture. "However... I like it."

As soon as she finished speaking, she tilted her head up and kissed her.

It wasn't a brief touch, but a kiss filled with a sense of compensation. Her tongue pried open the teeth, intertwining and sucking... completely swallowing the other's crisp, cool breath.

Meng Jiang only paused for a brief moment before responding passionately. She slid one hand into Shang Wan Ning's hair, holding the back of her head to deepen the kiss.

Her other hand slipped into Shang Wan Ning's collar, her fingertips carrying a slightly cool moisture as they brushed over the collarbone and moved downward... The air in the warm pavilion heated up again, even more so than during the girl group's hot dance earlier, yet it lacked that clamorous vanity and held more of a bone-deep intimacy and possession.

Between the tangling of lips and tongues, their breathing became ragged.

Shang Wan Ning's hands weren't idle either, fumbling for the frog buttons on the side of Meng Jiang's Qipao and undoing them one by one.

The moon-white silk slid from her shoulders like flowing water, revealing a large expanse of snowy white... Meng Jiang pulled back slightly, her breathing unsteady and her lips stained a moist, vivid red. Looking at the burning light in Shang Wan Ning's eyes, she gave a light chuckle and proactively lowered her head to kiss the other's neck, leaving tiny nibbles on that fragile skin.

"Your Majesty..." she called out unclearly, her hot breath spraying against the skin. "During these days of seclusion... I missed you."

Shang Wan Ning trembled all over, her arms tightening as she pulled the woman firmly into her embrace. "I know." She turned her head, found Meng Jiang's earlobe, and took it into her mouth with a light suck. "So... isn't this my way of compensating Sister Meng?"

Their clothes became increasingly disarrayed amidst the entanglement.

The cushions on the soft couch were kicked to the floor.

The 'Spring Messenger in the Snow' incense in the burner had long since burned out, leaving behind a lingering fragrance that wrapped around the more private and enticing scent emanating from the two of them.

【...The warm pavilion’s incense lingers after the snow, shadows snuggle on the soft couch as a pair. Fingertips idly wind through silken black hair, breath lightly brushes the frost on the neck. Cheeks are flushed, temple hair flutters, as twin cherries taste the fragrance of lips. Chiding her for the misplaced galaxy in her eyes, smiling as the lotus lamp illuminates the long night...】

...Qing Dai had been guarding the outside of the warm pavilion for a full seven days and eight hours. Her eyelids were as heavy as lead weights, and it felt as if a scratching wildcat was tucked in her heart, its claws scraping her internal organs one by one, making her so itchy she couldn't sit still.

The Sound-Isolating Array outside the warm pavilion had long been set up tightly. She didn't know how many times she had pressed her ear against the carved door panels, but in seven days, she hadn't heard a single sound from inside; there was only the drum-like thumping of her own heart, growing more urgent with every beat.

Her Majesty and Lady Meng Jiang were inside... Had they already hit it off like dry wood and a raging fire, losing all track of time?

Scenes of various erotic images uncontrollably played in Qing Dai's mind, causing her cheeks to burn so hot they could fry an egg.

She quickly shook her head, wishing she could toss all those messy thoughts into the cold wind beneath the corridor.

【See no evil, hear no evil.】

【I'm just a maid waiting outside, I'm just a maid...】

She gripped the corner of her clothes and repeatedly recited the Heart-Clearing Incantation, trying to suppress the heat in her heart, but the more she recited, the more flustered she became.

Just then, the light sound of "tap, tap, tap" footsteps came from the corridor, like a string of bouncing beads, making one's heart tremble.

Qing Dai suddenly looked up.

Chen Yu was carrying a pile of colorful paper boxes, skipping toward her. Her white hair swayed in the glow of the palace lanterns along the corridor, her red eyes were sparkling, and her mouth was stretched into a wide grin.

Today, she was wearing a hoodie with a cartoon skull print, paired with a short skirt and over-the-knee socks. She looked as full of youthful energy as an idol about to take the stage.

Qing Dai's heart skipped a beat.

【Oh my god, is this going to turn into a threesome, or are we heading straight for an Asura Field?】

【Why is even the Prefecture City God joining in?!】

Chen Yu had already bounced up to her and held the high-stacked boxes of pastries in front of her: "Qing Dai! Is Her Majesty in? This Seat waited in line for two hours to buy the limited-edition sets from that newly opened 'Tangxin Pavilion' in the Underworld Market."

She held out the boxes like she was presenting a treasure, her eyes curving into crescents. "Look, Osmanthus Lava Pastry, Rose Bean Paste Cake, and this—Matcha Nama Chocolate Lava Cake! Apparently, they use imported cocoa powder from the mortal realm, and they only make fifty a day."