491: Chapter 491 He endured most of the night, and finally couldn't hold back anymore, right?

The night was deep.

The moon had climbed to the top of the sky, and moonlight filtered through the treetops, casting a layer of silvery-white light upon the ground.

The stream was still flowing with a murmuring sound, tinkling and bubbling, like a song that would never end.

The chirping of insects rose and fell, now distant, now near, making the valley seem even quieter.

Xiao Nianyin leaned against the tree trunk with her eyes closed, but she could not fall asleep no matter how hard she tried.

It was not that she was not tired.

After pursuing for several days and then acting as a Protector for half the night, her body was already exhausted.

Yet her mind was exceptionally clear, so clear that it made her somewhat irritable.

She opened her eyes and turned her head to glance at Xu Ruyu beside her.

He was leaning against the tree trunk, his head slightly tilted to one side, his breathing even and steady; he was sleeping like a log.

Moonlight shone on his face. That young face held no expression at this moment, save for a faint, elusive smile at the corners of his mouth—she wondered what sweet dream he was having.

Xiao Nianyin watched him, an indescribable emotion welling up in her heart.

This was the first night she had spent with him since recovering her Cultivation, since letting go of her inner obsessions, or rather—since she had psychologically accepted Xu Ruyu.

Before, in Ningyin Hall, those nights when she shared a bed with him were for healing, because she needed his Physique to stabilize her Origin.

Back then, her heart was filled only with calculations and utilization.

She treated herself as a tool, and she treated him as a tool as well.

Those nights, even when their skin touched and their spirits and bodies merged, her heart remained cold.

But now, it was different.

She was no longer that aloof Saint Realm Sect Master, and he was no longer that ant to be manipulated at will.

He was her man, and she was his woman.

It had taken her a long time to accept this fact, but at this moment, she accepted it.

Xiao Nianyin closed her eyes again, trying hard to fall asleep.

She couldn't sleep.

There was an indescribable restlessness within her body, rising from the depths of her heart and spreading to every limb and bone.

This restlessness made her whole body burn, made her heart race, and made it impossible for her to find peace.

She tossed and turned, the dry grass beneath her rustling with the movement.

She knew what it was.

She was a woman who knew the taste of such indulgence.

Those nights of tenderness, those intimate touches, those moments that had nearly made her lose control, were already etched into her body.

She had thought she could control it, thought she could ignore it, but now, as she sat side-by-side with him like this, with his scent right beside her, and his body heat seeping through their robes, she realized she could not control it.

She wanted him.

As soon as this thought emerged, her face flushed red.

She was a Saint Realm Expert, the former Sect Master of Hehuan Sect, a being looked up to by countless people in the Cultivation World.

How could she have such a thought? How could she, like some shameless woman, take the initiative to...

But she was his woman. She had long been his woman.

Xiao Nianyin bit her lip, opened her eyes, and glanced at Xu Ruyu again.

He was still asleep, dead to the world, completely unaware of her current torment.

She suddenly felt a bit annoyed.

This bastard, here she was tossing and turning, while he, on the other hand, was sleeping as if nothing was the matter.

She glared at him resentfully and closed her eyes again.

After a while, she opened her eyes again.

Wait a little longer.

After another while.

No more waiting.

Xiao Nianyin took a deep breath, slowly shifted her body, and moved closer to Xu Ruyu.

Her movements were very light and slow, for fear of waking him.

She inched closer, close enough to see every fine hair on his face, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath.

Just as her body was about to touch his—

A hand suddenly reached out, wrapped around her waist, and flipped her over onto the ground.

Before Xiao Nianyin could react, Xu Ruyu had already flipped over and pinned her down, one hand propped beside her ear, the other pressing against her waist, looking down at her from above.

Moonlight shone on his face; there was no trace of sleepiness on that face at all. His eyes were frighteningly bright, and a teasing smile hung at the corners of his mouth.

"Finally couldn't help it?"

His voice carried a hint of hoarseness and a touch of smugness.

Xiao Nianyin's face instantly flushed to the roots of her ears.

She wanted to push him away, wanted to deny it, but as soon as her hand was raised, it was pinned down by him.

His palm was very hot, burning her and making her heart flutter with panic.

"I... I didn't..."

She turned her face away, not daring to look at him.

"Didn't?" Xu Ruyu laughed, leaned close to her ear, and lowered his voice, "Then why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night, and why are you snuggling up to me? You've been at it for ages, did you think I wouldn't know?"

Xiao Nianyin's face turned even redder.

She bit her lip, not knowing what to say.

She wanted to deny it, but she knew denial was useless. He knew everything.

Xu Ruyu did not force her.

He just looked at her quietly, waiting for her answer.

The night wind blew, lifting her long hair and brushing it across his face.

Under the moonlight, her face was as red as a ripe apple, her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembling slightly like the wings of a butterfly.

Her breathing was rapid and chaotic, her chest rising and falling unevenly.

Xu Ruyu waited for a while, and seeing that she still did not speak, he deliberately sighed, loosened his hand, and made a move to roll back.

"Since you didn't, then never mind, let's go back to sleep."

As soon as his hand loosened, Xiao Nianyin's hand grabbed his lapel.

Her hand was trembling slightly, but she was holding on very tightly.

Xu Ruyu looked down at her hand, then looked up at her face.

She did not open her eyes, but her lips were slightly moving, as if she wanted to say something but could not bring herself to say it.

"Hmm?"

He asked.

Xiao Nianyin took a deep breath, finally opened her eyes, and looked at him.

Under the moonlight, her eyes were as bright as two stars, containing a radiance he had never seen before.

"Mhm." She said.

Just one word.

But this one word contained so, so much.

It held letting go, acceptance, desire, courage, and the most primal expectation of a woman for a man...