106: Chapter 106 Changning Takes Over

Moonlight flowed through the courtyard.

On the trellis, small white flower buds trembled in the evening breeze, releasing a subtle fragrance.

On the long table beneath the old zelkova tree, an array of exquisite spiritual pastries was spread out.

Beside it, a small clay charcoal stove simmered a pot of amber-colored sweet soup; it bubbled softly, exuding a warm, sweet aroma.

"Revered Master!"

A soft, surprised cry rang out.

Lu Changning walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly baked pastries—round, petite, golden, and glistening lava buns with flaky crusts.

In the moonlight, she wore only an extremely thin, lotus-root-colored cotton apron.

The apron was small, its ties loosely knotted behind her neck and around her slender waist, revealing a large expanse of porcelain-white shoulders and neck, barely covering her chest and her straight, slender legs.

The hem of her skirt rippled with her steps, swaying with hazy light and shadow in the night.

Lu Changning walked to Ling Hao's side, picked up a lava bun, and carefully brought it to his lips.

Her fingertips trembled slightly, and her eyes were moist:

"Revered Master... you must gently break the crust of this lava bun to taste the sweetness inside..."

Her voice was soft and glutinous, carrying an unconscious allure.

Ling Hao chuckled, his gaze as deep as the sea.

It seems that seeing all three Senior Sisters leave the Sect has made little Changning much bolder.

Taking it from Lu Changning's hand, Ling Hao took the lava bun into his mouth.

He did not bite into it immediately... instead... frost filled the sky.

"Since that is the case..."

The crispy outer shell shattered at the sound, and the piping hot, thick, and intoxicatingly fragrant lava filling instantly gushed out, filling his mouth and wetting Ling Hao's lips.

Lu Changning's fingertips were also stained with the lava filling; she hurriedly pulled them back, her ears turning bright red.

She picked up another small white jade plate from the long table, which held a snowy, fluffy Snow-Clad Hidden Jade Dew pastry.

"Revered Master, try this..."

She offered it again. Ling Hao, still eating from her hand, opened his mouth and took in the white cloud. As his lips and teeth applied a little pressure—

The light meringue outer layer cracked, and the chilled, mellow, and fragrant liqueur inside burst out!

Some was sucked in by him, but much more flowed down the young girl's wrist before she could pull it back, sliding over her delicate wrist bone, winding its way down, and quietly seeping into the cuff of the thin undergarment she wore beneath her apron.

The cold, sticky liquid instantly soaked the silk fabric on the inside, clinging to the skin of her upper arm, bringing a sudden, damp chill and the scent of alcohol.

The scent of the wine mixed with her own sweet, warm scent, drifting faintly. Unfortunately... where the soaked fabric clung, it only revealed the outline of the young girl's not-so-ample chest.

One couldn't help but sigh, how flat...

Lu Changning let out a low cry, overwhelmed with embarrassment, and hurriedly tried to wipe it off.

Ling Hao, however, pulled her slender wrist closer and lowered his head, frost filled the sky.

The exquisite spiritual pastries on the table were fed to Ling Hao by Lu Changning, one plate after another. With every bite she fed him, Ling Hao's gaze grew more scorching; his eyes seemed not to be tasting the food, but savoring her.

When the last piece of pastry vanished between his lips, Ling Hao's eyes were dark, his fingertips gently stroking Chi Wanhe's lower lip, his voice raspy beyond words:

"Is there more?"

Lu Changning felt her whole body go limp under Ling Hao's gaze, her cheeks burning hot; she nodded shyly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum:

"Th... there is one more that was just steamed... in the kitchen... Revered Master, follow me..."

The two walked one after the other into the warm kitchen. The stove fire was raging, and a pot of unknown soup was simmering, emitting a rich medicinal aroma; the air was thick and sultry, as if even breathing carried sparks.

Lu Changning walked to the stove and stood on tiptoe, trying to reach a steaming bamboo steamer lid.

"Careful, it's hot."

Ling Hao's deep voice sounded from behind Lu Changning, and at the same time, his warm chest pressed tightly against her smooth back, a large hand covering the one she used to grasp the lid.

"Ah!"

Lu Changning trembled in shock and instinctively backed away, her slender waist slamming into the edge of the cold stone counter. The ceramic spoon in her other hand fell to the floor with a clatter and shattered into pieces!

Ling Hao leaned down as if to pick up the shards, but his other hand reached up naturally, his fingertips nimbly hooking the slipknot of her apron tie at the back of her neck and giving it a gentle tug.

Swish—

The thin cotton knot came undone, and the lotus-root-colored apron slipped from the girl's shoulders like water, piling up around her slender ankles.

Lu Changning felt a chill, her cry stuck in her throat. In the dim light, the skin on her fragrant shoulders gleamed like pearls, and her shyness and helplessness made her almost unable to stand.

"Ma... Revered Master... eat this..."

Lu Changning's voice was shaking uncontrollably; suppressing her immense embarrassment, she tremblingly lifted the lid of the steamer beside her.

In the mist, a few inverted triangular white jade glutinous rice cakes lay quietly. The white jade-like rice skin had already cracked, revealing the red bean paste filling inside.

The red bean paste filling was plump and tempting, as crimson as rouge blood jade, oozing sweet, sticky syrup.

Ling Hao's gaze did not fall on the pastry. His long, slender fingertips dipped into the warm, sticky red bean paste, and then, to Lu Changning's astonishment, he smeared that dab of crimson sugar onto her ruby-red lips.

"This pastry shouldn't be eaten by hand, and it is not what I want to eat."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Changning felt the world spin!

Ling Hao had suddenly exerted force, sweeping her up into his arms...

Between the stove and his chest, Lu Changning was instantly enveloped by two distinct sources of heat, with nowhere to escape.

The deep, raspy voice whispered in Lu Changning's ear,

"Today,"

"The thing I want to eat... is the true, the only—secret treasure of this Yixiang Residence..."

A gust of wind blew through, whipping up the bamboo curtain at the kitchen entrance!

The heavy bamboo curtain fell, completely blocking the sliver of moonlight filtering through the doorway.

Inside the kitchen, it instantly plunged into a dim, ambiguous darkness, with only the residual firelight from the stove flickering in the steam, illuminating their intertwined figures.

Ling Hao lowered his head for a deep kiss.

Lu Changning's mind went blank; she could only...

Outside the kitchen door, the unattended medicinal soup pot was boiling violently, the piping hot liquid spilling over and extinguishing the stove fire below.

Great billows of thick white steam surged up instantly, like a natural curtain, completely isolating everything inside the kitchen.

Flutter—!

A startled turtle dove on the eaves took flight, its wings flapping, and in its panic, it struck the hanging copper bell!

The crisp sound of metal striking rang out suddenly, piercing the silence of the night, perfectly covering the faint sound inside the kitchen.

...as it spread...

Outside the window, under the moon, on the trellis, the jade-white flowers bloomed.

...

The sun rose in the east.

A figure dressed in a moon-white long dress stepped on the starlight and descended upon Yixiang Residence.