The night was dim and heavy, dark clouds hiding the moon.
Sang Ying couldn’t catch her breath, her mind kissed into a hazy daze.
A single drop of cool rain splashed through the window onto her face, jolting her suddenly back to her senses. She shoved him away with all her strength.
What was she doing?
Even if this was just an illusion, she, she shouldn’t be doing this. He already had someone he loved, and yet here she was, in this illusion, fantasizing about kissing him. It was… disgusting.
If Xie Lingyu ever found out, he’d only despise her more.
Sang Ying leaned against the headboard, breathing heavily, her cheeks still flushed red, her clear eyes darkening with self-loathing.
Xie Lingyu, suddenly shoved away, had his rut-period-driven loss of control interrupted, and came back to his senses.
Only belatedly realizing what he’d done, he lifted his lashes abruptly and saw the disgust in the girl’s eyes. His restless, agitated blood went utterly still.
But the girl said nothing more, didn’t even look at him, instead tilting sideways to collapse into the bed, dragging out a pillow to hold onto.
Her breathing still unsteady, her lips glistening red, she scrunched her small face and muttered something under her breath while pounding at the pillow.
“…Damn illusion.”
Unsure whether it was relief or something else entirely, Xie Lingyu stayed quiet for a few seconds, then crouched down halfway to look at her, his tone as calm and flat as always. “Junior sister.”
Sang Ying slowly lifted her small head, only her eyes peeking out, meeting his dark gaze.
That familiar feeling was back, the Xie Lingyu she knew, back to normal.
The Xie Lingyu before her had returned to normal, and Sang Ying should have felt relieved by that. But the moment she looked at him, she recalled that damp, fierce kiss, and her ears, hidden beneath her dark hair, burned even redder. She buried her head right back into the pillow.
She said dryly: “You’re filthy. It smells terrible. Go wash yourself clean, quickly!”
“Alright.”
The youth responded and turned to leave.
Sang Ying’s mind was a tangled mess. Her fingertip brushed her own lips, that sensation seemed to still linger there.
Soft, fragrant, suckling at her lips, even slipping in to hook and tangle with her tongue, so soft and pliant… the more she thought about it, the hotter her ears burned, and she buried her head deeper into the pillow, refusing to come out.
But then again, the moment she’d pushed him away, he’d snapped right back to being the usual Xie Lingyu, so it really must have been what she wanted, after all.
The sound of water reached her ears. Sang Ying lifted her head to look. While she’d been lost in her chaotic thoughts, the room had already been cleaned up, not a trace of blood left in the corner.
Behind the screen, she could faintly make out the youth’s silhouette, and combined with the sound of water, it was clear he was bathing.
…Couldn’t he go bathe somewhere else!
Wait, Sang Ying thought carefully, could this be something she wanted too? Did she want to see Xie Lingyu bathe, and so the illusion had arranged it for her?
Sang Ying covered her face. Years ago, that one time really had been an accident, she didn’t have this kind of fetish!
Through the gaps between her fingers, she caught a glimpse of a long shadow. Sang Ying froze and let her hands fall, watching a shadow flick swiftly across the screen.
Not a human arm, something long…it clicked. Was that his tail?
She knew Xie Lingyu was a demon cultivator, his true form an azure dragon.
But she’d never actually seen his true form, only once, when she’d first picked him up at age twelve, had she glimpsed his tail.
Back then he’d only been fifteen, still very much a youth, his little azure dragon tail drooping listlessly behind him, a pair of small jade-like horns rising from his forehead. She’d only seen it for a few seconds before it vanished.
And after that, Xie Lingyu had never once shown his true form again.
The gentle patter of water filled the room, and Sang Ying’s own emotions stirred restlessly along with it.
Damn it… she really wanted to see his dragon tail. Turning into a little azure dragon to bathe in her own room, wasn’t that basically tempting her into wrongdoing!
Sang Ying struggled with herself, and struggled some more.
…Surely there was no harm in just taking a peek at the tail? Aside from this illusion, she’d never get another chance to see it. She’d just look once, sneak a glance in passing, and leave.
Sang Ying set down her pillow, pretending to fetch water as an excuse to approach the screen, pouring herself a cup of tea, shuffling her feet slowly closer.
Her view gradually widened, the floor, the bathtub, the water, a flash of jade-green and gold caught her eye. Her lashes trembled. It was the little azure dragon’s tail!
Just a glimpse of it, the long tail draped over the edge of the tub, beautiful jade-green scales dotted with glistening water droplets, a gold ring wrapped around its end, a few tufts of soft white fur at the tip swaying gently.
…So cute!
Sang Ying’s gaze locked onto that tuft of white fur at the tip, utterly unable to look away, completely rooted to the spot.
Suddenly the screen was pulled open. Startled, she jumped, the hand holding the teacup jerking violently.
A chill touched her wrist as cool, slender fingers caught it, steadying the cup of hot tea.
The youth before her half-reclined in the tub, his undergarment soaked through and clinging to him, still in the same position as before. The pair of jade-green dragon horns on his forehead made his refined, handsome face look even paler and more striking, exquisitely beautiful.
His expression was calm and detached as he looked at her.
“What is junior sister doing?”
But Sang Ying’s attention was entirely fixed on the dragon tail rising above the water’s surface, its scales gorgeous and otherworldly, carrying a dreamlike sense of unreality.
Despite the youth’s cool, indifferent expression, those tufts of white fur at his tail’s tip swayed on lazily, and this strange contradiction left Sang Ying utterly unable to tear her eyes away.
Xie Lingyu had noticed the girl’s sneaky movements from the very start, along with her occasional stolen glances.
Assuming she was up to something again as usual, he hadn’t paid it much mind, knowing she wouldn’t come closer, and had simply submerged himself in the icy water, letting the restless agitation in his blood settle somewhat.
Unlike his usual rut periods, this time his horns and tail had slipped out beyond his control. He closed his eyes, doing his best to suppress it.
By the time he came back to his senses, he found the girl standing at the corner of the screen, her gaze fixed on… his tail.
Years ago, the time she’d snuck down the mountain and picked up Lengmian, she’d run into a rather weak evil demon. By the time he’d found her, she had already reduced the demon to ash with her Five Thunder Talismans.
But she’d seemed thoroughly frightened by something, and for the first time, forgetting all pretense of being the boss of Minghua Mountain, she’d hidden behind his back, crying while complaining that “demon tails are so disgusting.”
Ever since then, he’d made sure never to show his true form in front of her.
Demon cultivators were naturally suited to cultivating and fighting in their true forms, yet even during his hardest battles, he’d only ever used his sword.
Noticing her gaze now, Xie Lingyu instinctively moved to hide his dragon tail, but he saw no trace of disgust or fear in the girl’s eyes. Instead, there was only… curiosity?
She stared unblinking at the tip of his tail draped over the tub’s edge, her clear eyes blinking, as if she’d discovered something entirely novel.
After a few seconds of thought, he reached out and pulled the screen open.
Just as expected, the girl jumped in fright, her expression giving away her guilt at once, but very quickly, her attention was drawn right back to his tail.
He tried swaying the tip experimentally, moving it back and forth, and noticed, to his surprise, that her eyes followed the motion of his tail exactly, growing even brighter.
“Junior sister?”
Hearing his voice again, Sang Ying finally snapped back to attention, tearing her gaze away from his tail. Realizing she’d been staring at someone’s tail this whole time, her small face couldn’t help but look a bit awkward.
“I was just… a little thirsty, so I poured some tea.” She pointed to the cup in her hand.
The youth’s gaze moved from her hand to her face, his tone flat. “Then why has junior sister been staring at me this whole time?”
Sang Ying thought, well, this wasn’t the real him anyway, just an illusion, so she shook off her embarrassment and spoke with full confidence. “Never seen one before. Is it not allowed to look?”
A splash of water sounded, and the youth before her stood up.
His crimson undergarment, thoroughly soaked through, clung to his body, the thin fabric loose and translucent, revealing his pale collarbones and chest, water droplets trickling down one after another.
Further down, the fabric clung to his taut waist, his dragon tail drooping limply behind him, its scales glistening with water.
Sang Ying froze for a moment, then spun around at once, her ears burning hot.
“Xie Lingyu! Why did you suddenly stand up!”
Behind her, the youth’s voice was light and flat.
“Didn’t junior sister want to look?”
Sang Ying was both embarrassed and annoyed. This illusion’s version of Xie Lingyu was really far too generous, letting her kiss him, letting her look at him.
“I meant the tail! Just the dragon tail! Who wanted to watch you bathe!”
Behind her, the sound of water rippled softly. Sang Ying could hear him stepping out, a wave of cool, damp air washing over her, a few droplets splashing onto her wrist, ice cold, making her flinch.
…Did demons all bathe in ice water?
Weren’t they cold?
Even in summer she could only bathe in warm water, and in winter she didn’t dare touch cold water at all, catching a chill would leave her miserable for days, forced to drink medicine after medicine.
While her mind wandered through this jumbled mess of thoughts, the person behind her had already dried his clothes and hair with a hand seal, walked over to her side, and caught hold of her wrist.
Watching herself being led along, Sang Ying wondered where they were going, but they’d only taken a few steps before she was seated in front of the dressing table.
The mirror reflected her appearance. On her wedding day, she’d been so drowned in grief she’d paid no attention to anything else.
That day, her complexion had been terrible, and the wedding attendant had applied thick makeup to conceal it, styling her hair into an elaborate bun, topped with a crown.
The youth stood behind her, reaching up to remove the crown, setting it aside, then pulling out the hairpins one by one, letting her hair fall loose. She immediately felt lighter.
Then he brought over a basin of hot water, took out a small jar of white ointment, and dabbed it gently onto her face.
“Lower your head.”
Sang Ying obeyed, tilting her head down. His slender fingers twisted a cloth, wiping her small face clean bit by bit until every trace was gone, then he changed the water for a fresh basin and had her wash again.
Sang Ying looked at her clean face in the mirror, blinking. Three years ago, that night, she’d cried herself to sleep, and by the time she woke the next morning she’d already been cleaned up spotless, it had been Jingxi who’d helped her then. She never expected that in this illusion, it would be Xie Lingyu doing this for her instead.
The mirror reflected the youth behind her. After that kiss, Sang Ying hadn’t dared look at him closely, but now, through the mirror, she finally allowed herself a proper look.
And that was when she noticed something rather peculiar.
…Wasn’t his mouth a bit too red?
There seemed to be something faintly glistening still on his lips. The realization struck her all at once, that was probably… her lip rouge.
Should she tell him?
Sang Ying shook her head firmly in her mind, resolutely dismissing the thought, it had nothing to do with her anyway, he was the one who’d smeared it there himself!
Sang Ying sat up straight, proper and composed, yet her gaze kept drifting, unbidden, back to the youth reflected in the mirror.
He hadn’t put his dragon tail away, letting it simply hang behind him, the tufts of white fur past the gold ring swaying gently in the air.
It looked so cute. She just wondered what it would feel like to touch…
The youth behind her suddenly leaned down slightly, drawing close to the side of her neck, his dark eyes deep, his low, cool voice falling unexpectedly against her ear.
“Does junior sister want to touch it? The tail.”
Tail (x) Cat toy (✓)