There was no reason for Xiao Changling to pull her hands back when opportunity presented itself; her fingers stroked up and down the side of Ning Yan’s waist.
Even through a layer of inner garments, she could feel several scars on Ning Yan’s waist, making her look pitifully vulnerable.
Despite their two previous encounters, Xiao Changling was not about to let Ning Yan kiss her for free this time around.
She immediately reclaimed the upper hand.
Xiao Changling had never kissed anyone before, yet she knew that kissing certainly did not involve tearing at the other person’s tongue and lips with teeth.
A proper kiss should not carry such a strong, metallic taste of blood either.
Once, back in the imperial palace, Xiao Changling had witnessed the sight of her royal father intimately entangled with his concubines.
At the time, Xiao Changling had found the act thoroughly revolting. But now, she felt she could somewhat understand it.
Not that she understood her father, but rather she understood that under the sway of such emotion, it was indeed difficult for a person to control oneself.
Xiao Changling’s tongue slid over the roof of Ning Yan’s mouth, prying open her teeth and pressing further inside.
“Tuck your teeth away,” Xiao Changling growled softly amidst the hazy kiss.
The person beneath her instantly tensed up, allowing Xiao Changling to conquer her defense step by step, until Ning Yan was kissed into a state of visible desire, her eyes glistening with shimmering waves of emotion. Only then did Xiao Changling reluctantly stop.
She spoke coolly: “You do not have a fever. What on earth actually happened to you?”
Ning Yan had not yet snapped out of the kiss. Her entire body felt completely soft, and a single kiss was nowhere near enough to soothe the burning restlessness deep inside her.
Fortunately, the sharp pain in her body forced her to regain her composure, scattering all those absurd and romantic thoughts cleanly away.
As of today, Ning Yan no longer had any intention of keeping the truth hidden. She said softly, “I was poisoned with an aphrodisiac.”
Xiao Changling’s brows knitted tightly together. As she listened to Ning Yan’s explanation, she gradually understood what kind of drug it was.
The more she listened, the colder Xiao Changling’s expression became, until her expression grew so frightening that Ning Yan did not even dare to continue speaking.
“Changling…”
Ning Yan hooked Xiao Changling’s little finger with her own. Looking up at the woman who had brought her back to the couch to nurse her, she felt a surge of genuine fear for a moment.
This is definitely someone who has been pampered and held power for a long time, Ning Yan thought to herself. It is very difficult to survive under such a person; these people generally lack compassion and only care about relationships built on leverage and profit.
Ning Yan maintained her inner vigilance.
Or perhaps she did not harbor much malice toward Xiao Changling as a person; it was simply the uncontrollable, surging waves of desire in her body that stirred up a sense of disgust within Ning Yan. She did not want anyone to come near her.
Xiao Changling lowered her eyelids and said softly:
“I have a few medicinal prescriptions here. If you can trust me, drink another bowl of medicine every day, and the residual poison will be gradually purged from your system.”
The bowl of medicine she had just been forced to drink had already caused all of Ning Yan’s old wounds to flare up.
Ning Yan did not dare imagine how weak her body would become if she had to drink yet another bowl.
As Xiao Changling pondered over the prescriptions, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist.
The woman who had looked so sharp and ferocious just moments ago was now resting softly against her shoulder, her hot breath fanning across Xiao Changling’s jaw.
The woman’s soft, sweet voice resonated beside Xiao Changling’s ear: “Changling, I don’t want to drink any more medicine.”
This woman actually knew how to act coaxing and spoiled.
Her Highness the Princess had never imagined that the female general, whom the Beidi barbarians referred to as the Jade-Faced Asura, the hero of the Great Zhou Dynasty who could draw a bow and strike down enemy leaders from a thousand miles away, would actually act so spoiled.
The end of her voice trembled slightly, making one’s heart itch the more one listened to it.
Ning Yan was half humbling herself and half craving the cool, fresh scent on Xiao Changling’s body.
She held her tighter and tighter, the watery luster in her eyes growing increasingly intoxicating.
If it were anyone else with weaker self-control, they would likely have been unable to resist acting on animal instincts by now.
Xiao Changling merely tightened her grip on the side of Ning Yan’s waist.
“Is it because I have not done well enough? Have I failed to satisfy you, Changling?”
Xiao Changling: …
Xiao Changling had never considered Ning Yan a concubine.
After a moment of astonishment, she immediately realized that when soldiers came to search the house this morning, she had casually made up a story at the door to divert their attention, which Ning Yan must have overheard.
Her great general… how could she so naturally liken herself to a concubine?
Xiao Changling’s expression turned somewhat peculiar. She stroked Ning Yan’s back with her fingers and said softly, “You have satisfied me very much. Rest well.”
“Where did you put my sword? And my armor?”
Ning Yan was unsure of Xiao Changling’s intentions toward her, but seeing Xiao Changling’s current attitude, it was clear she was treating her as a relatively favored concubine.
This was a good sign.
Ning Yan needed to retrieve her belongings while Xiao Changling was still interested in her.
Xiao Changling thought of the broken sword and the armor fully stained with blood.
If the garrison guards searching the city discovered them, both of them would be in deep trouble.
Therefore, Xiao Changling had packed those items into a wooden chest and buried it in the cellar beneath the firewood shed.
Not only would no scent of blood leak out, but ordinary people would never pay attention to a cellar dug under a firewood shed.
Xiao Changling said softly, “What do you need a broken sword and ruined armor for? They are already damaged and unusable. If you want them, once your body recovers, I will find a new set for you.”
After speaking, Xiao Changling gently soothed Ning Yan’s back. Seeing the flush on Ning Yan’s face fade slightly, and her eyes regain clarity, she stood up and fetched a basin of warm water to wipe down Ning Yan’s body.
With her clothing undone, the completely naked Ning Yan lay on the bed like an invalid, entirely at the mercy of Xiao Changling, who wiped her down using a silk cloth dipped in warm water.
The bloodstains and grime on her body were thoroughly cleaned off.
The warm water wiped across her skin and brushed over her wounds, bringing bursts of stinging pain.
“Ah, ”
Yet the refreshing feeling of being clean was immensely satisfying.
“You need to be good and recover properly.”
Fearing that Ning Yan might move around recklessly or rush to go outside and cause the injuries in both her legs to rapidly deteriorate, Xiao Changling adopted a stern expression and warned:
“If you run outside without my knowledge, be careful, or you will never be able to stand again for the rest of your life.”
Xiao Changling deliberately kept a cold face, looking quite intimidating, truly projecting the authority of a ruler to perfection.
“Alright.”
Being treated like a decorative object and wiped down from head to toe was extremely difficult for someone as fiercely proud as Ning Yan to accept.
That woman said she needed to be good; if she wasn’t good, the current peace would likely vanish entirely.
Ning Yan clenched her teeth tightly.
Pain and weakness were one thing, but the psychological humiliation was quite another.
The woman seemed particularly fond of her waist, not only wiping it repeatedly with the silk cloth but also stroking it again and again.
She really could not understand; she was someone who had nothing to do with being endearing or likable, so how could Xiao Changling have taken a fancy to her? Could her tastes be different from ordinary people?
If she wanted someone handsome, wouldn’t the maid beside her be more suitable? Or she could easily buy a few exotic-looking women from human traffickers at the border market, or pick from the noble women exiled here to perform hard labor.
“Mmh, ah…!”
Xiao Changling’s fingernail lightly brushed against the side of Ning Yan’s waist.
She carried away basin after basin of blood-stained water.
It took nearly three basins of water before Ning Yan was thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom.
Afterward, she built up the charcoal fire to make the room warmer, and washed Ning Yan’s long hair as well.
Pity that she, a golden branch and jade leaf born with a silver spoon in her mouth, had to perform such servant tasks.
Xiao Changling dried the water droplets on her hands with a soft towel. Standing at the doorway, she said softly, “Be good while lying on the couch. Don’t move around recklessly, or you might catch a headache from the cold wind outside.”
With that, Xiao Changling closed the door and left.
In the study, Xiao Changling rested her cheek on one hand, holding a writing brush in the other. On the paper before her was a drawn blueprint for a wheelchair.
There were many craftsmen in the border regions; she needed to find a skilled and trustworthy master to craft a wheelchair.
Xiao Changling traced her fingers over the Xuan paper and ultimately let out a heavy sigh.
She admired Ning Yan’s freedom of galloping on horseback, having been captivated by the sight for a long time. During those excruciating days in the palace walls, she had thought every day how wonderful it would be if she, too, could gallop freely like her one day.
Whether it was good fortune or misfortune, she now had the opportunity to hold that free bird in her own hands.
Inside the room, Ning Yan repeatedly mulled over Xiao Changling’s words: “Be good, be even better.”
The sarcastic smile on the corner of her lips grew deeper.
She would be very good.
She wondered if it was her bodily injuries that had spoiled Xiao Changling’s appetite; after all, she had merely stroked her waist and made no further moves.
She had neither promised to return the armor and sword to her, nor had she informed her where the two items were hidden.
She had an identity token hidden inside the armor.
Unless one searched carefully, it would not be discovered.
She had to please Xiao Changling.
To lower her guard and take back what belonged to her.
During the washing earlier, some water had splashed out of the basin, spilling onto the wooden floor of the room.
Exerting force through both arms, Ning Yan nimbly flipped herself down from the bed.
Her legs could not move, but because she had drawn bows and shot arrows for many years, her upper arms possessed extraordinary strength with well-defined muscular lines.
There was not much she could do right now.
Using a cloth towel left by the bedside, Ning Yan began wiping away the water stains on the floor.
The firelight reflected against her face. Ning Yan raised her head to look at the tightly closed wooden door.
She had to prolong Xiao Changling’s interest in her as much as possible.
At the very least, she had to make herself useful.