Yun Jinghe released her grip on Shi Ying’s thigh, her cool fingertips gliding lightly down the delicate neck, brushing aside the slightly disheveled collar to linger on the warm hollow of the collarbone.
Shi Ying’s hand, pressed against Yun Jinghe’s shoulder, held no threat at all. As the other woman advanced inch by inch, it seemed more like she was clinging to her instead.
Under the dim light, the clarity in Yun Jinghe’s eyes had faded, replaced instead by the obscurity of night, exuding an increasingly domineering sense of aggression.
She released Shi Ying’s lips and tongue, turning instead to kiss her soft cheeks, trailing downward along her jawline.
Shi Ying finally managed to open her mouth to breathe, gulping in fresh air, but at this moment, she was truly in a sorry state.
Her clothes were in disarray, the collar hanging loosely askew, a few stray strands of long hair slipping inside. Her lips were slightly parted, glistening with moisture, presenting a pitifully delicate and alluring sight.
“Yun… Yun Jinghe…”
Only when she heard her own trembling voice did Shi Ying realize she could speak again.
Her eyes lit up with joy, but just as she was about to continue, Yun Jinghe lowered her head once more, sealing her lips and swallowing all the unspoken words in her throat.
Yun Jinghe slowly untied the sash at Shi Ying’s waist, peeling away layer after layer of the clothes she had personally dressed her in.
She kissed Shi Ying’s lips again before trailing down to her neck.
Her soft lips pressed against warm skin as she murmured Shi Ying’s name in a whisper, “Yingying…”
She pulled the slender-waisted girl closer, her thumb lightly brushing over the other’s half-lidded, trembling lashes.
“Mmm!” The next moment, Shi Ying suddenly jerked, her fair neck instantly flushing red as her fingers clutched at Yun Jinghe’s clothes, nearly tearing them apart.
“W-what are you doing?!” Shi Ying’s body trembled slightly, half from fear and half from unfamiliarity.
The wound where the black snake had bitten her throbbed with an unbearable, tingling itch. Beneath her chest, she felt a hidden desire slowly swelling, compelling her to draw closer to the other woman.
She felt like something was wrong with her.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to sleep with me? This is sleeping,” Yun Jinghe replied, her steady voice laced with desire.
“I don’t want to! I don’t!” Shi Ying’s voice was hoarse from being silenced for so long. She shook her head frantically, her body shrinking back.
She had only ever known of “sleeping” in theory never experienced it so viscerally. This strange, overwhelming sensation terrified her. She didn’t want it.
“Yun Jinghe, you can’t do this to me, or I’ll definitely kill you!” At this moment, Shi Ying was like a cornered prisoner, baring her last shield in a desperate bid for the slimmest chance that Yun Jinghe might stop.
But Yun Jinghe remained unmoved. Her thumb rested on Shi Ying’s furrowed brow, gently smoothing it in one direction before drifting down to the crimson corners of her eyes.
She leaned in slowly, her thumb rubbing against Shi Ying’s plump lower lip. “Yingying, cry for me.”
But dream demons were born without tears. Even when pushed to the brink, all they could do was redden at the edges of their eyes.
The bed was layered with several thick quilts, the soft cotton sinking under the weight of their bodies.
Shi Ying, who had been brandishing sharp claws just moments ago, now let out a sobbing whimper from her throat, like a fish stranded on the shore helpless and bewildered, allowing herself to be picked up and turned over again and again.
Her slender, jade-white fingers suddenly pressed against the embroidered brocade quilt adorned with peonies. The stark contrast between the white and red created a vivid visual.
The quilt was repeatedly clenched and released, twisted and smoothed, until it soon became crumpled and wrinkled.
“Sister… sister…” Shi Ying strained to lift her head, her words escaping with difficulty. Her cascading hair spilled behind her, her forehead nuzzling intimately against Yun Jinghe’s neck. “Please… I beg you…”
Her body seemed caught between ice and fire, torn between desire and resistance, the relentless tug-of-war pushing her to the brink of endurance.
Yun Jinghe’s breathing grew heavy. She nipped at the other’s soft earlobe, her wrist turning gently, feeling the momentary tension beneath her and the choked sob that followed.
Seeing that pleading was futile, Shi Ying’s demeanor sharpened again. Her fingers clawed wildly at Yun Jinghe’s back, though she couldn’t truly harm her.
Then she bit down on Yun Jinghe’s shoulder with all her strength, only to be forced to release her grip midway, her voice breaking into fragmented sounds instead.
In her dazed state, Shi Ying caught a faint scent of blood. Her wavering gaze searched for its source before realizing it came from Yun Jinghe.
Her muddled mind recalled the wound on Yun Jinghe’s arm, inflicted earlier by her own red silk threads.
True to her principle of never backing down, she suddenly seized Yun Jinghe’s injured arm, hoping the pain would make her stop.
The abrupt sting caused Yun Jinghe to pause briefly, but then she pulled Shi Ying up to sit astride her.
She kissed Shi Ying’s sweat-dampened temple tenderly, guiding her hand to press down on the deepest part of the wound.
“If you want to vent your anger, grip here. But I won’t stop,” Yun Jinghe murmured hoarsely. “Understood, Yingying?”
Shi Ying shook her head slightly, eyes wide with panic. She tried to push herself up, gripping Yun Jinghe’s arm, but was mercilessly pressed back down.
The red bed curtains glowed warmly as the young woman knelt between them, her legs slightly bent behind her. Her delicate fingers clung tightly to the woman above, her neck glistening with a thin sheen of sweat, her hair tangled and sticking to her skin.
The slow, intimate friction of their skin filled the space with an intoxicating, lingering heat.
Yun Jinghe held her close, as if trying to meld her into her very being.
“From now on, you can never leave me.”
And she would never allow Shi Ying to leave her again unless she herself vanished from this world.
At the break of dawn, Yun Jinghe carried Shi Ying out of the room. The latter was wrapped only in a single garment, her lower half bare, the exposed skin of her ankles marked with overlapping fingerprints evidence of repeated grasping, looking pitifully tender.
The private estate housed a hot spring fed from the mountain behind, which now served Yun Jinghe’s purpose well.
She carried Shi Ying to the mist-shrouded pool, stepping slowly down the small stairs into the water.
The pool was not deep, the water barely reaching Yun Jinghe’s chest when standing. The warm spring enveloped her entirely in its soothing currents.
A faint tinge of blood diffused from her body, quickly diluted by the water until it vanished without a trace.
Yun Jinghe still held Shi Ying tightly in her arms, carefully lowering her and pressing her firmly against herself.
The water rippled faintly, and the tattered outer garments gradually floated to the surface.
Despite years of sword practice, Yun Jinghe was not frail beneath her robes. The contours of her back muscles were faintly visible beneath the water, shifting in and out of sight.
At this moment, she was far from her usual composed self. Her dark hair was slightly disheveled, strands dampened by the mist clinging to her brows, softening her features with a hint of serene satisfaction.
Without glancing elsewhere, Yun Jinghe gently lifted the nearly naked Shi Ying in the water, carefully washing her body.
Their long hair swayed and drifted in the water, obscuring much of the scene.
The white mist rising from the pool blurred vision and dulled Shi Ying’s senses.
Half-leaning against Yun Jinghe, she nuzzled lightly against her. The latter stiffened slightly but ultimately refrained from further action, mindful of the other’s condition.
Yun Jinghe did not linger in the water for long. Once finished, she carried Shi Ying back to the room.
With a surge of spiritual energy, she dried the moisture clinging to both of them.
Shi Ying’s eyes remained tightly shut, her jade-like skin covered in lingering marks, most concentrated around her waist and thighs, a startling sight at first glance.
These were left by Yun Jinghe during Shi Ying’s resistance.
The spacious bed was in disarray, clothes and bedding tangled together, half the quilt even fallen to the floor.
Yun Jinghe swept aside the mess, her expression tender and focused as she dressed Shi Ying.
Then, she lay down on the now-sparse bed, pulling the other tightly into her embrace.
Lying on her side, Yun Jinghe gazed at Shi Ying’s sleeping face, unable to resist leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of her lips.
Exhausted, Shi Ying immediately furrowed her brows and tried to pull away, but Yun Jinghe cupped the back of her head, leaving her no escape.
As if punishing her retreat, Yun Jinghe kissed her again, only relenting when Shi Ying ceased her struggles.
The red candle had burned more than halfway, its flame dwindling without a trimmed wick.
She watched Shi Ying quietly, resting her forehead against hers before slowly closing her eyes.
Be good. Staying by her side like this was enough.