Chapter 29: Onset

After several gloomy days, clouds, like ink stains, pressed against the horizon. When the wind blew, a few raindrops fell. Gradually, the rain intensified, pattering on the tiled roofs. Worshippers struggled to shield themselves from the rain, crowding beneath the eaves and filling the Buddha hall. Hutao and the guards arrived separately from the east and west, converging with Xue Cen.

"Did you find her?" Xue Cen couldn't conceal his worry.

Both Hutao and the guards shook their heads.

"Young Master Xue, what exactly did you say to our young lady?" Just as Hutao was about to speak, a guard beside her tugged her sleeve, signaling her not to speak recklessly.

But Hutao, eager to protect her mistress, shook off the guard's hand and continued, "How could she leave suddenly when everything was fine?"

Xue Cen gripped the jade pendant he hadn't had a chance to give, recalling the moment he knelt in front of the elders at the Yu Mansion, and Yu Lingxi's gentle yet firm words in the courtyard, "Brother Cen is excellent, but I never thought of marrying."

Was it possible that he had frightened her with his overly passionate confession?

But she had clearly stated before that she liked a man who was gentle and knowledgeable...

"Go search elsewhere again," one of the guards suggested. "Miss's carriage is still here; she couldn't have gone far."

Hutao surveyed the towering pagoda and Buddha hall with a distressed look. "In this heavy rain, where could our young lady have gone?"

On the high platform in front of the temple, more than ten high monks remained motionless in the pouring rain, still chanting scriptures devoutly to pray for blessings and ward off disasters. As the bell stopped ringing, raindrops became denser, and the damp, cool air seeped in through the window cracks. 

However, Yu Lingxi still felt uncomfortably hot. As if her bones had softened, she felt muddled by the scorching heat.

Ning Yin checked her pulse, fed her a bitter pill of unknown origin, but it was ineffective, with the successive waves of medicinal effects.

"Wei Qi," she looked at the cold and blurry young man in front of her. Although she wanted to explain, her body unconsciously leaned towards him, urgently and hoarsely saying, "I haven't... eaten anything of unknown origin..."

Today, she hadn't even sipped the tea outside; she didn't know where the mistake occurred.

"Yeah, I know," Ning Yin allowed her to lean on him, withdrawing his fingers from her pulse. "It should be the residual effect of the fragrance from last time."

Yu Lingxi's eyes reddened, biting her lips.

Why did the crisis, which had clearly passed last time, happen again?

Ning Yin sensed her confusion and remembered a fragrance he had heard about in the Immortal City, called "Blissful Fragrance." It could make people indulge in desire repeatedly, unable to resist.

If what Yu Lingxi had been exposed to was such a troublesome fragrance, the second onset couldn't be easily resisted by willpower alone.

"Antidote..." Yu Lingxi's fragmented voice overflowed from her lips. Her scattered eyes stared at Ning Yin as if he were the only straw she could grasp.

"There is no antidote, Miss."

Ning Yin held onto her slipping figure, his arm pressing tightly. "The only antidote is..."

"Wei Qi!" Yu Lingxi closed her eyes in pain.

After a moment of silence, Ning Yin looked at her flushed cheeks, and his eyes deepened. "This place is safe; no one will disturb us."

Seeing Yu Lingxi trembling and refusing to move, Ning Yin raised his hand, gently lifting her veil, and furrowed his brows slightly. "The second time, enduring it alive will be more uncomfortable than death."

"No." Yu Lingxi squeezed the words through her teeth.

"Do you still dislike me?" Ning Yin asked indifferently, his voice turning faint. "Even if you dislike me, there's no other way. If I randomly grab a man from the street, it'll inevitably lead to silence afterward..."

Thinking of her childhood friend, Xue Cen, whom no one would criticize, Ning Yin paused. Taking advantage of Yu Lingxi's current state, he skipped this person and continued, "If you don't want me to kill, then this method won't work either."

"No." Yu Lingxi repeated the same words, her fingers twisting his clothes until they turned white. "If I'm to do this..being here... How am I different from Zhao Yuming?"

The sandalwood on the table wafted in the air, and the large "Buddha" character on the wall seemed like a looming prohibition.

Ning Yin's eyes flickered. Sometimes he truly admired Yu Lingxi's delicate face and stubbornness.

"What's the problem with being in the meditation room of a temple?"

Ning Yin sneered, "Miss, even if you're bitten by this yearning and burned by desire, the Buddha sitting on the throne won't show joy or sorrow. Did he come to save you?"

The only one accompanying her was this wicked man.

Yu Lingxi had no strength to argue, curling her body into his arms. Sweat soaked her undershirt, reaching its limit. Enduring for so long must be very painful, right?

It was truly pitiful.

Ning Yin shifted his gaze to the inconspicuous green tile under the meditation table. He absentmindedly tapped his thigh with his fingers, hesitating for a moment. Eventually, under Yu Lingxi's suppressed moans, he stood up, walked to the table, and forcefully stepped on the green tile.

With a soft click, the meditation bed under Yu Lingxi shifted, revealing a dark secret passage with steep stone steps.

They say that a wise rabbit has three burrows. This place was Ning Yin's last stronghold, known only to a few trusted followers, and no other living soul.

If his henchmen found him bringing a living person here, especially a woman...

Most likely, they would think he had gone mad.

Bending down to pick up the breathless Yu Lingxi, he reached out and gently nestled her head against his chest. Step by step, he descended the stone steps of the secret passage until his figure disappeared into the darkness.

Yu Lingxi's senses dulled, feeling like she was floating in the clouds one moment and sinking into the water the next. When she opened her eyes in the chaos, she realized everything was pitch black, far away from the meditation room. She didn't know where Ning Yin was taking her, only hearing his steady breathing from above.

In the darkness, the slight bumps made Yu Lingxi instinctively reach out, winding her hand around Ning Yin's neck, greedily pressing closer. It was as if she, a thirsty person, had found an oasis. Every time she drew near, the unbearable heat diminished a bit.

Her face pressed tightly, and the sweet fragrance of her scorching breath brushed against Ning Yin's neck.

Ning Yin's steps subtly paused for a moment, then continued as if nothing had happened.

"We're almost there; endure a little more." His voice became slightly husky, and his pace quickened.

After an unknown period, Ning Yin stopped and gently laid Yu Lingxi on a sitting couch. It was still pitch-black around, with no trace of light; only a faint scent of long-sealed coolness lingered.

Sitting by the couch, Ning Yin waited for a moment, then leaned closer, looking at the small mound on the couch. "We are no longer in the temple; Miss can rest assured."

As he got closer, he noticed Yu Lingxi was shaking severely. It wasn't a trembling from uncontrollable desire but rather a trembling of fear. Remembering the previous incident in the dark warehouse where she curled up, trembling...

Afraid of the dark?

Ning Yin thought for a moment, supporting himself with his arms and standing up. But as soon as he took a step, his wrist was grabbed. Her soft and tender palm seemed boneless, emitting an abnormal heat.

A smirk played on Ning Yin's lips as he patted her fingertips. "Miss is afraid of the dark; I'll go light a lamp."

Her hand on his wrist trembled, loosening a bit.

Ning Yin adeptly found the fire starter and, with his hands behind his back, lit the oil lamps on the walls one by one. The firelight cast his shadow on the wall, tall, stern, like a leaping giant beast.

Once the warmth of the light dispelled the cold darkness, Ning Yin blew out the fire starter and turned to look at Yu Lingxi, who was curled up and groaning.

The firelight illuminated her jade-like rosy cheeks and highlighted the vivid crimson at the corner of her lips. Ning Yin frowned, tossed the fire starter away, and walked towards the huddled Yu Lingxi. The firelight revealed her face, but also the glaring blood at the corner of her lips.

Ning Yin grimaced, reached out, pressing his finger against her bright red lips. "Don't bite your mouth; it's useless."

Her eyes tightly closed, teeth clenched, Ning Yin realized that the blood wasn't from biting her lips but oozing from between her teeth.

If she continued to hold her breath, she might lose her life!

Ning Yin's gaze darkened. He immediately grabbed her jaw. "Release it."

Bowing his head, he pried open her clenched teeth, and Yu Lingxi immediately coughed up a small amount of clotted blood, gasping for breath in Ning Yin's arms like a fish out of water. Ning Yin's lips were stained with bright red, staring at her for a while before letting out a disdainful chuckle.

"For Lord Xue, Miss has come to such a state?" His lips curved in a charming smile, but his eyes remained cold.

Yu Lingxi couldn't hear what he was saying or mocking; her gaze was completely captivated by those thin lips, now tainted with fresh blood. Every inch of her skin was screaming to get closer.

Her body had given up resistance, but her consciousness was still struggling. It felt as if she were being torn apart, and her beautiful eyes were filled with teary radiance.

This was a woman exuding delicateness from head to toe, a fact often forgotten by the world since she was raised in the general's mansion.

Ning Yin had never seen her cry.

But now, in her beautiful almond eyes, there were faint traces of tears.

Ning Yin understood the silent determination in her eyes, and his lip-curved smile paused before gradually fading. In the next moment, Yu Lingxi summoned the last bit of strength and stabbed the hairpin in her hand towards her left shoulder.

Clang! The hairpin fell to the ground.

Ning Yin's handsome face instantly turned intense.

Gripping Yu Lingxi's delicate wrist, he pressed it against her forehead. The icy darkness in his eyes seemed to surge with anger. "Miss cherishes her life the most; this move is a bit confusing."

This side of Ning Yin was truly unfamiliar.

Yu Lingxi's eyes were unfocused, like a trembling flower in the wind and rain.

"Wei... Wei Qi...," she moaned, feeling uncomfortable as she clung to his neck, her voice both aggrieved and coquettish.

Ning Yin clicked his tongue, his expression indiscernible.

If it were someone else attempting to touch his neck, even without the intention of harm, that person would likely have lost their life by now. However, he merely calmly grabbed the apricot-white ribbon adorned in Yu Lingxi's hair.

With a pull, the ribbon wound around his palm, and her hair cascaded like a waterfall, flowing along her graceful waistline. Yu Lingxi clung to his shoulder, breathing rapidly, staring blankly as he raised the ribbon and covered her eyes with it.

"When in the Immortal City of Desire, I heard that women can find pleasure without the need for defloration. If Miss has reservations, I will blindfold myself, hear, see, and speak no evil. At this moment, it's just a tool with warmth," Ning Yin said as he tied a knot with the ribbon behind his head, turning his face towards the blindfolded Yu Lingxi in his arms. "Miss, if you still mind, I will close my eyes, ears, and mouth. At this moment, I'm just a warm object."

The ribbon-covered eyes of the handsome youth exuded unparalleled charm, yet it couldn't conceal the madness inherent in his nature.

Moving with his breath, he leaned in, whispering, "Feel free to use it, Miss."

Yu Lingxi seemed to hear the sound of her consciousness snapping.

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