Fourteen

In shock, Li Yuxi rose to her feet and tripped over the hem of her robe, making her stumble backward. She panicked and grabbed the air as she fell but gasped when Zhao Ling's strong arm wrapped around her waist before pushing her against his front. Her face flushed at their close contact. She could feel every part of his upper body on hers. The plane and muscles of his chest, as well as his stomach. The contact made her body feel a sensual tingle that made her have the urge to feel more of his body.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He whispered and Li Yuxi became stunned to speak.

"I… Yes! No, I'm not!" She retorted and Zhao Ling chuckled.

"It's okay. I can understand why you feel attracted to my body."

Li Yuxi prayed that the floor opened and swallowed her. She prayed that she could wipe her memory of this moment. This was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her.

"What do you mean? I'm not attracted to you. Pfft!" She rolled her eyes and tried to move out of his arm but he tightened his hold on her, pulling her even closer.

"You do not need to lie to me, little mortal," he said and craned his head toward her cheek. "I can feel every emotion in you. I have the power to sense every emotion in a mortal. It helps me destroy or manipulate them. So, yes. I can feel how aroused you are for me."

Li Yuxi shuddered as he whispered in her ear. Her skin developed goosebumps and her heart fluttered.

"That's a lie." She finally found the will to speak.

"Hm. Alright. If you insist," Zhao Ling said and removed his arm before taking a step back.

Li Yuxi held the front of her robe and pushed them together to cover her chest. She swallowed at the way his eyes went up and down her body in slow motion.

"Lay down," he commanded in a hoarse voice.

Li Yuxi stilled for a few seconds before nodding her head. She sat on the bed first before taking off her slippers and throwing her legs on the bed. She spared him a glance before laying down with her hands crossed over her chest. She felt tense and nervous about what was going to happen, which made her hold her breath when he disappeared and appeared over her with his hands placed on each side of her head.

"Relax your mind," he whispered, staring deep into her eyes.

Li Yuxi pressed her thighs together at the way he was looking at her. She could not believe that a ghost— one she could feel— made her feel the way she was feeling. Not even her scum of a husband could make her turned on but a mere man from hundreds of years could, even though he wasn't even trying to seduce her.

"I told you to relax," he said, but in a firm tone. "I want to make this very harmless and smooth for you."

Li Yuxi nodded her head and relaxed her body. She exhaled and slackened her hands on her stomach. She smiled and nodded once again.

"I am ready," she said and Zhao Ling smirked.

The ghost placed his weight on one arm and grabbed the back of her knee before curving them beside his hip, making her dress slip down her thigh. When he repositioned himself between her legs, the warm tingle between her legs came back tenfold.

"There are two ways for us to do this," he whispered and she nodded. "You have to tell me which one you prefer."

"Okay." Her response came out hushed and heated.

Zhao Ling started to rub the pads of his fingers on her exposed lap. Li Yuxi had the urge to lift her hips to meet his, just out of curiosity to find out if he was human, down there. The thought almost made her laugh.

"There are two ways I can extract a mortal's chi," Zhao Ling said in a much higher tone. "One, we can have sexual intercourse."

Li Yuxi gasped and pressed her hands on his chest. The tingle between her legs grew while she became surprised.

"You mean…"

"Yes. I may have to lay with you to get some energy," he said.

Li Yuxi bit her lip as she continued to stare back at him. She did not miss the way his eyes flickered to her lips before moving back to her eyes. His hold on her leg tightened for a split second before he cleared his throat.

"The second method is extracting your energy from your lips," he whispered and she gulped.

"I… Both ways are… Well, they are complicated."

"It now depends on you. You will have to choose. I do not have all night with you. I may not be able to sleep but I have to meditate to save my strength and keep my powers at a high level."

Li Yuxi thought over his options. It had been a long time since she engaged in any form of sexual activity and it was a few days after she married Lee Qiang. Ever since then, which was two years ago, she had not been intimate with her husband. Now, an offer was granted yet she couldn't bring herself to accept it. Which left her with her decision.

"I'll take the second option," she said and Zhao Ling nodded.

"Perfect," he responded. "I want you to relax. Feeling too pressured may kill you during the extraction. Stay calm for me."

Li Yuxi nodded and smiled. She could have sworn that the edges of his lips twitched into a smile but she knew he couldn't as she only ever saw him smirk.

Feeling relaxed, she sighed and waited for his next course of action. After a few seconds, Zhao Ling started to lean down while his hand moved close to her upper thigh. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as his cold hand gripped her thigh and when his hips aligned with hers, she bit her lip to stop herself from moaning.

Li Yuxi felt disappointed when he let go of her thigh and cupped her chin. He tilted her head backward and pressed her cheeks, making her lips pucker up. Her eyes fluttered slightly closed when he came closer, enough for her to feel the brush of his lips on hers. Li Yuxi hummed and writhed a bit when he parted his lips over hers. Their lips were not pressed against each other's but the light brush made her body ignite in a sensual sensation.

In a matter of seconds, a cold exhale made its way into her mouth from his. A hot feeling in her stomach and the rapid beating of her heart followed. From her peripheral, she could see a glow coming from her chest and his, as well as a red glow from his sash. A new warm sensation made her arch her back and the feel of his lips pressed against hers left her feeling turned on.

Li Yuxi shuddered when his tongue ran across her bottom lip and his teeth scraped the same lip. Everything happening made her feel so good that she did not care that her heart was beating slowly or her body was getting colder on the outside but warmer on the outside. All that mattered was that she was feeling a form of sexual gratification flowing through her body that made her wrap her legs around his waist, pulling him close.

When Zhao Ling moaned, she was not sure why but she loved the sound coming from him and parted her lips more. A bright ray of light shone between their mouths and all Li Yuxi could do was moan as the new feeling she got was a dull and pulling ache in her chest. She placed her hands on his broad shoulders to brace herself as the ache slightly increased.

This went on for almost five minutes before the bright light died down and Zhao Ling pulled away from her mouth, leaving Li Yuxi breathless under him. She felt butterflies in her stomach when he placed his head in the crook of her neck. His lips brushed her neck, sending a sensation through her body to her almost wet center.

"Are you okay?" He whispered in her neck.

Li Yuxi did not respond immediately as she was trying to force herself from getting more turned on as she could feel her center pressing against his.

"I… I don't know." Her eyes drooped as a wave of tiredness hit her.

"Hm." He nuzzled his nose in her neck and chuckled. "Your husband has truly left you starved. You were supposed to feel slight pain but I could feel your need."

Zhao Ling pulled his face from her neck to stare into her eyes. She shyly looked back and started playing with her fingers.

"I could make things better for you," he said.

"Better? How?" She cringed at how desperate she sounded.

"I can make your desire for a man come to pass. I can make you feel what your husband has refused to give to you," he declared in a dark tone of voice whilst his eyes started glowing a faint red. "What say you, my little mortal?"