Chapter 35 Rabbit Tail

Just as Sang Ying felt the elemental spiritual power merging into her body, thinking that indeed it required his cooperation for this to work, the young man stopped.

She tilted her little face to look at him, blinked her clear, bright eyes upon hearing his words, and actually began to ponder seriously. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke earnestly:

“Hmm… it’s true that I’m using our affair for this, but there’s another reason why I want you to be my lover.”

Xie Lingyu hadn’t expected her to so straightforwardly admit that getting close to him was just to cultivate her spiritual power. For a moment, he was almost amused by her audacity—she was certainly shamelessly honest.

Suppressing his emotions as much as possible, he pinched her little face and pressed, “What reason?”

She couldn’t possibly say that he was her husband and she was taking advantage of his amnesia to deceive him, could she?

Sang Ying frowned thoughtfully, staring at his gloomy yet undeniably beautiful face, and struggled to come up with an answer: “…Because you’re good-looking.”

This was the truth. From the very beginning, she had gone to such great lengths to bring him back precisely because he was handsome. Even as a youth, his striking appearance had been captivating, impossible to look away from.

Now, having shed his youthful naivety, he had grown even more handsome. When he quietly pretended to be an upright gentleman, he was the aloof and transcendent immortal lord, but when his true nature was revealed, he took on a different aura—gloomy, sickly, with his Dragon Tail and dragon horns fully displayed, exuding a bewitching and eerie beauty.

Xie Lingyu was taken aback. “Just because of that?”

Sang Ying nodded solemnly.

Xie Lingyu: “…Superficial.”

Sang Ying, who had just been sharply criticized, huffed and muttered, “It’s not just me who’s superficial. You have no idea how many female cultivators covet your looks.”

Even after getting married, female cultivators still sent him Sword Tassels and pouches. He didn’t even bother to rein it in outside, and why did he have to dress so finely just to hunt Demon Beasts?

She reached up and grabbed the hand that was pinching her chin, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel’s, and glared at him discontentedly. “You’ve asked your questions, so are you going to kiss me or not?”

Xie Lingyu laughed in exasperation.

How could there be someone like this—brazenly admitting that getting close to him was just for cultivation, and wanting him as a lover solely because of his looks.

What a detestable woman.

The more his resentment grew, the fiercer the heat in his chest burned.

The blood in his body clamored with desire. The cravings of the Tide Heat Period made him want to hold her in his arms every second, kiss every inch of her skin, and wrap his Dragon Tail tightly around her, never letting go.

Thinking this, he acted on it.

Maintaining the grip on her chin, he lowered his head and kissed her. The loathsome yet fragrant scent of the girl grew stronger, enveloping him completely as he drew closer.

This time, however, he didn’t pull back. Instead, he cupped the back of her head, parted her lips, and kissed her more deeply.

“Mmph…”

The girl, however, wasn’t very cooperative, pushing against his arm as if to remind him of something.

Impatiently, he pinned her hand against the tree with one hand, channeling the surging water attribute spiritual power within his body. Water Lotuses bloomed around them, and a light drizzle fell upon the two.

A large amount of fire element spiritual power was drawn in, so dense it almost materialized, clinging to the Water Lotuses and dyeing their petals a vivid crimson. Some of it flowed toward the girl, merging into her body and transforming into spiritual power for cultivation.

Now the girl stopped struggling, obediently leaning against the tree as he kissed her, letting out soft murmurs.

Such a mercenary, wicked woman.

Xie Lingyu gave her an annoyed bite, only soothing her with a lick after hearing her whimper. His long fingers threaded through her soft hair, tilting her small face up as he captured her plush lips, continuing their entangled kiss amidst the increasingly rich scent of white sandalwood and medicinal herbs.

Not a single word from this little mouth was to his liking, but the feel of kissing her was exceptionally good.

Her body temperature was low, her lips soft and cool, like tender little mushrooms emerging after the rain, seeming to release moisture with just a bit of pressure. Yet, through friction, they would take on his warmth, growing hot.

He thought he must have lost his mind, engaging in such clandestine acts here with a married woman.

But he couldn’t control the urge to draw closer, closer still, to entwine her, to merge her into his very bones and blood.

For Sang Ying, however, the experience was entirely different.

Ugh… Had he never kissed anyone before? Kissing so fiercely—forget about focusing on cultivation, she could hardly breathe…!!

How could this bad dragon be like this even after losing his memory? Truly, old habits die hard.

While struggling to adjust her breathing, she felt relieved in her heart—thankfully, Shen Ying’s secret technique didn’t require her constant control, or how else could she achieve her goal?

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but Sang Ying was completely dazed from the kissing. Her lashes drooped in confusion, glistening with teardrops, the corners of her eyes tinged red.

But the young man seemed to have tasted something addictive, growing more fierce and hooked with each kiss, constantly invading her territory. The Dragon Tail, covered in smooth scales, had slipped out at some point, winding tightly around her slender waist.

“Ugh…”

With all this combined, Sang Ying was truly unable to breathe from the kissing. Her mind went blank, driven only by the instinct to survive as she mustered the strength to push him away.

The young man sensed her movement and pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against hers as he panted softly, his warm breath brushing her face.

His vertical pupils, flecked with shattered gold, watched as her watery eyes misted over and she gasped for air, completely disoriented. He suddenly chuckled, pressing his thumb against her crimson lips. “What, has your husband never kissed you like this?”

It took Sang Ying a while to recover. Still dazed, she heard his words and instantly felt a guilty pang, as if she were cheating on her husband behind his back. She shuddered.

But then it struck her—wasn’t he her husband?!

She nearly got swept up in the illusion herself. Flustered and annoyed, Sang Ying bit his finger, her voice muffled as she deliberately said, “My husband isn’t as reckless as you. You even bumped my mouth—he’s very gentle.”

The surrounding air instantly turned cold and gloomy.

Sang Ying shivered involuntarily and looked up, meeting the young man’s serpent-like, icy vertical pupils flecked with gold. The oppressive aura left her speechless. Oh no, would Xie Lingyu, in his amnesiac state, fly into a rage and run her through with his sword?

A sudden wave of fear washed over her, and she instinctively tried to retreat, but her escape was blocked by a tree.

Trembling, Sang Ying forced herself to appear calm, stammering, “Xie Lingyu…”

She had only just uttered his name when icy fingers pinched her small face, rainwater trickling down her cheeks.

“…That, that.”

Sang Ying swallowed hard and timidly raised her eyes. Unexpectedly, the young man before her looked calm, not enraged as she had imagined.

His thumb leisurely stroked her cheek as he chuckled softly. “So timid, yet you still dare to provoke me, shijie?”

Sang Ying leaned tightly against the tree, mustering her courage to speak: “Even if you’re angry, you can’t kill me now—and of course, you can’t hit me either!”

“Why not?”

Sang Ying whispered, “If you act now, the charge would be assaulting an innocent, respectable woman. In the Immortal Alliance, that’s punishable by at least three hundred years in the Immortal Prison.”

The air fell silent for a few breaths.

“Is that so?”

Long fingers lifted her chin, fingertips trailing slowly down her slender neck, coming to rest on the vivid red kiss marks.

The movement was slow and tantalizing. Sang Ying felt a ticklish sensation and was about to grab his hand when a sudden coolness touched her collarbone.

His fingers slid further down, abruptly hooking open her collar to reveal even more red marks.

The young man’s gaze shifted between her and the kiss marks, his voice indifferent. “So, does Shijie still count as innocent?”

Sang Ying yanked her collar back up to cover herself, her cheeks flushing slightly as she stubbornly argued, “I’ve only made the same mistake every woman in the world would make.”

His long fingers, still bearing the marks of her bite, cupped her face.

The young man kissed her again, his voice low. “Only Shijie could speak so righteously about cheating on her husband.”

Before Sang Ying could reply, her breath was stolen once more.

This kiss was not fierce but gentle and unhurried. To Sang Ying, it felt like cotton candy—soft and tender against her lips, gently licking the spot she had bitten earlier, soothing her like a small animal.

The scent of White Sandalwood grew intense yet pure. This contradictory kiss left Sang Ying momentarily at a loss.

When Xie Lingyu had kissed her before, it was always fierce, as if he wanted to devour her.

Now, suddenly so gentle, Sang Ying felt an illusion of returning to the past—as if the one kissing her now was the same brooding youth who used to follow her around, indulging her every whim.

Sang Ying opened her eyes and saw his thick, lightly closed lashes. The image overlapped with the memory of that youth, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Oh no. Sang Ying’s ears grew hot at the thought of the Xie Lingyu from the past kissing her. She felt so shy, her heart pounding wildly.

The long fingers cupping her face shifted slowly with the kiss, fingertips brushing against her burning earlobe. The young man paused slightly and stopped.

He pulled back a little, opened his eyes, and suddenly met her wide, bewildered, and panicked gaze—wet and unguarded.

Before him, the girl’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, staring at him helplessly. Her cheeks and earlobes were tinged with a beautiful blush, like the evening glow before the moonrise.

“…”

Xie Lingyu suddenly tightened his fingers.

As if startled awake, Sang Ying quickly turned her face away, clutching her sleeve tightly. Yet the frantic beating of her heart in her ears showed no sign of calming down.

A sudden weight settled on her shoulder as the young man leaned in, resting his chin there. The scent of White Sandalwood enveloped her once more.

A cool touch brushed against her crimson earlobe, followed by a lazy, husky voice whispering by her ear, low with laughter. “Shijie is lying. You clearly haven’t experienced tenderness before.”

This was unbearable. Xie Lingyu’s voice was already captivating and pleasant to the ear. Even when he spoke coldly and indifferently, she liked it. But now, with his voice softened and spoken so close to her ear in such a gentle tone, Sang Ying felt she couldn’t take it anymore, her lashes trembling uncontrollably.

She bit her lip, stubbornly retorting, “How do you know I haven’t tried it before?”

That cool touch brushed her earlobe again. Long fingers cupped half of her small face, planting a light kiss before gently taking her earlobe between his lips, tenderly licking and kissing it.

Raindrops lightly fell on the side of her face, and Sang Ying trembled violently as if struck by electricity, her legs going weak and nearly causing her to collapse, but the young man’s hand caught her just in time.

He lifted his head slightly, his fragmented golden vertical pupils fixed on her, exuding an aura that was both eerie and sacred, captivating and mesmerizing.

“Can’t even stand steady anymore, and Senior Sister still wants to argue?”

Sang Ying averted her gaze. “I—I just stood for too long and lost my strength.”

The young man didn’t speak. Instead, he encircled her wrists, lifted them, and wrapped them around his own neck before leaning in to kiss her again.

It was that same kind of kiss—gentle to the point of being startling, light as if floating on clouds, rising and falling with the rhythm of her heartbeat.

Sang Ying trembled as she endured it, her lashes fluttering, the corners of her eyes damp, completely dazed by the kiss, her mind spinning in a haze.

She had no strength left to stand and began to slump downward, but the young man’s arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her up. In the brief moment their lips parted, he spoke.

“Come up.”

In this state, Sang Ying was uncharacteristically obedient. Guided by him, she used his support to leap into his embrace, her arms loosely encircling him, her slender legs hooked around his waist as he held her, her body pressed against his lean frame.

The young man carried her like this, kissing her gently as he walked toward the moonlit stream. A Restrictive Barrier of Spiritual Power formed behind them, completely sealing them off.

Earlier, when the water attribute spiritual power surged, it had brought a brief rain. The grass by the stream was damp, so he conjured a cloud with a spell, knelt on it with one knee, and placed the girl upon it before finally pausing the kiss.

Sang Ying, still dazed from the kiss, sat on the cloud and gradually regained her senses. Once her bewildered eyes cleared, her ears flushed an unmistakable red.

Damn it, how did Xie Lingyu suddenly seem like a completely different person!

No, no, Sang Ying shook her head vigorously. Her goal was cultivation!

She checked her body—after that long kiss, a great deal of fire element spiritual power had already been introduced into her system. She needed to focus on refining it.

So, when the young man cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her again, Sang Ying decisively raised her hand to block him, covering his mouth. “No more kissing!”

The young man caught her wrist and gently kissed her palm. “Does Senior Sister not want to cultivate anymore?”

Her palm tingled, making Sang Ying feel uneasy. She fluttered her lashes. “I need to refine it first.”

“Did I kiss Senior Sister into a daze?”

The young man suddenly let out a soft laugh. The tip of his jade-like Dragon Tail lifted a Water Lotus brimming with fire element spiritual power and brought it to her palm, where it dissolved, leaving only ordinary water that trickled down her fingers.

He caught her fingertips and kissed away the droplets. “Wouldn’t it be better for Senior Sister’s refinement if I continuously provided elemental spiritual power for you?”

Under the clear moonlight, the stream murmured softly.

Surrounded by mist and raindrops, the young man sat beside her, with Water Lotuses tinged in crimson floating around him.

His eyes had returned to their calm, dark hue, his gaze cool yet gentle as he looked at her, like an immortal descended from the clouds.

His voice was low, tender to the extreme. When his lips lightly kissed her fingertips, Sang Ying’s heart skipped a beat.

…!!

Sang Ying’s lashes fluttered like butterfly wings in panic, completely enchanted by his beauty. For a moment, she was at a loss for words, unsure of what she was even saying.

“Th-then, go ahead and kiss.”

“To avoid disturbing Senior Sister’s refinement, may I kiss other places instead?”

“…Yes.”

“The rain has soaked through your clothes, it must be uncomfortable. Let me help you take off your outer robe, alright?”

“…Alright.”

Sang Ying was coaxed by his gentle tone into letting him remove her outer robe. Her thin garment was half-slipped off, hanging loosely around her elbows as she sat in his embrace, dazed by his kisses.

On the crimson fabric, a pair of lotus flowers was embroidered. His fingertip traced the petals lightly. “Shijie, can I kiss here?”

A drop of water landed on her face. It took Sang Ying a moment to regain her senses, her face flushing all the way to her neck. She grabbed his hand. “No!”

“You did that on purpose!”

“It’s too late to realize now, Shijie.”

The hidden rabbit tail peeked out, soft and adorable. He hooked his finger under the fabric, letting it slip down, and pressed a gentle kiss there.

Sang Ying shuddered violently, trying to push him away, but the young man had anticipated it. His Dragon Tail coiled around both her wrists, rendering her immobile.

As he kissed her, he nipped lightly, his teeth grazing her skin, all while kindly reminding her, “Why did you stop refining your Spiritual Power, Shijie? You should focus on your cultivation.”

“…Mm.”

Sang Ying’s eyes reddened at the corners, her fingers clenching tightly. What aloof immortal? He was just a wicked, lecherous dragon to the core! She had been fooled by him again.

Flustered and furious, she gritted her teeth. “…Xie Lingyu! Don’t kiss my tail!”

“It’s just a kiss, Shijie. Why are you so stingy?”

The young man’s voice was lazy as he generously offered the tip of his Dragon Tail to her lips. “I wouldn’t mind if you ‘retaliated’ in return.”

…Is that even the same thing?!

Last time Sang Ying had bitten his Dragon Tail, she nearly broke her teeth. She definitely wouldn’t fall for it again this time.

She wanted to break free, but his kisses this time were so gentle that she soon succumbed once more.

Her consciousness grew hazy, with only the sound of rain and the flowing stream in her ears. The sound of their kisses mingled indistinctly within.

“…”

She lost track of time, unsure how long had passed. It felt as though every inch of her skin had been kissed, even her ankles held captive and kissed, not allowing her to escape in the slightest.

Aside from her lips, the place he kissed most was her rabbit tail. He seemed particularly fond of kissing it and enjoyed squeezing it with his hand.

During the rare moments when Sang Ying was lucid enough to notice, her already burning ears grew even hotter. She turned her face away, unwilling to look.

But he cupped her chin, forcing her to watch as he gathered the fluffy rabbit tail in his palm, whispering softly to her, “Shijie’s tail is so soft, so cute.”

He played with it for a long time, only letting go when the rabbit tail drooped listlessly.

Her consciousness grew increasingly muddled and confused.

At one moment, his gloomy, morbid voice whispered in her ear, “Shijie, do you really have a husband?”

Sang Ying jolted awake, opening her damp eyes. “Of course I do. May lightning strike me if I’m lying.”

As if surprised by her severe oath, the young man paused, his voice growing even darker and more sinister. His long fingers brushed against the Water Lotus, clearly feeling the petals stiffen.

Sang Ying trembled violently as she heard him bite her ear and whisper, “Then, Shijie, could you tell me why, after three years of marriage, you are still…?”

Panic surged in Sang Ying’s heart, but she forced herself to remain calm on the surface. “Of course it’s because he’s incapable.”

“Otherwise, why would I seek you out as a lover?”

Xie Lingyu: “…”