Feeling a sense of relief after shifting the blame, Nan Shiying slowed her pace only after leaving the Nan Residence and confirming she wasn't being followed. She then proceeded to peel off the two layers of human skin masks that had been stuck to her face.
Her breathing immediately became smoother.
Just then, Nan Shiying heard a sound of footsteps, so faint it was almost imperceptible. She spun around abruptly and asked in a low voice, "Who?"
A figure emerged from the darkness. Only when the figure stepped into the moonlight and Nan Shiying clearly saw who it was did her taut nerves finally relax.
"My Lord?" she blinked.
Why was his lordship out and about in the middle of the night?
Ji Jinmo walked up to Nan Shiying and naturally took her hand. He looked down at her and asked, "Fancy a boat ride?"
Nan Shiying glanced at the sky, then back at him. Ji Jinmo looked serious, as if he wasn't joking. But tonight there was no lantern festival, no flower boats. On this bitterly cold, starless night, what lake were they going to ride on? What were they going to see? The ghosts in the water, or the wind of the depths?
"To watch a show!"
As if sensing Nan Shiying's thoughts, Ji Jinmo added.
Nan Shiying blinked, a flicker of interest in her eyes. He should have said so earlier!
"Let's go!"
Fortunately, the hour wasn't too late, nor was the night too cold. With the moonlight as their companion, the water's surface would surely ripple with shimmering light as it flowed, offering a unique charm.
Ji Jinmo suppressed a smile, though the corners of his lips curved upward. He held Nan Shiying's hand, strolling like any loving couple through the darkening, silent streets. The wind rustled through the treetops, creating soft whispers. The warmth of her hand in his made Ji Jinmo wish that time could stop at this moment, eternally. It would be a gift life bestowed upon him.
They passed through Yunlan Street and, at the intersection nearing Sishui Street, turned in the opposite direction. After walking for several kilometers, the wind took on a hint of moisture.
The capital had a lake, not formed naturally but artificially. However, it wasn't a lake dug by the ancestors for leisurely boating at great expense. It was formed by a meteorite impact.
Of course, the crater back then wasn't large. It only began to fill with water later. When the ancestors established the Lin Yuan Imperial City here, they expanded and excavated it, shaping it into what it was today.
Several boats were moored on the lake, bearing the mark of Huan Cai Ge – they were Huan Cai Ge's flower boats.
Lanterns adorned the boats, and from a distance, they appeared brilliantly lit, far from the pitch-black, chilling gloom Nan Shiying had imagined, like spectral ghost ships devoid of light.
Ji Jinmo slung an arm around Nan Shiying's waist. With a light step, his body, as if weightless, leaped up. As he landed on the water, the surface seemed to form a bridge of waves. He walked across as if accustomed to it. An unknowing observer would have thought he was treading on water, marveling at his superb Qinggong.
However, compared to his Qinggong, his water-controlling ability was even more remarkable.
With Ji Jinmo's arm around her waist, Nan Shiying naturally placed her arm over his shoulder, leaning half her body against him. The slightly damp wind carried his cherry blossom scent directly into her nostrils. Facing the moonlight, Nan Shiying gazed at his handsome, flawless profile and suddenly recalled the question Nan Chaoyin had asked her as she was leaving.
"You, can consummate your marriage with Ji Jinmo!"
Thinking of this, Nan Shiying's face involuntarily flushed. However, the hazy moonlight, like a veil of modesty, prevented Ji Jinmo from witnessing this beautiful sight.
As they approached a flower boat, the water beneath them rose, forming a towering platform. Ji Jinmo, still holding Nan Shiying, stepped onto the deck with composure.
The strains of elegant string and bamboo music could be heard faintly. Nan Shiying wondered what entertainment Ji Jinmo intended for her to watch.
Upon entering the cabin, she heard indistinct sounds of revelry. The soft moans of women made Nan Shiying's face turn crimson. She turned and shot Ji Jinmo a fierce glare.
Was this the "living art" he had brought her to see?
Ji Jinmo rubbed his nose and gestured for her to be patient. Listening to the amorous sounds from outside the cabin, even the night wind couldn't dispel the heat from his body. Vaguely, Nan Shiying sensed a peculiar sensation around her waist, as if Ji Jinmo had a long, hard spear tucked there, pricking her uncomfortably.
Although Nan Shiying had lived two lifetimes, and was still a virgin, she had heard and seen things. She naturally knew what this "spear" was. Her face turned as red as a winter plum blossom. When she glared at Ji Jinmo again, her eyes shimmered with moisture. Ji Jinmo, already struggling to contain himself, found it even harder to suppress his desire upon seeing her alluring expression.
Nan Shiying's heart trembled. She placed one hand against Ji Jinmo's chest and the other picked up a silver needle. The needle emitted a cold, sharp gleam in the darkness. The gleam landed on Ji Jinmo's waist. Nan Shiying lowered her voice and threatened, "If you want to be a eunuch, I'll fulfill your wish right now!"
Ji Jinmo swallowed hard, suppressing a gulp of saliva. A gust of wind brought a chilling coolness to his damp back.
However, compared to his back, the area at the end of his mermaid line, in front of his waist, felt even colder.
"My lady jest!" Ji Jinmo said, then firmly grabbed Nan Shiying's wrist and pulled her into his embrace. He lowered his head, resting his chin on her shoulder. With each breath, it felt as if swarms of small insects were burrowing into Nan Shiying's ears.
Nan Shiying felt an itch at her neck and earlobe, an itch that reached her heart and then surged downward, flowing to unspeakable places. Her face grew even more flushed. As she struggled, Ji Jinmo simply pressed his entire body against her back, trapping her within his embrace.
"You..."
"Hush!"
Ji Jinmo placed a finger against Nan Shiying's lips.
The sounds from the cabin gradually ceased, followed by rustling noises. Ji Jinmo poked a hole through the cabin's window paper. Nan Shiying leaned in, peering through the small opening. The dim candlelight illuminated a messy floor and bed. The woman, who should have been lying on the bed, exhausted and weak, was now dressed and bending down to retrieve a porcelain bottle hidden behind the bed, gently prying open the mouth of the person on the bed.
Nan Shiying turned and looked at Ji Jinmo: "Did you orchestrate this?"
Ji Jinmo flicked her hand. With a forceful flick of his wrist, the silver needle held between Nan Shiying's fingers shot through the opening into the woman's body, sealing her acupoints and immobilizing her.
Then, he raised his hand and pushed open the window.
Nan Shiying understood and was about to leap through the window, but Ji Jinmo pulled her back, then leaped in with her in his arms.
Nan Shiying: "..."
Seriously, that was entirely unnecessary, wasn't it?
They landed on the ground as silently as falling leaves. The room was filled with the lingering scent of post-coital indulgence. Nan Shiying wrinkled her nose in disgust and pushed Ji Jinmo away, walking towards the bedside herself.
Approaching the woman, Nan Shiying finally got a clear look at the unfortunate soul lying on the bed.