The two of them stared at each other for a long time, neither backing down.
Until his voice cut through the silence, "You can spit it out now."
Ye Luan spat the medicine into the spittoon, rinsed her mouth, and looked at him indifferently.
The medicine was excellent; the pain in her mouth had subsided, leaving a cool, numb sensation.
She crossed her arms and asked him coldly, "What does Your Highness mean by this?"
He remained silent, only staring at her.
"Are you trying to bite me to death?"
Her eyes, as cunning as the moon, held a sharp dissatisfaction and a deep-seated hatred for him.
Xiao Chi Zhan couldn't quite place his feelings. His usually indifferent heart trembled without warning.
He didn't understand. Where had he gone wrong?
Why did he always see hatred in her eyes?
"Speak!"
Her enraged shout jolted him back to reality. He leaned carelessly against the bed, tossed a knife at her, and said coldly,
"You can bite me back, or kill me."
Ye Luan flinched back a step at his action. The knife on the ground glinted with a cold, sharp light, sending a chill down her spine.
Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to kill him.
He was the King here!
If she killed him, she would never be able to leave Youzhou City.
Not to mention Tantai Ye, the officials of Youzhou City, the Dragon Scale Guards, and the hundreds of thousands of troops in Youzhou, they would all devour her alive. Furthermore, who knew if he was testing her?!
Her expression gradually softened. She picked up some clothes, intending to go to the bathroom.
The man's lingering gaze fixed on the clothes in her hand. "I'll get them for you."
"No need."
Seeing her refusal, he stood up directly and followed her.
While she bathed, his eyes never left her. After she came out, even as she put on her clothes, she felt as if she were being stared through.
Wherever she went, he followed.
Ye Luan frowned and turned back, "Don't you have anything to do? Why are you following me?"
Xiao Chi Zhan remained silent, trailing behind her. His deep gaze seemed to betray a hint of inexplicable grievance.
He's sick!
"I'm going to the privy, you're following too?"
"Mm."
She was speechless. "Are you a pervert?"
As soon as she spoke, those alluring red eyes glared at her in displeasure.
Ye Luan was not afraid and glared back. "Don't follow me in, it's disgusting."
With that, she pushed open the door to the privy and went inside.
She took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve and was about to take the pill.
Outside, the man's cold, chilling voice drifted in slowly.
"Do you think this flimsy door can withstand me kicking it open?"
The moment he finished speaking, with a bang, the door was kicked open.
Ye Luan was startled and quickly put the medicine back, grabbing a water ladle from the side and hurling it at him.
Xiao Chi Zhan's face turned cold as he dodged.
"Do you want to be a widow?"
He stood coldly at the doorway, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe, as if peeling off her clothes layer by layer, brazen and overbearing.
Ye Luan didn't know what possessed him. She pushed him aside forcefully, "Take it, take it, I won't go anymore, alright?"
His well-defined hand grabbed her.
She turned back and glared at him.
Xiao Chi Zhan, not understanding, said earnestly, "I don't mind, I'll just watch you."
"----"
She was utterly speechless. She stomped on his foot fiercely and bypassed the corridor, walking towards the bedroom.
The man behind her strode forward, grabbed her hand, and lifted her up in his arms.
Ye Luan frowned. She said nothing, wrapped her arms around his neck, and let him carry her back.
Inside the inner chamber, the atmosphere was warm.
He set her down on the bed.
He asked, "Sleep?"
Ye Luan no longer wanted to deal with him. She nodded faintly, took off her outer garments and shoes, and went straight to bed.
He soon lay down as well and held her from behind.
His iron arms felt stiff and oppressive.
"Go easy, do you want to strangle me?"
The constriction around her waist lessened, but with a lift of his hips, he turned her over to face him.
"You're very hot, do you know that?"
The room was already warm, and his body was scorching. Nestled in his arms, it was too hot.
Her moist, bright eyes looked at him with dissatisfaction. Xiao Chi Zhan leaned down and kissed her, "Sleep."
How inexplicable!
Ye Luan was forced against him. Gradually, drowsiness overtook her. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly realized something and her body stiffened.
"Can't sleep?"
From above, his clear, sharp voice came, as if he hadn't slept at all.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, a cold smile flashing through them. She then closed her eyes and continued to sleep.
Hearing her steady breathing, Xiao Chi Zhan's crimson eyes slowly opened. He lowered his gaze, looked at the girl in his arms, and lazily sat up.
He leaned against the bed, fiddling with the ring on his hand. After a while, finding it boring, he picked up her slender hands and began to play with them.
His well-defined hand pinched the soft flesh of her hand, playing with it with great amusement.
The bright moonlight streamed through the window into the room, casting specks of silver light. Faintly visible, a pair of twin rings lay close together, emitting a strange glow.
"Mm?"
The girl's soft hum sounded faintly.
In the dim canopy of the bed.
The man's body froze for a moment. Then, he lay on his side, propping himself up with one hand on a jade pillow and the other caressing the girl's tender skin. His devilishly handsome face was devoid of any expression, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
If he kept touching her like this, it would be a miracle if she could sleep.
Ye Luan secretly pursed her lips, wondering if her guess was correct. She pretended to be asleep, thinking to herself, let's see how long he can last.
At the hour of Mao, just as dawn was breaking, she woke up.
She was held in his embrace.
Ye Luan quietly raised her head. Seeing his eyes slightly closed, she raised an eyebrow, pulled away from his embrace, and got out of bed.
She took a red robe from the rack and put it on. Walking to the table, she took out a porcelain bottle from her pouch, poured out a pill, and began to drink water.
On the bed, those crimson eyes slowly opened. There were faint dark circles under her eyelids, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well.
"What are you eating?"
The man exuded a terrifying sharpness. He sat up, his gaze towards her deep and dark.
Ye Luan turned with the water cup in her hand, gave it a gentle shake, and smiled, "Beauty Enhancing Pill."
It was very different from the pills she had seen before.
Xiao Chi Zhan slowly got out of bed and walked towards her, his powerful aura captivating.
He stared at the pill in her hand, silent for a long moment.
Her chin was suddenly lifted.
He said, his voice lingering, "Testing me?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Ye Luan chuckled, patting his hand away with a palm. "You men don't understand; a woman's body needs care."
Xiao Chi Zhan suddenly smiled, stroking her cheek, his smile somewhat eerie.
He suddenly reached out and snatched a red fox fur robe draped over the rack. The porcelain bottle inside the robe tumbled out with a clatter.
Ye Luan raised an eyebrow, not rushing to pick it up.
She watched as the man bent down slightly, picked up the porcelain bottle from the ground, examined it carefully for a few moments, then held it in his hand, shaking it, and smiling as he asked her.
"What is this one?"