Chapter 46: Beautiful Bones, Gentle Lady (2)

"Mm, I like it." He continued to answer with his eyes closed, the smile on his face deepening until her warm, soft red lips touched his earlobe, slowly wandering and exploring, tracing the sharp, defined angles of his side profile, brushing past the edge of his thin lips. "Do you really like it?"

Yet this time he did not answer. Suddenly, he flipped over, pulling her into his arms. A deep, brilliant light shone in his black eyes, flashing a dangerous signal. "What do you think?"

Her soft, boneless figure pressed beneath him, rising and falling with her breath. Her sharp chin tilted slightly upward, making her jade-like neck appear even more elegant and slender; even that thin, cold wound seemed to possess a seductive beauty. Ye Xuanshang gradually pressed his body down. Her long lashes trembled, half-veiling her blurred gaze, and with a soft moan, she wrapped her arms around his neck, sealing his lips and tongue.

Her tongue, soft as a blade, charming as poison, delicate and tender, teased the dry, hot lust deep within the man's dantian without yielding an inch. Ye Xuanshang's breathing grew heavier, as if he were already spellbound. The woman's nimble hand slid downward, reaching into his clothes along his spine, lingering and caressing all the way. Just as her fingertips were about to touch the vital point on his back, her lingering, delicate body suddenly stiffened.

A cold sword Qi quietly condensed beside her neck. Ye Xuanshang opened his star-like eyes, his lips curling slightly, looking down from above with a playful, thin smile as he admired the exquisite face before him. In his hand, the Guili Sword, which had been secretly placed by the pillow, had long since left its sheath by a few inches, pressing precisely against the seductive bloodstain on the woman's neck.

Soft silk entangled with a sharp blade; soft brocade covered cold light. The once amorous atmosphere in the tent was as if frozen, and only the sound of rapid, shallow breathing could be heard. Ye Xuanshang admired the beauty beneath his hand, having no intention of getting up, his voice carrying a cold tenderness. "Who are you?"

The woman, intimidated by the long sword, dared not move, yet she did not lose her charming posture. "What are you doing? Why bring out blades and swords for no reason?"

The sword edge was cold, reflecting the lazy, faint smile on its master's face. Ye Xuanshang tilted the blade slightly inward, pressing it against her flawless cheek, and said unhurriedly, "This sword of mine often has a way of making people tell the truth. If such a beautiful face were to have an extra scar, it would be quite a pity."

The woman's gaze wandered across his cold, stern brows, as if considering his words, and then she gave a coquettish laugh. With this laugh, she reverted to her true voice, which was even sweeter and more moving than before. "Truly worthy of the Third Young Master—good eyes, good methods, and a ruthless heart! No wonder my subordinates couldn't do anything to you. But my disguise technique is extraordinary; how did you see through it?"

Ye Xuanshang smiled. "You underestimated my understanding of her."

The woman said, "Is that so? Then teach me, if it were her, what would she do?"

Ye Xuanshang examined her face, which looked exactly like Zi Rao's. Although he knew she was not the person in question, he could not find any flaws. There was no heavy makeup on her face, nor did it look like she was wearing a human-skin mask; it was as if she were born looking exactly like Zi Rao. He couldn't help but marvel inwardly. "If we're talking about looks, it is indeed a perfect likeness, and even the gestures and demeanor are very similar. I was almost deceived by you, but unfortunately, you were too impatient."

The woman's eyes showed confusion. He continued, "You came here with the intent to kill me. When you entered and saw me lying drunk on the couch, you originally intended to strike and take my life. It was only after I discovered you that you acted accordingly, wanting to use your beauty to seduce me into your embrace. But you happened to say words you shouldn't have."

The woman asked, "Oh? What words?"

Ye Xuanshang said, "You wanted to pry her true identity from me, not knowing that this revealed your own background, telling me you are absolutely not her." Having said this, he smiled. Although they hadn't known each other long, they had fought side by side and shared life and death. If one were in danger, why would one need to goad the other into helping? Thinking of her naturally unbridled personality, she was truly fearless, sometimes even giving people a headache. Those few sentences definitely did not sound like they came from her mouth.

The woman said, "Just because of this, you concluded I am not her?"

Ye Xuanshang shook his head. "What finally made me certain you are absolutely not Zi Rao is the Yehe fragrance on your body."

Yehe fragrance is an exotic scent passed down from an ancient kingdom in the Southern Border. Its fragrance is ethereal, soft, and lingering. It was originally an item placed in the bedroom on a wedding night to ensure the newlyweds' pleasure; to put it plainly, it is an aphrodisiac. This item later spread to the Central Plains and was often used by palace concubines to concoct incense to bewitch the monarch and seek favor, while what flowed into the Jianghu was a top-tier aphrodisiac. Ye Xuanshang had smelled this scent often when he was a child in the palace and truly could not say he liked it. And Zi Rao... he lowered his head and smiled, his breath making her hair sway slightly. "If she wants to seduce someone, she doesn't need any aphrodisiac at all."

The explanation ended there. He stared into the beautiful, soul-stirring eyes before him, smiling with hidden meaning. The most crucial point he did not tell her—he could mistake anything, but he would never mistake Zi Rao's eyes. In this world, no second person would have such clear and seductive eyes, and no second person could be a woman who left him deeply impressed at first sight. In fact, the moment he brought her into the tent and flipped her over, he already knew she was not the person he imagined.

The woman's gaze shifted complexly. She had not expected that from the moment he sensed something was wrong, he had been luring her with words step by step. Even though she had carefully designed it beforehand, she had still underestimated him. Although she was shocked inwardly, she smiled even more sweetly on the surface. "Is she that fascinating? Do you want to see what I look like, or perhaps, change your mind?"

Ye Xuanshang said with interest, "Since you put it that way, I am indeed a bit curious."

"Then you must look closely!" The woman stared into his eyes and smiled brilliantly. Following this charming smile, her face seemed to be washed by clear water, gently surging with ripples, and that face actually began to show strange changes bit by bit. A thought flashed through Ye Xuanshang's mind, but before he could see her appearance clearly, she suddenly opened her sandalwood mouth slightly, and a sharp light shot out rapidly, heading straight for his brow.

Ye Xuanshang had long been on guard against her; he leaned back and dodged quickly. A thin needle flew past the tip of his nose. The woman in his grasp, her body soft and supple, suddenly twisted sideways like a slippery fish, broke free from his hold, and darted out of the tent.

The long light was like lightning; the Guili Sword tore through the tent in pursuit. The woman bent her entire body backward at an incredible angle, her fragrant shoulders slightly shifting, and a soft force actually deflected the sword edge by half an inch. In that instant, she leaped up and instantly passed through the window.

Ye Xuanshang rushed to the window. In the vast mist, a splash of water vanished on the lake surface; the woman had long since disappeared without a trace, leaving only a wisp of alluring fragrance lingering by his side. "Great Freedom Four Seasons Method." He sheathed his sword, knowing the clue from this.

The lake water was deep, calm, and silent. Light ripples suddenly appeared beside the brightly lit painted boat. The woman in black surfaced from the shadows where the lamplight could not reach, took a deep breath, and dived onto the boat without a sound.

Entering the upper cabin without obstruction, she casually threw away the black robe that had been soaked through by the lake water, not caring at all about revealing her beautiful figure beneath, and entered the inner chamber with bare feet. Two small maids in green hurried to welcome her, draping a clean, soft satin silk garment over her. A green-clad woman with slender shoulders and a thin waist turned out from behind the curtain, stepped forward, and asked urgently, "Hall Master, did you succeed?"

The woman lightly brushed her long hair, her gaze passing through the flower window over the lake's dazzling lights, looking at the painted boat moored not far away. She shook her head and said, "Indeed, not easy to deal with. I almost fell into his hands. Fortunately, you didn't act rashly, otherwise, it would have ruined the big plan." Turning slightly, under the silver lamp, her smoke-like eyebrows and affectionate eyes were exactly those of Bai Shu'er, who played the zither and made merry with Huang Fei. And the woman who asked the question was the dancer Lv Yi, who should have been on Ye Xuanshang's boat.

Bai Shu'er moved to sit by the couch, her shoulders half-covered in cloud silk, her originally radiant face showing slight fatigue. "How is the situation over there?"

Lv Yi said, "Huang Fei and Ji Cang are not ordinary people. I didn't dare to get too close, only hiding in the forest to observe secretly. Even so, I couldn't quite withstand the sword Qi of the two of them."

"Did they really fight? What was the outcome?"

"Huang Fei was slightly injured, and Ji Cang later gave him something. Because I was too far away, I couldn't see it very clearly, but it looked like a remnant scroll of the secret records."

"Since Huang Fei didn't win, why would Ji Cang give him the secret records?" Bai Shu'er muttered to herself, then looked up. "You go back first, immediately send a letter to the Crown Prince about tonight's events, and deal with Ye Xuanshang carefully. Don't let him become suspicious. I need to meditate for a while, and other matters will be discussed after consulting with Marquis Helian."

Lv Yi knew she had used the Freedom As-You-Wish Method to soften her bones and change her form, which consumed a great deal of Danyuan True Essence, so she quietly withdrew with the two small maids. Bai Shu'er sat cross-legged on the couch, meditating and breathing using the unique mental method of the Great Freedom Four Seasons Method. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, her face gradually regained its radiance. She opened her eyes, pondered for a while, then changed her clothes, left the boat alone, went ashore, and headed toward Chu City.

Just as she left the painted boat, a figure leaped up from under the eaves of the red building by the lake, secretly following behind her. This person followed calmly all the way, and Bai Shu'er never noticed. When she entered a mansion with familiarity, the person did not follow inside, but stopped with his hands behind his back, looked up at the four large characters "Helian Marquis Mansion" written in gold on the mansion, the red lamp casting deep traces beside the white-clad figure. He gave a cold smile and disappeared into the night.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 47 =====