Chapter 20: Gale and Torrential Rain

"Cough—" Just as Li Bucai was about to act, two light coughs sounded from outside the door, and Qing'er said, "Lord, have you fallen asleep?" The princess sent her here precisely to prevent other girls from approaching him; lying on the bed, he noticed the two newly arrived maids were missing, hurried to the central army tent and looked, and indeed heard their voices.

"No… none, come in." Li Bucai hurriedly re‑tied his sash. Qing'er had already walked in.

"Lord, so many people arrived at once today; the bed space may be insufficient, and I can't sleep anyway, so why not let those two rest on my bed."

Qing'er was of noble birth, and the two girls Nature knew, saying, "How could we dare use Lady Qing'er's bed? Moreover, if we leave, who will stay to serve the Lord."

Qing'er thought: Are the two planning to stay by the Lord's side overnight? Then the princess's beloved Qi would be in ** danger? That is absolutely unacceptable. She said, "You have traveled a long way and must be exhausted; for the next few nights I will serve the Lord in your place. You may go."

The two girls were indeed tired; hearing Qing'er speak, she, being of noble birth and of higher status, naturally had the right to serve the Lord for them, and she silently withdrew outside the door.

Li Bucai said, "Skip the serving; you didn't get much sleep last night either. Otherwise, stay here and rest a while while I go out for a stroll."

Qing'er naturally hoped he would leave, as that would better fulfill the princess's task for her, but unlike the other girls, she came from the wilderness to the Lord's side; if he left like that and Wu Zhuoran and the others found out, they would surely become suspicious.

"Lord, do you despise Qing'er…"

"Where did that come from? How could someone as wonderful as you be despised?"

Qing'er suddenly knelt, saying, "Since the Lord does not consider Qing'er an unwanted person, I have a request; please be sure to grant it to Qing'er."

"Get up quickly; if it's within my power I'll agree to you, so get up."

"Lord, you saved Qing'er's life; I beg you, Qing'er wishes to stay by the Lord forever, I mean… like the two maids, to be by the Lord's side every day, serving the Lord as they do."

Li Bucai said, "You are my talent; making you serve me like the maids would be a waste of your abilities, wouldn't it?"

"Qing'er was originally picked up by the Lord, so she ought to contribute more than they do. Qing'er is willing to both serve the Lord and handle the camp's trivial matters. Being able to serve the Lord is Qing'er's blessing, so please, Lord, grant Qing'er's request."

Li Bucai helped her to her feet, saying, "Alright, I agree. In the future, don't keep kneeling at the slightest thing; your knee injury hasn't healed yet, for such minor matters just tell me directly. Here you need not observe so many formalities."

The plan succeeded, and Qing'er was secretly pleased; from today she could openly watch Li Bucai, stepping forward to loosen his clothes and unfasten his belts. Yet she had never served anyone before, so she was clumsy, accidentally turning a slipknot into a tight knot that wouldn't undo, sweating profusely. In a moment of inattention she stepped on his collar, tripped, and both fell onto the bed, collapsing onto Li Bucai.

The two rose and fell, their gazes meeting; Qing'er's cherry lips were only an inch away from his handsome face, and she could clearly feel the warm, moist breath from his mouth lightly brushing her face, a scent sweet and intoxicating, suddenly a surge of heat flooding her body, her heart pounding wildly, unable to resist the urge to press her pearl‑like lips against his, to savor the wonderful taste.

Bit by bit she involuntarily brought her lips closer, and the instant the two mouths met, Qing'er's eyes widened: "What a strange feeling, how can his saliva give such a pleasant sensation? It's like eating candy, my heart races so fast."

Her body suddenly flipped, now pressed beneath him; she felt a strong hand move gently from her cheek to her chest, and as it brushed the apex, a tingling sensation spread through her, her wide eyes involuntarily closing slowly, allowing his large hand to wander continuously over her body, looping around his neck, fearing his lips might suddenly leave her and pull her out of this marvelous realm.

Her clothes were peeled off piece by piece; she wanted to stop, yet she was not truly willing. She despised interacting with men, so why was this man before her irresistible? It seemed deep in her heart she did not want to refuse. The princess's instructions echoed repeatedly in her ears, while the voice of refusal shouted in her mind again and again, yet she could not turn these into action, not even daring to give him a gentle push. Yes, she simply couldn't; she didn't even understand why she couldn't. He wasn't her servant, even if

That large hand continued to glide downward; with each inch it moved, she wanted to hold him tighter, yearning to merge into his body or have him merge into hers, pleading to become one. Until one of the fingers slipped between her thighs, she no longer had strength to clasp his neck, ashamed she turned her face aside, biting the finger hard to suppress the uncontrollable soft moans.

At last, the infinitely yearning him finally entered her body; the struggling voices in her heart vanished instantly. With his entry, she felt a fierce gale and torrential rain shaking her body, while also washing her Soul, an utterly exhilarating sensation.

For a long, long time, she finally saw a rainbow on the clouds, followed immediately by another downpour surging toward her Soul, causing her to wander repeatedly in a blissful realm, until a warm current flooded her body, as if a finger lightly tickled her heart, a tingling that turned into a painful feeling deep inside, driving her mad, unable to hold back tears, weeping for this soul‑stirring pleasure, her body involuntarily trembling violently…

Li Bucai wrapped her in his arms, gently caressing her body, wiping the tear tracks from her face, and lightly covering her delicate form with the blanket.

Qing'er closed her eyes tightly, her body still emitting occasional slight tremors, pressing her face firmly against his chest; with his gentle strokes she gradually calmed and fell into a deep sleep…

…