Steam swirled in the bathing chamber, and the dancing flames cast a delicate golden sheen over the gleaming white jade.

His lips never idle, Ning Yin pulled Yu Lingxi’s hand to let her fingertips replace kisses as they traced over the scars on his chest.

Though Yu Lingxi had seen this body many times in her previous life, none had been like tonight, when a mere gentle touch could make her heart tremble and emotions overflow.

Pressed against Ning Yin’s chest, she inexplicably recalled that hunting dog from her previous life—the one Ning Yin had personally crushed the neck of after it was injured.

In his subconscious, rather than watching the hound linger in suffering, he preferred to give it a quick end.

Just like years ago in that broken temple, when he stabbed his mother who had endured such torment.

Yu Lingxi didn’t know what to say, so she could only use kisses to mask the tightness in her throat until her breath was captured and her consciousness submerged.

Even at such a moment, Ning Yin still sat casually relaxed, merely tilting his head back slightly as he supported the back of her head.

Yu Lingxi pulled back a little, breathing unsteadily as she said, “Ning Yin, you still owe me something.”

Ning Yin’s eyes lifted slightly at the corners.

Only when Yu Lingxi boldly grasped the ties of his black robe, her fingertips lightly flicking them, did Ning Yin understand that the “something” she spoke of was the purity he hadn’t taken on their wedding day.

“Do you want to love more deeply?”

Yu Lingxi gazed at him earnestly, a pool of light dissolving in her almond eyes, diffusing tenderness and determination.

Ning Yin suddenly gave a low laugh, his dark eyes tinged with the faintest allure as if they could devour everything.

Her breath was suddenly seized as her handsome lover answered with actions instead of words.

The candle stands burned to their ends, several lights extinguished in succession, and Ning Yin’s profound, handsome features became blurred.

Yu Lingxi lay on Ning Yin’s shoulder, steadying her breath. Her long hair cascaded over her slender shoulders, falling down her delicate waist, pooling on Ning Yin’s arm like soft black ink.

Ning Yin savored the moisture at the corner of her eye, rising with her still in his embrace, carrying her toward the bath.

With unsteady steps, Yu Lingxi tensed, instinctively biting her lip.

The mist spread with the ripples of water, then gently closed back in.

As the hot water gradually submerged their bodies, Yu Lingxi felt a slight sting and couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

“Bastard.”

Yu Lingxi had no strength left, her curse barely an airy whisper.

Ning Yin sat in the water, letting Yu Lingxi sit on his lap, leisurely washing her as he said, “It was Suisui herself who said she wanted to love more deeply.”

Yu Lingxi glared at him, angrily opening her mouth to bite his shoulder.

The man’s muscles were cold white and strong; he didn’t even furrow his brow.

“What are you doing?” Ning Yin’s arm, with its distinct veins, rested on the edge of the pool, his gentle voice indulgent.

“Giving you a seal too.”

Yu Lingxi, her face buried in his shoulder, ground her teeth slightly as she spoke indistinctly.

Ning Yin laughed, his hoarse voice carrying both elegance and madness: “Not painful enough. Use more force.”

Yu Lingxi finally relaxed her bite, saying softly, “I can’t bear to.”

She released her teeth and kissed the small, faint bite mark, then wrapped her arms around Ning Yin’s neck and leaned against him.

She was too exhausted and soon drifted off to sleep.

Midway through, Ning Yin seemed to carry her out of the bath, dry her body, and even apply some cool ointment to the bruises on her waist.

“When I was young, the Emperor would occasionally visit that woman.”

Ning Yin’s hoarse voice came to her ears, dispersing as lightly as incense on a table.

“Each time, that woman would cry terribly. I was locked in a small room next door, curled up in a dark corner, only able to desperately cover my ears.”

At first, it was just bewildered fear, but as he grew older, he found it filthy and disgusting.

His enemy and that woman were like base animals.

Yu Lingxi leaned in his arms, her eyelashes trembling.

She understood now where Ning Yin’s madness and coldness toward this matter in her previous life had come from.

“But Suisui is different. Why is your voice so pleasant, hmm?”

Ning Yin’s fingers applying the medicine never stopped. He hooked them slightly, forcibly pulling Yu Lingxi back from her haze. “If I were to stamp a seal on you, would you prefer the name ‘Suisui’ or ‘Lingxi’?”

Her eyelids were heavy, Yu Lingxi gave a weary grunt, but lacking even the strength to raise her hand, she simply followed his breath and pressed her lips against his.

The arm around her waist tightened, and the world finally fell quietly silent.

When Yu Lingxi awoke, the sun was already high in the sky.

She lay on Ning Yin’s extremely wide bed, her skin against the soft bedding, her ears catching the slight rustling sound of turning pages.

Yu Lingxi moved her body with difficulty and turned her head, indeed catching sight of Ning Yin leaning at the head of the bed with his clothes loosely worn and hair undone.

In the dead of winter, he wore only a thin middle robe, and beneath the loose collar, two faint red scratches were faintly visible…

Last night’s events flooded her mind, and Yu Lingxi couldn’t help but feel her cheeks burning.

Indeed, in certain respects, the small madman was as unreasonable as the big madman.

Ning Yin’s gaze lifted from behind the scroll and glanced over.

“Awake?”

Ning Yin held the scroll against his chin, while his other hand slipped under the covers to massage Yu Lingxi’s sore, slender waist.

Yu Lingxi’s whole body trembled, her voice carrying the soft nasal tone of someone just woken: “Where are my clothes?”

“Need to apply medicine.” Ning Yin lowered his eyes, took out a jar of ointment, and warmed it in his hands.

As he massaged and pushed, he said slowly: “Last night, I suddenly understood something.”

His words had neither beginning nor end, and Yu Lingxi blinked in confusion.

Ning Yin leaned forward, strands of his ink-black hair falling behind his ear as he whispered, “The texture of white jade is indeed much softer and more delicate than black jade.”

Yu Lingxi was stunned, and then angrily pushed Ning Yin away.

Ning Yin’s face turned slightly from her push, but instead of retreating, he embraced her even tighter, his laughter muffled in his throat, making his chest vibrate slightly.

“You are mine,” he said very, very softly.

Squeezed breathless, Yu Lingxi could only soften her body, her slender arms encircling his waist as she curled the corners of her mouth. “And you are mine.”

After a moment, Yu Lingxi remembered something.

“Oh no.”

She suddenly raised her head from Ning Yin’s embrace, anxiously saying, “I’ve been gone all night—Father and Mother must be worried sick.”

Although last night was the Lantern Festival, and according to this dynasty’s traditions, there were no gender restrictions that night and young people could enjoy the lanterns all night, after such a major incident at the lantern festival, she should at least have reported her safety to her family.

Ning Yin squeezed Yu Lingxi’s neck and said, “Yu Huanchen has already been here.”

“My brother came?”

Yu Lingxi was surprised. “When?”

“At dawn.”

Ning Yin said leisurely, “By then, Suisui was sleeping from exhaustion. I really couldn’t bear to wake you, so I went personally to speak with him.”

Yu Lingxi had a bad premonition and asked, “What… did you tell him?”

Ning Yin glanced at his loose robe and the red marks on his chest, saying, “I told him just like this.”

Just like this…

Yu Lingxi’s breath caught.

Two soft knocks came from outside the hall.

The attendant reported, “Your Highness, we have traced Cui An’s whereabouts.”

Only then did Yu Lingxi snap out of her embarrassment, whispering, “Go handle your important matters.”

Ning Yin nipped at her earlobe before rising and putting on his clothes.

As he pushed open the hall doors, the peaceful smile in his eyes transformed into an icy chill.

…

After Ning Yin left, handmaidens successively entered to serve her.

They kept their eyes straight ahead and spoke little, which spared Yu Lingxi much embarrassment.

Handmaidens passing by outside were cleaning the bathing chamber, and Yu Lingxi’s sharp eyes caught sight of them carrying familiar light lilac-colored skirts.

She remembered that last night, Ning Yin had casually taken her undergarment to wipe…

Her cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly rose, saying, “Wait!”

She took the skirts from the handmaiden’s hands and hid behind the screen to look through them, but became confused.

She looked again but still didn’t see the soiled undergarment.

“Are all the clothes here?” Yu Lingxi asked.

“Yes, miss, they’re all here,” the handmaiden replied somewhat nervously. “Did I miss something?”

“No, nothing,” Yu Lingxi pretended to be calm as she returned the clothes.

Strange, where had the undergarment gone?

After she was properly washed and groomed and had finished an extremely exquisite and sumptuous late breakfast, Yu Lingxi left a letter for Ning Yin, informing him that she needed to return to the Yu residence first.

She didn’t want to hide anything related to Ning Yin from her family.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the Prince Jing manor gates, she saw the Yu Family carriage already waiting at the steps.

This time, it was her father who had come to pick her up personally.

General Yu looked at his daughter, who had stayed overnight and changed clothes, and a hint of complexity appeared on his stern face. After a long moment, he said in a deep voice, “Get in the carriage first.”