Mo Zi’s heart pounded thunderously as she slowly turned around.

Barefoot, the hem of his black silk robe woven with a deep purple peony, willow-green tassels hanging at his waist, sleeves slightly damp, purple-character patterns on the front. A jade-colored face, lips curved in a slight smile, black hair like silk, glossy and dark, falling to both sides. Eyes like ink stones stared at her without blinking, burning hot.

Always appearing in places she least expected, giving her surprises and frights, the man who tirelessly enjoyed this—besides Yuan Cheng, she could think of no other.

“How did you get in here?” Mo Zi stood in the water, forgetting she wore only a white undergarment, nearly transparent and clinging to her body.

Yuan Cheng didn’t answer. He crouched down gracefully, reached his hand into the water to test it, and picked up a flower petal. “Such vulgar fragrance doesn’t suit you.”

“…” Fine, she’d change the question. “When did you get here?” Watching her undress?

He looked as though seriously thinking, giving her an answer that left her not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Two days? Or three.”

“Three days? You’re saying you’ve been here for three days?” Talking nonsense.

“I thought you’d have to come here at least once. Seems I wasn’t wrong. I thought I’d have to wait another day, but my luck has always been good.” He lowered his head and pulled off his belt.

“…” She nearly cried out, covering her mouth just in time, lowering her voice, changing questions again. “Why are you waiting for me?”

“Catching scorpions?” He removed his black robe, his upper body completely bare, wearing only black trousers, and walked down into the pool.

What on earth was all this? His nonsensical words scrambled her brain into confusion, and with such beauty before her eyes, she couldn’t look enough—how could she think of anything else?

“In other words—” He waded through the water toward her, the hot steam moistening his warm-toned face, the ink-purple peony in his eyes so gorgeous he couldn’t tear his gaze away. “A hero rescuing a beauty, in case a scorpion or poisonous snake crawls in.”

As he spoke, he had already drawn near.

By today, he had discovered that Mo Zi was a woman of a thousand faces. On the ship… she possessed pride, confidence, and spirited control over everything. At the Xiao residence, she was low-key, resilient, with minor cleverness. In official circles, she was smooth, cunning, crafty, yet had real competence. In the martial world… she was bold, righteous, charging forward bravely. Each unique aspect of her charm made her difficult to fathom, impossible to let go. If that night with the Soul-Dissolving Pill his loss of control still had the drug’s catalyst, tonight his body surged with desire for her that no drug could ever achieve.

Like a water fairy, those hazy eyes carried an alluring arc, her cheeks flushed peach-blossom red… lips like spring cherries. Her body rose and fell urgently with nervous breathing, beneath the snow-white garment a pale purple breast band wrapped around proud curves that took his breath away, a peony blooming right where imagination ran wild. He clenched his hands into fists, needing all his strength not to embrace her. Though the floral fragrance was vulgar, in this setting it was vulgar to perfection. His heart and eyes could see nothing else, only the gorgeous sight before him.

He stared at Mo Zi entranced, and Mo Zi also gazed at him unblinking, those irrelevant words bouncing off her ears and flying away to who knows where.

If Yuan Cheng was normally a second-glance beauty… at this moment standing in the water, one glance was enough to leave someone dazzled and spellbound. The water seemed especially intimate with him, the jade-smooth chest gleaming with droplets, adding tempting luster. The steam was like morning mist… outlining that upright figure with abundant allure, flower petals circling his low waist, broad shoulders and narrow waist in perfect proportion.

She actually heard herself swallow, gulp, frightening her into clutching her chest, only realizing several beats too late that through the wet-clinging undergarment, one could see the peony on her breast band, making her instantly want to retreat in embarrassment. But she forgot water has resistance—her body lost balance… falling backward.

“Yuan…” Red and pink petals filled the sky and earth, she drank a mouthful of bathwater, then finally reached something solid.

A pair of strong arms embraced her upper body from behind, scooping her up, then gradually tightening.

His breath tingled her right earlobe. “Shh—I’m here.”

Her whole body trembled… her ten fingers grasping his arm, fingertips producing pleasant numbness and pain, toes unable to touch the pool bottom curling involuntarily.

The water temperature steamed with their body heat, passion surging in each heart, and in the instant Mo Zi turned her head and Yuan Cheng leaned his face down, their four eyes meeting, they struck the most intense sparks.

She thought he would kiss her.

But he didn’t. His chest heaved violently behind her, his eyes like burning flames, moving from her eyes to her lips.

Water surrounded them, yet she felt parched, moistening her lips.

His gaze suddenly became greedy as a starving beast, advancing toward her inch by inch, so close, yet not touching.

Breath and breath, both inhaling floral fragrance. She barely blinked, her hands as if possessed, moving up from his arms, hooking around his neck. If he wouldn’t kiss, she would. The sky was about to fall—what reserve was there to maintain? Her palm pressed lightly, and she bit his lower lip.

His chest rumbled, his laughter soft and languid, and between her beast-like nibbling, he could still steal time to speak. “Do I taste good?”

So good. So soft, such texture, what she thought should be moonlight but was actually such sunlight breath. His handsome features intoxicated her heart and mind, his bewitching eyes enticed her willing surrender. Hearing that he could still speak, she felt somewhat angry. Did he think he could always control everything? Nice try! He was teasing her, wasn’t he? Then let’s see who would pay the price.

She too had a passion demon in her heart, and when released, it was seductive charm. Turning and shifting delicately between his lips, nibbling gradually became light touches, light touches gradually became long lingering. Her hand stroked past his Adam’s apple, feeling the trembling roll, she laughed softly, pried open his arms, and when her feet touched bottom, suddenly turned to embrace his waist, continuing the deep kiss. Her hands were restless too, caressing his broad back. The pink little tongue playfully and nimbly licked between his lips, like a butterfly playing with flowers.

He quickly became lost in her proactive seduction, his arms pulling her tight into his embrace, lips capturing the butterfly’s play, and once caught, entangled in desperate passion.

She wanted to retreat, she wanted to hide, but he no longer allowed her to play, his fingers threading into her hair, palm cupping the back of her head, fervently drawing in her clove sweetness. Until he felt his lower abdomen tighten, until every part of his body ached from craving her, he lifted her up in one motion.

Naturally, her legs wrapped and hooked around his waist.

He breathed heavily, and when he opened his eyes, they faced directly the peony on her breast band.

“Mo Zi…” His voice carried desire, his eyes carried desire, whether he spoke the flower’s name or the person’s name, even he didn’t know.

As his burning lips were about to press upon the flower’s center, she cupped and lifted his face, kissing him.

Playing at kissing could no longer satisfy him. But each time he moved downward, she would swallow all his intentions with her tongue tip. The more she did this, the more impatient he became. That place below his abdomen was hard as iron, swollen and aching enough to make him grit his teeth. He finally understood what it meant to burn with desire!

He supported her bottom with one hand, placing her right on his source of desire, his other hand going to tear that obstructive breast band.

In that instant she felt that hard object, she suddenly awoke, her body nearly melted to water immediately stiffened, both palms pushing.

Yuan Cheng staggered back two steps, the lovely person in his embrace already gone. He roared lowly, full of hunger and frustration, unable to bear that sudden emptiness.

At the other end of the pool, she surfaced, hair cascading in a thousand strands, covering the scenery at her chest, face peach-blossom red, but eyes bright and clear, smiling with incomparable delight.

“Do I taste good?” Secretly relieved, toward the end wasn’t she the one seducing who got counter-seduced, completely losing herself in his caresses? If her bottom-line awareness hadn’t been stronger than everything else, sigh—she couldn’t reveal any flaw, so she blinked coquettishly.

Yuan Cheng’s whole body still radiated desire, black hair and ink eyes full of bewitching charm, he said hoarsely, “Come here.”

Mo Zi felt her whole body go somewhat soft at his single call, but her willpower was not weak, and distance from him let reason rapidly return to her brain. “No.” If she went over again, he’d definitely devour her completely. “Yuan Cheng, you stand right there and don’t move. Calm down.”

“Mo Zi.” He coaxed as if deceiving. “You come here, and I’ll calm down.”

“Fool a ghost. Right now you have a three-foot radius of dangerous aura around you. Whoever gets close gets eaten.” Mo Zi dove into the water, only revealing her head. “How about this? No spring scenery showing at all. Don’t you feel a bit more eased?”

Yuan Cheng glared at her. Glaring and glaring, he laughed. From shoulders shaking, to chest rumbling, then lifting his eyes, his gaze also cleared.

“You really are a rare treasure.” After saying this, he submerged into the water, and when he surfaced again, he was right in front of Mo Zi.

The desire had dispersed. Mo Zi knew he wouldn’t make any more explicit moves and slowly stood up.

His long arm circled, drawing her into his embrace.

That place was still hard, she wanted to retreat, but he held her tight.

“How could the fire die down that quickly?” His voice was gentle. “I just want to hold you. You teased me to this state—won’t you even do this little bit of cleanup?”

Mo Zi pursed her lips. “It was clearly you who started it, and it’s not the first time either. You’re allowed to set fires, but I’m not allowed to light lamps randomly? I told you long ago, I would take revenge. By my count, I still owe you one more time.”

“Your revenge really is ruthless.” He was burning all over, yet she wouldn’t take responsibility to extinguish it. Releasing her, he backed several feet away. “Fine, now you can only show your head.”

Mo Zi complied. Though the floral fragrance was too strong, it was better than provoking the man before her.

“Mo Zi.” He called her.

“Mm?” She knew he had come with business, only the location he chose was really—

“If on the wedding day Wu Yan tries to send you out of the temple, find a way to return here if possible.” He indeed had things to say, but this was actually just incidental.

“Then—Jin Yin?” Mo Zi watched him walk to the other end, ascending the steps.

“I have arrangements, don’t worry.” He somehow found a blanket, dried his body, and put on his black robe again.

“Are you leaving?” She felt some reluctance in her heart. “Yuan Cheng, if at that time… it’s too difficult, just save Jin Yin and go.”

Laughing softly, yet confidently, he turned around. “Silly girl, whether I can save Jin Yin or not, I will take you away. Even if there’s a one-in-ten-thousand unexpected occurrence, if I leave you behind on the wedding day, I’ll wait until you’ve entered the palace then scheme. If I can’t rescue you in a day or a month, then a year or two, eight years or ten years, until I rescue you. Even if your hair turns white, as long as your heart doesn’t change and my heart doesn’t change, you and I will eventually be together.”

This man’s love talk always had the ability to make her cry.

“I don’t want to become an old woman in the palace. You should leave quickly, lest the shadow guards discover you.” Her eyes reddened, she committed his smile firmly to memory and sank into the water.