Tricks

As the words left his mouth, the expression on Li Qingyan's devastatingly beautiful face tightened, and her scorching breath quickened for a fraction of a second. Seeing her reaction, Xu Yuan was slightly taken aback. When he spoke those words, he had already braced himself to get hit. Yet from the look of things, it seemed he could push a little further. Xu Yuan stroked her delicate cheek, gently tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear before lightly caressing her translucent earlobe. Under his touch, a faint mist began to gather in Li Qingyan's eyes. His ex-girlfriends from his past life had taught Xu Yuan many things, which naturally included how to flirt through physical touch. He, Xu Yuan, was an honest man. A green, innocent youth had once yearned for romance; at the start, he was unwilling and inept at such maneuvers, but eventually, bad women hungry for his body had led him astray. The distance between them was very close, yet exquisitely gauged. It was not so close as to trigger an instinctive defensive reflex from Li Qingyan, yet intimate enough to kindle the room's atmosphere. As long as the mood was set and that lingering impulse in her heart was coaxed out, nature would take its course. As for his earlier promise about waiting for their wedding night? What? Had he ever said that? In the dim light, Li Qingyan pressed her red lips lightly together, the flush on her cheeks accentuating her radiant beauty. Xu Yuan's caress shifted downward. His slender fingers slid past her earlobe to lightly cup her fair, swan-like neck, while his other hand settled naturally against her supple waist. Her breath caught once more, but she offered no resistance. Xu Yuan felt his "respect" for her standing tall. With practiced ease, his fingertips slid across her abdomen and worked their way up, preparing to gently ease her down onto the crimson sheets and press atop her— Unfortunately, in the very next instant, Xu Yuan saw the lovely dark pupils before him shift to a fiery red. Li Qingyan had begun circulating her cultivation method. The air abruptly froze. Xu Yuan cursed inwardly. Though he did not know which cultivation method Li Qingyan practiced, anything with a shred of quality possessed the effect of clearing the mind and calming the spirit. A heavy silence descended. The two remained in their intimate posture, but every trace of romantic tension had vanished. Li Qingyan gazed calmly at Xu Yuan, the earlier ripples in her eyes completely gone, replaced even by a hint of amusement. Parting her lips slightly, she murmured, "Prince Consort... you truly are a seasoned veteran among the flowers." "..." Xu Yuan twitched his lips. Letting his hand fall, he gave the alluring curve of her waist an audible slap and sighed. "No matter how seasoned the veteran, he's no match for Your Highness circulating her cultivation method." No matter how hot the atmosphere grew, a cultivation method could instantly chill it to freezing. The techniques from his past life were not particularly useful here. Li Qingyan's crimson eyes glanced down at his still-unruly hand. Crossing her long, slender, fair legs, she smiled faintly. "If the Prince Consort desires it, this princess would not necessarily refuse. It is just that the crisis in Beifeng City remains unresolved. This princess has neither the time nor the inclination to indulge in such things with you." With that, Li Qingyan leaned forward of her own accord, pressing her crimson lips against Xu Yuan's earlobe, her breath scented like orchids. "Please exercise some patience, Prince Consort. When our wedding night arrives... however the Prince Consort wishes to torment this princess, this princess will not resist in the slightest." *Hiss—* Feeling the delicate prickle against his earlobe, Xu Yuan drew a deep breath. Every single one of them loved to bully his weak cultivation, stirring up a fire only to leave him hanging, didn't they? After a beat of silence, Xu Yuan also circulated his cultivation method, regaining his composure. Staring into Li Qingyan's crimson eyes, he chuckled. "That might hurt quite a bit. Ah... I almost forgot. Qingyan, you seem to like that sort of thing, don't you?" *If I can't have my way with you, can't I at least tease you back?* Unfortunately, Li Qingyan seemed to have already embraced that reality. Her expression did not waver in the least; instead, she looked Xu Yuan up and down, bursting into a dazzling laugh like blooming flowers. "If you wish to make this princess enjoy it, Prince Consort, your cultivation might be lacking quite a bit. When the time comes... make sure you are not barred from even entering this princess's body. If that happens, this princess will be dreadfully disappointed." "..." Xu Yuan was speechless. He had dropped an innuendo, not asked her to fire an even filthier one right back. Xu Yuan chose not to take the bait; a low-tier floor tile devoid of power had no business answering that. After a moment of silence, Li Qingyan let out a slow breath, extended a slender jade finger to lift Xu Yuan's chin, and narrowed her ruby-red eyes, speaking with a gentle smile: "Do not be angry, Prince Consort. Even if this princess is disappointed, it does not mean you will be." "..." Xu Yuan fell silent for a second, then let out a soft laugh and abruptly pressed his hand against her blade wound. Li Qingyan saw his movement clearly and understood what he intended to do. Yet after a brief pause of consideration, she did not stop him at all. In the next instant, Source Qi surged from his fingertips. "Mmh—" As pain flared, Li Qingyan instinctively bit her lower lip. Her long, shapely legs squeezed tightly together, and she lifted her gaze to look at him. "..." After a breath of mutual silence, Li Qingyan pressed her lips together. "Satisfied?" Looking at her exquisite features, Xu Yuan sighed softly. "Thank you." He could not say for sure about her earlier reactions, but this final concession was undoubtedly Li Qingyan accommodating his pride. Though his movement was swift, in Li Qingyan's eyes—especially while circulating her cultivation method—it was likely no different from a crawling snail. Yet she had still let him do it. A considerate older sister was always so delightfully empathetic... *Wait, stop thinking like that.* Li Qingyan rolled off the bed, glanced aside, and said in a clear voice, "Prince Consort, this princess suggests that you turn around for what comes next." "Hm?" Xu Yuan gave a puzzled murmur. "Why?" "This princess needs to change her bindings." Li Qingyan kept her back to him. "Bindings?" A moment later— *Rustle...* A soft rustling sounded as her torn chest binding came undone and dropped to the floor, her back still facing him. In the dim light, a smooth, jade-like back met an exquisite waist, a pair of peach hips, and soft curves faintly visible even from behind that set one's imagination racing. Beholding the sight, Xu Yuan inhaled sharply. "Princess... could you perhaps spare a thought for my feelings?" "This princess told you just now..." Li Qingyan turned her head slightly, revealing an immaculate profile, her voice laced with amusement. "...to turn around and not look. You chose not to listen. What does that have to do with this princess now?" With that, specially woven white cloth wound around her frame, turn after turn. By the time Li Qingyan turned back around, the fullness that had been faintly visible even from behind had completely vanished. Seeing this, Xu Yuan's eyelid twitched. What kind of absurd technology was this? *Did that Tianyan woman use this sort of thing too?* After a silent scoff in his heart, Xu Yuan composed himself and asked, "Alright, you having me come in first couldn't have been just to show off your figure, could it?" "Naturally not." The blunt remark did not bring a trace of shyness to Li Qingyan. She smoothly pulled on her red garments and spoke in a light voice: "Two matters. First, I wanted to thank you in person." "Thank me?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, understanding full well, yet deliberately asked, "Thank me for what?" Li Qingyan moved briskly. In the span of a few words, she had already donned her close-fitting red robe. Sitting down beside Xu Yuan, she retrieved a matching pair of trousers and looked back with a smile. "Yuan Hao has already informed this princess. There is no need to play dumb before me, Prince Consort. Your battlefield instincts are exceptionally sharp." "Hm?" Xu Yuan's eyes lingered on her straight, slender, fair legs, his mind momentarily blank. *Yuan Hao?* *What Yuan Hao? Weren't there only flying demonic beasts?* As the trousers concealed her glowing, shapely legs, Li Qingyan let out a teasing chuckle. "Still won't admit it? Then allow this princess to remind you. Yuan Hao reported that the order for him to lead troops out of the city, charge the barbarian lines, and rendezvous with this princess to cleave the battlefield in two was issued by you, was it not?" "..." Xu Yuan was at a loss for words. Well then, that Yuan Hao certainly knew how to play his cards, even going so far as to defer military merit to his superior. Sitting beside Xu Yuan, Li Qingyan retrieved a crystal used for medium-to-short-range communication from her Sumeru ring, turning it over in her hands as she spoke: "This kind of device cannot transmit live voice messages; it can only send a notification via Source Qi fluctuation. Therefore, it had to have been arranged in advance. "Prince Consort, "at dawn when the snow stopped, you had already deduced that this princess would leave the city to strike the Barbarian King's central forces, and you notified Yuan Hao. "Am I correct?" "..." Xu Yuan blinked innocently at Li Qingyan. "If I told you Yuan Hao did that on his own initiative, would you believe me?" "Hah." Li Qingyan let out a soft snort and shook her head, her gaze dropping, her tone turning slightly raspy: "In any case, thank you. Had it not been for your order, this princess might very well have faced certain death on this excursion." Saying so, Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes curved into two shimmering crescents. Tilting her head, she looked at him with tender warmth. "This princess was even considering offering the Prince Consort a reward. But since the Prince Consort refuses to admit it, let us forget about it..." Faced with her sudden, gentle gaze, Xu Yuan found himself struggling to handle this female god of slaughter's tricks. He gave a light cough and changed the subject: "Ahem. What was the second matter?" Li Qingyan went silent for a moment. She kept her beautiful crimson eyes narrowed, but the warmth within them vanished, replaced by a thick veil of murderous intent. "I heard from Cang Liping that my second brother seems to want you dead?"