The Bed

Innumerable swirling specks of white snow drifted past the upturned eaves above the courtyard gate before slowly settling to the ground. Inscription lamps lining both sides of the path cast a faint glow that lit up the girl's obsidian eyes. A little blank, a little puzzled, and even more overloaded. A snowflake slipped into the collar of her neck, bringing a jolt of cool clarity. Ran Qingmo blinked, coming to her senses at last. Just as she was about to ask, she saw that the middle-aged man standing in the entry of the courtyard gate had already shifted aside by half a step. Glancing sideways at the Sword Sect girl outside the gate, Xu Yinhe asked in a level voice, "It is cold outside. Are you not coming in?" "..." Hesitation flickered in Ran Qingmo's serene, dark eyes. *Xu Yuan must have had his reasons for saying that.* Feeling despondent, Ran Qingmo pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze, murmuring softly, "Uncle, if Xu Yuan... said that, he probably doesn't want to see me right now..." "..." Her words faded into silence. Ran Qingmo received no answer from Xu Yinhe. When she raised her eyes, the courtyard entrance before her was already vacant. The middle-aged man in the black dragon robe had departed at some unknown moment, leaving behind only the gate half-open amid the swirling snow. With the night deepening, the inscription lamps throughout the Prime Minister's Manor had dimmed. The faint yellow light slanting past the gate faintly illuminated a row of shallow footprints in the snow. Ran Qingmo stared at the footprints for several breaths, a thoughtful look flitting through her calm eyes. Xu Yuan's elder brother had profound cultivation, walking across water as easily as flat ground; even when walking, he would not leave bootprints in the snow. Xu Xinyao was a woman, whereas these prints were wide and completely unlike a woman's. So... were these left by Xu Yuan? At the thought, Ran Qingmo lowered her head, disappointment clouding her eyes. So the crunch of footsteps in the snow she had heard earlier outside the entrance had been Xu Yuan after all... For a time, the inner courtyard entrance grew so silent one could hear the falling snow. The ink-clad girl simply stood where she was, gazing at the footprints leading deep into the inner courtyard without a word. In the deathly stillness of the snowy night, a thin layer of frost gradually gathered on her shoulders, and the clearly visible footprints were slowly buried by fresh snowfall. After an unknown time, an indifferent, detached voice suddenly sounded beside her ear—abrupt, with no discernible source. "If you are unwilling to go in, pull the gate shut and leave." As the words fell, Ran Qingmo's heart tightened. But before she could speak, she felt a gentle force push against her back. The person behind her possessed an exceptionally high level of cultivation. The surge of force left her completely unable to resist, and her slender, graceful body was casually shoved into the pitch-black inner courtyard. Stumbling two steps before finding her footing, she heard that voice speak again: "Since you have chosen to enter, go take a look. Changtian's room is in the second-to-last courtyard." Ran Qingmo hurriedly said, "I didn't—" *Thud.* The inner courtyard gate was shut from the outside. "..." Ran Qingmo was speechless. After a moment of silence, Ran Qingmo looked around with a hint of unease. This was her first time entering the inner courtyard of the Prime Minister's Manor. It didn't look particularly unusual, but her master had told her that outsiders were forbidden from entering the inner courtyard, so under no circumstances should she go inside, or her life might be in danger. However, she had been pushed inside this time, and Xu Yuan's father had asked her earlier, so this probably didn't count... With that thought, Ran Qingmo felt slightly reassured. Looking deep into the lane, she whispered a soft "Pardon the intrusion," then slowly made her way in the direction of the snow-covered footprints. There was no moon on this snowy night. Without the illumination of the inscription lamps outside, the paths inside the inner courtyard were very dim. With Ran Qingmo's cultivation, however, she could see clearly enough. The crunch of snow beneath her boots sounded continuously in her ears until she caught sight of a half-ajar courtyard gate, at which point she paused with a trace of hesitation. This had to be Xu Yuan's courtyard. Whether left intentionally or simply forgotten, the gate stood wide open, allowing Ran Qingmo an unobstructed view of the courtyard. A pavilion, a small pond, and a rockery were all there was. Compared to the buildings in the outer courtyard—which were either elegantly refined or grand and imposing—the residential compound in the inner courtyard seemed excessively plain. Yet Ran Qingmo merely swept her gaze over the scenery. Her bright, obsidian eyes darted about the yard, searching for the familiar figure in her mind. Unfortunately, Xu Yuan was not in the courtyard. Her serene gaze shifted timidly to the tightly closed door of the room. Beneath her sleeves, her hands clenched slightly, an unexplainable tension gripping her. After a while, Ran Qingmo seemed to make up her mind. Stepping past the entryway, she walked slowly into the courtyard. *Crunch...* *Crunch...* *Crunch...* After a few steps, Ran Qingmo's delicate nose twitched slightly. In the frigid air of the courtyard, she caught the scent of alcohol. It was faint and subtle, yet seemed to permeate every corner. Ran Qingmo instinctively wanted to use her intent-soul to trace the source of the smell, but then remembered that both her master and Xu Yuan had said doing so was impolite. She reined in her thoughts and took another step. This time, however, no crunch of snow followed. Instead, an inadvertent murmur came: "Mmh..." The voice was very faint, yet crystal clear in the stillness of the snowy night. Hearing that familiar voice, Ran Qingmo's eyes widened instantly. Hastily pulling back her foot, she looked down, only to see the corner of a luxurious robe poking out from where she had just stepped. Pondering for a moment, Ran Qingmo bent down and crouched beside the fine robe, extending a slender jade finger to poke it. A warm touch met her fingertip. The figure beneath the robe seemed to find it ticklish; lying on his back originally, he rolled over, causing the snow covering him to cascade down to either side. This movement allowed the crouching girl to clearly see his face. Her pretty eyes blinked. Looking at his sleeping face, Ran Qingmo reached out again to poke his cheek. No reaction. She poked again. Still no reaction. He seemed to be sleeping very peacefully. A faint smile curled upon her pressed lips. Ran Qingmo turned to look around, her gaze lingering for a moment on the open courtyard gate, and she nodded to herself. Xu Yuan was drunk. He had fallen straight to sleep right here. And Xu Yuan's father wanted her to bring him back to his room. A closed loop of logic. No sooner thought than done. Ran Qingmo briskly reached out, grasped Xu Yuan's arm, and hauled him up from the frigid snow. He was heavy as a dead pig, but Ran Qingmo was a Grandmaster. With a light smile playing on her red lips, she lifted him from the ground, propping him up by the shoulder as she walked toward the wing-room. Snow caught in the folds of his fine robes cascaded down, and the motion gradually stirred a certain someone awake from his drunken slumber. "Mmh..." A soft murmur sounded as Xu Yuan slowly opened his groggy eyes. All he could see was an expanse of snow and the door drawing steadily nearer. His crashed brain went blank for a moment. *Oh. I think I slipped when I came through the courtyard gate earlier.* *And after that, there was no 'after that.'* *Someone must have found me and is taking me back to my room...* *Is it Xu Changge...?* Xu Yuan lowered his eyelids, musing sluggishly. Yet his lingering awareness and the tactile sensation at his hands told him that the person supporting him probably wasn't a man. "Is it Xinyao?" Murmuring involuntarily, Xu Yuan shook his head and mumbled to himself, "Xinyao is even deader drunk than me... Oh~ heheh... Sis, why did you come into the inner courtyard?" "..." Listening to the slurred voice beside her ear, Ran Qingmo pouted slightly without responding. She silently carried him step by step toward the wing-room, his legs dangling completely limp as his feet dragged two lines across the snow. "I... I feel so sick right now... I'm never drinking again..." "..." "Sis, can you use some medicine to help sober me up...?" "..." "Why does it feel like there's a sword swaying back and forth in front of me..." "..." "Sis, why aren't you saying anything...?" "..." Ran Qingmo kept her head down in silence, listening quietly to his rambling by her side, the light in her eyes somewhat forlorn. Thus the two arrived before the door of the wing-room. Ran Qingmo circulated her technique and used Source Qi to push the door open. Just as she was about to haul Xu Yuan inside, she suddenly felt the arm slung over her shoulder lighten. Just as she turned her head in confusion to look— *Smack.* "..." The snow fell audibly, and heartbeats could be heard. Ran Qingmo's eyes went round in an instant, but then she bit down hard on her lip, glaring at him with angry, aggrieved eyes. He... must have mistaken her for that big-breasted sister from last time. After planting a sloppy kiss on her fair, flawless cheek, Xu Yuan collapsed limply toward the ground. Seeing this, Ran Qingmo hastily reached out to catch his boneless frame. Swallowing the grievance in her heart, she hoisted him onto the bed, thought for a moment, and pulled the quilt over him. Xu Yuan had told her that people with low cultivation couldn't withstand the cold. Having done this, Ran Qingmo stood by the bedside, gazing broodingly at his face, hesitating over whether to leave. Just then, Ran Qingmo noticed that he was straining to open his eyes on the bed. "..." Their eyes met for a fraction of a second. With a hint of a smile in his drunken eyes, Xu Yuan looked at the girl and said softly, "Ran Qingmo, I'm finally dreaming of you..." Then, Xu Yuan suddenly reached out and pulled her. Before Ran Qingmo's serene gaze could register what was happening, a powerful tug came from the hand he held, dragging her onto the bed. "..." Ran Qingmo blinked, staring at his face mere inches away, striving to suppress her body's instinctive reflex to strike back. Her master had said: If someone tried to sleep with her before marriage, she could just chop them into minced meat with her ink sword. Her master's wife, however, had said that in such a situation, beating them up was enough. That was what her master and mistress had taught her, but right now, she was in Xu Yuan's room... Her heart pounded faster and faster. Ran Qingmo's eyes fluttered as her delicate body went entirely rigid, her cultivation technique beginning to circulate through her meridians. However, after saying those words, everything in the room fell into tranquility. After waiting a good while, Ran Qingmo tentatively shifted her body, intending to get up. The moment she moved, however, Xu Yuan instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around her. Very tightly, as though afraid she would run away. Ran Qingmo pursed her lips, attempting to pry his large hand away, only for Xu Yuan's hand resting on her lower abdomen to shift upward by a fraction. Seeing this, Ran Qingmo froze completely and dared not move again, allowing his drunken self to hold her. And feeling the soft, warm skin of the girl through her clothes, Xu Yuan didn't dare move any further either. He had sobered right up. Under his spiritual vision, the qi dynamic radiating from the girl and the bone-chilling cold of her Dao charm had locked onto him tight. *Shit. This big block of ice in my arms is actually real.*