Free Web NovelChapter 200: Chapter 200: The Hot Spring
Ming Lingyi didn’t rush into the water. She was still wearing a light, gauzy robe someone had prepared for her nearby.
Although it didn’t seem to offer much coverage, Ming Lingyi draped it over her shoulders anyway, perhaps for her own peace of mind.
She sat on the edge of the bath and dipped her calves into the pool.
The warm spring water immediately enveloped her. A pleasant heat crept up from the tops of her feet, spreading through her entire body bit by bit.
In fact, she had always loved bathing here.
Even when Li Yun wasn’t around, Ming Lingyi enjoyed coming here alone.
Li Yun had actually built this place for her. He had little interest in such pleasures himself, but whenever he was with her, he couldn’t resist wanting to give her the finest things in the world.
She and Li Yun had made quite a few memories here.
Ming Lingyi was lost in thought when, out of nowhere, a hand suddenly seized her delicate, slender ankle.
"AH—"
Ming Lingyi snapped back to her senses with a sharp scream.
The next instant, she was pulled from the edge and into the hot spring pool.
"SPLASH—"
The sound of water echoed.
On instinct, Ming Lingyi reached out to cling to the person in front of her like a piece of driftwood, not daring to let go.
Only after she heard a low chuckle by her ear did her heart rate return to normal. Opening her eyes, Ming Lingyi saw the triumphant smile on the face of the person who was now practically nose-to-nose with her.
Ming Lingyi: "...Li Yun!"
’She was getting truly angry.’
Li Yun didn’t dare let her get angry at a time like this. Hearing the fury in her voice, he immediately raised his hands in surrender. "It’s all right, it’s all right. I’ve got you."
’How could he possibly let Ming Lingyi actually fall into the water?’
Even knowing the pool wasn’t deep, he would have been there to catch her.
But now, after that stunt, Ming Lingyi was soaked to the bone.
Even with the thin gauze robe, the sheer fabric hadn’t offered much concealment to begin with. Now that it was wet, it was even more transparent.
In fact, the wet clothes clung to her body, creating a certain see-through effect. It wasn’t direct, but rather hazy and indistinct, which made it all the more alluring.
Needless to say, Ming Lingyi could feel the breathing of the man holding her grow heavier, while the strong, powerful arm wrapped around her waist underwater gradually tightened its grip.
The man’s taut muscles pressed against Ming Lingyi, every inch of him radiating a sense of danger.
It was as if Ming Lingyi was only just realizing it. The moment she fell into the water, she had become prey captured by a fierce beast. Escape was impossible.
The water in the steaming hot spring churned and swirled, and the rising mist obscured their figures.
The area around the great hall and outside had already been cleared. Li Yun would not allow anyone to hear Ming Lingyi’s voice.
Back in that little commoner’s house, he had grown tired of watching her bite her own arm, struggling so hard to endure in silence. Now that they were back in the palace, how could he possibly let her hold back?
’He loved to hear her voice.’
As the sun began to set, Li Yun finally carried Ming Lingyi out of the pool.
Behind the hot spring was a small door that connected directly to the bedchambers in Taiji Palace.
The woman in his arms was now slumped against his chest, drowsy and half-asleep, her face flushed a deep crimson.
After gently placing Ming Lingyi on his dragon bed, Li Yun stood up. As he did, the lapels of his robe, which Ming Lingyi’s fingers had hooked onto, were pulled wide open.
Instantly, the bloody scratches on his chest were revealed. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
They were fresh marks.
In some places, tiny, almost unnoticeable beads of blood were still seeping out.
Li Yun glanced down and chuckled.
"What a little cat."
’Her claws are pretty sharp.’
But to him, these faint scratches didn’t even count as wounds.
On the contrary, the stinging, tingling sensation of the scratches made Li Yun feel quite excited.
He hadn’t felt this excited in a very long time.
Once he was lying in bed, Li Yun didn’t forget to pull the person beside him tightly into his embrace. He ignored Ming Lingyi’s subconscious attempt to push him away in her sleep as she felt a source of heat approach, and instead held her even tighter.
Ming Lingyi was woken by the heat.
When she opened her eyes, the sky outside was not yet fully bright. Her limbs were entangled with the person before her, making her feel as if she were trapped in Li Yun’s arms, bound by vines.
Ming Lingyi: "..."
She had just started to move when she felt the man beside her suddenly bury his face in her neck, seeming to take a deep breath. "You’re awake so early?"
’It’s not even time for the morning court session yet.’
Hearing Li Yun’s voice, Ming Lingyi grunted, "Mm. Now get off."
Li Yun: "?"
He hadn’t fully processed her words, but his body reacted faster than his mind. Not only did he not let go as Ming Lingyi had demanded, but he pulled her a little tighter.
Ming Lingyi felt his chest press closer against her, and she moved to punch him. But before her fist could land, Liu Ye’s voice came from outside.
Liu Ye had come to remind Li Yun that it was time to get up; the morning court session would be starting soon.
Normally, Liu Ye wouldn’t need to remind his master. But wasn’t the situation different now? Yesterday, his master and the lady had entered the hot spring during the day and never came out, not even calling for supper. How could this be treated like any other day?
Li Yun had noticed Liu Ye’s presence before Ming Lingyi did, but he didn’t want to let go.
"Leave," Li Yun said in a low voice.
Liu Ye didn’t dare to linger anyway. He had only appeared to remind his master.
’In a place where the lady was present, what need was there for him to be an eyesore?’
But what Liu Ye didn’t know was that his reminder had been completely useless.
As Li Yun reached out and pressed Ming Lingyi into his embrace once more, both of them froze.
Ming Lingyi’s surprise was hard to conceal. She shot Li Yun a look, signaling him to get up immediately.
But the next moment, her earlobe was taken into his mouth.
Li Yun’s muffled voice traveled along the shell of her ear and into the depths of her heart—
"Yuan Niang, the hour is still early..."
The meaning of his words was self-evident between the two of them.
The wide dragon bed suddenly seemed to become a small boat on the open sea.
Some time passed. Liu Ye was now pacing anxiously outside the door, but he didn’t dare to knock, much less make a sound.
The Emperor had clearly responded earlier. Why had almost an hour passed without any sign of movement?
Finally, after a while, Liu Ye heard his master call his name.
