My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 221 Tenderness

No one knew where He Shan got the medicine from, but its effects were so potent that Xie Yan fell into a deep sleep after a whole night, while Chu Ling still felt a little unsatisfied.

As dawn broke and the morning light streamed into the room through the window, Chu Ling forced himself to leave, quickly took a cold shower, and then carried several buckets of hot water back to his room.

Steaming hot, with the sound of water lapping against the surface.

Chu Ling gently lifted Xie Yan, who was exhausted from a night's work, and they entered the bathtub together.

Despite being disturbed by Chu Ling's actions, Xie Yan remained fast asleep and showed no reaction whatsoever.

The two, who were already wearing very little clothing, had their clothes removed one by one, and the hot water quickly soaked their naked bodies.

Hot water trickled gently, splashing onto Xie Yan's half-hidden chest with each movement.

Her fair skin turned slightly red from being soaked in the scalding water, as if she had been burned. Xie Yan trembled and let out a low groan, instinctively shrinking into Chu Ling's arms.

Chu Ling, who was holding Xie Yan from behind, lowered his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw that Xie Yan's cheeks were once again tinged with a faint blush in the misty water vapor.

Chu Ling smiled, the curve of his eyebrows still appearing exceptionally gentle.

He reached out and gently touched Xie Yan's face, then buried his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling her affectionately, full of tenderness.

Looking down Xie Yan's long neck, apart from the scars that have accumulated over the years, there are clearly visible marks all over her body.

The red marks, like plum blossoms, dotted the snow-white skin, running from the neck down to the chest and gradually disappearing beneath the water's surface. They were strikingly visible, subtly proclaiming the intensity of last night's battle.

A smile flashed in Chu Ling's eyes as he hugged Xie Yan even tighter.

In the hot water, their skin rubbed slightly against each other due to Chu Ling's movements.

The warm water not only washed away the dirt and fatigue on his body, but also made Chu Ling, whose mind was still affected by the medicine, feel restless again.

As Xie Yan unconsciously shivered in her sleep, Chu Ling's throat tightened. He lowered his head and gently pecked Xie Yan's reddened lips.

Xie Yan shuddered, groggily opened her eyes, raised her hand and slapped Chu Ling across the face with a "smack".

Chu Ling got splashed with water on his face, but he chuckled softly without caring. He restrained himself and withdrew his hand. He then rubbed his chin against Xie Yan's head before saying, "Go to sleep."

At this moment, outside their cabin—

"It's done! Peach Fairy, did you see that?!"

He Shan, who had been secretly waiting outside all night, had huge dark circles under his eyes. He grabbed Tao Xian, who came out to cook medicine for Wu Ya, and was extremely excited.

Tao Xian looked speechless. "What did you see?"

He Shan grinned broadly, "Of course it's the Prince! Didn't you see him come out and then bring hot water back in?!"

"This is all thanks to your medicine!"

As soon as Tao Xian got her hands on the medicine bottle, she keenly sensed something was amiss.

Shaking the rather empty medicine bottle, Tao Xian's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition rose within her. "How much...did you give me?"

"No more, no more."

He Shan waved his hand and said with great pride, "I was afraid the medicine wouldn't be effective enough, so I only used... most of the bottle."

Taoxian: "..."

Her eyelids twitched. "I remember telling you that this is a secret medicine, with potent effects, and that you should use it with caution, right?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

He Shan said with an air of self-righteousness, "Isn't this all for the Prince's sake? So what if I gave him a little too much medicine? I'm sure he'll understand my good intentions!"

Halfway through the conversation, Tao Xian silently shifted her gaze to behind He Shan without any expression, and said quietly, "Is that so? I hope so. Good luck to you."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a hand suddenly patted Heshan's shoulder from behind.

He Shan was instantly jolted awake, and turned around shakily to see Chu Ling's handsome face magnified in his pupils.

"Your Highness! How did you get out so quickly?!"

He Shan smiled ingratiatingly, "Is there not enough hot water? I'll go and boil some for you right away!"

Chu Ling did not answer, but simply shook his head. A gentle smile appeared on his handsome face once again, making He Shan tremble and almost kneel down.

He smiled slightly and said, "Come here for a moment."

Xie Yan slept until noon before slowly waking up.

Although Chu Ling washed Xie Yan thoroughly clean, for some unknown reason, he didn't dress him in a single garment.

Xie Yan paused in her act of getting dressed, staring in disbelief at her still slightly trembling arms and the marks all over her body.

After absorbing the inner strength of the old man at the bottom of the cliff, his power greatly increased. No matter how hard he worked or fought with others, he rarely felt exhausted.

How did Chu Ling's thing even come about? It was so hard that it not only made his hands and arms ache, but also rubbed the skin off his inner thighs. He was so exhausted that he didn't even know how he fell asleep last night.

Last night's battle made Xie Yan realize some of the "terrifying" aspects of Chu Ling.

"woke up?"

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and Chu Ling walked in from outside, carrying a tray.

"Ah."

Upon speaking, Xie Yan realized that her voice was terribly hoarse, and immediately lowered her eyes and coughed lightly a few times to cover it up.

Although I can't see my face right now, I've been tormented all night and barely slept. I imagine I must have dark circles under my eyes and a swollen face, looking terrible.

Looking at Chu Ling, his robes were neatly worn, and his every move exuded nobility. He looked even more radiant than usual, and it was impossible to tell that he hadn't slept all night.

"Drink some water first."

Chu Ling sat down on the edge of the couch, but instead of handing the teacup to Xie Yan, he held it directly to her lips, which were swollen and red beyond recognition.

Chu Ling lowered his eyes and watched as Xie Yan opened her mouth while holding his hand.

Warm water moistened his red lips, and his long eyelashes fluttered a few times, casting a shadow on his lower eyelids.

Xie Yan was completely unaware that in Chu Ling's eyes at this moment, she not only looked obedient and soft, but also extremely attractive.

Chu Ling's eyes flickered slightly, his fingers itching to move.

After a long while, he still raised his hand and, under Xie Yan's wary gaze, brushed away the strands of hair that fell from his forehead, and said softly, "It's my fault. I didn't restrain myself last night and tired you out."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan paused, silently looked away, and stubbornly said, "I'm not tired."

"Oh?"

Chu Ling looked at him with a leisurely air, then said with a smile, "It seems I'll need to work even harder in the future."

Xie Yan: "..."

...Damn it! We've fallen for their trap again.