Chapter 74: Captured

Luo Jinsang pestered Qing Ji the next morning until she agreed to fly south with her for some wine. Everything went according to plan. Changyi came to retrieve his jiaozhu before heading out.

The sun was rising and Ji Yunhe was still awake, sitting at the small tea table. She looked at him standing in front of her in his usual black robe.

The air was still, their eyes interlocked, and they felt each other's breaths. She instinctively backed away a bit when he leaned down.

Although her movement was slight, it was very apparent to him. Changyi paused for a moment. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he lifted a hand. His fingers brushed against Ji Yunhe's cheek, ran through her hair and stopped at the back of her head.

His palm restrained her just enough to keep her from retreating. Changyi closed his eyes and the ice blue pupils disappeared under his long lashes. He leaned over and pressed his lips onto hers.

Ji Yunhe did not close her eyes. She was stiff but clearly felt the kiss. It was not a sudden and playful flirtation like the first one, nor was it as intense and confrontational as the second. This kiss was gentle and delicate.

At this moment, Ji Yunhe felt as if they were a real couple, doing the most intimate things in the most private moments. His breath tickled the jiaozhu inside her, and she felt a slight coolness rise from her chest. It moved up into her tongue and lips, and intoxicated her like a mouthful of fine wine.

The jiaozhu left her body and disappeared between his lips. But he did not release her. The sunrise outside climbed higher along the window pane, and Ji Yunhe finally closed her eyes.

The kiss that started with the purpose of returning his jiaozhu was now turning into a real kiss, but Ji Yunhe did not stop him. She allowed herself a moment of indulgence. She had given up too much already in this life, forced to be cautious and to calculate every step, afraid of making a single mistake.

Now, she caved in to her inner most desires and savored the pleasure and gratification of his touch. Her eyelashes trembled and her chest heaved, overwhelmed by the emotions she had suppressed for so long. Suddenly, she tensed up, as if a sword flashed inside her head and sliced through her dreams.

All of the aches and pains of a broken body surfaced now that she no longer had the jiaozhu, and they felt even worse than before. It brutally pulled her back into reality.

She was dying. Ji Yunhe raised her hand and pushed Changyi away. That one bit of movement was enough to make her breathless. She immediately turned around and covered her mouth to hide the pain, pretending she was appalled by the kiss. Changyi looked at her back and was silent for a moment.

"I'll be back in one hour."

Ji Yunhe nodded her head, still covering her mouth. The black robe swayed and Changyi disappeared from the room. The moment he left, Ji Yunhe's eyes went black and she fell to the ground with a thud.

She touched the mark on her ear. Changyi said it allowed him to see her whenever, wherever she was. If he took a peek while out fighting, and saw her on the ground spitting blood... Ji Yunhe held on to her last breath and crawled into bed before passing out under her blanket.

....

Luo Jinsang soared through the sky sitting comfortably on the back of the jade phoenix. She saw the blue light following them abruptly stop in midair, instantly lagging far behind. Then it caught up again and took a turn to head for the ground.

"What's wrong with that fish?"

"I don't know," Qing Ji lazily replied, then asked her, "Little girl, aren't we heading south for some wine? Why is that fish tagging along?"Luo Jinsang grinned.

"You will find out soon."

A strange demonic cry came from the distance. Qing Ji flipped in the air, collected her wings and returned to human form.