The incense in the room was thick, the scent of sandalwood mingling with a peculiar aroma that made Ye Ziling feel increasingly restless the longer she inhaled it.
Strange, hadn't her poison been cured? Why was her body still burning like an inferno?
Her gaze fell upon the incense burner beside the bed, her brows furrowed.
This scent… it seemed familiar, yet she couldn't quite place where she'd encountered it. All she knew was that after smelling it, her head felt fuzzy, and her body became agitated.
Ye Ziling forced herself to stand, but as soon as she took a step, a wave of dizziness washed over her.
She swayed, then slumped back onto the edge of the bed. The things before her began to blur. She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to shed her clothes, but found she had no strength.
Ling Xi watched her, on the verge of fainting. He stepped forward to support her. The moment his hand touched hers, it felt like touching a hot coal. Seeing her face grow progressively redder, his heart clenched, and his gaze fell upon the incense burner by the bed.
"...Hehuanxiang?"
He paused, his expression hardening as he stared intently at the blush on her cheeks and her dazed appearance. He swallowed.
"Quick, put it out." Ye Ziling shoved him away, leaning heavily against a pillar, clutching her chest as her breathing grew ragged.
She'd wondered when studying aphrodisiacs why those affected by them lost all self-control. Now, experiencing it firsthand, she understood how potent the drug was.
Ling Xi walked towards the room, his gaze fixed on the familiar incense burner. He stopped, his outstretched hand freezing in mid-air, his eyes darting about uncertainly.
He closed his eyes, drawing a sharp breath, the tips of his ears turning as red as blood jade.
When he was experimenting with beast-taming powder, he had once been curious about the power of Hehuanxiang. Yet, after personally inhaling it for an hour, he had felt nothing; the drug had no effect on him.
Ye Ziling watched Ling Xi approach her from beyond the bed curtains, desperately avoiding his gaze. Leaning against the pillar, she panted slightly, the fire in her chest seeming to scorch her blood dry, yet the scent of Hehuanxiang remained undiminished.
"Ling Xi… is the Hehuanxiang out?" she asked, her voice breathy, her eyes slightly bloodshot as she looked at him hazily.
She felt so unwell.
Ling Xi pursed his lips, his throat bobbing twice. His gaze swept across her flushed cheeks before settling on her vibrant lips. His throat tightened, and he swallowed uncontrollably, a burning glint in his eyes.
Ling Xi gripped his red robe, paused, and seemed to deliberately avoid her gaze, lowering his head to conceal the strange look in his eyes. His voice was hoarse as he said, "It's out."
His speech was slow, his breathing heavy. His eyes lingered on her rosy, tempting lips, as if he were restraining something.
"Ling Xi, stop… don't come closer."
Seeing the man approaching her heedlessly, Ye Ziling meant to issue a sharp warning, but her words turned into a soft, weak murmur. Her voice was sweet and alluring, almost making him lose his reason.
Ye Ziling's lips deepened from rose-red to a dark crimson. She tilted her head back slightly, leaning against the pillar, her eyes unfocused and lost. Her face was flushed, her long lashes trembled, and her red lips parted slightly from her constant murmuring, revealing a sliver of her fair, delicate neck.
Coupled with the heavy wedding attire, she felt even more unbearably hot. A wave of heat rose from her lower abdomen, blanking her mind. She couldn't help but pull at her clothes.
"Ling Xi, do you have an antidote on you?" she gritted out, her voice a low growl.
Damn it, why did she still feel so uncomfortable!
As a top scholar in beast taming, he should have an antidote for Hehuan powder.
Ling Xi, having studied beast powders for years, was likely desensitized to Hehuan powder. She, on the other hand, should have carried an antidote with her.
Ling Xi froze, watching her discomfort, his own inner fire igniting. His feet moved of their own accord, drawing him closer to her.
The scent of Balloon Flower from her person intensified with the drug's catalysis, filling the room with her fragrance, which mingled with the Hehuanxiang, making it even more difficult to control than an aphrodisiac.
He could endure the Hehuanxiang, but her Balloon Flower scent was something he couldn't resist.
"There is no antidote," he said dizzily as he approached her, moving as if his soul were gone, his words faint and ethereal.
No matter how she tried to dissuade him, the man still walked to her side. Whether to caress or wipe her sweat, the back of his hand rested on her cheek, cool. Instinctively, she grabbed his wrist.
"We've already bowed, so it counts as… the ceremony is complete."
His gentle, deep voice sounded in her ear, carrying an indescribable warmth that made her reason vanish instantly. "What ceremony is complete…"
Ye Ziling looked up at him, stunned.
The man before her stood tall and slender, his handsome features conveying a sense of indifference and aloofness. But in his dark, ink-black eyes burned a fervent desire. That gaze made her body tremble, and her heart rate suddenly quickened.
Damn that Ghost King, to have used Hehuan powder just to fetch his bride! When that fellow came out, she would definitely force-feed him two pounds of aphrodisiac and then offer him twenty female snakes!
"Ling Xi, if you don't leave now, aren't you afraid I…" Before she could finish, her cheek touched something cool.
The man crouched down, the back of his hand against her cheek. Her consciousness was already unclear; she couldn't discern the expression on his face, only feeling as if his gaze was piercing through her.
In a daze, she seemed to see the surrounding curtains turn a deep crimson. Fueled by the drug, she, like a wild beast out of control, unceremoniously knocked him to the ground. Opening her eyes, she looked at him hazily, "Didn't I tell you not to come over?"
He deserved it for being pushed over!
He remained silent, watching her lose control, ripples appearing in his eyes.
Dressed in vibrant red, coupled with her half-dead expression, he adored her appearance.
The man didn't move, allowing her to press down on him, staring at her crimson lips as if lost in thought, his gaze deep and complex.
She quickly reached over his body to the table behind him, grabbed a porcelain plate, and smashed it against her own forehead without hesitation. Then, she collapsed onto him, gasping heavily as she uttered her last words: "Damn it, you… are blocking my way."
Ling Xi, caught off guard, watched her fall onto him, forgetting to react for a moment. By the time he came to his senses, blood was already seeping from her forehead.
He frowned. Why… was this not quite as he had imagined?
He quickly helped her up, took out ointment and bandages from his waist, and silently began to clean the blood flowing from her temple. He carefully applied the ointment and skillfully wrapped her forehead with bandages.
Fortunately, she had only fainted.
He lowered his eyes, a complex expression flickering within them, unsure if it was concern or disappointment.
After bandaging her forehead, he stood up and looked at the curling incense smoke in the room, pursing his lips.
Half an hour later, a fierce, cold wind began to blow outside. The main door opened, and a man slowly entered amidst falling white paper. Where he walked, a thin layer of ash followed.
The main door was open, and the chilling wind from outside surged in, extinguishing the candlelight instantly. The sky outside was pitch black, with only moonlight filtering through the gaps in the clouds.
Ling Xi sat by the table, leisurely awaiting the arrival of the man in white. His eyes were clear and deep, radiating an indefinable, eerie glow. Within the depths of his phoenix eyes, undercurrents churned.
The man in white led a large group of souls, his steps steady. With each stride, he left a row of shocking bloodstains on the ground.
"Who might you be?" Ling Xi raised an eyebrow, his voice low and calm, neither humble nor arrogant.
Upon seeing that the bride lying on the bed was not Yu Tu, a fleeting shadow crossed the man in white's eyes. His gaze quickly shifted to Ling Xi, his eyes sharp. He curled his lips into a mocking smile. "And who are you? Daring to interfere with my business?" 138 Reading Network
Ling Xi narrowed his phoenix eyes, a murderous glint flashing through his unfathomable pupils. "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
Before his words had even finished, the folding fan in his hand had been drawn.
The man in white scoffed, extending two demonic palms. Souls from all directions converged around him, forming a dense black mass that spun around him, each bearing a fierce expression, their eyes burning with a bloodthirsty light.
Ling Xi's eyes suddenly turned icy. The fingers holding the folding fan tightened, and a wave of golden light rippled across the fan. Immediately, hundreds of sharp sword blades shot out, raining down upon the souls from all directions.
Those souls instantly disintegrated into a black mist, vanishing into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
Ling Xi's phoenix eyes narrowed dangerously, and an imposing aura radiated from him. With a few strides, he was in front of the man in white, the folding fan pointed directly at his throat.