635 Affection? How Lustful!
A windy and snowy night.
“You really aren’t coming with me?”
Jiang Huai was gently tickling Jiang Zhi’s waist, but Jiang Zhi shook her head and mumbled, “It’s too cold; I’m not going.”
“Bundle up more then.”
“How can I disturb you while you’re trying to charm women? She invited you to watch her dance on a snowy night, isn’t that the perfect time for romance? What, didn’t you say you were open and honest? Are you afraid she’ll eat you up?”
Jiang Huai was speechless for a moment.
He had originally just been curious. Ning Yuzhu’s dancing ability stood out among so many fairies in the three realms, so she must have her own special talents. Jiang Huai felt that his small curiosity was reasonable. He had only thought he might have a chance to see her dance in the future, but Ning Yuzhu’s words were rather ambiguous. He had misinterpreted her meaning, and now it seemed he had to keep the appointment on this windy and snowy night.
“I’ll be back soon,” Jiang Huai finally got up from the bed. Jiang Zhi was lying on the bed, her pale purple eyes watching him playfully, but she only smiled, without a hint of jealousy or anger.
She was curious, what kind of person Ning Yuzhu should be to Jiang Huai? If Jiang Ning had also arranged a significant destiny for Ning Yuzhu, Jiang Zhi would have felt much more at ease.
“Hey, wait a moment…”
Jiang Huai thought she was finally going to go with him, but Jiang Zhi simply sat up from the bed, gently pulled his hand, and drew him closer. She then tidied his collar and smoothed his slightly messy hair, before softly laughing, “Alright, off you go?”
“…” Jiang Huai looked at the cunning smile on her face, leaned in, and pecked her cheek before walking out of the room.
***
The wind and snow raged.
Jiang Huai arrived outside Ning Yuzhu’s courtyard and gently knocked on the door.
The door seemed to be blown open by the wind. The courtyard was unlit and completely dark. The ground was covered in white snow, and nothing could be seen clearly in the dim light. The wind howled in his ears. Jiang Huai was stunned and looked at the darkness before him. He thought he had come too late, but the moment the door opened, the firefly stone lamps in the courtyard lit up.
Under the warm and bright glow, it was as if every snowflake had turned into a star in the sky, adorning the night.
Ning Yuzhu stood in the snow. She was wearing a white dance skirt, which was thin and translucent, without any jewelry. However, her exposed icy skin and jade bones shone brighter than pearls. The dance skirt was designed to showcase her figure. Jiang Huai happened to be looking at Ning Yuzhu from the side, gazing at her profile, and then at the large expanse of her jade back exposed by the skirt. Below the skirt, her legs were slender and shapely. She was barefoot, her delicate jade feet stepping onto the icy, snowy ground.
Jiang Huai heard no music. He only saw her delicate pink lips move slightly, as if she were softly singing a hazy melody. The lyrics were indistinct, like a mournful song. He watched Ning Yuzhu lift her tiptoes in the wind and snow. The snowflakes fell on her insteps but did not melt, like jewels adorning her skin.
Dance is another language of humanity.
Jiang Huai had never had much taste for elegant arts. On his way here, he had already understood his intentions. He wanted to see Ning Yuzhu dance, purely because it was lustful, and Ning Yuzhu happened to not refuse.
But at this moment, he held his breath, watching the graceful figure in the wind and snow, and felt a sense of loss.
Ning Yuzhu’s dance was naturally excellent. Her figure was supple and agile, like swaying willow branches or rolling waves. Although only the endless howl of the wind could be heard, Jiang Huai gradually became entranced.
Until a “ding” suddenly sounded in his ear.
[To possess beautiful things is the greedy nature of animals. Between you and Second Senior Sister Ning Yuzhu, there seems to be some unclear connection. You have vaguely sensed that she seems to be entirely at your disposal and will not refuse any of your thoughts.]
[On such a cold and windy day, why not invite her to dance with you?]
[Mission Objective: Invite Ning Yuzhu to dance.]
[Mission Reward: Ice and Snow Rune.]
Jiang Huai was startled back from his thoughts by the “ding, ding, ding.” He hadn’t heard the system’s sound for quite some time, but it suddenly appeared again. However, this time Jiang Huai completely ignored it, not even considering it. He simply stood there quietly, gazing at Ning Yuzhu dancing before him. Her figure was delicate and well-proportioned, with just the right amount of slenderness, yet not lacking the seductive lines befitting a woman.
It was a near-perfect, hazy, and unreal scene. Jiang Huai pricked up his ears, listening intently to her soft singing melody, but from it, he only perceived a faint sorrow.
His heartbeat seemed to become a little heavy as well. The song ended, and Ning Yuzhu stood still, her hands behind her back, looking at Jiang Huai. Jiang Huai came to his senses and slowly asked, “What tune are you singing, Senior Sister Ning?”
“It’s a tune my mother taught me when I was young,” Ning Yuzhu replied softly.
In an instant, Jiang Huai understood the reason for the slight sorrow in her tune. Her clan had been destroyed, and now she was alone in the world, all by herself. He suddenly felt that Ning Yuzhu, standing before him, looked frail, with an indescribable fragility that evoked pity.
Damn it, it’s not pity, it’s just greed, you scoundrel!
Jiang Huai cursed himself in his heart. Ning Yuzhu was unaware of his thoughts. She merely pointed to the chairs that had already been placed there. Snow had not fallen on the chairs, and on the table, there was a pot and glazed wine cups.
“It’s cold and freezing; you can have some wine to warm yourself up.”
Jiang Huai sat down on the chair. Just as he was about to ask Ning Yuzhu if she wanted to drink together, Ning Yuzhu softly said, “Perhaps you’ll like this dance.”
Jiang Huai was confused. He picked up the wine cup and took a small sip. The aroma of the wine filled his mouth, but it wasn’t strong. Instead, a hint of sweetness was refreshing.
Ning Yuzhu began her second dance. Compared to the gentleness and melancholy of the first dance, the second dance exuded a completely different temperament. It was especially seductive, showcasing her body lines without reservation. Her dance skirt already revealed her waist. At this moment, her slender waist was delicate pink, twisting gracefully like a water snake. Although her eyes were still as cold, her movements were so seductive they seemed to be burning.
Jiang Huai felt like he was about to catch fire, not knowing if it was from the wine or something else.
This dance even included her lying down in the snow and freely stretching her snow-white legs beneath the skirt. Her tense toes were delicate pink, her toes were crystal clear and cute, and the instep of her feet was snow-white and smooth. Every line seemed to sparkle under the light. After the dance, Jiang Huai’s heart pounded like a drum, and the greedy desires in his heart seemed to stir again.
He could no longer distinguish whether it was his inherently greedy nature or the system’s repeated prompts that had instinctively influenced him to become this way.
Ning Yuzhu ignored everything. Her eyes were not on Jiang Huai, but only on the raging wind and snow. In a daze, she seemed to recall the time she spent with her Master.
Master was not always cold and aloof.
Since taking her in as a disciple, Master had maintained a stern and unsmiling demeanor most of the time. However, there were times when Master behaved strangely, as if she had suddenly become a different person. Her beautiful face would show a playful expression like a young girl, as if teasing a child.
Master had said that she had arranged a marriage for her early on and asked if she wanted to refuse.
She shook her head, saying she would obey all of Master’s arrangements.
Unlike Jiang Zhi, she had no resistance at all. Since Master had taken her in and given her the power of revenge, she had long ago dedicated everything to Master. No matter who Master wanted her to marry, she would not have any complaints.
Over the years, she had vaguely sensed that Master wanted her to learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and to learn dance and music, perhaps all just to please her future husband. She had studied diligently, hoping to please Master. She had also thought that perhaps if she could please the husband she had never met in the future, Master would be satisfied. Even the erotic picture books that most women were ashamed to look at, she had already memorized all the techniques for serving men depicted in them.
But later, Master said she didn’t need to marry anymore, and perhaps she would be leaving the Upper Realm. At that moment, Ning Yuzhu realized that her heart, which had been calm and somnolent for a long time, suddenly felt a vague pang of pain.
She had long regarded Master as her everything. If Master were to leave one day, where would she go? She dared not speculate about Master’s intentions, nor could she fathom them.
But if she could please Jiang Huai, her intended future husband, perhaps she could ask him to speak to Master in the future, asking to stay by Master’s side and continue to serve her.
She had never danced this dance in front of anyone else because it was learned to please her future husband. She unreservedly displayed her alluring and graceful figure, but she could not emulate the seductive eyes of a spring stream.
The dance ended, and Ning Yuzhu stood in the wind and snow. Snowflakes fell on her skin. Jiang Huai softly asked, “Senior Sister Ning, would you like to have a drink together?”
Ning Yuzhu, with her bare snow-white jade feet, stepped through the snow and slowly walked up to him. Jiang Huai poured her a glass of wine and offered it to her. Ning Yuzhu reached out to take it. At this moment, Jiang Huai sensed that her fingertips were slightly cold.
“Are you cold, Senior Sister?” Jiang Huai asked softly.
“A little.”
“Then why don’t we go back to the room first? It’s so cold and freezing, and your dance skirt is so thin… I was negligent.”
A sense of guilt arose in Jiang Huai’s heart. If he hadn’t mentioned wanting to see her dance, would she not have waited for him in the wind and snow wearing that dance skirt? In his sight, Ning Yuzhu’s white and tender little feet beneath her ankle had turned slightly red from the cold. Ning Yuzhu hesitated for a moment before standing up and softly saying, “Let’s go back to the room.”
Jiang Huai carried the wine pot and walked back to the room with her. Magnolia flowers were planted in her room, and their fragrance was pleasant. Ning Yuzhu opened the wardrobe and took out a coat to put on. She lit the charcoal stove in the room. She brought a chair and sat down with Jiang Huai. She lifted her snow-white calf from under the dance skirt, and her white and tender little feet moved closer to the stove. At this moment, her jet-black eyes revealed a hint of joy.
Jiang Huai gazed at her delicate pink and smooth white and tender little feet and was stunned again, so much so that he fiercely pinched his own thigh.
Damn it!
Ning Yuzhu glimpsed this out of the corner of her eye, but her expression did not change. In her heart, she thought of her previous speculation… If she could arouse a trace of his pity, would there be a possibility of staying by Master’s side in the future?
After a moment of hesitation, she slightly shifted her body and looked at Jiang Huai, softly saying, “Junior Brother.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Huai looked up innocently, his eyes revealing a hint of guilt.
Did she discover me peeking at Senior Sister’s white and tender little feet?
But Ning Yuzhu merely shifted her body slightly, lifting her slender white calf a little higher. She looked into Jiang Huai’s eyes, trying to make her voice sound calm and indifferent, without any girlish coquetry or the seriousness of a senior sister. She tried to remain calm and seemingly ordinary, saying, “It’s cold.”
“Then, then I’ll stoke the fire more?” Jiang Huai was already sweating profusely.
Ning Yuzhu’s eyes stared at him for several seconds. Finally, she lightly bit her lip and softly, very softly, hummed. She retracted her lifted slender white foot and leaned by the fire stove, her toes slightly stretching. She lowered her eyes and looked at her toes. At this moment, a trace of indescribable disappointment appeared on her cheeks, making her look pitiable.
