Chapter 45: The Dance in the Summer Cottage
Chapter 45: The Dance in the Summer Cottage
The air in the Shengdu Village grew heavy with moisture, carrying the earthy scent of petrichor—a prelude to the impending deluge. Trees swayed in anticipation, their leaves whispered secrets of the coming storm. Birds hastened to find shelter, their frantic chirps faded into the gathering gloom.
As the first droplets fell, they pattered softly against the ground, a gentle prelude to the fury that loomed. The wind picked up, and its mournful howl echoed through the night, a harbinger of the tempest’s might.
Flashes of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the darkness with jagged brilliance. Each bolt cracked like a whip, tearing through the heavens with unbridled fury. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a deep, primal roar that shook the very earth beneath.
Rain poured down in sheets. It drummed against windows and rooftops, a relentless symphony of nature’s wrath. Puddles formed in the streets, reflecting the fractured light of the storm above.
Amidst the chaos, there was a certain beauty who was enjoying the rain as she stood in the little backyard of Chen Manor. Her face was looking at the sky as if she couldn’t feel how heavy and sharp the raindrops were. The powerful wind blew around her, yet, she remained frozen in her place.
"My Lady, what are you doing out here? Look at how you are soaked from head to toe. Let’s head inside." Fu Xiao almost stopped breathing when she found Xiang Ling standing under the heavy rain with no protection. She hurried over with an umbrella to bring her back under the protection of the roof.
Xiang Ling allowed Fu Xiao to drag her to the bedchamber where the girl started wiping away the water to dry her body. "Xiao Xiao, you can go and rest. I will take a warm bath before going to bed." She told the girl as she caught her hands to stop her frantic attempts.
Fu Xiao stared at Xiang Ling with her mouth hanging open in surprise. Did she just hear her lady calling her so endearingly? It was not until Xiang Ling arched her eyebrows high in question at her silence, did Fu Xiao returned to her senses and quickly tried to protest the idea of leaving without helping her lady.
However, before she could speak, Xiang Ling was already adding - "You are not allowed to disobey. It’s getting late and you should get some sleep. Considering all the people we have to feed and look after this coming morning, you will need all the energy. Now go and rest."
Fu Xiao still seemed reluctant but she didn’t have the guts to oppose her lady’s order. Thus, she nodded her head in understanding and took her leave.
As soon as the girl was gone, Xiang Ling placed a spell around the bed chamber and immediately entered her space. Inside the Summer cottage, she prepared a warm bath before she got rid of her wet clothes and stepped into the bathtub.
The warm water welcomed her. It took away the cold as well as worked on her tensed muscles. A sigh escaped her lips as she relaxed in the tub and closed her eyes to enjoy the bath.
Ten minutes later, Xiang Ling’s ears picked up a very faint sound. Her senses became alert as she tried to find the source behind that sound but she failed to notice anything or anyone around her.
Her hand moved to grab the white robe that was sitting next to the tub and with one swift movement, she wrapped it around her naked body to cover it.
Merely a second later, she heard another sound and this one was much closer. She turned around to face the window that was tightly shut a moment before but was now wide open.
She found no one there but then she sensed someone right behind her. She quickly turned back around and found a very familiar person standing at the other end of the bathtub. It was that mysterious man in the cloak, the one with colorful eyes.
Xiang Ling tightened her fists as she prepared herself to attack the intruder. Despite knowing that he was much more powerful than her, she wasn’t going to let him go without a fight.
She jumped out of the tub and threw her fist right at his face only for the man to grab it right before it could touch his face. With a sudden force, he pulled Xiang Ling into his arms. A surprised gasp escaped her lips as she suddenly found her body pressed against his and her face centimeters away from his chest.
She tried to struggle out of his arms but she failed miserably. She looked up at his face and under the hood, her gaze landed on his lips that were carrying a small smile on them. Feeling infuriated, she used her left leg to attack his ankle and at the same time, she called her spiritual powers to attack him.
Xiang Ling was expecting her attack to send him reeling back on his feet if not throw him across the room. Much to her dismay, her powers did nothing to him at all. Yet, he let go of her only for her to launch another attack.
The two of them danced around the room, Xiang Ling attacking and him mostly defending without breaking a sweat. It finally dawned on her that even with her ten thousand years of cultivation, she couldn’t even make a little scratch on his skin.
The next moment, she once again found herself caught in his arms as the man cradled her against his body. This time, she didn’t try to struggle out of his arms because she knew it wouldn’t work. Looking up at his face, she asked, "Who are you?"
The man kept her tightly held in his embrace with only one of his arms as he used the other one to take off the hood of his cloak. The moment his face came to display, Xiang Ling found herself staring into the most beautiful and dazzling green eyes that could have ever existed.