In the early morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
The tinderbox had already gone out, and the room had long since quieted down. Only three steady breaths rose and fell one after another.
"Gu~~~ Gu~~~"
The chirping of birds and beasts came from afar. Ye Jingtang's eyelashes twitched, and then he silently opened his eyes, a hint of bewilderment flashing in his eyes.
Why did I fall asleep...
He sensed the condition of his body—his hands and feet were all there, not amputated; his breath was smooth, and he was full of energy, without any internal injuries; there was the "morning erection" phenomenon, and his sexual function was not affected... Then there was no major problem...
After confirming that there was nothing abnormal with his body, Ye Jingtang let out a sigh of relief and began to pay attention to his surroundings.
There was no light in the room at all, and his hands and feet were still tied up, unable to move. To his right was something warm and soft, leaning against his face and hugging his shoulder. Although there was no strong force to hold him tightly, the hands were still clasped beside his left shoulder to prevent him from breaking free. Judging from the size of the "small melon" that his arm touched, it was Miss Luo.
On the left was another warm and soft mass, lower down. The arm was around his waist, the face was pressed against his lower ribs, and the legs were locking his legs.
The two women were actually quite easy to distinguish. Third Lady practiced external martial arts. Under her delicate body was hidden a strong explosive power, and the touch was firm and elastic; while Miss Luo "trained the inner qi", and her body was as soft as boneless...
Yesterday, he kept moving around, and Miss Luo and Third Lady were holding him with all their strength, probably for about two hours. Holding someone was really tiring work. In the end, they must have been tired. After he quieted down, they didn't dare to let go and just took a short rest like this.
Ye Jingtang wanted to get out of the situation of being sandwiched between the two of them. But if he moved, the two women would definitely wake up. After a moment of hesitation, he remained still, letting the two women who cared so much about him sleep a little longer.
The room was dim and there was nothing to do.
Ye Jingtang's cheek was against Miss Luo's forehead, and his shoulder was nestled in Miss Luo's arms. Because she had wiped watermelon frost on him, there was only a layer of cloth between them on his shoulder.
Third Lady was a bit better, with two layers of cloth in between. But he was sandwiched between them, and when he concentrated his attention, the touch on the side of his leg was very clear. Through the cloth, he could even feel the outline of...
!
Ye Jingtang tried to calm his mind and suppress his thoughts, but after enduring for a while, he found that he had overestimated his self-control. So he still moved a little.
"Hmm?!"
The two women woke up at the same time.
Luo Ning hadn't opened her eyes yet, but she tightened her arms and hugged Ye Jingtang tightly.
Pei Xiangjun did the same, locking Ye Jingtang's legs.
The two of them exerted force at the same time. If it were a weaker scholar, he might have been directly hugged until his bones were broken.
Ye Jingtang only felt that in an instant, he fell from a place of tenderness into a meat-grinding field. He was almost choked by the tight hug and let out two "Wuwu—" sounds to remind them.
"What's wrong with him?"
There was no light in the room at all, and Luo Ning didn't dare to let go, just sensing Ye Jingtang's breath.
Pei Xiangjun held Ye Jingtang tightly. After waiting for a moment, she replied:
"It seems that the effect of the medicine has passed, and he has returned to normal."
Ye Jingtang nodded. As soon as he moved, he was hugged even tighter as if to death. He could only remain still to avoid scaring the two women.
After confirming that Ye Jingtang wasn't moving around, Luo Ning touched his wrist to feel his pulse:
"The pulse is normal, but it's a bit... a bit restless."
Without Luo Ning's reminder, Pei Xiangjun also felt that Jingtang was very restless. After all, she was hugging his waist, and her elbow had clearly touched something very embarrassing.
Fortunately, it was pitch-dark, and Pei Xiangjun didn't feel too embarrassed. She just asked:
"So what should we do?"
"I..."
Luo Ning's voice was a bit hesitant. Obviously, she was considering whether to regulate the little rascal's condition.
Ye Jingtang was indeed restless, but the reason was that he had been "tested" by the two of them. If it got even worse and she regulated him in front of Third Lady while Third Lady was serving beside them, his image would be completely ruined. So he said:
"Wuwuwu, wuwu..."
Luo Ning could understand what he meant—Miss Luo, untie my mouth.
Feeling that the little rascal was conscious, Luo Ning felt more at ease. Instead of letting go, she leaned forward, bit the black cloth gagging his mouth, and pulled it out.
"Cough... Damn, well..."
"Jingtang, how do you feel?" Pei Xiangjun quickly asked.
Ye Jingtang didn't dare to move either. He said in a calm and gentle tone:
"I feel that everything is normal. Hmm... I'm refreshed, full of energy, and my breathing is especially smooth. I can take a breath all the way down to the soles of my feet. I'm in a better state than before."
Luo Ning blinked her eyes. Since she couldn't see anything, she could only say:
"Third Lady, light the fire."
"Jingtang, don't move."
Pei Xiangjun carefully let go. After confirming that Ye Jingtang didn't suddenly bounce up, she quickly sat up, fumbled around, and found another tinderbox from the personal items by the bedside. She lit it with a fire starter.
Da da~
Hoo~
The dim yellow light illuminated the old room.
Ye Jingtang looked towards the light and saw the back of Third Lady kneeling beside his legs. Her long hair was tied up, and her round and fragrant shoulders were silhouetted against the afterglow of the lamp. In the middle of her white back was a black strap, and below that was a flawless lower back connected to a pair of black thin trousers with a round curve. Although covered by the cloth, one could still clearly see the shape of...
As Third Lady slightly stood up to put the tinderbox on the windowsill, the "big moon" resting on his calf slowly rose...
"What are you looking at?"
Luo Ning was hugging Ye Jingtang right beside him. She had originally been concerned about checking Ye Jingtang's face, but she found that the little rascal's gaze followed the light and then landed on the side, looking at the place he shouldn't be looking at.
Ye Jingtang couldn't avoid seeing these things. Hearing the cold voice in his ear, he quickly turned his eyes back and looked at Miss Luo:
"Is there nothing wrong with my face?"
Luo Ning was in a much more awkward situation than Third Lady. The cloth of the "Full Moon in the Empty Mountain" bellyband was almost torn. Both the things that should be seen and those that shouldn't be seen were right in front of him.
Finding that there was nothing abnormal with the little rascal's face and breath, and he was even ruddy and shiny, Luo Ning's heart, which had been hanging, relaxed a great deal. But the original worried expression also turned into a cold one. She let go and quickly pulled up her green undershirt, hugging her "small melons":
"Hmph..."
Pei Xiangjun put the tinderbox away and turned around. Although she was also dressed very coolly, the chest wrap was终究 (after all) more covered than the bellyband. Only her shoulder and waist were exposed. She came over and held Ye Jingtang's wrist to check.
Ye Jingtang was lying in the middle, being examined by the two "nurse sisters". He really couldn't stand it and directly closed his eyes:
"I'm really okay. Third Lady, you two put on your clothes."
Pei Xiangjun was in such a state that she didn't even know what to say. She just raised her hand and untied the black ribbon tied around Ye Jingtang's wrist.
Luo Ning's thoughts gradually calmed down, and a hint of doubt also appeared in her heart. She looked at the charming and hot female boss opposite:
"Third Lady, why are you here too?"
Pei Xiangjun untied the ribbon and handed the green skirt to Luo Ning:
"I was afraid that something would happen to Jingtang, so I secretly followed... I'm the incense master of the Green Dragon Hall. Miss Ning, put on your clothes."
Luo Ning was half-believing and didn't ask any more questions. She took the clothes and draped them over herself.
Ye Jingtang lay there watching the two girls put on their skirts. He felt it was rather strange and said:
"I'll get up by myself. Don't be nervous."
As he spoke, he raised his legs, then pressed them down, and his back suddenly bounced up.
Peng~
The two women were each lost in their thoughts while putting on their clothes. Suddenly, they saw Ye Jingtang, who was tied up like a caterpillar, bounce up with great force. Judging from his movement, he seemed to want to turn over gracefully, jump over Third Lady, and land on the ground. But he obviously made a mistake in his strength. He "swished" into the air from the middle and crashed towards the old roof beam.
"Ah?!"
Peng—
The roof beam shook when hit by his head, scaring the bird on the roof and making it fly away.
?!
The two women looked at him in disbelief.
Ye Jingtang was also flustered for a moment. He fell headfirst. On the way down, he tried to steady his body, broke the ropes on his body, and spun in the air before falling back onto the bed.
Pei Xiangjun was so surprised that she quickly raised her hand to catch him. As a result, she was directly pressed down by the tall and big Ye Jingtang.
Plop~
Ye Jingtang fell onto the bed, and his face landed on the "airbag", so it didn't hurt. He quickly got up and stepped back two steps, feeling embarrassed and saying:
"Cough... I felt that my breath was a bit unsteady, so I didn't perform well. It's okay, it's okay..."
Pei Xiangjun fell on the bed frame, stared at Ye Jingtang with wide eyes, and covered her chest with her hand. From her eyes, it seemed that she was suspicious whether Ye Jingtang had done it on purpose.
Luo Ning had a complicated look in her eyes and said coldly:
"You fell so accurately. I think you performed quite normally."
Ye Jingtang felt a bit embarrassed. He tore off the messy ropes on his body and turned around:
"It was really a mistake. You two put on your clothes. I'll go out and check the situation."
As he spoke, he opened the wooden door, went out, and closed it again.
Ka da~
The room fell silent.
Luo Ning maintained a cold and immortal-like expression as she fastened her collar. She had always been thin-skinned. Now, thinking of the incident of wiping watermelon frost in front of Third Lady last night, there was a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.
Although Pei Xiangjun hadn't done anything too extreme, seeing the Madam Leader "feeding the baby" and rubbing against him for a long time, her face was also burning hot. She lowered her head to fasten her belt and after a long while, she said softly:
"Last night was an emergency, so we had to act accordingly. Miss Ning, don't take it to heart."
"Yeah. Thank you for your hard work, Third Lady. Last time there was a misunderstanding. I hope Third Lady won't mind my inappropriate words."
"Miss Ning, you're joking. Since it was a misunderstanding, how could I take it to heart?"
Luo Ning nodded gently. Remembering that yesterday she had asked Third Lady to wipe the watermelon frost and Third Lady hadn't hesitated at all, she felt a bit strange in her heart and said in a low voice:
"Third Lady also likes Jingtang, right?"
?!
Pei Xiangjun raised her eyes and looked at the Madam Leader:
"Miss Ning, this question is quite unique. Jingtang is a member of the Pei family. It's only natural that I care about him..."
This was a way of avoiding the question.
Luo Ning fastened her collar and said in a calm tone:
"We're just chatting privately. If you really like him, as long as I don't say anything, Jingtang probably won't say anything either..."
?
When Pei Xiangjun heard this sentence, a hint of indescribable complexity appeared on her originally calm face.
She understood the meaning of these words—as long as I nod, Jingtang will let you into the family.
The words were indeed for her consideration, but they sounded so strange... It was like the main wife accepting a concubine...
Leaving aside the fact that Jingtang was the young master of the Pei family, even if I really had such thoughts, shouldn't Jingtang be the one to make the decision...
Pei Xiangjun thought for a moment: "Let's talk about these things later. Speaking of which, when Jingtang was with you at first, I was reluctant and didn't agree. Jingtang said a lot of nice things to me before I agreed. Fortunately, I agreed at that time. Otherwise, Jingtang would have missed such a good girl like you."
"...?"
Luo Ning's beautiful peach blossom eyes moved. She also understood the meaning and put aside her original tolerance and acceptance. She asked:
"Is that so?"
"Cough—"
Suddenly, a muffled cough came from outside the room. It seemed that Ye Jingtang had suddenly fallen ill.
The expressions of the two women, who were on the verge of confrontation, changed. They quickly got up and ran outside.
——
The weather was slightly cool, and the sky in the east was turning a fishbelly white.
The old temple was located among the mountains. There had originally been a village nearby, but it had long since been abandoned. There was not a single person within several miles.
Ye Jingtang walked out of the old room and came to the backyard of the temple, which was overgrown with weeds. The bird that had been on guard all night in the high place quickly flew over, landed on his shoulder, and rubbed its face against his with its wings:
"Jiji ji..."
Obviously, besides the two women, the bird that had been relying on him for survival had also been worried and scared last night.
Ye Jingtang took the bird down, scratched the white fluff on its belly with his finger, faced the eastern sky of the endless expanse, and took a deep breath.
"Hoo..."
Yesterday, he thought he had been poisoned by the Burning Bone Hemp. But now that he got up, he found that he was feeling refreshed.
It was hard to describe the specific feeling. It was as if he had gone for a health care treatment last night. He had experienced a whole set of treatments including cupping, scraping, an essential oil back massage, and bone-setting manipulation. Every pore seemed to be breathing. He was clear-headed and full of energy. He was confident that he could handle ten people, whether they were men or women.
Ye Jingtang had already discovered yesterday that the bead should be a very potent medicine. Now he was even more certain of this.
But Cheng Shilu quickly became unbearable with the intense pain until his spirit collapsed and he jumped off the cliff. Obviously, he wasn't pretending.
Although he had been a bit out of control in his limbs and his body was as red as if it was on fire, it really couldn't be said to be unbearable. It felt more like taking a sauna.
With the same medicine, he had even come into more contact with it. The reason for this difference could only be due to his constitution. It was similar to how some people couldn't eat even a little bit of spicy food while some people could eat extremely spicy peppers. He might have a relatively high resistance to poison...
Standing in the deserted yard and breathing for a while, Ye Jingtang still hadn't figured out anything when he suddenly heard faint words coming from the room:
"As long as I don't say anything, Jingtang probably won't say anything either..."
"At first, I didn't agree when Jingtang was with you..."
?
Ye Jingtang's face changed slightly. Without even having to think it through, he knew that if the two of them continued chatting like this, they would definitely pull him in for a confrontation.
Then either Miss Luo would beat him up, or Third Lady would leave in a huff. In a more tragic scenario, they would give him a mixed double beating. After beating him, they would pull each other's hair...
Ye Jingtang pressed his chest:
"Cough—"
"Ji?!"
The bird was immediately startled and quickly rubbed its head against Ye Jingtang. It was probably saying—Don't die, Tangtang. What will happen to me if you die...
Hua la—
The door and the window were directly pushed open, and the two women with wrinkled clothes landed beside the wall at the same time.
Pei Xiangjun supported Ye Jingtang's shoulder: "What's wrong?"
Luo Ning held Ye Jingtang's wrist and carefully checked his pulse:
"There's nothing abnormal with the pulse..."
"I'm a bit thirsty. I ate yesterday afternoon and haven't had a drop of water since then. Let's go find a place to eat."
Ye Jingtang rubbed his stomach, picked up his gun, and walked outside. When the bird heard about eating, it perked up and rushed out swishingly.
Both Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun's eyes flashed with suspicion, but in the end, they didn't say anything. They walked over and continued to check his body...