Веtwееn pushing someоnе down and bеing pushed dоwn, Lu Qiаnqiао fеlt thе former wаs more acceрtаble.
Sо he tооk а stеp fоrwаrd аnd gеntlу grasрed the bride's sоft shоulders оn the bed. His hеsitation lаsted onlу а mоmеnt bеfоrе he prерarеd tо рush her dоwn.
Xin Меi suddenly rаisеd a hаnd to stop him. "Wаit."
...She was the оnе whо had bеen in such a fiеrу rush bеforе, аnd nоw thаt thеу werе finаlly mаrried, shе was telling him tо wait?
Не wоuldn't wait.
Тhе рhоenix crоwn was gently removеd. His fingers fumbled thrоugh her thick, uрsweрt hаir and slоwly pulled out a hairpin.
A lock of long hair slid down.
Xin Mei looked up at him, then at the window behind him. She paused, then asked, "Are you... are you really planning to consummate our marriage with the window open?"
Lu Qianqiao turned around and was stunned to see the window wide open. A crowd of little demons from the Imperial Mausoleum was squeezed outside, staring with wide eyes and biting their fingers as they watched.
"..."
The hairpin slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.
Tao Guoguo was busy covering his younger brother's eyes to prevent his innocent mind from being corrupted. Si Lan was busy trying to pull people away. Ying Lian... Ying Lian was nowhere to be seen, probably hiding in a dark corner sticking pins into a doll again.
Only Zhao Guanren had moved a table to sit in front of the window. It was piled high with snacks and tea. While munching away, he gave Lu Qianqiao a lewd grin. "General, just go for it boldly. We'll cheer you on. If there's anything you don't know, I guarantee I'll teach you properly."
Lu Qianqiao walked over, his face expressionless, and said, "Leave."
Whoosh. The crowd of demons scattered like birds and beasts. The General's accumulated authority over the years was clearly no joke.
Zhao Guanren swept half a table's worth of melon seed shells onto the floor, walked over, and secretly stuffed a paper ball into his hand. Winking and nudging, he whispered, "General, with this sort of thing, well, a man's spirit is sometimes willing, but the flesh is weak. Here's something good for you."
Lu Qianqiao opened the paper ball and saw two small pills of an extremely lewd color and shape wrapped inside.
Zhao Guanren's whiskers twitched. "You'll know once you use it. I wouldn't tell just anyone about this."
The two pills were shoved up Zhao Guanren's nostrils. Lu Qianqiao yanked the window shut, locked it, and pulled the curtains tight.
...There wasn't much of a wedding night atmosphere left. He turned around. Xin Mei had, at some point, taken off her wedding gown and was now wearing only a water-red silk dress, sitting at the table and eating noodles with chopsticks.
The noodles were tossed in sesame oil and sprinkled with crushed peanuts and walnuts, chosen for the auspicious meanings in their names.
Xin Mei kindly filled a bowl for him and called out, "Come have something to eat. You must be hungry, right?"
He had climbed a mountain of blades and crossed a wok of boiling oil; it was harder work than breaking stones on one's chest. He'd had a tough time.
Seeing her mouth glistening with oil, he couldn't help but want to smile. The tension he had been hiding in his heart all day finally dissipated. Lu Qianqiao walked over, picked up the bowl, and lifted a chopstick-full of noodles to her lips. "We're supposed to feed each other," he whispered. "Open your mouth."
Xin Mei obediently opened her mouth and, in turn, picked up a mouthful for him. "So your clan's custom isn't to drink cross-cupped wine, but to eat cross-cupped noodles."
A few bits of crushed peanut stuck to the corner of her lips. Lu Qianqiao gently wiped them away with his hand. For some reason, he was reminded of the first time he had brought her to the Imperial Mausoleum. He had locked her in a pitch-black little room, and when he opened the door, he saw her with her head down, eating an acacia flower pastry. Her soft black hair, her soft cheeks, and the crumbs stuck to her face.
She was like a little white rabbit.
"Xin Mei, come here."
He put down the bowl, gently took her wrist, and with a tug, she slid from the chair onto his lap. Taking the initiative, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Lu Qianqiao," she pressed her face against his cheek. "You're not carrying the Demon Binding Rope today, are you?"
"No, I'm not," he laughed.
"Then close your eyes. I want to kiss you."
He once again obediently closed his eyes, his beautiful, thick eyelashes trembling slightly. Xin Mei cupped his head, liking what she saw more and more, and leaned down to plant a heavy kiss on each of his cheeks.
He... was disappointed again.
Just as he was about to open his eyes, his lips suddenly felt a soft touch—a light kiss that tasted of sesame oil, peanuts, and walnuts.
There was no deep, entangled passion. She kissed him for a moment, then pulled away. The light of the wedding candles reflected in their eyes, sparkling and dancing.
Both of their faces were a little red.
"How's your learning coming along?" she asked in a small voice.
Lu Qianqiao froze for a second, then understood. He didn't blush, but simply lowered his head and smiled, asking in return, "And how is yours?"
"Should be... not bad."
"Talk is cheap."
Then she would just have to take action.
Xin Mei reached out, fumbled, and untied one of his sash belts. A small section of his elegantly shaped collarbone was revealed.
She untied another, and a patch of his chest appeared—firm and lean.
He didn't move, merely looking down as she undressed him.
Xin Mei frowned. "Why aren't you undressing me? Have you really learned how?"
Lu Qianqiao thought for a moment. "You first."
He had to respect her in this matter.
Xin Mei smiled knowingly. "Hmph, you still don't know how, do you? Then watch closely. I'll teach you."
She gently untied his outer robe, took it off, and let it slide to the floor. Next was the middle layer. His chest was now completely exposed to the candlelight—beautiful collarbones, firm muscles. She hesitated for a moment, then raised a hand to gently touch him. His skin was fiery hot, and the fierce beating of his heart transmitted through her palm to her.
"...Don't be afraid," she soothed. "Come, get into bed with me."
His hands swept down and scooped her up. The bed curtains fell, with him on top and her on the bottom, the atmosphere turning ambiguous.
Xin Mei shook her head. "Wrong. I should be on top."
Lu Qianqiao rolled over, pushed down onto the bed by her. Then another weight settled on him—she had sat up on him.
Kisses, fine strands of long hair falling on his chest, her breath moist and hot... it was an unbearably tantalizing sensation. Lu Qianqiao suddenly grabbed her waist, his palm stroking up her spine, vertebra by vertebra. With a little force, she tumbled into his arms. Their panting lips, at some point, had found each other again, tangling, deepening, pressing and rubbing.
"...I'm hot..."
Her mind was a mess. Right, she had to teach him... but she couldn't bear to let go. Both her body and her lips craved his touch; she couldn't stand to be apart even for a fleeting moment.
If she was hot, she should take off her clothes.
He clumsily and tremblingly untied her sash. The next moment, her lips, unwilling to be lonely, pressed against his again. Her robe fell half open—skin touched skin.
It was like lighting a great fire on a dry prairie. The situation instantly spiraled out of control, losing all semblance of order.
Neither of them could remember how their clothes had come off, nor did they have time to think about it.
...Right, Guanyin Sitting on a Lotus.
In Xin Mei's mind, which had turned to mush, those four words flashed by. Lu Qianqiao didn't know how, so she had a great responsibility to teach him tonight.
And so...
The gauze curtains shook violently, followed by two cries of agony. Xin Mei ripped open the curtain with a shhh sound, her face pale as she stuck out a bare arm, rummaging frantically in the cabinet by the bed.
A hand pulled her back in.
She weakly tried to crawl out, muttering, "I'm hurt, I'm even bleeding... Trauma medicine... that Collection of Orchid Musk and Delicate Stamens..."
She needed trauma medicine, and the instructional book for their wedding night...
"Don't go!"
Strained to the absolute limit, the veins on his forehead about to pop, Lu Qianqiao could finally bear it no longer. He reached out, pulled her back, shifted his body slightly, and supported the back of her neck as he laid her down on her side.
"Don't go..."
Otherwise, he would die. He would really die.
"It hurts."
"Bear with it. It'll stop hurting soon."
He rolled over and pinned her down. Kisses fell on her chest as he summoned all the willpower of a War Ghost to not think about that ecstatic moment just now. His fingers gently caressed her earlobe and neck, easing her tense muscles.
What a difficult and thorny wedding night it was, for both her and him.
"Don't, don't touch there!"
Then he'd switch to the other side—
"Ahaha! That tickles, it tickles! Don't touch!"
Then he'd try kneading instead—
"...Gentler, that hurts..."
She was truly hard to please.
He bit her lower lip punishingly. Xin Mei immediately retaliated, not to be outdone. She tried to bite his nose, but he tilted his head back, and her delicate teeth gently bit his chin instead.
He suddenly moved, tentatively, but more with an unexpected and undeniable possessiveness. She froze.
"...Does it hurt?" he asked, his breath ragged with restraint.
She couldn't say... She couldn't describe the feeling. It seemed to hurt, but it wasn't the same kind of pain as before. It was strange and unfamiliar. Xin Mei gripped his shoulders tightly, looking at him in a daze. Those dark red eyes were deep and a little frightening. Suddenly, his eyelashes trembled. He closed his eyes and kissed her forcefully.
The world spun.
She clutched the blanket, for some reason wanting to crawl out again. "No... I don't..."
...She was not allowed to say "no."
A hand supported her waist as he pressed down completely, invading, attacking, occupying. She went limp in an instant, a trembling moan escaping her throat for the first time. She opened her eyes, and the celebratory red of the room engulfed her.
"Lu Qianqiao..." She struggled to find her voice, her fingers tangling in his hair as she met his deep gaze.
"I... I should be the one teaching you. I want to be on top."
"You can be on top tomorrow."
She wanted to protest, but the words were instantly forgotten. Her flailing hands were pinned by his sides as they became hopelessly, inextricably entangled.
In the cabinet, the Collection of Orchid Musk and Delicate Stamens wept in silence. Of all the illustrations they had studied so many times, not a single one was used when the time came.
And so the wedding night passed, clumsy and chaste...
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