Chapter 539: Chapter 526: Bedtime Stories

The cold rain fell steadily outside the palace, leaving the air somewhat damp.

The vast palace seemed slightly desolate.

Wrapped in rain, Baili An fumbled in the small pond of the courtyard, his pockets filled with smooth goose-egg stones, before catching a bowl of clean rainwater under the eaves.

The rainwater boiled and bubbled, and the stones were soaked and scalded in it before being wrapped tightly in a gauze cloth, placed on the belly of a woman lying drowsy on the bed, for her to hold.

Back and forth, with the wind blowing and the rain falling, the effects of the alcohol gradually dispersed, and Baili An, initially somewhat sober, began to feel groggy.

When sober, one could cruelly restrain one’s emotions, building a solid wall to seem less sad.

But as the intoxication crept in, willpower seemed to become futilely soft, leaving no energy even to think.

Left to the whim of the alcohol, it felt as though an unquenchable fire erupted within, the usually cold body seemingly unaccustomed to such warmth.

Baili An casually tore open his collar, revealing a string of water droplets hanging, catching his eye with their cool touch against his hand, making him lower his head to look longer.

Gaze blurring, Baili An stared for a long while, finally recalling that this was the gift from the Qingshui attendant on the road departing from Ziwei Pavilion.

It was Immortal Tears.

For some reason, seeing this made Baili An unexpectedly irritable.

He tugged at the delicate silver chain, attempting to pull it off.

But he found the chain surprisingly tough, hurting his palm yet still securely hanging around his neck.

After struggling, the feeling of heat inside became unbearable, compelling him to seek a cool place to chill down.

Looking around, he saw the woman in white on the bed holding her head up slightly, her eyes softly closed, one arm embracing the warm stone hot pack.

Even in her drunkenness, she was neither too heated nor too cool, never one to be unreasonably troublesome even when not sober.

Her temperament even seemed more submissive than usual, dutifully holding the warm stone when asked.

Her eyes were calm like tranquil mountain lakes, serene and composed.

In the chilly tower, the night was long with curtains drawn low.

A gentle breeze arose, mingling subtly with the heady fragrance, undiminished by fermentation.

The sparse rain and fresh breeze, the slender grace of the person, seemed to reflect history.

Immortal Tears emitted a tranquil glow in the candlelight.

In a trance, when their eyes met, Baili An suddenly felt as if the person before him had endured a long wait.

And such a scene did not seem like his first experience of such enduring years.

Mountains unchanging, a vast expanse of flowering trees, as if someone else cherished this gentle era of knowing and meeting.

Baili An stared for a long time, swaying as he tried to stand steady to open a window for air, but tripped over his own robe, stumbling.

The delayed potency of the Sanqing Brew surged up like a tidal wave, making him lightheaded and crash towards the bed.

His face headed straight for the bed edge, and the fall surely felt painfully solid.

Baili An instinctively closed his eyes, but the anticipated pain from the fall did not come, his collar suddenly grasped by a soft, slender hand.

Struggling to open his eyes, Baili An’s blurry sight met a pair of deep, peaceful eyes.

The cool fingertips on his neck felt like icy jade, and following that comfortable chill, Baili An instinctively rubbed against the hand.

That white, jade-like finger gently exerted force, pulling him up onto the bed, and spoke in a low voice, “I thought you would have grown somewhat over the years, yet you remain so unimpressive—down after just one cup.”

Her eyes, distinct in black and white, were exceptionally clear and attractive, yet inevitably still drunken, revealing unwittingly things she hadn’t realized herself.

If her voice was previously cold and deep as the clear water in a snow-covered ancient well,

Now, her refined voice seemed entirely gentle, warm, as if washed and soaked by warm rain, bringing a soft warmth face-to-face, each tone drowning one’s heart in tender, graceful softness.

Half of Baili An’s body had been pulled onto the bed, he lay between her legs.

As she got up, the ribbon in her hair slipped loose, her delicate hair cascading down, causing the bunny ears hidden within to spring up.

Moonlight through the screen shone into the room.

Suddenly, Baili An felt his fingers uncontrollably drawn; looking at the bunny ears, an irresistible urge surged within him.

Struggling to prop up his limp body, he slowly climbed up and, as if possessed, reached out to catch the two ears fluttering in the wind, delicately playing with them.

Soft and smooth, they looked utterly delectable.

Su Jing lifted her lashes, her deep eyes fixed on his face, perhaps tickled, her ears moved within his palm, and she pushed him slightly with her hand.

Even though drunk, she stubbornly refused to let anyone touch her extra pair of bunny ears.

Drunk Baili An, however, was far less behaved than usual.

He relentlessly crawled back, hands outstretched to grab, fearing her evasion, he embraced her with one arm, continuing to touch her ears.

His voice was slurred, though earnest, “I’m feeling sad today; may I touch your ears?”

Those bunny ears were her untouchable boundary. Su Jing furrowed her brows, subtly displeased.

“Jing…” He clung annoyingly, his sudden address like a bolt from the blue.

The woman in his arms breathed unevenly at once, suddenly raising her head, staring straight at him, almost breathlessly asking, “What did you call me?”

Baili An did not respond, for merely touching her ears was no longer enough; he tore his robe open, somewhat unreasonably snuggled up, and bit down on one ear, nibbling and sucking gently.

This sudden invasion made Su Jing feel suffocated and powerless, her breathing quickened, her waist weakened, and her entire body collapsed, her eyes wide open, bewilderingly forgetting her prior question.

The two embraced for a long time, Baili An focused on nibbling her ears, the varying pressure excruciatingly torturous.

Su Jing clenched her lips tightly, her hands involuntarily gripping the comfortably warm, hot stone pack, turning her cheek aside, she whispered lowly, “I’m not a rabbit.”

Baili An, nibbling on her ear, hummed vaguely, his eyes slightly open, black as ink, seemed to flicker with light.

His arm naturally slid from her shoulder to embrace her waist, continuously murmuring softly.

Su Jing could not quite hear clearly, her sharp bunny ears drooping slightly to listen, finally catching his sleepily murmur of a bedtime story.