CHAPTER 225: CHAPTER 225: TEMPTATION

"Alright!" Lady Thirteen curved the corners of her eyes seductively. "I quite enjoy taming little brothers like him."

On the other side, Xie Xun was just about to take action when he saw Lady Thirteen step slowly down the stairs. She wore a low-necked long dress of water-red gauze, her waist supple like a water snake, her every step swaying with grace. Her figure was softer and more alluring than any of the girls from the Hongxiu Pavilion. As she approached Dugu Jing, her audacity was unparalleled. Her bonelessly soft hand clasped Dugu Jing’s arm, her voice oozing charm and coquettishness. "General, is there anywhere in the Mudan Building that has fallen short in serving you? What need is there to become so angry and frighten the ladies here?"

"Get lost!" Dugu Jing, full of fury, saw someone daring enough to touch him and pushed Lady Thirteen away. But turning back to look at her, he froze.

Lady Thirteen had fallen to the ground, her water-red dress half concealing and half revealing her figure. Her long legs were straight and pale, dazzling enough to ignite a fire in the eyes. She presented an almost deliberate invitation, a vulnerability ripe for picking. She was no inexperienced maiden; having spent many years in such a place, her eyes brimmed with unrestrained allure. A single glance could seduce the most ascetic monk on a mountaintop. As she had once told Fengyu, from a young age she was taught what men liked and how to deliver it flawlessly. She got up, deliberately rubbing her waist, exposing a hand which had reddened from the push. "General, you’re so rough! My poor hand might be broken from that."

A waft of her fragrance hit Dugu Jing’s face, laden with sensuality. Yet his gaze remained cold and distant, showing not a shred of pity. "I discipline my own people; you, madam, should practice some self-respect."

Lady Thirteen covered her mouth and laughed lightly, her red lips nearly grazing Dugu Jing’s ear. Her breath was warm as orchids. "Seeking pleasure in courtesans’ quarters is all about enjoying oneself. What self-respect could you mean?"

The Beiman were precocious. It wasn’t uncommon for boys to learn intimate matters at thirteen and take wives by fifteen. Their culture was uninhibited and fiery, their approach to romance far more direct than the reserved ways of Yanyang. But Dugu Jing was different. Blessed with immense strength, he had been raised as Beiman’s "God of War" from a young age, wholly dedicated to honing his martial skills, indifferent to carnal matters.

He had never drowned in feminine charms. His demeanor was consistently menacing and brutish. Although his striking looks drew attention, women were mostly too intimidated to approach him. Affairs of the bed were silent exchanges that both began and ended in wordlessness. Few women dared to take initiative, leaving him to view such things as dull and mundane. He never understood why his tribesmen indulged so deeply in courtesans and returned time and time again to these establishments.

A few days earlier, some Beiman men had caused trouble in a brothel, nearly killing one of the women and terrifying the others. Their audacity, habitual in the Capital City, escalated into a brawl with the guards of Hongxiu Pavilion. The local governor dared not intervene, leaving Xie Xun to lead the Kyoto Capital Guard in arresting them—a scuffle that almost ended with their hands severed.

The incident left Dugu Jing humiliated. He had settled it with money and sternly warned the soldiers against revisiting such establishments before returning home. Yet, forbidden from brothels, they now flocked to flower houses, intoxicated by the soft fragrance and warmth of the women, making a disgraceful spectacle of themselves. Dugu Jing’s frustration lay in their blatant defiance of orders—all for women!

Were Yanyang Women truly so irresistible as to make men lose themselves in their tender embrace?

Lady Thirteen leaned her pliant body against Dugu Jing and whispered something softly in his ear, coaxing him to sit while signaling the other women with her eyes.

Understanding her intent, the women set aside their fear of Dugu Jing and gathered courage to entertain the Beiman men. Miss Lan Hua nodded at Lady Thirteen and took up her pipa, resuming the interrupted music. Soon, the tunes and dances filled the room once more.

"Don’t touch me!" Dugu Jing’s brows furrowed coldly. He was determined to see what allure Yanyang Women truly possessed to captivate his soldiers so completely.

"Why not?" Lady Thirteen leaned closer to pour wine for him, her arm draped lightly around his neck. A silk ribbon playfully encircled him, and she slid into his lap. Her fingers traced along his jawline down to his adam’s apple. "Does the General not enjoy his sister’s touch?"

Dugu Jing had never encountered such boldness in a woman before!

No—on second thought, he had encountered boldness before. Fengyu. But her boldness wasn’t seductive; it was a desperate, all-or-nothing ferocity to bring him down with her. He still bore a scar on his lower abdomen as evidence of her deadly resolve.

From where she stood, Fengyu gasped audibly. This fearsome man, who intimidated everyone around him, did not immediately push Lady Thirteen away. She was shocked, her heart suspended in tension, dreading that Dugu Jing might get rough with Lady Thirteen.

"Get lost!" Dugu Jing barked in anger as he attempted to push Lady Thirteen away. But she clung tightly to his neck, using the opportunity to grab a cup of wine from the table and offer it to his lips. "General, let me take care of you and serve you a drink, alright?"

Watching her with caution, Dugu Jing’s body remained stiff, his wariness on full display. Yet in his arms, Lady Thirteen’s smile blossomed irresistibly. One hand held the wine while the other traced his neck, teasing his skin and toying with his adam’s apple.

Shameless!

Dugu Jing swore inwardly. He would not fall for such tricks.

However, unbidden thoughts of Fengyu surfaced in his mind. Were all Yanyang Women this beguiling, their allure enough to make men abandon all reason? Even Xie Xun had failed to escape their grasp!

What kind of irresistible charm did they possess?

Fengyu... The thought of her seared through his mind, her image sharpening. Suddenly, he realized that his demand for Fengyu at the banquet earlier wasn’t solely about opposing Xie Xun. It also stemmed from a deep curiosity about her.

What was it about the woman that had captured Xie Xun’s attention? What sort of enchantment did she wield?

Seeing he wasn’t drinking, Lady Thirteen raised an eyebrow. "Is the General afraid it’s poisoned?"

She tilted her head back to sip half the cup, then deliberately pressed her lips close to his, her smile carrying a faint mocking edge. "See? No poison. I can feed you another way if you’d like."

She tipped her head back again, holding the remaining wine in her mouth before leaning in to press her lips to his. The act, filled with sensual entanglement, set the silver bells on her wrist jingling softly. The sound, combined with her movements, was irresistible, leaving even sober men flushed with heat.

Seeing this, the Beiman Soldiers discarded their restraint, and the hall shifted back into lively merriment. Meanwhile, from her perch above, Fengyu watched with unease, her face flushing. Xie Xun, however, remained unperturbed, instructing Feiying to signal Nuanyang to distract Dugu Jing and lead him elsewhere.

Lady Thirteen was proving more clever than Xie Xun had anticipated. She could sense Dugu Jing’s subtle reactions, but he possessed great restraint—this was not a man who would yield to a single kiss. Stroking his rigid back, she murmured, "General, shall we find somewhere quieter to enjoy a drink?"

She understood that as long as Dugu Jing remained, Xie Xun’s plans couldn’t progress. She had to separate him from the Beiman Generals. This prince, though young, was sharp and powerful, not someone to be deceived easily.

Upstairs, Fengyu gulped down water as though parched, increasingly unsettled by the events in the main hall. The scene had become too sultry for her to bear. Lady Thirteen was effortlessly commanding the room, while the faint aphrodisiac aroma used to beguile the Beiman men lingered in the air. With her heightened senses and weak constitution, Fengyu reacted poorly, her heart racing, breath quickening, and her body betraying strange sensations. Flustered, she briskly retreated to the nearest private room by the main hall.

The cool tea soothed her scorching throat, dampening the restless heat within her. Yet her calm was short-lived, as Xie Xun soon arrived, startling her. "Why are you here too?" she blurted.