Chapter 20 – House Arrest (Part Four)

It was very late. Ru Ye sat alone in the courtyard.

The summer night was cool, the sky thick with stars, and the scent of flowers drifted through the air.

From not too far away came the faint sound of music and lively chatter. Ever since he had recovered from his injury, there had been feasting and merrymaking almost every night.

He often didn’t come home at night. She thought he had been abstinent for a long time. Now that he was finally able to break free, he naturally needed to make up for lost time.

Nearly two months had passed since that night. She wonder how things have changed outside?

Wenshu must be frantic with worry.

Xuanyuan Guiren must also be feeling restless, afraid she might still be alive and betray the Stronghold.

The Dragon King had imprisoned her in his palace, cut off all news, and made it impossible for the Stronghold to investigate or determine the truth. It was a very clever move.

She wondered how Ye Shengxiang was doing now. She surely couldn’t escape the Dragon Palace’s grasp either. She didn’t know how they would treat her.

There was no need to imagine the Dragon Palace using torture. Torturing a top-tier assassin for information was useless.

She heard footsteps and a woman’s laughter approaching from outside the courtyard. She quickly stood up and walked to the door of her room. She lowered her head and stood still.

The courtyard gate opened, and the Dragon King came in with a woman in his arms.

As they passed by her, she caught the scent of wine on him and the delicate fragrance on the woman—a very alluring smell. The woman’s elegant steps and the hem of her skirt swayed like blooming lotus flowers.

Ru Ye hesitated for a moment, then followed them to the entrance of the bedchamber. The woman seemed very familiar with this place. She glanced back at Ru Ye and said indifferently, “You may leave. No need to attend us.”

Her voice was soft and mellow, yet carried authority, just like his tone—not to be questioned or disobeyed.

Ru Ye let down the gauze curtains over the arched doorway, blocking the view of the boundless spring scene within.

As she pulled the curtain down, she took a careful look at the woman. Although she only saw her from behind, her elegance and sensuality seemed a combination of a fairy and a femme fatale. With such a beauty by his side, it was no wonder Ye Shengxiang had lost.

She turned and walked back to her own room, where she saw Wei Bao leaning against the doorframe and staring at her coldly.

Only after she entered her room did he step back outside, leaving the door half-closed and watching over her.

Ru Ye lay on her bed. Even though his bedchamber was large and thick gauze curtains were drawn, she could still faintly hear the tantalizing sounds. Those sounds were like a curse, stirring up another kind of suppressed, once-familiar restlessness within her.

After losing her internal energy, her hearing was somewhat weakened, but it was still sensitive than an ordinary person’s. And they were far too passionate. She couldn’t help but hear.

This woman should be an old acquaintance of the Dragon King, almost like the mistress of this place. She was definitely not a courtesan.

She wondered about this woman’s background. Given her demeanor, she was certainly no ordinary person.

She calculated and pondered silently as her body ached again. Her head grew increasingly dizzy, and slowly she slipped into a drowsy sleep.

The next morning, the Dragon King left with the woman in his arms, chatting and laughing. He didn’t return for several days.

She didn’t care where he had gone. It had nothing to do with her. But she couldn’t go on like this forever. She had to do something.

When he was away, she had some free time and could read the books from his area.

There weren’t many books on the shelf, but most were classics.

She read until night fell. When it got dark, she lit a candle and continued reading at the table in the outer hall. She didn’t even notice the sound of someone entering the room.

By the time she realized it, he was already standing in front of her.

She was slightly startled, closed the book, stood up, and moved to the side with her head lowered in silence.

He gave her a casual glance. She now looked a bit like an ordinary woman, gradually showing her nervousness and fear. What he wanted was to break the pride and competence she had always carried.

His gaze shifted to the book. She had been reading the Records of the Grand Historian.

“I’m tired. I need to change clothes and bathe,” he ordered.

“I’ll call the mute servant.”

“No need. You will attend me.”

Ru Ye felt a chill run through her. She steadied her breathing and followed him into the bathroom.

The bath was very large, the water drawn from the mountain’s hot springs.

He stood by the edge of the pool, his figure imposing. Ru Ye walked up to him, her hands trembling slightly as she undid his clothes. Each garment felt as heavy as a thousand catties.

The Dragon King watched her. He hadn’t paid much attention to her lately.

Strangely enough, this woman didn’t have a very strong presence. No, perhaps it was because she could control her aura and energy. If she wanted to be noticed or unnoticed, she could achieve it.

After inspecting things outside for a few days, coming back to his room to see such a beautiful woman was a very pleasant experience. How could he forget that he had such a stunning beauty by his side?

As she undid his garments, she felt as if she were opening a large furnace. The scorching heat made her whole body feel hot.

A strong, masculine body slowly revealed itself before her. She dared not look and couldn’t see clearly anyway.

His outer robe and top were off… Her gaze slowly moved downwards. Her hands trembled, and she couldn’t undo the rest for a long time.

“Never mind. Step back,” he said with a wave of his hand, not wanting to torment her.

As if granted a pardon, she walked behind the folding screen to wait.

Time passed very slowly. It was said that a beautiful woman bathing stirred the soul, but a man’s bath like this was even more breathtaking.

She heard the sound of water flowing over his body and somehow found herself thinking of her hand gliding over his skin, and his hand gliding over hers.

They had been intimate once before under very strange circumstances, but she hadn’t seen his body clearly. Yet she knew it was a very alluring male body. The kind of scent that could drive any woman who touched it mad, even suffocate her.

Just as her thoughts were churning, he had already finished bathing. Wrapped in a large white bathrobe, he walked straight to the table and sat down. When he noticed she hadn’t followed, he frowned and said, “Come here and dry my hair.”

She hurried into the bathroom, fetched a large towel, and gently dried his wet hair.

His hair was very black and very stiff, falling past his shoulders. She spread out the towel and starting wiping his hair from ends upwards.

She could see the bronze skin of his neck and his half-exposed shoulders and chest. His skin was firm and smooth, with powerful, flowing lines radiating warmth. She tried her best not to look down and focused on drying his hair.