Chapter 39: The Seductive Shadow of the Imperial Advisor

Tsk.

Even though Lu Yihuan’s words were utterly cold, Jiang Li couldn’t feel the slightest bit of intimidation when she saw Lu Yihuan in her current state.

[Ding, Dancer Identity first task issued.]

[Please have the host tear open the task target’s outer robe, stroke her cheek, and say to the task target: How about one spring breeze tryst—become my forbidden plaything?]

“With my current identity as a dancer, I can claim someone as my forbidden plaything? 123, are you sure you didn’t mess up?” Jiang Li asked incredulously in retort.

If she were still the princess, she figured saying that to Lu Yihuan might just cost her some extra coin for the deed, and she’d still walk away unscathed.

But as a mere dancer? Yeah… If she told Lu Yihuan to become her forbidden plaything right now, Jiang Li suspected 123 wanted to end this world early.

With Lu Yihuan staring at her so coldly, Jiang Li knew that if she actually said it, Lu Yihuan would probably want to run her through with a blade.

[Please proceed boldly. And in light of your agreement from the previous world, you must complete every task in the Dancer Identity.]

Damn it! Those were some tyrannical terms.

She cursed under her breath, but her feet honestly stepped forward anyway.

The moment Jiang Li shifted, Lu Yihuan’s watery, flushed eyes turned toward her. The ink-black collar of her robe hung slightly open, her collarbone rising and falling with a hint of lingering allure. But her words were enough to freeze anyone solid.

“Don’t come closer.”

The thin red gauze skirt swayed lightly with her movements. Jiang Li gazed at Lu Yihuan, who lounged on the couch with disheveled hair and a vigilant expression.

A smile glinted in her eyes as Jiang Li raised both hands to shoulder height in surrender. She gave them a casual shake, and the gossamer skirt on her body fluttered symbolically, demonstrating her “sincerity.”

“My lord, there’s truly no need for you to be wary of me. I’m just a humble dancer here at the Spring Intent Pavilion.”

As she spoke, Jiang Li slowly drew closer to Lu Yihuan.

Just a humble dancer at the Spring Intent Pavilion?

“Oh? Merely a dancer in this establishment?” Lu Yihuan’s voice was hoarse, her face flushed all over. Yet when she lifted her gaze to Jiang Li, it still carried an oppressive weight.

Even now, the Regent King’s aura around her hadn’t diminished in the slightest. She seemed merely tipsy from a few cups of wine—as if any foe who approached would be driven off in an instant—rather than someone dosed with a potent aphrodisiac.

“Of course. If it pleases you, my lord, you can call me Li Ji.”

By now, Jiang Li had closed the distance to Lu Yihuan’s side—just an arm’s reach from touching her cheek.

Li Ji…

That name… Lu Yihuan lifted her eyes to the person standing before her. She studied the innocent, obedient smile on Jiang Li’s face.

Hah, it was indeed a face completely different from the Eldest Princess’s.

Unfortunately, she could never mistake her for anyone else.

“Then, do you not fear dragging someone you can’t afford to offend here at random in the Spring Intent Pavilion?”

Lu Yihuan pressed her lips tightly together. In just those few sentences, she’d bitten them until blood colored them vividly, a piercing red.

It made one instinctively want to brush a finger across those lips, to see if it would smear blood.

Seeing the sweat beading profusely on this woman’s forehead, Jiang Li considerately stepped forward and poured her a cup of cool tea from the pot nearby.

Though the tea wasn’t fresh, it had to be the best thing for Lu Yihuan right now.

She brought it gently to her lips. The phoenix motif painted in rouge on Jiang Li’s forehead came into Lu Yihuan’s view—delicately exquisite, vivid as life, swirling dizzily in her hazy gaze.

It was as if, in the next moment, those phoenix wings would flap and take flight, vividly red.

To think this so-called humble dancer of the Spring Intent Pavilion bore such a bold emblem on her brow.

“I’ve never dragged just anyone. I’ve been coming to the Spring Intent Pavilion for quite some time, and you’re the only one I’ve ever brought in, my lord.”

The earnest female voice rang softly by her ear as the cool tea slid down her throat, easing a wave of heat. Lu Yihuan’s lowered lashes fluttered more slowly.

Knowing this person was the Eldest Princess made her words less surprising. Though Lu Yihuan didn’t know why the Eldest Princess had disguised herself and hidden here in the Spring Intent Pavilion, it was probably best to keep a low profile.

This time, she must have taken the risk for Lu Yihuan’s sake.

If that was the case… “Thank you.”

Hearing Lu Yihuan’s thanks stirred that restless heart of Jiang Li’s into motion again.

For some reason, when it came to Lu Yihuan, she always had the urge to push her luck.

Though the Regent King appeared so aloof, Jiang Li always felt that Lu Yihuan wouldn’t truly harm her for these words.

“There’s no need to thank me, my lord. I risked my life to drag you in here—not out of mere kindness.” With a wink, Jiang Li took back the teacup, and that faint fragrance drew nearer again.

Followed by an ambiguously teasing whisper.

“My lord is so beautiful; just looking at you fills one with delight.”

Her fingertips boldly caressed that flushed, lovely cheek. Considering her current role as a wanton dancer, what harm was there in taking this chance to touch Lu Yihuan’s face?

“Hand. Down.” Lu Yihuan’s eyes darkened, the chill in them condensing into solid ice. The long shadow of her lashes made that ice even sharper.

She had said to put it down, yet those fingertips by her cheek ignored it entirely, sliding downward. And in that moment, Lu Yihuan caught an even stronger whiff of that fragrance.

As her nose registered the scent, the restlessness in her heart surged through her limbs once more. Her fingertips, resting on her thigh, couldn’t help clutching at the fabric.

Her breaths grew heavier with each one. Lu Yihuan strained to suppress her emotions and reason.

Even if Jiang Li hid her identity deliberately, Lu Yihuan knew exactly who stood before her. Thus, she refused to yield the upper hand.

“This King told you to put it down. Don’t touch!” Her words now carried a hint of anger.

She deliberately revealed her identity, steadying her breath as her eyes locked piercingly on this “Li Ji”—the Eldest Princess in disguise—to gauge her reaction.

But Li Ji’s eyes, brimming with amusement, showed no surprise at all. Those fingertips continued lightly tapping her cheek, now with a trace of excitement.

“You’re not pretending anymore, huh.” Li Ji twirled a lock of hair from Lu Yihuan’s cheek, her fingertip spinning it around once, then again—wrapping halfway up the digit.

Black entwined white, with the white just barely peeking through.

The atmosphere around them heated with Li Ji’s approach, their shallow breaths mingling with scorching exhalations.

“You don’t seem to realize what you look like right now.”

As their breaths drew nearer, the pale softness beneath the red gauze flashed brazenly before Lu Yihuan’s eyes. Her gaze met it abruptly, and she held her breath.

Her carefully controlled body trembled involuntarily.

Her ear tips flushed from the drug as Li Ji leaned down, her rouge-smeared, sweetly scented red lips hovering beside that reddened earlobe.

With a slight turn of her head, an intimate breath whispered: “Regent King.”

The low female voice resonated by her ear—just five words. Though those lips and tongue never touched her, Lu Yihuan felt as if she’d been thoroughly licked, shuddering all over as wetness surged.

What…?

Her lashes quivered rapidly, a flash of wateriness in her eyes. Though she’d never experienced this before, Lu Yihuan wasn’t entirely ignorant.

And just now, she’d so easily… because of those words… to Jiang Li…

The flush on her face deepened, even the tip of her proud nose tinged pink. The wetness in her eyes, stirred by that moment, now spilled uncontrollably everywhere.

Unconcealable spring desire leaked forth.

Amid the light laughter by her ear—seemingly delighted at the beauty before her—knowing the object of that gaze was herself, Lu Yihuan’s ear tips burned darker, her chest heaving ever more uncontrollably.

Indeed, Li Ji was entranced by the vivid, fragrant scene. Thin sweat beaded on the beauty’s brow like mist, the flush on her cheeks making the picture all the more alluring.

Most captivating of all were those peach-blossom eyes, heavy with misty vapor, profoundly dark and suppressed with desire.

Just one blink, a mere sweep over her, and the allure beneath those lashes sent Li Ji’s heart pounding wildly.

Driven by her own impulses, Li Ji gently cupped the face before her—the one with eyes half-closed, desperately suppressing desire—and voiced her innermost thoughts uncontrollably.

“You don’t look like the fearsome Regent King from the rumors at all right now…”

“You seem more like a pampered pet, kept at home solely for its master’s pleasure.”

Her fascination shone plainly in those eyes.

Her words were brazen beyond measure, treating the Regent King—one who stood second only to the emperor—like a harmless pet.

“Bold indeed. Do you think that just because you’re at This King’s side and see her in this state, you can act without restraint?”

“Mm… Isn’t that exactly it?”

Her brows and eyes curved in brilliant mirth. Li Ji fixed her gaze on those eyes now tinged with anger. One hand slid down the cheek, its slender tenderness lightly resting on Lu Yihuan’s open collar.

The meticulously pampered pale skin tapped rhythmically against her hand, visible even in Lu Yihuan’s downward gaze, utterly fearless.

Li Ji was a dancer at the Spring Intent Pavilion, after all—one night of indulgence, then vanish and return in a new guise. Who would ever know?

Even if Lu Yihuan wanted revenge later, she wouldn’t find her.

“Right now, I’m acting without restraint. What can you do about it?”

Her fingertips hooked Lu Yihuan’s defined jaw. Defiance gleamed in Li Ji’s eyes, even provocation—her brows arched high.

This face bore no resemblance to the Eldest Princess’s. If there was any similarity, it was the exact expression—the same flirty demeanor from the palace earlier.

So Lu Yihuan thought.

Perhaps buoyed by her inexplicable fascination with Jiang Li, and knowing who she truly was, Lu Yihuan found herself more tolerant than she would be with anyone else.

Closing her eyes to catch her breath, she inexplicably recalled first meeting the Eldest Princess—those clear, pure eyes.

Pure in a way unlike anyone in the cutthroat court, utterly different from a ruthless creature like herself.

As she tried to distract herself, the drug offered no reprieve.

Heat had long infested her chest, the aphrodisiac unrelenting over time, heedless of her desperate suppression. It crashed through her body with ever-heavier waves of desire, eroding her reason.

Lu Yihuan felt as if the fire would melt her entirely. Scorching blood seared her sinews, threatening to liquefy her flesh and force submission to the surging lust.

She refused to yield like this, yet that cool hand showed no mercy.

Though icy, it brushed over her through the fabric as if it were nothing, igniting heat beneath her collar.

Lowering her eyes, her breaths came heavier and heavier. Her mind was nearly boiled into a chaotic mush, leaving Lu Yihuan too drained to reply.

Her silence only emboldened the other.

“What are you doing?!” Lu Yihuan snapped angrily. She tried to struggle, but her hand lacked the strength to rise, leaving only her sharp gaze sweeping toward Li Ji.

She had torn open Lu Yihuan’s outer robe!

Seeing her own inner garment exposed beneath, Lu Yihuan’s shout rang out. Li Ji’s hand trembled; even her ears, hidden by hair, began to redden.

Never mind her earlier brazen display, her words suggesting she’d devour Lu Yihuan on the spot. Truth was, Jiang Li was merely indulging through Li Ji’s guise toward that beautiful, aloof face.

She was interested in Lu Yihuan’s pretty, cold features.

But now, faced with actually stripping those clothes off before that visage—glimpsing that impossibly pale skin—Li Ji’s hands grew flustered.

Still, the task was underway. Li Ji eyed the ripples of moisture in Lu Yihuan’s gaze, the deepening flush on her face growing worrisome. Any more hesitation…

Her eyes narrowed amid the dizziness. Everything blurred before Lu Yihuan as that fragrance burrowed straight into her nostrils, itching at her heart.

Her lashes fluttered over the cheek before her. In the haze of desire-fogged mush in her mind, one thing remained clear: who this person was.

It was Jiang Li…

A cool touch met her burning cheek. Though only on that one spot, it felt miraculous to Lu Yihuan now.

On pure instinct, her reason long extinguished in waves of lustfire, Lu Yihuan gently nuzzled her cheek against that palm, sighing contentedly.

The sigh scalded the listener’s ears.

Knowing she craved that coolness, Li Ji pressed her palm closer. Soon, the soft cheek beneath warmed the entire palm.

At this moment, even primordial ice would melt under such fervor.

Unable to see her expression with closed eyes, her body trembling as she fought restraint—but Li Ji was mesmerized by that single bead of sweat trickling from her brow.

“My lord, how about one spring breeze tryst—become my forbidden plaything?”

[Ding, Task Complete.]

Her fingertip gently wiped away the sweat as Li Ji spoke. She waited quietly for an enraged Lu Yihuan to eject her.

She carefully adjusted the torn collar, preparing to withdraw her hand from the cheek. With the task done, she’d switch identities to whisk her away.

A Regent King drugged with aphrodisiacs here wasn’t glorious; Lu Yihuan could investigate once sober.

As for her, she’d wait for the next two tasks.

Li Ji had it all planned—even where to change disguises after leaving.

But she never expected her withdrawing wrist to be gripped iron-tight by Lu Yihuan.

Lu Yihuan’s palm burned astonishingly hot, quickly warming the captured wrist until that skin nearly vanished into the blaze.

“Fine…” A soft agreement escaped her lips—Lu Yihuan assenting to Li Ji’s proposal.

Her quick response instead left the proposer stunned, as if she’d heard something unbelievable. She asked suspiciously, “What did you just say?”

The shock on Li Ji’s face was blatant. Even in Lu Yihuan’s mushy-minded state, she spotted it easily.

With a low chuckle, Lu Yihuan lacked strength but gripped firmly. As Li Ji hesitated on her face, Lu Yihuan grew impatient.

Those clear, pure eyes surfaced again in her mind.

A long-buried urge to destroy welled unprecedentedly. Impatience swelled within Lu Yihuan; with a yank of her hand, amid a soft yelp, their positions swapped.

Ink-black fabric veiled the allure spilling from beneath the red gauze—for her eyes alone.

“This King said… fine.”

The desires in her heart clamored, demanding she stain those pure eyes black, taint them like herself. And so Lu Yihuan obliged.

With a soft cry, the red gauze was torn away.

Accompanied by a laughing remark.

“But This King thinks… one spring breeze, and you becoming This King’s forbidden plaything suits far better.”

Scorching flesh met scorching flesh, rippling waters converged.