“What?”
Ling Xiaodong was startled by Ye Yiyun’s sudden demand.
“I said, take off your clothes. I need to check if you have any injuries.”
“Aunt Yun, there’s no need. I don’t have a single wound. None of those mountain ghosts can come near me.”
Ling Xiaodong crossed his arms over his chest, as if protecting himself from a villainous harasser.
Ye Yiyun spoke seriously, “You’re facing the Ghost King. Even if you’re not injured, who knows if ghost energy has invaded your body? What if there’s a hidden danger?”
Ye Yiyun’s reasoning was sound, and Ling Xiaodong couldn’t argue. He quietly and reluctantly stripped off his shirt, revealing a well-built upper body.
“Take off your pants too.”
Ye Yiyun said calmly, though the slight blush on her earlobes betrayed her embarrassment.
“Pants as well?”
“Yes. Who knows where the ghost energy might have entered.”
Ling Xiaodong bent down and removed his pants, leaving only a short loincloth covering him.
His limbs were long and proportionate, with perfectly sculpted muscles like they had been chiseled by a master craftsman. He was neither bulky nor clumsy. His skin was smooth, white, and flawless, like the finest jade, causing a flicker of envy in Ye Yiyun.
“You don’t need to take that off, right?”
Ye Yiyun glanced down unconsciously, then quickly corrected her gaze as if shocked by an electric shock. She nodded slightly.
“No need for that. Turn around.”
In the small room, Ling Xiaodong stood with only the short loincloth on, his back facing Ye Yiyun.
Ye Yiyun’s delicate hands gently stroked his broad back, her face close, as if trying to detect any sinister ghost energy hidden beneath the skin. Ling Xiaodong could feel the warm breath from Aunt Yun’s nose brushing against him.
Feeling her meticulous inspection behind him, a warm feeling surged in Ling Xiaodong’s heart.
Aunt Yun cares about me so much. I must repay her kindness properly in the future!
The few candles flickered weakly in the room. Both were silent, and the dim light added a subtle charm to the atmosphere.
“Hm, no problem on the back. Turn around now.”
Ling Xiaodong turned back and opened his arms freely, allowing Ye Yiyun to continue the check.
Her slender fingers glided from his chest down to his abdomen, lingering on the sharply defined abs.
A ticklish sensation arose on his stomach, and he couldn’t help but say, “Aunt Yun, it’s itchy. Why do you have to check for so long? I hope I don’t really have anything wrong.”
“Don’t speak! The abdomen houses the five organs. Of course, it must be examined carefully!”
Ye Yiyun said solemnly, though she wouldn’t admit she was momentarily distracted by the young and perfect physique of her junior nephew.
Though she was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, Ye Yiyun’s understanding of men had come only from books. This was her first time observing and touching someone so closely and thoroughly. She found herself zoning out briefly.
Ye Yiyun squatted down again, gently stroking Ling Xiaodong’s firm leg muscles, inspecting carefully up close. Ling Xiaodong felt waves of warmth spraying onto his legs.
Sensing something was off, he hunched his body and grew anxious.
“Aunt Yun, are you done?”
“No, it can’t be that fast… Ah!”
Ye Yiyun didn’t know whether it was intentional or accidental, but her gaze flicked upward suddenly.
Her delicate eyes shut tight, her face flushed, and she raised a hand to smack Ling Xiaodong’s leg hard, scolding, “What are you doing?!”
Ling Xiaodong looked innocent.
“Aunt Yun, it’s not my fault!”
“Shut up! I’m not looking anymore. Your life or death is none of my concern!”
Ye Yiyun stood up angrily, turning her back to Ling Xiaodong, refusing to look at him, her face flushed red as if steam might rise from it. Her heart pounded nervously.
After some more commotion, Ling Xiaodong coaxed her until his lips went numb, and Ye Yiyun finally calmed down.
He put on his inner clothes and pants, then lay down side by side with Ye Yiyun on the room’s only large bed. Ling Xiaodong stared up at the ceiling while Ye Yiyun lay on her side, back facing him.
“Aunt Yun?”
Ling Xiaodong called softly, but Ye Yiyun remained silent, still facing away.
“Aunt Yun, are you still mad?”
No response came in the quiet room.
Ling Xiaodong turned over, reaching out to wrap his arms around Ye Yiyun’s slender waist. His chest pressed against her back as he buried his head in her scattered black hair.
He inhaled the faint fragrance from her hair and felt her soft body in his arms. Where she should be thin, she was thin; where she should be plump, she was full and supple.
When Ling Xiaodong’s hand slid around her, Ye Yiyun’s body tensed but she said nothing. Seeing no further action, her stiff body relaxed again, thinking Ling Xiaodong was simply acting coy as usual.
“Aunt Yun, I’m sorry.”
Ye Yiyun gritted her teeth. Ling Xiaodong had hit a sore spot — one she had forced herself to forget. Now, the scene of the giant python’s emergence flashed through her mind again.
“So I worried you today.”
Oh, that’s what he meant!
Ye Yiyun thought, feeling ashamed of her own distracting thoughts.
“It’s nothing. This is what an aunt should do. If anything, I was the one holding you back before.”
“Mm.”
Ling Xiaodong answered softly, nearly drunk on Aunt Yun’s jade-like body and enchanting scent. After a day of exhaustion, his mind grew hazy. Holding Ye Yiyun like this, he soon drifted off to sleep.
Ling Xiaodong fell asleep, but Ye Yiyun could not.
Bound tightly by her strong arms around his waist, the hot chest pressed against her back — though both wore thin clothing, Ye Yiyun could clearly feel Ling Xiaodong’s pounding heart and the solid frame pressed close.
His steady breathing brushed her slender neck, making Ye Yiyun even more restless and flushed. It wasn’t until the middle of the night, utterly exhausted, that she finally fell into a deep sleep.
Ling Xiaodong slept soundly. Outside, the noisy voices from the street drifted into the room. He blinked awake groggily.
His body felt weighed down, and his limbs were tightly bound, unable to move.
Looking closely, it was Aunt Yun, who had somehow pressed down on him, her arms wrapped around him, a long fair leg hooked around his, and a pair of cat ears snug against his arm.
Because she had gone to bed late last night, Ye Yiyun had broken her habit of rising early and was still asleep well past mid-morning.
Ling Xiaodong struggled but couldn’t break free. Aunt Yun clung to him like an octopus.
To let her rest some more, Ling Xiaodong gave up getting up and simply lay there, acting as Aunt Yun’s body pillow.
With nothing else to do, Ling Xiaodong turned his head to admire Ye Yiyun’s sleeping face.
Her eyes were gently closed, long lashes fluttering slightly. Her serene immortal-like face was fair and flawless, with a high, elegant nose and rosy lips parted ever so slightly.
As Ling Xiaodong quietly admired her, Ye Yiyun opened her drowsy eyes.
Their gazes met. Ye Yiyun looked at Ling Xiaodong in confusion, still half-asleep.
Ling Xiaodong gave an awkward smile.
“Good morning, Aunt Yun.”