During this time, a few escorts passed by the hallway, curiously looking at Lin Ting, wondering why she was standing outside the door instead of entering.
The escorts could easily distinguish between female guests and entertainers at Moonlight Pavilion based on their attire.
She was dressed in fine silk, with gold hairpins in her hair-clearly a female guest, not a servant.
She should have been inside being served, so why was she guarding the door?
Hadn’t she found a suitable escort yet?
One bold escort stepped forward and offered,
“Miss, have you chosen an escort?”
Lin Ting saw their eager expressions and knew that if she said no, they would stay and aggressively promote themselves.
Without hesitation, she replied, “Yes, he’s inside.”
The escort lightly waved a handkerchief.
“If you’ve chosen an escort, why are you standing outside instead of enjoying his company? Is he not serving you well? Moonlight Pavilion allows you to switch escorts at any time.”
“He’s… serving me well,” Lin Ting said, the words feeling hot on her tongue.
“No need to switch.”
She paused for a moment.
“As for why I’m standing outside… I like it that way. Does Moonlight Pavilion have a rule against guests standing outside the door while the escort stays inside?”
A female guest who ordered an escort but preferred to stand outside the door?
Her preferences were even stranger than those of male guests.
The escort glanced at the room and pursed his lips.
“No, there’s no such rule.”
Another escort, unwilling to give up, asked,
“Miss, are you sure you don’t want to switch to another escort?”
Lin Ting replied firmly,
“No, I don’t.”
The escort tried to promote himself further.
“Then, would you consider taking another escort? Many guests at Moonlight Pavilion order two escorts.”
“I don’t have that much silver. The money I brought today is only enough for one escort.”
The escorts didn’t know that Lin Ting had been brought by the princess, so they didn’t know that her escort would be charged to the princess’s tab.
They believed her words.
“Miss, you’re so beautiful. We could waive the fee for you.”
Lin Ting’s eyelid twitched, but she still refused.
“No, thank you. You can find someone else.”
They didn’t press further and left.
Seeing that Duan Ling hadn’t come out yet, Lin Ting knew something was wrong.
She opened the door and entered, remembering to lock it behind her.
“Lord Duan, how are you?”
In response, she heard a low, suppressed moan from Duan Ling, filled with pain and suffering, yet also incredibly alluring.
Lin Ting’s ears burned.
It had been half an hour, and he still hadn’t managed.
Could he die from this drug?
If his hands weren’t enough, maybe a cold bath would help?
She couldn’t think of any other solution and glanced behind the curtain.
“Lord Duan, perhaps a cold bath would work. Should I call for water?”
Behind the curtain, Duan Ling lay on the bed.
His official hat had fallen to the floor, and a few strands of hair clung to his face.
His sash was half- undone, and his clothes were disheveled.
His fingers, hanging down, were an unnatural red.
Lin Ting quickly averted her gaze, her heart racing, and repeated her question.
After a long pause, he finally replied,
“Fine.”
As he spoke, Duan Ling couldn’t suppress another low moan.
His hand scraped against the edge of the bed, his fingertips bleeding.
Lin Ting hurriedly left to have Moonlight Pavilion’s staff bring cold water to the room.
She didn’t let them enter, instead carrying the buckets in herself and pouring the water into the bathtub behind the screen.
“Lord Duan, hang in there.”
Duan Ling listened to her voice, his sweat-soaked eyelashes fluttering slightly.
The desire only grew stronger.
Pain, swelling.
The condition worsened.
Duan Ling arched his back, his abdomen trembling slightly, accidentally tearing the lotus flowers on the quilt.
He could rip the quilt, but he couldn’t destroy the desire.
He wanted to control it, but it kept controlling him.
Lin Ting didn’t hear a response from Duan Ling and worried he might have passed out from the pain.
If he didn’t resolve this while conscious, it could still cause great harm to his body.
He couldn’t lose consciousness.
She quickly set down the bucket and ran to lift the curtain.
“Lord Duan.”
Duan Ling turned toward her voice.
When he saw Lin Ting, his grip on the quilt tightened.
The desire was like a pot of boiling oil, and she was a drop of water falling into it, causing the oil to explode and splatter.
He was burned by the desire, unable to control himself, yet he wanted to reach out and grab that drop of water.
Duan Ling closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently.
When Lin Ting saw his state, she was startled, her emotions complicated.
The drug from Moonlight Pavilion was too potent, reducing someone as composed as Duan Ling from the original story to this state, as if he were suffering from an addiction.
Lin Ting walked to the bed and gently pried Duan Ling’s hand off the quilt, intending to help him into the cold bath.
“I’ve brought cold water for you.”
The moment she touched him, she felt as if she had touched a burning stove.
To her surprise, he tried to push her away.
Lin Ting didn’t let go, afraid Duan Ling would lose his balance.
Those affected by the drug were in a state of extreme excitement and could easily fall and injure themselves.
She helped him toward the bathtub, embarrassed.
“I’ll help you. This is my fault, so I should do something.”
Duan Ling breathed in Lin Ting’s scent and immediately felt as if thousands of ants were gnawing at his heart, an unbearable itch.
His rational mind told him to hold his breath, to stop inhaling her scent and worsening the desire, but he couldn’t stop.
The short distance to the bathtub felt endless.
Once they reached the bathtub, Lin Ting immediately let go of Duan Ling, making it clear she had no ulterior motives.
“It might be more effective if you take off your clothes. I’ll guard the door and won’t peek.”
Duan Ling didn’t speak but reached to untie his already loose sash.
Lin Ting glanced at his narrow waist, restrained by the sash, and suddenly felt a warmth in her nose.
She hurriedly walked out.
“I’ll come back in fifteen minutes. If you need anything, just call for me.”
Once outside, Lin Ting realized she had forgotten to breathe.
She composed herself and continued to stand guard, watching the lanterns hanging in mid-air and counting the time.
The madam, fanning herself, came upstairs and immediately noticed Lin Ting.
“Miss, why are you standing out here?”
Lin Ting replied,
“Just getting some fresh air.”
The madam glanced at the closed door of the private room.
“I heard from the servants that you asked for water earlier?”
Lin Ting nodded, appearing calm on the surface but anxious inside.
“Why? Does Moonlight Pavilion charge extra for water for bathing?”
The madam, seeing the sweat on Lin Ting’s forehead, fanned her and smiled ingratiatingly.
“Of course not. You’re a distinguished guest brought by the princess. Whatever you need, just ask. If Moonlight Pavilion has it, I’ll provide it without charge.”
“I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
Lin Ting just wanted the madam to leave.
The fifteen minutes were almost up, and she needed to go back inside to check on Duan Ling, but she couldn’t open the door in front of the madam.
Duan Ling’s embroidered spring knife was still on the floor behind the door, and Lin Ting had forgotten to pick it up.
It would be seen.
Unaware of Lin Ting’s thoughts, the madam asked curiously,
“By the way, which escort did you choose? The ones I brought earlier for you and the princess to pick from are all downstairs.”
Lin Ting lied without hesitation.
“I didn’t like the ones you brought, so I found one myself in the pavilion. Doesn’t Moonlight Pavilion allow guests to switch escorts at any time?”
“Yes, Moonlight Pavilion allows guests to switch escorts anytime, as long as you’re satisfied.”
Lin Ting didn’t respond further.
The madam looked at Lin Ting a few more times.
This young lady was so beautiful that even if she didn’t know the princess and had no money, the escorts might still be willing to serve her.
“I won’t disturb you further, miss.”
Only after the madam had left did Lin Ting open the door and enter the room.
She picked up the embroidered spring knife from the floor and placed it on the table, then quickly walked to the screen hiding the bathtub.
“Lord Duan, still no luck?”
Duan Ling looked at her through the screen, trying to suppress the desire, not wanting to lose control again.
“Miss Lin Qi, you should go back.”
Duan Ling’s breathing was still uneven, and Lin Ting could hear it.
At the same time, she caught a faint scent of blood.
Without waiting for him to dress, she stepped around the screen.
As she stepped around the screen, Duan Ling grabbed a towel and covered his lower abdomen, hiding his ugliness.
Lin Ting saw that the old wound on his palm, pierced by a dagger, had reopened.
Blood flowed between his fingers, and a few drops fell into the bathtub.
The blood slowly spread in the water.
“Lord Duan, forgive me,” Lin Ting said, immediately taking out a handkerchief to bandage the wound on his palm.
Her eyes inadvertently glanced at the scene beneath the water, and she quickly averted her gaze.
Duan Ling appeared lean, but his muscles were well-defined, symmetrical, and firm.
His back’s shoulder blades were like butterfly wings, with a beautiful curve in the middle and slight indentations on either side of his waist.
Water droplets clung to his collarbone whether sweat or splashes from the bathtub, she couldn’t tell.
Lin Ting tried to keep her gaze above Duan Ling’s collarbone, focusing on his face.
“Lord Duan, I really can’t think of any other solution. If you have any ideas, I can help you with them.”
Duan Ling raised his wet eyelashes, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.
“There’s no way.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she met his eyes.
There was one other solution-she could help Duan Ling herself…
After a long internal struggle, Lin Ting finally leaned in and kissed Duan Ling.
After all, it was her fault he had drunk the tea.
She couldn’t escape responsibility for this.
Duan Ling was in this state because of her.
As a modern person, Lin Ting didn’t place much importance on such matters, nor did she dislike being close to him.
She saw it as saving him.
Duan Ling almost instinctively returned the kiss, opening his mouth to let Lin Ting kiss him deeply.
He sat in the bathtub, disheveled and naked, tilting his head back to accept Lin Ting’s kiss.
She stood beside the bathtub, her dress still on and her hair neatly styled, eyes closed as she bent down to kiss him.
Duan Ling’s breath became erratic, almost instinctively swallowing Lin Ting’s saliva as an overwhelming sense of pleasure enveloped him, his soft moans barely restrained.
The soft moans reached Lin Ting’s ears, making her feel a slight urge to retreat.
But she took a deep breath and continued, gently entering through Duan Ling’s slightly parted lips, their lips and teeth lightly touching and entwining.
Waves of tingling sensations built up in Duan Ling’s chest.
He raised his hand to wrap around Lin Ting’s waist, closing his eyes as well, craving more, uncontrollably licking her soft, warm lips.
He was ultimately consumed by desire.
The desire peaked as Lin Ting drew closer.
Duan Ling’s lean muscles tensed, but he no longer resisted, greedily and almost morbidly absorbing her essence, his hand around her waist slowly tightening.
Lin Ting’s loose strands of hair fell onto Duan Ling’s exposed skin, occasionally brushing past him, causing his shoulders to tremble.
Their lips and tongues tangled and twisted, the kiss deepening continuously, the temperature rising.
After a while, as Lin Ting continued to kiss Duan Ling, she slid her hand into the water, past the towel, groping until she touched him.
The towel floated away with the water, revealing the scene beneath.
Duan Ling’s eyes snapped open, and he looked down.
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