Chapter 008: Dot Flowers

The man's gaze startled her, leaving her unable to control her feelings, making her... feel as though she would be deeply mired in a quagmire

She gasped softly, and in the moment her lips parted slightly, his tongue slipped between her teeth, finding her delicate little tongue and entwining with it

She was taken aback, gazing at his smile, and a corner of her heart suddenly softened

She involuntarily stood up, "That is my ... ..." Before she could finish her sentence, he gently clenched his fist, and when he opened it again, the object in his palm had vanished

There are unclear emotions surging within her heart, and as she opens her mouth, she feels parched and restless. "I do not wish to receive a single coin; I implore you, General, to take it back."

Her fingers skillfully plucked and strummed the zheng strings, and her small face flushed with a deep red from excessive immersion in the music. After a series of long notes were played, the sound of the zheng suddenly faded away, leaving only a hollow string tone echoing in the room

The rules have not changed. It is just that I do not perform singing at the Tianyin Tower

Oh? He curled the corners of his lips, gazing at her with great interest, "So, what are you selling?"

At that moment, Wei Chi Jue, who had led an army of 100,000 to the northwestern frontier and incorporated another 80,000 troops from Hexi, had waged war against the barbarians for four years and had just returned victorious, was sitting there leisurely. Even if he remained completely still and said nothing, he could still instill in her a sense of inexplicable pressure

She looked up and saw the man slightly parting his thin lips, his chin adorned with a few stubbly greenish hairs, as he tilted his head towards her, prompting her to whisper: "Ankelo."

"Since you are not going to sing, why did you agree earlier?" he retorted, yet his tone suggested that he wanted her to state an obvious truth

She trembled slightly in his embrace, and she saw his dark eyes blink, as if they were filled with laughter.

That deep and hoarse voice sounded, "I am Wei Chi Jue." Five words, brief and powerful

His voice was hoarse as he said, "The taste is quite good"

He let out a low chuckle by her ear, his large hand gripping the back of her head. Before she could react, he tilted his head and pressed his lips against hers

She felt surprised and involuntarily said, "Do you understand the zheng?"

She did not expect that this piece of jade would be picked up by him, nor did she anticipate that he was actually General Wei Chi Jue of Huaihua.

He gently bit her lip with his teeth, while his other large hand grasped the small hand that was tapping on his shoulder, pulling it back and wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, allowing her body to completely press against his chest

This person is truly domineering, how could they forcefully suppress the zheng string and break her melody

She suddenly came to her senses, meeting his bottomless black eyes, and then she saw a flash of light between his fingers, along with the smirk at the corner of his mouth

"Why does this zheng have fifteen strings?" He glanced at the zheng made of rosewood and suddenly asked.

Before she could fully comprehend the meaning of his words, she saw him raise his arm, swiftly waving his right hand above her head, and the jade pendant was placed around her neck

He stared at her, "It fell to the ground, yet you turned and ran away, so I picked it up"

The sensation of sucking and grinding between her lips slowly spread throughout her entire body, an unusual and unfamiliar feeling. Her nose twitched as she inhaled the air filled with his scent

She could hear the sarcasm in his words, and her face flushed with embarrassment. She was annoyed with herself for having blurted out such a thing earlier. Although she did not mean it that way, she did not know how to explain it to him, so she could only respond sullenly: "It was my aunt who specially asked someone to make it for me."

He whispered in her ear: "If I say such things, does Miss An feel scared? But I am just a rough man, and I can only speak like this"

In the side hall of Tianyin Tower, Shuyun carefully placed a zither made of rosewood on the stand, adjusting the height of the legs on both sides, and then took out eight tortoiseshell finger picks from a small wooden box on the table and set them aside.

His right hand rested on his knee, palm turned up, fingers extended, and in the center of his palm lay a glistening green object. He looked at her, his eyes filled with playful mockery

She placed her left hand on the strings of the horse's left side, a faint smile blossoming at the corners of her lips. Her right hand slightly clenched, her wrist suspended, and her thumb began to swiftly pluck the strings.

Suddenly feeling a mix of shame and anger, she quickly withdrew her hand, looked at his smiling face, and raised her left hand, striking him forcefully across the face.

She twisted her fingers, watching the flickering light at his fingertips, and asked, "How will the general be willing to return it to me?"

It was a heavy yet crisp sound; she saw his smile freeze on his face, and then a small red handprint slowly appeared beneath his dark skin

It seemed as if a long time had passed, long enough for her head to begin spinning, long enough for her to almost be unable to breathe, before he finally released her

She bit her lip, knowing without looking in the mirror that her complexion was quite poor at that moment. Earlier in the hall, had it not been for seeing the piece of jade she always carried pinched between his fingers, she would never have agreed to his outrageous request while facing the astonished gazes of everyone in the Tianyin Tower.

This sentence pierced her heart like a cone. She looked at his calm face and felt something bitter and astringent slowly rising in her heart. Countless emotions surged to her lips, yet she swallowed them back forcefully, only managing to speak with a dry throat: "May I ask General Weichi why you have singled me out?"

She could not discern the meaning behind his expression, only responding with a "mm".

Such blunt and explicit words left her utterly embarrassed, turning her thoughts upside down, and she could not find a single word to respond.

"How much is the flower tea at Tianyin Tower?" he said slowly, taking out a stack of cash from his pocket and placing it steadily on the table beside him, then looking at her again

The warm breath brushed against her earlobe, and her fingers began to tremble uncontrollably. Those dark eyes were so close to her that she could not even think, only hearing her own heart beating powerfully in the hollow of her chest.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you saying that these two extra strings were added by you?"

He raised an eyebrow, smiled faintly, and lightly traced his fingers over the banknotes, saying, "I have been away from the capital for four years, and I never expected that even this custom has changed."

This sentence suddenly struck her mind, and she awoke in an instant, only to realize that her hand was still wrapped around his neck

Looking at the large, dark hand pressing down on the zheng strings, she was surprised to raise her head, not realizing when he had come so close to her

She sighed, "How did the general come by this piece of jade?"

She inhaled sharply, her chin immediately captured by his fingers, and she had no choice but to meet those eyes that were so close.

She widened her eyes in panic, looking at his equally unclosed dark eyes. Her small hand reached up to his shoulder, trying with all her strength to push him away.

He listened, his eyes slowly narrowing.

He chuckled and said, "I haven't properly listened to zither music for four years."

The white banknotes on the mahogany table were particularly glaring, causing her eyes to sting painfully.

His hand stiffened, and his dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Well, that's true. I only know how to lead troops in battle; I have no knowledge of the arts such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

With a gentle sigh, she walked over to the piano bench and sat down. She picked up the four tortoiseshell nails that Yun had prepared for her and carefully wrapped them around her right fingers. After trying to pluck a few notes, she adjusted the position of several strings on the bridge.

She struggled and twisted in his embrace, only to provoke him to hold her tighter. His chest, as hard as iron, pressed against her softness, causing a faint pain in her chest.

Her throat felt dry as she looked up at him standing beside her and said, "Actually, General, you do not have to return this piece of jade to me, but why did you come?" This question expressed the doubt that had been lingering in her heart since he entered the room

He looked at her appearance and couldn't help but smile. His large hand supported the edge of the zither as he slowly leaned down, drawing closer to her. His face loomed larger in her view, so close that she could clearly see the small scars on his face.

His dark eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her and slowly said: "In my lifetime, I have never seen a woman as beautiful as you. After waking from yesterday's intoxication, I wondered if it was merely my imagination. I remember you said you were from Tianyin Tower, so I specifically came to see if you are truly as beautiful as you claim."

Ankelo looked at the man sitting in the chair, only five steps away from her. She noticed that his pair of black eyes were fixed on her without blinking, which made her feel awkward and unsure of how to speak. Remembering the events of the previous night, she felt even more at a loss. She simply lowered her head and used her delicate white fingers to pinch the red tassels hanging from her clothes, wrapping them around her fingers in circles, tightening them more and more.

Shuyun did not dare to raise her head to look at the man sitting in the corner of the room, but quietly said to An Keluo: "Miss, if you need anything, just call Shuyun." Before An Keluo could respond, she lowered her head, turned, and quickly walked out, not forgetting to gently close the door behind her

She looked at his resolute face and recalled the words she had said to Fan Qinqin last night, "He is a delicate-faced young master..." She couldn't help but smile bitterly; the Wei Chi Jue before her was vastly different from the one she had imagined.

She lowered her head and discovered that the originally red silk thread had been replaced with a black one. She pinched the jade with her fingers and gently tucked it into her collar, the jade gliding along her skin, warmed by his touch, and resting on her collarbone

His thumb gently caressed her chin, the thick callus on his finger leaving a red mark on her tender skin. He grinned, his voice deep and rich.

He examined the kite carefully for a while, then sighed slightly and said, "Not bad"

She was completely unaware of how long she had been looking at him until she heard him say: "Am I good-looking?"

For some reason, she suddenly recalled the previous night when his large hand tugged at the lapel of her garment, the image flashed through her mind, causing her face to instantly flush with color