3694-chapter-303
Chapter 303
His vision was filled with shattered light, dim and scattered all around.
His ears could barely make out sounds; countless fragmented noises stretched to infinity, piercing through his eardrums and stabbing into his brain, merging into a chaotic mess.
His blurry gaze slowly focused.
In a half-awake, half-asleep state, he looked up and saw dark hair flowing down like water and a girl’s face as radiant as moonlight.
Just seeing that face made his heart race.
So, this was a dream.
The girl who haunted his thoughts was sitting atop his abdomen.
Shifting lights and shadows intertwined like phantoms, drifting across her profile and nose, then sliding down her graceful neck, eventually merging into a deep shade below.
Pei Ji didn’t dare look down.
But dreams were beyond his control, and his gaze fell silently, as though that dark shade were a deep cliff or whirlpool.
She was loosely draped in a light white robe, and that was all she wore.
Pei Ji immediately recognized it—it was the very cloak he had placed on Ning Ning earlier that chilly autumn evening.
It was clearly far too large for her, sliding down from her shoulders to reveal her delicate collarbones and the smooth curve of her rounded shoulders.
Beneath her collarbones was soft, fair skin, faintly veiled by the loosely draped robe, half-concealed and half-revealed.
Her hands were braced on his chest, her legs suddenly pressing together, and the warmth of her touch sent a burning sensation through him, igniting a restless fire.
Pei Ji knew this was a dream.
He despised himself for harboring such dark and shameful desires, yet her gentle, watery gaze melted all his thoughts, pulling him deeper into the dream.
He was truly hopeless.
“Pei Ji,” she called his name with a smile, her voice seeming to come from both far away and right next to him, making him momentarily dizzy.
“Pei Ji.”
Her voice was soft and sweet, melting as soon as it touched his ears, dissolving into a fragrance of gardenias.
Before Pei Ji could react, he suddenly saw her lean down, her red lips parting as she lightly kissed his Adam’s apple.
Just as Ning Ning had done before.
He could hear her gentle breaths, like vines slowly wrapping around him, making his heart tighten with every move she made.
As if in response, the Pei Ji in the dream reached out, his hand grasping her slender waist.
It was unbelievably soft.
Like holding water, with no bones to feel—just tender, delicate flesh that seemed ready to slip through his fingers at any moment.
Her shallow breaths caused the thin fabric to rise and fall, and his palm, now burning, tightened slightly.
Her bright almond eyes instantly misted over, and she lifted her head to meet his gaze.
Her red lips quivered, letting out a faint, barely audible sigh.
Pei Ji kissed her in response, his hand exerting a little more pressure, causing her to collapse limply to the side.
He leaned over her, his knee pressing gently against her trembling waist, shrouding her in his shadow.
At some point, the light robe had slipped completely down.
Every sensation was magnified.
Clouds began to gather relentlessly, biting into the pure white glow of the moon. The moon timidly shifted, and bit by bit, it was swallowed by the rising clouds.
In the silent night, shadows stirred, faint fragrances drifted, and a white mist blurred his vision.
The thickening clouds continued to engulf the full moon, leaving no wind, yet the fresh leaves on the branches trembled ever so slightly.
He must be mad.
He wanted to touch her.
Wanted to please her in every way.
Wanted to keep her by his side, never letting her leave.
His kisses trailed cautiously, from her ribs down to her pale, tender ankle.
At that very moment, the desire in his dark eyes froze abruptly.
What was supposed to happen next…
He couldn’t imagine it.
Suddenly, an unexpected bang rang out.
Everything before his eyes shattered completely.
Blinding white light exploded in clusters, and he heard a knocking sound, along with the clear voice of a girl.
Ning Ning was really calling his name: “Pei Ji.”
The dream disintegrated in an instant.
Pei Ji’s eyes snapped open, and he winced as the sunlight streaming through the window stung his eyes.
His unfocused gaze flickered as he heard a commotion outside the door.
“How strange, Pei Ji always wakes up the earliest. Could he still be asleep today?”
It was He Zhizhou’s loud, clear voice: “Maybe yesterday’s dinner was too much for him.”
Then Lin Xun’s voice, deliberately lowered: “Senior Brother He, where are you going?”
“There’s a crack in the window over there!”
In no time, Pei Ji saw a head.
It was He Zhizhou’s head, wedged into the half-open window.
Pei Ji: …
Expressionless, Pei Ji, for reasons unknown even to himself, pulled the blanket higher over his body.
“Seriously, Junior Brother Pei? We’re both men; what’s with the shyness?” He Zhizhou laughed carelessly as usual, and upon seeing Pei Ji pull up the blanket, he looked a bit surprised.
“Wow, why’s your face so red?”
Just as he finished speaking, someone else curiously leaned in.
He Zhizhou, sensing the moment, moved aside to make space.
Golden autumn sunlight filtered in gently, a breeze lifting the edge of the curtain.
Pei Ji saw Ning Ning’s dark, clear eyes.
He felt too embarrassed to face her.
Just like in the dream, she was warm and radiant now, and when her soft lips parted to speak, he found it hard to distinguish between dream and reality, his thoughts in utter disarray.
It felt as if the sensation of water-like touch still lingered on his palm.
Pei Ji’s mind was a muddled mess, his heart pounding painfully in his chest.
This was far from a pleasant experience.
The deep, unspoken desires he buried so carefully within himself, the ones he couldn’t express or bring to light, seemed cruelly exposed under the bright sun.
The more she smiled so openly, the more he felt his own shame.
“Wow, he really is blushing.”
Ning Ning looked at him with a playful smile, blinking as she glanced around the room.
Pei Ji’s bedroom was neat and tidy, impeccably organized, except for one messy corner—the bed.
The blanket and the person beneath it were both in disarray, his long hair falling like a cascade, accentuating the paleness of his sharp features.
Yet an intense blush spread across his face, from his eyes and cheeks down to his neck, disappearing beneath the disheveled collar of his robe.
Feeling her gaze, his fingers instinctively tightened around the blanket, and Pei Ji lowered his head in near embarrassment.
“What’s wrong?”
Ning Ning laughed, amused by his reaction, tapping the window lightly.
“We’re all from the same sect; no need to be embarrassed. Don’t be shy.”
He Zhizhou chimed in, nodding seriously, “Lin Xun and I don’t count, but since she’s a girl, Pei Ji should show some modesty.”
Ning Ning shot him a quick glance, retorting, “It’s not like I haven’t seen Pei Ji just after waking up—”
She cut herself off mid-sentence, biting her lip.
When she looked back into the room, a faint blush had spread across her own cheeks.
“Hurry up and get up; we need to leave soon.”
Luckily, she didn’t know anything, or Pei Ji would have been mortified beyond belief.
He took a deep breath, his voice hoarse and rough, as though scorched by fire: “Alright.”
He had to remain calm.
The priority now was to suppress the restless heat coursing through his body and make sure none of them noticed anything unusual.
As for this blanket…
Pei Ji’s eyes darkened further, his lashes lowering to conceal the shadow that flickered in his gaze.
He’d have to find a way to burn it.
To cut off the family line, and to grind the bones and scatter the ashes.
(T/N: destroy it completely.)