Chapter 350

He had extraordinarily beautiful eyes, their tails naturally curving upwards, tinged with a delicate, peach blossom pink.

A veil of mist seemed to linger in his black irises, softening the usual aloofness that kept others at bay.

In that moment, they looked like distant mountains shrouded in rain, carrying an unexpected timidity and warmth.

So this is what Pei Ji looks like when he’s shy?

It was as though the cold, frozen snow of winter had begun to thaw, giving way to an impossibly tender spring stream.

Sitting above him, Ning Ning took in every flicker of emotion in his expression, feeling as if her own health bar was about to be drained completely.

Looking at the scars across his body, she couldn’t help but think of everything he had been through, and her heart ached.

Pei Ji had always loathed these scars, burying the memories tied to them deep within himself, never confiding in anyone, letting them silently decay.

Ning Ning understood his thoughts well.

He had always carried his pain alone.

Her movements didn’t pause.

After exchanging a brief look with him, she lowered her head once more.

The scars didn’t hurt anymore—not physically, at least.

Only on rainy days did a dull ache linger in his bones.

Yet when her soft lips brushed against the rough, raised marks, the deadened flesh he despised seemed to come alive, sending waves of tingling sensations across his body.

Heat surged from his chest to his entire being.

Pei Ji stifled a sound in his throat, drawing a deep breath as his right arm came up to shield his eyes, refusing to let the girl he liked see him in such a disheveled state.

The unfamiliar sensation lingered at a particular spot on his chest.

He heard Ning Ning’s voice:

“Does it… hurt here?”

Her words came as she moved her lips away, letting her fingers rest on a deep brown scar.

Not daring to apply too much pressure, she gently brushed it, like a fleeting shadow across his skin, leaving behind faint ripples of sensation.

Pei Ji, his mind in turmoil, replied without thinking, “It doesn’t… hurt anymore.”

“Really?”

Ning Ning traced a slow circle over the scar, her gaze fixed on it.

“It looks like it must have been serious.”

“This happened before I joined Xuanxu,” Pei Ji began in a hoarse voice, his eyes meeting hers briefly before he looked away.

Her almond-shaped eyes were mesmerizing, like a moonlit pond rippling gently in the night.

As her lashes lowered to study him, the flickering candlelight seemed to dance within her gaze, akin to moonlight reflecting on water.

She was looking at him.

At every flawed, ugly part of his body.

The thought brought a faint heat to his chest, and an unnameable tension filled the air.

Adjusting his breathing, Pei Ji continued, “I was passing through Luozhou, deep in the wilderness…”

His words faltered when he caught her gaze again, and his throat tightened.

He fell silent.

Her almond eyes were too beautiful, carrying a warmth that contrasted with his memories—memories that were murky, painful, and entirely unworthy of her light.

Pei Ji didn’t want to say more.

His past was bleak, filled with nothing worth sharing.

Like a filthy, cluttered gutter, it would only sully her bright and pure presence.

Ning Ning didn’t press further.

She continued to gently trace the marks on his chest, her touch gliding over the unmarred skin near his ribs before she leaned down and bit softly at a spot near his waist.

Her breath, hot and ticklish, made Pei Ji clench the thin bed sheets tightly.

“And here?”

Her gaze lowered, lingering on his abdomen.

Pei Ji was lean—not frail and sickly, but strong and well-proportioned, with firm, defined muscles.

From her vantage point, she could see the neat ridges of his abs and a prominent scar slicing across them.

Logic dissolved under the chaotic whirlwind of emotions, leaving him vulnerable to her every whim.

Her unwavering gaze felt almost tangible, a form of attention he had never experienced before.

Pei Ji felt like he was losing his mind.

“This one… my mother…”

He swallowed the final word, leaving the explanation unfinished.

Ning Ning hummed softly in response, her tone low, as if acknowledging but not dwelling on it.

She moved lower.

Her kisses, featherlight and fleeting, landed one by one like the season’s first spring rain—gentle and scattered, breaking the still surface of a long-quiet pond.

The ripples spread, sinking into the unseen depths, eliciting tremors he couldn’t suppress.

When she reached a more delicate, private area, her teeth caught on the edge of a long, white ribbon.

Raising her lashes, she tilted her head, her gaze meeting his as the corner of her lips quirked into a smile.

The faint, swaying candlelight illuminated her dark, glistening eyes and her skin, smooth and radiant like fine jade.

She looked like a mischievous little fox—or perhaps a cat.

“Pei Ji,” she murmured, her voice low, tinged with a playful lilt that teased and enticed, making his entire heart tremble along with it.

“Shall we… continue?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed reflexively.