Chapter 39: Drunken Rampage

"Are you afraid I might misunderstand, Heroine Luo?"

As soon as the words fell, Luo Ning’s gaze darkened; it was clear she was displeased.

Ye Jingtang quickly raised his hands. "Alright, alright, how could I ever misunderstand Heroine Luo? Whatever you say, I believe. Come, let’s have a toast."

Only then did Luo Ning relent. She raised a slender hand to rub her brow. "I cannot hold my liquor well. I shall leave now; Yun Li is still waiting..."

"Then let me drink for you? We are about to be apart for a long time, we must at least finish our meal."

Ye Jingtang naturally took the cup from Luo Ning’s hand, brought it to his lips, and drained it in one gulp before finishing his own. "Is that acceptable?"

Seeing that Ye Jingtang did not force her to drink, Luo Ning bit her lower lip but said nothing, merely picking up the wine flagon to pour him another.

*Splash, splash...*

The cool wine poured into the cup, spilling slightly, yet it was filled to the brim.

Ye Jingtang intended to reach for it himself, but the heroine beside him lifted the cup and brought it to his lips. "Hurry and eat, so that I may leave once you are finished..."

Listening to her slightly slurred speech, Ye Jingtang wanted to let it be and suggest she rest, but since the cup was pressed almost against his nose, he had no choice but to part his lips and accept it.

"Gulp..."

Before he could even finish the cup, his shoulder sank under the weight of something soft and fragrant.

*Clack.*

The cup slipped from her fair fingertips, only to be caught by Ye Jingtang.

He turned his head to look. Luo Ning’s cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, her entire body limp and soft against his shoulder, her hands hanging down weakly.

Her expression remained cold and stern, but soon her brow relaxed, leaving behind a tenderness like spring water in March, accompanied by a faint, indistinct murmur:

"You little thief... if you dare to... take liberties again..."

"Chirp?"

Niao Niao, who had been burying its head in food by the table, lifted its gaze and tilted its head, observing with large, bright, dark eyes.

In the past, when its foster father would get dead drunk and sleep on the floor, it was always Ye Jingtang who dragged him to bed. Seeing that "Sister Little Watermelon" had also drunk herself into a stupor, Niao Niao naturally pointed its wing toward the bed, signaling: *Just toss her there, let's keep eating.*

Ye Jingtang ignored Niao Niao, gazing at the face so close to his own, with a faint, ethereal fragrance wafting over him.

He initially meant to shake Luo Ning slightly, but as he lifted his hand, Luo Ning, who was leaning unsteadily, began to tip backward. He had to quickly catch her shoulders, pulling her into his arms.

"Heroine Luo?"

"Haa..."

Luo Ning’s willow-leaf brows twitched, but she offered no response.

Ye Jingtang blinked, his mind filled with distracting thoughts, but in the end, he only sighed.

***

The last time he had impulsively kissed her, he had angered Luo Ning to tears, and she had spent an entire day facing the wall on the bed, feeling aggrieved. Thinking back on it, it was indeed a bit excessive, not the act of a true hero.

Ye Jingtang hesitated for a moment before deciding not to touch her improperly. He simply supported her back and the bend of her knees, lifting the feather-light Luo Ning and placing her onto the bed.

Although he wouldn't undress her, he certainly had to remove her shoes so she could rest.

Ye Jingtang crouched before the bed and took hold of the embroidered shoe beneath her azure skirt; it was adorned with bamboo leaves and was quite beautiful in design.

As he removed the shoe, her jade-like feet, wrapped in white silk socks, were revealed. The lines were exceptionally graceful, and even through the thin fabric, one could feel the delicate, statue-like smoothness of her skin.

Ye Jingtang set the shoes aside and laid her legs flat on the bed. He then approached the head of the bed, looking at Luo Ning’s serene face. Seeing that the jade hairpin in her bun might be uncomfortable, he reached out to remove it.

But...

Luo Ning was a master of internal arts. Having drunk quite a bit, she had been drifting in and out of consciousness. It felt like only an instant had passed before she realized someone was touching her feet.

The vigilance in her heart caused Luo Ning to snap her eyes open, only to find herself lying on the bed.

Directly above her was that familiar male face, leaning down, his hand reaching toward her face.

?!

The drunken haze vanished, and Luo Ning was startled awake. With the speed of a thunderbolt, she flicked her finger, striking the man in the chest.

*Thump.*

Ye Jingtang noticed Luo Ning suddenly open her eyes and was about to speak, but before the words could leave his mouth, his chest went numb. His limbs instantly lost all sensation, and he toppled forward, the "Little Watermelon" rapidly enlarging in his field of vision.

*Thud.*

Everything went black.

His face collided with something—it was soft, large, warm, and fragrant. The only drawback was that it was suffocating.

"Mmph?!"

Luo Ning’s eyes were filled with shame and anger. Without even noticing her current position, she shouted furiously, "Ye Jingtang! What have you done to me? Are you trying to anger me to death?!"

"Mmph... mph..."

Ye Jingtang lay prone, feeling as though his entire body were paralyzed. He couldn't feel his limbs, and only his mouth could move, but his vision was obscured by something, making his speech unintelligible.

As soon as Ye Jingtang spoke, Luo Ning felt his hot breath penetrating the two layers of thin fabric, scorching every inch of skin beneath her bodice.

She shuddered violently, pushed Ye Jingtang—who had been "washing his face with her bosom"—away, and scrambled to her feet. Her drunken face turned the color of a red apple. She drew her soft sword and trembled:

"You shameless little thief, what did you just do to me?!"

Ye Jingtang rolled over and could finally see again, though his limbs remained numb and without sensation. He looked at her in astonishment. "What kind of technique is this? A pressure point strike? Wait, wait... I didn't do anything just now, you have to believe me..."

Luo Ning didn't believe him at all. Ye Jingtang had a history; she had been drunk and didn't know how long she had been lying there, and she didn't dare to imagine what might have happened between them.

She looked down and saw her clothes were intact; it seemed nothing had happened.

But what if this little thief had dressed her after he was finished?

***

With three parts of drunkenness remaining, her heart in turmoil, and her reason slipping, Luo Ning pointed her sword directly at Little Jingtang.

"Again and again! Do you really think I am a woman who is easy to bully? If I don't teach you a lesson today—"

"Wait! Heroine, please hold!"

Ye Jingtang’s expression changed drastically. Seeing that Luo Ning was drunk and pointing her sword at his lower regions, he didn't know how he summoned the strength, but he managed to force open the sealed pressure points slightly and shifted his waist to dodge.

"I really didn't do anything! Don't be impulsive. If you hadn't struck my pressure points, I wouldn't have buried my face in your chest..."

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

Seeing this, Niao Niao also hurriedly flapped its wings, trying to help Ye Jingtang explain.

Luo Ning glanced at the sky and the still-warm food, confirming that not much time had passed since she had passed out.

But it was a fact that Ye Jingtang had carried her to the bed—could he have refrained from kissing and touching her along the way?

Even if Ye Jingtang had done nothing, she had been taken liberties with for days, and she had to give this little thief a taste of his own medicine.

Seeing the terror in Ye Jingtang’s eyes, Luo Ning had no intention of stopping. She assumed the fierce, mad-fairy persona, brandishing her sword and feinting as if she meant to castrate him.

"Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do? Don't you love bullying women? Come on! Let me bully you..."

"No, no, no! Why don't you just stab me in the arm? Stop waving that thing around—"

"I won't! You little thief..."

...

Luo Ning chased Ye Jingtang, her bodice trembling with her movements, the scenery undulating beautifully.

However, Ye Jingtang had no time to appreciate it. After all, Luo Ning had abandoned all martial virtue, every strike aiming for his lower parts.

Even though he knew Luo Ning was likely just scaring him, he didn't dare gamble his manhood on the chance that she might miss. He could only use the tables and chairs for cover, circling the room.

"Heroine Luo, good sister, you’re drunk..."

"I’m not drunk! Stand still!"

"Chirp..."