My Gentle and Pure Sect Leader Husband - Chapter 66

Yu Luocha was accustomed to joking and playing cute in front of Yan Hongyin, but he was by no means a gentle or weak person.

Their bodies were enveloped in warm spring water, floating and sinking with the waves like milk blending with water. All sounds from the outside world disappeared in the prolonged silence surrounding them.

Yan Hongyin and Yu Luocha’s left hands, which had been pressed together, had somehow shifted into interlaced fingers. Her other hand was pressed tightly against Yu Luocha’s firm, taut abdomen. Internal energy circulated continuously through both their meridians, much like the breath and fluid that passed between their lips.

The desert’s harsh winds and scorching sun had given the man a lean yet robust physique. In Yu Luocha’s embrace, the rapid, powerful heartbeat from his chest drowned out all other sounds in Yan Hongyin’s ears, occupying her entire consciousness.

She couldn’t help but tremble slightly, her finger joints curling with an unprecedented sense of embarrassment.

Under Yan Liluo’s teachings, Yan Hongyin indeed scoffed at the Great Ming’s etiquette doctrines that women should be virtuous and await marriage in seclusion. In matters of romance between men and women, she was quite forthright, without the coy hesitation typical of ordinary women. She had even performed certain Jinyiwei missions by hiding under beds in brothels, enduring awkward eavesdropping for intelligence, or waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

After meeting Yu Luocha, due to his deliberate restraint, she had never felt this kind of dangerous, stirring sense of aggression from him.

But she was ultimately inexperienced in these matters. Only now did she vaguely realize that understanding and experiencing were truly two very different things.

This was entirely different from the tension and vigilance felt when facing an enemy.

Yan Hongyin instantly stiffened her spine, even feeling a bashful urge to escape from the depths of her heart.

Yu Luocha naturally noticed Yan Hongyin’s distraction—not only had the speed of internal energy circulation between them slowed considerably, but he could clearly feel the rigidity of the body in his arms.

But how could Yu Luocha pass up this opportunity to strike while the iron was hot and squeeze into that special place in Yan Hongyin’s heart?

He wanted to be not just the only person who could make Yan Hongyin relax and be at ease, but also to be Yan Hongyin’s husband.

He wanted Yan Hongyin to truly understand that his feelings for her were not simply pure thoughts between a man and a woman, but those enchanting imaginings that had appeared in his mind, the intimacy he longed to express…

“Ah Yin,” Yu Luocha transmitted his voice through internal energy, but his tone carried the ambiguity of lips and teeth intermingling, “focus a little, hmm?”

How could Yan Hongyin not guess Yu Luocha’s little scheme? Flushed with embarrassment and anger, she opened her eyes and glared at him.

But just then, Yan Hongyin noticed something in the flowing internal energy and silently moved closer to Yu Luocha.

In an instant, the man who had seemed so composed stiffened.

Yu Luocha had known that Yan Hongyin had removed her undergarments, so when embracing her, he deliberately maintained some distance between their upper bodies, only placing his palm against her lower back.

But with Yan Hongyin’s approach, the soft sensation against his chest made him stifle a groan. His breath became irregular at their lip contact, causing a series of small bubbles to rise to the water’s surface.

Yan Hongyin didn’t notice these.

She closed her eyes again, but this time, she chose to slightly lower her head and move even closer to Yu Luocha, resting her forehead in the crook of his neck. The internal energy circulating between their bodies indeed flowed at twice the speed compared to when just their palms were pressed together.

Yu Luocha’s tightly closed eyelids trembled, his Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbing.

Suppressing the lustful thoughts in his mind and his body’s instinctive reactions, Yu Luocha loosened his palm on Yan Hongyin’s lower back, instead gripping her waist. As his fingers gradually tightened, he turned their bodies that had been gently drifting with the water waves. With a few light kicks of his legs, he silently brought Yan Hongyin to a spot near the water’s surface.

The stumbling footsteps, after pausing for a while, resumed approaching their direction. The closer they came, the more clearly Yu Luocha and Yan Hongyin could hear them.

—The footsteps were interspersed with the sound of a sharp weapon striking the ground. Whoever was coming, their condition was certainly not good.

…..

After enduring three days and nights in the snowy desert, everything the young man saw appeared covered with a white haze, but at the same time, his other senses had become more acute.

After falling into quicksand, he had thought his life was over, but unexpectedly, he passed through the quicksand and was spat out into a dark, cold cave. Following the flowing wind and the faint smell of sulfur detected by his nose, he slowly moved toward what could be a water source or an exit.

After walking several dozen steps, though still unable to clearly see what was before him, the young man could feel the surroundings suddenly opening up, with the sound of water bubbling from not far away.

Although it was unfortunate that the hot spring water was not drinkable, as long as there was heat, and if he had enough patience, he could certainly accumulate enough water to quench his thirst.

This place seemed to have been unvisited for a long time, with the smell of decay and emptiness in the air, and no sound other than the flowing water.

The young man’s fingers tightened against the wall, his knuckles turning white from the force, but a maniacally joyful smile appeared on his face.

—Heaven had not abandoned him!

His hand slid from the wall, using his sword to support his body as he approached the direction of the pool.

One step, two steps… suddenly, his foot paused.

The tip of his sword seemed to have touched something soft, causing him to stumble slightly.

The young man was momentarily stunned. In that instant, the previously calm water surface rose up in a person-high splash. Accompanied by the sound of water droplets falling back into the pool and onto the ground, a sharp weapon thrust directly toward the young man’s vital point at the throat!

Yu Luocha struck without the slightest mercy; this attack was aimed at a lethal spot.

Though the young man’s vision was covered with a layer of white mist, and his attention had been diverted by the explosive sound of the water splash, in just the blink of an eye, that sharp jade hairpin was aimed directly at his throat!

Cold sweat broke out all over the young man’s back like countless needles pricking him. Between life and death, a desperate will to survive erupted within him. His body, which had been exhausted to the critical point, miraculously twisted away, narrowly avoiding the murderously intent jade hairpin. A wound that was neither deep nor shallow opened on his throat, exposing flesh and blood, but not enough to be fatal.

But the jade hairpin that Yu Luocha had pulled from Yan Hongyin’s hair was naturally no ordinary hairpin. It was coated with the drug that Yan Hongyin had once used on Yu Luocha. If it could temporarily paralyze someone with Yu Luocha’s formidable constitution, it was more than effective against a young man who was already seriously injured.

With the thunderous collapse of the young man’s body, Yu Luocha, having changed his approach, once again protected Yan Hongyin as they sank back into the pool.

After a while, their internal energy cultivation was complete, the two separated and broke through the water’s surface. In the blink of an eye, Yan Hongyin was wrapped in a large robe.

Yu Luocha, however, looked with disdain at the young man who had fallen on his clothes. He stood barefoot, with water droplets sliding down his muscular physique, his thin undergarments clinging tightly to his skin, creating a seductive allure even more sensual than bare exposure.

Yan Hongyin could no longer admire this physique with the composed gaze she had before, her eyes somewhat evasive as she looked away.

Yu Luocha crouched down and turned the man over to face upward. After seeing his face clearly, he raised an eyebrow.

“It’s him?”

“What?” Yan Hongyin, having arranged her clothes, walked over. “You know him?”

Yu Luocha pondered for a moment, then said, “I haven’t met him, but I know of this person.”

Yan Hongyin understood, “He’s useful to you.”

Yu Luocha smiled and straightforwardly acknowledged with an “Mm.”

Yan Hongyin wasn’t inclined to ask him more, since with her incomplete memory, there were some matters she preferred not to interfere with, lest she disrupt plans her pre-amnesia self had arranged.

But she couldn’t resist one sarcastic remark, “Safe, hidden, and undiscovered place? Hmm?”

Yu Luocha raised his fist to his lips and coughed awkwardly a couple of times. “So it’s actually good that this person isn’t dead; we can ask him how he found this place.”

Hearing this, Yan Hongyin also crouched down to check the young man’s pulse at his wrist, saying, “Blood and energy both deficient, overexertion, wind-borne illness, coupled with unhealed external wounds and excessive blood loss. It’s troublesome, but he won’t die immediately.”

Then, after examining the man’s physical foundation, her expression grew somewhat strange. “This person’s physical foundation is actually one in a hundred, but the internal cultivation technique he practices is too rudimentary. He’s wasted his best years for martial arts practice. If he wishes to excel in martial arts in the future, I’m afraid only an extraordinary encounter could help.”

Yan Hongyin released the young man’s wrist and stood up, saying lightly, “A pity.”

“There are plenty of people in this world who’ve missed great opportunities. One more or one less makes little difference. If he has other fortunes in the future, one less won’t matter either. It’s not connected to us.”

Yu Luocha laughed heartily, bundled the man up in the scattered clothes on the ground, and then took Yan Hongyin’s hand as they walked out of the dark cave.

“But according to intelligence, this person’s temperament and scheming abilities are quite good. If he can be used, it could save us considerable trouble.”

Yan Hongyin responded faintly, merely acknowledging that she had heard Yu Luocha’s words.

But Yu Luocha had no intention of dropping the topic. Instead, he changed his tone and went straight to the point. “This person is a hall master in the Sun Moon Holy Sect. Ren Woxing has valued this person’s ability to handle matters these past two years, but also greatly fears him because he is too capable.”

“Blackwood Cliff is thousands of miles from the desert. For him to escape to this desolate place, it seems Ren Woxing can no longer tolerate him.”

Yan Hongyin was silent for a moment, then said, “Although I don’t have my Jinyiwei memories, the imperial secret records mention that the Sun Moon Holy Sect was originally the Ming Sect from the Central Plains’ Bright Peak. It was the sect that the Great Ming’s founding emperor once joined, and also the jianghu force that initially supported the founding emperor’s rebellion.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Yu Luocha said with a smile. “That’s the Sun Moon Holy Sect.”

“Though I don’t know who the capable person was who put green hats on the emperor, Ren Woxing seems to be cooperating quite happily with the green hat’s fruit, which makes me a bit unhappy.”

Green hats, fruit…

There were many implications in Yu Luocha’s words. Yan Hongyin remained silent for quite a while before slowly asking, “Is it the grand prince or the second prince?”

“The green one is the second son, but I also have a grudge with the eldest,” Yu Luocha’s expression was troubled. “Recently, the two of them have been fighting more and more fiercely. Several times my arrangements almost couldn’t keep up, so I had to add a little oil and vinegar from behind.”

As he spoke, he suddenly lamented, “But the second son is also tough. With such heavy poison given by the eldest, this person could still struggle to get up from his sickbed, which is quite impressive.”

“They both have a detoxification pill I sent out,” Yan Hongyin looked at Yu Luocha, her expression calm and indifferent. “That was the gift I sent when they left the palace to establish their mansions. Since the second prince has used his, there won’t be another next time.”

Yu Luocha narrowed his eyes, seemingly casually asking, “Ah Yin, do you mind me taking action against the two princes?”

At first, Yu Luocha had indeed only discovered that the tragedy of the Ximen couple was ordered by the grand prince, but as he investigated deeper during this period, he discovered that the second prince had played a significant role in pushing things along. Most of the evidence and traces he initially found were tails deliberately left by the second prince.

The purpose was to provoke conflict between the grand prince and the Luocha Sect, hoping to use Yu Luocha’s hatred and anger to eliminate the grand prince through jianghu means. Afterward, he would step forward to rally support, claiming to eliminate evil and uphold justice, avenging his brother, achieving both righteousness and self-interest, gaining fame and profit. His calculations were so loud that Yu Luocha could hear them clicking all the way from Jinling.

Yu Luocha had schemed against and used many people in the first half of his life, but he had never been a knife in anyone’s hands—because he didn’t believe so much in so-called evidence.

The grand prince had acted, Yu Luocha had obtained evidence, so the grand prince had to die; the second prince was involved, even without evidence to prove it, the second prince absolutely could not live either.

This was the fundamental reason why, at that time in Jinling, Yu Luocha had so explicitly and implicitly suggested that Yan Hongyin should support the third prince instead. He wanted to test, through Yan Hongyin, what the emperor’s attitude was toward his two sons vying for succession.

—Quite evidently, in subsequent events, Yu Luocha had glimpsed through Yan Hongyin that the emperor indeed held a contradictory stance of observing his first and second sons. With just a few additional entanglements of interest, this emperor, not yet aged, would straightforwardly abandon the two princes who already harbored rebellious hearts and instead establish the young third prince to be educated anew.

Although Yu Luocha had his own agenda, compared to the wolf-like elder princes, having the younger one ascend the throne was indeed more beneficial for Yan Hongyin.

“There’s nothing to mind; she has already made all the necessary arrangements,” Yan Hongyin’s eyes flickered with starlight as she raised her hand to touch Yu Luocha’s damp hair. “Dry your clothes and hair a bit. If you catch a cold from the wind, don’t come to me whining and groaning.”

Yu Luocha, who had been planning to pretend to have a headache that night to get kisses and hugs, puffed his cheeks, his scheme thwarted. He looked at Yan Hongyin resentfully, but very obediently mobilized his internal energy, which felt strangely docile, to dry his hair and the single undergarment he was wearing.

After drying, although the undergarment remained thin, at least it no longer clung to his skin, revealing that semi-visible flesh color, which made Yan Hongyin’s brow relax somewhat.

“Wait, Ah Yin, what do you mean…” Yu Luocha suddenly realized, stopping to look at her, “‘she has already made all the necessary arrangements’?”

Yan Hongyin turned to look back at him, her mind now free from the earlier embarrassment, her voice also relaxed. She tilted her head slightly and said, “Based on my understanding of you, with my identity as both a physician and the princess, you wouldn’t rashly spread the news that these two are the same person without consulting me.”

Yu Luocha’s brow moved slightly.

Indeed, he had first discovered that someone in the capital had spread news of Princess Qu Ya serving as a traveling physician among the common people, and only then had he composed that love story between Princess Qu Ya and the Loulan high priest, naturally proposing marriage—only Yan Hongyin herself could have released such identity information throughout the land.

At first, he thought it was just Ah Yin making it convenient for him to propose, but could it be… that there was more meaning behind Ah Yin’s dual identities merging into one?

“Princess Qu Ya has long resided deep in the palace, but the people Yan Hongyin has saved in the capital over the years have all been officials and nobility, aristocratic families. A physician skilled in both medicine and poison who has saved countless lives holds a network of connections and favors among the intertwined interests of noble families that is more complex than you can imagine.”

“But you need not know these trivial details, Ah Yu. You only need to know—”

Yan Hongyin curved her lips into a smile, her eyes full of confident pride.

This was the escape route that Yan Hongyin had left for herself for when the emperor aged and a new emperor ascended the throne. Now, she was not reluctant to reveal it early to protect the man who had plunged headfirst into this swirling chaos by her side.

“As long as it’s not a matter of rebellion or treason, no matter how chaotic the capital becomes, no one would dare to touch my, Yan Hongyin’s, husband.”