As his anger surged, a delicate, pure white hairpin caught his eye, gleaming with exceptional clarity and brightness under the moonlight.
"Oh, found it," she smiled casually, handing it back to him, the corner of her lips curving slightly. "Here you go."
"Why would something given away be returned?" His already relaxing brows tightened abruptly once more.
"Why aren't you wearing it?" Seeing her silence, his voice gradually deepened.
Ye Ziling withdrew her hand and sighed faintly, "I'm afraid of losing it."
Ling Xi stood frozen, momentarily unsure how to handle her. His brows gradually unfurled, and the Immortal Binding Rope in his hand vanished.
"I'm sleepy, going to bed now." Seeing him staring intently at her without speaking, Ye Ziling moved to leave, but he blocked her path with his arm.
"Is there something else?" She turned back, a hint of anticipation in her gaze.
"The divine maiden is magnanimous, why would she be angry with a little girl these past few days?" His thin lips curved into a smile, and he watched her with amusement.
Ye Ziling sneered, "Miss Luo Yao has helped me before, how could I be angry with her?"
"So, you're angry with me?"
"Lord Ling is overthinking."
Ling Xi nodded slightly, a playful smile flickering in his eyes. He strode towards her, his presence imposing. "I don't believe that. I only believe you have a stubborn mouth, a heart as firm as a boulder, and a defiant spirit that refuses to admit defeat."
His words struck a chord, and Ye Ziling involuntarily took a step back.
Was he… attacking her character again?
The man chuckled, and with each step he took, the wind swirled around his feet, kicking up fallen petals.
Ye Ziling’s palm condensed with power, and before he could react, she struck first.
To her surprise, he calmly seized her wrist, pulled her forcefully to his side, and encircled her with his arm, holding her captive in his embrace.
"If you have a clear conscience, why can't you cast your immortal spells?"
He laughed wantonly, staring at the sliver of her neck exposed behind her, and continued to tease, "If you had no feelings for me, I would have let you go. But since you hold me in your heart, how can you betray that?"
"..."
Ye Ziling was momentarily speechless before finally asking, "So, can I go now?"
"Mm," he raised his eyebrows in satisfaction, watching her walk past him.
Ye Ziling had walked several steps before she slowly breathed a sigh of relief when Ling Xi didn't follow, her pace gradually quickening.
She was truly afraid of him.
Just as she reached the halfway point, Ling Xi suddenly launched a counter-attack. Before she could react, he tied a tight knot around her wrist, carried her into a room, and closed the door.
"Ling Xi, are you crazy?"
Ye Ziling's eyes widened as she watched him tie her hands to the bedside.
He then proceeded to tie her hands securely with the Immortal Binding Rope, lay down beside her, and stared intently at her furious face, asking, "Didn't you say you were going to sleep?"
Ye Ziling choked for a moment, then retorted with a cold laugh, "But I didn't say I was going to sleep with you."
"Go back to your own room."
Indeed, when one's skin is thick, they are invincible.
"You're making me unable to sleep, you have to take responsibility," he said, his eyes misty, his expression innocent.
After saying that, he popped a pill into her mouth, a faint smile gracing his lips.
Ye Ziling's eyes widened, her face turned pale, and she became visibly unsettled.
What strange thing had he given her? Why did it taste so peculiar?
"...What did you give me?" she asked, her voice laced with threat. "You'd better keep me tied up, or tomorrow I'll force-feed you ten times the amount."
Ling Xi continued to stare at her with a smile, deliberately drawing out his words, "An aphrodisiac. What, you want to feed me ten times the amount?"
With his words, Ye Ziling already felt a warmth spreading within her, her cheeks flushing under his gaze.
He stood up, unhurriedly shedding his outer belt, leaving only a thin, cicada-wing-like white shirt underneath.
Ye Ziling's eyes grew cold, and she struggled, her limbs thrashing, the bed frame creaking.
What was this scoundrel planning? Could it be…
She became anxious.
"If you keep this up… believe it or not, I'll call for help?"
Mu Heng was in the adjacent room, but he was so deeply asleep that even firecrackers wouldn't wake him. Her only other option was Luo Yao.
"Help…"
As soon as the word left her lips, the person beside her suddenly flipped over, a large hand covering her mouth. He said seriously, "Don't shout. That was a tranquilizer pill."
Tranquilizer?
Ye Ziling stared into his eyes, deliberately shifting her gaze away with feigned composure.
So it was a tranquilizer.
"Sleep."
With that, he lay down beside her, his body brushing past hers as he reached for the quilt and covered her. He closed his eyes and became still.
Only when she heard his steady breathing did Ye Ziling secretly breathe a sigh of relief and close her eyes, falling asleep.
Perhaps due to the tranquilizer, she woke up only when the sun was high in the sky. The Immortal Binding Rope on her hands was gone without her knowing when it had been removed.
The space beside her was empty, with only the quilt still neatly covering her.
As she threw off the quilt and got out of bed, the previously closed door was suddenly pushed open. A shadowy figure entered, carrying a food box and placing it on the table.
"How did you sleep?"
His voice was lazy, his attention focused entirely on her face as he frowned and asked.
"All right."
"Then tonight I can still..." The man's lips curved meaningfully, and he slowly approached her.
"No." Before Ling Xi could finish, Ye Ziling quickly extended her hand to refuse.
"I said, can I bring you some tranquilizer pills tonight?" Ling Xi frowned innocently, gazing at her agitated face, and gave a slight smile.
Ye Ziling recovered her senses, and with a laugh born of exasperation, nodded helplessly. "As long as you're happy."
Ye Ziling finally endured until after the evening meal, thinking she could finally focus on grinding some medicine. To her surprise, she was dragged along to make up the numbers for a game of dominoes.
To avoid spoiling the fun, she had no choice but to agree.
"Last night I was the birthday star, may I set the rules? Whoever loses a round has to drink three penalty cups," Luo Yao said from her seat, looking at the two opposite her with great interest.
Ye Ziling's gaze was fixed on the cards in her hand. When she casually looked up, she noticed Ling Xi and Luo Yao exchanging subtle glances.
Wasn't that just exchanging flirtatious glances?
She understood. They had likely teamed up to target her.
Ye Ziling remained silent, looking at the cards in her hand, and secretly smiled to herself.
She was accustomed to fighting alone, so dealing with two, or even several people at once, was not a problem.
She hadn't experienced the satisfaction of such a complete victory in a long time.
She glanced sideways and saw Ling Xi staring at her, as if trying to discern something on her face. The gentleness in his expression was concentrated in his eyes.
She lazily lifted her eyelids and impassively shifted her gaze away from his face.
After five rounds, she hadn't expected to lose so miserably tonight.
"Miss Ye's condition seems a bit off today," Ling Xi commented casually, his eyes, however, held a hint of probing.
Ye Ziling didn't know why, but not only was her luck bad today, her condition was also poor. Throughout the game, she lost three rounds in a row, forcing herself to drink nine cups, leaving her feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Damn these cards.
If she weren't good at playing along, she would have left long ago.