Rising Phoenix

“And what of the steppe practice of men coming of age by practicing bedroom techniques with middle-aged women of their tribes? And you even call this your ‘Coming-of-age Ceremony’.” Ning Yi calmly replied, his eyes lowered as he smiled quietly. “You’re a man whose slept with a half crone.”

“You…”

“Stop!” Feng Zhiwei yelled, unable to bear it any longer.

What is happening!

How had assigning rooms turned into a volcanic eruption of personal insults? These two high nobility were better at swearing and insults that middle-aged women at the market!

“You and Gu Nanyi both take a room. We’re neighbors. I will sleep in the outer room of the suite.” Feng Zhiwei declared, pushing Helian Zheng and Gu Nanyi out of the room and slamming the door in their face.

Before she could even let out a relieved sigh, a cold voice commanded: “Fetch water. I want a bath.”

Feng Zhiwei called for some servants to bring the water and waited by the door. She could not imagine the venomous Prince wasting this opportunity to demand that she serve him, so she waited, but his room remained quiet and undisturbed by even the splash of water. Feng Zhiwei was astonished, and after standing dazedly for a while she sat on her bed to meditate, but she could not enter her meditation. How could he wash himself if he could not see?

As she worried over these matters, she suddenly heard a loud clang. Jerking to her feet, she covered her eyes with a handkerchief and rushed into Ning Yi’s room.

Blinded, she called out quietly: “Hey, Ning Yi, are you alright? Ning Yi?”

No words came in reply and only the sound of breathing filled the room. Suddenly, the clang repeated and Feng Zhiwei panicked. After stumbling around the room blindly patting the ground with nothing to show for it, she tore off her blindfold.

Light filled her eyes. A tub of steaming water stood under the oil lamp, and a perfectly fine Ning Yi stood beside it. He smiled in her direction, his fingers brushing the side of the tub. After a moment, he flicked it and set it clanging.

Feng Zhiwei twirled furiously and headed for the door, but Ning Yi grabbed her sleeve before she could leave. Innocently, he said: “I can’t see. I only just managed to make my way to the tub, but I’m having trouble taking off my clothes.”

Feng Zhiwei remembered that His Highness knew nothing about how to wear clothes and that he truly could not see, so her heart softened and she turned.

But when she turned, she stiffened, blushing as she finally took in Ning Yi’s appearance.

The man had taken off his mask and his outer robe, and his long hair flowed down his somewhat disheveled undergarments. His silky hair hung over his lustrous shoulders, and his delicate collarbones were like an artist’s finest curves. The lamp light half revealed the contours of his strong chest, the skin so bright and smooth, firm and powerful. In the dim light, his skin was like a fine pearl, his long brows like feathers, and his lips an alluring vermilion. It was like he had been carved from the most beautiful of jade, and he exuded elegance from his every pore.

The man had a thousand faces and a thousand sides to his beauty, but this one was rarely shown to the world. The rarity seemed to make the moment that much more fascinating, and Feng Zhiwei was stunned for a moment before she could pull her eyes away.

She lowered her eyes and calmed her voice before she replied: “Then this Minor Minister will attend His Highness.”

The subordinate Wei Zhi would respectfully and indifferently tend to his superior. Ning Yi cocked his brows and his gaze flashed with some sharpness — this woman! As soon as they were out of danger, it was like nothing had passed between them!

But Ning Yi could play games as well, so he smiled and spread his arms: “Undress me.”

With his arms spread and his chin proud, he was like an arrogant and noble phoenix. Feng Zhiwei slowly moved to his side and began unbuttoning his clothes, and little by little the pure, silk garments fell to the ground like little pieces of fallen cloud, gently covering their feet.

Waistband. Trousers. Undergarments…

The layers of clothes fell one after another and silently piled up around them. Feng Zhiwei awkwardly stared at the floor as the man unhurriedly kicked the clothes aside with his long legs and walked towards her.

This was not Feng Zhiwei’s first time stripping Ning Yi. That time in the abandoned palace room she had also taken off his clothes, but everything had been covered with a blanket then. Today, they faced each other, and no matter how calm or bold she was usually, her face could not help blushing deeper and deeper as layer after layer fell aside. When Ning Yi walked towards her, she could only hurriedly retreat.

But then the fine legs turned aside and the prince stepped into the tub.

Water sloshed and some droplets splashed onto Feng Zhiwei’s burning face, and she let out a deep breath before scurrying away, but before she made it to the door the man asked: “Where’s the soap?”

Feng Zhiwei could only hand him the soap.

“Towel.”

Feng Zhiwei handed him the towel.

In the steaming tub, the lofty highness called out leisurely: “Rub my back.”

Feng Zhiwei smiled faintly and replied: “Your Highness. You have everything you need and your blindness will no longer bother you. I take my leave. Good night.”

“Cha!”

A crack from the crossbeams above them whipped the air.

Feng Zhiwei jerked in shock and immediately rushed back to the tub, sliding on the water. Blinded by the steam and unable to make out Ning Yi, she reached for her sword, but then a naked armed reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into the tub!

The unprepared Feng Zhiwei was unceremoniously dumped into the water, accidentally swallowing some of Ning Yi’s bath water. She stared furiously and broke free from the bath like a breaching whale.

She cried out angrily: “Ning Yi, what are you playing at…”

But then a lazy voice interrupted her, floating down from the ceiling: “Master, she’s in.”

Ning Yi looked up and smiled, saying: “Many thanks.”

From his balance up on the crossbeams, Ning Cheng seriously replied: “You are welcome.”

Feng Zhiwei’s mouth foamed with anger; this master and servant pair and teamed together to tease her! Just as she was standing, Ning Cheng turned towards the ceiling and called out to someone on the rooftop: “Everything’s fine. Do you want to come in to check?”

Ning Yi smiled and helped her stand.

Thoughts raced through Feng Zhiwei’s mind. If little dummy Gu came in and saw Ning Yi and her squeezing together in the tub, Helian Zheng would soon find out as well; after that, she would no longer have the courage to face anyone for the rest of her life, so she could only call out: “Brother Gu, it’s fine. I’m taking a bath.”

An “oh” came back in reply, and Helian Zheng’s excited voice soon called out: “Taking a bath? Taking a bath? Does Young Aunt need me to wash her back…” But before he could finish his words, a slap rang out and something tumbled off the roof.

Ning Cheng perched attentively above them, and with him overhead the soaked Feng Zhiwei had no change of escaping, so she sat. Squeezed in the tub with Ning Yi, there was nowhere to hide and no room to move, and she could not even turn her eyes away or use her hands. Even her sword was trapped, and she could not even break the tub to escape.