"Ahh…" She gasped, pressing her chest in surprise.
Before Li Jun could answer, noises erupted outside. A group of men barged into the inn, looking annoyed; the inn across the street was already full.
The innkeeper's brows knitted, but she forced a stiff smile. "One night, two taels. We still have a few rooms left on the third floor. This way, please." She clapped her hands, and a servant appeared to guide them upstairs.
One of the mustached men tossed the money onto the counter so roughly that the silver clattered to the floor. As the servant began to lead them, another man reached out and rudely touched the innkeeper's face.
The woman shoved him back in anger, and for a moment it seemed a fight would break out. The others quickly pulled the man away, grumbling, before finally heading upstairs to the third floor.
Li Jun bent down, picked up the silver coin, and placed it back on the table. She asked softly, "Are you okay?"
She wanted to offer a word of comfort, but the young woman's face was flushed with anger.
"Don't pretend to be kind to me… men are all the same." Tears shimmered in her eyes as she quickly turned away, refusing to meet Li Jun's gaze.
Li Jun sighed and made her way to the first floor. She stopped before a carved wooden door, hesitating, unsure if it was Qing'er's room.
"Qing'er… Qing'er," she whispered, afraid that if she had chosen the wrong door, Wang Wuyue might swallow her alive.
The door opened, and Shen Yuqing looked puzzled when she saw the empress. "Where are you going? I was just about to look for you."
Li Jun stepped inside and gently embraced her. "I only walked around to see the facilities in this inn," she said. Her eyes scanned the small room they had rented. The walls were plain, the bed was old, yet the place was clean enough. She shook her head lightly. It was shabby, but decent enough for one night.
Shen Yuqing teased her with a smile. "Not comfortable? You don't have to force yourself to sleep in such a shabby inn. At the previous inn, there was still one room left. At worst, Master and I can guard outside your door. For martial artists like us, it's nothing unusual."
"Still better than sleeping in the open wilderness," Li Jun said with a small laugh, playfully pinching her nose.
Her smile quickly faded when she noticed Shen Yuqing spreading a blanket on the floor. "Qing'er, you want to sleep on the ground?"
"Yes. Your Majesty should rest on the bed. After all, you are tired from today's journey. Let me help you wash and remove your robe."
Li Jun bit her lip and cleared her throat softly. "If you sleep on the ground, then I'll be alone up there." Her gaze shifted nervously around the shabby inn room. With sudden seriousness, she whispered, "What if… a wandering ghost appears at midnight?"
"You're the ghost…" She cupped Li Jun's face and pecked her on the cheek.
"Ohh… Qing'er, so cruel! You always bully me when we're outside the palace!" Li Jun grinned, sweeping Shen Yuqing into her arms and tossing her gently onto the bed.
"Jun… don't…!" Shen Yuqing protested, her cheeks flushing as she tried to wriggle free. Before she could move away, Li Jun leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
Her lips curved into a mischievous smile as her hand slowly slipped down, lifting the hem of her skirt to trace lightly along the firm line of her thigh. "You tremble even from such a small touch… "
Shen Yuqing gasped, her face turning red as she grabbed at Li Jun's wrist. "Jun… don't tease me like this…"
"If I don't tease you, then how will I know how much you want me?"
Suddenly, Shen Yuqing leaned forward and bit Li Jun's chin in retaliation.
"Ahh… it hurts! You... you dare to abuse me?"
The pretty girl only laughed at her pained expression. "Don't make a fuss. What if my master comes here?"
Li Jun grinned shamelessly. "Oh? If Wuyue comes, then let her join us…"
"Jun!" Shen Yuqing slapped her shoulder hard, her cheeks burning. "Respect my master, it's for your own good. People in the martial world don't care that you're the empress..."
Li Jun only rolled her eyes, clearly uninterested in the lecture. She sealed Shen Yuqing's lips with a sudden kiss, silencing her. Her hand slipped boldly to her chest, kneading the softness beneath the fabric.
"Mmm…" Shen Yuqing let out a muffled sound, half protest, half pleasure, as Li Jun deepened the kiss.
Li Jun's hand slid down, finding the sash around Shen Yuqing's waist. With a single tug, the knot came undone and her garments loosened.
Her lips traced Yuqing's neck, warm kisses making the girl shiver. The robe parted, exposing a delicate pink bellyband stretched across her chest. Li Jun's smile curved, eyes dark with desire. "Qing'er… so beautiful,"
She drew the loosened trousers down with her hand, until they slipped from her thighs, revealing her bare skin beneath the thin bellyband.
Shen Yuqing's face turned crimson. Under that burning gaze, she quickly crossed her arms over her chest and pulled at the blanket.
"Don't look…!" she muttered, voice trembling with shyness.
The Empress leaned in, lips brushing her ear, voice low and possessive. "I've seen everything before… you already belong to me."
The memories of that night flooded her mind. Her arms slowly lowered, and her strength melted beneath Li Jun's gaze.
She let the Empress do as she pleased, her soft moans filling the room. What neither of them realized was that the inn's walls were thin, and its sound isolation poor. The tender, breathless cries of Shen Yuqing slipped through the wooden panels and drifted into the neighboring room.
Wang Wuyue, always proper and nun-like, had never known romance, froze when the muffled moans reached her ears. A strange tingling rushed up her scalp.
What… are they doing…? she thought, her usually calm face heating against her will.
Her qi scattered in an instant, her concentration broken. Instead of enlightenment, all she could hear was that shameless noise, growing clearer with every passing moment.
She desperately wanted to stuff her ears with cotton and flee far away.
Li Jun's hand kneaded her breast, fingers teasing the hardened peaks while her lips traced the other mound, circling before sucking gently.
The helpless woman could only wrap her arms around Li Jun's head, surrendering with soft moans. If that night had been clouded by the aphrodisiac, tonight every sensation felt vivid and clear.
Her tongue left the sensitive tip, trailing a wet line down the smooth curve of her stomach, lingering at her belly button.
"Jun… nghh…"
Her fingers hooked into the thin strap of Yuqing's undergarment, tugging it down. The fabric slid away, unveiling the damp petals.
Shen Yuqing grew tense as Li Jun's hands gently guided her thighs apart. Slowly, Li Jun's lips moved down, brushing over the delicate folds of her flower.
When her tongue dipped lower, parting the petals to taste her most sensitive place, a startled cry slipped from Shen Yuqing's lips.
"Ahhh… no, Jun…" Her hands instinctively covered herself, cheeks burning in shame. "It's… dirty…" she whispered, embarrassed.
Li Jun caught her wrists gently, coaxing, "It's not dirty. I love every part of you. Trust me… I'll make you feel comfortable."
Shen Yuqing bit down on her finger as Li Jun's tongue began to explore her most sensitive spot.
"Jun… ahhh…"
The lewd sound of sucking on her swollen bud filled the air, and she couldn't form words anymore, only helpless moans spilling out like a dam breaking.
Pleasure melted into her bones, stripping away every ounce of restraint. Her hips swayed desperately, pressing her trembling petals against the tongue, urging her to thrust deeper into her tender flesh. Her hands tangled in her hair as if she couldn't hold herself together.
Li Jun's fingers spread her folds wider, allowing her tongue to move freely inside, teasing and stroking her depths. "Jun… Jun…!"
Shen Yuqing cried out, her body convulsing as white sparks exploded behind her eyes.
Her thighs clamped tightly around Li Jun's head, and in that overwhelming rush, she had reached her climax.
A sudden, blood-curdling scream of a man echoed outside, shattering the moment and startling both Shen Yuqing and Li Jun.
BANG!
The door burst open, and Wang Wuyue stepped in, her face cold, eyes sharp like unsheathed blades.
Shen Yuqing gasped, her body trembling as she clung to Li Jun. Completely naked under the blanket, she buried her burning face against the Empress's chest, too ashamed to glance at her master.
Li Jun, though equally startled, quickly wrapped her arms around Shen Yuqing protectively. With a swift motion she pulled the blanket tighter, shielding the woman in her embrace.
Her foxlike eyes narrowed, her voice cutting through the air with displeasure.
"How dare you barge into my room? Don't you know my status?" She would not allow anyone, not even Wang Wuyue, to see Shen Yuqing in such a state.
Shen Yuqing gripped the edge of Li Jun's robe from beneath the blanket, her heart racing wildly, torn between shame and fear.
Wang Wuyue stood at the doorway like a statue. Ignoring Li Jun, she said coldly, "I am responsible for your safety."
Her gaze shifted to Shen Yuqing, "Qing'er, you have truly disappointed me. Remember what I told you, love makes you weak. And yet you gave yourself to her."
"Wang Wuyue!! Stop your nonsense. I'll love and protect her with my life!"
Shen Yuqing tugged gently at the Empress's robe, a silent plea to end the quarrel with her master.
Just as Wang Wuyue was about to retort, a panicked voice rang out.
"Help! Murder! There's been a murder!"