This sleep was anything but restful for Ling Huan.
Of course, he enjoyed himself quite a bit while sleeping, but when he woke up, he was scared out of his wits.
Because he had overslept.
Jiang Yue had come looking for him, but didn’t find him in his own room.
Instead, she discovered him in Ling Xue’s room, snuggled up with Ling Xue, both sleeping soundly.
Jiang Yue trembled with cold fury.
Yet, Jiang Yue was still considerate.
Seeing Ling Huan sleeping so peacefully, she didn’t think to drag him out of bed right away.
She simply stood at the edge of their bed, watching the two of them.
They slept until the sun was high in the sky, well past the usual hour.
Ling Huan opened his eyes in utter contentment, stretched lazily, and realized he was being held tightly.
Opening his eyes, he found his vision was completely “**obstructed,” his face sandwiched in between.
Whether it was intentional or not, his face had slid even deeper.
Upon waking, he was experiencing the sensation of his cheeks squeezed between two great mountains, able to hear Ling Xue’s steady heartbeat echoing in the valley between, and inhale her rich, intoxicating fragrance.
Ling Xue was clearly sleeping very soundly.
How should he put it?
If Ling Huan had to take the initiative, he wouldn’t.
But if a beauty offered herself up, he just couldn’t resist having a taste.
So, he pretended to stretch and yawn, acting half-asleep, trying to create a scene where any accidental touch could be explained away: “Ah, oops, what’s going on? Why am I sleeping on your bed? Why are you hugging me in your sleep? Well, these little accidents are bound to happen…”
But just as he stretched, rubbing his blissful face a little, then slipped his face free and shuddered his shoulders, preparing to get up and greet the morning breeze, in that very moment he did something he really shouldn’t have—he opened his eyes.
Only to see his dear teacher Jiang Yue staring straight at him, nobody knew how long she had already been there.
Jiang Yue was not sitting upright, but propping her chin in one hand, elbow on the nearby table, eyes locked onto the two of them.
Everyone knew Ling Huan was a bold man, but all that bravado vanished without a trace in this moment.
The man known for his glib tongue was now stammering like a fool, facing Jiang Yue, “T-teacher… w-why are you here so early in the morning?”
Early morning?
I didn’t see my good student, so I came to see what was going on, only to find him sleeping sweetly in the arms of gentle comfort.
“Did you sleep well?”
Her voice was gentle, even soft and low, as if she was whispering.
It didn’t sound like a complaint, but Ling Huan could already sense an undercurrent of sarcasm and anger in her tone.
Well now, he’d managed to step on every landmine there was.
How should he put it?
Wrecking a winning hand like this—probably summed up his situation perfectly.
Ling Huan, who never admitted defeat, always believed there was a chance to turn things around, so long as he looked hard enough.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, Jiang Yue suddenly stepped closer—though she only took a few steps, Ling Huan felt as if the earth was shaking beneath him, and his words were choked off by the sheer intensity of the moment.
He’d spent the night sleeping in another woman’s bed, been caught in the act—the consequences were obvious.
A man should own up to his actions.
No point making excuses now, better to be straightforward and lay it all out.
“Teacher, this is all a misunderstanding! I fainted last night, which is why I ended up in Ling Xue’s room! As for why she was hugging me in her sleep, I have no idea at all!”
That was what Ling Huan wanted to say in his heart, but when it reached his lips, it turned into, “I’m sorry, teacher… I’m late… I’ll accept any punishment you decide.”
Best to apologize first.
No matter how it happened, the fact remained he had let Jiang Yue down.
As a student, he’d failed his teacher’s expectations—unforgivable.
Jiang Yue rose slowly, walking toward Ling Huan.
It was just a few simple steps, but Ling Huan felt as though the ground was shaking beneath him.
But the scolding he imagined never came, nor did he get a bump on his head.
Ling Huan waited a long while, and only when he dared open his eyes did he see Jiang Yue reaching her hands toward him, hesitating in midair.
But in the end, she made up her mind, slid her arms under Ling Huan’s armpits, and lifted him up, holding him in her embrace.
Holding him ever so carefully.
“Hmph, then your punishment is to let your teacher hold you. Since you have a special constitution, help your teacher recover, hmm?”
Jiang Yue’s voice was still quiet, not disturbing the sleeping Ling Xue, as she carried Ling Huan out of the room, left the courtyard, and returned to her own East Garden.
“Teacher… you’re not angry?”
“Angry? You slept so soundly with that demoness in your arms, how could I not be angry? But afterward, I got over it.”
“Why?”
“You went through so much yesterday, it’s no wonder you fainted.Actually, that woman did well—not letting you freeze.”
Though Jiang Yue sounded as if she was gritting her teeth when she said this, her words still warmed Ling Huan’s heart.
“But… from now on, you can’t do things like this anymore, or it’ll ruin your reputation.”
“Besides, for someone cultivating, getting too close to women too early does you no good.These things—think about them when you’re older, understand?”
Jiang Yue earnestly admonished him.
“Yes, teacher. I’ll remember your words.”
Arriving at the East Garden, Jiang Yue still didn’t let him go.
She sat down at her desk with Ling Huan in her lap, used her spiritual energy to fetch a book from the shelf, and opened it on the desk.
“Um… Teacher?”
“What is it?”
“Shouldn’t I be sitting on the other side?”
“Today, you have only one seat—your teacher’s lap.”
Such a domineering declaration made Ling Huan’s heart skip a beat.
Immediately, Jiang Yue slipped into teaching mode.
But unlike usual, there was no restraint—only hands-on instruction.
Jiang Yue kept holding his hands, and Ling Huan could feel a steady stream of poison being drawn from her into him.
It didn’t feel nearly as bad as before; in fact, it was almost comfortable.
He wasn’t sure if the comfort was due to the two soft pillows behind his head or the effect of absorbing poison.
Jiang Yue taught about the cultivation system and the methods of using spiritual energy.
She quickly went over the system—it was simple enough—but was very detailed about the methods of using spiritual energy.
Sometimes Jiang Yue would even slide her hands inside his clothes, pressing them against his skin, and use spiritual energy to show him the meridian pathways and how to channel energy during combat.
Like that, the whole day passed.
Except for bathroom breaks, Ling Huan was never allowed off her lap.
He remained seated on Jiang Yue’s lap, learning about spiritual energy control, until late into the night.
When the night watch’s calls echoed through the Ling residence, Ling Huan realized how late it was.
“Um, Teacher, I should get back now.”
Ling Huan spoke up, because even at this late hour, Jiang Yue showed no sign of letting him go.
“No need.”
“…Ah?”
“Tonight, you’re sleeping with me.”