Chapter 226 - 224 This is My Quilt

Words : 1383 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Lu Ying walked to the bed with a stern face: "Get up!" Shen Yinning wrapped herself in the quilt, revealing only a pair of pitiable eyes: "It’s not that I insist on staying here, but my cousin sent assassins to kill me. I encountered them halfway and was so frightened, with nowhere to go, I had no choice but to return. I only beg Your Highness, for the sake of past affections, to save my life..." Lu Ying knew that this vixen wouldn’t lie about something like this. The Imperial Family and court officials were staying at Shengguo Temple. Shen Xinghan arranging assassins in a temple—how audacious and reckless. He had merely wanted to send Shen Yinning far away, not take her life. Thinking this, he finally said, "You sleep on the soft couch." To Shen Yinning, sleeping on the soft couch was better than going back to her death. She carried her quilt to the soft couch, but Lu Ying grabbed one corner: "That’s my quilt." "You’re so stingy." Shen Yinning muttered and reluctantly let go of the quilt. Sitting cross-legged on the soft couch, she couldn’t help but glance toward Lu Ying. He sat under the lamp, reading a book. She didn’t know what kind of book it was, but he appeared thoroughly engrossed. This dog of a man seemed to have genuinely changed his ways. Even when they were alone together, he no longer tangled with her as before. His saint-like demeanor was cold and serious, as if he’d completely abstained from lust. The arson on the night of Lantern Festival—did it truly cause him such profound damage? Was he determined to cut ties with her completely... Thinking this, waves of drowsiness overcame her, and she gradually fell asleep, slumped over a small Buddhist table. The candlelight in the Zen room flickered faintly. Lu Ying closed the Buddhist scripture in his hands. He glanced at the girl lightly slumbering across from him, his eyes bloodshot. In truth, he hadn’t absorbed a single word. He wondered whether Qian Duobao’s poisonous insect was real or fake. Why was it that the moment he encountered Shen Yinning, all his composure disappeared? It required all his effort to pretend as if he didn’t care... He took a deep breath, hid the Buddhist scripture under his pillow, and lay down to sleep. Night deepened. It was cold in the mountains, and Shen Yinning woke after only a brief sleep, trembling from the chill. She sneezed, rubbing her arms, and cast a glance at Lu Ying’s bed. With his back turned to her, he seemed to have fallen soundly asleep. Unable to bear the cold, she quietly crept toward him. She gently lifted the quilt and cautiously lay down on the outer edge. With his back to her, Lu Ying opened his eyes in the darkness. Did this vixen think he was asleep? He could even sense her trying to tug the quilt toward her side. Recalling her earlier sneeze and that she had just been poisoned by cold energy, he forced himself to endure, pretending not to notice her sneaking onto the bed or her stealing the quilt. But this vixen was truly excessive. Stealing a third of the quilt wasn’t enough—afraid of catching a chill, she kept pulling more. Lu Ying closed his eyes, his temple veins throbbing. This vixen was always like this. When asleep, she couldn’t help but wrap the entire quilt around herself, completely disregarding how he was supposed to sleep! Shen Yinning, oblivious to Lu Ying’s growing ire, continued pulling the quilt diligently. She was afraid of the cold. In winter nights past, there were always heated floors in the room, and she could sleep nestled in Lu Ying’s arms. Now, the mat beneath her was so thin, and she only had a small portion of the quilt—she was bound to catch a chill! She worked hard, finally succeeding in pulling most of the quilt over. She exhaled in relief and began to drift off again. Lu Ying thought he could finally sleep in peace as well. But as he dozed, a soft, warm body suddenly pressed against his back. Shen Yinning cradled him like an octopus, tightly clinging to him with one long leg draped over his waist, seeking warmth. Her breath inadvertently brushed against the back of his neck—hot and ambiguous in the cold night. Feeling comfortable in this posture, her breathing gradually became steady and even. Lu Ying, on the other hand, was anything but comfortable. His entire body was tense, like a bowstring pulled taut. This vixen’s hand had wound around his shoulder to rest on his chest, while her lower leg hung over his waist—her sleeping posture utterly ungainly! Through the thin fabric of his inner robe, he could nearly sense how tender and soft the girl’s skin was. Outside, the sound of mountain rain drifted into the room. In the darkness of the Zen room, all the blood in the man’s body surged downward. He held his breath, attempting to remove Shen Yinning’s leg from him. Her unkempt sleeping posture caused her pants to slide to her knees, and as his large hand touched her small, smooth, porcelain-like calf, he could no longer bring himself to let go. The sound of rain mingled with the distant chanting and wooden fish rhythm from the Buddhist Hall. The Buddha said, "All appearances are false." The Buddha said, "So should one generate a pure mind, one should not dwell upon forms to generate thoughts." The Buddha said, "A person overcome by desires is like one holding a torch and walking against the wind—they are bound to get burned." The Buddha had long warned people that excessive desires and emotions were akin to carrying a flame against the wind. That fire would eventually burn one’s own hand, causing the individual to be hurt by their own passions and emotions, utterly destroying their rationality and judgment. Lu Ying understood these teachings. But— Half-asleep, Shen Yinning lazily called out, "Lu Ying..." Just that one call. The string wound tightly in Lu Ying’s heart snapped entirely. In that moment, all thoughts of Buddha, Bodhisattva, and commandments were cast away. Lu Ying thought, the girl sleeping beside him—was Shen Zhaozhao. That little girl he had loved for so many years. The little girl he was about to lose forever. His calloused hand couldn’t help but gently stroke her smooth skin. He couldn’t bring himself to suppress the impulses and desires coursing through his veins any longer. The pain woke Shen Yinning from her slumber, and she screamed in disbelief, "Lu Ying, are you insane?!" When she was willing, he had kept a wooden expression. Now that she was asleep, he was suddenly roused—what kind of sickness was this?! Indignant, she began to struggle vehemently: "Let go of me, you—" Lu Ying leaned down and sealed her lips, cutting off her protests. A joyous spring rain fell through the night. In the mountain’s embrace, blossoms quietly unfolded. ... Elsewhere. The assassins wandered through the temple but couldn’t find Shen Yinning and returned to report to Shen Xinghan. Shen Yunxi was also there. She glared at the assassins angrily: "You can’t even handle such a trivial matter? What’s the point of keeping useless trash like you around?! That wretched woman is definitely in Shengguo Temple. Couldn’t you find her if you searched carefully?!" Shen Xinghan gestured for the assassins to withdraw, lightly caressing the tea cup as he spoke, "During the sacrificial blessing, the Xue Family has also sent someone. Perhaps Shen Yinning is off visiting Xue Mianmian—that’s a distinct possibility." "Big Brother, then what should we do? By the way, didn’t you say Second Brother might be in Shen Yinning’s hands? If you sent people to kill her tonight, what about Second Brother?" Shen Xinghan blew on the tea, sipping calmly. He savored the faint bitterness between his lips and teeth, speaking with indifference: "I’ve been thinking about it carefully these past few days. Shen Yinning holds a grudge against our family. If Second Brother truly is in her hands, I fear he’s already suffered terribly. Even if we rescue him, he’s likely ruined. Rather than allowing Second Brother to disgrace our family’s name, it’s better for him to just die like this."

Chapter 226 - 224 This is My Quilt

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