Chapter 142: In This Life, I Will Never Let You Go Again
Yun Sheng’s body tensed involuntarily.
She could feel the warmth of Si Jin’s palm, the heat of his breath against her neck. Every subtle movement he made spoke of a desire that could no longer be concealed.
Her body gave a slight tremble, her ears blushing so red they looked as if they might bleed.
Si Jin paused.
He lifted his head. His azure eyes swirled with intense emotions, yet he forced them down, asking in a hoarse voice, "Scared?"
Yun Sheng met his gaze.
His eyes were brilliant, as if they held a sea of stars.
In them, she saw desire, restraint, a fragile tenderness, and a trace of careful probing. It was as if he were asking her, ’Is this okay?’
Yun Sheng took a deep breath and gently shook her head.
’It wasn’t fear.’
’From the moment Si Jin disappeared, from the instant she suspected his spiritual power had gone rampant and worried he was in danger, her heart had been hanging in suspense.’
’Then, when she finally saw him, she had almost lost him...’
’The moment she confirmed he was safe in her dream, the moment she acquiesced and let him continue, she knew her own heart with perfect clarity.’
’She was in love with Si Jin!’
’From dreamscape to reality, from strangers to this familiar warmth, from cautious explorations to the tangible reality of his embrace.’
’She wanted this, to be with him. So how could she possibly be afraid?’
Yun Sheng raised a hand, gently caressing his cheek. Her thumb traced the line of his brow, his eyelid, his eye.
"I’m not scared. As long as it’s you, I’m not scared."
The last trace of restraint in Si Jin’s eyes shattered completely.
He slowly reached up, gently taking the hand that rested on his cheek. He caressed her knuckles with the pad of his thumb, over and over, as if seeking confirmation of something.
"I’ve been thinking about this for so long," he said, his voice impossibly low and raspy. "When I knew I was about to lose control and had to leave you, when I realized my Dark Power was becoming more and more unstable and that I might have to stay away from you forever... all I could think was, if only I could see you again, if only I could hold you, if only I could..."
He trailed off, his Adam’s apple bobbing convulsively.
A sting pricked Yun Sheng’s eyes, and she squeezed Si Jin’s hand tightly in return.
"You’re holding me now," she said, her voice soft but exceptionally firm. "Si Jin, I’m here. I’ve always been here."
Si Jin looked at her, then slowly lowered his head to kiss away the dampness at the corner of her eye.
At some point, their combat suits had been completely discarded. They were pressed together with nothing between them, every inch of their skin crying out with desire for the other.
Their spiritual power had long since lost control, twining together, inseparable.
The soul-deep tremors were more searing than any physical touch. Each spiritual entanglement sent shudders through their very beings, their breathing growing heavier and more ragged.
Si Jin’s kisses were reverent and fervent, trailing inch by inch over her porcelain-white skin.
From the long line of her neck to her delicate collarbone, from her rounded shoulders to the soft, gentle swell of her breast, each kiss left a trail of possessive red marks on her snowy skin, like a beast claiming its territory.
Yun Sheng’s cheeks burned so hot they felt like they were steaming, and even her fingertips were flushed pink.
When his teasing became too much, she instinctively tried to shy away, but a large hand clamped around her waist, pulling her even closer with a gentle tug.
Now, she could feel him... clearly.
Yun Sheng’s body trembled more violently, her very eyelashes quivering.
Yet Si Jin’s movements remained careful and reverent from start to finish. Even as veins throbbed at his temples from the effort of his restraint, he would pause with every advance to gauge her reaction, his azure eyes full of questions.
’Is this okay?’
Yun Sheng was thrown off by such tenderness.
The problem was, if she didn’t nod, he wouldn’t continue. It felt like he was torturously holding her over an open flame.
Every pause only amplified her shyness, and with it, that unbearable feeling of emptiness.
She finally couldn’t take it anymore.
Yun Sheng tilted her face up and gave his lips a gentle nip.
"Don’t ask me again..."
Her voice was liquid and soft, and the corners of her eyes were red, as if she’d been thoroughly bullied. And yet, she was the one who had bitten him.
Si Jin froze for a second before letting out a low chuckle.
The sound was husky and filled with pleasure, sending a faint, tingling vibration through their chests, pressed so closely together.
"Alright. No more questions."
The moment the words left his lips, his original gentleness was suddenly tinged with a new dominance.
Yun Sheng’s fingertips tightened abruptly, leaving shallow scratches on Si Jin’s back.
Her breaths shattered in time with his movements. Small, broken sounds escaped her lips, like a kitten’s mewl, or perhaps a sigh.
Mortified, she tried to bite her lip, only for his kiss to gently pry them apart.
"Don’t hold back," he murmured, his voice impossibly raspy. A bead of sweat slid from his temple, landing on her collarbone with a heat that made her shudder. "I want to hear every sound you make."
A sting pricked Yun Sheng’s eyes again.
’It wasn’t from sadness, but from the sheer intimacy of it all—an intimacy so profound her soul felt ready to leave her body!’
Her heart melted with tenderness, and she gave herself over completely to the man she had chosen.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she pressed her cheek against his, holding nothing back.
The light in the cave was dim and soft, the faint glow of a single pearl their only witness as they truly became one.
In that moment, there was only them. Only each other.
Yun Sheng clung to Si Jin’s shoulders, her fingertips tracing unconscious red lines on his back.
Si Jin’s kisses rained down, light and numerous. He kissed away the moisture from the corners of her eyes, kissed her flushed cheeks, and finally paused at her ear, his low, raspy voice laced with a satisfied languor.
"Tired?"
Yun Sheng didn’t even have the strength to glare at him. She could only bury her face in the crook of his neck and manage a muffled "mhm."
Si Jin chuckled softly and gathered her into his arms, letting her rest her head in the crook of his. With his other hand, he gently brushed aside her sweat-damp hair, his touch as tender as if he were handling a priceless treasure.
"Go to sleep," he murmured, placing a kiss on the crown of her head. His voice was deep and laced with affection. "I’ll watch over you."
Yun Sheng mumbled a groggy "mhm" and snuggled deeper into his embrace.
’His body was warm, his heartbeat steady. His arms were a safe haven.’
’Finally, she no longer had to worry that he would disappear, no longer had to fear him losing control, no longer had to face her fears alone.’
The corners of Yun Sheng’s lips curved into a small smile as her consciousness gradually faded to black.
Si Jin gazed down at her peaceful, sleeping face. He looked at her cheeks, still tinged with a rosy flush; at her slightly swollen lips; at the marks he’d left on her collarbone...
The tenderness in his eyes was so thick it was almost tangible.
He reached out and gently tapped the tip of her nose, his voice so low it was as if he were speaking to himself.
"Yun Sheng, I will never let you go again in this lifetime."
With that, he placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth, intending to close his eyes and rest for a while.
Just then, however, the sound of vines being slashed apart came from outside the cave.
Si Jin’s gaze went sharp. His eyes flew open, his cold stare fixed on the cave entrance.
The rhythm of the slashing, the familiar pulse of power...
’Bai Ye... he’s caught up to us again!’
Si Jin glanced down at the woman sleeping soundly in his arms, and a knowing smile slowly curved his lips.
’He sure got here fast.’
’Too bad. He’s too late!’