In the main hall atop Lingxiao Peak, though Yang Kai had been away for decades, the palace remained immaculately clean.
Su Yan sat by the window, one hand propping up her smooth chin, gazing at the scenery outside with her delicate profile turned toward the light, her thoughts drifting to the circumstances of these past years. A faint smile played at the corner of her lips.
Sensing something, she turned her head to the side and found Yang Kai leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, quietly watching her.
"You're back?" Su Yan rose to greet him, but after only two steps, an aggressively masculine body pressed close. Arms wrapped around her waist, and with a gentle pull she was drawn involuntarily forward—the firm, supple contact pressing against her chest arrived instantly.
"Senior Sister, you're so beautiful." Yang Kai looked down at the woman before him, his voice dripping with honey as his gaze lingered on that exquisite nose and those lips. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her gorgeous red ones.
Su Yan placed one palm against his chest, a slender fingertip pressing against his mouth. "You reek of alcohol. How much did you drink?"
Yang Kai grinned. "Not that much. Probably just a cup with each person."
"Sit down." Su Yan took his hand and led him to the bed, patting the spot beside her.
Yang Kai obediently sat.
Turning away, Su Yan fetched the basin of clean water she had prepared beforehand, wrung out a towel, and began wiping his face. Yang Kai sat perfectly still, letting her do as she wished, warmth filling his heart.
After a short while, once she had cleaned him up, Su Yan turned to leave—only to be pulled back into his arms without warning. The basin and water sloshed out onto the floor. With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai sent everything flying steadily back to where it belonged.
Rolling over, he pinned Su Yan beneath him, his gaze burning into her like fire, as though he meant to set her ablaze.
Su Yan gently bit her red lip, her long lashes fluttering like tiny fans. She averted her eyes, seeming almost too shy to meet his gaze.
Yang Kai found it endlessly amusing. After all these years of marriage, after who knew how many sessions of dual cultivation, Senior Sister still acted this shy. Women really were women, no matter what. But this bashful look only stirred certain desires in a man even more.
He reached up to lift her chin, pinching that smooth, delicate point between his fingers and forcing her to look at him.
Su Yan showed a trace of annoyance, her face flushed with reproach.
If Senior Sister were to suddenly burst forth with the kind of seductive charm that Qing Luo displayed, now that would be something. Just imagining this pristine, untainted woman showing off all manner of allure and enchantment made Yang Kai feel as though a volcano inside him was on the verge of eruption.
His gaze grew ever more aggressive.
Su Yan finally couldn't take it anymore. "Have you been to see Mother and Father? She's been talking about you nonstop these past few days."
"I went." Yang Kai's hand slowly climbed from her chin to her earlobe, gently rubbing it as he spoke, his warm breath brushing against the sensitive flesh. This was the most sensitive spot on her body—how could he not know?
Su Yan's breathing noticeably faltered. She bit her lip softly. "Mother didn't scold you, did she?"
She had spent a full month with Elder Yang and his wife and knew exactly what Dong Suzhu had been complaining about these days. She feared Yang Kai had caught an earful from his mother.
"It would've been better if she had."
"What happened?"
Yang Kai's face fell in dejection. "She doesn't even recognize me as her son anymore."
Su Yan pressed her lips together with a smile. "Serves you right!"
Yang Kai widened his eyes. "Even you're gloating about it."
Su Yan said, "Mother told me to sort you out properly when you got back."
"Sort me out?" Yang Kai's expression turned peculiar, and he eyed Su Yan with great interest. "Well then, Senior Sister, how exactly do you plan to sort me out? Tell me, so your little brother can prepare himself mentally."
"I don't know..." Su Yan turned her head away, her long, graceful neck already flushed crimson.
Yang Kai's hand covered the full swell of her chest, kneading firmly. Su Yan's brows knitted immediately, but the sensation stirred something different in him.
"Since Senior Sister won't say, then I'll simply exhaust myself to death for your sake." Yang Kai could hold back no longer. A fierce light suddenly blazed in his eyes. He grabbed Su Yan's clothing and tore.
With a sharp rip, her palace gown split apart. Su Yan gasped, staring at Yang Kai in bewilderment, clearly at a loss.
For all these years, Yang Kai had always been incredibly tender with her. This was the first time he had been so rough. She thought he might be drunk and acting out, but looking into his eyes, there was no trace of drunkenness. Though they blazed with fierce intensity, they were perfectly clear. Yet his presence in the bedroom was as if he had become a different person entirely.
A strange tremor ran through Su Yan's heart. She was about to speak when Yang Kai lowered his head and kissed her forcefully.
"Mm—" Su Yan muffled a groan. For the first time, she felt Yang Kai so intense, so overwhelming and domineering, that it left her barely able to keep up.
At the same time, the remnants of her clothing were torn away completely, revealing a body like flawless white jade, exposed to the air and shimmering with an ethereal luster.
Two iron-grip hands roamed freely over that perfect form, ravaging it without restraint—as though destroying a masterwork of art, without the slightest mercy. His grip was so strong that Su Yan actually felt pain.
And mixed in with that pain was a feeling she couldn't quite name.
It was something she had never experienced before. Su Yan's body went rigid, her snow-white skin flushing crimson, and deep inside she felt some long-sealed barrier shatter—the release of instincts that had been suppressed for years.
Yang Kai was somewhat surprised.
Senior Sister had actually reached up and wrapped both arms around his neck of her own accord, and was actively seeking his kiss, looking utterly lost in passion and unable to contain herself.
It shocked him.