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Two youths, a boy and a girl around the same age, were seated inside a decorated, moving carriage. Their dispositions were noble and their appearances excellent, evidence of their extraordinary backgrounds. They had left Mount Hua behind, heading toward the center of Plum Blossom city, where The Fluttering Petals Pavilion sat.

The boy was Jong Chunma and the girl, Mu Xuanyin.

The Jong clan scion was silently staring at his prospective fiancée. She was pretty indeed, there was no doubt about that. He saw plenty of good-looking women on the internet during his past life, so he had a measure of immunity, but he had to admit, she was in a class of her own.

Xuanyin had all the best qualities of a female athlete, spliced with those of a cover model. Her features and figure were perfectly balanced, and the light-brown freckles, covering her nose and cheeks, only added to her charm.

Chunma patted the seat next to him, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Come sit here."

He wasn't someone without desires. If this girl was going to marry him anyway, then he would take advantage. He'd made it clear before—a flower vase on a shelf, meant only for looking, didn't interest him.

Xuanyin turned her eyes away from the window and toward him. Her face was a blank mask.

"Why?"

The question was asked with some impatience.

Chunma smiled. Of course, it was because he wanted to sink his claws into her, but he wouldn't tell her that.

"Because I say so."

There was a glint of excitement in his eyes. If she refused, he wouldn't mind grabbing her directly.

The girl's steely gaze met his own. The atmosphere became charged, like the moment before a thunderstorm.

Chunma thought she looked about ready to punch him in the face, but then, to his surprise, she obliged. With a sharp huff, he swung herself over to his side of the carriage. Predictably, she seated herself in the furthest corner, putting as much distance between them as possible.

During the process, she'd broken eye contact and was now ignoring him again.

Rather than being annoyed, he found himself enjoying her resistance. She'd already shown that she was willing to accommodate his desires, to an extent. Now, it was only a question of how much he could get out of her.

He patted the seat next to him for a second time.

"I asked you to sit here, not over there."

His voice was polite on the surface, but there was a hint of threat hidden underneath. If she didn't oblige him, he'd really take matters into his own hands.

Xuanyin didn't respond immediately. It was only after a handful of seconds had passed that she rolled her eyes before sliding closer to him. However, she left about two hand-widths space between them.

'Not good enough.'

How could he be satisfied with that much? If there was no physical contact, then even if she sat right next to him, it would still be pointless.

Chunma's arm slipped down from where it rested on the back of the seat. He wrapped it around Xuanyin's waist before firmly pulling her body against his.

The girl's expression immediately morphed into one of outrage.

"What are you doing?"

Her tone was hostile.

Chunma answered her with a guileless smile, but said nothing.

When she saw his expression, Xuanyin must've gotten the gist of it, because she shut her mouth, clenched her jaw and sighed. Her mother already told her what she should expect, so she wasn't completely unprepared. However, that didn't mean she had to like it.

Folding her arms in front of her chest, she looked away, refusing to meet Chunma's eyes. For the sake of her clan, she would go through with the marriage, but her natural stubbornness made it impossible for her to truly accept it in her heart.

The youth didn't mind. As long as he got what he wanted, her attitude didn't matter to him.

Currently, he was enjoying the feeling of her toned abdomen underneath his hand. There was also the springy sensation of her butt pressing against his waist—he was struggling to decide which he liked more.

Smirking mischievously, Chunma noted her expression. Her lips formed a thin line, like she was desperately trying ignore how their bodies were pressed together. However, she couldn't hide the red haze that was slowly spreading across her features.

After a dozen-or-so seconds, even her ears and neck had turned crimson. The way it contrasted with her pale, flawless complexion was enough to make blood rush to Chunma's head. Unable to resist, he put his lips next to her hear and whispered something.

"Since we're getting married anyways, this much shouldn't bother you, right?"

Predictably, the girl didn't reply. Instead, she continued to stubbornly stare out of the window.

When she didn't respond, Chunma snorted before pressing his face into her neck. He immediately noted the silkiness of her hair and the faint, floral scent she was wearing. It was an extremely pleasant experience for him.

"You…!"

Mu Xuanyin was no longer able to stay silent. She wriggled in her seat, trying to get away from him, but it didn't work. The arm around her waist only tightened while Chunma continued to nuzzle her, like a large cat.

"Sit still."

His breath caused her hair to rustle, tickling her ear. Suddenly, he wrapped his other hand around her, pressing his palm underneath her chest. It was close enough that the boy felt his thumb touching something soft.

'She's bigger than she looks…'

Chunma was surprised, although it made sense. People of the current time purposely wore loose robes to preserve their modesty. It was hard to tell how well endowed a woman was just by looking.

Xuanyin's eyes widened dramatically and she sucked in a sharp breath of air. The situation had escalated far beyond what she'd expected, leaving her helpless and unable to resolve it. All her knowledge of what went on between men and women was secondhand, told to her by her older sister. She had no experience.

On top of that, she'd already decided to go through with this engagement, for the sake of her family. Xuanyin was the type of person that always kept her promises, especially those she made to herself. If she wasn't capable of doing that much, she'd never have reached her current level.

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"No~…"

She vocalized her protest, but unknowingly, the tone of her voice ended up sounding… very ambiguous. She wanted to reject Chunma, but she didn't know how to do it without endangering the prospective marriage.

For his part, despite how it appeared, Chunma was actually holding himself back. He didn't want to push too hard too early, and there was only so much he could do to her inside the carriage. However, he hadn't yet reached what could be considered unacceptable during the current age.

Raising his head, he brought his lips over to her cheek and gave her a soft kiss.

"It's not a big deal if I give my future wife a few kisses, right?"

The smile in Chunma's voice was audible.

When his lips touched Xuanyin's cheek, she jolted like someone struck by lightning.

The girl struggled to form coherent thoughts. At the end of the day, she was at that age, meaning it was impossible for her to be completely indifferent to romance. While her attitude towards the handsome youth was cold, it wasn't because she hated him, but because of she disliked the idea of participating in an arranged marriage.

"We're not… married yet. It's improper..."

With difficulty, she delivered the first excuse she could think of.

Chunma completely ignored her objections. He kissed her cheek again, but lingered for a second or two before pulling away.

"It's just a kiss. No need to be shy."

Right after he delivered the statement, he brought his mouth down to her nape, biting and sucking on her neck. Her tender flesh was impossible to resist, and felt incredible between his teeth.

"Nooo~…"

Xyuanin's moans were quiet, yet highly provocative. She turned her face away, but seemed unable to do anything other that offer up a token protest. Her harassed appearance, like a maiden in distress, stood in stark contrast to her usual heroic disposition.

It made Chunma's blood boil.

Suddenly, without his input, he felt his grip shifting. The hand, pressed against her abdomen, trailed lower while the other reached up to cup the underside of her breast.

When he felt the soft elasticity of her chest, he was shocked.

'I didn't mean to do that!'

He'd gotten carried away by the mood and had done it on autopilot.

Needless to say, if he was surprised, then Xuanyin was no exception. The girl somehow managed to blush furiously and turn completely pale at the same time. It was a strange sight to behold. At the same time, her head jerked toward Chunma. She stared at him, astonished, affronted and aggrieved, with her lips slightly parted.

Suddenly, a low sound was emitted from the back of her throat.

"Huuu~…"

It was almost like she was about to start crying, but her eyes were clear and wide open.

'Well, since I've already done it, I may as well take advantage of the situation.

Chunma unapologetically met her gaze before turning his head slightly and going in for the kiss. Xuanyin's parted lips were promptly sealed by his.

The girl's brown eyes were as wide as dinnerplates. She made a noise somewhere between a hiccup, a snort and a choking sound. However, her mouth was sealed shut, so it went unheard.

The boy didn't use any tongue, but he did suckle lightly on her rose petal-like lips.

Involuntarily, he squeezed her breast in his right hand, feeling her beating heart, like a caged hummingbird. His other hand continued its descent, but when it reached her closed legs, it trailed around her waist, heading for her butt.

When he felt each of his hands enveloping something soft and pliable, he couldn't hold back anymore. His tongue, which hadn't been participating, slipped into Xuanyin's mouth. He slowly traced both her upper and lower lip, but didn't do more than that—not everyone enjoyed full-on, tongue-against-tongue contact.

The girl's mind had gone completely blank. Her fists were tightly gripping Chunma's black, embroidered robes, and it was unknown whether she was pushing him away or pulling him closer.

For a time, various noises could be heard inside the carriage. It was a mixture of soft sighs, ambiguous moans, high-pitched squeals, as well as the subdued sounds of sucking and kissing.

The driver was unaware of it all, not because he was pretending to, but because the personal carriage of sect master Jong Hyun had various useful features, such as sound-proofing.

Some time passed before the carriage finally arrived at the Fluttering Petals Pavillion. When it did, the coachman got down from his seat before politely knocking on the door.

Strangely, he didn't get a response immediately. After waiting for a dozen-or-so seconds, he knocked again.

He was an old retainer of the Jong clan, but that didn't mean he could just casually open the door. It wasn't proper behavior for someone of his station. Therefore, it would be troublesome for him if both the young master and young lady were asleep.

Fortunately, the door opened shortly after the second knock. Chunma stepped out first before guiding Xuanyin down the steps. The girl was holding a black fan in front of her face, hiding everything but her two clear eyes. She looked a little disheveled.

If the coachman noticed something off about her disposition, then he didn't show it. He hadn't kept his job all these years by interfering in the business of his betters. The older man simply lowered his head before standing off to one side.

Neither Chunma nor Xuanyin paid any attention to him.

After interlacing his fingers with hers, the boy led the way, steering them both towards the pavilion's entrance. Behind him, and hidden behind the fan, the girl's face, still flushed red, underwent many changes as the images from earlier replayed in her mind. However, they were in public, so she had no choice but to swallow her grievances and follow after him.

Gritting her teeth, she swore in her heart that she would repay him for what happened today!

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