Chapter 49

Rain pattered steadily outside, its crisp rhythm echoing through the room.

“Cough… cough…”

Nian Xi lay curled into a small ball on the bed, her eyes half-open as she watched the raindrops falling beyond the window. Even beneath several layers of blankets, she could still feel the cold invading her frail body. Her head was heavy and muddled, and she could not summon the slightest bit of strength.

She had probably caught a chill after being drenched by the rain a few days ago. She had allowed it to worsen until she could no longer even get out of bed.

“Cough… cough…”

Her coughing would not stop either. There was not a single part of her body that felt comfortable.

That day, she had watched Li Cuier and the others leave to take You Ru to Sister Zhang. When they returned, You Ru had been unusually excited and overjoyed. The very next day, she hurried home.

Nian Xi could still clearly remember Li Cuier’s expression when You Ru left. The sorrow radiating from her had made Nian Xi feel sad as well, although the reason for her own sadness was rather complicated.

After spending the past several days with them, Nian Xi had developed a better understanding of Li Cuier and You Ru’s relationship. You Ru regarded Li Cuier as a dear friend, but Li Cuier’s feelings toward You Ru did not seem like something that could be explained by friendship alone.

Every time Nian Xi thought about it, her spirits sank.

Her head already hurt terribly, yet she was still letting her imagination run wild. She forced herself to stop thinking about it, closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep.

Unfortunately, her dreams were even worse.

That man’s face appeared again. His furious roars and vicious curses made Nian Xi tremble. Whenever he approached her, her entire body burned with pain as though she were being torn apart.

He seized her by the hair and dragged her forward until a glowing-hot coal pressed against her face.

Nian Xi jolted awake.

She sat upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat and trembling uncontrollably. In a panic, she touched the ruined side of her face, her fingers shaking violently.

A wave of anguish overwhelmed her, and she broke into uncontrollable sobs. Tears soaked her palm as she slowly curled into a helpless ball, buried her face between her knees, and cried softly.

“Nian Xi?”

The moment Li Cuier entered, she saw Nian Xi curled up and crying on the bed. Confused and heartbroken, she quickly set the steaming bowl of medicine aside and hurried to the bedside.

“What happened?” She carefully sat down and leaned toward the huddled Nian Xi. Concern covered her face, but she did not dare reach out and touch her.

Seeing Nian Xi’s thin shoulders trembling with every sob left Li Cuier at a loss. She slowly extended a hand, intending to comfortingly rub her back.

But the sight of Nian Xi looking so helpless and pitiful became too much for her. Instead, Li Cuier gathered her into a warm embrace.

“It’s all right. It’s all right…” she repeatedly murmured.

Under her gentle reassurance, Nian Xi’s sobbing gradually subsided. She slowly lifted her head from between her knees and met Li Cuier’s worried gaze.

Their faces were so close that Nian Xi flushed with embarrassment. She shyly turned away and wiped the tears from her face.

Sensing the awkwardness between them, Li Cuier hurriedly changed the subject. She climbed off the bed and retrieved the bowl of medicine.

“I got this medicine for your cold from Xiaowen. Drink it while it’s still warm. You should feel better after you sleep for a while.”

Holding the bowl, she blew gently across the steam before carefully offering it to Nian Xi.

Nian Xi accepted the bowl and sipped the medicine little by little. Its bittersweet taste made her furrow her brows involuntarily.

Li Cuier watched until she had slowly finished the entire bowl, her worried expression finally relaxing. [unauthorized copy]She waited for Nian Xi to return the empty bowl to her.

“You should sleep for a while. Don’t worry about dinner. I’ll see if I can scrounge something from Xiaowen’s house again.”

She took the bowl and was about to leave when Nian Xi suddenly caught her hand.

“I…”

The moment she met Li Cuier’s eyes, however, the words waiting on her lips vanished.

“What is it?” Li Cuier stopped. Believing Nian Xi’s voice had been too quiet for her to hear, she leaned closer.

At the movement, Nian Xi hurriedly released her hand and looked away, not daring to meet her gaze.

When she finally gathered the courage to look into Li Cuier’s eyes again, she realized just how close they were. She could even feel the warmth radiating from Li Cuier’s body, tempting her cold-afflicted self to reach out and touch her.

The moment their eyes met, Li Cuier’s heart suddenly began pounding.

Nian Xi’s misty eyes, half-hidden beneath her black hair, looked dreamlike and seductive. Li Cuier became helplessly captivated every time she saw them. This time was no different. If anything, she found herself losing control even more completely.

She slowly leaned toward Nian Xi.

Her sudden approach made Nian Xi’s body stiffen.

It was only when their warm lips touched that Li Cuier abruptly came to her senses. She immediately drew back.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean… I…”

Mortified by what she had done, she wanted nothing more than to flee the room.

Nian Xi had indeed been shocked when their lips first touched, but she neither felt offended nor angry. She reached out and caressed Li Cuier’s panicked face, wanting to linger over the warmth beneath her palm.

When Li Cuier saw Nian Xi’s face approaching, her mind went completely blank.

Their lips met again, leaving her unable to distinguish reality from illusion. Nian Xi’s lips were hot, almost feverish. Li Cuier closed her eyes and savored their soft, burning warmth.

Her body remained rigid, and she did not dare move, much less return the kiss.

Nian Xi sucked gently on her lips again and again. As her emotions deepened, she wrapped an arm around Li Cuier’s neck and pulled her down on top of herself.

Li Cuier’s grip on the medicine bowl loosened.

It fell to the floor and shattered with a crisp crash, breaking into pieces just like the last remnants of Li Cuier’s reason.

She passionately returned Nian Xi’s kiss, embracing her and pressing their bodies more closely together.

Only when they finally separated did Li Cuier recover a trace of rational thought. She stared, mesmerized, at the equally aroused woman beneath her. Nian Xi’s face was flushed, and she breathed softly through parted lips.

Li Cuier could only stare with her mouth slightly open, uncertain how to begin or what she should say.

“Can we… Can I…?”

Although Li Cuier did not explain what she meant, Nian Xi seemed to understand her perfectly.

She looked at Li Cuier and gave a slight nod, granting her permission to continue.

Li Cuier had no experience with such things. She had hardly even imagined doing them before. All she could do now was surrender herself to instinct.

She untied Nian Xi’s sash and peeled open her clothing, revealing pale skin beneath.

“Mmm…”

The cool air brushing across her naked skin made Nian Xi exhale heavily.

“Are you cold?” Li Cuier’s voice trembled as she quickly pulled the clothing closed again.

Nian Xi placed a hand over hers and gently shook her head, indicating that she could continue.

Li Cuier exposed her pale skin once more. Against such a fair complexion, Nian Xi’s dark nipples appeared especially conspicuous.

Although Li Cuier possessed everything Nian Xi did, seeing another woman’s breasts under these circumstances still embarrassed her. She looked away from Nian Xi’s nipples, only for her gaze to settle upon the scars covering her skin.

They varied in depth and size. Even knowing that the wounds had been inflicted long ago did nothing to ease the ache in Li Cuier’s heart.

She gently traced the scars with her fingertips. The rough texture beneath them made her brow furrow. Only when she remembered that the bandits had already received their deserved punishment did she feel slightly better.

Seeing Li Cuier frown frightened Nian Xi. She worried that the sight of her broken and ugly body disgusted Li Cuier—that Li Cuier would despise her.

Li Cuier noticed her unease and lowered herself to kiss her reassuringly.

She kissed the ruined side of Nian Xi’s face, then pressed stolen content burning kisses to her moving throat and the rough scars across her body.

Li Cuier took one stiff nipple into her mouth, teasing the dark bud with her warm, wet tongue.

“Mmm… Ah!”

The stimulation coursing through her breast made Nian Xi cry out. She held Li Cuier’s head against her chest and arched her back, instinctively trying to escape her mouth.

But Li Cuier held her nipple firmly between her lips, and every movement Nian Xi made only intensified the stimulation.

While sucking on one nipple, Li Cuier cupped the other breast and kneaded it in her hand.

It was her first time touching another woman’s breasts like this. Nian Xi’s were not large, but they were incredibly soft and felt exquisite in her palm. Li Cuier could not remember ever touching anything softer. The hard little bud atop all that softness practically dug into her hand.

She pinched the dark nipple between two fingers and toyed with it, feeling it grow even harder.

A sweet fragrance drifted into Li Cuier’s nose.

She knew it was Nian Xi’s scent—the sweetness of sugarcane. Looking at Nian Xi’s body, damp with sweat and radiating sugary warmth, Li Cuier thought she resembled a piece of brown sugar on the verge of melting.

Curious, she moved a hand lower and, sure enough, discovered that Nian Xi was soaking wet. Moments after Li Cuier ​Read on BaiLianTales​touched her, another surge of hot fluid spilled from inside her.

Years of hunting and heavy labor had left Li Cuier’s hands covered in rough calluses. They scraped against Nian Xi’s wet pussy, making her cry out uncontrollably.

Nian Xi’s half-open eyes reflected only Li Cuier. When Li Cuier tried to slide a finger inside her, Nian Xi nervously clutched at her clothes.

Li Cuier failed to notice and pushed one rough finger into her.

“Mmm! Ah… Ah…”

The unfamiliar intrusion left Nian Xi struggling to adjust. Her inner walls clenched around the finger, contracting as though they were trying to force it back out.

Fascinated by the unfamiliar sensation, Li Cuier failed to notice Nian Xi’s instinctive resistance. She crooked her finger, wanting to explore more of the softness inside her.

When she brushed against one particular place, Nian Xi cried out and abruptly sat up, gripping Li Cuier’s clothes tightly.

“Did that hurt?” Li Cuier immediately stopped and looked at her in alarm.

Li Cuier had accidentally touched Nian Xi’s most sensitive spot. Her cry had come from pleasure, not pain, but she was too embarrassed to explain.

Blushing, she merely shook her head.

Li Cuier still withdrew her hand. Her fingers were coated in Nian Xi’s juices, and she curiously rubbed them together, examining the slickness.

Then she touched the coarse calluses on her fingers and seemed to realize something.

She abruptly drew Nian Xi into her arms.

With her back pressed against Li Cuier’s chest, Nian Xi rested her head on Li Cuier’s shoulder. Whenever she raised her eyes, she saw Li Cuier’s jaw above her.

Li Cuier’s body was wonderfully warm, and Nian Xi felt comfortable nestled in her embrace.

“I’m sorry. My hands are too rough. I hurt you.”

What Li Cuier did next left Nian Xi too embarrassed to watch.

She placed the fingers that had just been inside Nian Xi into her mouth and sucked on them.

Nian Xi shyly turned her face away.

Li Cuier did not think anything improper of it. [stolen content]She simply believed that coating her rough fingers in saliva would make them smoother and keep them from hurting Nian Xi.

With her fingers slick from her mouth and Nian Xi’s pussy already thoroughly wet, Li Cuier easily slid back inside her. This time, she even added a second finger.

Nian Xi’s inner walls clenched around both.

Seeing Li Cuier’s hand moving between her thighs made Nian Xi’s already flushed face burn even hotter, especially with the obscene wet sounds coming from below.

She moaned softly while using both arms to conceal her exposed breasts.

Li Cuier’s thrusting fingers made her legs tremble. Under wave after wave of stimulation, Nian Xi suddenly came, releasing a gush of fluid.

Already weakened by illness and now subjected to such relentless pleasure, her head felt hazy, her body tingling and numb. She wanted Li Cuier to stop, but Li Cuier showed no intention of doing so. Her fingers continued thrusting inside Nian Xi’s pussy.

“Ah! Mmm! Ah… I’m… I can’t… Ah!”

Nian Xi abruptly arched her back. Even more fluid squirted from between her legs, soaking a large patch of bedding.

Her body convulsed before she collapsed unconscious in Li Cuier’s arms.

Only after seeing the sleeping [unauthorized copy]woman in her embrace did the excitement inside Li Cuier gradually subside.

She gently kissed Nian Xi’s face, lifted her into her arms, and carried her toward her own room.

It seemed the bedding they had only recently washed would have to be washed all over again…