A Gamble of Destiny, A Puzzling Passion

Those two words, like a ten-thousand-pound hammer, ceaselessly battered Ji Xue’s reason and emotions.

As she watched Lin Mo, curled amidst the shattered remnants, emitting pained, beast-like growls, a strange and perilous pressure emanated from him, his spiritual energy coiling with a raw, masculine essence.

The potent medicine was clearly intensifying both his agony and his desire; his growls, at times high-pitched, at others suppressed, punctuated the air. The veins on his arms bulged as he gripped a shattered table leg, his fingertips stark white from the strain, as though he was expending every ounce of his being to keep from lunging at her once more.

‘Chastity, after all, is something no one can truly discern the presence of,’ she mused. ‘What truly matters is strength, and one’s background!’

‘With the backing of the Xuan Nv Sect, wouldn’t my hopes of contending for the throne gain a significant edge?’

Ji Xue’s teeth bit deeply into her lower lip, and the metallic tang of blood permeated her mouth.

Yet, a tremor of fear still coursed through her, for these were merely her conjectures. Her belief that the Sect Master was aware remained unproven by any concrete evidence!

‘What if the Sect Master were to deny everything?’ she agonized. ‘What if Lin Mo, after being killed or captured, were to turn around and accuse me of obstruction and slander?’

‘And with a man having infiltrated the Xuan Nv Sect, such an immense scandal, touching upon both the sect’s reputation and its credibility, how could the Xuan Nv Sect possibly allow such a truth to be spread by me?’

‘They might even resort to murder to silence me!’

‘After all, a sect’s standing is built upon its reputation and honor. Disciples merely form the foundation; if the very ground beneath them crumbles, even the most solid foundation becomes utterly worthless.’

‘My status as a princess is little more than a title; the imperial court would never go to such lengths as to wage war against the distant, yet proximate, Xuan Nv Sect simply for my sake. At best, a symbolic compensation would be offered, and that would be the end of it.’

Thus, in this precarious moment, she had but one option: to gamble.

‘Gamble on what?’

‘Gamble on this man’s conscience.’

‘To gamble…?’

‘Gamble!’

A frenzied voice screamed from the depths of her heart. ‘Either lose everything, suffer utter ruin, and forfeit all worth; or… place my wager on this man, currently writhing in a purgatory of torment before me! I shall use my chastity as the stake, gambling for a future peerless expert, or even a power capable of holding sway over an entire region!’

This was a grand gamble of destiny!

But royalty, by its very nature, demands such gambles.

Ji Xue’s ragged breathing gradually steadied, and the fear that had clouded her eyes slowly began to dissipate.

“Get out of here! What are you clinging to?!”

Lin Mo roared, his nerves taut, as the inferno in his abdomen once more flared to a boiling intensity, causing him to convulse anew from the excruciating pain.

Ji Xue offered no further words, simply rising to her feet.

A single, icy tear, without warning, slid from the corner of her eye, tracing a silent path down her chin before silently splashing onto the cold ground, where it bloomed into a tiny, ephemeral stain.

Trembling, she lowered the hands that had been clamped tightly over her chest. As she did so, she ceased her tentative tugging at her clothes, and with a gaze that blended grim resolve, profound temptation, and an unfathomable calculation, her feet began to move, slowly, inch by agonizing inch, towards the youth who had driven her back into the corner.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat that sent sharp pangs through her. With each deliberate step, the myriad possible outcomes spun wildly through her mind—the succession of the throne, her own utter ruin, the boundless power that lay tantalizingly within reach… all intertwining into a grotesque and suffocating tableau.

The chilling grip of despair and the scorching allure of temptation relentlessly sawed and tore within her, threatening to cleave her very soul in two.

She gazed at Lin Mo, whose struggles appeared to have reached their absolute zenith. The whimpers emanating from his throat dwindled to faint gasps, and the clear, golden radiance that symbolized his humanity slowly gave way to a pure, all-consuming crimson.

“Lin Mo…”

Her voice, when it came, was terrifyingly calm, her gaze locked unblinkingly onto Lin Mo’s eyes.

‘I am the Imperial Princess,’ she declared, before directly straddling Lin Mo’s stomach. Although the position was undeniably uncomfortable, this was hardly the time for fastidiousness.

‘I must give him my chastity,’ she thought, ‘and use it to bind Lin Mo to me!’

She leaned in and kissed him directly.

Her lips pressed tightly against Lin Mo’s, feeling the pliancy of his mouth and the warmth of his breath.

‘My chastity… just like that, it’s gone…’

Memories of the past echoed in her mind, a fleeting, kaleidoscopic blur: the ostracism she had faced within the palace, her teachers’ unspoken disapproval and disappointment, the way her mother’s gaze had gradually grown cold and distant…

Yet, swiftly, the recollections accelerated, arriving at the Xuan Nv Sect.

And then, to her time spent with Lin Mo.

It was truly peculiar. Despite having known him for little more than a month, with a significant period of separation in between, his image remained indelibly etched upon Ji Xue’s heart.

As she pondered, she realized he embodied almost every trait she most despised: his words were sharp as daggers, his demeanor so crude it defied any semblance of femininity, and despite possessing a terrifyingly captivating facade, his figure was as flat as a plank of wood.

He was, moreover, a worldly pauper, his eyes seemingly recognizing nothing but spirit stones, his greed so outrageous it bordered on the reprehensible.

Yet… why, despite all this, could she not conjure even a flicker of revulsion towards him?

He had praised her, his rival, with such unreserved generosity, despite her having uttered truly hurtful words to him not long ago.

When he had struck her, he had not gloated, nor had he mocked her in her vulnerability.

Yet, in the past, whenever she had wept, her teachers had subjected her to a long, drawn-out lecture.

It was merely because she was an imperial princess; on the surface, they offered deference and feigned sympathy, but Ji Xue knew with chilling clarity that, behind her back, they would only sneer and mock her.

He was undeniably avaricious, yet his actions were never perfunctory.

He would stand up for her, despite knowing she wouldn’t offer him a single extra coin for his trouble, and even when facing individuals she herself could not afford to provoke.

His smile was captivating, and his guidance, when offered, was remarkably gentle…

Furthermore, even after mistakenly ingesting such a substance, with his rationality steadily eroding, he still clung to his fundamental nature. The fist he had raised towards his own temple was the final, desperate act of his innate kindness and reason.

Even under such dire circumstances, he had still managed to cling to his true self.

‘Indeed,’ she mused, ‘it seems not all men are truly wicked.’

‘At least, this one isn’t.’

Gradually, the reality no longer seemed quite so difficult to accept.

Perhaps, giving her chastity to him was not such a bad outcome after all.

They kissed for a long, long time.

She slowly withdrew her lips, yet Lin Mo’s eyes still held no discernible change.

‘Huh?’

‘That’s strange.’

‘I’ve given him my chastity, so why hasn’t Lin Mo’s lust been suppressed?’

‘Shouldn’t it suppress it?’

‘Now that I’ve… concluded things with him, why hasn’t it taken effect? Could it be that the kiss wasn’t long enough?’

A small head, filled with immense confusion.

Ji Xue leaned in and kissed him once more.

‘Could it be that a hug is also required?’

Pondering this, she tightened her embrace around Lin Mo even as she continued to kiss him.

The only barrier between their beating hearts was the soft ‘peaks’ of her chest.

After a long while, Lin Mo pulled his mouth away, his madness still raging. ‘You… if you continue like this,’ he muttered, his voice ragged, ‘whatever happens next… I won’t be able to stop it.’

‘Hmph, my chastity is yours,’ she thought, ‘do whatever you wish! In any case, you will owe me with your entire life.’

Ji Xue was kissed again, and Lin Mo’s hands, now unleashed, ascended her ‘peaks,’ exploring them with wanton fervor.

Yet, even amidst such fervent embraces, the inferno raging within his abdomen still found no release.

Lin Mo was utterly perplexed. ‘Why?’ he wondered.

‘Wait, girls have a certain part,’ he mused, ‘but where exactly is it?’

While he had indeed penned titillating tales that even the jaded Yang Po Po had praised with appreciative clicks of her tongue, Lin Mo was, in truth, deeply ashamed to admit… he had merely plagiarized them.

For Lin Mo, his actual knowledge on such matters… was barely beyond that of an elementary school student.

He had simply read extensively, and was adept at mimicking what he encountered.

However, when it came to the precise specifics… he found himself utterly clueless.

He knew girls were soft, possessing two additional mounds of flesh compared to boys, which undeniably felt soft to the touch, though he imagined prolonged contact might grow tiresome.

‘That’s right!’

‘Bedroom Arts!’

‘Didn’t Yang Po Po give me a secret manual?’

Lin Mo immediately began to recall its contents! Perhaps the crucial key to resolving their current predicament lay hidden within those very pages!

‘Think of the positions depicted within!’

Though the figures inside were drawn like crude, ghostly scribbles, he could still vaguely discern their human forms!

‘Think!’

‘Oh, right! I need to separate Ji Xue’s legs!’

No sooner had the thought formed than he separated Ji Xue’s legs!

‘And then…’

‘Just sit there! I’ll lie down!’

‘Right!’

No sooner said than done!

He lay down.

‘Right… and then?’

‘And then… there’s nothing more.’

‘Is that… is that all there is to it?’

‘Huh? Why isn’t it working yet—’

Ji Xue’s face was flushed with shame. ‘Why did he stop kissing after only a moment?’ she wondered.

‘Is this truly the end?’

Ji Xue, her eyes narrowed with a mix of confusion and a touch of vexation, finally spoke. ‘You couldn’t possibly be—’

Her words remained incomplete, yet their implication was starkly clear.