Secret Recipe | Chapter 228 | Lamps in the Long Night | Novela.app

Xingshou Town was small; its only inn sat at the very end of the main street. Unlike the bustling city of Jiugao, this small place grew cold and quiet once the sun dipped below the horizon. The wind turned chilly as it swept over the town’s bluestone paths, leaving behind a thin layer of frost that shimmered like moonlight. Qin Jiuye pushed open the window and looked toward the distant docks. Faint lights flickered there, seemingly destined to burn throughout the night. "What are you looking at, Sister?" Li Qiao’s voice sounded right beside her. A moment later, a heavy cloak was draped over her shoulders. Qin Jiuye snapped out of her daze but didn't speak immediately. Her brows were knit tight with worry. Lately, she often wore this expression—one far more troubled than when she used to pore over account books or count silver. "You have something on your mind." She had more than just "something" on her mind. Until this entire affair reached its conclusion, she felt like a fish in a boiling pot, unable to find peace. During the day, while handling the matters of Chuanliu Academy, she had tried to discuss their next steps with Teng Hu, but the conversation had been difficult. Furthermore, neither Qiu Ling nor Xu Qiuchi had appeared in town. "It’s nothing. Back at Guoran Residence, I was always worrying about this or that. I’m used to it." Qin Jiuye forced a smile and reached out to close the window. The moment the shutters clicked shut, the sound of the wind was cut off. For a time, the only sounds in the room were their breathing and the rustle of their clothes. As the room fell into total darkness, she instinctively turned to light a lamp, but he moved closer before she could. "Could you spare some of that worry for me? You’ve been busy for a day and a night, and you haven't even looked at me properly." Her energy had been entirely drained by other matters, and she wasn't one to constantly voice her burdens to him. Now that the secret formula within his body had been cured, his connection to the whole ordeal seemed to have weakened, which in turn made him feel as though he were being pushed further away. Qin Jiuye moved slightly in the dark. Her body brushed against his, and she instinctively tried to pull back. He didn't yield an inch, closing the distance between them even further in the unlit room. His breath was warm against her cheek, and the air grew thick with an unseasonable, restless tension. Qin Jiuye felt that tension, and her heart skipped a beat. She stole a quick glance at his face and reached a hasty conclusion. "You’re perfectly fine now. You look like you could wrestle three bulls. I still have other things to—" She tried to slip away as she spoke, but he caught her, pinning her between the dressing table and the window frame. The table wobbled slightly under the impact, the water in the basin atop it rippling. Before she could scold him, his body pressed against hers. "You aren't being very thorough, Sister. You say I’m fine, but have you personally confirmed it?" His movements were precise. Their bodies were pressed together without a gap, and the dressing table creaked beneath them, a sound that made her face flush for reasons she couldn't name. Qin Jiuye didn't move, letting him hold her for a long moment before she asked in a muffled voice, "You’re cured and yet you’re still unhappy? Do you have to go looking for trouble?" He was unhappy—very unhappy. When he was sick, half of her attention was on him every day. She would check his condition constantly and even hold him to help him endure the hardest moments of his illness. But now, she spent more time with that three-white-eyed "stinking fox" Teng Hu than she did with him. Could this be the "weariness" Tang Shenyan had spoken of? A sense of crisis slammed against the warning bells in his heart. The youth narrowed his eyes. He wanted to understand her—he would use every method possible to understand her. "Are you playing hard to get, Sister? Or are you testing me on purpose?" "Don't be silly. I’m just a bit tired..." Qin Jiuye was still troubled by the dream from the previous night. Only half her mind was on the person in front of her. She spoke perfunctorily, raising a hand to give him a gentle push. That push was a mistake. The room fell instantly silent. Though it was quiet, something was clearly radiating from the youth’s body, so intense it almost had a physical shape and scent. A dangerous, hungry, insatiable scent. He stopped studying her expression, his gaze lingering instead on her collar. "So, it’s not that you’re ignoring me. You’re just too tired. There are many ways to relieve fatigue. I’m willing to try them all, one by one." Qin Jiuye gasped, instinctively reaching up to cover her neck. However, she was no match for the speed of a trained assassin. Before her hand could move, the ribbon at her throat loosened. Her cloak slid down, pooling at their feet. *Is he having another episode? But I cured him!* Her mind was a mess. she watched as his healthy-looking face drew closer and closer—so close she had nowhere to look, nowhere to hide. Her gaze darted from his reddening ears to his bobbing Adam's apple. "You physicians are truly heartless," he whispered, staring at her with a hint of grievance in his voice. "Before the medicine is tested, you tease and touch as you please. Once the medicine works, you cast the person aside. Is this what they call 'burning the bridge after crossing' or 'dallying and then abandoning'?" "You... you’re talking nonsense!" Qin Jiuye cried out in a mix of shock and anger. She raised a trembling finger to his chest. "Speak with your conscience! When did I ever tease you, or... or..." Whether it was teasing or touching, both seemed to have actually happened. She found herself unable to continue. Then she felt her hand grow warm as he caught it, pressing it firmly against his "conscience." "Then treat me well. Don't take my hand only to throw me aside later, alright?" He didn't want her mind occupied by problems that could never be solved. He didn't want her emotions swayed only by others. He didn't want her to put the suffering of strangers before him. After making her his entire world, he didn't want to find that he was only a small part of hers. He wanted her to belong to him forever—from head to toe, from sunrise to sunset, from the past into the present. He achieved his goal. Her expression softened, and after a moment of hesitation, she left a light, comforting kiss on his cheek. But it clearly wasn't enough. He leaned down to take what he wanted without asking. Now that his body had recovered, his senses were vivid once more. Her scent, the warmth of her touch, the way every strand of her hair swayed when she spoke—everything became tantalizingly alive, begging to be explored. Without the shackles of that strange illness, he felt an urgent need to be close to her, to claim the reward that was his. "Don't worry anymore, Sister. If you stop worrying, I’ll do anything." Qin Jiuye felt as though she had been working so hard she had lost track of day and night, and thus hadn't fully woken from her dream. Otherwise, why would she feel so lightheaded and dizzy? But she had to admit, she craved this feeling. No one in this world could refuse the affection and tenderness of a lover, especially on a night as exhausting and unsettling as this. Heat surged through her veins, shifting toward strange places. By the time she realized what was happening, her hair was a mess and her collar had been pulled wide open. His breath rose and fell against the hollow of her neck and shoulder, heavy with a suppressed longing. "You said it yourself, Sister—we must live day by day. I thought about it carefully this morning. If I only want *this* part of you today, surely that isn't being greedy..." *What on earth have I been teaching him? Truly, not everyone is fit to be a master. It is my failure as a teacher! My own arrogance! I should never have taken a disciple!* With a mental roar, Qin Jiuye felt all the blood in her body rush to her head. When she spoke again, her tongue felt tied. "T-Today it’s here... where will it be tomorrow?" The youth sighed against the side of her neck. "Which part are you willing to give me, Sister? Or, you could come to me. Any part of me is yours." As he spoke, he took her hand and slid it inside his already half-open robe. Qin Jiuye instinctively tried to pull back, but his restored body was firm and burning hot. Her lover’s whispers echoed in her ear, and everything was so intoxicating... "Miss Qin?" Tan Duoce’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the door. Qin Jiuye’s pupils shrank. She looked up to see his tall silhouette cast against the door and window. The room was unlit, and the man outside couldn't be sure of the situation within. He leaned his hands against the gap in the door, drawing closer as if trying to either listen or peek inside. "It’s only just past seven. Could she be asleep already...?" Tan Duoce muttered to himself. A moment later, the door swung open, and the woman stood straight in the doorway, looking at him. "Master Tan, is something the matter?" Tan Duoce stepped back slightly, then laughed heartily. "Ah, so Miss Qin hasn't retired yet. I heard from Lieutenant Lu that you’re departing tomorrow, so I thought I’d invite you all for a farewell drink in town..." As he rambled on, the youth’s figure emerged from behind the woman. "Greetings, Master Tan." Tan Duoce’s voice cut off abruptly. A flicker of subtle realization crossed his rough, dark face before settling back into a calm expression. "Ah, it’s Xiao Sa. It’s so late, and it’s pitch black out here. What were you and Miss Qin doing in a room without any lights?" His expression was honest and blunt, but his question was sharp enough to kill. However, the youth was no ordinary opponent. He simply turned to look at the woman beside him. "This time, I was fortunate enough to be rescued by Shopkeeper Qin and Mr. Teng Hu. Shopkeeper Qin is fulfilling her duty as a physician; she requires me to have my pulse checked every morning and evening." His words were perfectly proper, but his gaze held a transgressive heat, the very picture of someone ready to offer himself as payment for medical services. Thinking of the silent, suppressed back of that young Commander, Tan Duoce sighed inwardly. But he kept the smile on his face, stepping forward to squeeze between the two who were exchanging looks. He took Qin Jiuye by the arm and began leading her out. "Xiao Sa, you’ve just recovered from a major illness. Drinking is bad for your health. Why don't you stay here and get some rest..." *** It was impossible for Tan Duoce to leave Li Qiao behind at the inn. Back then, even Li Kuquan hacking him half to death hadn't stopped him from escaping the Commander’s estate. How could he stop the now-strong and healthy Li Qiao? The daytime market had dispersed. On the town’s most bustling street, only the old wine shop still had a paper lantern lit. It hung from a half-broken, crooked tree like a bright orange persimmon, adding a touch of warmth to the chilly autumn night.