Xinyi's heart buoyed when she saw his eyes fluttered, but when he spoke those words she longed to hear, she only stood stunned, unsure if she'd hug him or pull him up or do both.
It seemed hugging him carelessly while he was in a coma was not that hard to do, but now that he was awake, she became bashful.
As she recalled what she said while he was asleep, her cheeks turned blush red and her hands went to her drenched coat, squeezing the water from it, yet her eyes were still fixed on him as if she was expecting something to happen but didn't know what to expect.
Xinyi was now an open book to Ming. He could clearly see her joy dancing from her heart to her eyes, but too shy to express and embrace him.
This awakened the man in Ming and jumped up. Wind whirred under his feet, keeping him afloat in front of Xinyi.
Both of them were soaking wet. His long hair lay limp, sticking on his face and shoulders while water droplets dripped incessantly at the edges of the now heavy clothes.
Xinyi's winter coat was the only barrier left to keep Ming from seeing her delicate skin and the lovely two-hills enticingly protruding on her chest.
The river spirit saw them in this awkward manner and thickened the encircling water around them to give them the privacy they needed, totally blocking them out from the outside world.
However, Ming didn't know this. His thoughts were fixed on Xinyi. After standing, he didn't wait anymore and pulled Xinyi to his embrace.
"I love you. I love you. I love you," he softly said with all his heart laid bare on those three words, but with a slight timbre of possessiveness in it.
He pulled her hood backward, exposing her wet fair face, cute nose, and lovely crimson lips. Looking at the lovely Xinyi sent his heart throbbing like a running wild stallion.
"You're so beautiful, my love," he softly said.
After speaking, Ming threw away all reservations and bent down, kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and… down to her inviting lips. His lips brushed her soft lips unhurriedly with his love resonating in his every touch.
Xinyi was least prepared with this fast development of their relationship, but she only closed her eyes and didn't move or reject his loving advances. Rather, her heart swelled as she felt his love carefully caressing her like a delicate flower. Her arms involuntarily rose to his nape, locking them both together and leaving no space in between them.
While this unexpected love-rush happened, the people outside wondered what took place inside that ball of water because what they saw earlier was already blurry, but now, it turned into a dense wall of light-blue water constantly rotating.
However, Nianshi and the spirit guardians already sensed Xinyi's joy and something else that could only be found between intimate couples. The men smiled knowingly while the girls giggled as they identified Xinyi's rushing emotions. They partly understood what went on and didn't pry more by detaching their connection from their mistress, for now.
The two Godingans couldn't feel what the spirit guardians felt, but as men, they speculated the possible situation of the two inside that ball of water when the river spirit smiled and nodded at them before diving back down into the river. Mostly when the spirit guardians, whose special identities related to Xinyi, smiled silly with their faces turning crimson.
Although everything was just a speculation, they needed not to ask. They believed they would also wish to spend time with their wives if they were Ming, who went through life and death situation. Thus, the two heroes left the area without saying a word.
Lofey watched Tyriece's reaction and heaved a sigh to see the young man's face was calmed, though a bit trace of pain was there.
Unknown to him, Tyriece was already struggling to keep his emotions in check and from exposing its ugly head in front of his foster father. However, his heart right now was like a paper shredded into small pieces. It was too painful that he wished to die but endured. To help decrease his agony, he walked ahead toward the cave, releasing the heaviness from his heart with his every step.
Nianshi transformed back into his human form and beckoned for them to go back to the cave.
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Inside the circling water.
Ming and Xinyi became lightheaded but their hearts drummed in a rhythm, pulling their desires together.
Ming's hand moved inch by inch to Xinyi's soft bosom, while his kisses went harder and deeper.
This intruding, unfamiliar sensation sent an alarm bell in Xinyi's mind. She halted a breath and slightly flinched as his hand groped those delicate mounds but her arms didn't push him away.
Somehow, Ming felt her body stiffened a bit. As a man who wouldn't force his wife to do something against her will, carefully pulled her hands down from his shoulders and let go of her lips.
Ming was breathless after that intimate kiss. He gasped for air while controlling his revolting desires as he lovingly watched her scarlet cheeks, mostly at her moist lips still open and inviting.
To distract his mind, he swept his gaze on his surroundings, and realized they were inside a ball of water. He entirely missed to notice this because the only thing he could think of when he opened his eyes was his wife, mostly when she was the major reason of his coming back.
He smiled. Although this setting piqued his interest well, he didn't ask her but only kept the silence and had his fill of this rare and blissful moment with his beloved wife.
As for Xinyi, she was still lightheaded and breathless after his long kisses, but felt something was amiss. With eyes still closed, her lips moved to ask why he stopped, but suddenly, Ming's arms wrapped around her again, so tight that she could hardly breathe.
"I want you. I want to own you now, my wife, but I think this is not the proper place I want to spend our first together."
Xinyi's face went from pink to red as she caught the meaning of his words and was embarrassed to forget where they were. 'Ah, the culprit was those kisses,' she thought.
Before she could say anything, Ming kissed her again, but with the intensity that wasn't there minutes ago, and let go of her again before he would lose out to the l.u.s.t of his flesh.
He turned his back on her to calm his sizzling desire and take his mind away from those tempting, half-exposed b.r.e.a.s.ts.
Ming looked up and exhaled deeply, recalling what he did during their heated kiss. He figured his mind went left by letting his l.u.s.t take control and unconsciously removed her coat, and threw it down before grabbing her soft bosom.
He yanked the winter coat encircling around along with the water's flow. He squeezed it dry and handed it over with his back still on her.
With his action, Xinyi just realized losing the coat and her thin clothes, exposing what she must have kept hidden. She yanked it from his hand and hurriedly put it on.
"How to get out of this wall of water?" Ming asked, to ease the tensing atmosphere between them.
Before Xinyi could call the river spirit, the wall of water instantly fell on their sides. They turned around to find there was no one else left at the river but them.
Spotting the cave was easy since its wide entrance facing the river directly gave it away. With one graceful move, he swept her up on his arms and let his wind fly them up toward the cave entrance, leaving a wet trail behind them.
He brought her down and a puddle of water mired the cave's floor as water from their clothes continued dripping.
Ming glanced around, smiling, expecting a warm welcome from his two Chiangda brothers, but they gawked at him instead. The air turned awkward for Ming.
"I'm back…" Ming excitedly shouted with opened arms, thinking they would run to him, but no one greeted him back nor said a word to welcome him. They only stood dumbfounded, staring at him.
It was not because his hair and clothes were sagging wet, nor his chest laid bare, which was unusual for him to do, that made him look undignified as the governor at this moment. But... it was his radiating countenance.
His body had this aura of an unseen power. A presence somewhat likened to a great mountain, but was not that intimidating.
Before the tragedy, he already had that charisma of a leader, making the nobles, including the king, value his presence. However, this time, he was like an unavoidable magnet, pulling people toward him while having that desire to serve him unconditionally.
Xinyi saw their tranced countenance and followed their line of sight. It was to Ming. And with that one look, her mouth gaped, too. However, the pulling feeling was not there. She only found him more dashing, yet sensed a power he hadn't seen in him before.
"What the…? Why didn't I see this when we were inside the water-ball?" Her face flushed red as their passionate kisses replayed in her mind. 'Eh! This is all his fault. His kisses were the culprit.'
"What did you see?" Ming said, completely puzzled too, but oblivious of her thoughts.
Out of a sudden, the people inside the cave, excluding Nianshi and Shijian, took a knee, facing Ming with their beaming faces and full of reverence.
Uneasiness and confusion plunged to those left standing aside from Shijian.
"What is going on? Stand up!" shouted Ming.
Xinyi hastily pried in Ming's inner essence and a hand went to her mouth as she gasped with what she saw.
What did she see?
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