The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus

From the second day of their marriage, the black lotus had started to sleep on the ground, very close to the bed. He was extremely well-behaved and calm, with not a single objection. He and Ling Miaomiao were simply good neighbors, living together in harmony. Every day they slept with sweet dreams, both feeling extremely pleased with the other.

She usually woke up about an hour later than Mu Sheng. When she woke up with her hair in a complete bird’s nest, Mu Sheng had already rolled up and tidied the blankets, placing them on the corner of the bed before he left the room.

As her gaze moved, she noticed a lone carved apple on the bedside cabinet, carved in the shape of a bunny. The bunny’s butt was pointed towards her face, giving her a strong sense that it was wronged.

Ling Miaomiao disdainfully glanced at the apple rabbit — And after taking a long glance at it, she felt a little thirsty so she picked it up and took a bite.

As she bit down, Mu Sheng’s hand holding her comb floated up to her line of sight. His cute watery black pupils looked at her filled with a smile: “Is it tasty?”

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“Oh….” Ling Miaomiao had only bit down halfway before she raised her head to look at him awkwardly, replying with a single sound.

He nodded then pulled out a stool then sat down. Patiently, he watched her eat the apple. At the same time, he continued holding the comb between his fingers, tapping it against the table again and again.

“What are you doing?” Ling Miaomiao was doubtful.

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Fbl rzynle vbl yrrzl cynj esod sd vbl vyczl yde okrle bla byde. Mbld, pbl xshle shla vs vbl xyjlwr vyczl.

Ling Miaomiao didn’t know just why Mu Sheng suddenly grew such an interest in her hair. All she knew was that in his hands, he played with her hair for half an hour yet still looked reluctant to part with her hair.

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She could see through the reflection in the mirror that the youth had a soft expression; no, a loving expression as he carefully caressed her hair. She felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles and she took the next opportunity when he leaned in to kiss her hair again to solemnly remind him: “Ziqi, brush it properly.”

Mu Sheng froze abruptly and then raised his head. He looked at the mirror with eyes filled with grievance. He saw a beautiful girl in the reflection, the tips of her ears peeking out from the soft strands of hair just like and elf. Her face was ruddy with color and he could clearly see that she was putting on a strong front to face him with an unperturbed expression. Immediately, he felt like there were cats lightly scratching at his heart.

“Miaomiao.” His tone was calm and collected as he made a proposal, “In the future, can you leave your hair down while you’re in our room?”

“…. why?” Ling Miaomiao’s lashes trembled for a moment. The feeling of sitting on pins and needles seemed to intensity even more, to the point that she felt like speaking was very difficult.

“I like you a lot like this….” He could no longer maintain a placid tone and as his soft voice came out, he also slowly bent down and kissed her forehead.

Ling Miaomiao made a hidden sigh in her heart but didn’t dodge him.

Forget it, she would just let him be this time.

—– She absolutely could not let him brush her hair in the future.

She lowered her head and found a brand-new bottle of combing water on the table. The bottle was exquisitely made and had a perfectly carved jasmine flower on it.

Wufeng Town’s rouge was both delicate and elaborate. There was a wide variety of options and even the bottles themselves were much more exquisitely made compared to other places. This was a place where girls dreamed of.

Beside the bottle, there were several boxes of bright rouge laid out.

Mu Sheng couldn’t bear to let her go and caressed her hair again. Upon seeing her staring at the table however, he couldn’t help but speak up in a soft voice: “I also bought these for you.”

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Ling Miaomiao picked up one of the boxes with a bit of hesitance: “I’ve never used this shade of red before.”

“Then why don’t you try it on?” He was unconcerned, “Should I help you put it on?”

“No need!” Ling Miaomiao immediately denied him and stared at the mirror. She felt defeated as she realized that despite suffering for half an hour, her hair still hadn’t been brushed.

This was the second day the main leads were staying in Wufeng Town. Liu Fuyi was extremely caring as he especially found a new residence for the two of them that wasn’t too big. On top of that, he was already prepared for them to stay here for about 10 days to half a month.

The residence also had a small courtyard and it was many times more comfortable compared to the guesthouses close to it. However, there was a single downside which was that this residence had been abandoned for a long time. Thus, much of the furniture had to be newly bought and even now, the bed’s overhanging canopy had yet to be set up.

The past few days, they all had gone their own ways, bustling and busily handling their own affairs. They all entered the marketplace and purchased all kinds of daily necessities. All of them in fact.

As a result of Ling Miaomiao wanting to trim some of her new clothes, her surroundings were all women. She shooed away Mu Sheng and quickly threw herself into the horde of madams and young ladies to pick and choose.

After properly making measurements of her clothes, it had already gotten late in the day. Ling Miaomiao turned round and round in the shop before choosing a new overhead canopy with extreme care. After everything was taken care of, she skipped her way back to the residence.

Miaomiao’s steps were both quick and light. The canopy’s fabric hung from her arm and she really felt like this was the most fashionable canopy she ever saw in this world. It was a dark green color with a bit of the refined, traditional feeling to it. To the touch, it felt just like mermaid silk

² [2] Mermaid Silk or 鲛纱, from what little I could find about it, seems to be a kind of thing gauze / silk material that purportedly was water-proof.

but it felt much softer than mermaid silk. However, what was even more wonderful was that the shop owner mentioned the fabric was so translucent that it could even soften the sunlight passing through it, preventing one’s eyes from getting stabbed at in the morning.

Who knew that the moment she sat down on the bed and started setting up the canopy, Mu Sheng’s face would abruptly change: “What is this?”

Ling Miaomiao replied while smoothening out the corner of the canopy: “The canopy I bought.”

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Mu Sheng walked over with haste and stared at the canopy in her hands. His tone was a little strange: “Don’t… don’t use this one.”

“What? Why?’ Ling Miaomiao was shocked as she raised her head. She discovered that his expression seemed extraordinarily out of sorts. Actually, he kind of looked like a little puppy whose tail got jammed in the doorway, trying with all of its strength to get out yet was unable to: “What’s…. what’s wrong with this canopy?”

His long lashes trembled for a moment as he deliberated before speaking in a cautious tone: “…… the color isn’t very good.”

“But I like it a lot.” Ling Miaomiao was a little disappointed with him. She fondled the fabric once again with great happiness, “…. once you see it enough, you’ll get used to it.”

He pursed his lips, just like a cornered beast: “I…. I don’t like it.”

“…….” Ling Miaomiao felt like a fire had been lit in her heart.

In reality, ever since they had gotten married, Mu Sheng had become extremely obedient to her. After so much time, she had simply gotten used to this side of him and so now she felt a little disorientated and confused.

Now of all times he suddenly protested her actions with such intensity. She felt rather out of sorts, staring at him with frustration: “It’s my own bed so I’ll use what I like! If you don’t like it, you can sleep next door.”

The youth immediately shut his mouth. He looked at her with eyes wide open, observing her fuming face as she put up the canopy corner by corner. Sunlight shone down from above, scattering and filtering through the canopy and only letting scattered motes of light fall down on her soft hair. She slightly raised her chin and the light seemed to lightly slide down to her slightly opened lips. Her lips looked extremely tender, just like… a piece of cake….

His expression immediately sunk and he rushed to chug down a glass of cold water, calming himself a little.

Ling Miaomiao finished putting up the canopy and agilely picked up her skirt to jump off the bed. She walked over to the cabinet in quick steps and took out a few objects from it.

“Ding ding dang dang —-” He acted as if he was a cat whose tail had been stepped on after hearing this sound. Each and every follicle of hair on his body stood on end.

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“What is this?”

Ling Miaomiao slightly turned around and allowed him to see the objects in her hands: Four little bells stringed together. However, the style and that sound….

That erotic dream immediately rushed to the forefront of his brain unbidden. Immediately, a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead as his voice shook a little: “Where did you get that?”

“Aiya. Why do you have so many questions….” Ling Miaomiao’s forehead was covered with sweat as she strung up the bells above a corner of the bed. She tried making sure it was tightly attached and the string no longer sagging but, in the end, grew too tired. Her hands felt sore and she still hadn’t managed to tighten the string to an acceptable degree, “In Jingyang Slope, I saw that Madam Shi had bells hung up in the corners of the bed and I found them beautiful. Madam Shi saw that I liked them so she gifted me these four bells.”

“Don’t hang this up….” His tone was almost pleading as he asked of her.

Ling Miaomiao didn’t know whether or not to cry or laugh: “What kind of wrong have these bells done to you?”

“They’ll make noise at night and prevent you from falling asleep.” His pitch-dark pupils stared at her. For a moment, she felt a misconception of him being rather pitiful.

“Oh, if you’re worried about it being noisy….” Ling Miaomiao pursed her lips and made a sincere guarantee, “I sleep extremely deeply, it won’t bother me. It won’t both you either.”

“But….”

The bells fell down and she retrieved her arm in defeat, tapping it with force: “I can’t get it up…”

She thought of something, turning around and saying: “Ziqi, can you help me put these up?”

Mu Sheng stood by the table, on his third cup of cold water with a rather blank expression on his face. Upon seeing that look of expecation on the girl’s face staring at him, he muddleheadedly walked over.

Fortunately, after she passed the bells over to him, she immediately picked up her skirt and got off the bed, watching him from a distance instead.

He knelt on the bed, the center of his palms sweaty, and tightly bound the string holding up the bells to the corners of the bed. He slowly tapped them and the bells immediately let out their signature sound. The halo of light let in by the canopy seemed to shiver. He felt bewildered and completely out of one’s wits.

He had agreed. He was… torturing himself.

He struggled greatly internally as he hung up the bells. Suddenly, he felt the bed sink a little and when he turned his head to look, he was caught off guard by Miaomiao’s face.

Her clothes draped across the bed. Her collar was a little loose, revealing just a hint of the snow-white, delicate flesh hidden below. In that moment, she blinked at him with her apricot eyes, innocently tilting her head up to look at him.

“You…. this… you…” His throat immediately seized up.

“Let me lay down and get a feel of things.” Ling Miaomiao laid down under the new canopy and felt great joy and satisfaction with everything. She rolled twice to her right and then back to the left twice. The more she felt, the more satisfied she felt. Unintentionally, she raised her head and saw his eyes, dark as night, staring at her with an intensity. She felt a bit weird as she smiled, “Go hang up your own stuff, why are you bothering with mine?”

She switched her position again and his kneecap unintentionally pressed against her soft waist. In that instant of contact, his senses sharply felt the heat touching his knee transmit throughout his entire body.

His hands shook harder and harder. He could only sense a ball of fire laying on the bed, burning and cooking him like he was a piece of pottery. However, the fire was too great and cracks splintered all the way down his body and he was… he was nearly about to….

He lowered his eyes to take a look, his heart filled with a deep sense of desperation. He reached down and silently pulled his clothes.

“Can you… can you move away….”

Ling Miaomiao could feel his body shivering slightly. She raised her head and saw that his face seemed flushed.

She guessed it was mostly likely because she was laying here and blocking him from doing what she asked. So, she quickly crawled up and picked up her skirt and moved to the side: “Ok.”

Looking at his face, she couldn’t help but add with an apologetic tone: “Take your time, don’t rush.”

His eyebrows were trembling and it seemed like he didn’t even hear her words. HIs movements were extremely rapid as the remaining bells were quickly hung up in the other corners. He pushed off the bed and immediately rushed out the door, causing a light gust of cold wind to rise.

“Eh?” Ling Miaomiao was confused as she watched Mu Sheng disappear.

Deep in the night.

Ling Miaomiao was exactly like she had guaranteed: Sleeping soundly and stably. She did not move at all and made not a single sound as she slept.

He couldn’t fall asleep.

—-How could he possibly fall asleep?

He silently got up from the bedspread on the ground. Without a sound or even any movement in the air, he brushed aside the canopy. The girl laid before his eyes, deep in sleep. One hand was pressed against her abdomen as her chest rose and fell with her breathing. Her other hand was hung at the edge of the bed.

He stood at the edge of the bed, very, very carefully picking up her hand and then softly kissing the back of her hand.

Her fingers trembled a little at this and he immediately stiffened. Then, her entire arm moved and slowly moved up to cup his face. Then, it moved upwards once again to his forehead.

In the dark, his heart leaped wildly, stiffly experiencing her touch.

“How come you’re not asleep yet?” Miaomiao was still half asleep so the ends of her words slurred in a rather captivating yet soft manner. She seemed exceptionally harmless at that moment.

Her ice cold fingers stopped against his forehead for a moment before her warm voice came out: “Do you feel too cold?”

“……..”

“Why don’t you just come and sleep on the bed then, your covers are thin.” She was still half asleep as she comforted him. Her sweet voice was a little hoarse and was exceptionally intimate and moving at that moment.

“…. I think I’d better not.” The youth’s eyes flickered in the darkness, only managing to refuse with great difficulty.

“Then forget about it, sleep well.” She flipped around and fell back to sleep.

However, there was a bunch of rustling and other noises behind her back, immediately followed by the tinkling of bells.

He had still crawled up onto the bed in the end. Not only had he crawled up onto the bed, he had even testily reached out to touch her waist with his hand. He lightly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest, even a little.

Ling Miaomiao didn’t struggle at all. She was so sleepy she couldn’t even open her eyes. She only muttered: “Don’t move so much.”

“…..” Mu Sheng lowered his head, a little speechless. She had taken the words straight out of his mouth.

The girl in his arms quickly calmed down and her breath evened out. She slept calmly, without any precautions against him. Soon, his boiling blood also calmed down eventually. The two of them seemed to meld into one ball of warmth. His lips very carefully touched against her warm neck.

[1] Alright so I ended up looking this up… in summary, if you have straight hair, don’t brush your hair when it’s wet. Your hair is at its weakest when it’s wet. Lololol.

[2] Mermaid Silk or 鲛纱, from what little I could find about it, seems to be a kind of thing gauze / silk material that purportedly was water-proof.

TLN: Wow, what a spicy chapter huh lololol. Just gotta say though, as a guy I can understand Mu Sheng here lololol. Anyways, hope y’all been doing good. Take care of yourselves, don’t eat junk food if you want to have energy~ As for me, I think I’m doing better myself. At least, compared to me of yesterday… Ah, so much stuff to do so little time. Just gotta say one more thing: Why are feelings so much of a pain in the spine?! Sigh. I finally sort of understand what y’all gotta go through everyday.