Feigning a struggle Ling pushes the taller woman away and crosses her arms with a glare. Bao gulps. Her face whitens when she realizes what she has just done. How could she have just rushed into it like that? She isn’t even entirely sure this is what the girl meant! Her mind races, trying and failing to figure out how to convince the young lady she isn’t just a pervert grasping on to the first opportunity.
…Isn’t she?
Her thoughts grind to a halt. Did she jump her simply because the girl is the first one to show interest in her? Her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She’s shaken out of her stupor when Ling huffs petulantly and sits down on the edge of Bao’s bed with her legs crossed.
“Hmph, to assault a lady of the Li clan, have you no shame?” She exclaims in a raised voice causing Bao to somehow simultaneously pale further while her cheeks flush, an expression Ling would not believe possible if she weren’t seeing it right now. She cuts off Bao’s stuttering reply with a raised palm and fixes her with a glare.
“Is that how you apologize for an act so grave?”
A loud thud resounds when Bao’s knees hit the floor and another even louder one when her head follows suit. She slams her forehead down twice more before speaking.
“This lowly Hu Bao offers a thousand apologies for her discourtesy and begs for Lady Li’s forgiveness.”
For a moment the room is so silent one could hear a pin drop until a faint rustling resounds and a cloth shoe falls to the floor. Ling extends her foot towards the kneeling woman.
“Raise your head, Hu Bao. Show me how regretful you are.”
Bao’s eyes hone in on her wiggling toes. She carefully, almost reverently touches her foot. She supports the ankle with one hand with utmost care while stroking the bridge with her other. Ever so slowly she brings her face closer and kisses the top of her big toe. She moves her lips to kiss each toe in turn before her mouth opens as if she were gasping for breath. She hesitates for a moment until she sees Ling’s toes wiggle encouragingly for her. Just for her. Her grip on the girl’s heel grows firmer and her stroking intensifies while she pulls the foot closer to her face and takes a toe into her mouth.
Her eyes close in joy and she lets out a long, drawn out moan, reveling entirely in the sensation without paying any attention whatsoever to anything else. The toe leaves her mouth with a wet plop when she reluctantly lets go of it to move on to the next one. By the time she gets to the third her hand has stopped petting Ling’s foot and moved lower into the creases of her own robe. Her moans intensify while she suckles on the small toes one by one, so lost to pleasure she does not open her eyes even once. Her tongue shyly peeks out of her mouth to flick into the gaps between the ice princess's toes, her head moving while her tongue stays extended in the same position, every bit of focus on her tongue devoted to taking in the taste to the point none is left for it to move by itself.
She lifts the foot even higher, tilting it slightly and beginning to kiss and lick the sole. Her nostrils flare as she inhales deeply. The ticklish sensation causes Ling to giggle unbidden, snapping Bao out of her daze and causing her to look up wide eyed.
“I only meant for you to kiss it.”
Bao’s thoughts slow. She chides herself for falling to her lust so quickly after trying to make amends. But how could she have known Ling’s feet would look so petite and lovely? The justification feels hollow even to herself. She struggles for something to say, anything, that would explain her actions away. Ling appears like a divine being to her when she extends her other foot towards her with the tip of her shoe right in front of her nose and speaks.
“Take this one off too.”
“A- as you wish.”
“Oh and Bao?”
“Yes, Lady Li?”
“Stop touching yourself.”
She pulls her hand away with a squeak, blushing furiously. Rubbing her fingers dry on her robe she shakily unties Ling's laces taking great care not to cause any discomfort. She inhales through both her nose and mouth at once when she takes the shoe off, the slightly acrid scent of sweat intermingling with womanly sweetness resonates through her brain and prompts another sound in between a long drawn out groan and a moan.
“I want it sparkling clean, Bao.”
With intense focus and great joy she begins to work on her other foot like she did the first. She sucks on her toes, licks in between and works her tongue all around them before moving to her sole and finally circling around to the top. What she does not expect is for Ling’s other foot to take her hand’s place and stroke across her underwear. The surprise causes her to shiver and let out a particularly hoarse moan as she comes. She shakes and grasps Ling’s heel just a bit too tightly making the Li let out a sharp hiss. Immediately she apologizes even before she finishes orgasming, the slight anger she sees on the girl’s face causing her heart to drop. She presses her cheek to the side of her foot and apologizes over and over, placing a kiss on it each time she does until Ling caves in.
“Very well, I shall forgive you so long as you take off your clothes.”
“All of them?” Bao asks hesitantly.
“All of them.” Ling replies. Bao gulps, all her insecurities coming back to the fore as she stands up uncomfortably. Ling’s brow creases when she notes the woman’s reaction. Mistaking it for annoyance Bao speeds up her pace, struggling to untie her sash in a hurry and failing to find purchase on it with her shaky fingers. Ling can’t help but feel her sadistic lust rise to the fore watching the tall woman struggle while casting glances her way. She licks her lips when Bao stands before her entirely naked and gestures for her to stop hiding her breasts and privates behind her hands. Bao hesitantly obeys, the bells on the ends of her dreads chiming due to her doubtful shivers.
“Get on your knees, Bao. Good. Now tell me, what is this?” She asks while taking out a silver plate bearing the mark of the Hu. Bao’s eyes widen and she sputters while reaching for it. Ling pulls it back just out of reach while pushing her back down with a foot on her face. The woman seems far less displeased by the action than she should have been.
“Th- that’s my token! Where did you get that?”
“Is that so, this is yours?”
“Yes!”
“Oh how curious. You see,” She begins, cold fury coloring her features while she glares down at the increasingly confused woman. “One of my assailants dropped this shortly after Shen Qiu was dealt a lethal blow. So tell me, Miss Bao. Why in the twelve hells would they possess your token?”
“What?!” Bao freezes in place. Her mouth opens and closes while her eyes remain wide open in disbelief. When she speaks it seems more like she is talking to herself than trying to answer Ling. “Bu- but that’s impossible… No, I haven’t seen it since then but how? When did I last have it? I still had it when opening the archives to show Young Master Cai around, the attack happened mere hours after that. When I changed into my nightwear I put it asi- It was gone. But when? On the road from the archive to my workshop? Did I leave it in the workshop when changing to my protective gear? No, I used my qi signature to get into the workshop, not the token. Why didn’t I use the token? Was it already gone then?”
She chews on her nail while desperately trying to remember how someone could’ve taken it from her without her notice or even worse how her negligence could have caused her to lose it, leaving it for any ruffian to find. Ling’s expression of fury slowly fades. From what she’s seen of the young Hu there’s no way she’s this good of an actress. That answers the question of whether Cai had her support to get the token but not how he knew it could let him out or even how he knew she had gone out. Was it Qing after all? She does not want to dismiss Qiu’s opinion out of hand but then again, does the redhead not trust her as well? Ling’s chest pangs painfully. Yes, Qiu’s judgement is lacking when it comes to such matters.
She takes a deep breath and considers what to do with Bao. There is little point in trying to blame the woman further even if her naivety is to blame for Cai getting the token. A trail of blood falling in a spurt of droplets, red beads freezing mid air like sparkling gems streaming from the one she respects most. She channels a mote of ice qi to push down her emotions in full. Bao shivers when the foot still atop her face grows chilly. She looks up to meet Ling’s eye and tenses at the even colder look in her eyes.
“Tell me, Bao. When did you first find out I was to be outside your capital’s barrier?”
“Only when you got back.” She replies shakily, still desperately trying to figure out how to prove her innocence.
“Very well, I shall trust your words. The fact however remains that Sir Cai somehow ended up in possession of your token.” Ling casually reveals while gauging her reaction. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you and him had a little conspiracy going on.”
Bao sinks into herself further. A betrayal? The girl in front of her was nearly slain by her own sect? All thoughts of proving herself are put aside as she stands up and wraps her arms around the ice princess.
“Oh you poor girl, I'm so sorry this happened to you because of me.”
Now it is Ling’s turn to freeze in place. She chides herself for dropping her guard to this extent around a potential enemy, no matter how low the chance the woman now warmly embracing her is one. Her words spill out before she has a chance to stop them.
“I do not need your pity!”
“I know. I know. You’re amazing, anyone can tell that you are but no one should have to face betrayal like that even if they can handle it. I’m so sorry.”
Ling pushes her away with a complicated expression. Her chest tightens and her teeth grit. She clenches her fist, hesitates and then takes a deep breath to calm herself. Striking the woman for her transgressions would serve no purpose. Best she get all the benefit she can from it.
“If you feel sorry, show it with your actions. You are a skilled concocter are you not? Serve under my employ and teach Shun the usages of the Misty Blossom.”
“It would be my pleasure, Lady Li.” She replies and bows her head, her eyes catching on Ling’s still bared feet. Ling sighs in exasperation, she sits back down and crosses her legs while raising one of them.
“Well then, let us see whether you are fit to serve me.”
-----
It is morning by the time Ling, Shun and Qiu reconvene within the former’s chambers to plan for the next day of the gathering. While the first day was scheduled to begin in the evening since it takes time for all clans to arrive, the second will be filled with various social events and trials in addition to the evening matches. While the first day had only two, this day at least half a dozen challenges are expected and Shun intends to offer one of them herself. The mood is light as both Ling and Qiu fuss over her and stop her from stressing over the upcoming bout until all at once the temperature drops. With thunderous steps Ling homes in on the redhead and grabs her by the collar, pulling one side open to reveal a hickey.
“Qiu, what the hells is this?”
Thanks for the chapter.
The fact however remains that Sir Cai somehow ended up in possession of my token.
of your token
Woops, that slipped through editing. Thanks for letting me know!