The Magpie Bridge was not too far from there, and they arrived shortly thereafter. It was probably just past midnight, and the night was even more hazy and intoxicating. The railing on the bridge was full of candles, and there were mostly single women walking alone on the bridge, as well as many couples.
It is said that if unmarried women and men walk on the Magpie Bridge together, they will soon find their other half. If married couples walk on the Magpie Bridge together, they will receive the blessing of "The Cowherd and Weaver Girl" and live together until old age.
The small maid walked carefree in front of them, occasionally stopping to stare, and then running back to chatter incessantly with the two of them.
As for Wu Jian, he carried Ye Qingfu on his back, taking his time to enjoy the beauty around him. The moonlit night was beautiful, and the light shone on the two of them. Ye Qingfu reached out and rubbed Wu Jian's face, exhaling like an orchid and said, "Jian'er, if there is someone you like, you will soon be of age and will have to appoint a concubine." After speaking, she unconsciously covered her large chest, feeling a bit stifled and suffocated, as if she had been pricked by needle.
"I don't have anyone I like. My favorite person is still my gentle and beautiful Sister Qing," replied Wu Jian tenderly, seemingly unaware of the women behind him.
Startled by the sugarcoated words, Ye Qingfu tightened her grip on the neck of the "playboy" and blurted out, "Jian'er, if you use such sweet words on other girls, you'll have children by now."
"Sister Qing, since we've crossed the Magpie Bridge together, won't the Cowherd and Weaver Girl bless us to live happily ever after and have a harmonious marriage?" Wu Jian laughed again, ignoring her words.
"You always talk nonsense." Ye Qingfu's voice was a mixture of anger and delight, slowly reaching her long black hair behind her ears. Before they knew it, they had reached the other side of the bridge.
....
In the Phoenix Tower of the Prince of Yong's residence.
The little maid who was tired from walking had already gone back to her own room. Wu Jian gently placed Ye Qingfu on the bed and helped her take off her palace shoes and silk stockings.
"Ah! Jian'er, what are you doing?" The sudden movement startled Ye Qingfu, who quickly pulled a corner of the silk quilt to cover her jade foot.
Wu Jian hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Ye Qingfu and explained helplessly, "Sister Qing, you just sprained your foot, and my cultivation technique, 'Astral Qi,' happens to have healing properties. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow with feet swollen like pig's. That would look terrible."
"But you can't just take off my stockings like that. You know that men shouldn't touch women's feet," Ye Qingfu argued, her face as beautiful as peach blossoms.
"I was just in a hurry. Isn't it a younger brother's duty to help his elder sister heal?" Wu Jian retorted.
"Go and bring some hot water over first," Ye Qingfu said.
Ye Qingfu's chest was heaving up and down as she hesitated. She thought about how her small feet would become swollen like pig's feet tomorrow, and that would be quite unsightly.
In the end, her love of beauty overcame her rationality, as all people have a love of beauty.
After a cup of tea's worth of time, Wu Jian brought the hot water over and knelt down with one knee, motioning for Ye Qingfu to put her feet into the wooden bucket.
"Um..." Ye Qingfu trembled as she placed her jade foot into the hot water, letting out a comfortable sigh and a contented expression on her face.
The slender feet in the water were as agile and lively as a fish, and the cute red toenails painted on them looked even more charming and alluring in the water.
Seeing this, even Wu Jian was a bit distracted.
Then he reached out and held the white, smooth jade foot. The small and lovely toes were round and cute, and felt like touching a piece of high-quality silk, soft and smooth, making people reluctant to let go.
However, there was a red swelling on the right side of the snow-white bare foot, where it had been sprained.
"Ah, Jian'er, are you... are you going to start now?" Being held by the foot, Ye Qingfu suddenly felt a weird and soft feeling rapidly flowing through her body, making her breathless and her nose heavy and rapid.
Wu Jian carefully placed the jade foot on his knee, cleared his mind of his previous thoughts, and concentrated his qi into his fingers, using the "Astral Qi" technique.
With the naked eye, one could see circles of silver-white true energy rotating around the swollen area, as if it were some kind of magical spell.
Another invisible true energy flowed through the soles of the feet, like a small stream, into the veins inside the jade foot.
"Ah... huff... huff... Luo Er, Luo Er, it's a bit itchy." As if a gentle breeze was blowing over Ye Qingfu's exquisite arches, entering the meridians like a stimulating sensation, she had to endure the discomfort, almost making a sound.
Shy and embarrassed, Ye Qingfu didn't want Wu Jian to see her in such a state, so she lay down and covered her head with the silk quilt.
The ambiguous atmosphere didn't last too long. Before a quarter of an hour had passed, the red swelling on Ye Qingfu's bare foot had disappeared.
Wu Jian breathed a sigh of relief, dissipated his true energy, suppressed his restless mood, and said gently, "Sister Qing, it's all better now. Nothing should go wrong, and you can walk normally tomorrow."
The charming figure buried in the quilt did not respond, apparently having fallen asleep.
"Then I'll go back to the attic first, Sister Qing, get some rest." Wu Jian knew that Ye Qingfu didn't want him to see her embarrassed state, so he didn't bring it up and just bid farewell before leaving.
After Wu Jian had been gone for a long time, the slender figure under the quilt finally pulled it off, sat up against the pillow with her knees together, held them with both hands, and rested her chin on the bend of her legs.
Feeling that the pain in her foot had disappeared, Ye Qingfu's eyes were misty and seemed to be able to drip water. She blushed and muttered to herself, "Jian'er is such a rascal, always teasing me and almost causing me to... almost..."
The gentle evening breeze blew over the Yong Mansion, and the night was as gentle as water. The rooms in the Phoenix Tower could still be seen faintly lit up.