The moon hangs full and bright outside Lanruo Temple as I lie on my straw mattress, unable to sleep. The temple feels alive with strange sounds and shadows. Just as I begin to drift off, I hear it—the unmistakable creak of my door opening.

My eyes fly open. There she stands in the doorway, moonlight silhouetting her perfect form. The beautiful woman from the northern courtyard, her white robes flowing around her like mist. How did she find me here?

Before I can speak, she glides toward me, her movements impossibly smooth. I sit up, my heart pounding in my chest. Her face is even more beautiful up close, her skin translucent in the moonlight.

"Please... who are you? What do you want?" I whisper, my voice catching in my throat.

She doesn't answer. Instead, she extends her hand toward my face. Her fingers feel冰凉 against my skin—unnaturally cold like jade. I shiver, both from fear and a strange thrill.

With a soft laugh, she climbs onto the mattress beside me, her body pressing against mine. Her breath tickles my ear as she leans in close.

"On this moonlit night, I couldn't sleep," she murmurs, her voice like music with a dangerous undertone. "So I came to find you..."

Her lips brush my neck, sending shivers through my entire body. I can feel her hands beginning to undo the buttons of my robe.

I know I should push her away, should shout for Yan Chixia. But her touch, despite its coldness, ignites a fire within me that I've never felt before.