INE Chapter 101: The Wager

By the time the group arrived at the main city of Xuanji, night had fallen and rain had begun to pour.

Since it was already late and the rain showed no sign of letting up, they decided to find an inn in the city for the night and pay a visit to the City Lord the following day.

With Wei Zongqiu footing the bill, money was the least of their worries. Naturally, everyone stayed in the best rooms.

The rooms were elegantly furnished, complete with large beds and an indoor bath. A few lotus-shaped flower petals floated on the water’s surface.

Though Wei Zongqiu was generous with his spending, the innkeeper had taken into account that Ji Rong and her guards were all women. For convenience, he arranged for them to share a room, while Wei Zongqiu and Jiang Fei each had one to themselves.

At this moment, Ji Rong was gazing at the luxurious suite before her, then at the smiling attendant who busily laid out wine and dishes.

She truly felt the power of wealth.

Then she thought, If even an average inn in Xuanji City is this extravagant, just how opulent must the City Lord’s residence be?

Suddenly, it hit her, she was the rich kid.

She had been fretting about how to have a heartfelt conversation with her original parents tomorrow, but now, just thinking about the vast fortune waiting to be inherited calmed her anxious heart.

With a fortune like that, forget pretending to be their daughter, I'd pretend to be their grandkid if they asked.

Gu Baiyi glanced at her absent expression, recalling what Ji Rong had said earlier, “I’m not her” and such. She assumed Ji Rong had been stirred by a sudden memory and felt emotional.

So she reached out, intending to take Ji Rong’s hand and offer comfort, only to grasp empty air.

Ji Rong had already reached for the wine cup on the table.

Raising the cup and frowning at its contents, she asked, “This wine is A Thousand Golds to Get Drunk. Why is it being served here?”

The young attendant smiled as he explained, “Esteemed guests, you may not know, but this wine was delivered by express order from the Jinyu Pavilion in Chang’an. A single pot of it is worth a thousand gold.”

“Ever since Sword Saint Yue passed out drunk at Jinyu Pavilion, the wine’s name has been changed from A Thousand Golds to Get Drunk to Eternal Drunkenness.”

Hearing this, Gu Baiyi chuckled softly.

Ji Rong’s face darkened with embarrassment.

What is Jinyu Pavilion doing, clout-chasing that hard? All I did was take a few sips of wine, and now I'm a living brand mascot?

Is this the power of branding?

Seeing her expression cool, the attendant froze, unsure what he'd done wrong.

Then the elegant and aloof young woman set down the cup and said calmly, “Thank you. That’ll be all.”

The attendant left, baffled but not daring to argue.

Once the room had quieted, Gu Baiyi stepped closer, smiling with amusement. “Looks like your drunken escapade at Jinyu Pavilion has become a tale for the ages.”

Ji Rong gave a faint smile. “Instead of teasing me, Junior Sister, perhaps you should be thinking about how to face your punishment.”

Although Wei Zongqiu had his suspicions, he never questioned Gu Baiyi’s identity directly. That meant Ji Rong had won their bet.

Yet Gu Baiyi didn’t seem to care about winning or losing. She walked around Ji Rong, sat leisurely by the bed, her eyes smiling.

“And how does Senior Sister intend to punish Baiyi?”

Her voice was soft, almost teasing, as she casually tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

Ji Rong’s heart surged with delight.

If I don’t make a move now, then when?

Tonight, she was determined to turn the tables.

Still, she maintained a calm expression and started with something light. “You lost. You’ll have to drink three cups as punishment, without using your spiritual power to sober up.”

Gu Baiyi chuckled. “Only three? Baiyi is happy to oblige.”

Just as she said that, Ji Rong picked up a jade bowl filled with lotus blossoms. She dumped the flowers into the bath and filled the bowl to the brim with wine.

Gu Baiyi: “…”

Ji Rong handed the brimming bowl to her with a perfectly straight face. “This is the first cup.”

Cup? Gu Baiyi silently scoffed. This is clearly a bowl.

Still, she accepted the bowl without hesitation, raised her head, and drained it in one go.

The amber liquid trickled down her jawline, slipped past her slender neck, and soaked into her collar, leaving osmanthus-shaped stains.

Ji Rong was momentarily stunned by the sight, forgetting what she had meant to do next.

Gu Baiyi, lips curled in a gentle smile, handed back the empty bowl. “Senior Sister, there are still two more.”

The candlelight danced across her lashes like golden threads, utterly enchanting.

Ji Rong suddenly felt like the room had grown much warmer. Her throat was dry.

Suppressing her rising desire, she poured the second bowl and handed it over.

To cool herself down, she poured a few cups for herself and began drinking slowly.

By the time Gu Baiyi had finished all three bowls, Ji Rong had also forced herself to down three cups.

But rather than feeling relaxed, she only felt more agitated.

She glanced at Gu Baiyi’s faintly smiling eyes, then at her pale, delicate hands.

Her heart raced.

She had the sudden urge to tie up those hands, just to see what she looked like, unable to move.

Maybe it was the wine talking, but Ji Rong felt it was time to prove she was no pushover.

She set her cup down and said seriously, “Tie your hands.”

Gu Baiyi blinked, needing a moment to process the words.

Then, hearing this audacious command, she looked straight at Ji Rong, calmly held out both hands, and smiled. “How would you like to tie them, Senior Sister?”

Ji Rong felt like she was burning with bravery.

I’m a mature top now. I’m the boss. I’ll have the heroine whimper in no time.

Reinforcing that thought, Ji Rong raised her hand and pointed to the plain ribbon tying Gu Baiyi’s hair.

Gu Baiyi gave her a small smile, testing the waters. “Senior Sister wants to use my hair ribbon?”

Ji Rong kept a straight face and solemnly nodded.

Hearing that, Gu Baiyi chuckled again and praised, “Senior Sister, you really do have a refined sense of fun.”

As she spoke, she obediently took off her hair ribbon, smiling as she handed it to Ji Rong.

Ji Rong was leaning against the bedpost by now, her mind already a little hazy.

She gazed at the ribbon resting in Gu Baiyi’s palm, nodded with mock modesty, but inside, she was burning with desire, the heat almost unbearable.

The moment she took the ribbon, she couldn’t wait to grab Gu Baiyi’s hand and haphazardly wound it around again and again.

The cool, smooth texture of her fingers made Ji Rong linger, gently stroking them as she wrapped the ribbon.

But as she went on, her movements began to slow.

Tying someone up was tiring, after all.

The alcohol was hitting her hard, and after struggling for a while without much success, Ji Rong grew impatient.

Under Gu Baiyi’s intense gaze, she finally let go, tossed the ribbon aside, and shamelessly declared, “You tie it yourself.”

“I tie it?”

Ji Rong hummed in affirmation, not forgetting to remind her, “Tie it tight.”

Gu Baiyi nodded, her fingers nimble and practiced as she began wrapping the ribbon around her wrist, loop after loop, until it couldn’t be wound any further. Then she finally stopped and asked with a gentle laugh, “Senior Sister, is this tight enough?”

“It is.”

Ji Rong put down her wine cup and looked at the ribbon wrapped tightly around Gu Baiyi’s wrist.

The pale ribbon, edged with a delicate plum blossom pattern, was pressed so firmly against her fair skin that it was starting to leave red marks.

Suppressing the tremble in her hands and the excitement in her chest, Ji Rong moved to tie a firm knot in it.

But before she could, Gu Baiyi lowered her head right in front of her, bit the ribbon between her teeth, and tightened it herself.

She even managed to tie a knot, though only a loose one, since it was too difficult to do it properly that way.

The night wind drifted through the window, swaying the bed curtains.

The candlelight flickered. Gu Baiyi looked up, a few strands of dark hair brushing against her lips.

Her eyes shimmered with the reflection of the flames, staring unblinkingly at Ji Rong.

Ji Rong was momentarily stunned by the look in her eyes. The woman before her didn’t seem human, more like some seductive spirit feeding on one’s very essence.

Though completely bewitched, Ji Rong forced herself to stay calm. She stepped up to Gu Baiyi, raised her hand, and quickly tied the knot herself.

After finishing, she even mimicked the domineering tone of a possessive boss and said, “You’re not allowed to use spiritual power to break free.”

Gu Baiyi gazed at her and gave a slight nod. Then, in a low voice, she asked, “Is there anything else Senior Sister wants to punish Baiyi for?”

Ji Rong was already on the edge, pushed over by that smile on Gu Baiyi’s lips and the seductive tone of her voice.

She couldn’t hold back any longer. Reaching out, she cupped Gu Baiyi’s face.

Under her gaze, Ji Rong leaned in and gently pressed her lips to the other girl’s.

Her mouth was warm and soft, carrying the rich taste of A Sip for the Ages, sweet and intoxicating.

It was like biting into a fragrant, melt-in-your-mouth pastry, first savoring, then slowly teasing with her tongue.

After thoroughly indulging, Ji Rong pursed her lips and wiped the saliva away with her hand.

Of course, she only wiped her own lips.

The thin silver thread still clinging to Gu Baiyi’s mouth remained untouched.

There was no other reason, her hands were bound, and Senior Sister wasn’t feeling generous enough to help her out.

But in the next moment, Ji Rong’s hand slid up to Gu Baiyi’s face. Her fingertips traced gently from her forehead to her brows, then down the bridge of her nose.

Once she finished, she unceremoniously pinched Gu Baiyi’s face, already soft and not particularly fleshy, and gave it a light tug.

With that tug, Gu Baiyi’s usually serene features twisted into a strange expression for the first time.

Right then, she looked absolutely ridiculous, like a kid pulling a funny face. Her brows furrowed slightly, a look of helplessness in her eyes.

Ji Rong blinked in surprise, then the corners of her lips curved up, and a clear, silvery laugh slipped from her mouth.

“So cute.”

Hearing that, Gu Baiyi frowned even more. She honestly didn’t know that her current look was cute.

Still, seeing Ji Rong laugh so freely, she didn’t want to spoil the mood.

Ji Rong, still smiling, pinched her face again and coaxed like one would a child, “So, are you my Junior Sister, or my disciple?”

“Who do you want me to be?”

Gu Baiyi’s tone was light, but there was a hint of probing behind her words.

Jealous of herself, now that was a new low.

Ji Rong didn’t catch on. She simply said, “If you’re my disciple, then my actions right now would make me an unseemly master. If you’re my Junior Sister, then I’m a bad influence, plain and simple.”

Gu Baiyi squinted slightly, she hadn’t expected Senior Sister to be thinking this deeply.

But what came next surprised her even more.

Ji Rong reached out and hooked a finger under her chin, teasing, “Maybe you should just be my disciple. That little brat tormented me for half my life, this lifetime, I’m going to take it all back.”

Gu Baiyi chuckled lowly, her voice a bit husky. “Senior Sister, you plan to take it back… from me?”

Ji Rong frowned. That sultry, rogue-like tone didn’t sound like the usual delicate heroine.

Was this… Gu Xueyi taking over?

Her instincts kicked in. She immediately grabbed Gu Baiyi’s wrist in alarm.

But before she could stop her, Gu Baiyi slipped free from the ribbon, seized her hand, and pulled her right into an embrace.

Unfortunately, Ji Rong had been standing right in front of a lotus petal-filled bath.

Already tipsy, she toppled straight in with a splash, water scenting the air with its sweet fragrance.

She choked on a few mouthfuls before a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and gently lifted her up.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking into Gu Baiyi’s clear, bright gaze, and breathed a small sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, it wasn’t the mad, unhinged Gu Xueyi.

But before she could exhale fully, Gu Baiyi raised her hand and gently brushed the wet hair from Ji Rong’s face.

Then, leaning in close to her ear, she smiled and whispered, “Since Senior Sister has had her fun… it’s time for Baiyi to return the favor.”