Chapter 165 Fragrance

Chapter 165: Incense

The moment the door closed, it cut off the faint light from outside, plunging the room into a warm, dim stillness.

Only then did Cheng Ge have a chance to look around. The room was small, but the furnishings were exceptionally luxurious.

Rosewood furniture gleamed with a subdued luster, delicate flower-and-bird paintings hung on the walls, and a plush brocade cushion covered the chaise longue in the corner.

The most striking feature was a gilt beast-shaped incense burner in the center of the room, with wisps curling from its lid of milky white smoke.

A cloyingly sweet scent, with a slightly rancid undertone, permeated the air. At first whiff, it seemed like some extremely intense floral fragrance, rich almost to the point of being overpowering.

But upon closer breath, it subtly revealed an indescribable, sickly-sweet scent, like fermenting overripe fruit, thread by thread, seeping into the nostrils insidiously.

Cheng Ge inadvertently inhaled a few breaths, only to find the fragrance rising to his head, leaving him feeling dizzy and stifled.

The sticky sensation of the wet clothes on his chest seemed to be overtaken by this sweet scent, and a strange numbness suddenly crept through his body.

He frowned instinctively and walked to the window to push it open for some air.

"Hmm?" He pushed hard against the carved wooden window frame, but it didn't budge.

He tried the one next to it, but it was also fastened as if blocked from the outside!

Cheng Ge: "!!!" Damn it! Some bastard is trying to harm me!

And at that moment, the cloying scent seemed stirred by his movements.

It suddenly grew denser, rushing into his lungs in a mad scramble!

"Ugh..." Cheng Ge grunted, feeling a violent dizziness slam into his temples.

The scene before him began to blur, his body going limp as if sinking.

An overwhelming sense of weakness surged from his limbs. He staggered and grabbed the rosewood table beside him.

The cold touch brought back a shred of clarity. He shook his head vigorously.

That sickly-sweet, cloying fragrance wrapped tightly around every nerve in Cheng Ge's body like countless tiny tentacles, drilling deep into his very bones!

Deep within his body, a primitive and unfamiliar heat exploded suddenly, like a powder keg ignited, sweeping through his body with a thunderous roar!

His blood seemed to boil, surging through his veins, every muscle twitching and spasming.

"Mm... ah..." Cheng Ge let out a barely suppressed groan from the depths of his throat.

Darkness swam before his eyes, his legs weak as boiled noodles. He stayed on his feet by sheer willpower.

He bit his lower lip hard, the taste of blood instantly filling his mouth. The sharp pain briefly pierced through the haze.

"No way in hell I'm going down here!"

On Cheng Ge's youthful face, an unhealthy flush spread.

Sweat soaked the soft strands of hair on his forehead, plastering them to his smooth brow, emphasizing his wrecked, vulnerable look.

Survival instinct overpowered his extreme discomfort. He staggered and lunged toward the closed door!

His shoulder, with the full weight of his body, slammed into the heavy carved wooden door!

"Boom!"

A dull, booming sound echoed in the silent room.

The door... didn't budge! It was clearly blocked from the outside!

Cheng Ge leaned against the door, panting heavily. He swept his gaze across the dim room, and without another word, he bent down and snatched the round stool beside the table.

"Crash! Crash! Crash!" The stool smashed again and again against the closed carved wooden window frame! Splinters flew!

"Motherfucker!" Cheng Ge cursed, his hands numb from the impact.

But the palace's craftsmanship was excellent, and with the drug kicking in, the nanmu window frame only had a few dents and cracks.

Each exertion seemed to drain the last shred of his clarity, the force of his strikes weakening with every blow.

Sweat dripped from his brow, soaking his underclothes, sticking unpleasantly to his burning skin.

"Haah... haah..." Cheng Ge leaned on the round stool, gasping for air as dizziness hit him again like a wave.

He turned his head to look at the gilt beast-shaped incense burner, quickly moved over and smothered it, but only a small heap of gray ash remained in the burner.

Cheng Ge frowned deeply, stumbled backward, and leaned heavily against the wall.

He tilted his head back, gasping through half-parted lips, his gaze somewhat dazed.

Moonlight fell on his face. His official hat had long since fallen somewhere, his dark hair loose on his shoulders.

A watery light shimmered in his dazed eyes, revealing a fragile vulnerability and the forced ferocity of a cornered man.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He suddenly raised his pale left arm.

He opened his mouth and bit down hard on the soft flesh of his inner forearm.

"Rip!" A sharp tearing pain—along with the faint sound of flesh ripping—and his mouth filled with the thick taste of blood.

The intense pain, like an ice pick, stabbed into his foggy mind!

Sweat mixed with blood from the bite trickled down, leaving a livid red streak on his pale arm.

Just then! "Bang! Crash!"

The tightly shut door suddenly opened a crack from the outside.

Cheng Ge's gaze sharpened. Without thinking, he rushed toward the door.

But just as he reached the threshold, a slender figure lunged straight at him!

Cheng Ge: "!!!"

His pupils contracted! Instinctively, he dodged sharply to the side!

"Mm!" The figure hit the ground with a thud, letting out a muffled groan.

And the moment she lunged in, the heavy door slammed shut again from the outside with a bang!

Cheng Ge: "..."

The cloyingly sweet fragrance in the air mingled with the woman’s strong exotic incense, creating an even more bizarre scent.

The fire inside his body roared and blazed completely out of control.

It burned until his vision turned red, the veins at his temples throbbing wildly! Every inch of his skin trembled uncontrollably.

He clung to the last shred of crumbling sanity, staggering back two steps.

His back thudded heavily against the cold wooden door, barely propping up his limp body.

By the dim moonlight filtering through the window, he finally made out the person on the ground.

It was none other than Princess Wuya!