Ch 92: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Jing Li noticed his gaze and quickly said, “It wasn’t me who drank it!”

He tried to climb out of the water, but his body had gone soft from soaking in the hot spring, leaving him without much strength. He slipped back into the water with a splash.

Qin Zhao, crouching at the edge of the pool, was hit by the splash, soaking his collar and leaving a few droplets on his face.

He didn’t dodge, just looked down at Jing Li. The water droplets trickled down his sharp jawline, landing on Jing Li’s face.

Qin Zhao gently wiped away the water stain with his fingertip, his gaze deep and slightly amused. “If it wasn’t you who drank it, then who? Was it the little fish?”

Jing Li looked up at Qin Zhao with a slightly dazed expression.

The wine wasn’t much, and Jing Li didn’t think he’d get drunk so easily. But somehow, under Qin Zhao’s gaze, he felt his whole body start to heat up, suddenly finding the temperature of the spring a bit unbearable.

In the small house behind him, a dim candle was lit in the outer room, while the bedroom remained in darkness.

Qin Zhao glanced quickly toward the bedroom and asked in a low voice, “Is the little one asleep?”

“Asleep… asleep.”

“Then we shouldn’t wake him up.”

Qin Zhao slipped into the water quietly, barely disturbing the surface.

But the slight ripples reached Jing Li, and he instinctively took half a step back, his spine pressing against the cool edge of the hot spring. In front of him was Qin Zhao’s warm body.

With the steam swirling around them, their figures became hazy and indistinct.

The hot spring pools in this courtyard were specially designed, each with a different temperature. Jing Li, naturally cold, had chosen the coolest one. It was pleasantly warm, not hot enough to make him sweat—perfect for something else entirely.

Qin Zhao leaned in, pressing Jing Li against the pool’s edge, lifting his chin. “Say it again—who drank it?”

Jing Li, perhaps dulled by the wine, looked into those striking eyes and chuckled. “It definitely wasn’t me.”

“Is that so?” Qin Zhao lowered his head. “Then I’ll have to check for myself.”

He kissed Jing Li’s lips.

The faint scent of osmanthus filled his mouth, and Qin Zhao, satisfied, finally pulled back. “Do you know what this is called?”

Jing Li, dazed from the kiss and wanting more, reflexively asked, “What?”

“Osmanthus-drunk fish.”

A fish that’s stripped bare and fully ripe.

Jing Li ignored his teasing remark.

Under the influence of alcohol, Jing Li seemed unusually sensitive to teasing, yet Qin Zhao kept holding back, leaving him in agonizing suspense. But Jing Li was a fish, and fish in water weren’t meant to be restrained.

With ease, he broke free from Qin Zhao’s grip, reversing their positions and biting down on Qin Zhao’s shoulder.

“Quit stalling,” Jing Li muttered, displeased.

Qin Zhao chuckled, about to say something, when his expression froze. The bold little fish, emboldened by drunkenness, had placed his foot on him, playfully nudging as if he’d discovered a secret. Leaning close, he whispered smugly into Qin Zhao’s ear, “Seems like you’ve been wanting this all along.”

The water rippled more intensely, and Qin Zhao quickly grabbed that slender ankle, stopping him from moving further.

“You little troublemaker—”

Qin Zhao dared not let Jing Li have his way, knowing that if they lost control, it would be hard to stop. He also didn’t want to waste any more time, lest the little one wake up in the middle of the night and notice his parents were missing.

That would ruin any plans.

Thoughtfully, he caressed Jing Li’s ankle, contemplating how to coax him into shifting back into his tail form. Suddenly, his palm slipped.

A soft caress from the delicate tail fin brushed past his fingertips, smooth and cool as silk.

It was an entirely different sensation than before.

Jing Li kissed him softly and murmured, “I know what you’re going to say.”

Qin Zhao looked up, suddenly feeling like he’d made a major misstep tonight.

Alcohol wasn’t always a good thing.

But a little now and then could certainly add to the mood.

Qin Zhao lowered his head, kissing Jing Li deeply, as his fingers traced over the cool, smooth scales one by one until each was warmed by the water. Finally, he found and lifted that single movable scale.

The fish tail instantly wrapped around Qin Zhao’s leg.

In that moment, Jing Li’s drunkenness cleared—but only for an instant. Before he could even voice a protest, he was swept away by a surge of uncontrollable, overwhelming waves, pulling him deeper into a powerful undercurrent.

…

They continued their playful mischief until the moon was high in the sky.

At first, Jing Li worried the sounds might reach the attendants outside, too nervous to move or make a sound, suppressing his shivers until Qin Zhao finally told him he’d dismissed everyone when he’d returned.

Clearly, this had been planned.

As for the little fish fry, he behaved himself for once, sleeping soundly all night without interrupting them.

The perfect timing and setting had left Jing Li almost unable to shift his legs back to normal. After several attempts, he finally managed it, allowing Qin Zhao to carry him out of the water.

Pulling the collar of his robe around him, Jing Li’s fingertips tingled with lingering numbness as he complained, “I won’t even be able to go out and have fun tomorrow.”

Qin Zhao kissed the scales that still lingered at the corner of Jing Li’s eye, reassuring him, “Just get a good night’s sleep, and it’ll be back to normal. Don’t worry.”

Jing Li snorted softly, showing his doubt.

As Qin Zhao carried Jing Li back to the room, he noticed the dishes still sitting on the table. Jing Li explained, “The prefect sent it over, worried you didn’t get enough to eat at the banquet tonight. But it’s been so long now that it’s all gone cold, so even if you’re hungry, there’s nothing to eat.”

Qin Zhao understood immediately.

So that’s where the wine had come from.

“No problem, I’m not hungry.” He went straight to the bed, placing Jing Li on the inside and then lying down beside him, pulling both his little one and his husband into his arms.

The little fry nestled comfortably between them and quickly drifted back to sleep.

Qin Zhao pressed his forehead against Jing Li’s and whispered softly, “I’m full from eating fish.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCciHAPSRHe/?igsh=MXUzM3QzYmhwNWlncw==