***
Only after Little Yue could no longer even stand, her entire body trembling uncontrollably, did Wenren Ying finally take pity on her and loosen the hand clamped around the back of her head. Their lips and tongues slowly parted at last.
Wu Guanyue was practically sprawled in Wenren Ying’s arms.
Of course, Wenren Ying was much taller and stronger than she was. When she was pressed against him like this, she felt as though she were lying on a huge bed…
A hot bed, carrying the fiery, masculine scent of blood and vitality…
Her toes were still raised off the ground, and both her arms were wrapped around Wenren Ying’s neck. Her whole body clung to his. Her eyes were wide, her lips soft and moist from being kissed, and she looked as though she had yet to recover from the shock.
Wenren Ying’s sturdy forearm was locked around her waist, supporting her, while his other hand gently stroked her back, as if soothing her nervousness and calming the tremors that refused to stop.
But… wasn’t he the very culprit who had turned her into this state?
Feeling Little Yue trembling in his arms, Wenren Ying narrowed his eyes… as though he were enjoying it.
Earlier, he had hesitated, not knowing how to face Wu Guanyue. At that time, he had not even dared look her in the eye, always instinctively avoiding her gaze.
But he was actually a decisive man, one with plenty of courage and resolve.
The moment he opened his arms and pulled Wu Guanyue tightly into an embrace, he had already made his decision. And once he had made up his mind, he would never again hesitate or keep her at arm’s length, allowing his Little Yue to be hurt.
Of course… Little Yue could no longer take advantage of his unwillingness to face his feelings and do excessive things to him as she had before.
If she did… then naturally, he would repay her in kind.
Wenren Ying reached out and ruffled Wu Guanyue’s hair again, messing up both her twin ponytails until they were lopsided and uneven.
Little Yue whimpered in his arms. “Brother Ying… you’re so mean…”
Wenren Ying could not help laughing happily. His voice sounded right beside Wu Guanyue’s ear, making it tingle pleasantly.
“Am I? Are you uncomfortable, Little Yue? Then I won’t do this ag—mmph…”
Before he could finish, Wu Guanyue leaped up and covered his mouth.
Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, and her expression was both coyly reproachful and delighted.
“Honestly, you’re awful! Don’t say things like that!”
Wenren Ying kissed her palm.
The girl’s body abruptly shuddered, as if she could not withstand the stimulation. With a quick little slurp, she snatched her hand back.
Wenren Ying laughed again.
Mm… this was something Little Yue had done to him before. As expected, when he turned it around and did it to her, she could not take it either… So perhaps he had not been completely out of control back then after all?
Wu Guanyue lay in his arms, tilting her head to study the line of his jaw, a thoughtful look appearing on her face.
***
Young Lord Miao’s mood was terrible. Absolutely terrible.
When he had first arrived, Wu Guanyue had still been bustling about the inn all by herself. She had looked like someone who could easily be taken advantage of in a moment of weakness. But after he had been slapped into a pig’s head by Wenren Ying…
The two of them had practically become conjoined twins, never separating for even a moment!
Wenren Ying had simply moved into the inn. They went everywhere together during the day, only sleeping separately at night—Wu Guanyue in a room on the second floor, and Wenren Ying in the servants’ quarters in the rear courtyard.
Young Lord Miao: “…”
From this obvious change, Young Lord Miao sensed that something marvelous had happened to their relationship.
Could it be that he had… instead… helped the two of them… tear through that last layer of paper between them?
Young Lord Miao: “…”
Young Lord Miao: “…………”
Furious, Young Lord Miao suddenly slammed his palm hard against the table and cursed under his breath, “Damn these two shameless lovers!”
He was cursing under his breath because he was still in the guest room and was genuinely afraid the shameless pair might hear him.
What a disgrace… What a disgrace…
He had wanted to split the two of them up to eliminate a future threat. After all, he really did not want Wenren Ying hunting him down. Otherwise, he could have simply grabbed Wu Guanyue and refined her on the spot—er, drained her soulfire on the spot. Why go through all this needless trouble?
But now look at what had happened. Not only had he failed to eliminate the threat, the two of them had become inseparable. He no longer had any chance to grab Wu Guanyue and refine her instantly.
What was he supposed to do now? How could he separate those two…?
Young Lord Miao drew a deep breath and took a small bottle from inside his robes. A rosy mist churned within it.
Young Lord Miao said solemnly, “Ancestor, I need your help with something.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor said excitedly, “Are we going to poison that Wenren Ying fellow to death? Wonderful! Wonderful!”
Young Lord Miao: “…”
His pig-like face twisted with rage. “I’d love to! But where am I supposed to get poison?”
One had to understand that poison was not something that simply fell from the sky. Cultivators had spiritual energy protecting their bodies. Ordinary poisons used by mortals, such as arsenic or crane-top red, could not bring down a cultivator. Although Wenren Ying’s spiritual residence had been shattered, the energy circulating through his meridians with every breath was still the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.
And deadly poisons capable of killing cultivators… Young Lord Miao had no way to obtain those either.
After all, he was merely a gigolo who specialized in seducing women and breaking up couples!
The Blood Demon Ancestor asked in confusion, “Then what do you want me to do?”
Young Lord Miao’s expression suddenly turned vicious.
He gave a sinister snort. “It’s something that will make Wenren Ying feel very, very good…”
An aphrodisiac!
That was right. The substance in Young Lord Miao’s hand was none other than an aphrodisiac produced by the Hehuan Sect of Red Dust Valley. The Hehuan Sect originally prepared it for men and women who wished to tame vicious stallions. It was not exactly poisonous, but then again… once someone took it, even the wildest horse would have no choice but to kneel and beg for pleasure.
Young Lord Miao was not from Red Dust Valley, but his own line of work was much the same as theirs. Naturally, he knew a few “kindred spirits” and had obtained some potent medicines from them.
Could Wenren Ying be considered a wild horse? That went without saying.
But whether he could withstand the fierce medicinal effects of the aphrodisiac was another matter entirely.
A woman like Wu Guanyue loved that man with every part of herself. Naturally, she also hoped that he would love her with equal devotion. Such a flawless, wholehearted love…
To taint it, all one needed was a single spot of ink.
When that happened, even if Wu Guanyue understood that it was not Wenren Ying’s fault, she would still be sad for a while. She would be unable to accept it for a while, and she would hide far away from Wenren Ying.
And then… would that not give him the perfect opportunity to strike?
Grab her and refine her instantly!
He would give Wenren Ying an extremely heavy dose—enough to keep him from regaining consciousness for three days and three nights unless he released it all. Then, naturally, Young Lord Miao would also arrange some women for him.
Those three days and three nights would be the time he needed to buy for himself!
Grab her and refine her instantly!
Young Lord Miao’s expression grew even more vicious, making him look like a dark and sinister pig.
***
Early the next morning, Wenren Ying went out to buy groceries.
After all, running an inn meant going through vegetables at a rapid pace. Whenever Wenren Ying wasn’t staying at the inn, Wu Guanyue would often go outside and pick up free fruit from the ground to cook with…
Wenren Ying: “……”
These days, however, her main business was fire chicken noodles. With late autumn upon them and the weather turning cold, the stuff sold surprisingly well.
So, in truth, Wenren Ying was only pretending to go out to buy groceries. His real purpose was to lure the enemy out into the open.
That Wonderful Gentleman was certainly patient. Several days had passed, yet there had still been no sign of movement.
Wenren Ying walked down the street with a bamboo hat on his head and no expression on his face.
Actually… he didn’t really want to leave Little Yue.
Little Yue always stirred up the deepest protective instincts within him. That desire had not been particularly strong at first, but the more time he spent with her, the more he felt that she knew far too little about the ways of the world. Running an inn meant dealing with all sorts of people, so he absolutely had to protect Little Yue properly.
At the thought of the Wonderful Gentleman, a cold murderous intent surfaced in his heart.
That brat had better not try anything against Little Yue. Otherwise, he would chop him into pieces and feed him to the dogs…
Little Yue… could she be in danger?
He couldn’t help thinking that way.
Wu Guanyue, for her part, reassured him that there was nothing to worry about. She said she possessed a very powerful magical treasure, and if she ever encountered danger, she would immediately use it to call for him.
Wenren Ying asked what kind of magical treasure it was.
Wu Guanyue dug around in her sleeve, and then dug around some more. At last, she pulled out a… garlic-flavored crispy little bun. With a loud “om nom,” she bit down on it, then blinked at him with her big eyes, gazing at him with complete confidence.
Wenren Ying: “……”
Wenren Ying: “……?”
It was truly difficult to understand…
Then again, Little Yue’s methods had always been difficult to understand—or even describe…
But there was no denying that Little Yue was an exceedingly reliable girl. She never made empty claims. Since she had said so, there was probably nothing to worry about.
Wenren Ying suppressed the excessive, irrational protectiveness in his heart and continued slowly onward.
Behind him, a barely perceptible mass of bloody mist had silently followed.
It was the Blood Demon Ancestor.
The Blood Demon Ancestor had come to investigate clues at the inn on the orders of Perfected Renhua. But he had been beaten so badly that his primordial spirit was nearly scattered. Perfected Renhua couldn’t very well make the donkey pull the mill without letting it eat, could he?
Thus, he had naturally helped stabilize the Blood Demon Ancestor’s primordial spirit and bestowed upon him three rays of Netherworld Light. Each ray of Netherworld Light could completely conceal the Blood Demon Ancestor’s aura for the duration of three time-blocks, ensuring that no one could detect him.
The day he had gone to Wenren Ying’s home to eavesdrop, the Blood Demon Ancestor’s primordial spirit had already used up one ray.
Today, while tailing Wenren Ying, it used up the second.
Wenren Ying walked out of Qihua Road, then turned into a narrow alley that led toward the main street.
The main street was filled with people coming and going.
He entered the shadows of the alley…
Now!
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s primordial spirit suddenly shot into the alley. Taking advantage of the moment Wenren Ying was off guard, it scattered an excessive amount of aphrodisiac powder directly into his face, covering him from head to toe!
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