Chapter 17

Lou Yue was even more displeased now.

Because of that Buyan flower, she had been forced not only to attend the Lou family banquet, but also to stay in Xuantian Capital for an entire month.

She had paid such a steep price, and now she merely wanted to turn around Liufeng Xin’s first impression of her in the book—that of a spoiled, dissipated young master—and gain an advantage so she could lend Liufeng Xin a hand. Even that wasn’t allowed.

How unfair. So what if he was Long Aotian?

Lou Yue snorted and withdrew her gaze from the man standing in the shadows, treating him as though he didn’t exist. Just as she was about to step into the barrier surrounding Mianyun Courtyard, the man emerged from the darkness and called out to her.

“A quarter of an hour. It won’t take much of your time.”

His voice was calm and steady, as though everything was under his control.

Lou Yue stopped and turned her head slightly, her tone cold with displeasure. “You say a quarter of an hour, and I’m supposed to agree?”

She stepped into the barrier, leaving the searing gaze behind her outside.

“When does the birthday celebration begin tomorrow?”

Little Qiu answered, “At a quarter to eight. It will take some time to get there from Mianyun Courtyard, so Young Master, you’ll have to rise at five.”

Lou Yue nodded carelessly. “Go get some rest. Wake me tomorrow morning.”

With that, she went inside and closed the door.

After night fell over Mianyun Courtyard, light sigils would ignite on their own in every room.

A warm yellow glow spread gently through the room, illuminating the dried water marks on the floor with perfect clarity.

Lou Yue stood there for a moment before slowly walking to the bed and picking up Xuanba, who was still in a tortoise-breathing state.

“Xiao Rangchen’s spiritual meridians have recovered. With his aptitude, it’ll take him at most a month to catch up from the Foundation Establishment stage to my current Golden Core stage.” Lou Yue absentmindedly scratched at the surface of the ice. “Sigh... Did that rotten heavenly law place some kind of restriction on me? Why do I keep saving him?”

Her fingers paused. “It must have! I hate scumbags the most. A womanizer like him—I have no reason to save him over and over again. It must be the heavenly law influencing me.”

Having found a perfectly good excuse, Lou Yue inexplicably felt relieved, though she had no idea what exactly she was relieved about.

Her face once again wore its careless smile. She flicked the ice with one finger. “Xuanba, if you don’t wake up soon, I’m going to stuff you into my storage ring.”

Living creatures were uncomfortable inside a storage ring, but there was no way she could leave Xuanba at Mianyun Courtyard. Besides, in its tortoise-breathing state, it probably couldn’t tell whether it was comfortable or not.

Lou Yue stared at Xuanba, hoping it would show some reaction. Unfortunately, it remained utterly still. She set it down, planning to put it in her storage ring when she left in the morning and let it enjoy one more comfortable night.

A knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Lou Yue assumed it was Little Qiu returning, so she called out for the person to come in.

But the moment she saw who was standing outside, she wished she could swallow that single word back whole.

“Xiao Rangchen, are you stalking me now?”

Xiao Rangchen did not enter. He simply stood outside the door.

“A quarter of an hour,” he repeated, looking as though he would refuse to leave unless Lou Yue agreed.

Lou Yue’s face darkened. After a long moment, she rubbed her forehead and waved dismissively. “If you have something to say, say it quickly. Then leave.”

Xiao Rangchen stepped inside and stopped two meters away from her. With a wave of his hand, he set up a soundproof barrier.

Seeing how freely he could now wield his spiritual power, Lou Yue secretly clenched her teeth.

“I need to go to Xuantian Capital,” he said bluntly.

Lou Yue raised an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with me?”

“What are your terms?”

Lou Yue raised her voice. “I said, what does that have to do with me?”

“I can help you with three things, as long as they don’t violate my principles.” His voice remained calm.

Lou Yue laughed in exasperation. “Do you not understand human speech?”

“Three things.”

“...”

Grinding her teeth, Lou Yue said, “Xiao Rangchen, are you overly confident?”

She rose and took several steps toward him, looking him straight in the eye. “What makes you think I’ll agree?” She folded her arms, the corners of her eyes lifting. “Don’t forget—you still owe me two lives.”

“What will it take for you to agree?” Xiao Rangchen’s gaze settled on the bright yet haughty eyes before him.

Lou Yue raised two fingers and poked them toward his face. “Two lives. Did you not hear me?”

Xiao Rangchen glanced at those fingers, more lustrous and delicate than any woman’s, and gave a faint hum.

“...‘Hm’? That’s it? Just one little ‘hm’?” Lou Yue was furious. She poked him again.

Xiao Rangchen caught her wrist. Even through the fabric of her sleeve, it was so slender that it seemed as though it would snap with the slightest pressure. The sensation reminded him of the previous morning...

Xiao Rangchen abruptly came back to himself and calmly pressed her hand down.

“I’ll repay you in the future.” His deep voice carried a faint huskiness at the end.

Lou Yue yanked her hand back in displeasure. “In the future? You might as well just say you’re never going to repay me!”

Xiao Rangchen lowered his empty hand and looked at her steadily. “I keep my word. Unlike you.”

Lou Yue lifted her chin, radiating arrogance. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you insulting me? This young master has an excellent memory. I may forget something, but I certainly won’t forget anything you’ve done!”

Xiao Rangchen’s gaze slowly passed over her face. After a moment, he gave a derisive laugh. “Is that so? I hadn’t noticed.”

“...Are you finished? If you are, get out. I must have been out of my mind to let you in!”

Xiao Rangchen, however, refused to give up. “What will it take for you to let me accompany you to Xuantian Capital?”

“Heh. You’ll have better luck dreaming.”

Lou Yue turned her face away, too lazy to look at him anymore.

The warm yellow glow of the light sigils flowed between them. In the silence, even their breathing seemed magnified without limit. Every rise and fall felt like it was plucking at something unseen.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Rangchen spoke. “That day, I did arrive earlier.”

What day? Arrive earlier than whom?

It took Lou Yue a moment to realize that he meant the day Xuanba had performed “surgery” on her. Her eyes widened, and she abruptly turned to him.

“You actually lied to me? What exactly did you do?”

Lou Yue regretted ever thinking that, at the very least, he was a man who dared to take responsibility for his actions. She wished she could go back and knock some sense into her past self.

Xiao Rangchen fell silent again. Just as Lou Yue was about to grab him by the collar and demand an explanation, he finally spoke.

“Do you dare to make a bet? Bet on whether tomorrow morning will be the same as before.” His deep black eyes locked onto hers, his tone confident and certain. “If it is, I’ll take you to Xuantian Capital.”

“Why should I bet with you?” Lou Yue said unhappily.

Xiao Rangchen arched a dark brow. “You don’t dare?”

Lou Yue knew perfectly well that he was provoking her, but she still couldn’t resist when she saw the mocking look on his face.

“What don’t I dare? Fine, I’ll bet. If you lose, you’ll serve as this young master’s slave for a month.”

“Agreed.”

Lou Yue crossed her arms, the motion sending a breeze through the loose strands of hair at her temples. “The wager is settled. Now it’s your turn to talk. What exactly happened that day?”

Xiao Rangchen’s gaze lingered briefly on the stray strands brushing past her flushed lips before he slowly replied, “The moment I appeared, I was bound by your formation.”

“And then?”

Xiao Rangchen lifted his eyes again. “Nothing else.”

“Are you playing me?!”

Lou Yue’s expression hardened at once.

There had been a great deal of thunder but hardly any rain. Either he was still hiding something, or there had truly been nothing more to it. Either way, the result was the same: he was making a fool of her.

Xiao Rangchen’s voice deepened. “What else did you expect to happen?”

“...”

Lou Yue was momentarily rendered speechless, then immediately shot back, “I didn’t expect anything! I’d be delighted if you stayed far away from me and never showed your face in front of me again!”

“If that’s the case, why did you save me?”

Xiao Rangchen stared at her intently. Then, all at once, he lifted his foot and took a step forward, narrowing the distance between them. His cool, clean scent swept over Lou Yue, carrying a sense of oppression while hiding a hint of bewitching allure.

“Why?”

Lou Yue restrained the urge to retreat and met his gaze without yielding an inch.

“Xiao Rangchen, I saved you. Not only are you ungrateful, you even came here to interrogate me.”

She let out a derisive laugh, her tone filled with disdain. “What do you want me to say? That I’ve fallen for you?”

She leaned toward him of her own accord, her red lips almost brushing his.

“Putting aside the fact that this young master doesn’t like men—even if I did, you would never be the one.”

Xiao Rangchen’s dark eyes abruptly deepened. The turbulent emotions within them were forcibly suppressed, leaving behind nothing but a heavy pool of ink.

Lou Yue turned and walked to the table, pouring herself a cup of water. “That’s enough. You’ve said what you came to say, so leave.”

Silence lingered behind her for a while. Then came the sound of departing footsteps. Once the noise of him going downstairs had faded, Lou Yue closed the door.

After a long moment, a low chuckle sounded inside the room.

On her way back from Tingyu Courtyard, she had already been thinking about how to get Xiao Rangchen to Xuantian Capital. She was worried that, if the male lead refused to go, the cheat ability wouldn’t activate. Then, even if she entered Que Yunsheng, she still wouldn’t be able to obtain the old grandpa who was supposed to accompany her.

Just as she was fretting over how to make it happen, Xiao Rangchen had delivered himself right to her door.

The outcome of tomorrow morning’s wager would make no difference. Regardless of who won, she would help Xiao Rangchen reach Xuantian Capital. The only difference was whether she did it openly or in secret.

Of course, winning would be best. Even if it didn’t affect the outcome, she still didn’t want to lose to him.

Thinking of how she had left him speechless with her final retort, the corners of Lou Yue’s lips rose uncontrollably once more.

That felt good.

Even the gloom of not seeing Liufeng Xin that evening had been completely washed away by the satisfaction.

Lou Yue returned to the bed. There were still five shichen before dawn, so she simply decided to meditate and cultivate until morning. Perhaps the mechanism triggered by “waking up in bed with Xiao Rangchen” required her to be asleep.

Lou Yue sat down cross-legged, adjusted her posture, and closed her eyes. Her lowered gaze happened to sweep past her chest, and she caught sight of its rise and fall.

Her eyes flew open. She looked down—

It was still as flat as a plain, flatter than flat.

Had she imagined it?

Lou Yue touched her chest. It was slender and flat, no different from usual.

She pursed her lips. Fine, it could only have been a trick of the eyes. How could she possibly have developed breasts out of nowhere? This body was unquestionably a man’s...

Lou Yue encouraged herself. She might not be able to become a woman, but she could still build a career. Pinning Long Aotian to the ground and rubbing his face in the dirt would be the best consolation for her wounded heart.

She was determined to defeat him in enlightenment beneath the ancient tree!

Lou Yue swept away her dejection, straightened her back, and entered meditation once more. Her breathing gradually settled, blending with the night beyond the window.

Little by little, the dawn light stripped the darkness from the sky.

The faint morning glow quietly crept into the room, spreading a hazy radiance beside the bed.

Just as Xiao Rangchen broke free from the murk of sleep, the sensation of warm, fragrant softness nestled against him left him dazed for a moment.

Lou Yue’s uniquely familiar scent wrapped tightly around him. Her delicate skin brushed lightly against the tip of his nose with every breath.

Her arm rested beside his neck, her fingers threading into his hair in an unmistakably embracing posture. His own hand, meanwhile, was clasped around her waist, his palm pressed against its supple curve.

He didn’t need to look. The intimate, suggestive scene had already imprinted itself in his mind.

Reason clamored that he should push Lou Yue away, that he should immediately escape this overly intimate embrace.

Yet his hand felt unbearably heavy.

His body seemed to possess a will of its own, sinking into the moment and refusing to pull away...

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Long Aotian, you’ve changed.