The familiar line caught Ye Ran completely off guard.
She looked at Jing Xing in surprise, almost wondering if she had misheard.
But this reaction only made the jealous jar beside her start radiating cold air.
“Is junior sister feeling sorry for him?”
Lu Li still had a smile on his lips, but his eyes were ice-cold. When his gaze fell on Jing Xing again, the chilly look was as if he were staring at a dead man.
Remembering that Lu Li had even dared to kill Immortal Master Gulin, Ye Ran’s heart tightened. She quickly grabbed Lu Li’s arm and shook her head in denial.
“No! Of course I don’t feel sorry for him.”
Only then did Lu Li’s expression soften a bit.
But Jing Xing, oblivious to how dangerous his situation truly was, grew even more pitiful when he saw that Ye Ran hadn’t defended him.
“Senior sister, do you think I’m too dumb too? But I’ve only just started learning—I really don’t know much yet. All I know is that senior sister is very skilled, and I want you to teach me more.”
This remark was practically dripping with insincerity. Even Ye Ran could smell something off about it.
But this was her first time encountering such a situation, and she had no idea how to handle it. Instinctively, she tried to comfort Jing Xing:
“It’s not your fault. Not everyone has talent. What matters is working hard from now on.”
“Senior sister, do you really think so?”
Jing Xing’s eyes immediately lit up, and he unconsciously took a few steps closer to her. Only when he felt Lu Li’s icy glare did he quickly stop.
“But I’m so slow. Senior sister, could you teach me more often from now on?”
Jing Xing looked at her with pitiful eyes, like a puppy waiting to be petted.
If this had happened fifteen minutes ago, Ye Ran wouldn’t have hesitated to agree.
But now that she sensed the subtle insincerity in his demeanor, she grew wary.
She was in a restricted story—anyone who played pitiful or deliberately tried to get close to her needed to be treated with caution.
She would naturally follow her master’s orders and continue teaching Jing Xing, but she definitely wouldn’t agree to his request for “more teaching.” If he had ulterior motives, spending too much time with him would be very dangerous for her.
Just as Ye Ran was trying to think of a way to politely refuse, a cold hand slipped around her waist and slowly tightened.
“He’s being so sincere. Why not agree, junior sister?”
Ye Ran followed the voice and saw Lu Li still smiling gently, as if he had transformed back into the caring senior brother of the past.
But feeling the unrelenting pressure around her waist, Ye Ran felt utterly helpless.
He was pretending to be magnanimous, but she had no doubt—if she actually agreed right now, Jing Xing would likely turn into a corpse in the next moment.
At that instant, Ye Ran couldn’t help but question her decision again.
Had hitching her wagon to Lu Li really been the right choice?
She had only agreed not to call things off with him, but now his behavior made it seem as if he saw himself as the rightful partner.
Not only that, but he was also incredibly hard to handle—even more overwhelming than he was in bed.
“Junior sister, why aren’t you saying anything? Is this decision really so difficult for you?”
When Lu Li’s voice came again, all the gentleness from before was gone.
Ye Ran knew—he was genuinely angry this time.
No longer able to think of a perfect excuse, she hurriedly said:
“All formations stem from the same principles. The key is thinking for yourself. If you need someone to guide you in everything, you’ll never truly learn. That’s enough for today. Junior brother, go back and study the formation manual carefully.”
Compared to before, Ye Ran’s tone had become much harsher.
Jing Xing’s expression shifted from joy to dejection. He stared at her pitifully, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
After a long moment, he reluctantly bowed to Ye Ran.
“Senior sister, I understand. I’ll go back and review properly.”
Having said that, Jing Xing didn’t leave immediately. He lingered, staring at Ye Ran with reluctant eyes, as if hoping she would call him back.
But with the person beside her already on the verge of rage, Ye Ran said nothing. In fact, she deliberately looked away, avoiding his gaze.
Only then did Jing Xing leave, turning back every few steps.
Ye Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But the moment she relaxed, a body pressed against her, pulling her into an embrace.
“Junior sister really is quite enthusiastic.”
Ye Ran knew full well that Lu Li wasn’t complimenting her. Sure enough, when she looked up, his face had turned completely dark—the perfect picture of someone about to settle accounts.
But her guilt lasted only a moment.
After all, she was only teaching her junior disciple on her master’s orders—she hadn’t done anything shameful.
“I’m just following our master’s orders to instruct my junior brother. Why are you being so sarcastic, senior brother?”
As soon as she said this, Lu Li let out a cold laugh of disbelief.
“Junior sister doesn’t think he has ulterior motives?”
To be honest, Ye Ran wasn’t entirely sure. But upon second thought, aside from being a bit insincere, Jing Xing didn’t seem to have any hidden intentions.
So, under Lu Li’s gaze, Ye Ran slowly nodded.
“Of course not. Jing Xing just has a weak foundation and is eager to learn.”
“Weak foundation?” Lu Li’s voice turned cold. “Junior sister must not have heard what I said earlier. If he truly knew nothing, how could he have gotten into Wanxian Sect?”
Only then did it hit Ye Ran.
Earlier, her attention had been completely absorbed by Jing Xing’s syrupy words, and she hadn’t given Lu Li’s remark any real thought.
Now that she considered it carefully, she realized something was off.
Jing Xing was a disciple her master had taken in directly from within the sect. To have entered Wanxian Sect at all, his foundation couldn’t have been that poor. There was no way he wouldn’t understand even the simplest formation.
She had been fooled by Jing Xing’s harmless face and hadn’t thought of this.
A chill ran down Ye Ran’s spine. It seemed Jing Xing really was trying to get close to her deliberately. If she had remained oblivious, he might have taken advantage of her weakness one day.
The confidence in Ye Ran’s demeanor suddenly deflated. When she looked at Lu Li again, her gaze turned sheepish.
So he hadn’t just been a jealous mess after all.
“As expected, senior brother has such sharp eyes. You spotted the problem right away. I truly admire you.”
Ye Ran quickly tried to butter him up to make amends.
But Lu Li wasn’t buying it. He simply snorted coldly. “How could I be as impressive as junior sister says? I’m nothing but a petty, jealous husband.”
Ye Ran suspected Lu Li could read minds.
How else could he have guessed her thoughts so accurately?
Her expression grew even more guilty. She quickly reached out to soothe him.
“Senior brother, don’t be angry. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have misunderstood you.”
“Then how does junior sister plan to compensate me?”
Lu Li grabbed her hand, and the sound of his heartbeat pulsed clearly through his palm.
Ye Ran’s heart skipped a beat. When she looked up at Lu Li, she saw that his expression had returned to normal, but his gaze at her had grown intensely warm, making her feel flustered.
“How about I make you some pastries another day as an apology?”
The painful lesson from yesterday had made Ye Ran wiser. This time, she resolutely avoided mentioning anything related to tea.
She was sure there was no way pastries could be improper.
“Alright.”
To her surprise, Lu Li agreed very readily.
So readily that she felt like she had fallen into a trap.
She eyed him warily. His gaze was still intense, but aside from that, nothing seemed off.
Ye Ran relaxed a little.
“Then I’ll make some for senior brother tomorrow.”
“But I want them now.”
Lu Li’s arm tightened further, pressing Ye Ran flush against him.
His burning body enveloped her completely, making the air around her feel hot and thick. She even began to feel suffocated.
She pushed against his chest. “Then I’ll go make them right now.”
“I want red bean cakes.”
Lu Li didn’t let go. Instead, he held her even tighter.
Not sensing anything amiss, Ye Ran simply thought that although she had never made red bean cakes before, she could give it a try.
“Then let go, senior brother—”
Her words died in her throat the moment she looked up at Lu Li.
The desire in his eyes was stronger than ever before. She was the red bean cake, and he was about to devour her, bite by bite.
“I’ll go make them right now. Let me go, senior brother.”
Even though she already knew what Lu Li was thinking, Ye Ran pretended not to, hoping to escape unscathed.
But once Lu Li had set his mind on something, he wouldn’t let her off so easily.
He lowered his head and leaned close to Ye Ran, his gaze still so direct that it made her heart race with unease.
“Does junior sister truly not understand what I mean?”
“Of course I do—you want red bean cakes. That’s easy for me. I’ll make them right away.”
Ye Ran continued to play dumb.
Lu Li chuckled.
The low laugh reached Ye Ran’s ears, making her heart tremble. She suddenly had a feeling that disaster was imminent.
“No need to go through the trouble, junior sister. There’s already some right here. I’ll just eat here.”
The moment Lu Li finished speaking, Ye Ran felt her sash come loose.
Before she could react, Lu Li pressed a hand to her back and slowly lowered his head.
“Mm~”
An unfamiliar, tingling sensation made Ye Ran let out an involuntary moan.
Snapping back to her senses, she quickly pushed against Lu Li’s shoulders, trying to shove him away.
It wasn’t that she rejected his actions—it was that they were still outside, with no cover whatsoever. And Lu Li actually dared to do something like this.
If any disciple happened to pass by, their bold behavior would spread throughout Wanxian Sect in no time—no, the entire cultivation world.
Her heart raced at the thought. While pushing Lu Li away with all her strength, she frantically scanned their surroundings, terrified that someone might show up at any moment.
But Lu Li was completely lost in the moment. No matter how Ye Ran pushed, he wouldn’t budge. In fact, he even made sure to attend to the other “red bean cake” as well.
“Senior brother… stop… someone might come…”
The mix of tension and tingling sensations pushed Ye Ran to her breaking point. When she spoke, her voice came out fragmented, barely able to form a complete sentence.
But the only response she got was Lu Li growing even more eager.
Soon, a thin layer of sweat broke out on her back. All the strength drained from her body, and her hands, which had been pressed against Lu Li’s shoulders, went limp, barely able to rest there.
And then, at that very moment, she suddenly sensed an unfamiliar presence approaching.
Her nerves snapped taut again, and her heart pounded even faster.
Summoning the last of her strength, she pushed at Lu Li once more.
“Senior brother, someone’s coming… not here…”
Finally, Lu Li reacted. He lifted his head and looked at Ye Ran.
“Then why doesn’t junior sister tell me where?”
“Inside…”
With the presence drawing closer and closer, Ye Ran’s tone grew urgent.
“Alright. As junior sister wishes.”
Satisfied at last, Lu Li scooped Ye Ran into his arms, and in the next instant, they were back inside her room.
Ye Ran let out a long breath, her body going limp in his embrace.
But soon, she was laid down on the bed, and Lu Li’s body covered hers.
“Senior brother! What are you doing?”
The familiar, tingling sensation returned, making Ye Ran cry out in surprise.
“Junior sister was the one who said to go inside. You wouldn’t deny a person his meal, would you?”
Lu Li propped himself up slightly and licked his lips under Ye Ran’s gaze.
The action made Ye Ran’s breath catch. Her heart, which had just begun to calm, started racing again.
“How about another time? I’m really tired right now.”
Ye Ran resorted to pleading and making empty promises.
But her promises weren’t very convincing. As soon as she spoke, she guiltily looked away, not daring to meet Lu Li’s eyes.
And Lu Li saw right through her lie.
He pinched her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“Since junior sister is tired, how about I eat them a different way?”
“What different way?”
Confusion flickered across Ye Ran’s face. But instead of answering, Lu Li lowered his head and silenced her with a kiss.
Only when she felt a swelling sensation did Ye Ran fully realize that everything before had just been a prelude. This was his true intention.
But even realizing that, it was too late. Once Lu Li had his way, he wouldn’t stop easily.
Coupled with the fact that his skills had improved recently, Ye Ran gradually found herself enjoying it as well.
By the time she truly couldn’t take any more, she had already lost the ability to resist. She could only let Lu Li do as he pleased.
Ye Ran had no idea when she fell asleep. She only knew that at that moment, Lu Li was still buried in the crook of her neck, whispering that it was the last time.
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