The moment Ye Ran turned around, she saw Lu Li standing right behind her.
His smiling eyes made her legs feel weak, and her mind involuntarily flooded with many embarrassing, heart-racing images.
Seeing Lu Li looking so fully satisfied, Ye Ran couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful.
She picked up his robes again and dumped them all into his arms.
“My place is too small and inconvenient for you, senior brother. You should go back to Wangxian Hall.”
“I actually find junior sister’s place more comfortable than Wangxian Hall.”
Lu Li put the clothes back and closed the cabinet, preventing Ye Ran from tossing them out again.
“I’m thinking of you, senior brother. The sect has been very busy lately. If you stay here, you’ll have to run back and forth every day. That’s too exhausting.”
Changing tactics, Ye Ran tried to subtly chase him away under the guise of caring for him.
But Lu Li just smiled. With a wave of his hand, a teleportation array appeared before them.
“I already set up a teleportation array in junior sister’s room. Getting back to Wangxian Hall is very convenient.”
Ye Ran hadn’t expected Lu Li to be so thoroughly prepared. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly said:
“Now that there’s a teleportation array, senior brother doesn’t need to live here to watch over my safety. So you should go back to Wangxian Hall.”
With that, she picked up Lu Li’s things and tried to stuff them into the teleportation array.
But before she could even get close, Lu Li hugged her from behind.
“I know junior sister doesn’t want to live with me.”
“I don’t—”
Feeling guilty, Ye Ran started to argue, but Lu Li turned her around and pressed a finger to her lips, stopping her.
“Very well. I will respect junior sister’s wishes.”
At these words, Ye Ran couldn’t help the joy that flickered in her eyes. But the next moment, Lu Li continued:
“However, I will stand guard outside junior sister’s room every single day, until you see my true heart and allow me to come inside.”
“???”
Did the big villain have no shame? But she still needed hers.
If he really stood outside her room every day, what difference would that be from a public execution?
Ye Ran stared at Lu Li in disbelief, unable to fathom how anyone could be this shameless.
Seeing that she wasn’t responding, Lu Li made a move to walk out the door.
“Since junior sister doesn’t want me here, I’ll go wait outside until you change your mind.”
“Wait!”
Just as Lu Li was about to step out, Ye Ran grabbed his arm.
She really couldn’t afford to lose that much face.
But she didn’t want to make things too easy for him either. Her eyes darted around and landed on the small couch by the window.
“Senior brother can stay here, but you can only sleep on that small couch.”
“Alright.”
Lu Li agreed very readily.
Ye Ran immediately sensed a trap. She quickly added, “And no sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night.”
“Whatever junior sister says.”
Lu Li still looked agreeable.
Only then did Ye Ran fully relax. She put Lu Li’s things back in the cabinet.
But soon, Lu Li pressed up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’ve been so obedient to junior sister. Don’t I deserve a reward?”
His hot breath spilled over her ear, making her body tremble involuntarily. She couldn’t even stand to hear the word “reward” anymore.
A few days ago inside the Guixu Diagram, when she couldn’t take his relentless teasing, she had slapped him. But he had grabbed her hand and asked her to keep “rewarding” him, and afterward, he had only grown more eager.
Even now, just thinking about it made her waist ache.
“The sect has been so busy lately. Doesn’t senior brother have anything else to do?”
Ye Ran was politely trying to refuse him.
She grabbed Lu Li’s hand, trying to break free from his embrace, but Lu Li only tightened his arms.
“Since junior sister can’t think of anything, I’ll just take my own reward.”
The words sent a jolt through Ye Ran. She immediately turned her head to look at Lu Li.
But this move gave Lu Li the perfect opportunity. He lowered his head and captured her lips. Before Ye Ran could react, he pried her lips open and slipped his tongue inside.
Caught off guard and unable to resist, Ye Ran could only let him sweep through her mouth, curling his tongue around hers in an relentless dance.
Just as their kiss grew deep and intense, an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded from outside:
“Senior brother, are you there? Something urgent requires your attention at Wangxian Hall.”
The voice snapped Ye Ran back to her senses. She quickly pushed against Lu Li’s tongue, trying to shove him away.
“Someone’s looking for you, senior brother…”
“No hurry.”
Lu Li kissed her again. This time, his kiss was even more urgent than before, leaving Ye Ran no room to resist.
But sensing that the presence outside wasn’t leaving, Ye Ran’s body remained tense. Her heartbeat quickened with each passing moment.
Worse still, the disciple outside, receiving no response, began slowly approaching the door.
And the door was only half-closed. If someone came closer, they would immediately see the two of them kissing.
Panicking, Ye Ran pushed at Lu Li again.
This time, Lu Li finally relented. After one last sweep of her mouth, he ended the kiss.
Just then, the disciple arrived at the doorway.
“Senior brother, something urgent requires your attention at Wangxian Hall.”
“I heard you.”
From an angle the disciple couldn’t see, Lu Li gently brushed his finger against Ye Ran’s hand. Feeling her body stiffen, he left the room with a satisfied smile.
The kiss had drained all of Ye Ran’s strength. After Lu Li left, she collapsed onto the small couch by the window.
Sunlight streamed through the window, making her feel warm and lazy.
But she had barely rested when another knock came at the door.
“Junior Sister Ye, are you here?”
This time, someone was looking for Ye Ran.
She quickly got up and opened the door to find an unfamiliar disciple standing outside.
“Senior sister, is something the matter?”
“The sect leader would like to see you, Junior Sister Ye. Please come with me.”
The woman wore a proper smile on her face and gestured for Ye Ran to lead the way.
Though puzzled, Ye Ran couldn’t refuse the sect leader’s summons. She nodded and followed the disciple to Tianyuan Hall.
When Ye Ran arrived at Tianyuan Hall, Lingxu was sitting by a window, brewing tea.
Seeing Ye Ran enter, he smiled and waved.
“You’re here? Come over.”
Though Lingxu still looked kind and approachable, Ye Ran felt somewhat uneasy about his sudden summons.
“Disciple Ye Ran greets the sect leader.”
Ye Ran walked to the window and bowed respectfully to Lingxu.
Lingxu nodded approvingly. “A good child. Sit down.”
“Yes.”
Ye Ran remained somewhat tense.
Although the sect leader was known throughout the cultivation world for his good temper, for some reason, every time she met him, she felt an inexplicable chill.
“This is some tea I just brewed. Have a taste.”
Just as Ye Ran was feeling anxious, Lingxu pushed a cup of tea toward her.
“Thank you, sect leader.”
Flattered, Ye Ran quickly took the cup and, under Lingxu’s gaze, took a sip.
The moment the tea went down, a surge of rich spiritual energy followed, flowing into her body and making her feel much more relaxed.
“May I ask why the sect leader has summoned me?”
Seeing that Lingxu hadn’t yet mentioned why he called her, Ye Ran took the initiative to ask.
At this, Lingxu smiled.
“I heard that Li’er has moved into your place?”
The question caught Ye Ran off guard. She hadn’t expected that news of this had already reached the sect leader’s ears—and that he would summon her to confirm it.
Unable to discern Lingxu’s intent, Ye Ran could only nod nervously.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
To her surprise, Lingxu’s smile grew even brighter. “You’re a good child. Li’er being with you puts my mind at ease.”
Only then did Ye Ran relax a little.
She had thought the sect leader might consider Lu Li neglectful of his duties and that today’s summons was a warning to stay away from him.
She had almost feared she was about to lose the thigh she’d just latched onto.
Fortunately, it seemed the sect leader was just being nosy.
“Alright, it’s getting late. You may go.”
It appeared that Lingxu had called Ye Ran over just to ask this one question. Once he had his answer, he dismissed her.
Ye Ran had no desire to linger either. The moment Lingxu let her go, she quickly stood up and bowed.
“Yes, this disciple takes her leave.”
With that, she hurried out of Tianyuan Hall.
The moment she left, a man in black emerged from the shadows.
“You’ve trained that disciple for decades. You even gave him the Wind Control Technique to cultivate, all to forge him into a sharp blade to use against that demon lord. Now that he’s indulging in romance, are you truly not going to intervene?”
To the man’s surprise, Lingxu not only seemed unconcerned but even wore a meaningful smile.
“Romance creates vulnerabilities. A man with vulnerabilities is the easiest to control.”
With that, Lingxu’s gaze fell back on the teacup before him, and his smile turned cold.
Meanwhile, Ye Ran had barely walked a short distance from the main hall when she ran into Meng Xuan.
She considered pretending not to see him, but Meng Xuan, as enthusiastic as ever, approached her first.
“What a coincidence, junior sister. I didn’t expect to run into you here. May I ask what brought you to Tianyuan Hall?”
Meng Xuan’s gaze at Ye Ran was still eager, but this time, there seemed to be a trace of something else mixed in.
Ye Ran didn’t notice the subtle change. Seeing no way to avoid him, she responded politely:
“The sect leader had something to ask me.”
“I see. But I haven’t seen you around for the past few days, junior sister. Have you been unwell?”
Meng Xuan’s expression turned concerned, yet beneath that concern lingered a hint of scrutiny.
“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Meng. I’m fine. I just didn’t feel like going out these past few days.”
As she spoke, Ye Ran happened to meet Meng Xuan’s gaze and clearly caught that flicker of scrutiny.
But before she could probe further, Meng Xuan quickly looked away.
His guilty gesture made Ye Ran’s eyes narrow with suspicion. She then noticed that Meng Xuan’s complexion seemed somewhat pale.
“Senior Brother Meng, are you injured?”
Her casual question made a flash of panic appear in Meng Xuan’s eyes, but he suppressed it just as quickly.
“No, it’s nothing. I’ve just been busy lately and haven’t rested well. Thank you for your concern.”
With that, Meng Xuan glanced toward Tianyuan Hall.
“Master is waiting for me. I’ll go in now.”
He turned and entered the hall without another word.
This was the first time Meng Xuan had ever been the one to end a conversation. Ye Ran found it rather unusual.
But she was more than happy that he wasn’t clinging to her.
Seeing that dusk was approaching, Ye Ran didn’t linger either. She quickened her pace and hurried back to her quarters.
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