Ye Ran immediately withdrew the foot she had just set through the doorway.
She stared intently at the figure in the room, hoping it was just an illusion.
But that figure showed no sign of disappearing.
[System, this room is cursed. Let’s get out of here.]
Clutching the system tightly in her arms, Ye Ran planned to sneak away before Lu Li noticed her.
But of course, Lu Li chose that very moment to look up, and their eyes met. Ye Ran’s guilty expression was there for him to see in full.
“S-Senior Brother… you’re here too… what a coincidence…”
Caught off guard and feeling awkward, Ye Ran could only muster a dry greeting.
Lu Li set down the book he was holding. His gaze swept over Ye Ran’s hands, which had tightened nervously around the system, and a shadow flickered across his eyes.
“Won’t you come in, Junior Sister? Are you afraid I’ll harass you?”
The sudden question made Ye Ran’s heart jolt, her pulse racing uncontrollably.
What did he mean by that? Was he about to lay his cards on the table?
The more nervous she grew, the more fragmented memories surfaced in her mind.
It seemed that when she was drunk the other day, she had accused Lu Li of harassing her.
But even so, she still couldn’t be sure what he meant—whether he was referring to her drunken ramblings that day or planning to come clean about the love letters.
“Senior Brother, you must be joking. Someone as upright and disciplined as you would never harass anyone.”
In the end, Ye Ran chose to play dumb.
But that meant she could no longer slip away. Otherwise, she’d be admitting that she was afraid of being harassed by Lu Li.
Bracing herself, Ye Ran walked into the private room and sat down across from Lu Li.
Nervous, she unconsciously squeezed the system’s tail. The system, for its part, had already buried its head in Ye Ran’s arms and didn’t dare move a muscle.
Neither of them noticed that as Ye Ran drew closer, Lu Li’s eyes darkened and the hand resting on the table tightened slightly.
After several days, that fragrance was more intoxicating than ever.
Even though the scent was faint, it was more alluring than it had ever been. The moment he caught it, Lu Li’s body stirred restlessly, tempting him to lean in and breathe it in more deeply.
The hand on the table tightened further. Veins bulged on the back of it as he barely managed to suppress the urge.
Ye Ran, meanwhile, had been waiting for Lu Li to speak. When he didn’t, she nervously looked up—only to be startled by the intensity in his dark eyes.
She had never seen Lu Li look at anyone like that. There was no murderous intent in his gaze, but it was scorching hot, almost as if it could melt her on the spot.
A single glance, and Lu Li’s gaze clung to her like tendrils, wrapping around her until she could barely breathe.
Ye Ran grew flustered. Her hand tightened around the system’s tail again.
The system finally let out a pitiful meow.
The pitiful sound broke the silence in the room. Ye Ran hurriedly loosened her grip and soothingly patted the system’s head.
When she looked at Lu Li again, the scorching heat in his eyes had faded. He was now calmly sipping his tea.
Ye Ran quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
She picked up an empty cup from the table, took out a delicate little bottle from her storage pouch, and poured herself a cup of mint tea.
This was mint tea she had made herself, meant to calm the mind and soothe the spirit.
Lu Li’s gaze had just frightened her badly. She needed a sip of mint tea to settle her nerves.
The cool, refreshing tea went down her throat, and Ye Ran gradually steadied herself.
But the sight of her drinking tea reignited the restlessness Lu Li had just suppressed—even more intensely than before.
A flicker of irritation crossed his eyes.
Ye Ran had just set down her cup when she noticed Lu Li looking at her again. Though his gaze had returned to calm, the faint sense of pressure still made her uncomfortable.
She took another sip of tea. Lu Li’s eyes darkened slightly.
Ye Ran was at a loss. Holding her cup, she didn’t know whether to put it down or not.
“S-Senior Brother, would you like to try some of this mint tea?”
As the awkwardness in the room grew, Ye Ran cautiously looked at Lu Li and tried to start a conversation.
“All right.”
Lu Li finally responded, and Ye Ran’s anxious heart relaxed a little.
She quickly set down her cup, picked up a fresh one, and prepared to pour him some.
“Then let me pour you—”
But before she could even fill the cup, a well-defined hand reached into her field of view and took the very cup she had just been drinking from.
Ye Ran’s hand trembled, spilling a little tea.
By the time she finished putting away the bottle of mint tea and looked up in a panic, the words of protest died in her throat.
Because the rim of her cup was already pressed against Lu Li’s thin lips.
The cool tea carried a faint, delicate fragrance. The moment it entered his mouth, Lu Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed as the refreshing scent spread through his body.
The restlessness in his body was soothed in an instant. Every pore felt deeply satisfied.
When the cup was empty, Lu Li unconsciously inhaled the lingering fragrance on its rim. A hint of fascination flickered in his dark pupils.
[Ahhh! System! He’s such a pervert! He’s sniffing my cup!]
Terrified by the scene, Ye Ran frantically screamed at the system in her mind—but the system gave no response, only shrunk further into her arms, playing dead.
Ye Ran’s heart pounded wildly, the sound echoing in her ears, growing louder and louder.
Just as it seemed Lu Li was about to notice, she quickly pushed the freshly poured cup of mint tea toward him.
“Senior Brother, th-this one is yours.”
“No need. This cup feels safer to drink from.”
Lu Li set down the empty cup, his expression returning to normal, but the look in his eyes carried a deeper meaning.
Ye Ran understood immediately.
He was alluding to the other day, when she had spiked his wine with Confusion Herb.
She gave an awkward smile and dared not respond. Guiltily lowering her head, she quietly pulled back the cup she had just pushed toward him.
Fortunately, Lu Li didn’t seem intent on pressing the matter. After putting down the cup, he picked up the book beside him.
The room fell into a peaceful silence.
At first, Ye Ran was still tense, sitting stiff as a board at the table.
But when she could no longer hold the position—and seeing that Lu Li wasn’t paying her any attention—she gradually relaxed.
She began nibbling slowly on the tea snacks, occasionally sneaking some to the system in her arms.
Soon, the system grew bolder. While Ye Ran was looking out the window, it stealthily extended a furry paw toward the table.
It was just about to snatch a snack when Ye Ran happened to look down and caught it red-handed.
The next moment, its paw was trapped in Ye Ran’s grip.
“Meow~”
“Being cute won’t help. This one is mine.”
Ye Ran quickly grabbed the last piece of the snack.
But the next moment, a new plate of tea snacks was pushed toward her.
Both Ye Ran and the system jolted in surprise.
The system immediately withdrew its paw and buried its head under the table. Ye Ran was so startled that she didn’t even hold onto her snack properly, and her head instinctively ducked.
She looked like a startled kitten with its fur puffed up—the kind that made you want to feed it.
At that thought, Lu Li pushed another plate of snacks toward her.
“Th-thank you, Senior Brother.”
Though a bit flustered, Ye Ran’s eyes lit up when she saw the flower-shaped snacks on the plate.
She had wanted to try those snacks for a while, but earlier, they had been sitting in front of Lu Li, and she hadn’t dared to touch them.
Now that Lu Li had pushed them toward her, she didn’t hold back. She quickly picked one up and took a bite.
The moment the snack touched her tongue, Ye Ran’s eyes sparkled and a gleeful smile spread across her face.
She looked just like a cat that had successfully stolen a treat.
Lu Li’s gaze fell on the upturned corners of her lips, and he suddenly felt the urge to feed her himself.
In the end, however, he simply raised his hand and pushed the remaining snacks all the way in front of Ye Ran.
“Don’t be so reserved, Junior Sister. If you like these, they’re all yours.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother!”
This time, Ye Ran’s tone was noticeably more sincere than before, tinged with a hint of cheerfulness.
Even the faint fragrance lingering around Lu Li seemed to grow sweeter.
Now that she had full ownership of the tea snacks, Ye Ran ate to her heart’s content and no longer bothered with the system sneaking bites.
By the time the flying vessel reached the Joyous Union Sect, both she and the system were thoroughly stuffed.
Before disembarking, the system used the excuse of going into her storage pouch to slip back into its system space and sleep.
Ye Ran obediently followed behind Lu Li as they walked onto the square in front of the Joyous Union Sect’s main hall.
A number of Joyous Union Sect disciples were already waiting there. At their head stood a strikingly seductive man. When he saw that Lu Li was the first to descend from the flying vessel, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, followed by a smile that curled his lips.
“The Sect Leader Lingxu sent you, Nephew—was he afraid I wouldn’t let your disciples leave?”
“You flatter me, Uncle. My master sent me simply because he trusts me to handle matters steadily.”
Though Lu Li’s reply was courteous, he didn’t deny Shen Zui Huan’s implication.
After all, Joyous Union Sect disciples had always had a penchant for seducing sword cultivators. In the past, many sword cultivators had been tempted into unsteady dao hearts, and some had even fallen into demonic cultivation.
Later, the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect established a rule forbidding close contact with the Joyous Union Sect.
But this time, the matter involved demon eradication. As the foremost of the four great sects, the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect couldn’t simply stand by. After careful consideration, the sect leader decided to send Lu Li to lead the group.
Since Lu Li was effectively half the sect leader, even if Shen Zui Huan wanted to play tricks, he would have to think twice.
“With you here for this demon eradication, I can rest assured.”
Though Shen Zui Huan said this, a hint of regret still showed on his face.
His amorous gaze swept over the disciples behind Lu Li. When it landed on Ye Ran, his eyes brightened considerably.
“This junior niece has an exceptional constitution. Would you be interested in staying at our Joyous Union Sect to study and exchange ideas?”
Shen Zui Huan winked at Ye Ran, and she felt as if her body had been jolted by a small electric shock.
But before she could respond, Meng Xuan spoke up anxiously:
“Junior Sister Ye certainly has no interest.”
Meng Xuan looked especially eager, as if afraid that the very next moment Ye Ran might agree.
“What is your relationship with this junior niece, Nephew Meng? Why such haste?”
The question left Meng Xuan at a loss for how to answer. Seeing this, Shen Zui Huan curled his lips and turned back to Ye Ran.
“Junior niece, I would like to hear your answer.”
Shen Zui Huan’s mellifluous voice reached Ye Ran’s ears, making her feel lightheaded. She found herself instinctively wanting to agree.
Fortunately, just as she was about to speak, a cool sensation came from her wrist. She snapped back to her senses and swallowed the words of agreement.
Just then, Lu Li’s voice came through:
“Uncle, it’s getting late.”
“I was only joking, Nephew. Don’t take it to heart. It’s late now, and the Joyous Union Sect has prepared accommodations for all of you. You should go and rest.”
Shen Zui Huan waved his hand, and a disciple stepped forward to lead the group to their lodgings.
As Ye Ran turned to leave, she noticed Shen Zui Huan was still looking at her, his eyes brimming with undisguised interest.
But on second thought, Ye Ran found it reasonable. After all, this was an explicit novel, and she had the ultimate cauldron constitution. It was only natural that Shen Zui Huan, as the sect leader of the Joyous Union Sect, would be interested in her.
Ye Ran carefully recalled the plot and found that the sect leader of the Joyous Union Sect wasn’t mentioned. She let out a small sigh of relief.
Once she arrived at her quarters, Ye Ran didn’t rest. Instead, she immediately gathered the artifact repair disciples and assigned each of them their tasks.
By the time she finished arranging everything, dusk had fallen.
Dragging her weary body back to her room, she was about to lie down and sleep when, the moment she opened the door, she found an uninvited guest inside.
It was Shen Zui Huan.
He was dressed even more lightly than during the day, his skin faintly visible beneath the thin gauze. An air of languid seduction radiated from his entire being.
“Back already, Junior Niece?”
Even his voice had become more alluring.
Ye Ran stopped in her tracks, most of her drowsiness vanishing.
She looked at Shen Zui Huan warily, a sense of unease creeping over her. She quickly called out to the system in her mind:
[System, what’s the Joyous Union Sect leader’s name?]
[Host, I looked it up. His name is Shen Zui Huan.]
Shen Zui Huan!!!
That name was all too familiar. He was an important male supporting character second only to the male lead—practically the second male lead.
Among all the characters, he had the wildest repertoire. But he was also the most brutal when it came to harvesting from the female lead. He wouldn’t stop even after she lost consciousness.
The book also hinted that his background was far from ordinary, but since the novel was left unfinished, his true identity was never revealed.
She never expected him to be the Joyous Union Sect leader!
Ye Ran suddenly felt as if she had walked straight into a den of wolves.
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