Ye Ran was already very familiar with the path to Wangxian Hall. She even knew which window she could climb through to directly enter Lu Li’s bedchamber.
But after sneaking in this time, she didn’t see Lu Li inside.
Anxiously, she scanned the room, her eyes darting back and forth.
After searching in vain, she assumed Lu Li might be handling matters in the outer hall. Just as she was about to head there, a door on one side of the bedchamber suddenly opened.
“Leaving so soon, junior sister?”
At that moment, Lu Li’s voice was like a lifeline to Ye Ran. She quickly turned toward the sound.
There stood Lu Li behind the side door, wearing only a thin sleeping robe, with a large bath behind him.
It seemed he had been bathing and only stepped out of the pool when he heard noises in the room.
The moment she saw Lu Li, Ye Ran couldn’t help but swallow hard, her gaze growing increasingly fervent.
This reaction pleased Lu Li greatly. Smirking, he subtly loosened his sleeping robe.
“Are you satisfied with what you see, junior sister?”
Just as Lu Li was about to walk toward Ye Ran, she unexpectedly closed the distance first.
In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of him, throwing herself into his arms. The force of her impact made him lose his balance, and they both tumbled into the pool.
But as soon as Lu Li steadied them, Ye Ran immediately pressed her lips to his.
Her eagerness surprised him.
Before he could respond, she pried open his lips and teeth, urgently coaxing his tongue, silently begging him to reciprocate.
Normally, Lu Li would have taken control by now, but this time he didn’t respond. Instead, he looked down at her.
He could tell something was wrong with her.
He knew his earlier seduction hadn’t been this effective.
So the issue lay with Ye Ran.
He thought back to the night of their first dual cultivation, when Ye Ran had been just as desperate to get close to him.
But back then, he had only given her a cursory check, found nothing amiss, and let it go.
Now her behavior was growing increasingly abnormal—he needed to examine her more thoroughly.
Tilting his head back slightly to avoid her kiss, Lu Li lifted her out of the pool and carried her back to the bedchamber.
Once there, he set her down on a soft couch. But the moment he let go, she immediately clung to him again, leaving him no chance to investigate.
Her fragrance was stronger than usual, especially when her lips drew near. Waves of scent flooded his nose, stirring his nerves and making his breathing grow heavier.
Still, he leaned back slightly to dodge her kiss and pressed her down again.
“No need to rush, junior sister. Let me check you first.”
His voice had grown noticeably hoarse.
But Ye Ran wouldn’t stay still, burrowing insistently into his arms. When she realized he wouldn’t kiss her, she bit down on his Adam’s apple.
Lu Li froze instantly, his eyes darkening.
Ye Ran, oblivious, kept applying pressure, as if retaliating for his rejection.
The mix of pain and pleasure made him close his eyes, a trace of enjoyment flickering across his face.
But the hand gripping her arm tightened, the veins on its back standing out clearly, as if he were struggling to suppress some urge.
After a long stalemate, Lu Li finally pushed her away.
To keep her from acting up again, he used his spiritual energy to form a rope, binding her to the soft couch.
Now that she couldn’t cause any more trouble, Lu Li finally managed to grab her wrist and slowly channel his spiritual energy into her body.
Only when the energy reached her dantian did he discover that her constitution was different from others.
The spiritual energy entering her dantian dissipated almost immediately.
That was a trait unique to a cauldron body.
Realizing this, everything clicked into place. But after withdrawing his energy, his face darkened completely.
So to Ye Ran, he wasn’t even considered a temptation.
She was simply using him as an antidote.
Lu Li felt a tightness in his chest.
Looking down at her again, he saw she was nearly frantic with desire, tears welling up in her eyes. Just as he glanced at her, a tear slipped down her cheek, making her look utterly pitiful.
But Lu Li didn’t untie her. Instead, he used his fingertip to wipe away the tear.
The fleeting coolness only deepened her longing, her gaze following his retreating finger.
Then, as she looked up, she saw him lick the tear from his finger.
The visual shock was overwhelming, and her breathing grew ragged.
“Senior brother…”
Ye Ran strained her head toward Lu Li, but the distance was too great—she couldn’t reach him.
“Do you want to kiss me, junior sister?”
Lu Li saw through her intention. He leaned down close to Ye Ran, stopping when their lips were just a hair’s breadth apart.
“Senior brother… kiss me, please…”
Ye Ran was so desperate that her voice cracked with tears. She strained toward Lu Li, but at most, she could only barely brush against his lips.
That was far from enough for her.
She wanted more—she wanted Lu Li to kiss her fiercely and roughly, the way he used to.
But instead, Lu Li pulled back slightly.
That thin lip of his remained tantalizingly close, yet no matter what she did, Ye Ran couldn’t reach it.
This deliberate teasing made her body grow hotter and hotter. She felt like a beached fish, desperately needing a spring of clear water to save her.
Soon, a trickle of that clear water came.
Lu Li slowly ran his hand down Ye Ran’s cheek. The cool touch finally eased her unbearable heat, and a dazed look began to spread across her face.
“Do you want me to help you, junior sister?”
His low, husky voice carried a hint of seduction, making Ye Ran part her lips and utter a single word without thinking:
“Yes.”
“Then what you said last time—about us being even—let’s call that off, alright?”
Lu Li’s voice grew even gentler as he pressed his entire palm against her cheek. The furrow in Ye Ran’s brow finally relaxed a bit.
Ye Ran opened her mouth again, ready to agree. But just as she was about to say “Alright,” a sliver of reason returned.
She closed her mouth and gave no response, merely rubbing her cheek against Lu Li’s palm.
Now Lu Li understood her game.
She wanted another free meal.
He let out a cold, angry laugh and pulled his hand away.
Ye Ran was instantly displeased. Her brow furrowed again, and her gaze at Lu Li grew even more pitiful.
“I think you were right the other day, junior sister. We’re already even. Doing this again now would be inappropriate. So you’d better go back.”
Despite his words, Lu Li loosened the front of his robe a bit more and leaned his lips closer to Ye Ran, still keeping them just out of reach.
Ye Ran felt even worse.
Though she had almost completely lost her reason when she came to find Lu Li, a tiny fragment of rationality remained.
She really had planned to take what she wanted and run. But Lu Li had discovered her constitution and was now using it against her.
Judging by his stance, if she didn’t make her position clear today, he would never help her.
A fleeting thought crossed her mind—maybe she could find someone else. But after running through her options, she realized that right now, Lu Li was the only one she could accept.
Seeing that Ye Ran still wouldn’t respond, Lu Li slowly stood up, making a show of leaving.
Watching his lips drift farther and farther away, Ye Ran panicked and immediately spoke to stop him.
“No… don’t go!”
Lu Li paused as expected, but he stopped at a distance neither close nor far, making no further move—just watching her.
“It’s… it’s off.”
Ye Ran’s faint voice came through. Finally, Lu Li’s eyes shifted, a smile appearing in them.
“What did you say, junior sister? I didn’t hear you clearly.”
Ye Ran knew he had heard her. He just wanted a clear answer.
With her will hanging by a thread, and looking at Lu Li’s triumphant expression, she had no choice but to continue:
“What I said last time about being even… it’s off…”
The moment the last syllable left her lips, the restraints on Ye Ran vanished, and Lu Li’s kiss followed.
This time, Lu Li showed none of his earlier restraint. He kissed her urgently, almost instantly stealing all the air from Ye Ran’s mouth.
But for Ye Ran in her current state, this was exactly what she needed. Instead of resisting as she usually did, she actively responded to his kiss.
This surprised Lu Li.
Watching her eager expression, a smile flickered in his eyes.
He stopped moving, slid his hand down to her waist, and then flipped their positions so that she was on top.
The sudden shift made Ye Ran pause her kissing, confusion crossing her face.
“I’m tired, junior sister. You do it yourself.”
Lu Li only lightly supported her waist, making no other move.
Ye Ran looked at him in disbelief.
They hadn’t even started—how could he be tired already?
She wanted to complain, but seeing Lu Li lying on the soft couch with his robes in disarray, looking like he was completely at her mercy, she felt a shameful surge of desire.
“Then you have to listen to me. No moving without permission.”
Ye Ran pinched Lu Li’s chin and tried to sound fierce.
Lu Li smirked and leaned close to her ear. “Please punish me as you wish, master.”
Ye Ran’s mind went completely blank, and her heart pounded fiercely.
After gathering her wits, she pinched Lu Li’s chin and leaned down to fiercely bite at his lips.
And just as he had said, Lu Li cooperated fully without a hint of resistance. Ye Ran gradually began to enjoy the thrill of being in control.
But her strength had its limits. Before long, she collapsed from exhaustion.
She bit Lu Li’s lip, trying to signal him to take over, but either because he was being too obedient or simply didn’t understand her hint, he remained motionless, not even returning her kiss.
Yet the heat inside her hadn’t fully subsided, and she was still desperately uncomfortable.
So she bit his lip again and spoke in a pitiful tone:
“Senior brother, I’m tired.”
“Then rest for a while, junior sister.”
That was all he said—still no response.
Soon, a flicker of annoyance rose in her. She sat up and slapped Lu Li’s chest.
But right after that slap, she immediately felt a change in him, along with a flash of excitement on his face.
Ye Ran was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected Lu Li to actually be a masochist.
Still, the discovery delighted her. A new idea came to mind.
She pinched his chest, waiting until a trace of discomfort appeared on his face, then slowly leaned down close to him.
“Does senior brother want a reward?”
The moment Ye Ran spoke, a wave of rich fragrance washed over him. Paired with the lingering pain on his chest, it made Lu Li’s breathing quicken. His gaze at Ye Ran grew even more intense.
“Yes.” Lu Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
His answer pleased Ye Ran greatly. Mimicking how Lu Li had started earlier, she leaned close to his ear and whispered:
“Then it depends on senior brother’s performance.”
The moment the words left her lips, the hand resting on Ye Ran’s waist suddenly tightened.
The next instant, their positions flipped again. Lu Li lowered his head and bit her earlobe, his movements turning fierce.
Ye Ran realized she had underestimated Lu Li’s stamina once again.
This time, from late afternoon until nightfall and then until dawn, Lu Li didn’t stop. He kept clinging to her, demanding rewards.
At first, thanks to her constitution kicking in, Ye Ran was equally into it. But later, she simply couldn’t keep up.
In the end, only after kicking Lu Li off the bed did she finally catch her breath.
This time, ignoring whether Lu Li was angry or not, she pulled the blanket over herself, turned her back to him, and fell asleep.
When she woke again, it was already noon.
Every muscle in her body ached, making her deeply uncomfortable. She shifted slightly and noticed an arm wrapped around her waist.
Turning her head, she saw Lu Li sleeping beside her. His face showed no trace of fatigue—in fact, there was even a hint of satisfaction.
Ye Ran, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel a wave of remorse.
She regretted being so weak-willed yesterday, falling for Lu Li’s seduction and agreeing to call off their “being even.”
From now on, she really would be tangled up with him.
Gazing at Lu Li’s sleeping face, she began calculating what might happen if she ran away now.
But as if he could read her mind, the moment this thought appeared in her head, Lu Li woke up.
Seeing the faint guilt on Ye Ran’s face, he tightened his arm around her waist.
“Were you thinking of sneaking away, junior sister?”
He wasn’t wrong—his guess was right on the mark. But under these circumstances, Ye Ran would never admit it.
“Of course not!”
Ye Ran’s voice unconsciously rose a pitch, but her tone sounded especially guilty.
Lu Li smirked at that. He reached out and slowly traced her neck.
“Do you want to know what would have happened if you had run away just now?”
“What would happen?”
Though Ye Ran knew it couldn’t be anything good, she still asked without thinking.
“If you still had the strength to run away, that would mean I didn’t try hard enough. So I’ve set up a formation outside the bedchamber. The moment you step out of this room, the formation will automatically create a barrier. Then I’ll have plenty of time to prove my capabilities to you.”
With every sentence Lu Li spoke, Ye Ran trembled a little more.
By the time he finished, any thought of escaping had completely vanished from her mind. In fact, she felt a bit relieved that she had only entertained the idea and hadn’t actually acted on it.
Otherwise, if Lu Li caught her again, she was afraid even her waist would break from exhaustion.
“Senior brother, don’t worry. I never thought about running away. I still remember everything I said yesterday. You’re being overly cautious by guarding against me like this.”
Ye Ran quickly flashed Lu Li an ingratiating smile.
But Lu Li knew exactly which of her words were true and which were false.
That cool hand of his slowly moved up her neck again, tilting her chin up. Then he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her lips.
“It’s precisely because junior sister is a repeat offender that I have no choice but to be on guard.”
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