Chapter 109: Teased

The lingjian landed beside the large, ornate bed, vibrating with energy.

They locked eyes, both startled, and a tense silence fell between them.

Mist clung to the woman's exquisite face, dripping onto her collarbone, flowing down over her curves before disappearing into her bathrobe.

Xu Xiaoshou swallowed hard, never imagining the world could be so small.

The person before him—wasn't she the same woman who had come with Su Qianqian to watch his match in the group stage, and had even given him that suggestive glance?

Anyone else, he might have forgotten, but this young woman was easily the most beautiful he'd ever seen, her image seared into his memory!

"Xiao Shou ge..."

"Pah! Xu Xiaoshou?!" Rao Yinyin exclaimed, her face flushing crimson.

Wasn't this the very guy Su Qianqian was always daydreaming about?

Wasn't he an outer court disciple?

Trespassing in the inner court?

For a split second, the thought of enforcing the inner court's rules as one of the thirty-three enforcers crossed her mind, and she almost attacked again.

Wait, no!

Even if he was trespassing, how could he have crossed the entire inner court to reach the back mountain, venture this deep, and sneak into the main house to peek at her bathing?

Besides, if it was him, she couldn't just kill him...

Rao Yinyin was so frustrated she could grind her teeth. She strode forward on her long, graceful legs to the edge of the bed, picked up the sword, and flicked it hard.

"Clang—"

Xu Xiaoshou, who had been staring at his info panel showing "Under Suspicion," jumped at the sudden sound.

Was she really going to kill him to keep him quiet?

"The moment you stepped in, I noticed you. Just now, you fell into my huanjing, but your willpower held up—you got through it!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. What on earth was this?

You recognized me and still called me "Su's little sister"?

Hold on!

She doesn't know my "perception" can break her huanjing, which means she's just making excuses for herself...

Self-deception at its finest!

Quite adorable, really.

Xu Xiaoshou's expression turned odd, but as the woman turned around, he quickly composed himself. "I didn't actually see anything!"

Ugh, that sounded like the classic denial that protested too much.

"Pah, I only saw..."

"Pah pah, that's not what I meant, it's just..."

Rao Yinyin grabbed a tissue from the vanity and handed it over. "Wipe your nosebleed."

How embarrassing!

This time, she had truly lost all face.

Xu Xiaoshou took the tissue and gave up struggling.

Rao Yinyin sat gracefully on the large bed, crossing her legs, her beautiful eyes slightly lifted, regarding him with scrutiny.

"Are you here for Su Qianqian? Or did you come specifically to watch me bathe? And how did you get into my lingzhi?"

Xu Xiaoshou wiped his nose and, since things were already awkward, decided to be straightforward. He pulled over a chair, tossed aside the clothes on it, and sat down boldly.

"I'm just here looking for a lingzhi, nothing else to do with what you said."

"As for how I got in, I have no idea. I just pushed the door and walked in."

He paused, hesitating. "Did you leave the door unlocked?"

Rao Yinyin: "..."

I've got clothes scattered everywhere—do you think I'd leave the door unlocked?

Thinking about it, her face reddened again. She never imagined a man could just barge into her lingzhi like this.

But it was too late to tidy up now.

She glanced at the token in his hand. "Hand it over, let me take a look."

"This one?" Xu Xiaoshou lifted the token, and seeing her nod, he tossed it to her.

Even if this young woman was understanding, today's incident couldn't just blow over. He was braced for some kind of punishment.

Luckily, he wasn't wealthy, with empty sleeves and no valuables.

If it came to it, he'd have to pay in kind.

"Changlao token?"

"No, wait—the vice dean's token... This is Sang Lao's token?"

Rao Yinyin examined the black-red token closely, her beautiful eyes filled with surprise. "How did you end up with Sang Lao's token?"

Now Xu Xiaoshou was the one confused. Wasn't this just a regular changlao token?

When he went to the Lingzang Ge to pick a cultivation method, he had seen Xiao Qixiu with one just like it. How could they tell it was Sang Lao's?

Was it the aura, or some subtle difference?

"This is just a changlao token, right? Does having this let you barge into people's homes?" Xu Xiaoshou deflected, feigning surprise.

He couldn't reveal his connection to Sang Lao, per the "three chapters agreement."

"A regular changlao token won't do it. In Tian Sang Ling Gong, only two tokens allow that: Ye Xiaotian's and Sang Lao's."

Rao Yinyin paused, her eyes alluring as she steered the conversation back. "So, how did you get this?"

"I picked it up."

"Under Suspicion, passive value: 1."

"Tell the truth!" Rao Yinyin shot him a fierce glare. "This isn't over yet—whether you walk out of here alive is still up in the air."

"Fine!" Xu Xiaoshou threw up his hands in resignation. "Sang Lao is my master."

"Under Suspicion, passive value: 1."

Rao Yinyin uncrossed her legs and shot up, her aura intense as she demanded, "Tell—the—truth!"

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

What are you playing at?!

You doubt me when I lie, and you don't believe me when I tell the truth—what am I supposed to do?!

In despair, he closed his eyes. "Don't ask. If you do, it's just that I can't say."

Rao Yinyin fell silent, holding the token and pondering for a while, lost in thought.

After a long moment, her eyebrows arched, and she smiled charmingly. She adjusted her bathrobe and sauntered over, legs crossed confidently.

"Whether you say it or not doesn't matter. Since you have this, your connection to Sang Lao must be solid!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened.

What are you up to? I can't hold back!

"Miss, please have some self-respect!"

"Self-respect?" Rao Yinyin's eyes curved with amusement as she covered her mouth and laughed softly. "You've already entered my room, and now you tell me to have self-respect?"

She hooked her arm around Xu Xiaoshou's neck, as if whispering in his ear with warm breath, cooing, "Agree to one thing for me, and we'll let today's incident slide. Who knows, I might even reward you."

"Teased, passive value: 1."

The fragrance enveloped him, and Xu Xiaoshou, in two lifetimes, had never been this close to such a stunning woman—especially when she was only in a bathrobe. Who could resist?

"Let go of me!"

Xu Xiaoshou shrank his neck, his chin bumping her forearm, scalp tingling. "Back off, don't breathe on me like that!"

Rao Yinyin giggled, thinking he wasn't as bold as she'd assumed.

Just like that?

"Think it over before you answer..." Her red lips parted, exhaling a dizzying warmth.

"Teased, passive value: 1."

Xu Xiaoshou felt a surge of blood and couldn't hold back any longer. He pushed her arms away and bolted from the chair.

"What exactly are you trying to do!"

He didn't get far—it was as if they tacitly swapped positions, with him retreating to the edge of the bed. "Let's just talk normally, no touching!"

No touching?

Rao Yinyin swept her hair behind her waist, smiling sweetly as she approached, extending a snow-white leg and pinning him down onto the bed.

"Not even feet?"

Xu Xiaoshou propped himself up on the bed with both hands, tears nearly welling up. Didn't this woman realize men have their limits?