Yunlian had no choice; she had set the rules herself, so she had to accept defeat.
Biting her lip, she reached to untie her sash.
But at that moment, Chen Yuyang spoke: “Let’s drink first.”
Yunlian paused, nodded, then picked up her cup and downed it in one go.
She drank too hastily this time and choked, unable to help coughing twice.
Her cheeks flushed an even deeper crimson.
After recovering, Yunlian reached again, now truly about to start undressing.
“Can I choose what to take off?”
Just then, however, Chen Yuyang suddenly asked.
The young man’s calm gaze rested on Yunlian, still as placid as an ancient well.
Yunlian froze, then jerked her head up.
‘S-Senior Brother? What does he mean?’
‘Could it be… could it be that he wants me to take off the most intimate, most private garment?’
At the thought, Yunlian’s heart began to race.
She couldn’t help feeling nervous, yet at the same time, strangely expectant.
‘Senior Brother is more playful than I imagined…’
Steeling herself, Yunlian pretended to be composed and said, “O-Of course. What item does Senior Brother want me to remove? Is it… the dudou, or…?”
Her voice grew softer and softer.
By the last few words, her head had drooped, too shy to meet Chen Yuyang’s overly direct eyes.
“Take off the sock on your left foot first.”
Chen Yuyang’s expression remained blank, his words immediate.
“Sock…” Yunlian was dumbfounded, staring at the young man in disbelief.
‘Take off a sock?’
‘Senior Brother… Senior Brother is into that? No way, that’s too weird.’
‘And why the left sock?’
‘Why not take off both together?’
Chen Yuyang offered no explanation, simply watching her quietly.
Yunlian had no choice but to comply.
Awkwardly, the girl bent down, loosened the garter of her left sock, and slowly slid off the white cotton sock.
With the sock gone, a jade-white foot was revealed.
Slender ankle, rounded toes, fair and soft skin…
Chen Yuyang’s gaze lingered on the girl’s foot for a moment, then he looked away, picked up the dice, and prepared for the second round.
But before he could raise his hand, Yunlian snatched the dice from him, a hint of defiance in her eyes: “I’ll go first!”
Chen Yuyang said nothing, only gesturing for her to proceed.
Yunlian took a deep breath, focused her eyes, then shook her wrist and tossed the dice with a clatter.
The three dice spun on the bluestone slab a few times before coming to a stop.
Five, five, five.
Total fourteen points.
Though slightly lower than the previous round, it was still a high score.
Yunlian breathed a small sigh of relief, inwardly pleased.
‘I won’t lose this time, right? Fourteen points. Even if Senior Brother is lucky, he can’t roll that high every time.’
But what made Yunlian uneasy was Chen Yuyang’s still impassive expression.
He picked up the dice, raised his hand, and tossed them casually.
The three dice landed.
Three sixes, eighteen points.
Yunlian stared, dumbfounded.
She fixed her eyes on the three sixes, feeling as though her understanding of the world had been shaken.
“Senior Brother… you must be cheating!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Yunlian pointed at the young man, her cheeks redder with anger and drunkenness.
“Then tell me, how did I cheat?”
Chen Yuyang countered with a calm expression, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
‘Cheat?’
‘It’s just a dice toss. Why would I need to cheat?’
‘With my skill, I can roll any number I want at will. Why would I cheat?’
Yunlian bit her lip, hesitated for a long time, but couldn’t utter a single word.
She stared hard at Chen Yuyang’s hands, then at the dice on the ground.
The dice were condensed from her own spiritual power.
If Chen Yuyang had tampered with them, she would have noticed immediately.
So…
Was she just unlucky?
Helpless, Yunlian had to pick up her cup again and drain it.
The wine, thick with spiritual energy, dissolved into her.
The drunkenness rose to her head, making her feel even more lightheaded.
Setting down the cup, Yunlian glared at Chen Yuyang and asked, “Where should I take off this time?”
“The other sock.”
Chen Yuyang’s voice remained utterly flat.
Yunlian now fully understood: Senior Brother was doing this on purpose!
‘At this rate, when will I ever get completely undressed?’
‘On the other hand, if only I’m the one taking things off in this game, it’s no fun. I want to see Senior Brother embarrassed too!’
Reluctantly bending down again, Yunlian removed her right sock as well.
Though only her feet were exposed, she felt quite shy under Chen Yuyang’s gaze, and her toes curled involuntarily.
Another round began.
This time, Yunlian got even luckier, rolling seventeen points.
But Chen Yuyang’s casual toss was again three sixes, eighteen points.
This time, Yunlian lost the silk ribbon tying her hair.
Her long hair fell loose, draping down to her waist.
Only then did Yunlian fully realize.
‘Senior Brother is clearly stalling!’
‘He wants to get me completely drunk before I take off all my clothes!’
“I must not let Senior Brother succeed!”
Yunlian shouted in her heart, her eyes growing determined again, with a stubborn refusal to lose.
“I have to win! Just one round!”
Though Yunlian was resolute, it didn’t help.
She proceeded to lose several more rounds in a row, taking off her belt, then her bracelet.
When there was nothing left to remove, she finally shed her first outer robe.
‘Almost, almost…’
‘The outer robe is off. Next is the inner robe.’
‘Then the dudou, and then…’
Yunlian’s head grew heavier and heavier.
She gritted her teeth, trying to hold on for two more rounds.
But no matter how much she wanted to persist, her body refused to obey.
Finally, the girl’s eyelids drooped, and her whole body fell limply backward, completely unconscious.
Only then did Chen Yuyang reach out to support her.
He himself had not drunk a single drop from start to finish.
Watching the girl go limp, breathing evenly, Chen Yuyang shook his head helplessly.
‘Finally down.’
‘This girl’s tolerance is even better than I thought.’
‘She drank so many cups, one after another.’
‘Not far behind Master at all.’
Chen Yuyang lifted the unconscious girl into his arms.
Her head naturally tilted against his chest, her long lashes fluttering slightly, her mouth mumbling unconsciously.
Chen Yuyang casually laid out a large blanket on the table.
Then he gently set the girl down on it.
After doing all this, he returned to his seat, closed his eyes, and began circulating his cultivation technique to recover the spiritual energy he had expended earlier.
“Senior Brother… always picking on me…”
Suddenly, in the silence, Yunlian’s sleep-talk arose.
A moment later, the girl mumbled again, “This time… I won’t lose! I’ll definitely beat you…”
Hearing these sleep-talking words, the corner of Chen Yuyang’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
‘This girl, even dead drunk, she’s still thinking about losing at dice.’
“Boo hoo hoo, he’s going to be mean to me~”
“Senior Brother said only taking off clothes~ Don’t, don’t touch me there~ It tickles~”
Chen Yuyang’s eyelids twitched even more.
‘What kind of crazy dream is this girl having?’
Shaking his head, he ignored her, focused his mind, and concentrated on restoring his spiritual energy.
The night passed quickly.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the broken tiles on the roof, falling on her face.
The girl let out a soft groan and opened her eyes with difficulty.
She sat up, scratched her head, yawned, and stretched.
For a moment, Yunlian felt refreshed and full of energy.
She instinctively looked inward and immediately discovered something astonishing: the spiritual energy inside her body was more abundant than ever before.
Not only that, her maximum spiritual capacity had also increased by a full ten percent.
Yunlian was deeply shaken.
‘What happened?’
She tried hard to recall the previous night’s events.
Drinking, rolling dice, taking off clothes…
Then, then she got drunk and lost consciousness.
But none of those things had anything to do with increasing spiritual energy.
The more Yunlian thought, the more something felt off.
She turned her head and glanced at Chen Yuyang, who was still sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.
‘Could it be that Senior Brother did something to me while I was passed out drunk? Like… dual cultivation?’
At that thought, a flush of pink instantly rose to Yunlian’s cheeks.
Now, that seemed like the only explanation for why her spiritual energy was so abundant, and even her maximum capacity had increased.
‘If so… then those embarrassing things last night—weren’t they a dream?’
‘But if it wasn’t a dream, why are the details so hazy?’
‘Logically, for that kind of thing, especially the first time, even if I was drunk, I should remember it vividly.’
Yunlian tried hard to remember, but only vague fragments came to mind.
‘And if something really happened, why don’t I feel any discomfort?’
‘Usually, a woman’s first time involves some pain or unusual sensation. Or did Senior Brother use some special secret technique to relieve it?’
“Senior Brother is so bad~”
Thinking this, Yunlian couldn’t help muttering to herself.
The way she looked at Chen Yuyang held a mix of reproach and an inexplicable hint of happiness.
‘When I was awake, he acted like such a gentleman, but after I passed out…’
However, Yunlian also knew this was just her speculation, with no proof.
‘Better find a way to confirm it.’
Yunlian’s eyes twinkled as an idea came to her.
“Boo hoo hoo, boo hoo…”
Large teardrops began to gather in the girl’s eyes, rolling down her pretty face.
The sound of sobbing startled Chen Yuyang, and he opened his eyes immediately.
“Junior Martial Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t talk to me, you beast!”
Yunlian pointed at Chen Yuyang, tears streaming as she cursed him out.
Chen Yuyang: “???”
‘What now? How am I a beast?’