The bright moon hung high in the sky, a figure hurried through the bamboo forest.
Lin An kept alert to his surroundings while moving quickly and silently.
The intel on important figures he had seen before mentioned this.
A pink dress, a veil… with that attire and strength, only one person fit the description.
Lu Mingyue’s second disciple, Qu Hongling, was currently at Level 11 of the Mortal Martial Realm, a standout among the younger generation.
‘No wonder she wants to rebel. Having reached this position, defecting makes sense. With his different mindset, Lin An could understand but absolutely not respect it.’
‘Because strictly speaking, I’m her master’s husband!’
‘This unfilial thing, too ruthless…’
‘Of course, he only dared to mutter this in his heart.’
Occasionally, the chirping of insects could be heard around him, and the only sound nearby was the soft scrape of his shoes against the stone path.
In the dead of night, people tend to let their minds wander.
Lin An, who had not yet fully escaped danger, couldn’t help thinking about his previous days.
His originally stable life had, in less than a month, turned into this careful, cautious existence.
‘What pisses me off most is that it’s because of my own people!’
‘Well, maybe they aren’t my people anymore…’
Thinking back, Aunt Yan, who had taken him in, had explicitly stated that he didn’t need to work, saying she could support him.
But Lin An’s pride as a man wouldn’t allow it, so he thought of finding a stable job.
‘Mm, found it, and then got screwed over. Uh-oh, I’m done for!’
The outline of the bamboo forest cottage gradually came into view.
The bamboo building was pitch black; it seemed Gu Yingge had already rested.
Only the furnace fire in the courtyard hadn’t gone out, emitting a dim light.
As soon as Lin An stepped into the courtyard, he felt an indescribable sensation.
It was like passing through a thin, invisible membrane, which made him stop involuntarily.
‘Could it be a warning barrier?’
The next moment, the furnace in the courtyard gave him the answer.
The dim furnace fire suddenly burst into flames, erupting with scorching heat.
At the same time, a burning longsword in the furnace carried flames, transforming into a fire dragon and lunging toward him.
A wave of heat hit his face.
Lin An instinctively stepped back, thinking he would be safe if he left the courtyard.
But he immediately discovered that his ankles had been grabbed.
Looking down, a pool of water that had appeared out of nowhere turned into ropes, binding his legs tightly.
‘So professional? Not even letting me run?’
Seeing that he was about to become a skewer, Lin An had no choice but to use his last resort.
He opened his mouth wide and shouted loudly.
“Senior Sister Gu! Help!”
While shouting, his hands weren’t idle; he scattered all kinds of talismans he had acquired from missions these past days as if they cost nothing.
They barely blocked the fire dragon for a moment—just a moment.
Recalling later, at that time the sword was only 0.01 centimeters away from him, and he could even smell the odor of burning hair.
“Disperse!”
With a low shout from behind, the fire dragon vanished, the water ropes fell, and the red-hot sword plunged into the pool of water, making a sizzling sound.
“Junior Brother Lin? What are you doing here?”
Gu Yingge’s slightly displeased voice came from behind.
Lin An swallowed his saliva, fanning away the burnt smell in front of him as he spoke.
“Senior Sister Gu, I-I’ve come to ask you for a favor.”
As he said that, he started to turn around, but Gu Yingge immediately stopped him.
“Don’t turn around!”
‘…?’
Lin An wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he seemed to detect a hint of shyness.
Could Gu Yingge be taking a bath? Was she naked now?
“Okay, I won’t turn around, but Senior Sister Gu, can we find a place to talk?”
“Is it urgent?”
“Very urgent.”
Gu Yingge stood a foot behind Lin An, her body covered in sticky liquid, holding a bath towel that barely covered her chest.
The hem of the towel revealed her round and fit legs, and her long hair stuck to her back, clinging to her straight and smooth spine.
Just as Lin An had thought, but she wasn’t bathing—she was cultivating.
Gu Yingge originally didn’t want to bother with this little intruder, but after discovering it was Lin An, she chose to save him.
Because of her special constitution, she couldn’t leave here for now.
Having finally found someone to relieve her boredom, she couldn’t let him die just like that.
“Hmm…”
She couldn’t stop cultivating; in just that short time, she could already feel her body about to burn up.
An unusual flush hung on her face, then she bit her lower lip and made a decision.
“Y-you, go around the bamboo building and head to the back. There’s a… cave entrance. Go in, and I’ll wait for you inside, ha…”
As the words fell, Lin An felt a wave of heat brush past him.
He turned his head but Gu Yingge was already gone.
“Phew…”
He let out a long breath, and his wildly beating heart gradually calmed down.
‘As expected of the Divine Fire Pavilion’s Chief. Her skills are truly remarkable—coming and going without a trace.’
‘But, why did the tone of her last words feel a bit strange?’
‘It sounded a bit breathy.’
Lin An tried not to let his thoughts wander, shook his head, and walked toward the place Gu Yingge had mentioned.
When passing the furnace, he couldn’t help but take a closer look.
‘I didn’t expect this thing to be so formidable—it can even attack on its own.’
Soon he found the cave, took a brief look, and stepped inside.
The cave wasn’t dark; there were some glowing plants on the stone walls, which seemed to be some kind of spirit plants.
As he went deeper, a fluctuating hot and cold aura surged from the depths of the cave.
Lin An frowned slightly, immediately guessing that this was probably Gu Yingge’s cultivation site.
After walking for less than a minute, the view opened up to a man-made cavern.
It wasn’t very large, but the most eye-catching thing was a pool that took up most of the view.
Wait…
Lin An looked closely; it seemed not to be water, but some kind of liquid, emitting an eerie blue glow, with almost zero visibility below.
“Over here.”
Gu Yingge’s voice came from the other side of the pool.
Lin An turned to look and saw Gu Yingge immersed in the liquid, only her head exposed, her long hair hanging behind her, floating on the surface.
As he walked over, though he couldn’t see anything, Lin An still averted his gaze.
But this glance made him even more embarrassed, so he quickly turned to the other side.
Because he saw Gu Yingge’s clothes placed by the shore.
Of course, that wasn’t the point; the point was… a white strip of fabric was placed on top of the clothes.
‘Clearly used to bind something big and dangerous… No, wait… what measurements do you have that require such a restraint?’
“What did you want to say?”
Gu Yingge closed her eyes.
Sensing a momentary disturbance in his breath, she didn’t think much of it and spoke first.
“Ahem.”
Lin An composed himself and coughed lightly.
“Senior Sister Gu, sorry for disturbing you so late. I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Well, if anyone asks, could you not mention that I often come to tell you stories?”
Gu Yingge frowned slightly.
“Why?”
At this moment, the drawback of coming too hastily became apparent.
Lin An hadn’t thought of an excuse at all.
If she pressed for details, he really wouldn’t have a good answer.
Gu Yingge didn’t rush him; she just quietly waited for his answer.
“It’s just…”
Lin An was about to give a clumsy excuse, but Gu Yingge interrupted him.
“Huh? Why is she coming here?”
“Who?”
Lin An asked instinctively.
Gu Yingge didn’t answer; she opened her eyes, looked around with a slightly flustered expression, and finally fixed her gaze on Lin An’s face.
‘…?’
Lin An blinked in confusion.
“Close your eyes and hold your breath for a moment. Most importantly, don’t struggle. It will be quick.”
“Huh?”
Lin An noticed that when Gu Yingge said this, a clear apology showed on her face.
The next second, he knew what this woman was going to do.
Gu Yingge reached out and beckoned, and a huge suction force pulled him over.
“Hey?”
‘Before Lin An entered this strange pool of liquid, his last thought was… Coming so fast? I haven’t even explained clearly yet!’