"…Oh? Still looking?"
A feigned surprised voice echoed through the mist, followed by a playful splash of water.
Zhu Qing's back remained turned, but her shoulders quivered ever so slightly—she was holding back laughter.
"Disciple Su Xiaobai," she drawled, her tone tinged with mock authority, "you barged into a Peak Lord's bathhouse, with 'bad intentions', and 'assaulted' her… Tell , what do you think your punishnt should be?"
"…"
Su Xiaobai's face darkened. A trap. A fucking trap.
His fingers twitched. He knew this woman was going to ss with him, but this? This was next-level bullshit.
He took a slow breath, pushing back the urge to roll his eyes. "Elder, do I need to remind you that there's nothing I haven't already seen?"
Hiss—!
Zhu Qing stiffened.
Her head snapped up, brows rising in disbelief. "…What did you just say?"
For a brief mont, her mind blanked. When the hell did this little bastard see her body?!
Splash!
Before she could interrogate him, another disturbance in the water. She turned—only to see Su Xiaobai stepping into the hot spring.
Her breath froze.
The ripples spread out, lapping against her bare skin. The sound of his slow, deliberate movents. The heat in the air.
For so reason—one she absolutely refused to acknowledge—her heartbeat quickened.
The closer he got, the more suffocating his presence felt.
Then—
A low, smug voice right behind her.
"Elder Zhu, the great Peak Lord of Divine Mystic Valley, kidnapped an innocent disciple and assaulted him in the dead of night…" His lips curled. "What do you think would happen if this news got out?"
Zhu Qing froze.
Then—
"Pfft—!"
She couldn't hold it in anymore.
Soft, breathy laughter spilled past her lips as she shook her head, turning to et his gaze.
"You—!" She gave him a look of pure amusent. "Do you seriously think anyone would believe that?"
Su Xiaobai frowned. "Why not?"
"What would I even get from 'assaulting' you~?" She leaned in slightly, voice teasing. "Little villain, don't overestimate yourself."
Her playful, lazy smile made sothing tighten in his chest.
Su Xiaobai had no intention of backing down.
Unfortunately, the mont she turned fully around, his vision snapped downward.
White. Flawless. Skin.
Two jade lons sat proud and unrestrained, bigger than he had initially anticipated. And when she laughed—they shook.
His soul left his body.
For the first ti in his life, Su Xiaobai lost all capacity for thought.
The air felt heavier. His tongue was dry.
Zhu Qing caught the shift in his gaze.
Her smile froze.
A slow realization dawned—
Splash!
She turned away with a scoff, gracefully gliding toward the edge of the bath.
Su Xiaobai blinked, his mind struggling to reboot.
…Wait. Was she not mad?
She wasn't. In fact, as she pulled herself up, wrapping a white silk robe around her damp body, he could swear he saw the faintest hint of red on her ears.
She sat at the bath's edge, dipping her long, smooth legs back into the water, and turned to glare at him.
"…Not my fault," Su Xiaobai muttered. "You were the one proudly displaying your body."
"You—!"
Zhu Qing whipped around, furious.
She had just walked out, barely covered, and this bastard had the gall to act like it was her fault?!
…But after a mont, she hesitated.
Technically… she had called him here.
Technically… she had set him up.
Technically… she had turned around first.
Zhu Qing's expression twitched.
"…Hmph. Leave it," she muttered, brushing the thought aside. "What do you even need?"
She crossed her legs, resting her chin in her palm, watching him.
For a mont, Su Xiaobai was distracted.
Her robe was covering her, sure—but not enough. Her bare shoulders, her damp hair, the way her skin glowed under the candlelight—
"Uh…" He quickly forced himself to focus. "I need… a little help."
Zhu Qing's eyebrow twitched.
"Help?" She blinked, as if she had just heard Yama himself talk about peace and rcy. "…From ?"
Su Xiaobai grimaced. He already knew this conversation was about to go sideways.
Zhu Qing's smile turned dangerous.
"Little villain…" she purred, voice dripping with mockery, "Did you beco a herbivore? What happened to your warrior pride?"
Su Xiaobai bit back a curse.
Of course. Of fucking course.
The mont he showed even the slightest weakness, this woman latched onto it like a hungry beast.
Zhu Qing's eyes glead with renewed interest.
At first, she had invited him here just to ss with him.
To be precise — bait him.
To see if he would crack.
If Su Xiaobai was the villain she assud… then he should've done what villains do.
Darkened eyes. Heavy breathing. The mont he saw her bare back, he should've snapped—pinned her against the bath's edge, teeth at her throat, hands roaming.
Reckless. Desperate. The kind of hunger that separates n from boys.
And that? That was when she would have fucked him up.
The mont his fingers so much as twitched… she would've slamd his ass through seven layers of formations. Sent him crawling back to Bai Yujian—thoroughly reford, half a man lighter.
All with the serene patience of a Peak Lord bestowing enlightennt upon an ignorant disciple.
She had set a trap. Steam, skin, temptation. A perfectly laid-out "ruin your life" scenario.
And what had this little bastard done?
He jumped into the water like a panicked dog hiding his damn boner.
Zhu Qing's brow twitched. To her mild disappointnt—
He hadn't lost control.
For a split second—just a split second—she almost respected him. Almost. Because the only thing worse than a man who couldn't control himself… was a man who could, and still chose to be a little bitch about it.
And now?
Now he was asking for her help?
Oh, this was fun.
____
"Go on," she purred, resting her elbow on her knee, her chin in her palm. "I'm listening."
Su Xiaobai exhaled. Fine. He quickly explained what had happened in the courtyard, detailing the bet with Hu Jiao'er and how those twins were now trying to wriggle out of it.
Zhu Qing's eyebrows lifted.
"…So let get this straight."
She tapped a single delicate finger against her knee.
"You want —a Peak Lord—to help you force two twins into your bed?"
Su Xiaobai nodded. "Basically."
The silence stretched.
Then—
Zhu Qing's entire face darkened.
"…Su Xiaobai," she said, voice slow, deliberate.
Her gaze was murderous.
"What do you take for? A brothel madam?!"
Su Xiaobai sighed. "Elder Zhu, you're overreacting. I never asked you to warm my bed—just help get my rightful winnings."
Zhu Qing's brows twitched.
"Rightful… winnings?"
A pause.
"…I an, technically," he muttered.
Her knuckles cracked.
Su Xiaobai suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Zhu Qing's face darkened like a storm gathering on the horizon.
Monts ago, she had been enjoying herself, basking in the sweet suffering of her little villain. But now? This bastard had flipped the ga on her.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She sighed, dragging a hand down her face.
"Okay…" she muttered. "Tell you have a good reason for this. If you're just looking for an excuse to drown in debauchery, I'm kicking you out."
Su Xiaobai's lips curled.
The smirk of a man who had already won.
Calmly, he explained his abilities—his gifted physique, his unparalleled talent for absorbing Yin Qi, and how, without it, his breakthrough would be delayed.
Zhu Qing's fingers drumd against her knee.
She rembered now.
Her own 'Death Qi absorption' had originated from him. If his abilities extended to 'Yin Qi', then this wasn't just so cheap excuse to collect won—
It was a really well-justified excuse to collect won.
Two weeks from now, if he didn't break into the 'Nascent Soul Realm', he'd get his ass obliterated.
Not her problem.
…But still.
A tiny flicker of guilt word its way into her heart.
After all, she had made things harder for him by letting Liu Zhenhai enter the duel. Naturally, she wasn't going to tell him that—he'd explode from rage—but…
She waved a hand lazily.
"So you just need won, right?" she said, already bored. "Go take all the single disciples from my Mystic Peak. Tell them it's my order."
Su Xiaobai squinted.
Sothing wasn't right.
This woman, who loved to ss with him, was suddenly being cooperative?
He narrowed his eyes. "Not just any won. I need maidens. Their 'Primordial Yin Qi' works best."
Zhu Qing's brows arched.
"Oh~?"
So, he needed maidens?
She leaned back, tapping her chin. Most female disciples weren't exactly innocent little fairies, but… Hu Jiao'er and Hu i'er?
She didn't recall those two ever getting involved with anyone.
Could that be why he targeted them?
Her gaze flicked back to him.
"How much does your cultivation increase from absorbing primordial yin?" she asked, voice slow. "Have you… tested it before?"
Sothing about this felt off.
She wasn't about to be tricked into playing sect-wide brothel keeper for him, was she?
Su Xiaobai's lips curled.
He had anticipated her doubts. Of course, he had proof.
He told her about how he exhausted the sect's yin poison reserves. Then—
"A'Jin?" Zhu Qing suddenly interrupted, frowning.
Su Xiaobai paused. "Ah… Yes?"
For a mont, silence.
Then—
Zhu Qing burst out laughing.
Not a quiet chuckle. Not a smug snicker.
She threw her head back, her entire body trembling.
Her resentnt? Gone. Her bad mood? Obliterated.
She looked at Su Xiaobai with an expression so warm, so dangerously amused, it made him want to leave imdiately.
"Little villain," she purred, eyes gleaming, "did you really break that cold-blooded queen?"
Su Xiaobai hesitated.
Why was she asking that?
He nodded cautiously.
Did he fuck up? Was she A'Jin's relative?!
Shit. He hadn't checked her background completely!
Zhu Qing's smile deepened.
Her voice dropped into sothing slow, seductive, and deeply concerning.
"Did you fuck her senseless?" she muttered, eyes narrowing. "Did she scream your na? Did she beg?"
Su Xiaobai's entire brain crashed.
"—WHAT?!"
Zhu Qing just tilted her head.
"What?" she asked innocently.
Su Xiaobai stared.
Oh, Elder. Did you forget your status?!
Zhu Qing blinked. Then, as if she had just processed what she said—
Her face flushed.
She coughed into her hand, looking away.
"Ahem. Forget that!" she snapped. "I'll ask her myself later!"
Su Xiaobai, anwhile, was having a crisis.
Ask her yourself?!
Was she going to conduct a post-battle interview?!
Before he could question his entire existence, Zhu Qing waved a hand.
"You—" she said, moving past her own embarrassnt, "I'll help you."
Su Xiaobai blinked.
"Huh?"
What just happened?
Why did she go from mocking him to suddenly being on his side?!
Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire
Did she and A'Jin have so kind of blood feud?!
Zhu Qing, anwhile, was grinning ear to ear.
She was very, very happy.
Suspiciously happy.
Su Xiaobai's villain instincts scread.
Sothing was wrong.
Sothing was very, very wrong.
Reviews
All reviews (0)