Chapter 335: Senior Brother, Attending to the Emperor (4000)
Ye Anping recalled the situation and knew Xiao Yunluo had misunderstood. He held her and pushed open the door to his Sky-grade Room Two, walking inside while explaining, “I merely asked Senior Sister Feng to suppress my yang energy with her own true essence that time, and I gave her thirty thousand spirit stones for it…”
As he spoke, Ye Anping’s heart settled slightly. He suddenly realized that Feng Yu Die’s cultivation stagnation might not be entirely unrelated to him.
– When he and Xiao Yunluo returned to Xuan Xing Sect after his Foundation Establishment, Feng Yu Die had just emerged from her stone chamber having reached Foundation Establishment.
– After Chi Long Mansion, he had reached Mid Foundation Establishment, and Feng Yu Die followed closely behind, also reaching Mid Foundation Establishment.
– Just now, due to the settlement, his cultivation broke through the mid-stage bottleneck, entering the late stage. At the same time, Feng Yu Die, who had been cultivating slowly, broke through as well, and her Profound Yin Art reached the third layer.
She had been painstakingly cultivating for several hours today, and her progress was still slow. Yet, after his yang energy settled and he broke through, she also broke through. This could not be a coincidence.
Si Xuanji had once told him that his fate was intertwined with Feng Yu Die’s. Thinking this, he realized he was now holding Feng Yu Die back, and this was even with his Golden Finger. If he didn’t have the yang energy settlement Golden Finger, Feng Yu Die would likely only be at Early Foundation Establishment.
This problem hadn’t been significant before, but it was different now. Feng Yu Die and Gu had already detected each other, and they were now mortal enemies. Originally, their aptitudes and cultivation disparities were not significant, but now, with Feng Yu Die having to support him, the gap between her and Gu would only widen. Currently, he could use his foresight and strategy to bridge this gap, but eventually, the gap would become too large for him to compensate.
Ye Anping was confident that he could enable a Foundation Establishment cultivator to kill a single Core Formation cultivator without injury by exploiting weaknesses. However, even with his flawless plans, he could not possibly have a Foundation Establishment cultivator kill a Nascent Soul cultivator. When the disparity in raw strength reaches a certain point, strategy and tactics become irrelevant.
In short, he needed to focus on improving his own cultivation. At the very least, he had to keep pace with Gu, otherwise, he and Feng Yu Die would inevitably die by Gu’s sword. But how could a dual spiritual root cultivator catch up to a prodigy like Gu?
– Should he use demonic cultivation methods to rapidly advance his cultivation? However, while demonic cultivation methods are fast, they go against the Heavenly Dao and primarily involve plundering others’ inner cores to boost cultivation, easily leading to inner demon tribulations and downfall. This was definitely not a good idea.
Then, what remaining methods were there that did not violate the immortal path…
– Harmonizing with the Dao and dual cultivation. In other words, dual cultivating with someone whose cultivation and aptitude were higher than his own, converting yin and yang into his own cultivation. This was probably the only shortcut he could achieve at the moment.
At this thought, Ye Anping suddenly recalled Si Xuanji’s advances towards him. He had been quite puzzled as to why a powerful figure like Si Xuanji would be so “considerate” towards a dual spiritual root cultivator like him, even going to great lengths to seduce him and help him “dampen his yang energy.” But now, he finally understood the significance of Si Xuanji’s actions. Besides the fact that he was indeed handsome, Si Xuanji had likely foreseen that his dual spiritual root aptitude would become the shortest plank in his barrel, and had long planned to help him compensate for this weakness through harmonizing and dual cultivation. His engagement to Xiao Yunluo was likely for this reason as well.
Just as he had cultivated his junior sister to overcome the sect-destroying calamity of “Wu You,” Si Xuanji, in the game, cultivated Feng Yu Die to become a capable subordinate. Perhaps, from the moment Si Xuanji came to him and gave him the Yin-Yang Pendant for the engagement with Xiao Yunluo, he could no longer escape his predetermined fate.
As Ye Anping was filled with mixed emotions and contemplated fate, a small hand suddenly reached out and gently drew a circle on his brow. Xiao Yunluo, whom Ye Anping was holding in a princess carry, watched him lost in thought with a serious expression. Not wanting to disturb him, she finally found his furrowed brow unbearable and rubbed it open. “Ye Anping, what’s bothering you so much?”
Looking at Xiao Yunluo in his arms, Ye Anping parted his lips slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he simply shook his head and remained silent. He walked with her to the bedside and sat down, allowing Xiao Yunluo to lean against his chest.
?! Xiao Yunluo was caught off guard, her eyes widening in panic. She wanted to struggle free, yet she was unwilling to, feeling incredibly conflicted. She could only ask softly, “What… what are you doing?”
Ye Anping closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment. He subtly slipped his hand into her collar, touching her skin and giving it a gentle twist.
“!!” Xiao Yunluo’s back instantly stiffened, and she bit her lip. However, she did not resist. Her cheeks flushed red as she averted her gaze and asked, “Didn’t you just… with Lian Xue…”
“I am Senior Sister Xiao’s companion reader. The duties of a companion reader include attending to the emperor.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo’s ears perked up. A hint of grievance flickered in her eyes. She looked at Ye Anping’s calm face and said, “That’s true… then attend to the emperor.”
“Mmm.” Ye Anping nodded, turning Xiao Yunluo a quarter turn so she was leaning against his chest. His hand moved to the back of her knees, hooked her legs apart, and then he straddled her, leaning back against his chest. Her fair, delicate feet dangled on either side of Ye Anping’s knees, then slightly curved upwards.
Xiao Yunluo’s face was crimson with shyness. However, she resolutely closed her eyes and said, “But… only with your hands! And don’t peek!”
Rustling~~ Ye Anping gently touched her crescent moon with his index finger, paused slightly, and said softly, “Senior Sister Xiao, promise me one thing.”
“Wh-what…”
“Don’t secretly read those books at night anymore. It’s not beneficial for your cultivation. You’re about to reach Core Formation, so you should know more about self-control. Look at yourself, what have you become?”
Xiao Yunluo’s cheeks were as red as if they were about to steam. Her lips parted, but she remained silent. After a long while, she finally managed to blurt out, “I’m also a girl in her teens… is it abnormal to have such needs?”
“At most once or twice a month. What’s your frequency usually?”
Almost every day… Xiao Yunluo’s lips parted, too embarrassed to say it aloud. With a look of shame and indignation, she turned to Ye Anping’s face, only to find that he truly wasn’t looking, his eyes closed. “…Why are you still so serious at a time like this!”
“When was I ever not serious? Didn’t you tell me not to look?”
“…” Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips and finally relaxed. She reached out, grabbed Ye Anping’s large hand, and guided it to touch herself.
The dim candlelight illuminated them, and soft, melodious cries occasionally echoed from within the room, like those of a nightingale. Ye Anping kept his eyes closed the entire time, allowing Xiao Yunluo to guide his fingers, feeling her squirming and wriggling in his embrace.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yunluo spoke again, asking, “Ye Anping, you… you are merely my companion reader, do you understand?”
“Does Senior Sister Xiao only want me to be her companion reader?”
“Lian Xue is your cultivation partner, and I have a good relationship with Lian Xue… so…” Xiao Yunluo gently pursed her lips. She remembered the Yin-Yang Pendant her mother had given Ye Anping. She liked Ye Anping. However, she also liked Pei Lianxue as a friend, and she didn’t want Pei Lianxue to consider her an enemy because of Ye Anping. After a moment of silence, she made up her mind. At least until she could convince Pei Lianxue to agree to Ye Anping marrying her as a second wife, she wouldn’t mention the Yin-Yang Pendant. Otherwise, it would only trouble Ye Anping. It was not unusual for outstanding men in this world to have multiple wives; it was just that Lian Xue was a bit possessive. She thought she could convince Lian Xue. Therefore, it was best to maintain some distance with Ye Anping for now. Ye Anping was her companion reader, and he only attended to her as a servant on weekdays…
“Remember, Ye Anping!” Ye Anping looked at her and nodded slightly. “Mmm.”
Xiao Yunluo smiled contentedly and no longer felt constrained by her small actions. She once again grasped Ye Anping’s right hand. However, it was at this moment.
*Ding-a-ling~~* A sound like a jade bell rang in Ye Anping’s mind. Not knowing if it was Si Xuanji or Su Wan’er, he immediately restrained himself and quickly withdrew his hand.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Yunluo asked, somewhat confused. As she turned to look at him, a woman’s voice with a hint of teasing came from the corner of the room: “Oh? It seems I’ve come at the wrong time? Young Master Ye is busy helping Young Master Xiao recuperate.”
The woman with a silver arc and white face seemed to slip in with the wind. As she spoke, she emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room, crossed her arms, and approached Ye Anping and Xiao Yunluo from a distance of five feet.
Xiao Yunluo was startled. She immediately pulled down the long skirt that was wrapped around her waist, her face filled with shame and then horror as she looked at the suddenly appearing fox-faced woman. “Immortal Thief… Immortal Thief?! You… you you… aren’t you dead? This afternoon…”
“Mmm?” Su Wan’er was slightly taken aback. Her eyes behind the mask shifted to Ye Anping, who was now holding Xiao Yunluo. “Didn’t Young Master Ye tell her?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunluo turned to look at Ye Anping behind her, her large purple eyes filled with confusion. Ye Anping sighed helplessly. Maintaining his posture with Xiao Yunluo, he said, “Miss Su, couldn’t you have knocked before coming in?”
“Hehe~ My apologies! I never knock when I enter or leave anywhere.” A smile appeared on Su Wan’er’s face beneath her mask. She pulled a chair from under a nearby table and sat down. At the same time, she took out a scroll from her storage bag and presented it to Ye Anping.
Xiao Yunluo took the scroll, hesitated for a moment, then spread it open and looked at it, her eyes widening slightly. “This… this is a map of the Tianan City Imperial Palace?”
Ye Anping glanced at the map from Xiao Yunluo’s shoulder, looking slightly surprised. He asked, “Miss Su, when did you get this?”
“Just now. Don’t worry, no one noticed.” Su Wan’er shrugged slightly and spread her hands. “Even though I’m no longer the Immortal Thief, I was one, so stealing a map is no problem.”
Ye Anping looked at Su Wan’er’s fox mask and raised an eyebrow, retorting, “I haven’t even told Miss Su what I need her help with yet, and she already knows?”
“Hehe… I’m not an idiot. The only things I’m skilled at are the Star-Plucking Art and遁术 (Dùnrén Shù – escape techniques). Since you need my help, it naturally has to do with stealing? And in Tianan City, the only place you, Young Master Ye, would be interested in is likely the Imperial Sect’s secret vault. Consider this my pledge of allegiance.”
“Since Miss Su has already guessed it, there’s no need for further explanation.” Ye Anping took the map from Xiao Yunluo’s hand, spread it out in mid-air with spiritual power, and then, with his finger as a sword, flicked the still-wet holy water from his fingertip onto the center of the map, creating a black mark. “Here.”
Su Wan’er turned to look, paused, and asked, “Tianhe Hall?”
“Mmm. Directly below the Tianhe Hall in the Imperial Palace, there is a Five Elements restriction. I would like to ask Miss Su to take my junior sister with you then, and enter it to break the restriction and retrieve a statue weighing a thousand catties. I will wait at the Wu Men outside Tianhe Hall. Bring the statue to me, and then continue to move things. We will rendezvous outside Tianan City after everything is settled.”
“Understood. What about the reward?”
“Fifteen percent.”
“Deal.”
“Miss Su is so decisive. Aren’t you going to negotiate the price with me?”
Su Wan’er shrugged slightly, stood up, and took out the jade token Liang Zhu had given her from her storage bag. “No need. By the way, I’ve changed my surname to Ye.”
“Like this… we will act after the Demon Emperor arrives at the city. At that time, Brother Liang will escort you into the Imperial Palace first, and a maidservant named Hong Yu by the Empress’s side will also be there to meet you.”
“Got it. I won’t disturb Young Master Ye further while he’s attending to Young Master Xiao, but I must say, Young Master Ye, you’re not old, so you should be more restrained.”
Ye Anping’s face turned dark. “No need to worry.”
Ye Wan’er waved her hand and turned towards the shadowy corner of the room. The dim candlelight in the room flickered slightly, and her figure vanished from the room in an instant.
After Ye Wan’er left, Xiao Yunluo stared blankly for a moment before finally coming back to her senses. The Immortal Thief had seen her in such a shameful position… For a moment, she felt so ashamed she wanted to bite her tongue and die. But quickly, she snapped out of her shame and turned to look at Ye Anping. “Ye Anping, you’re planning to raid the Imperial Sect’s treasury? That’s the Central Domain’s Emperor…”
“Senior Sister Xiao, you don’t need to worry. Everything is ready except for the Demon Emperor.” Ye Anping said, then looked down at her disheveled appearance and asked, “Do you want to continue?”
“…” After such an interruption, how could she still be in the mood? Xiao Yunluo averted her eyes and asked, “Is there anything I can help with? I…”
“When the Demon Emperor and Senior Sister Feng are fighting, you will have to help Senior Sister Feng.”
“Ah? Demon… Demon Emperor?”
“Mmm, the Demon Emperor wants an opportunity on Senior Sister Feng’s person. Her cultivation has just reached Late Foundation Establishment, and I’m worried she won’t be able to handle it. Just don’t let her die by the Demon Emperor’s sword. A few more tits are acceptable.”
Can’t handle it… Hearing Ye Anping say it so casually, Xiao Yunluo didn’t know how to react for a moment. The Demon Emperor, Hu Mu, was a powerful cultivator in the Void Realm among contemporary human cultivators. What was Er Shazi’s cultivation level now? Fighting him was suicidal.
Xiao Yunluo didn’t understand, but since Ye Anping said it, she trusted him, so she didn’t think about it further and nodded in agreement. “Mmm, okay.”
Then, she pursed her lips, her small hand grabbing Ye Anping’s and placing it before her wet crescent moon. “Then… continue attending to me then…”
Ye Anping sighed slightly. “Mmm… after today, the next time will be a month later. Senior Sister Xiao, you must remember this clearly.”
“I… I know! Hurry up… it’s almost dawn, and Er Shazi and Lian Xue will be up soon.”
“Ai—”
…
