“You’re going to sleep?” Yun Jianyue frowned, but did not immediately respond to his request.

“Of course! First, your assassins invaded the palace, and I had to run around saving everyone. After that, both Zhuxie Chixin and Cheng Xiong appeared and gave me a fright. I’m terribly exhausted by all this,” said Zu An, lying down. “Move over, please. You’re in the way.”

“You’re going to sleep on the bed?” Yun Jianyue replied, still expressionless. Shouldn’t the man usually act like a gentleman in such a situation? This fella really doesn’t behave as expected.

“Of course,” replied Zu An, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. “This is my room, and my bed. Where else would I sleep if not here?”

Yun Jianyue took a deep breath, tamping down on the rage that was building up within her. “Where do I sleep, then?”

“The floor of course. What, do you want to sleep with me?” Zu An grabbed his blankets and looked at her suspiciously, as if she was a pervert.

This was a special residence reserved for an embroidered envoy to rest briefly, so it wasn’t that large. It did not have a guest room or other such luxuries. His bed was the only one available.

Yun Jianyue couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

She had assumed that, as a grandmaster, she would be calm and controlled at all times. Yet this had been well and truly disproven this day, by this man.

He was just too shameless!

“You’re a man, and I’m a woman. Why can’t you act like a gentleman?” Yun Jianyue was naturally not keen to sleep on the ground. However, it wasn’t a good look for a grandmaster like her to be fighting over something like this. After all, he had saved her, and even offered her medicine to treat her wounds. Becoming hostile towards him seemed a little low, even for the Devil Sect’s sect master.

“Please don’t. I support gender equality,” replied Zu An immediately. “You’re the glorious sect master of the Devil Sect, and you’re much stronger than all those men. Do you really have the nerve to say these things because you’re a woman?”

Yun Jianyue was momentarily stunned.

You have successfully trolled Yun Jianyue for 444 Rage points!

She snorted and said, “Anyone who has ever said such things to my face is already dead. However, since you saved my life, I won’t argue with you.”

After saying this, she moved to a wooden bench and closed her eyes. Those at her level of cultivation were not bothered by the weather. She had no need of a blanket.

Zu An lay down on the bed and propped his head up. “Isn’t sitting there all night kind of uncomfortable?” he asked.

He had to admit that her long hair, reaching almost to her bottom, was a delightful sight. It was truly a natural work of art. He wasn’t hoping for more, though. He was more than pleased with the view.

Yun Jianyue didn’t even open her eyes. “Are you planning to give me the bed, then?” 

“Uh… I wanted to offer you an alternative,” said Zu An. “Can’t you make your own bed?”

“Make one? There’s no need,” replied Yun Jianyue indifferently.

She was already extremely familiar with this residence. There weren’t even any extra tables lying around. Was she going to push some chairs together and sleep on them? That would completely tarnish her reputation as a glorious sect master!

Zu An said, “There was a person, almost like a goddess, from my hometown. She didn’t use beds either. She could sleep on a rope tied between two walls.”

“Hm?” Yun Jianyue opened her eyes, clearly interested. “Someone like that exists?”

Zu An was also a little excited. He sat up and said, “Yup! She’s a goddess that stalks the dreams of far too many shut-ins!”

Sigh, the thought of Xiaolongnu brings back so many other memories of my past world. It’s truly a pity that there’s no way for me to return.[1]

“Disgraceful.” Yun Jianyue was full of disdain at his current expression.

Despite this, she still stood up, producing a white silk cloth from her sleeves. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the ends shooting into the walls of the room, forming a simple hammock.

Zu An was stunned. Where the heck did this long silk ribbon come from? However, he quickly realized that she probably had a spatial storage device. He had one himself, so it was likely that a glorious sect master would have one as well.

With a tap of her feet, Yun Jianyue hopped onto the silk hammock. She lay down, her body slowly reclining backwards. “Is this what you were talking about?”

“Yeah.” Zu An was in a bit of a daze. She looked just like the actress in the TV drama that he remembered. There wasn’t a trace of inelegance about her. No, this woman is much more stunning, with a distant expression. Is this what they mean by pure yet seductive?

Yun Jianyue lay on the ribbon, feeling a strange sense of relaxation. “This isn’t too bad. It feels quite comfortable.”

Given her cultivation, it wasn’t difficult for her to maintain her balance on this thin ribbon.

Zu An stared at the beautiful figure balanced on the ribbon. Her long hair fell from above, and her figure really was stunning. Um… the all black outfit should probably be replaced, though.

Yun Jianyue suddenly sat up.

“What is it?” Zu An asked curiously.

“My clothes are too tight, so I’m feeling a little uncomfortable,” Yun Jianyue said with a frown. She hadn’t felt this when she had been sitting on the chair, but lying on this ribbon accentuated the tight fit of her clothing.

Zu An said, “Do you want to change? I have some clothes here.”

Yun Jianyue gave him a strange look. “Are you a pervert? Why do you have female clothing here?”

Zu An was both angry and slightly ashamed. “Pah! I was merely keeping them here for my woman!”

Yun Jianyue wasn’t pleased by his reply. “Hmph! If you already have other women, why are you still chasing after our Honglei?” 

Zu An said, “I’m sure you know about the situation within my Chu clan. Besides, Honglei knew all about it from the beginning. I didn’t lie to her or anything.”

Yun Jianyue frowned. What the heck was going on with that Honglei? She clearly knew that this brat was a playboy. How could she still fall for him? “There’s no need,” she replied coldly. “I have my own clothes.”

With a tap of her toes, she darted behind the privacy screen. “If you sneak a peek, I’ll kill you, even if I have to permanently sacrifice my cultivation.”

“Who are you looking down on, sis? Do you think I’m someone like that?!” Zu An said angrily. He turned around, facing his back to her.

Yun Jianyue sighed. “If you aren’t, then all is well.” She removed a set of clothing from her storage artifact and began to change.

Zu An’s heart began to pound when he heard the rustling sound of clothes being removed. Isn’t this bloody woman seducing me by changing right here?

Her fragrance, lingering in the air, stirred something within him.

I can’t turn around, but I can use the jade badge’s power to see with their eyes…

He raised his hand and was about to use that ability, but did not follow through in the end. Hmph! I’m a man of character! If I want to look, I’ll look openly. There’s no pride in being sneaky.

“What are you muttering about over there?” Yun Jianyue’s soft footsteps came from behind him.

Zu An turned around, and his eyes lit up. She had changed into a white outfit. Her previous outfit had made her seem like a witch, but now, she seemed much more pure and otherworldly.

He couldn’t help but sigh. “Your appearance really doesn’t match the way others describe you. The ruler of the Devil Sect should be the aggressive and seductive type, yet you seem even more pure and fairy-like than those from more proper sects.”

Her eyebrows had begun to climb when she heard the words ‘aggressive and seductive’, but his following words set her much more at ease. She snorted, but didn’t bother arguing with him. She returned to her thin silk ribbon to sleep.

Zu An’s admiration grew as he stared at the white-clad beauty. The last blemish had been removed, and she was even prettier than the Xiaolongnu that he remembered.

“What are you staring at?” Even though she hadn’t opened her eyes, Yun Jianyue seemed to be able to sense his movements.

Zu An snapped out of his daze. “It’s nothing important,” he said with a smile. “I just wanted to warn you that, to remain on the silk ribbon, your thoughts need to remain pure, or else you’ll easily fall off.”

“Are you doubting my cultivation?” Yun Jianyue said, an edge to her voice.

Zu An admitted that she did have a point. She was already a grandmaster, so such a thing shouldn’t be too difficult for her.

He lay back down. Even though the lingering scent in the air and the knowledge that he was sleeping in the same room as such a stunning beauty drove him crazy, he was truly too tired out. He quickly fell asleep.

…

In the middle of the night, he was roused awake by a sudden, loud thud. It was accompanied by a woman’s cry of alarm. “Ah!”