The flickering red candle cast a warm, cozy glow inside the Heavenly Suite of the Guest's Peace Inn. Luo Jiayin stood with her back to the candlelight, the silk of her sleeping robe shimmering softly, tracing breathtaking curves against the gentle illumination. Having shed her usual daytime coolness, her ink-black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, a few stray strands clinging to her jade-like neck, adding a touch of languid charm.
Lin Che approached with feather-light steps. He had just turned from the window, his fingertips still carrying a hint of the night's chill. His gaze fell on her profile, which appeared calm, though a faint blush had crept up to the tips of her ears. The wariness sparked by the earlier disturbance outside was instantly supplanted by a far more scorching emotion.
He reached out, the slightly calloused pad of his finger tracing the sensitive shell of her ear with an almost reverent lightness, like a butterfly skimming a petal.
"Jiayin," he murmured, his voice lower and huskier than usual, laced with the ambiguity of the night.
Luo Jiayin trembled slightly, not pulling away. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, leaning into that cool touch. Her long eyelashes cast trembling shadows beneath her eyes as a soft sound escaped her throat. "Hmm?" The drawn-out syllable was like a feather tickling the heart, carrying a veiled invitation.
He said no more. His arm encircled her from behind, his palm coming to rest firmly against the flat, taut plane of her stomach beneath the thin silk. Through the flimsy barrier of the fabric, he could clearly feel the warmth and smoothness of her skin. With a slight pull, he drew her fragrant, soft form completely into his embrace. Her back pressed tightly against his chest, leaving almost no space between them. In the silent room, the sound of their rapidly accelerating heartbeats was deafening, their body temperatures climbing swiftly, weaving an atmosphere of palpable intimacy.
His chin rested against the softness of her hair. His breath was filled with her unique, cool fragrance, now seemingly catalyzed by the room's warmth into something heady and intoxicating, twining around his senses. His other hand found hers, their fingers slowly, determinedly interlacing and locking, enveloping her slightly cool fingers completely within his warm palm, as if to dispel her last vestige of unease.
"Cold?" he asked, his lips almost brushing her earlobe, his warm breath wafting over that most sensitive area.
She shook her head, her hair brushing against his cheek, bringing a faint, tantalizing itch. She had meant to say something—perhaps to ask about the disturbance he'd sensed earlier, or to remind him of the need for caution in this unfamiliar place. Yet, all rational words dissolved within the circle of his suddenly tightening arms and the scorching heat of his embrace, melting into a soft, muffled whimper at the back of her throat. Her last shreds of restraint crumbled, and she allowed herself to drown in this intimacy that was both comforting and heart-pounding.
Lin Che gave a low chuckle, his heated breath ghosting over the skin behind her ear, successfully eliciting another, more pronounced shiver from her. Satisfied by the complete pliancy of the body in his arms, his hand, which had been lingering on her abdomen, began to move upward with an undeniable pressure. Beneath the silky sleeping robe was skin even silkier, warm and incredibly resilient. His palm could clearly map the elegant curve of her slender waist, upward to the sudden taper of her ribcage, and then…
His fingertips finally brushed against the base of the full, high peaks, separated only by that thin layer of fabric. The sensation was one of plump richness, like the finest warm jade, pulsating with a life force so intense it almost scalded his fingertips. He paused for a heartbeat, as if in reverent appreciation of a priceless treasure, or perhaps gathering some force about to break its cage. His fingers flexed slightly, marveling inwardly at the astounding softness and generous fullness.
Luo Jiayin's body stiffened momentarily before going utterly limp, leaning back completely into his embrace as if all strength had left her. Her breathing lost all rhythm, becoming short and feverish. Any pretense of composure she'd maintained earlier shattered beyond recognition. She could feel the heat of his palm, burning through the thin fabric like a brand upon her skin, searing deep into her very soul, igniting a strange, heart-palpitating tingle that spread from her belly to her limbs. She instinctively bit her lower lip to stifle the moan threatening to escape.
However, at this very moment of dizzying passion, as the atmosphere reached its peak—
Lin Che's eyes sharpened abruptly! The amorous ambiance froze instantly!
It wasn't because of the alluring reaction of the woman in his arms, but because his preternaturally keen spiritual sense had detected over ten distinct spiritual energy fluctuations streaking across the night sky outside the window! They were like the sudden, cold gleam of serpent's eyes in the dark—swift, lethal, radiating undisguised killing intent—converging rapidly from different directions towards the City Patrol Office in the west of the city!
"Shh!" Almost the instant he sensed it, the muscles in his arm tensed, pressing Luo Jiayin more securely against him while his other hand swiftly yet gently covered her mouth. Her warm, ragged breaths puffed against his palm, carrying surprise and instantly heightened alertness.
Maintaining their intimately entangled posture, their hearts pounding like war drums, they listened intently. The night wind carried clearer sounds of something cutting through the air, and the faint, indistinct turbulence of spiritual energy that low-level cultivators couldn't fully conceal when moving at full speed. The cold killing intent was discernible even at this distance.
"Utterly… infuriating!" Lin Che gritted his teeth, his voice thick with frustration at the interrupted tryst and genuine annoyance. He held her tightly one last time, imprinting the sensation of her ample curves and scorching heat into his memory, before reluctantly, slowly releasing her.
The vital energy and blood within him churned violently from the sudden interruption of such intimacy, a restless heat coursing through his limbs. He took a deep breath, forcibly circulating his cultivation technique to suppress the turmoil, quickly straightening his slightly disheveled robes. Then he reached out, using his fingertips to gently adjust the collar of her sleeping robe that had slipped off her shoulder, his movement carrying a trace of lingering tenderness, though his eyes had already regained their sharp clarity.
"Wait here, suppress your aura, and don't leave the room," he said, his voice now steady as usual, though still slightly hoarse. "I'm going out to see what riffraff dares disturb people's… rest at this hour." The last word was uttered with clear resentment.
The blush on Luo Jiayin's cheeks, like a ripe peach, hadn't faded, but the dreamy, spring-like haze in her eyes had been rapidly replaced by clarity. She swiftly adjusted her robe, her fingers trembling almost imperceptibly. When she looked up at him, her gaze held a knowing mockery and deep concern. Covering her mouth, her voice, slightly husky from what had just transpired and still charmingly seductive, came through her fingers, "You lecher, official business is important. But quenching such a 'spark that could start a prairie fire' with cold water so abruptly… I fear it might be even harder to bear. I'll be careful. I'll wait for you to return."
"Temptress!" Her words stoked the restless fire in his heart again, leaving him both exasperated and helpless. It all condensed into an annoyed glare and a low reprimand laden with complex emotions. Before the words fully left his mouth, he had already drifted out through the open window like a leaf caught in the night breeze, merging seamlessly into the thick night mist without disturbing a single tile or speck of dust within the inn.
The night over Qingyan City was eerily silent. Lin Che activated his spiritual energy, his form rising into the air, trailing the group of uninvited guests like a wisp of smoke from a distance. Sure enough, their target was the City Patrol Office!
To avoid alerting anyone, when he was still several hundred meters away, Lin Che landed silently, concealing his aura to near nothingness. Using the shadows of street corners, he moved like a wraith towards the brightly lit compound.
As he neared the outer wall of the Patrol Office, violent clashes of spiritual energy mixed with the sounds of clashing weapons and angry shouts erupted from within the courtyard.
Lin Che found a vantage point with a good view and looked inside. The spacious courtyard of the City Patrol Office was a scene of intense combat. Over a dozen black-clad, masked individuals were besieging a middle-aged man with fiery red hair and a brown beard, powerfully built. The man wielded a blade as wide as a door panel, swinging it with ferocious might.
"Early stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm?" Lin Che raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised. In a remote border city with relatively sparse spiritual energy like this, reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm was no small feat. This man had remarkable talent.
In contrast, the masked attackers' cultivation levels were much lower. The strongest was only at the mid Nascent Soul stage, with the rest at early Nascent Soul or even late Golden Core. Though they had numerical advantage, they were clearly outmatched by the absolute power of a Spirit Transformation cultivator. The red-haired man's giant blade carried earth-shattering force with every swing. The masked individuals could only barely evade using their movement techniques, their formation already broken, forced into retreat step by step.
"Thud!"
"Argh!"
Screams rang out one after another. Where the giant blade passed, blood splattered. In moments, seven or eight of the masked figures lay in pools of blood, either dead or grievously wounded.
The combat area rapidly shrank until only five masked individuals remained, standing back-to-back in a circle, barely holding on, all injured, their auras feeble.
The red-haired man sheathed his blade, a menacing aura rolling off him. He took a step forward, letting out a triumphant laugh. "Hahaha! Mao Shiba! Didn't expect this, did you? This old man anticipated you Broken Sword Sect remnants would take advantage of the Patrol Office's lax patrols these past few days to launch a sneak attack! I set up this ambush specifically, waiting just for you! Today, let's see where you think you can run!"
The lead masked man shuddered. Seeing his identity exposed, he simply ripped the black cloth from his face, revealing a weathered, hate-filled visage. He glared at the red-haired man, spitting a mouthful of bloody phlegm. "Duo Long! You treacherous, shameless villain! Aiding a tyrant, willingly acting as the Profound Sword Sect's running dog, harming fellow cultivators! You disgrace the path of cultivation! Everyone has the right to slay you! Today, I, Mao Shiba, admit defeat. Kill me or slice me, do as you will! But I beg you, for the sake of our past camaraderie as fellow rogue cultivators, spare my four brothers here!"
"Spare them?" Duo Long laughed as if hearing the greatest joke, his laughter growing even wilder. "Mao Shiba, oh Mao Shiba, are you truly that naive or just pretending? Do you know how much the Profound Sword Sect is offering for the heads of you Broken Sword Sect dogs? One hundred mid-grade spirit stones! Per head! A full one hundred! I haven't gone through all this trouble setting up an ambush just to let my reward walk away! Not a single one of you is leaving here alive today!"
From the shadows, Lin Che's eyes gleamed with intense excitement. Truly, when you need a pillow, someone sends one!he thought gleefully. I was just worrying about how to find leads on the Broken Sword Sect, and here comes the perfect opportunity. While not entirely certain, this Mao Shiba is almost certainly one of them!
Watching Duo Long raise his giant blade with a sinister grin, powerful spiritual energy gathering once more, ready to finish off the remaining five, Lin Che didn't hesitate any longer. He cleared his throat and spoke up in a voice that was utterly lazy and dripping with annoyance at having his "pleasure" interrupted. His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried clearly throughout the Patrol Office courtyard.
"Tsk tsk… I say… Duo Long, is it? Is your Profound Sword Sect so stingy? A living, breathing rogue cultivator's head is only worth a hundred spirit stones? And mid-gradeat that? That price… are you trying to pay beggars, or just insulting yourself?"
The sudden voice froze everyone in the tense courtyard.
Duo Long's face changed dramatically. He whirled around, giant blade held defensively before him, and roared, "Who's there?! Show yourself, you skulking rat!"
Mao Shiba and his men were also stunned and wary, their gazes swiftly scanning the dark corner the voice came from.
A playful curve lifted the corner of Lin Che's mouth as he leisurely strolled out from the shadows. Moonlight fell upon him, illuminating a young but distinctly mocking face.
The real show was just beginning.