158: Chapter 158 Senior, if you want, I can.

Madam Qingli’s door closed softly behind him with a light "click."

Xu Ruyu stood in the small courtyard outside. The moonlight spilled over him like water, casting a long, solitary shadow onto the bluestone ground.

The night wind blew through the Bamboo Sea, its rustling sound like countless whispers murmuring in his ear, yet it couldn't disperse the complex emotions churning in his heart.

He slowly turned around and looked at the tightly closed door.

Behind that door was Madam Qingli.

Xu Ruyu couldn't help but replay their recent conversation in his mind—Madam Qingli had admitted to her agreement with Xiao Nianyin and her "schemes" regarding him, but she had also said, "I really do like you."

Should he believe her?

He didn't know.

But he knew one thing—regardless of Madam Qingli's original intentions or whether she had a hidden agenda, she had, at the very least, truly protected him.

When his cultivation was completely gone and he was as weak as a Mortal, she had guarded him from the shadows.

When he was neglected by Xiao Nianyin and sent away to Tingzhu Peak, she was the one who enlightened and comforted him.

When he faced the life-and-death stakes of the Three-Month Agreement, she was the one who told him of a way out, saying she would risk her life to take him away.

And what about his Revered Master, Xiao Nianyin?

Xu Ruyu closed his eyes, and that cold, peerlessly beautiful face flashed through his mind.

The woman who had sobbed in the darkness, asking him, "Do you not despise me?" The woman who had surrendered to passion, clinging tightly to his neck...

The woman whose first act after recovering her cultivation was to kick him out of Ningyin Hall, and whose second act was to guide his opponent, seeking to kill him with a borrowed knife.

"Heh..."

Xu Ruyu let out a low laugh, one filled with self-mockery.

What exactly had he done wrong?

From the moment he was summoned to this world, he had been passive.

It was Xiao Nianyin who needed to neutralize the Yang Qi in her body, so she summoned him from Another World.

It was Xiao Nianyin who had actively climbed into his bed, actively shared intimacy with him, and actively... left those humiliating yet real marks on his body.

And him?

He was just a transmigrator, an unlucky fellow who had inexplicably come to this world, inexplicably been dragged into this conflict, and inexplicably become a pawn in someone else's game.

He had saved Xiao Nianyin’s life, only to be discarded once she no longer needed him.

He had given his sincerity, only to receive schemes and killing intent in return.

What exactly had he done wrong?

Xu Ruyu opened his eyes, a flash of determination in them.

Nothing.

He had done nothing wrong.

What was wrong was this world, the people who treated him like a pawn, and... his own naivety, his tendency to trust others too easily.

And now, he didn't want to be naive anymore.

Nor did he want... to owe anyone any more favors.

Madam Qingli said she would keep him safe and risk her life to take him away.

He believed those words.

But he was unwilling to owe such a massive favor.

In his hometown, there was an old saying: "A debt of gratitude is greater than the sky."

Once you owed someone a massive favor, it was like carrying a debt that could never be repaid in a lifetime, weighing on your heart every moment, making it hard to breathe.

He, Xu Ruyu, didn't want to owe such a debt.

Especially... he didn't want to owe a debt to a woman.

Moreover, this woman truly did have feelings for him—perhaps she had schemes at the beginning, but at least now, that affection was real.

Since she wanted Dual Cultivation to Breakthrough her Bottleneck...

Then, why not give it to her?

Regardless, he and Xiao Nianyin had already done it so many times. It was just a body; since it could help someone who was truly good to him, why should he be stingy?

As for feelings...

Xu Ruyu shook his head.

After what happened with Xiao Nianyin, he didn't want to talk about feelings for the time being.

But at the very least, he was willing to repay Madam Qingli's kindness.

Xu Ruyu took a deep breath, turned, and walked to Madam Qingli's door.

He raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally knocked gently on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

The sound of knocking was exceptionally clear in the silent night.

A moment later, the door opened with a "creak."

Madam Qingli stood inside, draped only in a thin gauzy robe. The belt was loosely tied, revealing a large expanse of snowy-white skin and deep cleavage. She clearly hadn't expected Xu Ruyu to return, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes, but it was quickly masked by her usual playfulness.

"Oh, Xiao Yuer~" She leaned against the doorframe, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled. "Have you thought it through? Do you want to spend a beautiful night with Big Sister?"

The moonlight shone on her, making the gauzy robe almost transparent, outlining her slender and sexy curves.

Her jet-black hair was draped over her shoulders, with a few stray strands hanging over her chest, rising and falling slightly with her breath.

That charming face glowed like jade under the moonlight, her peach blossom eyes were shimmering with moisture, and her red lips were slightly parted, her breath as fragrant as orchids.

Xu Ruyu looked at her. This was the first time he had looked at Madam Qingli so seriously and carefully.

It had to be said that the woman before him was simply every man's dream lover.

She was mature, sexy, and charming, yet she possessed a sisterly tenderness and tolerance.

She was flippant, loved to joke, and loved to tease him, but at critical moments, she could always be his most solid support.

She wasn't cold and proud like Xiao Nianyin, she didn't seduce him blatantly like Su Mei, and she wasn't innocent and romantic like Qingyan.

She was unique.

She was the kind of woman... that made people unable to help but want to get closer, want to depend on, and want to... possess.

Xu Ruyu swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He could hear his heart accelerating and his blood boiling.

"Senior..." he began, his voice somewhat raspy. "If you want Dual Cultivation, I can do it."

He paused and added:

"As long as you don't mind."

The smile on Madam Qingli's face froze the moment she heard those words.

She looked at Xu Ruyu, seeing the serious, almost resolute look in his eyes, the unnatural flush on his face, his tightly pursed lips, and his slightly trembling hands.

She didn't answer immediately.

She just watched him quietly, for a long, long time.

So long that Xu Ruyu thought he had said something wrong, so long that he began to regret it, so long that he almost turned to flee.

Then, Madam Qingli spoke.

Her voice was very light and soft, but it carried a seriousness that Xu Ruyu had never heard before:

"Xiao Yuer, those words... why do they sound a bit aggrieved?"

She took a step forward and reached out to touch Xu Ruyu's face, her fingertips warm and mild:

"Don't force yourself.

Big Sister already said she doesn't like using force. If you're unwilling, I won't force you."

Her gaze was so gentle it made Xu Ruyu's heart tremble:

"What Big Sister wants is for you to be willing from the bottom of your heart. Not to repay a kindness, not to return a favor, and certainly not... because you feel you owe something."

Xu Ruyu looked at her, seeing the unmasked pity in her eyes and that beautiful face so close at hand. At that moment, the defenses in his heart completely collapsed.

"Senior, I..." He opened his mouth, his voice choking up. "I'm willing."

He said those three words very softly, yet very firmly.

It wasn't out of gratitude, nor was it to return a favor.

It was... because he was truly willing.

Willing for something to happen with this woman who had protected him all along.

Willing to respond to her kindness in this way.

Even if this was just the beginning.

When Madam Qingli heard those three words, a flash of complex light appeared in her eyes.

There was joy, there was emotion, there was pity, and... a trace of guilt that was hard to detect.

But she quickly suppressed those emotions, and that charming smile bloomed on her face once more.

That smile was too dazzling, too tempting, leaving Xu Ruyu dazed, his heart itching and his throat dry.

"Come in."

Madam Qingli stepped aside, her voice carrying a seductive smile:

"Tonight, let Big Sister teach you well... the things your iceberg Revered Master didn't teach you."

Xu Ruyu stepped into the room.

The door closed softly behind him.

"Click."

A light sound that isolated the outside world.

No lamps were lit in the room; only the moonlight spilled in through the window frames, casting mottled light and shadows on the floor.

The air was filled with a warm fragrance, sweet and intoxicating, much richer than outside in the courtyard.

Madam Qingli walked to the bedside and turned around to face Xu Ruyu.

She slowly untied the belt at her waist.

The gauzy robe slipped down, pooling at her feet.

Under the moonlight, her body was fully revealed before Xu Ruyu's eyes.