34: Chapter 34 Outrageous! Even someone as powerful as Master would... need to lean on the wall to walk?

As the woman moved, her already loose collar instantly opened a bit more, revealing a glimpse of a breathtaking, snow-white curve!

!!!

Xu Ruyu's brain went "boom," and his blood seemed to rush straight to the top of his head; his cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg!

He never imagined in his wildest dreams that things would develop this way!

This woman's change in attitude was far too fast and bizarre!

Just a moment ago, she was out for blood, and now she was...

See no evil! Hear no evil! Speak no evil!

“Jun—Junior Sister! You can't do this!”

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Xu Ruyu suddenly leaped back a large step. He covered his eyes tightly with both hands, turned around, and babbled incoherently, “A misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!”

“I didn't see anything! I wasn't thinking anything!”

“I—I'm leaving! Goodbye, Junior Sister! No, let's never meet again!”

After saying that, he didn't dare stay a second longer. Regardless of the direction, he took off, sprinting at full speed back the way he came, running for his life!

That speed was even a few points faster than when he was dodging Lei Xuan's attacks on the stage yesterday; his figure quickly disappeared into the dense forest.

Leaving the woman by the pond, she watched Xu Ruyu's frantic retreating figure. The flirtatious smile on her face gradually faded, returning to that clear and elegant expression with a hint of aloofness.

However, in her eyes, there was now an extra layer of deep thought and intense interest.

She unhurriedly tied her robe's sash and straightened her slightly damp dress.

“Xu Ruyu... the Sect Master's personal Disciple...” she whispered to herself, her fingertips unconsciously brushing through her wet hair. “He really is as interesting as the rumors say.”

“He seems silly and panicked, but that jump to avoid me just now, and this running speed... his reactions are surprisingly fast.”

“And...”

She recalled Xu Ruyu's pure (or rather, cowardly) appearance—covering his eyes, turning around, and blushing furiously. It formed a wonderful contrast with the image from yesterday's rumors of the person who strangely endured the gauntlet match and even attracted the attention of Madame Qingli.

“It seems that life in the Hehuan Sect won't be boring from now on.”

The corners of the woman's lips curled slightly into an ambiguous smile. She turned and drifted away in another direction.

...

Xu Ruyu sprinted all the way, his heart nearly jumping out of his throat.

The thrilling and erotic scene from earlier kept replaying in his mind, especially the woman's final action of pulling open her robe and her words, making him flush with embarrassment and linger in fear.

“So terrifying! Are all the women in the Hehuan Sect this terrifying?!”

Xu Ruyu wailed as he ran. “Senior Sister Su is like that, and this unknown Junior Sister is also like that! They just... who can handle this!”

He felt like Tang Seng who had fallen into the Silk Cave, surrounded by female demons who were eyeing him greedily, wanting to “eat” him.

Revered Master, oh Revered Master, what kind of dragon's den or tiger's lair is your Hehuan Sect!

After panting and running aimlessly for a long time, Xu Ruyu finally calmed down a bit when he saw the familiar outline of the palace buildings. He identified the direction and ran toward Ningyin Hall.

Right now, he only wanted to hurry back to the relatively “safe” Side Hall, close the door, and be alone for a while.

Finally, the familiar platform and closed doors of Ningyin Hall came into view. As if seeing a lifeline, Xu Ruyu quickened his pace and rushed up.

Just as he reached the hall doors and was about to reach out and push them open—

There was a “creak.”

The hall door was gently pulled open from the inside, leaving a crack.

A figure in plain white was holding the door frame with one hand, while the other seemed to unconsciously press against her lower abdomen. With her head slightly lowered, she slowly shuffled out of the hall.

The sunlight shone on her, and that peerless face seemed to carry a trace of imperceptible paleness and... weariness? Her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were enduring some discomfort.

It was Xiao Nianyin.

She clearly hadn't expected Xu Ruyu to appear at the door at this time, nearly sprinting, and the two almost collided.

Xiao Nianyin looked up and saw it was Xu Ruyu. A flash of surprise quickly crossed her eyes before she regained her coldness, but her pale complexion and slightly furrowed brows were hard to hide.

Xu Ruyu was also stunned. He hadn't expected to run into his Revered Master coming out, and in such a... seemingly weak state?

He hurriedly braked and stood still, flustered. The red flush on his face from his earlier sprint and lingering fear hadn't faded yet, and his eyes flickered, not daring to meet Xiao Nianyin's gaze.

“Ma—Revered Master...”

Xu Ruyu panted, bowing guiltily.

His mind couldn't help but flash back to last night's “dream,” the mess on the bed this morning, and the shocking scene at the back mountain just now. Various images mixed together, making him even less daring to look up.

Xiao Nianyin's gaze swept over Xu Ruyu's flushed cheeks, messy hair, hurried breathing, and the panic in his eyes. She also caught a very faint, crisp scent of mist that didn't belong to Ningyin Hall, causing her brows to knit a fraction tighter.

Where did he go? Why did he come back in such a state?

Moreover... his guilty and panicked appearance was exactly the same as when he returned from Su Mei yesterday afternoon.

The faint annoyance and inexplicable discomfort in Xiao Nianyin's heart seemed to intensify slightly.

The hand pressing against her lower abdomen tightened slightly as she tried to suppress the soreness and emptiness deep within her body, which had been exacerbated by last night's absurdity and this morning's emotional fluctuations.

“Panicked and flustered, where is your decorum?” Xiao Nianyin's voice was a few degrees colder than usual, carrying a hint of imperceptible fatigue. “Where did you go?”

“I... this Disciple went to the back mountain for a walk to... to clear my head.”

Xu Ruyu lowered his head and answered in a small voice, his heart beating like a drum.

“To clear your head?”

It was impossible to tell from Xiao Nianyin's tone whether she believed him or not. Her cold gaze seemed to pierce through his guilt. “The back mountain is quiet. Do not go there again to disturb the peaceful cultivation of others.”

“Go back and freshen up. This afternoon... I will begin teaching you the sect's basic Cultivation Technique.”

After speaking, she stopped looking at Xu Ruyu and seemed to want to continue walking out. However, just as she took a step, her figure swayed almost imperceptibly, and her hand on the door frame tightened.

Although Xu Ruyu's head was lowered, he caught this scene out of the corner of his eye, and his heart couldn't help but tighten.

Revered Master... really seems a bit unwell?

Xiao Nianyin quickly stabilized herself. She took a deep breath and straightened her back, as if the sway just now was merely an illusion.

She didn't stay any longer, bypassed Xu Ruyu, and walked slowly toward another direction outside the hall.

However, compared to her usual self, her steps seemed a little less ethereal and a bit more heavy.

Xu Ruyu stood blankly at the hall entrance, watching his Revered Master's back—which still looked lofty but vaguely revealed a hint of thinness and fragility—as she walked further away. Thinking back on his “encounters” this morning, his mind felt like a tangled mess.

When will these days ever come to an end?