60: Chapter 60 Senior, come on, I'm still okay...

The lingering, bone-meltingly sweet laughter of Madam Qingli still echoed in his ears, yet Xu Ruyu only felt a chill shoot up from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head.

He stood rigidly in place, looking at the stunningly beautiful woman leaning against the doorway with a face full of smiles. Yet, uncontrollably, chaotic fragments from the earlier Great Fox Illusion surged in his mind — the graceful, undulating curves beneath the plain white dress, the strange sensation of being entangled by nine fluffy fox tails, those gasps interwoven with pain and extreme pleasure, and finally, Madam Qingli's eyes at the moment the illusion collapsed, filled with shock, shame, indignation, and a hint of dazed confusion...

Even though it was within the illusion, even though the process was out of control and the ending was awkward, that very real 'intimate contact,' along with the profound look in this Taihu Clan powerhouse's eyes afterward, and her persistent return now — all of it pointed unmistakably to one thing—

This figure, who had lived for who knows how many hundreds or thousands of years, whose cultivation was unfathomably deep, and whose beauty could topple nations, this Old Ancestor-level personage of the Taihu Clan, had an extraordinary 'interest' in him, Xu Ruyu — a newly transmigrated, Qi Refining Stage newbie.

And now, the very subject of this 'interest' had come knocking with a smiling face, saying things like 'I had some free time and wondered if I could help you,' and hinting at a 'small price'...

Alarm bells clanged wildly in Xu Ruyu's heart, accompanied by a wave of profound helplessness.

Heavens, are you playing a joke on me?

Before Transmigration, he was a miserable office worker who had never even properly dated a girlfriend. His greatest 'romantic encounter' was secretly 'studying' with various 'teachers' on his computer hard drive every night.

Back then, he wasn't without fantasies. He dreamed that one day, like the protagonists in novels, beautiful women would throw themselves at him, allowing him to embrace left and right, enjoying the blessings of a harem.

But now, when such 'good fortune' seemed to truly befall him, he only felt his scalp tingle and his spine go cold. Far from any secret delight, his heart was filled with the helpless dread of 'my life is over.'

His Revered Master, Xiao Nianyin, was outwardly pure and chaste, but inwardly... well, at least towards him, she was a domineering 'night assault maniac' who would drug him with incense while he slept.

Her goal was crystal clear: to reclaim the cultivation that belonged to her.

And her methods were direct — persuasion through intimacy.

And what about the Madam Qingli before him now? While her exterior was bewitching and alluring, appearing utterly captivating, what about her interior...

Based on the experience in the illusion and her current gaze — which was sizing him up like a smiling predator — she probably wasn't someone easy to deal with either.

As for her goal? Unclear for now, but it was undoubtedly tied to his 'special Physique' or the power within his body.

Judging by her smiling-yet-dangerous demeanor, she was probably even harder to guard against than his Revered Master's straightforward, domineering approach.

Truly, once you fall into this 'fox den' of the Hehuan Sect, there are no peaceful days to be had.

After dealing with the 'night assaults' from his icy Revered Master, he now had to handle the 'day visits' from this passionate and seductive fox spirit.

Was this a peach blossom romance? Hell no! This was a peach blossom calamity! A death warrant!

But what could he do?

Resist? Don't be ridiculous.

He was utterly powerless against Xiao Nianyin alone. Add a Madam Qingli of unknown depths? His meager cultivation, having just Broken through to the Qi Refinement Middle Stage, probably didn't even register as a strong ant in her eyes.

Escape? Bound by restrictions, he couldn't even leave Ningyin Hall, and who knew how many eyes were watching outside?

Reason with her? Would she even listen to reason? He had experienced the Law of the jungle in the Cultivation World quite thoroughly these past few days.

After turning it over in his mind, Xu Ruyu sorrowly realized that he truly seemed to have... no other choice.

Since he couldn't resist, since he couldn't hide, since reason was useless... then it seemed only one path remained.

Xu Ruyu's cheeks grew somewhat warm, a war raging within him.

On one hand, there was an instinctive resistance and sense of shame towards 'sacrificing his charms' for a chance to survive; on the other, a desperate, 'the-pot-is-already-broken' resignation, and even a flicker of restless excitement that he himself despised — after all, the other party was Madam Qingli!

The peerless beauty of the Taihu Clan who could make countless Cultivators lose their minds!

Even though his mind was muddled during that time in the illusion, that extreme experience...

"Forget it, forget it..."

Xu Ruyu let out a long, internal sigh, his face adopting an expression of near-resignation.

He silently brainwashed himself: This is for survival, this is a strategic compromise, this is bowing your head under someone else's roof... Besides, it seems... not too much of a loss?

He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve.

First, like the proverbial ostrich hiding its head in the sand, Xu Ruyu carefully tucked the few strands of Xiao Nianyin's hair he was holding under his pillow. Then, he lifted his head, forcing onto his face a smile uglier than tears.

Under Madam Qingli's slightly amused gaze, Xu Ruyu shuffled his feet. He didn't retreat. Instead, he moved towards the door.

Madam Qingli's brow raised slightly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, curious about what this little fellow intended to do.

She saw Xu Ruyu walk to the door, reach out — not to open it to escape or call for help, but... to gently pull the already slightly ajar door further inwards, closing it more firmly. He even glanced subconsciously at the bolt, seeming to hesitate for a moment about whether to slide it shut.

After this action, he turned around to face Madam Qingli once more.

He lowered his head slightly, his hands fidgeting awkwardly with the hem of his disheveled inner robe. His cheeks flushed crimson, his eyes darting about. In a voice as thin as a mosquito's hum, tinged with a mortified yet forcibly composed awkwardness, he stammered out:

"S-Senior... that... I-I understand."

He paused, then forced out the rest of his words:

"You... you can come."

"I... I can still take it... it's just... could you please... be gentle... Yesterday... ah, no, I mean before... I haven't fully recovered yet..."

Having said this, he tightly shut his eyes, stiffened his neck, and struck a pose of 'awaiting your plucking' and 'heroic martyrdom.' However, his faintly trembling eyelashes and reddened earlobes completely betrayed the nervousness in his heart.

The room fell into dead silence.

The anticipated 'hungry tiger pouncing on its prey' or teasing laughter did not immediately come.

Xu Ruyu waited a few seconds, his heart uneasy: Did the Senior find him not proactive enough? Or was his posture incorrect?

He secretly cracked one eye open a slit to peek at the situation.

However, the scene that met his eyes instantly left him dumbstruck.

Madam Qingli, who just moments ago had been all smiles and an air of complete control, was now looking at him with an utterly bizarre expression — those soul-stealing peach-blossom eyes were wide open, filled with astonishment and a kind of... barely suppressed mirth.

Her stunningly beautiful face first froze, then the corners of her mouth began to twitch uncontrollably. Her full, red lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

And then—

"Pfft— HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

A burst of uproarious laughter, loud enough to lift the roof, erupted violently from Madam Qingli's mouth!