63: Chapter 63 Seeking Help from a Tiger: Master, I Need Your Favor

"Hmph, truly... truly shameless!"

Looking at those dynamic diagrams, Xiao Nianyin's incomparably beautiful face was instantly flushed with an irrepressible crimson hue.

She subconsciously wanted to withdraw her Divine Sense, but her gaze seemed to be firmly locked onto those exquisite illustrations and annotations.

Especially in several of the stances, the woman in the illustrations bent her waist into an incredibly supple arc, either arching or prone, tightly binding her most vulnerable parts with the other person, all while coordinating with specific breathing techniques and Qi fluctuations... The annotation on the side read: "This stance is conducive to deeply absorbing Yang Qi..."

"These... these postures..."

Xiao Nianyin only felt her cheeks burning hot; her breathing had become somewhat rapid without her realizing it, and her chest heaved slightly.

Uncontrollably, fragments of her entanglement with that brat Xu Ruyu from last night, and the night before, surfaced in her mind.

At that time, she was driven entirely by instinct and the backlash of her Cultivation Technique, flustered and at a loss—how had she ever thought there were so many... "techniques"?

Driven by a strange impulse, she actually followed the posture of one of the diagrams in the Jade Slip, slightly turning her body to mimic the pose.

As soon as her waist twisted into a slightly unfamiliar angle, a certain spot was affected, causing her to let out a soft "hiss"...

She hurriedly straightened her body, the flush on her face deepening. She inwardly chided herself: Xiao Nianyin, oh Xiao Nianyin, what are you doing?! How could you be so... so lacking in self-restraint! To actually study these lewd arts!

But another thought, like a devil's whisper, arose quietly: If... if she truly mastered these "techniques," would she be able to be more efficient next time...?

No, it would be to "guide" her energy back faster and more effectively during the next necessary "energy guidance"? Perhaps... even be able to turn the tables and take control, instead of being left so disheveled by that brat like the last two times?

This thought made her heart beat a little faster for no reason.

She bit her lower lip, her eyes flickering as she looked at the diagrams in the Jade Slip. The pride belonging to a Sect Master and the desire to restore her power clashed fiercely with the shyness of a woman and a certain unfamiliar flutter in her heart.

Just at this moment—

"Disciple Xu Ruyu requests an audience with Revered Master."

Outside the Main Hall came the voice of the youth who made her current state of mind incomparably complicated, carrying a hint of caution and trepidation.

Xiao Nianyin's delicate body trembled violently, as if she had been caught in the act of doing something bad. She scrambled to withdraw her Divine Sense from the Jade Slip, and the Jade Slip containing the "Nine Stances of the Mystic Maiden's Yang Absorption" was quickly shoved back into the Profound Ice Jade box like a hot potato, the lid snapping shut with a "clack."

She took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down, and quickly channeled a wisp of weak Qi to soothe her churning blood and the flush on her face.

Only when her breathing felt steady and her complexion had returned to its usual coldness (at least on the surface) did she adjust her slightly loose silk robes and long hair, walk slowly out of the inner chamber, and sit back down upon the high and lofty Jade Throne in the outer hall, assuming her customary icy demeanor.

"Enter."

Her voice drifted out, devoid of any discernible emotion.

Xu Ruyu pushed the door open in response, bowing respectfully: "Disciple pays respects to Revered Master."

He lifted his eyes slightly, taking a quick peek at Xiao Nianyin on the Jade Throne.

Revered Master seems... in better spirits today than yesterday? But her complexion is still somewhat pale, and her sitting posture seems even straighter and stiffer than usual? Xu Ruyu muttered to himself, not daring to look more, and hurriedly lowered his head.

"What is the matter?"

Xiao Nianyin's gaze fell upon Xu Ruyu. Seeing his respectful yet nervous demeanor, and recalling the things she had done to him last night, as well as the shameful postures she had just been studying, she felt another wave of inexplicable fluttering and shyness, though she maintained an icy indifference on the surface.

Xu Ruyu steadied himself, organized his thoughts, and decided to be direct; after all, beating around the bush would only invite suspicion.

"Reporting to Revered Master, this Disciple... this Disciple has a request." Xu Ruyu weighed his words carefully. "This Disciple feels that the side hall where I reside is... quite close to your Main Hall.

Revered Master, your cultivation is profound, so it is naturally of no concern, but this Disciple... my cultivation is low, and... and since men and women are different, daily life is, to some extent... inconvenient."

He paused, stealing a glance at Xiao Nianyin's expression. Seeing that she was just listening quietly without any displeasure, he gathered his courage and continued:

"Therefore, this Disciple dares to ask, Revered Master... could you please help set up a 'Forbidden Array' around the side hall where I reside...

Um, the kind that can isolate outsiders' Divine Sense and prevent others from intruding without cause? That way, this Disciple can be more focused when I Cultivate, and my daily life will also be... more at ease, so I won't accidentally disturb your quiet Cultivation."

After speaking, he waited anxiously for Xiao Nianyin's reaction.

This request was tantamount to a disguised demand to carve out a "private territory." Although the reason sounded high-sounding, it inevitably carried the suspicion of "guarding against Revered Master."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Nianyin's cold eyes narrowed slightly. A flash of sharpness—and a hint of imperceptible amusement—flickered in her gaze as she looked at Xu Ruyu.

"Isolate observation? Prevent intrusion?" She repeated these two phrases slowly, her voice devoid of joy or anger. "Why? Are you worried... that this Revered Master will go to 'observe' your activities in the middle of the night?"

The question was direct and sharp, carrying an invisible pressure.

Xu Ruyu's heart skipped a beat. He almost blurted out: You don't just observe my activities? You directly get into my bed... and engage in "deep communication," okay?!

But how could he say that? He hurriedly shook his head like a rattle, forcing a sincere and slightly embarrassed smile onto his face: "No, no, no! Revered Master, you have misunderstood!

This Disciple would never dare to have such thoughts! This Disciple just... just feels it is somewhat inconvenient.

After all... after all, this Disciple has a bad habit..."

He thought quickly and almost let the modern term "masturbating" slip out. Terrified, he urgently twisted his tongue, and the words became: "Snoring! Yes! This Disciple snores when I sleep!

The sound is especially loud! And... and I talk in my sleep! I'm afraid... afraid of disturbing your rest in the middle of the night!

That is why I wanted to set up a soundproofing... ah, no, a Forbidden Array, to isolate the sound, and also... also isolate the prying eyes of any idlers who might pass by!"

This excuse was so clumsy that even Xu Ruyu wanted to cover his face, but he couldn't think of a better explanation. He could only bite the bullet and look at Xiao Nianyin with a sincere (and cowardly) expression that said, "I really am thinking of Revered Master."

Xiao Nianyin looked at Xu Ruyu's panicked, excuse-making appearance and understood.

This brat has indeed realized something about what happened last night (and the night before)!

He is trying to "protect" himself in a roundabout way, or rather, he wants a bit of private space.

This realization caused the displeasure Xiao Nianyin felt at being "guarded against" to dissipate somewhat, replaced instead by a strange... complex emotion mixed with embarrassment, amusement, and a hint of inexplicable satisfaction.

It seems her "actions" of the last two times were not entirely without effect; at least they left a deep impression on this brat, to the point where he has started thinking of ways to "defend" himself.

He did not expose it directly, which saved face for both of them and also showed that he at least respects and fears her as his Revered Master on the surface.

Since that is the case... Xiao Nianyin's thoughts raced.

A Forbidden Array set up by her own hand? This idea... seems quite good.

Just as Xu Ruyu guessed, such an open Forbidden Array set up by the Sect Master would first block the prying of others in the Sect (such as those Elders), providing a relatively safe and enclosed environment for him (and for her subsequent actions).

Secondly... Xiao Nianyin's mind flashed back to those exquisite illustrations in the "Nine Stances of the Mystic Maiden's Yang Absorption."

If there were a sufficiently strict array that could block sound and Divine Sense, then the next time she went to "guide energy," wouldn't she be able to... boldly try some new "methods"? Without worrying about the commotion being heard by outsiders, and without worrying about Qi leaking out?

As for Xu Ruyu's little scheme of using this array to guard against her? Xiao Nianyin inwardly scoffed; she was the one who set up the array, and the core control naturally remained in her hands.

To her, this array was merely a formality.