70: Chapter 7 Honesty and Openness

Late at night.

A miserly, pale moonlight spilled down, barely outlining the jagged contours of the strange rocks on the back mountain.

The night wind brushed through the treetops, whispering with a rustling sound, carrying the damp scent of grass, trees, and soil.

The intermittent chirping of insects only served to deepen the profound silence of the night.

Ye Wushuang had already been pacing back and forth alone on the clearing in this secluded spot for over an hour.

With every turn, the gravel underfoot emitted faint crunching sounds, which seemed exceptionally clear in the emptiness.

The meaningful smile Senior Sister Tu Shan had worn when she left an hour ago was still spinning in his mind.

She had said she was going to "bathe and wash up," but this "washing up" had turned into a disappearance with no return.

Ye Wushuang rubbed his hands together, his steps light and quick, a smile mixing anticipation and foolishness plastered on his face.

As if he had already foreseen the arrival of some alluring and enchanting scene.

"Soon, soon,"

he muttered softly, the tips of his feet unconsciously tapping a rhythm on the ground. "Senior Sister must be meticulously dressing up, wanting to show me her most beautiful side!"

The storage ring on his wrist grew slightly warm. The Dragon Soul senior residing inside it simply couldn't bear to watch any longer.

A thought, thick with helplessness and the frustration of seeing someone fail to live up to their potential, forcefully barged into Ye Wushuang's mind:

"Young Friend Ye!"

The Dragon Soul's voice carried a weariness reminiscent of "an old father looking at his foolish son." "Is your brain filled with paste?"

"It's been this long, and you still haven't realized it yet?"

"You've been played! Led around by the nose!"

Ye Wushuang, immersed in his pink bubble, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. Instantly displeased, he rolled his eyes so hard they nearly disappeared.

The corners of his mouth twisted so high they almost reached his ears.

He retorted irritably at the storage ring:

"Dragon Master! Do you, venerable elder, just not want to see me happy? You have to pour cold water on me, is that it?"

He planted his hands on his hips, striking the pose of an expert who "doesn't understand women." "It's only natural for a girl to take her time primping and dressing up! What's wrong with spending a little extra time?"

"Senior Sister Tu Shan right now is surely applying her makeup before the mirror, fixing herself up to be pretty and fragrant to meet me!"

"Just settle down and stop worrying needlessly here and ruining my mood!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, with a thought, he unceremoniously severed the connection with the Dragon Soul once more.

The action was as practiced as turning off an annoying alarm.

Deep within the storage ring, the Dragon Soul was so angry its soul fire nearly extinguished!

Its intangible dragon whiskers bristled with rage!

"Ye! Wu! Shuang!"

The Dragon Soul roared soundlessly within the empty ring space. "Is that thing you're carrying on your neck just for decoration?"

"Have you forgotten who turned you into the half-man, half-woman monstrosity you are now? Hah!"

"It was this Tu Shan Xiaoxiao who did it!"

"Her scheming against you was written all over her face, as clear as if she were carrying a big sign!"

"Why! Just why!"

"Why do you always insist on thinking that just because someone is female, they should automatically like you?"

"Including you in your current... ahem, current state?"

The Dragon Soul was so angry it was speechless, feeling its intelligence had been insulted like never before.

And truth be told, Ye Wushuang really did think exactly that, and he believed it wholeheartedly.

Rooted deep in his heart was an unshakable conviction:

That he, as the chosen child of destiny, possessed a mysterious, far-reaching magnetic field of charm.

Any female creature, be it human, demon, immortal, or devil,

upon witnessing the heroic bearing of Ye Wushuang, would inevitably have their soul struck deep within, falling for him at first sight, pledging their heart and body to him, becoming utterly devoted.

It was this inexplicable confidence that had emboldened him to brazenly flirt with that lofty Elder Ye Xishui back then.

Hey, and what was the result?

Ye Wushuang recalled with pride. At first, hadn't Elder Ye also been utterly charmed by his sweet words?

She had even, for his sake, removed that eyesore Chen Zilong.

Forbidding him from interfering in Purple Bamboo Peak's affairs any longer!

Wasn't that proof enough?

This was the unique, irresistible charm of Ye Wushuang, the child of destiny!

Even Ye Xishui, the chief senior disciple, couldn't resist it.

How could a mere Tu Shan Xiaoxiao possibly escape his grasp?

He, Ye Wushuang, had Tu Shan Xiaoxiao in the bag tonight!

No one could stop it!

Another excruciating half-hour passed.

The pale moonlight seemed to have climbed higher, and the insect chirps had grown sparser.

The frequency of Ye Wushuang's pacing circles increased, the expectation on his face gradually replaced by threads of doubt.

He scratched his head, looking toward the direction Tu Shan Xiaoxiao had disappeared. His gaze began to grow a bit unfocused.

"What's going on? Why hasn't Senior Sister come yet?"

He muttered to himself, a trace of barely perceptible anxiety creeping into his voice. "If we wait any longer, the flowers will wilt..."

He kicked away a bothersome pebble at his feet.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh, his expression instantly clearing from overcast to sunny, his eyes bursting with a light he thought was cleverness:

"Ah! How stupid of me!"

"Instead of waiting here like a fool, I should take the initiative!"

"Give Senior Sister a surprise!"

"Heh heh heh, yes, that's what I'll do!"

He chuckled happily to himself, as if he'd thought of a brilliant idea.

Immediately, full of enthusiasm, he plunged headfirst into the dense forest in the direction Tu Shan Xiaoxiao had left.

The light within the forest was even dimmer, branches and leaves intertwining, casting twisted, grotesque shadows on the ground.

Ye Wushuang stumbled along, weaving through shrubs and gnarled tree roots, his robes occasionally snagging on thorny branches.

He didn't mind at all, his head filled entirely with the alluring scene of "accidentally encountering" Senior Sister Tu Shan while she was "meticulously preparing."

As he walked, a faint but distinct *splashing* sound reached his ears.

Ye Wushuang halted, tilting his head to listen. The smile on his face instantly turned extremely lecherous, his eyes gleaming brighter.

"The sound of water?"

He licked his slightly dry lips, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Heh heh heh... It must be Senior Sister Tu Shan still bathing!"

"Excellent, excellent! This is practically a heaven-sent opportunity!"

"I'll go find her, perfect for a 'frank and open meeting,' heh heh!"

He could already picture the graceful figure amidst the swirling mist, his footsteps involuntarily quickening.

He stealthily crept toward the direction of the water sound.

As the sound of water grew clearer, the air seemed to fill with a faint, elusive damp mist and a light fragrance of flowers and plants.

Ye Wushuang's heart pounded like a drum, his breathing growing rapid.

Finally, the trees ahead thinned a little. Soft light filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, faintly mixed with the sound of women laughing and playing.

"I'm here!"

Ye Wushuang was ecstatic, his adrenaline surging.

He crouched down, preparing to dash out in the most dashing pose possible.

To give his "longed-for" Senior Sister Tu Shan a "surprise gift package!"

Just then, the storage ring suddenly burned fiercely.

The Dragon Soul's urgent and stern thought exploded in his mind like a warning alarm, carrying an unprecedented sense of warning:

"Stop! Young Friend Ye! Stop right now! Something's wrong ahead! It's dangerous! Don't go over there—!"