Night Visit to the Young Master's Hall

"Is this meant for me to wear?"

You Su touched the fabric in her hand; it had a captivating fragrance, and it turned out to be a woman's ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

Ji Xueruo chuckled maliciously, "Or should I wear two skirts by myself?"

You Su's expression turned serious, and she asked, "Miss Ji, what do you mean by this?"

"As far as I know, these lotus seeds are strictly controlled by the people of Jade Ring Pool. We don't even know where they're hidden, so it's obviously impossible to take them by force."

"So your method is..."

"The eldest son, Yu Mingzhen."

Ji Xueruo's eyes flickered slightly, like stars in the night sky:

"At first, I didn't know that this mutation was due to the lotus seeds. For the past two days, Yu Zhen had been sending me dishes made with lotus seeds, saying that the eldest young master had personally ordered it. I didn't want to waste such a precious thing, so I accepted them all, which led to my current appearance."

"You don't think this is actually what the eldest young master meant?"

Ji Xueruo glanced at You Su and asked in return, "Do you think the eldest young master, Yu Die, and those maids seem to know the inside story?"

Yu Die...

You Su couldn't help but recall the moments he spent with Yu Die. At first, he was indeed acting out the feeling of being gradually captivated by Yu Die, but it wasn't until he discovered that Yu Die had sacrificed her life so that he could obtain the Lotus Root Heart that he realized this mortal Saintess was probably just a pawn.

"Hey, you haven't actually fallen for that Yu Die, have you?" Ji Xueruo frowned, her face showing undisguised disgust.

"Of course not, I only like my junior sister," You Su immediately retorted.

Upon Ji Xueruo clicked her tongue and muttered under her breath, "You'd better be."

"If Miss Ji has noticed anything, please feel free to speak up."

"Can't you tell? There's a clear difference between Yu Zhen and those other people." The wind whipped Ji Xueruo's black hair into a frenzy, and the moonlight draped her in a silvery veil. "Whether it's the eldest young master or the maids around me, they've all expressed a desire to leave. But Yu Zhen is different. He doesn't want to leave himself; he wants to reopen the doors and let others in."

You Su's mind sharpened, and he immediately understood what Ji Xueruo meant:

"They were all born after they went into seclusion at Jade Ring Pool. For them, Jade Ring Pool was like a prison, so they wanted to leave. The same was true for Yu Zhen and the people behind him, but they weren't prisoners; they were the warden, so he wanted to bring more people in."

"That's right. So, people like the eldest young master are probably unaware of the darkness beneath the Jade Ring Pool; they're just tools being used. Or perhaps they are aware, but unwilling to go along with it."

Ji Xueruo narrowed her eyes. "Therefore, I think we can achieve a breakthrough by learning from the eldest young master."

"You want to disguise yourself and get close to the young master's residence?" You Su held up the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) in her hand to indicate, "But how can you be sure he can help you? He's at the Water Condensing Lower Realm. If he wants to capture you, do you think you can escape?"

"Now that things have come to this, do you have a better plan?" Ji Xueruo glanced at You Su. "Luckily, I was careful enough to steal two sets of clothes from the maid at Jade Ring Pool, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to share them with you. If we're together, at least we can look out for each other if something happens. The eldest young master once told me that Venerable Cuihe and Venerable Chengtao are both in seclusion, and only Venerable Shenxi occasionally comes out, so it's difficult for my 'Void Snake Shedding' to be exposed. Are you afraid?"

You Su remained silent for a moment before saying, "You wait for me here. I'll go to the Yu Die Saintess to ask for lotus seeds. It might be much safer than you doing this."

"You're not allowed to go!" Ji Xueruo shouted.

You Su raised an eyebrow, puzzled, finding Miss Ji's reaction rather unusual.

Why?

"No, you're not allowed."

For some reason, Ji Xueruo kept having images of You Su and the Yu Die Saintess boating together on the lake in her mind:

"We can only act together now; if we separate, we may never be able to contact each other again."

You Su paused for a moment, then realized that what he said made sense; he couldn't possibly put Ji Xueruo in danger alone.

"Then why don't we sneak into the Saintess's Little Pond Palace together and ask Saintess for help? She's much easier to control than the eldest young master."

"You really want to see her that much?" Ji Xueruo rolled her eyes and asked back, "It's precisely because she's too easy to control that she might not be able to help us. We don't have the luxury of making mistakes."

You Su sighed softly, realizing that she had no choice but to wear women's clothing today.

Are you sure I can fit into this dress?

"Don't worry, that maid is even taller than you. Oh, and don't forget, your outfit is purple."

You Su shook her head and sighed, "Alright, then turn around and don't look at me."

Ji Xueruo spat disdainfully, then turned away and refused to look at You Su again. After hesitating for a moment, she took two steps forward and hid, changing into a new dress herself.

When she reappeared after changing, she was wearing a vibrant red dress. The wind blew up her skirt and tassels, making the maid's dress look incredibly luxurious on her. In the darkness, she resembled a burning flame.

Meanwhile, You Su, shirtless, awkwardly searched for how to put on the skirt. The larger the skirt, the more intricate You Su rules, and since it was not only her first time wearing one, but she was also blind, she clearly didn't know how to put it on properly.

Ji Xueruo smiled faintly and walked towards You Su:

Give me the skirt.

You Su looked somewhat awkward and handed it to Ji Xueruo, saying, "Please don't tell anyone, Miss Ji."

"Yes, yes, yes, You Su, the disciple of the Lotus Sword Venerable, is the Peerless Young Master. How could he possibly wear women's clothing?"

Despite the perilous situation, Ji Xueruo found it increasingly amusing. She lifted You Su's arms and said:

"Raise your hand. Changing clothes is only the first step; you still need to put on makeup."

You Su was stiff all over and could only let Ji Xueruo do as she pleased. Her originally calm face fell, looking like a bitter gourd, secretly hoping that Ji Xueruo's method would really work.

On the wooden path surrounding the Jade Ring Pool, two graceful women walked slowly and elegantly, with the stars and moon paving the way for them.

One wore a red dress, the other a purple dress, and their arms were linked together; they were clearly very close sisters.

The woman in the purple dress was tall and slender. Her dress was very conservative, completely covering her ample chest, making her a rare beauty. However, there was a somewhat unnatural stiffness in her beautiful face.

Ji Xueruo smiled and tightened her grip on You Su's hand, whispering a reminder:

"Be natural. Even though we haven't seen many pedestrians along the way, we shouldn't give anything away."

She had just spent a long time teaching You Su how to walk like a maid. She had thought that You Su, being a big, burly man, wouldn't be able to learn it, but to her surprise, You Su's comprehension was exceptionally high. You Su could only explain this by saying that he had been learning swordsmanship since childhood and was familiar with different walking methods.

"This is my first time being a woman, how can I be natural?" You Su said irritably.

You Su and Ji Xueruo's faces had been disguised, and their original appearances were completely unrecognizable.

"As the patriarch of the snake clan, why are you so skilled in disguise and concealment?"

Ji Xueruo's expression turned wistful for a moment, then she raised an eyebrow and said, "What's it to you?"

Only she knew that no one wants to look exactly like someone else; it was her pursuit of uniqueness that led her to study this art. But the deeper she delved, the more she realized that her most beautiful face was still the one she was born with.

Their hands were linked together, making it easier for Ji Xueruo to cover You Su's body with the Void Snake Shedding.

Such a gesture of sisterly affection inevitably led to their arms touching intimately, causing Ji Xueruo to blush slightly. However, she forced herself to remain calm, constantly trying to numb herself with the thought that she would never see him again.

"Don't think of yourself as a man; see yourself as a woman. What kind of person are you, just relying on me to hold your hand? Don't resist."

You Su pursed her lips and had no choice but to relax her arms, so the two of them got even closer.

Ji Xueruo's fragrance was very faint, quite different from her junior sister's. Her junior sister had a floral scent typical of young girls, Ji Xueruo's was more like a woody fragrance, mostly appearing in the middle and base notes, elegant and profound.

You Su looked back at the distinct scents of all the women around him, and they all seemed to match their personalities and temperaments. Indeed, a person's scent cannot lie.

Although he was blind, his keen sense of smell gave him the ability to recognize women by their scent.

The eldest son's bedroom is located within the Second Ring Road.

You Su and Ji Xueruo walked along, they encountered very few guards. They learned from passersby that it was only Hai Shi (9-11 PM), not yet late at night. The security at Jade Ring Pool was indeed too lax. Although it was said that the inner ring was off-limits to unauthorized personnel, in reality, they would hardly encounter any obstacles until they reached the palace gate.

Two imposing male servants stood guard outside the hall, both at the mid- Spirit Platform Middle Stage.

Who is it?

The gatekeeper's tone was drawn out and sounded somewhat casual, suggesting that the young master's residence rarely had visitors.

Ji Xueruo lowered her hand, gently holding You Su's, and said calmly without bending down:

"We are Yu Hong and Yu Tang from the Zilan Hall."

Ji Xueruo and You Su were playing the roles of the two maids from her previous bedchamber. As the exclusive maids of the bedchamber, their status was quite high among the immortal servants, so they didn't need to be too polite to the gatekeepers.

The first guard glanced at them casually, but the second guard wasn't so easily fooled. He glared at them with his hawk-like eyes, scrutinizing them both.

"What brings the concubines of the Zilan Hall to visit Your Highness's palace so late at night?"

Knowing that this Ji Xueruo gave the reason she had prepared beforehand:

"We are here on Miss Ji's behalf to find the eldest young master. You may go in and inform him."

"Miss Ji?" The gatekeeper frowned. "Didn't Miss Ji already retrieve the Lotus Root Heart and leave Jade Ring Pool?"

Ji Xueruo reacted quickly and continued, "Before Miss Ji left, she specifically instructed us to give something to the eldest young master. Please convey our message to him; it won't take too long."

"Alright, then we'll wait." The gatekeeper glanced at the two of them, lingering particularly long on You Su, his eyes seeming somewhat fiery, while he thought to himself: Has this horse grown this tall already?

After a while, the gatekeeper returned and greeted him:

"Go in."

"Thanks."

Ji Xueruo thanked him softly, then led You Su into the young master's palace, brushing past the two guards.

"Etc!"

The gatekeeper suddenly called out to the two people who had already stepped halfway inside.

"What's wrong, security guard?"

Ji Xueruo asked softly, her demeanor that of a timid maid. She seemed quite adept at acting, effortlessly portraying various characters.

"Why isn't Yu Tang saying anything?" The shrewd gatekeeper's eyes darted back and forth over You Su's lower body, his gaze fixed on her straight, high legs beneath her skirt.

"That's just Yu Tang's personality; she doesn't like to talk much. Please forgive her, gatekeeper." Ji Xueruo smiled sweetly and prepared to pull You Su inside.

The gatekeeper, however, was clearly unwilling to give up and tried to stop them.

You Su, however, raised his head, revealing his handsome face. He bowed slightly in apology, subtly showing a glimpse of the cleavage beneath his chest. The gatekeeper, as expected, stared intently at that spot, seemingly captivated, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Ji Xueruo quickly pulled You Su inside, while the gatekeeper stared at You Su's retreating figure with fascination, and did nothing more.

Ji Xueruo been to the Young Master's Palace for the first time, she would have led You Su along the wooden corridor, stopping abruptly when they reached a secluded spot, and then pulling up You Su's loose-fitting shirt.

"Unbecoming of a woman," Ji Xueruo muttered under her breath.

You Su, confused, replied, "What right do I, a man, have to uphold womanly virtues? Besides, you're the one who put these fake breasts on me, what's there to be afraid of?"

Ji Xueruo glared at him. "First you used your male charm to seduce the twin sisters in your bedchamber, and now you're using your female charm to bribe the gatekeeper. You seem to be quite good at using your looks to please people, huh?"

You Su stroked his chin, speechless.

Ji Xueruo straightened You Su's clothes again before leading him to continue walking forward.

It wasn't until they climbed over a stone staircase that they reached the door of the eldest son's room. The eldest son's room was very grand; its magnificence could be seen even in the darkness.

A noble lady stood guard outside the door, blocking their way.

"It's just delivering something; only one person can go in, and the other must stay outside."

The woman's voice was icy; she was actually a celestial servant at the Spirit Platform Realm.

Ji Xueruo acted decisively, squeezing You Su's hand tighter, indicating that she would go inside and that You Su should wait patiently outside the hall. You Su couldn't speak, and dared not pull too hard lest he be exposed, so he could only let Ji Xueruo pull her hand away, their palms still warm with sweat.

"Go in." The female concubine glanced at Yu Hong, who was played by Ji Xueruo.

Ji Xueruo walked forward and softly called out:

"Young Master, Yu Hong has come to visit."

As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened by itself.

The room was quite spacious. The eldest son was only wearing a robe, casually revealing half of his collarbone. His hair was a little messy as he was bent over his desk reading documents and reviewing papers.

When Ji Xueruo approached, he slowly raised his head. His once handsome face now looked somewhat haggard, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"What does Miss Ji wish to give me?"

Ji Xueruo lowered her head and replied:

"Miss Ji didn't ask me to bring any items, she asked me to bring a sentence."

"What did you say?"

"Miss Ji asked me to inquire of the eldest young master whether he still remembers the saying, 'Rising from the mud yet remaining unstained, washed by clear ripples yet not becoming seductive'?"

The eldest son stopped flipping through the book instantly, his gaze sweeping over Yu Hong, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Suddenly his eyebrows and eyes lit up, his face lit up with joy, and he exclaimed in delight:

"Miss Ji! You're not dead yet!"

I think this is all fluff, haha. I have no ideas today, I'll write something substantial tomorrow.