Acting

"Heh heh, Brother Lu, you guys go ahead and talk. I'll head out first."

Li Tuo winked at Lu Jun with a smile, then very considerately closed the door behind him.

Lu Jun chuckled helplessly, then looked up at the young woman before him, her movements carrying a hint of shyness.

He did have some impression of the young woman in front of him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Don't tell me the compensation for the house you destroyed that day wasn't enough? If it wasn't, I still have a bit more..."

As Lu Jun spoke, he gently took out the money pouch he carried with him and was about to hand it to the young woman.

"No! No, it was enough, you gave a lot back then..."

Shen Lingying quickly waved her hands, her voice laced with a hint of panic.

Lu Jun paused, his expression gentle as he said, "Oh? Then what is it?"

Shen Lingying quickly handed the basket in her hands towards Lu Jun, lowering her head, her movements timid and flustered:

"It's... it's this. I... I made some pastries with nectar I picked from the mountain and wanted you to try them..."

"Thank you, Master Lu, for saving my life and Grandpa's that day..."

Shen Lingying's outstretched hand already felt regretful. She lowered her head and stared intently at the floor.

This Master Lu before her, judging by his bearing and demeanor, was clearly a young noble from a prominent family in Yunzhou.

He must have tasted all sorts of delicacies and exquisite pastries... so why would he fancy these pastries she made with wild flower nectar...

Thinking this, a bitter feeling welled up in Shen Lingying's heart.

At this moment, her inferiority complex reached its peak. She hesitated to even offer the pastries she had spent a whole day making.

"Thank you." A voice came.

Shen Lingying felt a lightness in her hand. She looked up again, and the basket was already in Lu Jun's hands.

Under the enhancement of the Spiritual Powers [Peerless Beauty] and [Skin Charm] he had previously acquired, Lu Jun's face was adorned with a smile, so handsome it was almost dazzling.

"It smells very fragrant, like it's made with nectar. Can I try it now?" Lu Jun asked.

Shen Lingying was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Please, Master."

"You don't need to call me Master in private. Just call me Lu Jun. I grew up in the countryside myself, and I'm only eighteen this year, not yet capped. I'm not much older than you," Lu Jun said with a smile, picking up a piece of delicate, goose-yellow pastry and gently putting it into his mouth.

"Master, don't tease me..."

"Is this a flower cake made with sea pomegranate mixed with osmanthus?"

"Huh? How do you know, Master?"

"Before, when my neighbor was making cakes, I helped pick ingredients on the mountain. The taste is very familiar..." Lu Jun said with a smile.

Delicious!

Lu Jun narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had always liked sweets.

This era was still feudal, far from the sugar-making technology of modern times.

The sweetness of these pastries was just right, sweet but not cloying, with a floral aroma.

Seeing Lu Jun's satisfaction.

Shen Lingying also felt a sense of relief, a sweetness welling up in her heart. Still, she asked, "Master... Lu... Jun, how is it?"

Shen Lingying's eyes were also filled with anticipation.

"It's delicious," Lu Jun praised with a smile.

Hearing Lu Jun's satisfaction, Shen Lingying smiled along.

Suddenly, the smile on Lu Jun's face turned cold, and his eyes fixed on the outside.

Not far from his doorstep, a humanoid soul emitting demonic energy was steadily approaching him.

Heh, so this is Chen Zhuo's method of probing.

Wants to see if I'm a suitable candidate for a heretical cult?

Fine.

I also want to witness the process of worshipping demons and becoming a heretical cult.

"Lu Jun?" Shen Lingying called out tentatively, looking at Lu Jun's shifting expression.

Lu Jun snapped back to attention, leaned closer to Shen Lingying, and grabbed her forearm. His eyes held a newfound seriousness. "I need you to do me a favor."

Shen Lingying looked at Lu Jun's handsome face, so close to hers, and felt her own face flush as he held her arm. She weakly nodded, "Mmm..."

Chen Zhuo had always felt he had good luck.

Originally a mortal, he relied on his good looks and had previously mingled with all sorts of people, making a living through scams and deception. However, when he was caught trying to swindle a wealthy household, he was nearly beaten to death.

Fortunately, after being taken in by a demon named Marshal Hai, he was bestowed with a skill called [Soul Devour], and thus entered the world of the Law Seekers.

After mastering Spiritual Power, Chen Zhuo killed the wealthy landowner's family and devoured their souls, refining them into his own Lost Souls.

From then on, under the guise of a Law Seeker, he was treated as an honored guest wherever he went.

Today, however, he was being put in his place at the Demon Slaying Division.

"Let me see what kind of trash you really are!"

A hint of amusement flashed in Chen Zhuo's eyes.

He summoned a Lost Soul from within his abdomen, embedded a sliver of his own soul into it, and brought it to the vicinity of Lu Jun's room. It then drifted leisurely to Lu Jun's eaves, quietly peeking into the scene inside the room.

These Lost Souls were ethereal in form and almost undetectable, making them difficult for ordinary people to notice, which was Chen Zhuo's usual method of investigation.

"No! Sir!"

Just as the Lost Soul perched on the eaves, a terrified female voice cried out from Lu Jun's room.

"Hmm?" Chen Zhuo grinned, "It seems I've arrived at just the right time."

"This is going to be quite a show."

Chen Zhuo peered down into the room from above.

Inside the room.

Shen Lingying slumped to the floor, her body retreating towards the corner of the wall, her expression one of terror as she looked at Lu Jun before her.

"Sir... please don't!"

Lu Jun advanced step by step towards Shen Lingying, sneering, "Don't? Why not?"

"Sir... I came today only to thank you for saving my life the other day... Why must you make things so difficult for me..." Shen Lingying's face was flushed, as if overcome with shame and indignation.

Lu Jun stepped forward, gently bent down, and cupped Shen Lingying's chin, his thumb rubbing beneath the young woman's lips.

"Do you really think I would be so kind as to save you for no reason?"

"Besides, you yourself said I saved you. Doesn't such a life-saving grace require some repayment?"

"Every gift from fate has already been marked with a price in secret."

"You... how are you any different from that Zhang San?!" Shen Lingying's gaze shifted away from Lu Jun, not daring to look him in the eye, her expression awkward.

Lu Jun let out a cold laugh:

"Who does that Zhang San think he is? Hah, he's nothing more than a stray dog I could have easily crushed."

"To lay hands on the woman I desire, he deserved to die a thousand times over."

"Whether it's in strength, appearance, or demeanor, how could that kind of trash be compared to me?"

"Deigning to be with me would not be a disgrace to you."

Lu Jun lunged forward, the dim lamplight in the room casting his figure in an even more imposing shadow, completely enveloping Shen Lingying's form, exuding a sense of pressure.

Lu Jun leaned in close and whispered, "And, if I'm not mistaken, you have a grandfather at home, don't you?"

"You wouldn't want anything to happen to your grandfather, would you?"

"You... you're shameless!"

Lu Jun sneered and directly stepped forward to pick up Shen Lingying, who was curled up in the corner. Shen Lingying let out another gasp, her face turning an extreme shade of red as she struggled weakly in Lu Jun's embrace.

"Shameless, perhaps, but ultimately not the most boring, wouldn't you say..."

Then, Lu Jun roughly threw Shen Lingying onto the bed and abruptly closed the bed curtains.

Soon, Lu Jun's outer robe was tossed out from beyond the bed curtains.

From within the curtains came the faint sounds of a woman's soft sobs and pained cries.

On the eaves, Chen Zhuo spat in disgust.

"What utter filth!"

"So this is the true cause of that Zhang San's death, how incredibly infuriating."

Listening to the faint sounds of a yellow oriole chirping below, interspersed with the panting of a man and a woman.

Chen Zhuo felt a surge of heat within him.

"Damn it, I should have found myself a woman before coming."

However, Chen Zhuo's heart also suddenly relaxed: "This fellow Lu is arrogant, lecherous, and preys on innocent women. He's truly not a good person, but he is indeed like us. He'd be suitable to recommend to the demon lords as a disciple."