The Beautiful Princess

Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

Zhou Wanqing copied books while occasionally glancing up to watch the door.

As time passed, her copying slowed, and a deepening worry creased her brow.

"Still not back... did he fail?"

Looking toward the entrance again, Zhou Wanqing felt a pang of disappointment, her mind no longer on her work.

Just as her thoughts began to spiral, a stir came from the doorway, and several figures walked in.

They were all old Menial Disciples who had taken the assessment with Lin Fan.

Recognizing them, Zhou Wanqing could no longer hold back. She hurried over to a Tall Thin Man and asked cautiously, "Senior Brother Zheng, why didn't Lin Fan come back with you?"

The Tall Thin Man was Zheng Tai. Already sour from failing the assessment, his eyes lit up when Zhou Wanqing approached.

He looked her over—her graceful figure, her long, straight legs—and sneered, "Lin Fan? He passed."

"But now he's a Formal Disciple. He's probably forgotten you already."

"You're not bad-looking. I'm short a roommate. How about it?"

Zheng Tai leered at Zhou Wanqing, his gaze carrying undisguised hunger.

Zhou Wanqing froze, caught between joy and sorrow.

She was happy that Lin Fan had finally become a Formal Disciple, but saddened—was it true, as Zheng Tai said, that Lin Fan had abandoned her?

"Brother Lin... he wouldn't forget me."

Zhou Wanqing bit her lip, stubborn.

"If you don't believe me, wait and see if he comes back for you."

Zheng Tai smirked, unconcerned.

Zhou Wanqing drifted back to her seat in a daze, despair settling in.

Staring at the empty seat across from her, she felt suffocated.

Nearly every quarter-hour, she looked up toward the door several times. But after waiting a long while, the familiar figure still hadn't appeared.

"Did he really... abandon me?"

Zhou Wanqing bit her lip until it bled, tears welling in her eyes.

Around her, many Menial Disciples sneered. A few male ones eyed her with burning interest—if Lin Fan had cast her aside, they wouldn't mind taking his place.

After all, Zhou Wanqing's looks ranked fairly high among the female Menial Disciples in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

By early afternoon, Zhou Wanqing's heart had gone cold.

Her face pale as paper, she stood and walked toward the cliff outside the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

The jeers and whispers around her never stopped. Many looked at her as if she were a clown.

Suddenly, all the laughter on the first floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion died.

A bright-eyed youth walked in and called to Zhou Wanqing, "Wanqing, time to go."

Zhou Wanqing froze, then looked up instinctively. There stood Lin Fan in his Black Mystic Robe, watching her from not far away.

She stared at him in disbelief, her eyes instantly reddening. She quickly answered, "Coming..."

As for Zheng Tai and the other male Menial Disciples who had coveted Zhou Wanqing's beauty, they all showed lingering fear.

Under the gaze of the gathered Menial Disciples, Zhou Wanqing didn't bother wiping away her tears. She took Lin Fan's arm and walked out of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, radiant with happiness.

"Why were you crying?"

Noticing her reddened eyes, Lin Fan asked softly.

"Just too happy..."

Zhou Wanqing murmured.

Lin Fan smiled knowingly. He took Zhou Wanqing to update her status, then gathered the few belongings from their old quarters and headed to their new Cave Mansion.

Before long, Lin Fan led Zhou Wanqing into the new Cave Mansion.

The Cave Mansion was spacious and bright, with a sensible layout—three bedrooms and a living room, complete with tables and chairs. Compared to their cramped Menial Disciple quarters, it was several grades better.

This was merely the living environment for an outer disciple of Blackwood Cliff. According to Zhao Wang, if one could reach the Meridian Condensing Realm within five years, they might enter the main peak as an inner disciple, with even better treatment and perks.

Lin Fan wasn't worried about whether he'd become an inner disciple. With the panel's help, as long as he didn't die young, he'd eventually grow into something far stronger.

"Formal Disciples have it good, but they also draw more attention. I'll need to be even more careful from now on."

Lin Fan thought to himself.

This was a demon sect—thrive in vigilance, perish in complacency. The higher he climbed, the more cautious he had to be.

Then Lin Fan remembered Zhao Wang mentioning that a Cauldron had been arranged in his Cave Mansion.

The Cave Mansion had three bedrooms and a living room, each bedroom curtained off.

Soon, Lin Fan discovered a graceful figure in the third bedroom.

It was a noble, stunningly beautiful woman, her hands and feet bound, curled up on the bed.

She was exceptionally gorgeous, with smooth black hair, delicate features, and long, straight legs faintly visible through her flesh-colored gauze dress.

Lin Fan caught a faint, subtle fragrance—if he wasn't mistaken, she had bathed and prepared herself before being sent here.

The woman's beautiful eyes widened as she glared at Lin Fan with hatred.

She struggled violently, but instead of breaking free, she only twisted her gauze dress into a bunch, revealing large patches of fair skin and alluring curves.

Even Lin Fan, with his strong will, couldn't help swallowing at the sight.

He also noticed a bottle of "Infatuation Pill" placed on the table nearby.

"What's your name?" Lin Fan asked.

The woman remained silent, as if resigned to her fate, closing her eyes with a look of disgust and disdain.

Seeing no response, Lin Fan summoned Zhou Wanqing.

"Do you know her?" Lin Fan inquired.

Zhou Wanqing followed his gaze, her pretty face first freezing in shock, then she exclaimed in disbelief, "The King of Linzi's sister, Princess Qingyang."

The woman suddenly opened her beautiful eyes, staring at Zhou Wanqing in surprise, puzzled by how the other had recognized her identity.

"Brother Lin, she's the King of Linzi's sister, Princess Anyang, Wang Yuyao..." Zhou Wanqing stammered.

Lin Fan was taken aback and murmured, "The King of Linzi's sister..."

No wonder her bearing and looks were so outstanding.

"You've mistaken me. I'm not Wang Yuyao," the woman quickly denied.

She knew well that the nobler her identity, the more it would stir the desires of this demon sect disciple before her.

Lin Fan found it somewhat amusing. The princess's reaction made her intentions clear to him at a glance.

But Lin Fan didn't bother pressing her. Even if it were the King of Linzi himself who came to the demon sect, he would still end up a prisoner.

Seeing Princess Anyang staring at him with hate-filled eyes, Lin Fan shook his head, sighed softly, poured out an Infatuation Pill, and personally stuffed it into her mouth.

In just a moment, Wang Yuyao, who had been full of hatred for Lin Fan, began to change.

A flush crept across her delicate face. She still remembered who she was, yet she felt an intense desire for the young man before her.

Wang Yuyao couldn't help rubbing her long, straight legs together, her heart filled with uncontrollable, wicked thoughts.

Seeing the Infatuation Pill take effect, Lin Fan casually untied her ropes and said softly, "Princess, you'll stay in this room from now on. Unless you're willing, I won't easily touch you."

She was even more beautiful than Zhou Wanqing, but Lin Fan had no intention of taking advantage of her vulnerability. After all, they were both pitiable souls—why make things harder for each other?

Hearing this, Wang Yuyao's last shred of resistance crumbled, and her gaze at Lin Fan grew fervent.

She was an ordinary person with no cultivation foundation to fight the drug's effects, so she could only submit, saying, "From now on... just call me Yuyao."

As she spoke, she involuntarily twisted her long, straight legs beneath the gauze dress.

Under the Infatuation Pill's influence, she had fully accepted her fate.

Lin Fan didn't leave immediately but took the chance to ask, "What about the King of Linzi and the others?"

"I'm not too sure..." Wang Yuyao sighed softly. "Some say my brother, Prince Wang, was defeated and has retreated to the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, planning to invite a Royal Ancestor who's been cultivating there in seclusion."

"Flowing Cloud Sword Sect?" Lin Fan was startled.

If that were the case, wouldn't the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect be on the verge of an all-out war with the Blood Demon Sect?

And once war broke out, wouldn't a Formal Disciple like him become mere cannon fodder?