Why Aren't You Getting Up Yet

An Yang stood quietly on the pavilion's upper level. The candle flickered, but there was no sign of Nie Xiaoqian; instead, he heard a rustling sound.

"Hmm?"

He frowned and looked up at the ceiling partition.

"Could it be that the mummies from the original plot have awakened?"

He quietly pulled out the talisman paper he had bought in Guo Bei County, thinking that since this thing could scare Nie Xiaoqian in the original plot, it should have no problem dealing with these ordinary mummies.

Before long, he realized that the rustling sound wasn't coming from the roof at all, but from behind the pavilion!

An Yang's expression changed slightly as he suddenly remembered that the Thousand-Year Tree Demon in the original plot was just like this. When it appeared, layers upon layers of tongues intertwined, making a rustling sound as they rubbed against each other, making one shudder just to think about it.

Hisst... It can't really be the Thousand-Year Tree Demon, can it?!

At that moment, he heard faint strains of zither music. He pushed the door open to look, and in the distance, a brightly lit pavilion had appeared from nowhere, with the zither music drifting from within.

"Xiao Qian!"

What is she doing... Could she be trying to get me to go over there?!

An Yang's face darkened. He glanced back at the spot where the rustling sound had come from, and walked quickly away from the pavilion.

He approached the brightly lit pavilion, which was flanked by two mighty stone lions, and a slender silhouette was projected onto the window.

Creak.

The wooden front door in front of him pulled open a crack, revealing a figure dressed in light-colored clothes. The moment she saw him, she pushed the door wider. "Come in quickly. You've stayed in Lanruo Temple for three days, and Grandmother has already discovered you. Now she's definitely trying to harm you!"

An Yang's expression darkened. His arrival had indeed caused a butterfly effect. Although he had been careful enough, he still inevitably changed the plot. At the very least, in the original plot, the Thousand-Year Tree Demon did not go to the Lanruo Temple pavilion to harm Ning Caichen. The change in the plot was undoubtedly very unfavorable to him.

Nie Xiaoqian looked anxiously into the distance, raising her voice a little. "What are you standing there in a daze for? Come in."

An Yang hesitated for a moment. He remembered that Ning Caichen in the original plot had entered this very room, the only difference being that Ning Caichen had unwittingly followed the zither music, while he was deliberately lured in by Nie Xiaoqian. Ning Caichen had to climb a tree shamelessly just to get into this room, whereas he was being earnestly invited in by Nie Xiaoqian.

After Ning Caichen went in, the Thousand-Year Tree Demon showed up before he could exchange many words with Nie Xiaoqian. If not for Nie Xiaoqian's quick-witted cover, he would have died long ago and even dragged Nie Xiaoqian down with him, but precisely because of that, he had obtained an incomparably risqué opportunity.

Under these circumstances, he couldn't be sure if the Thousand-Year Tree Demon would still come!

Nie Xiaoqian's voice grew anxious. "What are you doing! Hurry up and come in. Do you really think I would harm you?"

An Yang looked up and resolutely stepped into the room.

While he was unwilling to give up a potential risqué encounter, he was even less willing to put Nie Xiaoqian—who had confided her heart to him—in danger. Alas, the Lanruo Temple pavilion was no longer safe, and he had nowhere else to go besides this place.

He looked around, taking in all the furnishings within the room.

A tea table with sewing needles and thread on it, a zither table, a steaming wooden bathtub, and a clothes rack draped with a piece of white gauze. Everything was exactly as it was in the plot.

Nie Xiaoqian grabbed him, already forgetting his hesitation from just moments ago, and said with a flustered expression, "Did Grandmother make a move against you?"

An Yang asked, "How did you know?"

Nie Xiaoqian grew even more worried. "I could sense it, or I wouldn't have used the zither music to lure you over. This place is very dangerous; you shouldn't have come!"

An Yang also knew that this was the base camp of the Thousand-Year Tree Demon, and he frowned. "Then what should we do?"

"What should we do! I told you to leave long ago, but you wouldn't listen. If you die, I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life!"

An Yang fell silent. Facing a Nie Xiaoqian like this, there was no way he could tell her that he was just here to complete a mission.

Nie Xiaoqian grew somewhat anxious, pacing around the room a few times with her delicate brows tightly furrowed. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Here's what we'll do: I'll go see if Grandmother is back. If she has returned, you must leave immediately and let the Taoist priests inside Lanruo Temple protect you, or Grandmother will drain your vital essence!"

"Alright!"

"Then I'll go check on Grandmother. Stay right here and don't move, don't go anywhere!"

"I understand."

Just as Nie Xiaoqian turned around, she caught sight of several shadows approaching outside the window. Her expression changed drastically, and she spun around, grabbing An Yang and pulling him toward the bathtub.

"This is bad, someone is coming!"

"Hide in the bathtub! Grandmother's nose is very sharp; if you're in the water, she won't be able to smell your scent!"

...A familiar conversation.

An Yang wasn't as squeamish as Ning Caichen. Hearing this, he decisively stepped into the wooden barrel, while Nie Xiaoqian straightened her clothes, sat sideways on the floor, and picked up the needle and thread to embroider.

The door was pushed open!

A delicate-looking woman with her hair in a bun appeared outside the door with two maidservants. She bowed in salute and called out, "Elder Sister."

Nie Xiaoqian's expression remained calm and unchanged as she said, "Xiao Qing, I know Grandmother is getting impatient. I'll finish dressing and come right out."

Just as her voice fell, the wooden door was suddenly shoved open, and a dark shadow rushed in, delivering a slap straight to her face!

Bang... Crack!

"Ah!"

With a cry of surprise, Nie Xiaoqian clutched her cheek and collapsed to the ground!

The dark shadow transformed into a woman in luxurious black robes who looked neither male nor female. With a fierce expression, she grabbed Nie Xiaoqian's hair and jerked her upright, saying through gritted teeth, "Damned bitch, how dare you ruin my plans!"

Nie Xiaoqian said with a panicked expression, "What are you talking about, Grandmother? I don't know anything about this!"

The Thousand-Year Tree Demon threw her to the ground, pointed at her, and said, "You still want to deny it? That man has been at Lanruo Temple for three days, and you haven't sent him to me to eat yet. Today I stepped in myself, and you even used the zither music to lure him away! Speak, have you fallen in love with him?!"

Nie Xiaoqian said, "I have not!"

Xiao Qing stood nearby with a gloating expression!

Hiding in the water barrel, An Yang held his breath with all his might while listening to the Thousand-Year Tree Demon's shifting male and female voice. Thinking of how Nie Xiaoqian was suffering right now, a trace of unbearable pity flashed in his eyes, but constrained by his strength, he could only hide here.

The Thousand-Year Tree Demon produced a whip and lashed it fiercely across Nie Xiaoqian's body, drawing a cry of pain.

Crack!

"Ah!"

"You bitch, have you forgotten how I torture you? If you dare disobey me again, I will destroy your ashes and make your soul scatter into nothingness!"

Only after beating Nie Xiaoqian until she was covered in injuries did the Thousand-Year Tree Demon drop the whip in her hand.

"Tonight, you must find a living soul to replenish my vital energy. Considering this is your first offense, I'll give you a chance. Xiao Qing, take some medicine to treat your sister's wounds!"

Nie Xiaoqian walked over with a limp, glanced into the wooden barrel, and acted as if nothing was the matter as she pulled down the white gauze hanging on the nearby rack to cover An Yang inside the barrel.

Soon, Xiao Qing arrived carrying a plate of healing ointment and began applying it to her wounds.

The Thousand-Year Tree Demon walked up to her and said, "I have already betrothed you to Black Mountain Lord. In three days, you will cross his threshold..."

Just as she was speaking, a bubble suddenly emerged from the wooden barrel. A trace of doubt flashed in Xiao Qing's eyes, and just as she wanted to look into the wooden barrel, she was stopped by Nie Xiaoqian.

She frowned, the doubt in her eyes growing even heavier.

The Thousand-Year Tree Demon continued, "Xiao Qian, try on this dress. It's what you'll wear when you get married."

Nie Xiaoqian acknowledged the order, but seeing Xiao Qing quickly glance back toward the wooden barrel, her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but sigh in relief—thankfully the white gauze was there to block the view.

Just as she stood up to go change clothes, Xiao Qing reached out to lift the white gauze. Her expression changed, and she quickly grabbed Xiao Qing's hand. "Come help me take a look at this too!"

Nie Xiaoqian slowly took off her outer garments and changed into a bright red long robe. Undoing the hair bun on her head, a cascade of black silk tumbled down, her long robe fluttering about as she looked incomparably beautiful.

Throughout all this, An Yang had been holding his breath the entire time. If not for the fact that his physical constitution far surpassed that of ordinary people, he certainly wouldn't have been able to hold out for so long.

Before long, the Thousand-Year Tree Demon and Xiao Qing left.

Nie Xiaoqian finally breathed a sigh of relief, hurried over to the wooden barrel, and pulled An Yang up.

"Hurry up, they're finally gone."

At that very moment, however, Xiao Qing—who had just reached the doorway—grew more and more suspicious the more she thought about Nie Xiaoqian's behavior. Hearing the sound of splashing water from inside the door, she hesitated and decided to turn back.

Seeing the dark shadow outside the door, Nie Xiaoqian's heart skipped a beat once more. She hurriedly pushed An Yang back down into the water, though she knew in her heart that Xiao Qing had always been deeply suspicious and never got along with her; it certainly wouldn't be easy to fool her this time.

Hesitating for a split second, she gritted her teeth, stripped off her clothes, and stepped into the bathtub!

Splash...

An Yang in the water widened his eyes as he felt a white, tender body enter the water, its smooth and cool skin pressing tightly against his. He could even feel the perfect curves of certain areas and almost lost his composure, quickly steadying his mind to hold his breath.

Nie Xiaoqian used her own body to shield An Yang. Even though their bodies were in intimate contact, on the surface she had to maintain a calm expression as she said to Xiao Qing, "What are you in such a rush for? Three days from now, when I'm married off, won't this room be yours anyway?"

Xiao Qing glanced at the wooden barrel, snorted coldly, picked up the healing ointment she had left behind earlier, and walked away.

Only then did An Yang poke his head out of the water, taking a deep breath. Looking up, he happened to see Nie Xiaoqian completely bare, her lard-like skin flawless and delicate, exuding an ivory-like delicate sheen. He was instantly frozen in place.

What a stunning body!

It was just a pity that several bloody wounds crisscrossed all over her body, ruining at least eighty percent of this aesthetic beauty.

"What are you looking at..."

Nie Xiaoqian turned her head away shyly, using her hands to cover her chest.

An Yang stared fixedly at the wounds on her body, sighed, and gently reached out to touch her wound, instantly causing Nie Xiaoqian to shudder slightly.

"What are you doing..."

Nie Xiaoqian turned her head, intending to scold him for his forwardness, but when she met his gaze, she faltered, unable to say a thing as her eyes rapidly softened.

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt..."

There was pity and tenderness in An Yang's gaze.

Nie Xiaoqian grew a bit embarrassed under his stare, but thinking of the Thousand-Year Tree Demon's words from earlier, her eyes dimmed once more.

"Young Master An, why aren't you getting up yet..."

An Yang lowered his gaze. A pair of white-as-jade, slender, and well-rounded legs were resting across him, dazzling enough to make it hard to keep one's eyes open.

"If you don't get up, how am I supposed to get up?"