The Flying Boat sped through the night sky, propelled by a Peak Heavenly Immortal expert like Shadow Kill, reaching extreme speeds.
However, the Three Thousand Great Provinces are vast and boundless, and even at this speed, returning to the Li Family Ancestral Land would not be a matter of a single day.
Inside the cabin, Zhang Yu sat cross-legged alone in the most spacious and quiet bedroom that had been specially arranged for him.
The soft glow of the luminous pearl shone down, illuminating his serene face.
He did not cultivate, but instead constantly deduced and planned the blueprint for the "Divine Dynasty" he was about to establish in his mind.
How to define the territory, how to establish the system, how to recruit talents, how to gather and utilize the national fortune, how to deal with the pressure after the Qian Yuan Divine Dynasty and the Confucian Zilu broke the seal... There are countless things to consider.
Bang bang bang.
A soft knock on the door interrupted Zhang Yu's thoughts.
"Come in."
Zhang Yu composed himself and spoke calmly.
The hatch was gently pushed open, and a slender figure walked in somewhat awkwardly; it was Hu Qingxuan.
She wore a moon-white, fitted long dress, which accentuated her slender waist and exquisite figure.
However, her face showed obvious nervousness and awkwardness, her slender hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, her eyes darting around, and she dared not meet Zhang Yu's gaze.
"Young Master Zhang..."
Hu Qingxuan's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, with a barely perceptible tremor:
"Today... I am very grateful to Young Master Zhang for saving us. If it weren't for Young Master Zhang, my Medical Immortal Valley would probably have been wiped out."
"Such a great kindness, Qingxuan... Qingxuan has no way to repay it."
After speaking, she bowed deeply to Zhang Yu, her posture respectful yet somewhat distant.
Zhang Yu looked at her calmly and nodded slightly.
It's alright.
Speaking of which, it was you who first saved the Xiao Family and brought them to the Medical Immortal Valley for protection.
The Medical Immortal Valley has suffered this calamity No Delusion; it is only right that I intervene.
His tone was flat, revealing no emotion, as if he were merely stating a trivial matter unrelated to himself.
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"If you've only come to thank me for this, then you may leave. It's late, and I need some time to reflect."
He truly had no intention of getting entangled with Hu Qingxuan any further.
The past between the two was quite awkward. The "master and servant" relationship that arose from a bet, and the subsequent entanglement and trouble brought by Hu Qingxuan, all made him subconsciously want to keep his distance.
With a formidable enemy at hand and plans to establish Divine Dynasty, he did not want to be distracted by matters of personal affection for the time being.
Upon hearing this, Hu Qingxuan's delicate body trembled slightly, and she bit her lower lip tightly with her pearly teeth.
Her visit today was merely an excuse to express her gratitude; her real "mission" was something her master Zhang Ziyun, and her Martial Uncle, Shen Bixia, had repeatedly instructed, even pleading, for her to find a way to get close to Zhang Yu, and ideally, to become his bedmate.
Only in this way can the Medical Immortal Valley climb this towering pillar, resolve past grievances, and even seek protection and a future.
She understood that with Zhang Yu's current status and strength, he was already Divine Dragon high above the Nine Heavens.
And I... am nothing more than a blade of grass on the ground, unreachable.
The faint feelings deep in her heart became incredibly heavy and unbearable under the enormous gap of reality and the earnest expectations of her sect.
Seeing the almost desperate yet hopeful look in the eyes of her elders, and thinking of the lives of her fellow disciples in the Medical Immortal Valley, she finally mustered all her courage and came here.
Hearing Zhang Yu's cold dismissal, Hu Qingxuan felt a pang of pain in her heart, but even more so, a resolute determination to burn her bridges.
She suddenly raised her head, a thin layer of mist welling up in her beautiful eyes, but she stubbornly held back the tears.
He didn't leave; instead, he took two steps closer, his voice carrying a deliberate softness and trembling:
"Owner..."
As soon as she uttered those two words, Hu Qingxuan felt her cheeks burning and was filled with immense shame.
But this was "experience" "taught" by Shen Bixia.
Men, especially powerful men, sometimes derive a secret pleasure from titles that carry connotations of submission and special meaning.
Years ago, she lost a bet and became a "Maidservant." Bringing up the old story now is both a way to get closer to her and a kind of... incident.
"I am your Maidservant,"
Hu Qingxuan's voice was even lower and softer, carrying a seductive quality she herself was unaware of:
"According to the agreement made back then, I should be serving you by your side."
You asked me to leave... but where should I leave to?
As she spoke, she took a small step forward, bringing the two of them very close. Zhang Yu could even smell the delicate, virginal fragrance emanating from her, a blend of herbal scents.
She tilted her head slightly, revealing a section of her slender, snow-white neck, which gleamed like ivory in the glow of the luminous pearl. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes sparkled, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Zhang Yu: "..."
He was indeed slightly startled by the sudden address of "Master".
As a soul from Earth in the age of information explosion, certain memories rooted in the subconscious and originating from some "learning materials" deep within the hard drive were evoked by this highly specific and targeted term.
Especially Hu Qingxuan's current appearance—exquisitely beautiful yet tinged with a mix of stubbornness, shyness, and a deliberate attempt to please—created a strange overlap with certain images in his mind...
"Cough cough."
Zhang Yu coughed lightly, forcibly suppressing the inexplicable restlessness in his heart.
He was a normal man, and after sitting in the teleportation channel for ten years, his Blood Qi was already boiling with pent-up energy.
Being so close to a woman of exceptional beauty and unique charm, who even addresses him as "master" with such suggestive undertones, it would be a lie to say that he felt nothing.
He couldn't help but have a ridiculous thought flash through his mind: what if she changed into a certain style of maid outfit...? He might really not be able to handle that image.
Hu Qingxuan was perceptive and, despite her shyness, she could clearly sense the subtle changes in Zhang Yu's aura and the fleeting, unusual glint in his eyes, a glint unlike his usual cold and indifferent demeanor.
This made her feel both ashamed and subtly encouraged by the "effectiveness" of the idea.
The words that my Master and Martial Uncle had repeatedly told me—"Men love the feeling of conquest" and "Be proactive, but not promiscuous; be pure with a touch of allure"—echoed in my mind.
She took a deep breath, slightly tiptoed, and brought her petal-red lips close to Zhang Yu's ear. In a whisper that only the two of them could hear, carrying a raw yet deadly allure, she gently exhaled:
"Master... tonight, may Maidservant stay... to serve you?"
A warm, fragrant breath brushed against her ear, and she pronounced the word "serve" softly and gently, with a slight upward lilt at the end, full of endless hints and invitations.
Zhang Yu felt a surge of heat rush to his head, and his body was already showing obvious signs of reaction.
After ten years of abstinence, being provoked so directly, rawly, yet with such a powerful impact, even his strong will was shaken, and his breathing became heavier.
Hu Qingxuan was already extremely beautiful, with a cool temperament that carried the benevolence of a healer. At this moment, her appearance of being at his mercy and willing to be taken from was extremely devastating.
"Um... well..."
Zhang Yu's throat felt dry, and he was about to say something, whether to acquiesce or refuse, his brain was fiercely battling between "reason" and "instinct".
However, at this crucial moment when the atmosphere was ambiguous and ready to explode—
"Oops--!"
A sweet, slightly annoyed, and even somewhat shrill exclamation rang out from the doorway.
"Bang!"
The hatch was pushed open with great force, and a petite figure in fiery red rushed in like a whirlwind—it was Xiao Meier.
With her hands on her hips, her bright eyes widened as she stared intently at Hu Qingxuan, who was practically pressed against Zhang Yu. Her Small Face was filled with undisguised displeasure and jealousy.
"That's a really nice way to say 'master'!"
Xiao Meier spoke in a sarcastic tone, her voice not loud, but loud enough for the two people in the cabin to hear clearly, the sourness in her tone almost dripping with vinegar.
She first glared fiercely at Hu Qingxuan, then turned to Zhang Yu, deliberately puffing out her already quite ample chest, and said in a tone of assertive sovereignty:
I am Zhang Yu's woman!
If you're going to call someone that, you'll have to call me 'Mistress' first."
"..."
The scene instantly fell into an extremely awkward and frozen state.
Zhang Yu felt a throbbing vein on his forehead. His previous romantic thoughts were instantly wiped away by this sudden "caught in the act" scene, replaced by a headache that left him feeling both amused and exasperated.
The moment Xiao Meier rushed in and said those words, Hu Qingxuan felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water from head to toe, from her cheeks to her ears!
It wasn't just shyness; it was more of an overwhelming sense of shame and embarrassment, and an extreme feeling of humiliation at having one's secret exposed and one's dignity trampled upon.
She mustered the greatest courage of her life, setting aside all her reserve and pride, and even going against her own heart to do something that was almost like "offering herself to someone else," which was already extremely agonizing.
At this moment, another woman, who was closer to Zhang Yu, caught them in the act and mocked them with such harsh and hostile words...
"I'm... I'm sorry!"
Hu Qingxuan used her last bit of strength to squeeze out a few broken syllables from her throat, not even daring to look up at Zhang Yu and Xiao Meier.
She turned abruptly, almost staggering, and rushed out of Zhang Yu's cabin, disappearing into the darkness of the corridor.
That silhouette was filled with despair and heartbreak, as if she would completely collapse if she stayed for even one more second.
Inside the cabin, only Zhang Yu remained, along with Xiao Meier, who stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him angrily, and the pervasive, thick awkwardness and... a faint hint of jealousy.