This was no longer merely impolite. It was blatant hostility.
Yi Zhengen watched him for a long while, then suddenly clapped his hands.
Clear, crisp footsteps followed.
Zhou You glanced over and saw a woman dressed in flamboyant finery, like a hostess at a drinking establishment, enter the room with dainty steps and a charming smile.
Anyone else might have assumed he had called in a "hostess" to ease the tension. The woman was attractive enough—not a peerless beauty, but certainly above average.
However...
Zhou You summoned Myriad Fathoms without hesitation.
For one simple reason: the woman who had walked in was a cultivator... one even slightly stronger than the cultivator he had met at the mayor's place.
Seeing Zhou You's reaction, the woman covered her mouth and giggled. She offered no response, merely swaying her hips as she walked behind Yi Zhengen.
After a brief silence, Zhou You asked,
"Brother Yi, what is the meaning of this?"
Yi Zhengen lifted the gauze draped over the woman, then said with a smile,
"Brother Zhou, now that I know your true strength, being alone in this room with you... well, with the three of us, makes me rather nervous. So I called in my bodyguard... you don't mind, do you?"
"...Is she from Paradise too?"
Yi Zhengen denied it promptly and unequivocally.
"No. Like you, this young lady made a deal with an anomaly and gained her powers that way... but don't worry. She is absolutely loyal to me, and she won't breathe a word of our conversation to anyone."
Zhou You rubbed his thumb over his sword hilt. After a long while, he leaned back again.
"Fine. One more person makes no difference. Now, Brother Yi, would you kindly answer my question? Are you scheming against me?"
Instead of answering