Jiang Ye's Virginity, In Danger!

Jiang Ye was just about to turn around and pull the two heavy, black-lacquered doors shut when he decided to follow quietly.

A figure emerged from the shadows of the outer courtyard, stumbling forward with a hollow, unsteady gait.

It was Lin Xiaohe.

Jiang Ye's movements paused imperceptibly, his aged gaze sweeping indifferently over the girl's face, which looked deathly pale and even somewhat distorted in the dim light.

Her tear tracks were still wet, her eyes vacant. All the shrewdness, calculation, and deliberately crafted smiles she had worn before were gone, leaving only the bewilderment and pain of someone slapped hard by reality.

Almost forgot, this snobbish girl hasn't left yet.

A cold sense of realization flickered through Jiang Ye's mind.

"Old... Old Man Jiang..."

Lin Xiaohe walked closer, her voice trembling uncontrollably, thin as a mosquito's hum.

This was likely the first time since she had joined the Martial Academy that she had looked the gatekeeper in the eye and initiated a conversation.

She raised her tear-streaked face. Those eyes, once filled with ambition and schemes, were now soaked in deep regret and supplication, her slightly chubby cheeks appearing exceptionally fragile amidst the tears.

"Old Man Jiang... do... do you know which way Senior Brother Shi Lei usually goes?"

She asked the question almost in a sob, every word laced with cautious probing and humble expectation.

Jiang Ye only needed one glance to guess that this snobbish little girl had definitely been dumped by Hu Tian and was now likely looking to crawl back to Shi Lei.

"No idea."

Jiang Ye replied in a flat tone.

He didn't even spare her a second glance. Once he finished those three words, he turned around without hesitation, his arms exerting force that appeared sluggish but was actually steady.

Creak—Bang!

The heavy Martial Academy doors slammed shut behind him with unquestionable finality.

That dull thud was exceptionally clear in the silent night, as if it were nailing the lid onto the last shred of hope in Lin Xiaohe's heart.

Outside the gate, Lin Xiaohe stared blankly at the tightly closed doors.

She opened her mouth, but could not make a sound.

In the end, like a puppet drained of all strength, she turned and stumbled away.

Inside the gate, Jiang Ye stood still for a moment, listening intently.

Not until the sound of Lin Xiaohe's staggering footsteps had completely faded away did he stop his pretense!

Those seemingly aged eyes snapped open!

A brilliant, sharp light shone within them, keen as a drawn blade—where was there any trace of old age left?

With a flick of his intent, the true essence of the Spirit Ape Thousand Changes surged through his body like flowing mercury.

Inside him, his two hundred and six bones were simultaneously manipulated by invisible, nimble hands, emitting a series of faint, dense crackles like rain hitting banana leaves.

It was not a fracture, but the most precise adjustment and reshaping.

His spine, hunched for decades, was slowly straightened, section by section, as if molten iron had been poured into it.

His previously sagging shoulders tightened, his neck rose, and his entire frame instantly grew taller, stretching by more than an inch.

The changes to his face were even more astonishing.

The muscles of his cheekbones lifted slightly, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be smoothed out by an invisible hand.

Although the underlying traces of age remained, his overall silhouette was entirely different.

From the original kindly, rounded appearance, he had become sharp-featured and angular. His eye sockets seemed deeper, and a lingering, fierce aura naturally gathered between his brows.

In an instant.

Standing there was no longer the harmless, frail gatekeeper who looked like a gust of wind could blow him over.

Instead, he was a tall, lean, cold-faced old man with eyes as sharp as an eagle's, radiating an aura that warned others not to provoke him.

Looking at Jiang Ye now, one would believe him if told he were a ruthless bandit.

Spirit Ape Thousand Changes, existing in a single thought! A complete transformation, achieved in a heartbeat!

Jiang Ye flexed the joints of this brand-new body, feeling the power contained within.

He did not delay, not even needing to glance at a mirror.

With a light tap of his toes, he vaulted over the high wall of the Martial Academy like a nimble swallow, following the direction in which Hu Tian and the others had departed.

Mirror Lake, in the south of Anxi County.

The lake surface was as flat as a mirror, reflecting the sparse stars in the sky and the scattered lights along the shore.

At the heart of the lake, several exquisite pavilions with upturned eaves and ornate arches stood independently above the water, illuminated by bright lanterns. Connected to the shore by winding corridors and small, decorative boats, this was the Lake Heart Pavilion, a private dining spot favored by the city's high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and socialites.

"Junior Brother Hu, you certainly don't mind spending a fortune. This place isn't cheap, you know."

Su Yan stepped onto the delicate small boat leading to one of the detached water pavilions and teased him softly.

As the eldest daughter of the Su Family, she had visited this place many times and knew full well that the expenses here were far from trivial.

Hu Tian's heart skipped a beat, but he plastered a humble and knowing smile onto his face, answering with a prepared response:

"Senior Sister Su Yan, you jest. Both you and Senior Sister Yiyi are people of noble status; that you would grace me with your presence is already the greatest honor. How could I dare to be negligent? Naturally, I had to choose the finest place in Anxi County to be worthy of two such senior sisters."

"You certainly have a silver tongue."

Hearing this, Su Yan offered a faint, non-committal smile and said no more.

From beginning to end, Liu Yiyi remained cold and detached, showing no reaction to the surrounding scenery or Hu Tian's flattery, merely following along as the boat drifted toward the center of the lake.

Before long, the boat docked in front of a water pavilion with a plaque hanging above it that read "Rain Listening Pavilion."

The three of them climbed the steps and entered a private room, elegantly decorated and filled with the faint scent of sandalwood.

The carved windows facing the lake were open, and the night breeze carried a mist of water inside, dispelling some of the room's stuffiness.

"Please, take a seat, senior sisters. The wine and food will be here shortly. Before the dishes arrive, allow me to offer you a cup of tea in place of wine to thank you for gracing me with your presence."

Once the two had sat down, Hu Tian eagerly picked up the celadon teapot already prepared on the table and poured a cup of clear tea for both Liu Yiyi and Su Yan. The amber tea swirled gently in the white jade cups, emitting a faint, elegant fragrance.

This was what Zhang Wang had instructed him to do: once he brought them to the private room at the Lake Heart Pavilion, he was to ensure they drank a cup of tea.

Once that was done, his task would be complete, Zhang Xu would appear immediately, and he could then find an excuse to leave.

Seeing that the cups contained only tea and not wine, Su Yan's guard lowered slightly; she parted her cherry lips and took a shallow sip.

Liu Yiyi, acting purely out of etiquette, used her fingertips to lift the cup slightly and took a very small, light sip.

Seeing that both had taken a sip of the tea, Hu Tian felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Everything Zhang Wang had tasked him with was finished.

Senior Brother Zhang Xu should be here soon.

No sooner had this thought crossed Hu Tian's mind than—

Knock, knock, knock...

A knocking sound came from outside the door.

Su Yan and Liu Yiyi assumed it was a waitress from the restaurant coming to serve the food and paid it no mind.

However, the person who pushed the door open was Zhang Xu, his face pale but wearing an expression of forced vigor and suppressed excitement.

"Zhang Xu?! Why are you here?!"

Su Yan and Liu Yiyi's expressions darkened almost simultaneously, cold light flashing in their eyes.

Two gazes, sharp as solid ice, instantly pinned themselves onto the now-panicked Hu Tian standing to the side.

They had never heard Hu Tian mention inviting Zhang Xu; had they known, they would never have stepped foot in this place.

"The thing is..."

Bathed in those icy, piercing glares, Hu Tian felt as if the blood in his veins were about to freeze.

Especially under Liu Yiyi's gaze—he didn't know if it was his imagination, but he seemed to sense a faint killing intent.

He swallowed hard, trying to find the words to explain.

"Junior Brother Hu Tian has mastered his fist techniques today and joined the inner courtyard—that is a momentous occasion! As the senior brother closest to him, I naturally had to come and celebrate!"

Zhang Xu interrupted Hu Tian, casting him a meaningful look.

Hu Tian understood immediately; Zhang Xu was signaling that he could leave.

"Senior sisters, Senior Brother Zhang Xu, I have a sudden, unbearable pain in my stomach and must excuse myself... Please, forgive me! I shall return in a moment!"

He immediately seized an excuse, not daring to look at the cold eyes of Liu Yiyi and Su Yan again, and fled the private room as if escaping for his life.

The moment Hu Tian rushed out the door, Zhang Wang, who had been waiting in the corridor, grabbed him and chuckled, "Brother Hu Tian, well done! Come, brother will take you elsewhere to have some fun. As for what happens next, the Young Master will handle it himself!"

Without waiting for a response, he dragged the shaken Hu Tian onto another boat and rowed rapidly toward the shore.

Inside the private room, the atmosphere had dropped to freezing.

Su Yan's face was masked in frost as she stared at Zhang Xu, who sat at the table with an air of composure and a hint of smugness. She sneered:

"Zhang Xu, if you wanted to invite us to dinner, you could have just said so. Why go through such elaborate schemes, using a newly initiated junior brother to do your dirty work? Isn't such a sneaky, underhanded tactic beneath you?"

Though Liu Yiyi did not speak, the chill in her cold eyes was ten times sharper than Su Yan's sarcasm, as if she could freeze the very air.

Her fingers, resting on her knees, were tightly clenched.

Both women were sharp as ice; with Zhang Xu's sudden appearance and Hu Tian's panicked flight, combined with the earlier oddities, they realized this was a trap meticulously laid by Zhang Xu.

"Sigh, you two really misunderstand me. I truly only came to celebrate with Junior Brother Hu Tian."

Zhang Xu sighed, spreading his hands in a display of helplessness and grievance.

"Is that so?"

Su Yan let out a scoff and rose abruptly, her dress fluttering despite the lack of wind. "Then we shall take our leave first. I hope you and Junior Brother Hu Tian enjoy your meal."

Saying this, she and Liu Yiyi stood up simultaneously, ready to depart.

Seeing this, Zhang Xu dropped the act; he was done pretending.

The mask of feigned helplessness and grievance vanished from his face, replaced by a sinister grin that blended lewdness, triumph, and madness.

"I advise both Senior Sisters not to be in such a hurry to leave."

"Otherwise... once the drug takes effect later, you might find yourselves overcome with lust halfway home, making a spectacle of yourselves..."

"If some blind peddler or passerby were to witness it and spread such scandalous rumors, your reputations would be ruined beyond repair."

"The drug?!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Su Yan and Liu Yiyi changed drastically.

In a flash of realization, they both recalled the cup of tea Hu Tian had so solicitously served them just moments ago.

A faint, previously ignored sensation of abnormal heat was suddenly ignited by his words, like a spark falling into a haystack, beginning to spread quietly from the depths of their lower abdomens!

"You dared to drug the tea?!"

Su Yan was both shocked and furious, her voice trembling with extreme rage as she shrieked the accusation.

"You are courting death!"

Liu Yiyi's reaction was more direct and violent.

Cold light exploded in her icy eyes, and killing intent surged forth as if it were physical!

Almost the moment she realized they had been drugged, she moved. Her right hand formed a blade, cutting through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle as she struck directly at Zhang Xu's heart. This blow was fueled by fury and held nothing back; she intended to kill him on the spot.

However, the moment her fingers moved, she sensed something was wrong.

The internal energy that usually flowed through her body with ease now felt as if it were bound by layers of invisible spiderwebs, its circulation sluggish and obstructed.

A more intense, numbing, and strange sensation surged through her limbs as she forcibly pushed her energy, causing it to spread violently throughout her body.

The force behind her strike toward Zhang Xu's heart dissipated by more than half, her speed plummeted, and the blow became soft and powerless.

Zhang Xu had been prepared; seeing this, he was not alarmed but delighted. He dodged sideways with nonchalance and laughed loudly:

"Senior Sister Yiyi, you'd better save your strength for our intimacy later."

"Martial artists below the Transformation Realm cannot resist the power of Beauty Drunk."

"The harder you try to exert yourself, the faster the drug will take effect!"

Sure enough, as Liu Yiyi's strike missed, her naturally fair, jade-like cheeks were instantly flushed with a startling crimson. Her breathing became rapid, and a faint, hazy look emerged in her once-cold, beautiful eyes.

"Zhang Xu, you've lost your mind!"

Su Yan also felt the heat in her body rising rapidly, like a wildfire, leaving her limbs weak and her heart pounding like a drum.

She gripped the table, her nails nearly embedding into the hardwood, and shouted, "Do you have any idea of the consequences of attacking both me and Yiyi?! Do you think your Zhang Family can cover the sky with one hand? Do you think your father can protect your dog life?!"

She never imagined that Zhang Xu could be this arrogant, stupid, and insane!

This was no longer a simple case of being blinded by lust; this was utter, unadulterated madness!

To provoke both the Su Family and Liu Qingshi at the same time—he was simply digging his own grave!

"Senior Sister Su Yan, you guessed right—I have lost my mind!"

A touch of madness flickered across Zhang Xu's face, and his originally pale complexion flushed with a sickly red.

He stood up abruptly and stepped toward Liu Yiyi, who seemed unable to stand steadily but still glared at him with icy, murderous intent. His eyes flashed with a nauseating mix of possessiveness and the thrill of revenge:

"You still want to suppress the drug? Don't dream of it!"

"Once the power of Beauty Drunk takes hold, even the most chaste and virtuous woman will turn into a shameless slut!"

"Honestly, I've wanted this day for so long! Especially you, Liu Yiyi!"

He stared fixedly at Liu Yiyi's stunning face, which was flushed with a breathtaking crimson from the drug and her fury, his voice raspy with excitement:

"Always acting like an untouchable ice-cold saintess, looking down on me! Today, I'm going to tear off that mask of fake purity!"

"I want to see what kind of desperate, begging, lowly creature you'll become once the drug fully takes hold! Hahaha!"

"Zhang Xu! If you dare touch me..." Liu Yiyi bit the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain granting her a brief moment of clarity. Her voice was like a blade forged in eternal ice, each word enunciated with the resolve to perish together, "I swear, afterwards, I will exhaust every means to tear you into a thousand pieces! And then, I will end my own life!"

The icy killing intent and resolve in this vow caused Zhang Xu's frantic footsteps to falter, a flicker of instinctive fear crossing his face.

The look in Liu Yiyi's eyes left him in no doubt that she would do exactly as she said.

But the next second, that fear transformed into an even more intense, humiliated rage.

He had actually been intimidated by a woman who was about to become his plaything?!

"Kill me? End your life?!" Zhang Xu's face twisted as he roared madly: "I'm touching you today! Better to die under the peony flower than to live without having tasted it! Once I've had my fill of you, let's see how you..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

Creak.

The tightly shut, intricately carved wooden door of the private room was suddenly struck by an invisible, violent gale, bursting open inward with a thunderous crash.

Icy lake winds, laden with moisture, surged inside, instantly extinguishing half the candles in the room and causing the light and shadows to flicker violently.

"Who?! Which death-seeking bastard dares to ruin my good..."

Zhang Xu flew into a rage, whipping his head around to bark a harsh curse.

However, his shouting came to an abrupt halt, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat.

In the dim light where moonlight and water reflections intertwined at the doorway, a figure stood tall and straight as a spear.

It was an old man with a gaunt, cold, and hard-featured face, his hair and sideburns completely white.

There were no unnecessary words.

There were no unnecessary movements.

The old man's figure shifted slightly, as if he had merely taken a casual step forward.

But this step was so fast it exceeded the limits of Zhang Xu's visual perception.

He only saw a blurred afterimage flash by, and the next moment, a withered fist that seemed to contain the power to split mountains and shatter rocks was already imprinted squarely in the center of his chest.

BANG!!!

A muffled thud echoed.

He didn't even have time to feel pain; he only sensed an irresistible, overwhelming, and terrifying force strike him, and his chest visibly caved inward.

Immediately after, his entire body was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, or a heavy stone projectile thrown with full force, his feet leaving the ground as he slammed violently into the wall of the private room.

BOOM!!!

The solid wooden wall, under this unstoppable impact, was easily pierced and shattered as if it were made of paper.

Amidst the flying wood splinters, Zhang Xu's figure continued its momentum, tracing a miserable arc before plunging with a heavy splash into the cold, pitch-black lake water outside the window, sending up a spray of water a zhang high, only to be quickly swallowed by the churning waves, leaving not a sound behind.

"Did he wear inner armor?"

The white-haired old man looked at the icy lake surface, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He could clearly feel that the force of his punch just now had been partially blocked by a layer of soft armor when it struck Zhang Xu.

Otherwise, that single punch would have been enough to shatter Zhang Xu's chest and blow a gaping hole through him.

Just as he was pondering this.

Two refreshing, fragrant breezes coiled toward him.