Jiang Ye's Chastity Was in Peril!

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

A dazed figure, staggering on unsteady feet, emerged from the shadows of the Outer Courtyard.

It was Lin Xiaohe.

Jiang Ye's movements paused almost imperceptibly. His aged gaze swept indifferently over the young woman's face, especially pale in the dim light and even somewhat twisted.

Her tears had not yet dried, and her eyes were hollow. All her earlier shrewdness, scheming, and carefully assembled smiles had vanished. All that remained was the bewilderment and pain of someone viciously slapped in the face by reality.

I almost forgot. That snobbish girl hasn't left yet.

A cold understanding flashed through Jiang Ye's mind.

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

Lin Xiaohe approached, her voice trembling uncontrollably, as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

This was probably the first time since joining the Martial Academy that she had looked this gatekeeper in the eye—and greeted him of her own accord.

She raised her tear-streaked face. Her eyes, once full of ambition and calculation, were now steeped in regret and pleading. The cheeks that had been a little baby-faced looked terribly fragile through her tears.

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

She nearly choked on the question. Every word carried a tentative caution and a humble, desperate hope.

One glance was all Jiang Ye needed to guess that the snobbish girl had been dumped by Hu Tian and was probably hoping to go back to Shi Lei and eat her words.

"I don't know."

Jiang Ye answered in a flat voice.

He did not even look at Lin Xiaohe a second time. After those three words, he turned without hesitation and pushed with both arms, moving with an effort that seemed slow but was actually steady.

Creak—bang!

The heavy gates of the Martial Academy slammed shut behind him with an unmistakable finality.

The dull boom rang especially clear in the silent night, as if nailing the lid shut on the last glimmer of hope in Lin Xiaohe's heart.

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

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

In the end, she left with unsteady steps, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

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

He waited until Lin Xiaohe's staggering footsteps had faded completely into the distance.

Then he stopped pretending!

Those seemingly aged eyes snapped open!

His gaze gleamed, sharp as a drawn blade. There was not the slightest trace of age left in them.

With a mere shift of thought, the essence of Spirit Ape Thousand Changes flowed through his sea of consciousness like liquid silver, instantly coursing throughout his body.

Inside him, all two hundred and six bones seemed to be manipulated at once by an invisible, deft hand. A faint but rapid patter of crackles rang out, like rain beating on banana leaves.

Nothing was breaking. This was the finest adjustment and reshaping.

His back, hunched for decades, straightened slowly, vertebra by vertebra, as though molten iron had been poured into it.

His slightly drooping shoulders drew tight, his neck rose, and his whole frame instantly grew taller, standing more than an inch higher.

The change in his face was even more astonishing.

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

Though traces of age remained, his overall features had become utterly different.

His former kind, rounded face had grown sharply defined. His eye sockets seemed a little deeper, and a persistent air of ferocity naturally gathered between his brows.

In the blink of an eye.

The person standing there was no longer that harmless gatekeeper, a frail old man who looked as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

Instead, he was a complete stranger: an upright, lean, hard-faced old man with eyes sharp as an eagle's, radiating an air that warned others to keep their distance.

If you told someone Jiang Ye was a bandit who robbed homes, they would believe you.

Spirit Ape Thousand Changes—all within the mind! A changed face and appearance, in an instant!

Jiang Ye flexed the joints of his brand-new body, feeling the strength it held.

He did not waste a moment. He did not even need to glance in a mirror.

With a light tap of his foot, he soared over the Martial Academy's high wall like a nimble swallow and followed in the direction Hu Tian and the others had gone.

Mirror Lake, south of Anxi County.

The lake lay broad and still as a mirror, reflecting the sparse stars above and the scattered lights along the shore.

At its heart stood several exquisite pavilions with sweeping eaves and interlocking brackets, their lights shining bright above the water. Winding covered walkways and small painted boats connected them to the shore. This was Lake Heart Pavilion, a secluded banquet spot favored by the city's officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants.

"Junior Brother Hu, you're certainly willing to spend. This place doesn't come cheap."

Su Yan stepped into a delicate little boat bound for one of the separate waterside pavilions and teased him softly.

As the eldest daughter of the Su Family, she had visited often enough to know the place was expensive.

Hu Tian's heart skipped a beat, but his face arranged itself into a deferential, considerate smile. He had his answer ready.

"Senior Sister Su Yan, you flatter me. You and Senior Sister Yiyi are both people of distinguished standing. Just having you agree to join me is already an immense honor. How could I possibly neglect you? Naturally, I had to choose the finest place in Anxi County to do you both justice."

"You certainly know what to say."

Su Yan gave him a faint, noncommittal smile and said no more.

Liu Yiyi remained cool and distant throughout. She paid no attention to the scenery or Hu Tian's flattery, simply riding in silence as the boat drifted toward the heart of the lake.

Before long, the boat stopped beside a waterside pavilion bearing the sign Rain Listening Pavilion.

The three climbed the steps and entered a tastefully furnished private room, scented with faint sandalwood incense.

The carved windows facing the lake stood open. A breeze carrying the dampness of the water drifted in, easing the stuffy air.

"Please, Senior Sisters, have a seat. The food and wine will be here shortly. Before it arrives, allow me to raise a cup of tea in place of wine and thank you both for honoring me with your presence."

Once they were seated, Hu Tian hurriedly picked up the celadon teapot he had prepared on the table and poured a cup of tea for each of them. The amber liquid rippled in the white jade cups, its fragrance delicate.

This was what Zhang Wang had instructed him to do: once he brought the two women to a private room at Lake Heart Pavilion, he only had to get them to drink a cup of tea.

Then his task would be complete. Zhang Xu would appear right away, and afterward Hu Tian could find an excuse to leave.

Seeing that the cups held tea rather than wine, Su Yan's guard eased a little. She parted her cherry-red lips and took a small sip.

Liu Yiyi only lifted her cup slightly with her fingertips out of courtesy, barely touching the tea to her lips.

Seeing that both women had taken a sip, Hu Tian finally let out a breath of relief.

He had done everything Zhang Wang had told him to do.

Senior Brother Zhang Xu should be here any moment.

That thought had barely crossed Hu Tian's mind when—

Knock, knock, knock...

A knock sounded at the door.

Su Yan and Liu Yiyi assumed it was a restaurant maid coming to serve the dishes and paid it no mind.

But the person who pushed the door open was Zhang Xu, his pale face bearing a carefully contrived air of excitement and barely suppressed eagerness.

"Zhang Xu?! What are you doing here?!"

Su Yan and Liu Yiyi's expressions darkened almost at the same time, and cold light flashed in their eyes.

Two gazes, cold as solid ice, instantly pinned Hu Tian, whose face had just changed.

He had never mentioned inviting Zhang Xu. Had they known, they would not have set foot here.

"What happened was..."

Under their icy stares, Hu Tian felt as if the blood in his body were freezing.

Liu Yiyi's eyes in particular seemed to carry a faint killing intent—though perhaps he was imagining it.

He swallowed hard and was about to explain.

"Junior Brother Hu passed his first fist technique today and joined the Inner Courtyard. That's cause for a huge celebration! As his closest senior brother, of course I had to come and congratulate him!"

Zhang Xu interrupted Hu Tian and gave him a meaningful glance.

Hu Tian understood at once. Zhang Xu was signaling that he could leave.

"Senior Sisters, Senior Brother Zhang Xu, my stomach is killing me. I need to step out for a moment... Excuse me! I'll be right back!"

He immediately came up with an excuse. Not daring to meet Liu Yiyi and Su Yan's icy gazes again, he fled the private room.

The moment Hu Tian rushed out, Zhang Wang, who had been waiting in the corridor, grabbed him and chuckled. "Brother Hu, nicely done! Come on, I'll take you somewhere else to have some fun. The young master will handle things from here!"

Without giving the unsettled Hu Tian a chance to object, he dragged him onto another boat and rowed rapidly toward shore.

Inside the private room, the atmosphere had frozen over.

Su Yan stared at Zhang Xu, who had taken a seat at the table as if he had all the time in the world, even wearing a hint of smugness. She sneered.

"Zhang Xu, if you wanted to invite us to dinner, you could have just said so. Why go to all this trouble, weaving such a big web and using a newly enrolled junior? Aren't you ashamed of this sneaky behavior?"

Liu Yiyi said nothing, but the chill in her cool eyes was ten times sharper than Su Yan's scornful words, as if it could freeze the air itself.

Her hands rested on her knees, her fingers already tensing slightly.

Both women were quick-witted. With Zhang Xu appearing out of nowhere and Hu Tian fleeing in a panic, it took no effort to connect this with the suspicious events before. This was clearly a trap Zhang Xu had carefully set.

"Ah, Senior Sisters, you've truly misunderstood me. I really did just come to congratulate Junior Brother Hu."

Zhang Xu sighed, spread his hands, and put on an aggrieved, helpless expression.

"Is that so?"

Su Yan scoffed and rose abruptly, her skirt fluttering despite the lack of wind. "Then we'll be on our way. I hope you and Junior Brother Hu enjoy your meal."

With that, she and Liu Yiyi rose together to leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Xu dropped the act.

The feigned helplessness and indignation vanished from his face, replaced by a leering, smug, and deranged sneer.

"I advise you two not to rush off."

"Otherwise... when the drug takes effect in a little while, you'll go into heat halfway down the road..."

"If some lowly peddler or passerby sees your disgraceful behavior, and the filthy rumors start spreading, your reputations will be ruined."

"The drug?!"

Su Yan and Liu Yiyi's expressions changed at the same time.

In a flash, they remembered the cup of tea Hu Tian had so eagerly offered them.

A faint trace of unnatural heat, so subtle they had ignored it before, suddenly flared at Zhang Xu's words. Like a spark falling into a pile of dry grass, it began spreading quietly from their lower abdomens!

"You drugged the tea?!"

Su Yan was shocked and furious. Her voice trembled with rage as she demanded an answer.

"You're asking for death!"

Liu Yiyi reacted even more violently.

Cold light burst from her eyes, and her killing intent erupted like a palpable force!

The instant she realized she had been drugged, her body shifted. She joined her fingers like a knife, and with a shrill whistle through the air, thrust them straight at Zhang Xu's heart. The blow was fueled by rage and held nothing back. She meant to kill him on the spot.

But the moment her fingers left her hand, she sensed something was wrong.

The force that had been surging freely through her body was now bound layer upon layer by an invisible web, its flow unbearably sluggish.

As she forcibly drove her strength, a more scorching, more numbing sensation spread through all four limbs and her entire body.

The thrust aimed at Zhang Xu's heart lost most of its power. It slowed drastically, turning weak and limp.

Zhang Xu had been prepared. Far from alarmed, he merely shifted aside and burst into laughter.

"Save your strength, Senior Sister Yiyi. You'll need it when you're with me later."

"Warriors below Transformation Strength can't resist the effects of Beauty Drunk."

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

Sure enough, after Liu Yiyi's attack missed, two striking flushes instantly spread across her once-pale cheeks. Her breathing grew hurried, and a faint haze entered her formerly clear eyes.

"Zhang Xu, have you lost your mind?!"

Su Yan also felt the heat inside her rising rapidly, spreading like a wildfire. Her limbs weakened, and her heart pounded like a drum.

She braced herself against the table, her nails almost digging into the hardwood, and shouted, "Do you know what will happen if you target both Yiyi and me?! You think your Zhang Family can cover the sky with one hand? You think your father can save your worthless hide?!"

She had never imagined that Zhang Xu could be so brazen, so foolish, so utterly mad!

This was no mere case of lust clouding his judgment. He had gone completely insane!

By provoking both the Su Family and Liu Qingshi, he was practically digging his own grave!

"Senior Sister Su Yan, you guessed right. I have gone mad!"

A slightly crazed smile spread over Zhang Xu's face, and a sickly flush rose across his pallid features.

He stood abruptly and advanced, step by step, toward Liu Yiyi. She seemed to be having trouble standing, yet still glared at him with icy killing intent. His eyes glittered with a nauseating mix of possessiveness and vengeful pleasure.

"Still trying to resist the drug? Don't bother!"

"Once the effects of Beauty Drunk take hold, even the most chaste, unyielding woman becomes a shameless slut!"

"Honestly, I've dreamed of this day for far too long! Especially with you, Liu Yiyi!"

He stared at Liu Yiyi's stunning face, reddened by the drug and her rage, all the more breathtaking for it. His voice grew hoarse with excitement.

"You act like some untouchable ice-cold saint every day, looking down your nose at me! Today, I'm going to tear off that mask of fake purity!"

"I want to see just how desperately hungry and shamelessly eager you'll be to beg for me once the drug has fully taken effect! Hahaha!"

"Zhang Xu! If you dare touch me..." Liu Yiyi bit through her tongue. The sharp pain gave her a brief moment of clarity. Her voice was like a blade tempered in ten thousand years of ice, each word deliberate and resolute, as if she were ready to perish together with him. "I swear that afterward, I'll devote everything I have to tearing you limb from limb! Then I'll take my own life!"

The icy killing intent and unbending resolve in her oath made Zhang Xu's brazen advance falter. A flash of instinctive fear crossed his face.

Liu Yiyi's eyes left no doubt that she would do exactly as she had said.

But in the next instant, that fear turned into even fiercer humiliation and rage.

Had he really been frightened by a woman who was about to become his plaything?

"Kill me? Take your own life?!" Zhang Xu's face twisted as he roared, "I'm going to touch you today! To die beneath a peony is to be a ghost in bliss! Once I've had my fill of you, let's see how you—"

Before he could finish—

Creak.

The ornately carved wooden door to the tightly shut private room was suddenly smashed inward, as if struck from outside by an invisible, violent gale.

Cold lake wind laden with moisture surged inside, instantly snuffing out half the candles and making the light and shadows sway wildly.

"Who?! Which bastard with a death wish dares ruin my—"

Zhang Xu flew into a rage, whipped around, and shouted furiously.

But his curses cut off abruptly, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat.

In the doorway, amid the dim light woven from moonlight and reflections on the water, stood a figure as straight as a spear.

He was an old man with a lean, hard face and white hair at his temples.

He said nothing more.

He made no unnecessary movements.

The old man shifted slightly, seeming merely to take an ordinary step forward.

Yet that step was faster than Zhang Xu's eyes could follow.

All Zhang Xu saw was a blurred afterimage flash past. The next instant, a gaunt fist that seemed to hold the power to split mountains and shatter stone was already planted squarely in his chest.

Bang!!!

A muffled thud.

He didn't even have time to feel pain. An irresistible, terrifying force crashed into him like an avalanche, and his chest visibly caved in.

Then he was hurled backward, like a kite with its string cut or a heavy stone shot from a catapult. His feet left the floor, and he slammed into the wall of the private room.

Crash!!!

The sturdy wooden wall was pierced and shattered as easily as paper beneath that overwhelming force. Splinters flew as Zhang Xu's body continued on, tracing a miserable arc before plunging heavily into the freezing, pitch-black lake outside the window. A towering splash rose, then the churning waves quickly swallowed him. Not another sound came from him.

"Was he wearing armor beneath his clothes?"

The white-haired old man gazed at the cold lake, narrowing his eyes.

He could clearly feel that part of the force behind his punch had been stopped by a layer of soft armor when it struck Zhang Xu.

Otherwise, that punch alone would have caved in Zhang Xu's chest and torn a gaping hole through him.

As he pondered this,

two intoxicating waves of fragrance curled around him.