Unforgettable for a Lifetime!

Jiang Ye stood in the middle of the private room, the last vestiges of his reason flickering desperately like a candle in a gale.

He tried to fight against the absurd, deeply shocking scene before him, and the primal restlessness rising uncontrollably within him.

He had lived for seventy years, weathered turbulent times, and seen life and death. He had believed his temperament had long been tempered into a deep, still pool, undisturbed by ripples.

But this scene before him...

The two unsteady figures, staggering as if they might fall at any moment, were Liu Yiyi and Su Yan.

The unnatural flush on their faces had spread down to their necks. Their gazes were unfocused; the cool composure and gentle grace they usually displayed had vanished, leaving only the distress of being thoroughly overwhelmed by Beauty Drunk.

The two women's breathing was no longer steady. They seemed drunk, their figures blurred and indistinct beneath the dim lights.

Even Jiang Ye, who prided himself on having a heart of iron, couldn't help feeling his mouth go dry. His throat bobbed involuntarily as he forced down the sudden heat and inexplicable flutter in his chest.

He had never seen Liu Yiyi—this woman he had watched grow up, who had always seemed as cold as frost and snow to him—wear an expression so utterly different, enough to set any normal man's blood racing.

And Su Yan's usual gentle smile had become a bewitching one, making the scene all the more striking.

"Ki... kill me..."

Just as Jiang Ye's thoughts were in turmoil, Liu Yiyi seemed to summon the last remnants of her clarity. From the depths of a consciousness nearly drowned in delirium, she squeezed out those four words.

Her voice was weak and broken, yet carried a chilling resolve that made one's heart tremble.

It was a desperate plea, born of unbearable humiliation and pain, to preserve the last of her dignity and chastity.

Her words were like a basin of ice water. Though they couldn't fully douse the heat in the air, they suddenly cleared Jiang Ye's muddled thoughts.

Kill Liu Yiyi? That was out of the question.

He couldn't bring himself to do it, either.

What about knocking them both unconscious? With his current control over his strength, that would be easy.

But he rejected the thought the next moment.

He knew nothing about medicine, but he had heard of the terrifying potency of vicious drugs like Beauty Drunk.

If he forcibly suppressed the effects by making them lose consciousness, without releasing or guiding the drug's power, that violent force would have nowhere to go. It would turn back on their bodies, scorching their meridians and destroying the foundations of their internal organs.

At best, their martial arts would be damaged; at worst, they might lose their lives.

Either outcome went against his original intention of saving them, and would leave him unable to live in peace for the rest of his life.

What was he supposed to do?!

Cold sweat quietly beaded at Jiang Ye's temples.

He realized he seemed to have been forced into an unprecedented, hair-raising dilemma with no way out.

The only option left seemed cruelly clear—to balance yin with yang and guide the drug's power, using his own body... to save them.

But he was a seventy-year-old man...

This wasn't appropriate, was it?

Jiang Ye's old face burned red with embarrassment, all the way to his ears.

"This is outrageous... I..."

Jiang Ye's reason and desire warred within him. His rational mind told him this was the only way to save their lives and preserve their foundations.

He stood frozen in place, experiencing for the first time what it meant to be so mortified his scalp tingled, caught between a rock and a hard place...

But reality gave him no more time to agonize.

The effects of Beauty Drunk had reached their peak, completely overwhelming the last traces of Liu Yiyi and Su Yan's consciousness.

The final flicker of clarity in their eyes vanished.

"Mm..."

A sweet, bone-melting moan slipped from Su Yan's throat.

The next instant.

The two irresistible figures, carrying a heady fragrance that made the senses reel, could no longer hold themselves back. Like moths rushing toward a flame, like twisting vines, they lunged at Jiang Ye, who was still frozen in place.

Jiang Ye was caught off guard—or rather, the hesitation in his heart had kept him from dodging in time.

Thud!

A soft impact rang out.

His lean yet remarkably upright body took the full brunt of their collision. The three of them lost their balance and toppled backward together, landing on the thick, soft carpet inside the private room.

Jiang Ye lay on his back, his pupils shrinking slightly as he sighed inwardly.

He sat up a little and checked on their condition.

"Liu Yiyi didn't drink much tea. The drug hasn't penetrated her vital organs. If I knock her out, cold water should help counteract the poison to some extent."

Jiang Ye made his decision in an instant.

As for Su Yan, the drug had already penetrated her bones, blood, and qi.

Jiang Ye couldn't help sighing again, his eyes full of helplessness.

About an hour later.

The secluded private room had returned to calm. Only the occasional sigh of the lake breeze through the damaged hole in the wall could be heard outside the window.

Jiang Ye straightened his old back and struggled to his feet.

He shook his head.

A deeply complicated emotion surfaced in Jiang Ye's aged eyes.

He had never imagined that after living alone for seventy years, he would still experience such good fortune with women in this life.

Who could have imagined that the brightest, most dazzling jewel in the Martial Academy would actually be...

If even the slightest rumor of this got out, it wouldn't just be Anxi County—romantic tales and martial-world anecdotes throughout the entire Zhou Kingdom would have to devote a page to him, the old gatekeeper.

As he recalled everything that had just happened...

Jiang Ye's eyes held not only the satisfaction of relief, but also a trace of lingering fear.

Thankfully, the Five Animal Fist he practiced was a health-preserving style. Otherwise, these old bones of his might have been left here today.

That "battle" had been truly perilous.

"They're both martial artists, with vigorous qi and blood and constitutions far stronger than ordinary women's. They could wake up at any moment."

Jiang Ye forced himself to calm down and quickly assessed the situation, his brows knitted tight. "When they wake up and see this... and see me..."

He couldn't even imagine it: Liu Yiyi's gaze, cold as ice, clearing at last; Su Yan's gentle smile turning to shock and shame.

What was he supposed to do? Explain? Apologize? Or silently endure the fury and murderous intent that might come crashing down on him?

"I can't stay here."

He made up his mind almost instantly—to lie low for a while.

But he wouldn't simply leave.

For their safety, he definitely wouldn't go far. He would hide somewhere nearby.

If anyone dared approach, he would act at once.

Jiang Ye bent down and, as gently as he could, dressed the sleeping Liu Yiyi and Su Yan again.

Then he carefully inspected the damaged door and hole in the wall, listened for any sounds nearby, and confirmed again and again that no outsiders would approach the secluded Water Pavilion anytime soon.

Once everything was taken care of, he took one last look at the two peerless women sleeping nestled together on the carpet.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Liu Yiyi's face, whose delicate features remained striking even in sleep. His expression was impossible to read.

An absurd thought inexplicably flashed through his mind.

Cold on the outside, warm on the inside.