Bai Yuji's Defense Shattered (Seeking Reads)

The late-night chat was quite pleasant, even carrying a hint of subtle ambiguity.

Bai Yuji seemed to have fully stepped into her role, leaving Qin Muye feeling a bit intoxicated. He thought to himself that he needed to quickly comprehend the books the Gongshu Clan had opened to him and recover from his current state of "mental exhaustion."

Then, he could truly engage in a sweet romance with her. Who knew when she might fall for him? Once that happened, even his most difficult circumstances would surely improve.

As he left her room.

Qin Muye felt as if he had returned to his past life, much like the feeling of just having dropped a girlfriend off at her dormitory.

This little lass had actually taken his words to heart; she hadn't ruined the atmosphere from start to finish.

Yet, he still felt something was off.

How could those Nanzhao Remnants not have been feeding her negative energy this time?

That couldn't be right, could it?

Qin Muye felt uneasy, but since she was acting so natural, he could only set his mind at ease and go to sleep.

However, the next morning, upon seeing Qin Yanying, he discovered the problem.

Her fate grid hadn't changed, nor had the annotations; it remained a superposition of being killed in a rebellion and being poisoned to death.

But her fate grid rank had shifted from Subordinate Seventh Rank to Sixth Rank.

"What's going on here?"

Qin Muye was a bit bewildered. A change in fate grid rank meant the target's influence on the world line had increased. So, what exactly were those Nanzhao Remnants trying to do? How did they manage to increase Qin Yanying's influence on the world line without altering her fate grid?

"Muye?"

Qin Yanying took a gulp of porridge and asked with a frown, "Why are you staring at my head first thing in the morning? Your face is as wrinkled as a steamed bun!"

Qin Muye curled his lip, "I had a dream last night that our Qin Family was arguing with someone again. You got worked up, smashed Shen Kui's skull in, and the Emperor ordered your immediate execution."

"You brat, you're getting more and more outrageous. Is that any way to curse your own aunt?"

"It's not a curse!"

Qin Muye waved his hands repeatedly, "I probably just didn't sleep well and was letting my imagination run wild. You should take good care of yourself during this time, and try to temper your hot temper when you're out. Don't make me, your nephew, worry."

Qin Yanying was so angry her nose went crooked, "Hey? You little rascal! Let me tell you, your aunt here is naturally free-spirited; that's completely different from having a hot temper! The Emperor even praised me a while ago, saying I was becoming increasingly steady and would definitely have the bearing of a Marshal in a few years!"

Qin Muye: "..."

Seeing his silence, Qin Yanying couldn't help but feel a bit deflated, "Why don't you believe me?"

At this moment.

A man dressed as an Imperial Guard rushed in, "Instructor! Instructor! It's bad!"

"What's the matter?"

"The Squad Leader and the Centurion are fighting. I can't stop the Squad Leader; someone is about to be killed."

"Huh?"

Qin Yanying slammed her bowl and chopsticks down, glaring as she asked, "Why?"

The Imperial Guard wiped the sweat from his forehead, "The Centurion went out drinking last night and didn't return until morning. No one was presiding over the dawn drills, so the Squad Leader went into the city to find him, only to discover that the Centurion had slept with his mistress. Now the two of them are fighting."

Qin Yanying was so angry her eyes nearly popped out, "That hot temper of mine! They don't think about cultivation all day long, only about what's in their pants. Let's go! We're going to castrate those two idiots!"

Before the words had even faded, she led her men out of the manor in a whirlwind.

This fierce style of hers left both Qin Muye and Bai Yuji twitching at the corners of their eyes.

So much for being "increasingly steady."

Bai Yuji asked with some curiosity, "Shouldn't a Centurion be stronger than a Squad Leader? How is it that the Squad Leader is the one beating the Centurion to death?"

Qin Muye sneered, "The Centurion is just a child of a great clan. The Great Gan is prosperous, and the Imperial Guard has no wars to fight. Do you really think military ranks are assigned based on cultivation?"

"Oh..."

Bai Yuji looked at his sneering expression, lost in thought.

Qin Muye set down his bowl and chopsticks, "Where shall we go to play today?"

"You don't seem to have slept enough; shouldn't we stay in?"

"I think going out to get some fresh air will help me feel better."

"Then let's go on a pleasure boat. Your internal yang energy is too chaotic; you need to use the He Yin to harmonize it."

"As you wish!"

"..."

Bai Yuji felt that he had been exceptionally obedient ever since he confessed his feelings to her.

Coupled with his slightly pale complexion, it made one unable to bear the thought of hurting him.

But the Great Elder had said.

This person was very clever, and everything she saw might just be an act.

Bai Yuji had pondered all night; she had kidnapped him just to extract the Qin Family bloodline, so how had their relationship developed into something so intimate?

Thinking it over, it seems only with Qin Muye acting this way could things have developed to this point.

Is this truly his nature?

Or was all of this meticulously designed by him?

Is he really such a cold-blooded person?

When Qin Yanying falls into misfortune, will he keep his distance from her, just as he drew a line with Qin Kaijiang?

Must I... really lure Qin Yanying into a desperate situation?

Inner river.

Flower boat.

Qingqiu Ningning stretched, lazily leaning against the railing; her translucent dress could not hide her alluring figure in the slightest.

She turned her head, casting a charming glance at the flustered youth: "Wang Li, why are you still so shy?"

"I..."

Wang Li seemed somewhat distracted: "Cousin seems to like you very much."

Qingqiu Ningning extended a finger, delicate as a scallion, and tilted his chin: "One should enjoy life while one can. If your cousin likes me, he should be even less likely to stop me from having fun with other men. Don't be afraid; your cousin treasures his new flame too much to have time to blame you."

"Really?"

"Naturally, it's true!"

"Phew..."

Wang Li breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze becoming scorching once more as he looked at her tail: "Ningning, it's cold outside. Shall we go back into the cabin?"

"So impatient?"

"You are too enchanting!"

"Since I'm so enchanting, then let's do it right here!"

"Ah? In broad daylight..."

"Wouldn't that be even more exciting?"

"!!!"

Wang Li was getting carried away.

Suddenly, he heard a "slap" from inside the cabin.

Turning his head, he saw a plump, beautiful woman running away in tears.

As she ran, she held her protruding belly.

A moment later, she boarded a small boat and headed downstream.

"Damn it!"

Shen Jin cursed, his expression looking incredibly ugly.

Qingqiu Ningning, however, smiled and waved at him: "What's wrong? Weren't you very fond of her just last night? Why did you lay a hand on her today?"

Seeing Shen Jin approach, Wang Li hurriedly straightened his clothes in a panic.

Fortunately, Shen Jin was not angry with him; instead, he leaned against the railing next to Qingqiu Ningning and irritably kneaded her peach-like curves: "That woman said a noble person introduced her to a big business deal and that she wouldn't be coming for the next month.

She's truly stupid to the core. Does she really think everyone is as soft-hearted toward beauties as I am?

She wouldn't be missed even if she died!

It makes me so damn angry!"

"So much fire in your belly? Then let me help you put it out!"

"So sensible!"

Shen Jin's anger subsided slightly, and he walked into the cabin while wrapping his arm around Qingqiu Ningning's slender waist.

Seeing this, Wang Li couldn't help but feel a bit dejected.

Just as he was feeling down, a slender hand suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the cabin as well.

Wang Li: "!!!"

Boating on the river.

The temperature in early winter was very low, especially on the river in the early morning, cold enough to make one shiver uncontrollably.

Qin Muye wrapped himself in a blanket, huddled in Bai Yuji's arms, and trembled.

Bai Yuji felt somewhat helpless: "Are you really that cold?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Qin Muye's voice trembled as he burrowed further into her arms: "You were the one who suggested boating, so you have to take responsibility for me."

Bai Yuji: "..."

The two of them were wrapped in a single blanket. Even with thick layers of clothing between them, for some reason, she felt it was ten thousand times more intimate than it had been in the cave.

Her heart was beating a little too fast.

She hurriedly tried to distract herself, wanting to quietly edge a little further away from him.

Unexpectedly.

This time, Qin Muye did not lean back in; instead, he pulled a little more distance between them.

She was somewhat puzzled. Turning her head to look, she discovered he was watching a small boat approaching from the side.

On the boat sat a woman dressed in cool, luxurious clothing, currently huddled and shivering.

Her lower abdomen was distended.

There was a slap mark on her face, and stray tear tracks still clung to her skin.

In the direction the small boat had come from, there was a familiar flower boat.

In the back of Bai Yuji's mind, a term that had kept her awake all night suddenly popped up.

Fortune Bead!

The woman had come down from that flower boat; it was easy to imagine what had happened last night.

Watching the woman shivering and sobbing in a low voice, an inexplicable sense of guilt welled up in her heart.

She couldn't help but whisper: "She is so pitiful."

"Mm."

Qin Muye nodded expressionlessly: "Her husband and child are also very pitiful."

Bai Yuji's gaze dimmed slightly. Although the woman was dressed in luxurious clothing, her hands were somewhat rough, and her posture clearly showed she was used to manual labor; she was not from a wealthy family.

Judging by her abdomen, she must be three or four months along. Just how hard must life have pushed her for her to end up on a flower boat?

While she was lost in thought.

Qin Muye had already unhooked the pouch from his waist and tossed it onto the boat as they passed by.

The woman picked up the pouch, both shocked and delighted, at a loss for what to do.

Bai Yuji felt a stir in her heart and was just about to say something to Qin Muye.

But Qin Muye had already stood up and walked toward the cabin, leaving only a single sentence behind, shredded by the wind on the river: "We, and our child, are even more pitiful."

Bai Yuji's pupils dilated in shock: "!!!"