Then I'll Leave?

Xuanjing Tian had naturally heard the footsteps too, so she immediately fell silent.

About ten seconds later, Zhu Youning finally entered the room.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Miaocheng Tian's weary, pale face and casually remarked, "Miss Miao'er, you don't look too well."

Miaocheng Tian's weak body swayed as she gave Zhu Youning a slight bow. Looking delicate and pitiful, she said timidly, "Your Highness, Miao'er has been frail and sickly since childhood. I'm afraid I've made a laughingstock of myself before you."

Zhu Youning smiled at Miaocheng Tian right there. "Don't worry. Once you're with me, you'll have all the medicine you need to nurse your health."

Then he turned to Xuanjing Tian and asked, "Do you know why I had you brought here?"

"Of course—to serve Your Highness!" Xuanjing Tian lowered her head and answered sensibly. "This humble servant is just a lowly woman. Now that I've met a noble person like Your Highness, how could I not give it my all to serve you?"

Miaocheng Tian added with a charming smile, "It is this humble servant's honor to serve Your Highness."

"Good." Zhu Youning clapped his hands and said with a laugh, "Then take off your clothes now and let me see what your figures are like."

The smiles on Xuanjing Tian and Miaocheng Tian's faces froze.

How could Zhu Youning be so direct?

For a moment, the two of them didn't know how to respond.

Should they do as he said, or make a move?

In the end, Miaocheng Tian was the first to make up her mind. She smiled coquettishly and said, "Your Highness, you're so wicked. It isn't even evening yet!"

Zhu Youning smiled at her and asked in return, "Who says a man and woman can only enjoy each other's company at night?"

"Well..." Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian exchanged a glance, both at a loss for words.

"I only want to see your figures so I can have a few sets of well-fitting clothes made for you. Those maidservant outfits you're wearing are far too old-fashioned." Zhu Youning smiled to himself, but on the surface he merely teased them. "As my maids, you ought to dress beautifully. Don't you want to look prettier?"

"Of course we do."

Miaocheng Tian answered quickly. Since Zhu Youning had put it that way, refusing again would only make them seem suspicious.

She exchanged a glance with Xuanjing Tian, gritted her teeth, and let her maidservant's outer robe fall to the floor.

Their skirts hung loosely, revealing half their chests. Their undergarments seemed to be made of the same material, and the styles were rather daring.

Aside from a thick patch of silk covering their full, rounded breasts, the rest of their skin showed through the thin gauze. Together with their supple, shapely waists and pale, smooth skin, they made quite a sight... Such peerless beauties truly lived up to their reputation as the Nine Heavens Holy Concubines of the Huan Yin Workshop!

Of course, Zhu Youning had no mind to admire them closely just then. Instead, he was surprised.

He had deliberately made such an outrageous request to provoke their anger. He had even prepared himself to fight them, never expecting them to actually comply.

However, although Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian had taken off their outer robes, he could clearly tell that both women were very tense.

"What, do I look like some kind of savage beast?"

Since neither of them was making a move, Zhu Youning took the time to admire their graceful figures. When his gaze shifted to their faces, he saw that both looked bashful and embarrassed.

Still, Zhu Youning suspected they were mostly putting on an act.

"Miao'er, Xuan'er, come over here and let me take your measurements."

Miaocheng Tian looked embarrassed. Deep down, she wanted nothing more than to attack Zhu Youning, but in the end, she held herself back.

Her Innate Severed Meridians had flared up not long ago, leaving her weak and powerless all over. If she made a move now, she'd only be throwing herself away. She could only plead softly, "Your Highness, could you wait a little longer? This humble servant isn't feeling well."

Zhu Youning was never one to give in to lust. He had only asked them to do this to tease them and find out what they were really after, so he answered gently, "Miao'er, Xuan'er, if you're still not ready, we have all the time in the world. There's no need to rush. Then, shall I be on my way?"

Xuanjing Tian asked softly, "Does Your Highness mean it?"

To her surprise, Zhu Youning's expression changed, and he burst out laughing. "Of course not. The arrow's on the string and must be released. Surely you two beauties understand that?"

Miaocheng Tian suddenly felt that Zhu Youning was fickle and unpredictable. She turned her face away and buried it against her chest, speaking so softly it was barely audible. "Your Highness, actually... I'm not feeling well. I'd like to... to go brew some medicine first..."

With her soft plea and deathly pale face, Zhu Youning acted as though he had no choice but to believe her, though he didn't trust her in the slightest.

Still, Miaocheng Tian really did look unwell; it didn't seem like an act. After thinking it over for a moment, Zhu Youning realized that her Innate Severed Meridians must have flared up.

"Then go out first. Xuan'er can keep me company."

Miaocheng Tian hadn't expected Zhu Youning to actually let her leave. She glanced at Xuanjing Tian, hesitated briefly, then put on her outer robe and went out.

Once outside, Miaocheng Tian immediately sought out a secluded spot and summoned a carrier pigeon. She wrote down the situation she and her younger sister were in, then sent the message to Fengxiang by pigeon.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Xuanjing Tian felt like a lamb being eyed by a tiger.

At least, that was how she saw it.

Wasn't Zhu Youning a tiger among wolves?

As she thought about it, Xuanjing Tian suddenly began to resent her sister.

With a powerful enemy before them, her sister had actually left her behind and run off alone. What if Zhu Youning really did have those intentions?

She didn't actually know how skilled Zhu Youning was in martial arts, since she had never seen him fight.

But as a general who had commanded three armies and won numerous victories—and who had escaped from Li Cunxiao, reputed to be the fiercest man under heaven—he could hardly be a good-for-nothing.

She suddenly remembered Zhu Youning's title, Commander of the Left and Right Longxiang Army, and recalled that Wang Yanzhang, commander of the Longxiang Army's left wing, was a peerless warrior of the age.

For Wang Yanzhang, such a fearsome warrior, to willingly serve under Zhu Youning meant that Zhu Youning's martial arts must be formidable!

Though Xuanjing Tian had told Miaocheng Tian earlier that escaping from Li Cunxiao wasn't difficult, she had only said that to reassure her sister. She knew she herself didn't have what it took to escape from Li Cunxiao.

Besides, Xuanjing Tian had trained in archery and hunting since childhood. Now that she didn't have her trusty bow and arrows, she couldn't bring her full skill to bear. The only chance she had of taking Zhu Youning down was to strike by surprise while he was enjoying himself with her.

So in the end, I have to sacrifice myself? Xuanjing Tian thought sadly.

While Xuanjing Tian was plotting how to ambush him, Zhu Youning had naturally guessed some of her intentions too. He didn't dare actually do anything.

A skilled swimmer could drown in the water; a man who lusted after flowers could fall from his horse. Zhu Youning understood that much.

Although he had already reached the Great Heavenly Rank, the immense internal energy he had absorbed from Li Cunxiao had not been completely transformed by his Northern Dark True Qi, so his cultivation was still unstable. If he let himself relax and enjoy the moment, then came under attack when his guard was down, he would find it very difficult to react.

If he wanted to make a move, he would at least have to wait until his Great Heavenly Rank cultivation was fully stabilized.

Therefore, Zhu Youning's plan this time was to admire from afar without laying a finger on them. As for when he could lay a finger on them, he figured it would be in about two days.

Because in two days, his Great Heavenly Rank cultivation would be fully stabilized.