Pure Yang Body?

"Benefactor, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that... Is there something wrong with me?"

Liu Ruyan seemed startled by Jiang Feng's gaze. She quickly lowered her head to look herself over, her voluptuous body swaying as waves surged and spring waters rippled.

A man and a woman alone together in one room—this was nothing short of brazen seduction.

Anyone with even slightly less self-control would have lost his composure by now.

Jiang Feng felt the scent of rouge in the room grow stronger. He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the restlessness rising inside him, then fixed a cold gaze on her beautiful face.

"Madam Liu, why are you in my room?"

Faced with Jiang Feng's question, Liu Ruyan showed no sign of panic. Her expression was earnest and sincere, with a hint of grievance in her voice.

"I meant well. I thought I'd tidy up your room while you were away these past few days, benefactor."

"Tidy my room? Isn't it a little late for that?"

Jiang Feng glanced out the window. The sun had almost completely sunk below the horizon, and darkness was about to fall.

By any usual measure, nobody would choose this time to clean a room.

Liu Ruyan unhurriedly walked to the table and lit the oil lamp, letting its warm, dim glow fill the room. Only then did she turn back and explain softly.

"Didn't you tell me not to make too much noise or draw anyone's attention? I thought it would be inconvenient during the day, with people coming and going, so I chose this hour."

Jiang Feng tugged at the corner of his mouth. Her excuse was flimsy, but he couldn't find any obvious flaw in it for the moment.

Then his gaze fell on her outfit, so sexy it was practically brazen, and he asked in a low voice.

"Then what's with those clothes?"

Liu Ruyan casually smoothed the hem of her gauzy skirt and answered as if it were nothing.

"I found these clothes in this room. The ones I was wearing before were filthy and torn, so I couldn't keep wearing them. I picked out a set that fit well enough and changed into it. If you don't like it, I can change back. There are plenty of other clothes here."

Didn't like it?

Jiang Feng cursed inwardly. It wasn't that he didn't like it—it was far too appealing.

Maybe because he hadn't indulged himself in so long after getting a taste for it last time, his mind was now running wild with one fantasy after another.

A voice inside him kept urging him to throw the woman in front of him down and then practice the Bedchamber Arts with her to his heart's content!

He lowered his eyes and discreetly dug his fingertips into his palm, forcing those surging thoughts down again.

"Benefactor? What's wrong? Why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"

Liu Ruyan approached Jiang Feng with concern. Her slender, jade-like hand slowly rose, as if to touch his faintly flushed cheek.

Her voice was soft and gentle, seeming to slip right into his ear.

"I know a little massage... If you don't mind, shall I give you one?"

The stronger scent of rouge flooded his nostrils. Jiang Feng's Adam's apple bobbed as his mouth went dry, and the wicked heat inside him seemed to suddenly swell.

Blood gradually crept into his eyes. His breathing grew heavier and heavier, and even his clenched fists trembled slightly.

Liu Ruyan took in every reaction. The corner of her lips curled into an intriguing smile as she edged even closer, her breath almost brushing his ear.

"Come, benefactor. Let me help you inside."

She reached out to take Jiang Feng's arm, but before her fingertips could touch his clothes, her whole body suddenly froze.

She slowly lowered her eyes. A dagger was held steady against her throat, its edge gleaming with a chilling light in the lamplight.

Jiang Feng watched her with a cold gaze and spat out two words through clenched teeth.

"Get out."

Liu Ruyan fell silent for a moment. Her expression shifted several times before settling back into its gentle, obedient mask. She nodded lightly.

"Very well. I'll leave now. If you need anything, just call for me."

Once her graceful figure had completely vanished outside, Jiang Feng slammed the door shut. He leaned against it and slowly slid down, his ragged breaths coming faster and faster as every muscle in his body continued to twitch uncontrollably.

After a long while, the churning heat finally began to subside, and the burning red in his eyes slowly cleared.

"Phew... That was close. I almost lost control.

"What was that? My self-control shouldn't be that bad."

He was full of questions. That surge of desire had come too suddenly, too fiercely, as if someone had drugged him with an aphrodisiac. His mind had been filled with nothing but that sort of thing.

"It was Liu Ruyan. She must have done something to me.

"What is that woman trying to do? What's her real purpose?"

For a moment, Jiang Feng had nearly killed her outright.

In the end, he hadn't struck for two reasons. First, he had a vague feeling that Liu Ruyan meant him no real harm. Second, he was most likely no match for her.

That was right. Though the woman looked delicate and alluring, not revealing the slightest hint of danger from head to toe, Jiang Feng felt a helplessness in her presence that came from instinct, as if something unseen had him at a disadvantage.

He had never felt anything like that even when facing Tie Rong and Xie Shu, the two martial artists.

He even had an absurd suspicion: Liu Ruyan's true strength was probably more terrifying than he imagined.

"Why would someone like her appear in a remote little town like Black Water Town? It can't be on a whim.

"Is she lying low, or hiding from something?"

He shook his head, temporarily pushing those tangled thoughts aside.

Night was deep, and there wasn't much time left until the daily settlement refreshed. He stopped dwelling on things, sat cross-legged again, and sank his entire mind into cultivation.

Tomorrow was the day he had to report to the Guard Hall. He still couldn't read Tie Rong's attitude, but improving his own strength as quickly as possible was surely the one thing he couldn't go wrong with right now.

At midnight, the daily settlement refreshed right on time.

[Yesterday's Evaluation: Average!]

[Reward: Iron Stake Technique Proficiency +30, Exquisite Breathing Method Proficiency +20, Golden Armor Technique Proficiency +30]

[Realm: Blood-Moving Realm, Eighth Level (12/100)]

[Profession: Alchemist, First Level (11/100)]

[Techniques:

Iron Stake Technique (Great Accomplishment 200/300)

Exquisite Breathing Method (Great Accomplishment 25/300)

Golden Armor Technique (Minor Accomplishment 20/200)]

The Golden Armor Technique successfully broke through to minor accomplishment. A vast amount of cultivation experience flooded into Jiang Feng's mind, and brilliant golden markings appeared across his body as his blood and qi slowly surged, growing several degrees more vigorous than before.

A moment later, he let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

He was naturally delighted, but deep in his eyes lurked a trace of inescapable disappointment. After experiencing two days of the cultivation aura's boost, he found it genuinely hard to adjust to suddenly returning to his normal level.

He lowered his head and looked at the patch of pitch-black markings on his chest. After confirming that they hadn't spread any farther and had even shrunk a little more, he pushed all his tangled thoughts aside for the time being.

He prepared everything he would need tomorrow, blew out the oil lamp, and flopped onto the bed. Before long, he was fast asleep.

What Jiang Feng didn't know was that just outside the window, a familiar, graceful silhouette was concealed in the shadows, watching everything.

"This boy really is strange. He can actually withstand the Evil Spirit Mark, and his technique improves while his cultivation rises instead of falling."

Liu Ruyan had stayed outside Jiang Feng's room ever since leaving it. She had watched with her own eyes as his cultivation advanced and his technique broke through, and the light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter. Her excitement was unlike anything she had ever shown before.

"This constitution... Could it be the legendary Pure Yang Body?

"It seems only a Pure Yang Body can remain unaffected by the Evil Spirit Mark.

"Ancient books in the clan record that dual cultivation with a Pure Yang Body can greatly improve one's cultivation, and may even purify one's bloodline and improve one's aptitude."

At that thought, Liu Ruyan's eyes abruptly became a pair of eerie, vertical pupils, vanishing in a flash in the night.

The corner of her lips slowly curled into a meaningful smile.

"Those who survive great calamities are blessed with good fortune. It seems my good fortune, Liu Ruyan, is this boy. Hehe~"

As her voice faded, her entire figure transformed into a faint cloud of mist and silently melted into the night.