The Clothes Really Weren't Taken Off by Me—Did Zhu Zhuqing Misunderstand?

He was all right!

The moment Zhu Zhuqing saw Lin Ye safe and sound, the huge weight hanging over her heart finally came crashing down, and an indescribable sense of relief surged through her.

But right after that, when she realized that she had actually shouted his name in her sleep, a flush instantly spread across her cool, stunning face.

"Who... who shouted your name?"

Zhu Zhuqing turned her face away, stubbornly refusing to admit it.

"Stop being so full of yourself. What I shouted was... was a wild boar in the woods!"

"Oh? A wild boar?"

Lin Ye raised an eyebrow and slowly took a sip of tea.

"Then this wild boar must be quite important, to have the Second Young Miss of the Star Luo Empire's Zhu Household thinking of him even in her dreams, so worried that she broke out in a cold sweat."

"Lin Ye... you!"

Zhu Zhuqing choked with anger. Why was this bastard's mouth so infuriating?

Just as she was about to retort, she suddenly felt a chill over her body. Looking down, she froze.

The black leather outfit that had tightly wrapped around her voluptuous figure was gone!

In its place was a loose, comfortable white silk nightgown!

And most importantly, beneath the nightgown... she seemed to be wearing nothing at all!

"Ah—!!!"

A piercing scream exploded through the inn room.

Like a startled cat, Zhu Zhuqing yanked the blanket over herself and wrapped herself up tightly.

She quickly curled into the corner of the bed, her eyes filled with shock, shame, and utter disbelief.

"Lin Ye! You bastard! You pervert!"

Zhu Zhuqing's voice trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened as tears welled up inside them.

"You... you actually took off my clothes while I was unconscious?!"

It was over.

Completely over.

My pure, innocent body was actually seen by this bastard!

No wonder he had been smiling so lewdly earlier!

"Wuwuwu... my innocence is gone..."

The more Zhu Zhuqing thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and tears began to tumble down her cheeks.

She did have a favorable impression of Lin Ye, but this was far too fast!

How was this any different from taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable state?

Meanwhile, Lin Ye was nearly jolted into throwing his teacup by her sudden dolphin-like shriek.

At that moment, he stared blankly at Zhu Zhuqing, who was huddled in the corner of the bed and crying pitifully, while the corner of his mouth twitched violently.

"Stop, stop, stop! Enough! Enough!"

Lin Ye rubbed his throbbing temples and rolled his eyes speechlessly.

"Big Cat, you really think too little of me, Lin Ye. If I truly wanted to do anything to you, then that night in the Star Dou Great Forest, you would have already been singing surrender beneath me. Why would I wait until now?"

"You're still talking!"

Zhu Zhuqing grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him fiercely.

"If you didn't take them off, then who did? There are only the two of us in this room!"

Lin Ye tilted his head slightly to dodge the pillow and sighed.

"Could you please use that walnut-sized brain of yours for a moment? Your internal injuries were severe. Old wounds piled on top of new ones—you were practically at death's door."

"I went through great trouble and spent a fortune to find you a level fifty-one healing-type Soul King here in Soto City!"

"She was a female Soul Master! She changed your clothes while treating you because it was more convenient!"

Lin Ye pointed at the clothes rack nearby.

"Your leather outfit was covered in blood. She kindly washed it for you and hung it there. Yet here you are, turning around and accusing me? Being a good person really is hard these days."

At those words, Zhu Zhuqing's crying abruptly stopped.

She stared blankly in the direction Lin Ye was pointing and indeed saw her black leather outfit hanging cleanly on the clothes rack.

So... that female Soul Master had changed her clothes?

Zhu Zhuqing's face instantly turned as red as a boiled crab, and even her neck took on a faint pink hue.

Awkward.

Utterly, unbearably awkward.

She had actually thought Lin Ye...

And even called him a pervert?

"Um, I... I..."

Zhu Zhuqing clutched the edge of the blanket tightly, wishing she could dig a three-bedroom apartment into the bed with her toes.

Seeing her embarrassed state, Lin Ye could not help but laugh.

"What? Now you know you wronged a good person?"

Lin Ye stood up and slowly walked to the bedside. Looking down at her, there was a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"How about I put them back on you now, to prove my innocence?"

"Get lost!"

Zhu Zhuqing glared at him in embarrassment and anger, but her voice was soft and lacked any real bite.

Then she buried her head beneath the blanket and gave a muffled snort.

"Hmph. Who knows whether you secretly lifted it and peeked while I was unconscious?"

"Tsk, now you're getting all tsundere about it."

Lin Ye shook his head, too lazy to argue with this puffed-up cat.

"All right, Big Cat. Since you're awake, hurry up and get yourself ready. Change your clothes and come downstairs later. We're getting ready to leave."

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly poked half her head out and asked in confusion.

"Leave? Where are we going?"

"The Heaven Dou Empire."

Lin Ye calmly spoke the four words.

"To the Heaven Dou Empire?"

Zhu Zhuqing paused, her delicate brows knitting together.

"Why are we going to the Heaven Dou Empire? The Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire are separated by a great distance. Not only is the journey long, but also..."

"Because there's a great opportunity there."

Lin Ye cut her off directly.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was there, along with numerous Immortal Herbs.

Those were top-tier cheats capable of completely transforming one's body and Martial Soul.

In the original story, Tang San had relied on those Immortal Herbs to forcibly raise the Shrek Seven Devils' talents by an entire level.

Now that he was here, he naturally could not leave such good things to that hypocrite.

What was more, if a God-Rank Martial Soul like the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger could be supplemented with Immortal Herbs to cleanse and reshape the body, it would absolutely unleash even more terrifying potential.

Of course, he could not say any of that openly to Zhu Zhuqing.

"A great opportunity?" Zhu Zhuqing was half-convinced.

"All right, stop asking so many questions." Lin Ye pointed out the window.

"We'll be leaving with a merchant caravan at the south gate later."

"With a merchant caravan?"

Zhu Zhuqing was even more confused.

With the strength Lin Ye had displayed, he could beat up a Soul Elder despite only being a Great Soul Master.

If the two of them traveled together, they would definitely be much faster than following a slow-moving merchant caravan.

"Big Cat, are you stupid?"

Lin Ye looked at her as though she were an idiot.

"The border regions between the two great empires are a mixed bag. Bandits, drifters, and even some evil Soul Masters frequently appear there. The two of us may be fairly strong, but we're still alone."

"Those large merchant caravans transporting goods across borders will definitely hire plenty of Soul Masters to accompany them as guards."

"If we blend in with them, we can both avoid drawing attention and save ourselves a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"If we run into minor fodder, the caravan guards can handle them. If we truly encounter someone difficult, we can act then."

Lin Ye paused before adding.

"This is called making reasonable use of resources. When you're out on the road, why risk your life yourself if you can take it easy?"

After hearing that, a trace of shock flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

She realized that the youth before her was not only monstrously powerful—his mind was terrifyingly meticulous as well.

"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and change." Lin Ye knocked on the edge of the bed.

"The caravan leaves in one hour. If you miss it, it won't wait for you."

"Y-you get out first!" She pointed toward the door, gritting her teeth.

"Tsk, what a miser." Lin Ye muttered quietly.

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing. I said you have a great figure, so put on more clothes. Don't catch a cold."

Lin Ye yawned, turned, and walked out of the room, casually closing the door behind him.