What Do You Think, Mister Li?

After an unknown stretch of time, Xiao Yan cradled his groggy head and slowly sat up.

The lingering traces of that strange, sweet fragrance still hung in the air, along with... a faint scent unique to the aftermath of intimacy.

Beside him, Yun Yun's black robe had been torn to shreds, its scattered pieces strewn across the ground.

Its owner lay quietly nearby.

Only, tear tracks had yet to dry on her breathtaking face, and droplets still clung to her long lashes.

Even in her sleep, her brows remained tightly knitted, making her look so pitiful that anyone would ache for her.

Xiao Yan's gaze immediately grew tangled with conflicting emotions.

How had things ended up like this?

"Boy, you're awake."

Yao Lao's voice sounded from the ring just then, carrying a measure of embarrassment and helplessness.

"What happened to you two came too suddenly, and the Demonic Lust Ape's poisonous mist spread too quickly. Even I had no time to react.

"Besides, the mist was far too potent, and you both inhaled too much. Even though I fed you an antidote pill, it couldn't neutralize the poison."

Yao Lao coughed twice, then hurriedly added, "But rest assured, I shut off my Soul Perception immediately afterward and stayed obediently inside the ring. I neither looked nor listened to anything improper."

Xiao Yan did not respond. He merely took two fresh black robes from his Storage Ring, put one on himself, and gently draped the other over the woman, covering the alluring sight of her exposed body.

Then he picked up the mask from the ground and put it back on.

Only after finishing all this did he let out a bitter inward laugh.

"Teacher, would you say I... brought this on myself?"

Had he not deliberately used the Demonic Lust Ape to drain her Dou Qi for his own safety, she would not have been too exhausted to notice its dying counterattack.

Had he not given her the impression that he was a scheming scoundrel, she would not have instinctively struck back at the final moment.

In short, a series of twists and coincidences had brought about a repeat of what had happened with Nangong Wan.

As Xiao Yan sighed over it, he also found himself puzzled. The fate of this body of his was far too strange!

This luck with women was blooming so wildly it defied belief!

Even with all my caution, I still couldn't avoid it, no matter what I tried!

Yao Lao offered some comfort. "What's done is done. Dwelling on it won't help. What do you intend to do?"

Xiao Yan sighed. "What can I do? What else is there to do? Although I don't want women to hinder my cultivation, I'm not the sort of man who refuses to own up to what he's done.

"I'll naturally take responsibility for this.

"Once this woman wakes up, I'll discuss it with her.

"Other than letting her kill me or cut me to pieces, I'll do my best to meet whatever demands she has."

After a pause, Xiao Yan added, "Teacher, you absolutely must teach me a pill formula that can conceal my scent and suppress my aura.

"This lesson has cut far too deep!"

Yao Lao agreed.

"I do happen to have a formula for the Concealment Breath Pill. It's just that I don't usually like concealing my whereabouts, so it never occurred to me to teach you."

Then Yao Lao chuckled. "This woman seems to have quite a distinguished background, and she carries herself with considerable dignity. If you're hoping to send her on her way with pills, cultivation techniques, or other benefits, I'm afraid that won't work."

Xiao Yan immediately frowned.

If this was about feelings rather than compensation, things would be difficult!

His gaze settled on the woman's pale, exquisite face, his expression hesitant.

The Great Dao was difficult to attain, and women hindered cultivation. They should be treated respectfully, but kept at a distance.

That was the principle he had followed all his life.

Even when a strange twist of fate had later brought him together with Nangong Wan, the two of them had merely been fellow travelers on the path of the Great Dao.

He had never lost himself in romantic attachments and forgotten his original commitment to cultivation.

But taking a woman's body like this was something that, given his nature, he could not brush aside with a simple claim that he stayed away from women, even if it had resulted from a misunderstanding or coincidence.

In the end, he had to shoulder some responsibility.

But just how much responsibility would that be?

Watching his hesitant disciple, Yao Lao gave a knowing chuckle and said no more.

Just then, the lashes of the woman lying on the ground trembled faintly.

She had awakened.

Yun Yun's mind was still somewhat hazy at first, but the soreness and tearing pain in her body jolted her fully awake!

Her eyes flew open, and the first thing she saw was the masked man in a black robe sitting a short distance away.

Memories crashed over her like floodwaters bursting through a dam!

That pink poisonous mist, that scorching heat consuming her body, that irresistible descent into desire, and... finally, the somewhat indistinct face revealed after he removed his mask!

To Xiao Yan's surprise, Yun Yun did not weep or curse him upon waking, as an ordinary woman might have.

She merely sat there with a sorrowful expression, staring into space.

Xiao Yan, on the other hand, felt rather guilty. After waiting a long while, he finally ventured, "Miss, as you can see, what happened earlier was all a misunderstanding.

"I never intended to violate you.

"Now that it's already happened, why don't we talk and see how we should resolve this?"

Yun Yun finally came back to herself and turned to look at Xiao Yan.

When she had first chased after him, anger had indeed overwhelmed her, clouding her judgment.

But after this upheaval, she had instead regained the composure befitting a sect leader and calmed down.

After studying Xiao Yan for a while with a complicated expression, Yun Yun said, "Sir, could you return my ring? It contains important belongings of my sect. I cannot allow them to be lost under any circumstances."

At her words, Xiao Yan hesitated briefly before finally taking out the ring with a pang of heartache. He then checked off the supplies he had already transferred, one by one, and returned them.

It was only because they had ended up in this kind of relationship. Otherwise, given his nature, he would have skimmed off some pills and gold coins no matter what.

Now, however, he was too embarrassed to do so.

Yet after checking her belongings, Yun Yun silently set aside a portion of the pills and gold coins and pushed them toward Xiao Yan.

"Please consider these my thanks for saving me."

Xiao Yan wanted to refuse them, but after a moment's hesitation, he quietly put them away.

After looking at Xiao Yan for a while longer, Yun Yun asked, "Sir, could you remove your mask and show me your true face?"

Xiao Yan's heart tightened. He shook his head. "I'm ugly, and I'm afraid I might frighten you. I'd rather leave it on."

Yun Yun said calmly, "I merely wish to see your true face. Whether you're handsome or ugly makes no difference."

Still, Xiao Yan shook his head.

After a brief silence, Yun Yun said, "Very well. I've already memorized your scent. That amounts to the same thing."

Pausing, she added, "My name is Yun Yun. May I ask your name?"

Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment. "My name is Li Feiyu."

Yun Yun did not question it and continued, "Mister Li, I originally intended to kill you once my strength recovered, then take my own life.

"But although your methods were less than honorable, you were indeed blameless in this matter.

"In the end, I cannot bring myself to commit such a cruel act.

"However, I am a woman of traditional values. Now that I have lost my chastity to you, if I do not wish to kill you, my only choice is to marry you.

"What do you think, Mister Li?"

At this, Xiao Yan's expression immediately became troubled.

Alas, did I really have to marry her after all?

Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Yun Yun looked even more sorrowful, but she regained her calm a moment later.

"Since you are unwilling to marry me, Mister Li, I will not force you.

"Then let us part ways here."

With that, Yun Yun rose and prepared to leave.

Xiao Yan was immediately overjoyed.

This woman was actually so easy to reason with?

But when he saw Yun Yun's desolate yet resolute expression, something stirred in his heart, and he instinctively asked, "Then what do you intend to do?"

Yun Yun turned back and said calmly, "I will first return to my sect and relinquish my position. Then I will find a secluded valley and see whether I can overcome this trial in my heart.

"If I can, I will spend the rest of my life in that valley. If I cannot, I will take my own life to affirm my resolve.

"But whatever happens, it will have nothing to do with you, Mister Li."