Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Yan Yu was finally carried back to the hotel by Ye Jun.

Although theoretically, after entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, one should be immune to all diseases, and as long as True Yuan is circulated, any alcohol can be instantly metabolized, leaving no chance of intoxication.

However, Yan Yu and Ye Jun were enjoying their conversation so much that he forgot to circulate his True Yuan, and as a result, he became drunk—this was a perfectly reasonable outcome.

Even now, if he were to use a breathalyzer, the result would show intoxication; there would be no other possibility.

Supporting Yan Yu, they arrived at his hotel room, where Ye Jun fished out the room card from his pocket and swiped it to open the door. She then heaved Yan Yu into the room and set him down on a chair.

The reason she didn't let him lie on the bed was mainly due to the fear that he might vomit and choke or even suffocate if the vomit blocked his airway—Ye Jun's father often came home drunk, and she had maxed out her nursing experience from taking care of her dad since she was little.

She fetched a towel from the bathroom, washed and wrung it out, and wiped Yan Yu's face. After loosening his collar, Ye Jun turned to pour him some hot water.

She placed the hangover-curing hot water on the coffee table when suddenly her phone rang.

"Did you send Old Yan back?" Liu Longtao was on the other end of the phone, "Are you still there?"

"Yes," Ye Jun replied as she walked over to the door, "I've just carried him back to the hotel and poured him some water, and I was about to leave."
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"Wait a moment," Liu Longtao said with a sigh. "Old Yang is asking about his current situation."

"Well... we went to that bar we visited last time and had some drinks. Then Captain Yan got a bit drunk, and I carried him back," Ye Jun said with a big yawn. "It's so tiring, sigh."

"Oh, that's great." Liu Longtao said, "Ye Jun, could you stay there and keep an eye on Old Yan, please?"

"What?" Ye Jun was suddenly confused.

"Old Yang said," Liu Longtao relayed the commander-in-chief's words, "the Dingbei Army has more than just Fan Wentang among the civilian cultivators it has enlisted. We can't let the Longcheng Flying General find excuses to challenge them all, right? It's a hard task, but could you watch over him tonight?

Tomorrow the scientific research department will announce the experiment has ended, and we'll quickly send him back to Jinling Prefecture."

Ye Jun: .........

Turning to look at the intoxicated Yan Yu, she thought to herself that he was in no condition to seek out civilian cultivators for challenges. Besides, not every civilian cultivator was Fan Wentang.

But it was probably also a precaution borne of fear from the superiors.

This approach wasn't unique to this dynasty; back when monarchy was still in effect towards the end of the previous dynasty, there was a man from Puyang Prefecture infamous for his brashness who, due to a land border dispute with a neighboring landlord, argued for nearly half a year and then claimed he was going to the imperial capital to strike the grievance drum.

The local magistrate, upon hearing this, was terrified and immediately dispatched runners to guard all major and minor roads to ensure the man was stopped within the county's jurisdiction.

However, roadblocks are useless against the Longcheng Flying General. He can fly with his sword. What if tonight, after drinking too much, he becomes delirious and has a brainwave? What if he suddenly curses "All civilian cultivators deserve to be shark'd" and then flies off with his sword to decapitate them one by one?

Should the military manor's cultivators try to stop him? Who could beat him?

High-caliber anti-personnel weapons might stand a chance, but if it really came down to firing guns inside Pingjing City, things would quickly spiral out of control.

The best and safest method would obviously be to find someone to keep the Longcheng Flying General busy and to ensure he doesn't cause trouble outside. Then, first thing tomorrow morning, they'd send him away immediately.

The Zhendong Army also enlisted civilian cultivators. Since the Longcheng Flying General belongs to the Zhendong Army, let him go and make trouble on Zhendong's turf, and then it's none of our Dingbei Army's business.

"Alright," Ye Jun sighed, "what about the dorm?"

"I'll talk to the dormitory supervisor," Liu Longtao assured her. "Don't worry about the school. The main concern is Old Yan. Make sure he does not leave the room tonight. Plainclothes officers are stationed all around the hotel, and the moment he steps out, it will trigger a chain reaction, which won't look good if it escalates to higher authorities."

Ye Jun: .........

It won't look good if it gets escalated, but it'll look fine if you push it onto me?

I'm still an unmarried single woman of quality, sharing a room and spending the night with Yan Yu. What if my reputation is tarnished? Who would I complain to then?

Forget it, eating public grain comes with these nuisances, and in critical moments, one must listen to the organization. I'd wade through a mountain of swords or dive into a sea of flames; guarding for one night is a minor matter in comparison.

Ye Jun turned back to Yan Yu and asked with concern:

"Yan Yu, do you feel any better?"

"My head is killing me," Yan Yu moaned with his eyes closed.

"Then drink some water," Ye Jun offered him the water.

After gulping down several mouthfuls of the hot water, Yan Yu felt somewhat better. He propped himself up with his arms and slowly opened his eyes.

Of course, he could circulate his True Yuan to dissipate the effects of the alcohol, but what would be the point of drinking then?

Since I chose to drink, what I wanted was the feeling of a hangover, like a mortal in a past life who didn't know his own tolerance—this is called nostalgia. Once I get back to Jinling Prefecture, I won't have this opportunity anymore. Even if I go out to a pub and order a draft beer, Ningning will nag me about it, which is really annoying.

"Hmm..." Yan Yu scratched his head and said, "Ye Jun, you can go back now, I'm awake."

"I won't go back." Ye Jun took the towel to the bathroom to wash, saying, "I am staying here tonight."

"Huh?" Yan Yu was also confused—as if hearing this for the first time, just like Ye Jun's initial reaction. The response from both of them was exactly the same.

"The higher-ups said I have to keep an eye on you tonight," Ye Jun explained as she wrung out the wet towel and came out to hand it to him, "Here, wipe your face with this."

"Ah, so they are afraid I'll cause trouble," Yan Yu took the towel and wiped his face and neck.

"At least you're aware of yourself," Ye Jun said with a touch of melancholy.

"Haha." Yan Yu put the towel aside, got up, and said, "Then I might as well fly back to Jinling on my sword now to save you all the worry."

"Don't do that." Ye Jun quickly stopped him, "Once you step out and take off on your sword, it will be hard to explain. Who's to say whether you are really going back to Jinling or off to 'exchange pointers' with other folk cultivators? A whole bunch of people will be running around because of your departure."

"Then just call them and explain clearly," Yan Yu dismissed the concern.

"Anyway, you are staying here tonight," Ye Jun insisted, "Don't go anywhere. Once they've settled the folk cultivators tomorrow, no one will care about you anymore."

Yan Yu was speechless. So, just because of this, the Dingbei Army has lost all trust in me, huh?

But I can understand it, honestly. Just like in the old days, if you rang the complaint drum to present a royal petition once, they'd intercept you even on a New Year's visit to relatives out of town—who knows if you were really visiting or if you were taking a detour to the capital again? You might think the local magistrate was heartless, and yet he'd have to deal with your troublesome antics.

In the eyes of the current Dingbei Army, Longcheng Flying General is the troublesome one. They'd rather inconvenience Ye Jun, a female comrade, by keeping me here than let me walk out that door!

"Fine," Yan Yu agreed not to make it difficult for Ye Jun, "Then I'll stay overnight... But this is a king-sized bed, right?"

"It's fine." Ye Jun was quite magnanimous, "Cultivators don't sleep. We just meditate and practice. It doesn't matter if you don't sit on the bed, you can also do it on a chair."

"Give me a break, the chair is so narrow and has armrests that limit space; you can't even spread your legs," Yan Yu looked at the armchair, shook his head, and continued, "Just like you said, we'll meditate and practice on the bed to get through the night."

"Right." Ye Jun didn't change her clothes, just took off her shoes and socks and washed her feet in the bathroom.

After Yan Yu also freshened up, they both sat cross-legged on the bed, closed their eyes, and started diligently channeling their Qi through the cycles.

About ten minutes later, Yan Yu opened his eyes, feeling helpless.

Moving Qi through the cycles my ass!

With my aptitude for cultivation, while others are scooping water with a ladle, I'm like dipping water with chopsticks, so inefficiency it's infuriating... practicing is just futile, might as well not do it at all.

Noticing his eyes open, Ye Jun also opened hers and asked:

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'?" Yan Yu responded.

"I saw that you opened your eyes," Ye Jun said.

"How would you know that I opened my eyes if yours were closed?" Yan Yu countered.

"All right," Ye Jun admitted with a bitter smile, "I saw it with my Divine Sense."

"So, you've been scanning me with your Divine Sense, huh?" Yan Yu chuckled.

"I'm just a bit nervous," Ye Jun confessed in a low voice, embarrassed, "It's not that I suspect you, it's just... well, I've never spent the night in the same room with another man before."

"I understand," Yan Yu stretched his legs out again, propped a pillow behind him, and said, "Let's not practice then, how about telling some stories instead?"

"What stories?" Ye Jun was surprised.

"Tell me about your story, let's chat casually. It might help you relax," Yan Yu suggested, leaning back on the pillow.

"Okay then," Ye Jun nodded and couldn't help but laugh.

Indeed, chatting with each other felt more relaxing and pleasant than sitting in silence all night long.