Volume 3 Chapter 82 / Chapter 249: Senior Brother, You're a Scoundrel!
Under the sparse stars, a bright full moon hung visible through the skylight of the main hall.
Inside, the aroma of wine and roasted chicken filled the air.
Ye Anping sat cross-legged at one side of the low table, his face a picture of speechlessness. Across from him sat Yun Jiujiu, her eyes hazy from drink. She reeked of alcohol, occasionally hiccuping toward him. Her small round face had turned red, looking as if she were about to ripen.
Next to him lay Feng Yudie, who wasn’t faring much better. She had single-handedly polished off five roasted chickens and downed a fair amount of strong wine. Her stomach bulged as though she were ten months pregnant. Now, sprawled out on the ground like a starfish, she had already fallen asleep.
“Hic…” Yun Jiujiu hiccupped again, squinting at Ye Anping’s calm face. She giggled as she slurred,
“Your tolerance is really something~~ You drank so much, and still not… not even red-faced…”
“Watch out for—hic—your feet!!!”
Thud!
Ye Anping instinctively caught Feng Yudie’s outstretched foot as she shifted, sighing lightly. He replied to Yun Jiujiu,
“This spirit wine is essentially a kind of poison. Poison doesn’t really affect me.”
“Oh… well, that’s just great… hic—”
Plop!
With that, Yun Jiujiu fell back onto the carpet. Closing her eyes, she began snoring almost instantly.
Looking at the two drunken figures sprawled out, Ye Anping’s face remained a mask of exasperation. Resigned, he stood up and decided to step outside for some fresh air.
Once outside the main hall, Ye Anping glanced up at the night sky. He felt a twinge of curiosity—why wasn’t Yun Yiyi back yet?
By now, she should’ve returned. Logically speaking, her conversation with his junior sister shouldn’t have taken this long.
And if Yun Yiyi had gone to see Yun Xi instead, she surely would have been met with a cold reception. Despite the recent incident at Qiong Peak softening relations between Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu, the rift between Yun Yiyi and Yun Xi remained as deep as ever.
There was no way Yun Xi would let Yun Yiyi into her manor. Even if they spoke, it would have been brief.
So why hadn’t Yun Yiyi returned yet?
What exactly had she and his junior sister talked about for so long?
Ye Anping couldn’t piece it together. Walking into the courtyard, he clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the bright full moon above. He reminded himself that it was time to make his final preparations.
Before Yun Yiyi and her group entered the forbidden grounds, he needed to go in with his junior sister first to set up formations and traps. This would help ensure that Yun Yiyi and the others wouldn’t meet their end at Yun Kunwu’s hands.
Tap-tap—
Just as Ye Anping was lost in thought, he heard light footsteps approaching from behind. He tensed briefly but relaxed upon recognizing Yun Yiyi’s familiar stride. Pretending not to notice, he continued gazing at the moon.
“Why is Young Master Ye standing outside alone?”
“Just getting some air. They’ve both had too much to drink.”
Ye Anping turned around to study Yun Yiyi’s expression, trying to glean clues about her conversation with his junior sister. But her face revealed nothing; she wore her usual gentle smile.
Yun Yiyi walked up beside him and, following his gaze, looked up at the full moon hanging in the sky. Tilting her head slightly, she rested it against his shoulder.
“The moon is especially beautiful tonight,” she said.
“…Yes, a rare full moon,” Ye Anping replied absently.
Suddenly, he felt Yun Yiyi’s hand gently prying open his left hand, slipping her smaller one into his palm.
He froze for a moment before asking,
“Did the eldest Young Mistress go to Xiri Peak to see the Third Young Mistress?”
“Yes,” Yun Yiyi nodded. “I spoke to Yun Xi about entering the forbidden grounds, and I also chatted with your junior sister.”
“…What did you talk about?”
“Not much,” Yun Yiyi said, lowering her gaze slightly and leaning closer to him. “I originally thought she’d be hostile toward me—after all, I took you away from her. But we had a pleasant conversation. She told me some things about you.”
“Hmm…”
Ye Anping frowned slightly, confused. He couldn’t imagine what his junior sister might have said about him.
“What did she say?” he asked.
“About your true nature.”
What?
“My… true nature?”
“She said you’re a scoundrel,” Yun Yiyi squinted her eyes with a mischievous smile. “She said that when you were kids, you broke her bones, fed her poisonous bugs, and beat her up so badly she was black and blue… Who would have thought that someone as refined as Young Master Ye could be so awful in private?”
“… …”
Although Ye Anping’s expression remained unchanged, he was utterly stunned internally. He hadn’t expected his junior sister to tell Yun Yiyi that.
Forcing a bitter smile, he replied,
“Young Mistress Yun, my junior sister must have been joking. I don’t have such… peculiar habits.”
“Really?” Yun Yiyi tilted her head, staring intently at his face. “But between you and Miss Pei, I’d say you seem more like the one who’d lie.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Just a feeling. Spending time with you these past days, I often feel like there’s something… unreal about you.”
“…That’s simply how I am.”
Yun Yiyi pursed her lips, resting the side of her head against Ye Anping’s shoulder. “I don’t mind. If Young Master Ye prefers, you can treat me as you treat Miss Pei. I’m curious to see what it’s like…”
What?
“Hm?”
“Just kidding,” Yun Yiyi shrugged lightly, then said, “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
“Something to show me?”
Yun Yiyi didn’t answer. Smiling with narrowed eyes, she tugged at Ye Anping’s hand, pulling him along as she ran down the courtyard corridor.
Ye Anping didn’t resist, letting her lead him while pondering what she might be up to. As they ran, he slipped a small vial of incense from his storage pouch into his left hand. Carefully, he loosened the lid just enough to let the faint floral aroma seep out, leaving a trail in the air.
After several dozen steps, Yun Yiyi led Ye Anping to a guest room in the Yun family’s manor.
“We’re here.”
“This is… a guest room?” Ye Anping feigned confusion as he glanced at the unlit, pitch-black room. “Why did you bring me here, Young Mistress Yun?”
“For something important, of course.”
Yun Yiyi stepped forward, pushed open the door, and led Ye Anping inside before letting go of his hand. She backed up to the door, leaning against it to close it behind her.
“Young Mistress Yun, what exactly are you—”
As Ye Anping turned around to face her, his fingers discreetly pushed the vial’s lid all the way open.
But just as he did, Yun Yiyi reached up, pulling her hairpin out with one hand while untying her waist sash with the other.
Her golden hair cascaded down, catching the moonlight streaming through the paper window, shimmering faintly. As her sash slipped away, her robe fell open slightly, revealing more of her figure. Her previously restrained chest seemed to swell with newfound freedom.
Yun Yiyi pressed her lips together, raising her eyes to meet his.
“Young Master Ye, let’s cultivate together.”
“… …”
Ye Anping’s expression remained stoic as he tilted the vial in his left hand ever so slightly.
Seeing no immediate response, Yun Yiyi took a slow step forward, letting her golden-white outer robe slide off her shoulders. She moved closer, her gaze locked on his face.
“Young Master Ye, I—”
But just as she closed the gap to three steps, Yun Yiyi’s vision suddenly blurred. The image of the man she loved fragmented into countless overlapping figures.
An overwhelming drowsiness washed over her.
Before she could process what was happening, her eyes fluttered shut, and she collapsed forward.
Ye Anping reacted swiftly, catching her before she hit the ground. He sighed softly, cradling her unconscious form.
“Young Mistress Yun, when all this is over, I promise I’ll give you an explanation you can accept. I’ll also give you a proper response to this. But not now…”
He carefully lifted her and carried her to the bed, laying her down and tucking her in beneath the quilt.
Afterward, he returned to the door, picking up the discarded pieces of her robe and folding them neatly. Placing them beside her pillow, he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
“Whew…”
Exhaling deeply, Ye Anping tilted his head upward to gaze at the night sky.
However, as his eyes settled on the bright full moon, a sudden surge of heat flared from his dantian.
Ye Anping furrowed his brow slightly, immediately realizing what was happening—this was the aftermath of the Qiong Peak incident.
“…Now of all times.”
He quickly began calculating a solution, focusing his internal awareness on the rising yang energy surging through his meridians.
Perhaps due to his increased cultivation, his meridians could now contain more yang energy, so the outburst wasn’t as intense as before. However, it was still beyond what Feng Yudie’s true essence could suppress.
Glancing back at the guest room door behind him, he hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
Summoning his sword, he downed a calming pill to suppress the yang energy temporarily and flew swiftly toward Xiri Peak.