Chapter 57 A cursory glance, a superficial attempt
The full moon hangs in the sky, its clear light bathing the earth.
The night grew deeper, and all around was silent, utterly still.
Only the swaying branches cast dappled shadows on the ground.
Sheng Zhiyi made several hand seals, using techniques to lighten her body and conceal herself, and then tiptoed along the corridor.
In fact, there were only Ji Fuguang and her in this small building, but the person Sheng Zhiyi least wanted to see and dared not see right now was Ji Fuguang.
Located beside the official road, this inn was bustling with business, welcoming and seeing off a constant stream of guests. In addition to the regular rooms, an elegant courtyard with a two-story building was specially built at the back, exclusively for the use of high-ranking officials and nobles.
Mortals have an inexplicable awe of cultivators, so they specially cleared out the courtyard, prohibiting others from entering, and only entertained the two of them.
Even so, Sheng Zhiyi still turned her head to look around, and only after confirming that no one was around did she take something out of her storage bag and point it at the window in front of her.
The copper pipe slowly pierced the paper window and silently entered the room.
On the bed, the person sleeping soundly with eyes closed seemed oblivious to this silent intrusion, completely immersed in sleep.
A wisp of thin blue smoke slowly rose from the copper pipe, quickly dissipating into the air without leaving a trace or odor. If one hadn't witnessed it from the beginning, no one would have guessed that the sleeping potion had filled the entire room.
Sheng Zhiyi bit her lower lip, listening intently and vigilantly to the sounds inside the room, wishing she could prick up her ears.
She had great confidence in the sleeping potion in the copper tube. After all, it was a high-level sleeping potion that she had spent a full 50 points to obtain. It was said to be very potent, and even her nominal master, the head of the Tianyan Sect, could not resist it, let alone a mere Ji Fuguang.
Although the 50 points were expensive, the copper pipe even had a corrosive effect, allowing it to easily penetrate any enclosed space. Considering the consequences of failing the mission, Sheng Zhiyi gritted her teeth and chose to redeem it.
As long as she doesn't get caught by Ji Fuguang before the medicine takes effect, she can openly and legitimately unbutton Ji Fuguang's inner garment... no! Openly and legitimately complete her mission.
After waiting a moment, Sheng Zhiyi pressed her ear to the door to make sure it was quiet before using her spiritual power to open the door and slip inside.
"Senior brother...?"
Out of caution, Sheng Zhiyi called out softly.
The figure on the bed seemed to be truly drugged, and remained unresponsive for a long time.
Sheng Zhiyi felt a little relieved and looked around the room.
A five-drawer chest, an octagonal table, a canopy bed... the layout was the same as her room, but the air was filled with a light and quiet fragrance, which seemed to be a bit more elegant than her room.
The young master truly exudes an air of nobility.
Sheng Zhiyi pouted, her gaze inadvertently sweeping across a corner of the room, and her ears suddenly felt hot.
The screen that was covering the tub was pushed aside at an angle, revealing the bathtub inside. Candlelight reflected on the water, causing ripples that moved erratically.
A moon-white robe was draped over the screen, its hem edged with a dark blue pattern, understated yet luxurious.
Clearly, the room's owner had recently taken a bath here.
When Sheng Zhiyi thought of this, her heart felt itchy, as if scratched by a cat, and she felt a little shy.
She coughed lightly, glanced at the system task requirements, and silently reviewed the strategy she had devised from the beginning.
The task can be completed in just three steps.
Walk over there.
Lift the blanket.
Loosen your belt.
Finish!
Sheng Zhiyi is a very diligent student and completed the first step without hesitation.
But looking at Ji Fuguang with his eyes closed, she couldn't help feeling guilty and couldn't bring herself to reach out her hand.
"Senior brother...?"
Unable to resist, I called out to Ji Fuguang again.
Fortunately, the drug produced by the system was very potent, and Ji Fuguang's eyelids remained tightly closed, showing no sign of opening.
Sheng Zhiyi carefully sized him up.
Normally, Ji Fuguang always exuded a gentle and refined temperament, but now, with his expressionless face, one could see that he had narrow eyes, thin lips, and eyelashes that resembled a row of fallen feathers, each one distinct. The candlelight only illuminated half of his face, while the other half remained hidden in darkness. The light and shadow flickered, and his sharp aura appeared and disappeared, like a golden dagger buried in a snowdrift.
But at this moment his eyes were closed, his pillow and blankets were snow-white, and only his black hair was as black as ink, which made him look inexplicably fragile.
How amazing.
Two completely different qualities, sharpness and fragility, can coexist in one person, and they do so without contradiction, a paradox yet a harmony.
Sheng Zhiyi couldn't help but lower her hand and gently touch Ji Fuguang's cheek.
It was like the first snowflakes falling, almost instantly receding upon contact.
Sheng Zhiyi composed herself. No matter how beautiful she was, it was useless. Her purpose in coming today was very clear: to complete the system task immediately.
Although Sheng Zhiyi didn't say it aloud, she was quite shaken by the battle with the demons. The pride she had gained during the inner sect selection had long been worn away. She clearly realized that her strength was far from enough, only on par with the demon soldiers, and utterly ineffective against the demon elites.
Ji Fuguang did indeed take good care of her, but she wanted to have power that she could control herself. In the future, she would fight against the demons more and more often, and she could not always rely on Ji Fuguang to save her, nor could she become a burden to Ji Fuguang. She wanted to fight alongside Ji Fuguang.
Ji Fuguang is very capable, that's his skill; she is capable on her own, that's her own skill.
She hopes that one day, when others mention the two of them, it won't be "Ji Fuguang and his little follower," but rather "Ji Fuguang and Sheng Zhiyi."
She has her own name.
Therefore, after going around in circles, the method is still the same: strive to complete the system tasks.
Sheng Zhiyi remained steadfast, gripping the corner of the blanket and lifting it without changing her expression.
...and then I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, Ji Fuguang didn't forget to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor even when he slept; only his collar was slightly disheveled, while the rest of his body remained well-covered.
Male virtue, male virtue, wairuigude.
Great, the second step of the task is complete. The next step is the third step.
Sheng Zhiyi stood by the bed, lowered her eyes, and focused only on her fingers. Her slender fingers pinched the tie on her inner garment and pulled hard.
Oh no, it seems like we've tied a knot that's impossible to untie.
With the lights dim and dim, Sheng Zhiyi had no choice but to bend down and get closer to the knot on her inner garment.
She naturally didn't see that Ji Fuguang's long eyelashes, which had been hanging down, were now gently lifted, revealing his deep eyes, and the corners of his lips were also raised in a playful manner.
Sheng Zhiyi reached out with both hands to carefully examine the structure of the knot.
She was too close. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the fabric draped down, faintly revealing the thin muscle shapes of the body, like mountains shrouded in mist, rising and falling, flowing and lingering.
Her throat was a little dry, so she quickly pinched the strap with her fingernails and tried to pull it out of the knot.
Once the right spot was found, the knot was finally untied.
The mission countdown has not yet stopped.
Sheng Zhiyi's heart sank. The worst outcome had indeed come. She had no choice but to unbutton her inner garment and completely expose herself.
She took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on her fingers, refusing to look to the side.
With her fingertips pinching the edge of his undergarment as if it were on fire, she quickly lifted it to the side, completely exposing Ji Fuguang's undulating waist and abdomen.
Sheng Zhiyi looked away, realizing that the countdown had finally stopped. She didn't have the courage to restore Ji Fuguang to his original state. Thinking that the drug was strong anyway, she grabbed the blanket, haphazardly covered him with it, and stood up to leave.
On the bed, Ji Fuguang's fingers twitched slightly.
Before Sheng Zhiyi could straighten up, her legs gave way and she fell into a warm embrace.
One thought in her mind was:
So soft.
Immediately, a second, truly terrifying thought arose:
It's over.
Sheng Zhiyi stiffly raised her head, a faint hope lingering in her heart, but upon seeing those clear, cold eyes, that hope shattered instantly.
Even when committing theft, one can still manage to throw themselves on top of others, effectively waking them up.
Sheng Zhiyi's heart was filled with despair for life.
She trembled as she repeated her third sentence of the night:
"Senior brother...?"
Realizing that Ji Fuguang had woken up, she hurriedly tried to get up from Ji Fuguang's arms. Her hand had already pressed down when she heard a "tsk" sound.
"Still moving?"
Ji Fuguang's deep voice seemed to be filled with dissatisfaction.
This was the first time she had ever seen Ji Fuguang like this.
However... no one would be happy to have their room broken into at night...
Sheng Zhiyi was already feeling guilty, and at this moment she dared not move at all, not even daring to move the position of her palms, so as to maintain the original appearance of the crime scene, so that Ji Fuguang could carefully judge the severity of the crime.
Ji Fuguang lowered his eyelids, his face expressionless. He reached out and pinched Sheng Zhiyi's chin, lifting her face, and then spoke softly:
"Raise your eyes."
Unable to avoid Ji Fuguang's gaze any longer, Sheng Zhiyi had no choice but to honestly meet his eyes.
In the dim candlelight, the girl looked like a frightened little animal, her ears turning red, her almond-shaped eyes too shy to lift, yet she forced herself to look into his eyes with a dodge-away gaze.
"Senior brother..."
Finally, as if she could no longer bear it, she spoke:
"I just... I just..."
"But..." Ji Fuguang seemed to have heard something ridiculous, pulling her face closer, lowering his voice, and hinting at a hint of displeasure, "But he broke into my room in the middle of the night, pulled back my blanket, unbuttoned my undergarments, and even now his hand is..."
His gaze swept downwards and landed on Sheng Zhiyi's hand.
Sheng Zhiyi followed the gaze, her blood boiling, and her cheeks instantly flushed red.
With her slender fingers spread wide, her palm pressed firmly against Ji Fuguang's lower abdomen, her fingers even wedging into the gap between his abdominal muscles. No wonder the spot she was pressing on felt hot and hard, like steel wrapped in velvet...
It turns out she was massaging Ji Fuguang's abs!
This realization struck her like a thunderbolt, instantly draining all her strength and ability to think.
She tried to pull her hand back as if she had been burned, but Ji Fuguang grabbed her wrist even faster, with considerable force, carrying an undeniable sense of restraint.
"What's the panic?" Ji Fuguang's voice was even lower than before, as if carried by the early summer night breeze outside the window. He was still half-lying down, his posture even languid, but his eyes, which were staring at her, were surprisingly sharp. The candlelight flickered in his eyes, reflecting an almost scrutinizing light.
"It seems Junior Sister has done everything she should and shouldn't have done tonight, and now she's only thinking of escaping?"
Sheng Zhiyi's cheeks burned, her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word. She felt like a foolish thief caught red-handed, with no way to defend herself.
Ji Fuguang's gaze lingered on her flushed face for a moment, his expression complex and unreadable, before finally moving upwards and landing on her hands that were being held.
Just now, it was this hand that brushed across his cheek.
The feeling was like being lightly brushed by the wings of a timid butterfly; the itch lingered, but the butterfly had already flown away in a panic, leaving only a sense of emptiness and irritation as if being teased.
The cheek that was about to be touched, the inner garment that was hastily lifted, the lower abdomen that was quickly pulled back after realizing the contact...
Like a dragonfly skimming the water, it only scratches the surface and stops there.
It was as if he were just a dirty stone by the roadside, not even worth touching.
“Junior Sister,” Ji Fuguang’s lips suddenly curved into a slight smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes, “from the moment you sneaked into the room to now lying on top of me, this whole process… I need a reason that can convince me.”
Sheng Zhiyi shuddered, feeling a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
Oh no, the young master is really, really unhappy this time, and there seems to be something mixed in with this unhappiness that she can't understand.
In a moment of panic, Sheng Zhiyi suddenly had a flash of inspiration:
"Senior brother! Demonic energy! I sensed demonic energy infiltrating the inn. I was worried you were in danger, so I came to investigate and protect you, but... this is what happened."
Ji Fuguang paused for a rare moment, then the curve of his lips visibly deepened as he slowly repeated:
"Demonic energy?"
In front of this demon lord, how could one claim that demonic energy was at play?
This was the first time he had ever heard anything so funny.
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