Chapter 21

Jiang Ye stood in the center of the private room, his remaining sanity like a candle in a gale, flickering desperately.

He struggled against the absurd, shocking scene before him, and the primal agitation surging uncontrollably within his body.

He had lived seventy years, weathered chaos, grown accustomed to life and death, convinced his spirit had been tempered into an ancient well—calm, unrippled.

But this scene before him…

The two stumbling figures, on the verge of collapsing at any moment, were Liu Yiyi and Su Yan.

Their unnatural flush had spread to their necks, eyes glazed, long lost their usual cold composure and gentle grace, leaving only the disgraceful state fully unleashed by “Beauty’s Drunk.”

The two women’s breaths no longer steadied, like drunken ones, blurred and hazy under the dim light.

Even Jiang Ye, who prided himself on his iron will, now felt a dry throat, his Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbing as he forcibly suppressed the sudden heat and inexplicable fluttering in his chest.

He had never seen Liu Yiyi—this woman he had known since childhood, forever cold as frost and snow—reveal such a radically different, heart-pounding demeanor that could stir any normal man’s blood.

And Su Yan’s usual gentle smile had transformed into a soul-stealing grin, adding even greater impact.

“Kill… kill me…”

As Jiang Ye’s mind reeled, Liu Yiyi seemed to summon her last shred of clarity, squeezing out these four words from the depths of consciousness nearly drowned in haze.

Her voice was faint, broken, yet carried a chilling, heart-shaking resolve.

It was a desperate plea to preserve her final dignity and purity amid utter humiliation and agony.

These words, like a bucket of ice water, failed to fully quench the scorching air around him—but cleared Jiang Ye’s chaotic thoughts in an instant.

Kill Liu Yiyi? That was impossible.

He could not bring himself to do it.

Knock them unconscious? With his current control over strength, he could easily accomplish that.

But the next moment, he rejected the idea.

Though he knew no medicine, he had heard of the ferocity of “Beauty’s Drunk,” a brutal aphrodisiac.

If forcibly suppressed by unconsciousness, with no outlet or guidance, the violent drug energy would turn inward, scorching meridians, burning the foundations of organs.

Mild cases would damage their cultivation; severe ones would cost their lives.

Either outcome contradicted his purpose in saving them—and would haunt him for the rest of his days.

What should he do!

Cold sweat trickled silently from Jiang Ye’s temple.

He realized he had been cornered into an unprecedented, scalp-crawling dilemma.

The only remaining solution seemed cruelly clear—to use yang to nourish yin, guide the drug’s energy, and save them… with his own body.

But he was a seventy-year-old man…

Was this appropriate?

Jiang Ye’s face flushed crimson, even his earlobes burning red.

“This is utterly improper… I…”

Jiang Ye wrestled within, reason telling him this was the only way to preserve their lives and foundations.

He stood frozen, experiencing for the first time what it meant to be so embarrassed his scalp prickled, caught between advance and retreat…

But reality gave him no more time to agonize.

The drug’s potency had reached its peak, completely drowning Liu Yiyi and Su Yan’s last vestiges of reason.

The final flicker of struggle in their eyes vanished.

“Mmm…”

A soft, intoxicating sound slipped from Su Yan’s throat.

The next instant.

The two figures, their fragrant scents long restrained, now burst forth with intoxicating allure, uncontrollable as moths diving into flame or vines entwining, lunging violently toward the frozen Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye was caught off guard—or rather, his lingering hesitation left him too slow to dodge.

Thud!

A soft thump.

His lean but remarkably upright frame was struck full-force; all three lost balance and tumbled backward, crashing onto the plush, thick carpet of the private room.

Jiang Ye lay on his back, pupils slightly contracted, sighing inwardly.

He sat up slightly, checking their condition.

“Liu Yiyi drank little tea; the drug hasn’t penetrated deep into her organs. Knocking her unconscious and applying cold water should partially counteract the poison.”

Jiang Ye made his decision in an instant.

As for Su Yan, the drug had sunk into her bones and blood.

Jiang Ye couldn’t help sighing again, his eyes filled with helplessness.

About an hour later.

The quiet private room had settled again, save for the faint whistling of lake wind through the broken wall hole.

Jiang Ye straightened his aged back, rising with difficulty.

He shook his head.

In Jiang Ye’s aged eyes glimmered an extremely complex emotion.

He never imagined that a man who had lived alone for seventy years would ever experience such fortune.

Who could have guessed that the brightest jewel in the Martial Academy was…

If even a whisper of this leaked, not just Anxi County, but the entire Zhou Kingdom’s romantic legends and martial anecdotes would dedicate a whole page to this old gatekeeper.

Recalling the scenes just now…

Jiang Ye’s eyes held not only satisfaction but a trace of lingering dread.

Fortunately, his Five Animals Fist was a health-preserving art; otherwise, his old bones might have been left here today.

This “battle” had been perilous indeed.

“They are both cultivators, with vigorous blood and qi, far stronger than ordinary women—they may awaken at any moment.”

Jiang Ye forced himself to calm down, swiftly analyzing the situation, brows furrowed, “When they wake, facing this scene… facing me…”

He could not imagine how Liu Yiyi’s icy gaze would return to clarity, or how Su Yan’s gentle smile would turn to shock and shame.

How should he face them? Explain? Apologize? Or silently endure the possible torrent of rage and killing intent?

“Cannot stay here.”

Instantly, he decided—to retreat.

But not to flee entirely.

For their safety, he would not go far, hiding nearby.

If anyone dared approach, he would strike immediately.

Jiang Ye bent down, moving as gently as possible, redressing the unconscious Liu Yiyi and Su Yan.

Then he carefully inspected the damaged door and wall hole, listening intently to the surroundings, triple-checking that no outsiders would approach the secluded waterside pavilion in the near term.

All arranged, he cast one final glance at the two exquisite women, sleeping side by side on the carpet.

His gaze lingers a moment on Liu Yiyi’s face—still, even in sleep, unmistakably elegant—and his expression grew inscrutable.

A bizarre, absurd thought flashed unbidden through his mind.

Cold outside, hot within.