In the VIP room on the third floor of the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce, Yan Zhen quietly watched the woman across from him, Yi Xian’er.
The Glazed Crystal Stone hanging around her neck suddenly grew warm. Moments later, the voice of his beautiful master echoed in his mind.
“Zhen’er, the Fire Refining Starry Sky has detected the aura of an Extreme Flame on that girl. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame, ranked thirteenth on the Extreme Flame List.”
The Fire Refining Starry Sky had been born to collect Extreme Flames and possessed the ability to sense their presence, much like a Dragon Radar.
Yan Zhen hadn’t refined it yet, so he couldn’t receive precise feedback, but his beautiful master, as the world spirit, could.
—Master, could she be an Extreme Flame wielder too?
“No, she likely carries an item related to the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame. This flame is profoundly strange. Though it’s ranked below my Starlight Glazed Fire, it’s the most difficult to tame among those outside the top three.”
Yan Zhen was well aware of it. The Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame was a bizarre Extreme Flame born from a dragon’s corpse, infused with the malice of the dragon’s death. It could bewitch the mind, and the slightest carelessness upon contact would lead to losing one’s sense of self, turning into one of its fire slaves.
In the script, Yan Zhen had nearly fallen victim while refining it. Without the Fire Refining Starry Sky and his beautiful master’s help, he would have been wiped out.
Being the protagonist was a high-risk job, especially without plot armor. Fortunately, he had System-chan and a pile of trump cards.
As he pondered, Yan Zhen noticed Yi Xian’er flash him a faint smile before turning to leave.
He blinked in surprise. At this point in the story, Yi Xian’er should have been a reclusive beauty with no friends. Why would she smile at a strange boy?
—Could it be because I’m too handsome? Heh heh~
Right, it was probably just politeness.
“Zhen’er, follow her and see what you can learn. If possible, get specific information from her.”
Though Chen Xi knew the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame was in the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range, the thing could move. Finding it required the Evil Scale Fire Crystal on Yi Xian’er.
Moreover, Chen Xi quite liked Yi Xian’er.
Born with an Innate Fiend Body yet unyieldingly tough, she had later abandoned her queenly throne to stay by Yan Zhen’s side. In many battles, she had shouldered much of the pressure for him.
Chen Xi had seen Yi Xian’er’s feelings for Yan Zhen. By the time they devised the supreme technique of Gangsha Unity, however, it was too late.
But things were different now. Chen Xi still remembered the exclusive method of Gangsha Unity perfectly, with no more worries about rigid gang and baleful sha failing to merge.
She had to play fair. Having helped Ji Ya, it was only right to give Yi Xian’er a hand too.
Unaware that his beautiful master was once again biasing toward outsiders, Yan Zhen would have followed her anyway.
He activated Shadow Following Step to silence his footsteps and trailed Yi Xian’er quietly. They emerged onto the street, turned a corner, twisted through seven alleys, and finally arrived at her small clinic.
The clinic was modest but spotlessly clean.
Yi Xian’er pushed the door open and stepped inside, leaving it slightly ajar instead of fully closed, then headed straight to the inner room.
“First lure me in with the half-open door, then ambush me from the inner room. Clever and bold, but too bad poison doesn’t work on me.”
With the script in hand, Yan Zhen calmly pushed open the clinic door, slipped inside, and lifted the curtain. As expected, stepping through would have gotten a faceful of poison powder.
It wasn’t lethal, but it would cause serious agony if it took effect.
However, when Yan Zhen entered the room, no powder came flying. Instead, he beheld a shocking sight.
Yi Xian’er had shed her clothes, using only a towel to cover her chest. Vast expanses of her fair skin were exposed. Though her silky black hair draped straight down to veil her back and pert rear, her jade-like legs and delicate feet, the curve of her hips and the elegant line of her waist were all on full display.
Compared to her clothed figure, this bare state accentuated her voluptuous curves even more—slim when dressed, ample when undressed. The epitome of a man’s fantasy!
—No! This isn’t the time for that!
Yan Zhen’s eyes widened as he froze in place.
What was going on? Wasn’t she supposed to douse him with poison the moment he entered, only for his Extreme Flame protection to backfire and make her… well, sprout?
“Eek! Who are you? Why are you in my home?”
Yi Xian’er cried out in alarm, trembling as she pointed at Yan Zhen, like a startled young wife.
Sister, are you really this type of girl? Yan Zhen was thrown off completely. His rehearsed lines and moves vanished from his mind as he scrambled to explain.
“Wait, I-I’m not—”
“—Don’t come any closer, or I’ll scream!” Yi Xian’er shouted. “Help! Flower thief!”
Oh crap! Yan Zhen couldn’t let her call for help—that would ruin everything.
In the script, when Yi Xian’er realized she couldn’t handle him and tried to scream, he pinned her to the bed and gagged her.
So he followed suit.
With a leap, Yan Zhen closed the distance, shoved her down onto the small wooden bed, and pinned her body under his own. He clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Yi Xian’er shook her head and struggled. Her free hand swung a slap at his face, but he caught her wrist easily. With her other hand clutching the towel over her chest, she couldn’t fight back anymore.
Yan Zhen’s face flushed as he said anxiously, “Let’s talk this out. Don’t scream.”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
“Fine, no screaming, and I’ll let go. Say what you want.”
Yan Zhen eased his hand away. Sure enough, Yi Xian’er didn’t scream. Instead, she said, “You’ve fallen for it! You must not know this, but I’m born with an Innate Fiend Body. My body constantly emits deadly baleful qi. Being this close to me will cost you your life or at least half of it. Don’t believe me? Look at the hand you used to grab me.”
He didn’t need to look to know his hand had been corroded the instant it touched her. Faint black qi crept up like insects, bringing a mild sting. Any ordinary mystic cultivator would be done for, but with the Gold-Silver Fire in his body, a bit of burning would fix it.
Wait, hold on. So she hadn’t planned to counter with poison powder but instead used this self-sacrificial ploy to lure him into direct contact for a baleful qi assault?
That explained stripping down the moment he entered the room—skin-to-skin contact made the corrosion faster and fiercer.
But this didn’t match the script at all. Why skip the powder and go for the flesh wound tactic? She was just handing him advantages, and the effect wasn’t even immediate.
Puzzled, Yan Zhen still delivered the scripted line upon “discovering” the baleful qi. “It’s just a bit of baleful qi. Who are you trying to scare?”
No sooner had he spoken than Yi Xian’er suddenly craned her neck, parted her soft pink lips, and captured his mouth in a kiss.
“!!!”
Yan Zhen was stunned. He never imagined she’d do that. He instinctively opened his mouth to speak, giving her the perfect opening to slip her nimble little tongue inside.
Along with it came her sweet saliva.
Yan Zhen snapped back and jerked his head away from the deep kiss. Glaring at her, he demanded, “What the hell was that?”
Yi Xian’er’s cheeks flushed crimson, but she defended herself staunchly. “My saliva carries baleful qi too. You just swallowed a bunch. See if you’re still scared!”
“I—you—”
Yan Zhen was speechless for a moment.
—Sister, baleful qi doesn’t affect me! You’re just throwing yourself at me!
The real issue was, this didn’t match the script at all!
He and Yi Xian’er had never kissed from start to finish in the story. Now she was forcing a deep kiss right off the bat—with tongue. Was this appropriate?!
