Chapter 677: Careful Calculation

This was the second time Yun Jianyue had said this to Zu An; he was constantly testing her patience.

It was strange; if it were anyone else, they would have died countless times already, but this guy always made it impossible for her to strike a killing blow.

Zu An quickly chuckled apologetically, "I meant 'if,' haha, 'if.' If Sister Cult Master has no such plans, then naturally, there's no need to mention it."

Yun Jianyue yawned, her red lips particularly moist and alluring. "Anything else? If not, get lost!"

She had been fighting the karma fire all night and was quite exhausted. Although she wouldn't mind chatting with such a handsome and robust young man, her rationality prevailed. In her current state, it was truly inconvenient to spend more time with him.

"One last question!" Zu An quickly said. "Who exactly is your hidden operative in the palace? You can tell me now, right? That way, we can look out for each other in the future. Otherwise, it would be bad if we accidentally came into conflict."

Yun Jianyue still shook her head. "When the time is right, you will naturally know."

Zu An frowned. "You still don't trust me?"

Yun Jianyue explained, "This isn't about trust. It's that the person's identity is special. I promised them I wouldn't tell a third person, so I hope you understand. As for what you're worried about, it won't happen. That person won't have any conflict with you; they might even secretly help you."

"So mysterious?" Seeing her demeanor, Zu An knew she clearly didn't intend to tell him the truth. He could only sigh, "I hope it's as you say."

He no longer dwelled on the matter. Instead, he asked, "Where is Honglei? I want to say goodbye to her."

Yun Jianyue gave a dismissive hum, "Wait a moment. You'll see each other after dawn."

What a joke. It wasn't completely light yet. What if they couldn't control themselves during their farewell?

Zu An was speechless.

Who was she trying to guard against? Was he that kind of person?

Soon, Zu An was kicked out of the room by Yun Jianyue. He had no choice but to go back to his room and sleep, burying his head. However, that night, his mind was filled with the alluring image of Yun Jianyue lying seductively. Several times he almost succumbed to temptation, but in the end, he restrained himself. After experiencing Qiu Honglei's soft hands, he had grown somewhat disdainful of his own.

After all, he had been exhausted from the night, and despite his racing thoughts, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun simultaneously emerged from their respective rooms and exchanged smiles.

"How was last night?" A refreshed Jiao Sigun raised an eyebrow and quietly asked.

"Of course, it was a battle of three hundred rounds; that young lady kept begging for mercy," Pu Duandiao said, puffing out his chest. He subtly touched his lower back, thinking, *So sore. Am I a bit too weak lately?*

"Is that so?" Jiao Sigun expressed skepticism.

Pu Duandiao coughed uneasily. In fact, it was he who had begged for mercy last night, but how could such a thing be admitted? He quickly changed the subject to relieve his embarrassment: "How was your night?"

Jiao Sigun said, "Oh, I asked the girl how they usually charge."

"Oh?" Pu Duandiao was a bit curious. He usually didn't have a chance to meet people of such caliber and wasn't quite clear about the prices.

Jiao Sigun said, "That young lady told me that if it's on the ground, it's 20 taels of silver per session. If it's on the bed, it's 100 taels of silver per session. Guess where I chose?"

"On the bed?" Pu Duandiao tentatively asked. Since Zu An was paying, naturally, one would choose what was most comfortable.

Jiao Sigun shook his head. "On the ground, of course."

Pu Duandiao was utterly bewildered.

Jiao Sigun said matter-of-factly, "Although Sir Zu is paying, we should still try to save him money. For the same amount of money, I can have one session on the bed or five on the ground. Isn't that more cost-effective?"

Pu Duandiao was dumbfounded, shocked first by the other's bizarre thought process, and second by his stamina.

"Five times... five times..."

The words kept replaying in his mind. He was filled with both jealousy and envy.

"You two don't need to wait. Young Master Zu will be resting here for a while longer." Soon, a young maid came to inform them.

"Look at the time! He's still resting? Brother Zu must be too weak," Pu Duandiao gloated, finally feeling confident.

Jiao Sigun immediately corrected him, "With so many courtesans accompanying him last night, it wasn't just 5 times, but probably 15 times. As expected of Sir Zu, I truly admire him."

"Fifteen times..." Pu Duandiao's smile instantly froze.

Jiao Sigun said, "Sir Zu worked hard all night; he should sleep a bit longer. Let's go first and not disturb him."

"Oh~" Pu Duandiao numbly shuffled his feet, thinking, *This time, I'll go back and thoroughly recuperate, so next time I can impress them.*

After the two left, the brothel fell silent once more.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but Yun Jianyue was woken by a banging on the door. "Master! Master!"

Yun Jianyue suddenly sat up in bed, subconsciously touching her legs. Her pretty face was flushed. "How could I dream of him? Bah! I shouldn't have healed that scoundrel."

At this point, the knocking on the door grew more urgent, more like someone was pounding on it.

Yun Jianyue put on her clothes, wrapping her exquisite body, then waved her hand to open the restriction on the door. "What's with all this fuss? You have no saintly demeanor whatsoever."

Qiu Honglei walked in, looking unhappy. "Master, why are we leaving in such a hurry?"

"There's a change in the cult, so we need to return early," Yun Jianyue replied coldly. She thought she would take her back first and then slowly explain to her, to avoid a dramatic scene here.

As she spoke, she unnaturally twisted her waist, feeling a bit uncomfortable and sore.

Hearing about the change in the cult, Qiu Honglei's expression slightly changed. She wasn't the type to be ignorant of serious matters, so she no longer refused to go back. "I have only one request: I want to see Ah Zu before we leave."

For some reason, hearing this made Yun Jianyue feel annoyed. She snorted, "You're immersed in men's charms day and night; this will only hinder your cultivation."

Qiu Honglei did not back down. "That's because Master, you don't know the beauty of love between men and women..."

Seeing her master's eyebrows furrow, she promptly changed her tune. "Ahem, ahem. A person of Master's caliber doesn't even look at any man in the world. Your disciple hasn't reached that level yet. After we return this time, I will diligently cultivate."

Only then did Yun Jianyue's brows relax. "Hmph, let Leng Shuangyue accompany you, lest you do something that disgraces our sect again."

Qiu Honglei's face flushed, thinking, *We're the Demonic Cult in the eyes of the world; what reputation do we have to lose anyway?*

But she dared not say these words aloud. She quickly ran outside, and as she reached the door, she suddenly looked back at Yun Jianyue. "Master, are you alright?"

"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Yun Jianyue snorted, unnaturally pulling the blanket to cover her legs. *I'll have to take a bath again later,* she thought.

Qiu Honglei had some doubt in her eyes. She always felt her master was a bit strange lately. Normally, her master was as cool and aloof as the moon in the sky, giving people a natural sense of distance, but today, she exuded a worldly charm, an allure that even as a woman, Qiu Honglei found captivating...

She quickly shook her head. *I must be overthinking it. How could someone like Master have any issues?*

She quickly ran to Zu An's room. The maid, Leng Shuangyue, was standing by the door, watching them. "This is the Cult Master's order. I hope Saintess won't make things difficult for me."

"How annoying," Qiu Honglei waved her hand and helplessly entered the room.

Meanwhile, in a luxurious inn in the capital, located on the essential route from the brothel district to the Imperial Palace.

A noble young master stood by a slightly open window on the second floor, gazing at the street outside. He frowned, "Why is it taking so long? Why isn't Zu An here yet? Those two guards from the Eastern Palace passed by ages ago."

A subordinate beside him replied, "We've sent someone to check. Apparently, Zu An hired over a dozen courtesans last night and is currently catching up on sleep."

"Hmph, that fellow is quite a womanizer," the noble young master sneered. "Too bad this is likely his last moment of carefree indulgence."