Chapter 283: My Own Disciple Kissing Me, So What?

Yes.

Since she is now the Saint Lord's junior sister, Mr. Ye, Ye Zhuoyu—then why does she insist on carrying the burden of being the Heavenly Yao Saint Lord, caring about things only the Heavenly Yao Saint Lord must care about?

He had always cooperated with her act, which was actually his consistent attitude: he hoped she would relax a little. But at this very moment, it became a battle cry for attack: Since you're not the Heavenly Yao Saint Lord, why can't you fall in love?

Ye Tinglan felt a myriad of emotions, extremely complex.

After a long silence, she picked up Lu Xingzhou from the ground in a princess carry, saying, "You know you're injured, so stop running around." She then placed him back on the bed, reached out to playfully tap his nose, and said softly, "Given your current condition, don't rush your cultivation; it will be counterproductive. If you find lying around boring, I can find some books for you to read."

Lu Xingzhou held her hand, not letting go: "You can just chat with me; don't bother looking for books."

Ye Tinglan let him hold her hand and sighed, "You're just like a child." Though she said that, Ye Tinglan knew perfectly well that she was a complete sucker for this act. Her protective instincts had been overwhelming that year. This scoundrel had seen right through her long ago, and she wondered how much of his pitiful demeanor was intentionally put on.

Sure enough, Lu Xingzhou said, "In front of you, teacher, I am just a child."

His intentional behavior was too obvious. Ye Tinglan grumbled, "You know I'm your teacher, so what do you think you're doing to me?"

Lu Xingzhou retorted, "You're not a true master; we haven't performed the disciple-initiation ceremony. In my hometown, it's quite common to pursue your private tutor."

Ye Tinglan grew even more exasperated, "Isn't your hometown Danxia Mountain? I haven't heard of such an unnatural trend in Xia Prefecture."

"Yes, the Huo family's family values aren't good; I learned it from them."

Ye Tinglan: "..."

"Besides," Lu Xingzhou continued, closing his eyes, "if a disciple pursuing a teacher is unnatural, then a teacher tormenting a disciple is perfectly reasonable, isn't it? Come on."

Ye Tinglan couldn't help but laugh aloud, reaching out to pinch his cheek: "Shameless."

*If I were to care about shame, I'd never be able to win you over...* Lu Xingzhou sensed that a string in her heart seemed to have loosened. Her current demeanor was noticeably more relaxed and natural, and she no longer resisted physical contact. The price was getting pinched, though.

"Alright," Ye Tinglan said casually, sitting beside him on the bed, leaning against the headboard. She pulled out a book on alchemy from her ring: "Your teacher will read with you. This is a secret collection of alchemy techniques from Heavenly Yao Holy Land, not just a common textbook from the Alchemy Academy."

"So, teacher, you used to hide secrets from me?"

"Don't be greedy and act innocent. How can things from Heavenly Yao Holy Land be casually passed on? Hmm... are you even up to reading right now?"

Lu Xingzhou read a few sections but still felt tired. It was traditional Chinese characters, vertically arranged, and without punctuation. Though he was used to it after so many years and usually fine, his current state made him easily dizzy. Moreover, this was an abstruse alchemy text, not...

"Not really, it makes me dizzy," Lu Xingzhou said. "Do you have any storybooks here, teacher? Like popular fiction?"

Ye Tinglan wouldn't carry such things with her, so she could only say, "I'll ask the innkeeper to buy one from outside."

This was the small town inn's private courtyard. The innkeeper was currently sitting by the counter, reading a storybook. Ye Tinglan walked over, dropped a piece of silver, and said, "Sell me this book."

The innkeeper's mouth twitched. "Guest... are you sure?"

Ye Tinglan thought he was referring to the extravagance of buying a book with a piece of silver. "Of course."

The innkeeper carefully handed over the book, then quickly scooped the silver into his arms.

Ye Tinglan returned to the room with the storybook, where Lu Xingzhou was eagerly looking forward to her return. Seeing his expectant look, Ye Tinglan's heart softened. She walked over, sat down beside him again, and opened the first page: "Is this one alright?"

The moment she opened it, she was stunned. On the title page was an illustration: a man and a woman leaning side by side against a bedhead. The woman wore a small bodice, revealing her fair, slender shoulders and arms, while the man's hand was around her shoulder, his head close to her ear as if whispering. Their posture was incredibly similar to the scene at hand, lacking only his arm around her. It was practically a reflection of reality.

She glanced at Lu Xingzhou's strange expression, as if he suspected she had intentionally bought such a book. His hand twitched slightly, seemingly debating whether to imitate the pose in the illustration. Was this a hint from his teacher?

Lu Xingzhou's eager hand failed to rise.

Fortunately, it wasn't an erotic illustration; the storybook seemed legitimate. They leaned their heads together to read the first chapter, and as they read, they were stunned once more. The story was about a top scholar who was invited by a marquis's residence to be a private tutor for the young lady. The young lady, a sheltered maiden, couldn't resist the rake's charms. While lessons were ongoing, she was constantly subjected to various forms of 'flirting'—sneaky hand-touching, her heart pounding like a drum, and so on.

This was not a proper storybook; it was a steamy romance novel. Before the first chapter was even over, the young lady was already in the private tutor's arms, his hands exploring her, her clothes half-undone to reveal a pink bodice.

End of chapter, please tune in next time.

Unbeknownst to her, Lu Xingzhou's hand had already slipped around her, subtly resting on Ye Tinglan's shoulder. Without much force, he felt her lean against him. Clearly, she too was aroused by the strikingly similar scene in the book and subconsciously leaned closer to her "little man."

Lu Xingzhou's heart began to pound. He quietly leaned down and kissed her cheek again. Her cheek was burning hot, so red it seemed about to drip blood. Yet, just moments ago, a stolen kiss would have resulted in her throwing him over her shoulder and slamming him to the ground. Now, she showed no reaction at all.

Lu Xingzhou grew bolder, attempting to get closer to her red lips. Before he could get close, a slender hand covered his mouth, blocking him.

"That's enough," Ye Tinglan said, her gaze still fixed on the book. "What are you learning? I'm the private tutor, and you're the young lady."

Lu Xingzhou: "..." *Then why are you touching me?*

Ye Tinglan finally turned her head, her lips brushing his cheek and lingering near his ear, as if she was about to speak but didn't. Her breath tickled his ear, making his heart itch, yet for a long time, she remained silent.

Lu Xingzhou couldn't hold back, "You... what do you want to say? Just say it!"

Ye Tinglan chuckled, "I just wanted to see your face flush all the way to your ears."

Lu Xingzhou: "?" Only then did he recall that this was precisely the scene from the book: the scholar claimed to have something private to tell the young lady, teasing her until her ears turned crimson. *Learning on the spot, are we?*

Ye Tinglan pressed his mouth, slipped out of his embrace, and then flipped the book over to cover his face: "You men only write such filthy things."

"Don't you believe that female authors write even steamier stuff?" Lu Xingzhou snatched the book from his face. "Wait, no, you were clearly learning enthusiastically yourself, so what's filthy about it?"

"You also know that *I* was learning, so don't you think I know whether my thoughts are filthy or not?"

Lu Xingzhou: "?"

Ye Tinglan smiled, leaned down, and very naturally pecked him on the cheek, then ruffled his hair: "Good boy, go read by yourself."

Lu Xingzhou was stunned by the surprise attack, gazing blankly at her charming smile. The touch on his face was so real; it wasn't something done while he was asleep.

Ye Tinglan, however, had already walked to the door, and with a backward glance and a smile, she said, "Don't expect anyone to give you a live demonstration. You won't die from holding it in."

Lu Xingzhou was caught between laughter and tears, "I didn't buy this book. Why are you acting like I tricked you into reading erotica?"

Ye Tinglan had already stepped out the door, puffing out her cheeks and letting out a long sigh of relief. Of course, she knew it was just a coincidence, and she understood that such coincidences were a kind of karmic assistance. She had just been thinking that Lu Xingzhou, by protecting the Frostland nation's destiny, would receive some karmic feedback. She never expected it to manifest here first, instead of in more serious matters!

*As someone who protected the national destiny, didn't I get a share? Why did he get to take advantage of me?* Wait, that's not right... If I had to calculate it, it seems *I* took advantage of *him*. Is this my karmic luck, then?

Ye Tinglan chuckled to herself as she thought. If anyone had been nearby to witness her, they would have seen the Saint Lord looking as radiant as a peach or plum blossom, with seduction glinting in her eyes. Her demeanor was exactly like Yuan Muyu's a few years ago, when she was addicted to teasing Lu Xingzhou. As for the lingering melancholy and heavyheartedness that had clouded her brow a few days prior, they had vanished completely.

With the teacher who joined him in reading the "steamy" book now gone, Lu Xingzhou had no inclination to continue reading by himself. Would he not die of frustration? He tossed the book aside and went to sleep. In his current condition, he needed to sleep for at least two-thirds of the day. Ye Tinglan particularly liked this arrangement: he was quiet and obedient like a cat most of the time, allowing her to cultivate peacefully. Occasionally, he would wake up, provide some emotional amusement, and she would enjoy teasing him. As for what to do when he recovered more fully and became more proactive, she hadn't considered it. After all, he was just a mere Fourth Grade "little man"; could he really turn the world upside down?

For the past two or three days, there had been no new developments from Su Yuan. She routinely reported on progress: how many Holy Land disciples from Frostland had been assigned to various positions, how the disciples had begun assisting Si Han in establishing a more complete kingdom system, and the establishment of the Heavenly Yao Temple and the selection of suitable children to join the Heavenly Yao Holy Land, among other things. Although there were countless complex tasks, progress was orderly and without unexpected troubles, keeping her spirits consistently high.

Three days later, although Lu Xingzhou's spirits weren't fully recovered, he could walk around normally without issue. Ye Tinglan helped him out of the inn, and they strolled along the bluestone paths of the small town, like a young couple in the mortal world. Anyway, no one recognized them. They saw many pedestrians along the way, and quite a few gave them amused "auntie smiles." Ye Tinglan didn't know what they were smiling about or what was so funny.

"Finished the book?" Ye Tinglan asked, making conversation on the way back.

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's boring without my teacher reading it with me."

"Hmph," Ye Tinglan retorted, "If I'm going to read with you again, it'll be an alchemy book. Who wants to indulge in idle pursuits and read storybooks with you?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed, "Are you saying that once I recover, you'll go back to just being a teacher of alchemy, and these past few days will seem like a dream?"

Ye Tinglan didn't mean that at all. But hearing him say that, her heart couldn't help but tighten. The thought of drawing a clear line between them brought a sense of suffocation.

"I've just been a teacher of alchemy these past few days anyway, what did you think I was?" Ye Tinglan stammered, "My disciple was injured, so I just looked after him."

"Did the teacher secretly kiss her disciple?"

"What's wrong with kissing a disciple I've worked so hard to raise?" Ye Tinglan retorted confidently, "If you're so capable, refuse me!"

Lu Xingzhou instinctively took half a step back, adopting a defensive posture. Unfortunately, a defensive posture was meaningless in front of the Saint Lord. Ye Tinglan easily grabbed his collar, pulled him closer, and threatened, "Are you going to let me kiss you?"

"No!"

"Come on, let's go inside," Ye Tinglan said, dragging him by his collar into the inn's small courtyard.

In the distance, on the long street, a white-haired young woman strolled into the city, scratching her head in confusion. *Did I wake up too fast?* Did my eyes just play tricks on me? How did I see two absolutely impossible figures in an absolutely impossible pose?