Chapter Seventy-Two: Trousers

“All right, that’s enough.”

Seeing that Xia He grew more relentless and fierce, Ye Yan could no longer keep his composure. He turned and held Xia He by the shoulders, intending to calm her down, but she showed no sign of stopping—instead, her defiance only intensified.

“You say stop and that means I should stop? Why should I listen to you? Tell me, why?”

“Say it, you dog of a man.”

Bombarded by this tirade, Ye Yan felt his head throb. This troublesome woman—leave her unchecked for three days and she’s ready to tear the roof off.

He offered no further explanation. Not a single wasted word.

He bent down and kissed her.

Taken off guard by the unexpected assault, Xia He’s eyes widened as she pounded her fists against Ye Yan’s shoulders.

Three minutes later…

Ye Yan raised his head. “Still want to cause a scene?”

Two bright blushes bloomed on Xia He’s cheeks, tempting and charming, but her eyes were still recalcitrant—perhaps even a little provocative.

Could Ye Yan stand for that?

He bent down and kissed her again.

Another three minutes passed.

This time, Ye Yan could clearly feel that Xia He’s body was burning up, softening in his arms, as if she might melt into him completely.

“I surrender, I give up.”

“What? Still not giving in?”

“I said I—mmph…”

“…”

Three minutes, then three more, and again.

After half an hour, Xia He had completely lost the will to fight, collapsing limply in Ye Yan’s embrace. Only then did Ye Yan pull her down to sit beneath the leaning tree.

After all this turmoil, Xia He had lost her earlier brazenness. She curled up in Ye Yan’s arms, her face rosy and demure, no longer daring to act out—like a kitten curled up on her knees.

Ye Yan held her delicate hand and asked softly, “Why did you come to Dragon and Tiger Mountain?”

“On a mission,” Xia He replied lazily, snuggling into his embrace and inhaling the faint scent of citrus from his cologne. There was a look of satisfaction—and a hint of greedy longing—on her face.

“A mission?!”

Ye Yan’s heart skipped a beat. Carrying out a mission on Dragon and Tiger Mountain could only mean trouble—serious trouble, most likely.

“How did you get up here?” Ye Yan was curious. He wanted to know how Xia He had managed to get onto the mountain.

At this critical time before the Grand Celestial Ceremony, the security on Dragon and Tiger Mountain was tighter than ever—guards patrolled day and night. Xia He couldn’t have just strolled in.

“Of course not! I’m one of the Four Mad Ones of Quanxing—if I showed up as myself, do you think those young Taoist guards would let me in? I disguised myself, obviously.”

Disguised?

Ye Yan hesitated. “Did you use Domain-Form Poison?”

Though Xia He hadn’t said much, Ye Yan quickly caught her meaning. Simple disguise and costume wouldn’t be enough to hide Xia He’s identity—the only plausible explanation was Domain-Form Poison.

If it were him, he’d have ways to alter Xia He’s appearance and even conceal her energy.

That made sense.

“So, aside from you, which other Quanxing experts are on the mountain? Kou Mei? Gao Ning? Shen Chong?”

The Four Mad Ones of Quanxing were usually a unit—their combined abilities could have unexpected results. Since Xia He was here, the other three were likely here as well.

Xia He didn’t answer. Instead, she shifted to find a more comfortable position in Ye Yan’s arms, draping her jade-like arms around his neck before replying languidly, “I’ve told you all I can. As for the rest, don’t ask anymore.”

“Let’s talk about something else. It’s been so long since you’ve seen me—don’t you miss me at all?”

Ye Yan now belonged to the Company, while Xia He was with Quanxing.

One an official, the other an outlaw—fundamentally different.

Their stances were opposed, and Xia He hadn’t forgotten her identity as a Quanxing member. Even with Ye Yan, she didn’t disclose too much about her mission.

“All right,” Ye Yan sighed. “Whatever mischief you Quanxing folks get up to is none of my business. Just take care of yourself.”

“And remember—on this mountain, don’t provoke the Grand Master. If you can’t avoid him, don’t do anything rash—just say my name. I believe he won’t make things hard for you.”

Ye Yan admonished her earnestly.

He truly didn’t care what Quanxing planned to do on Dragon and Tiger Mountain. What he feared was that Xia He, in her recklessness, might cross the Grand Master and bring real trouble.

“So serious?” Xia He giggled, poking Ye Yan’s cheek with her finger like a little girl playing with a doll, utterly enchanted.

Seeing she wasn’t taking him seriously, Ye Yan pretended to be angry and gave her a playful slap on her pert bottom. “I’m talking to you—pay attention, don’t take it lightly…”

“Got it, got it,” Xia He replied with a wounded look. “I even changed clothes before coming here—if I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered. Now I don’t even have a spare pair of pants.”

“So it’s my fault?” Ye Yan looked at her with mock reproach. “You’re the one who likes to play with fire, even though you’re no good at it.”

“Who are you calling—?”

“Whoever answers, that’s who.”

“I’ll bite you!”

After their laughter subsided, Ye Yan began to tell Xia He about recent events—including what had happened with Chen Duo and Feng Shayen—offering an explanation.

Upon hearing Chen Duo’s past, Xia He’s expression grew pensive.

They were both Anomalies, after all.

She could empathize with Chen Duo’s fate. Compared to her own troubled past, Chen Duo’s experiences were even more unimaginable.

But at least, during her darkest, most unbearable days, she’d met Ye Yan—a man who cared for her wholeheartedly.

Thinking of this, Xia He’s mood brightened, and her lips curled into a smile.

“You dog of a man, I forgive you,” Xia He declared proudly, lifting her swan-like neck and smiling with the haughty air of a cat claiming its territory.

“By the way, Erdan came back for a while recently, stayed at home, and then disappeared again.”

“Oh? He came back?” Xia He looked up in surprise.

She hadn’t seen her little black cat for ages. Even though it was technically her pet, Ye Yan was the one who usually looked after it.

At most, she was the hands-off owner—petting the cat whenever she saw it, then forgetting about it, the classic unreliable caretaker.

“How is he?”

“Same as ever—just as wild as you. Sometimes stays away for ten days or half a month.”

That reminded Ye Yan of something.

“I noticed Erdan really likes oysters. Next time, I’ll try making him some scrambled eggs with chives. Hm… or maybe chives and shrimp. Both are supposed to be really nutritious.”

Xia He: “???”