Chen Yi grabbed the collar of her robe at the back of her neck, then shook her wrist. The long sword fell into Chen Yi's hand.

"You, you!"

Lu Ying let out a sharp scream, wanting to turn around and hit him.

Chen Yi lifted her up, raised the back of the sword, and with a flick of his wrist, smacked it under the robe at a round spot!

Smack—

The crisp sound was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Chen Yi growled viciously, "If you dare to stab me, don't blame me for not being polite."

Lu Ying's eyes widened, her pupils shrinking in disbelief at what had just happened. All she could feel was a burning pain.

Even her master had never hit her!

While Lu Ying was still in a daze, Chen Yi suppressed the Sword Intent within the long sword, attempting to communicate with it through the intent.

And his guess was right—once the Sword Intent recognized him, it immediately calmed down. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for him to seize the sword just now.

Gradually gathering her senses, Lu Ying's beautiful eyes opened wide. She yelled in both embarrassment and anger:

"Scoundrel! Scoundrel! Give me back my sword, I'm furious!"

Chen Yi continued, "Arrogant, huh? Still need a lesson."

With that, another smack followed.

Amid the murky night, the robe fluttered, and the flesh beneath swayed slightly. Lu Ying was seething with shame and fury, her face turning impossibly red, yet she was utterly helpless.

"Have you calmed down?" Chen Yi asked instinctively.

Then he paused, realizing that perhaps he shouldn't have spoken to his elder martial sister in this manner.

Lu Ying didn't know what Chen Yi was thinking. Right now, her face burned crimson, but she stubbornly refused to admit defeat, shaking her head furiously, as if declaring her unyielding spirit:

"Let me go, you scoundrel, traitor, curse you to die a miserable death!"

Chen Yi took a deep breath. Just like in his past life, he raised the sword and struck toward her posterior again.

Smack—

"Stop it, you scoundrel!"

Smack—

"..."

Lu Ying was so enraged that her neck stiffened. Her cheeks flushed red as she tried to keep quiet, but suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something and cried out in alarm:

"Stop, stop! Someone's coming, someone's coming!"

Chen Yi followed her gaze and saw what seemed like her fellow martial sisters searching for her nearby. To scare her, he said:

"A bunch of little girls."

"You!"

"What would I be afraid of from a group of little girls?"

"You, you!"

"Relax. Those little girls wouldn't understand, even if I had improper thoughts about you. They wouldn't figure it out," Chen Yi threatened darkly. "Even if your master comes along, she's just a sheltered little girl who's never seen the world."

Lu Ying was so angry she could barely breathe. Her chest heaved violently, but then she caught sight of a figure slowly approaching from the direction of the cave entrance. It was someone dressed in the Yin Sword Mountain robe. Who else could it be but Qing Yuan?

Her fellow disciple was here and about to witness her being humiliated. Lu Ying's face turned ashen, her mind spinning until she couldn't bear it anymore and fainted.

Chen Yi froze for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh, carefully setting Lu Ying down.

He turned to look toward the approaching female Taoist from Yin Sword Mountain.

Just as he was mulling over how to handle the situation, the woman flitted over like a ghost. Before he realized it, a sword was silently pressed against his neck.

Chen Yi was startled, feeling a chill against his neck. Although he was a Fourth Rank Martial Artist, in that instant, he couldn't even see her movements clearly.

"Who are you?"

She swept a hand over her face, seemingly lifting an Illusion Technique. Chen Yi's eyes widened in shock.

"A little girl," Zhou Yitang said.

"…Master, why is it you?"

"I am not your master," the one-armed woman paused and replied, "I'm just a sheltered little girl who's never seen the world."

The cold moon hung silent, the forest shrouded in a bleak wind. Chen Yi's body stiffened as bursts of complex feelings surged within him. He never thought he would reunite with her here, much less that Zhou Yitang had disguised herself with the Illusion Technique to infiltrate Yin Sword Mountain disciples in order to protect Lu Ying.

At this moment, her face came into view. After half a year apart, countless emotions swelled in Chen Yi's heart.

Since their separation, he hadn't realized just how much time had slipped by.

In longing, he hadn't paid attention; but now, upon seeing her again, he finally understood time's passage.

Instinctively, Chen Yi wanted to reach out, but the cold gleam of the sword at his neck stopped him short.

He wanted to embrace her, but the sword resting at his throat posed an issue. Adding to the predicament, she had clearly heard everything that had just transpired. Realizing this, beads of cold sweat began to form on Chen Yi's forehead.

Zhou Yitang glanced at Chen Yi, then at Lu Ying, her voice cold:

"What did you do to your senior sister?"

Chen Yi snapped back to reality, his mind racing for an explanation. "She put her sword to my neck to teach me a lesson, so I retaliated appropriately."

"I have my sword at your neck now," Zhou Yitang pressed the blade closer. "Will you retaliate the same way?"

"I wouldn't. I know the difference."

"What difference?"

"…Senior sister's chastisement is improper. Master's is just."

"Then why did you… strike her?"

Chen Yi glanced at Zhou Yitang in surprise. Her face was indistinct in the dim light, but her tone carried layers of meaning.

A hint of anger, and… jealousy?

"Because…" Chen Yi took a daring leap forward and said, "She used to beat me with a ruler in her past life, and I would retaliate by spanking her! If I had feelings for her, I wouldn't dare to smack her behind!"

As for what Zhou Yitang might think of Lu Ying's image from now on, Chen Yi didn't care. Escaping the situation was his priority.

Zhou Yitang's gaze flickered, as if deep in thought.

Chen Yi leaned in slightly, ignoring the sword still at his neck. He said, "You and I are already a married couple who bowed to Heaven and Earth. I know you treat her as a disciple, and to me, she's nearly the same. That's why there's nothing improper between us, only straightforward and innocent interactions. You know who I am. In this life, though I've encountered many women, even when I'm reckless, I've always held you deepest in my heart. So tell me, why wouldn't I care about your feelings?"

Zhou Yitang's gaze wavered slightly as a gentle breeze stirred, lifting her robes like the wind itself was urging her.

Chen Yi continued, "Whoever I've been close to, I've never hidden it from you. Because you hold the most important place in my heart. I didn't hide anything about Yin Tingxue, nor about Yin Weiyin. So tell me, why would I hide something about Lu Ying?"

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