The night was beautiful, the moon bright, and the stars sparse. The lake shimmered with rippling reflections, and the grass was lush and dewy.

With such pleasant weather and such a breathtaking view, Le Gui stared at the fallen man for a long while before cautiously asking, “Your Lordship, are you alright?”

The man’s eyes remained shut, clearly incapable of answering her question.

Le Gui gazed at his strikingly handsome yet wickedly unruly face for a long time, her eyes slowly trailing downward… and further downward…

[So, can an unconscious man still get hard? If he can, should I take advantage of his weakness and have my way with him…?]

Half an hour later, Di Jiang slowly opened his eyes, only to see Le Gui cupping lake water in her hands, about to pour it into his mouth.

The moment she saw him awake, her face lit up with delight. “Your Lordship, you’re awake!”

Di Jiang stared at her for a moment before swatting her hand away in disgust. “You dare give me that little beast’s bathwater to drink? Do you have a death wish?”

[…So you knew it was bathwater, huh? Then why the hell did you make me drink it?!]

Le Gui had noticed that every time she interacted with Di Jiang, her internal cursing frequency skyrocketed. Yet, on the surface, she had to maintain the appearance of a well-behaved disciple and swallow her frustration. With a sincere expression, she choked out, “Your Lordship suddenly lost consciousness, and I was terribly worried. But as a mere mortal, I had no way to save you. I could only fetch some Wanghuan Spring water, hoping it would at least extend your life and ease your injuries.”

Di Jiang scoffed. “Since when does this lord need such things to extend his life?”

Even as he spoke, a fresh stream of blood trickled down the corner of his lips.

[I’m sorry, but you really look like you need it.]

Ignoring the voice in her heart, Di Jiang asked, “If you were so worried, why didn’t you go find someone who could save me?”

Le Gui blinked. “And who, exactly, would that be?”

“How would this lord know? Are you incapable of searching on your own?” Di Jiang shot back.

[Big brother, do you hear yourself? Once night falls, Diyun Peak is crawling with all sorts of demons and ghosts. Aren’t you even a little worried I might die on the way?]

“So, it seems you weren’t all that eager to save me,” Di Jiang remarked blandly.

Le Gui was speechless. She had no energy to argue with an injured, unreasonable man. Instead, she held up what little water remained in her hands and asked, “So… do you still want it?”

Di Jiang’s expression remained blank.

Le Gui sighed. “Then… maybe you should sleep a bit?”

His expression remained unchanged.

[I should’ve just ignored my conscience earlier and had my way with him while he was unconscious. At least then, I wouldn’t have to put up with his attitude right now.]

Le Gui regretted missing her best opportunity, conveniently ignoring the fact that she hadn’t dared to act out of fear he’d wake up midway and send her straight to the afterlife.

As Di Jiang continued to stare at her in silence, Le Gui started feeling drowsy despite herself. “Then what do you want to do?”

Di Jiang’s response was to pass out again.

Le Gui: “…”

[I told you to sleep, and you refused. But the moment you faint, you’re suddenly so obedient?]

Le Gui let out a breathy laugh and reached out to check his breathing.

Still alive.

She gazed at his face for a long time before her eyes inevitably trailed downward again. Today, he wore his signature black-and-red ensemble—the black outer robe embroidered with silver cloud patterns, dignified and severe, while the crimson inner garment peeked out from the edges, vivid and striking. The contrast made his already pale skin appear even more translucent.

[So beautiful.]

[He looks so delicate and pitiful.]

[No wonder he has no interest in romance. With a face like this, of course, he wouldn’t care for anyone else.]

Le Gui had countless thoughts running through her mind, but her eyes weren’t idle either. First, they lingered on Di Jiang’s sharp and defined collarbones for a long time. Then, they wandered to his solid chest before trailing down to his faintly visible abs. After that, they returned to his solid chest, then drifted to his slender ankles, only to settle back on his solid chest again…

A quiet night, the vast sky as their blanket, the lakeside as their bed, and a breathtakingly beautiful man lying there unconscious.

No matter how one looked at it, the scene seemed perfect for indulging in acts strictly forbidden by the law.

Le Gui stared at his blood-stained lips for a long while before finally crossing the moral boundary. Solemnly, she placed her hand on his firm chest.

[Oh ho! So this is what a well-built chest feels like! Not as hard as I imagined!]

She gave it a squeeze, then another, growing a little addicted.

[No wonder I can’t figure this man out. People say the human heart is hidden behind a ribcage, but his is buried so deep under all this muscle. No wonder he’s impossible to read!]

[I’m doing this purely for educational purposes, to gain practical experience. This isn’t me being perverted. Otherwise, if things do escalate between us one day, how embarrassing would it be if I didn’t even know what his chest feels like?]

Feeling that her reasoning was flawless, she indulged in a few more squeezes before finally withdrawing her hand.

“You only have yourself to blame for always leaving your collar open, giving people the perfect opportunity,” Le Gui said, putting on the face of a scoundrel who was only taking advantage of him for his own good.

Di Jiang, still unconscious, remained serene. Only his chest was faintly reddened.

After finishing her mischief, Le Gui lay down and quickly fell asleep. However, she hadn’t slept for long when the long-absent sound of lively music and drums rang out from Cangqiong Palace.

Le Gui stared blankly at the sky in a daze, then rolled around on the ground a few times. Before she could react, the four-person fruit delivery team appeared out of thin air. She quickly sat up.

Once the fruit was delivered, three of them activated their transfer talismans and vanished, leaving only Yaoyao behind. Yaoyao stared at her with a face full of curiosity.

“…What are you looking at?” Le Gui asked innocently.

Yaoyao smirked. “Didn’t sleep well?”

“You can tell?” Le Gui collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Seeing that she wasn’t fighting for an apple this time, Juzi smugly trotted over and offered her one.

Yaoyao chuckled. “I knew it. Cangqiong Palace suddenly summoned a theater troupe this morning, so His Lordship must have returned. Judging by your state, he must have come back last night.”

She covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle. “Did he make you serve him as soon as he returned? I never expected His Lordship to be so eager once he finally indulged in such pleasures.”

Le Gui immediately knew Yaoyao had misunderstood but was too lazy to explain. She simply sighed sorrowfully.

[If only he were that eager.]

“So, how did His Lordship fare in the battle? Did he win again?” Yaoyao asked curiously.

Thinking back to Di Jiang’s unconscious state last night, Le Gui’s expression turned somewhat complicated.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Yaoyao pressed.

Le Gui smiled. “Oh, he won. A great victory.”

“I knew it! Our Lordship is invincible!” Yaoyao beamed, then excitedly moved on to other gossip.

Time always passed quickly when slacking off with friends. Before they knew it, it was already noon. Yaoyao pulled out a transfer talisman, ready to leave. But just before activating it, she hesitated for a long moment before finally asking, “Did you know Hehuan Sect is sending people again?”

“I’ve been by the lake all day, where would I hear such news?” Le Gui looked confused.

“Stay alert. Ever since the Hehuan Sect’s master found out you were serving at Diyun Peak, they’ve gotten greedy. They want to send even more beauties to win His Lordship’s favor. I heard that this time, they’ve chosen nothing but stunning women. Be careful—they might take your place,” Yaoyao warned.

[Sorry, but Hehuan Sect has always sent great beauties… Except for me, the odd one out.]

Le Gui smiled slightly, showing her appreciation for the reminder.

After Yaoyao left, Le Gui went to the lake to wash her face. Then, after taking a fasting pill, she sat by the water, lost in thought.

She had been at Diyun Peak for a long time, yet Di Jiang had shown no interest in her whatsoever. Judging by his attitude, he likely never would. Though she seemed to have the advantage of being close to him, in reality, the difficulty of her task was no different from when she was at Bi’an Terrace.

[…So, please, let those beauties hurry up and arrive. Hopefully, at least one or two of them will catch his eye, giving me the perfect excuse to resign. I’ve had enough of this frustrating job—so close yet completely out of reach, constantly on edge, serving a crazy boss. I’m so done!]

Once the fasting pill took effect, Le Gui flopped onto the ground like a boneless creature. Juzi trotted over again, offering her the apple from earlier.

“I’m not eating that. It’s covered in your slobber,” Le Gui said in disgust.

Juzi stared at her for a long moment before chucking the apple at her head.

Le Gui: “…”

Thus began another battle between human and spirit beast. When the fight ended, they retreated three meters apart to assess their injuries. Le Gui casually tidied her hair, then sniffed herself, initially intending to complain about Juzi getting its spit on her—only to realize she actually smelled quite nice.

“No wonder Di Jiang treats me like a cat. I really am a fragrant, soft little princess.”

After shamelessly complimenting herself, the little princess flopped onto the grass for a midday nap.

The irritating sounds of music and drums continued unabated. However, after enduring them all morning, Le Gui had finally learned to block them out.

She had a peaceful nap, woke up to peel an orange, shared it with Juzi, then fed it a heap of fresh grass. Before she knew it, night had fallen. At some point, Di Jiang had silently appeared behind her.

When Le Gui turned her head and saw him, she was so startled that she tumbled over.

Di Jiang seemed pleased. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

[…Did this bastard come all the way here just to scare me?]

Le Gui couldn’t understand his thought process, but it really seemed like that was the case.

Even though Di Jiang had left, she had a nagging feeling that he might suddenly appear again. As a result, she spent the whole night tossing and turning, unable to sleep soundly. By morning, she had earned herself a lovely pair of dark circles under her eyes.

“Couldn’t sleep because you were too worried about someone coming to steal His Lordship’s favor?” Yaoyao asked, looking at her sympathetically.

Le Gui weakly glanced at her, then flopped back down to sleep.

Yaoyao patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Sure, the newcomers are gorgeous, talented, graceful, and masters of seduction, but you…”

She trailed off mid-sentence.

Le Gui slowly opened her eyes and asked, “I what?”

“You… have me as your best friend!” Yaoyao answered with ultimate confidence. “Don’t worry, Gui Gui, I’ll help you!”

Le Gui chuckled in exasperation. “And how exactly do you plan to help?”

“I told you before, right? I came to Wuyou Palace with my uncle when I was five and have been here for years. I’ve made plenty of connections,” Yaoyao said with absolute certainty. “If we can’t win in the open, we’ll take the backdoor route. Just wait, I’ll make sure His Lordship is completely devoted to you!”

“What do you mean by ‘if we can’t win in the open, we’ll take the backdoor route’? In what way am I worse than them? Hey, hey—where are you going?” Le Gui was still mid-rant when Yaoyao suddenly lit a transfer talisman.

Yaoyao grinned. “Just wait for my good news!”

With a brief distortion of space, she disappeared.

Le Gui stared blankly for a moment before stealing Juzi’s apple in retaliation. Juzi shrieked in outrage.

She hadn’t taken Yaoyao’s bold claim seriously. But before nightfall, Yaoyao actually returned—with her so-called “backdoor solution.”

“This is a top-tier forbidden potion from the Alchemy Sect. Do you know why it’s banned? Because it works too well! No matter how powerful a man is, once he takes this, he’ll be overflowing with desire and completely devoted to the one who gave it to him,” Yaoyao said with a mysterious air. “His Lordship is a man, too. Naturally, it will work on him. Just sprinkle a little on him next time he comes to see you.”

Le Gui stared at the small box wrapped with a green ribbon, her face calm but her mind screaming—

[It’s here! The legendary aphrodisiac that can take down any male lead or rival in a novel has finally appeared!]