Provocation

Honestly, in both his lives, Gu Bei had never before taken an aphrodisiac.

While he wasn’t entirely sure if this concoction truly qualified as an aphrodisiac, the described effects certainly seemed to align.

His thoughts began to grow muddled, a sensation akin to drunkenness, yet distinctly different.

His mind strayed uncontrollably towards indescribable paths, and every attempt at composure proved futile.

A scorching heat gathered in his lower abdomen, gradually manifesting subtle signs upon his face.

Gu Bei had no idea what he looked like at this moment, but he surmised his face was probably flushed crimson.

After all, he could feel the ever-increasing warmth radiating from his cheeks.

Even now, Gu Bei pondered what exactly Yu Qiuqiao desired from him.

In other words, what kind of display did she wish to witness?

‘His humiliation?’

‘Or… did she want him to endure?’

Gu Bei’s guess leaned more towards the demoness Yu wanting to revel in his unsightly state.

‘Tsk…’

‘Normal thought was no longer possible.’

Even his breaths grew scorching.

He dared not lift his gaze, merely cradling the teacup as his hands trembled slightly, refusing to obey him.

The tea swayed, its surface mirroring his face, which also wavered incessantly.

His entire body felt as though it were being cooked alive.

Waves of heat surged within him; his back was already drenched in sweat.

Though the demoness was entirely out of his line of sight, her presence felt overwhelmingly potent.

An intoxicating floral scent, its origin unknown to Gu Bei, relentlessly reminded him that across from him sat a peerless femme fatale, the likes of whom he had only ever encountered once in both his lifetimes.

The more his body burned with fever, the more acutely he perceived the constant, refreshing coolness emanating from Yu Qiuqiao.

It made him desperately want to draw nearer.

‘If only…’

Gu Bei’s trembling intensified.

‘She wants to see my ugly state…’

‘Then why not allow myself some comfort…’

Desire and pain were two distinct sensations; he had endured the torment of repeated cultivation deviations, yet this unprecedented, overwhelming lust rendered him almost incapable of self-control.

And now, a perfectly convenient excuse presented itself.

His mental fortitude teetered on the brink of collapse.

Thus.

He tremblingly lifted the teacup in his hand and took another sip.

A soft chuckle drifted from across the table.

“If… Young Master Gu were to plead with Qiuqiao just a little, it might not be impossible for Young Master Gu to… find some comfort?”

Her seductive, alluring words clearly reached his ears.

Gu Bei did not look up.

In truth, he dared not.

With his mind nearing complete disarray, he refused to do anything that would make him despise himself, instinctively adhering to his usual life philosophy: never giving in to desire.

He wouldn’t even allow himself a glance.

Yet even so, Yu Qiuqiao’s words were like adding fuel to crackling firewood; the already raging inferno within his heart instantly spread.

The smile on Yu Qiuqiao’s face was wilder than at any moment before, a madness not merely in her eyes, but overtly displayed on her countenance, evident on her blood-red lips.

A morbid, rampant, brazen, and undisguised delight at the chase filled her devastatingly beautiful, nation-toppling face.

Gu Bei had thought his performance of an ‘Otherworldly Female Knight Cultivator, Male Version’ would satisfy Yu Qiuqiao, but she had seen through his intentions at a glance.

She had never shown much leniency towards those who dared to fool her.

However, the teetering Gu Bei, whose mental state was on the verge of collapse in Yu Qiuqiao’s eyes, now genuinely displayed a certain backbone.

Gu Bei’s trembling, sip-by-sip consumption of the tea also confirmed to Yu Qiuqiao that this fellow had practically arrived with disheveled hair and simple attire, solely to challenge her.

In Yu Qiuqiao’s eyes, this was blatant provocation, a declaration of war.

It was the sharp edge revealed after finally cornering this slippery disciple of an old acquaintance, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

Yu Qiuqiao’s thoughts weren’t entirely unfair to Gu Bei.

She was half right.

Gu Bei, continuing to drink sip after sip despite his physical and mental state, was indeed provoking Yu Qiuqiao.

Had he been sober, he wouldn’t have done such a thing, but he was far from lucid now; the internal inferno raging through him made it difficult to maintain his habitual caution, and with such a surge of inner fire, he inevitably became reckless.

His hair and clothes, however, were not intentional.

He neither knew how to tie his hair nor how to don elaborate robes, and figuring he would either get beaten or be tormented by Miss Yu anyway, there was no need to specially dress up.

Could it be that if he had dressed up, Yu Qiuqiao would have taken a fancy to him?

No, she certainly wouldn’t have, but generally, one wouldn’t appear with a gentle face and complete etiquette while dressed like a rogue, with hair as unkempt as those notorious for their dashing, carefree ways.

With stiff, mechanical movements, Gu Bei lifted the teacup again, raising it slightly.

He completely failed to notice the cup was already empty.

“Oh, Young Master Gu has finished his tea. It is my oversight; I should replenish it for you…” Yu Qiuqiao’s voice was soft and gentle as her delicate hand lightly rested upon Gu Bei’s.

The instantaneous, delicate touch and the sight of her slender, beautiful jade hand before him caused Gu Bei’s inner fire to surge violently once more.

His teeth immediately ground together with a grating sound.

He held his breath, not even allowing his burning gasps to brush against Yu Qiuqiao’s hand.

Trembling, he desperately controlled his hands, guiding the teacup down onto the table, following Yu Qiuqiao’s touch.

He closed his eyes.

He uttered not a single word.

He disliked offending others and would never allow himself, at any time, under any circumstances, to wantonly trifle with the opposite s*x.

Even when visiting pleasure houses, he merely joined in the amusement, never spending the night, even after achieving VIP status.

In his own estimation, even the casual embrace of a courtesan during past social outings felt against his conscience.

It mattered not who sat before him.

It mattered not if she was a peerless beauty capable of toppling nations, a devastating calamity, or the almost omnipotent Young Master of the Xiaoyao Sect, ruling half of the Nine Provinces.

He simply did not want to.

That was all.

“Young Master Gu, please.”

Yu Qiuqiao’s voice was now soft and enchanting, as if Gu Bei only needed to lift his head and beckon to steal a kiss.

In truth, only Gu Bei’s cup of tea had been doctored; Miss Yu, having nothing better to do, wouldn’t drug herself for sport.

Thus, this current cup of tea was actually free of any additives.

Gu Bei, however, was unaware.

His muddled thoughts could only decipher one thing from Yu Qiuqiao’s actions: ‘This demoness intends to play me to death here.’

‘Don’t give me an opening.’

‘If I get an opening, I’ll damn well… first… then… then… then—’

‘A vivid image formed. Damn it.’

Consequently, his inner fire intensified even further.

Gu Bei inhaled slightly, and the air, as it passed through his scorching nostrils into his lungs, became equally hot.

‘Fine, fine, fine.’

‘Then let’s see if I burn to death here first, or if I drain all your tea.’

Even though this cup of tea contained no more additives, the psychological effect of drinking it still subtly fueled the rampant heat waves within his body.

‘If, after I finish this pot, you dare to bring out another one, then by God!’

‘I’ll just!’

‘I’ll endure!’

‘Damn it!’

Seeing Gu Bei maintain his composure with such effort, Yu Qiuqiao smiled sweetly, her hands clapping together charmingly before her chest. “Wow, Young Master Gu is so amazing! You’re truly unmoved, eh—is Qiuqiao simply not charming enough?”

Miss Yu was having a grand time, completely oblivious to the fact that she was, in fact, seducing Gu Bei, just as Ning Wanzhuang had once jokingly predicted.

The current situation was even turning into “quite a laugh,” just as Ning Wanzhuang had said.

This tea was actually one of the neutralizing ingredients for Fire Plume Yang Grass; after the initial psychological effect, the chaotic evil fire surging within him had already calmed down somewhat.

However, for the disoriented Gu Bei at this moment, this slight reduction was akin to taking off a jacket before weighing oneself.

It made no difference at all.