C488 Intimate

Chung Miao, at Yu Yuan's nod, swung the door open.

"Ah!"

The next moment, the usually reticent Chung Miao let out an involuntary gasp.

Her gaze fixed on the resplendently dressed Darkmoon City Lord, Yuan Lianyao, who stood before her in a vivid red gown, her face lightly made up, clearly having taken care in her appearance.

"Who are you looking for?"

Chung Miao hesitated, then asked with a timid voice.

Her sister, Chung Mann, seated in the corner, couldn't catch a glimpse of Yuan Lianyao from where she was.

But the sisters shared a bond through their 'heart lake.' The instant Chung Miao's eyes fell upon the "blazing red lotus," she conveyed the sight to her sister through this special connection.

Chung Mann's body quivered slightly. She rose swiftly from her seated position and made her way to the door, her eyes widening in astonishment at the sight of Yuan Lianyao.

At the doorway.

The City Lord, who had been in high spirits upon learning that Yu Yuan was aboard the "Pirate Ship," was taken aback when, instead of Yu Yuan, she was greeted by a striking young woman. She momentarily thought Old Cash was playing a trick on her.

She resolved to return to the fourth deck later to confront the old demon about this mix-up.

Having ascended to the rank of Yin God and earned the Red Devil Sect's favor, she was privy to much more information and no longer feared rogue cultivators like Old Cash.

Her heart, brimming with joy, now plummeted, leaving her in a state of irritation.

"I must have made a mistake."

She chuckled, shaking her head in apology, ready to turn away.

Yu Yuan's bed, situated near the window, was not directly in line with the door, and thus, she had missed it.

She had only noticed Chung Miao and Chung Mann, who had curiously moved from the corner upon her arrival, and she inwardly commended them: such a lovely pair of sisters.

"Cough, cough."

As she was about to depart, a familiar cough halted her.

Her heart, heavy with disappointment and annoyance at Old Cash, suddenly burst with excitement. Her eyes sparkled with surprise, and the whole room seemed to brighten in that instant!

Without waiting for Chung Miao to react, Yuan Lianyao, like a flame, pushed her way into the modestly sized room.

Her captivating eyes, which could ensnare any man, found Yu Yuan immediately. Her alluring face shone with a brilliance too intense to look upon directly. "Little brother, didn't you notice me when I boarded the ship?"

Under the shocked stares of the two sisters, the famed Blazing Red Lotus, who had risen to prominence in the Silvermoon Empire and now enjoyed the favor of the Red Devil Sect, was making a name for herself across the Quietus Continent. She strode purposefully towards Yu Yuan.

Chung Mann watched her sister flash by, then stared at the back turned towards her, the tight, bright red dress accentuating a waist so slender it could be encircled by the hands, and below that, the perfectly rounded curves of her buttocks...

Her seductive figure and the thought-provoking silhouette, with its exaggerated curves, made Chung Mann feel utterly inferior.

In every aspect—realm, status, future potential, as well as beauty, physique, and presence—the Flame Lotus who had just entered the room outshone her in every way.

Her so-called confidence and pride, which she held before Yu Yuan, crumbled to nothing in the wake of Yuan Lianyao's appearance.

"How could she be here? Lee Qi actually knows her?" Chung Miao's voice of astonishment echoed in her heart, bringing a semblance of order back to her disheartened spirit. "Lee Qi is from the Devil Moon Empire, a member of the Lee family's side branch. It's said that the Silvermoon Queen held her in high regard when she ruled the empire. Is that why she knows Lee Qi?"

Yuan Lianyao's arrival had sparked a flicker of curiosity in her about Yu Yuan.

Initially, she had been set on leaving, not wanting to waste any more time on Yu Yuan.

"When you boarded the ship, your presence was undeniable. Naturally, I noticed," Yu Yuan said with a smile.

"You saw me and didn't even greet me?" Yuan Lianyao glared at him, her tone a mix of annoyance and reproach. "What? Did you forget about your sister after reaching the vastness of the sea and sky overseas?"

Without any reservation, she took a seat on the edge of Yu Yuan's bed as she spoke.

Despite the cost of ten Spirit Stones a day for the second-floor room, space was at a premium. The single bed provided by the Babel Chamber of Commerce was hardly spacious.

The Blazing Red Lotus, with her full hips and slightly broad waist, made the wooden bed seem even smaller as she sat down, her body pressing close to Yu Yuan, her hip against his crossed legs.

Oblivious to Chung Mann and Chung Miao, she shared the bed with Yu Yuan, sitting intimately close as she playfully confronted him.

The twin sisters were left agape and at a loss for words.

"She's the epitome of flirtatiousness, and here we are! Does she have no regard for gossip?" Chung Miao sneered, her thoughts a whirlwind of scorn within her heart lake. "Lee Qi is of such an unremarkable realm, yet he has his good looks. He's from the diminished branch of the Lee family. As a city lord in the Devil Moon Empire, she was escorted to the 'Pirate Ship' by Faang Yao himself. Why is she bothering with Lee Qi?"

"Hmph! I bet she's just lonely from her travels. She sees Lee Qi, who's quite handsome, and decides to throw herself at him for some fun!"

Yuan Lianyao's behavior was beyond her comprehension.

In her eyes, a woman of Yuan Lianyao's stature should seek out a more powerful man to lean on, not show interest in someone like Yu Yuan, who lacked any significant background.

Yet, Yuan Lianyao seemed quite taken with Yu Yuan, and it was clear she was also 'flirting' with Lee Qi.

She was convinced the rumors about Yuan Lianyao were accurate, believing that the City Lord of Darkmoon had a reputation for being easy, not even sparing a man like Lee Qi, who had nothing but his looks going for him.

"Lee Qi might have something up his sleeve. Otherwise, the City Lord of Darkmoon wouldn't have come in person," her sister mused in the heart lake.

"What could be so special about him?" Chung Miao harbored nothing but contempt, "He's just at the Profound Break Stage like us. Other than a Mustard Seed Bracelet, he doesn't possess anything of value. His lodging costs a mere ten spirit stones a day, and the Babel Chamber of Commerce doesn't offer him any special deals. Sister, you're probably overthinking it."

"We'll see," Chung Miao suggested, urging patience.

"Haha, as if I could ever overlook our city lord," Yu Yuan mused, his heart stirred by the firm curves of the Flame Lotus, his tone growing suggestive, "So many have laid eyes on you just now, each one looking ravenous. Given my modest cultivation and the decline of my family, I feared early recognition would draw envy and unnecessary complications."

"So, I was thinking, in a couple of days, I'd find a quiet moment in the dead of night to come and pour out my heart to you," Yu Yuan mused, his voice betraying a hint of curiosity.

He and Yuan Lianyao had always referred to each other as brother and sister. Their bond had deepened through the life-and-death trials in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area and the events at the Absence Relic. Yet, despite their growing closeness, they had maintained a respectful distance—until now. It was the first time Yuan Lianyao seemed comfortable sitting on the same bed with him, close enough for their bodies to touch. The stirrings in his heart were like ripples across a still lake, kindled into a blaze by the teasing of his City Lord 'sister.'

"I suspect, dear brother, that you've found a new flame and forgotten you have a sister like me. The twins are indeed a charming pair; I find them quite delightful. And why wouldn't you, a young man in your prime?" Yuan Lianyao's voice was steady, her jade-like hand surreptitiously pinching Yu Yuan's leg.

Yu Yuan winced in pain, his face contorting, while Yuan Lianyao reveled in her satisfaction, turning to address the sisters. "Aren't you going to introduce me? Sharing such a cramped space for ten Spirit Stones a day must be tough on you all. It breaks my heart. You know, I've been assigned a spacious room on the fourth floor by the Babel Chamber of Commerce. Why don't I switch with you, so the three of you can live more comfortably?"

Her teasing carried an undercurrent of sarcasm, the kind that might slip from a woman green with envy, playfully chiding her man. "Go ahead and introduce yourselves," Yu Yuan said, his face a mask of resignation.

As someone who had been reborn, he found himself perplexed by Yuan Lianyao's unusual behavior, her words, and the acidic undertone. All signs pointed to the Flame Lotus, a woman coveted by many in the empire, being struck by a bout of jealousy. Yet, Yu Yuan couldn't be certain whether her jealousy was genuine or merely for show in front of the sisters.

"I'm Chung Mann, and this is my sister, Chung Miao. We couldn't bear the leering stares on the deck, day and night, so we negotiated with Young Master Li. We've agreed to pay a sum of Spirit Stones upon reaching the Crack Archipelago in exchange for the privilege of cultivating inside the house."

Uncertain about the nature of Yuan Lianyao and Yu Yuan's relationship, she felt a twinge of guilt and found herself repeating the same excuse she had made three days earlier.

"Temporary stay?" Yuan Lianyao's smile held a peculiar edge.

Yu Yuan opened his hands, his expression the picture of innocence. "It was a chance encounter. I simply offered them a place to stay for a short while."

"One man, two women, sharing a room, together day and night," Yuan Lianyao snorted, "Lee Qi, seems like you've learned to have quite the time since leaving Darkmoon City."

When she uttered the name "Lee Qi," Yu Yuan's anxiety dissipated, realizing she must be privy to quite a bit of information.

"I swear it's a misunderstanding," Yu Yuan insisted.

"Shouldn't you sisters know better?" Yuan Lianyao's eyebrows arched as she spoke with a hint of scorn, "You've figured out our relationship by now, haven't you?" She leaned in closer to Yu Yuan of her own accord.

She was nearly pressing herself into Yu Yuan's arms, which took him by surprise. He wondered whether he should just give in to the temptation.

"We should leave," Chung Mann communicated telepathically through the heart lake.

Chung Miao shook her head, responding with a mental message of her own.

Chung Mann, taken aback, had already started to leave but then sat back down, settling in stubbornly. "Master Yuan, the fourth-floor room is spacious and equipped with Spiritual Arrays that can concentrate spiritual energy and soothe the soul. Since you and Lee Qi share that kind of relationship, why not take him upstairs?"

"The Spirit Stones for this room have been paid, and the Babel Chamber of Commerce doesn't issue refunds. How about you leave it to us?"

She couldn't shake the feeling of oddness, puzzled by her sister's insistence on staying.

In crucial moments, she tended to trust her sister's judgment, heeding her advice. So, despite her confusion, she echoed Chung Miao's sentiments.

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