Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 451 437: You Want Me? You Couldn't, Not Even With 100 More Years of Cultivation!

Perhaps it was because Jiu had insisted on coming home with Pei Yuhang.

In the end, Pei Yuhang seemed to have compromised. He didn't put away the Jade Token engraved with the insignia of another Sect, but he also didn't bring it up with Jiu again.

By tacit agreement, they both dropped the subject.

Pei Yuhang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes closed. As he regulated his breathing, his white jade-like face gradually took on a lustrous glow.

As his Spiritual Power circulated, wisps of white mist rose from his robes, making him seem like an immortal descended to the mortal world. The wide sleeves of his white robe fluttered without a breeze, sending ripples through the silent room.

While Pei Yuhang cultivated, Jiu had buried herself in his soft bedding. She lay in the spot that should have belonged to Ye Liyuan, the pleasant scent unique to Pei Yuhang lingering around her delicate, upturned nose.

Propping her cheek on one hand, her gaze clung like silk to the sight of his tall, straight back, clad in white as he cultivated in silence.

Gradually, the sun set and the bright moon rose outside the window.

Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating the dark glint in Jiu's eyes, causing it to flicker.

Having remained as still as a statue all day, Pei Yuhang's body finally trembled slightly as he reined in his Spiritual Power.

Seeing Pei Yuhang finally move, a flash of regret crossed Jiu's eyes. After all, it was only when he was cultivating that she could stare at him so brazenly.

'Sigh… I've been staring at this dense blockhead all day, but I'm still not tired of his face. It's truly addicting.'

Jiu murmured to herself. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. Her eyes flickered, and she asked tentatively,

"Pei Yuhang, are you still going to look for that woman named Fan Xuan?"

At her words, Pei Yuhang's breath hitched almost imperceptibly.

'What is this girl up to now?'

'Am I looking for myself?'

Filled with suspicion, Pei Yuhang turned his head to look at Jiu. A few strands of dark hair fell across his forehead, conveniently masking the storm in his eyes. "Why do you suddenly ask?"

"Nothing…"

Jiu rolled over, the brocade quilt sliding from her shoulders as she moved.

She pretended to fiddle nonchalantly with the ends of her hair, but watched his reaction nervously out of the corner of her eye.

"I just figured that since I'll be staying with you for the foreseeable future, I ought to help you with something. I was too busy when I was with the Holy Daughter, but now I'm free, so I can continue helping you find her!"

Pei Yuhang said, his expression unreadable, "You're not in the Yin Yang Sacred Land anymore. How would you even look?"

"You don't need to worry about that part."

Jiu got out of bed. Her fair, bare feet padded across the cold floor until she was standing behind Pei Yuhang's meditation cushion.

She suddenly leaned down, her hair, fragrant with the scent of subtle orchids, brushing against the side of his neck. It tickled.

"A top-tier assassin naturally has top-tier methods. Finding one person is child's play, isn't it?"

As she spoke, a hint of expectation entered her eyes, followed by a ripple of slyness.

"But… you have to tell me. Why are you so persistent about finding that girl? Is she really that important to you?"

"That's none of your business."

Pei Yuhang turned his face away slightly, his thick eyelashes casting a shadow on his cheeks. His tone was laced with a hint of detachment.

"No! How can I not get involved? What if you're looking for her… to kill her! If I bring her to you, wouldn't I just be helping you murder an innocent person?"

Pei Yuhang shot a speechless glance at Jiu, who was putting on quite a show.

"You just said you're a top-tier assassin. Since when is a top-tier assassin afraid of a little murder for hire?"

Jiu was left speechless. She cursed inwardly, 'How is this dense blockhead so quick-witted when it comes to arguing!'

"Assassins… Assassins have principles too!"

She lifted her snow-white neck, looking like a flustered little girl who was both guilty and defiant.

"Anyway, if you really mean her harm, I won't bring her to you!"

Exasperated by Jiu's pestering, Pei Yuhang said softly, "She and I are not enemies. If we were, why would I need to go to the trouble of finding her?

If she were still alive, all I'd have to do is whisper a few words in Shang Miaoyan's ear during some pillow talk, and that woman would take care of it for me."

'Pillow… talk?!'

As Jiu repeated those words in her mind, her throat inexplicably tightened.

'Something feels strange… I don't like this at all.'

She quickly shook her head and changed the subject:

"Then what's your relationship with her?"

A mix of anticipation and nervousness filled Jiu's eyes.

Pei Yuhang gazed at the bright, clear eyes visible beneath Jiu's mask and was suddenly reminded of the girl from his Heart Demon Tribulation during his Void Celestial Tribulation. The one who had tearfully told him, "You should go. I'm not real, so I can't leave."

An inexplicable irritation washed over him. He turned his head away to avoid her gaze, but still gave his answer in a sullen voice.

"A friend."

"What kind of friend? Just an ordinary friend?"

Jiu took a step forward, moving closer to Pei Yuhang. If she were as well-endowed as Lu Ruoxi, she would have been pressing right up against him. Alas, she was not, so a small gap remained between them.

"An ordinary friend? Is that worth searching for so earnestly?"

Jiu's heart hammered in her chest. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but hearing Pei Yuhang call her "just an ordinary friend" sent a hot flash of anger surging up her spine.

'I saved you from the Sect, and look how much I suffered for it afterward!'

'Pei Yuhang, how do you have the gall to say I'm just your friend!'

"Why… why are you asking so many questions? Don't tell me you've already found Fan Xuan?"

After Jiu shot him a fierce glare, Pei Yuhang subconsciously took a step back.

It was that single step—

that made Jiu's pupils shrink.

The keen perception of a top-tier operative allowed her to instantly understand the source of Pei Yuhang's strange behavior over the past few days.

She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white, before forcing them to relax.

As if she had reached a decision, Jiu raised her head.

"Do you know why I've had to wash the sheets and bedding so often these past few days?"

Pei Yuhang froze, confused as to why she had suddenly changed the subject.

"Why?"

"Because every time I rest in your bed, I get it all—"

"dirty."

Beneath her mask, Jiu's cheeks burned as hot and red as a sunset cloud.

Thankfully, the mask was there, giving her the courage to hold Pei Yuhang's gaze.

The word "dirty" made Pei Yuhang's head buzz.

"What… what do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! It's exactly what you think!"

"So what if I'm a pervert!"

Jiu lifted her long, snow-white neck. Her beautiful eyes took on the sharp, predatory glint of a hawk seizing its prey, radiating dominance and aggression.

"And it's not just when I sleep in your bed."

"When you're not here, I secretly try on the clothes you've taken off!"

"With nothing on underneath!"

Jiu shouted, tears welling in her beautiful eyes.

"So now you know, don't you? How much of a pervert I am."

"I'm much more of a pervert than that old bitch Huang Wanshi! I'm going to cuckold your Dao Companion ten thousand times over!

You killed Huang Wanshi… So, are you going to kill me now?"

Pei Yuhang rubbed his forehead, a headache blooming. He couldn't bring himself to meet Jiu's reddened eyes. Turning away, he said, "Let's talk about this tomorrow. I'm tired."

"You still dare to let me sleep in your room? Aren't you afraid I'll force myself on you in the middle of the night?!"

Jiu quickly moved to block his path, refusing to let him leave.

Looking at Jiu, who was being so dead serious, a bad feeling rose in Pei Yuhang's heart.

'She might know everything… She's trying to force my hand.'

'But I have to keep playing dumb.'

Pei Yuhang clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He put on a stern expression and said,

"If I don't let you spend the night in my room, where else would you go? Besides, you can't beat me in a fight. If you want to force yourself on me, you couldn't do it even if you cultivated for another hundred years!"

'Couldn't do it even after cultivating for another hundred years…'

'Then how did Qing Yueqiu, Yu Xiaoyan, and Ji Xichan manage it?!'

'Am I not even as good as those younger girls?!'

Jiu's chest heaved violently. She felt as if she'd suffered an unprecedented insult.

She ripped the mask from her face, revealing her beautiful features—pure and innocent, yet with a hint of charm from the alluring mole beneath her eye.

"Then you just wait!"

Jiu had thrown down the gauntlet.