Chapter 537 488: Pei Yuhang: Just Sharing a Bed, Why Is Xiaoxuan So Shy?

The first time Pei Yuhang saw her, she was sitting high upon the Gilded Phoenix Throne in a magnificent hall, her face obscured by a purple veil.

And yet, just standing before that woman, the young Pei Yuhang—who had sworn to remain chaste for Lin Qianyan—felt an uncontrollable, maddening impulse to debase himself.

'It was as if the mere thought of that woman could shatter my reason. The feeling of gazing into an abyss was terrifying!'

Although Pei Yuhang had been confined in Shang Miaoyan's Saintess Hall for a long time and didn't see that inscrutable Saint Master often, every encounter left him terrified for a long while afterward.

Moreover, he could sense that the Saint Master, Yin Wanqing, did not look at him with pure intentions... It was a very "hungry" gaze.

Yin Wanqing wanted to devour him whole, and on more than one occasion!

Shang Miaoyan had noticed this as well, which was why she never allowed him to meet that woman alone.

And now, Yin Wanqing had actually followed Shang Miaoyan to the Dao Sect...

'For the Sect Leader of the great Yin Yang Sacred Land to come to the Dao Sect, it can't possibly be because of me... Perhaps it's related to the joint plan by several Major Sects to explore a Secret Realm that Junior Sister Nangong mentioned.'

Pei Yuhang's eyes flickered as a thought took root in his mind.

After relaying all the messages from the Holy Daughter, Fan Xuan gave Pei Yuhang a slight curtsy and prepared to take her leave.

"Young Master Pei, I'm a bit tired. I'd like to go back to my room and rest."

Seeing Pei Yuhang nod, Fan Xuan had just started to turn when she heard him say, "Wait a moment."

She turned back, puzzled, and saw a gentle curve grace Pei Yuhang's lips.

He reached out and tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, his voice warm.

"Xiaoxuan, you've worked hard."

"Thank you for stepping up and risking so much to gather this precious intelligence."

Pei Yuhang said, pressing his lips together.

"Before... in Liyuan's room, my attitude toward you was a bit harsh. I may have overreacted. The fault wasn't yours, but Shang Miaoyan's influence on you. I should have been calmer..."

"Don't say that."

Fan Xuan cut him off abruptly. She hastily lowered her gaze, her thick lashes casting a trembling shadow beneath her eyes.

"Young Master Pei, it was my duty..."

A bitter taste rose in Fan Xuan's throat. She nearly bit through her lip.

'I'm sorry, Pei Yuhang... I'm not as good as you think I am.'

'This was all arranged by the Holy Daughter. I've only ever approached you with ulterior motives.'

Fan Xuan screamed silently in her heart.

Already exhausted, Fan Xuan became listless, her conscience tormenting her.

Not wanting to be alone with the man she was deceiving any longer, she dragged her heavy feet away as if fleeing, returning to the room Pei Yuhang had prepared for her.

With a soft CLICK.

The moment the door shut, it was as if all the strength had been drained from Fan Xuan's body. She slid down, her back against the door, until she was sitting on the floor.

After closing the door, alone in her room, the suppressed guilt finally flooded her chest like a tide, threatening to suffocate her.

"What in the world... am I doing..."

"I am the Holy Daughter's assassin. My only mission is to complete the tasks she gives me... Why, why have I become so indecisive!"

"I'm not Fan Xuan anymore... I am 'Jiu,' an assassin with only a codename... How can I develop feelings for my target while carrying out the Holy Daughter's mission?"

She murmured to herself, her voice hoarse and uneven.

Fan Xuan got up, threw herself disconsolately onto the bed, and silently closed her eyes.

In the silence, she subconsciously began to recall her reunion with Pei Yuhang.

For the past two months, Pei Yuhang had been searching for her relentlessly. After hearing she was wanted by the Yin Yang Sacred Land, he had hidden her in the Cold Palace Sword Mansion without a second thought. And before that, he had gone to great trouble, using his own Pure Yang True Qi to help her dispel the cold poison.

Pei Yuhang treated her with sincerity, but all she gave him in return were lies and schemes.

In a daze, Fan Xuan felt like she wasn't herself anymore.

Her consciousness grew dim as she seemed to drift off to sleep.

In her dream, she saw her own face constantly distorting. Her eyes became the Holy Daughter's, her mouth became her sister's... The faces of countless women of different identities were pieced together to form her face, but it was never her own.

"..."

In a daze, Fan Xuan felt someone wrap their arms around her.

She opened her eyes in a haze and saw a familiar, handsome face.

"Sorry, Xiaoxuan. Did I wake you?"

Pei Yuhang offered an apologetic smile.

"You—What are you doing in my bed!"

Fan Xuan cried out in alarm, hastily pushing away from Pei Yuhang's embrace and shrinking back toward the corner by the wall.

"Xiaoxuan, you... could it be that time of the month?"

Seeing the usually clingy Xiaoxuan suddenly refusing to be intimate, Pei Yuhang's mind couldn't help but go there.

Hearing Pei Yuhang's words, Fan Xuan realized her reaction had been too extreme and went against the "persona" the Holy Daughter had previously established in Pei Yuhang's mind.

She pressed her lips together and hastily added:

"It should be... that time of the month, right?"

"Should be? You're not even sure about your own body?"

"Ah... I mean, Young Master Pei, you suddenly came here... what about Ye Liyuan!"

As she said the last part, Fan Xuan couldn't help but silently praise her own quick thinking.

'Using Ye Liyuan as an excuse, what could Pei Yuhang possibly say?'

'Hurry up and go back to your official Dao Companion! Don't come to me, the nameless, status-less "other woman"!'

However, Pei Yuhang just shook his head and said:

"Liyuan is weak right now, so she's sleeping in a bed all by herself. After I got her to sleep, I had nowhere else to go, so I came here..."

"..."

If the "Fan Xuan" in front of Pei Yuhang right now were Shang Miaoyan.

...then upon hearing that Pei Yuhang had no bed and could only come to her, Shang Miaoyan would probably be ecstatic, silently crying, 'The heavens are helping me!' before eagerly pouncing on him.

But the one before Pei Yuhang now was Fan Xuan herself.

The moment Fan Xuan heard she would have to share a bed with Pei Yuhang, she panicked on the spot.

The fear of her identity being exposed, the anxiety of sharing a bed with a man for the first time, the inexplicable fluttering and anticipation from the depths of her heart...

All these complex emotions were dumped into a great cauldron in her heart, swirling and mixing together.

Pei Yuhang watched Fan Xuan's face turn red then pale, and couldn't help but feel concerned.

"Xiaoxuan, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well somewhere?"

Pei Yuhang moved closer to the cornered Fan Xuan, his voice full of concern.

"I-I'm fine!"

Fan Xuan, who knew well that 'panic leads to chaos, and talking more leads to mistakes,' understood that if she kept talking to Pei Yuhang, he would definitely notice something was off.

'After all, my inexperience is practically radiating off me!'

So, Fan Xuan quickly turned her back to Pei Yuhang and said rapidly:

"I'm really tired, let's just sleep!"

Having said that, Fan Xuan clutched a corner of the blanket and nervously closed her eyes.

"Mm, goodnight, Xiaoxuan."

Pei Yuhang's gentle voice came from behind her.

Fan Xuan could clearly feel Pei Yuhang's steady, warm breath on the pale skin of her nape.

It tickled, and a warm current surged through her heart.

Fan Xuan took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

'Forget it, forget it. Stop overthinking...'

She tried to fall back asleep, but perhaps because of Pei Yuhang's presence behind her, her back felt itchy and her skin was tense, as if she were on guard against a possible nighttime assault from him.

But an hour passed, and there was no movement from behind her.

It seemed Pei Yuhang had fallen fast asleep.

Fan Xuan, however, was at war with herself and couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

Now he was asleep, but she was wide awake!

She took a deep breath, opened her aching eyes, and turned to look at the soundly sleeping Pei Yuhang. She glared at him for a long time before saying viciously:

"Idiot!"