Intrigue Within the Sect Chapter 3: The Senior Sister Throws Herself into My Arms

Chuxing’s teasing retort was like a needle, piercing precisely through Mu Wanqing’s feigned cold demeanor.

Mu Wanqing’s delicate face stiffened, then flushed a deep red.

Only then did she realize how inappropriate her actions had been. In the dead of night, a lone man and woman sharing a room, and she had even made an unwarranted move... If this got out, what would become of her reputation?

“You... stop talking nonsense!” She stomped her foot in frustration, but her voice unintentionally softened by a few degrees. “I only... I only came to clarify something!”

“Clarify?” Chuxing leaned against the doorframe, his gaze scanning the gentle rise and fall of her chest. “Fine, ask away.”

His brazen look only enraged Mu Wanqing further.

Suppressing her embarrassment and anger, she gritted her teeth and asked, “Your meridians have been stagnant for three years, so there’s no way they could endure that power. Where exactly did that overwhelming medicinal force go?”

“Medicinal force?” Chuxing feigned ignorance, blinking innocently before suddenly seeming enlightened. “Oh, you mean that. Maybe it’s because I’m extraordinarily gifted, with remarkable bones.”

“Speak plainly!” Mu Wanqing couldn’t help but glare at him, her anger flaring. How could he be so shameless?

Chuxing grinned mischievously, then suddenly leaned in, closing the distance to less than a foot.

His voice dropped, warm breath nearly brushing her face.

“Senior Sister Mu, this is my secret. A man must have some secrets to attract a woman, isn’t that right?”

Mu Wanqing felt as if struck by lightning, her entire body stiffening. The scent emanating from Chuxing enveloped her senses, her heartbeat suddenly skipping a beat, cheeks burning fiercely.

Shamed and furious, she instinctively took a hurried step back to create distance. But forgetting the threshold behind her, her foot caught, she cried out in surprise, and lost her balance, stumbling straight into Chuxing’s arms.

The suddenness of it stunned Chuxing too; he barely had time to react before a soft, warm body collided with his chest.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Chuxing was dumbfounded.

A gentle, warm figure pressed into him, the girl’s unique elegant fragrance boldly invading his senses. The astonishing touch left his mind blank.

Mu Wanqing was utterly mortified. Pressed against Chuxing’s solid chest, she could distinctly feel his burning breath and strong arms.

Her heart pounded as if it would burst. She was nearly fainting. And this was the second time that night she had fallen into his embrace! Her face felt like it was on fire, her mind blank, her breath uneven.

“Let go!” After two long seconds, she snapped back to herself and pushed Chuxing away with an electric force, retreating several steps to regain space.

Her heart was in chaos; she dared not meet his eyes, but mustered her spirit to scold, “Who’s attracted to you! If you keep spouting nonsense, I swear I’ll deal with you right now!”

Chuxing rubbed his nose, the sensation from her body still lingering on his arm. Watching Mu Wanqing’s mixture of embarrassment, anger, and forced composure, an unfamiliar feeling stirred within him.

He quickly suppressed it and returned to his usual carefree smirk.

“Look at you—so curious about me, yet so stubborn with your words. Caring about me this much, sneaking into my courtyard late at night, hugging me twice in one evening—aren’t you afraid others will misunderstand and think we have... something improper?”

“We have nothing! Tonight was just an accident!” Mu Wanqing was nearly frantic, realizing she was no match for this rogue in verbal sparring.

“Is that so?” Chuxing raised an eyebrow. “But just now, you were in my arms. If this got out, who do you think they’d believe—a mere outsider like you, or me, who’s seen with their own eyes?”

“You... shameless! Despicable!” Mu Wanqing was on the verge of losing it. She found herself unable to extract any answers, instead being cornered by his few words.

If this continued, she feared she might really lose control.

She glared at Chuxing fiercely, as if etching his image into her memory, then turned to open the gate and leave.

But as her hand touched the door latch, she hesitated.

Taking a deep breath, as if making a decision, she spun back around. Her previously flustered face now wore a hint of a smile.

“Chuxing, you’re right—words alone are meaningless. People only believe the facts.”

Chuxing’s smile faltered slightly, an inexplicable wariness creeping into his heart.

Mu Wanqing slowly raised her delicate hand, her gaze icy as she fixed him with a cold stare. “Tell me, if I go to the Enforcement Hall early tomorrow morning and reveal everything about you absorbing Dragon Blood Grass in the storage room—who do you think the disciples will believe? A mere outer disciple, or me, a direct disciple of the Alchemy Hall?”

Chuxing’s roguishness vanished instantly, replaced by a flicker of coldness in his eyes.

This woman was threatening him!

Seeing Chuxing’s momentary defeat, Mu Wanqing’s frustration vanished, replaced by a triumphant smile.

She arched her beautiful brow teasingly and explained, “Don’t worry. When the Enforcement Hall came to question you today, I covered for you and said nothing.”

She paused, looking at Chuxing’s somber face with a light laugh, then slowly uttered two words:

“...For now.”

With that, she left no room for response, pushed open the gate, and strode away without looking back.

The night wind blew, lifting her long hair. Under the moonlight, her retreating figure didn’t seem rushed, but carried the lightness and composure of a victor.

Chuxing still leaned against the doorframe, watching her silhouette fade into the darkness, his previous levity gone.

“That girl... she really has some tricks,” he murmured. The roguish glint was gone from his dark eyes, replaced by an uncharacteristic depth and calculation.

Closing the gate, the easy feeling from their earlier verbal sparring evaporated completely.

Words and wit were ultimately hollow.

That “for now” hovered like a blade above Chuxing’s head.

He laughed bitterly to himself. Entrusting his lifeline to a woman was the stupidest thing he’d ever done.

He knew all too well that if her thoughts turned against him and she reported him, he wouldn’t even have the chance to resist.

Before her next move, he had to gain true strength—enough to speak to her on equal footing, even to make her wary.

But where would that power come from?

Vital energy! He had to ensure the stone beads in his dantian absorbed enough energy to transform.

Tonight’s episode with the Dragon Blood Grass had already caused quite a stir.

He would have to be more careful in the future and find a safer, faster path.