Chapter Thirty-Four: The Beauty Above the Fragrant Luan

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Following the maid who led the way, Xiangluan from the House of the Southern Breeze, Zhou Yu found his gaze involuntarily drawn to the swaying waist and rounded, taut hips of the young woman ahead. As if she sensed his eyes on her, a faint blush slowly spread across the maid’s cheeks. Her steps quickened, but the sway of her hips grew only more enticing, the edges of her soft flesh rising and falling beneath her dress, barely hidden from view.

Zhou Yu smiled to himself. What had gotten into him? Was it the adrenaline still coursing through his veins after that fierce battle, making it hard to control his desires?

Soon enough, the maid brought him to the grand crimson palanquin of the House of the Southern Breeze. She turned, gestured, and said, “This way, sir.”

Zhou Yu nodded, lifted the curtain, and stepped inside.

He was immediately engulfed in a world of pink. The interior was spacious, adorned everywhere with pink trinkets; even the walls were enveloped in pink, though Zhou Yu noted with interest that it was neither wallpaper nor paint.

“Am I not more pleasing to the eye than these walls?” Southern Breeze propped her head in her right hand, reclining as she addressed Zhou Yu.

He glanced at her. She was draped in a sheer layer of pink silk, her alluring figure made all the more provocative by the delicate barrier. The long lines of her legs, the proud curves of her chest, and her bare arms—she was a vision designed to seduce.

Zhou Yu felt his mouth go dry, saliva pooling as he swallowed unconsciously. His gaze traced her long legs upward, pausing at the pale skin of her chest, then finally landing on her enchanting, peerless face.

“You are very beautiful,” Zhou Yu said sincerely.

Southern Breeze gave a gentle, knowing laugh. “Men always say the same thing at times like this.”

Zhou Yu hesitated, silently chiding himself: Whether one is a hero or a commoner, when seeking a woman’s favor, a man’s words are always the simplest and most direct.

“Come here,” Southern Breeze beckoned with her left hand, her every movement exuding seductive charm.

With a single motion, the pink silk slipped from her shoulders, baring most of her chest, the soft flesh quivering slightly. The effect was more bewitching than any fox spirit’s enchantment.

Zhou Yu swallowed again. An irresistible fire surged within him, and his eyes glazed over with desire as he lunged forward, hands reaching for her.

Suddenly, a flash of pain crossed his face. His eyes cleared, and he forced himself to turn away, collapsing beside Southern Breeze instead.

Surprise flickered in her eyes, then her gaze grew only more alluring, as if shrouded in mist. She lifted a smooth, snow-white leg across Zhou Yu’s waist, half-reclining on his chest. “Your name is Zhou Yu, isn’t it?”

Zhou Yu closed his eyes, silently thanking Du Niang for the timely jolt. “Good thing you shocked me,” he thought. “This woman’s allure is too much—show me a disgusting horror film, quick!”

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Southern Breeze noticed Zhou Yu’s closed eyes and silence. She gently stroked his chest with her left hand, pressing her warm body against him.

Even as he forced himself to watch a horror film in his mind, Zhou Yu found it difficult to maintain control.

Suddenly, Southern Breeze withdrew, lying to one side with a sigh of disappointment. “Is it that I’m getting old? Or are you and that little friend of yours truly untouched by the world’s desires?”

Zhou Yu knew she spoke of him and Liu Yueming. It was with Southern Breeze’s help that Liu Yueming had managed to escape by riding the wind that night.

He opened his eyes slowly, feeling the rise and fall of the palanquin. “You really are beautiful,” he said.

Southern Breeze smiled, poured a cup of wine, and handed it to him.

Zhou Yu propped himself up, accepted the cup, and drained it in one gulp.

She took a delicate sip from her own cup, then studied him with playful eyes. “Aren’t you afraid I might have drugged your wine?”

Zhou Yu looked at the empty cup and replied, “You yourself are the strongest, most intoxicating drug.”

She laughed behind her hand, refilled his cup, and pinched him lightly. “Such a sweet tongue, but not a brave heart.”

He made no reply, simply sipping his wine. The flavor was light but laced with the delicate scent of flowers, refreshing and pleasant.

“I wonder how he’s doing?” Southern Breeze mused after finishing her drink.

Zhou Yu set down his cup, stared blankly for a while, and said, “He’ll be fine.”

At that moment, a sudden gust of wind swept in from outside, carrying a chill into the palanquin. Southern Breeze frowned.

“What is it?” Zhou Yu asked.

“There’s a strong scent of blood in the wind.” She took three pills from a small box and handed them to him. “The green one is for healing wounds, the yellow one to resist the cold, and the red one is for temporarily boosting strength. Given the situation, I shouldn’t have brought you here. Keep these with you, just in case.”

Zhou Yu nodded without protest, tucking the pills away.

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“If you become fate’s chosen one someday, don’t forget me,” Southern Breeze said softly.

But Zhou Yu knew it was time to take his leave. He rose and said, “You’re teasing me, sister. I’ll take my leave now.”

She nodded, and Zhou Yu departed.

After he left, Southern Breeze remained languidly reclining. Some time later, she opened her eyes and murmured, “This world has changed. Men are becoming more and more frightening.”

As soon as Zhou Yu stepped out of the palanquin, a biting cold struck him.

He jumped down and stood aside, waiting for Abu Li and the old man.

“Master, let me have a drink,” Zhou Yu said as the old man approached.

The old man handed him the wine gourd, grumbling, “This damned weather is colder than Mizhang Mountain.”

“Hey, you didn’t enjoy yourself in there?” The old man circled Zhou Yu, eyeing him.

After a few gulps of strong wine, Zhou Yu replied, “No matter what, she might become Yueming’s woman. For that reason alone, I can’t touch her.”

“Then why did she call you in?” the old man asked.

Zhou Yu took out the three pills and showed them. “She said she shouldn’t have brought me into this mess, so she gave me these in case of emergency.”

The old man dropped the yellow pill into the wine gourd, gave it a shake, and had Zhou Yu and Abu Li each take a sip.

Afterward, Zhou Yu felt an unusual warmth—not the warmth of heat, but a deep comfort in his body.

At that moment, Southern Breeze’s little brother arrived, handing each of them a talisman. “These are our family’s special Gale Talismans,” he said. “Stick them to your bodies to move faster. We must hurry.”

Zhou Yu caught a faint scent of blood on the wind.