Chapter 244: Morning Awkwardness! Senior Sister, are you really getting addicted to playing this maid role?

The wooden couch in the outer room was very hard.

Gu Lan leaned against the hard wooden board, listening to the faint sounds of tossing and turning coming from the inner room, and barely closed his eyes all night.

The bite mark on his shoulder was still throbbing with a dull pain. Saintess Ji Wushuang's bite had been extremely deep; although he had used the Green Lotus Core Flame to seal his blood vessels, the burning tingling sensation at the wound was not so easily dispelled.

The sky was gradually brightening.

The grayish-white morning light filtered through the lattice window of the Saintess Palace.

The beaded curtains in the inner room emitted a crisp clattering sound.

Gu Lan opened his eyes and turned to look.

Saintess Ji Wushuang was already fully dressed. She had changed into a black form-fitting battle skirt, and her high ponytail made her look capable and neat. However, her gaze was somewhat drifting, deliberately avoiding Gu Lan's line of sight, and a trace of lingering blush still remained on her cheeks.

The two exchanged a glance.

An indescribable awkwardness permeated the air.

"Cough."

Saintess Ji Wushuang gave a dry cough, breaking the silence.

She walked quickly to the table, poured a cup of cold tea, and gulped it down in one go. Then she turned around, took a white jade porcelain bottle out of her storage ring, and hurled it at Gu Lan like throwing a hidden weapon.

"Catch it!"

Gu Lan raised his hand and caught it steadily.

"What is this?"

"Western Snow Toad Ointment." Saintess Ji Wushuang turned her face away, looking at the hanging painting on the wall, and said at a very fast pace, "It specializes in treating external injuries. Apply it so it doesn't leave a scar. If my Sword-Wielding Envoy has an ugly dent on his body, it will make me lose face when I walk outside."

Gu Lan looked at the medicine bottle in his hand, and then looked at her posture of putting up a bold front despite being weak inside.

"Thanks."

Gu Lan did not decline, directly pulling out the stopper and pouring out a bit of cooling ointment to smear onto the bite mark on his shoulder.

"Regarding last night…"

"Nothing happened last night!"

Before Gu Lan could finish speaking, Saintess Ji Wushuang abruptly raised her volume like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"This palace was too tired from practicing my Cultivation Technique last night and fell asleep early. You slept in the outer room just to keep watch for this palace! It's that simple!"

Seeing her looking like she was protesting too much, Gu Lan very sensibly went down the steps provided.

"Understood. Since Your Highness the Saintess says nothing happened, then nothing happened."

Gu Lan stood up and tidied his somewhat disheveled outer robe.

"Then I will return to the Hidden Sword Pavilion first. Today I still need to go see if that bunch of subordinates has repaired the Martial Arts Arena."

"Get lost quickly." Saintess Ji Wushuang waved her hand, as if shooing away a fly.

Gu Lan turned and walked toward the main door.

Just as he was about to step across the threshold, Saintess Ji Wushuang's somewhat awkward voice suddenly came from behind.

"Um…"

Gu Lan stopped in his tracks and turned back.

Saintess Ji Wushuang lowered her head, her toes uneasily grinding against the fire fox-fur carpet on the floor.

"Be careful yourself. That Old Hag said she wants to examine your Cultivation Technique, she definitely doesn't harbor any good intentions. If she makes any excessive demands, don't foolishly agree to all of them."

Gu Lan felt a warmth in his heart.

"Understood. My life is tough; I won't die."

After speaking, he pushed open the main door and strode into the wind and snow of the Far North.

…

Separated by a single wall.

Hidden Sword Pavilion.

Gu Lan pushed open the heavy black wooden door.

The room was very clean, even cleaner than when he had left yesterday.

All the furniture had been wiped impeccably clean, and a stove of inferior yet refreshing incense was burning in the air.

Jiang Wanqing was wearing that grayish coarse hemp clothing, holding a basin of steaming clear water as she walked out from the side room.

Seeing Gu Lan enter the door, her movements paused slightly.

Her gaze extremely sharply swept across Gu Lan's somewhat wrinkled collar, as well as the fabric on his right shoulder where bloodstains faintly showed through.

At that instant, a trace of stabbing pain flashed through Jiang Wanqing's eyes.

But she quickly concealed all her emotions.

"Master, you are back."

Jiang Wanqing carried the water basin to Gu Lan and curtsied slightly, her voice so docile that not a single flaw could be picked out.

"The water temperature is just right. This maid shall wait upon you to wash up."

Gu Lan looked at her submissive maid-like appearance, and his scalp went a bit numb.

When Saintess Ji Wushuang was here yesterday, acting a bit was fine. Now that it was just the two of them, why was she still getting addicted to acting?

"Senior Sister, that's enough."

Gu Lan frowned and reached out to take the water basin in her hands.

"There are no outsiders here, you don't need to call me master every other word. I can handle the water myself."

"No."

Jiang Wanqing's body shifted slightly to the side, avoiding Gu Lan's hand.

She raised her head, her cold and aloof eyes carrying a stubbornness that made it impossible to refuse.

"Acting must be done thoroughly. This is the Heavenly Demon Palace, and paper walls have ears. If I cannot even perform daily etiquette well, sooner or later it will implicate you."

As she spoke, she placed the water basin on the wooden rack, picked up a clean towel, dipped it into the hot water, and wrung it dry.

"Sit down."

Her tone was very soft, yet carried a hint of unquestionable certainty.

Gu Lan had no choice and could only sit down on the chair.

Jiang Wanqing walked up to him, bent down slightly, and gently wiped his face with the hot towel.

The warm touch came, alleviating the fatigue on Gu Lan's face.

The distance between the two was extremely close. Gu Lan could clearly smell the faint fragrance of plum blossoms on Jiang Wanqing's body, which was not masked by any incense.

"What happened to your shoulder?"

Jiang Wanqing's movements were very light, and the towel slid down Gu Lan's side face slowly to his collar.

She seemingly unintentionally pulled open Gu Lan's collar, revealing the bite mark that had already been smeared with Snow Toad Ointment but still appeared shocking to the eye.

That was a row of deep tooth marks.

Jiang Wanqing's fingers trembled slightly, and the towel paused mid-air.

Her eye sockets instantly turned red.

"Was it bitten by that Demon Cult Saintess?"

Jiang Wanqing tried her best to keep her voice calm, but the heartache and bitterness in her tone could not be hidden no matter what.

"Did she… make things difficult for you last night?"

Gu Lan looked at her expression of wanting to cry yet not crying, and cried out for his life in his heart.

"She didn't make things difficult! Really she didn't!"

Gu Lan hurriedly explained.

"Yesterday she had a slight mishap while practicing her Cultivation Technique and suffered Qi Deviation. In order to suppress her, I accidentally got bitten by her as if I were a bone."

"It really was an accident! And I've already taught her a lesson!"

Gu Lan tried hard to make the matter sound light, for fear that Senior Sister would once again imagine some tragic drama of him being wantonly abused and humiliated by the Demon Cult enchantress.

"Qi Deviation?"

Jiang Wanqing murmured softly.

She did not expose Gu Lan's lie.

She had also heard of the Demon Cult's Heavenly Demon Charming Bone Technique; she could figure out what kind of things would happen if one suffered Qi Deviation from that kind of Cultivation Technique even with her toes.

In order not to make her worry, Junior Brother even had to make up such a clumsy excuse to cover up his grievances.

Every day in this devil's den, not only did he have to guard against those murderous Devil Heads, but he also had to use his body to deal with those insatiable enchantresses.

"Does it hurt?"

Jiang Wanqing extended her fair fingers, gently stroking the edge of the wound.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, just a little external scratch." Gu Lan gave a dry laugh.

"In the future, don't be so foolish."

Jiang Wanqing lowered her head, using the towel to wipe away the blood scabs around the wound little by little.

"If she forces you again… you mustn't blindly obey. Your life is more important than any undercover mission."

Her words were said with extreme seriousness, every single word and phrase revealing a resolute determination of burning one's boats.

Gu Lan listened with his heart in his throat.

"Senior Sister, please don't be rash. I can handle it, really."

Just as the atmosphere between the two was heavy.

"Bang!"

The door of the Hidden Sword Pavilion was heavily knocked upon.

"Lord Sword-Wielding Envoy!"

From outside the door came the cold and mechanical voice of a Shadow Guard.

"The Cult Master has an order."

"Order you to immediately proceed to Zhaixing Tower for an audience. The Cult Master says she wants to personally… examine your cultivation."