The Beauty and the Swordsman

As soon as the elder finished speaking, all the believers began to hug and kiss each other with practiced ease.

Pei Lingyou and Kuang Ye had never seen such a scene before.

The Great Yong Kingdom is a land of etiquette, where people greet each other with a bow, and even the closest friends simply put their arms around each other's shoulders.

Aside from older people doting on their young children, Pei Lingyou had never seen a normal person hug or kiss her.

But once the elders spoke, the previously apathetic believers began to move.

Pei Lingyou and Kuang Ye must continue acting as if they are under the influence of the Heavenly Fairy's spell in order to investigate further.

The two stared at each other, then simultaneously lowered their heads, not daring to look at one another.

Pei Lingyou glanced at Shoumo not far away; the boy was already calling out "Pingping" and hugging the girl named Qingge. She couldn't help but curse inwardly:

No wonder you're so happy you don't want to leave! You're so reluctant to leave this fragrant and beautiful place!

Pei Lingyou's cheeks flushed slightly.

Kuang Ye remained calm, but his ears and the back of his neck were secretly blushing.

He was the first to extend his hand.

Pei Lingyou blushed and slowly leaned over, but since the two were sitting cross-legged facing each other, they couldn't hug each other because they were naked.

She had no choice but to change to a kneeling position and lean into his arms.

From Kuang Ye's perspective, he could see Pei Lingyou crawling towards him step by step, like a cat, with her charming little paws.

He couldn't help but purse his lips, his heart racing and his breathing becoming rapid.

Fortunately, Pei Lingyou only briefly threw herself into his arms before leaving again.

His hand merely circled her back lightly before returning to its proper place.

He unconsciously clenched his palm, where the lingering warmth of her body still remained. Even through the rough hemp clothing, it felt as warm as a flame, coursing through his hand and into his body.

He tried his best to silently recite the "Qingxin Jue" (a book on mental purification) that had been turned to the edge of the page.

Just as I was starting to calm down, everyone started sticking their faces together again, ready to get married.

Pei Lingyou remained in a cat-like position, lying in front of him, and had to slightly raise her body and look up at him.

Her eyes were bright yet shy, blank yet innocent, and her cheeks were flushed like peaches.

Kuang Ye's pupils shrank instantly, and his heart pounded wildly.

He felt his breathing become erratic, forgetting even how to inhale, his eyes fixed only on her charming and lovely appearance.

He leaned down, tilted his head slightly, and slowly approached her lips and teeth.

Pei Lingyou's mind went blank with tension, and she almost had tinnitus.

The brain may be dull, but people inexplicably know how to cater to others.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back to meet his high, straight nose.

The first time she ever kissed someone was with Kuang Ye, and it happened in front of so many people in public.

Good heavens, she thought this Heart-Crossing Gathering was too exciting; no wonder she didn't want to leave once she arrived.

Just as the two were lost in passion with their eyes closed, their noses touching, about to kiss, a scream suddenly came from the front of the hall:

"Aren't you two siblings? What kind of behavior is this?"

The sound drew the attention of all the believers.

Pei Lingyou and Kuang Ye opened their eyes and looked closely, only to find that everyone's "lips" touched each other's "cheeks".

And most of them just went through the motions, without even getting close enough to touch his face.

Only the two of them, their faces flushed, were just a finger's width away from kissing, putting on a live sex show in front of everyone.

Especially the way Pei Lingyou lay in front of Kuang Ye, with her head slightly tilted back, a sight that stirred the imagination, and her graceful waist and hips that even coarse linen clothes couldn't hide.

The artist standing nearby was drooling with envy, and kept slapping his thigh in frustration.

If I hadn't been so busy drawing "sadness" for people, I should have come to the retreat earlier! I'm so late!

Fortunately, the believers were all in a daze under the influence of the celestial angel's medicine, which saved Pei Lingyou and Kuang Ye a lot of embarrassment.

The two quickly pretended to be delirious due to the drugs and sat back down in their original seats.

Pei Lingyou even pretended to have blank eyes, mumbled "abba aba," and drooled a little at the corner of her mouth, looking like she had overdosed on drugs.

This made Kuang Ye secretly pinch his thigh to suppress his laughter.

The initial stirrings of emotion and the subsequent awkwardness between them vanished completely. They exchanged a glance, suppressed their laughter, and continued to pretend to be believers.

Fortunately, Pei Lingyou's "complaining her grievances" to her elders was so difficult that He Xiuhe had to use a lot more of the Heavenly Fairy Powder, which could easily make someone stupid.

He Xiuhe and the elder did not suspect much and began to lead the believers in chanting as usual.

After singing, they would read books, and after reading, they would practice some kind of "true qigong" together. Then, the elders would give lectures, saying empty and meaningless admonitions such as "Do not do evil because it is small, and do not neglect good because it is small" and "Good and evil will be rewarded, it's just that the time has not come yet."

The last person was given a cup of clear dew, and after drinking it, everyone sat in meditation for a full two hours before the meeting was dismissed.

After a whole meditation session, Pei Lingyou was so bored she almost fell asleep, having discovered no valuable clues whatsoever.

It wasn't that she was careless or negligent in investigating the case; it was just that with Kuang Ye around, she felt she didn't need to use her brain or exert any effort at all.

This group of believers, who looked almost mentally impaired, included an elderly elder, a painter who was too weak to even kill a chicken, and He Xiuhe, a middle-aged woman in charge.

No matter how Pei Lingyou looked at it, she didn't think they were capable of creating any evil forces.

Either they were all beasts in human skin, their acting skills so superb that she and Kuang Ye couldn't tell the difference, and the officials came again and again without finding anything.

Pei Lingyou and Kuang Ye secretly discussed and decided to blend in with the believers and lie low for a while longer.

Unfortunately, the members of the Crossing Hearts Association couldn't take it anymore in less than five days.

Indeed, who is Pei Lingyou?

She's the only one in the entire martial arts world who dares to wear the title "Mischievous One".

Moreover, this was when she was already dominating the martial arts world at the age of sixteen.

Now, three years later, everyone else seems to be getting older and more composed.

On the contrary, her wickedness only increased, and her unruly and insolent nature grew day by day.

She didn't even attend the advanced courses at the Dust Sect properly, so she had to travel around and do chivalrous deeds to make up for the lost points.

Not to mention the classes at the Crossing Hearts Association.

Relying on the fact that she took the antidote in advance every day, she was not afraid of the effects of the Heavenly Fairy's medicine. She accepted the tea and food provided by the Crossing Heart Society without hesitation. She drank the Dew given to her during class in one gulp and even asked for a refill.

These things were originally laced with drugs, which is why the believers always seemed so dazed and confused.

But Pei Lingyou was completely unaffected, sleeping until the sun was high in the sky every day. He Xiuhe would shout until her throat was hoarse and the threshold was almost worn down before she could be woken up.

Pei Lingyou asked to eat as soon as she got up.

Du Xin Hui eats only vegetarian food, and those few vegetable leaves and soups are not enough to fill her up.

One bowl isn't enough, I want two bowls; two bowls aren't enough, I want three bowls...

Each time, they would need seven or eight bowls of tea to just fill their stomachs, and then they would start guzzling tea like oxen.

He Xiuhe, Qingge, and the painter were among the few people in the Duxin Society who remained clear-headed and were responsible for providing food and refreshments for all the believers.

Pei Lingyou could easily manage three people at will.

After finally having eaten and drunk her fill, Pei Lingyou began her daily meditation and classes. However, she would always fall asleep on the futon after listening for only a short while.

Either you snore so loudly that you wake up complaining that there's no pillow and your neck hurts from sleeping;

Or he would let out some indescribable, ambiguous chuckles in his sleep, which would always distract the meditating believers.

After five days, He Xiuhe and the others couldn't take it anymore and demanded that their elders drive Pei Lingyou away.

The elder originally thought that since he had already squeezed the two men dry of their fine clothes and silver notes, it wouldn't matter if he let them go.

After all, Pei Lingyou's grievance of "getting beaten for stealing chickens" was too minor and not enough to firmly maintain her faith in the Crossing Heart Society.

But upon seeing Pei Lingyou's stunningly beautiful face, the elder felt a deep reluctance and whispered to He Xiuhe:

"Wait a little longer, give her something drastic."

He Xiuhe understood immediately and secretly poured the contents of a bottle into Pei Lingyou's soup bowl during dinner that evening.

Just as she finished pouring, Kuang Ye saw it and tried to stop her, but Pei Lingyou had already picked up the bowl and drunk the soup clean.

Kuang Ye secretly observed everyone's expressions. When he saw that beneath the elder's kind face lay a lecherous and impatient look, he immediately realized that the bottle contained not a stronger dose of sleeping potion, but probably a drug to induce sexual intercourse between men and women.

He and Pei Lingyou only took the antidote to prevent the Heavenly Fairy beforehand; other medicines could not prevent it.

Therefore, for Pei Lingyou's safety, as soon as the meditation session ended and it got dark, Kuang Ye quietly came to Pei Lingyou's room.

Pei Lingyou was never resentful. After eating her fill, she would sleep soundly, facing inwards without any suspicion.

Kuang Ye stepped forward, considered for a moment, and wanted to smell her mouth to see if there was any drug residue, so he could find out what kind of drug she had been given.

As soon as he leaned over, Pei Lingyou woke up, wrapped her long, white arms around his neck, and smiled sweetly, her eyes filled with deep affection and longing.