Chapter 32: A Night Breeze Brushes the Face, the Second Prince Pays a Call
Xia Yan glanced at Gu Fan’s expression and immediately understood what he was thinking.
A flush of shame and anger surged through her.
How could a girl be caught in such a compromising position? It was simply mortifying!
She wished for a crack to appear beneath her so she could crawl inside and disappear.
Amid her humiliation, she caught sight of Gu Fan’s awkward gaze.
Only then did she realize how revealing her attire had been.
But more than embarrassment, she found it fascinating: this usually decisive, ruthless Gu Fan suddenly looked embarrassed and self-conscious.
That sight struck a fresh chord in Xia Yan.
In a moment of unexpected boldness, her lingering fear—born from confronting her superior—evaporated entirely.
Instead of fixing her clothes, she intentionally took two steps closer.
“Sir… you’ve surely seen a woman’s body before?”
Gu Fan’s body stiffened slightly. He forced out an indifferent snort.
“Hmph. You’re just a pretty skeleton. If I wanted one, I could have countless women serving me.”
“Then… would you like to try serving me?”
Xia Yan’s cheeks burned hot; her heart pounded fiercely.
She thought she’d gone mad—daring to tease the man before her, this same man who killed without batting an eye!
Her legs trembled uncontrollably!
Oh dear, she was doomed!
She’d dared to attack her superior earlier, and now she was courting danger.
There’d be no escaping his wrath this time!
Yet, she also felt a strange, forbidden thrill.
Before the apocalypse, she’d obediently followed her family’s plan and worked in a hospital.
Everyone thought she was a good girl, always acting the way her family wanted.
But this decadent, reckless sensation now stirred a secret excitement in her.
Gu Fan forced himself to calm down as he stared at Xia Yan, who was nearly pressing against him.
Her cold beauty, the curves of her figure, her slender waist and long legs—all truly seductive.
Earlier, he had used strict rules to rapidly fortify the shelter.
Now that things had loosened, he was seeing his beautiful subordinate in a whole new light.
It wasn’t that Gu Fan disliked beautiful women.
It was just that, fifteen years after transmigrating, his body—technically—was still young.
More importantly, he was a cultivator whose lifespan would be vast.
Time flowed differently across the two worlds.
In a blink, the most peerless beauty could become nothing but dust.
Once emotions were involved, sorrow followed inevitably.
No matter how ruthless he was, he couldn’t utterly suppress affection.
So it was wiser to avoid trouble altogether.
“Ahem ahem… forget it. As the saying goes, ‘a rabbit won’t eat grass near its burrow.’”
“This is the apocalypse. Who are you guarding against, sir? Or… are you…”
Xia Yan took another two steps forward, unnerving Gu Fan into taking two steps back.
“No, no—seriously, listen—I may look like an adult, but I’m still young!”
“Fifteen or so? In ancient times, people matured early!”
This time, Xia Yan truly cast caution to the wind.
In this end-of-days world, which woman wouldn’t want to rely on a strong, trustworthy man?
And Gu Fan was precisely such a man.
He had saved Xia Yan, strengthened her position, and brought her onto the path of the Evolvers.
Though sometimes bloodthirsty, with time Xia Yan was sure he was ruthless only toward enemies—not heartless.
So this mysterious, powerful man—how could a woman not be drawn to him?
Gu Fan could only smile wryly in helplessness.
Sometimes men really were ruled by their lower impulses.
Feeling Xia Yan move closer, the touch of softness and the occasional friction against him—
Gu Fan, full of youthful vigor, found he could no longer resist.
He hardened his resolve and sneered,
“Xia Yan, you will pay for your boldness.”
With that, Gu Fan swept up the soft, delicate body before him in a horizontal embrace.
Xia Yan let out a startled cry, and in the next moment, she was flipped over and pressed face-down against the table.
Such a shameful position made her whole body go weak.
“Sir, isn’t this a bit… improper?”
“Is it too late for regrets now?”
“……”
…
The night passed without further words.
Inside the lounge, everything was a mess.
Gu Fan stretched lazily, feeling completely refreshed.
He glanced at Xia Yan still fast asleep on the bed and felt a headache coming on.
He had only meant to come here to break through to the next realm…
So how had he ended up entangled with his female subordinate?
But since it had already happened, Gu Fan didn’t bother to dwell on it.
As for the issue of aging, he could always find a basic cultivation technique for Xia Yan to start cultivating.
Besides, the path of the Evolvers might be another viable option.
“Sir… are you leaving?”
Xia Yan’s voice had the tone of a cool older woman.
Just waking up, her voice still carried a hint of laziness and coyness.
Gu Fan recalled the sounds from last night, how that voice had accompanied his every charge… for a moment, he was almost tempted again.
“Ahem. From now on, don’t call me ‘sir’ anymore. Call me whatever you like. I’m heading out—I’ll be back in a while.”
Xia Yan smiled and waved coquettishly.
“Take care, big brother~ Be sure to come back often~”
Gu Fan staggered slightly at her words.
Being called “big brother” in such a sultry tone by a woman like her—now that was a lot to take.
“Got it. Don’t forget to tend the flowers for me!”
…
Cultivation Realm.
Gu Fan stretched and walked out of the house trying to act calm.
As soon as Lin Yi saw him emerge, his expression shifted subtly.
Gu Fan felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
“Shoo, shoo. What are you staring at me for? I don’t swing that way.”
“Brother Gu… you actually went out drinking with girls behind my back!”
Gu Fan’s face darkened.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Do I look like that kind of person?”
“No need to be embarrassed, Brother Gu. Visiting brothels is perfectly normal. But to think you didn’t invite me—now that’s crossing a line.”
Lin Yi shook his head with exaggerated disappointment.
Gu Fan chuckled.
“From how you’re talking, you sound like a regular at those places.”
“Not to brag, but I had my first experience under the guidance of a senior brother last year.”
“How old are you this year?”
“One year older than Brother Gu. I’m sixteen now.”
Gu Fan cursed silently—so he had just turned fifteen when doing it?
Damn, these people were beasts!
They chatted casually for a while longer.
Around noon, someone came by for a visit.
After striking an agreement with the Second Prince the night before, they had moved into a residence arranged by him.
So now, the only people who would come visiting were surely from the Second Prince’s faction.
What they hadn’t expected was for the Second Prince himself to appear at the door.
“Did the two of you rest well last night?”
Gu Fan, startled by the prince’s visit, smiled as he saluted.
“Since leaving the sect, last night was by far the most restful sleep I’ve had.”
“Haha, excellent to hear, excellent.”
Lin Yi chimed in,
“Your Highness personally coming to visit—may we ask what matter brings you here?”
“It’s nothing urgent. I just thought, since it’s nearly noon, and I happen to have some things to discuss with you both regarding the Crown Prince competition, why not dine together?”
“Such a minor matter hardly requires Your Highness to come in person.”
“Haha, it’s on the way. If you’re free, shall we go now?”
With five thousand spirit stones at stake, neither of them would decline.
Gu Fan nodded, and Lin Yi took the initiative to follow.
A knowing look flashed through Zhou Rong’s eyes.
From the nuances at the banquet last night to their interactions just now—
It was clear that between the two, Gu Fan held the reins.
It seemed necessary to strengthen ties with this Gu Fan moving forward.