Holy shit!

It’s the legendary Honey Trap!

After a split second of hormonal distraction, Qi Yuan’s brain snapped back to reality.

Xiao Yuening had risen above countless peers to seize the throne of the Exquisite Holy Maiden. She certainly wasn’t some naive, love-struck bimbo. Even if she harbored a sliver of affection for him, she wouldn’t lose her mind and throw herself into a man’s arms in the dead of night.

Her eagerness had a price tag.

Clearly, the ‘drinker’s heart was not in the wine’. She was here to probe the nature of his relationship with Ancestor Feihuang.

Qi Yuan had to admire her skills. From the moment she stepped through the door, every word, every micro-expression was calibrated to perfection.

Think about it. She hadn’t actually promised him anything. She simply hinted that she did have feelings, but ‘circumstances’ kept them apart.

Strive in cultivation… encourage each other… seek immortality together…

It sounded romantic, but translated into modern terms, it was the classic: “Get a job, buy a house, and then maybe I’ll let you marry me.”

It was a perfectly politically correct rejection wrapped in a carrot on a stick. It was designed to motivate the Supreme Mystery Holy Scion to work harder without giving him any sugar.

Against an ordinary man, this combination of soft words and peerless beauty would be fatal. He would be drooling, pledging his undying loyalty.

But Qi Yuan? He was built different.

In terms of raw beauty, Ji Chan’er was a top-tier calamity who naturally exuded seduction. As a demonic cultivator, she was far more open and wild than the reserved Xiao Yuening.

Then there was his Eldest Senior Sister, Bai Xirou—serene, elegant, with the added bonus of a supreme furnace physique.

Qi Yuan was a seasoned veteran of the game. He had seen the high seas. He wasn’t going to capsize just because a pretty girl batted her eyelashes.

This woman actually dares to play a Honey Trap on me?

Bro, if I back down tonight, I’ll write my name upside down!

A gleam of mockery flashed in Qi Yuan’s eyes. Without standing on ceremony, he reached out and boldly pulled the Exquisite Holy Maiden into his lap.

“Since Fairy Xiao has asked, naturally, I will tell you everything,” Qi Yuan said casually, his arm tightening around her waist. “To be honest, I hit it off immediately with your Ancestor Feihuang. We had a delightful conversation.”

“The Ancestor personally told me that she doesn’t have many friends. Aside from your Founder Fang Lan, I am the junior she is closest to.”

He leaned in, whispering into her ear, “Also, I know Ancestor Feihuang’s true form is actually a Cheng Huang. Thanks to the Ancestor’s great favor… I even rode her once today.”

“How is that possible?!”

Xiao Yuening gasped, her body stiffening in his arms.

Except for the Illusion Realm incident, this was the first time she had been physically intimate with a man. She instinctively wanted to struggle free from his devilish claws, but the bombshell he dropped paralyzed her.

The fact that Cheng Feihuang was an Innate Divine Beast—a Cheng Huang—was a double-S-class secret.

Besides the Sect Leader and herself, only a handful of Supreme Elders knew. Even high-ranking Dao Integration Elders were kept in the dark.

Yet, the Ancestor had casually revealed this to an outsider? The implications were terrifying.

And even more earth-shattering… her sect’s Guardian Ancestor, a majestic Great Ascension Realm Divine Beast… had been ridden?

Xiao Yuening’s jaw dropped slightly. Her worldview shattered into dust. She sat there, frozen in a state of cognitive dissonance.

Qi Yuan, meanwhile, was also fighting a battle.

Feeling the warm, soft jade of her body against his, and smelling her intoxicating orchid fragrance, his heart rate spiked. His breathing grew heavy.

What is going on?

He had expected her to panic and flee the moment he got handsy. Instead, she was acting docile, offering zero resistance.

Is she really willing to invest this much capital just for a Honey Trap?

Fine. If you’re offering, I’m taking.

Qi Yuan decided to escalate. He would taste the sweetness first and test her bottom line later.

His hands began to wander, exploring the curves of her waist with unrestrained audacity.

The sudden surge of electric sensations snapped Xiao Yuening out of her stupor. Her face flushed crimson. She hurriedly clamped her hands over his roving paws.

“D-don’t… stop… stop it…”

She was dying of embarrassment, but her mission was paramount. She forcibly suppressed the urge to run and asked in a trembling, delicate voice, “Fellow Daoist Qi… Ancestor Feihuang lives in seclusion. Why… why does she favor you so much?”

Qi Yuan sniffed her hair, replying nonchalantly, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m handsome? Perhaps the Ancestor finds me pleasing to the eye.”

Handsome?

Xiao Yuening blinked, looking at him with suspicion.

Sure, he was good-looking. His temperament was excellent. But he wasn’t at the level where a face alone could charm a hundred-thousand-year-old Divine Beast.

Ancestors didn’t care about skin bags.

Realizing she needed to massage his ego to get the truth, Xiao Yuening let out a soft sigh, feigning a look of admiration.

“Fellow Daoist Qi, you are too humble. With your extraordinary talent, you defeated a Soul Formation cultivator while only in the Nascent Soul realm. You are the undisputed prodigy of the Seven Great Sanctuaries.”

She looked up at him with starry eyes. “It is only natural that Ancestor Feihuang would appreciate a genius like you.”

She was a smart woman. She knew exactly what men wanted to hear—especially young, high-flying prodigies like Qi Yuan. A little flattery usually made them spill their guts.

Since direct questioning failed, she would stroke his ego until he slipped up.

For the sake of the Exquisite Sanctuary, she was risking it all!

And it seemed to work. Qi Yuan appeared to get carried away, blabbering nonsense while continuing his physical assault.

I have to admit, Qi Yuan thought, she’s wrapped up tight, but she’s got serious assets.

Within minutes, Xiao Yuening lost the war.

In her confusion and embarrassment, not only did she fail to extract a single useful clue, but Qi Yuan’s slippery tongue also tricked her into revealing several of her own sect’s secrets.

Finally, realizing she was being played and losing ground fast, she panicked. She pushed against his chest, scrambling to stand up.

“Fellow Daoist Qi! It’s getting late! You should rest! I… I’m leaving!”

“Hold on.”

Qi Yuan’s hand shot out, clamping onto her slender, porcelain wrist. A roguish grin curled his lips.

“Fairy Xiao, have you forgotten? According to Ancestor Feihuang’s decree, you are already my woman.”

He pulled her closer. “Since you’re already here, why wait for an auspicious day? Let’s fast-forward straight to the bridal chamber. What do you say?”

Xiao Yuening’s face burned red as blood. Her voice trembled violently.

“Too… too fast! I… I’m not ready yet!”

Qi Yuan remained unmoved. “Is that so? Then I’ll have to inform Ancestor Feihuang that you are defying her will.”

“No! Don’t!”

Xiao Yuening’s heart pounded like a war drum. “Please! Just… just give me some time! I…”

Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow, his smile turning predatory.

“Fairy Xiao. You started this game with a Honey Trap. Now you have to take responsibility for the fire you lit.”

He leaned in, his gaze dropping to her trembling lips.

“However… since you aren’t ready for the main event… perhaps we can try a different method to quell the fire?”

What?

Xiao Yuening froze.

Before she could process what “different method” meant, she was pulled back down onto the bed…