"Don't complain about nuisances," Druke chuckled. "I hear the kidnapper is the leader of the 'Sweeping the Horizon' faction. A powerful cultivator, he even defeated the Duolun family's Inner Attendant. Looks like you finally have a worthy opponent!"

Hearing this, the guard's eyes lit up. "The Inner Attendant was defeated? Excellent, this person must be mine to deal with!" As he spoke, a surging battle intent erupted from him, manifesting as an invisible killing aura in the air.

Druke smiled faintly. "You won't mind posing as my guard this time, will you?"

The guard laughed heartily. "Why would I mind? Patriarch Harding once saved my life; I promised him I would do one thing for him. Since the Patriarch asked, I will certainly do my utmost!"

Druke nodded. "Then I thank you for your service."

"I've met the young miss of the Duolun family once before. Quite an arrogant woman," the guard remarked.

Druke grinned. "Who isn't? I met her last year, too. She barely acknowledged anyone's existence. Besides being decent-looking, that woman is worthless! Though, she does have a wild streak. If I could get her beneath me, she'd probably be quite something!" He let out a lecherous laugh.

The guard knew Druke was trouble; the heir's reputation for womanizing was notorious, and he'd taken advantage of countless women under the shield of his privileged status. He offered a mild smile, about to reply, when his gaze suddenly sharpened. "Someone ahead!"

"Hm?" Druke questioned, sensing confusion. He carefully scanned the surroundings but detected nothing unusual. Just as he was about to ask more, the guard pointed ahead. "There's a cave there, people inside!"

Druke looked toward the spot hundreds of meters away. With his superior eyesight, he couldn't see a thing and couldn't help but admire the guard's perception.

The party proceeded toward the cave. The guard kept Ruke behind him, pushing aside the camouflage covering the entrance before stepping inside.

Chen Feng, worried the others might overlook Yu Jiao, had made the camouflage deliberately crude. Otherwise, how could the guard have spotted her from hundreds of meters away?

"Ah... what is this..." Druke entered the cave and saw Yu Jiao draped loosely in a piece of armor. His face instantly flushed with heat.

"Mmm..." Yu Jiao moaned unconsciously upon hearing the noise and instinctively shifted her weight.

Crash!

The armor, loosely covering her, immediately slid off, exposing the maiden's bare, pale skin.

This wasn't Chen Feng's fault for not dressing her properly; she was naked, and he couldn't exactly dress her piece by piece. So, he had simply draped the armor over her. Now, in her unconscious state, the slightest movement caused the covering to slip, naturally revealing her smooth body.

"To find such a perfect woman in this desolate place! Her bosom is truly ample..." Druke’s eyes glowed with lustful greed. The cave was somewhat dim, so he hadn't clearly seen Yu Jiao's face.

This was understandable; when faced with a completely nude woman, would a normal, if slightly lecherous, man focus on her facial features first?

"Young Master, this appears to be... Young Miss Yu Jiao, the one we're looking for!" The guard had sharp eyes and was less consumed by lust; he had recognized her identity.

"Young Miss Yu Jiao?" Druke started, then took a closer look. It was undeniably her. "Heh, she was impossibly arrogant with me before. I never expected to see her like this when we meet again—completely bare. Looks like she was just serviced by someone. Forget it; just cover her up and take her away!"

"Take her away?" The guard looked surprised. "Didn't you just say you wanted to pin her down?"

"A used piece of trash? I don't have much interest," Druke said dismissively.

Although Druke desperately wanted to claim her, the Duolun family and his own were currently allied. Taking her would only invite unforeseen trouble. Besides, a woman just used by another held no appeal for him. Having experienced countless women, he truly found the act of claiming someone else's conquest unexciting, especially following someone else's conquest.

"Trash?" The guard gave a peculiar smile and murmured, "Although the young miss hasn't moved, with my cultivation level, I can tell she is still a virgin, untouched." Seeing Druke's perplexed look, he explained, "It's likely the abductor didn't have time to succeed before we arrived. He must have fled in fear!"

"Oh?" Hearing that Yu Jiao was still pure, Druke's interest resurfaced. But he quickly sighed. "Forget it. If the Duolun family finds out, we'll certainly become enemies."

Though lecherous, Druke wasn't so blinded by lust that he couldn't see the bigger picture. Now, plotting alongside the Duolun family, an immediate feud would be a loss outweighing any gain.

"Enemies? Hardly. It might even bring your two families closer!" the guard said with a smile.

"Hm, how so?" Druke asked eagerly. Getting the beauty without any consequences?

The guard chuckled. "It’s simple. Young Miss Yu Jiao was abducted by the leader of the 'Sweeping the Horizon' legion. If she had indeed been violated, who else could it be? She’s unconscious now and can't tell who did it. You 'rescue' her after you've had your way... At that point, the Duolun family might be even more determined to attack the 'Sweeping the Horizon' faction!"

Druke's eyes brightened. "That's right! A perfect plan to kill two birds with one stone!"

To profit, play the hero, and incite conflict between the Duolun family and the 'Sweeping the Horizon' faction—this was a multi-faceted opportunity. To pass it up would be idiotic!

The guard laughed and stepped forward, his fingers moving like a whirlwind, striking Yu Jiao's body a dozen times.

"I've put her into a semi-conscious state using a special technique. Under the seal of my power, in a short while, she will be like she's taken an aphrodisiac, becoming utterly compliant. We'll wait for you outside." The guard grinned lewdly and walked away.

Hearing this, Druke felt even more elated. Seeing everyone else leave, he tossed the armor covering Yu Jiao aside. Gazing at the perfect, nude body lying on the ground with a slight frown, he could no longer restrain himself and stripped off his own clothes!

"Hahahaha... You arrogant woman, last time you wouldn't even look at me. Now, aren't you the same, pinned beneath me like a common prostitute?" Druke sneered, gently caressing Yu Jiao's cheek.

By now, Yu Jiao’s body was growing warm; the energy the guard injected into her, acting like an aphrodisiac, had begun to take effect.

"No matter how beautiful, how noble, how flawless a woman is, she is still just a woman. Once she lies down, what difference is there from a prostitute?" Druke declared, gently kissing Yu Jiao's cheek. "Let me properly enjoy you, this noble woman!"

His face was flushed crimson. Last year, when he encountered Yu Jiao, she had been too proud to even glance his way. Now, she lay naked beneath him, and the intense contrast made his erection tremble uncontrollably.

"I'll teach you arrogance. Today, you become my plaything!" With that, he adjusted Yu Jiao’s body, thrust his waist forward, and was about to breach the final barrier.

"Ah!"

A sharp cry echoed from outside.

"Whoof..."

Immediately following, a fierce gust of wind shot toward his back.

In his haste, Druke abandoned his move on Yu Jiao and jumped up violently. Due to his panic, his knee struck the ground, causing blood to stream out instantly.

Boom!

The stone wall of the cave directly in front of him was struck by a fast-moving stone, creating a pit more than a meter deep. A stone the size of a fist carving such a deep impact revealed the terrifying force behind it.

Cold sweat streamed down Druke's spine. If he hadn't dodged so quickly, if that stone had struck his back, would he still be alive?

"Who..." he yelled out in terror, turning to look toward the cave entrance.

"Did I interrupt something important?" A calm voice sounded from behind him.

Druke whipped around. At some point, a slightly pale-haired youth had appeared inside the cave.

The youth scooped up the already dazed and confused Yu Jiao in one arm. He spared Druke only a single glance, which instantly sent a chilling coldness through Druke, as if he had plunged into an ice cellar.

What kind of eyes were those? They were like lethal swords!

"You... How did you get in? Isn't Senior Troy guarding the outside?" Druke stammered, trembling with fear.

The Troy he referred to was the guard.

"Just a guard," the youth sneered. He extended a finger forward, and a bright light shot out. Druke felt as if he were bound; all strength instantly vanished, and he collapsed limply onto the ground.

"You are... the leader of the 'Sweeping the Horizon' faction, the Great Chief?" Druke suddenly realized something and roared, his face turning ashen.

This person before him was the master who had defeated the Inner Attendant...

"Oh? Looks like you aren't entirely dense," the youth sneered. He suddenly grabbed Druke and flung him behind him, looking toward the cave entrance. "Since you're back, come in!"

Whoosh...

As his words fell, the guard, Troy, rushed directly into the cave.

"Your skill is truly commendable, a fine 'luring the tiger from the mountain' tactic. If I hadn't reacted quickly, you would have escaped today!" Troy declared.

"Escape?" The youth seemed to find the idea utterly hilarious, a smile touching his lips. "With just a few of you insects, you think you warrant me running away?"

ps::Not a single monthly ticket increased... Come on everyone, give me motivation, throw all your recommendation tickets over here... (To be continued. For future events, please log into www**m for more chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)