Wasn't this her mi body indenture? Seeing all this, Qingqing seemed to grasp something, and the image of that exceedingly beautiful, yet somewhat shy, youth involuntarily surfaced in her mind...

Her face instantly blossomed with joy, a joy tinged with a faint shadow of disappointment...

Meanwhile, in a restaurant directly across from Ming Yan Tower, two men sat devouring steamed buns...

"Hey, I say, can't you even get it up, you brat? You went to a qing house and you're still a virgin?" Liang Xiaoke grumbled while stuffing his face.

He genuinely couldn't fathom why Ye Jingyu hadn't done anything last night, yet the next morning paid a hefty sum to redeem that girl named Qingqing. This, dammit, was even more sanctimonious than a monk putting up a facade!

"Relax, I'm plenty capable downstairs, don't you worry about me..." Ye Jingyu rolled his eyes and continued to curse back...

"Then why the hell didn't you do it?" Liang Xiaoke certainly didn't believe Ye Jingyu was some kind of paragon of virtue...

"She was still a qing maiden..." Ye Jingyu’s voice was low; even he felt his actions were reaching the peak of hypocrisy. He was supposed to be a great beast, but at the crucial moment, he tried to play the saint...

In the beginning, his mind had been warring with itself. He wrestled with how pointless it was to surrender his first time to a courtesan, especially the thought that she had likely been with countless men made him physically sick. But deep down, sensing Qingqing's shyness, her hesitant movements, he guessed she might be a qing maiden, and the revulsion slowly subsided. Yet, when he noticed the cinnabar mark still on her hand—confirming she was truly a qing maiden—he was suddenly struck by softness...

Recalling the persistent sorrow flickering in her eyes, he sensed this woman was different from the others in the pleasure house; she must harbor some tragic history. If he were to take her virginity now, could he still call himself a man? Particularly if she had been forced into the brothel, to defile her now—how could he live with that? Guilt would cling to him for the rest of his life...

Vaguely, he felt a pair of clear, pure eyes gazing at him. Yes, eyes capable of washing away all the world's filth, so pristine without a trace of impurity. It was precisely this pair of eyes, surfacing in his mind, that purged the surging evil fire within him...

They told him what should be done, and what should not...

That was why he not only stopped short of the next step but spent a fortune to buy Qingqing's freedom...

As for Qingqing's future, he didn't spare a thought for it. Everyone had their own aspirations, their own way of life. He only needed to live up to his own conscience and those pure eyes. Beyond that, he had no capacity to care...

Liang Xiaoke was stunned. In just a moment, he understood why Ye Jingyu had halted at the final step. He stared at Ye Jingyu with utter disbelief, not even noticing the oil from a steamed bun sliding down his chin...

Ye Jingyu paid no mind to the look Liang Xiaoke gave him, as if he were an alien. Even he couldn't quite comprehend his own actions...

Could it be... deep down, was he actually a good person? Or perhaps, was he inherently a good man after all?

Little did Ye Jingyu know that his sudden, inexplicable fit of conscience had elevated his standing in the hearts of two women to an even greater height...

Even less did he suspect that his forbearance the previous night had forged his spirit to an extraordinary degree. His Ba Yuan Jue, which had stubbornly refused to advance, now showed faint signs of breaking through to the eighth level...

In the dim room on the third floor of Ming Yan Tower, a tiny gap showed in the window facing the street. The woman, entirely clad in black gauze, watched Ye Jingyu eating buns across the way through that slit, a relieved smile gracing her lips...

"A'Yu..." the woman murmured softly, but said no more. The look she cast toward Ye Jingyu was brimming with happiness...

"I’ve truly gotten to know you anew. By the way, I picked up some useful intelligence last night. Want to hear it?" Liang Xiaoke stared at Ye Jingyu for a long time, only giving up when the buns on the table were nearly gone...

"Oh? Tell me about it then?" Ye Jingyu quickly shook off the confusion clouding his thoughts...

Liang Xiaoke wasted no more words, relaying the information he’d gleaned from Xiangxiang—nothing more than the current military strength of Lingyan City...

Thirty thousand personal troops of the Flame King, sixty thousand Silver Armored Cavalry, eighty thousand City Defense Forces—a total of 150,000 men. Coupled with the high city walls, it would take at least triple that force to conquer this city...

It seemed the Lord of Lingyan City had calculated that these combined armies wouldn't even reach 450,000. However, Ye Jingyu wasn't overly curious about the troop numbers. Instead, his gaze drifted toward Ming Yan Tower across the street...

As for the garrison numbers, Shadow Xiaoxiao could surely gather that intel. But the friction between City Lord Sima Xuan, General Yu Wuhen of the Silver Armored Legion, and Xuanyuan Yu, commander of the thirty thousand personal troops—Shadow Xiaoxiao absolutely couldn't uncover that. Yet, Liang Xiaoke learned of it from a courtesan? What was this?

Let alone a courtesan having access to such confidential matters, even if she knew, why would she tell him? Did they already know his identity?

"It seems we've underestimated this Ming Yan Tower..." Ye Jingyu muttered, recalling the sensation of being spied upon last night. He looked upward and caught sight of a window closing, his heart tightening instantly...

Vaguely, it felt as if some crucial piece of the puzzle had just slipped by...

Liang Xiaoke wasn't a fool and understood the implication of Ye Jingyu's words. Still, he clapped Ye Jingyu on the shoulder and said calmly, "Regardless, they harbor no malice. Otherwise, do you think Yu Wuhen, knowing the culprit who killed his top deputy is right here in Lingyan City, would remain inactive?"

"That's true. But just in case, we should leave as soon as possible..." Ye Jingyu nodded, agreeing with Liang Xiaoke's logic...

Without another word, the two settled their bill and left the restaurant. Once their figures had completely vanished, the closed window slid open again, revealing a peerlessly beautiful face veiled in silk. Gazing in the direction where Ye Jingyu and the other had gone, a faint sense of expectation shone in her eyes...

Was it expectation for their next meeting? Or something else?

Just as Ye Jingyu and his party were leaving the city, the ten thousand strong army led by Luo Muyan was already approaching Lingyan City, setting up camp five li outside its walls. Instantly, the entire city erupted in alarm flares...

Of course, young master Ye hadn't come to Lingyan City just for sightseeing and playing the gentleman for a brief moment. When they met up with Shadow Xiaoxiao outside the gates, Liang Xiaoke noticed the look of mission accomplished plastered across her face...