Splendour Translations.
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Chapter 22: A Visitor in Late Night:
Eventually, night fell.
Xu Ze sat at his desk, carefully reading over a manual on profound arts, his mind occupied with thoughts about the three cultivators possessing the Heavenly Demon Physique he had learned about during the day.
Meanwhile, Xiao Lan obediently massaged Xu Ze's shoulders, occasionally letting out a small yawn. It was very late.
Normally, Xiao Lan would have already been in bed, enjoying a good night's sleep. But tonight, Xu Ze was restless because of the random task he had received, unable to sleep, which in turn kept Xiao Lan up with him.
Noticing Xiao Lan rubbing her eyes sleepily, Xu Ze spoke, "Xiao Lan, it's very late. You should go to bed."
Xiao Lan shook her head vigorously. "No, it's fine, Holy Son. Xiao Lan isn't tired. I can stay up a bit longer!"
She couldn't help but yawn again after saying this.
Seeing the increasing flush on her face, Xu Ze couldn't help but laugh and gently pinched her cheek.
"Go to sleep. I don't need you to stay with me all night."
Blushing, Xiao Lan nodded weakly. "Alright then, Holy Son. I'll go to bed now..."
With his permission, Xiao Lan left the quarters yawning.
Xu Ze turned back to his manual. Just then, the candlelight flickered. His eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze outside.
...
Xiao Lan yawned as she walked through the courtyard. The night was deep, and the courtyard was exceptionally quiet.
As she exited, a whooshing sound suddenly passed by her ear. She turned her head in confusion but saw no one.
"How strange, was that the wind...?" She muttered.
"What's that wind doing in the middle of summer...?"
Shaking her head, she decided not to overthink about it. But just as she was about to leave, a pink light darted out of the darkness.
"Ahhhh!"
Xiao Lan screamed, and her face turned pale with fright. Her sleepiness vanished instantly. "There's... there's a ghost! Mmph, mmph!"
Before she could scream further, a hand from the darkness covered her mouth. She struggled desperately, but the grip was firm, holding her fast. This strength indicated a cultivator.
Xiao Lan quickly realized this. Though she was a maid of the Heavenly Dark Sect, she had learned some martial arts from the elders. She was at the 2nd stage of the Nascent Realm, not someone an ordinary person could easily subdue.
"Tell me, is the Holy Son asleep?" A deep voice asked.
Xiao Lan frowned.
Although the voice was deliberately low, she could tell it belonged to a woman. And from the feel of her back, this woman seemed quite curvy...
"Who are you, daring to intrude into the Heavenly Dark Sect at night? You must have a death wish..." Xiao Lan threatened through gritted teeth once she freed her mouth.
"Hmph, I asked you, is the Holy Son asleep?" The woman seemed fixated on Xu Ze, repeatedly asking about him.
Xiao Lan chuckled coldly, seemingly understanding something. "Oh, I see. You're another one of those female disciples who want to do something indecent while the Holy Son sleeps. Let me guess, you want to steal his personal belongings or sneak into his bed?"
The woman flinched as if her true intentions had been exposed. "Tch!"
With a quick chop to the neck, Xiao Lan was knocked out. The woman took a deep breath, her heart pounding.
"I-I'm not that kind of crazy girl... I just want to meet the Holy Son... anything will do, I-I..." She took several deep breaths, her eyes glowing with a sickly pink glow.
Footsteps suddenly echoed in her ears.
Startled, she turned to see Xu Ze in white robes, walking toward her with a blank expression.
She was panicking.
What should she do?
She had just knocked out the Holy Son's personal maid.
How could she explain this without looking like a night intruder?
Pulling up her mask, she began to retreat in fear.
Xu Ze had already noticed the stranger in night clothes. His eyes fell on the unconscious Xiao Lan lying on the ground.
"You're courting death!" Xu Ze snapped, and a wave of anger swept over him. He waved his sleeve, and a spiritual sword formed from his inner strength, shooting toward the intruder.
The pressure from a 1st stage Spirit Gathering Realm cultivator was immense, startling the woman. She dodged and ran, but the spiritual sword seemed to have a mind of its own, pursuing her relentlessly.
"Ugh!" In an instant, the sword grazed her right leg, spilling blood. Despite the pain, she summoned a strong will to survive and fled into the night.
"Hmph, running so fast..."
The spiritual sword circled back and returned to Xu Ze's sleeve. Xu Ze quickly checked Xiao Lan's pulse, relieved to find she was only unconscious. After all, she had served him for nearly ten years. It was impossible not to feel any attachment.
He had always regarded Xiao Lan as a sister.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the random task!]
[Calculating the time taken to complete the task...]
[Time taken: 12 hours]
[Evaluation: Perfect!]
[Reward: Heavenly-level gift pack!]
[Distributing task rewards...]
"Huh?!" Xu Ze was stunned.
What was going on?
How had he suddenly completed his task?
Could it be... the person he had just injured was the one with the Heavenly Demon Physique?
-To be continued!