Entangled with a Gloomy Creep in an Explicit Novel - Chapter 18

The scene erupted in an instant.

Ten thousand pieces of gold! In this world, even the Emperor could not possibly produce that much wealth all at once, let alone simply to purchase a single night with a courtesan.

Was he a lunatic?!

Jin Yongyi stared blankly at Zhao Fuzhou. Her stomach churned violently once more, but she completely ignored it.

If only those ten thousand pieces of gold were given to her. She would gladly serve him like a beast of burden for this lifetime, her next lifetime, and drag along her best friend and eighteen generations of her ancestors to do the same.

Zhao Fuzhou walked onto the stage, tossing a slip of paper to the Madam. “Go here, and you will receive exactly what you desire.”

The Madam sized him up, quickly recognizing his extraordinary aura. She immediately broke into a sycophantic smile, “Young master, the private room on the top floor has already been prepared. She belongs to you now.”

Zhao Fuzhou ignored her entirely, not even glancing her way for a split second. He walked straight over to Jin Yongyi’s side, took her hand, and squeezed it impatiently within his palm.

Her stomach was truly in agony, so Jin Yongyi used the momentum to lean into his embrace, closing her eyes to find a comfortable position.

She no longer wanted to think about anything. She did not care whether her current situation had caused an unexpected derailment in the male lead’s bounty warrant, or what kind of impact taking away the title of top courtesan, which originally belonged to the female lead, would have on Xie Fuyao. She simply did not want to bother with any of it.

Right now, she had only one thought. That meat bun from earlier was definitely contaminated! Combined with the pill that was currently rolling around in her stomach, it had directly triggered a toxic chemical reaction.

Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Zhao Fuzhou released her hand, gently caressed her hair, and pressed her closer against his chest.

He intended to lift her up, but his gaze fell upon the hand that remained resting on her shoulder. His already icy countenance grew significantly darker.

Drawing his sword from the floorboards, he thrust it toward Mu Qingfeng without a trace of hesitation, his tone as thin and razor-sharp as the blade itself, “Remove it.”

Though Mu Qingfeng dodged quickly, he could not entirely avoid the blade, which sliced a gash across the back of his hand.

Watching Zhao Fuzhou sweep Jin Yongyi up by the waist, Mu Qingfeng endured the sharp pain and called out, “Brother Zhao, what do you intend to do with her?”

“Did you not hear what the Madam said?” Zhao Fuzhou stopped in his tracks, turning his head to flash a wicked smile as he enunciated every syllable, “She is mine.”

Her stomach was in so much pain that her mind grew dizzy. Jin Yongyi slumped against Zhao Fuzhou’s shoulder, completely missing the exchange.

As they reached the stairs, a thunderous crash of a heavy object slamming onto the floorboards echoed suddenly. Jolted as if awakening from a dream, she opened her eyes. The main hall below had descended into absolute chaos, with a crowd of people rushing over to inspect the situation.

Someone had fallen from the fourth floor, leaving a pool of crimson blood splattered across the ground.

The silhouettes of the crowd overlapped and shifted rapidly, preventing her from seeing the fallen person’s face. She could only faintly discern a dagger clutched tightly in the individual’s hand. Just as she was about to stretch her neck to catch a closer look, Zhao Fuzhou’s hand gently cupped the back of her head. A sudden wave of intense nausea hit her, forcing her to wrap her arms tightly around his neck once more, sinking quietly back into his embrace.

Inside the top-floor private room, Jin Yongyi lay on the bed for a while, finally beginning to feel a bit better.

If she had known it would be this painful, she would have demanded the System block all of her physical senses entirely!

Footsteps approached, and the silk quilt near the edge of the mattress dipped slightly. A moment later, she was lifted into a warm embrace.

“Does your stomach hurt?”

Jin Yongyi opened her eyes, drinking the cup of water presented to her lips in one continuous gulp. Only then did she whine softly, “It does not exactly hurt… it might just be a severe case of bloating.”

His hand began to rub gentle circles over her stomach area from outside the quilt.

Jin Yongyi simply snuggled into his chest, finding the absolute coziest position to enjoy his care. His methodology was highly effective, and before long, she had recovered significantly.

She tilted her head slightly, her peripheral vision capturing Zhao Fuzhou’s gentle expression.

She could not help but overthink.

If the plot had progressed according to the original text, the title of top courtesan would have belonged to Xie Fuyao. Zhao Fuzhou would still have spent ten thousand pieces of gold, earning the opportunity to meet with Xie Fuyao in private.

Furthermore, Xie Fuyao’s desire to obtain the authority to manufacture the medicine clearly served an alternative purpose, which would likely align perfectly with Zhao Fuzhou, who had accepted the bounty warrant.

Yet, what were they doing right now?

They were completely neglecting their proper duties!

Jin Yongyi felt immensely frustrated with herself, thinking this made her look highly incompetent.

Anxiety rising in her heart, she pressed her hand over Zhao Fuzhou’s, sat up, and stammered, “I managed to ask that young lady for her name. It is Xie Fuyao. She told me that the Madam is actually a demon. Why don’t you… go look for her?”

Zhao Fuzhou offered no significant reaction upon hearing this, rising from the bed to place the teacup back onto the table. “I have no interest in her.”

Jin Yongyi thought to herself, Oh.

Keep posturing. Just keep posturing.

Still, she cooperatively played along, “But we are supposed to vanquish the demon. Xie Fuyao clearly knows something, so she might be able to help.”

Zhao Fuzhou replied, “There are more important matters to attend to right now.”

“What? Hey, hey! Why are you removing your outer robe?!”

Zhao Fuzhou stripped off his outer robe, tossing it carelessly onto the floor. He walked over with rapid strides, pressing one knee against the edge of the mattress as he pulled her into his arms, whispering softly into her ear, “There is a demon outside the door.”

Jin Yongyi froze instantly, her eyes JavaScript-swiftly darting toward the entrance. She saw that a hole had been punctured through the window paper, and a massive, pitch-black eyeball was currently pressed tightly against it.

A dense layer of goosebumps erupted across her arms. Terrified, she clutched Zhao Fuzhou’s collar, “Then go kill her quickly!”

“We cannot,” he stated with absolute gravity, though a hint of amusement bled through his words without the slightest attempt at concealment. “The bounty warrant explicitly states that the forces backing her must be completely eradicated. If we strike now, will we not simply alert the enemy prematurely?”

Jin Yongyi shrank against his shoulder, not daring to look around blindly, “Then what should we do now?”

“Naturally, we shall do exactly as she expects.”

“??”

Zhao Fuzhou pulled her along as he flipped onto the mattress. The bed curtains cascaded down, and the candles inside the room were instantly extinguished.

Once her vision was compromised, her other sensory organs began frantically analyzing her surroundings. She felt as though she were confined within a narrow, intimate space, where the only things within her reach were Zhao Fuzhou’s clothing, his hair, and his breathing.

Everything belonging to this man was magnified infinitely in this exact moment.

He remained completely silent, simply holding her close as his breath brushed against her earlobe, causing her to shudder.

Jin Yongyi’s heart beat incredibly fast. She shifted her head slightly in an attempt to evade his breath, but her forehead inadvertently bumped right against his lips instead.

Realizing the atmosphere had turned entirely hazardous, she hurriedly began to struggle within his arms. The sturdy wooden bed let out a series of loud, creaking squeaks, causing her to freeze instantly like a terrified quail.

Zhao Fuzhou suddenly let out a low chuckle.

Jin Yongyi gritted her teeth, whispering, “Has she left yet?”

Zhao Fuzhou paused, seemingly casting a glance toward the door, “No.”

“Are we truly going to stay like this for the entire night?!”

“In that case, it would be better to completely dispel her suspicions as early as possible.”

Zhao Fuzhou suddenly hoisted himself halfway up. Accompanied by the loud creaking of the bed structure, he braced his arms to trap Jin Yongyi beneath his frame. His fingertips traced along her hairline, moving gently down until they rested beside her lips.

“Make a sound.”

His slightly cool fingertips hovered near her chin, occasionally brushing against her lips.

Jin Yongyi’s pupils dilated in absolute shock, “Make what kind of sound…?”

Unable to see Zhao Fuzhou’s expression, she could only hear his voice double in volume, seemingly intended to ensure the Madam outside the door heard him clearly.

“You do not even know how to vocalize in bed? Do you require me to teach you?”

Just as he spoke those words, he leaned his frame down, his lips pressing directly against her ear as he began to exhale in low, ragged breaths.

The profound sensitivity of her earlobe made Jin Yongyi feel as though a current of electricity had surged straight through her body. The fingers clutching his clothing instinctively tightened, pulling their two bodies so closely together that there was no remaining space between them.

He removed the hairpin from her head, his fingers sliding into her smooth, cascading hair, letting every strand wrap around his hand until he could not move.

Whether intentionally or entirely by accident, he occasionally toyed with her earlobe, intentionally letting a low chuckle escape from his throat.

“Follow my lead.”

Jin Yongyi had been overstimulated to the point where she could no longer process thought. Like a manipulated marionette, she did exactly as he directed, closing her eyes tightly and straining her throat to let out a few cries.

Zhao Fuzhou let out another low chuckle, “Listening to your cries, others will assume I am beating you.”

“Is that enough? I genuinely do not know how to do this…”

The air fell silent for a single second, and the response that greeted her was the sudden, sharp ignition of the candles.

The room grew bright once more. Zhao Fuzhou pulled her up into a sitting position, smoothing out her disheveled hair as he smiled, “She has departed.”

Jin Yongyi glanced at the hole in the door paper and confirmed that there was indeed nothing there, allowing herself to let out a massive sigh of relief.

Suddenly, Zhao Fuzhou leaned close, reaching out his hand to wipe the edge of her lips, leaving a trace of crimson lip rouge smeared across his fingertips.

Jin Yongyi immediately clasped her hands over her mouth.

He withdrew his hand nonchalantly, teasing her with a smile, “Your technique still requires refinement.”

“…”

With that statement, he flipped off the bed and stood up.

Jin Yongyi felt so thoroughly mortified that she wished she could simply die on the spot.

Technique? What technique? Her vocalization technique?!

She could not help but wonder from the bottom of her heart, “Why on earth would I need to refine that?”

To her surprise, Zhao Fuzhou replied entirely as a matter of course, “It may perhaps prove useful in the future.”

“…?”

Useful for nothing! This lady is quitting this job very soon!

Jin Yongyi followed him out of bed, “Should we not go find Mu Qingfeng so we can discuss our strategy together?”

Zhao Fuzhou was in the middle of pouring water for her. Hearing her words, he paused briefly, then continued pouring with absolute indifference, “Can the two of us not discuss it ourselves?”

“An extra person means an extra source of strength.”

Jin Yongyi accepted the cup of water with a beaming smile.

Everyone is a member of this establishment, so why should she be the only one doing all the heavy lifting?

“Very well,” Zhao Fuzhou agreed. “Once you finish this cup of water, we shall go locate him.”

In truth, Jin Yongyi was not practical at all. Under his intense, focused scrutiny, failing to finish the water felt as though it would be a monumental offense. Consequently, she had no choice but to brace herself and drink it all down.

During this time, she even asked a question, “There was never a demon outside the door, was there?”

Zhao Fuzhou rested his chin in his hand, answering her with a smile, “No.”

“I have finished drinking. Let us depart.”

Jin Yongyi took a step forward to pull open the door. Zhao Fuzhou remained seated in his original position, idly toying with his teacup. She turned back around to usher him forward once more, “Let us go.”

“Go where?”

A thoroughly sinister voice resonated from right behind her head. Jin Yongyi was startled violently, snapping her head back to look. An utterly unrecognizable face was positioned a mere half-inch away from her own, a pair of crimson eyeballs spinning rapidly inside their sockets.

The entirety of her blood surged straight to her brain. Her breathing hitched, and she barely managed to limit her reaction to a couple of muttered curse words.

Seeing that she had been thoroughly terrified, the owner of the face erupted into a cackling laugh, her features reverting to their original form. The Madam walked inside, grabbing Jin Yongyi by the arm and flinging her backward, pointing a finger directly at her nose as she threatened venomously, “I shall settle my account with you a bit later.”

The Madam walked over to Zhao Fuzhou’s side, clutching the slip of paper he had given her during the Courtesan Selection between her fingers, demanding fiercely, “Ten thousand pieces of gold? Are you making a fool out of me?!”

“What?” Zhao Fuzhou put on an innocent expression. Picking up the slip of paper that had been tossed onto the table to take a look, his demeanor underwent a complete reversal, and he could not hold back a loud laugh, “You actually went there? How could that establishment possibly contain ten thousand pieces of gold?”

“…” The Madam was so infuriated that she laughed instead.

Zhao Fuzhou tore the paper into shreds, flashing a bright smile at her as he mouthed silently, “Idiot.”

Meanwhile, the moment Jin Yongyi was flung out the door, her mouth was clamped shut by someone, and a burlap sack was thrown over her head. Hearing the Madam’s sharp, explosive shriek inside the room, she did not even have the opportunity to utter the phrase splendidly done before she was hoisted up by two individuals and hurled into a small, dark room.

She yanked the burlap sack off her head, remaining entirely silent as she pulled her knees tightly to her chest, attempting to shrink herself into a compact ball.

The surroundings were pitch-black, save for the sound of her own muffled breathing.

She had no idea whether the two of them had started fighting yet; had they not agreed to avoid alerting the enemy prematurely? The male lead possessed the capacity to protect himself, but she absolutely did not. She had no clue what kind of wretched place she was currently trapped in.

Just as Jin Yongyi was sinking into a state of deep dejection, a voice resonated inside her mind.

The System stated, 【Host.】

The appearance of the System never signaled anything positive, yet in this exact moment, its arrival felt like a saving grace.

Jin Yongyi wept with joy, “My good System, you came to distribute a quest, correct? Can you perhaps get me out of here while you are at it?”

The System responded, 【Precisely. It has been detected that the male lead has fallen into the lake and is experiencing severe breathing difficulties. Please proceed immediately to rescue the male lead and provide him with breath.】

Jin Yongyi froze for a solid second, “Fallen into the lake? The male lead?”

Had they not agreed that he possessed the absolute highest combat capacity in the entire book?!

【The door has already been unlocked for you. Move quickly!】

“Wait a moment, does he not know how to swim?” Jin Yongyi recalled the previous bathing quest, where she had plummeted into the bottomless hot spring, and it was Zhao Fuzhou who had pulled her out. There was absolutely no logical reason why she had to be the one rescuing him this time. Thinking of this, she blurted out her refusal, “I am not going.”

The System grew frantic, 【How can you choose not to go! This… the male lead is on the verge of death.】

“Stop talking nonsense. If the male lead dies, what are the readers supposed to read? At any rate, I am not going,” Jin Yongyi declared, choosing to adopt a completely uncooperative attitude. “Go bind yourself to Mu Qingfeng instead. He is my successor, so instruct him to perform the rescue.”

【Until you have successfully completed the remaining quests, this System will not alter its binding parameters. You must perform this quest yourself.】

“Oh, so you are throwing a tantrum now, is that it? How many quest rewards do you currently owe me that have still not been distributed? How do you have the audacity to demand I perform task after task?!”

The moment Jin Yongyi finished her tirade, two glowing glass shards materialized right before her eyes.

Reaching out her hands to catch them, the glass automatically melted into her palms. She rolled her eyes, “Using bizarre, eccentric items to placate me once again.”

【These are setting fragments from the original text! They are incredibly rare items with a drop rate of 0.001, which will be of immense assistance to your understanding of the original narrative! As long as you are willing to continue performing the quests, these two fragments shall serve as the rewards for your previous two tasks.】

Jin Yongyi lay down on the floor, “Oh.”

The System began to wail loudly inside her head, crying and calling her its ancestor between sobs.

“But I do not even know how to swim, so going there would be entirely futile anyway,” Jin Yongyi let out a sharp click of her tongue. “You do not care about my survival in the slightest. Why don’t you simply go bind yourself to the male lead and grant him some cheats instead?”

The System muttered under its breath, 【Do you truly believe I did not want to…】

“Get out.”

May this male-lead-obsessed System meet a terrible end.

She had harbored a significant amount of dissatisfaction toward the System since the previous quest, and this current incident made her thoroughly incensed.

For the ensuing duration, no matter how much the System apologized or attempted to act pitiful, it proved entirely useless. Jin Yongyi closed her eyes, preparing to go to sleep. If the male lead truly turned up dead when she woke up tomorrow morning, she would simply go retrieve his corpse and arrange his funeral affairs, which could be considered fulfilling her final obligation as an underling.

“You will regret this.”

She had not been asleep for even two minutes when an ethereal voice suddenly resonated. Unlike the crystal-clear quality of the System bouncing around inside her head, this sound resembled a low murmur from someone hiding in a corner of the room.

Realizing this fact, Jin Yongyi snapped into a sitting position, “Who is there?!”

“You once told this servant that one should never allow fear to dictate actions that will result in a lifetime of regret. Therefore, right now, this servant wishes to advise you as well. Go rescue him.”

Jin Yongyi pulled her knees tightly to her chest once more, her eyes widening as she stared toward the source of the voice. In this pitch-black environment, her vision rendered objects as blurry, scattered masses, allowing her to faintly discern a dark grey silhouette positioned in the corner.

“Are… are you a human or a ghost? Who has ever spoken to you before? You have mistaken me for someone else!”

The ghost still refused to abandon her attempt at persuasion, actually beginning to sob softly, “You are this servant’s benefactor. This servant does not wish to watch you struggle within the same agony that consumed her.”

“He loves you deeply, does he not? He was willing to squander ten thousand pieces of gold entirely for your sake.”

Love? Please do not elevate this to such heights. If those ten thousand pieces of gold had actually made their way into her pocket, she might reluctantly concede to calling it love.

Jin Yongyi scoffed at the notion, yet her thoughts involuntarily drifted to their interactions over the recent days.

In truth, Zhao Fuzhou had treated her, a stranger he had only known for a few days, with exceptional kindness. He had rescued her from perilous situations, provided her with clothing, and constantly inquired about her well-being. To be completely fair, if she were in his position and encountered someone who insisted on clinging to her side constantly, the very first thing she would do would be to report them to the authorities!

Thinking about it carefully, Zhao Fuzhou behaved far more like an underling than she did.

If the wicked System had not popped up at regular intervals to remind her of her status and assign these bizarre quests, she would not have developed such a severe sense of rebellion.

The ghost floated forward two steps, adding, “This servant can tell that the two of you care deeply about one another.”

These words actually struck a chord.

Jin Yongyi was not an unreasonable person. Leaving the System out of the equation, if Zhao Fuzhou truly encountered a life-threatening disaster, she would undoubtedly proceed to save him without a second thought.

She expressed her dissatisfaction to the System in her mind, “Regardless of your reasons for binding yourself to me, I hope that once I complete these final quests, I shall never lay eyes on you again.”

The System spent a considerable amount of time offering gentle coaxing before Jin Yongyi finally began to grope her way slowly toward the location of the door.

“Please proceed through this direction. There are likely demonic entities guarding the outer corridor,” the ghost spoke up at the perfect moment.

Jin Yongyi looked back and saw that a small door had materialized on the wall. A faint, gloomy stream of light spilled into the room, indistinctly illuminating the legless silhouette standing beside the exit.

Her entire frame surged with fear, and she quickly dove through the small door, terrified of catching a clearer glimpse of the ghost’s appearance.

The exit led to a solitary path. Following this hidden corridor all the way to its end, it actually connected directly to the largest lake located outside the city gates.

The System stated, 【Host, I am going offline now. I have activated a swimming aura and infinite lung capacity for you. The male lead is currently inside the lake, so move quickly!】

Jin Yongyi: “…”

He has been inside for so long and still has not bloated into a floating capsule.

Beside the night lake, the wind blew fiercely.

Jin Yongyi removed her shoes, walking barefoot toward the edge of the water. The icy lake water splashed against the back of her foot, causing her to immediately grimace and retreat three paces.

The hem of her skirt flapped wildly in the wind, much like her wavering heart.

After struggling internally for a brief moment, she bent down to tie up her cumbersome skirt, cursing under her breath, “From this day forward, I am going to extract a massive amount of benefits from your person. By the day I depart, you must be filled with absolute gratitude toward me!”

Letting out a loud shout, Jin Yongyi took a running start and leapt straight into the lake. The icy water enveloped her from all directions, and for a moment, she actually forgot all of her terror.

The visible range beneath the water was exceptionally low. The System had likely failed to anticipate that she suffered from night blindness, and once she entered the water to find herself completely blind, a wave of panic washed over her. She only dared to swim beneath the areas of the surface where the faint moonlight managed to pierce through.

Before she had swam very far, the tip of her foot suddenly collided with a hard object.

Jin Yongyi ducked her head and stared intently for a long moment before managing to discern that it was a human head. The floating strands of dark hair appeared to be on the verge of wrapping around her lower leg, prompting her to submerge herself immediately.

It had to be said that the male lead’s luck was truly extraordinary.

Despite being inside the lake for such a duration, he had actually managed to avoid sinking down to the very bottom.

Then again, if he had sunk any lower, he would probably have turned into a corpse floating back up to the surface by the time she located him.

Jin Yongyi ceased her idle thoughts, quickly slapping Zhao Fuzhou’s cheek, “Wake up!”

She locked her arms around his waist, gritting her teeth as she exerted all of her strength to pull him upward. However, the clothing on her frame became as heavy as a thousand pounds once it absorbed the water. Despite her immense efforts, their positions actually sank significantly lower instead.

This threw Jin Yongyi into a state of severe panic. She released her grip on Zhao Fuzhou’s waist, swimming to a position level with his eyes as she shook his shoulders frantically.

“If you do not wake up right now, the two of us are going to die here together!”

“Are you not supposed to be incredibly formidable? Where is your male lead aura?! Dying in this place is entirely too pathetic. Wake up quickly so we can fight our way back and teach that antagonist non-player character a lesson!”

“I still…”

The words fractured abruptly at her lips. Her throat felt as though it had been clamped tightly by a hand, squeezing out the final remnant of oxygen. A profound sensation of suffocation rapidly ascended to her brain, and even the thought of questioning the System’s competence was driven out of her consciousness by the lack of oxygen, leaving only sheer panic and helplessness.

Jin Yongyi’s limbs grew entirely numb. She wanted to speak, but only succeeded in releasing a torrent of bubbles.

The absence of pain served to numb her body’s sensory capabilities, allowing her to clearly perceive the icy presence of death traveling along her bloodstream to her four limbs.

Drowsiness washed over her like a tidal wave, and her gradually closing eyes stared blankly straight ahead.

Until—

Zhao Fuzhou snapped his eyes open. He reached out his hand to clamp around the back of her neck, pulling her into his embrace in one smooth motion.

Their lips collided without a single barrier.

Oxygen surged fiercely into her body, allowing Jin Yongyi to recover her strength. Upon clarifying their current posture, her eyes widened in absolute shock. She slammed her hands against his chest, but even when she exerted every ounce of her strength, she could not push him away by a single fraction.

Zhao Fuzhou kept his eyes closed, grinding his lips repeatedly against hers.

As if failing to achieve complete satisfaction, his brow furrowed slightly, and the restricting force binding her frame loosened by a fraction.

Jin Yongyi attempted to break free immediately. Unexpectedly, he simply altered his posture, wrapping one arm securely around her waist while his other hand pressed firmly against the back of her head.

His lips blanketed hers once more.

Jin Yongyi felt incredibly sensitive. Discerning exactly what he was attempting to do, she ignored all consequences, brought her teeth together, and bit down hard.

A fingertip suddenly scraped past her earlobe. Her entire frame shuddered violently, and her jaw instinctively relaxed its bite.

A rich flavor of blood spread throughout her oral cavity, accompanied closely by the glide of a wet, warm tongue.