Master, your disciple has arrived late to your aid.

"Long! Hu! What are you two doing here?"

Lin Chen recognized the pair and frowned as he asked.

Long gave Hu a puzzled look. "Who’s this poker-faced guy?"

"No idea, never seen him before!" Hu shook his head, delivering a triple denial.

Lin Chen: "..."

Then, Long and Hu, barely able to stand on their weakened legs, crawled forward and positioned themselves protectively in front of An Yi.

"Don’t worry, Brother Chen! With the two of us here, this demoness won’t lay a finger on you!"

"Yeah, bring it on! We’ll take you on!"

Long stared at Shangguan Qianqian’s scorching figure and gulped.

"No way! This girl’s too damn fine!"

Compared to her, that voluptuous beauty he’d been holding earlier suddenly seemed bland. They weren’t even in the same league!

"You two weaklings think I need your protection?"

An Yi shook his head, sighing at Long and Hu, who could barely stand without swaying. "Weren’t you supposed to go to Jiangbei City to find Ding Renfeng?"

Long hung his head in shame. "Brother Chen, we... we fell for these demonesses’ tricks."

Hu clenched his fists in outrage. "It’s all their fault! They lured us here. Brother Chen, we’ve failed you!"

Lin Chen: "..."

What the hell are these two bald monks up to?

And who the hell are you calling 'Brother Chen'?!

Shangguan Qianqian’s voice was icy. "These two monks came here on their own. They paid ten grand to stay for three days and refused to leave. In the end, Sister Jinlian took pity on them and let them work here to cover their expenses."

"Demoness, shut your mouth!"

Long, despite his weakened state, roared like a bell.

Hu glared furiously. "How dare you slander us, disciples of the Buddha?!"

Just then, the door slammed open!

The Yellow-Robed Beauty rushed in, her clothes disheveled, and addressed Shangguan Qianqian urgently. "Holy Maiden, this subordinate is late to your aid!"

Long and Hu paled at the sight of her, looking as if they’d seen a ghost.

The Yellow-Robed Beauty turned her cold gaze on them. "So this is where you two ran off to!"

Long and Hu tensed, turning to An Yi. "Brother Chen, save us!"

An Yi looked at the two monks, who had visibly thinned in just a few days, and coughed—er, sighed sympathetically.

"Thirty like wolves, forty like tigers, fifty can suck the earth dry!"

"Couldn’t you two have picked a weaker opponent?!"

"Then again, taking on two at once—this auntie’s got some serious skills!"

The Yellow-Robed Beauty sneered. "You dare cause trouble in the Pleasure Sect? Seems you’ve grown tired of living! Seize them all!"

As she spoke, a group of women appeared outside the wrecked room, surrounding them.

"The others can go, but An Yi stays!"

"He’s to be kept for the Holy Maiden’s enjoyment. Once she’s done with him, we’ll pass him around until every sister has had their fill—then finish him off!"

"Though that cold-faced guy in the black trench coat doesn’t look bad either..."

"The Pleasure Sect outnumbers us. With just the four of us, breaking out won’t be easy," Lin Chen said coldly, gripping his Cloud-Splitting Staff in a battle stance.

This was the Pleasure Sect’s stronghold. Though they’d declined over the years, they were still no pushovers.

Especially with Long and Hu in their current state—so weak they might collapse any second.

"Not necessarily."

An Yi smirked, pressing a sword to Shangguan Qianqian’s throat and pulling her against him. "Back off, or I’ll slit this demoness’s throat!"

The Yellow-Robed Beauty’s face darkened. "You coward! Release the Holy Maiden!"

Lin Chen shot An Yi an impressed glance.

Typical of him.

While others would think of fighting their way out, his first move was taking a hostage.

"Holy Maiden!"

"An Yi, let her go!"

The Pleasure Sect members panicked.

Long and Hu were baffled.

"This guy’s name is An Yi?"

"I thought he was Brother Chen?"

Shangguan Qianqian remained calm. "Get away from me."

"Dream on," An Yi scoffed.

"You’re poking me."

"Oh, my bad."

Unfazed, An Yi shifted his Dragon-Tusk Demon Sword into a dagger and kept it at her throat, edging toward the exit.

The Pleasure Sect members retreated, fearing for their Holy Maiden’s safety.

Shangguan Qianqian’s expression was cold, but she showed no fear.

Physically, this man was monstrously strong—she’d realized that when he flipped their positions earlier.

Breaking free wouldn’t be hard.

Long and Hu stumbled after them, their feeble movements almost painful to watch.

These two had been drained dry by the auntie.

Total deadweight.

"Here, swallow this."

An Yi pulled two herbs from his storage space and tossed them over.

"What... what is this?" Long and Hu asked, each taking one.

An Yi rolled his eyes. Now wasn’t the time for questions!

"It’ll boost your stamina," he said bluntly.

Their eyes lit up, and they shoved the herbs into their mouths.

The moment they chewed and swallowed, warmth spread from their stomachs, flooding their limbs with fiery energy.

Those two nearly failing kidneys suddenly revived, surging with an endless supply of energy!

Long's face flushed red as he roared, "I—I feel alive again!"

Hu bellowed, "Same here!"

Just moments ago, they had doubted whether this guy was really Brother Lin Chen.

Now, they felt like absolute scumbags for ever questioning it.

Even if he wasn’t, he had to be! From this day forward, they’d follow him to the death!

The Yellow-Robed Beauty gasped in astonishment, "Wh-what kind of medicine is this? It’s so potent!"

An Yi curled his lips into a smirk.

Those two herbs were none other than Heavenly Star Grass!

For the record, this stuff’s main effect was boosting virility, packing an insane restorative and nourishing power!

That’s why adding just a tiny bit to the Jade Beauty Elixir had caused such a dramatic transformation.

Back then, out of curiosity, he’d tried some himself.

He spent the entire night wide awake.

His arm was practically ruined from overuse before he finally managed to suppress that mysterious energy.

For days afterward, he was stuck in a perpetual state of rigidity—even Shen Muxuan had been giving him weird looks.

Thinking back on it, An Yi pondered—maybe he should consider making virility pills next?

But right now wasn’t the time for that.

Long and Hu were the bodyguards An Yi had his eye on from the start.

Now revitalized, their combat prowess was nothing to scoff at—perfect for tanking hits.

Combined with his own strength and Lin Chen’s, breaking out shouldn’t be too hard!

"Step back! Blades and swords have no eyes!" An Yi barked arrogantly, keeping Shangguan Qianqian hostage.

As he moved, he couldn’t help but muse—this girl’s figure was killer. What a shame.

Shangguan Qianqian’s face darkened, her delicate hands clenched into fists.

The Yellow-Robed Beauty took a deep breath and sighed. "Release our Holy Maiden, and the Joyful Union Sect will let this matter slide."

An Yi grinned. "Deal! A gentleman’s word is his bond!"

After all, he was a victim here too.

If no one got hurt, why not turn hostility into harmony?

As for whether they were demonic cultivators or murderers—what did that have to do with him?

He wasn’t some self-righteous hero.

All this fighting and killing was just unnecessary.

Just as he stepped out of the club with Shangguan Qianqian in tow—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the building, and the entire floor collapsed!

"What the hell?!"

The women of the Joyful Union Sect shrieked, their pretty faces twisted in fury.

Their home was gone!

Who the hell did this?!

From the billowing dust emerged a young man with bandaged hands, his expression grave as he locked eyes with An Yi.

"Master, your disciple has arrived late to save you!"

An Yi’s scalp went numb.

"Damn it, kid! Are you trying to kill me with filial piety?!"