Chapter 44: Anything Goes? Taking Off Clothes...

"If you can save my grandfather, I will agree to any request within my abilities..."

"Anything?" Ling Tian regarded Hu Yunying with an amused gaze, inwardly sighing—damn it, he’d heard such words once again.

"Anything!" Hu Yunying answered almost without hesitation. She didn’t believe that, in this place, he would do anything outrageous.

"Take them off." But in the next moment, Ling Tian said something that utterly shocked her.

Even Xiao Ling’er, standing nearby, was incredulous at Ling Tian’s words. She knew Ling Tian to be somewhat unconventional, but never quite so outlandish!

In the dark of night, with the wind whispering, to ask a girl to undress here—there was certainly a motive.

"Take them off? My clothes?" Hu Yunying hesitated. All her life, few had seen her without clothing. Of course, she lived in the realm of beasts, where human traces were scarce, so it wasn’t unusual.

"Unwilling? So, what you said earlier was just nonsense? If that’s the case and you lack sincerity, I suppose there’s no need to discuss anything further."

Ling Tian spread his hands, completely casual—an undisguised threat.

Not willing to undress, are you?
Troublesome, right?
Then let’s not bother.

"I will! I’ll take them off, isn’t that enough? I hope you’ll keep your promise!" Seeing Ling Tian about to leave, Hu Yunying steeled herself and began removing her upper garments.

She already knew she couldn’t defeat Ling Tian; if he truly wished to do something to her, he wouldn’t need to speak so much. So, perhaps this was, as he claimed, a test of her sincerity.

Ling Tian stopped in his tracks, turning to Hu Yunying.

When he heard her words earlier, he’d intended to use them to accomplish his task. But now he realized he needed Hu Yunying’s genuine assent—her lips might agree, but her heart could think otherwise.

Perhaps, he thought, he could use this condition for something more significant.

If you want someone to admit they are inferior, you must show them your strength, shatter their pride, and let them recognize your prowess.

Before long, Hu Yunying had stripped down to a small, white, lacy undergarment. Her ample curves threatened to spill forth.

Ling Tian glanced her over, sighing inwardly. This opportunity ought to have belonged to Yan Chen, that youngster. If not for his intervention, the Lotus Flame would have been Yan Chen’s.

Hu Yunying was in dire need of that fire’s aid, and Yan Chen possessed so many rare flames. Eventually, their paths would have crossed, just as his did now.

He had to admit—Yan Chen’s luck with women was rather impressive. It seemed his adversary was no ordinary person, but one blessed with fortune.

However, that luck ended here.

"Enough, stop. Unless you truly intend to strip completely and do something with me in this place?" Ling Tian, distracted, saw Hu Yunying nearly remove her undergarments. He turned away, calling out to halt her.

"What’s the meaning of this? Are you deliberately humiliating me? Listen, I may have need of you, but that doesn’t mean—" Hu Yunying spat inwardly. What kind of person was this?

Asking her to undress had already made her consider certain possibilities. She’d even prepared herself mentally, as if resigning herself to being bitten by a dog. Yet, halfway up the mountain, he stopped her, turning away like a gentleman.

So, am I not good enough for you?

As the undisputed beauty of the White Tiger clan, Hu Yunying could not swallow such a slight.

Outrageous!

"So you mean, unless I do something with you tonight, you won’t be satisfied?" Ling Tian caught her expression as she halted her motions and turned away, and he laughed in exasperation.

Letting her off and she’s still not content? She’d rather I take advantage of her?

What nonsense!

"Bah!" Hu Yunying crossed her arms over her chest, spat, and refused to answer Ling Tian, finding him far too improper.

Ling Tian, however, didn’t bother to argue. He walked straight to her side.

"You—" Hu Yunying saw Ling Tian reach toward her chest and instinctively stepped back.

Mental preparation was one thing, but when the moment came, she still felt uneasy.

"If you don’t want to die, don’t move!" Ling Tian’s expression hardened, his tone domineering.

Hu Yunying froze, her cheeks flushed. The White Tiger clan cultivated the aura of dominance, yet she found herself intimidated by a human.

"You focus so much on subduing the rare flames, yet you don’t realize demon energy has tainted you. If it accumulates, your path of cultivation will be anything but smooth!"

Ling Tian pressed his index and middle fingers together, a Lotus Flame flickering at his fingertips. He swiftly touched a black mark at the side of Hu Yunying’s chest, which exuded an ominous aura.

Indeed—demon energy.

Hu Yunying often visited her grandfather, and in an unguarded moment, had been contaminated. Her grandfather, though powerful, could suppress the demon energy, but now it seemed he was barely holding it at bay. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have leaked onto Hu Yunying.

Xiao Ling’er, witnessing this, realized the truth. So, Ling Tian had only asked the woman to undress to heal her!

She’d misunderstood him.

"Hmm…" Hu Yunying felt warmth spreading from the side of her chest, a pleasant sensation that made her gasp softly. Her ample bosom quivered from Ling Tian’s touch.

She had long felt a coldness and difficulty in cultivation. She’d tried many remedies, but her grandfather's plight was always most urgent, so she hadn’t paid much heed to herself.

Now, hearing Ling Tian’s words, she shuddered at what might have happened without him.

Hu Yunying lowered her gaze, turning her head aside. The White Tiger clan was known for their forthrightness—right was right, wrong was wrong.

Thinking of her earlier attitude toward Ling Tian, who bore no grudge and healed her anyway, she felt remorse.

She stole a glance at Ling Tian’s earnest expression, feeling a faint warmth toward him.

"There, it’s done—not too troublesome," Ling Tian said after a moment, withdrawing his fingers and wiping his brow.

Hu Yunying adjusted her clothes, covering herself once more, an apologetic look in her eyes. She was about to step forward and thank Ling Tian.

But his gaze had already fallen upon her, looking at her as if she were nothing, his words sharp and bitter:

"Do what you’re capable of, or else letting the old bury the young is never a good thing..."