Chapter 236: Chapter 152: Night Raid on the Young Lord’s Hall

"This isn’t for me to wear, is it?"

You Su touched the texture of the fabric in his hand. It carried an enchanting fragrance, and it turned out to be a woman’s long dress.

Ji Xueruo chuckled mischievously, "Unless I plan to wear two skirts by myself?"

You Su’s expression turned serious. "What do you mean by this, Miss Ji?"

"To my knowledge, the lotus seeds are strictly controlled by those at the Jade Ring Pool. We don’t know where they’re hidden, and taking them by force is clearly impossible."

"So your method is..."

"The noble Yu Mingzhen."

Ji Xueruo’s eyes twinkled like stars in the night:

"At first, I didn’t realize that the mutation was caused by the lotus seeds. In the past two days, Yui Zhen kept sending me food stewed with lotus seeds, claiming it was instructed by the noble himself. I didn’t want to waste such treasures, so I accepted them all with a smile, which led to that transformation."

"You think this wasn’t actually the noble’s idea?"

Ji Xueruo glanced at You Su and countered, "Do you think the noble, Yudie, and those maids seem like people who know the inside story?"

Yudie...

You Su couldn’t help but recall his interactions with Yudie. Initially, he feigned being gradually captivated by her, but upon discovering that Yudie was willing to sacrifice her life for the Lotus Heart, he realized this mortal saintess might just be a pawn.

"Hey, you haven’t truly fallen for that Yudie, have you?" Ji Xueruo frowned, displaying inexplicable disdain.

"Of course not. The only one I care for is my junior sister," You Su instantly defended.

Ji Xueruo, hearing this, mumbled softly, "You better be."

"If Miss Ji has discerned something, feel free to share."

"Can’t you sense the obvious difference between Yui Zhen and those people?" The wind scattered Ji Xueruo’s black strands, with moonlight draping silver onto them, "Whether it’s the noble or the maids around me, they’ve all expressed a desire to leave here. Yui Zhen, however, thinks not about getting out himself but about reopening the gates to let others in."

You Su’s heart skipped a beat, immediately understanding Ji Xueruo’s point:

"They were all born after the Jade Ring Pool hid from the world. To them, it’s like a prison, so they want to leave. But for Yui Zhen and those behind him, it’s the same, yet they’re not prisoners but wardens, hence wanting to draw more people in."

"Right, so the likes of the noble may be oblivious to the darkness beneath the Jade Ring Pool, simply being utilized tools, or they may be aware but unwilling to collude."

Ji Xueruo squinted her eyes, "Therefore, I think we can make a breakthrough with the noble."

"You want to disguise to get close to the noble’s place?" You Su raised the dress in his hand as a hint, "But how can you be sure he will help you? He is from the Condensed Water Lower Realm; if he wants to capture you, could you escape?"

"Given the situation, do you have a better idea?" Ji Xueruo gave You Su a sidelong glance, "Luckily, I was cautious and stole two servant’s outfits from the Jade Ring Pool. Otherwise, I couldn’t even share one with you. Together, if we face any unforeseen circumstances, at least we’ll have each other’s backs. The noble once told me Mr. Cuihe and Venerable Chengtao are in seclusion, with only Venerable Shenxi occasionally active, so it’s hard to expose myself using my ’Void Snake Shedding.’ Are you scared?"

You Su was silent for a while before saying, "Wait here for me. I’ll go find the Yudie for lotus seeds. Perhaps it’s much safer than this."

"Don’t you dare!" Ji Xueruo commanded vehemently.

You Su, puzzled by Miss Ji’s unusually strong reaction, raised an eyebrow:

"Why?"

"Just don’t!"

Ji Xueruo, for some reason, couldn’t shake the image of You Su and Yudie sailing a boat together:

"We must act together now. Once separated, it’s likely we won’t reconnect."

You Su hesitated, acknowledging the logic. He couldn’t leave Ji Xueruo in harm’s way alone.

"Then why don’t we both sneak into the small pool palace where the saintess resides to ask for her help? She’s easier to handle than the noble."

"You really fancy seeing her, don’t you?" Ji Xueruo rolled her eyes and retorted, "Precisely because she’s too easy to handle, she might not be able to help us. We can’t afford trial and error." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

You Su sighed, acknowledging that today’s cross-dressing was inevitable.

"Are you sure I can fit into this dress?"

"Rest assured, that maid was taller than you. And the one you have is purple, don’t forget."

You Su shook his head, sighed, and said, "Alright, then turn around and don’t watch me."

Ji Xueruo sneered, turning away as she indeed did not watch You Su. She hesitated, then took two steps forward to hide and also changed into a new dress.

When she reappeared fully dressed, she was in a vibrant red dress, the wind lifting her hem and tassels. Though donned in what a maid would wear, she appeared immensely regal. In the night, she was akin to a fiery bloom.

You Su, on the other hand, stood bare-chested, awkwardly figuring out how to wear the skirt. The larger it was, the more there was to understand, and being unable to see clearly made this first attempt evidently confusing for him.

Ji Xueruo chuckled before walking towards You Su:

"Give me the dress."

You Su, looking slightly awkward, handed it to Ji Xueruo. "Please, Miss Ji, don’t tell anyone."

"Yes, yes, You Su, the unparalleled disciple of Lotus Sword Venerable, surely would never wear women’s clothes."

Despite the looming crisis, Ji Xueruo found it increasingly amusing. She lifted both of You Su’s arms and said: