"Miss Yu, don’t be angry. I’ll just stay for a moment and then I’ll go." Yi Tianyun gave a wry smile when he saw it was Yu Shiqian. ’Who could have guessed this was Yu Shiqian’s room?’ It was the closest one, and his pursuers were searching for Cultivators, so hiding on the roof was useless. Only hiding inside a room would be effective.

If he hadn’t been hit by the Netherworld Divine Palm, he wouldn’t have needed to hide at all. After all, with his Concealing Skill alone, no one would have been able to find him. As for flying, that was even more out of the question. His flight speed might be fast, but he would still be discovered eventually, which would easily cause a commotion.

He couldn’t rule out the presence of other Pill Transformation Stage experts, so his utmost priority was to be cautious.

"You’ll leave in a moment? Who exactly are you!?" Yu Shiqian’s gaze was ice-cold, her longsword pointed at him without the slightest hint of relaxing.

’Sneaking in here in the dead of night to hide from the commotion outside... He’s definitely no good person.’ How could Yu Shiqian possibly relax? She kept her sword aimed at him.

"Me...?" In a flash, Yi Tianyun appeared behind Yu Shiqian. He grabbed both of her hands and pressed his body against her back. "Miss Yu, don’t move."

Yu Shiqian’s heart leaped in shock. Before she could even react, Yi Tianyun was already behind her, completely in control! No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t break free from his grasp; her entire body was pinned.

Yi Tianyun had been struck by the Netherworld Divine Palm, but his condition was manageable—it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t walk. The main issue was that he could barely use his Concealing Skill, as his concentration would easily scatter. The Concealing Skill required him to suppress all of his power to be effective.

’With the effects of the Netherworld Divine Palm clinging to me, how can I possibly conceal myself?’ He would have to wait for the effects to wear off before he could hide again.

"Wh-what do you think you’re doing!?" Yu Shiqian felt the warmth radiating from his body and the masculine scent that reached her, making her flush with shame and anger. She wanted to resist, but she couldn’t; he had her completely pinned.

The most outrageous part was how his body was pressed against hers, immobilizing her.

Yi Tianyun hadn’t wanted to do this; he only resorted to it because he was afraid Yu Shiqian would lose her cool. If he hadn’t pressed up against her, she probably would have kicked him, and a kick from her could be fatal.

Yu Shiqian’s cultivation level wasn’t particularly high, but she was at the Core Formation Stage. Getting kicked by her a few times would be no laughing matter.

"Miss Yu, I told you I mean no harm. Just behave and don’t move. I really just want to hide here for a moment." Yi Tianyun had no other intentions. Even pressed this close, he had no ulterior motives. He truly only wanted to hide, not to assault her.

"Th-then get away from me!" Yu Shiqian’s face was red with shame and anger. Never before had a man been this close to her, and in a position that was practically an embrace.

If anyone were to see them, there would be no explaining this.

"Then don’t call for help, and don’t attack me again," Yi Tianyun said.

"Fine!" Yu Shiqian glared at him, biting her lip tightly.

Yi Tianyun quickly released his grip and dodged to the side, but the moment he did, Yu Shiqian lunged at him with her sword, shouting, "You lecher!"

Yi Tianyun reached out and caught the longsword between his fingers. He was at the peak of the Spirit Pill Stage, a full major realm above her, not just a few levels. ’With such a vast power gap, unless I let her kill me or was caught completely off guard, she stood no chance.’

"Miss Yu, I asked you not to attack, but you went and did it anyway," Yi Tianyun said helplessly. "It’ll just be for a moment. I swear I won’t lay a hand on you!"

Yu Shiqian snorted coldly, released her grip on the longsword, and backed away, her beautiful eyes glaring at him. ’He just took such liberties with me, how could my anger possibly fade so easily?’ If she hadn’t realized how much stronger he was, she would have kept attacking.

"Who are you, really? And what’s going on outside?" Yu Shiqian asked after a moment’s thought.

"There’s no need for you to know. You’ll likely find out tomorrow anyway, so don’t worry about it," Yi Tianyun said with a calm smile. He didn’t reveal his face. He and Yu Shiqian were strangers; there was no reason to show her.

’The less trouble, the better.’ He decided against revealing his face.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK... Just then, a knock came at the door. "Is anyone in there? Room inspection!"

The voice of a guard came from outside. ’Looks like they plan on checking every room. If someone’s found missing, it’s going to be a big problem.’

Yu Shiqian froze for a moment, then looked over at Yi Tianyun. He nodded, signaling for her to open the door.

After a moment of hesitation, Yu Shiqian stood up and went to the door. ’If I don’t let them inspect the room, they won’t give up.’

She walked to the door and opened it. When the guard saw Yu Shiqian, he said sternly, "There’s a situation. We’ll need you to cooperate with a room inspection. Allow us to enter and search the room!"

"Why are you conducting inspections in the middle of the night?" Yu Shiqian frowned, not revealing that Yi Tianyun was inside.

In truth, she held no goodwill toward the Netherworld Empire. Besides, what right did they have to suddenly start inspecting rooms in the middle of the night?

"That’s none of your concern! If you don’t allow the inspection, don’t blame us for getting rough!" This guard’s cultivation level was not low, but even if it were, he could afford to be this arrogant.

The name of the Netherworld Empire alone was enough. To resist their search was to resist the Netherworld Empire!

"No! This is my room. On what grounds can you search it...?" Yu Shiqian still tried to resist.

"Break in!" The guard immediately charged forward, slamming the door open and ignoring Yu Shiqian completely.

"You..."

Yu Shiqian’s heart skipped a beat. She whipped her head around to look, but there was no trace of him. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. ’Why am I relieved? He’s a complete stranger.’

After searching for some time, they found no one. They left with cold expressions, not bothering to say another word—a testament to their arrogance.

「Meanwhile」

The Great Elder’s room was also targeted for a search. Someone pounded on the door, shouting, "Open up! Room inspection!"

"Grandfather, what do we do? Why are they suddenly inspecting rooms? If they discover Mansion Master Yi is missing, we’ll be in serious trouble!" Mu Xian’Er said, her expression anxious. Yi Tianyun had been gone for so long and still hadn’t returned.

"All we can do is stall for time. I don’t know when the Mansion Master will be back..." They didn’t know the reason for the inspections, but they were sure it was nothing good.

BANG!

Before they had another moment to think, the door was violently smashed open. Guards rushed in and stared at them coldly. "What took you so long to open the door...? Where is your Mansion Master!?"

"Our Mansion Master..." The Great Elder’s face fell, uncertain how to explain the situation.

"Is there a problem? A man can’t even get some sleep around here? So much trouble." Yi Tianyun appeared from behind a folding screen, letting out a yawn as he gave them a helpless look.

Seeing him, the guard snorted. "So you are here. If you weren’t, you all would have been in serious trouble!"

With that, the guards turned and left, not staying a moment longer. As long as everyone was accounted for, their inspection was complete.

After they left, a glint flashed in Yi Tianyun’s eyes. He had, of course, used Instant Teleportation to return. Thankfully, the distance wasn’t too great, so the trip back was easy. The main reason he had hidden in Yu Shiqian’s room was to wait for Instant Teleportation’s cooldown to finish. ’That way, I could teleport directly back here. It’s far safer than relying on concealment!’