A flippant yet pleasant voice suddenly sounded from above him. To Si Xie's ears, however, it sounded demonic. A series of images flashed through his mind, and he was instantly consumed by rage.
He struggled to lift his head, only to see a ghoulish face looking down on him. It was utterly repulsive, just plain ugly and terrifying.
If he weren't already used to the sight, this angle would have certainly made him scream and lose all composure.
"You damn woman, you're the one who tied me up?"
He roared ferociously, but Jiang Yunnuan wasn't the least bit intimidated. She simply raised an eyebrow, chuckled, and replied nonchalantly.
"Who else?"
Her expression, her tone—it was a blatant provocation!
Si Xie was so furious he could have ground his teeth to dust. He wanted nothing more than to snap her neck and drink her blood, but his limbs were tied fast. He couldn't even stand, forced to writhe on the ground before her.
It was utterly humiliating, and he had no outlet for his rage.
"Untie me!!!"
Si Xie seethed. He closed his eyes, taking a long moment to compose himself before forcing the words out through clenched teeth, his fury barely contained.
Seeing him absolutely furious but forced to bottle it up, Jiang Yunnuan's mood instantly brightened.
"Sure. Why don't you beg me? Say a few sweet things, and maybe I'll untie you. How about it?"
Si Xie: "..."
'Goddamn it, I wish a bolt of lightning would strike this wretched woman dead!'
'Aren't women supposed to be cute and kind?'
'Why is this one in my life so vicious and detestable?'
'It's one thing for her to be ugly. It's another for her to have no Superpower. But why does she also have to be so malicious and infuriatingly hateful?'
'I wish the world would just end! Then I'd never have to see her again!'
[Beep. Affinity with target has decreased. Current affinity: -200.]
Jiang Yunnuan: "..."
She was completely dumbfounded by the notification.
'What the hell?'
'His affinity for me had already dropped to -100 before. I thought that was the lowest it could go, but I guess not. This is just absurd! Absolutely ridiculous!'
Suddenly, all the strength drained from her body. Her vision swam as that familiar sensation of death—her body shutting down, her heart stopping—washed over her again.
THUMP...
Her legs buckled, and Jiang Yunnuan fell to the ground. Without even waiting for a system prompt, she forced herself to crawl toward Si Xie.
Practice makes perfect. This time, her kiss was skillful and decisive, giving him no time to react.
The moment their lips touched, a soft, supple sensation spread through him. Si Xie froze as if he'd been electrocuted. His eyes flew wide, filled with utter shock and disbelief.
'He'd been kissed! By this damned, disgusting, ugly woman!'
'I'm not clean anymore!!!'
The thought completely consumed him. He suddenly yanked his head back and roared in fury.
"Ahhh! You damn woman! Who gave you permission to take advantage of me? You're disgusting!"
He turned his head and spat repeatedly, looking like he was about to throw up from sheer disgust. He seemed to be on the verge of a complete breakdown.
Jiang Yunnuan, now fully recovered: "..."
'Well, she *was* the one who'd assaulted him with this ugly face, so his disgust was understandable. She decided not to stoop to his level.'
"So sorry about that. I lost my balance and fell. It was a complete accident, so please don't take it to heart."
She casually tossed out the excuse, her apology utterly insincere. It made Si Xie's handsome, refined face contort with rage.
"Lies! You obviously did that on purpose! Do you think I'm blind?"
He'd clearly seen her lean in deliberately, even if she did seem a little... off.
Hearing that, Jiang Yunnuan raised an eyebrow and decided to just own it.
"If that's what you want to think, I can't stop you. Fine, let's just say I did it on purpose."
'It wasn't like she had a choice. If his affinity for her hadn't plummeted to -100, she wouldn't be forced to kiss him just to stay alive.'
'So really, he was the culprit here. She was the victim.'
'Even if he was the one being assaulted, he had it coming.'
Si Xie: "..."
'Was she even speaking human? How could anyone say something like that?'
'When did this damn woman get so good at infuriating him?'
'Before, she was just stupid and malicious, someone to be loathed and despised. But now? Every word out of her mouth was designed to provoke. She could piss off a saint. He wanted to sew her mouth shut!'
Si Xie felt his blood boil. His vision started to go dark. He was so angry he felt like he was about to pass out.
He had a feeling that if he continued this conversation, he might actually die of rage. For the sake of his own life, he turned his head away and resolved to ignore her.
Seeing this, Jiang Yunnuan stood up, let out a cold snort, and headed upstairs.
'She'd planned on trying to negotiate—she'd release him if he agreed to her terms. But seeing the state he was in, it was clear he wouldn't agree to anything. In that case, it was better to keep him tied up. Otherwise, her own life would be at risk!'
Back in her room, Jiang Yunnuan took a shower and began to examine her new body.
In her past life, she had been the heir to the Mystic Sect, cultivating all sorts of Magic from a young age. Later, when the apocalypse struck and changed the world, she awakened multiple Superpowers, including Purification, Healing, and Space. She was an absolute top-tier powerhouse. How could she tolerate this body being so useless?
'She was going to find out what exactly was wrong with it.'
A few minutes later, Jiang Yunnuan was pleasantly surprised to discover that this body had an excellent constitution. It was not only a promising vessel for cultivating Mystic Techniques, but it could also sense Superpowers.
Clearly, there was nothing wrong with the body itself. She just couldn't figure out why its original owner had been completely powerless.
Something was very off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't dwell on it. Jiang Yunnuan didn't linger on the puzzle, quickly pushing it aside. She closed her eyes and began to focus on her Cultivation.
'Since Cultivation was possible, she would tackle both Mystic Techniques and Superpowers at the same time. She needed to grow stronger as quickly as she could. It was the only way to stop living in constant fear for her life.'
*
An unknown amount of time passed before a loud commotion from downstairs startled her out of her Cultivation. Her eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them for an instant.
'Excellent. My dantian is open, and I've successfully drawn qi into my body. Pretty efficient, if I do say so myself.' Jiang Yunnuan stretched, feeling extremely pleased.
But a moment later, a putrid stench filled the air, so overwhelming she nearly gagged.
'Oh, crap.' It was the impurities that had built up in this body over the years, all being expelled at once. Jiang Yunnuan pinched her nose, wrinkling her brow in disgust.
"Open the door! Open up..."
Just as she was about to take another shower, a loud BANG BANG BANG rattled the door, accompanied by Si Xie's furious, booming voice.
The violent, frantic sounds made Jiang Yunnuan's heart jump, and she froze in stunned disbelief.
'Wasn't he tied up?'
'How did he untie the ropes?'
"You damn woman, open this door! Don't think you can get away with playing dead!!!"
His shouts were followed by the sound of heavy kicking. The door shuddered violently with each impact, and every thud felt like a blow against Jiang Yunnuan's heart.
Before she could come up with a plan, the door crashed open with a loud BANG. A tall, slender figure stormed in, practically radiating fury. Trailing unhurriedly behind him were two other equally tall and imposing figures.
When she saw the two newcomers clearly, Jiang Yunnuan felt her world collapse.
'Oh, crap. Ming Ye and Fu Yuan... they're back from their mission...'