Jiuye had no idea what this woman was thinking. She’d already fought this magical beast yesterday, so she should’ve had some idea what it was like. And yet here she was, knocked out by its poison gas again. Imagine how ridiculous it’d be to get knocked out twice by the exact same trick. The stronger people are, the more careless they tend to be.

The young man wasn’t heartless. He didn’t want to get tangled up with this woman again, but he couldn’t just leave her there, either. Being the kindhearted sort, he slowly got dressed before going over to treat her with acupuncture and draw out the poison.

Honestly, when she was awake, the woman could be a little spoiled and willful. But unconscious like this, she looked impossibly delicate and charming. Just looking at her made her all the more tempting. Jiuye was a man, and beautiful girls could make his heart stir, too. He couldn’t help taking a few extra glances.

Once he’d completely removed the poison from the woman, the young man didn’t stick around. She hadn’t been poisoned too badly this time, so she’d probably wake up before long. To avoid being misunderstood by her again, Jiuye left a note and hurried away.

He’d fallen into the mud earlier, and his entire lower half was caked in it. It felt awful. Drawing on his knowledge of the wilderness, Jiuye quickly found a small river where he could wash up.

He took off all his clothes and set his belongings to one side. Then, clutching his clothes, he waded into the water. First he scrubbed them clean, then he washed the mud off himself.

The weather was hot, so clothes left hanging in a tree would dry in no more than two hours. But Jiuye had nothing to wear right now except a very, very short pair of shorts—and they were wet, too.

It wasn’t until after six in the evening that he finally got dressed and headed down the mountain.

Back in Gran City, Jiuye took two gold coins to the finest inn in the city.

Now that he had money, it was time to spend it. As long as Jiuye had cash on him, he never held himself back.

The service at an inn this expensive really was something else. Two greeters in fashionable, rather revealing outfits stood at the entrance, and inside the lobby there were even more sexy waitresses.

When the innkeeper saw Jiuye come in, his face filled with disdain.

“You looking for a room?” the innkeeper asked, not even looking at Jiuye.

Jiuye’s clothes were a little ragged, but he was a rich man now. Gold coins were the best way to shut this innkeeper up.

He took out a gold coin and tossed it to the innkeeper, who caught it in one hand.

“This should be enough to get me a room for the night, right?” Jiuye said with a smile.

The innkeeper looked at the gold coin in his hand, and his attitude immediately improved.

“Oh! I’m terribly sorry, sir. I’ll get you a room right away. Please wait just a moment.”

Money really can make the world go round.

The difference between a high-end inn and an ordinary one came down to the facilities and the service. As Jiuye made his way to his room, a pretty waitress walked ahead of him to show him the way. The upscale room was lavishly decorated. It couldn’t compare to the city lord’s mansion, but it had the same sort of feel. After showing him to his room, the waitress even said she’d stay with him that night.

Heh. Of course Jiuye wouldn’t agree. What kind of man was he? Handsome and charming, a dashing rogue, adored by everyone, beloved by flowers wherever he went…

“You lecher! It’s you!” a voice called from the room across the hall.

“…”

From the voice and what she’d said, Jiuye knew who it was.

Now he was genuinely embarrassed. Weren’t they supposed to be done with each other? How could they run into each other in a place like this? This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go!

Before Jiuye could even turn around, the pink-haired woman had already walked in from the room across the hall. She was holding a piece of paper.

“Hey, what’s the meaning of this? I’m a girl, you know! You just left me out in the wilderness. Don’t you have a conscience? What if some magical beast had found me? You’ve got some nerve. And what’s this note supposed to mean? Do you hate me that much?”

The young man really didn’t know how to defend himself. How had it somehow become all his fault? He must’ve owed her in a past life.

So, what exactly did the note say?

The note read: “Listen, I saved you because you’re pretty. I didn’t take your clothes off. I’ve got things to do and no time to waste talking to you, so I’m heading down the mountain first. If anything’s wrong with you, don’t come blaming me.”

…