Ye Chu flipped onto the rooftop. He lifted a glazed tile and opened a gap large enough for a person to slip through. With another flip, he dropped silently into the imperial study.
The imperial study was one of the palace’s forbidden areas. Guards stood outside, but inside it was empty. Ye Chu scanned the surroundings. Books were piled high. Clearly, this king was fond of reading.
But that only made the search harder.
Time was short. Ye Chu rifled through row after row of shelves. He did indeed find several volumes of bedroom arts and beauties’ portraits. He grabbed a few at random and stuffed them into his robes without checking if they were the ones Pang Shao wanted.
There were plenty of such books and pictures, but Ye Chu tossed them aside. He was after the sole copy of Red Fiend among all these volumes.
He searched every shelf and found nothing. Ye Chu frowned. Had that little Su Rong lied to him?
His gaze shifted from the shelves to the desk. Memorials lay spread across it. Even the jade seal carved with a golden dragon sat there, lifelike and exquisite.
Ye Chu picked up the seal and bit it gently. The dragon really was carved from gold.
He tapped it a few times. The gold and jade were joined perfectly. Only then did he abandon the idea of knocking the gold off.
He pulled open the drawers and rummaged through them. There were many rare volumes, but still no Red Fiend.
Ye Chu searched the entire study and found nothing. Just as he began to suspect Su Rong had tricked him, his peripheral vision caught something at the corner of the desk. A book was being used to prop up one leg.
He reached out and pulled it free. It was exactly the sole copy of Red Fiend he sought.
“Bloody hell!” Ye Chu could not help swearing. Such a precious volume, and they were using it to steady a table leg. He felt like giving the King of Yao a good thrashing.
With Red Fiend in hand, Ye Chu prepared to leap back through the roof opening. But a figure dropped down through the same gap. His heart jolted. Before he could dodge, the figure landed in the study and stood facing him.
The initial alarm vanished the moment Ye Chu saw who it was. It was a woman. And an astonishingly beautiful one.
Her features were flawless. Her eyes held the same cool detachment as Su Rong’s, but where Su Rong’s aloofness was pure and ethereal, this woman’s was mature and alluring. Long legs, slender waist, graceful poise, full red lips, gently rounded chin, long pale neck, proud chest, lithe resilient waist, broad sensual hips. Every part of her radiated temptation.
To a mature man, such a woman was irresistibly attractive.
But that was not what astonished Ye Chu most. What truly shocked him was her aura. She simply stood there, yet seemed like an immortal untouched by worldly dust, beyond the three realms, exuding an innate nobility. A majesty seeped from the depths of her soul, making one feel unworthy in her presence.
“Impossible!” Ye Chu had met the Empire’s Supreme Emperor and never felt anything like this. Yet he felt it from her.
After entering the study, the woman glanced at Ye Chu, then surveyed the room. Seeing the mess, she looked back at him, noted the Red Fiend in his hand, and finally spoke. “You’re a thief?”
Her voice was soft and seductive, yet carried undeniable authority.
“Aren’t you one too?” Ye Chu smiled at her. Entering through the roof instead of the door, and a woman at that. If not a thief, what was she? Only, she was bold enough not to cover her face.
“Taking something from Yao belongs to Yao’s honour. Naturally, I am no thief.” The woman shook her head.
Ye Chu, who had just taken a step to leave, nearly stumbled. To claim stealing as bringing honour to Yao. Even he, thick-skinned as he was, could not manage that. Yet she said it so lightly. He could not help raising a thumb. “Impressive. I can’t match you.”
“You searched the whole study. Do you know where the jade seal is?” the woman asked. Her voice was soft, beguiling.
Ye Chu looked at her in surprise. What did she want the seal for? In anyone else’s hands it was useless. No one would even dare buy it if stolen. Otherwise, he might have pocketed it for some silver.
Still, he did not ask. He pointed to a drawer. “Tossed it in there just now.”
The woman nodded. With a wave of her hand, the drawer opened by itself. The seal flew into her pale, delicate palm.
Having obtained it, she did not linger. Her figure flashed. She leapt gracefully towards the roof opening, moving like a drifting immortal. The gap was small, yet her long skirt did not snag. As she passed, the skirt brushed a tile. The tile fell.
“Crack…”
The sound was faint, but in the quiet night it rang clearly. It instantly alerted the guards outside the study.
“Intruder!”
As the guards shouted, they saw the woman emerge and stand on the rooftop.
“Shoot!”
The captain ordered. Many guards drew bows and fired at the woman on the roof.
Inside the study, Ye Chu heard the commotion and swore. “Damn it! This woman will get me killed!”
The study door was kicked open. Ye Chu had no time to think. He stamped hard, leapt onto the roof, and saw the woman casually wave off a volley of arrows.
Her movement was effortless, yet the dozen arrows flying towards her froze in front of her. With a light push, they all snapped in half.
“So strong!” Even Ye Chu felt a chill. To perform such a feat, she was at least Innate Realm.
“No wonder she dared steal the seal. She’s reached that level!” Ye Chu muttered. Still, he called out. “There are Innate Realm experts in the palace. Better leave quickly!”
The woman glanced at him but ignored his warning. She walked straight towards the guards ahead without dodging.
The intrusion had roused many. People arrived carrying lanterns. The dark night suddenly blazed with light.
“Brazen thief! Surrender at once!” the captain roared, ordering another volley.
But as before, the woman waved lightly. Every arrow broke.
“Innate Realm!”
The encircling guards stared at her in horror and disbelief.
“Step aside!” the woman said calmly. Yet her words carried immense authority. The guards instinctively wanted to retreat.
“What thief dares cause trouble in the palace! State Protector, seize her!”
At that voice, a man in royal robes walked slowly from the distance. Beside him stood two of the palace’s State Protectors.
Seeing them appear, Ye Chu’s expression changed dramatically.
