You're Strong But Now You're Mine

"Maybe I shouldn't have let you come with me."

Yan Yi felt the tremors of the ground and stared toward the stairs: "Sis, do you know how to scale a wall?"

"I do, but I've never climbed a wall this tall."

"Then wait for me by the window later. When it's time to escape, just hold onto me. I'll climb down the outer wall with you."

"No need. If it really comes to escaping, we can improvise as necessary. Although I've never climbed the Platinum Tower, it shouldn't be a problem," Ning Xinyuan said. "Besides, I'm too heavy; you can't hold me..."

"Who says that? Sis, you're not heavy at all!" Yan Yi paused for a moment: "You feel just right when I hold you."

"...Looks like I need to go on a diet."

"Oh, sis, you're really not heavy. I'm sure I can hold you, as long as you're willing to hold onto me from the front. Even if I fall off the wall, I'd gladly cushion you with my body." Thinking of Ning Xinyuan hanging onto her like a koala made Yan Yi blush, and her legs couldn't help but squirm.

After exchanging a couple of jokes, Yan Yi sobered up and said seriously, "Sis, if we really can't fight them off, you leave first. I'll follow right behind; don't try to force it."

"I initially thought that with all these layered traps, this group of thugs should've been wiped out by the third floor. I didn't expect them to make it to the fourth, which just shows they are stronger than we anticipated."

"I originally thought there wouldn't be any danger tonight, that's why I brought you along, to show you how I can effortlessly make these thugs disappear into thin air, to let you see how impressive I am."

Ning Xinyuan consoled, "It's okay, Xiao Yi. In my heart, you've always been the most impressive, the most beautiful, and the most adorable."

"Really? Then why do you want to leave me, sis?"

Ning Xinyuan was taken aback.

Yan Yi didn't turn back to look at her, speaking to herself, "A few days ago, when I met with Le Yin, we immediately got into a fight. Do you know why? Although it was at the principal's request, I never liked collaborating with male teachers. Even the radio research group is mostly female. Why then did I agree to work with Le Yin to protect the Platinum Tower?"

"It's because the night before, I heard a rumor that a woman dressed in clothes I gave you, wearing the clogs you often wear, with your favorite hairstyle, was having a tryst with Le Yin in the teaching building."

"That's why I went to cause trouble for Le Yin, to find out what really happened."

Ning Xinyuan listened quietly and then asked, "Did you get an answer?"

"I feel like you want to use Le Yin as a scapegoat, to force me to give up this relationship." Yan Yi listened to the chaos below, calmly saying, "But more than this conclusion, what I care about more is my reaction to this incident, my emotional changes, and my unresolved anxiety."

Perhaps it was an ominous premonition, which led Yan Yi to blurt out things she would normally not dare or need to say: "If I heard that my mother was especially good to other relatives' children, would I feel uneasy and suspect my mother doesn't want me?"

"No, because I can be sure my mother loves me."

"But why, when I hear about someone who looks a lot like you having a tryst with Le Yin, do I feel so uneasy, tossing and turning, and even causing trouble for Le Yin?"

"Because I can't be sure if you truly love me, whether you would leave me."

"Le Yin is just an insignificant trigger. What truly makes me uneasy is your attitude. You've always been avoiding, hesitating, and retreating. Sometimes I even think, maybe exposing our relationship publicly could finally force you to make a decision."

"My initial plan was to, after tonight's incident, drag you to meet with the principal and Le Yin, and have a straightforward conversation among the four of us... but that was just my idea. It's more likely that when I see your smile and hear your voice, all my thoughts would be thrown aside, leaving only the thoughts of whether to have dinner together or to sleep together tomorrow night..."

"I don't dare to push you; I've always been waiting for you. I am at your feet and your intimate friend."

After Yan Yi finished speaking, a silence fell on the fifth floor, interrupted by a sudden explosion below, causing the Platinum Tower to tremble.

"I've never really understood," Ning Xinyuan finally spoke. "Why do you like me so much, Xiao Yi?"

"You say you love me, but to me, it sounds like a child saying they love swinging. You're sincere when you say it, but when you no longer like it in the future, there's nothing to be done."

"You say you're unsure of my true feelings, but actually, I also can't trust your vows."

Yan Yi immediately responded, "I—"

"No need to refute. I'm a few years older than you and not much more skilled, just more realistic. I am indeed warmed and moved by your fiery passion, but having been around, I know that no matter how intense the fire, it eventually turns to ashes. No matter how passionate the love, it ultimately returns to daily life."

"And I've always felt that you deserve something better," Ning Xinyuan said. "To meet a gentle and understanding lover, to build a warm family where your parents bless your marriage, and people admire your perfect match... you should have that kind of dazzling happiness."

"I feel like I've been holding you back; I'm just a passerby in your life."

Yan Yi shook her head, "Yes, I initially thought you were just a passerby, but in the end, you've occupied the most important place in my life."

"Four years ago, when you first joined the Imperial Academy as a teacher, I was in fourth grade and took your class to earn credits from a new teacher like you."

"I remember your first class, pretending to be confident while nervous, your quick wit in resolving mistakes, and avoiding eye contact with students by staring into the upper right corner of the classroom..."

"Back then, I just thought you were a rather attractive teacher. Later, once you got accustomed to teaching, I realized you were also a talented scholar."

"But then I heard you were already engaged, and the fiancé lived in the Imperial Court... I didn't think much of it at first until the turmoil two years ago when I heard your newly married husband passed away, and that led to my bold idea."

"As for what happened afterward, you know that too," Yan Yi said softly. "I found ways to get closer to you, to know you, first becoming your best friend, then gradually making you accept me..."

"You ask why I like you, and unfortunately I can't give a particularly dramatic example highlighting your qualities. If I had to describe it, it would be..."

"Attracted by appearance, captivated by talent, loyal to character, enchanted by physicality, charmed by voice, and intoxicated by deep affection."

Ning Xinyuan reminded, "Four out of those six sentences mean the same thing."

"That's because your strengths are indeed very prominent," Yan Yi laughed. "As for saying that I should have those blessings-filled happiness... does it mean our love won't be blessed?"

"I remember when you finally accepted me; I was so happy that I couldn't concentrate on class, and the principal asked if I was in love and wanted to meet the person who caused my distraction for dinner one day."

"I said, but principal, the person I like is also a woman. The principal gave me a dumbfounded look and said, you women can fall in love and not eat? Fine, I'll cancel your free teacher meals."

Ning Xinyuan couldn't help but laugh, sighing, "No wonder he's the principal... but then, only the principal is such an open-minded person."

"But I don't need blessings from those who aren't open-minded," Yan Yi said. "I don't know how to dispel your worries, but I can say that I don't dislike men, nor do I only like women. It's just that before meeting you, I never thought about love. After meeting you, I never thought about anyone else."

Ning Xinyuan asked, "What if someone even more exciting appears in the future?"

"What if we die at the hands of the culprits later?" Yan Yi retorted, "To prevent that, shouldn't you come down and give me a farewell kiss sooner?"

"Even if you're steadfast in your resolve, what about me?"

Ning Xinyuan softly asked, "What if I fall in love with someone else in the future?"

"You're so outstanding, loving two people shouldn't be hard for you, right?"

Yan Yi turned back to look at her and blinked, "Even though not being exclusive is a pity, having an affair isn't something I can't accept."

"Hmph, you won't get the chance to have an affair."

"Then I'll just marry along and squeeze into the same bed with you openly."

The two chuckled, and after a moment of silence, Ning Xinyuan suddenly asked, "It seems we've never actually had a meal with the headmaster."

"He was just joking; you've seen how the headmaster eats at banquets, he devours food like a storm, doesn't like to chat while eating, and rushes back to practice and research after finishing. If it weren't for starvation, I think he might really give up on the enjoyment of eating." Yan Yi said.

"Let's invite the headmaster for a meal in a couple of days. I'll cook."

"Sure, I'll help out. I'm not fond of cooking, but I can wash veggies and slice meat."

"But, the condition is that he has to return alive." Yan Yi watched the person coming from the stairway and stood up, saying, "We also have to leave alive."

Dong!

Accompanied by a series of heavy footsteps, two tall, strong, fire-engulfed iron-masked men stepped onto the fifth floor. The black clothes they were wearing had burned away, revealing the full-coverage iron armor beneath, with almost no skin exposed to the air, every part wrapped in refined steel armor.

Behind the two iron-masked men was a middle-aged man with a face full of knife scars, holding a meat cleaver, and a Hunter with steel talons on both hands, wearing a hood. They all had injuries, the Hunter's abdomen was bleeding, and half of the hooded person's body was burned black, but these injuries were not fatal enough to affect their combat strength.

"Five people actually made it to the fifth floor..." Yan Yi's eyes flickered, "Was the Flame Regiment on the fourth floor wiped out?"

"Wow, is this a stalactite cave... No, considering Cha Huan's character, he wouldn't appreciate a stalactite cave."

The Grand Steward glanced at the stone forest on the fifth floor and exclaimed, "It's such a challenging path, No. 1 and No. 2 be careful not to trip, open the way quickly."

The iron-masked men silently led the way ahead. Standing on a stone pillar, Yan Yi watched them without speaking. Instead, the Grand Steward proactively said, "Teacher Yan, I've long heard of your reputation; meeting is far better than hearing. If I were twenty years old, I'd pursue you like a moth to a flame; if I were thirty, I'd come to marry you in a luxury car. Unfortunately, I'm sixty years old, the only thing I can boast about is my coffin—made of golden thread nanmu, crafted with precision, warm in winter, cool in summer..."

"Sixty? You don't look that old," Yan Yi remarked, "Who are you?"

"Thank you, everyone always said I had a youthful face since I was young," the Grand Steward chuckled, "You can call me the Grand Steward; I'm the unfortunate one who handles the dirty work."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Teacher Yan, you must have noticed the disparity in combat strength between us. Since you're not inclined to intervene, we can coexist peacefully. You're not our target."

Yan Yi thought for a moment, then nodded, "Indeed, I'm only here because the headmaster asked me. I don't want to protect Qin Le Yin, I'd rather he die quickly."

"I'm glad we have reached a consensus; please stand there without moving, we'll hurry to the sixth floor and won't disturb your contemplation," the Grand Steward politely nodded, urging the iron-masked men to speed up.

However, the path on the fifth floor was really difficult to traverse. First-timers would find their steps inconsistent, facing struggle and hardship, thus it took them quite a while to cross half of it.

Watching the iron-masked men pass by, Yan Yi did not react; when the Grand Steward passed, she did not react; when the Hunter and the hooded man passed, she still did not react.

Until a gunshot rang out!

Dang!

The bullet ricocheted and shattered the stone pillars on the ceiling, immediately triggering a chain reaction. Over a dozen stone pillars descended like spears!

Simultaneously, Yan Yi attacked like an eagle, targeting the hooded man at the rear of the group, her legs winding into a vortex of lightning, her right leg, wrapped in dark silk, slicing down like the blade of the Thunder God!

Combat Technique · Griffin Vortex Strike!

The Grand Steward calmly dodged the falling pillars and asked, "Teacher Yan, didn't you say you didn't want to risk your life for Qin Le Yin?"

Dang! Dang!

The hooded man's talons suddenly flared with scorching electrical arcs, fearlessly clashing with Yan Yi in a single strike, Yan Yi then retreated to crouch on a stone pillar, her expression grave as she watched the hooded man.

"I'm not willing to risk my life for Qin Le Yin, but as a teacher at the Imperial Academy, safeguarding the academy's safety is my duty!" Yan Yi calmly said, "As long as I'm here, you shall not advance a single step!"

The Grand Steward was about to speak when he suddenly tilted his head aside, and then a gunshot sounded as a bullet grazed past his ear, even taking away half of it.

The Grand Steward touched his ear, finding not a drop of blood, then looked at the shadow on the ceiling and sighed, "The second person on the list has appeared."

"Brotherhood's Le Huan, No. 1, stay here and take care of them; the others move forward."

No. 1 iron-masked man showed no reaction, just staring at the shadow on the ceiling, then pressed his body downward, legs tensed—

Boom!

The iron-masked man launched towards the stone pillar group on the ceiling like a cannonball!

"Sis—" Yan Yi screamed in disbelief, but simultaneously, a pitch-black figure lunged to attack, electric arcs entwining the talons, producing a piercing chirp like a thousand birds!

"Mortal, do you still have time to look elsewhere!?"

"Get lost!"

Yan Yi agilely leaped up, dodging the Brotherhood assassin's attack like a high jumper, her electrically arced legs hooked around the assassin's neck, bringing her swiftly crashing down, her electric entwined hands fiercely cutting towards the assassin's back!

Combat Technique · The Playful Ground of Cats and Wolves!

Pa! Upon striking, Yan Yi swiftly jumped onto another stone pillar, but was shocked to find that the assassin, after taking two painful hits, didn't fall but simply twisted his neck casually, looking at her with a sinister expression.

"Is this your lightning? Weak strikes, imprecise heat, scattered power, sluggish movements, not a single impressive feature, and you still dream of mastering thunder power? Keep dreaming!" Assassin Le Huan flicked his hands, his ten fingers completely enveloped in lightning, emitting a fierce blue glow!

His tone was arrogant, his gaze as if looking down on Yan Yi, "Mortal, bow down and accept death under the glorious heavenly might!"