Chapter 15: This Woman Shows No Respect for Men

“Bilian, have you finished washing?” Yang Zhan called out at the entrance of the underground cave.

“Coming up!” Bilian’s voice echoed from below.

Only then did Yang Zhan pick up a set of clothes, a hairpin, and a pair of boots and descend.

Steam filled the basement, but Yang Zhan immediately spotted Bilian soaking in the wooden tub.

After more than two years, Yang Zhan finally saw Bilian’s features clearly.

In that instant, he was stunned.

Her skin was taut and snow-white, her nose delicately poised, and her eyes crystal-clear and pure without a trace of impurity.

To call her a beauty seemed almost sacrilegious.

She was more like a celestial maiden—perhaps no fairy could surpass her.

Especially now, Bilian’s appearance was utterly different from what Yang Zhan had imagined before, creating a striking visual contrast.

Suddenly, the sound of splashing water mingled with the clinking of iron chains.

Bilian stood up from the tub.

At that moment, Yang Zhan’s eyes widened and his mouth parted slightly, a clear sign of his shock.

Bilian stepped out of the tub and extended her slender, jade-like hand, still glistening with crystal-clear droplets.

“Clothes,” she said.

She showed no embarrassment or hesitation.

Yang Zhan felt as if his soul had left his body, frozen in place for a long moment.

Seeing Yang Zhan still unmoving, Bilian walked forward and stood right before him, staring at his dazed expression.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, puzzled.

Without waiting for an answer, she picked up the clothes and began dressing right in front of him.

She quickly pulled on the trousers, but putting on the shirt was difficult because of the eight iron chains attached to her back.

Bilian had no choice but to wear the shirt backwards and then turned around.

“Help me with it,” she said.

If the sight of her was enough to make Yang Zhan’s soul drift away earlier, this moment snapped it back violently, shaking him to the core.

He stared at the eight iron chains embedded deep into Bilian’s back.

He involuntarily gasped—the thought of touching them was unbearable.

On her snow-white back, the chains were lined up along her spine, penetrating deeply and fastening onto her vertebrae.

Eight bleeding holes still oozed blood.

The contrast between her pristine skin and the eight bloodied wounds with iron chains was horrifying.

Though Yang Zhan had witnessed many brutal battlefields, his heart trembled at this sight.

Yang Zhan gently grasped the sash, cautious not to cause her pain by touching the chains.

For some reason, his hand trembled slightly.

At that moment, Bilian asked, “Why is your breathing uneven and your heart racing so fast?”

Yang Zhan twitched at the corner of his mouth. This woman was utterly disrespectful—did she not see herself as a woman, or him as a man? Or perhaps she simply didn’t understand the difference between genders.

Bilian turned her head, her fairy-like face showing no trace of pain.

Instead, she looked at Yang Zhan curiously, sizing him up.

Suddenly, pointing at his body with confusion, she asked, “Why have you changed so much?”

Yang Zhan suddenly bent over and forced a dry laugh. “Just a bit of internal heat.”

“Internal heat? Does it really cause that?”

“Yes, it does.”

Bilian nodded silently.

Yang Zhan then handed her the hairpin, but Bilian held it for a long time without moving.

“This is for pinning your hair up. It’s not good to wear it loose.”

Bilian shook her head. “I don’t know how.”

Yang Zhan slapped his forehead. “Forget it, I’ll do it for you, though I’m not very good at it.”

Bilian sat on a stone while Yang Zhan stood behind, lifting her hair.

The touch of Bilian’s skin sent an unusual sensation through him.

Finally, he pinned her hair up, fixing it with the hairpin, revealing her slender, snow-white neck.

If not for the eight iron chains, her silhouette would be breathtakingly beautiful.

Yang Zhan couldn’t help but ask, “Does having the chains embedded in you hurt?”

“I’m used to it now; it doesn’t hurt anymore,” she said calmly.

Hearing her serene voice, Yang Zhan felt even more sorrowful for her.

Unfortunately, he had no way to remove them. Forcibly pulling them out would break her spine—and there were eight, attached at different points along her vertebrae.

The chains were incredibly sturdy. Previously, Yang Zhan had tried to cut them to free her, but each strike transmitted force directly into Bilian’s body.

If the chains were severed, Bilian would likely die.

Whoever imprisoned her here was truly cruel.

That person didn’t want her dead but intended to make Bilian suffer endlessly. What kind of hatred could drive someone to torment her so?

“Who locked you in here?” Yang Zhan asked.

Unsurprisingly, Bilian had no memory of it.

It was as if her consciousness had reset at some point, erasing all past memories.

However, her martial power and spirit control techniques seemed instinctual now.

The spirit control inscriptions and the diagram of martial blood energy flow on the wall must have been carved before her memory loss or during some moment of confusion.

Yang Zhan picked up the boots and lifted Bilian’s feet.

Instinctively, Bilian flinched but then allowed him to put the boots on silently.

She simply watched Yang Zhan, not uttering a word.

Yang Zhan stood and smiled. “I’ll try to investigate. If I find the person who locked you here, maybe I can help free you.”

Bilian shook her head immediately. “Don’t investigate. If they find out, someone will kill me.”

Yang Zhan asked in confusion, “Why do you always think someone wants to kill you?”

“I don’t know. I just remember someone wanting to kill me.”

Yang Zhan sighed. “The person who locked you here isn’t trying to kill you. They have the power to kill you but didn’t. Instead, they want you to endure endless torment and inhuman treatment.”

Bilian looked at him blankly. “I’m fine here.”

“...”

Yang Zhan was momentarily at a loss for words.

It was like someone born and raised in suffering becoming so accustomed that they no longer felt pain.

Or rather, the concept of hardship simply didn’t exist in their mind.

That was Bilian now, and it pained him even more.

Yang Zhan glanced again at the stone door sealed shut on the wall.

“Bilian, since we’re so familiar now, what’s behind that stone door?”

Suddenly, Bilian stood up and blocked his view.

Her attitude was clear—she wouldn’t let him see.

Yang Zhan naturally didn’t insist; he couldn’t force her.

“Then I’ll be going!” he said, turning toward the stone stairs.

He paused and looked back.

He saw Bilian still watching him, and he couldn’t help but say, “You’re a girl. Don’t let men see your body.”

“Why?” she asked.

“...”

Yang Zhan was speechless. This woman truly understood nothing.

He thought for a moment and said, “Do you trust me?”

“Hmm.”

“Then listen to me.”

“Oh.”