I'll even show you crossdressing men.

"Mr. Mu Jian." Chu Xue and the others saw the man holding Ji Xiuyu and suddenly knelt down, bowing respectfully.

"Hmm." The so-called Mu Jian is the Grand Tutor of the Wangquan family, and the strongest person in public besides Wangquan Tianxia's grandmother, a half-step epic figure.

The gap between this and a true epic is huge, but in fact, even a semi-epic level is definitely not so easy to solve.

Based on his legendary legacy, he certainly possesses the ability to severely injure an epic-level powerhouse in a mutually destructive situation—that's an extraordinary ability.

Of course, his master was an even stronger one, but he had now retired and his whereabouts were unknown, which is why he, a junior, had to serve as the national advisor.

Now that the demon army is at the city gates, it should be time for the Grand Preceptor to take action. Unfortunately, according to the agreement with the royal family, he can accept some missions when there is no battle, but when there is a battle, he can only take action when it is absolutely necessary.

So she stayed leisurely somewhere in the city, watching the battlefield, seeing Ji Xiuyu appear, listening to her conversation, and finally seeing her unconscious. He saw all of this.

That's why he appeared just in time to catch her when she was about to fall.

Ignoring the gazes of others, the young man, known to outsiders as Mu Jian, held the frail girl in his arms, observing her slightly flushed face and her tightly closed eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

"She truly deserves to be called a femme fatale." In his mind, only the word "femme fatale" could describe such a beautiful woman; what else could it be?

However, he didn't have any ill feelings towards Ji Xiuyu. On the contrary, he felt a little sorry for her. It must be difficult for a young girl to struggle for a space of freedom when she is surrounded by so many men.

At the same time, he greatly admired her courage and sense of responsibility. This girl could have easily left unnoticed by relying on her Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox form, but she chose to stay to prevent this place from becoming a battlefield and causing the deaths of innocent civilians. She was truly brave.

"Do you really think she's someone you can control right now, Wang Quan family?" He exchanged glances with Wang Quan Tianxia, ​​Wang Quan Zhishang, and Wang Quan Tianque, then gave a strange smile before turning to Chu Xue and the other three beside him and saying, "Take me to where she's resting."

"Yes." They exchanged a glance, wondering if he would have any thoughts about that place.

Holding the "girl's" soft body in his arms and inhaling her faint fragrance, he had to admit that if he continued to immerse himself in this feeling, even the most resolute person would find it hard not to develop feelings for her.

This is her charm, and what makes her so irresistible. Even if others aren't initially captivated by her allure, they will inevitably fall at her feet as they get to know her better.

Yes, the word "fallen" is very suitable to describe those who like her. It's like they're bewitched, willingly and without regret.

Following Chu Xue and the others, Mu Jian frowned more and more as they walked. When they arrived at a courtyard, he stopped and his face was terribly gloomy: "What are you doing bringing her here, a place where royal power reigns supreme?"

Chu Xue and the others dared not hide anything, so they could only kneel down and explain the reason: "His Majesty ordered us to bring Miss Xiuyu here. He said that this place has the most stable and comfortable conditions so that Miss can rest well. Even though we felt something was wrong, we dared not resist."

The four maids spoke subtly, but Mu Jian was an exceptionally intelligent man. Although he wasn't particularly adept at interpersonal relationships, his basic thinking was flawless.

Therefore, after hearing their words and combining them with one's own thoughts, isn't it obvious what the other party wants to do?

"They really have guts." They actually set their sights on the young woman who is supposed to be their daughter-in-law, and she's even a member of the Chu family whose bloodline has awakened. What makes them think she'll submit? Poison her? Even the most potent poison in the world is a joke if it tries to work on an epic-level powerhouse.

But think about it, isn't that exactly her situation right now? She's completely unprepared, and if she were really drugged, it would likely succeed.

"A troublesome person." Ji Xiuyu was troublesome in his eyes. As the Grand Preceptor, he should give him some face. What should he do?

“Take her back to where she was.” Just when he was at his wit’s end, an old voice rang out.

Upon hearing this voice, even Mu Jian bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes."

"The place from before is still there, right? Take her back." Since she has spoken, there's no need to say what to do. No matter how eccentric the supreme monarchy may be, no one can disobey this person's will—no, or rather, no one dares to disobey her will.

"Phew, troublesome woman." This time, Chu Xue and the others led the way much faster, quickly bringing them to the place where Ji Xiuyu had been before.

This place remains quiet and secluded. With everyone gone and the place deserted, it was probably the most peaceful place while the fighting was still raging outside.

He placed her on the bed. Mu Jian wasn't sure what his motivation was for helping her. Perhaps he saw her fragility and couldn't help but want to help.

Regardless, this time their attack was caught red-handed by the Wang Quan family. Although they weren't concerned about what might happen, it was still best to be cautious.

"Take good care of her, and make sure nothing else happens." Mu Jian left these words behind and flew towards the building where he had been lying, without any hesitation. This made Chu Xue and the others wonder if the Imperial Advisor disliked Miss Xiu Yu or simply disliked women.

Banishing those indescribable thoughts from their minds, Chu Xue and the others looked at Ji Xiuyu lying on the bed and felt melancholy. What should they do?

"Let the young lady rest for a while. If she doesn't wake up, we'll see what to do next."

White in the first snow, blue in the first rain, red in the first clouds, green in the first fireflies—these four little girls have been living in fear and trembling these past few days. The events that have happened so suddenly and unpredictably have left them completely unprepared.

If Ji Xiuyu hadn't returned this time, who knows what would have happened to them, but one thing is for sure, it certainly wouldn't have been a good outcome.

"Miss Xiuyu." Looking at that pale, somewhat sickly face, she was still so beautiful that even I, a woman, couldn't help but feel my heart flutter.

If something were to happen to someone like that, it would be a huge loss, wouldn't it?

"Young Master Wang Quan, would you like her?" She was wiping the girl's face with a warm towel dampened with warm water to ease her fatigue.

Seeing her delicate brows still slightly furrowed even in her sleep, I felt a pang of sympathy for her.

They had no idea what was happening outside, no idea that Ji Xiuyu had displayed such power, and no idea where she had gone during the past few days.

Based on her current situation, we can only guess that she must have had a very difficult time back then, and must have been bullied or injured to end up like this.

Who could possibly harm such a beautiful person? Could it be a monster? But aren't monsters supposed to eat people?

A naive young girl knows nothing, and perhaps that's a kind of happiness. Knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing.

"The food has arrived." Chu Yu and the others went to get some food, because they didn't know how long Ji Xiuyu hadn't eaten or whether she was hungry, so they wanted to prepare in advance.

"Well, let's wait for Miss to wake up." Although Ji Xiuyu had already reverted to male form when he came into contact with the nine-tailed fox, it was still not obvious from his appearance, especially his chest, which he had been mimicking to conceal his identity. Even though it was a little smaller when he turned back into a boy, it still looked quite convincing.

But a fake is a fake. Once the clothes were taken off, everything was visible; there was nothing underneath. Luckily, her dress wasn't revealing, or it would have been terrible.

"Actually, Miss's situation is pretty much the same as ours, isn't it?" Chu Yu looked at Ji Xiuyu, who was dressed in the same red outfit as her, but whose figure was far more beautiful than hers, and a hint of envy flashed in her eyes.

She wasn't saying this out of sarcasm or anything; she simply felt that Ji Xiuyu's situation was similar to that of the servants.

Without freedom, living in a small world may seem comfortable to outsiders, but you have to be careful with every step you take, and you can't afford to make the slightest mistake, otherwise who knows what might happen.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense." Chu Xue was older and more mature, knowing what could and couldn't be said in this place. Therefore, she stopped Chu Yu from bringing up the topic at the right time.

"Hmm." Chu Yu wasn't stupid; she immediately understood. She didn't say anything more but instead helped Chu Xue take care of Ji Xiuyu.

"Hmm..." Unaware of the situation outside, Ji Xiuyu finally woke up as night was about to fall and a faint, dark yellow afterglow remained on the horizon.

The first thing I did upon waking was to cry out, "Thirsty...thirsty...water..."

When Chu Xue saw this, she quickly helped him up and held him against her chest, then asked Chu Yun to come over and feed him water little by little.

Fortunately, Ji Xiuyu's condition was not too serious, and she recovered somewhat after drinking two small cups of water.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, could you help me to the bathroom? I want to take a shower." Ji Xiuyu was feeling much better and asked Chu Xue and the others to take her to the bathroom again.

They were very worried about his current condition, but they couldn't ignore his words, so Chu Xue and Chu Ying helped her walk towards the bathroom. The other two girls started looking for clothes and other things so that Ji Xiuyu would have something to change into.

As he went into the bathroom, told the two girls to leave, closed the door, and began to undress, he was completely unaware that someone was standing behind him, watching him...

P.S.: I'm back in action! From now on, every chapter will be 3000 words long!

PS2: The cover has been changed as you wished, are you happy now?

Chapter 160: Half-Concealed, Half-Revealed

The long red dress slowly slipped off her body. She wasn't wearing a bra, so her perfectly shaped bare back was fully revealed. Coupled with her incredibly slender waist, the "young girl" was full of charm at this moment, making it impossible to look away.

In the misty air, Ji Xiuyu clasped her hands to her sides and covered her chest, so the hidden person couldn't see anything.

The young man felt a pang of regret, for among all the things he knew, he understood that a young girl's body was very alluring.

It's such a pity that we couldn't see the beautiful red plum blossoms on the snow-capped peaks.

However, being able to see a perfect bare back and a body that is partially visible in the water should be considered a very good thing.

As he watched Ji Xiuyu bathe intently, perhaps wanting to see more, or perhaps unintentionally, he moved forward slightly and accidentally bumped into something.

"Clang~" The porcelain fell onto the wooden floor with a crisp sound. Ji Xiuyu instantly clutched her chest and then submerged herself from the neck down in the water, wrapping herself in a white bath towel. She turned around, stared intently, and asked softly, "Who is it?"

There was no answer, but then Chuxue's voice came from outside: "Miss Xiuyu, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Looking at that spot, Ji Xiuyu didn't tell Chuxue what had happened.

"Okay." Ji Xiuyu said it was nothing, so Chu Xue didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she stood there pretending not to know anything.

"I'm going to get angry if you don't come out soon." The voice was soft, yet it carried a subtle allure and an inexplicable aura, making the person hiding dare not delay any longer and dejectedly emerge from behind a beaded curtain.

"Who are you?" Ji Xiuyu didn't know who the boy in front of her was, after all, he had appeared while she was unconscious.

"I...I am Wang Quan Qianqiu, the younger brother of Tianxia Gege." He dared not look up at the beautiful older sister, fearing he would see the disgust and impatience on her face, so he kept staring at his feet and praying silently.

"Wang Quan Qian Qiu? Hmm, why are you hiding here?" Ji Xiuyu didn't press him about his origins anymore; those two things were enough. Instead, she wanted to know what he was doing.

"I...I..." He stammered, unable to give a coherent answer, which only made Ji Xiuyu's eyes grow sharper.

Unbeknownst to him, the little boy had undergone a series of changes and, without his own knowledge, had begun to transform into the demeanor of a strong person.

Perhaps because he was terrified by being stared at like that, Wang Quanqianqiu, even though he didn't want her to know his thoughts, could no longer hide them and could only answer, "I...I came to find my brother."

"I don't believe you don't know what happened to him at the city wall. You've come to find me, haven't you?" It wasn't that Ji Xiuyu had become smarter; she was simply no longer naive and had learned more.

"..." With her head lowered so he couldn't see her, Wang Quan Qianqiu pursed her lips, waited a while, and then admitted, "Yes, I came to see my sister."

Ji Xiuyu offered no explanation for him calling her "sister." To outsiders, she was a stunningly beautiful woman, a facade she wore to protect herself, so she didn't mind.

More than being called "sister," he cared about whether the other person knew him.

"Do you know me?" This was another question that Wang Quanqianqiu didn't know how to answer, but it was also a question he had to answer.

"Yes, I knew when you first arrived." There was no other way; if I kept it a secret now, I didn't know what the consequences would be, so I decided to tell the truth.

Moreover, he was actually a few years younger than Ji Xiuyu, so he didn't have any other thoughts about it. Apart from being embarrassed by being caught in the act and being afraid that Ji Xiuyu would dislike him, he didn't feel anything else.

"You came while I was unconscious, didn't you?" Apart from that time, he couldn't think of any other time when he was unaware of something.

"Hmm..." His ten fingers were intertwined behind his back. The more Ji Xiuyu asked, the more nervous he became.

"So, what do you need me for?" This should be the last question.

"Because, because of me..." Nervousness, shyness, and fear all converged at this moment, creating emotions even more intense than before.

Was what he said a confession? Isn't it incredibly difficult for someone to accept that they like the woman their brother is going to marry?

"Fine, if you're not going to say anything, but I'd like to ask you to leave. Hatsuyuki and the others will pretend they don't know anything." Even though things have begun to change, Hime Xiuyu's gentle nature will remain the same.

Since he's unwilling to talk about it, there's no need to force him. Besides, he's already figured out that if he does talk, there will probably be some problems that need to be addressed later.

To avoid trouble, let him leave.

"Hmm..." Now, there's no other way but to agree. While feeling a sense of relief, she also felt a pang of loss. Had she just broken up with her boyfriend? This feeling is so painful...

“Turn around before you leave. If you dare to look around, I’ll tell your brother…” He looked up, about to look at him, but was so frightened by Ji Xiuyu’s words that he dared not move. He immediately lowered his head and obediently turned around and left.

Seeing his expression, Ji Xiuyu couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, a melodious laugh like a bell: "Hehe..."

Such captivating laughter was irresistible to the young man. Before leaving, he secretly glanced back and met Ji Xiuyu's reproachful gaze. Looking at the exquisite smile on "her" lips, even if it wasn't a smile from behind, it was still incredibly charming.

"If you keep looking, I'll really tell you." The fair-skinned, jade-like body suddenly stood up, the bath towel covering her chest and private parts, only revealing her side waist and back to his eyes.