Ye Liuyun put on his robe and stepped out of the pond. He then enabled his advanced energy to evaporate the water from his garments.

"Sigh, even a single bath can give me trouble!" He exclaimed in his heart.

After that, Ye Liuyun looked at Azure to ask about her situation.

"How much does it cost to liberate you?" Ye Liuyun asked directly.

Although he was dissatisfied with Azure’s seemingly forceful pleading, he wouldn’t mind helping her if it wasn’t too pricy.

"Ten million Spirit Crystals!"

Azure felt guilty about her bluff, so she blushed slightly and looked unnatural when she spoke.

But Ye Liuyun didn’t care. Without another word, he gave Azure an Interspatial Ring filled with ten million Spirit Crystals.

"Take this! Let’s just claim that fate brought us together, I’ll help you. You can leave now, I don’t need you to repay me!" Ye Liuyun told her.

Azure didn’t expect Ye Liuyun to be so generous.

She knitted her brow as she paused momentarily before she bowed deeply to Ye Liuyun, saying, "Mr. Ye, I am grateful for your selfless act. But I can’t be ungrateful!"

"As a lesser woman like myself, I have nowhere to go even though I have regained my freedom. If I wander about, I might end up in the clutches of villains. I’m hoping Mr. Ye can provide me with more assistance and a place to stay."

Ye Liuyun scowled as he heard this and wondered, "How could she latch onto me? "

He then responded to Azure, "Miss Azure, our meeting was by chance and I’ve already helped you enough. As for your future endeavour, it’s all up to you!"

"I’m sorry, but I can only assist you in this much for now. I’m not a saint. I suggest you grab the money and leave before I change my mind."

Yue Liuyun pretended to be angry as he spoke and slightly raised his imposing aura in an attempt to scare Azure into retreat.

Azure, sensing Yue Liuyun’s wrath, had no choice but to bow and show respect, "I apologize for disturbing Mr.Ye!"

She turned around and walked left with tears in her eyes after saying this, without taking the Spirit Crystal Yue Liuyun gave her.

She felt like a failure as a woman since Yue Liuyun was unmoved by both her soft and tough attempts.

In addition, she thought that she had manipulated Ye Liuyun’s compassion and deceived his emotions, which made her guilty.

"Oh?" Yue Liuyun was perplexed by her behaviour as he saw her go without taking the Interspatial Ring.

However, as Azure walked further away, he didn’t chase after her.

"Well, it’s better you don’t want it. I will have these Spirit crystals to myself!" he thought to himself.

Subsequently, he called the two maids guarding the door and rebuked them, "This courtyard is my residence now, how could you let people in without my permission or announcing their arrival?"

The two maids hurriedly knelt and begged forgiveness, fearing Ye Liuyun would vent his anger at them, or worse, kill them.

However, Ye Liuyun did not give them a hard time, he merely warned them to guard the door properly.

By then, Ye Liuyun had lost interest in continuing his bath, went straight to his cultivation room, shut the door, and started cultivating.

As for Azure, after sprinting out of Ye Liuyun’s courtyard, she returned to the Red Mansion to report to Feng Hongxiu.

"Madam Scarlet, the mission failed! Please punish me!" Azure apologized to Feng Hongxiu.

"What? What happened? Tell me slowly, don’t hurry." Feng Hongxiu’s interest was piqued.

And so, Azure detailed to her the entire account to Feng Hongxiu.

After listening, Feng Hongxiu seemed rather pleased and complimented Ye Liuyun, "That’s quite commendable of him to be able to keep his composure regardless of the circumstances !"

Then she questioned Azure, saying, "How do you feel about his character? Will you regret it if he allows you to go with him? Take your time to consider it. there’s no rush!"

"Since I’ve already entrusted you with this task, I can find a way to make him accept you. It’s up to you if you are willing to or not!"

Upon hearing that, Azure blushed.

She considered the matter seriously and concluded that Ye Liuyun indeed had a good character. He was offered an opportunity to take advantage, but he chose not to. That’s not something an average person could accomplish with ease.

She blushed as a result and lightly nodded her head. She was too embarrassed to admit that she wished to be with Ye Liuyun.

Feng Hongxiu chuckled as she saw through her intention and told her to pack up her things. She was told to come to Red Mansion early the next morning so that she could join her and Ye Liuyun as they departed.

"Huh? Madam Scarlet, are you also going with Ye Liuyun?" Azure was taken aback.

Feng Hongxiu gently nodded her head and chortled, "Mmhm. We have accepted the task of protecting him. He’s the leader of the notorious Dark Legion from the Border Battlefield, and his opponent is the Great Expert of the Eastern Royal Management. It is an incredibly challenging task."

"I wouldn’t feel at ease if someone else went, but I do not trust his character. That’s why I let you try him out earlier, to help me decide who among us would be appropriate to go on the journey."

"Rest assured I won’t let you do this for nothing. Since you have a good impression of him, I will guarantee to help you. Just relax and get everything ready!"

"Okay!" Azure agreed and then retreated.

She was not sure at this point if she was lucky or not. She could not change the current situation. Hence, all she could do was go ahead with the plan and focus on Ye Liuyun.

"The Dark Legion? Is that the mercenary group that’s been causing a ruckus recently?" she thought to herself.

At the same time, Feng Hongxiu was making preparations to leave and delegated tasks to her followers.

She resolved to take action personally for this assignment after testing Ye Liuyun’s character.

Early the next morning, she had someone invite Ye Liuyun to the Red Mansion. Feng Hongxiu had changed from her red tulle attire to another long red dress while keeping the veil on her.

During this meeting, she no longer distanced herself from the screen. "I will personally undertake the task of protecting you. I wonder if Mr. Ye is satisfied?" she asked.

"Huh?" Ye Liuyun cried out in surprise. He had never expected that the owner of the Scarlet Cardinal House would personally take up the job herself.

"However, even if Mr. Ye is not satisfied, you do not have the right to refuse. It is up to the organisation’s decision to appoint whichever guard to protect you. This is stipulated in the contract." Feng Hongxiu said with a smile.

Ye Liuyun politely responded with a smile, "I’m not dissatisfied. I just did not expect that the boss of Scarlet Cardinal House would personally take up the task!”

"Hongxiu!" Feng Hongxiu interrupted him.

"Huh? What do you mean by Hongxiu?" Ye Liuyun asked with a perplexed expression.

"My name is Feng Hongxiu," Feng Hongxiu introduced herself. "To keep my identity a secret, you may call me Hongxiu from now on. I will act as your maid and remain by your side to ensure your safety."

"It is inappropriate to refer to you as a maid. I suppose you should act as my friend and stick by my side. Then I feel more at ease calling you Hongxiu!" Ye Liuyun had the impression that he would have to seek Feng Hongxiu’s wise counsel at some point.

And consulting a maid for advice wouldn’t look proper in a stranger’s eyes.