Shameless Immortal: Emperor of Ten Thousand Beauties

Chapter 272: Chapter 272: Intoxicated By Praise

Shen Yu arrived outside the open window of Bai Ruolan’s room, fluidly vaulting inside without making a single sound.

He didn’t reveal his presence immediately, instead, he remained completely cloaked within the Phantom Step technique, leaning casually against the stone wall to silently observe her from the shadows.

Bai Ruolan was sitting at her sprawling oak desk, meticulously reviewing a thick stack of market reports.

Though her spine was perfectly straight, retaining the proud, disciplined posture of a dedicated alchemist, her slumped shoulders gave away a deep, bone-deep exhaustion.

And well she should be.

She had spent the entire past week locked inside this hot workshop, pushing her limits to refine and improve the Union’s pill recipes to counter the Cao Clan’s sudden monopoly.

Ultimately, her genius had triumphed, securing that legendary ninety-eight percent purity.

Shen Yu watched her silently.

Her vibrant blue hair fell in flowing, slightly disheveled waves around her shoulders, framing her pale face.

Her striking blue eyes, though heavily rimmed with fatigue, scanned the parchment with intense, unyielding focus.

Looking at her, a wave of cold, calculating appreciation washed through Shen Yu’s mind.

’I need her,’ he thought, his pupils narrowing.

’Not just as my woman, but also as an alchemist to stand beside Yilan.’

He knew with absolute certainty that once he brought Ruolan into the fold, her sheer genius combined with Yilan’s dedication would make them the ultimate alchemical duo, pushing his faction’s logistics to unprecedented heights.

Deciding he had observed enough, Shen Yu stepped forward out of the shadows and canceled the Phantom Step, letting his spiritual presence gently bleed into the room.

The sudden shift in the air caused Ruolan’s head to snap up instantly.

The moment her tired blue eyes locked onto his robed figure, they brightly lit up, entirely erasing the exhaustion from her face.

Though they had only known each other for a short while, spending those few days together had ignited something deep inside her, she had truly started feeling alive whenever he was around.

Abandoning all her stiff, scholarly protocol, she pushed her chair back, leaped up from the desk, and ran toward him like an eager child welcoming a returning guardian.

"Senior Brother Mo! I missed you so much!" she cried out, her voice a mix of relief and pure joy as she threw her arms entirely around his chest, burying her face into his robed shoulder.

Shen Yu caught her, a rare flash of genuine shock rippling through his mind.

While they had grown close over their shared experiments, exchanging subtle touches, a lingering brush of the arms, or a supportive hand on the shoulder, he had never expected her to initiate an embrace this tight, let alone with such raw, uninhibited vulnerability.

Feeling the fierce, almost desperate grip of her slender arms wrapping around his torso, a smirk touched his lips.

She was slowly, beautifully becoming completely dependent on him.

A soft smile spread across his face.

He leaned into her embrace, wrapping his large, powerful arms around her narrow waist.

He squeezed her firmly against his chest, holding her tight enough to feel the soft, yielding curves of her body and completely ground her fluttering heart, ensuring his touch remained comfortingly dominant without crossing the line.

"You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, little alchemist," he murmured, his deep voice carrying a smooth warmth that made her shiver slightly in his arms.

Ruolan snuggled her face deeper into the thick fabric of his cloak, letting out a soft, contented sigh that warm-fanned against his chest.

The heavy, comforting scent of dried herbs and pure, masculine vitality that always clung to him seemed to instantly wash away the throbbing ache in her temples.

For a full week, she had been surrounded by herbs, formulas, and the elders’ voices.

Only here, wrapped in the quiet strength of her Senior Brother Mo, did the suffocating weight on her shoulders finally lift.

"I had to push myself, Senior Brother," she murmured, her voice slightly muffled against his shoulder but carrying a distinct thread of pride.

She slowly relaxed her tight grip, peeling her face back just enough to look up at him, though she left her hands resting softly against his chest.

"The Cao Clan’s sudden rise was threatening to dismantle everything the Union had built. I couldn’t just sit idly by. I spent a week straight analyzing their ninety-six percent pills, recalibrating the heat signatures of our spiritual cauldrons, and..."

She paused, a brilliant, almost childlike smile breaking across her tired features, her blue eyes sparkling with genuine excitement.

"...and I actually did it! I managed to extract the volatile impurities from the Crimson Grass extract before the final condensation phase. Our new batch reached ninety-eight percent purity! Even the Union Leader couldn’t find a single flaw when he inspected the aura of the pills this morning."

Shen Yu looked down at her upturned, glowing face, his golden pupils locked onto her vibrant blue eyes.

He slowly reached up, his large, warm hand gently cupping the side of her soft cheek.

His thumb lightly traced her jawline, a slow, deliberate gesture of affection and dominance that caused a sudden, delicate tint of pink to rush to her ears.

"I already know, Ruolan," he murmured, his deep, magnetic voice vibrating through the short distance between them.

"The entire city is speaking of the Union’s new miracle pill. You have performed a feat that most master alchemists across the province wouldn’t dare attempt in a lifetime. You truly are a terrifying genius."

Hearing his praise, the blush on her cheeks deepened, her heart fluttering rapidly against her ribs.

To anyone else, she would have accepted the compliment with a polite, distant bow of her head, maintaining the lofty pride of the Faction Leader.

But from him, the words felt like an intoxicating reward.

She lean slightly into the heavy warmth of his palm against her cheek, her submissive dependency growing deeper by the second.

-x-

A/N:

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