Gu Qingfeng carried Yunyan Fairy away from the deck and returned to his inner dock cabin. Once inside, he embraced her and began to sleep soundly.
Yunyan Fairy remained just as she had been on the deck, not refusing him, allowing Gu Qingfeng to hold her.
Of course.
It was merely a lack of refusal.
Not refusing did not mean she accepted it, nor did it mean she would actively reciprocate, let alone that she was willing in her heart.
In truth.
If it had been anyone else on this great vessel today.
Forget about holding her to sleep.
Forget about laying hands on her.
Even just uttering flirtatious words—given Yunyan Fairy's temperament—she would have long since struck the offender dead.
However.
Facing Gu Qingfeng.
She did not dare.
Although she did not know exactly who Gu Qingfeng was, there was a feeling about him that frightened her deeply, a feeling that filled her with dread.
This feeling was indescribable, inexplicable, and somewhat baffling.
She couldn't quite articulate what this feeling was; she didn't even know what exactly she was afraid of.
Afraid of offending him and being killed?
No.
Yunyan Fairy had never feared death.
She was a demon.
She had no parents, no family, not even any friends.
She cared for nothing in this Great Desolate.
Precisely because she had nothing and cared for nothing, she feared no loss, and naturally, she did not fear death.
But.
If it wasn't fear of death.
What exactly was she afraid of?
Yunyan Fairy had pondered this question for a very, very long time, and to this day, she still hadn't figured it out.
She only knew that this sense of dread seemed to emanate from the depths of her soul, enveloping her entire being, making her dare not refuse, dare not disobey.
Why exactly was this so? What was this feeling?
Yunyan Fairy did not know, could not imagine. She had never encountered such a situation before.
In truth.
To be honest, when Gu Qingfeng had carried her back, his initial intention hadn't been to hold her while sleeping.
He didn't have the habit of sleeping while embracing others either.
The reason he had carried Yunyan Fairy back was initially to have a bit of fun, to engage in some Harmonious Bliss.
Gu Qingfeng had never been some chaste, devout gentleman.
When the mood struck him, finding a random woman for a casual fling—such deeds were not unfamiliar to him from his past.
As for things like mutual affection, he couldn't be bothered.
However.
This sort of thing relies on a certain... charm.
If the other party lay there motionless like a corpse, there really wasn't a shred of charm to be had.
Even some resistance could count as a kind of charm.
The problem was, this little lady Yunyan Fairy didn't even offer any resistance. She was utterly compliant, doing whatever he told her to do.
Gu Qingfeng opened his eyes, lifted Yunyan Fairy's chin, and asked, "Tell me, big sister, are you happy with me holding you like this?"
Yunyan Fairy allowed Gu Qingfeng to hold her chin, her cold, icy eyes meeting his as she replied softly and plainly, "I am not happy."
Gu Qingfeng asked with a smile, "Then are you willing?"
"I am not willing."
"Since you're not willing, why did you come with me?"
"You carried me here."
"You could have refused."
"Would refusing have been useful?"
"Of course. I, your lord, am a true gentleman. If you were unwilling, I certainly wouldn't force you."
"Fine. I am unwilling."
Yunyan Fairy stared at Gu Qingfeng and said, "May I leave now?"
"Of course!"
Yunyan Fairy made to rise and leave, but just as she was about to move, Gu Qingfeng's hand pressed firmly against her slender waist, rendering her immobile.
"Is this what you call a true gentleman?" Yunyan Fairy questioned expressionlessly.
"Since you're already here, even if you want to leave, there's no need to rush. Besides, there's one thing I, your lord, have never been able to figure out. You don't seem like someone with a good temper. Why don't you even put up a bit of resistance when I tease you like this?"
"Would resistance be useful?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "No, it wouldn't."
"Since it's useless, why should I resist?"
Gu Qingfeng thought it over carefully. This statement seemed to make sense, but upon further reflection, it felt off. "If you don't resist, there's absolutely no hope. If you do resist, perhaps there's still a sliver of hope. As long as there's a thread of hope, you shouldn't give up. How does that old saying go? Even an ant clings to life, let alone you, a Demon Monarch who bears the Heavenly Destiny."
Yunyan Fairy clearly had no desire to engage in idle chatter with Gu Qingfeng on this topic. She stated bluntly, "I have no grievance or enmity with you. Why must you bully me like this?"
"Bully you? That's putting it too harshly. I, your lord, haven't bullied you."
"Does this not count as bullying?"
Gu Qingfeng yawned and shifted to a more comfortable position. "I, your lord, am just bored, that's all."
"If you're bored, you can go bully someone else. Why deliberately target me!"
"Well, that's just how it is. In my lifetime, I've seen plenty of Monster Kings and Demon Emperors, even Demon Emperors and Demon Venerables. But a Demonic Dao Star Lord bearing the Heavenly Destiny of the Present Era? This is my first time seeing one."
"So what? What do you intend to do? What is your purpose?" Yunyan Fairy's cold, beautiful face showed no emotional color from beginning to end. Her lovely eyes remained icy, and her tone of voice stayed soft and plain. "If you want my life, take it."
"Big sister, what kind of talk is that? For no good reason, why would I want your life?"
"If you kill me, you can seize my Heavenly Destiny Star Lord status."
"Big sister, I think you've misunderstood. While I said I haven't seen a Demonic Dao Star Lord before, that doesn't mean I want to snatch your Heavenly Destiny Star Lord status. I'm not particularly interested in that thing. Don't talk about snatching it; even if you offered it to me, I might not necessarily want it."
Finally.
Yunyan Fairy, who had been silently enduring all this time, could endure no more. Her cold face finally revealed a trace of anger, and her tone became heated as she exclaimed, "Then what exactly do you want?"
"Well, well! I thought you didn't understand emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. So it turns out you can get angry too."
Yunyan Fairy was not incapable of understanding emotions.
It was just that she was innately aloof, and furthermore, there was nothing in this world that could bring her joy or sorrow.
She also rarely became angry.
But this time, she truly couldn't hold it in anymore.
However.
What could she do even if she couldn't hold it in?
Resist with force?
If she dared to resist, she wouldn't have waited until now.
Moreover.
The longer she spent in contact with Gu Qingfeng, the stronger that inexplicable sense of dread became. Especially now, looking at Gu Qingfeng's smiling face, Yunyan Fairy's heart was filled with extreme fear. The key was, she still didn't know what exactly she was afraid of.
"Great Lord, what exactly must I do for you to let me go?"
Yunyan Fairy no longer cared who Gu Qingfeng really was. Now, she only wanted to leave as quickly as possible, the farther the better, and preferably never see this fellow again.
"Originally, I was just bored and planned to have a bit of fun with you, some Harmonious Bliss. It's just that..." Before Gu Qingfeng could finish, Yunyan Fairy interrupted him, saying, "Harmonious Bliss... that means coupling, right?"
With that, she waved a hand. The robes on her body vanished in an instant, and her exquisitely-proportioned jade-like form was clearly presented before Gu Qingfeng's eyes.