Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, taking in the beautiful scene before him.The tall beauty—about 1.7 meters in height—stood with her hands folded neatly over her flat stomach.
As her black windbreaker slipped away and the tight bandages around her slender arms came undone, her graceful figure and flawless, pale skin were revealed before Li Fan.Under the glow of the setting sun streaming into the room, Hongyue's [Red Moon] snow-white skin gave off a faint luster, her pores invisible even at close range.
Once she removed her mask, her oval face was revealed—still lined with fine wrinkles, yet these only added a certain allure to her features.Her waist-length, silky black hair stirred slightly in a breeze from nowhere, the kind of hair that clearly received meticulous care.
A half side-bang fell over her forehead. The strand that had been pinned up now dropped freely, its palm-length arc covering her left eye. Combined with her gentle temperament and the delicate wrinkles, she appeared at once mysterious and captivating.
Her figure was equally striking—even in a conservative white bra that covered her midsection, the fullness beneath proved to be at least above a 36E.
Li Fan swallowed subtly. He had long known that Hongyue was a great beauty, but he hadn't expected such a transformation simply from her removing her coat and bandages. Even clothed in modest underwear, she was breathtaking.This was exactly the type of beauty Li Fan found hardest to resist—especially one with waist-length hair and an eye partly hidden by bangs.
Hongyue's lips curved into a shy smile as she tilted her head slightly, but she quickly realized the gesture was ill-advised. Forcing herself to overcome the swell of shame, nervousness, and an inexplicable sense of anticipation in her heart, she met Li Fan's gaze directly.
Even so, her slender hands crossed before her without thinking, the tips of her index and middle fingers quietly pressing together.She could feel both her thoughts and her body's reaction—and was pleased to find it matched what she had imagined.
In the past, no matter how warmly she dressed, if someone came within three meters of her, she would feel overwhelming disgust, sometimes to the point of nausea.If they dared to close within two meters, her gentle demeanor would shatter into sudden hostility.
But now—standing so close to Lord Li Fan in what she considered "revealing" attire—(For Hongyue, wearing only tight-fitting underwear that covered her stomach was already daringly revealing.)
She felt no rejection. In fact, she felt genuinely happy.She had sensed this when standing face-to-face with him earlier at the door, but now the feeling was fully confirmed.
After these thoughts flashed through her mind, Hongyue forced herself to hold his gaze. A faint blush bloomed across her pale, lined cheeks without her noticing, and her long lashes trembled slightly.
Seeing Li Fan remain silent, simply looking at her, she wondered what to say first. Her rose-red lips parted and closed before she finally spoke—words that startled even herself:
"I… I have never exposed my body to anyone like this before. Not only that—even if someone got within a single meter of me, I would become furious without meaning to."
The moment the words left her lips, Hongyue regretted them. What am I saying? This makes no sense!
"Ah, nothing… Sit down. You didn't need to take off so much—just the windbreaker and mask would have been enough."
Li Fan finally broke his trance, cursing himself inwardly for being so slow to speak. He had been so intent on observing Hongyue's elegance that he'd forgotten how rude that made him seem.
Seeing that Li Fan didn't criticize her for her awkward words, Hongyue's tense heart eased, replaced by a quiet sense of gratitude. She had braced herself for rebuke, yet Li Fan had been entirely gracious.
Her thick lashes trembled softly with each breath as she smiled and sat down, entirely unembarrassed despite being dressed in nothing but conservative underwear.
They exchanged a dozen or so brief remarks before Hongyue suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" and hurried to the chair where her windbreaker lay. She began searching through it.
Li Fan was about to ask what she was doing when she straightened, a folded piece of paper in her hand. Trotting over in her high heels, she offered it to him.
Li Fan accepted the paper with both hands, but before he could speak, Hongyue explained with a smile:"This is a list of all the Shadow Guard members and their basic details."
Li Fan's brows drew together. Without opening it fully, he folded the paper closed, handed it back, and declined:"No. The Shadow Guard is directly under the command of the Kazekage [Wind Shadow]. How could I overstep my authority?"
He knew that if he simply worked diligently for a few months, he would gain legitimate command of the Shadow Guard.For now, looking at such a list offered no true benefit—only the risk of leaks or suspicion. Involving himself prematurely with the Shadow Guard while the Third Kazekage was still in power would bring nothing but unnecessary trouble.
Still, Li Fan recognized her good intentions. With her favorability toward him at eighty points, there was no reason to doubt her sincerity.
Hongyue froze, clearly surprised by his refusal. She couldn't read his mind and thus didn't know his reasoning—but her surprise quickly shifted to admiration. Her breathing quickened slightly, her eyes shone brighter, and her full chest rose and fell with excitement.
Yes, she thought, this is the savior of Sunagakure [Hidden Sand Village]. Only a man who treats power as nothing is truly worthy of following for a lifetime.
Her smile widened. Taking back the list respectfully, she produced another folded paper."Since you don't wish to see the Shadow Guard's status, you should at least review this intelligence on Aoki."
Li Fan hesitated briefly before deciding this was acceptable. Gathering intelligence on an opponent before a fight was common sense, and even if word of it leaked, it couldn't be considered improper.
He nodded and took the paper from Hongyue's pale, slender hands, reading through it with care.As he focused, Hongyue watched him tenderly, her admiration and affection for him deepening with each glance.
The more Li Fan read, the more he understood why Jōnin [Elite Ninja] Aoki was so arrogant—he possessed many secret ninjutsu techniques Li Fan hadn't known about. Still, this knowledge meant Li Fan could select counters more effectively.
Just then, he caught the faint scent of roses drifting closer.A moment later, something soft and springy pressed against the back of his head, dimming the light on the paper in his hands.
At the same time, a pair of slender hands settled gently on his shoulders.
"Hongyue, what are you doing?!"