“How long does Senior Sister plan to lie there? If Junior Sister Mo finds out, I won’t have an easy time explaining to Huang’er.”
Gu Shenzhi gently helped his startled, deer-like Senior Sister to her feet and guided her to sit on a bamboo chair.
Along the way, he brewed a cup of barley tea, a complimentary offering from the shop.
“Wild tea from the Fan family naturally can’t compare to the fragrant teas of the Immortal Sect, but given the circumstances, I hope Senior Sister Yuexi will bear with it.”
Looking at the refined and elegant young man before her, holding a steaming cup of tea, Yuexi suddenly felt a warm current flow through her.
But immediately after, shame and regret swirled in her heart, lingering for a long time.
“Thank you.”
Yuexi lowered her head, her delicate face tinged with two patches of shy blush, cautiously taking the teacup from the young man’s hands.
Taking advantage of a moment while sipping tea, she pretended to casually glance up at the black-robed youth before her, her eyes filled with tender affection, teasingly taking advantage of his “blindness.”
Perhaps Junior Brother Gu… isn’t that bad?
At that moment, Gu Shenzhi was focused on consolidating his Spirit Manifestation stage cultivation and didn’t notice the change in the girl’s gaze.
He casually said, “Please, Senior Sister, tell me about the City Lord’s Mansion and Wei Xingfeng. I’d like to prepare in advance.”
Yuexi, lost in her daydreams, was abruptly pulled back to reality by his unromantic words, her ears flushing bright red.
“According to the scouts’ reports, the City Lord’s Mansion has 126 cultivators, 47 of whom are at the Foundation Establishment stage, and only three at the Core Formation stage. Wei Xingfeng, the City Lord of Wu’an City, is a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator who specializes in fire techniques and artifact forging. He’s not an unfathomable figure. The only thing to watch out for might be an early-stage Spirit Manifestation cultivator from the Spirit Sword Sect, said to be a deacon.”
Gu Shenzhi nodded silently, mentally assessing the risks of the mission.
Aside from the mysterious deacon from the Spirit Sword Sect, the overall difficulty wasn’t high.
With Wei Xingfeng’s fourth-grade Cloud Core strength, he might not even be able to withstand a single casual strike from Gu Shenzhi’s sword.
But one thing caught his attention.
“Senior Sister, do you know how many girls Wei Xingfeng has abducted in recent years?”
“Probably thousands,” Yuexi said angrily, her chest heaving dramatically, the half-covered peaks rising and falling in a breathtaking display that could easily draw attention. “He truly deserves death. Even hell might not have a place for him.”
The number was staggering—almost unnaturally so.
From what Gu Shenzhi had overheard from the guards’ conversations, no girl who entered the City Lord’s Mansion had ever come out alive—not even their bodies were found.
Combined with Wei Xingfeng’s identity as a master artifact forger, Gu Shenzhi could piece together some guesses.
This matter was likely far more troublesome than expected.
After all, artifacts forged with human materials were extremely deadly.
For example, the Howling Soul Demon, crafted by the Hundred Puppets Peak of the Moon Shadow Sect and condensed from three thousand resentful souls, had spiritual power comparable to late Foundation Establishment but could easily kill a Core Formation cultivator.
“Junior Brother Gu? Are you listening?” Yuexi lightly poked his cheek, her expression displeased. “I’m about to talk about Huang’er!”
“Huang’er’s matter is of utmost importance, and I should listen attentively. But I’m more curious about why Senior Sister is dressed so… lightly tonight, sneaking into my room in the middle of the night with a recording stone. What are you planning?”
Bang!
Gu Shenzhi heavily set the coarse porcelain teacup on the table, his expression dark and his words cold as a blade, laced with unparalleled arrogance.
It was an arrogance etched into his very bones, the kind unique to a prodigy.
Normally, Gu Shenzhi hid it well, presenting himself as the humble and courteous “Young Master Gu.”
“I just wanted to talk with you, Junior Brother,” Yuexi muttered, lowering her head, lacking even the courage to meet his gaze.
“Since Senior Sister isn’t willing to tell the truth, let me take a guess. You planned to use your beauty to make me lose composure, record it with the recording stone at your waist as leverage, and threaten me to leave Huang’er. How’s that for an answer, Senior Sister?”
Gu Shenzhi said with a smile, his overbearing arrogance vanishing in an instant, as if he had become a different person.
“You already know, so why ask me?”
She mumbled softly, her delicate frame curling up, her jade-like arms hugging her legs, her arched feet tensing.
“Senior Sister Yuexi, you wouldn’t want Huang’er to know about this, would you?” Gu Shenzhi’s lips curved upward, his tone feigning sadness.
“No, please, I’m begging you!”
The girl’s face paled instantly.
The usually poised and elegant Senior Sister of the Moon Shadow Sect was now clinging tightly to the youth’s left leg, tears welling in her eyes as she pleaded for forgiveness.
Gu Shenzhi smiled faintly, teasingly saying, “Then that misunderstanding this evening—you wouldn’t spread it around, would you?”
“Absolutely not. It was just a misunderstanding. I’ll keep it to myself,” Yuexi declared firmly, without a moment’s hesitation.
“I trust Senior Sister, but please don’t disappoint me. As for Saintess Su, let me take another guess.”
Gu Shenzhi paused, then continued, “You probably want to tell me how exceptional Saintess Red Lotus’s cultivation talent is, how her brilliance overshadows the world, and how I’m not worthy of her.”
“But Senior Sister Yuexi, you should be saying these things to Huang’er, not me. If she agrees, I’ll leave without hesitation. Clinging shamelessly is not something I, Gu Shenzhi, would ever do.”
His ability to read people was passable, at least not a disgrace to Bai Qi’s teachings.
He’s a monster, isn’t he?
How can he be so spot-on?
The scheming and deception among the Spirit Sword Sect’s higher-ups were like a dimensional strike to the inexperienced Yuexi, deeply shaking her young heart.
Yuexi’s face flushed like peach blossoms, a shy charm emerging.
Her captivating phoenix eyes secretly observed the black-robed youth, a seed of sin quietly taking root.
Handsome, well-proportioned, exceptionally talented in swordsmanship, and possessing a supreme wood spirit root…
This young master of the Spirit Sword Sect seemed to have quite a few merits, and his personality wasn’t bad either.
She might… like him a little?
If she couldn’t take Huang’er back from Gu Shenzhi, perhaps she could try stealing Gu Shenzhi from Huang’er.
That way, Huang’er’s path to immortality would be unobstructed, Gu Shenzhi wouldn’t lose his partner, and she wouldn’t lose too much either…
No!
What were these ridiculous thoughts?
Gu Shenzhi was the beast who stole Huang’er.
How could she have feelings for him?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible!
Either she was delirious just now, hallucinating, or the beast from the Spirit Sword Sect had used some demonic spell to stir her emotions.
There was no third possibility.
Reaffirming her resolve against Gu Shenzhi, Yuexi slowly stood up, fanning her flushed cheeks with her jade hand, trying to calm her mind.
But the more she fanned, the more restless she became.
The Spirit Sword Sect’s demonic arts were terrifyingly powerful, unsettling her heart to this extent.
Could it be some technique akin to the Charm Arts of Light Shadow Peak?
Yuexi dared not think further and hurried toward the door, wanting only to leave before things became irreversible.
“That little girl I saved—has she gotten any better?” Gu Shenzhi asked casually, his tone tinged with concern.
“It’s quite serious. The deepest wound on her back is over an inch long. I don’t know how those guards could be so cruel. Fortunately, the outpost has plenty of medicine, and the shopkeeper says she’ll recover with a few months of rest.”
Yuexi felt that his true intention wasn’t to ask about the girl’s condition but to stall for time, waiting for his demonic arts to take effect.
His earlier sincerity was surely an act—she had almost been fooled by the beast’s facade.
As time ticked by, Gu Shenzhi finally couldn’t hold back and reminded her, “If Senior Sister Yuexi doesn’t plan to stay the night, you should head back soon.”
Yuexi snapped out of her daze, hurriedly fleeing the room in a panic, completely lacking the composure of an inner sect Senior Sister.
Gu Shenzhi was truly a beast—no, worse than a beast!!!
The girl thought to herself.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.