Red gauze curtains, a warm hibiscus canopy, Su Linghuang, with a red veil over her head, sits elegantly by the bed, her slender jade hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt.
The Red Lotus Saintess, who once slayed fourteen ferocious dragons in succession, is now tense to the extreme.
Lust.
The candlelight flickers in the room, red characters adorn the white walls, and a delicate bronze censer releases curling wisps of smoke, its peculiar fragrance stirring suppressed desires.
Suddenly, a creak sounds.
The door is pushed open from outside, and Gu Shenzhi stumbles in, drunk, his steps unsteady and his balance faltering.
Heaven knows how many jars of wine Mu Zhonghua forced him to drink earlier.
The sect leader dragged him through every hall of the Moon Shadow Sect, from peak masters to several nominal elders.
In short, they toasted everyone they met—she drank fully, while others could sip at will.
In a daze, Gu Shenzhi slumps against the wooden door, his mind still foggy, but his eyes, hidden beneath a silk scarf, begin to warily scan the surroundings.
This action is almost instinctive; he always does this in new places.
After confirming safety, his gaze finally settles on the trembling bride, lingering indulgently on her wasp-like waist and snowy peaks, somewhat losing his composure.
Unused to drinking, he’s already in this drunken stupor after less than half a jar.
Thanks to his desperate excuses, he barely clings to a shred of clarity, avoiding being completely knocked out by that old woman.
That is, if Mu Zhonghua didn’t slip something into that spiritual wine.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
Strange murmurs echo in his ears, the world spinning, north and south indistinguishable.
In his blurred vision, only the few strands of white hair falling from Su Linghuang stand out clearly.
Right, he’s supposed to get married today.
The next step is to lift the veil, gaze upon his new wife’s breathtaking beauty, and then… get to the main event.
A slight smile curls Gu Shenzhi’s lips as he shakily walks to Su Linghuang’s side, emboldened by the wine to lift the red, gold-trimmed veil.
But when he sees the stunning beauty before him, he can’t help but swallow hard, unable to utter even half of the flirtatious words he’d prepared.
Her eyes ripple like autumn waters, her face flawless as fine jade, her brows delicate and full, her nose dainty, her rosy lips alluringly vibrant—a peerless fairy stepped out of a painting, too beautiful for the mortal world.
“Miss Su… you look truly stunning tonight,” Gu Shenzhi sighs sincerely.
His unguarded words reveal too much.
Though the Red Lotus Saintess had her suspicions, she’s still quietly shocked.
After much thought, she chooses not to call him out.
Su Linghuang ignores him, deliberately turning her head aside, pouting petulantly, “Can’t you use a different name? We’re married now—something like Linghuang, Xiao Huang, or Huang’er.”
“Alright, alright, my mistake, Huang’er,” Gu Shenzhi, lost in the moment, sheds his usual caution, his heart and eyes filled only with the beauty before him.
He quietly sits beside his bride, gently taking her soft, jade-like hand, first squeezing it, then carefully playing with it.
As the Moon Shadow Sect’s most dazzling prodigy, when has the Red Lotus Saintess ever faced such a scene?
Normally, no man even dares speak to her, let alone touch her so boldly.
A flush, like scattered plum blossoms, spreads across her snowy skin, her cheeks soft and delicate, ripe as a juicy, fragrant peach, tempting one to take a bite.
“Young Master Gu… wait a moment, I have something to say.”
Not only does Gu Shenzhi not relent, but he leans closer, blowing warm breath into her ear, inhaling the enchanting fragrance of her hair.
Gazing at the handsome face so close, his breathing clear and audible, Su Linghuang grows even more bashful.
She doesn’t know what’s come over her—in some ways, she’s purer than a blank sheet of paper, her heart racing like a skittish fawn.
“Huang’er, speak freely, but isn’t calling me Young Master Gu a bit too formal?”
“Then what should I call you? Let’s be clear, I won’t say anything too sappy,” Su Linghuang retorts, though her body betrays her, inching into Gu Shenzhi’s embrace.
Caressing the girl’s soft, slender waist, Gu Shenzhi feels a wave of intoxication.
“It’s simple—just call me husband.”
“Gu Shenzhi, I’m warning you, don’t go too far!” Su Linghuang protests vehemently, already regretting letting him call her “Huang’er.”
Such an intimate name might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
Her flustered, angry expression is utterly adorable—her flushed cheeks, her slightly furrowed brows.
The more she resists, the more she stokes a man’s desire to conquer.
Gu Shenzhi smiles faintly, saying seriously, “Huang’er, do you remember promising to grant me three unconditional requests?”
“What are you trying to do?!”
Now cornered against the bed with nowhere to retreat, Su Linghuang clutches her chest tightly with both hands, her long, slender legs pressed firmly together, leaving no opening.
“Nothing much. I just want Huang’er to call me husband from now on. That’s one of my three requests.”
“That’s it?” the Red Lotus Saintess asks skeptically, hardly believing Gu Shenzhi’s request could be so considerate.
After all, they’re officially married.
As a new wife, calling him husband is perfectly reasonable.
It seems she misjudged him with her petty assumptions.
“Of course. How could I bear to bully Huang’er?”
Gu Shenzhi playfully flicks his wife’s forehead, pulling Muyun Province’s number one beauty back into his arms.
Seeing no intent to overstep, Su Linghuang nestles obediently in his embrace, her tense, graceful feet gradually relaxing.
In that moment, her impression of Gu Shenzhi improves significantly.
If he’d insisted on taking her chastity tonight, using her earlier promise as leverage, the proud Red Lotus Saintess would have had no choice but to endure his force.
And she’d never speak to him again, offering only the edge of her spiritual sword.
“Husband, can you swear never to betray the Moon Shadow Sect?” Su Linghuang asks softly, her voice sultry and enchanting, tugging at Gu Shenzhi’s heartstrings, her full chest nearly pressed against his face.
Though she tries to suppress her urgency and desire, the emotions in her crimson eyes betray her.
Su Linghuang desperately hopes he’ll agree, so perhaps one day they could become true lovers, not suspicious of each other as they are now.
“I’m sorry. Swearing that to others is easy, but I don’t want to lie to you, Huang’er. Joining the Moon Shadow Sect for now is fine… but never betraying it? I can only say not yet.”
After deep thought, Gu Shenzhi speaks earnestly, his face tinged with guilt, like a child who’s done wrong.
“It’s okay. As long as you come around someday,” Su Linghuang hurries to comfort him, afraid of seeming unreasonable.
She cares about his feelings far more than she realized.
While the Red Lotus Saintess is lost in thought, Gu Shenzhi stealthily grabs her smooth, jade-like wrist and gently presses her onto the bed, their position now incredibly intimate.
“Huang’er, tonight, can I hold you as we sleep?” he asks, then adds guiltily, “Just holding, nothing else.”
The beauty beneath him parts her lips, letting out a soft, compliant murmur.