“Senior Sister Yuexi is acting a bit strange, isn’t she? She never throws tantrums like this with ordinary sect juniors. Senior Brother Gu, you’re quite the exception,” Mo Xiaonian said, her cherry lips curling into a secretive smile as she glanced at the black-clad youth beside her.
Having devoured countless romance novels and love-themed picture books, she was all too familiar with this classic tsundere behavior.
It didn’t take much to guess what was on Senior Sister Yuexi’s mind.
Despite her usual refined and elegant demeanor in the sect, Yuexi was as shy and inexperienced as a young girl when it came to her first stirrings of affection.
Mo Xiaonian found her utterly adorable.
Mo Xiaonian secretly delighted in this.
Ordinary love stories between men and women no longer satisfied her insatiable curiosity.
Only the twisted thrill of forbidden love could sate her hunger.
Pure, smooth-sailing romance was too bland, and formulaic sweetness grew tiresome.
But the tangled, warped emotions of multiple lovers were like the finest spice, bringing Mo Xiaonian unparalleled satisfaction.
Gu Shenzhi was nominally the husband of Saintess Su, while Yuexi was, in truth, Saintess Su’s best friend.
If something morally questionable were to happen between them… Mo Xiaonian could hardly wait to see how thrillingly the situation would unfold.
“Senior Sister Yuexi is just in a bad mood after getting injured, or maybe she was spooked by that fake infant evil artifact. In any case, it’s all because of the artifact and has absolutely nothing to do with me,” Gu Shenzhi said calmly, determined to nip Mo Xiaonian’s wild speculations in the bud before they could grow.
“But Senior Brother Gu is special. It’s rare for anyone to see Senior Sister Yuexi like this. No matter what happens, she always maintains her kind, intellectual, and perfect senior sister image. She doesn’t act like a spoiled, unreasonable little girl,” Mo Xiaonian countered.
“She just doesn’t like me, that’s all. It’s normal for the young master of the Spirit Sword Sect, a man, to be disliked by the senior sister of Qingying Peak,” Gu Shenzhi replied, trying hard to steer his junior sister’s thoughts elsewhere.
When it came to stubbornness, he could outmatch even Yuexi.
As a man who once had thousands of fans across major righteous sects in Muyun Province, with admirers spanning the entire righteous path, Gu Shenzhi wasn’t oblivious to Yuexi’s little thoughts.
But some things were better left unsaid—without scrutiny, they weighed nothing, but once examined, they could weigh a thousand pounds.
Maintaining the delicate balance of “walking a tightrope between two boats” was exhausting enough.
Adding another would surely make him fall and drown, metaphorically stabbed in the back by three swords and deemed a “suicide.”
“There’s no real marital bond between you and Saintess Honglian, right? Are you planning to stay chaste and loyal to her forever, or do you hope that lofty, untouchable prodigy will have a change of heart?” Mo Xiaonian asked.
She had never met Su Linghuang, and her knowledge of Saintess Honglian came solely from rumors and stories, far less intimate than Gu Shenzhi’s understanding.
She naturally pictured Saintess Honglian as a cold, proud, and distant prodigy—an image that, while slightly stereotypical, surprisingly matched how Su Linghuang was perceived by the Moon Shadow Sect.
Cough, cough, cough.
Gu Shenzhi coughed awkwardly before saying calmly, “Junior Sister Mo, since we’ve safely returned, I’ll honor my promise. How about I take you to meet Saintess Honglian now?”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Gu!” Mo Xiaonian exclaimed, practically leaping into his arms with excitement.
Her clear eyes sparkled with unimaginable joy, and a sweet smile spread across her face.
The distraction worked like a charm.
The girl seemed to have completely forgotten their earlier conversation, eagerly urging Gu Shenzhi to hurry and take her to meet her idol.
Before they even reached Qihuang Courtyard, the faint sound of a zither drifted to their ears, its melody rising and falling, graceful and enchanting, as if transporting them to an immortal realm, far removed from mortal music.
But Gu Shenzhi felt a chill crawl up his spine, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead.
Whether by coincidence or something else, he could swear he detected a hint of… killing intent in the music.
As they stepped into the courtyard, they caught sight of a red-robed figure playing a paulownia zither in an elegant pavilion at the center of the lake.
The scenery was stunning, but the woman was even more breathtaking.
Her silky snow-white hair cascaded down her back, adorned with a golden hairpin that held an elegant, refined bun.
A pure white fur shawl draped over her shoulders, and she wore a deep red robe embroidered with a golden phoenix, its wings spread as if crying out.
Unlike her usual seductive charm, she exuded an air of noble grace, like a princess from an ancient dynasty.
Her cheeks were as delicate as carved jade, her beauty almost otherworldly.
Her phoenix eyes shimmered with autumnal waters, brimming with tender emotions, yet beneath the calm surface lurked a hidden danger.
Her brows curved like crescent moons, her nose and lips flawless, without a single imperfection.
Though she sensed their arrival, Su Linghuang said nothing, continuing to pluck the zither strings with her slender, jade-like hands, the lingering notes echoing in the air.
Gu Shenzhi cautiously led his junior sister into the pavilion.
Aside from Mo Xiaonian, who was lost in the fervor of meeting her idol, anyone could sense the tense atmosphere.
“Huang’er, you look stunning today,” Gu Shenzhi said.
The zither’s melody came to an abrupt halt. Saintess Honglian slowly raised her head, gazing at the black-clad youth before her—her nominal husband.
“And you are… which esteemed guest? Though we’ve never met, thank you for the compliment,” Su Linghuang said with a soft laugh.
“I am Gu Shenzhi, a traitor of the Spirit Sword Sect, now serving under the Moon Shadow Sect,” Gu Shenzhi replied, bowing respectfully.
At this, Su Linghuang couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
Realizing her lapse, she quickly covered her mouth with her jade-like hand, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
“So it’s my husband. I thought you were lost in some other woman’s charms, forgetting you have a lawfully wedded wife.”
She then turned to Mo Xiaonian, who looked utterly confused, and said coolly, “As for this young lady, should I call you elder sister or younger sister?”
Her smile gradually gave way to a trace of killing intent.
Mo Xiaonian, singled out by her idol, felt her mind go blank.
Her starry eyes widened in shock.
With her experience from hundreds of romance novels, she could tell Saintess Honglian’s jealousy far surpassed Senior Sister Yuexi’s.
And she had called Senior Brother Gu her husband?
Their relationship seemed slightly different from what Mo Xiaonian had imagined.
Suddenly, a bold thought struck her: Could it be that Saintess Su had already fallen into Senior Brother Gu’s clutches?!
Her revered prodigy, taken by an ordinary senior brother who was only mildly accomplished in swordsmanship.
Mo Xiaonian’s heart was in turmoil.
The idea of her idol being with her foolish senior brother was far too avant-garde for her to process.
“Huang’er, don’t be like this. I just went out on a mission. That’s pretty normal, isn’t it?” Gu Shenzhi asked, puzzled, though a flicker of unease stirred in his heart.
Without dwelling on details, it was just a simple story—but if you fixated on certain odd details, a story could turn into a disaster.
“Where did you go first after returning?” Su Linghuang asked sternly, as if interrogating a criminal, emphasizing the word “first.”
“I escorted Senior Sister Yuexi back to her residence. She was injured, and I was worried about her.”
“That’s all?”
“Of course.”
Su Linghuang tucked a few stray strands of white hair behind her ear, her phoenix eyes subtly scanning the black-clad youth beside her.
Then, with a sudden chuckle, she said, “Why so nervous? Is my husband really that afraid of me?”
Realizing he’d been teased, Gu Shenzhi flushed with embarrassment and suddenly reached out, wrapping his arms around the girl’s slender waist, pulling her close as if to meld her into himself.
In that instant, Su Linghuang’s eyes widened, her rosy cheeks flushing a delicate pink, her shyness visible to the naked eye.
And in that moment, her full, red lips were claimed.
Mo Xiaonian: ?!?!
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