After a long while, the two reluctantly parted, the moment brief yet无比美好—at least for Gu Shenzhi and Su Linghuang.
Mo Xiaonian, who had been force-fed a bellyful of their lovey-dovey display, let out a long sigh, thinking that the torturous time had finally come to an end.
She now seriously suspected whether Senior Brother Gu had come to introduce her or simply to flaunt his romance in her face.
“Huang’er, can you forgive me now?” Gu Shenzhi asked, his arms wrapped around the girl’s slender waist, his lips curling slightly into a gentle, spring-like smile that warmed those around him.
“Hmph.”
Su Linghuang let out a soft, affectionate murmur, her jade-like hand pressing against Gu Shenzhi’s chest, guarding against any further advances.
A shy blush spread across her flawless face, her phoenix-like eyes shimmering with a delicate charm, her breaths coming in soft gasps.
Suddenly, she noticed a strange smile flicker across Gu Shenzhi’s lips.
Realizing she had been tricked, the Red Lotus Saintess hurriedly broke free from his embrace, glaring at the black-clad youth beside her in羞愤.
“When did I ever agree you could kiss me?”
“But Huang’er, you never said I couldn’t kiss you either. Besides, it was clearly you who leaned in first…” Gu Shenzhi said with a wronged tone, his face full of mock grievance.
“Shut up!”
Su Linghuang, her small fists trembling with羞愤, pounded his chest repeatedly before tackling him to the ground, pinning him down fiercely and desperately trying to silence him.
Not one to back down, Gu Shenzhi suddenly grabbed the collar of the stunning girl, attempting to pull her off.
Su Linghuang, equally unyielding, tightened her legs around his waist with even greater force.
With a sudden rip, her magnificent crimson phoenix robe tore open, revealing a patch of fair skin as delicate as dewy lotus petals, tinged with a faint, alluring blush, breathtakingly beautiful.
The beauty before him was like a freshly peeled lychee, its translucent flesh glistening, tempting one to take a gentle bite, the sweetness lingering between lips and teeth, unforgettable.
Even Gu Shenzhi, who had seen countless beauties, couldn’t help but be entranced by the sight, unable to tear himself away.
“Does it look good?” Su Linghuang asked through gritted teeth, each word dripping with menace.
“Probing with divine sense consumes too much spiritual energy, so I usually keep it restrained. But since it’s Huang’er’s request, I’ll naturally comply.”
Gu Shenzhi immediately put on a serious expression, carefully appraising his beloved’s enchanting, curvaceous figure.
After a moment, he casually remarked, “It’s just so-so. Peerless in the world, but barely passable.”
At that, the Red Lotus Saintess nearly stabbed him with her sword, its blade stopping less than half an inch from his heart.
His chest tore open, blood slowly seeping out.
Fortunately, Gu Shenzhi preferred dark robes these days, which hid the crimson bloodstains.
Had he been wearing the white robes of the Spirit Sword Sect, they would’ve been embroidered with scarlet peonies by now, requiring quite an effort to clean.
“You actually dared to stab me?!” Gu Shenzhi asked, feigning anger, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.
But someone as cautious as Gu Shenzhi wouldn’t make such a careless mistake.
When the Saintess struck, he had already used his heavy pupils to observe—the spiritual energy in her sword was less than that of a third-layer Qi Refiner.
With a slight move, he could’ve easily blocked it.
In other words, Su Linghuang’s strike wasn’t meant to kill him, nor was it mere playful flirting between lovers—it was more like a test.
Seeing Gu Shenzhi neither dodge nor evade, a trace of surprise flashed in the Saintess’s beautiful eyes, though it was overshadowed by heartache.
“What’s the big deal about a couple of stabs? It’s not like I killed you. If it bothers you, I’ll let you stab me back someday,” Su Linghuang said, her lips trembling slightly, her willow-like brows drooping, her face tinged with guilt, though her words remained sharp.
With a soft huff, the Saintess carefully helped her injured husband up, her delicate, fair hands gently wiping his wound like a summer breeze.
“Then it’s a deal. I’ll keep this stab in mind, and I trust the Saintess won’t go back on her word, right?”
“Fine… I’ll let you stab me back someday!”
Su Linghuang gritted her teeth, then quickly turned and headed toward the green-tiled pavilion in the courtyard.
“Huang’er, leaving already?”
Su Linghuang glanced back with a charming smile, “Just changing clothes. No need for my dear husband to worry.”
Her tone, however, was laced with murderous intent, as if she wanted to devour Gu Shenzhi alive.
“Senior Brother, is the Saintess always like this?” Mo Xiaonian asked timidly.
Having seen Su Linghuang in person, she realized the real woman seemed slightly—perhaps a billion points—different from the cold, untouchable prodigy in the stories.
“If you’re looking for the peerless Red Lotus Saintess, you should go to Zhanyun Peak’s dojo and admire her from afar with the other disciples. But if you come with me to Qihuang Courtyard, you’ll only meet the Huang’er from earlier.”
Gu Shenzhi straightened up, stretching slightly, his words tinged with a hint of melancholy.
Before coming to Moonshadow Sect, he never could’ve imagined his interactions with the Red Lotus Demoness would turn out like this.
“It seems Senior Brother Gu and the Saintess have a pretty good relationship, nothing like the ‘Four Nos’ rumored outside.”
“What are the Four Nos?” Gu Shenzhi asked, puzzled.
“You don’t know, Senior Brother? It’s all the talk in Moonshadow Sect’s inner and outer circles. The ‘Four Nos’ describe your life in Qihuang Courtyard: no looking at the Saintess’s face, no listening to her voice, no smelling her scent, and no thinking about her.”
“Oh, so I can’t look at her beauty, hear her voice, smell her fragrance, or even think about her?” Gu Shenzhi said, realization dawning.
Mo Xiaonian looked surprised.
“I haven’t even explained it fully, and you already figured it out? Did you overhear it at the dojo?”
“Guess? You’re underestimating me, Junior Sister,” Gu Shenzhi said calmly, subtly stepping back to maintain a proper distance between them, his peripheral vision glancing toward the green-tiled pavilion.
Though his comprehension was “average,” it wasn’t that low.
Otherwise, back in the Spirit Sword Sect’s scripture pavilion, he wouldn’t have grasped the Human Emperor’s Two Forms from the incomplete Sword One technique.
The Sword One technique wasn’t overly obscure.
Over the past five hundred years, about seven people had comprehended the Human Emperor’s First Form, and three had mastered both forms: Gu Yun, Gu Shenzhi, and Bai Qi.
With a creak, the door of the green-tiled pavilion slowly opened, and out stepped a stunning figure in a crimson dress, her wasp waist and graceful curves accentuating her feminine beauty.
The Saintess held the mysterious sword [Evil Phoenix], her steps light and elegant.
The earlier shyness and playfulness had vanished, replaced by the aloof Red Lotus Saintess once more.
Sensing the killing intent radiating from Su Linghuang, Mo Xiaonian felt a pang of fear.
After a hurried bow, she prepared to flee on her sword.
But Gu Shenzhi grabbed her collar, stopping her in her tracks.
“Don’t rush off. Since I promised you, even if it kills me, I’ll make sure the Red Lotus Saintess spares no effort in guiding your sword practice.”