At times, Gu Shenzhi would ponder: what is it that people truly love—the person or thing they desire, or the desire itself?
If it were the former, why had he toiled so diligently on Fairy Bai Qi’s body in the latter half of their encounter?
If it were the latter, what then were his feelings for Huang’er?
What difference was there, really, between Su Linghuang and Bai Qi in his heart?
With these doubts swirling in his mind, Gu Shenzhi retied his jade belt, adjusted his attire, and carefully smoothed out the creases in his ink-black dragon robe, as if nothing had happened.
Yet, the faint fragrance of his master lingered on every inch of his body.
That woman had entwined herself with him in an almost vengeful passion.
Though his soul had wandered through clouds of ecstasy, his body was left utterly drained, sinking into an abyss of exhaustion and emptiness.
Bai Qi had long since departed, but not before declaring that she would frequently find time to “guide” his cultivation in the future.
She instructed him to prepare himself and forbade him from mingling with other women, warning that her heartbreak would carry grave consequences.
Even now, the skin on his left shoulder throbbed faintly, marked by a deep, bone-biting ring of teeth—Bai Qi’s so-called punishment.
Truth be told, Gu Shenzhi couldn’t understand why Bai Qi hadn’t dragged him back to the Spirit Sword Sect to imprison him again, as she surely would have in the past.
Moreover, during this dual cultivation, Bai Qi hadn’t treated him as a mere cauldron.
Instead, she had lain obediently beneath him, serving as his cauldron, channeling an endless stream of spiritual energy into his body through certain intimate means.
A peerless beauty in the Void Entry stage, born with a seductive charm, was an unparalleled cauldron in Muyun Continent, its effects unimaginably potent.
In just two hours, Gu Shenzhi’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Spirit Manifestation stage, a mere hair’s breadth from the Nascent Soul realm.
The speed of his progress astonished even himself.
Yet, an uneasy premonition gnawed at him.
Knowing his master, that woman never acted without purpose, and she never allowed herself to suffer even the slightest loss.
A single smile or glance from her could ruin a person, and only a select few were ever worthy of facing her drawn sword.
“Take it one step at a time,” Gu Shenzhi mused, frowning.
“The key issue now is that my strength is still too weak. Only by forming the Heavenly Saint Infant can I gain a sliver of self-preservation.”
In truth, reaching the peak of Spirit Manifestation—especially for a prodigy like him—was enough to make him a formidable figure in Muyun Continent.
But the enemies he faced were of an entirely different caliber.
Bai Qi, the sect leader of the Spirit Sword Sect and Muyun Continent’s foremost sword cultivator, sought to control him like a marionette, turning him into a toy to be manipulated at her whim.
And then there was Mu Chonghua, the dreaded Black Lotus Witch.
Though she treated him with surface courtesy, how much sincerity lay in her heart?
In the end, it was merely mutual exploitation.
But these two weren’t the most dangerous.
The greatest threats often came from those he loved—like Bai Ling (Qi) in the past, or now…
Some things he had to confront.
If even Mo Xiaonian could face the fear of death head-on, how could he, her senior brother, fall short?
Opening his heavy-pupil eyes, the supreme king of ocular techniques, he scanned every corner of Bianliang City.
Even a single strand of hair on the street was crystal clear to him.
Moments later, Gu Shenzhi located the person he sought.
He summoned his spiritual sword and flew toward the southeast corner of the city, where the farthest point from the Bright Moon Teahouse in Bianliang lay.
At the foot of a small hill, on a grassy slope, sat a breathtakingly beautiful girl, radiant as peach blossoms.
Her legs were bent, her jade-like arms wrapped around her knees, and her phoenix eyes were slightly red, as though she had just been crying.
“Are you okay?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Su Linghuang turned and glared fiercely at the black-clad youth, saying nothing.
“Don’t you want to ask where I went with that junior sister from the Spirit Sword Sect, or what we did?” Gu Shenzhi sat beside the Red Lotus Saintess on the grass, his gaze fixed on the pristine sky.
“Even if you went off to dual cultivate, it has nothing to do with me!” Su Linghuang snapped, her affection for Gu Shenzhi plummeting to its lowest point since they’d met.
“But what if we really did dual cultivate?” Gu Shenzhi asked earnestly, his tone devoid of jest.
His calm words landed like a boulder in a still pond, shattering the facade of tranquility and stirring up a thousand waves.
Since beginning her cultivation, the Red Lotus Saintess had never felt her heart so tumultuous.
Her earlier words had been spoken in anger.
Gu Shenzhi was someone she cared for—a man who’d stolen her first kiss, her husband in name, with whom she’d shared a bed.
Even if he wasn’t the most important person in her life, he was undoubtedly among them.
“Say that again.”
Su Linghuang desperately hoped this was just a jest, something they could laugh off after a bit of teasing.
She’d pretend to be angry, he’d coax her with sweet words, and that would be enough!
“What if I really did dual cultivate with that junior sister from the Spirit Sword Sect? Would Your Holiness still not care?”
At her request, Gu Shenzhi repeated himself.
“You’re lying! It can’t be true! Even if you were to dual cultivate, it wouldn’t be now, right?”
Her lashes trembled, and her beautiful phoenix eyes glistened with tears as she looked at the black-clad youth beside her.
Just one glance was enough to break a heart.
But this time, Gu Shenzhi couldn’t grant her wish.
“In an ideal world, perhaps. But emotions are often the most irrational things.” He paused, steeling himself for his final resolve.
“If Your Holiness doesn’t believe me, you’re welcome to check for yourself. I won’t resist.”
People crave the truth, but the closer they get to it, the more they fear it.
Su Linghuang shakily leaned toward the black-clad youth, her delicate nose catching the elegant fragrance wafting from his robe.
In an instant, she recoiled as if shocked, her face drained of color, her steps unsteady.
This was not the Red Lotus Saintess who had slain the evil dragon or defeated the Blood Blade Sect’s holy son.
“Want to hear our story? It starts six years ago, when I became her disciple…”
“Stop!” Su Linghuang interrupted sharply.
“I don’t want to hear it!”
Her eyes shimmered with misty tears, on the verge of falling but held back.
She only shed tears for those worthy of them, and some scum clearly weren’t.
Yet, in the end, a tear fell.
“But I want to tell you,” Gu Shenzhi insisted stubbornly.
He’d considered many excuses, some so logical they’d easily convince anyone.
Su Linghuang wasn’t his master; she lacked Bai Qi’s knack for seeing through people.
Deceiving the Red Lotus Saintess would be child’s play for him.
But could he fool her forever?
The answer was clearly no.
Lies would eventually unravel.
They were merely a means of avoidance, born of cowardice and weakness.
If he saw Su Linghuang as his wife, not a tool, he owed her honesty.
Su Linghuang always showed him her truest self, while he’d been hypocritical to his core, a coward hiding behind a filthy mask.
Now, Gu Shenzhi yearned to be honest—not just to make amends to Huang’er, but to redeem himself.