“Stop your wishful thinking. There’s absolutely no chance that I’ll ever fall in love with you again in this lifetime, Bai Qi Fairy.”
Gu Shenzhi spoke through gritted teeth. He had tried more than once to make his tone indifferent, knowing that a dagger called Leng Mo was most wounding when cold, but he couldn’t manage it. Though there was only hatred left and no love, his emotions still surged within him as fiercely as ever.
“You can guarantee you won’t love me, but can you guarantee you won’t fall for any other woman?” The white-robed Xianzi smiled as she spoke, but her voice carried a thousand hidden blades.
“Are you trying to threaten me with the life of that demonic girl from the unorthodox path? Hmph, she’s nothing but a pawn. If Bai Sect Master insists on killing her, then I have no choice but to sacrifice the pawn to save the king.”
The black-robed youth replied with utter disdain, his tone nearly flawless, not revealing the slightest inappropriate emotion.
Had it been someone he barely knew, no matter how skilled they were at playing mind games, they would never have spotted the tiniest flaw.
Unfortunately, Bai Qi was his Master of many years. Even the techniques Gu Shenzhi used to hide his emotions and keep his face expressionless had been taught to him by her personally.
Gu Shenzhi could fool Taoyao, could fool Su Linghuang, but he could never fool Bai Qi’s eyes.
She knew her personal disciple far too well. As long as he uttered a single word, she could fill in the rest of the sentence for him.
“As your Master, I’ve taught you that when you lie, you must avoid arrogance and impatience. Speak each word clearly, don’t let your voice tremble, keep your body relaxed and steady. You’ve done all of these very well.”
As she spoke, Bai Qi couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, then gently rested her head on the black-robed youth’s chest, speaking with a hint of charm, “But your emotions were so intense just now. Isn’t it strange that you’ve suddenly become so calm?”
Gu Shenzhi lay quietly on the ground, saying nothing, simply listening as Bai Qi pointed out the flaws in his words.
Any retort now would only make the madwoman before him even more excited. Playing the part of a dull, unresponsive puppet and silently accepting her torment was his best choice.
The more desperate the situation, the more important it was to stay calm. Bai Qi’s twisted love would eventually consume her reason entirely; when that time came, all she’d have left was an endless need to vent her desires, and then he might have a chance to win.
He could have simply not attended the Mo Family Third Young Lady Martial Competition Marriage Event. Even after sending Mo Xiaonian back, he and Su Linghuang could have left immediately, and there would have been no chance of running into Bai Qi again.
But if he didn’t even have the courage to face her head-on, how could Gu Shenzhi hope to defeat her? Even among the ranks of the proudest geniuses, how could he, of all people, be timid and shrink away?
The path to immortality was long, and this ill-fated bond with his Master was just one of the many tribulations Gu Shenzhi had to endure. It would pass, and there would always be a way through.
He was walking on a rope thinner than a hair. One misstep and he’d be smashed to pieces, but such was the defiant road of cultivation. There was no other path to take.
Just as Gu Shenzhi was lost in thought, he felt a soft sensation on his lips. Before he could react, that strange softness invaded his body irresistibly. The feeling was wonderful, but he had no mind to enjoy it.
At this moment, Bai Qi was kissing him passionately, lost in the moment.
After a long time, Gu Shenzhi began to feel breathless, his breathing growing more and more urgent, until the delicate Shengguo hidden in Bai Qi’s fragrant mouth was swallowed into his stomach. Only then did Bai Qi end her assault.
“What did you just feed me?” Gu Shenzhi asked with difficulty.
“Of course, it’s the Shengguo needed to form a Tiandao Shengying. Are you satisfied with this gift, Shen’er?”
“Shengguo? You thought even my Jiedan Zhongqi cultivation was too high, so you took the chance to cripple my Dantian, forcing me to start over. And now you give me a Shengguo, something rare even in a hundred years, for free? Don’t you find that ridiculous?!”
Gu Shenzhi wouldn’t believe a single word from this woman anymore. Even if what she fed him really was a genuine Shengguo, who knew if it was laced with some mind-controlling drug?
“So that’s how you see me, Gu Lang? How heartless,” Bai Qi said with a seductive smile, symbolically wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye. “I already regret damaging your Dantian by mistake earlier. That’s why I specially brought this Shengguo today as compensation.”
With that, Bai Qi slowly moved away from him, tidied up her slightly disheveled clothes, and spoke softly, “You should go back now. Don’t keep that Shengnü Ge Xia of Yueying Sect waiting too long. She’s still waiting for her Furen to come back, you know.”
For a moment, Gu Shenzhi was dazed. Hearing these words from Bai Qi’s mouth was rare indeed, and for a split second, he almost felt the woman before him was still that flawless white-robed Xianzi he once cherished.
Seeing his hesitation, Bai Qi curled her red lips and teased lightly, “Shen’er, are you lingering because you want your Master to accompany you in bed tonight?”
Only then did Gu Shenzhi snap out of it, quickly striding out of the Yishi Tang. The whole time, he kept thinking she might seize control of his body again at any moment and torment him as she pleased.
But none of that happened. Though his heart was still full of doubts, Bai Qi truly let him go.
In the rear courtyard of the Mo Mansion, inside a three-story pavilion with carved beams and painted rafters.
Mo Xiaonian, dressed in fine clothes, lay weakly on a canopied bed, her expression confused, lost in thought.
After seeing her father, he had only told her, “Don’t leave the Mo Mansion on your own again,” before hurriedly leaving, not even mentioning her marriage.
Perhaps in Mo Xulin’s eyes, she really was nothing but a tool.
Thinking back, all her efforts and struggles since childhood seemed so laughable. It was as if her fate had been sealed from the very beginning.
If she was lucky, she would marry a talented young genius who liked her and become his Dao Companion. Maybe they’d even have children, and in the end, she would die when her lifespan ran out.
But there was another possibility: the man she was to marry might not have any feelings for her at all. Their marriage would just be a union of two great powers, husband and wife in name only, each living their own lives as long as things didn’t get too ugly.
Just like the Young Master of Lingjian Sect and the Holy Maiden of Yueying Sect… No, not the same at all. The Honglian Saintess’s extraordinary talent was something she could never compare to, not to mention how close Gu Shixiong and Su Saintess were, as inseparable as glue.
At that moment, a familiar female voice came from the window, “Looks like Mo Shimei has accepted her fate, but that’s fine. Once I win the Martial Contest for Marriage, I’ll be sure to treat you well.”
Mo Xiaonian immediately sat up, lifted the bed curtains, and saw the uninvited guest in her boudoir was an elegant young man in white.
“Holy Maiden, why are you here?” the young girl called out in surprise.
“What, am I not allowed to come?” Su Linghuang replied with a smile, though in her heart she was grumbling about a certain someone who still hadn’t come back, leaving her all alone.
ps: Let this humble author see how many people have already clicked on the pre-order!