Outside the hall, Shen Mo was drenched in cold sweat.
’The shadow recording stone… what’s inside it?’
’Did Wan’er see it?’
’What will she think?’
’Will she abandon him?’
’Or will she… hate him to the bone?’
Fear gripped his heart like a massive hand.
Just then, a sound came from the direction of the main hall.
It wasn’t the furious rebuke he had expected.
There was no violent shattering of porcelain.
No booming clash of spiritual power colliding.
It was laughter.
He walked to the corner of the corridor.
Vaguely, he could also hear a blurry but cheerful giggling, like that of a child.
Strange. Too strange.
Shen Mo peeked into the room, opening a slit of his eyes.
His gaze fell on the shadow recording stone floating in midair, now casting clear light and shadows.
There was no indecent scene whatsoever.
On the light curtain was a mountain village scene, the era blurred, bathed in a warm glow.
Rough dirt roads, low thatched huts, and in the distance, a range of rolling green mountains.
In the center of the frame were two little girls wearing coarse cotton dresses, their hair simply tied up with red strings.
One had fair skin, her features already hinting at the elegant beauty she would become.
She tilted her face up, her expression full of trust.
When she heard something amusing, she couldn’t help but let out a “giggle,” a bright and clean smile untainted by even the faintest shadow.
The other had a round face and bright eyes.
Although she tried hard to put on a serious expression, attempting to look stern, she was holding a twig and gesturing with it in a practiced manner, as if teaching the other.
Even though the image was somewhat blurry due to age, and both girls were still young, Shen Mo recognized them in an instant—
The one who was desperately trying to look like a little adult but couldn’t hide the liveliness in her eyes was Qin Shuying.
And the one tilting her face up, laughing without a care in the world, with starlight filling her eyes… was his wife, Su Wan’er.
The images continued.
Together, they secretly picked sour, unripe fruit from a neighbor’s tree and got chased around in chaos.
Together, they crouched by a stream, pointing at the small fish swimming by.
Together, they shared a piece of rough malt candy, taking turns biting it, laughing until their teeth and eyes were all but hidden.
Shen Mo was frozen.
He stared at Su Wan’er, the young woman so different from the one beside him now—vivid, radiant, laughing freely.
He stared at that icy Qin Shuying, who had once had such a soft and lively moment.
Why?
What exactly was she trying to do?
He had been terrified, thinking the sky was falling.
But in the end, the other party had just come… to reminisce?
The side hall was a small room reserved for personal servants awaiting summons.
Its furnishings were simple, only a few chairs and a small table with tea sets.
At this moment, because of the private meeting between the two Peak Masters, all other servants had been dismissed.
The room was empty, exceptionally quiet.
Shen Mo closed the door behind him, leaned his back against the cold door panel, and let out a long, silent sigh.
He raised a hand to rub his throbbing temples, feeling completely drained. Cold sweat had almost soaked through his underrobe.
Was he… safe for now?
He walked to the chair by the window, intending to sit down and catch his breath, to sort out his chaotic thoughts.
Then, the change came without warning.
A familiar aura—chilly, with the coldness of ice and snow—attacked from behind without any sign.
An extremely oppressive, round and full object pressed tightly against his back.
A pair of cool yet soft, boneless jade hands coiled around his waist like spirit snakes.
Shen Mo was horrified beyond belief and almost cried out in shock.
“Shh—”
A seductive whisper, hot and numb to the bone, with a warm breath, sounded right against his ear.
It was like a lover’s murmur, but carried a hint of teasing.
“Don’t make a sound…”
This voice… was Qin Shuying?
But—but she was clearly still in the main hall, together with Wan’er!
Shen Mo’s mind went blank.
He stiffly turned his head, catching her in his peripheral vision. It was her, no mistake.
“You… you… aren’t you over there?!”
A soft laugh reached his ear.
The soft, voluptuous body rubbed against him maliciously, its soft contours and elasticity shocking his heart.
“That’s a doppelgänger I specially prepared. Otherwise, why do you think I’ve been preparing for so long?”
Qin Shuying lightly rested her chin on his shoulder, her red lips exhaling like orchid fragrance. “What’s the matter? Surprised?”
A doppelgänger?!
Shen Mo felt as if struck by lightning.
He had vaguely heard of the Nascent Soul cultivator’s avatar projection technique, but he never thought it would be used on him one day.
“You… you…”
“Me? What about me?” Qin Shuying laughed lowly.
Her hands began to roam restlessly, silently and with extreme familiarity, flicking open the hidden clasps, then slipping through the gap in his underrobe and reaching inside.
“What exactly do you want to do?”
The breathing behind him faltered for a moment.
“Reminiscing,” she said, her voice lazy. “Didn’t you see? I’m reminiscing with your wife.”
Shen Mo’s nails dug into his palms. “Then why… are you…”
She finished for him, letting out a low laugh. “Because I missed you.”
A slightly cool fingertip suddenly pressed against his warm skin.
“Mmph!” Shen Mo let out a muffled groan and arched his back.
Her other hand lingered on the sensitive area of his waist and abdomen.
She buried her face in the hollow of his neck and took a deep breath.
Her voice carried an intoxicated satisfaction. “So fragrant… this is still the best scent. Much nicer than the tea fragrance I smelled before…”
Her gaze was fixed on him with an obsession, like she was admiring a rare treasure.
“Let… let go of me… Wan’er… Wan’er is right next door…”
Shen Mo forced out broken, gasping breaths through his teeth.
His body instinctively tried to struggle, but her arms only tightened around him even more, the force almost breaking his ribs.
The thought that his wife was just one wall away, laughing and chatting unsuspectingly with a doppelgänger, while her husband was being restrained and molested by her so-called best friend—it was driving him insane.
“Oh? Wan’er is next door…” Qin Shuying didn’t care at all. She even escalated, her hands exploring toward more hidden places.
As she felt Shen Mo’s uncontrollable trembling and his increasingly ragged breathing, she said, “So what? Right now, she’s happily chatting with my ‘doppelgänger.’ She might even be praising me for being thoughtful and considerate, saying I’m a good sister…”
No… I can’t let this continue!
His wife was just one wall away. She could look over at any moment!
If he endured any longer, he didn’t know what she would do next.
Shen Mo was humiliated to the extreme.
Fueled by a burst of desperate anger, he no longer cared about the consequences.
Using all his strength, he suddenly jerked backward and swung his elbow fiercely toward the ribs of the person behind him.
“Let go…!” He hissed through gritted teeth, frantic and exasperated.
However, the anticipated response of Qin Shuying’s shock and anger never came.
She took advantage of the movement and loosened her grip slightly.
Then…
He saw the thing in her other hand.
A stone.
Smooth and lustrous, with faint light swirling within.
It was exactly the same shadow recording stone as the one in the meeting hall.
Shen Mo’s movements froze.
“I forgot to tell you,” Qin Shuying’s voice was faint.
“That one earlier, it can play. As for this one, well, it actually records. If you still refuse to see reason, tonight, it will appear by Su Wan’er’s bedside.”
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