From the Inner Sect Competition, to Wuan City, and then to the Mo Family’s marriage challenge arena, Senior Brother Gu was always the dashing young sword immortal—exceptionally gifted, astonishingly talented,
and with a face that was nothing short of breathtaking: sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a peerless beauty.
Since she could remember, Mo Xiaonian had never seen such a handsome man,
nor had she ever witnessed such a stunning young prodigy.
If you asked her whether the blue-clothed girl liked him, she certainly wouldn’t admit it; but if she felt nothing at all, why then would her heart flutter so?
The two were supposed to have met at the Lingjian Sect, yet to become fellow disciples at the Moonshadow Sect was undeniably a kind of fate.
However, when her gaze caught the smile on Su Linghuang’s lips, Mo Xiaonian hurriedly patted her burning cheeks, trying to suppress the desire growing deep inside.
How could she possibly compare to the Scarlet Lotus Saintess?
Seeing her junior sister’s strange expression, Su Linghuang placed both hands behind her back, leaned forward slowly, and asked with a light laugh,
“Junior Sister Mo, what are you thinking about? Did Gu Shenzhi bully you? Just say it, and this Saintess will seek justice for you.”
“No, Senior Brother Gu has always treated me very well!” Mo Xiaonian waved her hand anxiously, explaining hurriedly, afraid her nervousness would be exposed.
“Really?” Su Linghuang murmured doubtfully, her phoenix-shaped eyes turning to the black-clothed youth beside her, unable to believe that was how her own husband behaved.
Then she carefully examined the blue-clothed girl before her. Junior Sister Mo was delicate and charming, slender and graceful, with a pair of long, fair jade legs that were a rare earthly treasure. Her figure was exquisite, her skin like congealed cream, causing even Su Linghuang to feel a pang of jealousy.
Aside from some regrets about her chest, no matter how she looked, Junior Sister Mo perfectly fit a certain person’s taste. Tao Tian, Bai Qi, Nangong Yu… Su Linghuang knew all too well how beastly her own husband could be.
Then she tiptoed, skillfully twirling around, and asked the black-clothed youth, “Am I beautiful?”
Probably surprised by Junior Sister Mo’s perfect feet, the Scarlet Lotus Saintess’s jealousy stirred within, and she had to hear Gu Shenzhi praise her a little.
“The Scarlet Lotus Saintess is peerless in beauty. Even if a fairy descended to the mortal world, she wouldn’t be as lovely as you,” Gu Shenzhi answered casually. He had hundreds of such flattering lines in his heart, ready to soothe Huang’er in different phrasing.
“What about compared to Junior Sister Mo?” Su Linghuang pressed, unveiling her true intent—she wanted to hear how her husband would answer with Mo Xiaonian present.
Hearing the Scarlet Lotus Saintess ask this, Mo Xiaonian thought she had seen through her own thoughts and hurriedly lowered her head, her soft, pale hands nervously fiddling with her skirt, visibly tense.
Gu Shenzhi merely cleared his throat and answered clearly,
“Junior Sister Mo’s appearance is charming, truly a rare beauty, but compared to my Huang’er’s peerless elegance, she’s obviously a notch below.”
“Who are you calling ‘my Huang’er’? Keep up your slick talk, and I’ll cut out your tongue for deceiving an innocent girl,” Su Linghuang said coquettishly, miming drawing a sword, her rosy cheeks flush with adorable shyness.
Gu Shenzhi was used to the Scarlet Lotus Saintess’s tsundere antics. Chuckling lightly, he didn’t pull back. Instead, he took the opportunity to wrap his arm around the snow-haired girl.
Suddenly, a blush spread across her graceful swan-like neck. Su Linghuang was clearly surprised and tried to resist a little symbolically, only to find her feet lifted off the ground as she was spun around.
“Put me down! Or I won’t talk to you anymore!”
Su Linghuang struggled fiercely, like a koi freshly caught from water, but it was all in playful teasing, without any real intention to fight.
“You’re welcome to try, Your Saintessship. I’m curious how many days you’ll hold out this time,” he replied without concern.
About a quarter of an hour later, Su Linghuang was set down. Both her once-tidy snow-white hair and her neat, form-fitting skirt were now a little disheveled.
Embarrassed and angry, she linked arms with Mo Xiaonian and headed toward the other side of the questionnaire platform.
“I’m going to teach Junior Sister Mo swordsmanship. Since some outsiders are so confident, there’s no need for them to come along.”
Hearing this, Gu Shenzhi smiled wryly and could only pretend to leave grudgingly to please Huang’er.
But then he thought to himself, it had been a long time since he’d seen Xiao Tian.
This was a godsend opportunity.
After Su Linghuang walked away, Gu Shenzhi immediately flew on his sword toward Qingying Peak.
Among the four inner sect peaks, Qingying was the most special. While the other three peaks offered teachings in swordsmanship, alchemy, and artifact crafting, Qingying Peak’s unique specialty was the Art of Charm, exclusive to the Moonshadow Sect.
From a certain perspective, the Art of Charm was the sect’s signature course and core competitive advantage. Apart from those who specialized in the peak’s main path, most disciples would also learn some charm techniques for emergencies.
After all, compared to burly men, delicate young girls were far more likely to lower others’ guard and win their affection.
Qingying Peak was shrouded in mist, flourishing with lush vegetation. The melodious songs of spiritual birds filled the air, and the pavilions and towers were charmingly antique. The atmosphere carried a subtle fragrance uniquely feminine.
Compared to Zhanyun Peak, Qingying Peak was more elegant and ornate, though its scale was notably smaller—perhaps due to increasingly strict disciple selection standards.
Gu Shenzhi had heard rumors back when he was at the Lingjian Sect that Qingying Peak’s disciple selection was comparable to an emperor choosing a concubine—arguably even more stringent. Those who weren’t beauties with both voice and appearance would be rejected outright.
After landing at the mountain gate, he had originally planned to use his double-pupil eyes to locate Tao Tian but quickly abandoned the idea.
As the peak’s only male disciple specializing in the Art of Charm, Gu Shenzhi felt somewhat perverse wandering about Qingying Peak alone.
So he decided to find a Qingying disciple to guide him, which would make his presence there seem more reasonable.
A moment later, he found his target: a strikingly beautiful girl who seemed about to return to the mountain. She could help him with this small favor.
Although the girl was tall and graceful, with good looks and a fairly voluptuous figure, to Gu Shenzhi—who was plagued by more romantic entanglements than misfortunes—she held no attraction at all.
After all, when he was still the Young Sect Master of Lingjian Sect, there was a saying about Gu Shenzhi’s strict standards. It wasn’t just about ambiguous relationships; even talking briefly with this young sword prodigy was reserved for one in a hundred beauties.
Helping her find her way was merely a favor, and a small offering of spiritual stones as compensation was enough to get most people to agree.
Gu Shenzhi quickened his pace to follow her, but unexpectedly, the girl walked even faster, as if she genuinely wanted to shake him off.
He then activated his profound power and footwork, catching up in the blink of an eye and gently patting her shoulder.
“Sister, why are you walking so fast? I have something to discuss with you…”
Before he could finish, the Qingying disciple immediately grabbed Gu Shenzhi’s arm and burst into tears,
“Please, Senior Brother Gu, give me more time! I’ll find a way to gather that thousand high-grade spiritual stones!”
Upon hearing this, he instantly understood and said, “Oh, so it’s you. Repay the debt, right now!”
PS: Ah, this plot hole has finally been filled.