Chapter 228

Lu Xingzhou’s heart melted instantly.

Even after everything he had done with Pei Chuyun, it was still difficult to experience such unreserved, passionate love from the 'little demoness' as he felt from Shen Tang.

If he, Lu Xingzhou, could never break through to the third rank, the 'little demoness's' attitude might not remain as it was now.

But Lu Xingzhou knew Shen Tang wouldn't change.

Even if he were still a seventh-rank practitioner, even if he were still in a wheelchair, unable to stand, Shen Tang would still care for him for life.

Whether he was worthy of her in his heart was another matter entirely.

There was also someone else who didn't care about his weakness or disability... she even wanted him to remain weak and disabled. That was the opposite extreme, offering only a cold experience, which was why he found himself sinking and recovering in the spring breeze of someone like Shen Tang.

Unable to suppress the stirring in his heart, Lu Xingzhou lowered his head to find Shen Tang's lips. "Tangtang..."

Shen Tang was momentarily stunned. It seemed Lu Xingzhou had never called her that before; he used to find it too sappy. Had his mouth gotten sweeter after his trip? Or was it because of the equally fervent emotions that they could no longer care about being sappy or not?

She didn't have the heart to overthink it. Months of suppressed emotions surged within her; she desired the kiss even more than Lu Xingzhou.

They kissed passionately, thousands of unspoken words from their separation all swallowed, as if a single kiss could pour out everything. The strength of their embrace felt as though they were trying to meld into each other's bodies.

Lu Xingzhou had to be grateful for his recent surge in cultivation, otherwise, he wondered if the Imperial Supreme Scripture would have literally squeezed the life out of him.

Heavy, disordered breathing filled the air, and the room temperature gradually grew hot. As they kissed, they instinctively moved toward the bed and soon tumbled onto it together.

In a nearby room, Ye Tinglan opened her eyes in disbelief. "Are those two... already doing it?"

The poor, aloof, and celibate Grand Tutor, in her mind, had envisioned their reunion as a quiet exchange of stories while holding hands, a recounting of months of events that would last until dawn.

How could she have imagined these two would just kiss without a word, make strange sounds, and probably already be in bed?

"I don't understand you young people. There's a master living right next door. Don't you have any discretion?"

From the perspective of "the Grand Tutor inspecting Princess Chaohuang," this meeting hadn't even lasted the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and the inspection had already completely fallen apart. "This little hussy wants to inherit the throne? Are we just going to watch you defile the palace?"

Ye Tinglan hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to intervene...

"Never mind," she thought. "I'll listen a bit, just in case I misunderstood..."

She extended her divine sense to listen carefully. The first thing she heard was, "...See if it's gotten bigger?"

Ye Tinglan: "?"

"Is this something I can listen to for free?"

Shen Tang giggled, "It really has! How did it get so much bigger, and it's firm too."

Ye Tinglan: "..."

"What is wrong with this empire..."

In reality, the young couple was simply lying on the bed, with Shen Tang leaning into Lu Xingzhou's shoulder and poking his chest.

Ye Tinglan could never understand the fervent desire of a man to show off a newly developed, solid chest to his girlfriend, a desire that could even surpass lust.

Especially since he had been scrawny when he and Shen Tang fell in love, he had only started building muscle after leaving, making him even more eager to show it off.

Similarly, a man's well-defined muscles were a powerful attraction for women. Shen Tang bit her lower lip, feeling a stir within her. "Don't cover it. Let me poke it."

Lu Xingzhou coaxed, "Kiss it."

Shen Tang giggled and, indeed, leaned over to lightly lick it.

Lu Xingzhou made a strange sound, while Ye Tinglan remained expressionless.

"Tell me," Shen Tang asked, "how many other women have seen this? Did Pei Chuyun?"

Not only had Pei Chuyun seen it, but she had also witnessed his transformation from scrawny to strong. Lu Xingzhou was about seventy or eighty percent honest, whispering, "Tangtang, I..."

Shen Tang placed her index finger over his lips. "Don't give me the 'sincere apology now, but still dare to do it again' routine."

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

"Tell me, how far did it go?"

Lu Xingzhou fell silent.

His silence spoke volumes. Shen Tang exploded in anger. "Lu Xingzhou! Oh, you're good, cheating after only a few months away!"

Her slender fingers pinched the soft flesh at his waist and twisted.

Lu Xingzhou cried out in pain.

Ye Tinglan felt refreshed.

"Now you two won't be able to do anything, right?"

Shen Tang was fuming. "I haven't even had you yet! And you're already with someone else! Lu Xingzhou, why don't you just drop dead!"

Ye Tinglan let out a long sigh of relief. So, the empire still had hope!

The next moment, Shen Tang's protests turned into muffled sounds, as Lu Xingzhou had rolled over, covering her and silencing her mouth.

Shen Tang struggled fiercely, but the formidable martial cultivator of the third-rank mid-stage couldn't overpower the younger man. The more she struggled, the more powerless she became, gradually extending her tongue to respond, her sounds shifting from angry curses to gasps.

Her small fists weakly thumped his chest, feebly.

Ye Tinglan: "..."

"You've trained the mighty and unparalleled Imperial Supreme Scripture into *this*?"

"You only know how to bully me..." After an unknown amount of time, Shen Tang's voice became a soft whine. "Are there others? What about Sheng Yuanyao?"

She was still asking if Sheng Yuanyao had seen his chest. Lu Xingzhou wasn't entirely sure if Sheng Yuanyao, in her bewilderment during the volcano incident, had even paid attention to such things; it was highly probable she hadn't. Still, he answered honestly, "Yes, she... she did. But it was different with Yuanyao... mostly just an accident."

Shen Tang said, "I'd agree to Sheng Yuanyao, and you say that was an accident. But Pei Chuyun? I don't even know her, and you already got involved. What were you thinking? Was it because of the Pei family?"

Lu Xingzhou whispered, "I never thought of treating these matters with utilitarian motives, whether it was the Sheng family or the Pei family."

Shen Tang flared up again. "So, the little demoness was especially beautiful and alluring, and you just couldn't resist, right?"

"...She, she's from the Joyful Maiden Sect, I fell for her trick... Ouch!"

"Like I'd believe that! That's the Mysterious Art of the Joyful Maiden. With your meager tricks, if you truly fell for it, you wouldn't be drained dry!"

"I fell for it, but not completely..."

"Don't give me that!" Shen Tang retorted angrily. "What about Qingli then?"

Ye Tinglan's eyes widened in shock.

"Why is Qingli involved?"

"Qingli really isn't involved," Lu Xingzhou answered quite naturally. "Qingli has only ever been a friend."

Shen Tang thought for a moment and agreed. Although Lu Xingzhou never hid his fondness for the appearance of the "little white-haired girl," it was just that—a fondness for her looks. There had been some unexpected incidents between them, but they had never truly pursued a romantic relationship; they were indeed just friends. She had simply assumed there had been developments in the capital, but apparently not.

"During the trials in the capital, Qingli helped me kill an enemy, and later helped me explore an altar..." Lu Xingzhou explained. "But in reality, both those times were tasks assigned by the Grand Tutor. Qingli and I genuinely had nothing going on privately. I even had Master transmit the pills I sent her."

Ye Tinglan let out a long sigh of relief.

Given that fellow's honesty about Pei Chuyun, he probably wasn't lying about anything else. He answered so frankly, so there truly was nothing.

"Exactly," she thought, "Qingli hasn't even come to her senses yet; how could there be anything?"

But then she heard Shen Tang ask, "What about your Master Ye?"

Ye Tinglan: "..."

Lu Xingzhou cried out in righteous indignation, "How could that be possible?!"

"But the way you look at her doesn't seem like you're looking at a master; there's not much respect."

"There's a reason for that. Her purpose in taking me in wasn't pure; it's related to the Hall of Yama, and she's quite wary of me. How could I truly regard her as a master? This has nothing to do with male-female relations."

Shen Tang mused, "I see..."

"But then again, to say there's absolutely no respect isn't quite right. Regardless of her initial intentions, the truth is she taught me a lot, and I'm very grateful. While it's not the same as typical master-disciple respect... I can't quite explain it, but I genuinely want to help her."

"Help her with what?"

"I always feel like she's hiding a lot... Right now, she might not trust me that much, and my strength isn't enough to help her. Once I gain the ability, I'll naturally reciprocate. For now, all I can hope for is to make her relax a bit, to not be so tense. Doesn't it get tiring?"

Shen Tang laughed. "Oh, you... I think you've developed a soft spot for her."

"Whether it is or isn't, I'm too lazy to think about it too much. My wife is right here; who would think of anyone else?" Lu Xingzhou lowered his head and kissed Shen Tang's forehead. "No matter what, you're my wife, and she's my master. Tomorrow, I'll take her shopping and buy her some things."

Shen Tang looked at him tenderly. "Okay."

Ye Tinglan was silent, feeling strange inside.

"You for me? A soft spot? How ridiculous."

Even more ridiculous was that Shen Tang criticized men for having soft spots for women, yet she wasn't truly angry at all; she even seemed to be helping the man indulge in it.

"Am I here to evaluate if this heir can succeed the empire?"

Shen Tang whispered, "So, it seems you have many women around you, but the only one you've truly been involved with is Pei Chuyun?"

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment. "Yeah."

"What kind of tone is that?!" Shen Tang exclaimed furiously. "Do you think I should praise you?"

"No, no," Lu Xingzhou smiled placatingly. "It's just that I couldn't control myself..."

Shen Tang was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "It's because I couldn't give it to you, and I even encouraged some of it myself. How can I blame you entirely... When a Joyful Maiden tempts, few can resist..."

Before Lu Xingzhou could say anything, she actively reached her slender hand downwards, saying fiercely, "Anyway, when you're here, I can just deal with you first, so you don't stare at any 'masters'!"

She spoke through gritted teeth as if she wanted to kill someone, but Lu Xingzhou, on the contrary, made sounds of pleasure, no longer even refuting her claim about staring at his master.

It was unclear what she was doing.

Ye Tinglan's curiosity was piqued, and she subconsciously strengthened her divine sense. This time, she didn't just hear; faint, blurry images appeared in her consciousness.

She then saw the two of them embracing on their sides, Shen Tang "steering the boat" with one hand, while Lu Xingzhou stripped off her clothes, his head bent, nibbling somewhere unknown. Shen Tang arched her pale neck, her expression somewhat dazed.

"This is what you meant by 'dealing with' him?"

Ye Tinglan felt like her eyes were stinging, and she indignantly shut down her senses.

"May this empire just be destroyed!"