“……But that’s alright, let’s just practice directly!”
As his voice fell, Gu Wangchen immediately reached out toward the beauty’s snow-white shoulder.
Zeng——
Sensing his approaching hand, Su Qianhua’s body stiffened. She almost jumped aside to evade, but recalling her own goal, she bit down hard on her silver teeth and ultimately stayed still.
A large hand kneaded her shoulder repeatedly, sending an unfamiliar sensation from her shoulder deep into her body. Su Qianhua’s eyes flickered slightly, and she nearly lost hold of her illusion technique.
Endure it, Su Qianhua, you must endure!
Just hold on a bit longer, and this man will soon fall completely under your control!
Pa——
As she tried to comfort herself, his other hand pressed down on her left shoulder.
“Miss Su, since you’ve chosen me, it means you agree with what I said earlier—‘why not share a bridal chamber with me’—so…”
Gu Wangchen shifted his seat, his eyes openly and shamelessly sweeping over the delicate body before him.
His hands gently kneaded, forcing the flowing, light feathered robe to slip halfway down.
“Young Master Gu, p-please wait a moment!”
Su Qianhua instinctively pressed her legs together, bit her lip, and leaned her body back as if to escape Gu Wangchen’s grip.
She clenched her soft fists, suppressing the urge to punch this man, but continued to wear her coquettish mask, her voice as gentle as water.
“Young Master Gu, please allow Qianhua to play a piece for you, the ‘Song of Feathered Robes and Clear Moon’. We really should…”
“Oh come now, no need for all that fuss, I’m not particular about such things,” Gu Wangchen chuckled, his eyes flickering with unrestrained desire. “Besides, I’ve already heard Miss Su’s playing in the main hall just now, and it was indeed beautiful.”
“S-since Young Master Gu recognizes my skills at the zither, then perhaps let us…”
“Eh~” Gu Wangchen sniffed ostentatiously, greedily inhaling the delicate fragrance drifting from her. “Even though Miss Su’s music is wonderful, no melody could compare to Miss Su herself!”
With that, Gu Wangchen didn’t hesitate anymore. He rose and lunged toward Su Qianhua.
Dong!
“Ouch, ow…”
Gu Wangchen’s foot slipped at just the right moment, and he plopped down on the floor, grimacing as he rubbed the back of his head.
Su Qianhua seized the chance to open some distance between them, her voice still soft and charming: “Young Master Gu, a-are you alright?”
“I’m fine, sss… just slipped accidentally.”
He struggled to his feet and sat back on the couch, continuously massaging his neck.
“Young Master Gu, I have some medicine for injuries here. Qianhua will fetch it for you right away!”
With that, Su Qianhua stood gracefully, her steps as light as a lotus, and widened the space between them.
Turning her back, she walked behind the gauze curtains to a wooden cabinet. She spat quietly in disgust, dropping her fake gentleness—only disdain remained on her face.
That damn Gu Wangchen—he was even more lustful than she’d imagined, not even bothering to keep up the act.
Especially under her illusion technique, he was exposing that loathsome nature even more.
If it weren’t for her own purpose, she’d want to toss this guy into the pond right now to sober him up!
“Hoo…”
After calming herself, Su Qianhua opened the cabinet and began searching inside.
She had no intention of actually fetching any medicine—she didn’t even care whether the guy was injured or not.
Even Gu Wangchen’s so-called “slip” just now was caused by her secretly casting a spell.
All so he wouldn’t get the chance to take advantage of her again!
“Men… they’re really all the same!”
Muttering to herself, Su Qianhua randomly pulled out a jar of some unknown medicine, tightening the short dagger hidden in her sleeve as she did. Once she made sure everything was in place, she composed herself and put the charm back into her gaze.
You can do this, Su Qianhua, just endure one last time.
As long as she could completely control this spoiled young master, she could soon reach her goal and return to the secret realm to save her people!
Pa——
“Miss Su, why are you so slow… I can hardly wait any longer!”
Just then, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her slender waist from behind, pulling her into a firm embrace.
A masculine scent she had never experienced before surged into her nose, making her hand holding the dagger tremble almost uncontrollably.
“You…”
Su Qianhua struggled in Gu Wangchen’s arms, trying to break free from his hold.
But to her shock, her strength as a Fourth Realm Spirit Movement cultivator was completely unable to escape his embrace!
But this guy was clearly just an ordinary person. Even if he took down ten scholars in the main hall earlier, those were just regular people—no comparison to a true cultivator.
Even though her main focus was on spellcraft, so her physical strength was weaker than most cultivators, it shouldn’t be this…
Could it be?
A terrible thought flashed through her mind. Su Qianhua’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t keep up the pretense any longer and instantly activated her technique, forcibly breaking free from their close contact.
Weng…
Feathered robes fluttered, the beauty moved like a spirit.
Gu Wangchen suddenly felt his embrace empty, and when he turned his head, he saw Su Qianhua standing gracefully a full zhang away. Her beautiful eyes were now clear of charm, a dangerous aura swirling around her.
Through their recent close contact, he’d confirmed that Su Qianhua was indeed as he remembered—a Fourth Realm cultivator, her physical strength far inferior to his own.
As long as he could resist her enchanting illusions, his chances of victory were high.
With this in mind, he curled his lips into a smile and once again put on his eager, impatient expression, turning to stride toward her.
“Stop!”
Su Qianhua shouted, unconsciously taking a step back, her face dark and words cold: “Gu Wangchen, how long do you plan on pretending?”
“Miss Su… Wh-what am I pretending?”
“Heh,” Su Qianhua sneered, raising a hand to her chest and spitting, “I don’t know what artifact you’re carrying that makes you immune to my technique, but your earlier behavior… was definitely all an act!”
“Mm…”
Gu Wangchen halted, his gaze darkened as he pondered for a moment. Dropping his impatient facade, he put on his most genuine expression: “Since Miss Su no longer wishes to pretend, I’ll naturally respect your choice.”
He straightened his clothes and spoke calmly: “I wanted to talk to you, yes, about…”
“Shut up, you filthy man, I have no wish to converse with you!”
With those words, her jet-black hair was instantly ignited by a dazzling golden light, spreading from the tips to the crown of her head. A pair of furry fox ears rimmed with golden flames shot out from her hair.
At the corners of her stunning violet eyes, two strange pinkish markings stretched all the way to the base of her ears.
Most astonishing of all was behind her—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four enormous, fluffy golden fox tails exploded into view like a peacock spreading its tail, each tipped with a snowy white tuft.
With her transformation complete, Su Qianhua immediately summoned her full power, air currents surging around her as peach-blossom illusions flashed in her eyes.
The scene before Gu Wangchen’s eyes instantly warped. The romantic boudoir vanished, replaced by a treasure vault overflowing with gold and jewels. Countless beauties clad in gauzy veils threw themselves at him.
Even a vague yet supremely majestic throne appeared before him, as if beckoning him to ascend, to seize control of everything.
“Ho, so you’ve dropped the act?”
Watching Su Qianhua transform and launch her attack without hesitation, Gu Wangchen helplessly shrugged. He pressed his hand to the Myriad Illusions Dustmirror in his chest and channeled a surge of true qi into it.
As the artifact trembled lightly, all the illusions before his eyes shattered at once.
To him, now that he knew Su Qianhua’s true form, and had an artifact capable of “seeing through illusions,” and most importantly, the other party still believed he was just an ordinary person—
With these three advantages, victory was within his grasp.
With that thought, Gu Wangchen no longer hesitated. As soon as he broke through the charm, he mobilized all his true qi, pushed off with his waist and legs, and lunged forward.
“Miss Su, playing tricks is no fun—let me teach you how to handle things… for real!”