The news of the Divine Maiden Palace executing the Divine Maiden spread like wildfire, not only shocking the entire Demon Cult but also causing a massive stir within the Righteous Path Alliance.
Regarding the death of the Divine Maiden, the members of the Demon Cult naturally celebrated. After all, a powerful enemy was gone.
However, within the Righteous Path Alliance, two completely different views emerged.
One side viewed the Divine Maiden as a traitor and highly praised the actions of the Divine Maiden Palace.
The other side felt regret over her death, believing that the palace’s punishment was too severe, causing the Righteous Path Alliance to lose a heaven-sent talent.
Because of this, the two sides engaged in an endless, heated argument.
In contrast to the Righteous Path, the Demon Cult spontaneously began to hold banquets and celebrations.
As the incident of the Divine Maiden’s death continued to escalate, the gates of Gu Ming’s manor underwent a world-shaking transformation.
What started as a desolate place that no one bothered with had now become a bustling hub. Within the Demon Cult, anyone with even a shred of status brought gifts to pay their respects. They all wanted to befriend this Heavenly King of the Demon Cult, the man who had indirectly triggered the death of the Divine Maiden.
Some people even came directly to propose marriage.
However, Gu Ming only found out about the marriage proposals by chance much later.
The reason, naturally, was that someone had been intentionally intercepting them.
When Gu Ming found out, he was furious.
He was the Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult and the ruler of this territory. Therefore, he could not afford to miss a single piece of news regarding his land.
Otherwise, his power would be hollowed out by those with ulterior motives.
He could not let such a thing happen.
He had to make that person pay a price.
Thus, he immediately called Mu Qianqian into his room. However, seeing her looking so aggrieved and pitiful, his heart softened somewhat.
But things had reached this point, and he could not let her go without punishment. Otherwise, how could he command the respect of others?
What if someone else tried to follow her example?
Gu Ming put on a stern face and said seriously, “Qianqian, do you know why I called you here?”
“I am sorry, Brother.”
Mu Qianqian bowed her head in apology, but then she excitedly tried to explain herself. “But the daughters of those people aren’t good enough for you at all! One after another, they either wore too much makeup or were just plain ugly. They had no figure, no beauty… they were practically making fun of you, Brother.”
“So, I rejected all of their marriage proposals.”
Gu Ming laughed out of sheer annoyance.
If he hadn’t seen the portrait of one of those women with his own eyes, he might have actually believed Mu Qianqian’s nonsense.
He tapped his index finger against the tabletop a few times and said sternly, “Qianqian, I don’t care about the marriage proposals. What I care about is that you hid this from me.”
“I mentioned this before, didn’t I? Nothing in this territory, big or small, should be kept from me.”
“You are the person I trust the most, so why did you hide it from me?”
Hearing this, Mu Qianqian opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn’t say the words.
She couldn’t exactly say she didn’t want those women getting close to Gu Ming.
So, she lowered her head again. “I’m sorry, Brother. I was wrong.”
“Good. It is fine as long as you know you were wrong.”
Gu Ming nodded, but his tone suddenly shifted. “However, since you did something wrong, you must be punished.”
“Ah — “
Mu Qianqian’s face turned pale with fright, and she began to panic. ‘Punished? Could he be kicking me out!?’
She hurriedly said, “Brother, I won’t do it again. Please, spare me.”
“No,” Gu Ming said righteously. “If I don’t punish you, you’ll do the same thing next time. Therefore, a punishment is necessary.”
“Wuu — “
Mu Qianqian stared at Gu Ming with teary eyes, looking like a pitiful and helpless little rabbit.
Gu Ming ignored her charmingly distressed appearance and instead contemplated what punishment to give her.
If the punishment was too harsh, he wouldn’t be able to bear it. After all, where else could he find a girl who could fight, manage a territory, and call him “Brother” at every turn?
But if the punishment was too light, he was afraid she wouldn’t take his words seriously.
After thinking it over, he finally came up with a plan.
He gestured for Mu Qianqian to come over.
Mu Qianqian didn’t understand why, but she followed his instruction.
Then, he pointed to his lap and said to her, “Lie down here.”
“Ah…”
A flush of crimson swept across Mu Qianqian’s cheeks. She hesitated for less than two breaths before complying.
As she lay across Gu Ming’s lap, the flush spread from her ears to her entire face.
She seemed to realize what Gu Ming intended to do, and a sense of shame filled her body and mind.
“Brother — be gentle… it’s my first time.”
She turned her face to the side, her alluring and beautiful eyes looking at Gu Ming. Combined with that moving blush and her high-pitched, delicate voice, a surge of wicked thoughts instantly rose in Gu Ming’s heart.
This was simply cheating.
She was practically tempting someone to bully her!
Looking at the graceful curves lying across his lap and her rounded bottom, Gu Ming couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Gulp.
A heat surged from his lower abdomen and spread throughout his body. Gu Ming felt as if he had drunk deer blood; his entire circulatory system was boiling.
However, he forcibly suppressed it.
Nothing else mattered. He was afraid of ruining his image as a “good brother” in Mu Qianqian’s heart.
“Wuu…”
Mu Qianqian made a strange sound in her throat, her shame-filled eyes still fixed on Gu Ming. Furthermore, she arched her rounded bottom slightly, seemingly waiting for him to strike.
Slap!
“Ah~”
A crisp, loud sound rang out, accompanied by a soft, tingling moan.
Gu Ming struck with his palm, and he could still feel the incredible elasticity and softness against his hand.
Tsk, tsk.
This was actually quite nice.
He raised his palm again, wanting to strike a second time, but he heard Mu Qianqian’s voice, which sounded almost like a plea.
“Brother — don’t — it’s so embarrassing — “
“Qianqian knows she was wrong…”
Mu Qianqian’s face was flushed completely red, and her eyes grew hazy as she looked at Gu Ming.
She looked incredibly enticing.
Gu Ming only caught a glimpse before the blood in his body began to boil again. He quickly released her and told her to stand up.
After Mu Qianqian got up from his lap, she adjusted her collar. The blush on her face faded a bit, but much of it remained.
She gave Gu Ming a resentful look and pouted, “Brother, you are so mean!”
Mean?
Gu Ming thought to himself, ‘I only smacked her bottom twice. How is that mean?’
However, Mu Qianqian’s reaction was indeed a bit…
Recalling her strange reaction just now, Gu Ming couldn’t help but have some inappropriate thoughts.
Perhaps to dispel those thoughts, he said seriously, “If there is a next time, it won’t just be two slaps.”
“Ah!”
Like a startled bird, Mu Qianqian quickly slipped out of the room.
Watching her figure flee as if she were escaping, Gu Ming felt very satisfied. Surely, she had learned her lesson this time.
Just as he was thinking that, the door creaked open again. Mu Qianqian gripped the doorframe with both hands, poked her small head inside, and said with a red face, “Brother, next time… I’ll do it again.”
“!!!”
With those words, she vanished in a flash, leaving Gu Ming standing there, stunned in the wind…