Gu Wangchen moved with the grace of a dragon, his long boots thudding on the wooden floor, making it creak loudly.
Ever since he had begun his cultivation, he hadn’t actually sparred with anyone!
Originally, he wanted to practice with An Li, but she was a Sixth Realm cultivator—a single finger from her would be enough to crush him.
But standing before him now was Su Qianhua of the Fourth Realm—a perfectly suitable opponent for his trial.
Don’t be fooled by her Fourth Realm cultivation. Most of her combat strength lay in her illusions, and her hand-to-hand ability was actually not much stronger than his. And as luck would have it, his Myriad Phenomena Returning to Dust Mirror happened to grant him immunity to her illusions.
“Miss Su, I, Gu Wangchen, towards you…”
“Admire you to the utmost!”
Boom—!!!
He leapt in front of Su Qianhua, bringing his fist down onto the guqin. The seven strings snapped, ringing out with a metallic clang.
Buzz… ding-ling-ling…
Seeing the guqin and table smashed by his punch, he raised his eyebrows and couldn’t help but grin.
Refreshing!
Isn’t this why people say that of all pursuits, only cultivation reigns supreme?
And this was only the power of the Second Realm. If, one day, he reached Sainthood or even ascended to immortality, then slicing mountains and seas with a single sword would no longer be a dream!
With this thought, he turned to look at the golden-furred fox spirit, flexing his fingers and wrists, once more adopting an offensive stance.
“Gu Wangchen, y-you’re a cultivator?!”
Feeling his fist brush past her robe, Su Qianhua’s beautiful eyes widened in shock, her heart pounding, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Wasn’t Gu Wangchen supposed to be an ordinary man? How could he possess the destructive power only cultivators could wield?
Moreover, she still couldn’t sense any flow of true qi in him!
No time to think—facing Gu Wangchen’s relentless assault, she could only turn and respond.
Pa—!
Su Qianhua crossed her arms before her, barely blocking Gu Wangchen’s powerful, overhead strike.
“Hiss…” She gritted her silver teeth, her jade-like arms trembling slightly.
It hurt so much!
How could this guy not know how to be gentle with a lady? Wasn’t he just all eager earlier, desperate to hold her in his arms and do this and that?
How did he change so suddenly?
Su Qianhua couldn’t help glancing at him, her stunning violet eyes shining with an indescribable grievance.
Damn man, he changes faces faster than flipping pages in a book!
“Oh? Miss Su, why are you looking at me like that?” Gu Wangchen grinned savagely, grabbing a broken table leg from the floor. He twirled it like a staff, slowly approaching Su Qianhua, who had been driven into a corner.
“W-what exactly do you want?!” Su Qianhua’s fox ears quivered, her reddened wrists hidden behind her back as she gritted her teeth.
“What do I want?” Gu Wangchen snorted, “Naturally, I want to properly educate Miss Su and let you understand what it means to respect the order of status!”
“A mere songstress dares to lay hands on this Young Master?”
He looked at Su Qianhua’s gently twitching fox ears, her golden hair, and the four lush, beautiful golden tails behind her, licking his lips:
“Not to mention, you’re a member of the demon race. I’m sure the Jingting Guard would be quite happy to take your head for merit.”
As for the demon race, Great Qian might not exterminate them all, but they were all strictly managed.
Especially in the imperial capital Sheng’an—any demon race member, if they didn’t want to be slaughtered by the Jingting Guard as a wild beast, had to register themselves voluntarily to ensure the absolute safety of Sheng’an City.
Upon hearing this, Su Qianhua’s beautiful eyes darkened, her heart filling with countless sorrows.
She sniffled, forcefully pressing down all the grievances she had suffered these past years—especially before she joined the Mirror Fragrance Pavilion—and forced a fearless expression. Her hands ignited with foxfire as she cried out:
“Then let’s see… if Gu Wangchen has what it takes!”
As soon as her words fell, the two were instantly locked in battle—silks and robes swirling, dresses slipping, hats hitting the floor, fox fur scattering.
Gululu.
If An Li had been here to witness these two tumbling and wrestling together, she would definitely have turned away, covered her face, and, mimicking Gu Wangchen’s catchphrase, muttered under her breath:
“Chicken pecking at each other.”
Gu Wangchen grabbed Su Qianhua’s fox ears, his waist powering a forceful twist as he pinned the fox spirit—who had been on top—back down onto the ground.
He was panting, golden hair tangled around his neck. Brushing it aside with a snort, he said, “Su Qianhua… I didn’t expect you fox spirits could fight so well.”
“Heh, right back at you, Young Master Gu.” Su Qianhua pulled a wry smile, suppressing the strange blend of pain and numbness from her abused fox ears. She spat lightly, then, finding an opportunity, unleashed her strength in her legs.
Her long, snowy legs snapped around Gu Wangchen’s waist like a pair of scissors, hooking herself onto him and launching upward.
Dong—!
Su Qianhua suddenly smashed her forehead into Gu Wangchen’s chin with a muffled thud, forcing him to let go of her fox ears.
“Damn… you vicious fox spirit!” Gu Wangchen’s chin quivered—she’d made him bite his tongue with that blow, leaving him unable to speak clearly.
“Serves you right. I am a fox spirit—what can you do about it?” Seeing her sneak attack succeed, Su Qianhua’s lips curled into a smile, her eyes glinting as she twisted her legs for advantage.
In an instant, Gu Wangchen felt his balance shift, and their positions reversed again.
Now, even though Su Qianhua had regained the upper hand, she was in quite a disheveled state.
Her gauzy dress had slipped and torn in the earlier struggle, exposing large swathes of soft, fair skin to the air. Her embroidered shoes had long vanished, and her ten toes, painted a pale violet, gripped Gu Wangchen’s calf, locking him in place.
She pressed a hand to Gu Wangchen’s forehead, confirming she’d trapped him with her body, then stuck out her pink tongue, licking away the blood at the corner of her lips. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, victory sparkling in her eyes.
“Gu Wangchen, I don’t know why you have Bone-Changing Realm strength, or why you’re immune to my illusions, but I, Su Qianhua…”
She leaned in, pinning the struggling Gu Wangchen beneath her, gritting her teeth as she whispered in his ear, “…am no pushover!”
Feeling the soft, snowy flesh pressing down on his chest and breathing in the scent of blood-tinged fragrance, Gu Wangchen fought the reaction stirring below his waist, his hand fumbling along the ground.
Got it!
He seized the table leg dropped in their earlier struggle, flexed his arm, and swung it at Su Qianhua’s head.
Dong.
A dull sound thudded against the back of Su Qianhua’s head, her lovely fox ears twitching wildly.
Gu Wangchen could feel the sudden contraction of the delicate body on top of him, the hand gripping his hair losing strength.
Turning his gaze, he locked eyes with those nearby violet pupils and, confirming her brief daze, spoke: “Su Qianhua, I—damn you—”
Dong.
A second “Iron Headbutt” smashed into his forehead.
“Gu, Gu Wangchen, you despicable, shameless rogue—how dare you ambush me!”
“You damn—” Gu Wangchen saw stars, the table leg dropping from his hand.
Why was her head even harder than his?
Was this really a fox spirit?
Su Qianhua staggered, lifting her head, bearing the red mark, and snarled, “But you misjudged one thing. I, Su Qianhua… am no fragile vase that’ll shatter at a touch.”
With that, she raised her head, eyes fierce, ready to unleash a third headbutt to finally knock out the hateful man beneath her.
Clang—!
Just as she was about to secure victory, the boudoir door was suddenly flung open by a striking silhouette.
“Fiend, unhand Miss Su and Gu—”
“Eh?!”