"Senior Sister, I won't go! I really won't!"

"Little Mule, be a good boy. Tonight, we are consummating our marriage!"

"But this is too sudden. I think we can take our time with this..."

"Enough nonsense! We command you to attend Our bedchamber. Do you dare defy an imperial command?"

"..."

In the courtyard, Luo Xiu was miserable beyond words as Di Xuanji dragged him away. No matter how he struggled or pleaded, it was futile. It was a shame his cultivation was gone. Although he still possessed strength far beyond that of an ordinary person, it was useless against the Empress, whose own cultivation strength was mysterious and profound.

Inside the spacious and luxurious room, Luo Xiu put on a deliberately serious expression in a final attempt at resistance. "Are you sure this is for real?" he asked.

Di Xuanji rolled her eyes. "What is?"

"Our engagement."

"Is there any doubt?"

"Then why has Master never mentioned a single word of it to me? Could this have been a joke between him and your father back then?"

"They wouldn't joke about something like this. Alright, Little Mule, wait for me for a moment. I'm going to take a bath."

Luo Xiu's face was a mask of bitterness as he let out a long sigh.

Di Xuanji reached out and pinched his cheek. "Wait for Senior Sister, okay? Be good."

Luo Xiu looked away, remaining silent.

Di Xuanji suddenly proposed, "Why don't we... wash together?"

Luo Xiu instinctively refused, "No, thanks."

"Still feeling shy? Fine. Just wait here obediently for Senior Sister."

「A short while later.」

The moment he was sure Di Xuanji was in the bathroom, Luo Xiu made a run for it.

There was no way he was going to wait obediently to be tormented. As a man, he absolutely refused to do something so harmful to his body!

However, the next moment, he sank into deep despair. He found that the door wouldn't open. Not only was it locked tight, but Di Xuanji had also placed some kind of Spiritual Power seal on it. If his cultivation were still intact, he could have broken it easily, but now, even using every trick he knew, he couldn't budge it in the slightest.

Damn, this woman is ruthless!

Lin Tong tried to suppress his laughter and said with schadenfreude, "Well, Brother, I guess you'll just have to pray for your own good fortune tonight. In any case, I can't help you."

Luo Xiu let out a long sigh.

"My life is so cruel!"

Lin Tong asked, puzzled, "Hey, wait a minute, Brother... As a man, you're not the one losing out here, so why are you afraid of her? Why can't you be the one to make *her* afraid of *you*?"

"Sigh."

Luo Xiu sighed softly. "It's not that I'm afraid of her, it's just... how do I put it? To me, she's like family, different from Su Shenyun and Sun Li."

"I see. But no matter what, Brother, you can't escape your fate tonight, and I'm powerless to help. Anyway, I'm gonna head out. I still have to go train those Wandering Spirits."

"..."

Before long, the bathroom's sliding door was pulled open.

Di Xuanji, wearing a short, silky nightgown with her long hair cascading down her back, walked elegantly toward Luo Xiu.

Luo Xiu looked up and was utterly stunned.

At this moment, Di Xuanji was like the most captivating enchantress in the world.

"Am I beautiful?" Di Xuanji walked up to Luo Xiu, smiling at him, her bright, starry eyes twinkling with an unusual light. "Luo Xiu, do you know? I've waited for this day for many years. From the moment I first saw you, I swore to protect you for a lifetime."

"But, Senior Sister..."

She lightly raised a jade-like finger to his lips, silencing his words.

"Tonight, there is no 'Senior Sister.'"

"For the legacy of the Di Family... and for you."

Luo Xiu took a deep breath, cast all his hesitations aside, and suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

"Ah! Be gentle!"

"..."

「The next morning.」

When Luo Xiu awoke, he found Di Xuanji still sleeping soundly beside him. He endured the soreness in his arm, gently lifted her head, and slowly withdrew the arm she had been using as a pillow.

Unexpectedly, Di Xuanji's eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him with a reproachful gaze.

Luo Xiu met her eyes and gave an awkward smile. "You're awake."

Last night... it was absolutely insane.

Di Xuanji's delicate face flushed as she wrapped her arms around him. She gently caressed his solid chest and murmured, "It's all your fault. Now I can't even make the morning meeting."

Luo Xiu laughed heartily, a line from a poem coming to mind. He smiled and said, "Is this what the poem means by, 'The spring night, too short, ends as the sun rises high; from this day forth, the sovereign attends no morning court'?"

Hearing this, Di Xuanji let out a soft "Bah!" and tried to push herself up, but she suddenly winced and sucked in a sharp breath.

"HISS... It hurts so much! You brute, this is all your fault!"

Luo Xiu shrugged. "Who told you to come and seduce me?"

"Who seduced you? It was clearly you who came to attend to me."

Di Xuanji gave Luo Xiu an irritated kick, then, enduring the pain, rolled out of bed and limped into the bathroom.

Luo Xiu leaned against the headboard, his eyes sweeping over the clothes scattered across the floor. Recalling the previous night, it all felt like a dream.

However, after absorbing Di Xuanji's Yin Essence, he felt much more relaxed both inside and out. It seemed her Yin Essence was far more potent than that of Ai Hongye or Lu Nianjiao.

When he rolled out of bed, his eyes fell on the stain on the sheet, and he couldn't help but frown.

Senior Sister's blood... how can it be golden? I remember it wasn't like this when we were kids.

「Meanwhile.」

In the bathroom, Di Xuanji was kneeling weakly on the floor. Her face was as pale as snow, and golden blood trickled from her seven orifices. She was so weak she couldn't even lift her head.

Little Mule... this is the only thing I can do for you. You must live on, no matter what.

"Senior Sister, are you done yet?" Luo Xiu's voice called from outside.

Di Xuanji's body trembled. "Almost!" she called out hurriedly. "Just a little longer! Why don't you think about where we should go play today?"

"I've already thought about it. I'm coming in!"

"Don't! Don't you dare come in!"

...

...

「In a deep mountain range somewhere in Hua Country.」

Inside an ancient, imposing building, Xia Chan was on her knees before a long-haired young man. "Dad," she said in a low voice, "I am responsible for the recent events. It was I who caused our sect to suffer such great losses. Please, punish me."

The long-haired young man had handsome features and an ethereal air. He stood as straight and tall as a steadfast mountain, dressed in clean, tidy, and exquisitely crafted white robes. If one didn't look closely, they might mistake him for a woman at first glance.

Because he was impeccably dressed, he was named Chu Yiguan.

Chu Yiguan looked at Xia Chan with gentle eyes and sighed softly. He was the most powerful being in the world, yet he could not conquer his own beloved daughter.

"Silly girl, I heard a rough account of what happened from Chen Xuanbao," he said softly. "What's done is done, so punishing you would be pointless. However, there is a chance for you to redeem yourself, but it's up to you to seize it."

At his words, Xia Chan's eyes lit up. "What is it?"

Chu Yiguan turned his back to her, hands clasped behind him. "Go to Africa," he said slowly. "Find the Sea Oracle Map and bring it back to me."

"Dad, rest assured, I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

"Of course, Qing Chan, you must remember that your safety is paramount," Chu Yiguan said. "After you return this time, stay home."

"You've been away on missions for years and have neglected your cultivation. You must master the Wicked Tenderness Technique as quickly as possible. Only then can I leave this world in peace, assured that the power of the sect is in your hands."

Xia Chan's beautiful eyes trembled. "Dad, what are you talking about?" she asked hurriedly. "You're still so healthy, and in terms of cultivation strength, there are few in this world who can match you. How can you say such things?"

"Heh..."

Chu Yiguan shook his head with a faint smile. He slowly raised his hand and looked at his palm. "Your father only looks young. I am already old... and a person's life, after all, is finite."

"Besides, when I speak of leaving this world, I don't mean leaving in the way you imagine."

He tilted his head back to look at the skylight in the ceiling, his gaze deepening. "The world I intend to go to is one that countless people yearn for—a world of the strong, a world where one can possess an infinite lifespan!"

...

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