“Wuhen. Was she pretty?”
Mu Yunxi gripped a small white jade sword. Her face was dark, but her smile lingered.
Faintly, Jiang Wuhen heard the sound of a kettle coming to a boil.
“Yunxi, what are you…”
Jiang Wuhen frowned in confusion.
“The Yaoguang Saintess, of course. Su Moyan.”
“The way you looked at her just now, it was like you wanted to swallow her whole.”
“And you’ve never looked at me like that.”
“So… she’s prettier than me, is she?”
Mu Yunxi’s half-smile didn’t waver.
That look, sweet as poison, made Jiang Wuhen swallow hard.
He needed to shut this down. Fast.
Otherwise, if she awakened some special… proclivity, he’d be drained dry by wine and women! And this time, cutting back on the wine wouldn’t save him.
“Yunxi, I think… you’ve misunderstood.”
Jiang Wuhen’s gaze was firm. He stepped forward, seized the hand holding the jade sword, and took it from her.
Mu Yunxi didn’t resist. She just puffed out her cheeks, her little face full of grievance, cute and pitiful in equal measure.
“I know that as the imperial son of the Heavenly One Immortal Sect, a future emperor, having three thousand beauties is perfectly normal. But you just promised me the other day that in this life, you’d only marry me.”
“That might have been a lie, but… couldn’t you at least have lied to me a little longer?”
“Showing your true colors already…”
Mu Yunxi muttered, her little face tinged with hurt.
Jiang Wuhen couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
“You silly girl. What nonsense are you spouting?”
“I, Jiang Wuhen, am no gentleman of unbreakable word. I could deceive anyone in this world… except two people.”
“One is my Shizun. The other… is you.”
Jiang Wuhen said, reaching out to pinch her cheek.
The words were a bit syrupy, but he had to admit, Mu Yunxi ate them up.
Her face flushed with shyness. The corners of her lips curled upward, but she deliberately turned her face away, refusing to meet his eyes.
Jiang Wuhen raised an eyebrow.
“What? Don’t believe me?”
Mu Yunxi shook her head gently.
“I believe you…”
“But just now…”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Jiang Wuhen smiled and cupped her little face in both hands.
“If you believe me, then no more talking!”
With that, he leaned in slowly.
Mu Yunxi’s delicate brows furrowed.
“Mm? What are you doing aga— mmm!”
Whatever she hadn’t said was sealed in her mouth.
…
Yaoguang Sacred Ground. Council Hall.
Su Yunhai’s expression was grave as he looked down at the assembly.
“Sacred Lord, just now… in front of the imperial son, why didn’t you ask him for help?”
“The Yaoguang Sacred Ground is in dire peril. The imperial son has arrived, yes, but the forces of Tianxuan, Tianji, and the Qin Clan haven’t withdrawn. They still lurk outside the sacred ground, eyeing us like wolves.”
“If we could get a single word from the imperial son ordering those three to withdraw, the crisis facing our Yaoguang Sacred Ground would truly be resolved!”
An elder stepped forward and cupped his fists.
Su Yunhai sighed softly.
“Everything you’ve said, I know all too well.”
“The imperial son may be young, but his schemes and imperial machinations are far beyond our ability to read.”
“This time, whether toward us or the outside powers, his attitude has been ambiguous, deliberately vague. It feels like a balancing act. He’s waiting for us to make an offering. And I have a feeling… he’s waiting for something else entirely…”
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
“The imperial son can afford to wait. We can’t!”
“Sacred Lord, are you saying that if we offer something impressive enough to move the imperial son, we could ask for his protection?”
The crowd asked.
“Something impressive enough to move him…”
“That’s the hard part.”
Su Yunhai sighed.
Just then, an elder stepped forward.
“Sacred Lord, it seems… the imperial son took quite an interest in the saintess…”
At these words, Su Moyan, who had stood silent in the corner all this while, trembled. Her pretty face paled.
Su Yunhai’s gaze hardened.
“That’s enough. The imperial son’s intentions are beyond our ability to change. Even if we can’t secure his protection, at the very least… his arrival has bought our Yaoguang Sacred Ground a moment to breathe.”
“A great battle looms. All elders, follow me to repair the ‘Yaoguang Grand Formation’ and prepare for the worst…”
With that said, no one dared argue further. They filed out one by one.
Soon, only Su Moyan remained in the great hall.
Her gaze shifted, looking toward the temporary palace where Jiang Wuhen stayed. In those icy eyes, a look of resolve flickered through the complexity.
…
The Yaoguang Sacred Ground. Temporary Palace.
Mu Yunxi’s body was soft and languid, nestled in Jiang Wuhen’s embrace. Her face flushed like peach blossoms, her tender affection stirring not only Jiang Wuhen’s protectiveness but also his desire to conquer her.
But just then—
“Imperial Son, the Yaoguang Saintess Su Moyan requests an audience!”
Nanpo’s voice sounded outside the door.
Her arrival was within Jiang Wuhen’s expectations.
He just hadn’t thought she’d pick this particular moment.
Mu Yunxi’s delicate brows furrowed. She pushed Jiang Wuhen away and broke free from his arms.
Jiang Wuhen smiled helplessly, straightened his appearance, and said evenly. “Mm. Let her in.”
Mu Yunxi, still pouting, said, “You two talk. I’ll step outside.”
She moved to leave.
But Jiang Wuhen caught her small hand and gently pulled her back to his side.
“Where do you think you’re going? Stand right here. You’re not going anywhere!”
Jiang Wuhen said with a straight face.
Mu Yunxi looked at him with suspicion.
“I agreed to be your maidservant, but I haven’t prepared myself to serve you alongside another girl…”
“Ow!”
Jiang Wuhen raised his hand and rapped her lightly on the head.
“What on earth is that little head of yours imagining all day!”
“Stop fooling around and straighten your clothes.”
Soon, the door opened. Su Moyan entered the temporary palace under Nanpo’s escort.
She wore the same pale blue gown, pure as ice and flawless as jade, refined and ethereal like a noble, sacred snow lotus. Yet beneath that icy exterior lurked a natural allurement. That mixture of innocence and desire was exactly the kind that made men want to conquer her.
Her coolness stood in perfect contrast to Mu Yunxi’s warmth and gentle elegance, her playful and spirited charm. Two utterly different styles.
“Su Moyan greets the Imperial Son.”
Her tone was calm, and she bowed respectfully.
Across from her, Jiang Wuhen reclined in a large chair, took a leisurely sip of immortal tea, and said without much interest. “What is it?”
Seeing this, Su Moyan’s delicate brows furrowed.
Jiang Wuhen’s reaction was… not quite what she had imagined.
As the Yaoguang Saintess, not only was she stunningly beautiful, but she possessed the immortal jade spirit body, the dream goddess pursued by countless men.
She was accustomed to being pursued, to the point where a single glance from her would send men charging through fire and water on her behalf.
In her mind, when Jiang Wuhen saw her, his eyes would blaze, his expression would light up, and like some domineering CEO, he would pursue her frantically. She could then take the opportunity to lay out the Yaoguang Sacred Ground’s plight and apply a gentle goading technique. A playboy like Jiang Wuhen would certainly beat his chest and pledge to protect the Yaoguang Sacred Ground to prove his mettle.
But the reality before her was nothing like what she had imagined.
At the same time, Su Moyan caught a glimpse of Mu Yunxi at the edge of her vision.
Those features and that figure, absolutely no less than her own, planted a flicker of unease in her heart.
Now, seeing Jiang Wuhen’s indifference, Su Moyan clenched her teeth. A flash of resolve blazed through her beautiful eyes.
“Please, Imperial Son… save our Yaoguang Sacred Ground!”
