Chapter 478 - 242: Yuzhi’s Return, the Nanzhao Gu King

Chapter 478: Chapter 242: Yuzhi’s Return, the Nanzhao Gu King

She was graceful and voluptuous, with a heroic air about her.

Who else could it be but Sun Yuzhi?

"Yuzhi?!"

A pleasant surprise flashed in Chen Sheng’s eyes.

He never expected that just as he was thinking of her, she would actually appear!

Sun Yuzhi stepped into the stone chamber. Her eyes first swept over Chen Sheng’s bare, muscular torso as he sat in the pool, then flickered to the Spiritual Spring itself. The corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly before curling into a faint arc. She said coolly,

"Well, I’m impressed, Inspector Chen. In just over a month, not only has your Cultivation soared, but you even outrank me now. Should your humble subordinate bow to you?"

After more than a month apart, Sun Yuzhi naturally missed Chen Sheng, even wishing she could rush into his arms that very moment.

But that was her nature; even if her heart was surging with emotion, her expression remained cool and detached.

Hearing this, Chen Sheng raised an eyebrow. Far from being annoyed, he leaned back against the wall of the pool, finding a more comfortable position. He watched her leisurely and drawled,

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and pay your respects to your superior."

"It just so happens, this official is feeling a bit... heated right now."

"You’re impossible."

Sun Yuzhi snorted softly and looked away from him, leaping onto the dry stone platform at the edge of the Spirit Pool. Her slender yet strong hand skimmed the warm water’s surface, feeling the abundant Spiritual Qi within. She couldn’t help but sigh.

"What a terrible waste. To think that Ning’an’s number one Spiritual Spring is being used by you as a personal bathtub."

"The spring is abundant, the Spiritual Qi is rich. Bathing in it soothes the body and soul. Yuzhi... want to try it together?"

Chen Sheng issued the invitation with a smile playing on his lips.

"Pah!"

Sun Yuzhi’s cheeks grew slightly warm. She spat lightly before composing her expression.

"Didn’t you break with the Nie Family? Weren’t you at each other’s throats? How did you end up engaged in the blink of an eye? That Nie Xiangjun..."

"What is it?"

Chen Sheng didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he smiled and asked back, his gaze burning as he stared at her:

"Worried about me?"

Chen Sheng expected Sun Yuzhi to snort coldly and flatly deny it, just like she always did.

But to his surprise, Sun Yuzhi fell silent for a moment before giving a slight nod. She met his gaze openly, her voice softening.

"What do you think?"

That one question was worth a thousand words.

Chen Sheng’s heart stirred. He dropped his playful demeanor and briefly explained the truth about Nie Xiangjun’s test that day, as well as the full story behind his engagement to Nie Lingxi. He finished with a helpless tone.

"It was only afterward... but you’d already left Ning’an. All I could do was leave a letter at the Jingwu Bureau and ask for it to be delivered to you. I wanted to explain everything... Who knew you’d be gone for over a month without a single word."

"If I had known where you were in seclusion, I would have come looking for you long ago."

"I went to Nanzhao Prefecture."

Sun Yuzhi said suddenly, explaining her whereabouts.

"Was your breakthrough successful?"

"That Nie Lingxi... what’s she like?"

Their words collided. They looked at each other, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment before the tension dissolved.

Seeing the concern she tried so hard to hide but that still shone in her eyes, Chen Sheng suddenly smiled. He nodded earnestly and said:

"Lingxi is gentle and sensible. She isn’t as decisive and heroic as you, Yuzhi, but she has her own good qualities. She’s no spoiled, arrogant noblewoman."

Chen Sheng then paused as if remembering something. From the neatly folded pile of clothes by the pool, he took out a letter and handed it to Sun Yuzhi.

"Oh, right. Before I left, Lingxi specifically asked me to bring you this letter."

Sun Yuzhi’s expression turned serious. She took the letter and opened it carefully.

The letter wasn’t long, and the handwriting was elegant and neat.

As she read, the corners of her tightly pressed lips curved upward in an almost imperceptible arc. A complex mix of emotions, including a hint of relief, flickered in her eyes.

Glancing at Chen Sheng, Sun Yuzhi tucked the letter into her clothes and snorted softly, her tone unreadable.

"This little girl... she certainly knows how to put on the airs of a proper first wife."

"Oh?"

Now Chen Sheng was genuinely curious. He sat up a little straighter.

"What did... Lingxi say in the letter?"

In his impression, although Nie Lingxi possessed the reserve and cunning of a noblewoman, she was fundamentally sensible and knew when to advance and retreat. She shouldn’t have been rude or deliberately provocative to Sun Yuzhi in the letter.

"It’s nothing."

Sun Yuzhi waved her hand, clearly not wanting to discuss it further.

This was a matter between her and Nie Lingxi, involving certain tacit understandings and agreements. There was no need to tell Chen Sheng about it.

She immediately turned to look at the Spirit Pool, changing the subject.

"It’s a pity I returned a step too late. I missed the great battle and the chance to annihilate Golden Spring Temple with my own hands... I truly would have liked to know what that felt like."

Her feud with Golden Spring Temple had been a long and tangled one. She had long harbored the desire to destroy the temple, but the vast disparity in strength had forced her to bide her time.

Now that her sworn enemy was destroyed, it was immensely satisfying, yet not being able to participate herself left a lingering regret.

"What’s the difference between me doing it and you doing it?"

Chen Sheng reached out and took hold of the corner of her skirt, which was dangling near the pool and soaked at the hem. With a gentle tug, he scooped her small, bare foot into his palm. He chuckled softly, his fingertips caressing her warm ankle.

"The grudge has been settled."

Sun Yuzhi’s body tensed slightly, but she didn’t pull her foot back. She just shot him a glare and let him be.

She was more concerned with another question at that moment:

"You annihilated two sects in a row with such brutal methods. Have you considered the consequences? Celestial Dragon Temple and Dragon Tiger Mountain are not to be trifled with. If they decide to pursue this..."

"That’s a problem for the people at the top."

Chen Sheng continued to play with the delicate foot in his hand, but his tone was calm and clear.

"I was just following orders. If things truly get dangerous, at worst I’ll just abandon my position and fortune in Ning’an and take flight. The world is a vast place; there will always be a place for me."