Chapter 506 - 251: Madam, You Wouldn’t Want...

Chapter 506: Chapter 251: Madam, You Wouldn’t Want...

At this point, the original plan to proceed slowly was no longer an option.

Chen Sheng opted for a direct approach.

In her heart, Lady Lan was already mostly convinced.

It was indeed impossible for the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect to possess such a miraculous creature.

But she was unwilling to concede completely just like that.

She took a shallow breath, striving to restore the usual calm to her voice, even lacing it with a perfectly measured trace of doubt and helplessness:

"Lord Chen, please calm your anger. This matter is truly difficult for me to fully believe. The Poison Flame Cave has existed for several hundred years. Whether it was truly left behind by your esteemed elder is impossible to verify, given how long ago it was."

"Why don’t we... set this dispute aside for now? I am more interested in knowing what sort of resolution Lord Chen is seeking at this moment."

"Sect Leader Lan."

Chen Sheng spoke unhurriedly, his gaze seeming to pierce through her feigned composure.

"The Yin-Yang Gu King was originally a twin-born entity, fed on the essence blood of a Flood Dragon and a Phoenix. They are intrinsically drawn to each other. As Yin and Yang Complement Each Other, they simply cannot be separated for long."

"If I’m not mistaken, you, Sect Leader, have been suffering from the Gu King’s backlash quite frequently in recent years, haven’t you?"

"And this backlash grows more severe each time, doesn’t it? It not only tortures your body and mind, but has also severely impeded your Cultivation progress, to the point that... even your daily practice is greatly restricted. Am I wrong?"

Lady Lan pressed her red lips together, her fingertips tightening slightly.

Every word Chen Sheng spoke struck her secrets and sore spots with perfect accuracy!

She could not refute him and could only meet his words with silence.

Seeing her silence, a meaningful smile played on Chen Sheng’s lips. He leaned forward again, closing the distance slightly, his burning gaze locking onto her eyes.

"Lady Lan, you wouldn’t want... to be shackled by this forever, your path of cultivation severed, would you?"

Those words struck Lady Lan’s ears like a clap of thunder.

She snapped her head up to meet Chen Sheng’s bottomless black eyes, her own expression a whirlwind of complexity.

There was the shock of having her secret exposed, bewilderment about the path ahead, and above all, the helpless struggle against the choice she now faced.

Lady Lan knew the dagger was drawn.

Chen Sheng’s intentions were perfectly clear.

The only way to cure this affliction was for Yin and Yang to Complement Each Other—for the dragon and phoenix to harmonize through the path of dual cultivation.

This method would not only eradicate the backlash but also greatly benefit the Cultivation of both parties. It was a win-win situation.

The problem was...

It required her to offer up her own body!

To be fair, whether in terms of looks, Cultivation, status, or potential, Chen Sheng was a top-tier choice. Across all of Nanzhao, and even Yunzhou, he was more than worthy of her.

However, his reputation as a philanderer was well known. He had no shortage of female companions and was, on top of it all, engaged to someone from the Nie Family.

If she agreed, she would, at best, be just one of his many women—or worse, a mere tool for him to resolve his problem.

Cultivators were generally more open-minded about matters between men and women.

But she, Lan Yufei, was by no means so cheap or casual.

Besides... although she had borne the title of Madam Ouyang for many years, and the outside world believed her to be Ouyang Ke’s mother—the widow of the deceased Sect Leader...

...only she knew the truth.

She and her brother-in-law had never had a real marriage.

She had remained in the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect to honor her sister’s dying wish—to protect her young nephew, Ouyang Ke.

To this day... she was still a virgin.

’Am I really going to surrender the chastity I’ve guarded for so many years today, so carelessly, all because of this accursed Gu King that fate has thrown at me?’

’To a man I’ve known for barely two days, whose intentions are impossible to read?’

Conflict, struggle, hesitation, a faint, almost imperceptible flutter of her heart... a storm of emotions crashed within Lady Lan’s breast, plunging her into a long silence.

Only the slight tremor of her eyelashes betrayed the turmoil within.

"Lady Lan."

Chen Sheng’s voice sounded again, pulling her back from the chaos of her thoughts.

"What... What do you want?"

Lady Lan’s gaze hardened, her eyes, filled with wariness and hesitation, fixed on Chen Sheng.

"What do I want?"

Chen Sheng smiled, but there was little frivolity in it. Instead, it held a serious, solemn weight.

"I want you... to hand over the Phoenix Yin Gu King."

"What?!"

Lady Lan froze on the spot, her lips parting slightly and her beautiful eyes wide, almost believing she had misheard.

When she’d heard the three words "I want you," her heart had skipped a beat, and countless thoughts of shame, embarrassment, and calculation had flashed through her mind.

She had even begun to consider how to respond, how to negotiate.

But she never expected his words to take such a sharp turn, to be followed by a request like that!

’He... he didn’t want *her*, he wanted her to hand over the Gu King?’

After the initial shock, a wave of indescribable absurdity and bewilderment washed over her, only to be swiftly replaced by mortification.

’I, Lan Yufei, am the number one beauty in all of Nanzhao! My looks, my figure, my poise, my charm—is any of it not the absolute finest?’

’Countless heroes and powerful men have fallen for me.’

’But in Chen Sheng’s eyes, I’m less attractive than a Gu Insect?’

’He... has no interest in me whatsoever?’

’Is Chen Sheng not a man?’

The thought had barely formed before Lady Lan dismissed it herself.

He was surrounded by beautiful women; that reputation as a philanderer couldn’t have come from nowhere.

That left only one possibility.

Chen Sheng wasn’t attracted to her.

This realization was even harder for Lady Lan to accept than if Chen Sheng had directly demanded dual cultivation.

A mortified fury—mixed with frustration, humiliation, and a sense of loss she couldn’t even admit to herself—quietly ignited in the depths of her heart.

It burned her cheeks hot and instantly sharpened her gaze.

To a woman, Chen Sheng’s words...

...were nothing short of a blatant humiliation.

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