Chapter 509 - 252: A Half-Step Peak Wife?

Chapter 509: Chapter 252: A Half-Step Peak Wife?

To her, his words were nothing less than direct scorn, a complete denial of her identity and her past.

Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, Chen Sheng changed tack and put forth another proposal:

"So, perhaps the Sect Leader should consider other options. For example, I could personally act to help you, my lady, completely resolve the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect’s current internal and external threats. In exchange, you would give me the Simurgh Phoenix Jade Butterfly. How about it?"

Lady Lan forcefully suppressed her churning anger. Startled, she asked instinctively:

"How would you resolve it?"

"Once you agree to the terms, I will of course uphold my end of the bargain."

Chen Sheng smiled but didn’t elaborate, leaving some room for ambiguity.

The method he had in mind was simple and brutal.

Simply put, it involved using overwhelming force to purge all those within the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect who were colluding with external enemies or harbored dissent.

Then, he would leverage the power of the Nie Family to resist the pressure from the Profound Yin Valley.

In this way, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect’s crisis would be resolved.

But the plan was too involved. Once implemented, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect would suffer a grievous blow to its Primordial Qi and might never recover.

Unless she were backed into a corner, there was no way Lady Lan would agree.

Right now, he was merely using it as bait to test her.

The room fell silent once more, the only sound being the faint whisper of their breathing.

Lady Lan’s expression wavered, her heart in turmoil, utterly conflicted.

A moment later, she suddenly stood up and walked straight toward the door, as if to leave.

However, just as her fingers were about to touch the door, Lady Lan’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

As if she had made a decision, Lady Lan slowly turned back to look at Chen Sheng, who remained seated. Her eyes glinted with a seriousness he had never seen before.

Her crimson lips parted. Her voice was not loud, but each word was crystal clear, like a pebble dropped into a still pond:

"What if... I were still a virgin?"

"What?"

Chen Sheng was visibly stunned, almost thinking he had misheard.

’A virgin?’

’What a joke!’

’Lady Lan is famous as the most beautiful woman in Nanzhao. Who doesn’t know she’s the widow of the previous Sect Leader, Ouyang Lun?’

’Ouyang Ke’s mother?’

’For her to say such a thing... it’s absolutely unbelievable!’

Lady Lan saw the astonishment and doubt in Chen Sheng’s eyes. Clenching her jaw, she spoke in a firm voice:

"I was never married to Ouyang Lun. The one he truly married was my older sister. But she was frail and died young, entrusting me to him on her deathbed.

"Ouyang Lun, cherishing the memory of his deep love for my sister and pitying my lonely plight, brought me back to the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect. He publicly claimed me as a consort, but in truth, he was merely giving me shelter. He taught me a Cultivation Technique and treated me as he would a younger sister.

"I have propped up the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect for two reasons. First, to repay his kindness for taking me in, protecting me, and nurturing my abilities. Second, to take care of Ke’Er on my sister’s behalf and continue the Ouyang Family’s legacy.

"We... were never truly husband and wife."

Lady Lan said it all in one breath, as if expending all her energy. Her face was slightly pale, but her gaze stubbornly met Chen Sheng’s scrutinizing stare.

"Besides myself, no one else in this world should know of this. I ask that you, Lord Chen... do not reveal it."

Her tone faltered, her voice carrying a faint, almost imperceptible tremor, yet she drew her bottom line with absolute clarity:

"If you are willing to treat me with the respect due a Co-Wife and give me official status, then I... I will agree to dual cultivation and to walk the path of the Harmonious Dragon and Phoenix with you. If you cannot... then this matter ends here. There is nothing more to discuss."

"We’ve discussed too much today. My mind is in turmoil, and I need time to think. You... you should also think it over carefully."

Having said her piece, Lady Lan wasted no more time. She quickly released the Restriction on the door and pushed it open, stepping out.

Her graceful figure, clad in a light blue dress, quickly vanished around the corner of the corridor, leaving behind only a faint, lingering fragrance and the soft click of the closing door.

Chen Sheng sat alone in the room, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his teacup as he stared in the direction Lady Lan had gone, lost in thought.

’Lady Lan is a virgin?’

’If that’s true...’

’Doesn’t that mean Lady Lan is at the half-step peak of the Great Perfection Married Woman Realm?!’

Chen Sheng’s expression grew serious. Perhaps due to the influence of the Dragon-Singing Celestial Cicada, he felt an inexplicable stirring in his heart.

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