Chapter 248 - 118: Gu Xiangzhu: If I take the initiative to kiss him, wouldn’t I no longer be passive?

Chapter 248: Chapter 118: Gu Xiangzhu: If I take the initiative to kiss him, wouldn’t I no longer be passive?

Just a simple touch of the lips could subtly influence her state of mind.

’If I cross that final line... the consequences would be unthinkable!’

’Thankfully, I haven’t actually fallen for him.’

’Otherwise, things would get very complicated.’

’A moment of carelessness, and I’ve somehow reached this point without even realizing it.’

’There’s no going back now. With something like this, you can’t just turn back.’

’Forcing things back will only make the boy snap out of it.’

’But if this continues, it’s not good to have my mental state constantly affected.’

’So how do I put an end to this problem?’

Gu Xiangzhu pondered this with a grave expression. Indeed, it was a very important problem.

She absolutely had to keep a firm grasp on this boy, Zhao Ci.

Besides, she was the only one who had any hope of saving him from Zhao Huan.

But with Zhao Ci around, it was impossible for her not to think about things progressing further.

That night, he had first forced a kiss on her.

Then, he had asked for one.

Although he wasn’t acting out of lust, that first time had been rather abrupt.

But for her mental state to be thrown into chaos with every kiss—this was not a good sign.

Moreover,

if things continued to develop, they would sooner or later reach the final step.

At that point, things would be truly irreversible.

’Why is my mental state being disturbed?’

’Is it because I loathe him?’

’No! Although I feel some resistance, I can’t say I loathe him.’

’If it’s not that, then what is it?’

Gu Xiangzhu racked her brain for a long time before a flash of inspiration finally struck.

’I’ve got it!’

’The reason my mental state is in disarray is because I’ve always been in a passive position.’

’When he forced a kiss on me, I couldn’t push him away.’

’When he asked for a kiss, I couldn’t find a reason to refuse.’

’Under such circumstances, how could my mental state not be in disarray?’

’But what if I go on the offensive?’

’I’ve never tried it, but plenty of Demonesses in our order use their very bodies as tools. What’s a mere kiss compared to that?’

’There’s no reason I can’t master a technique that even low-level Demon Cultivators can.’

’It’s just a tool, nothing more!’

’As long as I become proficient at it, it can’t possibly affect my mental state. His lips... I’ll kiss them when I want to. He won’t have a say in the matter. Then, the initiative will be entirely in my hands. I’ll be the one to decide how far things go, right?’

’But there seems to be a potential pitfall.’

’Those who are skilled in using Charm Arts all seem to have lost their virginity and gone down the path of indulgent Demon Cultivation.’

’And those who have maintained their virginity have never used such techniques.’

’Can’t the two coexist?’

’Wrong!’

’The sole criterion for the path of indulgent Demon Cultivation is the loss of one’s virginity.’

’That means anything short of crossing that line is acceptable. Even if there are some side effects, they can be overcome.’

’Flawless logic!’

’And even if there really is a problem, with my once-in-a-century talent for Demon Cultivation, is there any problem I can’t solve?’

Having figured this out,

Gu Xiangzhu finally felt at ease. She took a mirror from the wall and aimed it at the crescent moon in the sky.

"Lady Yue, come out!"

"My respects, Saintess!"

Lady Yue in the mirror bowed solemnly. "Saintess, what are your instructions?"

Gu Xiangzhu turned her back, her voice crisp and cold. "Do you have the Charm Arts cultivated by the Demonesses in the order?"

Lady Yue in the mirror quickly nodded. "I do!"

Gu Xiangzhu said, "Give me a copy."

Lady Yue in the mirror replied, "Huh?"

...

「Tenth Prince’s Mansion」

Zhao Ci was dead to the world.

He was so exhausted!

Truly, utterly exhausted!

He had been standing guard for everyone earlier, and Zhu Li was the last to awaken.

Under the effects of the Taotie Talisman, she had absorbed all the medicinal properties of the Quenching Spirit Liquid.

Her Fire Control Ability seemed to have improved somewhat.

But the explosive properties of her Yu Xin Flame had also risen by several levels.

She had been able to forcibly control it before.

Now, she couldn’t control it at all.

Zhao Ci had no choice but to teach her the cultivation method for the Divinity Refining Furnace that very night, helping her seek an increase in Spiritual Power to improve her Fire Control Ability.

As a result,

he didn’t know if it was because the Divinity Refining Furnace was too difficult to practice,

or if that girl Zhu Li was just too slow,

but he had to talk until his mouth was dry before Zhu Li barely grasped the essentials of the Divinity Refining Furnace. After trying it under his guidance, she had finally gotten the hang of it.

Zhao Ci was puzzled.

’I don’t remember it being this much of a struggle when I learned this Secret Technique, was it?’

’Oh!’

’I have a cheat.’

’Never mind, then.’

Anyway,

Zhao Ci was sleeping very soundly.

But suddenly, in an instant,

his eyes snapped open.

"Who’s there!"

In a single instant, he assumed a defensive stance.

But when he saw who was sitting by his bed, he immediately relaxed.

"Sister Zhu, what are you doing here?"

"I..."

Gu Xiangzhu bit her lip, but still managed to say her rehearsed line. "I missed you."

Zhao Ci was speechless.

’Miss me, my ass.’

’Oh, crap!’

’The little auntie is starting to learn some tricks.’

’She’s already beautiful enough to topple kingdoms. If she becomes a player, how is anyone supposed to stand a chance?’

Of course, he couldn’t say any of that out loud.

He went with the flow, wrapping his arms around Gu Xiangzhu’s waist and whispering, "I missed you too."

They were sitting across from each other at an angle, so their bodies couldn’t press together too tightly.

But even so, Zhao Ci could feel her full, shapely figure.

And her faint, sweet scent.

It was intoxicating.

Gu Xiangzhu froze.

’Crap.’

’I’m still not being proactive enough.’

’Whatever.’

’I should get to the real reason I’m here first.’

She smiled. "Your five senses seem much sharper. Did you learn the Divinity Refining Furnace technique?"

"Mhm!"

Zhao Ci turned his head to rest it on her shoulder, nodding slightly. "I can’t seem to learn the others for now. I just had a knack for the Divinity Refining Furnace, so I picked it up."

That wasn’t a complete lie.

He really couldn’t learn the other demonic techniques.

He recognized every single word, but once they were strung together, he couldn’t understand them at all.

Damn it all, they didn’t even show up on his system panel. He had insight points but nowhere to spend them.

’Whatever,’ he thought.

’Cultivation is all about talent, anyway.’

’A loser like me can only survive by allocating stat points.’