Chapter 208: How Can This Even Work?

As the saying goes, a single moment of a spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold.

Gu Chengming's first intimate contact with Zhou Lixin could at least be said to be worth ten thousand.

After all, even if ordinary techniques are full of affection, they usually stop at a certain point for the first time. However, for their first intimate contact, Zhou Lixin demanded a full ten rounds.

If Hundred Bones Resonating was the type for high-intensity singular sessions, then Zhou Lixin was the type for high-frequency repetitions. If the last time felt like his pelvis was about to break, this time felt like his kidneys were utterly overdrawn.

Well.

Each had its own wonders.

When everything finally settled, Gu Chengming leaned against the bedside. While he managed to maintain a calm facade, his heart was already submitting a formal petition for his waist: Your subject, the Waist, requests to retire due to old age and exhaustion.

【The Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art's gaze was somewhat wandering at this moment, feeling quite guilty: Did I go a bit too far just now?】

【The Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art quickly comforted herself again: But according to the rites, the way of husband and wife emphasizes harmony without uniformity. Asking for a few more rounds is just to ensure that Chengming and I truly put that 'harmony' into practice.】

【The tips of the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art's ears turned slightly red: Furthermore, as long as the frequency of extraction is high enough, in a strict sense, it can be seen as me constantly possessing Chengming. Although this sounds a bit despicable, it's not entirely without reason.】

【The Qingxin Art found it quite amusing: You usually seem the most law-abiding, but who would have thought that once you start, it's like a torrential storm. You've really made me see you in a new light.】

【The Huiyuan Sword Manual whispered: Ten... ten times?】

【The Huiyuan Sword Manual shrunk its shoulders, feeling quite defeated: I only manage two or three times each session.】

【The Qingxin Art offered some considerate comfort: Quality is more important than quantity.】

【Huiyuan Sword Manual: But you only manage two or three times as well?】

【The Qingxin Art felt quite resentful: I'm never comforting you again.】

【Hundred Bones Resonating said piteously: Next time, this Emperor wants ten times too!】

Gu Chengming's eyelids twitched. If you want ten times, I'm afraid I'll actually die.

...

The lingering warmth of tenderness eventually had to fade.

The next morning, by the time Gu Chengming had recovered from the fatigue of being despicably possessed all night to the point where he could sit up, his thoughts had already drifted to another matter.

—The Life-Defying Calamity-Slaying True Monarch.

This wasn't the first time this True Monarch's name had reached Gu Chengming's ears. Back when he was at the Wenjian Sect, he had heard many rumors about him. At that time, he had felt a slight curiosity toward this senior, but he had been too busy with various matters to look into it deeply.

Now that things had settled down a bit, his interest in this Wenjian Sect senior had grown.

As a senior of the Wenjian Sect, this True Monarch must have left many clues within the sect. If he wanted to know more about the Life-Defying Calamity-Slaying True Monarch, perhaps he should return to the Wenjian Sect.

However, given the current situation... it didn't seem right for him to leave the capital without permission.

He could only suppress this thought for now, planning to return to the Wenjian Sect to investigate the past of the Life-Defying Calamity-Slaying True Monarch once everything else was arranged.

...

While Gu Chengming was busy handling the aftermath in the capital and calculating when to return to the sect, someone at the Wenjian Sect could no longer sit still.

—And that person was naturally Elder Yu.

However, it was impossible for a Wenjian Sect elder to leave the sect for no reason. She couldn't exactly tell the Sect Master, "I miss Little Gu, so I'm going to the capital to see if he's been stolen by women outside."

After thinking it over, Yu Wenqiu eventually took a volume of cultivation notes she had recently dug up and went to see Shen Qianqiu.

"Sect Master, my cultivation has been stirred recently, and I wish to go to the capital to seek an opportunity for a breakthrough."

Shen Qianqiu looked at her and didn't even ask much. He simply smiled and agreed. "Go ahead."

Yu Wenqiu blinked, thinking to herself, Why was that so smooth?

Shen Qianqiu put down his teacup, his tone gentle. "The capital has been a gathering place for winds and clouds lately. It's good for you to take a look. Gu Chengming is currently in the middle of the game; having someone he trusts by his side is always safer."

The tips of Yu Wenqiu's ears turned slightly red, and she immediately lowered her head. "Sect Master misunderstood. I am primarily going for my cultivation."

Although she said that, the actual situation was something they both understood tacitly.

Since she had received permission from the Sect Master, Elder Yu naturally put her journey on the schedule to resolve her own Gu-suppression.

Her arrangements were quite thorough. She would first tidy her clothes outside the city, then enter the city to buy two boxes of pastries that Gu Chengming liked. Along the way, she would inquire about the current state of the Night Guard Division and then pretend to bump into him. Ideally, she would stand by a bridge on the path he took back to his residence after finishing his official duties.

The wind would blow her sleeves, the fragrance of osmanthus would drift through the air, and as soon as Gu Chengming looked up, he would see his Daoist companion who had come from afar.

If the atmosphere was right, she could even casually say, "Little Gu, what a coincidence."

The more Yu Wenqiu thought about it, the more satisfied she became, feeling that her arrangement was quite worthy of a novel's female lead.

As it turned out, on her first day in the city, she queued at the pastry shop for half an hour. Just as she bought the osmanthus cakes, she heard someone at the neighboring tea stall say that Director Gu of the Night Guard Division had entered the palace for a meeting early this morning and might not return to his residence today.

Elder Yu held the box of already cold osmanthus cakes, feeling dejected.

She had originally wanted to use her Heavenly Eye to check Gu Chengming's whereabouts, but as soon as the thought arose, she remembered that the karma in the capital was complex, and reckless peeking might lead to seeing something she shouldn't.

Amidst this tossing and turning, Yu Wenqiu didn't meet Gu Chengming first; instead, she met True Monarch Liuyun Suyu.

...

Inside the courtyard.

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu was sitting at a stone table in the courtyard with a cup of tea in front of her. Her moon-white sleeves fell like clouds.

She raised her eyes and saw Yu Wenqiu at the gate, her expression momentarily stunned.

Yu Wenqiu froze in place. She clearly didn't recognize this woman in moon-white robes, but she quickly made a judgment—

This person was definitely no ordinary individual.

While Yu Wenqiu's mind was racing to figure out if this was some visiting True Monarch senior and how she should conduct herself, the woman in moon-white robes spoke first, quite gently: "And this Daoist friend is?"

Only then did Yu Wenqiu snap back to reality. She hurriedly straightened her robes and gave a proper bow. "Junior Yu Wenqiu, an elder of the Wenjian Sect, is here to see Director Gu."

She chose her words carefully to avoid letting this strange senior see any clues she shouldn't.

A Wenjian Sect elder?

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's gaze lingered on Yu Wenqiu's face for a moment, observing her quietly.

Her features were decent and delicate, but the little schemes hidden in her eyes weren't covered up at all. Her entire being radiated an aura of "coming from afar with ulterior motives."

A subtle trace of suspicion rose in True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's heart, but she didn't show it. She simply nodded politely in return. "The young friend is not in the courtyard at the moment."

She paused and chose the most polite phrasing: "The elder has worked hard coming from afar. Why not come in and rest for a while? I will send word to the Night Guard Division for the young friend."

Yu Wenqiu was taken aback. Although this senior's tone was polite, that address of "young friend" was a bit too intimate.

She looked up and saw an open volume of notes under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, with a pot of warm tea beside it. It was clearly the posture of a homeowner enjoying a leisurely afternoon.

This senior lived in this courtyard?

The suspicion that Yu Wenqiu had just suppressed suddenly flared up.

Maintaining her dignity as an elder, she forced herself to swallow the question "May I ask what your relationship is with Little Gu?" and instead said, "Then I shall trouble you, Senior."

...

Under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu and Yu Wenqiu sat on opposite sides of the stone table, with a pot of freshly refilled tea between them. The atmosphere was quite subtle.

Yu Wenqiu held her teacup, her gaze discreetly sweeping over the senior in moon-white robes. She came to a conclusion that made her heart skip a beat—

This senior was at least in the Sixth Realm.

That meant she was a True Monarch.

A True Monarch living in Little Gu's courtyard, who could send a message to him at the Night Guard Division, and whose every gesture radiated the aura of the lady of the house... What did that mean? This was a formidable enemy in the absolute sense!

The tips of Yu Wenqiu's ears tightened slightly, and her fingers holding the teacup felt a bit cold.

Meanwhile, True Monarch Liuyun Suyu was also calculating rapidly.

Reasonably speaking, when an elder from the Wenjian Sect came to visit the young friend, she should fulfill her role as a host. However, this Elder Yu's demeanor didn't look like she was simply here to visit a junior.

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu deliberated and decided to test the waters quietly first.

She spoke gently: "I heard that the Guizang Gate of the Wenjian Sect manages the Cangjian Pavilion's records. Has the elder come from afar this time to resolve some difficulty regarding the archives in the capital?"

Yu Wenqiu was startled, only then realizing that the other was testing her purpose for coming.

"Senior is perceptive. Junior has come to the capital this time partly to seek an opportunity for a cultivation bottleneck, and partly because I heard that the Imperial Observatory has recently made some novel star trail deductions, so I came to ask for guidance."

Unfortunately, after True Monarch Liuyun Suyu heard this, the trace of suspicion in her heart only deepened.

An elder in charge of the Cangjian Pavilion's records coming to the capital to ask the Imperial Observatory about star trail deductions?

These two things had absolutely nothing to do with each other, right?

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu nodded impassively. "I see."

She picked up her teacup and took a sip. Her gaze swept over the jade bead earrings by Yu Wenqiu's temples, then over her high-quality casual robes, and finally landed on her eyes, which were discreetly drifting toward the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu already had a fairly solid conclusion in her heart. This Elder Yu's so-called cultivation bottleneck and star trail deductions were likely just excuses. The person she truly wanted to see was clearly the young friend.

As for the relationship between this Little Elder Yu and the young friend...

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's gaze lingered on Yu Wenqiu's face for a moment.

Regardless, she would use the Moon in the Clouds to investigate first.

Normally, a Dao Throne power like the Moon in the Clouds should never be used for such trivial matters. But upon further thought, True Monarch Liuyun Suyu felt that this might not be trivial.

After all, it concerned the people and matters around the young friend. As a senior living in the young friend's courtyard, vetting her for him could be considered part of her responsibility.

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu quite openly found a fairly reasonable excuse for her action in her heart.

In the next instant, her fingertips twitched within her sleeve. Moonlight silently spilled from the corner of her sleeve, creeping along the edge of the table toward the Elder Yu who was still holding her teacup.

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu closed her eyes and focused, silently reciting a formula in her heart.

Beneath the images, a line of karmic footnote surfaced: 【Daoist Companion】.

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's finger holding the teacup stiffened slightly.

She slowly placed the half-cooled tea back on the stone table and discreetly re-evaluated Yu Wenqiu, who was still maintaining her elder's posture and politely conversing with her.

Daoist companion?

An incredibly absurd thought suddenly rose in True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's heart.

—How can such a stupid person become the young friend's Daoist companion?

Unwilling to accept it, True Monarch Liuyun Suyu verified it again in her heart. It was still undeniably certain.

She couldn't help but look at Yu Wenqiu again.

This is it?

She hadn't been this shaken even when she fought with the Red Dust Immortal back then, yet now she actually felt such a sense of injustice over Elder Yu's status as a "Daoist companion."

However, the more she didn't understand, the more her obsession with "finding the other's outstanding qualities" became uncontrollable.

This definitely wasn't out of some petty competitive mindset; she simply wanted to vet this Daoist companion from the perspective of a senior to see if she was truly worthy of her young friend.

True Monarch Liuyun Suyu quite calmly repeated the excuse of "vetting" in her heart, and then her fingertips twitched silently within her sleeve once more.

The power of the Moon in the Clouds Dao Throne spread out again.

This time, the karmic fragments she screened were deeper than the previous one.

According to her original plan, she wanted to screen Elder Yu's daily actions within the sect to see if she had any outstanding qualities that could match the four words "young friend's Daoist companion."

However, a Dao Throne power like the Moon in the Clouds was quite curious. The karma it screened didn't follow the caster's explicit intent, but rather the trace most closely related to the caster's underlying concern.

According to her own words, it was naturally "just how deep is the connection between the young friend and this woman," but the conclusion she reached was 【Already dual cultivated】.

This left True Monarch Liuyun Suyu greatly shocked.

Could it be that this Elder Yu truly possessed some outstanding quality she hadn't noticed?!

Little Gu is not a shallow person. Since he has become Daoist companions with Yu Wenqiu and has been so intimate with her, there must be a reason. Perhaps this current laziness is just a facade, and her true prowess is hidden in the details of their daily interactions.

The more True Monarch Liuyun Suyu thought about it, the more she felt something was off, and she even developed a slight desire to learn from her.

Of course, asking Yu Wenqiu directly "Why does Little Gu like you?" would be too embarrassing for a True Monarch.

So she decided to use her Dao Throne power to deduce even deeper, at least to find out why Gu Chengming would dual cultivate with the person before her.

In the next instant, that trace of moonlight reflected a second image deep within True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's pupils—

A courtyard within the Wenjian Sect, where the moonlight was like water, and two silhouettes were intimately overlapping on the window paper.

On one side of the silhouette was clearly Gu Chengming. On the other side, a figure was wrapped tightly from head to toe in a strange thin white silk, with a sliver of emerald green showing from the corner of a sleeve beneath the silk.

Pancakes with scallions?!

The entire image radiated an absurd tension amidst the silence. The figure wrapped in white silk was working quite hard to wiggle toward Gu Chengming's side, her posture as clumsy as a dry-land duck that had just entered the water.

"?"

A question mark appeared over True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's head.

No, what kind of look is this?!

How can this even lead to success? On what basis?!!