Yang Guo: I'm invincible in the opening battle against Aunt Guo!

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou looked up at Yang Guo, her eyes still glistening with tears.

A complex smile curved her lips:

"I'm willing to offer myself in return, but would Young Master Yang dare to accept?"

These words were spoken without a trace of girlish shyness, but rather with a kind of composure born of having experienced the vicissitudes of life.

It even carried a hint of self-deprecating probing.

"So, I'm thirty-two. How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen?"

As she spoke, she gently shook her head, "Besides, you and your junior sister are already practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra together. Given her aloof nature, the fact that she's willing to practice such an intimate technique with you means she must like you. If I were to get involved..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Lu Wushuang, sitting at the corner of the bed, held her breath and stared intently at Yang Guo.

She was afraid to hear the answer, yet she couldn't help wanting to hear it.

Yang Guo smiled.

"Only children make choices."

He stood up, his blue robe sleeves drawing a graceful arc in the air.

"And I—choose to have it all."

This was said so matter-of-factly, without any attempt to conceal anything.

Li Mochou was stunned.

She has lived for over thirty years and has seen hypocrites, villains, greedy and lecherous people, and sanctimonious individuals.

I have never seen anyone speak of such "greed" so frankly, so... confidently.

It was not lewd covetousness, nor frivolous teasing.

It was as if if he said he wanted it, he would definitely get it.

He said he wanted them all, and no one could escape.

"You..." Li Mochou opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to respond.

In the end, it could only turn into a sneer.

"What arrogance! Young Master Yang, do you think all the women in this world are yours to possess?"

"Of course not," Yang Guo replied quickly, his smile undiminished.

"I just believe that if you like something, you should go for it; if you want something, you should get it. As for whether the other person is willing—"

He paused, his gaze lingering deep into Li Mochou's eyes.

"That's their business. All I need to do is make them feel, one day, that choosing me was the right decision."

That's incredibly arrogant.

His arrogance made Li Mochou's heart tremble, yet a faint sense of excitement arose within her.

There was a time when she had fantasized about such a man.

Strong, confident, able to see through all her pretenses, yet still dares to say "I want you".

But Lu Zhanyuan is not.

He was gentle, yet also cowardly.

He made promises, yet he also betrayed them.

And this boy in front of me...

Li Mochou lowered her eyes and stopped looking at him.

"Whatever you want."

Her voice was very soft, as soft as a sigh.

"Anyway, you saved my life today. If you want it, take it."

This statement is almost a tacit agreement.

Lu Wushuang's eyes lit up as she sat at the corner of the bed.

Master...didn't refuse?

Does that mean... a master and apprentice relationship?

The little hope in the girl's heart, like a spark touched by the spring breeze, quietly reignited.

She glanced furtively at Yang Guo, then at her master, and an absurd thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind—

If that were truly possible...

If Brother Yang can really get his master too...

Then, does that mean she... can also stay by Brother Yang's side legitimately?

Lu Wushuang's cheeks flushed, and she dared not think any further.

Yang Guo took in the expressions of the two goddesses and had already made up his mind.

His gaze lingered on Li Mochou for a moment longer than usual.

Her figure, draped in an apricot-yellow Taoist robe, was indeed voluptuous and alluring.

Especially the breathtaking curve of her chest, which was more exquisite and shapely than Aunt Guo's, and had a more mature and full figure.

I can't even imagine what it would feel like...

Yang Guo coughed lightly, regaining his composure.

"Alright, it's late, you should all get some rest."

He turned and walked towards the stone gate, but before leaving, he turned back and said to Li Mochou:

"If you have nothing to do tomorrow, you can come find me. There are still residual toxins in your body, so you need to have them drained for several days."

He then looked at Lu Wushuang and said gently, "Wushuang, although your foot injury has healed, your meridians are only just beginning to open, and you still need to consolidate the treatment. I will treat you again tomorrow."

Lu Wushuang nodded vigorously, her eyes full of dependence: "Yes! Thank you, Brother Yang!"

Li Mochou did not respond, but only nodded slightly.

The stone door closed gently.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Silence returned to the stone chamber.

After a long while, Li Mochou slowly exhaled and looked at Lu Wushuang, who was still curled up in the corner of the bed.

"What are you looking at?" Her tone returned to its usual indifference, only lacking its biting chill. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

Lu Wushuang shrank back and whispered, "Master...you really want to..."

"What do you really want?" Li Mochou interrupted her, her eyes sharp. "Do you really want to steal my junior sister's man? Or do you want to share a husband with me?"

These words were so blunt that Lu Wushuang's face instantly turned red.

"I...I didn't mean that..."

"Then what do you mean?" Li Mochou stood up, walked to the wooden cabinet, opened the cabinet door, and looked at the neatly folded old clothes inside.

These clothes were worn when she was sixteen or seventeen.

Back then, she wasn't yet the Red Serpent Fairy. She would still dress up in front of the mirror, look forward to the world outside the mountains, and believe in the so-called "one life, one love, one partner" nonsense.

"That's enough."

Li Mochou closed the cabinet door, her voice revealing exhaustion.

"Go to sleep. We'll talk about tomorrow's problems tomorrow."

She sat cross-legged on the stone bed again, closed her eyes, and regulated her breathing.

This time, the flow of internal energy was much smoother.

The gentle true energy left behind by Yang Guo when he cleared it was still slowly circulating in his meridians, nourishing the hidden injuries that had been eroded by the poison for many years like a warm spring.

Li Mochou felt a mix of emotions.

……

Under the same night sky.

On the other side of Zhongnan Mountain, deep within Chongyang Palace.

Inside one of the disciples' quarters, candlelight flickered.

Zhao Zhijing sat cross-legged on the prayer mat, his face gloomy.

During the day, two of his fourth-generation disciples were on duty at the mountain gate when they were not only injured by the ancient tomb demoness, but their swords were also shattered by the impact.

What's even more infuriating is that the young man in blue who accompanied them dared to spout such arrogant words, saying that "if I hear the word 'demoness' again, it won't be the sword that breaks!"

That's utterly arrogant!

When has the Quanzhen School ever suffered such humiliation?

Just as he was burning with anger, he heard footsteps outside the door.

"Senior Brother Zhao, are you asleep?"

It was Zhen Zhibing's voice.

Zhao Zhijing frowned and called out, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Zhen Zhibing strode in, his face filled with indignation and urgency.

"Senior Brother Zhao, have you heard about what happened at the mountain gate today?"

"How could I not know?" Zhao Zhijing sneered. "Two incompetent disciples who couldn't even stop a woman have utterly disgraced the Quanzhen Sect!"

Zhen Zhibing sat down opposite him and lowered his voice:

"Senior brother, this matter cannot be left unresolved. That ancient tomb demoness has been running rampant for years, and now she has become even more audacious, actually leading outsiders to forcibly enter our sect's forbidden area and injuring the disciples on duty—if word gets out, what will the martial world think of our Quanzhen Sect?"

Zhao Zhijing glanced at him: "What do you want?"

"revenge!"

A fierce glint flashed in Zhen Zhibing's eyes.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll take a few elite disciples to 'pay a visit' to the back mountain. No matter how powerful that demoness is, she's ultimately alone. As for that boy in blue—"

He paused, his tone dismissive.

"He's just a greenhorn, arrogant and ignorant because of his brute strength. With us brothers joining forces, how could we possibly fail to take him down?"