The dead silence on the Star-Plucking Platform made it seem as though even time had frozen.
Zhang Mingyuan felt as if his soul was leaving his body at that very moment.
It was over.
Everything was completely over.
He wasn't going to die under the wrath of Su Jinxue's ascension to immortality, but rather by the wretched mouth of the rebellious disciple he had raised with his own two hands!
Social death was a punishment far more terrifying than the complete obliteration of one's soul.
He could even feel the hand pinching the back of his neck instantly stiffen the moment Chu Jinghong bellowed that earth-shattering “Master's Wife!”
With great difficulty, Zhang Mingyuan turned his nearly broken neck inch by inch, using the corner of his eye to steal a glance at Su Jinxue's reaction.
There was no thunderous rage as he had imagined, nor was there any sky-tearing murderous intent.
On that jade-like face, which was usually as cold as a ten-thousand-year-old glacier, there actually appeared a trace of... bewilderment?
Yes, pure bewilderment.
It was as if a fairy who had devoted her life to cultivation, completely detached from the mortal world, had suddenly heard some mundane slang that completely transcended her cognitive boundaries, leaving her temporarily unable to process this massive influx of information.
Beside them, Lingxuzi, the highly respected Holy Lord of Taixu, was currently trying his absolute best to cover his mouth with his sleeve. His shoulders were twitching and his entire body was shaking violently. He was clearly holding back his laughter, and it was an agonizing struggle.
The look he cast at Zhang Mingyuan was filled with sympathy, schadenfreude, and... a tiny hint of admiration?
My goodness, Zhang Mingyuan really knew how to have fun. Even his disciple was trained to be so “discerning.”
Kneeling on the ground, Chu Jinghong felt a bit uneasy as he stared into the eerie silence.
Was it because he hadn't shouted sincerely enough? Or did his Master's Wife not hear him clearly?
It had to be!
Master had said that whatever one did, one must see it through from beginning to end and carry it out to the very finish!
With this thought, Chu Jinghong took a deep breath, slammed his forehead against the ground once more, and continued his “plea” at the top of his lungs:
“Please see clearly, Master's Wife! My master truly has you in his heart!”
“Don't mind how he always looks for trouble with you; that's all just to get your attention!”
Boom!
If the first “Master's Wife” was a clap of thunder, then this second sentence was practically a divine lightning bolt from the Heavenly Dao, blasting Zhang Mingyuan until he was charred on the outside, tender on the inside, and utterly soul-shattered.
“You rebellious disciple! Shut your mouth for Master!”
Zhang Mingyuan roared with every ounce of his strength, trying to stop his incredibly stupid disciple from continuing to court death.
However, Chu Jinghong clearly misunderstood his intention.
Master is just being shy! He's being tsundere!
He definitely wants me to say all the things he's too embarrassed to say himself!
Yes, that must be it! I really am such an understanding and wonderful disciple!
Chu Jinghong straightened his back even more, and his voice grew louder, carrying a tragic and sacred air as if he were revealing an epic, timeless romance:
“Master's Wife! There is something you don't know! My master's sword, ‘Zhanxue,’ its full name is ‘Ultimate Invincible Secret Art Thomas Flare Explosive Slash Su Jinxue.’ While it sounds like he wants to oppose you, in truth... in truth, the word ‘Zhan’ in the ancient tongue also means ‘to conquer’ and ‘to possess’!”
“He doesn't want to slash you, he wants to... possess you!”
“Pfft—cough, cough, cough!”
Lingxuzi could no longer hold it in. He spat his Enlightenment Tea more than three meters away, his old face flushing red as he choked, tears streaming down his face.
Ancient tongue?
What on earth is that?
He had lived for thousands of years, so how had he never heard of such a definition?
What on earth was packed inside this kid's brain!
Zhang Mingyuan had already given up all struggle.
His eyes were lifeless, his face pale as ash, and his entire being had entered a state of broken, vacant shock.
He was tired.
Let the world end.
Just make it quick.
Yet, Chu Jinghong's performance was still ongoing.
It was as if he had transformed into a storyteller, pouring out all the love-hate drama he had fabricated in his mind over the past century.
“Furthermore! Every time Master returns from meeting you, he locks himself in the artifact-refining room for ten days to half a month, muttering ‘Su Jinxue’ and ‘Little Xuexue’ under his breath! Did you think he was refining some magical treasure to deal with you? Wrong!”
Chu Jinghong slapped his thigh hard, wearing a look of absolute certainty as if there were only one truth.
“He is using the scent of yours that he gathered during battle to refine a pill called the ‘Nianxue Pill’! He inhales its scent day and night to soothe his lovesickness!”
“As for why he stole your Enlightenment Tea, that is even more obvious to everyone!”
“He just wanted to taste the fine tea you enjoy every day to see what it tastes like! This is... this is called indirect kissing, Master's Wife!”
“Shut up!”
This time, the one who spoke was not Zhang Mingyuan.
It was Su Jinxue, who had remained silent all this time.
Her voice was no longer that soul-freezing cold, but instead carried a hint of... undetectable trembling and panic.
A faint, yet completely unhideable blush spread from her snow-white neck all the way to the tips of her ears.
Those red eyes, which had originally been filled with frost and snow, were now darting away, not daring to look at anyone—especially Zhang Mingyuan, whom she was still holding.
She had lived for over five thousand years and fought with Zhang Mingyuan for four thousand nine hundred years.
What kind of scene had she not witnessed?
What kind of malicious words had she not heard?
Yet today, to have a junior, in front of so many people, so bluntly expose...
No, fabricate the “love affair” between her and Zhang Mingyuan, her Dao Heart—which had long been cultivated to be as firm as ten-thousand-year-old black ice—had actually... wavered.
Especially that phrase “indirect kissing” made her entire body shudder. A strange, tingling sensation rose from the depths of her heart, causing her grip on Zhang Mingyuan to subconsciously loosen a fraction.
Zhang Mingyuan felt the force on his neck lighten, and he fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet, and as he looked up, he saw Su Jinxue's stunningly beautiful face flushed with a rosy glow.
He was dazed.
It had been five thousand years.
This was the first time he had ever seen this woman show such an expression.
It wasn't cold as frost, nor was it a towering rage, but rather... a maidenly shyness and panic.
Dammit.
She actually looks a bit pretty.
Zhang Mingyuan's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
And seeing Su Jinxue's reaction, Chu Jinghong was even more encouraged!
Look! Master's Wife is blushing! She was moved by my sincerity!
Work harder! Today, I will bring about this epic romance of the ages!
“Master's Wife! Please stop pretending! My master has remained unmarried to this day for you, and you have also remained unwed to this day for my master!”
“Who in the entire Xuanling Realm doesn't know that you two are a match made in heaven?”
“On behalf of the hundred thousand disciples of Qingyun Heaven, I implore you, Master's Wife, to marry my master!”
After saying this, Chu Jinghong bowed deeply once more, his posture devout to the absolute extreme.
The air froze completely.
Su Jinxue's cheeks were now so red they looked as if they might bleed.
She suddenly raised her hand, and an invisible strand of immortal power instantly flew out.
“Mmph! Mmph, mmph, mmph!”
Chu Jinghong, who was just about to continue his long-winded speech, suddenly found his mouth sealed by an invisible force. No matter how hard he tried, he could only let out muffled, incoherent whimpers.
Having done all this, Su Jinxue seemed to have exhausted all her energy.
She glared fiercely at Zhang Mingyuan on the ground. In her gaze, there was seventy percent shame and anger, thirty percent panic, but absolutely no trace of murderous intent.
“You, come with me!”
Before her voice even faded, she waved her jade hand, and a spatial rift condensed from the ultimate power of frost and snow abruptly appeared.
Giving Zhang Mingyuan absolutely no time to react, her immortal power transformed into a giant hand, lifting him into the air once more and dragging him directly into that cold void.
The rift closed instantly, leaving behind only a faint, cool scent of snow lotus.
Along with... a completely dumbfounded Chu Jinghong and a highly amused Lingxuzi, who looked as if he was savoring an endless aftertaste.
Lingxuzi raised his teacup, took a gentle sip of the now-cold Enlightenment Tea, and smiled meaningfully.
Today's gossip was truly sweet.
Meanwhile, Chu Jinghong, whose mouth was still sealed, excitedly pumped his fist as he stared in the direction where the two had vanished.
It was a success!
Rate on N.U.
