208: The arrow is on the bowstring, and it must be released.

The morning in the Southern Yu imperial palace was, for once, devoid of smoke and roaring.

After last night's banquet where all the flowers vied for beauty, Su Lin used the excuse of needing to go into seclusion to consolidate his cultivation to forcibly set up ninety-nine spatial Restrictions outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Su Lin slept until the sun was high in the sky.

When he pushed open the hall doors to welcome the long-lost sunlight, he did not see the scene he had anticipated: his disciples fighting tooth and nail over who would put on Revered Master's shoes.

The courtyard was quiet.

"Strange."

Su Lin adjusted his robes and slightly spread out his Divine Sense.

It turned out that after last night's candid meeting and friendly exchange, combined with the exhaustion from the previous battle, his few disciples seemed to have reached a subtle ceasefire agreement, each occupying a corner of the palace to digest what they had gained or to attend to other matters.

This was exactly the free time Su Lin had dreamed of.

But he soon discovered that this kind of freedom was often accompanied by a more hidden danger.

Su Lin strolled to the Imperial Garden.

Before he could even admire the koi in the pond, a young palace maid dressed in pink palace attire hurried over with small steps. Upon seeing Su Lin, she knelt down with a thud, not daring to lift her head.

"Lord Emperor!"

Su Lin's mouth twitched: "Call me Mr. Su, or Sect Master Su."

"Yes... Mr. Su!"

The young palace maid trembled, holding a gold-lacquered tray above her head. "Your Majesty requests that you go to the Imperial Study for a discussion, saying that... there is a major matter concerning the future of the Divine Dynasty that requires your personal decision."

A major matter concerning the future of the Divine Dynasty?

Su Lin's heart stirred.

Could it be that the scar of heaven still had hidden dangers? Or were the remnants of Sima Rongrong not yet cleared?

Important matters could not be delayed.

Su Lin nodded immediately and followed the maid to the Imperial Study.

Inside the Imperial Study, sandalwood incense curled.

Cold Moon was not wearing that heavy imperial robe, but had changed into a purple-gold casual outfit. Her long hair was casually tied up with a jade hairpin, lessening her sharpness and adding a touch of lazy nobility.

She was sitting behind the wide desk, her brows tightly locked, the vermilion brush in her hand hovering, as if she had encountered a great difficulty.

"Revered Master."

Seeing Su Lin enter, Cold Moon's eyes lit up, but she did not stand up. She merely hooked a glance at Su Lin with those golden eyes and patted the seat beside her.

"You're here. Come quickly and help me see how to reply to these memorials."

Su Lin walked over, and in the spirit of his responsibility as a teacher, asked seriously: "Is there any unrest at the border? Or a natural disaster?"

He lowered his head to look at the memorial.

He saw it written in neat official script:

【Request to Her Majesty the Empress: Regarding the reconstruction of the imperial city's main gate, what material should be chosen for the statue of the Imperial Teacher to be erected in the center of the square?

A: Ten-thousand-year black iron, to manifest the Imperial Teacher's integrity.

B: Deep-sea warm jade, to manifest the Imperial Teacher's gentleness.

C: Pure gold, to manifest the Imperial Teacher's... nobility (and value retention).】

Su Lin: "..."

He took a deep breath and picked up another one.

【Request: The Imperial Teacher is entering the inner palace. According to ancestral customs, what rank should he be conferred?

The Minister of Rites suggests: Confer the title of "Holy Emperor" directly, equal in status to the Empress.

The Imperial Clan Court suggests: He can first be conferred the title of "Imperial Noble Consort," and after giving birth to an imperial heir...】

"Slap!"

Su Lin closed the memorial, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"This is what you called... a major matter concerning the future of the Divine Dynasty?"

"Naturally, it is a major matter."

Cold Moon rested her chin on one hand, while the other hand quietly reached out under the desk and hooked onto Su Lin's belt.

"The statue concerns Revered Master's face, and the rank concerns Revered Master's status.

Which one is not a major matter that shakes the foundation of the country?"

She leaned closer, and the scent on her body, a mixture of ambergris and a woman's faint fragrance, drifted into Su Lin's nostrils.

"Revered Master, what do you think... of the title Holy Emperor? When the time comes, the two of us will sit on the dragon throne together, receiving the worship of all the people..."

"I don't think so."

Su Lin expressionlessly brushed her hand away, picked up the vermilion brush, and wrote a large "Exempt" on the first memorial.

"The statue does not need to be built. Your Revered Master is not dead yet, so there is no need for people to look up to it every day."

He picked up the second one again, thought for a moment, and wrote: "Discuss further."

"Discuss further?"

Cold Moon looked at those two words and pouted with some dissatisfaction. If the ministers outside were to see that young girl's demeanor, their jaws would likely drop.

"Is Revered Master unwilling to take responsibility for me?"

"Even though you already have my mark on your body..."

She glanced resentfully at the golden Dragon tattoo faintly visible under Su Lin's collar.

"That was something you forcibly imprinted!" Su Lin emphasized.

"That is the will of heaven!" Cold Moon said righteously, then her eyes rolled, and a mischievous smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

"Since Revered Master is unwilling to write in red on the memorials, why not... write on me?"

She slowly stood up, walked around the desk, and came to Su Lin.

She grabbed the vermilion brush from Su Lin's hand, lightly touched the tip to her snow-white neck, leaving a crimson mark, and then slid it all the way down, passing the collarbone, and into the shadows deep within her collar.

"Revered Master's calligraphy is unparalleled in the world."

Cold Moon's voice became hoarse and enchanting. She slightly tilted her head back, revealing a fragile and slender neck, like a swan waiting to be sacrificed.

"Why not write a poem on me?"

"Or... write your name and stamp your seal?"

"This is... the Empress's exclusive rice paper, you know."

Red cinnabar, snow-white skin, and those golden, aggressive eyes.

The impact of this scene was truly too great.

Su Lin's hand shook, and a drop of red ink dripped down.

"Cold Moon, you..."

Su Lin just wanted to scold her a few words, but saw Cold Moon suddenly take a step forward, forcing him to the edge of the desk.

"Revered Master, there is no one else here."

"And none of those annoying Junior Sisters."

"Just submit to me..."

The air in the study seemed to have solidified into glue, so thick that it made breathing difficult.

That drop of cinnabar red ink landed on the lapel of Cold Moon's chest, like a plum blossom blooming thrillingly in the snow.

Su Lin's wrist was gripped by her, the force irresistible, carrying the tyranny unique to a Mahayana Stage Cultivator, forcibly dragging the trembling vermilion brush and not letting it leave.

"Why is Revered Master's hand shaking so violently?"

Cold Moon chuckled, the sound seeming to roll from the depths of her throat, carrying fine hooks.

She released Su Lin's hand but did not back away. Instead, she turned around, her hands resting on the pile of memorials.

The wide purple-gold casual outfit tightened with her movements.

The originally solemn and dignified Imperial Study desk had now become an altar for her to display her territory.

As her waist sagged, the astonishing curves originally hidden by the loose robes were presented without reservation at this moment.

It was a thrilling curve, round and full, like a ripe peach, waiting for the picker's hand.

The fabric was stretched to its limit, outlining that blood-pumping shape.

She tilted her head slightly, her golden eyes shimmering with water, looking at Su Lin, who was still holding the vermilion brush and looking stiff.

"What does Revered Master think of the scenery in this Imperial Study?"

Her voice was very soft, but every word slammed into Su Lin's crown.

"The territory of Southern Yu is vast, but some places..."

She reached out a hand, probing backward, her fingertips gently brushing over that tight fabric, and finally stopped and patted the most prominent and eye-catching position.

"Some places have not yet been marked in red."

"..."

Su Lin felt the pen in his hand was as heavy as a thousand jun.

How was that a butt?

That was clearly a trap! It was an abyss that ground his teacher's morality into the dust!

"Revered Master?"

Seeing Su Lin not move, Cold Moon shook her waist with some dissatisfaction.

The beautiful curves rose and fell with it, like ocean waves, impacting Su Lin's vision in waves.

"Here..."

She turned her head back, her eyes dazed, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet it clearly drilled into Su Lin's ears.

"This is also Revered Master's territory."

"Are you not planning to... write something here?"

"For example... stamp a seal?"

The tip of the brush, soaked with red ink, was less than an inch away from that position.

As long as his hand shook slightly, that bright red would be imprinted on that thin layer of fabric, and even penetrate into it, imprinted on that snow-white skin.

Su Lin's Adam's apple rolled with difficulty.

This wicked disciple.

She really wanted him to do such a blasphemous thing in such a sacred place!

"Cold Moon, stand up straight!"

Su Lin gritted his teeth, trying to use his last bit of reason to resist the temptation before him.

"The memorials haven't been replied to yet, what kind of decorum is this!"

"Reply to them?"

Cold Moon let out a soft hum, her body pressing lower, the curves appearing even more exaggerated, almost bursting the fabric.

"What is there to reply to regarding those dead things?"

She looked at Su Lin, her eyes full of provocation and desire.

"A living person is right here..."

"Revered Master... the ink is about to dry."

"Do you really... not want to try how it feels?"

The drop of red ink on the cinnabar brush tip ultimately did not land on that heart-stoppingly tight curve.

Because the pen broke.

"Snap."

The fragile purple-bristle pen shaft gave a crisp sound in Su Lin's palm, breaking into two pieces.

The ink, soaked in red, splashed out like blooming blood-colored fireworks, scattering like stars onto the hem of the bright yellow dragon robe she had spread on the desk, and a few drops also splashed onto her snow-white, almost transparent ankles.

This crisp sound was like a signal, completely snapping the string named "reason" in the Imperial Study.

"Revered Master..."

Cold Moon let out a low moan that seemed like a sigh, yet also like satisfaction.

"You are still soft-hearted."

"Even though you only needed to press your wrist to leave a mark on me."

"Since Revered Master is unwilling to write..."

She slowly straightened her waist. At that moment, the fabric that had been stretched tight relaxed, but it did not make the atmosphere lighter. Instead, because she turned around, the overwhelming sense of oppression became even more suffocating.

"Then let's change to another way to stamp the seal."

"Boom!"

Without warning.

The entire space of the Imperial Study sank suddenly.

It was not the Law of gravity, but Imperial Dao Dragon Qi.

Nine golden Dragon shadows emerged from the pillars, the coffered ceiling, and even the cracks in the floor tiles of the study.

They were no longer dead objects but transformed into substantial golden chains, carrying an irresistible will, instantly wrapping around Su Lin's limbs.

"Cold Moon! You dare to betray your Revered Master and ancestors?!"

Su Lin was greatly shocked, instinctively wanting to mobilize the Star Power in his body to resist.

"Hum—"

The golden chains tightened instantly, not constricting his flesh, but directly sealing his Meridians.

Su Lin only felt his whole body go soft. That Imperial Dao pressure of the Mahayana Stage Peak, at this distance, was simply a dimensionality-reduction strike.

"Betray my Revered Master and ancestors?"

Cold Moon chuckled, her bare feet stepping on the scattered memorials, approaching step by step.

"How can this be called betraying my Revered Master and ancestors?"

"This is called... attending to the bedchamber."

She walked in front of Su Lin, reached out, and her fingertips gently pushed Su Lin's shoulder.

She didn't use much force.

But at this moment, Su Lin, whose spiritual power was sealed and whose body was soft, was like a block that would fall at a push, falling heavily onto that wide dragon chair covered with thick animal skin.

"This is the Imperial Study."

Su Lin gritted his teeth, trying to maintain his last bit of dignity.

"There are palace maids outside, and ministers..."

"No one dares to come in."

Cold Moon leaned in.

The heavy dragon robe completely covered their upper bodies.

"I have already issued a gag order."

"Within a hundred miles, not even a fly can fly in."

She reached out both hands, cupping Su Lin's cheeks, forcing him to look directly into her eyes that were burning with golden flames.

"Revered Master."

"Do you know how long I have waited for this day?"

"Every time I sit in this chair, reviewing those boring memorials, everything in my mind... is you."

Her fingers slid down Su Lin's cheek and arrived at his collar.

"I was thinking, if you were here..."

"If you were pressed by me onto this dragon chair..."

"If those hands of yours that only know how to hold a sword had to grip my dragon robe tightly..."

"Revered Master, your heartbeat is so fast."

"Are you afraid?"

"Or are you looking forward to it?"

"Cold Moon, if you stop now, Revered Master can pretend that nothing ever happened." Su Lin's voice was a bit hoarse.

"Stop?"

Cold Moon laughed.

She slowly straightened her waist, her hands placed on her belt.

That was a jade belt embroidered with nine dragons playing with a pearl, symbolizing the supreme imperial power of Southern Yu.

"The arrow is on the string, it must be released."

"Revered Master taught me that once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back."

"Revered Master, don't hold back."

She whispered in Su Lin's ear, her voice carrying a magic that made one fall.

"Your body needs this right now."

"My Imperial Dao Dragon Qi is the most domineering tonic in this world."

"Hold me tight."

This was an order.

It was also a plea.

Su Lin's hand trembled.

Reason told him to push her away, to refuse, to maintain the dignity of a Revered Master.

But his body's instinct made him unable to exert any strength at all.

Su Lin sighed.

Even in this situation of being "forced," he still couldn't bring himself to be cruel to her.

His fingers slightly curled, clasping that slender waist.

This action was like some kind of permission.

The panic in Cold Moon's eyes instantly dissipated, replaced by ecstasy.

"Revered Master..."

The mountain of memorials was casually swept away, scattering all over the floor like white snow, covering the absurdity on the ground.

The vermilion brush on the desk rolled off.

"Revered Master... look at me..."

"Only look at me..."