368: Chapter 368 Fairy! She still wants to be on top!

Inside Fengming Hall, a night of absurdity.

When the first ray of morning light pierced through the gilded window lattice like a sharp sword, dispelling the darkness within the hall and illuminating the scene of intimate disarray, Su Chen finally stirred awake from a deep, drained stupor.

The air still lingered with the mellow fragrance of last night's fine wine and the woman's unique scent.

In his line of sight, his white robe was casually discarded by the bathing pool, and even one boot lay alone on the distant carpet.

He moved his body slightly, and an intense, aching soreness—as if he had been trampled over and over from his Divine Soul to his Physical Body by a hundred Primordial Dragon-Elephants—exploded from his waist and rapidly spread throughout his limbs.

"Sss..."

Su Chen drew in a sharp, cold breath, his handsome face contorting slightly. He felt as if his waist no longer belonged to him.

He stiffly turned his head to look beside him.

Ji Hongxue was curled up in the crook of his arm like a lazy, contented cat that had finally eaten and drunk its fill, sleeping soundly.

Her snow-white arm was still tightly wrapped around his, as if it were some irreplaceable, peerless treasure.

Looking at her defenseless sleeping face, Su Chen's heart was a tumultuous mix of emotions, akin to a spice shop being overturned.

[Demoness!]

[This woman is definitely a demoness reincarnated, one who has Cultivated the wicked art of absorbing yang to nourish yin!]

[What happened to the promised Iron-Blooded Empress? What happened to the decisive killing? It's all fake! A complete lie! I, your majesty, your majesty... how many times did she say 'your majesty' last night?!]

[I, the dignified Divine Son of the Su Family, bearing the heavy responsibility of my Family's revival, almost perished at the hands of a woman. If this gets out, how will I ever maintain my lifelong reputation?!]

[No, this is no place to linger. This is a den of tenderness, but also a hero's grave! I must slip away immediately!]

Su Chen frantically ranted in his heart, then held his breath and cautiously tried to extract his arm from the gentle 'shackles' of Ji Hongxue.

His movements were gentle, fearing he might awaken this dormant 'demoness' and be captured once again by her fatal charm, plunging into an abyss of ruin.

However, just as his arm was about to break free, Ji Hongxue's willow-like brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and her jade-like arms hugging him instinctively tightened even more.

Her red lips parted slightly, letting out a satisfied, indistinct murmur, like a dreamy whisper or a coquettish plea.

Su Chen's heart instantly leapt to his throat, and all the hairs on his body stood on end.

[Holy shit! Is she awake? Could she be awake?!]

[Is this woman part dog? She's so alert even in her sleep! She won't even let me pull my arm away!]

[Damn, I'm screwed now. If she finds out I'm trying to sneak away, given her domineering nature, who knows what trouble she'll cause. My waist... it probably won't survive today!]

[No, fortune favors the bold! I have to try again, or my reputation will truly be ruined!]

He cautiously tried once more, this time even more gently, slowing his breathing to the extreme and focusing his Divine Thought intensely.

However, what he didn't see was the slight trembling of the eyelashes of those tightly closed phoenix eyes.

Ji Hongxue had been awake for a while.

Or rather, she had never been deeply asleep.

Finally, just as she felt Su Chen was about to succeed, she suddenly opened her eyes.

Those phoenix eyes held a trace of lazy mist, but deep within, there was a cunning and playful insight that saw through everything.

"Trying to run?"

Ji Hongxue's voice was husky from sleep, yet it struck Su Chen's ears like a thunderclap.

Su Chen's body instantly stiffened like a stone statue. He forced a smile uglier than crying and stammered:

"Ahem, Hongxue, you're awake. I... I just saw it was getting late and thought I'd go prepare some breakfast for you. Look, you've been toiling day and night for Great Xia, and last night... you toiled for another night. You must be starving."

He attempted to muddle through with a lie he himself found clumsy, but inside, he was already cursing.

[I'm a Genius! I can spout such nonsense without batting an eye! Why didn't I just say I was going to conquer the realm for you?!]

[She'd never believe it! This woman is as shrewd as a ghost; she probably saw through my little trick long ago.]

[But, breakfast? Hmm, that excuse is somewhat passable.]

Hearing this, Ji Hongxue wasn't angry. Instead, she was amused by his flustered yet forcibly composed appearance and let out a soft "pfft," laughing so hard her body trembled.

Her laughter was as clear as silver bells, echoing in the spacious Fengming Hall, shattering the morning tranquility.

"Preparing breakfast? Divine Son Su is truly considerate." She lazily stretched, the smooth silk quilt sliding down her perfect shoulders, revealing a vast expanse of snow-white, delicate skin and exquisite collarbones.

Her tone shifted, her gaze turning sharp with a hint of mockery: "However, this Empress recalls that Divine Son Su has always been one to have clothes handed to him and meals served, his precious fingers never touching menial chores. When did you learn such mundane skills as cooking?"

With one sentence, she directly punctured Su Chen's full-of-holes lie. Su Chen's face instantly flushed a purplish-red.

[Done for! Caught red-handed! I knew it!]

[This woman really is hard to fool! How could I forget my own persona? A miscalculation! A grave oversight!]

[What now? Keep playing dumb, or admit fault and let her have her way?]

Su Chen's mind raced, trying to find a perfect excuse.

Ji Hongxue watched his flustered state, her inner amusement growing. She slowly sat up from Su Chen's embrace, not minding the quilt's slide at all. The faintly visible, breathtaking spring scenery made Su Chen's gaze instantly freeze, his brain crashing once more.

"What? Does Divine Son Su think that eating your fill and then running off is the rule of your Longevity Family?" She raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a dangerous playfulness.

[Holy shit! That's a foul! This is blatant seduction! A foul! Where's the referee?!]

[She's doing this on purpose! She absolutely is! She knows I can't resist this!]

[Heart-Cleansing Mantra! Great Compassion Mantra! amitabha, form is emptiness, emptiness is form... Su Chen, Su Chen, you're a man destined for Immortal Ascension and founding a lineage. How can you be bewitched by mere pink skeletons!]

He desperately recited various scriptures in his heart, but the effect was minimal. Instead, his Qi and blood surged even more violently.

Ji Hongxue watched his dazed, comical attempt to look up at the ceiling, satisfied to have regained the initiative once more.

She extended a slender, cool jade finger and gently hooked Su Chen's chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.

"Divine Son Su, you haven't answered this Empress's question yet." Her voice was soft yet carried an indisputable authority.

Su Chen felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He swallowed hard with difficulty, his eyes darting around.

"Well... um... rules are made to be broken, right? Haha, haha..." He forced a laugh, trying to muddle through with banter.

[I'm such a clever little devil! Yes, rules are made to be broken! With that answer, she surely can't do anything about it!]

[But... why is this woman becoming more and more captivating? That look, that tone, it's downright lethal! I feel my Dao Heart melting...]

Ji Hongxue's smile deepened, like a poppy blooming in a Demonic Abyss.

She slowly leaned closer to Su Chen, her warm breath mixed with orchid scent spraying on his face.

"Is that so? Well said." She whispered, her voice like a devil's murmur, filled with fatal temptation. "Then this Empress will now set a new rule."

Watching Su Chen's pupils suddenly contract, she declared with an unquestionable, domineering tone, word by word:

"This time, I'm still going to be on top!"