338: Chapter 338 You dare castrate my man?

The Artifact Spirit withdrew her hand, turned around, and her gaze landed on Xu Ruyu once again.

This time, her eyes softened significantly, even carrying a hint of... bashfulness that Xu Ruyu couldn't quite comprehend?

Then, she spoke. Her voice was still ethereal, yet it carried a touch of self-righteousness:

"You dare to castrate your Master's man?"

Taihao Clan was stunned.

Her mouth hung open, her eyes widened like copper bells, and her entire body froze in place as if struck by lightning.

"Ma... Master... what... what did you say?" Her voice cracked.

The Artifact Spirit didn't look at her, her eyes remaining fixed on Xu Ruyu. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly in a faint smile. To Xu Ruyu, that smile actually seemed... shy?

Taihao Clan's brain completely short-circuited.

What did she just hear?

Master said... "your Master's man"?

Master's man? Xu Ruyu?

This scoundrel who had trifled with Master was actually Master's man?

Ah???

Taihao Clan felt her worldview collapsing.

She thought of her suffering during this time—guarding the Illusory Moon Well every day, worrying about her Master's slumber, fuming over her Master's "sullied purity," and countless times imagining killing that bastard Xu Ruyu with her own hands.

She recalled her words from just now—"the bastard who sullied Master's purity," "even if his talent is great, he must be castrated."

And now, Master was telling her that this bastard was her man?

Taihao Clan felt the world spinning around her.

She looked at her Master's back, then at Xu Ruyu, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but not a single word could come out.

After a long while, she finally managed to find her voice and stammered, "Ma... Master, you... you're not joking, right? He... he's just... you..."

The Artifact Spirit finally turned her head and looked at her, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "When has your Master ever joked?"

Taihao Clan still couldn't believe it. "But... but he... he's only in the Qi Refinement Stage! He... he's still so young! He... he..."

The Artifact Spirit smiled faintly, her expression carrying a hint of profound meaning. "What's wrong with the Qi Refinement Stage? What's wrong with being young? What your Master values is his 'Dao,' his Heart-Nature, and him as a person. As for the rest..."

She paused, her gaze drifting back to Xu Ruyu, the flush on her face becoming more apparent. "Don't ask about those matters."

Taihao Clan was completely dumbfounded.

This expression... this tone... Master had clearly... fallen in love?

But Master is an Artifact Spirit!

An Artifact Spirit who had lived for tens of thousands of years!

How could she feel this way toward a kid in the Qi Refinement Stage...

She suddenly remembered the anomaly during the Trial of Willpower—the energy of the Illusory Moon Well going haywire, the pink-gold pillar of light soaring into the sky, the Artifact Spirit's Origin Breakthrough...

Could it be that Xu Ruyu didn't "sully" Master, but rather... rather...

Taihao Clan didn't dare to think any further.

Yet, for some reason, she felt a sense of relief in her heart.

Previously, she had hated Xu Ruyu so much because she felt her Master had been wronged and her reputation sullied.

But now, Master had admitted it herself, even saying "your Master's man"... so what was the point of her hatred?

And...

And...

Taihao Clan's gaze couldn't help but drift toward Xu Ruyu again.

Although this youth had trifled with her Master, his talent in Artifact Refining was truly astonishing.

Those unheard-of Array Pattern, those inconceivable forging techniques, and that incredibly powerful "poqi type i"...

If she could get along with him, could she perhaps learn those things from him?

Master's man... according to seniority, what should she call him? Step-Master? Grandmaster? Or...

Taihao Clan's mind was a complete mess, but her expression gradually shifted from initial shock to... a complex, conflicted, yet subtly expectant nuance.

At this moment, Xu Ruyu was even more bewildered than Taihao Clan.

He stood there, watching the scene unfold—Taihao Clan being slapped dizzy by the Artifact Spirit, the Artifact Spirit declaring "your Master's man" with full conviction, and then those bashful glances drifting over from time to time...

His brain had also completely short-circuited.

What kind of situation was this?

Lady Artifact Spirit... she... she said I'm her man?

But that day in the illusion, it was clearly him who was tempted by those visions and lost control... shouldn't she hate him? Shouldn't she want to kill him just like Taihao Clan did?

How... how could this be?

Xu Ruyu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he didn't know what to say.

Just then, the Artifact Spirit walked up to him.

Her steps were light, her skirt trailing softly on the ground, bringing with it a faint, lingering fragrance. The scent was fresh and elegant, like osmanthus under a moonlit night, bringing peace to one's mind.

Xu Ruyu was so nervous he even forgot to breathe.

The Artifact Spirit came to a halt in front of him, tilting her head slightly to look into his eyes.

She only reached his chin in height, and from this angle, her gaze appeared even more tender, even more... heart-stirring.

"You... your name is Xu Ruyu?" she asked, her voice crisp and clear, like a mountain spring.

Xu Ruyu nodded blankly.

The Artifact Spirit's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.

To Xu Ruyu, that smile actually seemed... shy?

Like a young bride seeing her husband for the first time.

"I... I know you." Her voice grew even softer, and the flush on her face deepened. "That day... that day in the illusion, I... I remembered you.""}],