193: That's all; he was kept by the female demon.

Great Chu Academy, Emperor Mountain, wooden house.

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the simple window lattice, stingily spilling into the room and illuminating what could only be described as a tragic battlefield.

A complete mess lay everywhere.

A man's plain white robes had been torn beyond recognition, scattered here and there in pieces. The most expensive among them, a dragon-patterned brocade robe, had been reduced to a few tattered strips hanging miserably from the corner of a table.

The originally simple and sturdy bamboo bed was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a wide ice bed condensed entirely from Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice.

The ice was crystal clear, with faint glimmers of light rotating within, emitting a refreshing coolness and pure Spiritual Qi.

The entire wooden house was still permeated with a lingering, peculiar cold fragrance.

It was the scent of Lunar Moonlight blending with a certain passionate aura.

The air was bone-chillingly cold, and a thin layer of frost had even formed on the floor.

A piece of light-red bellyband, thin as a cicada's wing with exquisite dragon patterns embroidered on the edges, drifted down from mid-air.

A slender, jade-like hand reached out and caught it with precision.

Chu Yuehua stood barefoot by the ice bed, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, lazily draped over her shoulders and back. A few strands stuck to her sweat-dampened cheeks, adding a heart-stopping charm and weariness to her cold, peerless face.

She looked down at the bellyband in her hand, then glanced at the fellow on the ice bed, a complex and unidentifiable look flashing through her cold phoenix eyes.

“Hmph! Nothing more than this!”

She snorted coldly, her tone striving to maintain the dignity of Her Majesty the Empress.

But her slightly reddened earlobes and somewhat hurried breathing betrayed that she was not as calm as she appeared on the surface.

“Cough, cough, cough...”

On the ice bed, Qin Wushang struggled to sit up, rubbing his sore lower back. His bronze-colored, sturdy upper body was covered in intersecting red marks and faint teeth imprints.

Those were the incriminating evidence left by someone in the heat of passion.

He looked exhausted, his legs felt a bit weak, and he didn't want to stand up immediately.

“Revered Master... You are a bit too overbearing... This Disciple's bones were almost taken apart by you.”

“Address me as Your Majesty!”

Chu Yuehua immediately pulled a long face, clutching the bellyband in her hand tightly, trying to make her voice sound cold and heartless.

“Regarding the past two days of bed-service, this Chu Yuehua... is somewhat satisfied.”

“Considering your dedicated efforts, this Chu Yuehua will temporarily not pursue the matter of your... ambiguous public affair with that Demoness.”

She tried to make her words sound like a monarch's favor to a subject, but her flickering eyes and slightly trembling eyelashes exposed her inner turmoil.

After speaking, she stopped looking at Qin Wushang, and with a slight thought.

Cold moonlight flowed down from the Void Realm like a water curtain, gently enveloping her exquisite body, washing away all traces and scents of lovemaking. Her skin became smooth as jade once more, glowing with a faint, lustrous sheen.

Then, the thin dragon-patterned bellyband in her hand flew up automatically, adhering to her body and covering the alluring scenery.

Immediately after, that magnificent and solemn black-based, gold-patterned imperial robe appeared, automatically dressing her neatly.

Aside from the slight lingering blush on her cheeks and the trace of passion at the corners of her eyes that hadn't fully faded, the Chu Yuehua had now regained her usual sacred and inviolable demeanor.

“Tomorrow, the Ancient Desolate Secret Realm opens.”

She stood with her back to Qin Wushang, her voice having returned to its customary coldness.

“Rest well today and recharge your energy. Do not miss the appointed time.”

As her voice fell, without waiting for Qin Wushang's response, she waved her slender hand, tearing through space and departing.

Qin Wushang rubbed his chin, looking in the direction she disappeared, a lingering smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

The scenes of the past two days of ambiguous madness involuntarily surfaced in his mind... This usually noble and dignified Her Majesty the Empress was actually so... passionate, unrestrained, overbearing, and proactive in the heat of passion.

“I must say...”

He murmured to himself, his eyes filled with a smile.

“Such an overbearing and wild Revered Master has a unique flavor... It's just...”

He sighed, rubbing his waist which was still somewhat sore and weak, shaking his head helplessly.

“She is an Chu Yuehua after all, a Quasi-Emperor body, incomparably powerful.”

“I am merely in the Heavenly God Realm. In this kind of fierce battle, I am truly... lacking in strength. Entering the imperial family by mistake is just asking for trouble.”

Joking aside, he quickly gathered his thoughts.

Golden light flowed around him, and Great Dao Scriptures faintly appeared as he began to sit cross-legged in meditation, circulating his Cultivation Technique to recharge his energy... Most of the day quietly passed during his meditation.

Qin Wushang slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes, looking spirited.

He stood up and stretched his limbs. The blood and Qi within his body surged like a dragon; his state had returned to its Peak, and he had even made a slight improvement.

He pushed open the wooden door and walked outside.

Atop Emperor Mountain, the sea of clouds churned, and the sunlight was just right.

He looked toward the cold Moonlight Palace at the mountain Peak. The palace gates were tightly shut, and the Formation was active. Clearly, the Chu Yuehua had not stayed on Emperor Mountain and should have returned to the depths of the Imperial Palace.

At this moment, Emperor Mountain, having experienced the clamor and great battle of the previous two days, appeared exceptionally quiet, even somewhat lonely.

Qin Wushang didn't linger. With a thought, he walked through the air, turning into a stream of light and sweeping down from Emperor Mountain.

Soon, his figure appeared at the foot of Emperor Mountain, the area where academy Disciples went about their daily activities.

“Look! It's Senior Brother Qin!”

“Senior Brother Qin has come down the mountain! Heavens, he really has made a Breakthrough to the Heavenly God Realm. His aura is terrifying!”

“Nonsense, he is a Double-Pupiled One, the number one in the grand competition who suppressed all geniuses. Now, he's even been... cough, anyway, the title of the number one person among the academy's younger generation definitely belongs to him!”

“Senior Brother Qin is truly handsome... and his talent is so Heaven-Defying. I wonder which Fairy will be lucky enough to have him in the future?”

“Stop dreaming! Haven't you heard? He has a marriage contract with that Young Miss of the Lin Family! Lin Ziyao is not to be trifled with either!”

“Tsk, what does a marriage contract matter? Didn't you see two days ago? That Red-Robed Devil Emperor publicly... did that to him! Her Majesty the Empress even flew into a rage! If you ask me, Senior Brother Qin is probably going to be kept by that Demoness!”

“Hiss... Really? But... that Demoness's figure and appearance... tsk tsk, if one could be kept by such a peerless beauty, it wouldn't seem like a loss...”

“Shh! Keep it down! Do you want to die?!”

Whispers were incessant. Many academy Disciples, deacons, and even some Elders watched Qin Wushang from a distance.

There was envy, jealousy, and even gossiping aunties... How sharp was Qin Wushang's hearing? Those discussions entered his ears without missing a word, especially when he heard the word 'kept', his face couldn't help but darken.

“Kept? Who the hell started that rumor!”

He cursed inwardly but didn't stop, walking straight toward the crowd.

Wherever he passed, the discussions came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone fell silent, respectfully lowering their heads and bowing in unison: “Greetings, Senior Brother Qin!”

The voices were orderly, filled with awe.

Qin Wushang stopped his pace, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd. Everyone touched by his gaze felt a chill in their hearts and buried their heads even lower.

“This true disciple is innocent and has no involvement or affair with that Sister Su.”

His voice was flat, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

“As for such nonsense as being kept, if This true disciple hears it again...”

He didn't finish, but that invisible pressure and chill made everyone break out in a cold sweat instantly.

“Senior Brother Qin, please appease your anger! We wouldn't dare anymore!”

“Yes, yes, yes, we were talking nonsense. Senior Brother Qin is a great man with a great heart!”

The crowd hurriedly admitted their mistakes, dripping with cold sweat.

“Disperse. Go do what you should be doing.”

Qin Wushang waved his hand and ignored them.

As if granted a grand pardon, the crowd quickly scattered like birds and beasts.

Qin Wushang shook his head and strolled leisurely through the academy.

Nothing to do today, might as well go to the brothel to listen to music... No!

How can I do that!

The brothel is a no-go!

Better just to wander around!

After walking for a good while, Qin Wushang saw a hunched figure silently sweeping fallen leaves beside a secluded, shaded path.

It was an old man in a plain-colored long robe, his hair and beard all white, his face deeply wrinkled like ravines, and his back slightly stooped.

He held an ordinary bamboo broom in his hand, sweeping the withered leaves on the ground one by one, unhurriedly.

His movements were slow and his aura ordinary, as if he were the most common elderly handyman in the academy.

Qin Wushang, however, stopped his pace, straightened his robes, and solemnly bowed to the old man's back.

“Disciple Qin Wushang greets Elder Wang.”

The sweeping old man's movements paused slightly, and he slowly turned around.

It was an unremarkable face, except for a pair of eyes that seemed cloudy at first glance but, upon closer inspection, were as deep as an ancient well, as if reflecting the long river of time.

He looked at Qin Wushang, a trace of very faint surprise flashing in his eyes, which then turned into calm.

“Supreme Double Pupils, truly extraordinary.”

The old man was indeed Wang Changsheng!

He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and low.

“To actually be able to see through this old man's clumsy concealment.”

“Elder Wang's cultivation is heaven-reaching, returning to simplicity. Why hide from the world and be a leisurely old man here?”

Qin Wushang straightened up, his tone carrying respect.